Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Doll Dungeon (3)
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The symbol of Erandar and the headquarters of the Papal Court.
White Spirit Hall.
A man there was receiving a report from Rajen.
The man in priestly robes was a hulking figure layered with fat. Judging purely by his appearance, he looked less like a priest and more like a vulgar merchant.
"Cardinal Romus, Your Excellency. The Mourning Sword has just begun the dungeon raid."
"Tch... So they went ahead with it after all."
One of Erandar's cardinals, Romus let out a groan.
In truth, from the moment he received the report that Haribal and Cecilia had booked passage to Erandar, he had anticipated something like this.
How could he, as a priest of the Church of the Lord God, stop the empire's hero from challenging the Demon God's Abyss?
He had steered things toward cutting off support as much as possible, secretly hoping they'd get scared and flee.
But his expectations had been spectacularly dashed.
"That guy's definitely insane. He even went into the first abyss alone, right?"
"Yes... So we should prepare on our end as well."
"......Hoo. No helping it."
Of course, whether the two could complete the raid to the end was highly questionable.
It wasn't called the Demon God's Abyss for nothing. In the past, countless holy knights and priests had been thrown in, yet not a single one returned alive.
But the very fact that they had entered was the problem.
It might be fortunate if they died inside the dungeon, but the real issue was if they abandoned the raid and came out.
The Papal Court didn't monitor the abyss just to siphon off the empire's budget.
The temple now known as the Demon God's Abyss was originally called the Temple of Rest.
Rumor had it that it concealed scandals of the Papal Court capable of shaking the foundations of the Church of the Lord God.
That was why the Papal Court had strictly forbidden entry under the pretext of safety.
Thanks to the empire's focus on the first abyss and the failures of prior holy knights' raids, no one had set foot in the second abyss for decades.
But Haribal had authority directly granted by Princess Alicia, so there was no pretext to block him this time.
"Gather all the holy knights. Have them stand by immediately."
"Understood."
"Annoying. Why does it have to barge in while I'm in charge?"
Of course, he had no intention of using the holy knights to support Haribal's group.
Quite the opposite.
The reason for gathering them was to execute Haribal's party the moment they emerged safely.
The excuse was simple. Parties dying in dungeons was commonplace. Even for that Mourning Sword, it would be no exception.
"Then I'll relay the orders."
"Wait."
Romus added as he stopped Rajen, who had turned to leave.
"Just in case, summon the saintess too. We need to handle the cleanup thoroughly."
Rajen nodded.
With those words, Romus dismissed Rajen and offered a prayer to the Lord God for the first time in ages.
'Please let everything resolve quietly.'
⁎⁎⁎
The rooftop of the Temple of Rest.
Purple flowers that wouldn't wilt even after centuries swayed in the darkness.
Atop it, two women opened their eyes.
And called each other's names.
[...Rose.]
[...Lilian.]
The first thing the women did was check each other's bodies.
Their appearances were exactly as in their memories.
The petite golden-haired green-eyed priest, Rose Elliot. The taller, statuesque woman was likewise a golden-haired green-eyed priest, Lilian Elliot.
Though their builds differed, their faces were identical, as befitting twins.
As they touched each other, an excessively smooth and cold texture clung to their fingertips—too much so to call it skin.
It was a familiar sensation.
Wax.
What now substituted for their blood and flesh was hard wax.
[We're... dead.]
[What in the world...?]
At that moment, a red flame ignited in the darkness.
[What is...?]
What emerged from the flame were two red gems bound in chains.
The gems, exuding an indescribable demonic aura, embedded themselves into the centers of the women's chests.
There was no pain.
Their bodies were already lumps of wax.
The demonic energy flowing from the gems permeated their entire forms.
[This is... demonic energy?!]
[What's happening right now...?]
The two were priests of Erandar.
Users of holy power, antithetical to demonic energy.
Yet for some reason, the demonic energy invading their bodies filled them with a warmth like a parent's embrace.
The cold, rigid interiors made of wax were swiftly occupied by red liquid, forming organs.
[Haa...]
[Aaah...!]
With groans, breath returned to the women, and their green eyes were dyed red.
Then it happened.
[Rose Elliot, Lilian Elliot. You have now been chosen by the true god of this world.]
An unpleasant voice echoed in the two women's minds.
[Use the power bestowed upon you to cut off the intruders who have entered the temple.]
With that, the voice vanished.
[Intruders...?]
[Cut off their breath? We can't do that...]
Immediately after, the two women rose, their gazes turning toward the stairwell entrance on the rooftop.
A clanking sound echoed from the stairs.
[Alan.]
The being clad head to toe in silver armor was the holy knight Alan, who had shared the moment of death with the two women.
He wasn't wearing armor.
The armor itself was his wax body.
With no mouth formed, he couldn't speak, yet somehow his will transmitted clearly to the two women.
[Do you... know what's happening?]
Alan nodded and kissed their hands. Memories of the moment of death revived.
The pain of being impaled by spears, the final screams swallowed by flames.
And the hands that never reached each other in the end.
Then the sneering smiles of those in priestly robes—identical to the ones they now wore—watching them indifferently.
That was vividly etched in their final memories.
At the same time, memories they hadn't experienced flooded in.
Another name for memories was truth.
As the gems in their chests scattered red flashes, their eyes instantly darkened.
And that signified their resolve to accept everything.
[...So that's what happened.]
[For something so petty... we...]
The two women's eyes now resembled those of monsters.
Or perhaps.
From the moment they first opened their eyes, they might have always had such gazes.
As Rose and Lilian clasped hands, an image of the mansion's exterior appeared before them.
A gray-haired boy and a silver-haired girl plunged swords into the chest of an old priest.
The old priest's name was Klaus, a benefactor who had once raised them.
[If they're intruders, that must mean them?]
[Seems so...]
[...Klaus.]
The two women's lips trembled with sorrow.
But the gems glowed red, crushing those emotions.
[Do not stop. Kill the intruders.]
At the same time, demonic energy enveloped their bodies, forming new garments.
The base was still priestly robes, but cracked patterns spiderwebbed out, twisting into grotesque shapes.
Having learned the truth, the two were no longer priests of the Church of the Lord God.
Instead, they became faithful hounds of the world's true god.
Pop!
As Rose raised her hand, a red spear took form.
Holy Lance Kallos.
The guardian spear that once protected the Temple of Rest twisted black, dripping blood from its tip.
A sun emblem rose on Lilian's palm.
The emblem, which should have held holy power, now overflowed with demonic energy enough to overwhelm even Klaus.
[...Lilian.]
[...Rose.]
For a moment, the two sought their past selves in each other's eyes.
But they couldn't. Their eyes were already consumed by red light, hardened like wax.
That wistful gaze now turned toward the boy and girl.
The eyes they had searched for dwelled within them.
Instinctively, they knew.
Those two were no evil.
But it didn't matter.
Their new god had commanded them to snuff out the light.
The Doll Dungeon bosses, Rose and Lilian, issued orders to their loyal knight.
[Alan.]
[We leave it to you.]
Boom!
The knight leaped down the stairs without a hint of hesitation.
Toward the source of the song of death.
⁎⁎⁎
[...O God, intrudersintrudersintrudersintruders...]
As the elite monster fell, the demonic energy blocking the second floor vanished without a trace.
"Haa... haa..."
"Hoo."
Cecilia and I immediately slumped to the spot.
Dark red blood streamed from my shoulder.
Neatly pierced by the flash.
"You, why do you keep trying to handle it alone? I could have blocked it."
'No, probably not.'
It had targeted me from the start.
The flash was hard to deflect even with Just Guard, so I took the hit.
Cecilia quickly supported me and took me to where the Lumen grains were.
As she pressed the wound to staunch the bleeding, the grains seeped into my shoulder, slowly regenerating the flesh.
"Good thing I saved them like you said. We'd be in real trouble without this."
Potions aren't miracle cures.
They can't heal deep wounds like a lizard regrowing a tail in an instant.
But Lumen's effect was different. It could heal the wound itself, like now.
After defeating the elite priest monster, my honest impression was.
'...Tougher than expected.'
A sense of crisis rose before any accomplishment.
Truth be told, I thought we'd take it down more easily.
Memories of farming elite kobolds endlessly back in the day were still fresh.
But even with Cecilia and me together, this was the result.
I unconsciously glanced back at the door we'd entered through.
Still firmly shut.
Just like in the beast dungeon, it probably wouldn't open without defeating Alan.
'I thought we'd finish today... but at this rate, maybe just beat Alan and retreat.'
By then, the wound had fully closed.
I rolled my shoulder; it moved as naturally as before.
No issues.
I shared my thoughts, and Cecilia exhaled in relief with a surprised look.
"Yeah. Good call. You're not a machine after all. I knew it'd come to this someday."
"It's just a tactical retreat. We'll regroup and come back."
Kneeling is to gain momentum.
"Alright. Then we should head up to the second floor first? Wanna rest a bit?"
I nodded, and Cecilia promptly pulled a lunchbox from her bag and spread it out on the floor.
What's with the picnic vibe.
"This one's yours. Our chefs are pretty skilled. I asked them to make it sweet on purpose."
"You didn't make it yourself, right?"
"...As if!"
Crunch.
Still, resting was a wise choice.
No more monsters on the first floor, and no battles unless we went up to the second.
Above all, stamina drain was worse than expected.
Better to rest properly.
It was just as I was about to sit on the floor.
[Unique Ability - Action Rewind 0 / 3]
[*Unique Ability usable only in boss battles.]
Cecilia darted in front of me in an instant.
Then kicked me away with her foot.
Unable to steady myself, I was flung backward.
Kwaaang!!
A silver afterimage slammed down where Cecilia had been.
"...Huh?"
With my dazed murmur, only the red-stained cornflower brooch fluttered in the air.