Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: Rescuing Luna's Mother
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Clink, clink.
A vast room empty of everything but the quiet sounds of a middle-aged woman eating, the only noise filling the silent space.
It wasn't the lavish feast reserved for high priests or nobles, but far more nutritious than what ordinary folk ate. Still, her expression remained utterly dour.
No, it was as if chewing on roadside dirt would bring more joy than this.
And truthfully, that's exactly how she felt.
Thud!
She let the bread in her hand drop limply onto the table and let out a deep sigh.
Even with her middle-aged features lined with worry, an undeniable beauty and grace shone through, proclaiming her status as no ordinary woman.
"Sigh! Is this really how I should be living? A pathetic existence that's nothing but a shackle on my daughter's life..."
She repeated the same thoughts countless times a day, yet deep down, she knew she would never end this wretched life herself.
She could already picture what her foolishly kind daughter would do the moment she passed.
Without a doubt, she would soon follow her worthless mother's footsteps. That's the kind of child she was.
"Hoo... What should I do...? Hm?"
Lost in her gloom, the woman suddenly felt a chill in the air and glanced around absentmindedly, but nothing seemed amiss.
Of course not. This room was right next to Bishop Vels's quarters, at the very heart of the temple.
No windows could exist in a space where she was imprisoned so thoroughly she couldn't even step outside on her own.
'But it wasn't my imagination... There's definitely a cool breeze coming in?'
The faint tickle of wind brushing her hair couldn't be a hallucination.
Only then did she think to look up, finally spotting him.
A young man peering down through a hole in the impossibly high ceiling, like the tip of a spire beyond arm's reach.
'Found her.'
Thank goodness. Bishop Vels was a man who understood 'reason.'
If he'd been some mindless fanatic, blindly loyal to the Pope and whipping hostages mercilessly regardless of life or death, meeting Luna's mother wouldn't have been this easy.
'Searching the real underground dungeons would have been a nightmare.'
Upon reaching the roof of the bishop's quarters and activating his senses, he immediately picked it up.
Unlike the devout temple-goers and most imperials radiating calm prayer, one presence stood out, laced heavily with sighs.
Shh!
He silently lifted the roof panel without a sound, and sure enough, there she was—a woman eating and sighing deeply.
He knew at a glance.
The deep brown hair just like Luna's, and a face so identical it was as if the archbishop had aged gracefully into her.
He wanted to grab her and bolt right then, but he held back.
Dropping suddenly in front of her might startle her into making noise that drew attention from outside.
The fresh outside air circulating inside would tip her off for sure.
Better to move once she'd noticed.
As expected, after a short wait, she felt the shift in air and started looking around.
And eventually, she looked up, meeting his eyes.
Luna's mother froze in brief shock, then composed herself as if nothing had happened. Only then did he descend slowly into the room.
He landed softly without a whisper of noise. She scribbled on a parchment with a pen.
-Are you from Luna?
As expected. No tiger comes from a dog's den. True to her daughter, one of the Empire's Twelve Archbishops, she'd assessed the situation in seconds.
Instead of speaking, he replied the same way.
-Spot on. Let's go. Archbishop Luna is waiting.
He thought emotion would sweep her along, but her eyes wavered briefly before she slowly shook her head.
-Thank you, but I'll just accept the sentiment. It's not too late—head back.
-Don't you want to see your daughter?
-Of course I do. She's my most beloved child. But do you know where we are?
Tears welled in the eyes of Luna's mother as she questioned him via writing.
-This is Ballista Fortress, the continent's sturdiest stronghold. Even escaping the temple, there's no way out of this fortress. I'd only endanger my daughter—I'd rather stay.
Her maternal love was admirable, but he couldn't afford to indulge it any longer.
-Understood. I'll respect your wishes.
Thwack!
With her focused on the parchment, he struck the back of her neck in a surprise blow. Luna's mother crumpled like a felled wooden doll.
He hoisted her onto his back, tied her securely with clothes from the room, then kicked off the walls to soar back through the ceiling.
"Why is it taking so long...? Sir Miron, could something have happened to Young Master Jerome?"
Unbefitting her title as one of the Empire's top archbishops, Luna—having abandoned prayer like a dog—gnawed her nails anxiously at Miron.
"...It's been less than 30 minutes, Lady Luna."
Miron replied mechanically, eyes fixed on the prayer room door to guard against surprises.
"...Sigh. Right. He hasn't been gone long. Sorry for the ugly display."
Seeing the unflappable Miron, despite his youth, cooled her head. If even a child like him stayed composed, she couldn't flail about like a fool as an adult.
Yet the gravity of the situation kept her heart from settling.
Luna swore she'd never known time to crawl this slowly—not since she'd grown up, not even since birth.
What felt like eons to her brought a faint noise from the ceiling.
"!"
Reflexively looking up, she caught Jerome closing the ceiling panel and leaping down.
He landed smoothly without a sound, just as before. On his back was a woman with hair the exact shade as hers.
Thump! Thump!
The moment she saw the woman, even without any audible cue, thunderous heartbeats roared in Luna's ears.
"Ah, ah..."
Swish.
Brushing back the woman's hair revealed a face identical to hers, but more mature, fast asleep.
"M-Mom..."
Tears mixed into Luna's voice. From her childhood, after learning her holy power was extraordinary, she'd never seen her again—the mother she'd longed for all these years.
Mid-battlefield or not, she couldn't suppress her emotions.
"Archbishop Luna, I get it, but escaping comes first. Let's move."
As she reached endlessly for her mother in emotional reunion, Jerome blocked her and handed the woman to Miron.
Thud!
He unpacked the box he'd brought, claiming it was for storing Miron's hammer.
It was empty, no hammer inside—spacious enough for his absurdly heavy weapon.
More than enough for one woman.
He gently laid Luna's mother inside, double-checked the air holes at the end, then resealed it carefully.
"Miron, can you carry it?"
"Of course, Young Master. I've trained too hard to falter under a frail woman."
"Good."
Luna watched the proceedings in disbelief.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"What else? Prepping to transport your mother to the Shield Family."
"That's not what I mean! Treating a person like luggage...!"
Jerome's face hardened at her protest.
"Then, in this situation, how else do we sneak your mother out undetected?"
"...!!"
Luna was speechless, mouth sealed like she'd swallowed honey.
"I've suppressed her mana circuits to keep her under—no waking for a while. It's like induced coma. This way, she won't panic when she comes to."
He wasn't wrong. Who wouldn't freak out waking trapped in a sealed box?
"St-still... this is..."
Though her heart rebelled, she tried protesting again, but...
"We're about to cross a battlefield. Think a civilian like your mother would enjoy seeing that carnage up close?"
She had no retort left.
'Good.'
Her reaction suggested no more complaints.
As he'd told her, safety was the main reason for this method, but not the only one.
It also hedged against risks escaping the fortress. If the mother were endangered, Luna would surrender to the Empire instantly.
She'd lived for her mother's happiness and freedom, not to get her killed.
Thus, assigning Miron to her protection naturally.
A sloppy plan—normal Luna would spot the ulterior motive—but shaken by long-lost family, she missed it.
So, he had to strike like a storm before she realized.
Thud!
He kicked away one of the formation stones sustaining the Dream Demon array around Bishop Vels, then called out.
"Bishop, Bishop Vels."
"Mm...?"
With the formation's anchor broken, its effects faded; the bishop woke easily to his quiet call.
"Oh dear, you must have been exhausted. You slept so soundly, I waited until prayer ended to wake you. Haha."
It took the bishop a moment to process he'd dozed off.
"Th-this! Hosting esteemed guests and committing such a blunder...!"
"Haha, no need. The heavy duty of upholding faith in this fortress must be taxing. I understand completely."
He waved off the flustered bishop's apologies.
"Anyway, Bishop, prayer's done. Shall we head out?"
"Mm, of course. My lapse caused this."
Creeeak!
The prayer room door opened, and they headed quietly out of the temple.
"Allow me to see you off. Archbishop, Young Master Jerome."
Bishop Vels insisted on escorting them to the entrance out of 'shame'—really to monitor for funny business. Exactly what he wanted.
'The more eyes on us, the longer it'll take to notice she's gone.'
"Haha, if you insist, we'll gladly accept."
"Quicker than expected."
Those were the first words from Stadt, captain of the 7th Paladin Order, waiting outside the temple as they emerged.
Maybe his own paranoia, but the neutral remark sounded like, 'How'd these soon-to-be-dead guys get out so fast?'
"Nonsense. Thanks for waiting so long, Sir Stadt. Shall we depart?"
"Yes. All mount up!"
"Mount up!"
At Stadt's command, the motionless 7th Paladins mounted in perfect unison.
Elite knights, refined to a tee.
'Single-digit orders are on another level.'
Each order rivaled a Hexagon, their skills battle-proven. Even then, including Light Knight Arandal in that assessment meant the order itself exceeded Hexagon-level power.
Clop, clop.
Leaving Bishop Vels's 'escort' behind, the delegation began moving toward the southern Ballista Fortress gates.
'Wonder how it's going.'
The sun had passed noon, inching west.
By sunset, everyone should rendezvous at the promised spot—as planned.
He'd already arranged everything outside via mountain alliances built over time.
'Duke Kamil, my first and last gift before adulthood. Enjoy it fully.'
The dice were cast.
Now, only to see whose plan prevailed.
This was about three hours before Rampang and Saladin completed their missions.