Chapter 390: The Assist (2-in-1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 390: The Assist (2-in-1)
"Are... are we really going up there?"
At the foot of the hill, Ellag felt as small as an ant as he gazed up at the stairs that seemed to stretch into infinity. He shrank back instinctively.
"Don't you think this is a bit risky? If Freya corners us up there, we'll have nowhere to run, won't we?"
The giant tower was perched atop a massive hill, and the only path to the summit appeared to be this single, narrow flight of stairs.
If Freya caught up and attacked them from behind while they were on the hill, Muen probably couldn't save them all even if he sprouted two extra pairs of wings.
"No, I don't think Freya is going to chase us anymore," Muen said.
"Eh? Why? Isn't she obsessed with you and Miss Liya?"
"The reason... is mostly my intuition."
"Huh? Intuition? Is now really the time to rely on something so unreliable? If you ask me, we should find a place to hide, wait for the Death Contract Document to expire, and then find a way to rescue the other Saintess Candidates. Teaming up to face Freya would be much safer."
Ellag found Muen’s explanation and behavior utterly absurd.
They were supposed to be escaping, yet they were heading to such a conspicuous location. It was no different from lighting a bonfire in a forest full of magical beasts and shouting, "I'm over here!"
Was he worried the enemy's methods weren't cruel enough, or was he just in a hurry to die?
Muen didn't say anything more. He simply shook his head and stepped onto the stairs, beginning the ascent.
Liya followed behind Muen without a moment's hesitation. She trusted him completely; she didn't even feel the need to ask for a reason.
Seeing this, Ellag’s cheek twitched. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and, lugging the hundred-plus-pound deadweight on his back, laboriously stepped onto the stairs.
*
Half an hour later.
"D-Dammit..."
By the time the noble mage Ellag scrambled onto the final step using both hands and feet, he was panting like a dying dog. He deeply regretted not learning any physical enhancement magic and wished, just for a moment, that he was a "crude" martial artist instead.
"Are... are you alright?" Liya asked worriedly. "Do you need me to use Holy Light to help you recover your strength?"
"No... no need."
Ellag waved her off. "I've already made it up. You should save your strength, Miss Liya. I just need a moment to catch my breath."
Though a mage's physical stamina was poor, at least casting magic didn't require much physical effort.
"Mr. Ellag is working hard too," Liya said with a gentle smile.
"Sigh, with a great enemy before us, I can't exactly sleep as peacefully as this woman, can I?"
With a miserable sigh, Ellag suddenly recalled the previous events. He punched the ground hard and said hatefully, "It's all that bastard Freya's fault. She's a Saintess Candidate, yet she colluded with an Evil God to murder her companions. She’s pure evil! To think I actually trusted her!"
"Something like that... no one could have predicted it."
Mentioning this made Liya’s expression darken.
She had told Muen before that she actually admired that girl—the one who had saved so many people and was called the one closest to the seat of the Saintess.
But looking back now, the person she admired had conspired with an Evil God, harmed her comrades, and woven a conspiracy. She had become a total villain.
"But... why would Freya do that? She’s a Saintess Candidate. What could she possibly gain from colluding with an Evil God? Don't you think so, Muen... Muen?"
Liya looked to Muen for an answer, only to find that he had "gone offline." He wasn't listening at all.
Pouting, Liya tugged on Muen’s sleeve.
"Ah, sorry. I was spacing out a bit."
Muen snapped back to reality and scratched his head apologetically.
Liya blinked, curious. "You've seemed out of it for a while now. What are you thinking about?"
"Mm, just taking a moment to review the details from earlier."
"Details?"
"Just a post-battle debrief in my head. It's nothing. Besides..."
Muen turned to look not far away, his expression gradually turning solemn. "Now isn't the time to be thinking about that stuff anyway."
Having reached the top of the stairs, the entrance to the giant tower stood before them.
But upon seeing the so-called "entrance," even Muen—who prided himself on being as steady as an old dog in a crisis—couldn't help but feel his lip twitch.
...Another door?
And just like the one in the crypt, it was a solemn, imposing gate that clearly couldn't be broken through with brute force.
Did the people of this world love these kinds of doors so much? In a video game, this was the kind of door that would trigger a "This path is blocked" message, making players gnash their teeth in frustration.
No... this was the type where you'd work your ass off to solve a puzzle to open it, only to be instantly killed by the boss hiding behind it.
A Prisoner wasn't going to pop out again, was he?
He felt like he was developing door-related PTSD.
"Liya, sorry," Muen said, patting her head.
"It's okay. This is what I should do."
Liya gave him a reassuring smile and walked to the gate without hesitation. She could sense that Muen had grasped some key information, so... she couldn't afford to be a burden.
With a look of determination in her eyes, Liya’s hands glowed with a faint light. She placed them expertly on the gate and began the decryption process.
However... after a few seconds, Liya’s expression turned to disappointment.
It wasn't that the gate was more complex than the last one; it was that no matter how she analyzed it, nothing happened. The entire gate felt as if it had been welded shut.
"This door... it won't open?"
Liya grew anxious. If they couldn't even get through the door, then...
"Huh?"
Just as she was frantically searching for a solution, Liya suddenly froze. She slowly turned her head toward Muen and the others.
"What's wrong?"
"Um..."
Liya tilted her head, as if listening to something. "Do you... do you hear a strange sound?"
"A sound?"
Muen paused and listened intently, then shook his head. "Aside from the sound of the 'elite' Lady Fei'er drooling and talking in her sleep, I don't hear a thing."
"Could it be another trap?" Ellag looked around warily, terrified that more Demon Hounds would suddenly leap out.
"No, there's definitely a sound. I couldn't have misheard it. The sound is... it's..."
Liya held her breath, filtering out the chaotic sounds of the wind, their breathing, and their heartbeats. Finally, that ethereal, somewhat familiar voice became clear:
"Save... save me..."
"Save us..."
"It hurts so much... save us..."
This was...
Liya’s lips parted slightly.
Was it the mournful cries of the fragmented souls inside those monsters from before?
No, that wasn't it...
This voice seemed to be... a dream.
Yes, it was the same noisy, collective plea for help from many people that she had heard in her dreams on her first night in this Lost Homeland!
And now, it wasn't a dream. It was reality!
Liya quickly explained this to Muen.
Muen frowned upon hearing her. "A plea for help that only Liya can hear... No, that's not right."
Muen glanced at Fei'er, who was currently mumbling in her sleep: "What's all the racket, you bastard... let a lady sleep..."
It wasn't that only Liya could hear it; it was that only a Saintess Candidate could hear it!
"Is the sound coming from inside the door?" Muen asked suddenly.
Liya pressed her ear against the gate, but she quickly pulled away. Her small head darted back and forth; though her ears didn't actually move, she reminded him of a wary little fennec fox.
"The sound isn't coming from inside the door. It's... that way."
Liya pointed in a specific direction.
Muen’s eyes lit up. He locked eyes with Liya and said without hesitation, "Let's go. Lead us toward the sound!"
Abandoning the gate, they followed Liya’s guidance, circling around the giant tower until they reached the edge of the hill.
Below them was a sheer cliff, much higher than they had imagined. Only a few jagged rocks protruded from the face, making it look extremely treacherous.
Ellag took a cautious peek over the edge, his face turning pale. "We... we aren't going down there, are we?"
"Yes," Liya nodded. "The sound is coming from below."
Muen thought for a moment and then crouched down. "Liya, get on my back."
"Eh?"
Liya was stunned for a second before realizing what Muen intended. Her cheeks flushed, but she obediently climbed onto his back.
As those slender, soft hands wrapped around his neck, Muen’s body stiffened slightly.
The sensation against his back was, indeed, wonderful.
Unfortunately, he could only feel the contact on his upper back; he didn't have a free hand to appreciate the curves below.
Just like before, Muen tucked Ellag under one arm and Fei'er under the other. With Liya on his back, he leaped nimbly down the cliffside.
Soon, Muen landed on a small rocky ledge. After setting the others down, he quickly scanned the surroundings.
"Is that... a cave?"
Not far away, in the shadows cast by a protruding rock, a hole about half the height of a person was faintly visible.
As they approached, Liya listened carefully for a moment and said with certainty, "The sound is coming from inside."
Muen narrowed his eyes and began to examine the cave.
It wasn't large—just barely enough for a person to squeeze through—and it looked incredibly deep. It was pitch black, with no end in sight.
Most importantly...
Muen ran his fingers along the edge of the opening. "This cave... it looks man-made."
"Man-made?"
Everyone’s breathing grew heavy.
Since entering the inner region of the Lost Homeland, their biggest question had been: where did the indigenous people of this kingdom go?
And now, it seemed they had finally found a lead.
"Are we going in?"
Ellag poked his head toward the opening, swallowed hard at the sight of the darkness within, and said, "I think we should be cautious. What if it's a trap?"
"A trap..."
Muen, who had just taken a step forward, suddenly pulled back.
"What is it? Did you find something else?" Liya asked nervously.
Muen didn't answer. He simply backed up a few steps to the edge of the platform and looked out into the distance.
"Freya... she really didn't chase us."
From this height, the entire Distorted Flesh Jungle was visible below. It was currently eerily peaceful, with only the bright moon shining down from above.
"Huh? Didn't you say your intuition told you they wouldn't chase?"
"In a situation like this, how could I rely solely on something as unreliable as intuition? Are you stupid?"
"You..."
Ellag’s eye twitched. You bastard, do you even remember what you just said?
On second thought, Ellag decided to let it go. After all, he couldn't win in a fight.
"In short, if Freya were going to chase us, I would have ducked into that cave immediately. But she didn't come."
"Muen, you mean..."
"Don't you think... our escape was a bit too smooth?"
"Eh?" Liya said blankly. "But didn't we escape because of that move you used, Muen?"
"That move was powerful, sure, but I needed the opportunity to use it. I just reviewed the events in my head, and I realized..."
Muen’s expression was grave. "If I were Freya, I would have had half of my controlled puppets attack Muen Campbell immediately instead of backstabbing the others to clear the field. If she had done that, no matter how strong Muen Campbell is, there would have been no chance for a turnaround, let alone escaping right in front of her."
"That..."
Liya thought it over. "Maybe Freya didn't expect you to have a move like that, so she got careless? She did seem like she had everything under control before."
"Careless... huh?"
The image of that face—the one that always seemed to wear a gentle smile—floated through Muen’s mind.
His lips quirked, but he couldn't bring himself to smile.
"So, what you're saying is that Miss Freya let us go on purpose and lured us here?"
"Yes. Based on her behavior, that's a possibility. Of course, there's another possibility."
Muen looked into the distance. "She really was just careless, like Liya said. And the reason she isn't chasing us... is because whatever she's doing right now is more important than catching me."
What exactly Freya—or rather, the Love God—wanted to do in this Lost Homeland was something Muen couldn't ignore.
After all, a scheming bastard like the Love God wouldn't risk sneaking right under the Church's nose just to go sightseeing and experience the local culture.
So...
Muen turned back to the cave.
Now, it was time to choose.
Should he take a gamble on the third, most unlikely possibility and enter the cave?
Or should he do as Ellag suggested: wait for the Death Contract Document to expire, find a way to rescue the other Saintess Candidates, and then join forces to stop the Love God?
"A choice..."
Muen massaged his temples, a headache forming. The root of the problem was a lack of information. If only he could...
"Oh my, young man, you seem to be troubled. If you pray to the Great God of Magic right now, the God of Magic might just answer you~"
Suddenly, a profound, mysterious voice rang out, interrupting Muen’s thoughts.
Muen was silent for a moment. Then, he reached out and slapped the rump of the woman lying on the ground. "Speak like a human," he said coldly.
"I have a way to monitor Freya."
Fei'er, who had woken up at some point, skillfully "followed her heart" under Muen’s particularly icy gaze.
"Monitor?"
"This."
Fei'er tossed a small mirror to Muen. As the clear surface of the mirror rippled, Muen looked into it and saw his own reflection vanish, replaced by several familiar figures.
Freya and her group.
"This is..." Muen’s breathing quickened.
"Hmph."
Fei'er, still lying on the ground, put her hands on her hips and sneered. "You think you can just run away after offending me, a double elite—both a Saintess Candidate and a magical genius? Not that easy! Even if that bitch Freya takes the others to an orgy right now, I'll be able to see her clearly!"
"That's amazing, Fei'er. You really are..."
Muen excitedly reached out to pat Fei'er on the shoulder, and... was promptly sprayed in the face with blood again.
"Anyway, that mirror is my final ripple. The rest is up to you, Mr. Muen."
Fei'er blew Muen a kiss, then promptly "fainted" again before that icy gaze could land on her.
"..."
Muen was silent for a long moment. He called Ellag over. "Take Fei'er and find a safe place to stay for now."
He didn't know if the cave was a trap, and the combined combat power of these two was basically zero. It was better for them to stay away.
"A safe place?"
Ellag looked left and right. In this gods-forsaken place, you could fall off a cliff just by rolling over. He looked up, his face full of the misery of a glorified errand boy. "Do you really think I can climb back up while carrying this deadweight?"
Muen thought about it and wondered if he was exploiting his "tool" a bit too much. He was about to take the two of them up himself when...
"[Levitation]."
As the word was spoken, the two men turned around silently. They saw Liya quietly withdrawing her hand after casting the Levitation spell.
"Tch."
After a brief silence, Ellag muttered "shameless couple" under his breath and used the Levitation magic to float upward with Fei'er.
Muen looked at Liya’s blushing ears but said nothing. He simply gave a relaxed smile and sat down beside her.
Then, he looked down at the mirror in his hand and got down to business.
"Let's see, Freya... what exactly are you planning?"