Chapter 68: Meeting in the Royal Palace (Patreon)

In one corner of the royal palace, a large number of men and women gathered in a room that wasn't very wide, but well-lit, even in the middle of the night.

None of them wore a uniform, though each carried their weapons.

These were the royal capital's adventurers, brought together for one purpose.

Among them were high-ranking adventurers, like Orichalcum and Mithril ranked, alongside lower-ranked ones, such as Iron and Copper. In short, nearly every adventurer in the capital had been mobilized.

Most of them, at least partially, understood why they were gathered.

The door swung open, and a group of women walked in—the Adamantite-class adventurer team, Blue Rose.

At the front of the group was Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, the leader of Blue Rose. Walking beside her were the Golden Princess Renner and the head of the Royal Capital Adventurers Guild.

Behind them were Evileye, the Blue Rose twins Tia and Tina, Gagaran, and the kingdom’s strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff.

Following their arrival, Climb unfolded a large sheet of paper and affixed it to the wall behind them. It was a detailed map of the royal capital.

The head of Royal Capita's Adventurers' Guild was the first to speak.

She was a woman in her forties with still sharp eyes full of vitality—a Mithril-class adventurer. She scanned the room with a discerning gaze. 

However, something important was missing.

“Have the adamantite class team Platinum’s members not arrived yet?”

The adventurers began glancing around, searching for familiar faces. However, no one clad in the distinct platinum armor was present.

But speak of the devil, and the devil appears. As if on cue, the door creaked open, revealing a man and a woman. Lucifer and Nabe, respectively.

The room fell into silence. All eyes turned to them—many filled with admiration, some tinged with envy.

The two entered and closed the door behind them.

“Apologies for being late." Lucifer broke the silence.

“No worries. The meeting’s just begun. Thank you for making the journey to the capital,” responded the guild leader, her voice betraying a slight blush. 

It wasn’t hard to see why—after all, Lucifer was an exceptionally handsome and strong man, whose mere presence could make any woman swoon.

Clearing her throat, the guild leader resumed her composure and addressed the room once more.

“Now that the team Platinum has arrived, we can begin in earnest.”

She paused, letting her gaze sweep across the room.

“First, I’d like to thank all of you for responding to this emergency call.”

She continued.

“Normally, the Adventurers Guild refrains from involving itself in matters of the kingdom. However, this situation is an exception. The Adventurers Guild has decided to fully support the kingdom in resolving this crisis as swiftly as possible. The princess herself will now give you a briefing on the operation. Please listen carefully.”

Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, the Golden Princess, stepped forward. Flanked by the members of Blue Rose and Gazef Stronoff, she drew the room’s attention.

“Thank you all for gathering on such short notice,” Renner began, bowing her head. A few adventurers exchanged glances, visibly moved by her humility.

"Normally, I would express more gratitude for your cooperation, but given the urgency of the situation, I will be direct."

She took a breath, her voice steady and determined.

“Today, an urgent threat faces a section of the kingdom…”

With that, Renner began explaining the situation: a towering wall of flames had encircled a portion of the capital.

Lakyus then added that, although the fire itself caused no damage, the true danger lay in the countless demons lurking on the other side.

Renner resumed once more, informing the adventurers about the mastermind behind it all—Jaldabaoth, a great evil demon. He had suddenly appeared above the Royal Capital, declared his name for all to hear, and conjured a wall of fire in mere seconds.

In the original plot, Jaldabaoth (Demiurge) had killed Tia and Gagaran, but now only Evileye was aware of Jaldabaoth's true power, having learned it directly from Aurelius. The rest of the group remained ignorant of the demon's actual strength.

As for revealing the truth about Aurelius?

Despite learning the truth about Aurelius through Evileye's fabrication of the situation, neither Evileye nor the members of Blue Rose ever considered making an announcement about him.

They knew that if word got out about someone who could summon countless dragons, each rivaling a Dragon Lord, and kill adamantite-ranked adventurers with a single command, these so-called "heroes" would be the first to flee. After all, no one present was a fool or a self-righteous idiot—except for a few.

Nobody wanted to march willingly to their death.

Regardless, Evileye wasn’t overly concerned with explaining Jaldabaoth's strength to the others. Among the two parchments Aurelius had left her, the second one carried the following words:

[Lucifer is me. Cooperate later and leave things to me.]

And just as she had expected, when everyone remained uncertain about Jaldabaoth’s power, Aurelius—disguised as Lucifer—finally spoke up.

“Let me make this clear. That great evil once easily slaughtered warriors as powerful as me, over a hundred years ago.”

The room fell into a stunned silence. Many stared at Lucifer with bewildered expressions as his words sank in.

"Is it true, then?" one of the senior adventurers dared to ask. "That Prince Lucifer has lived for over a hundred years?"

Lucifer’s response was calm. "Yes. I haven’t shared this with anyone before, but I’m not fully human. I am half human, but also half dragon."

A murmur rippled through the gathered crowd. Countries like the Slane Theocracy, where human supremacy reigned, would have shunned Lucifer. But here, in the kingdom, where the focus wasn’t solely on human purity, the revelation didn’t stir much unrest.

“I see…” The man who had asked the question cleared his throat and bowed slightly, stepping back.

Behind him, Evileye’s gaze lingered on Lucifer, and she bit her lip behind the mask.

Lucifer, unaware of Evileye’s stare, continued speaking. "For a century, I’ve hunted this great devil. To avenge my fallen comrades. To stop its spread of destruction. Back then, it was equal in strength to mine. Whether it still is today remains uncertain."

His words cast a somber silence over the room.

It was terrifying to hear that Jaldabaoth had so easily slaughtered warriors of the Adamantite class.

Yet, despite the gravity of the situation, most adventurers believed Lucifer’s words. His feats were legendary, after all. His most recent accomplishment—single-handedly slaying 50,000 demi-humans with a single sword strike—had left an indelible mark on their minds.

The adventurers present, knowing Lucifer’s strength, began to grasp just how dangerous Jaldabaoth must be. If someone of Lucifer’s caliber had failed to completely vanquish the demon, it spoke volumes about the threat they faced.

As the tension in the room thickened, growing almost unbearable...

“Don’t panic!”

Renner’s voice rang out with fierce determination, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere like a blade. Her spirited words seemed to chase away the heavy air surrounding the adventurers.

“Jaldabaoth may be strong—stronger than we can imagine. Just as Prince Lucifer said, he is undoubtedly a formidable enemy. We all understand how grave this situation is.”

She paused, her voice rising with conviction. “But!” she shouted. “We haven’t fought him yet! I don’t care how powerful Jaldabaoth is. Until we face him ourselves, we won’t know the full extent of his strength! I guarantee that no matter what, we can fight him on equal terms—or even better!”

Several adventurers, catching onto her message, turned to look at Lucifer, who stood silent but resolute.

“You may have heard,” Renner continued, “of Prince Lucifer's feats. With him by our side, we cannot lose!”

The adventurers’ eyes widened, filling with renewed hope and vigor.

“Today, we’ll show our strength!” She shouted, raising her fist high. “Don’t be afraid! Remember, we have Lucifer on our side!”

A wave of admiration swept through the group. The mood had been grim after Lucifer’s earlier words, but it was also Lucifer who had raised their spirits again.

Princess Renner's declaration felt like a promise, and if it was Lucifer leading them, it was easy to inspire the adventurers.

His feats, when considered carefully, spoke volumes. His power was nothing short of transcendent—an exceptional force.

And under the influence of that overwhelming strength, the meeting proceeded without a hitch.