Chapter 357
Chapter 357
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Saint and Completer (13)
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“What the hell took you so long? Was it that Gregory fanatic stalker again? The one who’s like, ‘I have to stick to the Saint right up until death’?”
“Ah.... Well. Yeah.... That’s right. He kept saying exactly that.”
“Ugh, spit! I knew that bastard would pull something. Tick like a leech. Even during the Kingsland purge, he trailed behind like a cheerleader, yapping stuff like ‘You mustn’t lose consciousness!’ and ‘I’ll stand with you to the bitter end of your noble sacrifice!’”
No wonder I hadn’t seen the kid, who’d normally be perched somewhere high scribbling away with charcoal. Guess he’d been caught by Gregory.
Anyway, now I’d shaken everyone off, so I wouldn’t have to see them for a while.
“Um, well....”
“What? You’ve been acting weird for a bit. Got something to say?”
“....No. Just.... I was thinking it might not have been so bad to come with the holy knights.”
“Well.... Yeah. They’re top-notch in ability, after all. That’s exactly why I left them behind in Kingsland.”
I’d gone all out with the theatrics to normalize Kingsland to some extent, but it was just a stopgap. Even as I leisurely departed on this airship, the Chamber Maids would be pumping out low-grade mutants nonstop. Even if I’d purged the mutant blood and scattered my own, it’d revert to normal in a few days.
If the holy knights stayed, they could at least prevent blood from splattering all the way into the inner castle. So I’d firmly told the pleading bunch—like kids begging their parents—‘Let your light shine not on me, but elsewhere—’. They seemed to get it when I put it that way. They looked a bit dejected, though.
Vrooooom—
『Ascending! We’re ascending! Destination— uh.... T-Teldrat Aedran territory! Returning to supply lines!』
While I was talking with Yggdrasil, preparations must’ve finished. The sailor’s voice came through, laced with hesitation.
“....Returning? As far as I know, our destination—”
“The ship’s heading to Aedran territory, sure. We resupply here and that’s it? Leave the other isolated cities to wither?”
It didn’t take long round-trip, but supplies had to keep coming. The ship returns to Aedran territory. The ship does.
“But we’re taking a little detour on the way back.”
“....Meaning you’ll disembark at the detour point. The trip from Aedran to Lordric took about three days, so round-trip is six. People will think the Professor’s been traveling by airship for those six days?”
Yggdrasil was starting to get a feel for the ‘instinct’ that Notum and Ottoman talked about.
About thirty percent of the airship’s crew were navigators hired in the great desert—people who’d shared life-and-death with the Professor there.
Before takeoff, the Professor had been unusually busy scurrying around the airship, chatting with them.
‘Ah, so that’s it.’
‘Yeah, that’s it. Groan. Something’s up, something big. Professor.’
‘Go crash in your quarters. Things are about to get busy.’
Ottoman and Notum had sighed at the Professor darting around like a chicken with its head cut off and retreated to their cabins early.
Now Yggdrasil was vaguely sensing what they’d picked up on.
Something’s up. No idea what, but he was scheming something on par with the avatar-suicide saint wandering the city.
“....During those empty six days, what should we do?”
“Hm? Whoa, you’ve really learned a lot, huh? Even picking up on this stuff.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“The most essential skill for blending into human society. Nothing major this time. I’ll be away a bit, so just keep busy enough to be visible. Attend social gatherings in Aedran territory, manage supplies. I’ve already looped in Ottoman, so he’ll fill you in.”
As expected, planning to slip away midway.
“If anyone asks about the Professor’s whereabouts?”
“Brand them heretics. At this point, prying into a key figure’s movements is suspicious. If they want to know, get official info through the church.”
Yggdrasil shook his head at how the Professor had even prepped excuses for the group. Of course, his hand kept diligently noting down the advice.
“Rendezvous?”
“Flying by airship will make it natural. We supplied Kingsland, the backbone of the alliance army. There’s only one place left for the next shipment.”
Lordric’s western front. The center of the initial mutant war where the alliance first gathered and resisted. Not far from the Radiant Church’s headquarters either. And right now, it’s where the commanders who cooked up this shit operation were parked on their asses.
“Oh, when you head there, tell the temple to grab me one church robe in my size from their stock. They should have one.”
The Professor said that, casting his gaze beyond the airship’s railing as it began ascending.
Next time we meet, it’d probably be somewhere requiring proper decorum. Solemn and grand, needing formal attire. A joint funeral for high nobles would be quite the spectacle.
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Pheeeeeew—
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
Crunch! Crack! Craaaack—
Boom!
A black object plummeting from the sky with the sound of a missile. Snapping trees and forest quaking like an earthquake.
“Ow.... My bones. Did I land safely at the drop point.... Er, landing point? Looks like forest, anyway....”
The airship flew above the clouds, so no visual confirmation. I’d hassled Captain Avery nonstop as our guide to gauge the spot.
My life-and-death comrade. The navigators were still apprentice airship crew beyond guiding, meaning they were surplus manpower.
Sky navigation was peaceful, and they handled simple tasks like veteran navigators. Once flight stabilized, they took over, giving Gold Geyser’s formal crew breaks.
I’d timed my jump then, slipping past Gold Geyser eyes off the airship.
A prepped alibi for six days.
Infiltrate without even allies knowing, via insider recruitment!
“Let’s see. Gauging by the constellations I learned in the desert.... A bit off, but close enough? Hey, honestly, this drop qualifies me to brag about being 14th Special Forces anywhere, right?”
I figured the chat would cheer my smooth op, but....
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- Jokass: Boo, you wuss. Just fly in on the plane.
- takealook: Boo, die, you streamer who ignores viewer demands—
- Holy: It was kinda cool seeing you fight while on fire back then!
- Nutria Pass: Aaaah, I thought we’d finally see the no-holds-barred saint complete—
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Most reactions were disappointed. Why? They wanted me to walk from Kingsland here ablaze, turning everywhere into a sea of flames.
“....Guys? Let me say it again: that burning state back then? Total piece of junk! Nerves melted so I wobbled walking, muscles medium-rare so output halved, mood utterly foul. You know that tingly itch when your leg’s asleep? Whole body like that in combat! Ugh, never again!”
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- takealook: Eh. If most of the wide front’s suffering swarm tactics like that, dropping ‘Flame Sacrament’ everywhere would make it feel like civilized land.
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“Whatever! The western front has real saintesses besides scrubs like me! They’ve got it handled!”
Smack!
Enough chatter. Head cleared from impact daze. Time to move.
Drop zone: forest far from western front outposts. Enemy territory fringe.
Reasons: far from cities, low risk of hero garrison detection, archer heroes, or water mages on constant far-sight duty.
“Ugh, sticky. Really blanketed a whole area in blood mist.”
Main reason: easy infiltration into friendly lines, thanks to the mutants’ handiwork who seized this region.
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- Jokass: This that thing? The Chamber Maid evolution?
- takealook: Yup. Normal mutants take 3-4 years of heavy action to evolve, but Prof’s popped in nearly a year.
- Holy: Uh.... First time seeing it? I’ve been active in community....
- Jokass: Makes sense. In-game 4 years is 48 months, nearly 10 real months playtime. How many stick it out that long on one char? Only 3 cases, two not even rankers so obscure. This mist thing’s unknown even in community. Means another new strain besides the known ones.
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As chat said, variant Chamber Maids like this don’t pop easily. Not many situations demand extra functions on Chamber Maids to begin with.
Chamber Maids just need to mass-produce; adapt by varying mutant output types.
But in my world, high-IQ commander Valkatus existed.
Valkatus deemed Chamber Maids—modeled on queen’s high-end production organ—inefficient. Plus, with the Prosperity altar queen, perfect setup.
Archbishop revealed two blooming Chamber Maid types.
First: the mass spam flooding Lordric with blood and corpses. Called ‘Broad Roots’ per Archbishop. That’s the community-known one.
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- Jokass: Lame-ass name. What’d community call it?
- takealook: Zergling Blood.
- Jokass: Locals name well.
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Exactly: spreads roots shallow and wide. Mass-production specialist. No 4th-grade+, but spits 40-50 lower per batch. Insane output. Up to here, just scaled-up normal Chamber Maid.
Key trait: produces mutants from the start for recycling. Normal Chamber Maids think ‘Ugh, make. Ugh, queen...’. This is a smart factory that groks efficiency.
Even 6th-grade mutants wear chitin armor rivaling plate. This makes squishies. Only teeth, claws, battering head tough.
Weak enough for regular soldiers. Importance after killing squishies.
‘....Saw these roots inside Kingsland too, right?’
About 15cm? Brush by hand, roots everywhere visible. Unless you suck up all mutant blood ‘burning saint’ style, roots regrow endlessly like summer weeds, even burned or cut.
Regrown roots slurp designed low-grade corpses, nutrients near-lossless into new low-grades. Absorption/production = infinite respawn.
‘Even has smarts to pick corpses to absorb or leave. Kingsland nearby had rotting piles, but outside holy domain, sucked clean—no mutant blood scent. Knew piled corpses harm humans, left some deliberately. Roots into Kingsland even spat absorbed blood into castle soil.’
Not for nothing I busted ass cleaning Kingsland insides while taking ‘parXer punch!’ and ‘avatar-suicide saint!’ shit from chat. Dug in, it’s beyond rumors—strategic weapon. Burned roots to walls for now, but days later, they’ll creep back. Mutant blood sprinkled meanwhile.
Broad Roots alone near Tier 0 revolution in swarm war. Give queen time via Prosperity, true essence wonders. But my world had Valkatus’s Order Maid big middle finger—I sent her to hell myself.
Locals call it ‘Pauper’s Pillar’.
Name radiates power. This evolved Chamber Maid deviates from core essence.
Lost reproduction near-totally. Instead, maxed core function: absorb/process nutrients.
Effect: the crimson mist before me.
Ability simple. ‘Pauper’s Pillar’ shrouds domain in aerosolized mutant blood. Windproof, rainproof, fire stalls briefly then instant regen. Blankets entrants in opaque blood fog.
Safe entry: only Mercy/Abundance grand priests with sustained mass holy purge. Radiant/Courage/Wisdom holies lack duration.
Hence ‘Pauper’s Pillar’. Like slums clinging to Mercy/Abundance priests for relief, impassable poison zone sans those churches.
Range: villages to.... Biggest in mutant assault hub Chamber Maid forts covers five cities lined straight. Spotted huge crimson fog patches over Lordric from airship.
‘Broad Roots endless swarms push front, fatigue foes. Deploy rare elites to seize. Plant Pauper’s Pillar to claim fully. Repeat swarm pushes. Simple system rolls sans Valkatus orders.’
Both blood-deep abilities scream creator. Living Valkatus would’ve bragged gleefully on this field. Oh father! Learned from your blood magic! This time your teachings blah blah.
Mercy: all mutant blood-related, all counterable by me. Broad Roots solved temporarily by one ‘flame saint’. Blood fog zones? My personal heal carpet.
Problem: no one else can. Airship sweeping Lordric front, I clear some—but regen during absences outpaces way more.
‘Designed to tire only me out. Problem only I solve. Means they predict my path. Turns into solo chess—I move both sides’ pieces. Yeah, good I killed Valkatus. Die well, you dog!’
Facing this with live Valkatus? Screw clear/survival, ‘enjoy remaining life—’ and bail. He used my empire jaunt for rich free time.
....Anyway! Pillar yank/root burn later, for proper full assault.
For now: fog gives infinite nutrient-dense mutant blood, hides from allied spotters. Prime stealth zone.
Pushing blood-mist forest, soon: clear field stripped bare, huge half-ragged castle.
“Found you, Hedern.”
Western front hubs: three cities.
Major Köln, smaller Hedern, Olpea.
Post-idiot commander meet, they should’ve split to cities on wide front. But lines snapped post-spread, cities went dark. Galloping commanders rushed back for blame games/plans. Meantime, strung-out front severed; all stuck west. Most in Köln head-exploding meetings, some deem returnable, hunkered in nearer-east Hedern.
In short: Hedern’s packed with shits plotting dumps without cleanup.
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- Holy: Still, hit Köln with most commanders? Alert spreads if one of three hit, others go hyper-vigilant.
- Jokass: Lady, even we who live mocking Prof wouldn’t go there.
- Deer Drug Please: Yeah yeah. Prof ain’t bad enough for that miserable death.
- Holy: ????
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“....Köln’s defenses laxer, full of scum whose death won’t haunt, other reasons.... But even setting aside, Köln absolutely, absolutely off-limits!”
How many innocents I sniped to survive? No way I spare nobles carving allied lands post-meet. Ignoring prime Köln strike? Other reason.
“Argalian Sword’s there.”
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- Holy: ?!
- Jokass: Ooh, godgod swordsman. Even red mutant conquering ordeals, Agalman too huge.
- takealook: Basically sole hero unit holding west after sending others elsewhere. Norm hero with Huangjin/Ottoman allies = Zhang Liao; Argalian Sword = Lu Bu.
- Heung An Mandu: Even Hedern entry life-risk. Emergency bell—next rings pre-echo, Köln tower missiles Hedern?
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That Argalian Sword, vs me? Not even man-to-man—red mutant me?
“Eeeeeek! Hell no. Not rampage this time. Super cautious, quiet, pure VIP assassinate and ghost.”
Recalling Thousand Stream Emperor vs Argalian Sword vid, any wild ideas vanished clean.
Good thing: decent at stealth.
“Got more tricks now than then.”
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- Jokass: O, transform? Girl form?
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“Sadly, my ‘regeneration’ can’t hold alien forms long. You saw: outer-skin axe lasted 5-10 secs then poof.”
“Then how hide that body?”
“....Like this?”
Snap!
To chat’s question, flicked prepared flint on drop-broken branch.
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- takealook: ....ParXer punch?
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“....Just once, one more time.”
Chat cheered as I approached rising flame, naturally.
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