Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Underground Temple Part 5
"Take care, Beepy."
– Beep!
"As quickly as possible, and…"
– Beep?
"…Return safely."
– Beep beep!
After pushing Connie into the darkness, I tightly secured the letter to Beepy's ankle and sent him off into the air. Beepy flew vigorously toward the outside and soon disappeared, leaving only a tiny speck of light behind.
The letter attached to Beepy contained a map sketching the location of the underground temple and a request. "Please help us. This is something only you can do." The reason I kept the request simple without any extra words was that I was certain and confident that "they" would surely help us.
"Are you sure it'll be okay?"
El who was peering anxiously into the darkness whispered to me. I nodded my head lightly.
"It'll be fine. Connie has a talent for this."
I realized it when purification the well. Connie had a strong and pure body that could withstand the divine power of Donar. So, if Donar "noticed" and decided to help Connie, he would be able to endure it.
That was the belief I relied on.
"Alright, while Connie buys us some time, let's get to work."
El and Lloyd nodded. Our plan was to attack the moment the evil, which had taken root in this underground temple, revealed itself when Connie became the bait.
"But there are still too many of them."
Lloyd spoke in a calm voice. He was right. The rats in the underground temple were too many for the four of us to deal with.
"…Well, we'll just have to hold out until they come."
"And if they don't?"
"The chances of that are slim, but if, by any chance, they choose not to come, as you suggest, Lloyd…"
I paused and went into deep thought. The possibility that "they" wouldn't come wasn't part of my plan. I trusted them that much.
"…In that case, we'll have to manage on our own somehow."
I could use [Sunlight] to buy time and then make a run for it. It wasn't the most graceful plan, but staying alive is what matters.
"But I'm sure everything will go as I expect."
"...."
"Did you just think I was annoying?"
"No."
"Your eyes said otherwise."
"That never happened."
"Well, if you say so."
Hehe. I lightened the mood with a small joke and then checked my arrows one last time. In the darkness, I could hear the sound of rat tails brushing against the ground. They were about to attack Connie. We had to strike at just the right moment when the real "leader" revealed itself.
"Cuscus."
-Got it.
"I'm counting on you."
-Hmph, now you say that?
Demarcushel's darkness extended from my shadow and wrapped around us like a curtain. In that "safe" darkness, we held our breath and continued to watch Connie.
– Smack!!!
– Kieeek!!!
– Thud!!!
– Kyaaah!!!
– Crash!!!
Connie was smashing the Ratmen's heads with his mace and turning them into minced meat. Most people think of the mace that priests carry as a clumsy, priestly staff, but that's a huge misconception. Despite its appearance, the mace was a strong blunt weapon that could easily shatter a skull with one hit!
"Master, Connie is holding up really well, isn't he?"
El marveled at Connie's dazzling attacks. I was just as impressed inwardly. I had expected him to do well, but this… Wasn't this "too" good? Was he really a priest? Most priests were as fragile as paper…
Just as I began to worry that Connie might end up creating a mountain of Ratmen corpses,
"As expected, the skill of a saint is different."
It appeared.
The "leader".
Of course, it's a demon…
Fortunately, since we were hidden within Demarcushel's darkness, it didn't seem to notice our presence. Although, it was only a matter of time before we were discovered… For now, it was focused on Connie, so there was no immediate danger of being detected.
"El, Lloyd. You two, move to the right and left, respectively. When I give the signal, that's when you act."
There were still many Ratmen around. I would step forward first to draw its attention, then El and Lloyd would attack the remaining Ratmen from both sides and catch it off guard.
"Cuscus. Stay connected to their shadows."
-Theodore, you really know how to get under a demon's skin, don't you?
"Thank you for the compliment."
I grinned at the darkness and nocked an arrow to my bow. Slowly, light began to gather at the tip of the arrowhead. Despite this, the demon pressuring Connie seemed completely clueless.
"Yes, I do admire your courage."
"..."
"Young Saint."
Blood, dark and red, dripped from Connie's nose. It was clear that he had reached his limit. For an apprentice priest, it was impressive he had lasted this long. The one who was truly fortunate wasn't Connie, but Donard. In times like these, having a pure priest like Connie was a rare blessing. After this battle, Connie would surely be etched into Donard's memory.
"Cuscus, once I shoot the arrow, pull back."
-I'm really looking forward to seeing Barbason's face.
"So am I."
With a smirk, I drew the bowstring taut. Now then…
Three.
Two.
One.
"Just give up already."
Just as it tried to snatch Connie's mace from his grasp—
-Thwack!
I released the bowstring with all my strength.
-Whooooosh!!!
The arrow, brimming with purification power, cut through the darkness and pierced the space between the demon and Connie with its radiant bright light. Though I aimed for its heart, the target was a demon. It moved swiftly and narrowly dodged the arrow. Ha, its movements were just like a "rat".
Even though it dodged the arrow, the purification power slashed through the air, leaving a burn-like scar on the back of its hand. However, the demon seemed unfazed by the injury and it immediately turned its gaze to the source of the arrow—me.
Demarcushel slowly began to lift the veil of darkness, as if raising the curtain on a stage. As the creeping shadows returned to my own, I watched the demon closely.
"At long last…"
Barbason's expression shifted from confusion to surprise, and then to "fury". It was quite entertaining to watch. I locked eyes with the demon, whose black pupils stood out intensely with a polite smile on my face. For a demon, having a human meet its gaze directly would be a blow to its pride. I shouted in a voice laced with amusement,
"The young saint has arrived, you bastard."
"How dare you…!"
Barbason swung its hand, and the sharp claws extending from its black fingertips shot out like darts, striking the spot where I had just been standing with a fierce thud.
"Wow, you seem really angry, huh?"
The sound of Demarcushel chuckling from within the shadows could be heard at my taunt. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the situation of mocking another demon. The shadow that was rippling in sync with his laughter stretched out as if to swallow Barbason whole, only to retreat and repeat the motion.
"S-Sir Theodore!"
Seizing the moment, I threw the handmade potion I had prepared toward Connie, who was staggering as he ran toward me.
"Drink it."
Connie hurriedly began to gulp down the potion. Gulp, gulp. After downing it all at once, he finally seemed to come back to life and his face regained some color as he looked at me. Then, he hastily wiped away the traces of the nosebleed.
"I… I really thought I was going to die…!"
"Die? What do you mean die, Connie? You're being overly dramatic."
"I… I was so scared. I didn't know how…"
"For someone who was scared, you handled things pretty well, didn't you?"
"R-Really?!"
"Yes. Honestly, I almost felt sorry for those Ratmen."
Like a piece of meat being hammered with a tonkatsu mallet, whack here, whack there. Connie's own strength combined with the power of Donar had resulted in a performance far better than I had expected.
"Let's keep it up until the end, Connie."
I tossed the seeds I had in my pocket into the air. Thinking they might be some kind of powerful weapon, Barbason hastily retreated but when he realized they were just simple seeds, he bared his sharp teeth again.
"What kind of trick are you playing with such worthless things?"
"Trick?"
I smirked as I used [Breath of the Forest]. I was worried that the magical power in my body would not be able to exert its full strength due to the power of Barbason and the power of the sea stones, but fortunately, the magical power found its way to the seeds and they began to sprout.
-Swoosh!
-Swish!
-Pop!
-Fwoosh!
The underground temple's floor was too solid for the roots to dig deep. However, it only needed to hold for a little while. The seeds spread out in all directions and quickly formed a dense thicket. When small trees grew as if to surround them, Barbason stepped back in surprise, then burst into loud laughter.
"I thought I sensed purification power, but these are just ordinary trees?"
"Yeah, just ordinary trees. You've got a good eye."
"Are you planning to cultivate a garden here? You truly are a child of Lynshaka!"
"Haven't you heard the rumor? Even the <Duke of the Night> was buried under a tree."
"Ah, so you were the one who buried Porlasis in Rabata."
"Thank you for your compliment."
"You insolent little…"
Barbason seemed to think the joking had gone on long enough, so he spread his sharp claws and let out a chilling laugh. The Ratmen too bared their yellow teeth and prepared to lunge at Connie and me with their eyes gleaming.
"…You demons."
The "ordinary" trees began to bloom rapidly, and soon, fruits started to form. Light green cherry-like fruits hung temptingly from every branch.
"I told you, it's important to respect plants."
-The goddess of the forest and earth, Lynshaka, agrees with you.
-The goddess of the forest and earth, Lynshaka, bestows her blessing upon you.
-The silver vine trees grow into 'blessed' silver vine trees.
The "silver vine trees" emitted a light green glow for a moment. At the same time, an enchanting and sweet fragrance that humans couldn't detect spread in all directions. Connie sniffed the air briefly.
"This, this is…"
Before he could finish speaking, small shadows emerged from the darkness.
-Meow.
They were cats.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone