I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 184 – Thrown Into the Deep End

They fly for less than fifteen minutes before landing in the middle of a very busy street in Solarys.

They all get off the helicopter quickly.

Another man is already waiting on the ground and hurriedly leads them toward a large tent nearby. Inside, a group of people is gathered around a table of monitors. Linus is among them.

When Rhaenas enters the tent, everyone shifts their attention to them, Linus included.

Arthur immediately walks toward him and shakes his hand in greeting. Linus nods.

"I’m sorry," Linus says. "I was planning to assign you another gate, somewhere farther away. But this one appeared suddenly, right in the middle of Solarys. Even though this is the capital, organizing enough teams to clear a level eight dungeon on short notice isn’t easy."

He gestures toward a man in full gear.

"This is Captain David Chambers from the Solarys Dungeon Emergency Unit. The city doesn’t have enough manpower to clear the gate. And as you can see, the location is... less than ideal. We need it cleared fast."

Captain Chambers steps forward and shakes Arthur’s hand.

"Which I already told Mr. Monfort is impossible," he says bluntly. "A level eight dungeon cannot be cleared in just a few hours. No matter how powerful a team is."

"And I told you," Linus replies calmly, "that these people can."

He gestures toward Arthur and the others standing behind him.

Captain Chambers lets out a short scoff.

"Mr. Monfort, this isn’t like you to joke at a time like this. When you said you had a team ready, I assumed it was a qualified one. How can you expect a team of six—three men and three women—to—"

"Five."

Claudia steps forward and offers her hand.

"I beg your pardon?" Captain Chambers blinks.

"A team of five, Captain. I’m not entering the dungeon with them."

Captain Chambers stares at her, clearly trying to place where this petite young woman came from.

"Claudia, why are you here?" Linus asks, frowning. A dungeon site is the last place he wants his daughter to be.

"Mr. Monfort, you know her?" Captain Chambers asks, increasingly confused.

"Yes, she’s—"

"I’m Claudia," she cuts in smoothly. "Rhaenas’ manager."

She states it so matter-of-factly that it stuns both Linus and Captain Chambers.

Arthur, standing behind her, only smiles. Normally, he would be the one speaking. Having someone else take the lead feels... refreshing.

Captain Chambers looks at Claudia, then back at Linus.

"What is ’Rhaenas’?"

"It’s the team’s name," Claudia answers calmly. "Five members. Arthur is the leader."

She gestures toward Arthur, who bows slightly.

"Liam, Julian, Maeve, and Thea."

Each of them follows Arthur’s example.

Captain Chambers exhales sharply.

"Is this some kind of joke?" he asks Linus, patience wearing thin. "Are you just filling time until the real team arrives?"

Hope flickers in his voice.

It dies when he sees Linus’ expression.

"I do not joke at times like this, Captain Chambers," Linus says evenly. "Especially not during an emergency. You came to me because the city couldn’t assemble a capable team quickly enough. You need this gate cleared."

"I’m offering you a solution. Beggars can’t be choosers."

He turns slightly toward Arthur.

"How long?"

"Less than a day," Arthur answers without hesitation.

Both Linus and Captain Chambers do a double take.

"...Closer to twenty-four hours," Arthur adds, stepping up beside Claudia. "Captain, I understand your skepticism. I don’t blame you. But I’m sure you’ve heard of the Mt. Helene incident. It was a mutated level eight dungeon. We cleared it in two days."

"I’m not underestimating this dungeon," he continues evenly. "And I’m not overestimating us."

Arthur’s confidence leaves Captain Chambers with no immediate retort.

"We’ll see about that," he finally mutters, turning back to the monitors.

Linus exhales and looks at Arthur again.

"I’m sorry for putting you on the spot."

Arthur shakes his head. "Not at all. We should be thanking you. You’re trusting us without having seen what we can do."

Linus sighs. "My head tells me I’m insane for this. But I trust my son. And I trust you."

He glances at Claudia.

"And apparently, my daughter does too."

She nods firmly. "They can do this, Dad."

Linus nods once and turns back to the monitors. Claudia follows him, flashing a quick fighting gesture at Rhaenas.

Arthur turns to his teammates.

"Let’s gear up."

------------------------------

Everyone at the site is staring at Rhaenas in disbelief. They all wear the same expression, a mix of confusion and doubt.

Why are these kids gearing up?

Captain Chambers watches them too. He sighs, for what feels like the nth time.

"Mr. Monfort, I... I’m sorry for saying this," he starts carefully, rubbing his temple.

"But please, look at them. I believe they’re all under thirty. And none of them look like experienced fighters. Well... maybe those two tall men..."

"The one with black hair is my son," Linus interjects smoothly.

"Sentinel Liam Monfort."

He doesn’t pause before adding, his tone turning sharp and cold.

"And the one with silver hair is Arthur Montrose of Montrose Corporation. Even if you’ve never met him in person, Captain, I’m certain you’re familiar with his record and achievements."

Captain Chambers blinks.

"Captain," Claudia adds gently, stepping in before the silence stretches too long, "believe me, I understand why they don’t look convincing."

She gestures toward the gate.

"To clear a level eight like this, it would normally take five or six Sus*. Depending on the conditions, some teams even send eight."

She meets his eyes, steady and calm.

"Trust me. I understand your concern."

Then she smiles, soft but unyielding.

"But one of them is my brother. The Monfort heir."

Her smile doesn’t waver.

"I don’t think my father is reckless enough to send his only son, his heir, into a lethal dungeon just to make a point. Do you?"

The smile says the rest for her.

Go on, Captain. Say it. Call my father crazy. I dare you.

Captain Chambers can only blink at Claudia. Then he shifts his gaze to Linus, who is now looking at him like he’s the crazy one.

He sighs again.

"Okay," he finally says, giving up.

"Let them blow my mind."

*Author’s Note: 1 Sentinel Unit (SU) = 15 Sentinels.