Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 62: The Flower Demon Queen

"The Heart of the Flower Demon Queen?" Romon repeated the words, then turned to look at the Elven Queen, Akalaisi. "Want to give it a try?"

Akalaisi hesitated for a moment. She knew a thing or two about the mechanics of the labyrinth. Sixteen young elven girls had already gone in themselves to gather ingredients for her, gaining firsthand experience with the maze.

It was said that the room bosses in the labyrinth were much stronger than the regular monsters on the corresponding floor—the gap was almost like the difference between her and those elven girls.

Thinking about it from their perspective: even in the regular areas on the third floor, it was hard for all sixteen elven girls, plus Talia, to farm monsters with ease. How powerful, then, would the room boss of the third floor be?

If she sent them in again, wouldn’t it be as good as sending them to their deaths?

With that, Akalaisi spoke up: "Lord Romon, since we already know there are ingredients even more potent than the Heart of the Flower Demon, I can’t just sit back and wait. The boss in the room on the third floor should be extremely strong, so I’ll go and check it out myself."

"Is your body up to it?"

"Although I haven’t fully recovered to my peak, I can still exert a good portion of my strength," Akalaisi replied. She just felt a bit weak, not completely powerless.

As a former top-tier Volleyshot Archer, even if she could only fight at a fraction of her full power, she was still the strongest individual combatant in Thune Territory right now.

But Romon, always cautious, couldn’t let Akalaisi take such a risk.

She was a priceless asset now. Once she regained her full strength, she’d possess the power of a peak Volleyshot Archer. If she could also benefit from the territory’s 400 culture points, she might even ascend to a Dawnstrider Archer!

The most crucial part was that she was adept in both magic and archery. Every time she advanced, it was like leveling up twice. The synergy between the two would allow her to unleash a power greater than the sum of its parts.

Such a high-quality unit—Romon would be heartbroken if anything happened to her.

"Talia, how much do you know about the third-floor labyrinth boss?"

Romon was ever cautious. Since Talia knew the boss room contained the Flower Demon Queen, that meant someone had been inside before.

If that was the case, there had to be some rumors or intelligence about the Flower Demon Queen out there. Know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated.

"The Flower Demon Queen attacks with magical thorns," Talia explained. "If you compare her to a human, she’s at least a Magus—maybe even at Grand Magus level. So far, no one’s ever pushed her to her limit. Every team that’s challenged her has immediately chosen to leave the boss room as soon as they felt her overwhelming, invincible pressure."

On hearing this, Romon couldn’t help frowning. In the worst case, the Flower Demon Queen was a Grand Magus-level boss.

Just one step below a King.

If they wanted to get the Heart of the Flower Demon Queen, they’d have to assemble a truly powerful team. What a shame Romon couldn’t bring his entire Magitech Drone corps into the boss room—otherwise, he’d love to see whether a Grand Magus was stronger, or if the combined firepower of six hundred third-gen drones would win out.

He started reviewing the talents within his territory—

Top tier: Elven Queen Akalaisi. Even if she hadn’t fully recovered, she was by far the strongest individual right now.

Second tier: Knight of Honor Mayus. He’d officially broken through to the Knight of Honor rank some time ago.

Third tier: Nini and Talia. With the support of culture points, Talia was about to break through as well. Both Nini and Talia were veteran members of Thune Territory. Honestly, Nini now surpassed Talia, mainly because she still wore the Pet Collar that boosted all abilities by 50%. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Fourth tier: Golden Stone and Pito.

Fifth tier: Pir and Janice.

...

Although Princess Angelia had voluntarily become one of Romon’s soldiers, he wasn’t so tactless as to actually order her around for every little thing. So, he didn’t include her in this list.

These people, however, could form a top-tier adventuring party.

Two archers, two mages, three front-liners, an assassin, and a priest.

Romon made up his mind: if they were going for the Heart of the Flower Demon Queen, they’d use this elite lineup. If they couldn’t muster this team, then they’d forget about it.

His real challenge lay in the decisive battle just a few days away—against Thomas Nightingale’s army and his King-level priest.

This dungeon run was just a way to stabilize things and add a little extra security. There was no room for recklessness or taking unnecessary risks.

If they succeeded, Akalaisi would be healed, giving them a real edge in the coming showdown.

If not, then there was no need to push their luck—they’d play it safe and keep their strength intact.

"Talia, pass on my orders: tomorrow morning, Mayus, Golden Stone, Pir, Pito, and Janice will gather at the labyrinth entrance. Dwarf Lukoff will take over city defense duty, and all military training will continue from where it left off yesterday, supervised by the deputy. Also—" Romon glanced at the empty-handed Elven Queen, "Buy her a bow."

Akalaisi had entered Thune Territory empty-handed; her own bow had long since vanished who-knows-where.

When Talia heard this, she instantly realized Romon was preparing to raid the labyrinth. Her eyes lit up, and her previously tired expression was replaced by a sudden glow of excitement.

"Leave it to me, Lord Romon!"

...

The next day.

There was now a longbow with golden engravings in Akalaisi’s hands. It might not be as good as her original bow, but it was the finest quality Stone Town had to offer.

Romon never cut corners when it came to military investment.

At the labyrinth entrance, Romon’s gaze swept over the group.

Mayus, Golden Stone, Pir, Pito, and Janice were the five he had directly ordered to be here. Talia, Nini, and Princess Angelia had shown up of their own accord.

If he counted himself, the party totaled ten. While his personal combat strength might not match theirs, he’d spent last night popping Magic Crystals and copying more than twenty spells out of his magic book.

"Everyone, today’s our gathering of unity. But I’m not like those other decadent lords—I know you’re all tired of boring banquets. So, today, we’ll clear the third-floor boss of the Thune Great Labyrinth. That’s what makes us different."

Upon hearing this—

Talia was already gripping her silver staff so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. She loved adventuring, but she’d never before been part of such a luxurious party.

Princess Angelia quietly walked up to Romon, leaned in, and whispered, "Let’s hurry up and get moving. I really want to see just how strong this Elven Queen really is."

Romon didn’t waste any words. Everyone present had important duties—any time saved was time earned.

"Pir, Mayus, you two take the lead. We’ll sort out the rest of the formation inside."

"Yes, sir." The two replied and stepped forward, taking the lead into the labyrinth.

The rest followed in sequence. Each floor’s entrance was set near the boss room. Romon was already familiar with the first floor’s boss chamber. A staircase nearby led up to the second floor.

But upon reaching the second floor, they found themselves not by the boss room, but in the outer section of that floor. The same held true for the third floor.

Although the third floor had been open for some time, there were very few adventurers here.

The reason was simple: ever since Romon had issued his voluntary adventurer conscription decree, anyone with real skill had joined his ranks. The leftovers—those not even Romon wanted, or frauds just scraping by—were stuck scavenging scraps on the first floor.

Aside from Romon’s people, the only others here were foreign adventurers from distant lands, drawn by the Thune labyrinth’s reputation.

So, the few scattered figures in the third floor’s corridors all had the look of outsiders.

As the Lord, Romon only needed to collect their entrance fees. He had no intention of interfering with them further.

As the group approached the third floor’s boss chamber, Romon began issuing tactical instructions. "As we discussed: Pir and Mayus will take point, drawing the boss’s attention. Akalaisi and Talia, you’ll attack from opposite flanks—match your attack rhythms, don’t get greedy. Pito and Golden Stone, provide cover for the frontliners and minimize their damage intake. Nini, look for chances to strike at the boss’s weak points, but don’t overextend. Janice, monitor the front row’s health and status—be ready to support or control as needed."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison, accepting their assignments.

"What about me?" Princess Angelia waited a while without hearing her name, then nudged Romon with her elbow and asked proactively.

Romon leaned in and whispered, "You just watch the fight from the side. If your hands get itchy, go cut a few vines."

Angelia thought Romon was teasing her on purpose and jabbed him back with her elbow. But Romon was actually concerned about her wellbeing. Based on his simulations and their nightly "battles" over the past month, he was pretty sure Angelia was already pregnant—she just hadn’t noticed yet this month.

"Let’s start the boss fight!"

The ten-person party maintained their formation as Mayus, at the front, pushed open the boss room doors. As soon as they all slipped inside, the heavy stone doors slammed shut behind them.

Between the entrance and the boss arena was a narrow buffer zone—a safe strip that gave adventurers a precious moment to observe the boss before engagement.

From a distance, the far side of the chamber looked like a deep, shadowy forest. Shafts of mysterious light, origin unknown, illuminated the center of the room. There, a humanoid flower bud slumbered—its upper half the color of blood, its lower half a deep, verdant green. With every breath it took in its sleep, the surrounding trees and foliage seemed to pulse and shiver in sync.

"Kinda creepy," Romon muttered, flipping his left hand and summoning his spellbook. "Take your positions first. Wait for my signal before engaging the boss."

His voice dropped low and steady. The others understood, replying with silent nods rather than words, and quietly spread out into their assigned spots.

Mayus and Pir didn’t rush forward. They needed to wait until Akalaisi and Talia were in position.

The two women were to fight from opposite flanks, so to save time, they split up at the entrance—one going left, the other right—each needing to cover only a quarter of the arena’s circumference to reach their assigned angles.