Su Yao and the others hurried back to the Dungeon, but it wasn’t until after half a day that the army finally appeared sluggishly near the Dungeon Entrance.
Leading the group was Young Master Norton, whom she had met once before—the perverted older brother of Hilvi.
To his left stood a rotund man dressed extravagantly, his comical handlebar mustache curling upward at the ends.
Like Hilvi and her brother, this man also had striking blue eyes.
Behind these two, the troops split into two sections.
The front dozens of soldiers were well-trained, seemingly unaffected by the march.
They stood straight, their armor more refined in design.
As for the more than a hundred soldiers trailing behind, they panted heavily and swayed unsteadily.
Without their weapons to support them, they probably would have collapsed onto the ground.
Their armor looked like it had been pieced together from scraps, and several were so overweight they couldn’t even fit properly into their gear.
Su Yao was speechless. The rear troops looked worse than students on a school field trip. Was her Dungeon really so despised?
And here she was, full of enthusiasm, making all sorts of plans and preparations—now they might be useless!
That said, she wouldn’t underestimate them. After all, among this force was an enemy of Sofia.
According to the silver-haired beauty, the man named Balder was the deputy captain of the King’s Guard, and he had clawed his way up from a commoner. His capabilities were not to be underestimated.
Clorel’s father had admired Balder’s skills and promoted him exceptionally. As a knight and subject, he was supposed to be loyal to the utmost, yet in the crucial battle defending the King’s Castle, he chose to betray and side with the enemy.
No wonder Sofia hated him so much that her teeth ached.
Speaking of which, their arrival was timely. Su Yao had been worried about insufficient personnel in the Dungeon. Buying slaves cost money, and summoning intelligent monsters risked losing control.
But since this army had come knocking, she wouldn’t hold back…
The man named Norton scanned around, apparently searching for adventurers nearby to guide them.
Unfortunately, people gathered near the entrance had long since fled upon hearing the army’s arrival. It seemed no one, from any world, wanted to get involved in trouble.
Su Yao had arranged the remaining adventurers in the Dungeon carefully. The hall’s teleportation point had been moved to the unopened second-level Dungeon.
Adventurers reaching the deepest parts could only teleport one-way there.
She had sent twin sisters to guide those still stuck in the Maze. By now, the Maze had been mostly cleared.
She intended to crush this army with minimal DP, capturing as many alive as possible—though some might simply be left behind.
For example, those two useless corrupt nobles at the front line, and of course Balder, whom Sofia had just mentioned…
…….
“It’s just like in the report. Shortly after entering the entrance, you’ll reach a hall with a fountain. You three, go clear out those Slimes!”
Norton quietly watched his brother Himan lead soldiers forward. Honestly, after arriving here, he felt a sense of relief.
Since earlier, the man called Balder had disappeared without a trace. Norton didn’t believe that princess’s nonsense. Balder surely had his own mission in this Dungeon.
Protect him? As long as he didn’t cause trouble, that would be good enough.
Luckily, with so many doors here, it was obvious they should split up. Though Balder’s soldiers were well-trained, they probably wouldn’t follow him.
Norton could only convince his stupid brother to spare as many men as possible…
“Watch out! Enemy attack!”
“My leg! Someone help me!”
“My foot’s frozen, it’s so cold!”
…
Norton’s thoughts on how to speak were abruptly interrupted by chaos in the hall ahead.
What a bunch of trash—they couldn’t even defeat a few Slimes!
He was about to reprimand his brother for these useless subordinates when a sudden water arrow hit him, soaking his clothes.
The water in the fountain seemed alive, coalescing into a humanoid shape with a faint blue transparent body, lacking any facial features.
With his limited knowledge, he naturally failed to recognize it as a Water Sprite.
The water creature raised its hand, forming either arrows or bullets of water from the fountain, continuously striking the soldiers trying to clear the Slimes.
Blue Slimes frosted white on their heads jumped and bounced toward the attackers.
Caught off guard by the Water Sprite, the soldiers fell into chaos. The slow Slimes hadn’t even reached them yet, but the soldiers were already falling into puddles.
At first, they only felt the water was cold, but as they recovered, the water beneath them had frozen solid. The parts of their bodies submerged—hands, arms, legs, feet—were now stuck frozen inside their iron helmets.
These inexperienced soldiers, unused to the harsh conditions of fortress defense, could not endure such biting cold.
The hall was filled with screams, cries for help, and wails.
Norton and his brother instinctively took a few steps back.
“It’s a Water Sprite. Don’t let the soldiers get close. She’s almost invincible where there’s water, and those Slimes are also problematic. Tell your men to regroup, form teams, and each pick a door to charge through.”
No one knew from where the mysterious Balder had given his orders, but this suited Norton perfectly. He no longer needed excuses to demand more men from his brother.
At this moment, Norton felt as if fate itself was helping him find the missing “Former Princess.”
“Everyone who can still move, get back here!”
At Himan’s order, except for those frozen stiff and unwilling to rise, the rest scrambled back in a sorry state.
“Someone help me! My leg’s numb!”
“Me too!”
……
Well, maybe they weren’t unwilling, but who dared face the Water Sprite combined with the Ice Slimes again?
After retreating, the Water Sprite ceased her attacks.
It seemed as long as they didn’t provoke her, these useless troops wouldn’t be in mortal danger.
“Forget about them. It’s just cold, no one’s going to die. Let them figure out how to crawl out on their own.”
Norton’s suggestion was agreed upon by his brother, and those wailing soldiers were left behind.
Soon, the teams were formed. Although orders came from Balder, those assigned to him looked mostly useless.
Norton was too lazy to expose his brother’s little schemes.
Now he only wanted to rush forward.
“I’ll take the far left door.”
Leaving that sentence behind, Norton led the soldiers at his back and moved out first.
The Water Sprite and Slimes stirred up again, but except for a few unlucky ones who slipped, no one fell behind.
They smoothly entered the Maze beyond the door…
……
After confirming the hall held only those immobile “wounded,” Su Yao arrived with Lilith via teleportation.
“Go ahead. Make them all obey your orders.”
“Yes, Master.”