Chapter 25: God-dilon
Chapter 25: God-dilon
“You’ve arrived?”
After waiting briefly in front of the door, a silhouette slowly rose from the building’s shadow.
It was the elf Rosalia, who could express everything with nothing but her eyes.
“Sister, did you rest well? The last expedition was fun!”
“……”
Marlin greeted her, but as expected, no friendly reply came back.
Still, she seemed used to it now and didn’t mind at all.
“Shall we go?”
Nod.
Guided by Rosalia, we headed toward Odilon’s mansion.
“Can’t we at least buy some apples on the way? I’m hungry.”
The cold elf ignored everything we said and quietly proceeded northwest along the main road.
After checking the direction, Marlin widened her eyes.
“Wait… are we heading to the rich district?”
District Six of Pletika, managed by the Harmony Church, was a poor area where the poor, cultists, vagrants, and criminals gathered.
However, the northern rich district adjacent to District One—where wealthy people lived—was an exception. Odilon, whose family originally amassed wealth through information trading, lived there.
“Kar, is it really okay for kids like us to go somewhere that impressive?”
“Now that I think about it, maybe not. You two should go back.”
“……”
“If you’re going to glare like that, why ask?”
The silent assassin walking ahead moved a little too fast for cultists and children to keep up.
However, Rosalia was not completely without consideration. She occasionally slowed down slightly, preventing us from collapsing from exhaustion.
Tap.
After walking for quite some time, Rosalia stopped by the roadside and lightly tapped my shoulder before looking forward.
Her gaze pointed toward an elegant mansion standing in the middle of the rich district.
《Brites Family Rule-Breaker Detention Facility》
The rude window produced by that skill could safely be ignored.
“Is this the Brites family villa where the young master resides?”
The taciturn assassin nodded slightly and pushed open the door connected directly to the road.
A loud creaking sound echoed, revealing a lavish interior typical of wealthy taste.
“…Wow.”
“……”
The siblings who had grown up in filthy slums opened their mouths wide.
Perhaps it was cultural shock.
For some reason, I suddenly felt sorry for them.
Children that age should only experience good things, yet they were living in a cultist town filled with lunatics and maniacs.
“Welcome.”
As we entered with the stiff siblings, an elderly man with neatly tied gray hair greeted us.
《Sergius, Butler of the Brites Family (Human, 73). A long-serving butler ordered by the family head to serve Odilon and his mother after they were expelled to District Six.》
“Welcome, Cultist Kar.”
“Greetings. Thank you for the invitation.”
“The young master is waiting. Only Kar will be escorted upstairs.”
“What about the children?”
“The two wards will…”
At a gesture from Butler Sergius, a maid behind him bowed and stepped forward.
“Please follow her. The young master instructed that the siblings be fed well, washed, and given new clothes.”
“We don’t have to pay for that, right…?”
“Of course not. Please enjoy it comfortably.”
“He’s a kind person!”
Smiling warmly, the butler led me up the central staircase to the top floor.
The hallway had doors at both ends.
After knocking on the left door, Sergius carefully opened it.
“You’ve come.”
The room’s interior, covered in excessive displays of wealth, perfectly reflected its owner’s personality.
Odilon sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, sipping wine.
“Come in and sit.”
With a large table between us, I lowered myself into the chair opposite him. Butler Sergius placed a wine glass in front of me.
Along with a small bowl of round cheese pieces.
“Please enjoy.”
“Thank you.”
As I sampled the luxurious cheese, the butler left the room, leaving only the two of us.
Crackle.
The Evil God with severe face-obsession reacted excitedly to Odilon’s appearance.
Too many intentions were transmitted all at once to understand clearly, and some of the messages were vulgar enough to ignore entirely.
Truly shameless.
“Kar, cultist of the Twisted Truth.”
The young master, who had been silently drinking wine, suddenly spoke.
“I heard that you accepted my invitation immediately without hesitation. May I interpret that as your willingness to form an expedition with me?”
“That is correct. I was impressed by Sister Rosalia’s abilities during the last expedition.”
“Sister, you say. Have you already become that close?”
“We’ve already become close like siblings.”
Rosalia, who had somehow appeared behind Odilon, narrowed her eyes and stared at me.
It probably meant, What a cute little brother.
“Anyway, you made the right decision.”
The young master pulled out a stack of papers from under the table and pushed them toward me.
“Let us work well together. It’s the contract. Review it. If there’s anything you dislike, tell me.”
“Understood.”
He wasn’t the type to play tricks with printed text, but signing blindly was impossible.
I carefully examined every letter of the contract before signing.
“No changes?”
“Honestly, it’s perfect. Impressive, even.”
The profits gained in labyrinths would be distributed strictly according to individual performance, eliminating sentimental nonsense like camaraderie. At the same time, everyone would be guaranteed a minimum income to prevent dissatisfaction.
The section detailing penalties for betrayal alone stretched nearly ten pages.
A contract worthy of a young master who distrusted humanity.
Every aspect maintained a purely contractual relationship where emotional distance was guaranteed.
“I quite like it, to be honest. Even close companions should be clear about matters like this. How many explorers have died after being betrayed by their own expedition members?”
I had experienced such situations many times.
When playing as a cultist, one developed the mental resilience to treat betrayal by companions as a minor everyday incident.
“Exactly. Trusting shallow emotions like camaraderie is an easy way to be betrayed. That’s why we write contracts that completely block the possibility of betrayal.”
The young master nodded while placing the healing artifact rod Comforter in his mouth and inhaling its smoke.
“Then shall we begin discussing the constructive future of our expedition?”
“You will lead the expedition. Any objections?”
“Who would refuse being made the leader?”
“And I will manage the expedition. Financial matters, mediation with other expeditions, procurement of equipment, artifacts, and Mystery Tomes—leave all of that to me. If you dislike that…”
“I like it very much.”
I would lead the expedition with my knowledge of labyrinths and crisis management.
God-dilon, who possessed both wealth and information networks, would manage the expedition.
Who could possibly stop that?
It was practically already the best expedition.
“Do you have a labyrinth in mind for the next expedition?”
“Of course.”
“I will show you the list of labyrinths I have selected. Review them and decide.”
Because the young master possessed zero social skills, there was no unnecessary small talk.
Even Sue’je, who demanded male bonding as part of religious devotion, seemed bored and continued sending provocative demands through the tattoo.
“However, there is something more important than choosing a labyrinth.”
“I know. Our expedition composition is weak right now. It cannot handle every situation.”
Still, it was convenient talking to him.
He understood immediately and possessed a vast amount of knowledge.
He was the complete opposite of Marlin, who asked dozens of questions every day due to her lack of labyrinth knowledge.
Though to be fair, she had been improving since I started teaching her.
“A cultist leading exploration. An assassin who handles powerful enemies. With only those two, clearing a D-Rank labyrinth would be difficult.”
“Don’t forget Marlin and Abel.”
“They are still growing. No matter their potential, it has no meaning right now.”
“They’re assistants, you could say. They are still growing, but I will teach them actively, so they will soon become proper explorers.”
Besides, beastmen matured faster than humans.
Within two years at most, both would grow into strong adults.
They still wouldn’t become the core of the expedition, but supporting roles would be easy for them.
“Even so, it’s true that we need talent who can immediately strengthen the expedition.”
“I agree. You want to recruit warrior and mage classes, correct?”
“Correct.”
A warrior who protects companions on the front line.
A mage who serves as the primary damage dealer during exploration.
Only when those two roles were filled could the expedition truly be considered complete.
“There are no suitable warriors or mages in District Six. Do you have someone in mind?”
“Of course! Lidni knows everything.”
《Correction: The Wise One does not currently know everything due to insufficient faith. Where exactly does your information come from?!》
Ignoring the unnecessary fact-checking, I spoke the name of the top recruitment target.
“Pendrick. A swordsman-class explorer living in District Three.”
“And his potential?”
“A swordsman who will undoubtedly become the leader of the Twelve Heroes in the future.”
“……”
Pendrick.
Among all warrior-class companions, he had the greatest potential.
After exchanging a glance with Rosalia, Odilon inhaled and exhaled smoke from the Comforter.
“What are the chances of recruiting him?”
“He’s already part of a guild. If we just ask him to join, he’ll refuse.”
“But you know how to recruit him.”
“Of course.”
I smiled with a cultist’s mysterious grin.
“As I said, Lidni knows everything.”
《Repeated correction: The Wise One does not!》
Why was this thing so oblivious?
I was creating an image to increase the number of Lidni’s followers.
“Very well. We will recruit this Pendrick for the expedition. What is the plan your Evil God revealed?”
“First, I want to meet him personally and talk. If someone will become our companion, we shouldn’t send a subordinate carelessly.”
“Then I will assign Rosalia to accompany you. Go yourself.”
“Understood. It’ll be a pleasant outing with Sister.”
Rosalia narrowed her eyes at me again.
It clearly meant, That sounds fun.
“Now we should discuss the mage…”
“I do have someone in mind.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“What does that mean?”
I explained what had happened in the Grave of the Earth Elf.
“So you’re saying someone else fully activated the Hidden Piece before you?”
“That’s right.”
“Why do you think that person is a mage?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious?”
There was only one possible conclusion.
“The only class capable of clearing Grave of the Earth Elf alone is a mage.”
Mages were a filthy cheat class favored by the developers.