Early DAR Vol. 5 Chapter 16 Part 3

Full title: Starting a New Life for the Discarded All-Rounder

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Airis

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While Uncle Gry was cowering in fear from the swarm of insects, a commotion erupted along the outer perimeter of the Citadel Dungeon.

“What happened?! What on earth happened?!”

The count’s daughter, Eileen, cried out in anguish.

Her Citadel Dungeon Investigation Team had remained within the dungeon’s boundaries.

It wasn’t until after Roa and his group had departed the day before that a meeting was finally held to decide their next steps, but it had devolved into chaos.

The argument stemmed from a disagreement between Eileen, who insisted on pressing forward, and Joel, the senior male knight, who advocated for retreat.

Eileen and the women of the Nemophila Knights raised vague appeals to honor and dignity. Joel and those siding with him, prioritizing their lives, called for a return.

At the meeting in the Rabbit Forest, Joel’s group had once yielded. This time, they did not.

With the Gryphons’ attack, the investigation team had technically completed its mission.

There was no longer any justification to advance toward the Citadel Dungeon.

While they regretted abandoning the captured soldier, the fact that Roa and the adventurers were already heading to rescue him alleviated their guilt.

However, Eileen claimed that entrusting the rescue to unknown adventurers would disgrace their honor.

Up until now, she had treated the soldiers like pebbles or fallen branches. Yet now she spoke as if they were precious comrades.

“One of my team was taken. It is only natural that we be the ones to rescue them.”

“Don’t be absurd. We should retreat!”

“I’m telling you to follow my command.”

“In our current state, that would be tantamount to suicide. If we had accompanied the adventurers, there might have been hope, but they have already departed. We should leave this to them and return.”

“We cannot entrust our duty to lowborn adventurers! It would tarnish our honor!”

Back and forth the arguments went, endlessly.

Because of this drawn-out debate, the entire day was wasted. They hadn’t even moved from their campsite.

Fortunately, Roa had left them with ample supplies: sachets to repel magic beasts and mysterious concoctions that ward off the Undead. Thanks to that, the area remained safe.

But ironically, the absence of immediate danger had removed the pressure to act quickly, allowing the argument to drag on.

The night passed, and at dawn, Eileen’s shriek rang out.

“What happened?! What’s going on?!”

Joel rushed toward the source of the commotion and found Eileen collapsed in tears before the women knights.

Or rather, before their still bodies.

Seven of them had been laid down.

The Nemophila Knights had nine female members, and more than half were now motionless.

There were no visible wounds. Their expressions were peaceful, as if they were simply asleep.

And yet, despite Eileen’s sobbing, none of them so much as twitched.

They were unmistakably dead.

“They were cold to the touch, just as they were sleeping.”

A nearby soldier reported to Joel.

Indeed, the women had died in their sleep.

The night before, the female knights had entrusted watch duty to the soldiers and rested as a group.

Under normal circumstances, some of them would have taken turns on guard, but repeated attacks from magic beasts had worn them down, body and soul.

No one could blame them for that.

When morning came and they were found cold and lifeless, it was already too late.

“Who did this?! Were you even keeping watch?!”

Eileen screamed, glaring at the soldiers who had stood guard.

Tears streamed from her eyes. She hardly looked like someone in command, more like someone completely unfit to lead.

Her display was unbecoming of a knight.

On the battlefield, casualties are expected.

A superior officer breaking down at every death would cripple the chain of command.

Emotional outbursts are unacceptable in such a role.

Joel and the soldiers were speechless. They watched her with troubled expressions.

The guards had not slacked off.

Thanks to Roa’s provisions, the area was indeed safer, but it was still the Citadel Dungeon’s outer zone.

A deadly region where vigilance could not be relaxed.

They’d faced Undead and Gryphon attacks firsthand. They knew the risks well.

Even the most negligent among them wouldn’t dare lower their guard.

The only person still failing to grasp the situation was Eileen herself.

“…Undead… Could it have been a Ghost or a Lich?”

Breaking the silence was one of the surviving members of the Nemophila Knights.

Among the Undead, Ghosts and their superior variant, Liches, were known for lacking physical form.

They could attack without ever being seen.

If the soldiers on watch hadn’t noticed anything, that explanation made the most sense.

Ghosts and Liches were also said to consume souls.

Given the women’s untouched, sleeping appearance, the theory fit disturbingly well.

Everyone present accepted that it must have been the work of a Ghost or Lich.

“A Ghost… a Lich… But why only them…?”

Eileen muttered, while Joel scanned the area.

Indeed, only that section had been affected. No one else remained unresponsive.

No other disturbances had been reported.

Joel found the situation strange.

But the truth was this: the others had survived thanks to Roa.

When Roa arrived near the Citadel Dungeon, he had shared soup infused with a potion that prevented instant death.

That soup had saved their lives.

The women had died from an instant-death spell.

It was the fading remnants of the spell cast by the Greater Lich in its final moments against Uncle Gry.

Though the spell had weakened due to the distance, it still had enough power to affect the mentally and physically exhausted.

The women of the Nemophila Knights, including Eileen, had not consumed Roa’s soup.

Of them, three survived—likely due to having stronger constitutions.

Eileen herself wasn’t particularly strong, but she had survived thanks to a combat stimulant.

The drug enhanced mental fortitude, allowing her to resist the effects of the death spell.

It was banned due to side effects like reckless overconfidence and self-destructive behavior, but on the front lines, its efficacy was undeniable.

Thanks to Roa’s foresight, many others who had been more exhausted than the women avoided death.

Had they not drunk the soup, most of the investigation team would have perished.

“…Unforgivable.”

Eileen spat the word.

“Huh?”

Joel blinked.

“This is unforgivable! This kind of injustice must be avenged! I’ll see their hatred answered!”

“Wait—what are you saying?”

Unforgivable? Joel and the others stared at her in disbelief.

“I’ll avenge them! I’ll bring justice for their deaths! We march for the Citadel Dungeon!”

“…What?”

Revenge? Justice?

Even though the investigation team was composed of demoted or problematic personnel, they had all undergone knight or soldier training.

Acting on personal grudges was one of the first things they were taught never to do.

Private vendettas disrupt order and endanger not only allies but civilians.

A knight’s sword is wielded for the people, not personal pride.

Even if an undisciplined soldier made such a declaration, it would be unacceptable.

For a knight commander to say it? Unthinkable.

And what connection did the Citadel Dungeon even have to the incident?

There was no evidence that the Ghost or Lich responsible was inside. It was just a theory.

Was she really going to risk lives based on guesswork?

“Prepare for departure!”

While everyone else stood in stunned silence, Eileen made her declaration.

“Wait! Please, wait!”

Joel shouted, panicked.

“You dare defy your commander’s orders?!”

The voice came from Evelyn, one of the surviving women knights, standing nearby with a furious expression.

Her eyes were red, and tear streaks marked her face.

Hand on her sword, she looked ready to draw at any moment.

“Are you trying to get the entire unit killed?!”

“Why must you always oppose me? Are you trying to sabotage us?!”

“I’m only trying to ensure that everyone in this investigation team makes it home alive!”

“Our duty is to risk our lives!”

“Our mission is to protect the people! I’m saying their deaths must not be in vain! If this were truly a battle for those we’re meant to protect, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second!”

“One of our soldiers has been taken! He’s one of our people too, isn’t he?!”

Joel and Evelyn’s shouting match escalated.

Evelyn still had her hand on her sword. The only reason the situation hadn’t already erupted into bloodshed was because Joel had yet to respond with force.

But even that fragile balance could be shattered by the slightest spark.

The soldiers around them watched nervously, cold sweat beading on their brows under the pressure of the moment.

“Coward!”

Evelyn’s voice cut through the air.

In that instant, Joel’s expression changed.

His face flushed crimson at the insult, and his open hand twitched—ready to reach for the hilt of his sword.

But instead, he clenched that hand so tightly it turned white, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

“Then do as you please. We’ll split up and act separately.”

As he released his breath, he met Evelyn’s eyes directly, clearly declaring himself the more composed of the two.

“You traitor!”

“No. Not at all. Merely separate operations. A compromise that respects our differing opinions. As for me, I will act in accordance with the orders of my liege, Count Amadan.”

He made it clear he had no intention of following Eileen’s faction, while staring Evelyn down with enough force to keep her from drawing her blade.

“Now that we’ve confirmed Gryphons are present, our investigation team has fulfilled the mission we were assigned. Any action beyond that falls outside the scope of our orders. Choosing to proceed or withdraw separately should not be a punishable offense. In fact, if we delay and fail to report back with the information we’ve gathered, that would pose a much greater problem.”

It was a proposal that tiptoed right up to the edge of insubordination.

To go against the orders of the team’s official leader—Eileen—was, in technical terms, defiance.

But by first invoking their liege, Count Amadan, and framing continued action as a liability rather than a duty, Joel left Evelyn with no grounds to argue.

“Dragging along the entire investigation team when many have no will to fight will only make them dead weight. Would it not be more efficient to recruit volunteers and go with only those willing?”

“Kh…”

Evelyn bit her lip in frustration, glaring at Joel with tear-filled eyes.

Joel met her gaze, unwavering. This was the critical moment.

If Eileen and Evelyn got their way, it would only lead to death.

Even if defying Eileen—commander of the investigation team—meant disciplinary action for insubordination, the worst they’d face would be demotion or dismissal.

But if they followed her orders, the only outcome was death by magic beasts.

Roa, who had protected them until now, was gone. So was the Gryphon.

“…Fine. That’s acceptable.”

The trembling voice came from Eileen.

Those who had been watching the standoff breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Now they wouldn’t have to accompany her on a suicidal charge.

“However, once we return to the territory, you will be punished! This is a betrayal against your commanding officer. Disciplinary action is unavoidable!”

Her voice was full of bravado, but everyone who heard it silently thought the same thing: “If you make it back alive.”

Many of them looked at Eileen with pity. She was choosing to march to her death.

No one truly believed that a knight who was all flash and no substance could survive.

“Those who follow me shall bask in glory! If you desire glory, come with me! Cowards may flee home with this man!”

Eileen scanned the gathered soldiers with a glare, her words sounding more like petty bitterness than true inspiration.

Yet her eyes sparkled with hope. She truly believed she was destined for glory.

Her gaze held none of the doubt one might expect, only the dreamy conviction of a girl chasing a fantasy.

She didn’t see the grim reality in front of her. Only a triumphant future.

Avenge fallen comrades.

It was a beautiful story, one that suited Eileen’s sense of drama perfectly. It intoxicated her.

With a grand sweep of her cloak, Eileen turned and walked off, flanked by the surviving members of the Nemophila Knights.

“…We’re heading back! Prepare to move!”

Joel watched Eileen disappear from sight, then declared their course.

The soldiers erupted into cheers. They were going to live. That alone felt like a miracle.

When they’d first been assigned to this doomed investigation team and left the city, they had all prepared themselves for death.

But to return alive from the Citadel Dungeon—even just the outskirts—would be enough to earn them the title of heroes.

Very few had ever managed such a feat.

Even amidst the celebration, Joel’s expression remained grim.

“Something’s not right…”

It was as if she were being manipulated.

Joel couldn’t shake the feeling that Eileen’s obsession with the Citadel Dungeon wasn’t her own.

Why would hearing that Ghosts or Liches were involved lead her to head toward the dungeon? Had someone fed her false ideas beforehand?

Her fixation was too unnatural.

And Evelyn, too… perhaps it was Evelyn who was truly obsessed.

Joel recalled how Evelyn was always at Eileen’s side, tending to her with tireless devotion. It had never seemed out of place—until now.

“Sir Joel!”

“Huh? Oh—yes, what is it?”

Snapped from his thoughts by a soldier’s voice, Joel quickly shifted his focus.

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on mysteries without answers.

They had to return. That meant passing once again through the Rabbit Forest.

There was much to do for the sake of those who had chosen to follow him.

And as for Eileen and her group… Joel doubted he’d ever see them again.

If he were going to think of anyone, it would be better to think about the adventurers.

They, at least, had a chance of returning alive.

In the end, only two of the surviving Nemophila Knights chose to follow Eileen.

Not long after, the three-woman knight party mounted their horses and departed for the Citadel Dungeon.

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