Chapter 253
Iris, commanded by Nahun, headed for the 21st floor. According to Nahun’s orders, she should have headed to the 20th floor, but she had a compelling reason to stop by the 21st floor.
There was something she needed to obtain before stirring up trouble on the 20th floor. Thanks to the help of Runwe, the ruler of the 22nd floor, Iris was able to safely transition to the 21st floor and quickly concealed herself. What she absolutely needed to acquire in this already dangerous and chaotic place was none other than the identification badges of the soldiers on the 21st floor.
Iris intentionally hid near the portal and waited for the soldiers of the 21st floor who were patrolling the area.
Step.
At last, the sound of something crunching underfoot, like brushing against the undergrowth on the floor, reached her ears. At the same time, Iris slightly raised her body and drew her sword with one hand.
“I heard that the resistance group is running rampant again.”
“Yeah, they’re really causing a lot of trouble down there.”
“Thank goodness I’m not assigned there.”
Three soldiers moved in formation, patrolling the area. They were blissfully unaware that Iris was waiting for them. At the moment she secured enough distance, Iris sprang forward with a powerful kick against the ground.
The sound was loud enough for the soldiers to sense someone’s approach, but Iris made the noise intentionally.
“!?”
Swish!!!
bl**d splattered onto the ground. Iris flawlessly beheaded all three soldiers in a single stroke. Before their brains could fully comprehend the situation, their heads hit the floor.
“Where is it…?”
As Iris rummaged through the soldiers’ bodies, she eventually found the identification badges, dog tags, and the military notebooks that clearly indicated they were soldiers from the 21st floor.
“That’s enough……”
Thinking it would suffice, Iris calmly left the scene. With what she needed obtained safely, it was time to carry out the mission given to her by Nahun.
Given the nature of the mission, Iris felt somewhat tense, unlike before. She sheathed her sword and instead took hold of the holy spear, Bazra, that Nahun had provided.
She soon spotted the resistance forces she had agreed to meet. As Iris approached, one of the resistance members stepped forward to greet her.
“You were sent by N, right?”
“Y-yes.”
“I heard you’re quite the unique individual, and now I see why they said that. I wouldn’t have guessed you were human.”
“…Is there a problem?”
“No. As long as it helps us, we welcome even angels. Humans are no exception. Come on!”
The member gestured for her to follow him. As Iris trailed behind, the member continued to speak.
“We are always grateful to N. Not just for material support, but for deploying such powerful forces… This plan is quite ambitious. I wonder how he came up with it.”
The member then asked.
“So, I want to confirm something.”
“What is it?”
“Can you really handle ‘that’?”
“That’s why I’m here.”
At Iris’s simple response, the resistance member paused to look at her for a moment. Whether he realized something or sensed that there was no hesitation in Iris’s eyes, he eventually said,
“In that case, I’ll make sure to support you.”
His voice was much softer than before. He began leading Iris to a secluded area.
“Excuse me….”
“Yeah?”
“Wh-what do you plan to do in such a secluded place? Taking a woman to a quiet place where no one can see….”
“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but I can distinguish between work and personal matters clearly. Follow me, and you’ll understand. Don’t get any weird ideas.”
Iris followed him, at least for the moment, due to his calm request. As they passed through the thick underbrush, they found an extremely unstable portal before them.
“This is a portal we made temporarily. It’s so unstable that it’ll disappear if just one person uses it.”
“…One person? But there are two of us.”
Iris looked troubled. From her standpoint, if she couldn’t use the portal to fulfill Nahun’s orders, it would be a serious problem.
However, the member said nonchalantly, “Exactly, so only one person should go.”
He gave Iris a light shove on the shoulder.
“Go ahead. The one in need should go first.”
“What? But then what about you…?”
“I’ll handle it either by using the proper portal later or by hiding. Just go! The plan can’t proceed without you. Once you use the portal, your comrades will be waiting. They’ll assist you.”
Iris looked at him for a moment. She sensed a heavy burden in his gaze, a sincerity that tightened her heart. She could feel how much these individuals were risking for this endeavor.
‘…But they’re demons.’
Their approach to resisting tyranny was not different from that of humans. After a brief moment of contemplation, Iris stepped into the portal and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Me?… It’s strange for a human to ask a demon’s name.”
“Just answer if you don’t mind.”
As Iris replied that way, the member chuckled and said,
“Allen.”
“I hope to see you safe later.”
“Even just saying that is appreciated.”
Iris activated the portal and headed for the 20th floor. Just as Allen had said, the portal warped and then completely vanished.
“…Hmm.”
Allen scratched his head.
“It seems like returning is out of the question.”
“Hey! What are you doing here!!”
“That insignia… They’re the resistance! Execute them!”
#
Though it was an unstable portal, it could at least deliver one person to the intended destination accurately. When Iris slightly opened her eyes, she found a mixed group of men and women. They were wearing insignias similar to Allen’s.
“You’ve arrived.”
“It seems you met Allen safely.”
“Welcome, you were sent by N, right?”
These were the resistance forces who had moved their base to the 20th floor as per Nahun’s plan.
Iris nodded. She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out the dog tags, identification badges, and two military notebooks she had collected, saying,
“Please scatter these on your way. Don’t stick them too close; spread them out a bit.”
“Understood.”
Just then, one of the female members asked Iris,
“Will we execute the plan right away?”
“There’s no reason to hesitate.”
“…Right, a life has already been lost. We can’t afford to slack off.”
“I have no intention of doing so.”
Iris stated, her voice tinged with a slight fear, as though she had recalled something terrifying.
“I don’t want to d*e either.”
“Well then, get ready to head out. I’ll get you as close as I can.”
A middle-aged male member with a jolly demeanor pointed to a cart. Iris shook her head.
“Carts are too easy to spot. You all should just ride along and scatter what I handed you earlier. If you give me a map, I can find my way from there.”
“Do you think that’s possible? Besides, the cart is faster…”
“It’s not a problem. And….”
Iris stated,
“I’m faster than a cart.”
“…Faster than a horse-drawn cart?”
“Since you were sent by N, maybe you could be as fast? Anyway, a typical person wouldn’t plan something like this.”
“That’s certainly true.”
The middle-aged man seemed to be the leader of the group. He nodded as if he had made a decision and handed Iris a map.
“Here, this is the rough map of the 20th floor. This place we’re in is right here in this central city, and our current position is here.”
As he spoke, the man circled the spot with a red pen.
“Got it.”
“If you start from here and follow this route, there’s a hole that leads into the castle. To be precise…”
The man continued,
“It’s a drainage hole.”
“A drainage hole…?”
“It’s where the sewage is expelled. The smell will be awful, but there’s no other way to avoid being watched. You’ll have to endure it.”
“…….”
At that moment, Iris thought to herself that it might be better just to d*e instead. Yet, as she imagined failing her mission, the pain in her severed right arm flared up, and she quickly changed her mind.
It would certainly be better than dying.
“The drainage system connects to several places, but the spot you should aim for is the kitchen. That’s how you’ll infiltrate.”
“How do we identify the way to the kitchen?”
“We don’t know either. None of us have been inside the castle, so how could we know?”
It felt a bit absurd, but thinking about it, it made sense. The resistance that had barely made it up from the 21st floor wouldn’t have had a chance to learn about the castle’s layout.
Discovering that a drainage system existed was almost miraculous.
“…So, it’s up to me to find my way.”
“You get it. Once you come out of the kitchen, head straight to the 5th floor.”
“Is the target there?”
“Yup.”
That was where the objective of her mission lay—the key to completely shattering the relationship between the 21st and 20th floors and the master of the 20th floor.
“Somewhere on the 5th floor is Nabirus’s office.”
After hearing the details of the plan and securing the map, Iris quickly parted ways with the resistance.
Iris moved swiftly along the route they had told her, and the members of the resistance scattered the identification badges, dog tags, and military notebooks along the way, just as she had requested.
“Oh.”
“That’s a military notebook. It looks like a front scout dropped it.”
It wasn’t long before the patrol squad discovered the items. They picked it up, thinking one of their own had lost it during a previous patrol, but they soon realized it was something different.
“This is for the 21st floor…?”
“…What!?”
The patrol squad hurriedly ran back to headquarters holding it. The members of the resistance, who had clearly seen the patrol squad pick it up, felt their role was finished and quietly prayed,
“Please let it be a success.”
#
Having safely entered the drainage hole, Iris crawled along the filthy and repugnant sewage. There was a reason she had no choice but to crawl through this miserable path.
“…It’s too narrow.”
She had expected the drainage system to be larger, but it was so cramped that she couldn’t move without crawling. Consequently, the dreadful stench assaulted her nose, but Iris recalled the harsh training she underwent in the knights’ order and forced herself to endure it.
The drainage system branched off in several directions, and Iris had to move around in search of the kitchen. However, the narrowness of the drainage system meant she occasionally bumped her head…
“Hmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you hear that sound?”
“A sound?… Is there a rat running around?”
“We should probably get some rat poison from the head maid.”
Fortunately, it seemed rats occasionally appeared in these situations. Iris thought that if the drainage was this filthy, that was definitely reasonable, and she continued her search for the kitchen.
Having spotted maids gathering not long ago, she figured the servants’ quarters, which included the kitchen, should be nearby. As she crawled forward, she caught a whiff of an enticing aroma wafting from above.
‘It’s nearby!’
Having found an opening that led upwards in the drainage system, Iris quickly climbed up to find the drainage cover shut. It seemed to be an outlet right next to the kitchen.
Iris gently pushed the cover aside, poking her head out. After confirming that no one was around, she quickly sprang out and shut the cover, hiding her body.
“Finally escaped…”
Iris grimaced at the stench emanating from her entire body. She thought she would have to deal with this smell before she could roam around undetected.
Raising her hands, she placed one on her chest and muttered something.
“Light, purify me.”
Iris, before being a hero, was a holy knight. It is only natural for holy knights to use sacred arts, and as she ranked among the best in her holy kingdom’s holy knights, she was also a very skilled sacred artist.
Though the strong magical power prevalent in the Demon World reduced her effectiveness, the dirt and foul odors on Iris’s body gradually began to disappear.
As the filth was being cleansed, Iris remained tense, cautiously surveying her surroundings. Since the energy she emitted was almost opposite to magical power, the castle’s servants could respond sensitively to it. Even knowing that, Iris had no other choice; the stench was so terrible that moving stealthily was impossible.
“Phew.”
Fortunately, she wasn’t detected. Though she could hear some noise as they sensed something was off and moved about, Iris had enough time to hide and move.
“Hmm, it seems like I’m not sensing anything now.”
“Just to be safe, let’s do a thorough check around.”
The servants who appeared late scratched their heads and decided to leave the area. In the meantime, Iris moved towards the 5th floor as instructed by the resistance.
‘Hmm…?’
Having successfully navigated through the ventilation shaft and reached the 5th floor, she still had no idea where Nabirus’s office was. As Iris was deep in thought, she suddenly heard the sound of a door opening from somewhere in the corridor.
Iris hurriedly concealed herself and saw someone exiting a room.
‘!’
It was none other than the master of the 20th floor, the Demon King Nabirus. He seemed to be seeing someone off who had just exited the room. Whether they spoke or exchanged pleasantries, Nabirus’s expression appeared quite cordial for a fleeting moment.
Iris watched the scene for a moment. After Nabirus had kindly escorted the guest away and left the space, she seized the opportunity to sneak into the office.
“…Hmm?”
A short while later, when Nabirus returned to his office, he spoke in a puzzled tone. He sensed something strange. It wasn’t magical energy but something that felt blatantly unpleasant, causing Nabirus to frown.
“Who is it?”
When Nabirus openly revealed his hostility, Iris stepped out of her hiding spot without further hesitation. She emerged right behind him.
“…!?”
Iris had been behind Nabirus without him realizing it and thrust her spear forward.
Whoosh!!
However, even in that urgent situation, Nabirus responded calmly and evaded the thrust of the spear.
“…You have sharp instincts.”
Nabirus observed her recent movements and, without hesitation, created distance while gripping his hand.
“Arise, spirits of the dead.”
【 Necromancy Ghost 】
Much like Samygina von Seos, ranked 4th, Nabirus was also a Demon King who actively wielded necromancy. The lack of separate security around his office was due to this reason; the spirits would suffice for that purpose.
Though he might not reach Samygina’s level, like her, Nabirus’s own spirits were akin to a massive army.
“I don’t care who sent you, but you made a grave mistake by thinking you could k*ll me in prime.”
Beginning with ordinary spirits, various undead began to rise as Nabirus’s legion. Before long, though Iris was alone, a powerful entourage of spirits surrounded Nabirus.
“If you surrender now, I’ll let you go peacefully. However, if you resist…”
Nabirus warned, and the spirits howled in response.
“You will become food for the dead.”
In an instant, the office and the hallway were completely engulfed by spirits. Yet, even in the face of that scene, Iris bore no signs of amazement. She merely looked displeased.
It was something to think about. Did Nahun truly not know that Nabirus wielded necromancy when he sent Iris here ‘alone’? Naturally, he knew and sent her intentionally.
He must have believed she could sufficiently defeat Nabirus, who could easily turn the tides against an entire army.
Judgment stemming from an unfounded confidence was not without basis. There was a reason behind this belief.
The only known counter to necromancy, which reanimates the dead, was the power to restore the spirits to their original state. The force that normalizes distorted order and leads things back to their original state.
When thinking of such power, there was one that immediately came to mind.
Boom!!!
Iris slammed the hilt of her spear against the floor. The moment Nabirus felt an overwhelming and unpleasant energy emanating from the spear, he panicked to the point that the corners of his eyes twitched.
“…You.”
“Wail.”
Her spear was the Holy Spear. The power embedded in it was…
“Bazra.”
It was the strongest restraining force in the world, capable of restoring all order.
