“L-Lord, if there’s n-nothing more to d-do, then I shall r-return, sir!”

As time went on.

It felt like Lea’s face was reaching new record levels of redness with each passing moment.

“I can send you back if you’d like, but the summoning time has increased to four hours now. Are you sure you don’t want to watch your dramas? That’s enough time for a proper binge-watching session.”

Lea’s expression froze in an instant.

Should she try to somehow escape this situation?

Or fight to the bitter end(?) to claim her dramas?

The debate raging in her mind was so intense that her pupils went unfocused.

Jungho added a remark to make Lea’s decision easier.

“And I think I’d feel more at ease if someone were keeping watch through the night.”

Lea hastily snapped back to her senses.

“F-Forgive me, my Lord! I was lost in wicked thoughts and nearly neglected your safety. Please punish me severely!”

“……You’re back to your old self again. By the way, what were those wicked thoughts?”

“Th-That’s…… I-I can’t say……!”

I should stop teasing her.

If I keep this up, Lea’s face might actually explode.

“Just kidding. Get some rest. I’m going to check the Community Forum for a bit.”

“Y-Yes, sir! I shall guard your safety like an iron fortress!”

“Haha, rest well.”

After handing his smartphone to Lea, Jungho checked the reactions in the Chat Room.

└ Yay! Floor 10 in 5 seconds too! Then why did it take so long on floor 9?

└ Probably had a slip-up, lol

└ Don’t know who it is but I’m so jealous T_T

└ But if it’s floor 10, a Weapon Acquisition Ticket must have dropped. What weapon did they get?

└ If they have an awakened skill, related equipment usually drops, so maybe a staff? They’re probably a priest class

└ Mirinae! Just give us a little hint about what weapon you got! Haha

└ But I heard the Three Emperors are tracking him. Looks like he’s still hiding well? Considering he’s still climbing floors, lol

└ Isn’t Aha in trouble now? Aha already took the floor 20 special reward, right?

└ Yeah, Divine Explosion doesn’t work on the Minotaur, lol

└ You’d need a tanker like Iron Heart to brute-force it and cut down the time, otherwise it’s tough, lol

└ Yeah, even Soma was 2 minutes slower than Aha.

└ But if he clears floor 11 in 5 seconds too, wouldn’t that be insane?

└ Seriously, that would be truly unprecedented, lol

He had gone to the trouble of carefully planting the Divine Explosion misinformation.

If he cleared another floor in 5 seconds here, all his careful work cultivating that misconception would become useless.

But giving up the Random Box rewards for that reason would be a poor strategy.

After all, hadn’t he just extended the summoning time by a full four hours using the Summoning Stone Enhancement Ticket?

Now, if he summoned Lea at 11 PM.

He could summon her again at 3 AM the next morning and maintain watch until 7 AM.

He didn’t know what method that gorilla rat bastard(?) was using to find the Summoning Stone, but it wouldn’t be brazenly prowling around in broad daylight.

Most importantly, if the target was truly the 3rd-ranked Yoon Changdae.

His celebrity status alone would make it difficult to move around during the day.

In that case, he only needed to be vigilant during the night when the opponent was active.

“Lea, can you sense any presence outside the studio apartment?”

“I apologize, my Lord. My skills are still insufficient—I can only detect Ki Sense within a 50-meter radius.”

……That alone seems like enough of a cheat.

“That should be sufficient. By the way, aren’t you going to watch your drama?”

Lea asked cautiously whether he had checked the Community Forum as well, as she had.

“My Lord…… If there is anything I should know regarding your protection, please tell me everything……!”

Since Lea could also read posts in real time, she must have seen everything being discussed in the Chat Room.

So she could easily tell that three Rankers were threatening him.

In the past, he would have kept it to himself to avoid worrying her.

But Lea had now become the core of his countermeasure strategy.

That was why Jungho told her everything he had heard from Park Soyul without omission.

After hearing all the information, Lea fell silent before opening her mouth as if she had made a decision.

“My Lord, I have something to report.”

“What is it?”

“If you would only grant me permission, I shall depart this instant and return after striking down the three traitors—Kim Taemin, Park Soyul, and Yoon Changdae.”

……Root them out completely, huh.

That might actually be the most certain method.

He didn’t know whether they truly harbored murderous intent.

But eliminating the source of concern entirely would leave nothing to worry about.

However, there were several major problems with this approach.

“Do you know where these three people are?”

“I can find where they live.”

“Right, they’re famous enough. But do you have confidence in breaking through their heavy security and eliminating them? You, alone?”

“……I shall carry out the mission with my life.”

Jungho lowered his voice slightly and asked again.

“What I want to know is whether you can eliminate them with certainty. ……Is that possible?”

Lea couldn’t readily provide an answer.

She didn’t know what kind of security they had or what abilities they possessed.

Lea was not so foolish a knight as to guarantee victory against hypothetical enemies.

“Next. After you’re gone, who will protect me while I’m alone?”

“Th-That……!”

That was something she hadn’t considered.

She had thought it would be as simple as uprooting the traitors who were the cause.

“Lastly. Those three are the only Rankers of Seoul Tower. If they die, within a month—no, with only 6 days left on the 62nd floor deadline, the Tower will go on a rampage within 6 days. How would you stop that?”

The Tower collapses if the top floor isn’t cleared within a month.

But if Seoul’s three top Rankers disappeared, even the 4th-ranked superhuman was only at floor 49.

Since first-time clears became difficult after floor 40, trying to rush from floor 50 to floor 62 in one go would require more than ten lives to spare.

So in this complex situation, thinking that simply killing three Rankers would solve everything was an extremely short-sighted solution.

Lea, whose rational judgment had momentarily scattered under the surge of anger, only then realized this fact.

She bowed deeply once again, her face flushed red, and apologized.

“This humble servant has insulted her wise Lord’s ears with such preposterous words! Please punish me severely!”

Only then did Jungho relax his stiff expression and speak gently.

“Straighten your back. You didn’t insult anything, and I know you said it for my sake. However, I’d like you to reserve killing someone as truly the last resort.”

Lea answered while still bowing.

“I shall keep that in mind, my Lord!”

Jungho told her to straighten her back several times before finally resorting to a direct order to get Lea to stand properly.

Whether in appearance.

Or mental age.

She was clearly a teenage girl.

He couldn’t fathom how her loyalty could be so extraordinary that even the legendary Admiral Yi Sunsin would applaud with joy.

Jungho let out a light sigh and made a suggestion.

“Now that today’s business is done, shall we watch a drama together?”

“……Pardon?”

Lea wore a bewildered expression.

It was already nearing midnight—dramas out of nowhere?

But Jungho, seemingly genuinely wanting to watch, operated his smartphone and played the first episode.

Lea, caught off guard, stood beside him and watched the drama together while keeping watch on their surroundings.

About twenty minutes had passed.

“Ah, I’m getting tired. I should probably head to bed.”

“Yes, sir! I shall guard your safety with my life!”

“Say, I’m curious about the drama’s plot. Could you keep watching through the next episode and tell me about it tomorrow?”

Once again, Lea couldn’t hide her confusion.

“……Pardon?”

“I figured hearing the plot from you would be better than watching it myself. So I’ll leave it to you.”

“Ah…… Yes…… Good night…… my Lord.”

Lea gazed steadily at Jungho, who had put on a sleep mask and was trying to sleep.

She knew.

That her Lord was being considerate for her sake.

And that she could serve a Lord with such a warm heart—

An infinite gratitude surged within her.

Lea was a war orphan.

After somehow ending up in the military doing forced labor, her talent for the sword was discovered, and she entered the service of a knight as a squire.

She became a knight serving a lord at the youngest age on record.

Her entire life, she had swung a sword.

Cut down enemies.

Slaughtered monsters—that was all she had ever known.

That was why, even after being summoned to Earth, she had only one thought.

Protect her Lord and defeat monsters.

But her current Lord, Shin Jungho, was a truly unique individual.

No matter what task he assigned, he always worried about her well-being first.

And when there was no combat, he always did his best to ensure she could rest comfortably.

Lea could stand at attention all day long.

But that very freedom made her restless.

It had somewhat settled down after encountering the new marvel of Korean dramas.

But to think someone was targeting such a genuine and virtuous Lord!

And superhumans affiliated with the same Tower, no less!

Every time she recalled that fact, anger threatened to consume her entire being.

But she would not make the mistake of corrupting the mindset her Lord had corrected for her.

Yoon Changdae, the 3rd-ranked superhuman of Seoul Tower.

If he was the gorilla rat bastard her Lord had mentioned.

And if he dared to come here, where her Lord resided, of his own accord.

She would show him clearly.

What a gorilla rat truly was.

Lea quietly subdued the anger rising within her.

……And carried out the mission her Lord had given her.

Guarding her Lord’s safety,

and…… watching dramas for her Lord’s curiosity.

She didn’t know why.

But the drama she was watching this time, more than ever before,

tugged at her heartstrings.

* * *

Rewinding several hours before Jungho cleared the 10th floor.

Seoul Tower’s 1st-ranked superhuman.

Kim Taemin’s 62nd floor challenge date had arrived—tomorrow.

As usual, Kim Taemin called Commissioner Jung Woojin and made a pitiful plea.

“You’re well aware, aren’t you, Commissioner? The tragic incident where my poor Kkamangi was stolen by Mirinae. That ordeal has left me quite devastated. At this rate, I might actually fail the 62nd floor clear.”

If Woojin had been standing before him, he would have asked—

Just how devastated could he be when he was grinning from ear to ear?

But since Woojin could only hear his voice, he had no choice but to take his words at face value.

“Are you saying the Skill Enhancement Ticket I provided a few days ago isn’t enough?”

“You know full well—why drag this out between us? Why do you think I’m risking my life climbing the top floor? Isn’t it all for the nation’s security?”

“……The items currently held by the Superhuman Management Agency wouldn’t be of much help for the 62nd floor clear.”

“Right, I’m well aware. It’s not like I’m trying to squeeze blood from a stone, haha! I’m simply saying—once the 62nd floor is cleared, please push for the rental of England’s Excalibur. I’m Korea’s representative superhuman. Shouldn’t I at least be entrusted with Excalibur by now?”

“……The Superhuman Management Agency is working on it, but the budget situation makes it difficult.”

“Hahaha, of course, as a citizen of Korea, I’m prepared to make sacrifices. I believe donating all the Magic Stones from the 62nd floor should be sufficient…… wouldn’t you agree?”

Excalibur’s one-week rental fee was 30 billion won.

The suggestion to cover that with 62 Magic Stones—62 million won—drew a small groan from the other end of the line.

“That alone…… would be insufficient……”

Kim Taemin withdrew his good-natured smile and asked in a flat, monotonous voice.

“Commissioner Jung Woojin. Are you saying it’s acceptable for Seoul Tower to collapse at the 62nd floor?”

When climbing the lower floors, he had entrusted himself to the Superhuman Management Agency and sucked them dry of every drop.

Now he had left the Agency’s fold and was zealously climbing the top floor alone—Kim Taemin himself had brought this situation upon himself.

But thanks to that, he could still suck the marrow from the Superhuman Management Agency’s bones—wasn’t that wonderful?

After a brief silence.

A defeated, powerless voice came from the other end of the line.

“……Understood. If you succeed in clearing the 62nd floor this time…… I will find a way.”

Kim Taemin laughed cheerfully once more and replied.

“Haha, I knew you’d give me that assurance, Commissioner. Then I’d better give my all for the 62nd floor to meet your expectations! By the way, I do hope you won’t go back on your word this time. Who knows? What if Korea’s rank 1 superhuman, disappointed by the Superhuman Management Agency’s inadequate response, were to move to another country?”

“……Understood. Please…… give your all for the 62nd floor clear.”

The call ended there.