Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 77 – Sanctuary of Restful Purification: Final Battle (3)

Author: Cireng

Chapter 77: Sanctuary of Restful Purification: Final Battle (3)

Bartimir, carrying me on his back, hopped his way back toward the vicinity of the Sanctuary of Restful Purification.

Around the sanctuary, enormous pure-white round shields had been planted in a long perimeter, and the monster army was unable to cross beyond them.

“What’s that? We can come and go through it however we want, but those guys can’t.”

“It’s the authority of the holy armor, Tireon. Only those who possess faith in Lady Artein can pass through that wall of shields without being stopped.”

“Oh, right. In this labyrinth, we’re Harmony believers, aren’t we?”

“To be precise, followers of the Church of Guardianship.”

Thanks to the labyrinth’s gimmick, even though we were heretics and black mages by profession during the Great Holy War era, we could freely pass through it.

However, since it was under constant attack, it would last no more than three days.

By around then, reinforcements from the Kingdom of Rymes would theoretically have arrived, so we should be able to hold out without much trouble…

But when had a labyrinth ever favored adventurers?

‘Another variable could appear.’

Just like in the previous Nightmare World, where an unexpected new scenario had appeared with the future Leria treating the Corpse King, another unforeseen development might arise.

Still, as long as we didn’t let our guard down, we’d be able to respond to whatever happened in time.

I’d already warned the Saint that unexpected situations could occur.

“Everyone, watch the right flank!”

As we approached the wall of white shields, a familiar voice rang out.

Valentin.

Vice Commander of the Spear of Order.

The Holy Knight, nicknamed the Heretic Crusher, was mercilessly cutting down golems and dolls alike.

“Lady Artein watches over us! Our will and our bodies shall never be broken!”

Crunch!

Most of the artificial monsters that approached were destroyed in Valentin’s relentless assault.

He fought with such valor that even while the other Holy Knights battled earnestly, they couldn’t help stealing glances to admire his fighting.

“Illia!”

“Yes, understood!”

Holy Knight Illia poured divine power into a round sacred artifact.

A stirring hymn worthy of the battlefield echoed across the field.

– Heretics, tremble. Innocents, take shelter behind us.

A crimson wind swept through the sky, greatly diminishing the momentum of the blindly charging golems and dolls while dramatically raising the morale of the allied forces.

“Glory to Artein!”

“Blessings upon the Saint!”

“Let’s go!”

The Holy Knights, empowered by future technology, fiercely crushed the incoming golems and dolls.

For the time being…

There was no need to worry about being overwhelmed.

“Whew… They’re unbelievably strong.”

Once we entered the shield barrier, Bartimir muttered while catching his breath.

“Is it because of the Saint’s Mystery?”

“Not only because of Spotless Earth, but also because of the difference in levels. This is still only a C-Rank labyrinth, after all.”

Golemophia was an A-Rank labyrinth.

Its true main force, the core of the artificial army, would only appear later.

Protecting the Saint for three days was a challenge intended for adventurers around Levels 5 to 6.

“Let’s go help now.”

“Hell yeah!”

“Let’s go!”

Bartimir immediately unwound the bandages wrapped around both his arms and gripped them in his hands.

Pendrick, his Aura surrounding Astrimia, sprinted straight toward the battlefield.

“My body’s so light!”

Bartimir rampaged through the center of the enemy formation, cutting down and smashing countless golem monsters.

On a battlefield…

Demons became several times stronger than usual.

After all, it was a place overflowing with negative emotions such as killing intent, fear, hatred, and rage.

That was why, despite being only a Level 3 black mage, he displayed martial prowess comparable to that of a Level 5 warrior.

—Inferior demon detected. Commencing elimination.

“Come at me already!”

An elite swordsman-type combat golem swung its heavy blade, carving a deep slash into Bartimir’s side.

Even so…

He merely grinned happily.

Swinging the bandages infused with demonic energy like a two-handed sword…

He sliced through golems at the waist and decapitated dolls.

He looked every bit like Lü Bu himself.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, Pendrick!”

“Got it!”

Meanwhile…

Pendrick continued fighting diligently.

Slash!

Unlike Bartimir, however…

He calmly cut down his opponents one by one.

That was thanks to Astrimia’s steady pacing.

—Human wielding a strange sword. Target should be treated with caution.

“Strange? You’re calling someone this cute, strange?!”

Provoked by such shameless insults directed at his beloved…

Pendrick suddenly charged recklessly.

The uniquely designed golems and dolls had been waiting for just such an opportunity.

They pierced his body with countless metal weapons…

Clang!

…but the genius swordsman’s body immediately transformed into black iron, harder than steel itself, deflecting every attack.

Resistant Body.

Trusting in the Mystery that temporarily transformed his body to resist whatever had injured him…

Pendrick boldly advanced while swinging his sword.

“O Artein!”

Such a fighting style was only possible because Lucius would heal him afterward anyway.

“Aaaah! Pendrick, calm down!”

The only minor drawback was that Astrimia nearly had a heart attack.

That hardly mattered.

Surely one kiss of love would be enough to make her forgive him.

[Because of you, that promising warrior has developed the terrible habit of overworking his body…]

I brushed away the floating text and walked toward the battlefield.

Bzzzt!

Time to stretch my body comfortably again.

***

Night of the second day of the golem monster wave.

Despite the overwhelming numerical disadvantage…

The war against the artificial army remained perfectly balanced.

It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that the overwhelming presence of the Level 9 priest… Saint Seraphina… was suppressing the entire enemy army.

‘Everything is going smoothly.’

At present, the Saint and the Holy Knight Order, strengthened by Spotless Earth, one of the finest Ninth-Tier Mysteries, were enough to hold back countless enemies.

At least… For now.

Once the fourth day arrived…

We would begin to be pushed back just as in the original history.

—Temporary force reorganization will now commence.

Following the command of one Level 7 elite combat golem…

The entire monster army withdrew simultaneously.

They had painfully learned the previous night that darkness, normally advantageous for races friendly with the night, became the time when Artein’s influence in protecting the weak grew even stronger.

[Those golems and dolls from the future possess learning capabilities pushed to the absolute limit. They refuse to repeat dangers they’ve already experienced once.]

Yesterday, the sight of the Saint single-handedly annihilating every Level 7 elite combat golem had been utterly overwhelming.

Until stronger units arrived…

The artificial army would likely avoid overcommitting itself.

That was good news for us, since every single person here was under tremendous pressure.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard today.”

Inside the temporary command center built in front of the sanctuary, using parasols and wooden boards…

The Saint spoke in a voice slightly hoarse with fatigue.

She had removed her helmet and tucked it beneath one arm.

Her bangs were completely soaked with sweat.

“You all contributed greatly to our successful defense today. No, not at all. We simply fought with everything we had.”

Pendrick answered politely, displaying admirable humility.

Crackle. Crackle.

The Exalted One sent me a rather suspicious thought.

“Our handsome boy looks most charming when he smiles brightly.”

…he was happily watching another man instead of me.

A tiny, adorable feeling of jealousy quietly poked its head out.

“We only need to endure one more day.”

At Seraphina’s words, the commander of the Torch of Purification nodded.

“I sent the fastest Holy Knight among us. In about half a day, reinforcements should arrive. We just received word, they’re about to reach the Kingdom of Rymes.”

“Now that’s good news.”

Bartimir grinned brightly.

The Saint also smiled faintly before turning her gaze toward me.

“Now only Sir Karr remains. Everyone else may go and rest. There are matters we cannot allow others to hear. Please also withdraw those standing guard for a moment.”

“Yes, understood.”

After the expedition members left…

Seraphina, somewhat awkward due to the heavy armor she wore, grasped one of the parasol poles and remained standing.

“What do you think? Do you truly believe that enduring tomorrow alone will be enough?”

“…In theory, yes.”

“Indeed. However, one matter still troubles me.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Shall we each say what’s on our minds? I’ll begin.”

The issue I was concerned about… Was new content.

An unpredictable variable that had never appeared in the game.

“Labyrinth enhancement.”

Looking into Seraphina’s eyes as she absentmindedly wiggled her feet from discomfort, I continued.

“In B-Rank labyrinths and above, there is a certain probability that the world itself will change, causing the difficulty to increase dramatically.”

“I understand this labyrinth is C-Rank. Then, normally, such a phenomenon shouldn’t apply. Since you mentioned it anyway… I assume you’ve experienced something similar before?”

Being Artein’s Saint, blessed by the Goddess of Clear Wisdom…

She required no lengthy explanation.

“That’s right. I once experienced a C-Rank labyrinth becoming stronger. So… perhaps the same thing may happen this time?”

“We don’t know yet. But there’s no harm in remaining cautious, is there?”

“You make a good point…”

Seraphina nodded with a grave expression.

“I’ve had similar concerns. We prepared much more thoroughly than in the original history. Especially thanks to the information you provided, Sir Karr. We even hurriedly procured a shared Mystery that specialized in lightning. We’ve been performing remarkably well.”

That was certainly true.

Considering the difference in numbers…

The tide of battle was effectively tilted heavily in our favor.

But… Would that remain true?

“Perhaps because of our continued success, the main body of the monster army has begun advancing sooner than scheduled.”

“I was thinking the same thing, Saint.”

Our opinions aligned perfectly.

“Lady Artein always emphasizes one thing. If you wish to protect the weak completely, you must always prepare for unexpected situations. That is why I constantly remain vigilant.”

“Oh, I’m exactly the same.”

“No matter what I do, I always keep the worst-case scenario in mind.”

[Your views and that hypocritical goddess’s certainly resemble one another… but your purposes and intentions are absolutely different….]

“I’ll make sure everyone remains vigilant until the very end.”

Occasionally stretching her aching back with a sigh…

The Saint then looked toward several crates stacked in one corner of the base.

“And the items you requested are over there.”

“Thank you very much.”

Dragging the heavy crate over…

I placed it in the center of the command room.

Creeeak.

The old lid refused to open easily.

When I finally forced it open… Inside were countless blue stones.

Every single one was a mana core from a golem or doll, engraved with intricate magic circles and circuits.

I opened another crate.

Inside… It was filled with slightly smaller-than-human heads.

“Those belong to a patient suffering from Hypercephaly.”

The Saint spoke with a slight frown.

“A disease in which additional heads continuously grow from the back of the patient’s own head. We weren’t sure how to deal with them, so we simply stored them away.”

“Then I’ll dispose of all of them.”

“But… is this really enough?”

Seraphina glanced cautiously toward the sky before asking,

“The heads are one thing… but aren’t mana cores rather lacking as offerings?”

“Not necessarily.”

“I see.”

“Please ask me why they work.”

“Why do they?”

“Well…”

I’d always wanted someone to let me explain this.

At last, someone finally did!

“A mana core is the central component responsible for a golem or doll’s operation and formation of self-awareness. A soul without consciousness is inserted into a magic stone through black magic. Then, through an extremely complicated process, a proper ego is created. That’s why they can be offered to the Evil Gods. They possess soul, mind, and body alike.”

I could have continued much longer…

But considering the circumstances, I stopped there.

Taking the necessary materials out from my subspace…

I looked up at Seraphina.

Then, just in case, I cautiously asked,

“Forgive me… but would you be willing to help?”

“That certainly is the sort of request one ought to apologize for.”

After thinking for a moment…

The Saint answered,

“Still… why not? I’ll help.”

For the first time in history…

An offering ritual aided by a Saint was about to take place.