To put it simply, it wasn’t a ghost.

"Please save me! I’m not a monster or a ghost! I’m an adventurer! Please save me!"

Lounge.

A woman with long, teal hair, drenched in water, was on her knees, pleading. Her unique appearance was emphasized by three tear-like markings under her left eye. Even in her stillness, she gave off a somewhat melancholy vibe.

Long ears protruded through her wet teal hair. I groaned.

"An elf, huh?"

Had Lilly, who dislikes elves, been here, she would’ve been more shocked than when seeing a ghost. Still, at least it wasn’t a monster.

’Monsters could be less troublesome than this...’

In this world, NPCs can sometimes pose greater threats than actual monsters.

I signaled Lucas. He immediately unsheathed his sword.

"What were you doing in here? Answer me."

When Lucas asked in a stern voice, the elf woman let out a high-pitched yelp and began to explain.

"As, as I said, I’m an adventurer! I was exploring this dungeon...!"

My eyes narrowed. ’An NPC party, huh?’

NPC Party.

Often referred to as ’strategy teams.’

Unlike our newbie party that had entered the game less than a year ago, there are a few NPC adventurer parties that have been grinding for years, even decades, to clear dungeons.

Depending on circumstances, they can become allies or enemies. If things go well, they can even become subordinates.

’I’ve never encountered them before, and now I meet one in a place like this.’

Moreover, I knew about all the NPC parties operating in the dungeons because the game had tangled me up in various intricate ways.

There was only one party made up of elves.

’The Elf Queen’s Holy Grail Expedition.’

A hundred years ago, when various kingdoms were falling due to the war with humans, the Elf Queen issued a secret order to her close aides.

The mission was to retrieve the Holy Grail, an ancient artifact that was once the national treasure of the Fairy Kingdom, which would enable the use of long-lost powerful magic.

And so, five close aides set out on the mission, pinpointing this Lake Kingdom’s underground dungeon as the most probable location of the Holy Grail.

That was a hundred years ago.

The Elf Kingdom had already fallen, and even the Queen who had given the order had passed away. Yet, they were still on their mission, pitifully grinding deep inside the dungeons.

They were the Holy Grail Expedition.

’But why is she alone? And why was she in the hot spring facility?’

Confused, I frowned, prompting the alarmed elf woman to elaborate.magic

"My comrades and I were exploring Zone 6 of the dungeon. We had information that the object we’re searching for was located there."

"And then?"

"Then, suddenly, the Nightmare Legion Commander and his subordinates appeared..."

The elf woman started to shiver.

"The 9th-ranked Legion’s ’Wolf King’ and his minions were personally hunting down adventurer parties."

"...!"

"We thought we were a fairly skilled party, but we didn’t expect the Legion Commander to show up personally. We were completely crushed," said the elf woman, clutching her head in frustration.

"And then, after smashing us, he said things like, ’These aren’t the ones we’re looking for.’ What’s the deal with that? Why did they attack us in the first place?"

Her words suddenly reminded me of a warning Nameless had given me in the past.

- Some of the Nightmare Legion Commanders are targeting you.

- As you venture deeper into the Lake Kingdom, they will more easily find traces of you and send pursuers. Worst-case scenario, a Legion Commander might personally come to kill you.

They did say the Nightmare Legion Commanders are out to kill me.

’Could it be that they’re combing through the dungeon searching for our party?’

So, they are attacking every adventurer party they see? And these elves from the Holy Grail Expedition got caught up in it?

"After that, they began kidnapping us and dragging us away. I was the only one who managed to escape because, luckily, my restraints were loose," the elf woman continued, glancing down at her wrists, where the rope had left red marks.

She seemed embarrassed, maybe for having left her comrades behind, and her face flushed red. I silently sighed, watching her.

Kellibey had once mentioned something similar.

- Something’s happening in the deep parts of the dungeon.

- From the wandering souls to the adventurers who have requested equipment from me, no one has been seen for a long time. Something big must be going on.NPC parties are going missing.

’Is all of this the Nightmare Legion Commanders’ doing? Are they attacking and kidnapping NPC parties while searching for me?’

If not just this Holy Grail Expedition, but other NPC parties are also being kidnapped?

’...Am I partially responsible for their abductions?’

Lost in thought, the elf woman continued speaking.

"I did manage to escape, but I was exhausted and injured. I didn’t have the strength to return to the base camp alone."

"So, you took refuge in this hot spring facility."

"Yes. I figured I could recover here. My class is an assassin, so stealth is my specialty. I’ve been healing for the past few days, avoiding the monsters at the entrance and hiding in the women’s bath."

The elf woman glanced at Evangeline.

"But then someone suddenly entered, and I thought it might be an enemy, so I hid under the water...and when I came up for air, you looked really startled."

"Well, it’s natural to be surprised when someone suddenly pops up from underwater," Evangeline was still on the other side, clutching her startled heart, sending wary glances.

"Anyway, I’ve got a rough idea of the situation."

I gestured to Lucas to sheath his sword. As he did, the elf woman let out a sigh of relief.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Considering we seemed to be the cause of their attack, it felt like we had an obligation to help.

At my question, the elf woman’s face lit up.

"Could you rescue our party?!"

I thought she would say something like that. I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

The Holy Grail explorers were the weakest among the NPC parties in this dungeon, but they were one of the few sane groups that were generally friendly to our side.

Doing them a favor now would be helpful for future strategies.

"Do you know where they’ve been taken?"

"I suspect they’ve been dragged off to their main base in Zone 7, the ’Wolf’s Lair.’"

Zone 7, huh...

We haven’t even cleared all of the dungeons in Zone 5, let alone Zone 6. That’s quite a distance.

More importantly, the Wolf’s Lair is the werewolf army’s main base. Raiding it would be an extremely risky move.

’But there is a way.’

Once the defensive battle at Crossroad against the werewolf army is completed, their main base would be left vulnerable. That’s when a rescue would be feasible.

’The problem is whether the captives can hold on until then...’

Ding!

At that moment, a system window popped up in front of me.

[Emergency Quest - NPC Rescue]

- Rescue the NPCs kidnapped by the Nightmare Legion.

- Location: Zone 7 ’Wolf’s Lair’

- Reward: ???

- Time Remaining: 30 Days

Aider, that rascal, always so kind to throw up a quest window right in my face. It may be annoying, but the system window contained important information.

’The quest has a 30-day limit. So the captives should survive at least for that period.’

They must have a reason for keeping them alive. They’re probably being interrogated by the monsters.

Their limit for withstanding this would be the next 30 days.

’The next defense is 27 days from now...’

Good, it’ll be a tight schedule, but we can make it.

I explained the situation to the elf woman.

I told her I’m in charge of the southern defense line and that the werewolf army will attack the city in four weeks. After repelling them, I would go and help rescue her comrades.

The elf woman looked sad when I said it would take a month, but what can I do? This is the best help I can realistically offer.

"Understood. My comrades are resilient; they will hold on as long as they can..."

I nodded at her words.

"In return—well, I’m not sure if it’s ’in return’—but we’ll prioritize opening a route towards the ’Wolf’s Lair’ during our explorations."

"Then I’ll help you with that!"

The elf woman jumped to her feet."I’ve been around here long enough to know a few tricks! Especially when it comes to navigation and reconnaissance!"

Damn, what a stroke of luck! I’ve effectively just added an unpaid NPC character to our party for a 30-day short-term contract.

"Great, let’s cooperate with each other for now."

Free character for the win! Let’s take full advantage of this for the next month!

I extended my hand for a handshake. The elf woman looked at my hand with round eyes. I snapped my fingers.

"It’s a handshake, a handshake. We’re collaborators now."

"Ah... Aha! Handshake!"

The elf woman awkwardly wiped her palms on her clothes and then grabbed my hand with both of hers.

"Sorry, I’m not familiar with human greetings."

"No worries. Anyway, now that we’re helping each other, let’s get along."

After the awkward handshake, I leaned back.

"My name’s Ash. What’s yours?"

"My name is Verdandi. Pleased to meet you, Ash."

The elf woman—Verdandi—smiled innocently.

Yet, was it because of the twinkle in her eyes? Even while smiling, she somehow looked like she was on the verge of tears.

’Verdandi?’

Upon hearing her name, I was quite surprised.

SSR-grade assassin character Verdandi. She was the leader of the Holy Grail Expedition Party.

’I thought she looked weak, so I assumed she was a lower-grade character... Was she a Named NPC all along?’

Just then.

Gurgle.

"Ugh...!"

Verdandi looked up at me with a pained expression, her stomach making an embarrassingly loud noise.

"Uh, I’m sorry, but do you have anything to eat? I haven’t eaten in days..."

I took out some roasted eggs and honey water from my bag and handed them to her. I had packed them because I wanted them, but they’d be more useful to someone who was starving.

"It’s delicious! So delicious! This is the first time I’ve had an egg in forever!"

Verdandi devoured the roasted egg I gave her, almost in tears.

"Ingredients from the outside world are rare here! Normally, we get by with preserved food left behind by the people of the Lake Kingdom... Oh, today’s meal was delicious."

"I’ll bring more food the next time I come. Just let me know."

I ended up recruiting her into the party without pay; the least I could do was provide some food.

"By the World Tree, how can you be so kind! Then, the next time you come, please bring some sunflower seeds!"

I couldn’t help but think her request sounded like something a hamster would ask for, but acknowledging the food preferences of an elf, I nodded.

If she wants to eat it, I’ll bring it.

Watching Verdandi happily gulp down the honey water, my mind drifted to my fellow elf members of the Shadow Squad.

The three who had yet to return from their mission, and the two who had gone down a path of no return.

When I first fed them, they were equally ecstatic.

Lost in thought, Kuilan looked down at the empty egg tray with a sullen face.

"I was looking forward to it, the roasted eggs..."

"I’ll roast some more when we get back."

"As expected from His Imperial Majesty! You really take good care of your subordinates!"

Of course, you little punk. At least I won’t make them regret their lives over food. A decent meal could drastically reduce any thoughts of quitting.

Damien and Lucas then looked at me in silence. I rolled my eyes.

"You two wanted some too?"

"Yes..."

"Yeah!"

Damien was shy, but Lucas was unnecessarily cheerful.

"Alright, I’ll roast some for you guys when we get back, too..."

Just then, someone tugged at my collar. It was Evangeline. What now?

Evangeline asked with a round smile.

"You’re going to roast some for me too, right?"

Didn’t you bring your own food and eat it all? Look at that round belly of yours!

--TL Notes--

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