Chapter 263: Good News (3)
Chapter 263: Good News (3)
Even for Iona, teleporting all the way to Solaris in one go was impossible.
Because of that, she had to stop and suck my blood periodically to fuel consecutive teleports. Thanks to her efforts, it took less than thirty minutes to reach a vantage point where Solaris was visible.
“…I was wondering why we moved to such a distant spot, but now I see why.”
I gently stroked Iona’s head as she clung to my neck like a little bagworm and looked straight ahead.
A sea of green filled my vision. Between the absurdly dense swarms of Greenskins, I could see massive shapes looming here and there.
Ogres, Minotaurs, Cyclopes. These were large-scale monsters, each boasting a height of at least a two-story building.
They were already ridiculously sturdy by nature; I could only imagine how monstrous they had become under the influence of the Authority of Reckless Roar.
There were at least dozens of these large monsters, each equivalent to a siege engine. There might even be over a hundred.
Medium-sized monsters like Trolls and Orc Variants were far more numerous, and as for the "small" monsters—Orcs who were sturdier than an adult human male—there had to be tens of thousands of them.
Naturally, it would be impossible for just the few of us to annihilate that disgusting swarm… but our objective was different from the start.
“So that’s where we need to go.”
Beyond the teeming masses of monsters and the ruined residential districts, I could see the Great Temple, protected by a dome of pure white light.
Neither the lower town of Solaris nor the Great Temple were military installations; they were religious buildings and residential areas.
I knew they had raised a barrier, but since there were no proper castle walls, I had wondered how they were managing to hold out in the temple… It turned out they were doing something quite extraordinary.
To think they had enveloped the entire vast grounds of the Great Temple in a single barrier.
Then again, the Great Temple was the land that led to the sanctuary of Righteous Light. It made sense that it would have a proper defense system.
Above all, inside that barrier were Helena, who could draw upon an infinite supply of Righteous Light’s holy power, and Clara, who was an expert in barriers.
Well, Clara was essentially a ghost now, but in a situation like this, her advice alone would be a massive help.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Great Temple should have been able to withstand the onslaught for a long time.
That was likely why the other nations and the Union of Good Gods were taking their time to organize reinforcements.
They probably figured that since Solaris could hold out, it was better to send a force capable of decisively driving back the Evil God’s army rather than rushing in prematurely.
It was a sound judgment. However, that only held true as long as there were no major shifts in the tide of battle.
I frowned as I watched the red curtain slowly draping itself over the pure white barrier.
“That thing. It’s going to be a problem, isn't it?”
“Pwah! Probably? Probably! It looks ominous even at a glance.”
Iona, who had recovered her condition by drinking as much blood as she had expended, nodded in agreement.
She was right. I didn't know exactly what it was, but I could feel that it was a trump card designed to neutralize the barrier.
Elisha, whose face had turned slightly pale at the sight of the monster wave, asked in an anxious voice.
“Even if we somehow manage to break through to that point, what do you plan to do next? That curtain doesn't look like it will break easily….”
“We don’t necessarily have to break the curtain. We just need to take down the cultists conducting the ritual.”
Even if we couldn't kill them all, we just needed to deal enough damage so they couldn't continue the ceremony.
A ritual of that scale would surely have a central altar. Destroying that would be an effective method as well.
Even if the ritual didn't collapse immediately, they wouldn't be able to proceed any further.
I’ll say it again: our goal this time isn't the total annihilation of the enemy. It’s to help the Great Temple hold out until reinforcements arrive.
“Don’t overthink it. Even if we fail at everything else, we’ll at least be a distraction. If that happens, we can just come back and interfere again tomorrow.”
“I see what you mean. ……Still, please be careful.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Isn't that obvious? I’ve already chosen you as my partner. Think about how much that means to an elf.”
I knew.
Perhaps because of their innate lustful constitutions, elves had developed a culture of suppressing their desires and valuing chastity.
While other races also considered it a virtue to maintain purity for a long time or to share one's life with a single spouse….
An elf’s lifespan was incomparably longer than that of other races.
If a human marriage is called a hundred-year vow, an elf’s marriage is called a thousand-year vow.
In reality, only a handful of High Elves actually live to be a thousand… but since it’s rare for humans to reach a hundred anyway, I’ll let that slide.
The point was that they chose their partners with extreme caution, knowing they were deciding on someone to spend a millennium with.
And once a decision was made, they rarely sought to reverse it.
That was why it was said that an elf’s love was heavier than that of any other race.
Well… Elisha and Iris didn't exactly have a choice since they were sold as slaves, but a partner was still a partner.
Of course she would be worried. However.
“I’m just as worried about Helena.”
“…….”
The time we spent together was short, our conversations were few, and the number of times we had shared a bed was even fewer.
We had feelings for each other, but it might not have reached the level of what one would call love yet.
Nevertheless, Helena was my woman.
Though Righteous Light had acted as a matchmaker, Helena had ultimately entrusted herself to me, and I had accepted.
A place for Helena had been made in the happy ending I desired, and someone dared to try and ruin that?
I would never allow it.
As I steeled my resolve, Elisha saw my expression. Her ears turned bright red as she snapped her head away.
“H-hmph! If you say it like that, it makes it sound like I’m telling you not to go! I never said that. We have to save Miss Helena. Absolutely. …I just meant that you should come back in one piece.”
Having said that, Elisha grumbled about how she had finally reached the rank of Intermediate Magician only to be unable to follow me when it mattered most.
Protecting Iris here was plenty of help, though.
With a faint smile, I massaged Elisha’s shoulders.
“Don’t worry. I’m definitely not dying until I’ve filled the mansion with half-elves.”
“What?! H-half? Fill the mansion?!”
Elisha gasped, looking utterly flabbergasted by my perfect family plan.
While I chuckled at her reaction to ease the tension, Iris, who had also been surveying the surroundings, tugged on my sleeve.
“Master.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“I have found a perfect spot to set up the magic circle….”
“But there’s a problem, I take it.”
“Yes. It seems there are already guests there.”
Iris nodded with a serious face.
If she went out of her way to call them "guests," they probably weren't monsters or cultists… Who could have arrived before us and taken up such a prime position?
Tilting my head, I looked toward where Iris was pointing.
“I can’t really see anything.”
“It is quite far. But if you use Eagle Eye, you should see them immediately.”
“Okay.”
In the game, Eagle Eye was just a buff that increased accuracy.
In reality, it not only improved kinetic vision but also allowed me to see distant objects clearly, so I understood why it boosted accuracy… but honestly, I used it as a substitute for binoculars more often than not.
As I scanned the area with my sharpened vision, I soon spotted a suitable flat clearing hidden among the trees.
It was a location that overlooked all of Solaris, and with cliffs on three sides—excluding the rear—monsters would have to take a long detour to reach it.
On that clearing, people in armor were engaged in a heated argument, looking frustrated.
“Wait…?”
Those were Holy Knights of Righteous Light. There seemed to be a few priests in the corner as well.
For a moment, I wondered what was going on, but I realized the situation when I saw their bloodshot eyes.
The Eurelia continent was vast, and teleportation was a spell available only to a few high-ranking officials and high-level mages.
They were likely people who had been far from Solaris. They had rushed over at the Pope’s call, but they were a step too late.
There’s a common image of Righteous Light’s followers charging in blindly, but in reality, that wasn't always the case.
Irrational combat leads to death, which means being unable to strike down even more evil.
The Helena of the past, who used to charge in recklessly, was the outlier.
Anyway, since they were that kind of people, they had already decided to fight; they were just agonizing over how to fight.
Well… a faith-based party consisting only of Holy Knights and Priests might be good at prolonged battles, but they lacked the burst damage needed to break through an army of that size.
Since they couldn't find an answer, they were all just standing there sighing.
But that ended now. The answer they wanted was right here.
“Professor Iona. Can you teleport us over there one more time?”
“Yep, yep! Thanks to Student Yandel’s blood getting even richer, my mana and stamina are fully recovered, so it’s no problem! You going to fight together?”
“Yes. Even if they don't join the assault team, we can get buffs from them, and the more people we have to protect Iris, the better.”
When I shrugged and said that, Iona giggled and nodded.
“Got it! Got it! Everyone, gather 'round!”
A moment later, my vision flashed. When I closed and opened my eyes, I saw Holy Knights drawing their swords with bewildered expressions.
“Who goes there! Identify yourselves!”
Ah.
I guess it’s only natural for them to be on guard when someone suddenly appears in a situation like this.
First, I pulled out the Shining Lion Dagger and held it high.
“Righteous Light has sent me here!”
Let’s just go with that for now.