Chapter: 206
The Elmest Territory has yet to finish its major cleanup. The shadow of the queen still lingers here.
The priests enchanted by the queen have scattered and fled in the aftermath, but thanks to Evil God-chan’s blunder, they have unwittingly provided a rallying point to gather once more.
The holy water, laden with the scent of the queen they once served, acts as a beacon. With this, they believe that the queen’s resurrection will no longer be just a dream.
They began to collect the liquid with the goal of resurrecting the queen. Additionally, they gathered living sacrifices to prepare a new vessel for her.
In this scenario, the Scarred Face Senior and Tear Drop Gay arrived in the Elmest Territory.
“The request was to protect the safety of the siblings living in the Goddess Church of Elmest. When we arrived, they were in decent shape, except for looking a bit underfed. That was a relief.”
The Scarred Face Senior explained the situation to the boy and brought him into the group. Since there was no reason for the corrupted priests to target such a skinny boy, they thought it would be fine to just move somewhere else to pass the time.
“Fine, we’ve run into them directly.”
They incidentally encountered the corrupted priests trying to retrieve information about the queen from the temple.
The corrupted priests aimed to eliminate witnesses. Their plans could not leak outside.
The situation is pretty dire. The one leading the group of corrupted priests was a figure of fable-level strength. Winning in a fight would be ideal, but the risk was just too high.
Moreover, there are two people needing protection. If the boy were to die during the conflict, that would be the definitions of a complete mess.
Therefore, the not-yet-legendary Tear Drop Gay and Scarred Face Senior have decided it was wiser to evade confrontation and focus on hiding and escaping to continue their protection duty.
These veterans attempted escape through various means. They changed their base daily, sometimes disguised their identities, and used money to create confusion for their pursuers.
However, under the increased pressure from the corrupted priests, Tear Drop Gay and the boy willingly became bait. Letting the Scarred Face Senior stay would indeed help in many ways, and it turned out to be true.
The result is as it stands now. Inside a small lodge, the boy’s sister is sound asleep, while the Scarred Face Senior sits on the edge of the bed.
The senior crinkles his nose and says, “I’ve pinpointed the location using ‘Lorey’s possession.’ It appears to be an underground facility; it seems like every dark mage or suspicious character digs a hole underground…”
“Alright, everyone, grab your gear. Let’s go quickly, shall we? Dinner will be when we get back.”
I dusted off my hands and stood up.
Evil God-chan, who had been the last to leave the room, placed her chin on the boy’s sister, then swiftly absorbed the queen’s essence.
We pretended not to see.
===============================================================
Illusion magic is quite convenient. By layering an appearance on like a priest, casting recognition obstructive spells, drawing patterns that make one feel relaxed and drowsy, slight hypnosis, and throwing in some sound effects, infiltration becomes a breeze.
Look at that. The corrupted priests are naturally accepting us, aren’t they?
“If illusion wizards all knew how to use their magic like this, the Purple Tower would have dominated at number one long ago, Mima.”
“If only a magic-computer came out in this world. The moment we enter the information age, the Purple Tower will rule it all.”
“I honestly dread that happening…”
Then, we’d head straight into magic cyberpunk territory. The MegaCorp Purple Tower would complete the empire that rules over the entire world. From media businesses to the Big Brother initiative, it would be flawless.
While I was imagining how Yuna would become the divine king ruling over the entire earth, Evil God-chan smacked my thigh. She’s gotten into the habit of being the one to strike first.
“Do you really think that could happen?”
“Why not? If they have sufficient computational power, isn’t it a given for the Purple Tower to dominate?”
“You’ve never fought against other wizards, have you?”
“…….”
That’s true.
We’ve had no trouble with wizards from other towers suspiciously. Even the greasy professor from the academy has become friendly enough that there’s no reason to fight, and Selbir’s skills don’t match mine.
I’ve seen the famous illusion wizard from the Blue Tower, Baeksul, only indirectly. I’ve never actually crossed spells with him.
“You’d probably cry like a baby if you took even a single hit from hellfire. Illusion magic is about evasion, not defense. When hit, there’s no means to reduce that damage. Without scales, you’d probably burn to ashes in no time.”
Those words carried a strangely emotional tone, leading me to inquire.
“…Is that a personal experience?”
“……..”
Looks like hellfire really hurt.
The fact that illusion magic has no proper means of countering area attacks is certainly fatal. Illusion magic has no physical power.
The holograms I’ve painstakingly created have some physical properties, but they are naturally weaker when compared to the steel walls erected by the Gold Tower.
If you can’t control your opponent in one go, the only conclusion that remains is defeat.
Physical power is needed.
…It’s likely I’m not the only one who’s had this thought. Throughout the lengthy history of the Purple Tower, someone must have been obsessed with the task of materializing illusions. Perhaps desperately so, regardless of method.
I vaguely know that this line of reasoning led to Yuna’s existence. And it has left her with nightmarish memories.
Pat, pat. I gently stroked Yuna’s head.
“………?”
Yuna looked up at me in surprise, wearing an expression of ‘Oh? You’re petting me… why?’ I deflected with a nonchalant “It’s nothing.”
For now, we headed towards the prison. The rescue of the hostages comes first.
These guys didn’t seem to care much about the well-being of the living sacrifices. The prison environment was extremely poor. It was a filthy, foul-smelling place, with dried bloodstains that had not been wiped away.
The prison housed only two occupants: a scraggly little boy and Tear Drop Gay.
I put the guard priest to sleep with a neck grip, then dispelled the illusion magic covering our group and revealed our identities. I greeted them warmly.
“Long time no see, Tear Drop Gay.”
“……?”
Tear Drop Gay considered my words for a moment, then veins popped out on his neck. With a slightly indignant voice, he retorted.
“There’s a monster who reached fable level! What do you expect me to do to not get caught, client? Isn’t it the fault of the requestor for deploying a two-star personnel for this job…?”
“I can beat fables without even attaining my own.”
“…You really haven’t changed, huh?”
While I was busy teasing, Evil God-chan appeared somewhat hesitant. It was like she felt a pricking of conscience creeping up.
It was indeed hard not to feel pity looking at the boy who was dirty and emaciated.
Was she rethinking not to take the unnecessary snot-infested coins from him, and simply heal the boy’s sister instead?
I gave her a little push to help boost the lacking courage within her. Thud! I lightly tapped her back.
“Hey!”
“Agh, hurry and chat! We need to clean up those remnants of our queen and then enjoy the hero festival. What’s so hard about this? Quit stalling.”
“Just because it’s not your job, you’re really…!”
While she bulged her eyes in frustration, perhaps feeling embarrassed by her own hesitation, she boldly approached the prison bars and placed her face against them.
“…Hey, I kept my promise.”
“…Thank you. I prayed every night, so it seems that the goddess has finally granted my wish. So, does that mean my sister will be alright…?”
“Yep, that crazy mage here will fix her up just fine. Now you just need to come out alive. Let’s go.”
“Thank goodness…”
The boy smiled. How should I express that smile? His happiness over having his suffering rewarded was palpable. He got up and kept bowing his head to us.
Then, his eyes met mine.
With black hair and red eyes, alongside the two women by my side, he seemed to recall the factual-based slander he’d heard about Evil God-chan.
That she had become a subject of magical experimentation, or that her body had been toyed with here and there. The boy cautiously asked to clarify.
“Are you, um… the disciple of the Lord of the Purple Tower?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s me. Why?”
“……..”
He hesitated.
It was clear he was wondering whether to ask me not to torment Evil God-chan. The anxiety of thinking if I might retaliate should he say it aloud.
I crouched down to match the boy’s eye level and grinned mischievously, like a perverted magician with a questionable taste.
“Yep, that’s right. I am. Do you want to say something to me?”
“……….”
I wonder if you will be able to muster the courage for the sake of the Evil God-chan who saved you and your family.
“Hey, don’t say it!”
“Ugh!”
Evil God-chan kicked me from her crouched position. Looks like she was telling me to stop teasing. I exaggeratedly fell down as if it hurt.
“Rumbling.”
Crack, crack, crack!
Evil God-chan’s arms were covered in dark scales as she grabbed both prison bars with her hands and applied force. With a horrific sound, the bars bent, creating a gap.
“Come on!”
“Uh, okay…”
The boy awkwardly edged out from the cell. On the inside, Tear Drop Gay was left alone, looking sadly at the bars that seemed a bit narrow for him to fit through.
He looked over as if asking someone to open the prison door, but no one came to help (though Yuna had tried, the only means to widen the bars was through transcendence).
In the end, he had to wiggle out through the narrow gap while whining.
“Alright then… Pinkvalez, take them and join the senior. Evil God-chan, the Tower Master, and I will clear this place out.”
“What about the vanguard?”
“Isn’t the Tower Master here? We’ll be fine. Moreover, isn’t this level of fable easy-peasy?”
“Then, okay. I’ll return, but please don’t get scratched. If… if you come back unharmed, I’ll tell you some dirty jokes.”
Though her voice faded to nearly that of a mouse, I made sure to record that magical promise with three enchantments and spell it into my memory.
This is life! I advanced with a buoyant spirit thanks to the magical words Pinkvalez had placed upon me.
“Let’s go for a no-hit clear!”
“…You lecherous fool, really!?”
Yuna grumbled a little.
===============================================================
This should be called an underground temple.
In a room that could hold about thirty people, against the wall, there’s a platform elevated about ankle-high. Upon this, a shrine decorated with all manner of gold leaf.
Atop the altar is a gold plate, currently filled with liquefied information about the goddess.
Though candles placed around it provide light, it’s insufficient in the underground where sunlight doesn’t reach. It’s dark. The shadows shift every time the candles flicker.
Around ten priests prayed towards the gold plate from below the platform, while above them was a withered-looking archbishop leading the worship.
“The day our goddess is resurrected is not far off. Soon, it will come, everyone.”
He wore a priestly garment that was heavy with decorations, and his body was adorned in an astonishingly secular manner. There wasn’t a single part where gold wasn’t used.
Watching the priests continually bow their heads towards the gold plate, my desire to tease Evil God-chan diminished instantly. Did he wish to adorn what he serves so fervently? To appear revered in others’ eyes?
How very holy.
“Tsk.”
“Chit.”
I clicked my tongue in disgust. Yet, strangely, at the same instant, I heard a sound as though someone had failed to click their own tongue.
Turning my head, there was Evil God-chan looking at me, having coincidentally made the same tongue-clicking sound. Seeing this, Yuna murmured.
“…You two really look alike.”
“No way.”
“Seriously!”
How could I resemble someone who can’t even click her tongue properly or snap her fingers?
Amidst our commotion, it seems we caught the attention of the priests, who started to look our way one by one, with the lanky archbishop also staring in our direction.
Our eyes met. His gaze was unexpectedly sharp and focused. It wasn’t the gaze of someone whose mind was hazy.
“You are intruders. What brings you here?”
“I’m here to recover the contents of that gold plate.”
“To covet the sacred relic of the goddess is blasphemous.”
“That’s not the goddess’s possession. It’s the remains of the Succubus Queen. If you didn’t know, raise your hands in surrender now. Then I might consider leniency.”
The archbishop cut me off sharply.
“I am aware. The one I whispered to each night was she, not the ruined goddess.”
“…You knew? So you believed despite knowing the identity of the goddess impersonator? Was the pleasure of dreams so good, that you offered worship to a succubus as if she were a goddess?”
“Brother, please do not demean my faith. I have pledged a pure belief in serving her. She possesses a great purpose, unlike the ruined goddess.”
“The goddess has fallen, huh?”
The archbishop’s expression twisted in grief upon hearing my echo. To be betrayed by his faith, it seems the weight of it hurts deeply.
Bang, bang, bang!
The archbishop struck his fist down repeatedly on the altar.
“Indeed, the goddess has fallen. Her great will must occupy a place high above where all can look up to her. Yet the goddess did not do so…”
“Hmm.”
“How does she differ from her? She aspired to stand towering above the goddess. That noble will was enough for me to follow wholeheartedly.”
I recalled the queen’s words. According to Pinkvalez, she had spoken of escaping fate. But contrary to such grand words…
In the end, what the queen was doing was the repetitive act of consuming people to fill her belly.
What she truly desired was to ascend to a position of omnipotence and play with others—a wicked ambition not better than the goddess.
That archbishop surely knows this, too. He believes willingly because the goddess did not sit kindly in his heart.
I concluded.
“You simply wanted to believe in something magnificent. Just someone, anything, that would make you feel good about having a great being above your head.”
“Folks like him are unqualified even to be toys, Mima. They’re just not interesting.”
Whether unqualified for humanity or even a toy, they deserve to be disposed of.
Shing!
Evil God-chan covered her arms in dark scales and stepped forward, while I prepared my magic incantation. Yuna also raised her fingers lightly.
At that moment, the archbishop spoke something absolutely absurd.
“Yet, even so, I believe in the fallen goddess.”
“……?”
What nonsense is that? Just moments ago, he was cursing the goddess with all his heart, and now he’s proclaiming faith?
While I stared blankly in disbelief, Evil God-chan tightened her focus. She warned me.
“Hey, Mima. That guy knows something. He’s going to use divine power.”
“What? No way… what do you mean?”
The goddess wouldn’t be a fool either. After he spouted all that nonsense, do you think she would grant him divine power? Especially after such heretical worship and all sorts of bad deeds?
If I were a god, I would have struck him down with a divine punishment immediately.
Fwooosh!
However, an absurd amount of divine power erupted from the archbishop’s body. And…
“Inheritor ascension – Gear: Freeze.”
“Wait—what?!”
“Why is it activating?!”
Yuna and I cried out in surprise.
A bluish ice emerged from behind the archbishop, branching out like tree limbs. The sound of clicking gears echoed. This was the power of the goddess.
What is happening? This isn’t about somehow being deceived like a corrupted holy knight! How could someone switch allegiance from the goddess to the queen and still wield divine power?
It’s utterly ridiculous.
If the heavenly net is this loose, they would never have built such a great church in the first place. Thus…
1. The goddess is definitely broken for some reason. Just by spouting the words of faith, he somehow received divine power.
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