Evan D. Sherden, Goes on An Expedition (1)

The two children returned home after finishing their first day of basic training safely. Late at night, Evan gathered the members and made a brief announcement on the expedition.

“Five people, including myself, will go.”

“Why? Evan, you said with your own mouth that Sherden’s environment is stable now. But do you have to insist on a minority elite?”

“Of course, I did. But the Dungeon Knights of Astray cannot afford to go on a large expedition, Arisha…”

Astray should protect Sherden. It was necessary to protect the city, of course, they should go on expeditions, but it should not be frequent. And it was not acceptable to have a large number of people together.

“Ugh, that’s true. So Evan, since you took Shine last time, you’re with me this time, right?”

“Well, it’s… Okay, okay. Come with me.”

“That’s great.”

Arisha had deep eyes. When Evan nodded to her valid logic, she showed her fist clenched without hiding her joy.

“I’ll serve you as well, Master.”

“Yes, I was going to ask you to accompany me, Lua.”

“It’s an honor, Master.”

The primary goal of this expedition was to clear small dungeons in Steama, a hot spring village.

As there were many monsters with magic skills, it would be easier to proceed with Belois, who could freely handle ice and flame magic.

“And then again…”

“Oppa, what about me?”

“Rey, you were the leader of the last expedition, so take a break this time.”

“Uh, I knew you would say that, but why do I still feel dejected?”

Evan tapped Serena, who was holding his hand and whining. And he looked at Raihan.

“Raihan Hyeong, will you come with me?”

“Well, it’s an honor for me to be with you… Are you sure about it?”

“I need you, Hyeong.”

Evan spoke in a firm tone.

It wasn’t a joke. Even though the Dungeon he was trying to conquer this time was small, it needed to be fully prepared as it was also a dungeon famous for its serious difficulty among the dungeons outside Sherden.

‘Moreover, every time a Yo-Ma Great War game was released, the reachable number of floors changed. I was able to go up to the fifth floor in Yo-Ma Great War 3 and the sixth floor in 4. But is it still applied to the world? Then, which floor can I go to…? If not, what is beyond that?’

Only the third floor was difficult for a typical adventurer’s party to enter the Dungeon. No one had been able to go deep into the Dungeon, and they just hardly cleared the first floor of the Dungeon.

“There’s not much information about the Dungeon. I’m not sure how many floors this Dungeon has. Your defense skill is essential to conquering the unknown Dungeon, Hyeong.”

“I’m embarrassed to hear that.”

Raihan smiled proudly. Perhaps he didn’t know yet. Evan put him in the party for another reason …

‘A journey with Arisha and Lua, and in the absence of Shine, Raihan’s presence is indispensable to keep me sane…!’

Yes, he needed a male colleague to control the girls, who got stronger and wilder every day! Evan felt guilty when he saw Raihan smiling innocently but turned his eyes away, pretending to ignore it. His eyes met with Mirole.

“And the last member, as the leader of the Junior Group, is multi-field experienced…”

“…”

“Junior Group…”

“…”

Mirole just glanced at Evan without words. Evan tried to avoid her gaze, but somehow, he was concerned about Mirole. It was nothing but fear.

“… I wasn’t going to take the leaders of the Junior Group, but I’m taking Mirole because she’s proven to be strong.”

“Really!”

Evan was just dumbfounded by the sight of Mirole acting oblivious and flapping her pointed elven ears.

Belois shook her head with a deep sigh as if she knew it would happen, and there was nothing to answer.

‘I’m in big trouble. Raihan’s role has become crucial…!’

All were female members except for him and Raihan. There was a High Elf who was interested in Evan as well now.

“Then… I’m done choosing the members. The rest of the members should stay as usual. Shine has all the authority while I’m away, so follow Shine’s order…”

“Master, are you going with five people…?”

“…I can’t help it.”

Evan felt more uneasy. As usual, Evan, who ignored Shine’s tackle, looked at Raihan with a look of trust.

Now that he roughly noticed the situation, Raihan smiled vaguely.

The next morning, the day they went to the Dungeon, Raihan, who Evan completely trusted, betrayed him.

“I hear you’re going to the hot spring, Master!”

“I was planning on taking a vacation this time, and it’s great. Oh, don’t look at me like that. We don’t want to get involved in Astray’s activities, so don’t worry about us.”

“…”

Hannah, an apprentice pharmacist who was as clumsy as a baby when they first met, and Serpina, an assistant to the bishop. However, now they become career women who were recognized for their experiences in their field.

Since taking over the man they wanted, the two women, who had been running through the peak of their lives day by day, had been very popular in the dungeon city.

“But you both are not members of our Knights.”

“I’m sorry, Master…”

Evan wanted to ask them why the two appeared in front of the Astray building, where Evan had planned to clear.

Raihan bowed his head as if he had no excuse.

Next to him, Hannah held her hands together and looked at Evan with a desperate expression.

“We’ll follow you, Master. We won’t care where you are and what you do, so give me Raihan during the break after work!”

“It’s not Raihan’s fault, Master. When we were told that he had to leave for the mission, we only bothered him a little bit…”

One asked Evan, and another one spoke for Raihan… It was so natural that Evan felt like they had practiced beforehand.

“… Phew, I see.”

Evan was worried about what to do with these women, but he finally accepted. This was because he remembered that Raihan had never been on a proper vacation with the two women.

“Master, are you sure?”

“We’re just on the same destination, aren’t we? There would be no problem moving with our wagon.”

“Master Evan, you have such a big heart!”

“No flattery, Serpina.”

The reason why young lovers had never enjoyed dating was because of Astray, and especially Evan. There was no reason not to be so considerate.

“I’ll book a room for you and Raihan. I was thinking of taking a break during the mission…”

“Oh, I love you, Master!”

Hannah couldn’t hold back her joy, so she hugged Evan and circled. Was it revenge to give back what his teacher, Bernard, suffered from Evan?

Evan sighed again with such a foolish thought. Yes, moving with them would not be that bad.

The problem was that Raihan, who would mark the female members, was caught by his lovers and might forget his duty. Right now, he could still see Arisha was happy and thinking a lot.

“Let’s leave now. Shine, please take good care of Astray while I’m gone.”

“I’m dissatisfied that I cannot serve you… Trust me, and don’t worry about here.”

“Yes. Call me as soon as signs appear.”

Eight people were on the Ghost Wagon, including five members of the Astray team, two lovers of Raihan who happened to participate as guest members, and finally, bunny girl maid Diona, who accompanied Evan.

“Master, are you sure you’re okay? I wonder if you’re on a secret mission…”

“Don’t pretend to be worried now. It’s obvious.”

“Hehe.”

If it had been a secret mission, he would have kept the fact of the expedition from leaking out. It was possible to take such a leisurely approach on the surface as they moved to attack the Dungeon no matter how far they went.

Evan looked at Serpina with a charming smile and laughed. Then, he ordered the wagon to move. The Ghost Wagon, which had neither a rider nor horse, began to move slowly and soon left the city.

* * *

The group stopped by a few dungeons on their way and cleared them. They managed to reach Steama, a hot spring village, in just two days.

“Huh, he is the second son of the Marquis of Sherden!”

“The one who made the bathhouse that is much better than our hot springs!”

“Oh, I’m so upset… but I’d like to ask!”

Evan didn’t know, but he also became a celebrity in Steama, a hot spring town. He had led the development of the Brotherhood Bathhouse and added alchemy to create an effective bath!

As everyone in Steama talked about Sherden’s Brotherhood Bathhouse, some of the residents even stopped by Sherden to experience the bathhouse in person as if they were leaving for overseas training.

“The bathhouse wasn’t normal…”

“Of course, Steama has its charm, but it was also special.”

“But why are they here this time? Do they want to get involved in Steama’s hot spring…?”

Evan neatly ignored the murmurs around him and parked the Ghost Wagon at the finest inn in Steama. It was the same facility that he had visited with the Marquis in the past.

“Long time no see, Master Evan D. Sherden.”

“We have a reservation, right? I think we need another room since we have more people. Is it possible…?”

“I think we don’t have to take one more room.”

As Evan, who greeted the inn owner, was about to increase the number of rooms to three, Arisha quickly spoke. Her face was too red.

“We are on a mission, and I don’t think there’s a need to distinguish between men and women…! Why don’t you give Raihan and Miss Serpina one room, and the rest share the same room?”

“Hmm, no.”

Evan replied with a refreshing smile to Arisha. Arisha didn’t claim that she wanted to be with Evan, but she talked the excuse with the rest of the members.

Diona, standing behind her, said, clapping her rabbit’s ears.

“I’ll serve the Master in the same room, so you don’t need to worry…”

“Not you too, Diona.”

“Why?! I’m your maid!”

“Oh, my God, did the Maybell factor penetrate you as well, Diona…?”

Evan checked-in in an extra single room without a blink of an eye despite the members’ storming friction around him.

Arisha seemed to have already decided to visit him at night secretly. But Evan gave Belois a slight wink, and she nodded slightly as if telling Evan she understood.

“I’m not saying I’ll be alone all the time. I’m just going to sleep separately, so don’t complain too much.”

“Evan, you are such a fool…”

“Hoo-hoo, you’re popular, Master Evan.”

“Oh, I’d like to ask you one more thing…”

Evan asked the owner some typical questions and soon heard some surprising news.

As Sherden was shut down, the Dungeon had already been cleared to the sixth floor by explorers who had flocked to Steama’s Dungeon searching for another big hit…

And all the explorers were killed on the seventh floor.