Chapter 144. The Kidnapped Princess (4)
The 49th cadets blinked at the announcement made by the overseeing Black Sword Corps member.
“Rescue the princess?”
“What kind of quest is this?”
There were plenty of questions, but none voiced them. They knew that if they waited, an explanation would follow.
Sure enough, a short-haired female Black Sword Corps member began to explain the quest in detail.
“You’ve all heard the fairy tale about a princess kidnapped by a demon lord at least once. The story of a hero setting out to rescue her.”
Whether heard or read in a storybook, the tale of a hero or prince saving a princess kidnapped by a demon lord or dragon was a common setup.
This quest was based on that familiar premise.
With a slight nod of her head, the short-haired Black Sword Corps member signaled her subordinates, who swiftly distributed keys to the 49th cadets.
Once everyone had received a key, and the cadets were left wondering what it was for, the short-haired Black Sword Corps member continued her explanation.
“Your role is that of the hero, and the acquaintance you brought with you is the princess.”
At those words, Theresia made a somewhat perplexed expression.
“Yuri… a princess?”
Theresia flinched at the thought of Yuri in a fancy dress. Surprisingly, the image of Yuri in her mind fit quite well. She quickly shook off her frivolous thoughts and focused back on the Black Sword Corps member’s explanation.
“Right now, your princess is imprisoned in the Demon Lord’s castle, and their limbs are bound by shackles with magical properties. The keys we gave you can unlock those shackles.”
The 49th cadets glanced at the keys in their hands.
“The way to clear this quest is simple. Enter the Demon Lord’s castle, rescue the princess, and return to this starting point. The cadet who rescues the princess will receive 500,000 points.”
If this were the 50th cadets, they would have been shaken at this point.
Just bringing back the princess would earn them 500,000 points. Quite a generous reward for the level of difficulty.
But the 49th cadets were different.
They were certain there was more to it than that.
Sure enough, the short-haired Black Sword Corps member wasn’t finished.
“And there’s another way to clear the quest…”
Seeing the 49th cadets’ knowing expressions, the short-haired Black Sword Corps member smiled.
“You can defeat the Demon Lord. If you defeat the Demon Lord, all the princesses will be released instantly, and every single one of the 49th cadets will receive 750,000 points. Oh, and you’ll also get the Demon Lord’s treasure as a bonus.”
A white-haired girl raised her hand and asked a question.
“What is the Demon Lord’s treasure?”
The short-haired Black Sword Corps member’s smile widened, as if she had been waiting for that question.
She answered in a calm voice.
“The Core of Power.”
It was a simple statement, but the impact was significant.
“The Core of Power?”
“The real Core of Power?”
A murmur spread among the 49th cadets, who until then had shown little reaction.
Seemingly unaffected by the murmuring, the short-haired Black Sword Corps member pulled out a watch from her pocket, checked the time, and announced.
“As of now, the Rescue the Princess quest has begun. The quest ends 24 hours from now, at 10:12 a.m.! Now, go forth and rescue your princesses, heroes.”
With that, the short-haired Black Sword Corps member smiled at the 49th cadets and left.
Although the Black Sword Corps members had departed, the 49th cadets did not move immediately. They simply watched each other, hesitant.
Then, a voice caught everyone’s attention.
“Alright, listen up, everyone!”
A small, white-haired girl named Yulia Singh waved both hands energetically, trying to grab the attention of the others.
Whether her efforts paid off or not, the entire 49th cadet group turned to look at Yulia.
She gave her comrades a slight smile.
“You all know this quest is a little different, right?”
The 49th cadets responded with silent affirmation.
As per the Black Sword Corps member’s explanation, this quest differed slightly from the ones they had faced before.
The key difference was the absence of competition.
Knowing this, the 49th cadets hadn’t moved immediately, even after the Black Sword Corps members had left; they were unsure how to proceed in this scenario.
Sensing the atmosphere, Yulia stepped forward to organize the situation on behalf of the group.
Standing in the same spot where the short-haired Black Sword Corps member had been moments ago, Yulia scanned the group and continued.
“In this quest, there’s no need for us to compete against each other. Just rescuing the princess will net each person 500,000 points. It doesn’t matter who rescues her first; there’s no extra reward for being the fastest, nor are there any penalties for being late. Everyone gets an equal share! But the Cradle has replaced the element of competition with something else. That is…”
“Cooperation.”
“Right, exactly. Theresia.”
Yulia winked at Theresia before continuing her speech.
“If we defeat the Demon Lord, we earn 1.5 times more points than rescuing the princess. But the Demon Lord won’t be an easy opponent. We’ll need everyone to join forces to stand a chance. For example…”
Yulia paused, her face becoming expressionless for a moment.
“It will likely be someone on the level of a Black Sword Corps squad leader. And without any restrictions.”
“Hmm…”
No sooner had she finished speaking than quiet groans emerged from various spots.
A Black Sword Corps squad leader.
A certified 5th or 6th-level powerhouse without any restrictions would be a disaster for the 49th cadets individually.
In that moment, a silver ring in Yulia’s eyes briefly shone and then disappeared.
“Based on my analysis, if all 69 of us in the 49th cadet group cooperate, the probability of defeating a certified 6th-level opponent is 27.13%. The probability of defeating a certified 5th-level opponent is 99.99%.”
Yulia listed the probabilities down to the second decimal place.
If someone else had said it, they might have laughed it off as nonsense, but since it was Yulia who mentioned it, everyone listened closely.
More than listening, they believed in those numbers at a high level, trusting that Yulia’s analysis would not be wrong.
“If the true objective of this quest is to foster cooperation among cadets, the Cradle likely placed a certified 5th-level Demon Lord that matches our capabilities. That way, we would at least attempt it.”
Although Yulia’s words were somewhat roundabout, everyone knew she was essentially saying, “Let’s cooperate and defeat the Demon Lord!”
Many nodded in agreement.
However, not everyone was on board.
“Do we have to?”
“What do you mean, ‘do we have to’?”
It was the first time a dissenting opinion had surfaced among the 49th cadets.
Golden-blond hair and brown eyes.
It was Jerry Bee.
He shrugged his shoulders slightly at Yulia’s gaze.
“Isn’t it obvious? Why go through the trouble of defeating the Demon Lord? We can just rescue the princess and pocket 500,000 points. Why choose the hard way when there’s an easier path?”
“It may be a bit harder, but the reward is worth it.”
“Speaking of rewards, remember what that short-haired lady said? If we defeat the Demon Lord, we’ll get the treasure… the Core of Power. What are we going to do about that?”
Murmurs of agreement echoed from various parts of the group.
Encouraged, Jerry continued with a rapid-fire delivery.
“Well, as you said, if we cooperate and defeat the Demon Lord, it’d be great to earn more points. But isn’t the Core of Power the real issue? I doubt the Cradle would hand out something so valuable to all 69 of us. We might get one or two at most, don’t you think?”
“Probably.”
“So even if we defeat the Demon Lord, like you said, we’ll end up fighting over the Core of Power anyway… Rather than going through that hassle, isn’t it simpler to just rescue the princess and end it with 500,000 points?”
Jerry’s argument wasn’t wrong in any way.
Defeating the Demon Lord and gaining additional points was just a secondary reward.
The true prize was the Core of Power.
However, this could inevitably lead to disputes once again.
Of course, Yulia had a solution for this.
“We’ll hold an auction.”
“An auction?”
“The Core of Power is something everyone will want. So, I’ll contact all the cadets through Bluebird and hold an auction. Once the Core of Power is sold, we’ll distribute the points equally among all the 49th cadets.”
Selling the Core of Power so that everyone could benefit equally.
This was a suggestion only Yulia, who operated Bluebird, could make.
And it resonated well with the 49th cadets.
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Sounds good.”
Many showed their agreement with Yulia’s suggestion.
Amid this, Jerry gave Yulia a subtle thumbs-up.
Yulia responded with a soft smile.
‘He’s got good instincts.’
Jerry had pretended to oppose the plan, laying the groundwork for Yulia’s proposal to gain more traction among the 49th cadets.
Thanks to his efforts, the overall atmosphere had turned perfectly positive.
Seeing this, Yulia asked her peers.
“I hope our 49th cadets will join forces to defeat the Demon Lord… Anyone against it?”
And not a single 49th cadet voiced an objection.
Clank, clank—
The sound of chains rattling from his hands and feet made Yuri click his tongue in annoyance.
“Tch, this is really annoying.”
The length of the chains connecting his cuffs was about 30 centimeters.
He could move, but any excessive movement was difficult.
It was especially frustrating to have his stride restricted whenever he walked.
He wanted to break the chains and throw them off immediately, but even that was impossible.
‘What on earth is this thing that disrupts mana flow?’
The cuffs and shackles restraining him prevented mana from gathering and moving.
Moreover, they were so sturdy that even after hitting them several times with his sword, not a single scratch was made.
Even though he had used his own white steel sword.
Clank, clank—
Having long since given up on breaking the chains, Yuri looked up at the sound of rattling chains coming from all around.
He saw others moving with chains just like him.
They were the ones who, like Yuri, had been kidnapped—if one could call it that—by Coco, caught by the Black Sword Corps members, and brought to the castle.
About 30 minutes had passed since Yuri’s arrival.
“Gather up!”
The Black Sword Corps member appeared, signaling that everyone had gathered, and began to explain the current situation.
He explained that the kidnapped acquaintances would play the role of the princesses.
That the 49th cadets, playing the heroes, would come to rescue them.
He also spoke of the Demon Lord’s existence and the quest rewards, among other things.
They heard the same information that the 49th cadets had received.
Lastly, the Black Sword Corps member gave a loud warning.
“You may move freely, but do not cross the red line. That area is the Demon Lord’s domain.”
With those words, the Black Sword Corps member departed, and Yuri quickly scanned his surroundings.
A red line split the rectangular chamber exactly in half.
To the left of the line were the entrance and the space where the princesses were kept.
To the right, a throne adorned with skulls, unmistakably fit for the Demon Lord, was conspicuously placed.
Yuri clicked his tongue.
‘As I’ve always felt, the Black Sword Corps are oddly committed to these quest setups.’
And to maintain the scenario of the princesses being kidnapped by the Demon Lord, the Black Sword Corps had placed the Demon Lord and the princesses in the same room.
Yuri shook his head in disbelief.
Then he once again scrutinized the inside of the red line with a careful gaze.
‘The Demon Lord’s domain, huh.’
According to the earlier explanation, there were two ways to clear the quest: rescuing the princess or defeating the Demon Lord.
Yet the princesses were left outside the Demon Lord’s domain, near the entrance.
This implied that the heroes wouldn’t face interference in taking the princesses.
‘So, those who want to rescue the princess can do so, and those who want to fight can fight. Replacing competition with cooperation, huh…’
Crossing his arms, Yuri nodded slightly.
‘If this quest is meant to draw cooperation from the 49th cadets, then Coco won’t be the Demon Lord.’
He hadn’t even been able to react to Coco’s movements when he was cuffed.
It wasn’t even that bad when he fought Greta, a certified 6th-level.
So, Coco couldn’t possibly be weaker than Greta Wigun.
Moreover, if she were the Demon Lord, no matter how much the 49th cadets cooperated, defeating the Demon Lord wouldn’t be an option in this quest.
Coco’s role was likely limited to just the kidnapping.
‘So, the Demon Lord will probably be a certified 5th or 6th level…’
Yuri, who had been naturally analyzing the situation with a serious expression, suddenly jolted.
‘Wait a minute… I don’t need to be doing this, do I?’
This was why habits were so terrifying.
He had been analyzing the situation again.
Yuri let out a soft laugh.
And rightfully so, because there was no need for him to thoroughly analyze this quest.
It wasn’t even his quest, and all he had to do was wait for Theresia to arrive and then leave with her.
In other words, this was…
‘A chance to take it easy!’
A perfect opportunity to relax and take half of the 500,000 points Theresia would earn later.
Although the chains clanking around his limbs were somewhat bothersome, considering the 250,000 points he’d earn in a few hours, he could easily endure this much inconvenience.
And it wasn’t even that uncomfortable lying down—only standing and moving were troublesome.
‘With the rain and all, it’s been gloomy. How about a long-overdue nap?’
All that remained was a few hours until Theresia would come for him.
This was the first bit of leisure Yuri had experienced in a long time.
Wondering when he would have such free time again in his grueling life at the Cradle, Yuri intended to savor this downtime.
With quick steps, he found a secluded spot and lay down.
He was about to drift off to dreamland when—
“Oh? Who do we have here, if not the Owl boy!”
A twisted voice interrupted his peace, causing Yuri’s expression to sour.