Chapter 171: Another Team
After Entering the Dungeon,
Arlyne O's POV
"Your Highnesses, please be careful" I cautioned as we entered the dungeon, my gaze shifting toward the two adorable twins with shades of pink hair following closely behind.
"Arlyne, I am here as well, and I will protect you" A shiny blue-haired boy chimed.
"I'm here too, Simon" A boy with mixed yellow-golden hair said, slinging an arm around Simon's shoulder.
His sky-blue eyes and triangular face, dressed in a black shirt with a White-Golden coat and white pants, gave him a lean, regal appearance, and his golden breastplate displayed 'Otter' blue letters.
"...Yes, Broth—I mean, Oliver," Simon was about to respond but abruptly changed his tone, sensing something amiss.
Sighing at the subtle tension, I cast a brief glance at the white-haired, handsome man who kept a watchful eye on the twins from the corner of his gaze.
A pang of discomfort shot through my heart. Seeing this, Oliver, my brother, patted my shoulder and offered reassurance in a soft murmur, "It's all right; Take it slow"
I nodded in response, and he called out, "Your Highnesses?"
The twins nodded in acknowledgement.
"Your Majesty, King Theo?" My brother shifted his attention to the silvery white-haired man who nodded affirmatively.
"Very well, Simon, I'm taking the lead from here on," my brother declared, stepping to the front of our group.
Although displeasure crossed Simon's face, he swiftly concealed it, nodding and offering me a smile.
"..." I remained silent.
As we ventured deeper into the unknown dungeon, with its seemingly endless walls and labyrinthine twists and turns...I thought it was Maze.
My brother remarked, "It seems we've entered a maze-type dungeon"
"I-I thought so" Simon chimed in, striving not to be outdone by my brother.
My eyes flickered to Theo, who continued to observe the twins.
'Well, whatever,' I mused internally.
His name was 'King Theo' Rank-13, the sole crown prince of Theos Kingdom, and Simon H Rank-20, the son of the loyal Duke Henry, was his steadfast supporter.
My brother, Oliver O, Rank-15 and I, Arlyne O, Rank-19, were the children of Otter Duke from the Chola Kingdom, dispatched to safeguard our highnesses.
I couldn't help but glance at our treasured twins,
Their shade of pink hair cascading down their hearts-shaped faces, their lithe, lollipop-like figures clad in pure silver-white, the golden letter 'Chola' embellished dresses with wide leg openings. They wore golden fabric draped around their necks and half-sleeved garments.
One twin,
Kira Chola, Rank-9, Second Princess and Saintess of the Chola kingdom, concealed her eyes with a white ribbon, while the other,
Kyra Chola, Rank-7, Third Princess and Saintess of the Chola kingdom, possessed enchanting aurora night-sky eyes, capable of inciting wars for her mesmerizing eyes.
Kyra was holding her hand with Kira as Kira muttered light enough to only hear Kyra.
No matter how much I thought they were cuter compared to the Elven princess who considered as world's most beautiful woman.
While pondering the comparative cuteness of the twins, an unexpected encounter with a giant scorpion monster interrupted my thoughts. I instinctively prepared to attack when...
"Easy" My brother murmured.
"Chukkk"
A swift slash of his thin slender sword dispatched the monster in an instant.
"..." I couldn't help but twitch my eyes; it appeared that my brother's powers had grown, but I refrained from voicing my thoughts.
"Y-You..." Simon stammered, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"What?" Oliver sheathed his sword, inquiring.
"Your Rank-"
"Yes, I've achieved the 9-Star rank and am on the verge of entering the Domain Realm" my brother casually replied, as if it were an inconsequential matter.
"...." Simon stared at my brother before casting a pointed glance at Theo, who gazed intently at my brother and then... at me?
"...." I felt a twinge of embarrassment under Theo's scrutiny and listened as he eloquently commented,
"Congratulations, Oliver O. You are destined to be the hope of Chola Kingdom".
"Thank you, Your Majesty, although I am unworthy of your praise" My brother responded, bowing slightly in a show of respect.
"What? You are disregar--" Before Simon could finish his sentence, Theo silenced him with a stern glare....and it worked perfectly.
In response to Theo's frown, Simon bit back his words and forced a smile.
"What do you mean?" Theo asked.
"Well...haha...Your Majesty may already know this, however, I am not the only one who entered 9-Star Rank" My brother awkwardly laughed as he scratched his head.
"Hmm" Theo nodded in understanding and said, "Yes, I clearly felt in the Elite class, most people have already entered 9-Star Rank, However...."
My brother looked at Theo and waited for him to finish.
"However, they are not humans....The only human who was a 9-Star Ranker except for Heros was 'You', Oliver, so take pride in yourself" Theo smiled a little which made my heart flutter a little...
'Ha...' I shook my head and threw the unnecessary thoughts.
My Brother just smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty"
With that, we started to walk.
"Arylne, you know, I am very goo--huh?"
Before Simon could spout any nonsense, My brother pulled him to his side put his hand over Simon and said,
"Simon could please stop spouting nonsense, I couldn't sense the enemy.
If you keep babbling...." My brother smiled but it was definitely not a smile to Simon.
"..." Simon's face turned red in anger....however, he shallowed the anger and nodded his head with a forced smile.
Our journey continued, and we faced small groups of scorpions, easily dispatching them.
I began to doubt whether this was genuinely an 'A+' Grade dungeon, as I could have single-handedly dealt with these dozens of monsters.
Whether it was my words or pure luck, we soon encountered hundreds of scorpions, relentless in their pursuit like an infestation of cockroaches.
Although we vanquished them all, our stamina waned.
"Let's take a break" My brother suggested, indicating a small room we just found.
We concurred with his suggestion, observing the carefree twins, who giggled lightly, seemingly oblivious to the trials....My eyes inadvertently turned toward Theo, who appeared utterly mesmerized by their laughter.
"..."
I quietly followed my brother into the cramped room, and the atmosphere immediately shifted.
"Whoa!!!" Simon suddenly exclaimed.
Startled, we all turned to see what had excited him and.....discovered a wooden treasure chest.
A smile of anticipation graced my face...much like unwrapping a long-awaited gift.
With unanimous enthusiasm, Simon proposed, "Let's open it!"
'Thunk'
As he began to open it, a mysterious sound followed.
'Splash'
A wet, gurgling sound emanated from the chest.
I felt a sense of foreboding.
"Arrrrrrhhhh"
Simon shouted in pain as he fell to the ground and wriggled while clenching his eye area.
"His Eyes..." I heard a mutter from Kyra who seemed to frowning.
Feeling a sense of danger, we looked at the treasure chest,
'Hiss...'
Black smoke poured from the wooden chest, which began to transform into the typical black-skinned humanoid monster with large teeth like a lion, a goat-like head, snake-like neck.....we were unfamiliar with.
'Dirp, Dirp'
Blood dripped from horns similar to a goat on its head.
A black-skinned humanoid monster with large teeth like a lion, goat-like head, snake-like neck and....human-like body nakedly running towards them.
"Seems like horns punctured his eyes" My brother made a remark and was about to unsheath his sword when,
"Don't go near it" a sweet voice warned us.
Before we could ask,
/Cleanse/
A pure white sphere shot toward the dark humanoid figure
'sssshhhhhhh'
Black smoke poured out from its body as it turned into the normal humanoid Monster we know,
"Faunmia?" I whispered in disbelief.
"Now, kill it," Kyra urged, her eyes glowing with the colours of the aurora night sky.
"Of course," My brother agreed, launching an attack. However, the creature's snake-like, writhing neck made it difficult to land a clean blow.
"ggrrrr"
The monster growled like a lion, attempting to strike my brother with its horns.
My brother dodged the attack and retreated, leaving an opening for me.
"Arlyne" he called out.
In response, with a smile I unsheathed my two thin-bladed swords and stepped forward, stomping the ground to propel myself.
'Chukk'
'Thud'
With a swift, X-shaped swing, I severed the creature's neck before it could slither away.
As I prepared to sheathe my weapon, I noticed a scorpion attempting to sting my brother.
Before I could react, Theo moved even faster, swiftly cutting the scorpion in half.
I heaved a sigh of relief. 'It seems we didn't completely defeat it, or perhaps it was waiting for an opportunity' I speculated.
Just as I was about to question my brother about it, a heavy thud echoed through the room.
'Thud'
"Brother!!!" I cried out, seeing my brother collapse to the ground.
Panic surged within me, and I sprinted to his side.
"Your Highnesses!" I shouted to get the twins' attention.
My brother's body radiated heat, his skin taking on a reddish hue as he fell unconscious.
Reacting to my call,
/Heal/
Kyra approached and applied her healing power....which gradually restored my brother's appearance to normal, I sighed in relief.
"All done," she announced, moving toward Simon, who was also being healed by Kira.
I observed a sticky residue on the back of my brother's head and realized it was....'Poison' I muttered and carefully wiped it with a worried look.
"It must have already been injected while we were focused on Faunmia" Theo speculated.
".....Maybe" I agreed, my thoughts racing. 'Perhaps the poison was released when my brother retreated...'
'Slap'
I gave my brother a resounding slap. "Wake up, you careless idiot who can't even sense his surroundings" I chided.
His eyelids trembled as he began to stir. I squinted at his reaction, noticing something unusual.
"...No way" I murmured in astonishment.
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