Chapter 235
The congratulations, making it a fait accompli, felt awkward. Tesillid and I couldn’t bring ourselves to say thank you and blushed.
Wheee-oooooh!
It turns out that even Dungeon Gates could be helpful sometimes.
What saved us from the awkward and embarrassing atmosphere was the gate to the Demon Realm, which had begun releasing its boss after its conditions were met.
From far away, a strange aura emanated from the city center where the gate was located.
The gate’s vortex rotated rapidly like a saw blade, creating a squall in the area.
“Aillet.”
“Yeah. Let’s go quickly, Terry!”
It was time to meet the boss.
We quickly exited the alley. Annoyingly, the main road was full of obstacles.
<Kereruk!>
<Kihihith…!
Clack-clack!
Far from stopping, I accelerated my pace. I summoned Aura Blades with my will and took the lead ahead of Tesillid.
Let’s deal with them quickly and break through.
But just as I was about to deploy my flying swords, something unexpected happened.
Swooosh!
Ten Aura Blades shot out from behind me, striking down the demons before I could.
“Huh?”
<Huh?>
A breakthrough opened instantly.
Those aren’t my swords? What’s going on?
It was only after blinking three times that I got my answer.
I snapped my head around. My gaze met Tesillid’s, who was summoning new flying swords.
“Aura Master?!”
“…Ah.”
The exclamation held deep bewilderment.
As if he had done something unintentional.
An Aura Master? You, already?
“Terry, wh-what happened?”
When I asked again, a look of utter dismay began to show on Tesillid’s face.
He soon spoke, averting his gaze as if giving up.
“It just happened.”
“It just happened…?”
Even as I was dumbfounded, my two legs were steadily moving. Of course, Tesillid’s were too.
As we ran side-by-side by inertia, I stared intently not at the front, but at Tesillid’s face.
He opened his mouth, as if unable to bear my gaze.
“It seems the crisis we faced because of Leviathan acted as a catalyst. Don’t many people break through the wall of their realm this way?”
Is it just my imagination, or did that sound like an excuse?
Looking at me, he tried to shift the focus to me. He gestured at my idle flying swords and said,
“Aillet, I knew you’d make it too. Congratulations on becoming an Aura Master.”
I should have returned the congratulations, but I was too distracted to do so right now.
Even at that moment, his ten Aura Blades were cutting through the city, clearing our path.
His control, using his will, was incredibly delicate and precise.
‘For Tesillid in this Iteration…’
At that moment, a message surfaced in my memory. -The ‘Heavens’ Secret Overseer’ says the protagonist of ‘this Iteration’ won’t die from this much. “…”
A sense of incongruity burrowed in. To the point of being hammered into my mind.
“Aillet…?”
I withdrew my scrutinizing gaze from Tesillid and looked straight ahead.
A bitter smile unconsciously spread across my face.
Ah, I see.
There were too many clues piling up in my hands for me to pretend I didn’t know anymore.
Thud.
I grabbed his hand, which had fallen a little behind, and increased our speed.
“Let’s go quickly, Terry.”
“…”
The current moment we were breathing in was, coincidentally, fiercely intense, not allowing for long immersion in thought.
[
[
Another disaster had emerged into the world.
Kugugugung.
The ground shook. It was due to an anomaly near the gate.
Buildings that should have been obscured by distance began to appear behind us.
A large area of ground was rising, centered around the main plaza.
What was soon created was a towering, square-pyramid-shaped terrain.
It resembled a pyramid, and helpfully, stairs were installed all the way up its sloping sides.
The summit, reachable by climbing approximately two hundred steps.
There, a female demon stood, exuding an intimidating presence.
Even from a distance, her attire was quite extravagant.
She had green twin drill hair, wore a bizarre Gothic dress that revealed the crinoline framework and her sleek legs, and was virtually draped in black pearl ornaments.
<Hello, humans?>
Her captivating voice pierced through the long distance, clear to our ears.
This was thanks to the metallic trumpets blooming like flowers around her, acting as loudspeakers.
<I’m still preparing the stage, so would you mind waiting?>
She was Cavalensha, the owner of the ‘Lonely Opera House’ dungeon.
She was the enemy we had to subjugate this time.
“Hoo…”
Tesillid, running beside me, let out a low sigh.
Cavalensha was an enemy who invariably troubled him in every Iteration. The reason lay in the unfamiliar and difficult dungeon rules.
[
[
[
Because of the flood of technical terms, even the Bible of Truth was no help.
In the end, Tesillid couldn’t find a proper strategy until the original story’s conclusion, and would always defeat Cavalensha by overwhelming her with brute force.
Of course, I am different, being a Possessor with the system kindly feeding me information.
[
Standing before the pyramid stairs, Tesillid’s and my legs were halted.
A barrier was blocking us from stepping on the first stair.
Dungeon rules are absolute, so I didn’t waste energy trying to break through it unnecessarily.
Around that time, I saw our comrades running from the main road that branched off in another direction.
“Aillet… huh, Tesillid?!”
“Hey, Tesillid! You were safe!”
“What a relief, Hyung.”
“I’m relieved, brother-in-law…”
The reunited group found Tesillid and welcomed him warmly.
Tesillid replied with a faint smile.
“Iphail, Hestio, I’m sorry for making you worry. And I apologize to Miss Hilde.”
“Hyung, what about me? Please call out Ash’s name too, who lost sleep worrying about you.”
“…And Ash.”
“Ah! Ash is delighted!”
“Don’t speak in the third person.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, Noona.”
Just then, a voice interjected from another path.
“Holy Saint! I’ve come too!”
A handsome young man with unique sky-blue long hair came panting, dragging his out-of-shape body.
It was Moriphis Marcelion, the chimera researcher.
The group frowned, and Hilde hid behind my back.
Hestio, representing them, complained to me.
“What, is that guy fighting with us too?”
“Yeah. An 8th Circle mage is a good damage dealer.”
“What if he stabs us in the back again?”
“He won’t be able to.”
Just then, Moriphis arrived in front of us.
The fellow, still wearing his dog-collar choker, gave me an anxious look.
“I diligently cleaned the city as ordered! If we just defeat that boss now, will you really let me see my children?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph! Beatrice, Catalina, Esmeralda! Just wait a little longer!”
His love for chimeras was, at any rate, absolute.
Moriphis was a madman who ignored everything else once he was fixated on something.
His enthusiastic appearance dispelled the group’s wariness.
However, Hilde was glancing at me with a troubled expression. I smiled, letting her know I understood what she wanted to say.
Moriphis’s chimeras had already switched their master to Hilde.
The plump parrotbills, cats, and squirrels were rolling around in the Duke’s Castle courtyard like pets.
I doubt those creatures would return to Moriphis now.
Meanwhile, Moriphis hadn’t come alone.
A considerable number of people appeared, following him.
Their black cape-like uniforms indicated they belonged to the magic army.
It seemed the remaining forces of Gehennid had gathered, with Moriphis as their focal point.
Hard to imagine, but Moriphis actually held a certain standing within the Ragneif Magic Republic.
Just as I was noting their attire, the magic army soldiers were also noting my companions’ attire and mine.
“That white uniform…”
“Why are Holy Knights here…?”
“Could it be that the Elfenheim Holy Theocracy has come to help us?!”
A middle-aged man, seemingly their representative, met my gaze. His eyes widened, indicating he had realized something.
<I think he recognized your hair color?>
Agnes’s prediction was accurate.
He stepped forward and bowed respectfully before me.
“I-I am Winard Van, the general commander. Are you perhaps Her Excellency, the Holy Saint?”
“That’s right. I’ve come with my knights to help Gehennid.”
“…!”
The magic army soldiers, who had been half in doubt until now, became emotional at my confirmation.
From their perspective, we were an unexpected relief force.
“Cough.” Sir Winard’s shoulders trembled as he took a deep breath. It was a deep breath, almost like he was holding back tears.
He spoke to me, unable to hide his overflowing emotion.
“It is already grateful that you returned Lord Moriphis, but I never expected the Pontifical Palace to send even Her Excellency, the Holy Saint.”
However, regrettably, I think I’ll have to burst his bubble a little.
Privilege for the Possessor