I will become the ice jellyfish queen with the Chat Group

[Grey's POV]

Nightfall brought with it a victory banquet, and naturally, I was the star of the show. Soloing an entire monster attack earns you that kind of recognition. Not that I was complaining—free food and beer were always welcome. I indulged in everything they offered, letting the exhaustion of battle melt away with each bite and sip.

By morning, things had quieted down. Nothing particularly eventful happened—until the prince summoned me and the others for an urgent meeting. The tension in the air was palpable, and then, with a single word, the room shifted into turmoil.

[Everyone]: Rebellion.

I sat there, unfazed, casually cutting into my steak as they all braced for the worst. After swallowing a bite, I finally spoke.

[Grey]: You still haven't paid me.

Priorities, after all.

Leaning back, I tapped my fork against the plate before continuing.

[Grey]: That aside, if you're really in trouble, I know some people who might help. A talented alchemist, an anarchist, a few terrorism experts, a general with actual brains, an exceptional necromancer with an undead legion, some priests who worship the blood god—and of course, the entire Walpurgis army. Oh, and let's not forget—I am a Duchess. Political backing won't be an issue. If you're interested, I can also arrange alliances with some… let's say, 'influential' acquaintances from across the continent.

The moment I finished speaking, the entire room exploded into arguments. Some panicked, others debated strategies, and a few just stared at me in disbelief. Meanwhile, I continued eating my steak, unfazed by the chaos around me.

I knew the prince was bluffing. He wasn't the kind to throw his comrades into a war without exhausting every option first. He cared about them—too much to let them be pawns in some noble power struggle.

And as expected, he revealed that the whole rebellion crisis had been a fabrication—a clever ruse to flush out the spies among us. The culprits? The head priestess and an elf named Godhand.

While the room erupted into chaos at the revelation, I remained seated, still eating. The food was too good to let a minor inconvenience like treachery ruin my appetite.

[Ash]: Also, Miss Grey… were you serious about aiding me in a rebellion?

I took a slow sip of wine, letting the question hang in the air before answering.

[Grey]: First of all, I knew you were bluffing. You're not an idiot, and you wouldn't risk your comrades' lives so recklessly—not when you actually care about them.

Silence fell over the room. Even the usual murmurs of discussion ceased as my words settled in.

[Lucas]: So… does that mean you were bluffing too?

I placed my glass down, tilting my head slightly before smirking.

[Grey]: No. Everything I said was real. I do have many friends, and if I wanted to, I could call on all of them.

The weight of my words lingered in the air. For the first time since the meeting started, everyone seemed to realize—if I had truly been serious, a rebellion wouldn't have been a hypothetical scenario. It would have already started.

With that, the prince left for his own matters, and I continued my meal. Once I was satisfied, I headed to bed.

Lying on my back, I let out a deep breath before opening my status screen.

[Error...]

Tch.

That was all it displayed—nothing else.

Ignoring the frustration bubbling inside me, I quickly accessed the Chat Group, hoping it had finally reconnected.

[The Chat Group has been reconnecting... Welcome back, [The Jellyfish of Light and Dark].]

The moment I saw that message, my screen was flooded with notifications.

[Admin][Moon General]: GREY, YOU'RE FINALLY BACK!

[Blood Priest]: Jelly girl, where have you been? You made us worry!

[Goose Boss]: Little girl, you gave us a hard time! We searched all over your world for you. The Empire was attacked—if not for your pets, they would have lost!

I stared at the messages for a moment before sighing.

[The Jellyfish of Light and Dark]: Sorry, I had a problem after the mission ended…

I hesitated for a moment, then continued.

[The Jellyfish of Light and Dark]: I was attacked… by a weird man in golden armor.

The chat went silent for a few moments. Then, new messages appeared.

[Admin][Moon General]: …Golden armor? Are you sure?

[Blood Priest]: That's not good. Not good at all.

[Goose Boss]: We need details. Now.

I sighed. Looks like I won't be sleeping anytime soon.

I began explaining everything—how I had been ambushed right after my mission, the strange golden-armored man who had attacked me, and how he forced me into a creak in space that had left me stranded in this world.

[Blood Priest]: This explains why there was no news from you for a month 

[The Jellyfish of Light and Dark]: A month...? It only felt like a week for me... but we'll deal with that later. What happened on your end?

[Admin][Moon General]: A lot has happened. First, we have new members who apparently joined while you were gone, so say hello to—[No.4 Demon King], [Lightning Shrine Maiden], [Just Madness], and [Little Medic],

I blinked at the names. That was… an interesting mix.

[Admin][Moon General]: While you were missing, we had two missions—one in your world and one in Ahma. Goosein, Jake, and Arakan are now helping John defend his city from a Zombie King attacking from Asia. Apparently, the "Survivors' King" Hogun was wounded after he killed half the horde and the Zombie Empress but apparently, there are still two billion zombies.

A Zombie Empress? That sounded nasty. But Hogun being wounded was worse. If that guy was down, then things were bad.

[Admin][Moon General]: Klee has been missing you. She's formed a friendship with Ames.

I smiled slightly at that. Klee was a handful, but knowing she had found a friend was reassuring.

[Admin][Moon General]: Cid is training his shadow army, Yuri and Technoblade are researching potions using potatoes, The Doctor and the others are at Rhodes Island getting to know the new members.

[Admin][Moon General]: And lastly… I was given a silver orb that could invite someone into this group.

I stopped at that last part. An invite orb? That was big. This Chat Group wasn't something just anyone could join. If they were given an item to choose a new member… that meant something major was coming, and I may also have an idea of who should join us because one of them is the one who hired me.

[Chapter end]

[Note: This is the last chapter I have stored so expect sometime before new ones come out]