Three uninvited guests arrived while Maru and Celia were discussing the future.
They were all Paladins disguised as Adventurers.
To understand how the Paladins ended up here, we have to go back in time.
* * *
Three Paladins visited the Adventurer’s Guild.
From the guide, Rally, they heard various stories and learned about the current situation.
Among them was the news that access to the mountain range was prohibited.
But was it good timing?
“You’re really lucky, aren’t you?”
A moment later, Rally informed them that the restriction on accessing the mountain range had been lifted.
“What will you do? Adventurers. Shall I offer you quests related to the mountain range?”
At her words, Kairen and his companions stepped back for a moment.
Despite being Paladins, they had to hide their identities.
Although they were disguised as Adventurers to infiltrate the Kingdom, they felt no discomfort.
In fact, the disguise suited them well.
“Alex, what do you think? Isn’t it a bit strange?”
Emerging outside, Kairen was the first to speak.
He had several questions about what he heard at the Adventurer’s Guild.
“It’s certainly strange. For the Royal family to block the mountain range for no reason.”
Alex nodded in agreement with Kairen’s question.
Thanks to this, there were no other Adventurers in the Adventurer’s Guild besides themselves.
“Hmm.”
Kairen, Alex, and Laiden.
These three Paladins paused to discuss their next steps.
“I feel a bit uneasy about it.”
Kairen said.
The ban on entering the Kingdom’s mountain range was effectively a blockade.
Before that, there were also disappearances of Priests and Paladins heading to the Sail Kingdom.
The blockade of the Sail Kingdom’s mountain range.
The disappearance of personnel belonging to the White Church.
There was something strange about these two incidents.
“…….”
At the same time, Kairen couldn’t understand.
Why would the Royal family control the mountain range?
No one knew the reason.
Even the guild officials didn’t know, which said it all.
Everyone simply obeyed because the Royal family had announced it.
In fact, the mountain range was very important to the Sail Kingdom.
There were possibilities that the mountain range offered, but more importantly, it was due to its location.
Crossing that vast mountain range led to the Demonic Realm, located at the northernmost tip of the El Dorado Continent.
However, the Demonic Realm was an unknown place for humans.
Little was known about the types of Dungeons and Monsters that inhabited it, or their ranks.
‘If I can find that out, I’ll know the secret of the Dungeons.’
At the same time, it would greatly expand the Church’s influence.
Kairen licked his lips.
However, instead of conquering the Demonic Realm, the reality was a helpless situation where they had to be relieved that the mountain range acted as a breakwater.
Occasionally, at a national level or by high-rank Adventurers, they explored the Demonic Realm, but the information they obtained was at most concerning the entrance to the Demonic Realm.
It was an extremely small part.
Even that small part contained Monsters that were by no means to be underestimated.
But if they continued to advance, how powerful would the beings be?
Therefore, the Demonic Realm spread as a very dangerous place.
Despite the existence of such a dangerous place, the reason the Sail Kingdom had survived until now was the existence of the mountain range.
The vast mountain range connecting the Kingdom and the Demonic Realm played the role of blocking the Monsters from the Demonic Realm.
But here lay the problem.
A mountain range of a vast area.
And its resources.
Would the Monsters remain passive in land that seemed to have no shortage?
The answer was no.
Naturally, Dungeons and Monsters appeared and settled in the mountain range.
As Monsters appeared, the Sail Kingdom was in a critical situation.
This was because a Monster Wave could occur at any moment right in front of them.
And to prevent sudden Monster Waves, the Kingdom periodically cleared the mountain range.
But it was unreasonable for the Kingdom to manage such a vast mountain range directly.
It was a loss in terms of time and cost.
Therefore, they entrusted the mountain range to the Adventurers.
As a result, Adventurers could receive more quests than guilds in other regions.
Moreover, they could earn relatively high rewards, so they flocked to the Sail Kingdom.
The good quality Monster by-products were a bonus.
But what would happen if the mountain range was blockaded?
Most of the quests at the Adventurer’s Guild in the Sail Kingdom originated from the mountain range.
But with the mountain range sealed, the quests disappeared.
It was inevitable that the footsteps of Adventurers without work would cease.
Eventually, Adventurers turned their backs, leading to another problem.
In the current situation, it was fortunately resolved quickly, but what would have happened if this situation had continued?
The Dungeons in the mountain range would remain unattended.
The number of Monsters would increase, and in the worst case, a Monster Wave would have to be considered.
In the end, the mountain range was not merely a barrier preventing the invasion of the Demonic Realm.
“Why did they seal the mountain range, risking so much?”
Alex and Laiden agreed with Kairen’s words.
It was more plausible that the Royal family had blocked it to conceal something.
‘The Royal family trying to hide something…’
Moreover, the timing was coincidental.
The Priests and Paladins heading to the Sail Kingdom had gone missing, and the Church was scheduled to visit the Kingdom to investigate the matter.
“Could these really be coincidences?”
Kairen muttered as he looked at the sky.
Even the timing worked out too well.
Just as they went to the Adventurer’s Guild, the access control to the mountain range was lifted.
‘It feels like they’re pushing us to go up the mountain range.’
Perhaps their options were already decided.
After all, the Kingdom had lifted the access restriction.
Kairen made up his mind.
He re-entered the guild and approached the guide.
As Kairen approached, the guide Rally smiled.
“Has anything strange happened in the mountain range recently? Even minor things are fine.”
Kairen asked first.
The mountain range was a vast place.
Their objective was not to search the entire mountain range.
So, it wouldn’t be bad to simply find out if something had happened.
“Something strange?”
Rally also pondered his question.
It was natural to be wary because the Adventurer she saw for the first time asked such a question.
However, the Adventurer in front of her had a Gold Badge.
Furthermore, he had given her a gold coin as a tip.
At least, an Adventurer with skill and money could be trusted.
“Ah, now that you mention it, there is one thing.”
Rally handed Kairen a quest document.
“Dungeon reconnaissance?”
Kairen scanned the quest document.
The quest document clearly stated the mission as Dungeon reconnaissance, and its rank was surprisingly Silver Rank.
However, since it was not a subjugation quest, it didn’t seem difficult.
“Ah, the three Adventurers who took on that Dungeon quest have disappeared. That’s why the rank has been upgraded to Silver Rank.”
Guide Rally quickly added an explanation.
“Since the mountain range was restricted, we couldn’t investigate it. What do you think? It would be better to accept a quest if you’re going to ascend the mountain range.”
Rally recommended the quest.
In fact, this matter was also for her.
Although she didn’t say it honestly, two groups of Adventurers had already visited the Dungeon.
But the problem was that both groups had gone missing.
At first, they were beginners who had just started as Adventurers.
The quest was given on the grounds that it wouldn’t be too dangerous, but they went missing.
Of course, they might have run away.
Many beginner Adventurers did that, so that probability was high.
However, there was a lingering thought in a corner of Rally’s mind.
Especially since she had recommended the Dungeon herself.
‘Was her name Jane?’
Rally vaguely remembered the name of one of the three Adventurers who had visited.
And the second group who accepted the quest for that Dungeon was an Adventurer from Earth.
He and his party accepted the quest and then disappeared without a trace.
At this point, even she knew.
Something was going wrong.
Still, she wanted to believe it was just an uneventful happening.
And that opportunity had now come.
The men in front of her were Adventurers with Gold Badges.
Perhaps they could resolve this matter?
As Rally hoped, Kairen was viewing the quest favorably.
After all, the objective was information gathering.
It was impossible to search the entire vast mountain range.
It might be better to investigate the part that the guild found strange.
“Then I’ll take this.”
A moment later, when Kairen accepted the quest, Rally showed a happy expression.
“Instead, can you deliver a letter to my companions?”
Communication via letters was quite important for Adventurers, so the guild also handled related tasks.
The content of the letter was simple.
It was to inform them that they would be investigating the mountain range.
The recipient of the letter was noted as the Vice Captain.
Simultaneously, the delivery location was the old building where they had stayed for the night.
Kairen roughly sketched the location of the Dungeon from the quest document and handed it to Rally.
“The priority is urgent, can you deliver it as quickly as possible?”
Even if the news was delivered, it would be meaningless if the letter arrived late.
Fortunately, Rally nodded and agreed.
“It will arrive by this evening at the latest.”
Kairen had already given her one gold coin, and more importantly, the quest was also concerning Rally herself, making her more eager.
Furthermore, Adventurers with Gold Badges had their own companions?
This quest was bound to succeed.
“May the Goddess’s blessings be with you….”
The three Paladins left the Adventurer’s Guild and headed straight for the mountain range.
In the mountain range, instead of looking around, they headed directly to the Dungeon as shown on the map.
There were days like that.
When you had a feeling about something.
And today was one of those days for them.
Before they knew it, they were ascending the mountain range.
The blue mountains were incredibly beautiful.
The forest was filled with the sounds of various animals, and the air was refreshing.
But one thing dispelled that freshness.
“It’s a Goblin. Get ready!”
Goblins were scattered throughout the forest.
It seemed that the Monsters’ activity had expanded while Adventurers’ footsteps were temporarily absent.
But they were Paladins.
Even though they were disguised as Adventurers, their skills hadn’t vanished.
*Swish-*
Their swords sliced through the Goblins’ limbs.
The task ended more easily than expected.
Most of the Goblins who had surrounded Kairen’s party were annihilated.
A few Goblins escaped, but it wasn’t something to worry about.
“Tsk. They were just small fry. They don’t seem to have any special connection.”
“I agree. Let’s look around a bit more before we head back down.”
Was it just a coincidence?
There was nothing particularly unusual.
Also, they couldn’t stay in the mountain range indefinitely to find information.
They had limited time remaining.
They had to achieve as much as possible before the main force arrived.
Kairen continued to head forward, looking at the map on the quest document.
He intended to go only as far as the Dungeon mentioned in the quest.
There was no fear.
Since it wasn’t a subjugation mission, they just had to go with a light heart.
Kairen, Alex, and Laiden.
The three of them kept walking.
Having already subjugated Goblins once, there were no more obstacles.
It was peaceful.
As a result, their eyes were once again drawn to the surrounding scenery.
“It’s beautiful. The greenness is refreshing.”
“I agree. The leaves are all dyed red.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, Kairen noticed that the conversation had gone off track.
What was it?
“Red leaves?”
Confused, Kairen asked Alex again.
“Why? Aren’t the leaves all red?”
This time, Laiden, who had been quiet, also agreed with Alex.
“It’s true. It’s beautifully autumn foliage.”
Like the blood of the Goblins we just killed.
Huh?
Something was confusing.
Was what I was seeing wrong?
No, it wasn’t even autumn, yet they were talking about foliage?
It was strange.
The moment he sensed something was wrong.
Kairen felt an invisible force seeping into his mind.
He tried to resist it, but it was useless.
“Ah.”
And the surrounding scenery suddenly changed beautifully.
He understood why Alex and Laiden had said that.
The trees with autumn foliage blazed like golden flames, and the sky was tinged with a gentle purple hue.
Purple clouds drifted softly, scattering poetic meter in the air.
The purple sun was turning red, as if a large blob of paint had been splattered.
The eyes were too brilliant.
It was beautiful.
It felt like a dream.
At the same time, it felt melancholic.
It gave an inexplicable feeling, as if the doors between two worlds had been opened.
Was this reality?
Or an illusion?
It didn’t matter.
His body was simply drawn forward.
It felt like someone was whispering to them.
Why am I here?
Who am I?
Why did I come here?
Someone whispered like that.
Kairen uttered his own answers to resolve these questions.
“Ah… right, I am a Paladin.”
Kairen uttered each word with a trembling voice.
And soon, darkness unfolded.
He was walking through a long darkness.
A moment later.
The end of the darkness appeared.
‘An altar?’
Ah.
Is this an altar dedicated to the Goddess?
Kairen stepped onto the altar without hesitation.
To offer himself to the Goddess.
To head towards the Goddess’s embrace.
Alex and Laiden also stepped onto the altar.
Whether it was their own will or someone pushing them, they didn’t know.
Unaware that it was Celia’s Charm skill, they became sacrifices.
– An unknown shadow offers the Paladins of the White Church as sacrifices to the Master.
* * *
– Successfully absorbed the sacrificed Paladins.
– Acquired Paladin Trait [Faith of the Goddess (D)]. Can be used for enhancement.
“Oh.”
Six hours, both short and long, passed.
Fortunately, nothing else happened.
Above all, the abilities of the absorbed Paladins were amazing.
– Successfully absorbed the sacrificed Paladins.
– Acquired part of the Paladin’s Holy Power stat. Can be used for enhancement.
– Acquired part of the Paladin’s Holy Power stat. Can be used for enhancement.
– [Holy Power] ×9
– Acquired Paladin Skill [Judgment of Light (B)]. Can be used for enhancement.
“Getting nine Holy Powers?”
The holy powers obtained from the Adventurers sacrificed last time totaled thirteen.
And all thirteen were invested in Maru.
Thanks to that, Maru’s Holy Power stat became Rank E.
– Successfully absorbed the sacrificed Paladins.
– Acquired part of the Paladin’s Holy Power stat. Can be used for enhancement.
– [Holy Power] ×5
– Acquired Paladin Skill [Sacred Shield (C)]. Can be used for enhancement.
However, the Holy Power obtained by absorbing three Paladins this time was a whopping fourteen.
“This is truly amazing.”
They obtained B-rank and C-rank skills.
Moreover, they were Paladin skills.
