Published: January 24, 2026
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The carriage carrying Lucilla, the princess of the Nohitant Kingdom, passed through the gates of the Royal Capital.
News that the dungeons across the land had suddenly flooded spread rapidly throughout the country.
The common people, who had no way of knowing the situation in other countries, were still unaware, but compared to other nations, the Nohitant Kingdom had managed to contain the damage.
This was because, amid the nationwide chaos, the lords of major cities protected by outer walls—such as the Royal Capital and Tsutolairu—immediately took in people from the surrounding towns and villages and concentrated their defense efforts within these large cities.
A big part of this swift response was due to prior preparations made across the land for dealing with dungeon flooding, since the Empire, originally an adversary, was thought to have the means to cause such flooding.
In addition, an unidentified group had quickly appeared and was actively exterminating the demonic beasts that had emerged everywhere.
The clamorous voices of the citizens in the Royal Capital reached Lucilla’s ears.
“Lore, will you trust me and follow my lead?”
Lucilla, her expression grave beyond measure, asked Loretta, the escort traveling with her.
Hearing this, Loretta smiled gently and replied,
“Of course. I am your shield and sword.”
Upon receiving the response, Lucilla looked relieved.
“Thank you very much. Now then, Loretta Weaver, I am giving you an order. No matter what happens, carry out my commands without fail.”
“―Understood, Princess Lucilla.”
Placing a hand over her chest, Loretta bowed deeply to Lucilla.
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The carriage carrying Lucilla arrived at the royal palace.
When Loretta stepped down, a few people who had come to greet Lucilla were gathered there. Confirming that everyone present was either a close aide or an attendant of Lucilla, Loretta reached out to help Lucilla descend from the carriage.
“Welcome back, Princess Lucilla. We are relieved to see you unharmed.”
Duke Azar, a man in his late fifties, greeted them on behalf of the group.
“Duke Azar, I have just returned. Thank you all for coming to meet me.”
Lucilla spoke kindly to them and smiled, but just then—everyone present, except Lucilla, was blown away as if forcibly torn away from her.
“―Everyone, don’t move. Don’t speak a word. If you ignore this, I will mercilessly behead her.”
The Empire’s Crown Prince—the hero Felix Roots Kreuzer—landed beside Lucilla, pressing the blade of his sword against her neck and warning everyone.
“That is quite the greeting, Your Highness Felix.”
Lucilla glared at Felix with a dignified attitude, as if the blade pointed at her didn’t faze her.
“I apologize for the rudeness. But this is the quickest way to end the war.”
“War, you say? Do you even know what’s happening in the world right now?”
“You mean the dungeon flooding? Unfortunately, that has little to do with the Empire.”
“Is that because the Empire is connected to the cult?”
“No, not really. Most of our dungeons were conquered last year, so there’s not much left.”
The Sobel Empire’s initial move against the Nohitant Kingdom was triggered by the fact that dungeons within the Empire had been continuously conquered by unknown forces since last year.
This led to a decrease in the acquisition of magic stones, and before falling into a shortage, the Empire set its sights on the kingdom where multiple Great Labyrinths and other dungeons existed.
“Surrender, Princess Lucilla. If the kingdom yields to the Empire, we will immediately send our troops to suppress the flooding chaos. And I myself will fight the demonic beasts.”
“...That is a very tempting proposal.”
Felix is the leader of the party that uniquely conquered the Great Labyrinth.
His legendary feat of single-handedly defending the Imperial Capital from an unprecedented flooding is known throughout the world.
His existence, regarded as the strongest in the world, could potentially save the hearts of the people terrified of demonic beasts—even if he was the Crown Prince of the country that killed the king of the Nohitant Kingdom.