Chapter 68

Clare's perspective

Upon hearing news of her lady’s unknown whereabouts, something nearly shatters within her, like when her lady was suddenly sent to a faraway manor without her knowing after her appraisal ceremony. However, this time, it is much worse.

It took everything she had to keep it together. She convinced herself that they hadn’t found her lady’s dead body, meaning there was a chance her lady was still alive.

She told Alex, who was asking if she was okay, that she was fine, and with her instinct of a maid kicking in from her training as a maid, she spoke in an almost detached tone.

She bit her lips, trying to control the dark emotions in her, hard enough to taste blood.

Thoughts of ways to help Alex and everyone else retrieve her lady went through Clare's mind, but that made her realize that she was of no help to her lady right now.

Clare kept on wracking her mind, trying to think of how to be useful, but to no avail.

She could not force Alex and everyone to go out to find her lady immediately, nor could she go alone since she does not know how to fight, only self-defense. She could try hiring some adventurers for a rescue mission, but she does not know where exactly the passage Chelsie and Wendy found was.

In the end, she came to the conclusion that not doing anything would be the best option.

“Maria, ask the hospital if you can use the alchemy room and make the most powerful health and regeneration potion you can. There should be some recipes in the book you are reading, right?”

Chelsie looked at Maria and paused for a moment because what she was about to say would affect Clare, who did not seem well from all the bad news.

“I don’t know how badly injured Nyx is…”

Chelsie slowly looked at Clare, who was not looking like her normal, calm self, so trying to make her feel better, Chelsie suggested.

“Please have Clare help you while I go out with Alex to get gear to prepare for our rescue mission.”

Turning back to Clare, she asks.

“So, Clare, can you do that?”

Upon hearing Chelsie’s words, Clare knew that Chelsie said that to make her feel better, but she agreed to it because, if she was going to help, even though she barely knew anything about alchemy, she would try her absolute best to do whatever she could.

Clare immediately agrees to Chelsie's suggestion, almost desperately. Chelsie nodded, while Maria smiled to reassure her that she would not be a burden.

Maria and Clare proceeded to leave the room and walk toward the help desk to ask permission.

When they reached the help desk, Maria shyly spoke first.

“Hello, I’m Maria. Umm… Can I request something?”

“Yes, how may I help, Ms. Maria?”

“Can we borrow an alchemy room? It’s urgent, please.”

The nurse looked troubled and was about to refuse Maria’s request since it was against hospital policy to let outsiders do something like that, so before the nurse could respond, Clare said.

“Lady Alice requested it. Like Ms. Maria said, it is very urgent. I urge you not to waste Lady Alice’s time by forcing us to bring Lady Alice here.”

The nurse looks frightened when Clare mentions Alice’s name in a tone that she would get in trouble if she refused, to which the nurse frantically responds.

“Please wait a moment, Ms. Maria and Ms. …”

“Clare.”

“Right, Ms. Clare, let me talk to my superiors first. It would not take long.”

The nurse was frantic, speedwalking away, then running when she was out of sight of Maria and Clare.

“Umm…”

Clare looked at Maria, not knowing what to say, so Clare looked right back at her and said,

“I do apologize for using Lady Alice's name, but time is of the essence.”

“Oh... I see.”

“In the meantime, Ms. Maria, please teach me the basics of alchemy while we wait. I desire to be of use to you instead of a burden.”

As they waited, Maria began giving Clare a crash course on the basics of alchemy, such as the do's and don’ts, the fundamentals of potion brewing, etc.

After a couple of minutes of Maria teaching Clare about the basics of alchemy, the nurse came back with a key and led them to an unused alchemy room.

When they reached the alchemy room, the nurse gave them the key. Then going in, Maria went around and looked through the alchemy room inside, which she then said.

“Okay, let's get started. I need some dried night flowers and powdered lota root. And can you ask Chelsie to buy some lotus vines since I don’t see that they have it?”

Clare nodded and went to the storage closet in the alchemy room to retrieve the ingredients Maria had requested.

As Maria was preparing some glass tubes and beakers, Clare brought the ingredients to her and told her that she would be informing Chelsie to buy some lotus vines.

However, after some time, around thirty minutes, Maria was starting to wonder where Clare was and was getting a bit worried, but just before Maria was going to look for her, Clare came back with the item she requested Clare to tell Chelsie to get.

“My apologies, Ms. Maria, for the wait, but I have gotten the lotus vines you requested.”

Maria was surprised by what Clare had said, wondering how Clare had gotten the lotus vines so fast.

Seeing Maria's confusion, Clare said.

“I have some connections that I made when I came to Acton.”

When Clare came to Acton, she had been going around the city looking for her lady, for which she laid the groundwork of a simple information network to find her lady, something she had to do for her lady Rita when she was a noble on occasion.

“Really?”

“Yes, fortunately, I have a connection to a merchant that sells alchemy ingredients. I had asked Ms. Chelsie to come with her for a bit to get this.”

Hearing all that, Maria was deeply impressed and asked.

“What other things can you get me?”

“It would depend, but what is it that you desire, Ms. Maria?”

“Well…”

For the next 24 hours, Maria brews potions while asking Clare to get ingredients with her network, and when the knights from the capital finally come, they go back to Alex and everyone else.

“Do you have everything, Mr. Alex, Ms. Chelsie, Ms. Wendy, Ms. Lucia, and Ms. Maria?”

After going over their things, Alex said.

“Yes, we’ll find Nyx. You have my word.”

Clare, bowing deeply to everyone, then said.

“I hope so, too. From the deepest depths of my heart, I want to thank you for helping find my young master.”

Alex nodded, and everyone was about to leave, but just before Lucia was about to open the door for everyone to leave, the door opened, and white puffs of smoke immediately appeared where Lucia was as the sounds of two people colliding with each other filled the room.

Nyx’s Perspective

After we said goodbye to Nox, we went on our way. We were so close to leaving this dungeon, I could practically taste it.

It had only been more than, I think, a day since I went missing, but it felt way longer. Everyone must be worried, especially Clare. I gave her a scare a couple of days ago when I was fighting the Owl Bear boss on the 20th floor, so I have even more of a reason to get back as soon as possible.

We walked through the 19th floor and to the 18th floor, in which Athrun asked me something I hoped he wouldn’t ask.

“So, Nyx, just curious, but can you point us in the direction of the hidden shortcut?”

I looked at him and debated whether to actually tell him or lie, and I decided to tell him something in the middle.

“It is in that direction, I believe.”

I point in the direction of the cave I was in, not giving any specific directions like how long to walk or any landmarks to use.

Athrun turned to look where I pointed, memorized it, and turned back to look at me.

“Okay then, thanks.”

Then he asked.

“So what kind of plan do you have after we step out of the dungeon?”

Hearing that question, I already have a general grasp of a plan.

“We go to the hospital first, and then I and Clare would go back to our house to get our things separately, so you two escort Clare while I go alone. After that, we return to the hospital and secretly leave to find a wagon going to Farsbarow.”

“I see. That is a decent plan if I do say so myself. But won’t it be better if you let us deal with them while you wait in the hospital?”

“You could say that, but it’s to stop Boras from attacking us in broad daylight. I don’t want bystanders to get hurt, and it will probably cause more trouble in the future for me if news of me running away were to spread. I’m trusting you two, Athrun and Sarah, to protect her since she needs it more than me.”

Athrun nodded with his usual smile, and Sarah smiled with a reliable smile that made me feel like they would guarantee Clare's protection if she attacked.

We continued to make our way up the floor, and in no time, we were at the entrance of the dungeon.

I took a deep breath, relieved that I was finally out of the dungeon.

Making our way out of the dungeon, I didn’t sense anyone watching us, which was a good sign, but I don’t really know since my family’s black knights can hide their presence very well. But looking at Athrun and Sarah’s normal expression, with no tension in their face, I was slightly relieved by it because they probably have more experience than me in these types of things.

Continuing to walk through the city, I was relieved to see that nothing actually happened to the hospital.

Boras told me that he was going to go after Clare, but that was a lie he made to get to me.

When we entered the hospital and approached the section where Alice’s knights were, we saw heavily armored knights guarding the area.

Looking at their insignia, which was blue with silver trimmings, I recognized them as knights from the third knight order from the capital.

They halted us when we approached. I was about to tell them that I was going to where Alice’s knights were staying and was about to pull out my adventurer guild card, assuming that they would be informed about me, but Athrun put his hand on my shoulder, and Sarah pulled out a necklace of some kind, which they immediately recognized and let us through without any trouble.

I turn to ask Sarah about the necklace, which she said.

“It’s the pendant from the church I am in; I’m actually a fairly high-level member.”

“Really…”

I find that kind of surprising, but seeing how powerful everyone else in the party was, it did kind of make sense.

Finishing that line of thought, I was in front of the door to the room where everyone was.

I was deeply relieved to hear everyone's voice, including Clare’s, so with much anticipation, I opened the door to enter.