Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 73 – Sanctuary of Restful Purification: Resolve (1)

Author: Cireng

Chapter 73: Sanctuary of Restful Purification: Resolve (1)

“I understand.”

Seraphina. The Guardian Church’s last Saint quietly looked over our group for a moment before beginning to walk.

“If that is truly your decision, then I shall accept it as well.”

“You’re accepting it more easily than I expected.”

“Every single priest and Holy Knight who comes to this sanctuary insists on risking their lives just as you do.”

Though she shook her head, a smile rested on her lips.

“I tried persuading them at first. But eventually I gave up. They’re all just as stubborn as one another. And I imagine all of you are no different.”

“You’re right.”

“I thought as much.”

Standing at the entrance to the ward, the Saint turned toward me.

“The volunteers who will relieve you should arrive shortly. Please spend the next day getting plenty of rest and prepare yourselves for the battle against the monster horde.”

“We will.”

“And Sir Karr… Please come see me afterward. As a cultist of Twisted Truth, renowned for possessing boundless knowledge, I believe the two of us have much to discuss in private.”

I was probably the first cultist ever to receive an invitation from the Guardian Church’s final Saint.

Well…

If you included all the senior cultists who’d been summoned for heresy trials, I’d probably be somewhere around the hundred-thousandth in line.

“I’ll see you later.”

Not long after the Saint left the ward…

Priest Elion arrived.

He was accompanied by another group of volunteers, members of the Church of Harmony and explorers who, like us, had come from the future.

It was finally time to change shifts.

“Please follow me.”

Lumian led us to the believers’ living quarters outside the sanctuary.

The accommodations were so modest that they consisted of nothing more than sleeping mats and parasols.

A place where one could fully enjoy the charm of camping outdoors.

Its vintage style, somehow even worse than the average slum, was rather impressive.

“…I’m sorry.”

The middle-aged priest, who seemed to apologize almost every other sentence, gazed into the distant sky.

“Brother Karr, please come with me for a moment.”

Following Elion, I headed deep into the innermost part of the sanctuary.

A tiny room enclosed by white partition boards.

Barely the size of a one-room apartment.

It served as both Seraphina’s office and living quarters, since she’d given her original room to the patients.

“Please, have a seat.”

Seraphina, her face noticeably thinner than before, pointed toward a tiny floor chair while sipping a blue drink from a glass.

It was ridiculously small.

Still, perhaps sitting in it would make me feel like an adorable little mascot.

So I obediently sat down.

“Captain Kar.”

For someone as elegant as the Saint, Seraphina was sitting in rather casual fashion.

She looked straight at me and gestured lightly.

“Would you mind if I addressed you that way?”

“You can also call me ‘that blond half-breed pointy-eared bastard.’”

“Blond half-breed pointy-eared bastard.”

“…Well. I honestly didn’t think you’d actually call me that.”

“Oh. My apologies. I’ve heard half-elves use that expression quite often.”

“To be fair… I don’t actually mind.”

Since this labyrinth came from an era where half-elves had only barely risen from being considered less than slaves to being valued about the same as household pets…

Perhaps this was my chance to experience life as a pet dog.

It would probably become one of those precious memories I’d never forget.

“In any case… Everyone here seems to respect your opinion.”

“That’s because I entered this labyrinth of my own free will.”

“How foolish.”

As I twisted my body around trying to find the most uncomfortable sitting position possible…

She suddenly insulted me.

“Yes. Half-elves like me are indeed a terribly stupid and pathetic race.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Why do you keep agreeing so readily? My feelings are getting hurt.”

As I puffed out my cheeks to express my wounded feelings…

Seraphina set down her glass of blue juice and gently pushed it toward me.

“Please.”

[Blue Fool]

[A cheap beverage produced in the labyrinth city of Jeima. It possesses absolutely no redeeming qualities besides being addictive. For a Saint, she certainly has inexpensive tastes.]

“I saved every coin I could to buy this. As something to drink with only a week left before death… It’s not a bad choice.”

“Thank you. It’s perfectly suited for fools like us.”

I took a sip.

Immediately, my tongue began screaming curses at its owner.

I ignored it.

How much could a mere body part trapped inside my mouth possibly know about fine beverages?

“Sir Karr, through the Mystery [Heaven’s Ear], I’ve overheard a great deal of knowledge from explorers about the future. But there are still many things I don’t know.”

Even a Saint blessed with countless Mystic Arts as Artein’s representative, the deity who governed clear wisdom…

Couldn’t possibly know everything that awaited in the distant future.

“In the future… Does the Prophet of Twisted Truth still possess enough followers to grant limitless knowledge to their cultists?”

“Yes.”

[I wish that were actually true. :(]

“Then… May I ask just one thing?”

“You may ask as many as you’d like.”

Seraphina glanced around, apparently worried that priests beyond the partition might overhear.

Then she suddenly leaned close and whispered,

“In the future… Has it become known?”

An ordinary cultist of Twisted Truth would probably just blink in confusion.

‘Known? Known what?’

But I was a half-elf whose [Eyes That Perceive the Truth] considered my Knowledge stat too high to even express numerically.

I immediately understood what she meant.

Keeping my voice as low as possible, I whispered back,

“No one knows. Even in the future… You’re still simply Saint Seraphina.”

“…Phew.”

Seraphina let out a sigh of relief and stretched both legs out.

Rather unladylike behavior for such an elegant Saint.

Pretending not to notice, I asked,

“Saint. Are you alright? You look exhausted.”

“Of course I am.”

She replied with a face that looked anything but alright before absentmindedly taking another sip.

“I sleep less than four hours a day. I spend every day using Mystery, praying to replenish my depleted divine power, comforting those who suffer, and handling all the sanctuary’s endless paperwork. Yet I’m not tired at all.”

“You sound incredibly exhausted.”

“I am. To be honest… I’m practically on the verge of death. If I didn’t possess four different health-enhancing Mysteries, I’d have collapsed long ago. And on top of that… I know what dreadful future awaits. So there isn’t a single day my heart can truly rest.”

The Saint quietly raised her cup.

“Are you certain you won’t regret your decision not to return to the future?”

“Throughout my entire life… I’ve only regretted one thing.”

Raising my own cup to match hers…

I lightly clinked it against hers.

‘Clink.’

The calm blue liquid rippled gently.

After finishing her drink, Seraphina placed both hands on the floor and looked toward the ceiling.

“Explorer from the future. Thank you for agreeing to meet such a foolish end alongside me.”

“The end? You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

At my words…

The Saint slightly narrowed one eye.

“I won’t die. At least… Not in any labyrinth ranked B or below.”

Dying in an S-Rank labyrinth?

That would be a glorious death.

An A-Rank wasn’t ideal, but it was respectable enough to accept as one’s grave.

But B-Rank or lower?

Absolutely not. A true explorer ought to close their eyes while conquering the greatest difficulties possible.

“I understand. Then I’ll be the only one who dies.”

“What are you saying? You’ve already figured out exactly what I’m trying to say.”

“……”

I set the cup of Blue Fool aside.

“Saint. Let’s commit a little benevolent historical revision.”

Seraphina would survive.

Unlike in the original history.

***

There was now only about one week remaining before the monster horde attacked the Sanctuary of Restful Purification.

Not much time to prepare for battle.

Perfect preparation was impossible.

Choosing to remain in the sanctuary was effectively a declaration that one was willing to die.

“Are you serious?”

Seraphina asked as she patted my back.

My own lower back had begun aching from sitting on that shabby little floor chair.

Twisting my body around, I answered,

“When it comes to exploration… I’m always serious.”

“For someone claiming that… You certainly fidget an awful lot.”

“Wasn’t the whole point of giving me this chair so you could watch me dance while sitting down? My waist has already stopped obeying my commands.”

“…Your manner of speaking is remarkably frivolous.”

Unable to bear it any longer…

The Saint stood up, grabbed my shoulders, and hauled me to my feet.

“Regardless… Your sincere wish, utterly free of deceit… Your passionate determination… And your unwavering diligence… They’ve all reached me clearly.”

[At what point did she perceive such beautiful qualities? You wore the same indifferent face as always and just kept saying random nonsense!]

There was no way an evil god’s terminal or a divine beast’s incarnation could understand the warmth shared between people.

I waved away the meaningless text.

“From this point onward… I’ll gather every Holy Knight stationed at the sanctuary and begin preparing for the attack. As for the priests and lay believers… I’ll have them continue caring for the patients.”

Seraphina looked over the pure white armor hanging from a makeshift wardrobe.

Even at a glance…

It looked far heavier than equipment normally worn by priests.

“The original me never realized the monster horde was approaching. She was simply too overwhelmed by her daily duties. But I learned about it well in advance. So if you help me… I truly believe we might be able to twist history itself.”

High-ranking clergy like the Saint possessed intuition that was practically prophecy.

It was simply the subconscious drawing perfect conclusions from every piece of information they’d gathered.

“Please tell me everything you know about the future that might help. And… I’d also appreciate it if you could assist me with changing into this armor.”

“…Hmm. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for me to help you change clothes?”

“…Ah.”

It sounded incredibly suspicious.

But it was simply an honest mistake.

After sleeping less than four hours a day while working yourself nearly to death for over a month…

Anyone’s soft human mind would eventually become rather mushy.

“First… Let me tell you about the monster horde approaching the sanctuary.”

“I’m listening.”

The Saint deliberately put on only her helmet before lifting the face guard.

“Monster hordes are generally commanded by the strongest or wisest alpha among them. However… Different species don’t obey the same leader. There are exceptions, of course. But generally speaking… Each species gathers only with its own kind.”

The monster horde is approaching this time… Was enormous and disgustingly dense.

While tapping the helmet covering her head…

Seraphina leaned against the wall.

“As a Level 9 priest… I still failed to stop their advance. That means there must have been at least five hundred thousand of them.”

“A flawless deduction.”

A Level 9 priest like Seraphina was essentially a living fortress.

Healing. Defense. In both fields… She possessed an extraordinary ability.

And yet… She had still fallen.

Simply because the enemy’s numbers were overwhelming.

“If more than one hundred thousand monsters of the same species gather together… That means their leader is a Great Monster.”

A Great Monster.

Like the one dwelling on the highest floor of the Nightmare Dungeon.