The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 668 - 692: Move with Me

Chapter 668: Chapter 692: Move with Me

The mercenaries on night watch all recognized Lancelot at first glance, allowing him to pass through the now quietening camp unhindered and return to his squad’s tent.

Standing guard at the door were the young Tiflin, Glory, and the blonde-haired Dwarf, Flint Ruge. Compared to when they first met, both had undergone clear changes—Glory’s aggressive youthful temperament had vanished, and he seemed much steadier, as if he had adapted to this world; whereas Flint no longer resembled a desperate runaway slave, his eyes now bore a confidence that came from muscle, shield, and cross pickaxe, the kind that belongs only to true warriors.

Battle could change a person so quickly, Lancelot had seen it many times before.

“Sir, you’re back,” Flint greeted him proactively, “It’s been quiet for a while now, who won in the end?”

“Visuvius, that guy is two sizes bigger than everyone else,” Lancelot shrugged, “Did everyone rest up?”

“Not yet.” Glory lifted the curtain for him, “Bruto is still telling tales of your previous adventures…”

“It was wise of you to step out for guard duty,” Lancelot chuckled and shook his head slightly, “Come inside, I have some matters to discuss with everyone.”

The three entered the tent just in time to see Bruto standing on the stone platform that Jing had used earlier for making tea, vividly describing the battle with the Giant Skull Demon.

“…Seeing that creature again nearly drove me insane. You can kill me, but why the hell did it have to corrode my beard? So, I grabbed its chain and ran backward without a word. Guess what? With the vines Lancelot created pulling at its nether regions, that thing couldn’t reach me at all! Hey, big brother, you’re back, how are things?”

“Finish your story first.” Lancelot smiled and nodded, gesturing for everyone to sit down, and took a seat himself beside Alamir on a stone bench.

“Alright! But if I miss anything, you’ll have to fill in…”

While listening to Bruto embellish their adventure tales, Lancelot thought about the next steps in their plan. Not long before, after a needless argument, the generals had to concede that the Human Knight’s idea was indeed the best option, but Lancelot could not possibly take the entire team with him on this mission, which was far more dangerous than fighting alongside the main army and did not benefit from larger numbers.

The Dwarf talked non-stop for a quarter of an hour before he finished, clearly satisfying both the audience and himself. Seizing the moment before he could bring up the Halfling and Red Dragon, Lancelot clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention.

“Alright, story time is over, let’s talk business. The generals have confirmed the next combat strategy, and I will play an important role in it…”

“…That’s the situation. Our mission is to infiltrate an enemy fortress occupied entirely by Demons, reach the Throne Hall of the Central Palace without detection as much as possible, and then descend to the Lava Lake deep inside the volcano crater to disable the Defensive Formation beneath the magma. Although the allied forces will continue to send expendable troops to attract the enemy’s attention, it’s still an extremely dangerous operation, almost akin to a suicide mission…”

“One question, if the Defensive Formation is under the Lava Lake, how are you planning to ‘turn it off’?” Half-elf Tanya frowned and asked, “Don’t tell me you’re going to figure it out on the fly…”

“Well…” Lancelot leaned back, stretching his hand into the still-burning campfire, “I assure you, that is absolutely the least problematic part of the plan.”

“You mean…”

The half-elf’s red eyes grew wider with the passing of time, and it wasn’t just her—others looked as if they had seen a monster, too. It was known that even ordinary Demons could not endure in flames for such a long time, and Lancelot did not appear to be an elemental creature. In fact, in some cultures, his action was tantamount to announcing that he was an agent of the Nine Hells.

“I can attest that Lancelot has absolutely no connection with the Demons,” Alamir sneered, “As for why he isn’t afraid of fire… you’ll understand once we reach that Lava Lake.”

“I can testify too,” the Dwarf said with a sly smile. “You know, big brother, besides a Defensive Formation, could there be something else hidden under that Lava Lake…”

Lancelot looked seriously at Bruto, but the latter was not intimidated and looked back placidly, seeming very sure of Lancelot’s true intentions.

“Well, to say I had never thought about it, that would be impossible…” Lancelot finally conceded, looking sheepish, “but Visuvius is nominally our ally, and I wouldn’t act against an ally’s interests, as long as it remains an ally.”

“Ah, that does make some sense,” Bruto sighed upon hearing this, “but I bet if it were them, they would betray you without hesitation, even for the slightest benefit.”

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“I have no doubt about that, because obviously we have very different moral standards.” Lancelot shrugged, “Going back to our earlier topic, due to the difficulty of this operation, we must split into two different squads, one following me to infiltrate the interior of Volcano Fortress to confront unknown dangers; the other remains outside the city, ready to launch a full attack once the Defensive Formation is breached. What do you guys think?”

“I’m going with you,” Bruto immediately responded, “We’ve become quite adept at working together, haven’t we?”

“And me,” Alamir shrugged as well, “having a Healer is always a good idea.”

“Facing danger is my unshirkable responsibility.” Ivendell straightened his back, “And you have already seen my capabilities.”

One by one, his companions spoke, all expressing their fearless attitudes towards the challenge. After everyone had spoken, Lancelot pondered for a while before slowly stating:

“As I said, this is a highly dangerous mission. Merely having passion and courage won’t be enough; we also need special combat skills that can quietly eliminate the enemy. Bruto, Alamir, Jing, the three of you will act with me tomorrow. Ivendell, I’m leaving you in charge of my team, leading everyone in tomorrow’s battle to ensure everyone comes back alive to Twin Bridges Town… including yourself.”

The old Holy Warrior was about to say something else, but the latter part of Lancelot’s statement clarified his responsibilities, so he nodded decisively. It was the Cursed Swordmaster Tanya, however, who raised her hand to protest Lancelot’s decision.

“Take me with you, I possess a special ability that can be very helpful in accomplishing the mission,” she said.

“Really?” Lancelot looked curiously at the white-haired red-eyed half-elf, “What special ability are you talking about?”

“I can sever the mind-link within a certain range around me, and the affected individuals won’t even realize it,” Tanya confidently explained. “You wouldn’t want the entire fortress to know someone has broken in because you were a bit slow, would you?”

“I see…” Lancelot stroked his chin, “I originally had another way to solve this problem, but your ability sounds better. Ivendell, do you mind if I take one more of your valuable soldiers?”