After Arthur left to deal with the intruders in the party hall, Tristan spoke to the girls' group casually. While she looked rather casual and didn't make a big deal of it, she was still anxious about him going alone and asking her to protect the others if something unexpected happened.
'What is the unexpected thing that even he, a living cheat, is wary of? It's different from what Cecil said earlier about him having fun with Teacher Emilia.' She smirked, drinking a grape juice she got from a servant.
Not only them but almost everyone in the party hall drank and ate. Currently, the Queen was moving around with a knight by her side, interacting with Duke Blacktomb and Naya Blacktomb.
Looking at her, Tristan understood why Arthur was more cautious than usual.
'Still, it's not wrong to be careful. Thankfully, I didn't drink anything yet. Though that cocktail looks good, I need to hold back.'
Her eyes darted on the drinks held by Eli and Vivian. As for Cecil, the minotaur girl gulped down two cocktails simultaneously as if she were drinking cheap beers.
"This stuff is really good," Cecil exclaimed as she licked her lips.
"Cecil, that's bad manners. Don't lick your lips vulgarly like that in this place." Vivian reprimanded with a serious look. "It will not only ruin your reputation but also Arthur's."
"Is that really how it works?" The minotaur girl sighed and put the empty glass down on the table. "Noble society is so stiff. I will return to sea after attending his engagement with Eliza and Tristan." She looked at both Eliza and Tristan, who stood side by side.
The former's face turned red, while the latter didn't even register what Cecil had said.
Noticing Tristan's serious face, the former pirate narrowed her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Cecil poked Tristan's shoulder, causing her to jolt slightly, and turned at her, confused.
"What?" She asked.
Sighing, Cecil said, "You're looking too anxious for Arthur's warning. If he's in this place, nothing bad would happen, no? He even defeated that big-ass, tentacle girl monster alone. Well, you helped, but my point stands."
"Y-Yeah, well…" Tristan started, her eyes darted around again. There was a slight glow in her pale green eyes, which looked like Mana.
"Just like Arthur with his senses, I have exceptional eyes." She explained with a low voice and a serious tone.
"And I see the Mana is restless around here. It's rippling weirdly as if a ritual magic is activating. I don't understand why Arthur let it happen or whether he noticed it or not. After all, he can't sense Mana."
Having said that, it wasn't like there was a clear trace of any magic or Skill getting activated in the room. Even the Royal Guards didn't make any move yet.
But… Someone also noticed the strange ripple in the atmosphere.
"You're right."
A voice called out from the side. Two beautiful people, a female Elf and a male Human, approached them with a concerned look.
Vivian and Cecil knew who the man was and nodded their heads to greet them. Eliza and Tristan also heard about what happened yesterday and recognized him almost immediately, thanks to the Elf's striking resemblance to Milea, except in the chest development.
"The Mana in this room is restless, a sign that someone or a group is preparing a <Ritual Magic> to summon something bad." The female Elf, Mafula, stopped in her tracks. "You have quite a sensitive sense, Young Lady. And your appearance… Are you perhaps a descendant of Elf Village? Alesia?"
That question again. Tristan had heard about it once from the Royal Academy's headmistress. And the fact that the name came out of the Elf's mouth meant that they knew each other.
Unfortunately… Tristan really had no relationship with an Elf.
"I am one hundred percent human."
"I see…" Mafula nodded, "Forgive my rudeness. You just look similar to my sister and… my daughter. I believe that you're acquainted with her?"
"If it's Milea, then yes. Also… It doesn't seem like the time to talk about this." Tristan brushed it off and took out the dagger she hid underneath her skirt. "Mrs…"
"It's Mafula Daxidor." Mafula answered before Tristan continued. "As ambassadors, we can only protect ourselves and not approach the Queen in times of emergency. We will not be able to help you in the end."
"But leave the ladies' safety to me." The man, Cleric, suddenly interjected as an iron sword appeared in his hand, "Hahaha, I will do it as a favor for my son-in-law."
Tristan looked at the man suspiciously, especially when he said son-in-law. However, there was no time to get confused or suspicious as the air suddenly trembled.
Large double doors suddenly appeared, seemingly made of stone, with its rim cracked from chipped by time. A skull of an unknown monster sat on the top of the door, releasing a nasty purple aura from its mouth.
An ominous aura and purple fog gushed out of the door as it slowly opened, revealing a twisted, rippled purple space on the other side of it.
People began to panic and run. The knight beside the Queen stood between her and the door, asking her to quickly leave the area, and she did.
Cleric looked at the center of the party hall and muttered, "Miasma... Young Lady, change of plan. Can you protect the Queen while I fight that stuff? The other, please follow my wife to evacuate. It's not safe here, even for Level 70 individuals."
"Yeah, I can see that," Tristan growled in wariness. "Eli, please follow his instructions.
"Huh?" Eliza raised her voice as she looked at the door.
There was a giant dog with three heads walking out of the ominous door. Purple flames burning brightly on its three heads, glowing ominously as if they were alive.
The giant dog's legs lacked flesh as it was burned by the same flame, leaving only black bones. Each of its steps left a burning flame behind.
"Grrrr!!"
Tristan, who had a lot of experience dealing with monsters back in Horizon Online, immediately used <Appraisal>. She didn't want to fight something unknown. And when the result popped up in front of her head… It left her surprised.
"What… Cerberus?!"
However, someone was already in front of the giant dog and swung down his iron sword that was clad in <Razor Edge> skill.
"Hap!"
The sword left a blue trail, but it didn't meet its target as the dog already moved behind him.
"Cleric!" Mafula shouted to get his attention.
Looking back after hearing his wife's voice, Cleric saw Cerberus had already raised its paw and brought it down.
"Oh... This is bad."
Bam!
The flame-covered paw bone struck Cleric and blew him away to a pillar, leaving a crack as his body fell to the ground.
Hearing the crack of the pillar, Tristan finally was able to pull herself back.
"Run!" She shouted loudly to the others as she used a quick outfit change. She was now donned in green armor, covering her chest and shoulder pads. It was her strongest armor that increased her defense and AGI.
Mafula nodded and ran first.
"Follow me!"
Cecil, Vivian, and Eliza followed suit almost immediately. They understood that they were useless in this high-Level battle. Judging from Mafula's reaction to not helping her husband, this monster might have had something special that was dangerous for them.
Then, without hesitation, she took out [Yggdrasil Bow] from her inventory, nocked a special arrow into it, and activated her skill.
"<Focus Shot!>"
The released arrow flew toward the center of Cerberus' body, leaving an icy trail. When the arrow hit the target, it blossomed into a beautiful ice flower, immobilizing half of Cerberus' body. However, it only damaged it slightly.
'No use. Its defense is too high. And I can't really use strong Skills in this cramped space!' Tristan thought and decided on the best move. That was to support Cleric, a swordsman.
"I will support you from a long-range!" She exclaimed as she activated various buffs she had. She also activated <Fairy's Banquet> as she noticed that the purple fog might carry a deadly curse with it.
Many fairies appeared and began to spread in the hall immediately; some danced around Cleric and healed him.
Her MP was almost depleted just with that, so she was forced to drink MP potion and recovered a little bit.
"Thank you, but you don't need to!"
Cleric stood up with a smile as he let go of his iron sword. "I might need to get serious against this monster. Young Lady, please make sure the Queen is safe. I am worried that there might be enemies hiding inside the castle! Just leave this dog to me."
He took a step forward as another sword appeared in his hand. This time, it was a golden sword with intricate details and a golden aura glowing around its edge.
Just a single glance was enough to know it was a high-Level weapon, not far from the [Caliburn] Arthur used, but was still far from the broken [Excalibur].
And Cerberus seemed to notice this sword 'could' hurt its body and kill it.
"Graaa!!" Growling loudly, the fire surrounding its head and limbs intensified, melting the ice flower almost immediately. When it was half of its original size, Cerberus' tail smashed it to pieces, and it managed to free itself.
That was enough to make Tristan feel useless.
"Will you be okay?" She asked Cleric with an uneasy tone.
"I will be okay." He answered confidently as he swiped his hair up and brandished his sword. His steps when approaching Cerberus were confident and calm. "This [Paladin's Sword] will make me invincible for 2 minutes as I am not its real owner. That's enough time for my son-in-law to arrive."
Tristan felt like she had just heard something ridiculous about his sword but decided to push it to the back of her mind and nodded.
"Be safe." She bid farewell to him and then ran toward the secret entrance where the knight took the Queen and Duke Blacktomb to protect them.
Left alone with Cerberus, Cleric's lips rose.
"Invincible for 2 minutes, huh?" He chuckled in amusement as he activated every buff he had in store, such as <Physical Enhancement>, <Sharp Edge>, and <Agility Enhancement>.
"Lying feels really bad. Not even my little brother can bring its effect for 30 seconds. How can I maintain it for 2 minutes? Well, maybe with these little fairies, I can hold on for 10 seconds."
Cerberus growled angrily as it narrowed three pairs of eyes at Cleric, whose body was surrounded by a strange golden aura.
"Let's have fun, little doggy. My son-in-law will arrive soon, and I can't let him have all the fun!"
With that, Cleric jumped toward Cerberus and struck. Unlike when he used an iron sword, the blade didn't leave any trail.
However…
Splurt!
It managed to cut Cerberus' left neck and drew purple blood from the monster, chipping its HP.
Landing a bit away from Cerberus, Cleric quickly turned around and sent a fury of slashes. He clashed with the monster's paws, bone tail, and fangs. Blood was drawn, and the floor was cracked.
The battle continued with loud clashing sounds and shockwaves reverberating in the previously grand party hall.
"Hahaha!"
And Cleric enjoyed it like a madman, even though his body got hurt and burned after 10 seconds had passed and the fairies from Tristan's Skill disappeared.
Soon after… Cleric reached his limit.
Bam!
Once again, Cerberus' paw sent him flying toward the end of the hall. This time, the monster used a stronger force as it recognized him as an 'enemy' rather than 'prey' that it could feast on.
The wall was destroyed, and Cleric was buried inside. His body felt weak. He was already exhausted, and his HP was chipped a bit too much.
"<Heal>"
Using his last MP, he healed his bloodied body, and golden light covered him for a second. That last <Heal> allowed him to raise his head, and he saw Cerberus growling before him.
"It's my limit, huh?" He muttered in disdain.
But he wasn't worried as his trustworthy friend and son-in-law had arrived.
"I had my own fun. Go play with it next."
"Yeah, sure."
Bam!
Out of nowhere, Cerberus was flying to the other end of the party hall and crashed against the pillars, destroying them. It cried painfully as it tried to stand up. Its eyes were blazing ferociously as it saw a new 'enemy' appear out of nowhere.
A man dressed in all white with his hair swept up stood before the defeated man. He held a gold blade that seemed to radiate sunlight itself.
With a mix of arrogance and confident expression, he stretched his hand toward the dog.
"Play with me next, doggie."
