Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Skeleton Holy Knight (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While Maru and Celia were discussing the future, three uninvited guests had shown up.
They were all Holy Knights disguised as adventurers.
To understand why Holy Knights had wandered all the way here, one had to go back in time.
Three Holy Knights visited the Adventurer's Guild.
They heard various stories and the current situation from the receptionist, Rally.
Among them was the news that access to the Silent Mountains had been restricted.
But perhaps the timing was perfect.
"You're really in luck, aren't you?"
A short while later, Rally informed them that the restriction on the Silent Mountains had been lifted.
"What will you do, adventurer? Shall I give you a commission related to the mountains?"
At her words, Kairen and his companions stepped back for a moment.
Though they were Holy Knights, they had to hide their identities.
They had disguised themselves as adventurers to sneak into the kingdom, and it suited them perfectly—no sense of incongruity at all.
In fact, they looked right at home in the getup.
"Alex, what do you think? Doesn't it feel off?"
Kairen was the first to speak once they were outside.
There were several questionable points in the stories they'd heard at the Adventurer's Guild.
"Definitely strange. The royals sealed off the mountains for no apparent reason."
Alex nodded in agreement with Kairen's question.
Thanks to that, the guild was empty of adventurers besides themselves.
"Hm."
Kairen, Alex, and Leiden.
These three Holy Knights pondered for a moment, discussing what to do next.
"Something about it just rubs me the wrong way."
Kairen said.
The royal decree banning entry to the kingdom's Silent Mountains.
It was more accurate to call it a full blockade.
And before that, priests and Holy Knights en route to the Sail Kingdom had gone missing.
The Sail Kingdom's mountain blockade.
The disappearance of White Church personnel.
Those two events felt off somehow.
"......"
At the same time, Kairen couldn't make sense of it.
Why had the royals taken control of the mountains?
No one knew the reason.
Even the guild staff had no idea—that said it all.
They simply obeyed without question because the royals had announced it.
In truth, the Silent Mountains were vital to the Sail Kingdom.
They offered possibilities, but more importantly, their location.
Cross that vast range, and you'd reach the Demon Realm at the northernmost tip of the Eldorado Continent.
But the Demon Realm was an unknown to humans.
Almost nothing was known about what dungeons and monsters lurked there, or their ranks.
'If we could just figure that out, we'd unlock the secrets of the dungeons.'
It would greatly expand the Church's influence at the same time.
Kairen smacked his lips.
But reality was powerless: they couldn't conquer the Demon Realm and could only breathe a sigh of relief that the mountains served as a breakwater.
Occasionally, nations or high-rank adventurers explored it, but the info they brought back barely scratched the entrance.
An extremely small part.
And even that tiny fraction wasn't to be taken lightly—far from it.
How powerful must the beings deeper in be?
Thus, the Demon Realm's reputation as a highly dangerous place spread.
Yet the Sail Kingdom had survived this long despite the peril nearby, thanks to the mountains.
The vast range between the kingdom and Demon Realm blocked the monsters from the latter.
But here's where the problem arose.
The mountains' vast expanse.
And resources.
Would monsters stay idle in land that seemed to lack for nothing?
The answer was no.
Naturally, dungeons and monsters appeared in the mountains and took root.
With monsters showing up, it was as if the kingdom had fire at its feet.
Monster waves could erupt right under their noses at any time.
To prevent sudden outbreaks, the kingdom periodically cleared the mountains.
But managing that huge range directly was impossible for the kingdom.
It was a loss in time and cost.
So they left it to adventurers.
Adventurers thus received more commissions than guilds in other regions.
Plus relatively high rewards, drawing them to the Sail Kingdom.
Decent-quality monster byproducts were a bonus.
But what if the mountains were sealed?
Most commissions at the Sail Kingdom's Adventurer's Guild came from the mountains.
Seal them, and commissions vanished.
Adventurers without work would naturally leave—it was inevitable.
That, in turn, created another problem.
Fortunately, it had lifted quickly this time, but if it dragged on?
The mountain dungeons would be left unchecked.
Monster numbers would swell, and in the worst case, waves would have to be considered.
In the end, the mountains weren't just a simple barrier against Demon Realm incursions.
"Why block the mountains, risking all that danger?"
Alex and Leiden nodded in agreement with Kairen.
It fit better to say the royals were hiding something.
'The royals trying to cover something up...'
And the timing was too coincidental.
Priests and Holy Knights headed to the Sail Kingdom had vanished, and the Church planned to visit the kingdom to investigate.
"Is this all coincidence?"
Kairen murmured, gazing at the sky.
The timing aligned too perfectly.
They'd just arrived at the guild, and the mountain access lifted.
'It's like they're pushing us to go check the mountains.'
Their options might as well be set in stone.
Especially since the kingdom had lifted the ban.
Kairen steeled his resolve.
He reentered the guild and approached the receptionist.
Rally smiled as Kairen drew near.
"Any strange happenings in the mountains lately? Even small things."
Kairen asked first.
The mountains were far too vast.
Searching every inch wasn't their goal.
Checking out any incidents would be efficient enough.
"Strange happenings?"
Rally pondered his question.
A newbie adventurer she'd never seen asking that warranted caution.
But this one had a gold badge.
And he'd even tipped her a gold coin.
At least adventurers with skill and money were trustworthy.
"Ah, come to think of it, there is one."
Rally handed Kairen a commission sheet.
"Dungeon reconnaissance?"
Kairen skimmed it.
The sheet specified a dungeon recon mission—silver rank, no less.
But not subjugation, so it didn't seem too tough.
"Ah, three adventurers who took that commission vanished. That's why it got bumped to silver."
Receptionist Rally quickly added the details.
"We couldn't investigate because the mountains were locked down. What do you think? You were heading there anyway—better to take a commission."
Rally recommended it.
Truth be told, it was personal for her too.
She hadn't said it outright, but two parties had already gone to that dungeon.
Both had gone silent.
The first were total rookies just starting out.
It hadn't seemed dangerous, so she'd given it to them—then radio silence.
They might've just bailed.
Lots of newbies did that; high chance.
But Rally couldn't shake the nagging doubt.
Especially since she'd recommended it herself.
'Jane, was it?'
She vaguely recalled the name of the girl in that trio.
The second group was Earth-born adventurers.
He'd taken the commission with his party and vanished.
At this point, even she knew.
Something was wrong.
She wanted to believe it was just a harmless mishap.
And opportunity had arrived.
These men were gold-badge adventurers.
Maybe they could resolve it?
As Rally hoped, Kairen viewed the commission positively.
Their goal was intel gathering.
Scouring the whole range was impossible.
Checking what the guild flagged as odd was smarter.
"Then we'll take this one."
Kairen accepted soon after, and Rally beamed.
"Instead, could you deliver letters to my comrades?"
Letter delivery was vital for adventurers; the guild handled it.
The contents were simple: notifying them of the mountain investigation.
Recipient: vice-captain.
Delivery spot: the rundown building where they'd stayed overnight.
Kairen sketched the dungeon's location from the sheet and handed it to Rally.
"Priority: urgent. Can you deliver as fast as possible?"
Notifying was pointless if the letter was late.
Fortunately, Rally nodded.
"It'll arrive by tonight at latest."
He'd already given her a gold coin, and the commission mattered to her personally.
Plus, a gold-badge adventurer with comrades?
Success was guaranteed.
"May the goddess's blessing be with you..."
The three Holy Knights left the guild and headed straight for the mountains.
Not wandering, but directly to the dungeon marked on the map.
Some days were like that.
When intuition hit.
And today was one for them.
Soon, they were ascending the mountains.
The green peaks were stunningly beautiful.
The forest rang with animal calls; the air was crisp.
But one thing shattered that crispness.
"Goblins. Get ready!"
Goblins infested spots in the woods.
Likely expanding while adventurer traffic dipped.
But they were Holy Knights.
Adventurer garb or not, skill didn't vanish.
Slash—
Their swords severed goblin limbs.
The job ended easier than expected.
Most goblins encircling Kairen's group were wiped out.
Some fled, but no big deal.
"Tch. Just small fry. No real leads."
"Yeah. Let's look around a bit more, then head down."
Just coincidence?
Nothing special.
Couldn't linger in the mountains forever hunting intel.
Time was short.
Had to rack up results before the main force arrived.
Kairen pressed on, map in hand.
Planned to check just the commissioned dungeon and go.
No fear.
Not subjugation anyway—just a casual recon.
Kairen, Alex, Leiden.
The trio kept walking.
Having cleared goblins once, nothing else bothered them.
Peaceful.
The surroundings caught the eye again.
"Beautiful. All that green clears the mind."
"Yeah. The leaves are all red now."
"Huh?"
Kairen sensed the conversation veer.
What?
"Red leaves?"
He asked Alex, puzzled.
"What's wrong? The leaves are all red."
Even quiet Leiden chimed in agreement.
"It's true. Gorgeous autumn colors."
Like the blood of the goblins we just killed.
Huh?
Confusion.
Am I seeing wrong?
No, it's not even fall—autumn leaves?
Off.
The moment he registered it as strange.
Kairen felt an invisible force seeping into his mind.
He tried rallying his power against it, to no avail.
"Ah."
Suddenly, the scenery turned breathtaking.
He understood why Alex and Leiden said that.
Trees blazed like golden flames; the sky tinted soft purple.
Violet clouds drifted gently, scattering poetic rhythms in the air.
The purple sun reddened like spilled paint.
Eyes dazzled.
Beautiful.
Like dreaming.
Yet melancholic.
As if two worlds had opened a door between them—an inexplicable sensation.
Reality?
Hallucination?
Didn't matter.
Body moved on its own.
Someone whispering to them.
Why am I here?
Who am I?
Why did I come here?
Someone whispered that.
Kairen answered to dispel the doubts.
"Ah... right, I'm a Holy Knight."
He forced out the words in a trembling voice.
Then darkness spread.
He walked a long tunnel of shadow.
Soon after.
Darkness's end appeared.
'An altar?'
Ah.
An altar to offer to the goddess?
Kairen ascended without hesitation.
To offer himself to the goddess.
To her embrace.
Alex and Leiden climbed too.
His will? Pushed? Unclear.
Unaware it was Celia's Charm skill, they became sacrifices.
"Oh."
A short yet long six hours had passed.
Fortunately, nothing had happened.
Above all, the abilities absorbed from the Holy Knights were a jackpot.
"Nine Holy Power? That's insane."
Last time with the adventurers as sacrifices, he'd gotten 13 total.
All invested in Maru, bringing his Holy Power stat to E-rank.
Absorbing three Holy Knights this time yielded a whopping 14 Holy Power.
"This is a real jackpot."
B- and C-rank skills acquired.
Holy Knight skills, no less.