Iris sat in the meeting room as she said, "So, do you think they're lying?" She looked toward the two and the three-star adventurers.
Unoma smirked. "Can't tell. It's just ridiculous that he even survived a raid boss. Unless it was a trap by the raid boss to lure us like Percy said, it could have been pretty bad, I'd say."
Jerome interrupted, "He communicated with the raid boss. They don't do that. Sure, they set traps by letting weak guys go, but it's not like they talk to them."
"I know. They're an interesting group of individuals…" Phenoma smiled.
Clarence stayed silent, listening, before saying, "He's here."
The doors opened as a cold chill filled the room. A man in a cloak appeared, wearing an elephant skull with red glowing eyes. His voice was mysterious and deep as he said, "Sorry if I'm late."
"But don't worry—I heard it from Percy," the Darkest Night said, as Percy, who stood behind him, bowed. "I'll take my leave now," Percy said before exiting.
Iris looked at the Darkest Night. "You will go with them. I have a plan I'll propose to the Duke by evening, and we'll prepare tomorrow. The scouts have reported something weird going on in the forests to the north."
The room was dead silent as the Darkest Night and Iris conversed, along with the other three-star adventurers. The two-stars couldn't utter a word due to the sheer pressure of his presence.
Phenoma grabbed the tusks of the Darkest Night's mask as she pulled herself up to stand. "I'll be leaving if that's all. Let's go, Jerome."
Jerome sighed, apologizing to the Darkest Night for Phenoma's behavior before leaving. The two-star adventurers saw this as an opportunity and hurried out as well.
Clarence sat there and said, "Iris, don't use them as bait."
Iris looked at Clarence, who continued, "Those guys aren't lying. And if they can communicate with the monster, it'd be good to have them on our side."
Iris sighed. "I don't intend to. But you need to understand my position… What do I tell the Duke? That a random newbie is probably going to be one of the most important members of the guild?"
"You don't need to tell him that," the Darkest Night said. "I'll be assisting the boy and his team. In case things go south, I'll keep the Ruda and the goblins at bay while the boy and his team get to safety."
"But even if you do, it's not like the Ruda will just let Dilek and his team walk up to the Ruda and talk, right?"
The Darkest Night snickered. "If what he said is true, then the Ruda will."
The people slowly left the meeting room until only Clarence, the Darkest Night, and Iris remained.
"Let's talk with the Duke about it," Iris said. "And let's not reveal the plan of buying time. Keep the boy a secret. If the Duke finds out, the prince will as well—and we can't let the prince take another important person, can we?"
"The prince…" Iris's expression turned angry as she thought about him. She sighed. "When is the guildmaster returning, anyway?"
Clarence shrugged. The Darkest Night replied, "He's leading a five-star expedition with the other major guilds, right? Let's leave it to him. He must be stressed as well. We'll just do our part here."
Iris nodded. "I'll go meet the Duke for now."
Clarence followed her outside, leaving the Darkest Night alone.
He laughed quietly to himself. "I feel sick."
—
Hela barged into Dilek's room holding papers, startling him.
"Goodness… you scared me! You can knock, you know?"
Hela walked up to his bed and said, "Dilek, the Adventurer's Guild came a minute ago. They handed this to you."
"Is that so?" Dilek took the papers from her hands and read the first page. It was from Iris, informing him about the plan.
"Oh?" He smiled. "Thanks, Hela. I'll read it—you can go."
She stood there, her voice firm. "Read."
"What? No." Dilek frowned. "It's confidential. It's written here, isn't it?" He pointed at the confidential mark on the paper.
Hela sighed and exited the room, shouting, "Dujaa! The kids are becoming big people!"
"Close the door before you leave!" Dilek yelled. As he looked at the door, Ami appeared there, biting into an apple.
He stared at her. "Close the door."
She entered the room and closed it.
"Get out, Ami…" Dilek said, but Ami walked closer, grabbed the papers, and started reading them.
"Hey! Give them back!" Dilek tried to grab them but fell off the bed.
Ami took another bite of her apple. "Wow. They're treating you like bait."
"Bait?" Dilek looked confused.
"They're assuming that, like always, the battle will be in the north—since the south has the sea and the east and west are coastlines. So the plan is to send you forward with us to talk it out with the Ruda."
"Talk it out? Well, I see… is that why they think I'm bait?"
"They're hoping you can buy enough time for the guild to surround the enemy army—filled with two-star and three-star adventurers," Ami said, taking another bite.
Dilek looked at Iris's paper detailing the people who'd be in the battle:
1 four-star adventurer
12 three-star adventurers
24 two-star adventurers
58 one-star adventurers
100 of the Duke's soldiers
"Well, this isn't half as bad," Dilek said. "The Duke will support us…"
Ami leaned over his shoulder. "So the plan is to communicate with the Ruda while they surround."
"Why are they suspicious anyway?" Dilek asked.
Ami looked at him, then took the final bite of her apple. "Dilek, a monster is never peaceful. So it's likely they suspect you to be one. Or they think you have a skill that makes monsters more reasonable… seeing how the Ruda left you alive."
"Skill?" Dilek opened his status window and saw it.
Skill: Communication with Blockheads (Berserker Edition)
"Are monsters really blockheads?" Dilek thought. "The raid is approximately in three days, according to the scouts. We need to appear tomorrow to start preparations…"
He read further. "My signal would start the fight. And I'll be assisted by the Darkest Night and my team…"
"Hmmm… seems reasonable… why the hell am I thinking so much about it?"
"Let's just see what we should plan tomorrow. We can do it with Iris, right?" Ami asked.
"Yeah, we can. But let's get some rest tonight," Dilek said.
Ami left the room, grinning. "Rest well, baldie."
She closed the door—only to see Kelid standing there. Kelid had been listening.
Ami smirked. "Not good to eavesdrop on confidential stuff, you know."
Kelid looked annoyed and walked back to her room.
Ami watched her go before heading downstairs, where Duja and the other three were sitting. She plopped onto the couch.
"Guys, let's play something," Ami smiled.