Chapter: 604
I lightly moved my body in front of the dungeon door.
Unlike my original body, which struggled to exert its power due to the backlash of multiple miracles, my mind’s body felt perfectly fine.
Coming into the mental world made me feel so light! This is what a body should feel like!
Feeling thrilled, I opened the door with a casual huh and a little snort.
What greeted us first was a castle made of stone, resembling a prison.
Just looking up at the castle, which seemed to harbor a history where no one who escaped existed, made my breath hitch.
“Is this your family’s place, Ruel?”
“…I’m losing my mind. It wasn’t just showing the doll’s memories, huh?”
“Hold on, old man. This gloomy place is a mansion? Were you a prisoner instead of a noble? Makes sense with that face of yours.”
“The mansion looked like this in the past. The concept of a nation was loose back then. When you can’t tell when a war might break out, who has the luxury to care about appearances?”
I was left speechless by such a brutally realistic reason and followed behind the slightly gloomy-looking old man.
“Though I say this, I didn’t like this place when I was young. Doesn’t it look barren, just like you mentioned?”
“The reason I decided to become a Holy Knight also stems from this. Compared to this pitch-black place, the church is pure white and magnificent.”
“Don’t steal my lines.”
“I was deliberately speaking for you, thinking you might be embarrassed to say it yourself.”
This was somewhat surprising. If he was a strict old man, I would have thought he was a devout believer from childhood.
“By the way, during this time, it was common to think like Ruel. Back when gods and humans were close to each other, having faith was quite difficult.”
Back in the days when gods and humans were close, which means the pathetic god wasn’t just watching me from the sky but sticking right next to me and tossing absurdities.
…That’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s akin to developing feelings for a clumsy fox today! How could that even happen!?
“Back then, not many believed out of noble reasons like today. It was simpler than that. It was beautiful and splendid. It was fun. The power it granted was appealing.”
“Some even sold privileges claiming they’d grant blessings if you believed in them.”
“You mean the God of Contracts? He looked amusing from a distance. Up close, he was just a scam artist.”
Listening to the old man and Garad unravel the backstory casually, a man appeared on the street.
He was a young man, but his build was overwhelming, similar to a general, capable of dominating your average adult male.
“Guess this is me when I was younger.”
“Back then, wasn’t he the type to challenge every strong person visiting the territory?”
“Haah. Lucy, get rid of that! I don’t want to see it.”
The old man’s face was filled with disgust, like he just saw a cockroach. I tilted my head.
Is that really considered a dark history? It’s perfectly normal for a kid with power to become arrogant at least once.
Well, I need to take him down first to get past here, so I’m definitely gonna fight.
“Hah. What’s with this kid?”
“Oh.”
“If you’re here looking for trouble, go home and ask for some milk. You’ll probably find it interesting after ten years.”
What!?
“Ugh. What can I do? It’s my fault for being handsome.”
Everything about his gestures, voice, and expressions was absolutely grating.
“If only there was a girl who looked just like me.”
The young version of the old man was the epitome of extreme narcissism, as if drawn in a picture.
“Cough! Hahaha!”
“What on earth was I thinking back then?”
“Cough, cough. Hahaha!”
Barely steadying myself from the self-deprecating tone of the old man and Garad’s laughter, I let out a long sigh.
“Puhaha♡ Looks like the mirror at home isn’t doing you any favors! ♡ Saying you’re handsome with that face! ♡”
“Baseless slander is ugly, kid. If you got turned down, go home and sulk quietly.”
“What are you saying? ♡ I’m not interested in an impotent guy like you! ♡”
“…Impotent? Me?”
“Not reacting to a beauty like me is the definition of impotence! ♡”
“Ha. Your self-awareness is perhaps overly inflated. You’re the one who needs a mirror.”
“Hehe~♡”
As I narrowed my eyes and tossed aside the cloak hiding my armor, I saw the other party stiffen for a moment.
“What? ♡ Surely you weren’t going to ignore me? ♡”
“Wha-what’s with that armor?”
“The way your movement has become suspicious! ♡ Are you angry about something? ♡ Puhahaha! ♡ Just a little! ♡”
As I openly mocked him, I noticed the guy gripping his weapon tightly, his face reddening.
“Why? ♡ Are you coming at me? ♡ Is that okay? ♡ If you get beaten by me, it’ll be a disgrace! ♡”
“You brat! I’ll teach you your place!”
The guy, having lost his rationality, moved in a disturbingly straightforward manner.
Is this seriously the same Holy Knight I know as Ruel? If he fights like this, wielding a weapon will be a waste.
I sighed internally and nimbly dodged the direct attack, moving inward.
How did Lasha throw punches back in the day?
Thinking of the dreaded punches I endured in the sparring arena, I gathered holiness onto my fist.
Then, imagining it bursting the moment it touches my body, I threw my punch, producing a cheerful sound as the guy soared through the air.
He flew through the air like a poorly rendered CG character, crashing into a wall and bounced off like garbage onto the road.
Wait, is that it? I thought he’d stand up and come at me again.
“Thanks for dealing with my foolish self.”
“Huh? Is that it? My old man was truly pathetic back then.”
“That’s because I thought sheer strength could crush techniques. After joining the Order, I realized how arrogant I was.”
The old man looked down at his past self sprawled out on the ground with disdain, then wiped his face.
“Lucy, I’m glad I can finally move properly again, but from now on, leave it to me. If we keep going like this, I might fall faster than seeing the end.”
“Hmmm. It’s fun teasing the pathetic old man, so I’m not keen on that.”
Since it’s the first time, I say he’s pathetic, but the old man I’ll meet later won’t be that pathetic.
Sooner or later, he’ll become an enemy I’ll find hard to beat, even if I’m earnest about it. Thinking of that makes me reluctant to step back.
While thinking about how to persuade the struggling old man, Garad draped his cloak over my shoulders.
“Listen to this guy this time. It will be fun as long as he suffers a bit, but it’s starting to become a pity now.”
“Isn’t it fun in its own way?”
“And hey. If this drags out too long, the kids outside will start to worry.”
…Ah. Right. I’m in a collapsed state without being able to explain anything. If I delay unnecessarily, there will be a lot of nagging.
Phoebe’s nagging can get really long! I was shocked to see her preach for hours on end, freestyle!
Recalling the lecture I had after breaking my arm with overwhelming force, I shook my shoulders and decided to accept the old man’s proposal.
“Then shall we go quickly?”
After that, it was literally fast-paced.
No matter how powerful the past version of the old man was, the current version would just be a shadow of what he’s been through. Having endured all those trials, the grandmaster before me couldn’t be compared to anything.
“Earlier, Ruel intentionally allowed an attack. He could handle that much with his body. If you show subtle openings like that, you can induce the opponent’s underestimation.”
As the past versions of the old man fell one after another, Garad stuck to my side, explaining the old man’s fighting style.
Since the martial arts he’s using differs from the body he can wield, it may not be the perfect answer, but there’s still plenty to learn from it.
Garad, who reached the level of a hero after honing his fundamentals to the extreme, explained things in a way that was easy to understand.
“Given your tendency to chase tail, I see your tongue is running wild?”
“Much better than Ruel, right?”
“What nonsense! I’m currently used to explaining things! I’m not the old me!”
“Your words have quite a ring considering you’re speaking about your past self.”
As we continued down the dungeon, we soon reached a completely silent white room.
Ruel and Garad questioned whether they had been here before, but I wasn’t unsure at all.
This place was familiar to me. This was where I ended up when I reached the end of the dungeon I was just in.
The doll with cold eyes seemed to emit a crimson glow, watching us silently, then headed for the door.
Was it saying to follow, showing us what was happening?
The moment we stepped out following the heavy footsteps of the doll, what welcomed us was the bound-up doll of Ruel, alongside Cardinale Cesare, who I remembered seeing today, and two Named Inquisitors under the Pope.
And the Pope himself.
“Your Holiness. Is it okay for us to commit such acts?”
“Of course.”
As Cesare asked, somewhat hesitant, the Pope nodded as if it were obvious.
“Such dolls are nothing less than an insult to Holy Knight Ruel. They should serve merely as hounds to tear apart the fallen.”
This was different from what I knew. The Pope on the other side of the screen was enough to deserve reverence, even if it was a fake. He would never treat such contempt.
“Oh, please leave it as is for a moment. I have something urgent to attend to.”
Suddenly, the Pope turned his gaze towards me while giving orders to others.
No way?
It must be just an illusion, right?
“I’m glad to finally meet you, Young Lady Alrn.”
…Huh?
“I knew that you, as one chosen by the God, would surely arrive here.”
With a bright smile like a child receiving a Christmas gift, the Pope lowered his head.
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