Encounter with the Enemy Boss

Shia sighed with relief when there were no more moving enemies in the large room.

‘I suppose that’s it for now?’

‘Yes. But I wasn’t able to do anything.’

“Groof.”

Serulis seemed sad that she hadn’t been able to help destroy the magic machines or kill the evil dragons.

Grulf also looked a little sad. And so I patted him on the head.

And then I said to the others,

‘That was some impressive teamwork back there.’

‘Aye. That boss must have known we were coming and planned this attack.’

‘Magic Detection, eh? It’s creepy that it knows our every move.’

Eric and Goran scowled.

“Now, we’re close to the boss room. We can skin these guys later.”

“Aye. We’ll take our time once the boss is dead.”

Just as Goran said this and took a step forward,

“You’re talking about the future when you haven’t even met me yet?”

A man’s voice boomed from the ceiling.

“You are awfully confident in yourselves. Suh surprising arrogance from powerless humans.”

All of us looked up frantically.

I hadn’t detected any presence at all. He had bypassed Magic Detection.

However, there was definitely someone floating up there in the air.

“I see. So there were two Sorcerers. Well, a human and an animal.”

He said thoughtfully with a hand on his chin as he looked down at us.

“I had thought my plan was perfect. But I didn’t expect such a strong Sorcerer to be here.”

The man said with a smile. Then he slowly descended to the floor.

He had silver hair and a handsome face. His clothes were black and elegant.

A fancy sword was attached to his belt. He was likely a magical warrior.

Eric pointed the tip of his holy blade at the man.

“Who are you?”

“Shouldn’t you know? You two have been spying on me a great deal.”

He said with a laugh as he gave me and Kathe a knowing look.

He knew it was us. Well, it would be quite obvious if he saw us fighting.

But it was too bad, as I had been hoping he wouldn’t.

But there was no way to survive the last battle without using a lot of magic.

So, there was no point in worrying about that now.

I put on a confident grin and talked to the man.

“So, you must be the leader here. And it seems like you’ve been watching us a lot as well.”

“Why shouldn’t I? As the master of this mansion, it is my duty to see that my guests have a good time.”

Then Kathe muttered.

“…According to my Magic Detection, the boss hasn’t moved.”

It was the same with mine as well. It was still in the boss room.

That being said, it did seem different from before. But just barely.

“Ah, I see. I left the dummy there.”

The man said. And then suddenly, the presence in the boss room disappeared.

“…What?”

Kathe was so shocked that her giant body shook.

She hadn’t noticed that the presence had been slightly different from before.

“Kathe, calm down.”

“How can I be calm!”

I hadn’t been able to notice it either, even while I was using Magic Detection and Magic Exploration.

While we had been fighting desperately, it still meant I had let my guard down. I would have to be more careful.

Of course, it wasn’t something to worry about right now. This was not the time.

However, Kathe was still shaking.

“It-it disappeared.”

“I know what you’re trying to say. But calm down.”

Kathe’s shock would start to affect Shia and Serulis if it didn’t stop.

Who knew what would happen then. But right now, we needed a Sorcerer who was strong.

“…So, I was detecting a dummy all of this time. And thought it was the boss…”

Kathe wasn’t even trying to hide it.

Sometimes, it was important to hide your emotions. Especially when up against a strong enemy.

The man looked at how shaken Kathe was and smiled with satisfaction.

“Oh, that must be rough for you.”

“To be fooled like that… It should not have been possible!”

“And yet it is. That just means there is an immense difference in ability between us.”

The man said with a laugh.

“What…my magic is…”

Kathe was stunned. Shia looked at her with a worried expression.

Kathe was a first-rate Sorcerer and yet, she was easily fooled. How strong was this man?

That’s what was likely in the minds of Shia and Serulis.

But Eric and Goran seemed calm. They just had so much more experience in battle.

Kathe was strong and very powerful.

But she didn’t have as much experience as us.

Besides, as someone who was born with her strength, Kathe didn’t know much about battle tactics.

As a veteran, I had to help Kathe, Shia, and Serulis calm down here.

And so I looked towards the man and smiled.

“Hey, vampire. I know that you’re worried, but enough with the jokes.”

“Oh?”

He saw my smile, and for an instant, his eyebrows narrowed.