Chapter 110
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: In the Name of God
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The day the ruins' inhabitants had acted so strangely passed like a midsummer night's dream.
"Mm... I feel like I had an amazing dream..."
"Gah! The blanket...!"
As Lilith came to her senses and unleashed her power, everyone who had seemed entranced fell into a deep sleep. When they awoke, they couldn't properly recall what they had witnessed before drifting off.
"Uh... Lady Lilith? Ack. Why am I like this...?"
Even so, faint traces lingered, causing subordinates to blush or drop to their knees whenever they passed by Lilith... but it should be fine.
Why didn't it affect me, though? I could chalk up resistance to the fog before to the [Cleaning Mask], but even exposing my face directly—seeing it with my own eyes—shouldn't have involved the mask... Is it related to how I've been unfazed by corpses since transferring to this world?
"Master. I feel wronged."
"Be quiet."
It wasn't entirely Erzsebet's fault, but she had provided the trigger, so after hearing Lilith's explanation, I took her bed away. I'd been lenient and treating her well lately, and she couldn't hold back... causing another incident. Sigh.
"Hehe... I'm okay now..."
Lilith, who seemed strangely brighter after shedding some tears, beamed and clung to my side. But...
"You washed up?"
"Pardon? Oh... yes..."
Normally, Lilith would have messy, tangled hair and sweat dripping from her body, but now she smelled faintly of shampoo, and her skin looked fresh and clean.
"Now... it doesn't matter anymore."
"...Yeah?"
Lilith gazed at me steadily with a faint smile.
She seemed to have undergone some change of heart, but when I asked, she wouldn't elaborate, so I let it slide. Good things are good. She's finally washing up. Honestly, it had been torture seeing her like that every time.
The other subordinates couldn't see through the illusion and showered Lilith with praise and admiration, but since I was immune, I could only see her crouched in the back, filthy as ever...
What can I say... Ah. If I compare it to Earth, it's like everyone else is watching a VTuber, but I'm the only one force-fed the red pill?
Ah. At least she's started washing...
"What about cleaning your room? You doing that too?"
"Huh? Uh... w-well... that's always..."
"........."
Apart from not washing, there was no special reason for her filthy living space—it was just laziness. It might feel awkward, but meddling in someone else's personal space uninvited isn't right.
Still, I should give her a [Robot Vacuum] later.
Well. At least there's some good news...
"Now I can handle my illusion and charm powers much better!"
The abilities Lilith had shown so far were already impressive, but apparently, even those were suppressed versions of her true power. Just washing up and revealing her true appearance would amplify her strength.
'What's the principle behind that?'
Lilith explained that her illusion power began by blurring the boundary between reality and fantasy, and perception of reality this and that... but I didn't fully get it. Anyway, all I need to know is that Lilith's abilities have improved dramatically.
How much stronger?
"M-Master! The elves who went out for their usual forest patrol haven't returned!"
"Ah."
Lilith, mid-boast about her enhanced illusion power, let out a startled yelp. She hurriedly retracted the power she'd extended outward, and within five minutes, the elves returned.
"Wh-what? We definitely got lost in the forest..."
Even the elves, a forest race, had lost their way in the woods. Not in some unfamiliar forest, but the one right outside the ruins—the one they patrolled daily.
"You cast an illusion over the entire forest?"
"Y-yes... I combined my power with the barrier emanating from that 'guardian tree.'"
She had cast an illusion over the entire forest encircling the outer ruins. It looked the same to my eyes...
"Can you exclude subordinates so the illusion doesn't affect them?"
"I-I can share a bit of my aura with them. And since I... accidentally absorbed a lot of essence this time, I have plenty to spare..."
"Hm. Good."
My expression turned a bit odd at Lilith mentioning all the essence she'd absorbed. No wonder the awakened subordinates seemed so drained... Lilith had squeezed them dry(?).
Tsk... Every time she mentions sucking essence, it stirs weird thoughts...
"I-it's not like that!"
"Whoa!"
What? Did I say that out loud? I thought it was just in my head.
"I-I haven't done that even once... th-that..."
For some reason, Lilith peeked at me warily, eyes spinning, then suddenly bolted inside without finishing her sentence.
"...Why's she like that?"
She'd burst into tears when facing me yesterday too—her emotions seem more volatile... Anyway.
"Erzsebet. Where are you going?"
"Just to discipline that insolent dream demon for a bit."
Why does she suddenly look pissed?
The best change from Lilith being able to cast illusions over the outer forest was, without a doubt...
"It's that powerful?"
"Yes. And since it's spread across the entire space and fused with the guardian tree's barrier... even mid-tier beings won't be able to pass through now."
Those who had personally experienced Lilith's illusions firsthand reported their analysis of the illusion barrier. Astonishingly, despite its vast coverage, the illusion's potency was immense—even a 2-star hero by human standards wouldn't resist it.
"Of course, if they have mental defenses, that's another story..."
There was a lot of back-and-forth, but the gist was this: from now on, we only needed to worry about 3-star heroes or higher.
'No more random soldiers swarming in like before?'
Humans had priests' holy power, bizarre magic, and holy relics with insane performance, so nothing was absolute—but it seemed we could block mass assaults.
Humans would likely need an elite force of 3-star heroes or above to breach the forest illusion and reach the ruins.
"...And you can maintain it indefinitely?"
It hit me anew: Lilith's abilities were ridiculously overpowered. She claimed weak direct combat prowess, but no one could dismiss her power after seeing this.
'They're all ridiculously strong, huh?'
Erzsebet had proven her might, Aqua seemed to have single-handedly halted the human advance into the south despite never fighting directly in front of me, Drai had wiped out the allied forces before...
Every one of them was insanely powerful. It begged the question: why were beings like these sealed in this ruin—and why had they lost their memories?
'...I've got a hunch.'
I'd only marveled at their sleeping power before, but learning continental history and lore from Alfred lately brought something to mind.
'Seven Deadly Sins.'
According to Alfred, they were the progenitors of all demons—the first demons created by the Demon God.
It felt like creation myths, and I'd listened eagerly to demon lore because it was interesting...
'They match no matter how I look at it.'
'Sloth,' who never died and created rivers of blood; 'Pride,' who ruled an empire of the undead...
Plus the murals found underground in this ruin. Though cracked and faded, they seemed to depict the seven beings slumbering here. And the system blatantly labeling it 'Demon God's Ruins'...
At this point, only an idiot wouldn't connect the dots.
'The beings in this ruin, starting with Erzsebet, are the Seven Deadly Sins themselves—or at least closely related.'
They could truly be those demigod-like entities. Or, like some game cliché, their heirs or lost fragments or whatever.
"Then what about the system?"
As the mystery of their identities partially cleared, a new one arose. What was this system that dumped me in the 'Demon God's Ruins' and made me clean it?
It overrode Desmond's contract—one of the presumed Sins—with sheer force, and even erased the blood Erzsebet wielded...
'Demon God?'
Is the entity that summoned me here the Demon God, expecting something from me? The recent [Sub Quest] tied to dungeon cores scattered across the continent—also called 'shards of the Demon God.' It all screams connection...
'No. Destroying or tampering with dungeon cores would harm the Demon God, right?'
I'm human, not demon, anyway... Maybe a human god summoned me?
From their perspective, the Sins are enemies, so they grant me power to suppress them and a mission to destroy or collect dungeon cores... Argh. Just hurts my head.
'Shelf the Demon God speculation for now—it's guesswork. But the Sins seem almost certain...'
I need to grill Alfred for more on the other Sins. My guess is the remaining two are slumbering somewhere in this ruin too.
'Make that primary goal.'
I'll set finding all the Sins slumbering in this ruin as my top priority.
I might form alliances like with Erzsebet or Lilith—or deal with another Desmond. Can't leave ticking time bombs lying around.
But if I ally with the others too... I might not fear heroes anymore.
"Everyone assembled?"
The blond man in full armor, Lumen, called out to the roughly ten gathered warriors, each radiating an extraordinary aura.
"Sir Lumen. Is this number sufficient? At least some priests and mages..."
"You know where we're heading, and you still say that?"
Lumen rebuked the hero who spoke up with a stern glare. The gray-haired hero bowed his head as if regretting his slip.
Their destination was the dungeon where a 4-star hero had fallen—an unknown space with scant intel, unlike others probed through steady scouting.
Taking rabble there would only amplify casualties.
"On top of that..."
Lumen glanced at the woman beside him.
"God will protect our journey."
"Ooh..."
If asked to name humanity's most vital figure—Empire or otherwise—she'd top the list. The only one who could hear God's voice.
The Saintess.
With her joining, mobilizing large numbers risked alerting demons to her location.
Lumen eyed the sturdy force he'd persuaded the Emperor for alongside the Saintess, his eyes cold and resolute.
Seven 3-stars. Two 4-stars... and a 5-star: Lumen himself, the Radiant Hero, plus the Saintess, surpassing any continental priest in power.
'Newborn Dungeon Master. Whatever you are...'
Burning with icy fury, Lumen quietly departed the capital with his handpicked elites. A force rivaling the strike team that challenged the Demon Realm decades ago.
'You're finished.'
In the name of God, I will judge you.