Chapter 159: Strategy(4)
Chapter 159: Strategy(4)
It was the Goddess's Sanctuary.
The priests had been delayed, arriving later than scheduled due to an unexpected problem.
They went to the Goddess to report on what had transpired.
“I believe I told you to bring the heroes. Why are you here alone?”
“Well…”
Tina, the head priestess, explained everything to the Goddess, one detail at a time.
With every word, the Goddess's brow furrowed. It was a look unbecoming of her divine title.
The Goddess had always presented a gentle facade to her followers.
But now, she couldn't contain her anger. And for good reason.
“Did he really… did he really say that if I had business with him, I should come to him myself?”
“...Yes.”
“And the hero? Did she permit such nonsense? She couldn't have. That's it! The hero wasn't there. That vile Kerry must have spouted that rubbish on his own.”
“...The, the hero was there as well. Moreover… she seemed to be watching Sir Kerry's reactions… I apologize for bearing such ill news, my Goddess!”
“…”
The Goddess, stunned, bit her finger.
No matter how strained their relationship was, she couldn't believe that the upright hero would have allowed such a thing.
‘Kerry. Was it a mistake to summon that man to this world?’
No. He was necessary, so she had summoned him despite the risks.
Kerry's insolent attitude was infuriating, but removing him was not an option.
Besides, the past was no longer important. A more pressing matter was at hand.
“Hurry. Prepare a carriage. I will go myself.”
The priests tried to dissuade her, arguing it would diminish her authority, but the Goddess would not listen.
What did authority matter? What did saving face matter?
Her daughter was desperately waiting for her mother.
*
‘Someone must be talking about me. My ears are burning.’
Kerry continued to feign collapse as he discreetly surveyed the dungeon.
The inside of the dungeon was in an absolute panic.
Of course, he had expected the party to worry if he collapsed, but this was a bit much.
“I'm… I'm fine… everyone…”
He kept repeating that he was hurt but okay, but his words weren't getting through at all.
For fuck's sake. Listen when the patient is talking!
Natasha was practically having a seizure, screaming for someone to do something, and while Victoria appeared calm at a glance, her pupils were trembling violently.
She even spouted some nonsense about Kerry needing to psyche himself up.
Arwen just stood beside him, tears streaming down her face.
And even Lina, the one he'd counted on…
“Saintess! What are you doing! Hurry up and do something!”
“…”
Lina was berating the Saintess, whom she despised, all for Kerry's sake.
He appreciated the sentiment, but it would have been nice if she'd at least listened to him say he was okay.
‘I feel so bad about this.’
He hadn't expected the party to fall into such a massive panic. He had to get the situation under control, and fast.
It was then.
“Will you all calm down!”
The one who shouted and surprisingly brought order to the chaos was the old hag. Was she finally going to start pulling her weight?
“A comrade has merely collapsed, not died! How do you expect to accomplish anything great if you fly into a panic over something like this?”
“But… but, Grandmother… my husband… hic…”
“Kerry is telling you he's fine, isn't he, Natasha!”
Nice one, old hag! At least someone was listening to me.
He couldn't miss this chance.
Kerry issued a command to Ego.
‘Ego. From now on, repeat my words through the Saintess's mouth.’
[Understood, Master.]
At Kerry's command, the Saintess, who had been silent until now, finally moved.
“The elder is right. You all know perfectly well that causing a scene won't improve Kerry's condition, don't you?”
The party finally began to calm down.
But their eyes were still filled with worry for Kerry.
A glimmer of hope appeared, a belief that if the Saintess was speaking this way, she must have a solution.
The Grandmother, who was standing nearby, spoke to the Saintess.
“Saintess, do you know what caused Kerry to collapse? This old woman has examined him… but I cannot determine the cause.”
Of course she doesn't. There is no cause.
But he couldn't reveal that. Kerry spoke through the Saintess.
“This is likely a curse cast by the dungeon's boss. It is so subtle that even I only noticed it belatedly. I am truly ashamed of myself as the Saintess.”
“A curse so subtle that even I, a great shaman, couldn't detect it… How insidious…”
Lina asked with a worried face.
“It must be because your powers are weakened, Saintess.”
So Lina knew the Saintess was weaker. There was no need to hide it now.
“…That is certainly a factor. If I were at my full strength, breaking a curse like this would be no problem. But as the hero said… I am not in a normal state right now.”
“Then… Sir Kerry is…!”
The moment the Saintess spoke negatively, the party plunged back into panic.
Kerry, speaking through the Saintess's mouth, could only sigh internally.
“Please, calm down. That's not what I meant. I simply meant that it will take time.”
“Is there a way, Saintess?”
Lina, who was the most composed of them all, asked. But even her expression was dead serious.
“It will take time… but it is a curse I can certainly dispel. However, I need a safe place where I can focus on the ritual, Hero.”
“That shouldn't be a problem. Then I will guide you to a safe…”
That was a problem. If Lina chose the location, the whole reason he'd orchestrated this would be lost.
“No. I will choose the location myself. Fortunately, it seems Lady Elena has sensed Sir Kerry's crisis and is guiding me.”
In this absurd other world, name-dropping the Goddess was a very convenient way out of a tight spot.
“Is that so? What a relief. Then I will leave it to you, Saintess.”
“Yes.”
With that, he had secured a reason to go to the location of the Archmage's remains.
Thanks to the Goddess's Eye, Kerry had a clear view of the dungeon's layout. He could see all sorts of information in detail.
Thanks to that, he also knew the location of the hidden reward.
Kerry traveled on Natasha's back. She walked on, sniffling.
Natasha's steps were careful, as if she were carrying a precious treasure.
Grateful for her consideration, Kerry whispered softly to her.
“Thank you, Natasha.”
Natasha roughly wiped her tears with her hand and said,
“Compared to everything you've done for me, husband, this is nothing.”
“…”
Monsters attacked them as they moved.
Was it because Kerry wasn't there to command them?
Or was it because seeing Kerry fall had shaken the heroes' resolve?
Their response was more frantic than before, and the battle was a complete mess.
However, perhaps because they were monsters they had fought before, there were no serious injuries.
‘I need to get that pendant, and fast.’
The true challenge of this dungeon was the boss.
Not the traps, not the mobs. The boss's very existence was what made this dungeon Legendary-grade.
The Saintess guided them along the path Kerry dictated.
“Lady Elena says it should be safe around here.”
Kerry scanned the area. The Archmage's remains were here.
According to the lore, they shouldn't be hidden in a particularly difficult spot.
The Archmage had been betrayed by his comrades and unceremoniously abandoned.
He had entered to defeat the dungeon's evil boss, only to be murdered by the hands of his fellow humans.
“Sir Kerry. For now, please don't worry about clearing the dungeon and focus on recovering. I will take care of everything else.”
Lina, noticing Kerry glancing around, asked with a worried expression.
She assumed he was observing his surroundings for the sake of the dungeon crawl.
‘Lina. Don't look at me like that. It's making my conscience ache.’
Kerry continued to act sick. Natasha gave Kerry a lap pillow and stroked his hair.
He could see the worry filling Natasha's eyes.
‘I really do feel so sorry.’
But it couldn't be helped right now. This was the only way to halt the party's terrifyingly reckless advance.
“Saintess, please hurry and check on Sir Kerry's condition…”
“I understand, Hero.”
Before starting the "treatment," Kerry made a request to Natasha.
“Natasha, could you take a look around? You never know what you might find in a dungeon…”
Lina cut Kerry off.
“Sir Kerry! You need to focus on your treatment right now. I will give separate orders for scouting, so for now, just think about your health. Saintess, please begin Sir Kerry's treatment at once.”
“…”
The party members, who had been sitting worriedly around Kerry, scattered.
Leaving only the Saintess, who was pretending to heal him.
‘They should be able to find it now. If the lore is correct.’
Kerry hoped the party would find something.
During training, he had instructed them never to overlook even the smallest traces.
Like skeletal remains, for example. In a dungeon, the traces of those who came before were crucial information.
It wasn't long before Natasha spoke up.
“There are skeletal remains here in the bushes!”
At her words, Lina approached her.
“Remains? We should check them out.”
“You don't even need to look to know they aren't ordinary remains… Something… the energy feels strange!”
“Not ordinary? What do you mean?”
Victoria also headed toward Natasha. She examined the remains in detail.
Victoria nodded and said,
“...These are the remains of someone who reached a state of mastery in life. The remains of those who were exceptional in life continue to radiate mana like this, even after so much time has passed.”
“I see.”
“It seems they were an adventurer who entered this dungeon, just like us. They must have been incredibly skilled when they were alive… but their end was truly pathetic.”
The Archmage's remains had been discarded wretchedly.
Only a tattered mage's robe remained on the bony corpse. They couldn't even tell where the left arm had gone.
“How pitiful. They threw themselves into this dungeon to conquer it… only to be betrayed by their comrades in the end. The holes in the clothing are not from a monster, but from a sword. They were most likely stabbed from behind.”
“…”
Lina gazed at the Archmage's remains with pity, but soon shook her head.
“…We don't have time to worry about remains right now.”
That won't do. Kerry raised his hand.
The Archmage's remains had to be properly laid to rest. That was the condition for the hidden reward.
“The usual Lina would have been the first to suggest we bury the remains… It seems you don't have the peace of mind for that right now. Is it because of me? I suppose I don't even need to ask. It's definitely because of me.”
“…Sir Kerry.”
“I'm fine, Lina. Honestly, you're all worrying so much it's becoming a burden. To me, it just feels like I'm a little anemic.”
“In a dungeon, even the smallest wound must be tended to, Sir Kerry.”
“Yes, I know that well. But the Saintess is looking after me, so I'll be fine. Please, bury the remains. That person might have entered this dungeon with noble intentions.”
“…”
Lina seemed to contemplate it for a moment, then nodded.
“If you insist, Sir Kerry, then I understand. However… you must focus on your treatment.”
Kerry nodded. Success! He had finally fulfilled the quest's condition.
The party began to dig a hole to inter the remains.
For superhumans who could wield mana, digging a grave large enough for a person was no trouble at all.
In an instant, the remains were interred. A small grave had been made for the Archmage.
After burying the remains, the party, without any prompting from Kerry, stood before the grave in a moment of silence, honoring the Archmage's spirit.
‘They really are good women.’
It was at that moment. A fierce wind suddenly whipped up around the party.
Whoooosh—
Everyone squinted against the harsh wind. Then, a spirit unlike any ordinary ghost appeared.
It was a translucent, white specter. Dressed in a mage's robe and hat, it had a dignified presence.
The Archmage, in his spectral form, gave a bright smile and then vanished.
Seeing this, Lina murmured softly.
“…Have you found peace?”
A soul that should have been bound to the dungeon had been comforted and passed on.
But that wasn't the end of it.
A fist-sized ball of light rose from the grave they had just made.
The light floated toward Lina.
Sensing no hostility from the light, Lina held out her hand.
The light vanished. In its place, a single pendant rested in Lina's hand.
It was the Archmage's Pendant.
‘It finally dropped!’
After all that trouble, he had finally obtained the item he was aiming for.
The Archmage's Pendant was in Lina's hand, but Kerry had no doubt she would hand it over once the party learned of its purpose.
‘Lina. You know how I feel, right? I worked my ass off to get that, you know? If you don't give it to me, I'm seriously gonna be pissed.’
Outwardly, of course, Kerry remained calm.
Lina stared at the pendant in her hand. Then, her eyes widened.
She had been greatly startled when Kerry collapsed, but fundamentally, Lina was a calm and composed person.
Yet that same Lina was now shocked, all from looking at the small pendant in her hand.
“…I see. So this is where it came from.”
Lina clutched the pendant tightly with both hands. This pendant had meaning.
Because it was the pendant always worn by the man called the Ruler of Mana.
The man whose face she could never see.