Stuck as a Villain!

Chapter 86: Duchess' advice!

There are three floors in the beginner-rank dungeon Seth and his party entered to venture and got ambushed at such an initial stage. but despite the discovery of a phenomenon that indicated that there was a temple somewhere spawned in the Dungeon, it doesn't change the fact that Seth and his companions have to face only two remaining stages.

The first floor was more or less cleared out throughout the two days period the trio spent on the first level. Seth had no idea how come he was so energized after entering the dungeon but he somehow understood that it was because of his abnormal soul core which gave him this sudden boost.

Recently, Seth has been feeling so charged up that he himself felt spooked sometimes since he deemed that he maybe change into something inhumane. He has a hunch that it must be because of the heavy amount of corrupted energy he inhaled in the Vault which was influencing him, but to prove his theory he needed to meet Serena.

Seth has been noticing Lara's expressions from time to time as well since whether he was acting usual or not could be told best from someone's reaction who had been with him for a long time.

But other than being excessively impressed by her young master, Lara was not showing any kind of changed behavior signifying that Seth haven't been out of place.

"Next floor will be hurdled with giant creatures so we would need to be as agile as possible or entirely brute if push comes to shove. I will rather like to lean on the prior option so try to be as cautious as possible."

Hearing Seth's words both Caroline and Lara nodded as they were aware of these kinds of creatures' characteristics more than Seth. But since it was he who seemed to be on the leading edge more than two, they felt him to be the natural leader of the remaining raid team.

Taking out some of the things from his spatial storage Seth spoke once again.

"I will give three low, two mid, and one advanced rank healing potions to both of you, along with two mid-rank recovery potions. Since mana is no longer your ally it would be better to leave the heavy work to me. And also, take these weapons and poisons to coat them with. I know neither of you has any artifact anymore usable so this would be the only retort we can play on."

Seth pushed the flasks along with a pair of daggers to Caroline and a short sword to Lara. Additionally, he provided two pouches of mid-rank poison he had in his vault to the ladies who obediently nodded and went to work.

Lara was previously reluctant when Seth talked about dividing supplies, but when he sternly scolded the older woman about how it was important for each one of them to fight, the maid fell silent and slightly teary-eyed as well. Caroline who saw the whole exchange from the sidelines didn't dare to go against Seth's command. Of course, it was because she wanted to survive but not because of his harsh, disheartening words. Definitely not!

Meanwhile, Seth closed his eyes and began scouting the area using the artifact he had around his ring finger. Since his range wasn't far enough Seth wasn't able to survey sufficiently and also, the region beneath his feet was somehow sealed either because of barrier chanter or the ground was thick enough to exhaust his limits.

'Well, not like anything is going to stop me from advancing...'

Seth cringed a bit, as he sounded like a shounen protagonist for a second there. It wasn't like he would not stop whatever obstacle arises or something, it was more like, he had no other choice rather than to clear the dungeon if he wanted to survive.

"We are done, young master."

The work was rather easy for the two who have decent experience in field work which helped Seth a lot as he nodded and looked in the direction where he has spotted most Goblins appearing.

"Then let's go."

He has already killed the boss of the floor and extracted his soul core, but to advance deeper they need to destroy an artificial core that the monsters protect dearly since it was their source of energy. Seth has doubts about whether the goblins would be conscious of the floor core anymore or not, since there was no soul energy working on the floor. But soon his doubts cleared when he saw a group of two dozen goblins gathered around the tall stone pillar planted in the middle of nowhere.

"That's our way down. You two rest here since I want you guys to preserve energy."

As Seth spoke those words, his figure faded in a blur as he silently approached the goblins who were foolishly performing some kind of ritual around the stone core pillar.

Left behind, the two ladies only could admire the display which Seth was showcasing through his sheer talent as an assassin and mage. Lara couldn't help but ask herself whether she really knew her master or not since in her knowledge he never got any instructor of that caliber who could have taught her young master such techniques.

Since lady Valarie also didn't mention any tutoring of her young master meant that he was not occupied with physical training in the academy as well. That left with only a single conclusion.

He was self-taught,

'I mean my master is talented...but this? Well, I can not expect any less from him, all right~'

On the other hand, Caroline had her eyes following Seth's as many movements as she can yet there were instances where she missed how did he react to a sudden ambush or how he impaled his enemy when he was not even angled that way. His way of silent yet ruthless massacre. How he imbues his skills in combat. How he always thinks of another following attack if his primary strike fails, which more or less was quite rare to miss. Everything made Caroline more and more intrigued with him and also a little terrified at the thought of Seth turning against her if the situation arrives.

At the reflection, Caroline once again made her resolve to follow the man until they don't conquer this dungeon.

'I absolutely can't die here...so it's best if I act passive for the time being...'

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At the same time, inside a brightly lighted hall could be seen several figures currently sitting around a large round table with varying expressions on their faces. But the mutual profoundness they shared complied the topic in hand was far from pleasant.

It was the council conference room situated in the main palace of Ranghaur capital city where some of the most influential figures gathered to discuss the rapid appearance of Temples and the severe backlash all the territories have been facing these past few months.

Among these faces, three were identifiable as the First prince of the Empire, the single lady in the room, Duchess Valarie, and one of the strongest beings and the headmaster of the Pristine Academy Rowell Cartbridge.

It was all sudden when some high-ranking temples suddenly started to emerge in different parts of the world and Ranghaur was no exception. Despite having the vastest and most phenomenal army at their disposal, Rnanghaur was facing a crisis. The reason was the recent Four-crowned temple which appeared in the western province.

The empire had to send the best of their troops and some Tier 2 warriors as well who despite conquering the temple, lost a heavy amount of casualties. The same was for low-ranking temples as well where the council had to send troops but since the spawning areas were far, the resources weighed a lot as well.

And to keep the capital safe, the strongest of the pillars had to remain close to their motherland in order to face any unforeseen circumstances. That further implies why Ranghaur was losing so many of their soldiers past months which has become the matter of greatest concern.

The Emperor had given the role to his son to conclude any decision that he would be forwarding to the upcoming United Summit. And so the Prince and the upper echelons were here.

The council members have been presenting their ideas on how they should minimize expenses or reduce the compensation they provide fallens' families. Amidst such exchange, only a single person remained silent, to whom Charles pointed next.

"Do you have anything to propose, Lady Valarie?"

The room went silent upon hearing the woman being mentioned by the prince who despite being socially inferior to the blond boy, still hold tremendous power at the tip of her fingers.

Valarie with her back resting on the uncomfortable chair, stayed silent for more than ten seconds, making the people around nervous a little.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for some, Valarie parted her seductive lips and spoke the words which were not tempting at all!

"Recruit brats from Pristine Academy."

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A/N:- Seth is overpowered, yes. But he would struggle quite a bit so don't get used to it.

Drop a comment if you are excited about the upcoming chapter~