Gravekeeper Knight (3)
The day the dungeon subjugation party set out. The participating mercenaries and adventurers finished their preparations early and began gathering at the announced eastern plaza. Many had gotten cold feet and backed out after seeing what happened to the walls a few days ago, but there were also fresh arrivals, and the lord had doubled the reward payout. In total, 112 people assembled.
"Phew, wonder when we'll head out."
A silver-rank adventurer, a man with a cheap cigarette dangling from his lips, muttered to himself.
"Wanna smoke? Gimme a light."
"Oh, don't mind if I do."
The mercenary standing beside him, armed with a double-bladed axe, pulled out his own cigarette and lighter from his pouch and lit it for the guy.
"Hooah. You're sticking it out, huh? All the guys who came with me bailed."
The mercenary exhaled a puff as he spoke, and the adventurer did the same before replying.
"The lord doubled the pay since so many dropped out. My pockets are hurting, so what choice do I have?"
"Same here. Got debts piling up, and the gigs haven't been paying shit. Figured this payout was worth a shot."
The two men's gazes drifted toward the distant wall—or rather, where it used to be. They weren't the only ones; the others gathered and waiting kept stealing uneasy glances at the spot, their faces shadowed.
"Heard the boss itself came out and smashed the wall from afar. You believe that?"
The mercenary's eyes screamed disbelief, but the adventurer nodded readily.
"That's the usual wisdom, yeah."
"A dungeon boss that's barely a month old personally attacking the wall? With that kind of power? Sheesh."
"Well, the lord said two days ago they'd prepared countermeasures for the boss."
Two days prior, word had spread to the subjugation party recruits: Don't tremble in fear. We're fully aware the dungeon's difficulty is high and the boss is strong. Someone worthy will join the party to match it.
"If they just sent every random applicant, we'd be cannon fodder. But they said knights from the Parates count family would join too—more than twenty, no less on skill. And look, here they come."
In the distance, knights in neat formation marched toward the plaza with disciplined precision.
"With that many knights, plus mages, and the lord herself bringing in someone to take on the boss? Gotta have faith in that."
The arriving knights organized the group. They checked who among the plaza crowd were subjugation applicants and lined them up neatly.
"Ha, now that it's go-time, I'm even more spooked. Better bail if the leader doesn't look up to snuff."
"What about the penalty fee?"
"Screw it. Not like I'm sticking around this city anyway."
"House Tremorn's famous for its trade networks—wide reach. Might be smarter to pay the fee and withdraw properly, thinking long-term."
"That so? Tsk."
The mercenary clicked his tongue and glanced back at the vanished wall.
"To fight something that did that, you'd need at least an Imperial Ten Swords-level fighter. Or one of the top five knight order captains."
He figured no top-tier knight order captain or one of the Empire's Ten Imperial Swords would show up so quickly for a backwater gig like this.
"Everyone, listen up!"
A bit later, as the two men's cigarettes burned down to stubs, a man who looked like a senior knight from his insignia drew the subjugation party's attention.
Then came a petite woman with slender build and gray hair. Drakanscale's lord, Susan Tremorn.
"I know the recent incident has everyone worried. Still, I offer my deepest thanks to those who stayed for this city's sake."
All eyes locked on her—not just the subjugators, but the onlookers around the plaza too.
"There's no need to fear."
She stated it flatly.
"We have a special guest joining this subjugation. With that person here, the dungeon will fall."
The mercenary and adventurer exchanged glances. That kind of ironclad certainty wasn't just pep talk.
"...Pleased to meet you all. Subjugation applicants and knights of House Tremorn."
A clear, resonant voice rang out crisply.
Someone emerged from among the knights. A woman in striking armor with a daring open chest design that drew the eye instantly.
Silver hair shimmering with a blue tint, narrow slit eyes open wide in a cheerful smile—that was her standout feature.
"I'm Aren. Aren Parates of the Parates count family."
The moment her name left her lips, the plaza fell deathly silent in an instant.
"...Aren Parates of the count family?"
Someone broke the hush first.
Not everyone knew her, but in a crowd of over a hundred mercenaries and adventurers, more did than didn't.
"No way—that's her? The one who pulled off dragon-slaying feats twice since the Human-Dragon War that no one's matched?"
"The woman legend-recorded in the Adventurer's Guild...? Reached black rank at twenty?"
"Rumors say she partied with heroes too..."
"Heard that from my southern circuit—it's legit!"
The murmurs swelled. Those in the know explained to the clueless. The sheer absurdity wiped the worry from faces. A laundry list of titles screamed honor and power—especially ones so extraordinary. Everyone assembled now saw Aren as no ordinary figure.
Aren, who'd watched them a moment, raised a hand. They quieted, taking it as a call to settle.
"I've mapped the dungeon. The boss is called the Gravekeeper Knight. Estimated difficulty: AA+ or higher."
"AA+?!"
Insanely high for a dungeon barely a month old. Breaths grew ragged; it was beyond what these folks could even fathom.
If true, no subjugators or knights could take the boss. Anything past A-rank was like that—capable of turning nearby cities to ruins just by showing up. And "or higher" meant it might be worse.
"Fortunately, scouts sent by Lord Susan report the boss's regular Dragon Fang Soldiers aren't that numerous."
Intel from a surviving knight. According to the one who'd reached deep layers, this dungeon's muscle was the boss alone: the Gravekeeper Knight.
"I'll handle the boss. You all break through the monsters in the meantime and hit the core."
Aren drew her sword lightly, pointed it skyward, and bellowed.
"Even if the boss targets you, I swear by the light god Isolcia—I'll protect you. May the gods' blessings be with us!"
Her voice carried the force and charisma to stir even coin-driven mercenaries and adventurers.
"Woooaaah!!!"
"Kyaaaa!!!"
"The Silver Reverse Scale fights with us!!!"
"Slayer! Slayer!"
"Aren!! Aren!!"
The mercenaries and adventurers erupted. The fact that this legendary knight was with them fired up not just them, but the plaza's civilian onlookers too.
"...I get to see the Silver Reverse Scale fight with my own eyes?!"
"...A black-rank adventurer—what'll she show us...?"
Even the two chatting smokers felt fire kindle in their chests.
And so the dungeon subjugation party departed.
For now, I'd stepped up as Susan asked and steadied the public mood.
The civilians watching look reassured, and the subjugators' morale's solid enough. Good enough.
Susan tagging along might've boosted vibes more, but she'd just be a liability if things got dicey, so I left her behind.
Leading this group: me. At my side, five senior knights Susan assigned as aides. Under them, junior knights, each commanding squads of about eight subjugators on average.
"It's been a while, Lady Aren."
A senior knight nearing middle age approached with a greeting. Four were new faces, but this one—just entering middle age—apparently knew me from before.
"...Sir Damil. I don't recall meeting you. When was it?"
"That's normal, my lady. I was a junior knight you knocked out cold during the tea party incident."
"Ah, that time... Sorry about that..."
Not exactly a black mark on my record, but hearing it from the victim felt awkward. Back then, on the fourth floor, I'd dropped Susan and leaped down to snatch her mid-fall—giving her a near-death thrill. Then I was fist-educating the other insufferable noble ladies when Tremorn knights rushed in to intervene. No intention of getting caught, I'd KO'd over ten juniors barehanded right there. Took four seniors piling onto my limbs to subdue me.
"It's a fond memory now. Great story for breaking the ice. Heh."
"Susan overlooked that too?"
"Of course—we keep it from Miss Susan's ears. She's changed so much for the better since, no knight who remembers holds a grudge against you."
"Haha, music to my ears."
We traded light banter and tips on dungeon hazards as we marched an hour. Then, to the left of the main road, a narrow path branched toward where the dungeon had appeared.
At this pace, another hour in and we'd hit the cave mouth.
"...This feeling."
As I moved to take point up the rise, a bizarre pressure hit—like my throat was being slit.
"Everyone, halt."
The knights paused the party with a murmur at my order.
"Something wrong, my lady?"
"Felt killing intent. It was expertly hidden—gone in a flash. That's why we stay alert—there!"
I spotted the enemy overhead, god-knows-how-long it'd been there. A humanoid in ivory armor, aloft on wings pieced from tiny bones. Massive. Humanoid or not, it dwarfed any harpy. From up high, it looked like a giant soaring.
No doubt. That was the dungeon boss. The surviving knight had dubbed it the Gravekeeper Knight.
It drew back one arm. In its grip, a massive double-headed spear with axe and lance blades honed like saw teeth.
The axe head swirled with mana so thick it shimmered even from here.
I could tell at a glance. Without me blocking, that one strike wipes the party.
No hesitation—I whipped Eseldra from her sheath.
[...Whoa, check that mana pool. No way this thing crawled out of a local dungeon.]
Ignoring Eseldra's awe, I surged my internal aura to reinforce my body and kicked off into a leap.
Simultaneously, it thrust its drawn arm forward.
――FFFFWOOOOOSH!!!
The air-ripping sonic boom echoed through the mountains. Blinding speed—the sound barely caught up.
If I hadn't sensed the killing intent, it might've tagged me.
But that split-second warning let me reach the spear's path first, with room to spare.
――Silver Wolf Sword Style. Deflect.
Created by Silver Wolf Knight Order Captain—my father, Zirken Parates.
With fluid grace, I precisely glanced the spear's side. Its trajectory veered naturally—not down, but sideways.
The spear rocketed off, slamming into the ground far away. Ignited mana erupted in a storm, shredding dozens of meters like a compressed hurricane.
Missile-level destruction.
Direct hit would've been a wipe. Insane power.
I landed amid the subjugators, frozen with jaws agape. A heavy thud as I bent my knees to absorb the impact.
Silence. No one spoke. Who could? Their brains couldn't process what they'd just seen.
I ignored them, eyes up. The thing was already flapping away toward the dungeon.
Fled after first move failed? Smart bastard.
Let it go and it'd vanish inside. Diversion possible, but having eyes on the boss, no way I'd let it slip.
"Sir Damil!"
The stunned knights snapped to at my voice.
"That's the boss! I'll pursue—handle the party!"
"...Yes! Understood!"
Before Damil finished, I'd kicked off again.
Try ambushing and running? Fat chance.
Aura flooded my legs, my body arrowing forward like a shot.