Chapter 373: I Am Very Capable
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 373: I Am Very Capable
The process of joining forces went more smoothly than Muen had imagined.
In truth, although most of the participants harbored significant grudges against one another—some hadn't even had the chance to avenge the humiliation of having their backsides groped not long ago—everyone understood one thing: if they wanted to obtain the true treasures of these ruins and earn further rewards from the Church, they had to pass through the Golden Gate before them.
Until that was achieved, all infighting was utterly meaningless.
Thus, under Freya’s persistent persuasion, more than half of the group chose to stay and work together to crack the seal on the Golden Gate.
Of course, those actually capable of doing the work were only the few recognized experts in magic, alchemy, and ancient arrays.
The others were tasked with guarding against potential accidents. Well... that was the official phrasing, but in reality, they were just standing around watching. After all, raw physical strength was of little use in a situation like this.
Still, as long as they didn't cause trouble, it was the best possible outcome for this loose alliance of people, each harboring their own hidden agendas.
*
"Please sign this."
"What is it?"
Muen looked with surprise at the cold, noble Platinum Princess standing before him and the pitch-black document she held out.
"It is a Death Contract Document."
"A Death Contract Document..."
Muen’s eyebrows shot up. He was no longer the ignorant youth he had been six months ago; he immediately recognized what a Death Contract Document entailed.
It was a type of compulsory contract. Once signed, any participant who violated the rules laid out within would suffer a severe penalty.
It was similar to the Divine Contracts commonly used by believers, but the enforcer of a Death Contract Document was not a distant, ethereal deity, but rather a terrifying curse embedded within the document itself.
Feeling the distinct, icy chill emanating from the paper against his fingertips, Muen couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end.
"To think you’d bring out something like this..."
Muen paused for a moment, then quickly realized something. He looked Margarita in the eye. "You don't trust Freya?"
Muen remembered that this Platinum Princess was also highly accomplished in magic and was one of the candidates responsible for cracking the gate.
"I don't trust you, either," Margarita replied expressionlessly, her eyes filled with a coldness that kept everyone at a distance.
There was also a faint, lingering trace of anger.
...It seemed his previous indiscriminate verbal attacks had indeed offended her.
Forcing his gaze not to wander—lest he cause secondary emotional damage—Muen began to carefully read the terms of the Death Contract Document.
The general gist was that during the period the gate was being cracked, no one was allowed to attack each other. The clauses were meticulously drafted. Muen thought it over for a while, and after confirming there were no loopholes, he skillfully used an elegant, aristocratic cursive to sign his name at the end of the long list of signatures.
Then came Liya. Out of her absolute trust in Muen, she didn't even look at the terms before signing her name.
The others around Muen followed suit.
"The contract is sealed."
As the final name was signed, the Death Contract Document suddenly floated into the air. Orange flames flickered, slowly consuming the parchment.
At the same time, Muen felt something cold and clammy, like a venomous snake, coil around his neck, bringing with it a faint, lingering threat of death.
"Decapitation, is it? I doubt even the Church could save us before our heads hit the floor."
Muen rubbed his neck and suddenly called out to Margarita as she was turning to leave. "Wait a moment."
"Is there something else?"
"Regarding what was said earlier... what do you think?"
"What was said earlier?" A hint of confusion appeared on Margarita’s sharp features. "Are you referring to..."
"Stop pretending." Muen remained expressionless. "That knight of yours was eavesdropping on my conversation with Freya the whole time. I don't believe for a second he didn't tell you what we talked about."
"Whistle, whistle, whistle~"
To the side, Paul began whistling a tuneless melody, looking up at the sky as if there were some rare specimen on the ceiling worth studying.
"..."
Margarita shot him a fierce glare, then fell silent for a moment before saying, "I don't have any particular thoughts. We do what needs to be done. Regardless, that isn't the only way."
"You're quite easygoing about this," Muen said with a wry smile.
"Easygoing?" Margarita pointed to the side. "Look over there. That Saintess Candidate is practically asleep!"
Muen turned his head and saw that Miss Fei'er had indeed sneaked off into a corner to take a nap.
"..." Muen’s mouth twitched, unsure of what to say.
And people said he was the one slacking off? Clearly, someone was even better at coasting than he was!
"Besides, even if we set aside all the nonsense..." Margarita took a deep look at the Golden Gate and suddenly spoke with deep meaning. "To this day, we still don't know exactly what it is that's waiting for us to 'save' it."
*
"Muen."
After Margarita left, Liya habitually gave Muen’s sleeve a gentle tug.
"Is the condition for becoming the Saintess truly to save this country invaded by an Evil God? Just with us..."
"What, are you afraid?"
"No." Liya suddenly lowered her head shyly, her hands twisting the fabric of her skirt. "No... I’m just a little uneasy. It sounds a bit silly, but in all my years as a Saintess Candidate, I’ve... I’ve never actually saved anyone. I can't compare to the other Saintesses at all. Especially Miss Freya—I heard she resolved a plague and saved tens of thousands of people..."
"Losing your confidence again?"
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, Muen reached out and gave Liya’s head a gentle pat.
"Don't worry. In truth, your years of hard study are no different from what Freya did."
"Eh?"
"The more capable you are, the more profound your knowledge, the more people you can save once you become the Saintess. Just like your Saintess Teacher—she can save a dying patient just by naming a few medicinal ingredients. That’s impossible without years of rigorous study."
"So, regardless of what the true conditions for becoming the Saintess are, or which path you must take, what you need to do now is believe in yourself. Believe in the person you have been for the last ten years."
"Your path was already paved during those ten years."
Listening to Muen’s deep, mellow voice, Liya looked up. Feeling the warmth radiating from his palm, a myriad of colors seemed to bloom in the depths of her eyes.
"Go on." Muen looked at her, offering his usual reassuring and gentle smile. "From this moment on, make them remember your name."
"Yes."
*
Liya walked up to the majestic Golden Gate.
There were no decorations on the gate; it looked like silent, molten iron. However, Liya could clearly feel the biting killing intent hidden behind that icy exterior.
Countless complex matrices, structures, alchemical inscriptions, and magic patterns filled this deathly silent gate. A single misstep during the cracking process would trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
The mildest result of such a reaction... would likely be everyone being buried alive.
As for the worst-case scenario... if the person who built this gate was ruthless enough, the complex mechanical structure might even prevent them from being teleported away by their spatial scrolls.
The pressure was imaginable.
"Don't drag me down."
Liya blinked and looked at the person beside her.
It was a tall, thin man wearing the robes of a mage from the Tower of Origins. A golden badge was pinned to his chest, and his sidelong glance was full of arrogance.
Narishigi of the Revelation School.
As a magical sect that studied astrology and the laws of all things, cracking various mechanisms was their specialty. As the leading figure of this generation’s Revelation School, Narishigi naturally had the right to be proud in this field.
Normally, with Liya’s personality, she wouldn't have said anything in response.
But this time...
"I won't drag you down," Liya said, looking Narishigi in the eye as she seriously countered him. "I am very capable."
Having said her piece, she ignored the stunned Narishigi. Liya took a deep breath, cleared her mind of all distractions, and was the first to place her hands upon the cold gate.