Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 78 - Sanctuary of Restful Purification: Final Battle (4)

Chapter 78: Sanctuary of Restful Purification: Final Battle (4)

 

The makeshift altar was completed in no time.

I’d become so used to it that I could probably assemble one with my eyes closed.

“What comes next?”

Kneeling beside me, Seraphina glanced over the mana cores inside the crate.

“Do I simply stack those neatly inside?”

“Before that, they need a bit of preparation.”

“Preparation?”

“The Evil Gods always complain that live sacrifices are too bland, or that they’re tired of the same thing over and over. You have to prepare the offerings as deliciously as possible.”

[Objection: Perhaps that filthy Su’eje or that gloomy Lriria would complain, but the Wise One would never grumble no matter how you offered it!]

Sorry, but Lord Lidni is by far the worst.

If I had to express their pickiness in terms of age, then the Wise One had the palate of a five-year-old preschooler, complete with an unrivaled talent for refusing side dishes.

“Where, exactly, is the dignity befitting a god? If an Evil God lacks even authority and majesty, are they truly worthy of worship?”

Unable to refute the Saint’s calm criticism, I silently took out the mana cores one by one.

I’d already decided today’s menu.

“Saint, please crush the mana cores into pieces about the size of peanuts. Scatter the fragments inside the altar afterward.”

“Understood.”

Crunch!

Each time Seraphina clenched and opened her hand, another mana core shattered into tiny fragments.

Far too much physical strength for a priest.

After all, it was common sense that even a Saint had to be strong enough to protect innocent people.

Fwoosh!

While my assistant chef, Saint, prepared the ingredients, I began roasting the severed heads of the patient afflicted with Hypercephaly using [Death · Flame · Transformation].

The Lonely Watcher of Silence.

The Quiet One’s preferred offering was a life-filled sacrifice roasted directly over an open flame.

‘Now comes the important part…’

If I simply roasted them carelessly…

Lord Lriria would reject the offering.

To satisfy Him… The outside had to be charred completely black, while the inside remained perfectly cooked.

Fortunately…

That wasn’t difficult for me.

[Stop!]

The moment Truthy gave the signal, I stopped the flames.

Picking up one completely blackened head…

I checked it.

One side had been cooked to a perfect golden brown.

“Thanks. You’re the best kitchen timer.”

[I don’t know what that means, but it certainly doesn’t sound like a compliment. >:(]

Normally, I’d also have to worry about what type of flame to use and which races tasted best when roasted…

But since it had been so long since the last offering, this would be more than enough to satisfy the Quiet One.

“I’ve crushed them all.”

Before I knew it…

The temporary stone altar had been filled with countless granules of crushed mana cores.

For a high-ranking priest acting as a kitchen assistant…

Her handiwork was remarkably skillful.

“I’ll pay you generously for today’s work.”

“Thank you, Head Chef.”

I carefully arranged the charred heads atop the bed of crushed mana cores.

“Saint.”

There was still one final ingredient to add before the ritual.

“Please envelop the offering with divine power. As thinly as possible.”

Nodding lightly…

Seraphina wrapped the offering in a layer of pure white divine energy.

It functioned as both wrapping paper and garnish.

Not only did it become astonishingly elegant in appearance…

It also became an essential seasoning for Evil Gods, who experienced intense ecstasy whenever they consumed something noble.

“It’s finished.”

Recipe name: Flame-Grilled Head over Crushed Mana Cores.

Human heads roasted until infused with smoky flavor…

Combined with mana cores that burst with magical energy when bitten.

That was the defining feature of today’s dish.

Now that everything was prepared…

I placed a hand upon the offering and recited the prayer.

“I pray unto the darkness born from chaos and slumbering within silence. I long for Your supreme darkness to become the comforting flames that subjugate the natural order of all things and consume my body.”

If the offering tasted good enough…

Etiquette and procedure could generally be ignored.

But the Quiet One was somewhat particular.

The proper prayer had to be recited.

“To the One who gazes upon the twilight that burns every living thing and the inevitable death that blankets the earth… A living sacrifice has been prepared. Please grant me the honor of witnessing Your dusk.”

At last…

A hearty offering worthy of a proper meal had been prepared.

“Lord Lriria.”

Removing my hand from the offering…

I stepped back and quietly murmured,

“Dinner is served.”

Whoooooosh

The snake tattoo on my left arm dissolved into dark mist.

Not much.

Only as thin and faint as cigarette smoke.

Though its appearance was weak due to his meager divine power…

His appetite for offerings was no less voracious than that of any other Evil God.

The black mist took the form of a cobra in midair before diving into the offering.

Then…

The perfectly roasted heads slowly melted into vapor…

Flowing together toward a single point.

The destination where the smoky heads gathered…

The black cobra opened its mouth eagerly, grinning from ear to ear.

【D-Delicious…!!!】

It was the joyous cry of an Evil God tasting an offering for the first time in several thousand years.

“He seems… rather excited.”

Even the Saint, witnessing an offering ritual for the first time, could sense the overwhelming excitement and delight overflowing from Him.

【K-Karr…!】

Then His voice echoed inside my head.

More excited than ever before.

Though… Still rather quiet.

【It’s a pity these aren’t true sapient beings, but this flavor is absolutely exquisite… My tongue dances all by itself…!】

“Is it really that delicious?”

【W-Why couldn’t the others do it like you all this time?! If they had, I would’ve reclaimed my former glory ages ago…!】

The black cobra-shaped mist continued eagerly devouring the massive offering.

That snake was an avatar directly connected to the great deity herself, much like the Blind Crow.

In other words…

The delighted smile spread across its dark face reflected Lord Lriria’s feelings exactly.

【Karr, I’d always had high expectations for you… Yet you’ve given me a flavor even beyond my imagination. Hehehe… Ah!】

Halfway through speaking…

Lord Lriria suddenly flinched before hastily adding another oracle.

【That laughter happened only because the oldest believer of our church said something quite delightful. Do not misunderstand…】

I knew that old believer possessed the emotional range of dry firewood and understood nothing of jokes.

Still…

There was no reason to commit the folly of pointing out the words of a great deity.

Crackle.

“Lord Su’eje… You say you want to rip apart His grinning mouth? Please refrain from being so spiteful whenever I’m conducting offering rituals for someone else. If you keep behaving like this… I, Karr, shall dress properly forever.”

Crackle crackle crackle!

He immediately begged for forgiveness.

The lightning around my collarbone stung so fiercely that I placed a hand over the tattoo, calming the electricity.

Meanwhile, the cobra-shaped mist returned to my left arm, becoming once more a tiny snake tattoo.

【K-Karr. Now tell me what reward you desire. Whatever it is… I’ll grant it all…!】

After hesitating briefly…

The Quiet One continued His oracle.

【U-Um… just… nothing that requires too much divine power….】

I hadn’t intended to demand anything excessive in the first place.

After all… It’s far more profitable to rob the rich than to rob a beggar.

“Understood. Then please grant me the Mystery [Life · Reverse · Cycle.]”

【That one is no problem at all! Since you’ll be able to develop it yourself, it’s an excellent choice…!】

The sole advantage of being a cultist devoted to the Lonely Silence.

Not only was [Death · Flame · Transformation]  granted by default…

Every one of His Mysteries was, to some extent, growth-type.

That was because the Quiet One possessed so little faith.

Every Mystery began at Tier 1 and could be developed until it reached its original rank.

And [Life · Reverse · Cycle]…

Had originally been an astonishing Tier 8 Mystery.

【Accept it…!】

The snake tattoo on my left arm was enveloped in gentle warmth.

Rolling up my sleeve…

I checked it.

A small black circle had appeared upon the snake’s head.

【…Ugh… I’m getting dizzy. I’ll take my leave now. Please don’t abandon me, and continue maintaining your faith in me from now on!】

Lord Lriria’s faint presence gradually faded away.

Only then did I slowly stand with my exhausted body, pressing against my throbbing head.

Several lines of text appeared before my eyes.

[Tier 1 (Growth-Type) Mystery, [Life · Reverse · Cycle], has taken root within your body.]

[Life · Reverse · Cycle.]

At long last…

I had obtained the Mystery that formed the very core of the Immortal Cultist build.

Watching me, Seraphina leaned over slightly and stared intently at my left arm.

“You’ve received your Mystery. Is the ritual over?”

“It is.”

“Then go and rest.”

The Saint grabbed my clothes and forcibly pulled me to my feet before gently pushing me toward the exit.

“The enemy will begin another relentless assault early tomorrow morning. Go sleep and recover your strength.”

“…I suppose I should.”

My eyelids were growing heavy.

It was definitely time to get some proper sleep.

“Sleep well.”

Just as I was about to leave the temporary base, while absentmindedly stroking the snake tattoo, happily swaying its head…

‘Crackle.’

The danger warning from Insight that Gazes into Chaos.

“…Saint!! A high-tier wide-area defensive Mystery!”

Seraphina didn’t panic.

She activated her Mystery instantly.

Pure white light spread outward.

BOOOOOOM!!

An explosion like thunder shook heaven and earth.

The sound was so immense it went beyond deafening.

It felt as though my eardrums would burst.

The earth-shaking blast continued for nearly ten seconds before finally fading away.

Once the sound ceased…

The Saint quietly spoke as she caught my paper-thin cultist body, which had nearly been blown away.

“It seems the unforeseen variable we feared has finally appeared.”

“So it would seem.”

Supporting me as we walked…

She picked up her sacred spear and buckler.

“Come. Let us protect the innocent.”

We stepped outside.

The sanctuary was now surrounded by a brilliant white protective barrier.

Unblemished Sky.

A simple yet extraordinary Ninth-Tier Mystery that erected an immense protective barrier over a wide area.

Thanks to the Saint’s swift casting…

The nighttime surprise attack had been successfully repelled.

But the true ordeal… Was only beginning.

“…Saint.”

The commander of the Torch of Purification approached with a grim face and pointed toward the northeast.

Beyond the white barrier and the wall of shields…

Five gigantic golems, each comparable in size to the Corpse King, were slowly advancing.

[Gigantic Destruction Golem (Level 8)]

[The difference in rank prevents a full analysis, but it is an enormous war golem armed with numerous magical weapons. Even under the effects of Spotless Earth, neither anyone but the Saint nor the commander of the Torch of Purification can defeat one alone!]

These Level 8 artificial monsters originally appeared starting on the fourth day.

‘…So it ended up happening after all.’

This labyrinth had ultimately been strengthened.

A life-or-death crisis had arrived.

Still…

There was one encouraging point.

Unlike in the Nightmare World, we’d been prepared for the possibility of new content.

“Saint. All of them are Level 8.”

“…I see.”

As Seraphina bit her lip…

A peacock-shaped golem that had arrived alongside the giant golems gracefully flapped its wings and spoke.

—Listen, pitiful sapient beings trapped inside weak flesh!

Of all moments… Why did this one have to speak like that too?

—If you surrender now, those of higher levels shall be spared from becoming biological fuel and instead be granted the opportunity to serve as slaves!

Since players couldn’t converse with ordinary monsters in the game…

I’d never realized.

Unfortunately… The creator of this absurdly cheerful series of golems must have been an even greater archmage than I’d imagined.

“What shall we do?”

The commander asked cautiously.

Though he probably wasn’t genuinely curious.

Anyone who knew the Saint’s character already knew what her answer would be.

“We must hold out until the reinforcements arrive. No matter what.”

If we failed to destroy those giant golems…

We would die.

The problem was…

The rest of the enemy certainly wasn’t going to politely wait while we dealt with them.

[Not only those Gigantic Destruction Golems, but all the other golems and dolls have increased in average level as well.]

After I shared the information…

Seraphina clenched both fists before lowering the visor of her helmet.

“Everyone! We now stand with our backs against a sheer cliff!”

Her voice, amplified by divine power, thundered across the sanctuary.

“If we fail to overcome this trial together… Not only we ourselves, but all these innocent patients shall be trampled beneath the monster army!”

Seraphina raised her spear high.

“Let us protect those who suffer without guilt! For Artein!”

The Holy Knights, who had quickly assembled, all raised both hands and shouted in unison.

“For Artein!!”

“For the One who protects all!”

The Holy Knights of Artein…

Shone brightest when there was someone they needed to protect.

That was why…

Even in the face of overwhelmingly powerful enemies…

Their fighting spirit burned hotter than ever.

“I shall handle three of the giant golems! Commander, you take one! The remaining Holy Knights, stop the enemies advancing on the ground!”

Then…

The Saint turned toward me.

“The commander and I alone cannot stop all five giant golems. Please deal with the remaining one. Can you do it?”

It wouldn’t be easy.

But I would. I had to.

A C-Rank labyrinth was far too unworthy to become my grave.

“Leave it to me. I’ll bring it down in style.”

“Thank you.”

There wasn’t enough time to exchange determined glances or steel our wavering resolve before battle.

Seraphina immediately gripped her spear and buckler in both hands and charged forward.

“Eternal glory to Artein!”