Chapter 799: The Dungeon’s Mana
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 799: The Dungeon’s Mana
It was a blessing in disguise that Matilda had been in a position where she was never in any real danger.
Her role was to protect the rear guard, but thanks to my aggro-drawing abilities, monsters rarely ever targeted the back line in the first place.
Besides, even in the one-in-a-million chance a monster did aim for the rear, Sara or Diana were always there to intercept it, finishing it off long before it could ever reach Matilda’s position.
In other words, Matilda had essentially been acting as an insurance policy, with almost nothing to do.
And when we hunted alone, I only had her act as a healer.
I hadn’t intentionally placed her in that position, but it truly was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
Of course, that was probably how Matilda had managed to hide her rejection symptoms from me for so long.
“Hah… Matilda. You…”
I let out a deep sigh, unsure of where to even begin with her.
“…I just wanted to be by your side. I wanted to be helpful. Even if I haven’t been of much help so far…”
Matilda flinched at the sound of my sigh but still managed to mumble those words.
Her voice was like she was making an excuse, and she still couldn’t meet my eyes.
No, I get it. I knew she did it because she liked me so much, that it was all for my sake. That’s precisely why I was at a loss for what to say.
Just interrogating her didn’t feel right, did it?
“Hah. Alright. Well, at the very least, it seems like your feelings for me won’t just vanish when your curse is lifted.”
“…Pardon?”
And so, I decided to start with that, scratching my head.
My words seemed to have taken Matilda by complete surprise. She snapped her head up, her eyes finally meeting mine.
I looked at her and offered a small smile, continuing in a slightly more playful tone.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it? I can’t really know for sure, but that pressure must be immense, right? For you to endure all that just to stay with me means you must like me a whole lot. Do you really think all those feelings will just disappear once the curse is gone?”
After all, Matilda had always harbored the fear that her feelings for me were nothing more than a product of the curse.
She hadn’t shown any signs of it lately, but I was sure that anxiety still lingered in a corner of her heart.
“Ah… Y-You… you remembered…”
“Hey, that’s a little harsh, don’t you think? Did you really think I’d forget something that important? Of course, I remember. What a thing to say.”
“Eek…!”
Heh. Even I have to admit, that was pretty cool of me. Don’t fall for me, Matilda. Oh, wait, you already have?
I wondered if she was about to enter her pink mode again, but this time, she didn’t.
Instead, with tears welling up in her eyes, Matilda threw herself into my arms and buried her face in my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her lightly, gently stroking her hair with one hand.
Perhaps the reason Matilda had gone to such lengths to stay with me was because of that very anxiety.
The fear that once the curse was gone, her feelings for me might disappear with it.
Of course, I had boasted that I would make her fall for me all over again even if her feelings vanished, but that probably hadn’t been enough to completely erase her fear that everything she felt now might be lost.
That must be why she tried to stay by my side, to continue nurturing her feelings for me.
It might even be the reason she sometimes entered her pink mode in the dungeon, even though she could now control it if she put her mind to it.
And perhaps, what I just said had finally eased that anxiety she held in the corner of her heart.
No, it might not have vanished completely, but I’m sure her heart felt a little lighter. I wanted to believe so.
“Diana, the dungeon’s mana is particularly hard for priests to endure, right?”
I asked, stroking Matilda’s head reassuringly as I looked over at Diana, who was standing awkwardly to the side.
“Mm. If my deductions are correct, the mana enveloping the dungeon is likely that of a Demon God. And the bodies of priests are reconstructed to more easily accept the Goddess’s mana—that is, divine power. The higher their level, the more pronounced this becomes. Thus, I believe the higher a priest’s level, the stronger their rejection of the dungeon. Indeed, one sees fewer and fewer priests as one descends to the lower layers.”
As I thought, Diana had reached the same conclusion.
But if that theory was true, it raised a few questions.
“I’d think my essence is a power just as close to the Goddess’s mana as a priest’s divine power, if not more so.”
Right. If the Goddess’s mana was the cause of the rejection, then the person who should be having the strongest reaction was none other than me.
“Hmm… I see. Perhaps that is why the Goddess has been bringing people from other dimensions all this time. People just like you.”
In response to my question, Diana placed a hand on her chin, lost in thought for a moment before offering her answer.
“Meaning?”
“That a human from a completely different dimension, like yourself—one untouched by the hands of either the Goddess or the Demon God—might be capable of adapting to any kind of mana. You did say you had no mana at all before becoming a Saint, did you not?”
Ah, I see. So that’s what she meant.
It was certainly a persuasive argument.
There were more than enough of the Goddess’s followers in this world.
She could have easily selected one of this world’s inhabitants, made them a Saint, and sent them into the dungeon without any issue.
The fact that she went out of her way to bring me from another world, grant me her power to become a Saint, and direct me toward the dungeon must mean there was a very good reason for it.
And Diana was suggesting that the reason lay in my adaptability to mana.
A body that had no mana to begin with, and could therefore adapt to both the Goddess’s mana and the Demon God’s mana.
A body that, despite becoming a Saint through the Goddess’s power, could traverse the dungeon overflowing with a Demon God’s mana without any problems.
It definitely made sense.
“Huh? No, wait a minute. Then what about Leia?”
“Mm. That is a question for me as well.”
Leia was a Gumiho. And according to my theory, the Gumiho were a race from the era of the War God.
But Leia’s body was imbued with divine power, and at the same time, she could navigate the dungeon without any trouble.
Of course, Leia probably wasn’t a pure-blood Gumiho.
Thousands of years had passed since the era of the War God gave way to the era of the Goddess.
Naturally, her bloodline would have mixed with various other races over the generations, and the blood of the races created by the Goddess would likely be dominant.
Leia was simply an individual in whom the Gumiho traits manifested most strongly.
Besides, the Gumiho as a race were shrouded in mystery to begin with.
Seeing how she was consumed by instinct, and her ability to kill people through sex, the Gumiho were definitely a race from the War God’s era.
But at the same time, some of the Gumiho’s abilities seemed like they were granted by the Goddess.
In particular, they bore too many resemblances to Succubi, the race I believed to contain the most of the Goddess’s traits.
Could it be that the Gumiho were a race created in the period between the War God’s era and the Goddess’s era, possessing the traits of both deities?
No. Even if that were true, it didn’t solve the mystery.
A body that could adapt to both the Goddess’s mana and the War God’s mana.
That was a body perfectly optimized for a Saint.
If the Goddess brought me from another world to be the Saint because of my mana adaptability, then she could have just made Leia the Saint instead. There would have been no need for me.
Plus, Leia was devoutly faithful, making her the perfect candidate for a Saint.
Ah, was it because she couldn’t control the Gumiho’s power?
Before she met me, Leia certainly couldn’t control her power, to the point where she had killed people through sex.
No, she didn’t even know what her power was, or why people died when they had sex with her.
Is that why the Goddess chose me from another world?
It wasn’t an impossible theory, but something about it just didn’t sit right with me.
“Lady Diana.”
As I was lost in thought, Vanessa’s voice suddenly came from behind me.
“Someone from the Arachne Clan has arrived. They say they have something important to discuss.”
Even though she could clearly see me and Matilda, Vanessa’s gaze was fixed solely on Diana as she spoke, not even sparing us a glance.
Come to think of it, she didn’t even come out to greet us when Matilda and I returned to the mansion earlier.
Even though she must have known we were back.
Could she still be sulking over what happened that night?
“For me?”
“…For the Saviors Clan.”
Diana, seeming to notice as well, deliberately asked the question. After a slight pause, Vanessa finally shot a quick glance in my direction and replied.
Well, it had been about two weeks, but we hadn’t seen each other face-to-face since then.
I obviously hadn’t done anything to smooth things over with her, so it wasn’t strange that she was still holding a grudge.
“Are you still sulking?”
“I am not sulking.”
“Then what’s with the attitude? Are you just embarrassed to see my face because you’re thinking about that time?”
“…Lady Alicia is waiting in the reception room.”
Seriously? She was just embarrassed?
If you’re going to be embarrassed, at least act the part, you punk. Maybe blush a little or something.
“…Ah, right. Alicia.”
Of all the times for her to show up.
Then again, it seemed she was here on business, which probably meant there had been some progress in the dungeon.
The timing was just awful, though.
“We’re a little busy right now, so could you tell her to go back for now? We’ll visit her later…”
“No. Let’s go.”
Finishing my conversation with Matilda was the priority.
With that in mind, I tried to send Alicia away, but Matilda, who had been burying her face in my chest, shook her head and spoke.
“What? But…”
“It’s alright. I’m sure she’s here about the dungeon, isn’t she?”
As she spoke, Matilda lifted her head. Her eyes, which had been filled with tears just moments ago, were now clear and focused as she looked at me.
I think this every time, but this girl’s mental fortitude is truly on another level.
Then again, you’d have to be mentally tough to take on someone else’s curse and endure it in your own body.
“Alright. Lead the way.”
And so, we followed Vanessa to the reception room to find out what Alicia had come for.
“Yo.”
When we arrived, we found Alicia sitting demurely, drinking tea.
Yes. Tea, not beer. And demurely, at that.
What’s more, instead of her usual revealing armor, Alicia was wearing something that looked like a dress.
“……”
“……”
The moment I saw her, I instinctively turned my gaze to Vanessa.
Vanessa. The reason you completely ignored me and only spoke to Diana earlier… was it because Alicia showed up looking like this?
I threw the question at her with my eyes, and Vanessa subtly averted her gaze, feigning ignorance.
It seemed that was indeed part of the reason.
“…If you have something to say, just say it.”
And, obviously, Alicia had seen the entire silent exchange.
Well, she probably didn’t know what we were communicating with our eyes, but she must have sensed that something was off.
“No, just… you look pretty.”
I said nonchalantly to Alicia, who was making a sour face.
The instant I did, the expressions of every woman in the room soured simultaneously.
Okay, I get Diana, Matilda, and Vanessa. They’d be jealous.
But what’s your problem, Alicia?! I just complimented you!
“Is that how much you think it doesn’t suit me?! You’re the one who said I could seduce any man if I just acted a little more feminine!”
“Hey! I was complimenting you! And you! Seriously! Ugh! It’s not like you came here to seduce me, right?!”
Did she come here to assassinate me?!
The glares from my girls just got sharper!
If she’s trying to get me killed by proxy, it’s a perfect plan!
“O-Of course not! What kind of thing is that to say?! You bastard! A bastard like you, I wouldn’t even… this much…!”
“Alright! I get it, so let’s drop it! What did you come here for?”
Seeing Alicia’s strange reaction to my words, I instinctively knew that if this conversation went any further, I would die.
At the hands of my own party members, no less.
I hastily cut her off and decided to get to the main topic.
…Anyway, this one. She acted all tough, but I guess she still has feelings for me after all.