Chapter 79
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: 8th Floor - Lv. 1230 Great Saintess (2)
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The era where clerics just hung back, tossing out buffs and heals, had already faded with the dawn of the 21st century.
Even so, Labyrinth clerics became fiercely combative once they reached high ranks.
In a land teeming with all sorts of alien races and faiths, where Exiles constantly showed up to twist history...
The faith needed to survive there inevitably boiled down to power.
Even religions worshiping gods who didn't clearly reveal themselves fought over something as trivial as skin color or cultural differences.
Just for reasons like that, countless wars had broken out.
The Exiles might actually be contributing to peace, in a way.
[The God of Nature says self-rationalization is not good.]
"I know. But aren't Exiles creatures that rationalize everything by nature?"
Saintesses and saints were the essence of combat distilled into clerics.
Mercy and compassion were virtues, sure, but the most crucial one for reaching the top of a church was ultimately power.
The power to defend the church and protect its followers.
In a land where the sparks of battle and war ignited without fail every single day, power wasn't just sufficient—it was necessary.
Humans, especially their clerics, wielded particularly strong power among the races.
Human nations weren't typically unified around a single religion; diverse faiths coexisted.
That made the power struggles between churches even fiercer. Enemies weren't just outsiders.
Even in disputes among fellow humans, power was a critical factor.
High-ranking clerics—saintesses and saints who received the stigmata—were a church's ultimate combat weapons.
And the [Hero Unit] known as Great Saintess Meyrillis was the strongest among those weapons, renowned across the continent.
In old stories, she'd be one of the flashy power rangers in black or gold.
The Girl stared blankly at her majesty and muttered.
"It's unfair."
"That's rich coming from you."
"But it really is unfair. I wish I had a talent for shooting beams from my hands too."
"Those come from her wings."
"Same difference."
She seemed half-serious, not joking.
What do you even say to something like that?
"Great Saintess Meyrillis is a genius, yeah. Unrivaled in holy spells. Probably one of the few in this continent's history."
But behind that lay an even darker, more painful past.
No one reaches that level of combat prowess at her age on talent alone. Not even an Exile with a Mind Map.
The Girl furrowed her brow, eyes darting as she pondered.
True to her good nature, she accepted it right away.
"Hmm, I think I was wrong."
"Right?"
"When people say to me, 'Must be nice being born so strong,' it pisses me off big time. Back when I was little... uh, bad memories. Hold on. Urk."
Her face suddenly paled, and she started dry-heaving, like some trauma had surfaced.
Same deal for her.
No one becomes a fighter like this kid just because they're born with superhuman bodies and reflexes.
I gently rubbed her back.
"I wanted to say I'd worked hard, rolled around on the brink of death... but you can't snap at the people you're supposed to protect like that."
"Good upbringing. Heroes are basically in the service industry. Your parents must be amazing people."
"When you clear the Labyrinth, let's go say hi together."
"What kinda nonsense is that?"
Her cheeks flushed as she twisted her body, like the pallor had been a lie.
"Meeting the parents?"
I just gaped, words failing me.
The Girl pouted.
"Hey, don't ignore me. Say something. You're embarrassing me."
"That's why I shut up."
What was unfolding before us was so far beyond normal that even this casual banter felt fine.
I was used to it, but it wasn't the same for the other party members.
And it wasn't just the Girl talking nonsense.
The youngest dropped to his knees and started praying.
Seeing him pray to the majesty of another god must've riled up the Goddess, because the Girl giggled.
"The Goddess says she could show off like that too, and she's stopping the young Uncle."
The youngest replied quietly.
"I believe this miracle before my eyes is also the Lord's will."
Here, 'Lord' meant the Goddess. He'd never called other gods that.
The Goddess pondered for a while before getting it.
To the youngest, all other gods were beneath the Goddess.
Realizing that, she was squirming in embarrassment, apparently. I chuckled.
Even amid all this, holy light flashed, and the troll armed with violence and ferocity swung its weapon.
The finely honed massive axe clashed with the crystallized holy power, sparking flames.
Once more, a cross slammed into the ground. The troll screamed.
The earth, now marked with cross-shaped stigmata everywhere, was starting to show signs of becoming a holy domain.
As I considered an emergency escape, the brigade commander's breath finally gave out.
The war god didn't resist fiercely. It was a shame to lose such a specimen, but the Orc Empire on this continent was vast.
Any god would've seen Meyrillis before, and thus known there was no chance of victory.
Unless it descended as an avatar, but was it worth that?
No.
The valiant troll warrior swung his fist one last time, ending his life.
That fist was blocked by the saintess's palm. But no one could fault the troll, standing tall even in death.
His opponent was just too strong.
The saintess gave a slight bow of silent respect. Then she incinerated the troll's body with light.
"Ah, what a waste."
"Do strong trolls make better materials for stuff?"
"Of course. High-level troll hearts are key ingredients for potions."
The Hunter shook his head.
Anyway, now wasn't the time to casually voice opinions to the Great Saintess.
Especially if that bow was her way of showing respect.
As I sighed over the precious material scattering as light, the saintess floated into the air and flew off somewhere.
Suddenly, massive noises erupted from all directions.
Too far to see clearly, but it was probably the Lavahammer Brigade soldiers who'd been fleeing getting crushed.
The Girl, with her sharp eyes and ears, seemed to see it more vividly.
"What do you even call that? Attack helicopter? Nah, seems stronger."
"Miss, that's called a gunship."
"Gunship. Fitting. A fantasy gunship."
Anyway, that gunship was ours. Fortunately.
The Lavahammer Brigade's remnants suffered the saintess's brutal pursuit and annihilation, but the Stormhowl Brigade was spared.
The brigade had already taken enough damage to be considered wiped out by modern warfare doctrine.
Saints had to move efficiently. Human territories were vast, and there were many followers to protect. Prioritizing targets was key.
The brigade's stragglers, little more than defeated remnants, escaped divine punishment thanks to that.
Watching the fleeing Greenskin unit scramble away, the Hunter said,
"Like I always say, in all my Exile days, this is the first time I've been swept up in a war this chaotic and massive."
"That's normal. Before the kingdom, encounters like this don't even trigger. No wide map either. The Labyrinth only lays out the real board after the kingdom."
"I'd be content just reaching the Temple of Time."
"Yeah."
The Hunter had grown quieter lately.
More precisely, he talked more. Chuckling at little things, smiling, enjoying himself.
But the killer edge of an Exile was fading from him.
Unlike the Girl, he stopped asking me questions. He just marveled, nodded, chatted more—but only small talk.
Was it good? He lacked the will or ability to challenge further, so maybe settling back into comfort was best.
But he looked like an old man facing the end.
His hair even seemed grayer.
"If only we could snag a fairy card."
"A fairy card?"
"Considering lifespan."
The Hunter blanked for a second, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Gonna have to thank the leader forever."
"I didn't make the Temple of Time. It just popped up by chance."
"If it's thanks to the miss, it's thanks to you too."
"Sure, think of it that way if you want. Work properly till the end."
"Yes, sir."
The youngest, finishing his prayer, smiled faintly at the exchange.
"Even after big bro leaves, I'll follow the boss."
"No need."
"Then leave me where I'm needed."
"If my guildmates from past Runs were half as loyal as our youngest..."
"Then you wouldn't have met me!"
I plugged my ears at the Girl's shriek.
Then hushed everyone quietly.
Trdongt was approaching.
He limped slightly, like he'd taken a minor injury somewhere.
The Girl backed up a bit and hid behind the youngest.
The Hunter gave a wry smile.
The clueless youngest just grinned puzzledly.
The old Orc shaman said,
"I've done everything as promised. Now it's your turn to grant my request."
"Saving you wasn't enough?"
"Right, you're from a different timeline. Gotta explain again."
I nodded calmly. If it was nonsense, I'd ignore it. What could he do? The deed was done.
Of course, if the saintess listened to Trdongt, that'd be trouble.
In cases where the aged Trdongt raised a saintess, she usually saw him as her pillar of support.
Her narrow world didn't extend beyond the church.
She'd been like a hatchling.
"Grant me freedom too."
"What?"
"Said you'd react like that."
"No, wait. Hold on a sec."
The old Trdongt had various patterns with saintesses. The most common was letting her go and retiring.
Building a cabin in some quiet spot and vanishing from the world.
Next was returning to the Greenskin faction. Sometimes executed as a traitor, sometimes thrown back into battle without issue.
Anything else was rare.
Moving to a human nation with the saintess? Unlikely, judging by his face.
"I'm old, but I wanna try a new life now. Even after burning so fiercely in my youth, nothing's left for me."
With that, Trdongt shed his robe, the symbol of an Orc shaman.
Beneath it, his aged, sagging body was revealed.
Unlike when swollen with the feral god's blessing, it was wrinkled and frail.
The discarded robe was threadbare. Shamans' robes usually were. They symbolized status.
Once worn, they were never removed or replaced.
If too ragged for repairs, the owner was already gone from this world.
Flames erupted. The robe burned. Magical fire quickly reduced the worn garment to ash.
Even that gray ash scattered on the wind—the aftermath of the saintess's destruction blowing from afar.
A highly symbolic act.
He was stepping down as shaman.
Exposing his upper body like a wild Orc again.
For a Greenskin who'd become a shaman to abandon it meant retirement.
Covering the torso signified suppressing instincts in favor of wisdom.
Greenskin society needed wise ones too, after all.
Trdongt was no longer a shaman. He couldn't reclaim that status socially.
"Exiles wander times and worlds. Make me free. Take me somewhere the war god, Greenskins, no one knows me."
"Hm, first time for a request like this."
NPCs volunteering to follow Exiles weren't unheard of. I even planned to nudge the little one that way.
I switched to polite speech. This old shaman had earned it.
"Very well. But you'll have to earn your keep till then."
"I shall."
A magic class to work during the Girl's training would be handy.
My firepower was strong now, but long-range magic was limited.
I'd burned my Mind Map that way. Martial mages weren't great at ranged spellcasting.
Then the little one spoke up hesitantly.
"Daddy, shouldn't you find me?"
"Oh? Right. Where are you now?"
"Probably buried in that corner over there."
Trdongt, looking exhausted, glanced at the little one. Silver hair, red eyes. Vampire. Not a common look.
"Hmm..."
The old Orc blinked, then his face turned ashen.
"Oh no!"
He spun and bolted off.
Like he'd forgotten something.
"Looks like that Orc shaman rushed over and saved me too."
"Hm, not too badly hurt?"
"No."
Good enough.
"You heading back now?"
"Yeah, Daddy—or, future Daddy—said so."
They couldn't coexist. If the current little one acknowledged her future self, she'd get reverse-summoned anyway.
The God of Time's power wasn't permanent and had restrictions.
"Good work. No requests? Future me slacking or something?"
"Give me a kiss."
"Uh, not on the lips, right?"
"Cheek!"
My cool lips brushed her soft, cold cheek.
The little one beamed, satisfied.
"Future me doesn't even do this much?"
"Mm, Mommy doesn't like it much, so I don't ask."
"Whoa..."
"Miss, that's a bit..."
"Sis..."
The Girl, eyeing the little one enviously, startled and waved her hands.
"Y-Yeah? Even so, no one does that to a kid! What kinda jealous creep acts like this! Future me! What are you doing!"
The little one stepped forward, defending the Girl.
"It's not Mommy's fault. I'm just sorry, so... No, she said not to say."
"Hm, some info's better controlled. Interfering with the past and all."
The Labyrinth's time travel wasn't deterministic.
Whatever you did, the future you learned wouldn't necessarily play out exactly.
Knowing too much about the future—or the type of info—could change things.
Experiencing the God of Time's followers let me distinguish.
Probably about luck.
Some lucky event happened, and knowing it ahead might jinx it.
Messing with the Goddess of Luck's domain, maybe.
"Other cheek too?"
The little one happily offered it.
The Girl looked jealous.
"Me too! Me too!"
I ignored her, making a loud smooch on purpose for the little one. She giggled and hugged me tight.
The little one turned to the Girl.
"Mommy, stock up now. Later... Ah, can't say."
The Girl's expression turned odd, but she spread her arms anyway, approaching like a creep.
I shook my head.
"Not yet, kiddo. I'm an expensive guy."
"Unfair!"
"Had to be cuter. Like our little one. Right?"
"So mean!"
Anyway, I sent her off with a smile.
The Girl hugged and nuzzled the little one. She bowed to the Hunter and youngest too.
As the little one's eyes closed, deep golden light—the mark of the God of Time—rose.
A golden clock face appeared on the ground. The hands began to turn.
A faint trace of divine power lingered as the little one vanished.
Instead, Trdongt rushed back cradling an unconscious little girl.
"Still alive. Probably needs blood? Can't help as an Orc."
The Girl fed her some. Mommy, huh.
I draped a sun-blocking cloak over her before dawn brightened.
She was gone, like she'd left, but the current little one—who was a different person—was still with us.
"By the way... she's probably older than you."
"Huh? Really?"
The little vampire from the Barbaroi Clan was over twenty, I recalled.
Soon, the saintess returned. She saw me, the passed-out little one, and her master.
"My god has a message for you."
[The God of Nature laughs, saying you're quite the popular man.]
Of course. I'm kinda like that.