Chapter 92 – The Ruler’S Tomb (8)

It was then that I realized why Diana was so openly antagonistic towards Cha Hyewon. She must have overheard Cha Hyewon telling me to stay away from Diana.

 I recalled the conversation I had with Cha Hyewon when we first arrived in the city. At the time, I had brushed it off as nothing… Was Diana always this good at hiding her true feelings?

 “You…”
 “Consul! Saintess! I’ve found something strange here!”

 In the midst of the cold atmosphere, with both women glaring at each other without backing down, a mercenary that Diana had brought along interrupted the tense moment.

 The mercenary, who had rushed over to report, finally seemed to realize the strange atmosphere and scratched his bushy beard with a troubled expression. He had been worried about how to calm down the two who looked like they were about to fight, but he was glad to have a reason to intervene.

 “Here, have some water and catch your breath. But what do you mean by ‘strange’? Did you find a monster or something?”

 I still hadn’t resolved my questions about what Cha Hyewon had said. It wasn’t something to take lightly, and I had wanted to think about it calmly, but if the two of them clashed before I could even properly consider it, things would get complicated.

 I didn’t completely trust Cha Hyewon, but it was true that my memories weren’t intact.

 My trivial memories from the modern era were relatively clear, but the details about my personal life were hazy. Most of all… it was shocking that I couldn’t remember my own name, my real name.

 It was also strange that the headache I got whenever I tried to recall my memories would subside whenever I thought of Diana. Even I knew that wasn’t normal. Diana wouldn’t try to harm me. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine Diana hurting me. Cha Hyewon had even said it was my problem, so in the end, it was up to me to remember.

 So… until I could recall my memories, it would be difficult to take sides if the two of them fought over this issue. I couldn’t even get a grasp on things myself. So for now, I would pretend not to know. Just like I had been doing.

 “Ah, Priest. A monster? If it were a monster, I wouldn’t call it strange. I’ve seen so many of those nasty-looking things over the past few days that I’m used to them all.”

 The mercenary, who had been at a loss in the chilly atmosphere, brightened up as if relieved. He kept glancing at Diana and Cha Hyewon, who were still glaring at each other. If things continued like this, who knew what kind of rumors would spread?

 The two of them were already the subject of much gossip, even over trivial matters, so if they were seen in this state, looking like they were about to brawl, strange rumors would definitely spread.

 “It’s just a minor disagreement. Just in case, don’t let any unnecessary rumors spread over something so trivial. Do you understand?”
 “Of course, of course! I’m known as Cardin the Reliable! You can trust me, Priest!”

 He didn’t seem very trustworthy with his blabbering, but I couldn’t exactly sew his mouth shut either. Just as the mercenary was turning around, I lightly tapped the butts of the two women who were still glaring fiercely at each other from behind, as a way of telling them to behave.

 “Okay, so what’s this strange thing you found?”
 “Ah, right, my mind is all over the place. Well, I was on patrol, checking if there was anything dangerous around here since we’re resting, and I noticed that the wall over there at the far end was kind of dark and protruding, and it looked a bit suspicious, you know?”
 “Keep it short. Just the point.”
 “Yes! There’s a strange door!”
 “……A door?”

 A door. There was a door in the underground waterway? Could it be that one?

 “Did you try to open it?”
 “No! I was going to report to you two first. It looks like an exit, but I can’t just open it without the commander’s orders!”

 Hmm? He was surprisingly reasonable. I thought he was just a blabbermouth, but he wasn’t bad. Come to think of it, he did call himself something like ‘Cardin the Reliable’?

 “Ah! But I think you should go take a look quickly.”
 “What is it?”
 “Well… I was going to report first, of course. But my big mouth got the better of me, and I told my colleagues a little bit on the way… and those guys over there are trying to open it on their own.”

 Following his gesture, I widened my view and saw several torches moving around the outskirts of the underground waterway, lit by torches and magic orbs. No wonder he kept glancing back. He came here blabbering about trust, what a mess. Damn it.

 If my guess was right, we shouldn’t open that door carelessly!

 “Stop…”

 Before I could even finish shouting, the torches flickering on the outskirts disappeared in an instant.

 “……Huh?”

 The bewildered mercenary scratching his head was as vivid as if it were not an illusion.

 “Priest. Am I seeing things? Those guys over there just vanished in an instant.”
 “……Damn it. This is urgent. Gather the people right away.”

 After sending the mercenary away, I sighed. Only then did Diana and Cha Hyewon stop glaring at each other, as if they had finally realized that something was wrong.

 “What is it? What happened? And what’s with those people suddenly disappearing?”
 “Yurian? You look serious. Is something bad happening?”

 Seeing the two of them completely ignoring each other and asking the same question made my head hurt already. Ha… They were acting as if the other didn’t exist, like they didn’t even want to associate with each other. What great teamwork. Fantastic.

 I gathered the people urgently and wondered how much information I should reveal.

 “What’s the list of the people who disappeared?”
 “Here it is.”

 I took the list. There were five names. Four mercenaries were fine, but the problem was the one name in the middle.

 “This person here, Bishop Hallion. Who is he?”
 “Ah. I can explain that.”

 Diana, who had become demure again in front of the others, approached me.

 “He’s the local bishop dispatched from the Holy Nation of Hespote. He helped me a lot in proving that I’m the Saintess, and he also helped gather these skilled people for the rescue team.”

 So, he was someone who couldn’t be easily abandoned. A local bishop was a pretty high-ranking position. Moreover, when Diana had claimed to be the Saintess, he had immediately recognized her and made a big fuss about actively supporting her… If we abandoned the bishop here, it would be a fatal blow to Diana’s reputation.

 If the bishop who had actively supported the Saintess went missing and we abandoned him… that wouldn’t do. He was too important to abandon, and above all, he had supported Diana so much that it was known throughout the city.

 I took a moment to organize my thoughts. Did I have to go with the lie plan? Let’s try to piece together the prologue story of a game I used to enjoy.

 “I’ve seen it in old documents. There’s a sealed demon hidden in the underground waterway.”
 “A demon? A demon… Could there really be a demon here?”
 “A demon is sealed beneath the city?”

 Amidst the murmuring of the crowd, I reviewed my cobbled-together story. Well, honestly, it seemed like they would believe any reasonable nonsense.

 The reason we came here in the first place was to conquer the ‘Ruler’s Tomb’ beyond that door. There had been a crisis due to Somir’s sudden trolling, which led to a direct assault on the monster nest, but… the original goal wasn’t the monsters, but the dungeon called ‘Ruler’s Tomb’.

 Due to the unexpected situation, we hadn’t even been able to attempt the dungeon, but that had been resolved when Diana and the rescue team joined us.

 I had received treatment from Diana, which had removed the stacked debuffs and restored my body. I had even taken a clean shower with water created by magic, which made the hardship of not having water seem pointless, and I had quenched my thirst, so my condition was quite good.

 Above all, while the four mercenaries could be discarded as expendables, the bishop was someone who couldn’t be abandoned due to his position and reputation. Abandoning him would be a fatal blow to Diana. If we abandoned the bishop, Saintess Diana’s honor would be dragged through the mud. Not while I had eyes in my head… no, even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t let that happen.

 Should I take this opportunity to conquer the dungeon?
 We had enough power now.
 Diana, Irian, Cha Hyewon, Sandra, plus the skilled mercenaries and the city guards. In the game, it was impossible to gang up on a boss monster due to the party member limit, but in reality, there was no limit to the number of people, so we could easily conquer it with sheer numbers.

 “I understand your anxiety. Demons are beings that trigger primal fear. But think about it. If there was a demon beneath the city, how could the city have been peaceful for so long? They didn’t even know about the underground waterway or the demon.”
 “That’s true. Is there really a demon?”
 “I’m a local, but this is the first time I’ve heard of the underground waterway. And a demon? Demons disappeared a long time ago, didn’t they?”

 If I suddenly told them to go and beat up a demon, they would probably run away. The people here had such a strong fear of demons that I needed to dilute that fear before they could be useful as a fighting force.
 It seemed like the atmosphere had been sufficiently refreshed, so I spoke again.

 “The reason why the city has been peaceful despite the existence of a demon beneath it, and why they didn’t even know about it… is because the demon is sealed. Are you going to abandon your comrades because you’re afraid of a sealed demon? Are you afraid of a creature that can’t even move while people are walking all over it?”
 “……Well, we don’t know. Who knows if it’s hiding its power.”
 “Even if it’s hiding its power, it hasn’t even shown its face while we’ve been wandering around down here.”
 “Are you sure it’s a demon? Maybe you’re mistaken?”
 “I’m certain.”
 “How do you know that the people disappearing is the work of a demon, Priest! Do you have any proof that it’s a demon?”
 “It’s simple.”

 I grinned and brought Diana, who was standing next to me, forward.

 “Why do you think the Saintess is here? She came all the way here to defeat the demon herself.”
 “Oh…!! That’s it! That’s why the Saintess suddenly came!”
 “The Saintess! We can trust the Saintess!”

 Diana blinked and nodded with an ambiguous smile, and the murmuring of the crowd grew louder. But so far, the atmosphere was more one of surprise at the sudden situation than active participation.

 “Everyone. Please join the holy war to help the Saintess defeat the sealed demon and rescue our comrades. It’s a holy war to rescue our comrades and protect the safety of the city.”
 “…Ohh.”
 “…A holy war, you say.”
 “Of course, at the end of the holy war, the church and the city hall will give you great rewards and honor. Are you going to run away from a demon that’s sealed and powerless!”
 “Oooooh!!”
 “A holy war! It’s a holy war!!”

 I grinned at Diana, Irian, and Cha Hyewon, who were staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.

 A seemingly easy mission to defeat a demon that was sealed and weak. A group that seemed to have a strong force, including the Saintess and the Consul of the Empire. The honor of rescuing comrades and protecting the safety of the city.
 And above all, the great rewards from the church and the city hall.

 The reaction was amazing.

 “But can you really be sure it’s a demon just because people disappeared?”

 I simply answered Cha Hyewon’s question, who was looking at the people chanting enthusiastically about the holy war as if they were idiots.

 “Who cares? If I say it is, then it is.”
 “……”