Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Disciple of Glory
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"..."
"..."
A suffocating silence hung between Chris, who had confidently swung his sword at the unidentified object, and the women watching him.
-Clang!
And soon, Chris swung his sword once more, shattering the silence. A sharp metallic clang rang out, and as if once wasn't enough, he repeatedly brought down Durandal, infused with aura, upon the mysterious object.
-Clang! Clang!
"What... in the...!"
But no matter how many times he swung his sword, the unidentified object remained unscratched, completely unharmed.
"...Chris. Stop. Something's off."
At its bizarre durability, Sera stopped Chris and began chanting a spell herself to attack the unknown item. Crimson flames poured from the tip of her staff, instantly scorching the surrounding passages black and setting the corridors ablaze.
"...Ha! Even magic doesn't work?"
But even after the flames died down, the mysterious object remained intact. It continued emitting an unknown mechanical whir, crawling around aimlessly. No, after the passages were scorched in an instant, its movements seemed even faster...
After that, Luna unleashed her holy power, Lily shot arrows, and they all tried desperately to destroy the object, but not a single scratch appeared on the round thing.
"It withstands Chris's aura, Sera's magic, and even holy power... What strange durability."
"Can a material that resists aura even exist...?"
With slightly wounded pride, Chris and Luna muttered. Then Sera, who had been deep in thought behind them, shouted out.
"...There's one thing. A holy relic."
"What?"
Chris reflexively asked in surprise, but Sera continued her explanation, eyes sparkling as if certain of her guess.
"In my whole life, the only material I've seen resist aura is a holy relic. Even adamantium leaves at least a small scratch, but that thing shows no trace at all. If it's a holy relic, though, it makes sense."
"That thing..."
"Is a holy relic?"
"The 'Arhan' in the capital is a holy relic in golem form too. It moves on its own. Maybe that's the case here?"
Hearing Sera's words, the group looked at the round object with uncertain expressions.
"Why would a holy relic be in a place like this?"
"I heard rumors among Delron's residents on the way here that a dungeon had appeared... Maybe some half-baked hero found it?"
"Hm..."
Listening to Sera, Chris felt more and more convinced. In his mind too, the only material unmarred by aura was a holy relic. After pondering, Chris got confirmation from Sera and Luna at the crossroads.
"No demonic energy or mana, right?"
"Yeah, that's certain."
"Then let's secure it for now. Luna, can you put a small barrier around this thing?"
"Got it."
At Chris's words, a warm, soothing white light emanated from Luna's hand, enveloping the robot vacuum cleaner. The manifestation of holy power, permitted only to the faithful of the church.
-Whirr?
[Robot Vacuum Cleaner]
The [Robot Vacuum Cleaner], sensing an unidentified wall suddenly appear before its sensors, twisted this way and that, bumping against the barrier repeatedly.
"It really moves on its own... With the barrier up, we'd notice any external power influx. But it's moving independently. Given its shape too, is it really a type of golem?"
"Barrier's in place, so let's take it and examine it properly later. Taking it to the church will confirm it."
Though a holy relic was likely, it wasn't certain. But even if not, this object's bizarre durability alone made it worth securing. No demonic energy at all, so it didn't seem like a demon's trick...
"Let's keep going. Luna, keep the barrier on that thing—it'll need constant maintenance, so you're in charge."
"Yes."
"Master. My kin say they've found something inside the garden."
"What? What is it?"
"They found stairs leading underground... Apparently, trees had fallen over them, hiding it. I've ordered the kin to clear the trees and dirt covering the stairs, Master."
Having left the [Robot Vacuum Cleaner] to clean and returned to the garden to busily tidy up, Erzsebet brought good news. None other than the discovery of stairs leading underground.
'To think there were stairs instead of a door...'
If there was a door to elsewhere in this garden, he'd assumed it would be on the outer edges, so he'd focused on the perimeter. That was a blind spot. Who'd expect it in the middle of the garden floor, not on the outer wall...
"Where?"
"Just a moment, Master. I can check my kin's position immediately... Hm?"
When he asked Erzsebet for the location, she, who had been speaking leisurely, suddenly furrowed her brow.
"What's wrong?"
"...One of my kin's connection has been severed."
"What?"
"Please wait a moment, Master. I need to check something...!"
Erzsebet, suddenly announcing a severed connection with her kin, sprouted wings of blood and hurriedly took flight toward somewhere.
'If she'd just told me the location, I could've sent her...'
To think she'd rush off like that. But what happened? A severed connection... Does that mean it died?
"Done... These are the last of the traps."
Having safely passed the long corridor, Lily tucked away her holy relic, 'Ele', which she held in her hand. A holy relic that rang on its own to warn of hidden dangers like traps or ambushes. With this relic, traps were no issue.
"The heroes who entered last time fell to traps, right?"
Among the dungeon intel from Delron's bishop, there had been info on traps. Naturally prepared for traps on a dungeon raid, Chris patted Lily's head.
"Good job, Lily!"
"Yeah..."
Leaving Lily who bashfully lowered her head, Chris took in the sight of the dense forest beyond the trap zone.
'Just as Master said. Dungeons can have their own independent environments... Hm?'
Recalling his master's teachings, Chris spotted a man darting between trees. Purple skin, pointed ears. A demon.
"Demons are finally showing up, huh?"
Stopping his companions who looked toward where his gaze went and drew their weapons, Chris shot forward like lightning, kicking off the ground and swinging Durandal.
"Uh...?!"
The demon, belatedly noticing him, tried to make some sound, but Chris's sword—cloaked in blazing white holy light—severed its head faster.
"Heh..."
Retrieving his sword unstained by a drop of blood, Chris smiled in satisfaction. It washed away the humiliation of failing to destroy that weird object after his flashy swing earlier.
"Lily. Check if there are other demons around..."
-Ding!
"...!!"
After slaying the patrolling demon and just as he was about to task Lily with scouting, the bell in her pocket rang on its own. Chris's expression instantly hardened as he drew Durandal, and a woman's voice came from above in the sky.
"...Strange. No reaction from the barrier. And four intruders."
Flapping wings made of blood, an arrogant woman looked down at them. The white-haired woman who appeared suddenly glanced alternately at the demon's headless, cooling corpse and Chris's group, who had immediately assumed formation, then grumbled softly.
"...Master's gonna scold me again."
Muttering something incomprehensible, the woman swung the long staff in her hand. Blood then erupted like a fountain from the staff's tip, raining down toward them.
"Luna!"
"Light, protect us!"
Luna urgently deployed a holy barrier, and the blood falling atop it didn't slide off—instead, it clumped together, instantly sharpening into spikes that battered the shield.
"A demon that manipulates blood... Matches the intel we spotted."
Seeing Erzsebet freely wield blood, Chris's face grew grim. One piece of info from the hero 'Mori' who survived the dungeon: a demon with blood powers had slain two 1-star heroes who came before.
"Spotted, huh... That girl who fled alone back then? Quite the sight, abandoning her comrades and running."
"Don't get cocky, demon!"
The moment Chris signaled, the barrier dropped. Ignoring the thorns turning into sharp spikes and lunging at him, he charged straight at Erzsebet.
"Hm?"
As if she never expected a human to charge head-on instead of dodging, Erzsebet's eyebrow twitched—then light burst from the pristine white armor Chris wore.
-Slash!
"What?!"
In that instant, the blood thorns flying to impale Chris veered off course on their own, all missing him. Chris pierced through them in a flash and swung Durandal wide, severing Erzsebet's arm.
But the moment her arm was cut, Erzsebet's eyes flashed. She formed a small blade in her hand and instantly thrust it at Chris's face.
"Tch!"
Unlike breaching the blood thorns earlier, Chris urgently jerked his head aside to evade. A thin cut appeared on his cheek.
"Hm. A power that only defends ranged attacks? Interesting ability."
Chris sneered at Erzsebet, who calmly assessed his power despite losing an arm.
"What're you gonna do with that? You lost an arm just to learn that scrap of info."
"Ah, this?"
As if only now realizing her arm was gone upon hearing Chris, Erzsebet glanced languidly at the stump. Blood gushed from the cross-section, then slowly hardened, reforming her arm.
"...Monstrous bitch."
Seeing her regenerate so casually, Chris's expression hardened. But undaunted, he raised his sword with even firmer resolve.
"No matter. Minion of the wicked Demon God... In the name of the One God Eukrasia, I shall judge you."
"...Humans really are all the same."
Slapping God's name onto their own whims, calling demons wicked... They were just mortals, all the same.
"Come. I'll make you pay for tracking mud into my master's domain."
My master seems sensitive about that sort of thing.