The heart of the White Church, the Grand Cathedral.
The interior, which soared so high its ceiling was invisible, was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
Normally, this space would be bustling with believers and priests, but now, only a few cardinals, the highest high priest, high priests, and the Saintess knelt.
“For this to happen again!”
Aurell, the highest high priest, exclaimed in a furious voice.
“Maintain silence.”
Cardinal Tyrion, standing beside him, cautioned him in a low voice.
“His Holiness will appear shortly.”
The sky seen through the windows of the Grand Cathedral was the color of a red disaster.
The phenomenon that appeared in the sky, a bizarre spiderweb-like pattern formed by connected red dots, covered the entire continent.
It was a sign of the appearance of a 7-Star Monster.
“Saintess Helisa, have you received any divine pronouncements from the Goddess regarding this matter?”
Aurell’s gaze turned to the Saintess. His voice was laced with disbelief.
At this, not only Cardinal Tyrion, who had just admonished Aurell, but everyone turned their heads towards the Saintess.
“…”
But Saintess Helisa could not say anything.
This was because she had not heard any words or divine pronouncements that such an event would occur.
Moreover, it was a crucial time, as 7-Star Monsters had been appearing consecutively of late.
And yet, the Saintess of the White Church received no divine pronouncements?
That made no sense.
Furthermore, had not Empress Irena of the Sail Empire, without any help from the Saintess, dealt with the previous 7-Star Monster?
“Heh, it seems you truly received nothing.”
Aurell clicked his tongue.
His behavior towards the Saintess was utterly rude, but Helisa could say nothing.
“We believed we were under the Goddess’s protection…”
One of the high priests whispered.
“If 7-Star Monsters appear consecutively like this, perhaps we have incurred the Goddess’s wrath?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
The atmosphere in the Grand Cathedral grew increasingly heated.
At that moment, Helisa opened her mouth with difficulty.
“…The Goddess, she protects us-”
But her words were abruptly cut off by a cold aura that enveloped the Grand Cathedral.
The candles placed throughout the cathedral flickered in unison, then suddenly flared brightly as if someone had blown on them.
“H-His Holiness is coming…!”
All eyes turned to the center.
A moment later, a figure completely enshrouded in a sacred veil appeared before them.
Pure white veiling completely hid the figure’s face.
It was the Pope, the head of the White Church.
“We greet His Holiness the Pope!”
All the clerics bowed their heads deeper. Even Saintess Helisa lowered her body.
“Rise.”
At the Pope’s voice, the clerics cautiously stood up.
“…”
A heavy silence fell upon the Grand Cathedral.
No one dared to speak first.
Thus, it was the Pope who broke the heavy silence.
“Helisa, have you truly received no divine pronouncements?”
Although she couldn’t see the Pope’s gaze beyond the veil, Helisa instinctively shivered.
“…”
And she bit her lip.
As the Saintess of the White Church, she held an important role in conveying the Goddess’s will, but recently, the meaning of that role had been fading.
The highest high priest himself already doubted her, so what about the other priests?
Her presence within the White Church was diminishing.
‘I have to resolve this situation somehow!’
Helisa racked her brain.
If she appeared incompetent even before His Holiness here and now, it would truly be the end.
She knew that well.
Failing that, she might even be replaced as Saintess by Empress Irena.
Helisa was in such a desperate situation.
“…Your Holiness.”
After a moment of thought, Helisa spoke.
“Actually, there was a divine pronouncement…”
Helisa lied to smooth over the current situation.
The water had already spilled. There was no turning back.
If she revealed it was a lie now, her honor would surely be tarnished.
“There was a divine pronouncement?”
At His Holiness the Pope’s words, Helisa nodded repeatedly.
“Y-Yes!”
She had now truly crossed a river she could not return from.
In a situation where she had to say something, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“All of this has happened because of one being!”
“Because of one being?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
Helisa raised her voice.
She had to fabricate something plausible for an event that couldn’t be confirmed even if she confessed her lie, or rather, was almost impossible to confirm.
“D-Do you perhaps remember someone named Kanghyeon Lee?”
Helisa closed her eyes tightly and began to speak the thoughts that came to her mind.
“You remember Kanghyeon Lee, who came from Earth!”
At her words, not only the Pope but also the other clerics listened.
Kanghyeon Lee.
Of course, they knew him.
He was someone who came from Earth but was sent back because he was of no help to the White Church.
They were merely curious as to why his name had come from the Saintess’s lips.
“Actually, that Kanghyeon Lee fellow! Forgive my slip of the tongue, but Kanghyeon Lee was behind all of this!”
Since Kanghyeon Lee had left for Earth, strange things had been happening continuously.
Therefore, Helisa found Kanghyeon Lee’s very existence unpleasant and irritating.
Those thoughts layered upon each other, culminating in this nonsensical lie.
“Kanghyeon Lee…”
“Yes, that’s right! That being is the mastermind behind all of this!”
However, Aurell shook his head.
“But Saintess… how could that person possibly orchestrate such a thing! If he had such abilities, the Church would have recruited him long ago!”
Others agreed.
But there was power in the Saintess’s words.
“Highest High Priest, are you disregarding the Goddess’s divine pronouncement?”
After all, simply mentioning the Goddess made it impossible to ignore the Saintess’s words.
Therefore, Aurell also shook his head.
“N-No, that’s not what I mean, I mean-”
“Enough.”
The Pope waved his hand.
“That is enough. I will believe what Saintess Helisa has said.”
At those words, Helisa inwardly rejoiced.
It was a spur-of-the-moment remark, but it was quite a decent lie.
Kanghyeon Lee had already returned to Earth.
He couldn’t be summoned again, and she herself had tried so hard to summon Kanghyeon Lee.
But all attempts failed.
Therefore, if she couldn’t bring Kanghyeon Lee back here, there was no way to prove her lie.
A lie that couldn’t be proven would eventually become the truth.
So, Helisa let out a sigh of relief.
Because at least for now, she could escape.
However.
“Then the matter becomes simple. We just need to summon Kanghyeon Lee again.”
“……!”
Did His Holiness the Pope’s words not sound as if Kanghyeon Lee could be summoned again?
At that, Helisa’s eyes widened.
“Of course, one cannot summon them immediately. Summoning beings from another dimension is solely the Goddess’s choice, so substantial preparation is needed to forcibly summon them.”
The Pope said so and then took out a small bead from his pocket.
It was a Holy Relic.
“Listen, Saintess. Imbue this Holy Relic with your devoted prayers. I do not know how long it will take, but when this Holy Relic reacts, you will be able to summon Kanghyeon Lee again.”
Helisa’s expression stiffened.
She had never expected such a Holy Relic to exist.
If such a method had existed, she wouldn’t have told a flimsy lie.
For some reason, things had escalated.
But she couldn’t backpedal now. That would be the worst option.
‘No, it’s still okay.’
His Holiness the Pope had said so.
To imbue that Holy Relic with devoted prayers.
In that case, couldn’t she just stall by not praying?
As Helisa was thinking that, the Pope added further remarks.
“Highest High Priest Aurell, assist the Saintess. If Kanghyeon Lee is summoned again, all the truth will be revealed.”
‘I’m doomed…!’
Helisa wailed inwardly. Yet, she maintained a calm expression and bowed her head.
“I… I will do as Your Holiness the Pope wishes.”
Following that, the others also expressed their respect.
“As Your Holiness the Pope wishes!”
* * *
“Who is talking about me?”
My ears itched.
“Well, it’s probably nothing.”
I indifferently looked at my smartphone screen.
“As expected, 7-stars are indeed good.”
Celia, who was 6-star, was also amazing, but her power after becoming 7-star was immense.
Her base stats, as well as her owned skills and traits, were completely different.
– Rank: ★★★★★★★
– Race: Succubus Empress
[Traits]
– Empress’s Dignity (SS): Possesses an absolute majesty that is beyond reach.
– Absolute Charm (SS): Beyond a simple smile, her very existence is captivating. Those who see her feel a spiritual pull, and even hostile beings hesitate to attack.
[Basic Information]
HP: S
Attack Power: S-
Defense: S
Mana: SS+
Charm: SSS
[Skills]
– Eternal Nightmare (SS): Inflicts the worst nightmare from which the target can never wake. Targets trapped in nightmares can have their minds completely shattered.
– Dream Dominion (SS): Can freely traverse the boundaries between dreams and reality. Can completely dominate the dreams of others and create dream realms that affect reality.
– Forbidden Charm (S+): Completely dominates the target’s mind. Targets enchanted by Forbidden Charm feel loyalty to the caster, to the point of offering their lives.
– Life Drain (S): Absorbs the target’s life force. This can be used to heal one’s own wounds or temporarily mimic the opponent’s special abilities.
– Succubus Throne (SSS): The ultimate skill, deploys the ‘Empress’s Realm’ within a certain range. Within this realm, the caster wields divine authority and can alter all laws according to their will. Gravity, time, and even space can be manipulated to a limited extent. (Cooldown: 30 days)
Especially as a Succubus, her dream-related abilities had become incredibly potent.
‘At this rate, she could probably rule a country, not just a dungeon?’
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Celia’s abilities were that outstanding.
But even so, my expression didn’t brighten.
“Conversely, it means my reliance on Celia is high.”
Recently, with the possibility of infinite real money purchases, I’ve been trying monster summons, but good monsters aren’t appearing, and even a 3-star monster is a cause for gratitude.
In other words, there are no monsters that can replace Celia, or at least assist her.
“Just 6-star level. No, if only a few more 5-star ones appeared…”
Of course, considering the current forces, defending the dungeon is not a problem.
However, as my forces grew stronger, greed began to stir.
At first, my mindset was simply to protect the dungeon, but now it had changed.
The greed to ensure no one could invade my dungeon.
And the greed to make the El Dorado Continent my own.
Of course, it’s a big ambition. To control the entire continent.
But wouldn’t it be foolish to just leave that power idle?
If I were to gain control of other countries besides the Sail Empire, the opportunities for my dungeon monsters to show their worth would increase.
That would mean more sacrifices offered by the monsters.
That, in turn, means I grow stronger, and my influence on Earth would also increase.
So, what reason would I have not to take over the El Dorado Continent?
The weak me of the past was gone.
“I wish someone would start a war.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t move the monsters first.
“It’s a shame there are restrictions on the range of action, tsk.”
Currently, the dungeon monsters can only move as far as the Sail Empire.
On the other hand, if a war breaks out or someone invades the dungeon, Urgent Missions or Special Missions appear, allowing for monster dispatch.
So, some countermeasure was needed.
“Shall I become a villain for once?”
This time, I could use the Sail Empire.
“I should issue a command.”
My fingers started moving busily on the smartphone.
– From now on, thoroughly defend the dungeon and throw the continent into chaos. Any beings who invade the dungeon during this process are to be killed without mercy and offered as sacrifices.
* * *
“Master is giving orders after a long time.”
Celia, who had evolved to 7-star, muttered.
Master had spoken his will through his voice a moment ago.
“More chaos, more sacrifices.”
“Truly the words of Master.”
Celia nodded in admiration.
To offer more sacrifices, more humans needed to be killed.
