Raised in Dungeon
Chapter 109 Noctem Dolls Invasion

Raised In Dungeon Volume 3

Prince Francis's birthday was the second most festive after the first prince's birthday.

Its timely alignment with the Whitmoon Festival made it even more marvelous. This convergence drew crowds of well-wishers from all corners of the realm to the capital, eager to extend their congratulations.

The prince's birthday is divided into two events. A first event is a noble event that will be held on the first night of the prince's birthday. The second event is the prince's plunge in a horse-drawn carriage into the city. The prince will wave his hand to the people, and the people will throw flower petals at the prince while wishing him a happy birthday.

The unfortunate illness of King Henry heightened the grandeur of it all. This illness caused several nobles from countries far and wide to visit the ailing king. While there, they also used the opportunity to attend Prince Francis's birthday celebration.

Moreover, the festivities were also a topic of discussion due to the ensuing events. Several unforeseen troubles occurred before the party. These incidents were enough to put a damper on the festivities and increase the event's popularity. Of all the problems that arose, the one that caught the council's attention the most was the Noctem Dolls movement.

Because of the Noctem Dolls' movement, the palace guard was tightened to avoid any unwanted problems.

"Ten mithril-class dungeon explorers, then several dungeon explorers underneath. Plus, the return of knights of rounds from all over. Don't you think this is too much? Odbert."

"OF COURSE! THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY! I don't understand what the council is thinking. Those criminals, the Noctem Dolls? I alone should be enough to take them out!"

"Don't joke around at a time like this; I'm talking seriously."

"I'm not joking."

The knights of rounds was divided into two-person teams that guarded each side of the castle.

Isaac Mabel Styward and Odbert Edgehum guarded the main gate of the castle.

Isaac Mabel Styward was a nobleman who rose to become a rounds because of his reputation at Oxwade Academy as the best student. He has bright navy blue hair and a tall body of 25 years old, one of the youngest in the rounds.

The other, Odbert Edgehum, is a former peasant who rose to rounds after defeating one of the rounds in the sword tournament. The top of his head was bald, and the rest of his hair he kept in a ponytail at the back, was colored a deep green. He had a muscular and extensive body, bigger than Ottar. He was the one with the strongest defense in the rounds.

The combination of the two as brains and brawn was perfect for holding off enemies coming in from the front. That's why they were given the position in front of the castle.

"No, what's excessive is if all the knights of rounds are put in one place. There will be many areas that don't have enough defenses. It's as if the council believes only this area will be attacked."

"So you said the council is letting people other than in this place die, is that it?"

"Don't say that out loud! If someone hears it, you'll be attacked."

"Hmph! Do you mean Tobias? I don't care about him. If he attacks me, I'll attack back!"

While they were talking, someone called out to them from behind.

"What's wrong with me?" it was Tobias, who came with Sewel.

"Looks like they're talking bad about you, Tobias," Sewel said.

"O-of course not, we're just praising him for obeying the council," Isaac said.

'That's what I mean by badmouthing. But to Tobias, it's probably a compliment,' Sewel thought.

Odbert, who seemed to have forgotten their previous conversation, asked,

"Why did you come here? Shouldn't you guard somewhere too?" Odbert asked.

"Haaah... right, about that. Princess Alicia asked the two of us to go around the city because she was worried that something might happen outside the city. And this guy just agreed without even asking my opinion," Sewel replied while banging on Tobias' armor.

"Of course! We can't doubt the princess's opinion! We must allay her fears! Come on, let's go; the princess must have a reason why we should leave this place," Tobias replied as he walked away.

"Since the party is about to end, it's best if we just go around. Take good care of this place, and don't die," Sewel continued, following Tobias behind.

After they went outside the gate, Isaac then said

"He's so dependent on Princess Alicia that he even ignores the council's orders. He can't possibly get her."

"Gain what?" asked Odbert.

"Princess Alicia's heart, of course."

"WHAT?! Did he want to kill the princess?!"

"No, I didn't mean that... Sigh... Never mind."

Two rounds ran toward them thirty minutes after Tobias and Sewel's departure. They were Janet Fysher Fitsralp and Stannard Downe Osteler. Janet was the only caster-type knight of rounds; it was said that she rarely used amnis because she could defeat her enemies only with her sword skills. Then Stannard is a shield and sword user.

Janet and Stannard wear knight of rounds helmets, so their forms are not clearly visible. No rounds actually wore their helmets except in a pinch, not to mention they usually solved problems with a single strike. So their arrival with full plates confused Isaac.

"WHERE?! WHERE ARE THE DOLLS?!" shouted Stannard.

"Noctem Dolls? There aren't any. No one went inside," Isaac replied.

"Huh?! Are you serious?"

"HOW RUDE. If any Dolls got in, do you think I would let them get in alive?" Odbert retorted smugly.

"You guys don't know anything that happened inside the palace. One by one, people in the corridors are dying! Lord Maximilian is looking into it. And he ordered us to go to the front gate immediately!"

"Where did they come in from?! No one has passed by since then!" said Isaac.

"If no one came in, then it means they got in before we guarded this place. Or maybe..." after Janet gave a slight pause, Stannard continued,

"There's a traitor among the nobles, or there could be a blessing that allowed you to sneak in."

Isaac was doubt to hear that, so he explained

"There is no possibility of God's blessing; the lie detector of the church noticed the entry of all the nobles! And all nobles are asked the reason for coming. If anyone can enter, he must be able to make himself able to hide his mana completely-"

"A god-blessing user who can hide mana?! They wouldn't have come through the front gate if they existed because I'm here! No one can get past me like that! The Dolls were just a bunch of terrorists looking for money; there's no way someone like them is great enough to defeat me!" shouted Odbert.

Right after Odbert said that,

There was a very bright light appearing behind him. It came from the front gate, and in an instant, the front gate erupted with an earth-shattering explosion. The explosion was so powerful that it sent a hundred soldiers at the gate, scattering in all directions. Flames billowed upwards, shrouding the entrance in an infernal blaze.

Isaac's ears rang with the deafening boom, and when he regained his composure, he found himself lying amongst the smoldering rubble. Janet's voice roused him from his daze, urging him to get to his feet. He shook his head, trying to clear the sand from his face, and stood up unsteadily. Isaac realized that he was the only one among the rounds that had fallen due to the explosion.

Looking around, Isaac discovered that the gate was completely obliterated, and the aftermath left a trail of destruction around. About 100 soldiers were guarding the front door, and now Isaac could see the bodies of those soldiers floating and falling around him. Bodies of soldiers were strewn about like macabre dolls, accompanied by the debris of the gate that fell like snowflakes.

The enormity of the situation hit Isaac like a ton of bricks. This place, once seemingly impenetrable, has been breached. And he knew that he would need to summon all his strength and courage to face whatever lay ahead

A group of people were inside the fire, walking leisurely towards them.

Three, no, but five people.

'Noctem Dolls? What a fool. They came through the front door. We're lucky that Janet and Stannard just got here. At least we're not outnumbered!' Isaac thought.

The five figures were finally clearly visible to the rounds.

"Hoho, we've just entered and already been treated by four knights of rounds. How lucky we are," Adam said.

"Lucky you said?! You idiot, we can't reach our destination fast enough!" shouted Norman.

"Umm... You guys have to hurry; right now, the leader seems to be fighting a great guy," said Arthur.

"You don't need to think about the leader; there's no way he can lose," replied Ralph.

"...." Clarissa didn't say anything; she was trying her best to activate the barrier around them to avoid being hit by the fire.

On the Rounds side, Janet acted quickly to activate the amnis, but she was stopped by Odbert, who suddenly interrupted her with an emotional outburst.

"Wait," he yelled, stepping forward with fierce determination.

"I alone am enough to fight them. I'll prove that the council is too worried about them. Bringing all the Rounds here is damaging my pride! THAT MEANS THEY'RE JUST SAYING I'M WEAKER THAN THESE FUCKERS-"

-CRUSH -SPLASH

Odbert's sentence was cut short as his body was immediately crushed, falling to the ground as if struck by a heavy hammer from above.

"!!!"

The sudden incident made the rounds immediately surprised and immediately prepared with their weapons.

What happened to Odbert was the same as what happened to the villagers whose bodies were destroyed during the whitmoon festival.

'This is the Witch of Dread's, CLARISSA'S ABILITY!' Isaac thought.

"CLARISSA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU JUST KILLED HIM INSTANTLY! I ALREADY SAID I WANTED TO FIGHT THEM ALL AT ONCE!!!" shouted Adam.

"Hwaaah! Fo-forgive me! I-I did that because of Leader's request!"

"Leader's?"

Norman then replied,

"Don't yell?! You hurt my ears! Clarissa's special amnis will be instant death to those weaker than her, so Leader said to at least gauge the rounds' abilities first."

Isaac looked at Odbert's corpse, which had no visible shape; he could hear what Norman said. Isaac knew Odbert's strength, so he was shocked to know that he was still weaker than Clarissa.

"I UNDERESTIMATED THEM TOO MUCH!" thought Isaac.