Shia sighed with relief when there were no more moving enemies in the large room.
âI suppose thatâs it for now?â
âYes. But I wasnât able to do anything.â
Serulis seemed sad that she hadnât 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,
âThat was some impressive teamwork back there.â
âAye. That boss must have known we were coming and planned this attack.â
âMagic Detection, eh? Itâs creepy that it knows our every move.â
âNow, weâre close to the boss room. We can skin these guys later.â
âAye. Weâll take our time once the boss is dead.â
Just as Goran said this and took a step forward,
âYouâre talking about the future when you havenât even met me yet?â
A manâs voice boomed from the ceiling.
âYou are awfully confident in yourselves. Suh surprising arrogance from powerless humans.â
All of us looked up frantically.
I hadnât detected any presence at all. He had bypassed Magic Detection.
However, there was definitely someone floating up there in the air.
âI see. So there were two Sorcerers. Well, a human and an animal.â
He said thoughtfully with a hand on his chin as he looked down at us.
âI had thought my plan was perfect. But I didnât expect such a strong Sorcerer to be here.â
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.
âShouldnât you know? You two have been spying on me a great deal.â
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 wouldnât.
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.
âSo, you must be the leader here. And it seems like youâve been watching us a lot as well.â
âWhy shouldnât I? As the master of this mansion, it is my duty to see that my guests have a good time.â
ââŚAccording to my Magic Detection, the boss hasnât moved.â
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.
âAh, I see. I left the dummy there.â
The man said. And then suddenly, the presence in the boss room disappeared.
Kathe was so shocked that her giant body shook.
She hadnât noticed that the presence had been slightly different from before.
I hadnât 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 wasnât something to worry about right now. This was not the time.
However, Kathe was still shaking.
âI know what youâre trying to say. But calm down.â
Katheâs shock would start to affect Shia and Serulis if it didnât stop.
Who knew what would happen then. But right now, we needed a Sorcerer who was strong.
ââŚSo, I was detecting a dummy all of this time. And thought it was the bossâŚâ
Kathe wasnât 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.
âOh, that must be rough for you.â
âTo be fooled like that⌠It should not have been possible!â
âAnd yet it is. That just means there is an immense difference in ability between us.â
The man said with a laugh.
âWhatâŚmy magic isâŚâ
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?
Thatâs 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 didnât have as much experience as us.
Besides, as someone who was born with her strength, Kathe didnât 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.
âHey, vampire. I know that youâre worried, but enough with the jokes.â
He saw my smile, and for an instant, his eyebrows narrowed.