Everyone was waiting for the boy’s reaction.
Drake continued to stare at him, his hand clasping the boy’s—veins, slightly visible under his skin. But in reality, his grip was incredibly gentle, as if afraid to hurt the boy even a little.
Finally, the boy gave a slight nod. His lips moved slightly but then pressed together again, no words coming out.
Seeing that, Drake raised an eyebrow slightly. His eyes widened a bit before he reached out and pulled the boy’s hand, then lifted him effortlessly with one arm.
The boy was so small compared to Drake’s large fra that he sat neatly in the crook of Drake’s elbow. At the sa ti, the searing warmth radiating from Drake quickly dried the boy’s soaked clothes, helping his body stop shivering so violently.
The boy curled into himself a little, still seemingly afraid, his head bowed low, unable to look anyone in the eye. Drake even felt that, if he could, the boy might have wanted to crawl into the ground—sowhere no one could see him.
Like a little mushroom, Drake thought.
He didn’t even feel that Prophet was much different from usual.
Yes, Drake had realized the boy was Prophet at first glance—maybe so unexplainable instinct, a connection between a god and his most devout believer.
Drake rembered well: even in the form of a mature god, Prophet had always preferred to be alone, loved to hide his face behind a large hooded cloak, and disliked talking or interacting with humans.
But now, it seed worse than that. It wasn’t just dislike—it was fear—a deep fear of interacting, of facing anything at all.
What could’ve made him beco like this?
Drake’s expression darkened slightly. But then he noticed Prophet’s furtive glances at him, and instantly, his gaze shifted 180 degrees. He smiled and looked down at the boy in his arms.
The boy imdiately lowered his eyes again.
Drake’s every gesture and expression stunned everyone watching.
Was this the sa Captain Drake they all knew?
Had he been body-swapped with soone else or sothing?!
[Lol, the look in every esper’s eyes at the mansion is precisely what I’m feeling—what happened to Drake?!]
[He’s smiling. He’s smiling. I’m not hallucinating, am I? Soone help!!!]
[Drake’s been possessed or body-swapped. There’s no way he’d act like this. This is unbelievable...]
Forget the viewers—even Silvanus was sowhat surprised at Drake’s attitude.
Though he had expected that Drake might recognize Prophet imdiately, thanks to his unwavering faith, he never imagined Drake would behave like this...
Alright, fine. Silvanus had always pictured Drake as the kind of man who treated everyone equally, whether kids, adults, or elders.
...Did he maybe have so weird preference?
Silvanus glanced down at his own petite body...
He quickly shook his head hard.
Damn it, he cursed inwardly.
The comnts section had brainwashed him—those lunatic viewers were the only real shotacons here!
"Captain, you..."
Looking at her team captain wide-eyed the whole ti, Fiona found herself almost at a loss for words.
Alice couldn’t hide the astonishnt on her face, and Bella directly said, "Captain Drake, you seriously need to get checked. I’m starting to doubt your identity."
No sooner had Bella spoken than Drake raised an eyebrow and looked over—right, with eyes that seed to hold a blazing inferno of suppressed rage, it was him. That was unmistakably Drake.
But still, this was too much—it exceeded what any of them could comprehend.
Everyone couldn’t help but glance again at the boy, wondering what made him so special to deserve such treatnt.
"Dear guests, it seems all of your companions have arrived. I have prepared rooms for each of you. This way, please."
Just then, the butler’s voice cut through the strange tension hanging in the grand hall.
He had descended from the staircase, still calm and composed, his deanor not matching his aged appearance.
Behind him followed two maids—identical in appearance.
They smiled at the group of humans and said in unison, "Esteed guests, your rooms have been tidied and are ready. We hope our service will be to your satisfaction."
As they spoke, they bowed gracefully, every movent perfectly synchronized, polite, and refined. But it was precisely that unnatural synchrony that gave everyone a subtle, unnerving discomfort.
The butler continued calmly, "They are sisters—Sana and Nana. If any of you require assistance, please feel free to turn to them."
"You may ask us for anything!"
"You may ask us for anything!"
The two identical voices chid again in eerie sync like machines.
So among the group were already starting to frown.
[Haha, this is just light contamination—soone’s already affected! This is why no normal person can survive in this dungeon lol.]
[If a normal person showed up here, they’d lose it and start screaming imdiately.]
[Sana and Nana are still so beautiful... I wish I could be stuck between them...]
[That’s one hell of a wish, my guy, LOL.]
[Why are comnts like that not banned, but any ntion of the gods gets an instant block? Highly suspicious!]
Sotis, slightly riskier comnts would surface, but they were quickly drowned out by the flood of goofy spam that followed.
At that mont, everyone had begun following the butler upstairs.
They would stay on the second and third floors, two people per room.
[But that’s odd, right? Usually, there’s always one person left over—and they always die on the first night. Why are there suddenly enough people for even pairs this ti? Did the dungeon add a player?]
So viewers who had seen this scenario before couldn’t help but speak up.
[Exactly! You all know what I’m thinking, right?]
[No way. I’m telling you, even if Nerio were turned to ash, I’d still recognize him. And if it were Prophet? There’s no chance he’d ever go along with so la roleplaying gig!]
[Could be another god entirely...]
[Looking forward to itttttttttttttt—so hypedddd!!!]
Naturally, there was no debate—Drake would be sharing a room with the boy in his arms.
Before everyone returned to their rooms, the butler gave a final reminder:
"Even though you are guests, I ask that you please adhere to the rules of the castle. Do not go outside or make noise at night, as it may disturb our master’s sleep. The blizzard outside has not yet subsided and remains extrely dangerous. We strongly urge you not to leave the premises until the rescue team arrives. We will not be held responsible for any consequences should you go out alone."
His tone made it sound like any human who stepped outside the mansion would surely et their death.
After delivering these strict warnings, the butler’s face softened with a kind smile.
"Please take ti to rest and settle in. Afterward, make your way downstairs for dinner. We hope you will be punctual—our master does not appreciate tardiness."
With that, the butler turned and walked away.
"What ti is dinner?" Harry suddenly asked.
The two maids turned their heads in perfect sync, bowed respectfully, and answered:
"Seven o’clock in the evening, esteed guests."
And with that, they, too, departed.
However, the group hasn’t returned to their rooms yet. Instead, they gathered together in the hallway, which was beginning to feel a bit too cramped.
Drake spoke coldly, firmly, "Act according to your previously assigned groups, then reconvene and share any findings. Be at the dining hall by seven. Dismiss now—before anyone risks violating a rule."
When he finished speaking, the others offered no objections and silently returned to their rooms.
Once the crowd dispersed, Alice looked at Drake, clearly about to say sothing. But he raised a hand and said, "You all head to your rooms first. We’ll only be able to continue once we have more clues after dinner. For now, follow the mansion’s rules."
No one protested.
Fiona, however, stood frozen for a mont, staring at Drake in disbelief. "Captain, you’re acting weird today..." she murmured, glancing at the small child curled up in his arms, her eyes scanning the boy curiously.
She couldn’t explain it, but sothing about this child made her want to get closer. It was as if she’d already developed a natural fondness for him.
Dangerous.
Drake shot her a sharp look, and Fiona imdiately shut her mouth and hurried off to her room, brushing aside the doubts swirling in her mind.
Click!
The sound of the door closing startled the child slightly.
Drake frowned—Prophet was far too sensitive in his current state. Even the tiniest disturbance seed enough to trigger fear.
He gently placed Prophet into a chair and softly asked, "Can you tell what happened to you?"
What Drake truly wanted to ask was what had caused Prophet to beco like this—but to the viewers, it looked like he was asking how the boy had managed to make it through the blizzard.
[Maybe Drake finds it suspicious that a child survived the snowstorm alone.]
[Exactly. That’s Captain Drake for you—always sharp. What if this kid is a monster in disguise? Monsters in the dungeon tend to target the strongest. The fact that he approached Drake now totally makes sense!]
[So that’s what’s going on!]
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