Novel Full Chapter 1053 Going into a dungeon
[Eon’s POV: ]
“Oh! You two are here~!”
Wearing our mage robes and concealment hoods, we appeared on a less frequented side of the front city docks.
The soft light of dawn spilled over the horizon, painting the sky in gentle shades of pink and orange.
The air felt fresh and cool, carrying the faint scent of salt and seaweed.
People going out into the sea to catch their today’s hunt strolled along the weathered wooden planks of the dock… we could hear the quiet lapping of waves against the sides of small fishing boats that gently rocked in their moorings.
The boats, painted in faded blues and greens, made with simple wood or reinforced woods of humble origins, seemed to be resting after a long night at sea, getting ready for a new day, a new adventure.
A few white birds circled overhead, their calls echoing in the stillness as they searched for breakfast on the shore and the rocks present under nearby hills.
The buildings around the place were modest and not too attractive or too humble, with peeling paint and rusted roofs.
They stood close together. Just like the most common houses around the city, as if sharing secrets from years gone by.
A few small café at the periphery of the dock opened their doors, releasing a warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee, bread, and morning delicacies into the crisp morning air.
‘The place wasn’t really that bad to be a gathering point.’
A couple of early risers sat outside, wrapped in sweaters, sipping their warm drinks while watching the sun rise higher.
Alongside the dock, piles of fishing nets lay tangled and waiting for use.
A few crates filled with yesterday’s catch were stacked haphazardly, their magically preserved contents glistening with morning dew.
“Seems like everyone is here, right?”
“Oh, no! We are still missing a few!”
“Tsk. Late.” Stay updated with empire
The atmosphere felt peaceful and serene, a stark contrast to the bustling city life just a few blocks away. In fact, if we go a few blocks away from here in a straight line, we would already be in a busy area of the city.
‘It would be the morning market filled with merchants that are almost wrapping up their shops that had been open all night or were opening up early as usual.’
Here though, time seemed to slow down, inviting one to pause and take in the beauty of this hidden gem by the sea.
It was a good gathering place.
“There. Everyone is here now.”
The knight that did not seem too pleased with the people coming late finally looked at the priests and clerics that were coming here after their morning prayers, shook his head, and looked back at everyone present…
“This will be more than enough for a dungeon like that one. We also have you, so we shouldn’t get lost there either.”
He looked beside him, at the other captain, the mage, a woman wearing attractive clothes that enhanced her sensual body, with no hint of attraction.
“Of course, sir~! Just leave the guidance to me~~!”
The other men in the party were unconditionally attracted to her thanks to not just her looks but also because of the attractive and revealing clothes she was wearing.
Her magic staff was also costly and a [Level-9] artifact, something you don’t see just everyday.
Also, she had a cute snake familiar herself, a creature of (Green) rank and a being that nullified any kind of poison affecting their master or contractors as long as they themselves could handle that poison.
‘It was a rare Mana beast known as (Glu Salas), a species that one could find in island areas in the deeper parts of the ocean.’
It was a rare creature that not many people knew much about. However, to us academy students, especially someone like Rein who attended Lady Viv’s class, that creature might not be a new sight.
‘Lady Viv had a few of those and she most certainly had shown them to her class. In fact, she had poisoned them so that she could show them how their powers worked actually.’
Rein said she wasn’t getting affected by the poison due to her natural resistance so they had to use a stronger one, but she surely experienced how those creatures worked.
And it was a delightful experience for her. So…
[{ “Hey! Darling! Who’s that?! She has the Muddy snake~! Look~!” }]
The snake had a special light brown, almost muddy coloured scales and sharp silver eyes. She was looking at it with excited eyes, but thanks to the concealment hoods, the others did not notice it.
Except, of course, the person she was looking at.
[{ “Woh…” }]
The female mage noticed her gaze and smiled in our direction. Which was rare, actually.
[{ “That’s an <S> rank for you. She sure has four decades of experience.” }]
Nerissa Belladonna.
I did not think they would have someone like her when I was looking into the members of the party, but apparently, she came to them when she heard they were going to this particular dungeon.
She was a famous person around this area since she was one of the few that had actually been to all dozens of islands present in this archipelago.
She especially loved the island that we were headed to and had some business there herself, so she was joining us while she had the chance.
‘She was the most experienced one among us and knew the most about the creatures of the dungeon that we were headed to.’
She was the guide of this party. And, she was also going to be a captain that looks after her section of the team.
Though, from the looks of it, we will not be under her command, sadly.
[{ “<S>? She’s an <S> rank? Really?” }]
[{ “Didn’t I tell you about the (Brewer of a thousand poisons)? That’s her.” }]
Aside from being a mage, she was also an alchemist that specialises in Toxins.
She wasn’t really too famous outside of these northern parts, but among the locals, she was nothing less than a superstar.
And, we were at the same party as a superstar right now.
[{ “Wow… I didn’t think we would meet her like this.” }]
This person was famous for many reasons. One particular reason for her fame, in fact, was her mastery in toxins of various kinds.
‘Since she knew about poison and venom, she made things that were not just potent but also customizable.’
People from all around the empire came here to meet her to order a particular type of poison that might have a particular type of effect on a particular type of person.
She wasn’t the best in the field. But she was someone that wasn’t famous, which was an advantage for those choosing her since in the empire, the creation of harmful substances like that was prohibited outside of allowed places or by licensed individuals.’
Needless to say she did not have a licence for toxin manufacturing since it was her hobby rather than a job, but the only reason she was able to pursue her hobby was because of the unique self governed laws of this archipelago.
“We shall depart now. Let us begin the meeting as soon as we board the ship.”
The one speaking was mainly the knight with the mage simply smiling at him from beside him.
There was one person in full body blue armour beside the old knight, the third captain, who was holding a shield and a sword on his back.
His armour was magically enchanted but still, we could tell he was the same person that had been behind the other knight captain because of his relatively shorter physique.
Still, it seemed like the children were not aware of who he was. Or any idea that he was connected to them.
[{ “What do you think now? It’s not going to be that difficult, that much is for sure.” }]
[{ “Yeah. Though, seems like we will have to be careful.” }]
We were bored, so we joined the raid. But now that we are actually here, I see this is not that easy.
With the presence of an <S> rank, as well as so many holy and light attribute users, we would at least be safe. But, even if nothing happens to us, I am not sure why they are doing this in the first place.
If it were their parents who asked them to become an adventurer and clear a difficult dungeon, it would have made sense for even the richest parents to leave them with a few guards of their own.
But, there was only one person looking after them right now, and that one person had hired someone that may or may not be a good individual for this task.
He was also not revealing himself to the children, meaning they might not even know who he was even without the armour.
Plus, the presence of Miss Nerissa was also strange in this whole mix.
‘The children were awfully confident about this whole conquest with the forces that they had gathered as well.’
And then there’s the matter about their pocket money…
‘The amount that they gave us was not small. Fifteen gold and fifty silver just to go with them to a dungeon was an extraordinary amount actually.’
From a simple person’s perspective, that was a few months worth of their savings. And yet, we were getting it for a single day’s trip.
‘Did their family even teach them about money?’
Thankfully, it seemed like the older knight had helped them with gathering trustable party members who all seemed to have no ill will towards these rich brats.
[{ “Alright~. Here we go~.” }]
Rein was excited about this dungeon.
And so was I…
-Byooooooooooong!
[ THE SHIP IS DEPARTING FROM THE DOCK! ]
I had my uncertainties and I did want to know what was going on here. But, in a corner of my mind, I was also wishing this to not be connected with the cultits or a negative force.
‘Though, since I don’t have a ‘Bad’ feeling about this, I think it will be alright.’
At least, we will not have to fight some unpredictable, undefeatable enemy.