Chapter 56: Dungeon Practice (6)
Feeling fortunate, I was about to open my mouth for a brief introduction when Helena, who had approached a step ahead of me, glittered her golden eyes.
“Brother.”
“Uh, yes. What is it, Priestess?”
“Do you, by any chance, want to fight?”
“???”
Why was she picking a fight all of a sudden?
The Helena I knew was considered a candidate for the Saintess of the Church of Righteous Radiance, an ideal figure as if taken out of a painting.
It was because she was always bright and kind-hearted, and she joyfully assisted others to help them become better beings.
Throughout my life on Earth, I never had a religion, yet she was a devout priestess I would even admire.
That was exactly how Helena made me feel.
Ah, of course, Helena, as a normal person, had her flaws and gave off the vibe of a regular girl her age…
But neither of us would suddenly blurt out,
‘Hey! Wanna fight?’
Or something of that sort.
… Unless the other party was a cultist.
The Church of Righteous Radiance was the most hostile to the evil Gods among all the good Gods.
So, the always gentle followers of the Church of Righteous Radiance would sometimes foam at the mouth, crying out holy chants when they encountered those who were associated with the evil Gods…
Upon having this realization, I quickly lowered my head.
“It’s a misunderstanding! Priestess! I’m not a cultist! In fact, I despise them!”
“Huh? You aren’t… Ahem. Is that so? Can you show me how much you hate those wicked beings?”
Helena tilted her head slightly, cleared her throat, and said that.
Could it be… a retort?! Was that what she was trying to say?
Still, giving me a chance to defend myself meant she wasn’t fully convinced yet.
I had no idea where this misunderstanding came from, but I exclaimed with all sincerity that I was absolutely not one of them.
“There are many evil Gods in the world, but all of them are damn bastards without any exceptions!”
“Whoa…!”
“And those wretched cultists are just the same!”
“Exactly! But which part…”
With eyes even more sparkling than before, Helena urged for more details.
It felt like she was saying,
‘Keep talking. Tell me more.’
Helena wasn’t originally such a violent character… How did this misunderstanding occur?
Could it be because of Carla?
Carla’s father was executed after being labeled a cultist, wasn’t he?
Seeing me close with Carla, did they think….
‘Maybe he is a cultist too…?’
The Church of Righteous Radiance wasn’t crazy enough to make such assumptions… or so I thought.
Regardless, it seemed I was under suspicion. I need to address these doubts now.
So I briefly recalled my memories from the latter half of H&A and began to explain.
“Recently, I did have an encounter with the cultists of the Chaotic Union.”
“Really?! Where was it?”
In an instant, Helena’s eyes grew cold.
With her murderous eyes, it was as if she was declaring that she would rush there right now and smash all of them.
Terrifying…
“In Gef City. I wiped out all their guards. During that process, I conquered a dungeon with my slave, and personally killed the bishop of the Chaotic Union!”
“Wow!”
Helena’s eyes sparkled again, and her smile was as innocent as a child’s.
“Those bastards had set up their lair right beneath a city where innocent citizens live! They were targeting an undiscovered dungeon there! They are such wicked beings, truly without any boundaries!”
“Cultists always find a place in the shadows of humanity. Even the sun, which fairly illuminates everything, can’t shed light on them…!”
“You’re right, you’re right! But the shocking part is this. In order to break the seal of the dungeon, they secretly abducted people and made human sacrifices using their flesh…”
To settle things once and for all, I detailed every single thing I witnessed in the underground of Gef City.
The dried-up pools of blood, the human slaughterhouse stained in crimson, the altar made of bones and flesh, and the human flesh skewers being sold as if they were common street food.
With every word I spoke, Helena would either express her anger, say a short prayer for the victims, or echo my sentiments.
It felt like her suspicions about me had significantly lessened.
Meanwhile, Vincent, who was watching from the side, alternated his gaze between Helena and me with a look as if he were seeing madmen, but I decided not to care about that.
“Those wicked Gods! Cultists and monsters are all bastards!”
“What if you see a suspicious person?”
“I must report them to a nearby church or guards!”
“But what if you confirm that they are a real cultist or monster?”
“I will cut them up and kill them!”
So, please save me!
Could my desperate will have been conveyed?
“Thank the Lord! Brother, you truly were an honorable person!”
“Well, I guess that’s just how I am.”
Is the misunderstanding cleared up now?
As I stared at her, demanding if she still had doubts, Helena averted her gaze, as if she were embarrassed.
“Uh… Truthfully, I never doubted you, Brother.”
“Then what about what you said to me initially…?”
“I-I was hasty and misspoke out of embarrassment.”
“Uh huh?”
“I felt the grace of the Lord in you, Brother. But it seems you haven’t been officially baptized. Perhaps the Lord admired how you fought against the wicked.”
“Wait, could it be?”
Come to think of it, I had the blessings of the Sun God, didn’t I?
The Sun God embodied righteous radiance, so it was impossible for Helena, a priestess of that God, not to notice it.
…Did I completely miss the point?
As I stood dumbfounded, Helena nodded with a flushed face.
“Yes… I just wanted to hear tales of your heroism, but I spoke oddly and caused you distress.”
Helena took a devout posture, placing both her hands over her heart.
“Even after realizing the misunderstanding, I enjoyed hearing your stories, so I couldn’t clarify myself in the middle of it. I apologize.”
She even bowed deeply to apologize.
I was touched.
A posture that naturally emphasized a heart full of love, forgiveness, mercy, and… other good things.
Entranced, I found myself nodding in agreement.
“Well… it happens.”
After all, I didn’t suffer any real harm.
More importantly, having received an apology, it seemed better to end the matter here than to nitpick endlessly.
“Anyway, should we introduce ourselves now? I feel like we haven’t even exchanged our full names yet.”
“Thank you for your understanding! Let me introduce myself first. Ahem.”
Helena cleared her throat lightly before speaking.
“My name is Helena. As you might have deduced, I am a priestess of the Church of Righteous Radiance. I know all the basic divine arts, so if you ever need healing or blessings, please let me know.”
Finally, I could address her as Helena instead of Priestess.
Honestly, it was a bit bothersome pretending not to know her name.
“Your name is Helena. I’ll go next. My name is Yandel. I can use most of the basic elemental magic, and I also know how to use shields. Oh, and…”
Swish.
I showed her a gleaming lion’s dagger from my inventory.
“I also know how to handle a dagger. But, of course, not at the level of knights. If you could think of me as someone who can just somewhat fend off threats, I’d appreciate it.”
“Huh! Isn’t that our divine relic?”
“It’s the grace I received as a reward for conquering the Gef City dungeon I mentioned earlier. I presume the one who sealed that place must have been a God of the Church of Righteous Radiance… Ah, it was also this dagger that defeated the bishop of Tainted Unity.”
“God will surely rejoice at Brother Yandel’s struggles. No, He has already rejoiced and bestowed his blessings. It is truly a beautiful thing.”
Helena said with an expression filled with emotions, as if she were genuinely touched.
It felt a bit unsettling to be so happy about someone’s death… but since it wasn’t human, it should be okay, right?
But the pleasantries between them were cut short.
“…Can I say something now?”
Vincent, who had been heaving sighs until now, interrupted.
“Ah! I-I’m sorry, Brother. I was too excited about the relic…”
“I know you had no ill intentions. Calm down. I don’t blame you. You’ve been very restless.”
His tone was oddly authoritative.
But considering his lineage, it was understandable.
“My name is Vincent Grenadin. I mainly use the Grenadin family’s signature swordsmanship. Among aura users, I am of mid-level. My swordsmanship is offensive in nature, so I might lack in defense… I’ll leave that part to both of you.”
The Grenadin Marquess family.
Affiliated with the Levantin Empire, it was a renowned name among martial arts families.
Given where he grew up, it was natural that he acquired a haughty demeanor.
While he might be a bit stiff in speech, he wasn’t a bad guy. His character wasn’t a concern.
However, there was one significant flaw.
“I’ll be at the forefront fighting the enemies, so leave the vanguard to me!”
Vincent confidently thumped his chest.
However, the guy had combat nausea.
It was his first real combat, so he probably wasn’t aware of it yet.
But since only low-level monsters appear in training dungeons, it should be fine.
After the introductions, as they discussed their positions and ways to detect traps, we all threw ourselves at the dungeon entrance.
And then…
“Argh! Save me! The horn… the horn…!”
“Don’t cling to me so disgustingly! You’re disturbing my magic!”
“Lord! Today, I offer you this damned creature who’s been wrong since birth!”
A priestess running wild at the front.
A swordsman hiding behind a mage.
And me, frantically casting spells in all directions.
… I expected it to be chaotic, but I didn’t think it would be THIS chaotic!
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