Arthur, who regained his senses, frowned at the scenery around him.
Uh…
So this is a dungeon. Did I fall into the darkness and land in the dungeon below?
It’s not so surprising since I’ve gone through similar things with Lucy Allen many times.
Dungeons are said to be designed to be conquered, so they can’t possibly intend to trap us for life. If we conquer this dungeon, we should be able to get out.
Since this is all done by the Evil God’s Authority, at the very least, Lucy Allen will remain outside.
Huh… So does that mean she’s facing the Pope all alone?
Lucy Allen isn’t one to fall easily, but the opponent doesn’t look good.
How long can she hold out against an enemy that we struggled to face all together?
Remembering Lucy crying sorrowfully at some point, Arthur clicked his tongue and hurriedly looked around.
It’s fine. After all, we’ve been focusing on conquering dungeons endlessly until now.
I may not be able to match Lucy Allen, but I can at least keep up with her footsteps.
No. I shouldn’t have this mindset from the start.
“I’ll be the first to escape.”
My goal is to surpass Lucy Allen, after all.
*
Joy blinked as she realized she had fallen into a dungeon and thought of Lucy.
The last sight of her standing above the darkness.
Joy knows.
No matter how reliable she seems, she’s fragile.
She sheds tears in the face of fear.
Yet, in the end, she will rise.
Thinking of Lucy, who cried sorrowfully when she saved her, Joy quickly surveyed her surroundings and scattered the darkness.
No way. I don’t want to see Lucy cry again. I’ve worked hard for that.
I did my best to be of help to Lucy. I’ve been trying to be by her side and assist her until now! It’s time to show those results.
I don’t need a standard strategy.
All I need is speed.
Whatever it takes, I’ll return to Lucy’s side.
Absolutely.
As she engulfed the dungeon walls in darkness, she looked around with the most emotionless face ever.
That look was far more fitting for an Apostle of Darkness than a wizard—it was sinister and terrifying.
*
Young Lady. The first face Phoebe thought of when she opened her eyes was that of her dear friend.
No way. I should have stayed by Young Lady’s side.
Even in a situation where others are falling, I should be the one sharing the Authority of Purification beside her!
In her anxious state, Phoebe frantically scanned the area, but at some point, she felt the warmth of the holy relic in her hands and calmed down.
No use regretting the past.
What matters is what I must do right now.
I have to return to Young Lady’s side as quickly as possible and help her!
Taking a deep breath, Phoebe raised the spear made of divine power high with both hands.
“I will go. For sure.”
*
Leisurely rising, Frey stared blankly at the dungeon around her before drawing her sword.
Unlike the others, she had no such worries.
No self-blame for Frey either. All she had was the will to do what needed to be done.
“Can I do as I please now?”
Thinking that, Frey swung her sword, slicing through the dungeon walls and calmly moving forward.
Following her instincts.
Recklessly moving forward.
*
The pain from her broken arm kept urging her voice to rise.
But hearing it would surely make the man in front of her smile, so she bit her lip and endured.
“Didn’t expect this, did you?”
The moment she saw the Pope’s relaxed face, she realized everything was meaningless.
Whether she screamed or held it in, since she had already taken a hit, the Pope would be glad no matter which way.
Damn pervy bastard.
The curses bubbling up in her heart eased some of her pain.
After creating a wall between them through the Divine Magic, she widened the distance.
Cold sweat flowed involuntarily from the process of healing her broken arm, but she suppressed it.
There were things far more significant than worrying about pain.
“You didn’t see this coming, did you? Hahaha. This is fun. Indeed, a miracle comes to those who give their all.”
Following the voice from beside her, she instinctively turned her head, but at that moment, the fist was already flying toward her.
Her body, unable to withstand the shock, lifted into the void and crashed into the darkness.
“I see. I suppose the fairies played a significant role. Without them, the Apostle has become so powerless.”
Straining to grasp her flickering consciousness, she stood up.
Ah, damn it. No wonder I couldn’t see anything around—those fairies were missing.
In the returned first-person view, she saw the Pope smiling slowly.
“They won’t be coming back easily. There’s nothing there to empower the fairies.”
So the problem isn’t them returning, it’s about surviving, right?
The sudden surge of worry created hesitation, and the Pope seized that gap to push forward.
Seeing the fist aimed at her abdomen, she raised her shield, but once again, the Pope’s fist slipped past her shield and landed in her gut.
Her already unarmored armor couldn’t absorb the impact properly, and for a moment, her consciousness vanished.
Crouching on the ground, clutching her stomach, the Pope politely lifted her up and threw her into the sky.
After a never-ending ascent, the ground suddenly appeared, slamming into her body.
Now even a scream couldn’t escape her lips.
It felt as if the organs meant for speech had been shattered, and only foolish sounds flowed from her mouth.
“Ooh. Your power is wavering.”
The continued pain was starting to fill her heart with waves of fear.
A fear she had forgotten recently clawed its way up her spine.
Word by word, the term “fear” and phrases like “I want to run away” were engraved in her every brain cell, preventing her from thinking anything else.
With all that, as she tried to turn away, her trembling hands came into view.
Those hands, even unable to hold the mace properly, meant one thing.
She had unconsciously acknowledged her defeat.
“…It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.”
The mace and shield she held in both hands dropped.
“I don’t want to die.”
Her trembling hands grabbed her head.
“I don’t like pain. I don’t like being scared.”
Her legs, which were trying to stand, lost strength, and she sank to the ground.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please let me live. I’ll do anything. So please.”
A rough hand gripping her hair forced her face up.
“No.”
The man’s eyes, bloodshot with veins, grew larger with terror.
Because of that, the moment she shifted her gaze, the man shouted with strength in his neck.
“That’s not right.”
With growing fear, tears started to roll down naturally.
The sound of sniffing leaked out, accompanied by pleas for her life.
“You shouldn’t be like this.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Apostle of God! I’m saying you can’t be like this! You, who must kill me, as my trial!”
The Pope slapped her cheek and scolded her, but that didn’t diminish the rising fear.
The tidal wave had already risen along the coast, and it couldn’t be stopped.
The seawall crumbled, the sand was swallowed, and how could the fear that seeped into the city be reversed all at once?
“This can’t be happening!”
The Pope threw her to the ground, unable to contain his anger, and began to step on her.
Her flesh tears. Her bones break. Her insides crumble.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts!
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry.
I was wrong.
Please forgive me.
I want to live.
I don’t want to die.
“You are the Apostle of God! You are an existence that must never crumble! What will you do if you throw yourself into evil and beg for your life?!”
Someone, please help!
It hurts.
It hurts too much.
I feel like I’m going to die from the pain.
Mom. Dad. Where are you?
I hurt so much. I’m struggling.
I can’t get up.
Please. Please. Anyone. Just. Me.
“Get your foot off me!”
Upon hearing a low, fierce voice from beside her, she trembled and turned her head, seeing darkness rolling on the ground with a staff. Curling golden hair. Blue eyes glaring with fury.
In the eyes that were filled with hatred toward the opponent, pain receded, replaced by compassion.
“Lucy. It’s okay now.”
“Get lost! You whore! The Apostle of God must overcome trials alone! Only then does it hold meaning!”
“Stop with the nonsense. Who says anyone can overcome all trials alone?”
“Get lost again!”
Darkness spread beneath Joy, and fearing she might vanish, Lucy desperately reached out.
But what I feared didn’t happen.
Another’s Authority shone with warm light, dispelling the darkness.
Turning her head along with the light, she saw a stunning woman dressed in soiled white, her hair disheveled but still beautiful and pure, gazing at her with eyes full of guilt.
“I’m sorry. I left you alone. But not anymore. I will stay by your side for a lifetime. Even if I must devote my life.”
Yet that guilt quickly transformed into compassion and strength, bolstering her heart.
“Saintess! You must know! Trials must be overcome alone!”
“When you taught that, yes. But now I realize that’s wrong. Fool. Isn’t it time to acknowledge your faults?”
“Fault? Me? The one who created you dares to say such a thing!”
In an instant, the Evil God’s fist closed in on Phoebe, attempting to strike her, but a shield that had appeared from somewhere absorbed the blow.
“Damn it. I didn’t think imitating Lucy Allen would be this hard!”
Though he was pushed back by the pain, the man, still standing firm, looked at her, paused for a moment, then forced a smile.
“What a precious sight! I should take a picture!”
“Third Prince… No. Arthur. Do you want to die?”
“Third Prince. I think a sermon is necessary.”
“Just kidding! Just kidding! I was trying to lighten the mood, why take it so seriously?”
“Damn it. Those punks are feeling proud thinking they’ve crushed the Apostle of God without even realizing it.”
“Shut up.”
The knight, having silenced the Pope’s voice by slicing through, ignored the others’ gazes and cautiously helped her up.
“Lucy. Are you okay?”
Frey, who never seemed like she would say such a thing, looked at her with worried eyes, and it was so surprising that her tears finally stopped flowing.
It turns out that the feeling of fear can be overshadowed by entirely different emotions.
“Of course, I’m okay. Silly Frey.”
“Frey. Yes! I’m Frey! A total idiot!”
As she stumbled to her feet, Phoebe healed her body.
Her healing magic didn’t hurt at all, unlike Lucy’s.
When the healing ended, Joy staggered while trying to pick up her weapon.
Ultimately, she used her body to enhance her magical power, cough lightly, and handed over the mace and shield.
“How dare. How dare. How dare.”
Wiping my face, I stood before everyone with the same smile as always.
“Since it’s all tangled, you’re alone♡ Sloppy one♡”
