Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: I Want It All
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The next items up for auction were members of the White Church.
No matter that they belonged to the Church—this was the Demon Realm Merchant Guild.
It didn't matter which faction a slave belonged to.
Priests received no special treatment. Like all the other slaves, their hands and feet were bound in iron chains.
That was how it should have been, at least.
But then something unexpected happened.
The chains binding them snapped open all too easily.
Now suddenly free, what choices did they have?
Of course, they bolted from their spots.
"…?"
The problem was that this wasn't an attempt to escape.
As if by prior agreement, they all charged straight toward me.
Holy power gleamed in their hands—a clear sign of attack.
Why this was happening, why they were coming after me—it could wait. I had to deal with it first.
I immediately triggered a skill to counter their assault.
Holy Shield
A barrier of light unfolds from my hand.
A shield of light formed from my hand, woven from holy power.
It blocked the priests' attacks.
Bang!
"H-How... How do you wield the Goddess's power…?!"
The priestess gasped in shock as her attack was repelled.
She was so flustered she even stuttered.
No, it wasn't just the block—it was seeing me use the Church's skill that stunned her.
She recognizes the Church's power.
Of course. The 'Holy Shield' I'd just deployed was a Church skill.
One I'd acquired from a Holy Knight offered up as sacrifice.
It wasn't strange for a Church priestess to recognize it.
But that raised another question.
I wasn't a devotee of the Church.
When I was first summoned to the Eldorado Continent, I'd received basic training from the White Church, but that was it.
There was no way I could match true believers who'd dedicated their lives to it.
From the start, I was an outsider to them.
And as an Earthling, I had no faith in their goddess anyway.
Besides, without a status window back then, I couldn't even wield holy power, let alone Church skills or traits.
So what was this power of mine now?
It was simply using the abilities I'd gained from sacrificial offerings as-is.
Does the source of the power remain the same, regardless of who's casting the skill?
Otherwise, she wouldn't have called it the Goddess's power upon seeing my skill.
That explains Maru too.
Maru had fused the 'Faith of the Goddess' trait to become a Skeleton Holy Knight.
Skeletons are undead monsters.
A special case where an undead—antithetical to holy power—wielded it nonetheless.
And the Holy Knights he'd once opposed now followed him.
That sparked another curiosity.
Maru, an undead, had accepted the opposing holy power.
Could the reverse happen too?
What if Church members gained dark power?
It didn't have to be darkness specifically.
What if they acquired power from entities the Church rejected?
In truth, the Eldorado Continent had many religions, much like Earth.
There were gods worshipped by various peoples beyond the White Church.
But the Church's dominance was absolute.
They denied the very existence of any goddess but their own.
That was one of the first lessons I'd learned there.
Yet the continent was vast.
Scattered groups worshipped their own deities.
The Church branded them heretics and led the purges against them.
Take the black magicians, for example.
They revered a demon god instead of the goddess, and their forces had been decimated as a result.
"Hm…."
Maybe black magicians were too extreme an example.
Anyway, what if Church members gained another power, opposite to their own like Maru or me?
Would opposing forces coexist within them?
Or would they lose their original power for turning to another god?
I'm curious.
Hunters on Earth relied on the status window system for their power.
I was no different.
Similarly, Church members believed their strength came from the goddess.
Assuming that was true—what if they betrayed her?
I need to find out.
Where did this power truly originate?
Maybe pursuing that question would bring me closer to the truth.
But my silence prompted the attacking priestess to speak again.
"Just as I thought—no defense from a Church apostate…."
"?"
What was this nonsense?
Apostate?
"No, I—"
I started to respond, but then—
"Ugh!"
A groan came from behind.
The Merchant Guild guards had appeared and taken control of the situation.
The Holy Knight trainees were all beheaded.
Clean kills, by anyone's measure.
Now only two Church members remained.
The priestess in front of me, and one collapsed on the floor.
The fallen one had been in poor shape from the start.
He'd held out by luck so far, but it was only a matter of time.
The guards were advancing on him slowly.
But something felt off about their actions.
Ha, look at these bastards.
This happened during an auction.
How badly had they managed the slaves for this to occur?
And this wasn't just me—there were others present.
They should have been investigating, not destroying evidence themselves.
The Church members suddenly charging us was suspicious enough, but the Guild's response was even stranger.
"Arch Lich, bring me the priest on the floor."
At my command, the Arch Lich seized a nearby skeleton and thrust it forward as a shield toward the guards.
Having witnessed the skeleton's explosion earlier, the guards halted at the Arch Lich's move.
Fear of getting caught in a blast stopped their advance.
In this standoff, the Arch Lich grabbed the trembling skeleton in one hand and the fallen priest in the other.
His condition really is bad.
He'd been wrapped in bandages even before ascending the stage.
He must have pushed himself too far and collapsed.
At least he hadn't died instantly like the others—small mercies.
With the Arch Lich buying time, I yanked the priestess's hand and whispered to her.
"If you don't want to die here, stay quiet."
Then I turned to the priest the Arch Lich had dragged over and activated a skill.
Goddess's Healing
E-rank due to my holy power rating, but the effect is tremendous.
Light radiated from my hand once more.
But unlike the 'Holy Shield' earlier, this glow felt different.
A brilliant, invigorating radiance filled the space.
Like it brimmed with vitality.
Above all, the priest's bandaged face relaxed.
The scratches on his face and arms faded, his wounds beginning to knit.
The low rank prevented full recovery, but he was much improved.
As the skill healed the priest, the priestess who'd attacked me stared in astonishment.
"Who... who are you…?"
Realizing I wasn't a threat, she clearly had questions.
"They started this—"
But now wasn't the time to hear her out.
I covered her mouth.
Staying silent helped me right now.
I soothed her roughly and scanned the surroundings.
One figure emerged.
"Haha, I'm Serinu, in charge of managing this gathering."
The person responsible had finally shown up?
"Everything that happened is my failing. On the honor of the Merchant Guild, I promise a thorough investigation and compensation."
I regarded her coolly, wordlessly.
Shameless.
Anyone could guess what had happened—no need for her to spell it out.
Compensation was the bare minimum.
Especially since I was the one who'd prevented disaster.
Even if this Serinu offered amends, pushing too hard could backfire.
Even a cornered rat bites a cat, after all.
I'll keep it moderate. Just moderate.
At least for now.
From another angle, my group and I were effectively trapped here.
Better to escape first, then raise a formal complaint through Celia.
Things are about to get busier.
With that thought, I turned to Serinu and spoke.
Serinu, who'd been watching from above, hurried into motion.
The situation was unfolding far differently than she'd anticipated.
"……."
Where had it gone wrong?
Originally, she'd planned to land a single blow on him.
Have the slaves attack, then have the Guild intervene swiftly.
The slaves would all die, evidence vanishing, while demonstrating the Guild's might and seizing control.
But reality didn't cooperate.
The black-masked man blocked the priests' attacks effortlessly.
Even after they'd consumed potions boosting their holy power massively.
She'd at least hoped for some panic….
That hesitation threw off the guards' response too.
They should have eliminated the slaves immediately, but they faltered against the masked man's power.
These variables snowballed into the current mess.
"Heh, a type of power I've never seen…."
The Guild handled vast information.
Even Serinu, part of it, had never encountered the black-masked man's power before.
Like the White Church's, yet... different.
It looked like their holy aura on the surface.
But it didn't feel identical.
She couldn't say why, but that was her instinct.
More frightening was her inability to pinpoint what it was.
It felt like facing an unknown entity.
How did he possess such power?
Where had this being come from?
At least the incident revealed one thing.
The Arch Lich obeys the black mask.
Was the dungeon's master the black mask, not the Arch Lich?
Or was the Arch Lich part of the black mask's forces?
Either way, this event would force changes at the Guild.
It exposed a gaping hole in their intelligence network.
Serinu racked her brain as she descended.
Whatever else, she needed to handle this personally.
"Haha, I'm Serinu, in charge of managing this gathering."
Serinu forced a smile as she stood before the black mask.
"Everything that happened is my failing. On the honor of the Merchant Guild, I promise a thorough investigation and compensation."
She bowed, gauging his reaction.
The mask hid his face, leaving her blind to his expression.
Normally she'd push harder, but his aura was too ominous.
The pressure he exuded was no joke.
And she'd just witnessed his power firsthand.
Identity unknown, strength unknown—everything about him was a mystery.
Best to stay deferential until she learned more.
But she still needed intel.
"I offer my deepest apologies. How shall we deliver the compensation later?"
His answer to that could hint at the Arch Lich's relation to him.
Serinu kept her head lowered, awaiting his words.
A brief silence, then the black mask spoke.
"Compensation? These will do."
He gestured to his desired prizes.
Serinu's eyes locked on his hand, but the black glove hid any clues to his race.
Thorough.
Impeccably so.
At least his voice was new—a young man's timbre.
But voices alone revealed little.
Vampire Baalcherit had a youthful voice despite her ancient age, after all.
Resigned, Serinu checked his indicated targets.
"……."
They were the priests who'd just been auctioned.
And simultaneously…
"…An elf too?"
The bound elf on stage was included.
Serinu's expression darkened.
Wanting the priestess who'd attacked him made sense.
But she couldn't hand over those priests—not to Serinu.
She'd orchestrated this using them, after all.
Should have killed the priests outright….
Better to yield the elf than let them live.
If they talked and revealed the plot?
Disaster.
"Haha… well…."
Serinu chuckled obsequiously.
"Of course, our fault—so the elf is yours. But the priests—"
Her words didn't finish.
"I know all about it. Just a child's prank, isn't it?"
The black mask dismissed it casually.
"Haha… I see."
Serinu sweated bullets, forcing a bright smile.
He knew everything.
The Guild was behind it all—and he brushed it off as a prank.
That confidence wasn't baseless.
She'd seen it herself; his words rang true.
Humiliating, undeniable fault—she had no choice but to endure.
Ignoring his demands further was impossible now.
With everything exposed, handing over the priests changed little.
Best to comply for now.
"Understood. The two priests and the elf are yours."
They were doomed anyway.
And while elves were rare, the Guild could procure them if motivated.
No great loss from their perspective.
"No."
What?
Serinu looked puzzled at the black mask.
But his response was unexpected.
"Everything up for auction this time. All of it."
His gesture indicated the beginning.
"I want it all."