"Ten years ago, when I first made my attempt on this dungeon and encountered the Ghost Eater, Stephon was one of my attempts at subduing it. He was a Parasite Ghost, made with the [Undead Resistance], [Absorption Resistance], and [Erosive Fusion] skills." Jean explained as Stephon sat in his lap, humming with a smile that would have warmed up the room… if it wasn't for the eyes. "The basic idea was that when the Ghost Eater tried to absorb Stephon, Stephon would instead overwrite the Ghost Eater's will and replace it."

"And Master's brillant plan worked!" Stephon shouted cheerfully. "Though it did take me a few years."

"I had no idea that my plan had actually worked. And you have been here all alone." Jean said, lowering his head. "I am sorry for making you wait so long."

"That's alright. I always knew that Master would come back and…" Stephon stopped talking as he looked up at Master with his empty eyeholes. "And Master is as amazing as I remember him being."

Jean blinked in surprise before laughing and puffing out his chest. "Of course! I am the Great King of the Dead, are I not!?" The Devilkin said, trumpeting himself as his long lost familiar sang his praise.

[He's some guy to inspire that kind of loyalty.] Archer mumbled to himself as he watched. He could tell that Stephon wasn't just saying it. He truly believed that his Master was the greatest man in the world. For him to still feel that way after ten long years. Archer thought back to his time with Hakuno. Would ten years be enough to forget the kind of bond that they had shared?

...And another face appeared in his mind, that of a stoic young woman with blond hair and deep blue eyes.

"I thought the Ghost Eater was supposed to have been a giant. Not this cute little guy." Art said, giving Stephon a poke.

"Originally, this body was a giant, but it made it really hard to move around, so I changed it." Stephon explained. "This current form was part of the memories of one of the soul fragments that made up the Ghost Eater. That fragment resonated well with me, since we both look up to Master."

"They looked up to me?" Jean said, scratching his chin. "Odd, I've never seen anyone with this appearance before."

"I don't really get it either." Stephon admitted. "But I'm glad we are together now. I've been waiting for so long to be able to help my Master. I can't wait for us to conquer the Dungeon together!"

"Well… I'm sorry to say that there is a little bit of a problem with that." Art said, shaking her head. "You can't be going around fighting in those rags. It is completely unacceptable. If you want to adventure with us, you are going to need some proper equipment!"

"Wha!?" Stephon said in shock, looking down at the sack he was wearing. "But… I don't have anything like that."

"Don't sweat it, we've got a spare set of armor you can borrow." Art said, giving the undead child a wink.

[Spare set? What are you… Oh...] Archer slowly realized what Art was talking about as her grin gained a slightly evil look to it.

"Fran, let's do it!"

"Nn!"

"[Black Veil]!" Art cast the dark spell over the group, shielding her and Fran's activities from everyone's eyes, and putting Stephon at a disadvantage as they teamed up on him.

"Hey, what are you doing!? Stop that! Hey, I can change myse… Wait, this doesn't feel right! Hey!" Stephon shouted inside of the shadows as he was stripped and shoved into the spare armor.

"All done!" Art said in triumph as the darkness cleared, revealing Stephon, dressed in the… well, dress that was the armor that Fran had first got from Gallus. "Now you are dressed like an Adventurer."

"What is this!?" Stephon said as he grabbed at the dress, holding it down from an imaginary wind. If he had blood in his veins or functioning eyes, he would have probably blushed with embarrassment and started to tear up. "I can't wear this! I'm a guy!"

"You were wearing a sack before, so you have no right to complain." Art said wagging her finger at him. "Besides, gender divisions are an out of date concept, and the pale color of the dress really brings out your complexion."

"Nn. Looks good on you." Fran said, giving the undead child a thumbs up.

"But that… Master! Help me!" Stephon said, his bottom lip puffing out.

"C… come now. Stop teasing Stephon." Jean said, probably thinking that Stephon actually did look exactly like a little girl while wearing the dress armor.

"This isn't about teasing, this is about safety!" Art said with a shake of the head. "If you haven't noticed, most of the high ranking undead around here all have armor to go with their natural defences. If Stephon tries to go without, he is risking a lucky shot from a piercing weapon taking out his Magic Stone. To go without armor into battle is the height of recklessness and that is the only spare armor we have on hand. It's as Mom always says, dignity has no place in battle. With the options are life or honor you take life because honor won't do you any good if you're dead… I mean really dead, not undead."

"But this is…" Stephon mumbled as he looked down at the clothes, his face twitching.

[Alright, you've had your fun.] Archer said, tracing a wooden sword and giving Art a light bonk on the head. [I've still got some monster material laying about. I can make a set of armor of Stephon while Jean is preparing his summoning.]

"That's right, you are a Divine Blacksmith, are you not? I suppose you would wipe up a strong set of armor even here." Jean said, with a slight sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Sword." Stephon said, giving Archer a bow of gratitude… He really does look just like a young girl in that dress.

"Ah, but Mom, he looks so cute in a dress." Art said, once more revealing her true intentions.

[You're impossible. Now go back to sleep. We'll be moving again in a few hours.] Archer said as he stored to pull materials out of his Dimensional Storage.

"Can we at least have a midnight snake first?"

"Can we pick a path of more resistance?"

Jean had been almost stunned by Fran's request as they got to the seventh floor and the girls started to complain about being bored.

After they had woken up that morning, Jean had used [High Summon Undead] to create an undead creature called 'Fly' to act as their scout. Showing once again the frightening levels of ingenuity of the Necromancer.

Fly was a nearly undetectable Spirit that possess mapping skills and the ability [Shadow Clones], a skill that allowed it to create up to twenty incorporeal copies of itself, which it shared a consciousness with.

With the ability to create copies whenever it reached a junction, the ability to pass through walls, and its own telepathic communication, feeding information to Jean, Fly could easily go down every single path to find the next floor and report on the easiest way of getting there, avoiding most of the harder enemies.

Because of this, they completed floors three, four, five and six in less than an hour, with very few battles.

But after so much time spent just walking about, and with the sixth floor boss being a disappointing fight against an Wraith King, which didn't even last an entire minute, Fran wanted to take a route with a bit more action in it.

At first, Jean had laughed the suggestion off, saying that being able to be bored while exploring an active Dungeon was a novelty, but when Stephon voiced small wish to get to fight more with his Master… the Necromancer relented, and they made a beeline for a section of the seventh floor which was crawling with D-rank Zombie Nagas.

At first, Archer was surprised by the man's actions, since he had voiced the desire to conserve their strength for the fight against the Dungeon Master, until something clicked, and Archer felt both horrified and disgusted.

As Fran, Art and Stephon had their fun, cutting apart the undead snake women, Archer took the chance to confront the Necromancer.

[Jean, what is going to happen to Stephon?] Archer asked.

(...What are you talking about?) The Necromancer replied, trying to play dumb.

[You know as well as I do that even if he is your familiar, he is still a Dungeon Monster. Once the Dungeon is gone, what is going to happen to him?]

(...Like all other Dungeon Monsters who are alive at the moment the Dungeon Core is destroyed, Stephon's body will disappear.) Jean said, confirming Archer's suspicions.

[I see. Is there anything that can be done?]

(There is no need to do anything.) Jean said, his voice uncharacteristically detached. (A Necromancer's undead are merely disposable tools, paying off their debts with their services. After the Dungeon is cleared, Stephon's debt to me will be cleared as well. It is only natural that he should be allowed to pass on and leave this suffering behind.)

[If you honestly believed that the Undead's existence was nothing more than suffering, if they were nothing more than disposable pawns to you, then why did you spend so much effort giving your Undead the ability to think and feel?] Archer responded sharply. [Just look at him. He doesn't want to pass on, he wants to stay with you.]

(Archer, I saw your stat sheet and know what you are suggesting. You want to use [Dungeon Core Manipulation] to try to save Stephon, don't you?) Jean said.

[...It should be possible.]

(It should be possible? The Dungeon Master is a Lich, an A-rank Lich. Do you honestly think that we can afford to try to stall out the fight to give you time to mess with the Dungeon Core?)

[That boy waited for you for ten years. Are you telling me that the Great King of the Dead can't hold out for five minutes?]

(...Archer, it is between Stephon's final moments and all the eternal dead souls that are trapped here. The choice is obvious.)

[You're right. If you are allowed to choose between saving the one and saving the many, then you have to save them all.] Archer didn't know where that response came from. It felt like it was something seeded deep inside of him. Old ideals, once thought lost in the Moon Cell's twisted world, came bubbling back to the surface.

Something about Jean, about the man's hypocrisy, rubbed Archer the wrong way. The way he could weigh the lives of those closest to him. He knew that what the man was saying, that Stephon's undead life couldn't be compared to the lives of all of the people, and the souls of the undead, who would suffer if they failed to destroy the Dungeon.

But just because everything he said was true, doesn't make it right.

"Master!" Stephon shouted, his face almost splitting with his smile. "Come on, you're missing out!"

After a short pause, Jean Dovy was all smiles again and laughing his stupid laugh. "Fufufu, then let me show you what I can do!"

Archer watched as the man engaged with the undead, being perhaps a little more flashy than was necessary with his [Netherworld Magic].

{You are taking this personally.} Rani pointed out. With the last few Ranks, her speech was becoming more and more natural.

[...I suppose that I am.] Archer admitted. [Stephon probably knows what is coming. He's probably happy to sacrifice himself for his Master, or a greater purpose.]

Again, she appeared at the forefront of Archer's mind, the young blond haired woman, and the Servant felt his metaphorical heart ache.

[Rani, is it possible to save Stephon?]

{Calculating… if we wanted to remove Stephon from the Dungeon Monster registry, it would require ten minutes with [Dungeon Core Manipulation], if we wish to avoid gathering unwanted attention again.}

[Ten minutes.] Ten minutes in combat terms was an eternity. Could Fran and the others do it while Archer and Rani were busy? Not only would they have to survive against the Lich, but they would also need to not kill the Lich themselves until the time was up.

{An A-rank Lich, empowered by the Dungeon's Core isn't a normal entity. Depending on its Skill set and the systems it has installed within the Dungeon, it could easily surpass the combat prouse of the Moonlight Dragon we faced before, and it is far more intelligent.}

[It's had ten years to sharpen its skills and customize its territory. Even trying to fight it head on like this might be suicide. Jean tells us that he has plans on how to deal with it, but the bastard isn't sharing.] Archer grumbled, until another realization hit him. [...He's planning to sacrifice himself. He's planning on dying in order to kill the Lich and doesn't want us to stop him.]

{Calculating… I currently lack the data needed to check your hypothesis. However, the number of methods of achieving such a thing is limited.}

Archer didn't need confirmation. He could tell. As much as it disgusted him, he understood the Devilkin.

[Jean… you damned fool.]

"Another high magic resistance enemy." Jean cursed as they reached the eighth floor boss. The Necromancer pulled out some ingredients to quick summon weaker wraiths and some potions for them to carry, his method of providing support. "I'll provide you with as much help as I can, but this one is up to you."

"Nn. Got it." Fran said as she rushed towards the enemy.

Legendary Spearman Zombie

Race: Undead (Demonic Beast)

Lv. 22

HP: 1213 MP: 634 STR: 647 VIT: 663

AGI: 626 INT: 129 MGC: 151 DEX: 750

Skills: Spear Arts: Lv Max, Divine Spear Arts: Lv 2, Spear Techniques: Lv Max, Divine Spear Techniques: Lv 1, Regeneration: Lv 6, Detect Presence: Lv 8, Detect Lifesignes: Lv 9, Abnormal Status Resistance Lv 9, Control Undead: Lv 5, Mental Abnormality Resistance: Lv 9, Herculean Strength: Lv 9, Flash Step: Lv 5, Magic Resistance: Lv 9, Purification Resistance: Lv7, Vigour Manipulation

Titles: Dungeon Guardian

Equipment: Cursed Spear, Orihalcum Samurai Armour, Circlet of Impurity

[This one is another B-rank threat and it's spear has an antimagic effect, so be careful. Your barriers skills won't help you if it hits you.] Archer told the girls.

Stephon joined the two in spreading out around the spearmen, pressuring it from all sides. While the Ghost Eater boy was more Skilled when it came to the use of Magic, his high stats had let him handle most of the fights thus far in close range as well. However, that wasn't to be the case here.

[Stephon, back up. Fran and Art can handle this.] Archer advised.

"No, I can help!" Stephon said, ignoring Archer's advice and rushed in the moment the zombie's back was turned.

The sneak attack had never had a chance of working, and while Stephon was fast, he wasn't fast enough to slip by as the cursed spear came spinning around. The little undead boy gave a gasp of shock as the spear head hit him in the side and sent him spinning to the ground.

Seeing this, both Fran and Art got angry and closed in. The Zombie Spearman was strong and skilled, but the pair quickly overwhelmed it with skill, taking advantage of the weak points in the Spear Arts' style, the way that Archer had instructed them to.

Fran landed the first blow, taking off one of the monster's legs, and after that it was all over.

"Stephon, are you alright?" Art asked as Fran drove Archer into the Undead Spearman's chest.

"Yeah… I'm good." Stephon said as he got back to his feet, rubbing at his side, where the spear had hit him. "The armor Archer gave me took most of it. Only broke a few ribs, and they've already repaired themselves."

The armor was a more loose set, closer to robes, much like Jean's, and more focused on full body coverage over maintaining maneuverability. It had some of the Kipine's materials in it, as well as some mithril, but it was significantly weaker than the sets that Fran and Art used. Still, it seemed to have been able to block the cursed spear from cutting through.

You see, this is why you don't leave your entire midsection guarded by nothing but enchantments.

[I'm glad you are alright, but next time, listen when I tell you to withdraw.] Archer said. [Your body is inherently strong, but you don't have the level of close-quarters combat skills that Fran and Art have.]

"Sorry. I just wanted to help." Stephon mumbled.

Jean walked up and patted the boy on the head. "I'm grateful that you want to give it your all, but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has a role that they need to play in our grand performance."

"R...right!" Stephon said, immediately cheering up.

"Now then, let's take a short rest here and check out our equipment. We have just one more floor remaining until we reach the Dungeon Master. Fortune smiles on those who are prepared." Jean Dovy said, all smiles.

"Nn."

"Sounds good to me. It's past time for lunch anyways." Art said, rubbing her stomach.

Archer remained quiet as he watched Jean prepare for the last leg of their journey, wondering what plan the man had in store for them.

After giving out lunches, Archer watched as they all laughed and smiled, Fran and Art not even realizing that this might be their friends last meal together. Jean and Stephon were both happily marching to their respective ends with a smile.

It was beautiful, in a way, and Archer hated it.

[I don't care what it takes. I won't make sacrifices of them.]

Is Archer a hypocrite?

...Well yeah.