43-37 Tell me it's a lie. Luciel finds out that hallucinations are true.

Yesterday, the adventurers' guild was in full swing, and the adventurers who were returning to Meratni were leaving the Holy City like an army.

I've been told by the departing adventurers that they were both grateful and apologetic, and that they had many warm words for me.

"If you ever need anything else, I'll come running to you.

I'm glad to see that Luciel is still alive.

There's gonna be an M meeting soon, so you should come along.

You're the only one who can relieve Mr. Brod's stress.

"I'm going to apologize to my wife for cheating on me, too, and I'm not going to give up on you.

Real adventurers return the favor.

"You'll fix me up if you get hurt again, okay?

You're not the only one who's growing up, you know. When you're in Meratoni, you can have a simulation with me.

On the way, no, I won't say anything. I suppose it's because I know I'm saying goodbye to Instructor Brod, Mr. Grugar, and Mr. Garba, and I know that I'm saying goodbye to them. One by one, they called out to me that didn't need a response, and then we were leaving for Meratni.

'Hey, listen, Luciel. No, my foolish disciple. You've got all these people worrying about you. As I told you yesterday, you are weak. You must realize that.

"Yes, sir.

Oh, come on, Brod, let him have it. Or you won't be back in Melatni.

...Nuh-uh.

'No, I'm going home I'm going home, please don't stare at me.

'Luciel-kun, next time you come to Meratni's town, I'll train you too. My way of fighting seems better suited to your cowardice.

"Don't try to take my apprentice, Galba.

"Ha-ha. Well, it's up to you, Luciel.

Well, bring one of your girlfriends with you when you come to Meratni.

What... her?

"Luciel. When you have a child, I will train it for you.

"Yes, yes. Luciel, you're old enough to think about it.

When the girl is born, I'll teach her to cook.

"Hey, I'm not riding with Brod, who made the leap to Gruger. Well, if you can't make it to the church headquarters, come to the Adventurers' Guild in Meratni. It's the safest place for you to be.

Thank you, sir. When I'm in a position to wander, I'll stop in Melatni once I'm in a position to wander, and...

You might as well tell these three men.

''It's not even like simple Luciel to make such allusions.

What is it? What's going on?

What is it, apprentice?

I've decided to tell them because they can believe I'm on their side.

''The demon race will become more active in the future. The heroes won't be born for another few decades, but there is a good chance that the demon race's power will grow stronger due to the influence of the evil gods before then, so you three should be careful.

'Ho. Perhaps the church was informed of this?

You must be a church to be as quick as I am.

'You're a hundred years too young to be worrying about us. You ought to be worrying about yourself now, not us. If something goes wrong, you better call us. If we get too many people hurt, we'll ask the church to send you over, so don't worry.

That's not reassuring.

I saw them off and headed back to the church, feeling like I'd never win against the three people who trusted me so easily and were so concerned about us.

When I returned to the church and was about to get into the magic elevator, I was approached by the receptionist.

''Luciel-sama, please wait.''

Hmm? It's quite unusual for the receptionist to call out to me.

'Yes, sir, what is it?

I have a message for you to tell Catherine to go to her when you return to the church.

I don't know anyone named Catherine?

Huh? What? What's with the "sheesh" look on your face?

Oh, excuse me. It's Lady Cattleya, who was here yesterday.

Oh. Ms. Cattleya, huh... I'm sorry, but I don't know where she is, nor do I know her room?

Oh, well, then, take a few minutes. We'll be in touch with you soon.

And like the first time I came to church, I meditated with what looked like a crystal ball.

But all-nighters are bad. My body may be young, but sleepy things are sleepy. I was waiting with a huge yawn when someone appeared dashingly.

'Luciel, you're alive.'

My sleepiness was blown away at once. It was Lumina-san who came to pick me up. Why does she only see the weirdest things in me?

I need to talk to you. I'll be out in a minute.

This is how I was praised for being alive as I headed to Lumina-san and the Pope's room.

Conconcert ...

''This is Lumina, Captain of the War Maiden Holy Knight Squad. I have brought the exorcist, Luciel.

Come in.

He got down on one knee and hung his head as he made his way through the open door to the center.

'Exorcist Luciel, you have returned well.'

'Ha. Thank you for your concern, sir.

'No, good. We would have gone to the rescue originally, but with so many opposing us, plus the wraiths coming out of the thirty layers, we gave up on the rescue.

No, I think that's a given.

I'm glad to hear that. But why didn't you come back for more than six months?

(Huh? I knew you didn't know that there was a bug, did you? Well, that's true. (If I were monitoring it, I'd rescue it, too.

''Yes. In fact, the demon that came out of the main room on the 40th level was very much larger than an ordinary dead spirit knight, and every time I cast a purification or recovery magic, it recovered completely and was at a loss... but the only time I gave it a physical attack, it didn't recover from its injuries. From there, we fought over and over again, healed our injuries with recovery magic, and when we tried to use object X as a barricade, as luck would have it, it didn't come near us, so we fought over and over again, got our legs blown off, got our arms slashed and recovered, ate and slept, and tried many times to come up with a strategy, but it was trial and error I ate and desperately searched for weaknesses, because the blood I lost could not be restored by recovery magic, but I am not a genuine warrior, so I could only proceed foolishly. I didn't know how long we fought, but we managed to defeat it.

Oh no, I spoke a little too passionately. I thought everyone was watching me, and suddenly I'm embarrassed.

'....It's horrible. Is that why you couldn't come home for this long?

''Oh, no, I wanted to return home after defeating it, but the door to return did not open, and I could only go forward, so I turned to the fifty levels from there, defeated the fifty level boss, and finally was able to return. I'm sorry for the details, but I can't offer them to anyone other than Pope and then Cattleya and Lumina.

"....Mm. If there's something wrong with you, I don't blame you. You men, step outside.

I thought this case was going to be a bit contentious, but the maidservant in the Pope's room, the Archbishop? Bishop? and others also left the room quietly.

And there were four of us, including me, in this Pope's room.

'So? I'm sure there's a good reason why you're making me pay someone else, though.

The figure was hidden, but there was something about the alarming voice, and I could sense the atmosphere from the Pope.

''Yes. Or rather, the boss of the fifty levels ... I was surprised in the main room. A giant wight would attack us and generate demons to spill blood.''

'Oh my God, there's a necromancer?

'Yes. That was the setting, wasn't it? I managed to defeat it by using the Sanctuary Circle, but I didn't expect that in the end, the wight would drive my spirit into a corner with a hallucination that would replace the old man.

"....old man.

Huh? Aren't you an old man? Cattleya-san and Lumina-san are both looking at me with a somewhat stunned expression. Oh, was the talk too frank?

"Even though it was a hallucination, it was quite difficult for a new healer to clear that labyrinth. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering when the game would be over and I would hear the word of resurrection.

But I've cleared the hallucination labyrinth, so I can say this much, right? It was definitely a great quality, but I did my best, didn't I?

Game over? What's the resurrection?

Huh? Yeah. And in this world, there are no games. Maybe there's more to the word than resurrection.

'Pope, we've trudged through the labyrinth, so it's time to start acting, right? And I want to ask you something. That holy dragon that came out at the end, that holy dragon, it really surprised me.

''Old man, Holy Dragon, how dare you....

"The dragons are sealed by an evil deity, and we are also told that we must release the sealed dragons within forty years.

"...Cattleya, Lumina. I forbid you to say anything that Luciel has just told you.

"What.

And what did the dragon say?

''Well, you said that if you don't unleash the sealed dragon, the magic element will become darker and the demons will gradually become stronger, and the born brave might be defeated by the demon race. It seemed to be a very common story in terms of the setting.

"...my goodness. Thus... wait, what else did he say?

''You told me, a healer, to do what I could. And I didn't get the last magic stone from the labyrinth. It looked like a trap.

...my name is Luciel. May I ask you a few things that have been bothering you since earlier?

'Yes. Of course.

Did you enjoy the labyrinth or not? Or how to deal with the stinky smell? Setting up the next labyrinth of demons?

What is a hallucination first?

'What? Is that where we start? Well, that's an important point from the producers. The demons from the first level were of high quality. But when they attacked, they didn't feel strange, but when they attacked with swords and spears, they didn't have the same feel, which was a shame.

...Lumina, how does it feel to be under the water?

When I cut him, I could feel it, but as soon as I channeled my magic into it, I think it turned into magic and disappeared in the maze.

Other than that, the quality was high. The pain is also realistic, especially the setting of the knight on the 40th level, didn't the Pope? Oh, will you allow me to bring out that knight's weapons, the great sword and long spear, here?

Good.

''It's this and this. It's good to know that I got my whole shield cut off with this great sword and my leg was blown to pieces with this spear because it was a hallucination, but normally I would have fainted from shock and died. What a devil to set up a demon that strong... I don't know how many times I thought that.

Exactly what are those two... and I couldn't believe my ears many times during the talk... what is it about the arms and legs that have them? And didn't you say that the magic you used at the 50th level was the Sanctuary Circle?

''Yes. Luckily, I got the Extra Heal magic book at the 39th level, followed by the Lord at the 40th level I mentioned earlier, who dropped the Sanctuary Circle magic book, and the ultimate one was at the 50th level, where you can't use it, but the Forbidden Magic Revive came out when I defeated the Lord. Only this one might not be able to be used for the rest of your life, so dust it with a magic bag.......time is standing still, so it won't be covered, but it won't be out in the world.

"...Cattleya, Lumina, I forbid you to say anything that you have heard today.

"What.

'So, Luciel, I'm going to have everything you got in the main room put out here. The dragon's too, of course. It must be inspected. All of it is yours, of course, but there may be some things that you wish to give away.

''Well, I suppose so. I'm sure it was something the Pope was trying to capture.

'Those hallucinations I've been telling you about, I didn't hang those things and the undead demons are real.

'No, no, no, if it were real, it would raise the bar, wouldn't it? We haven't gone up a single thing. Well, if it wasn't for that, I might have believed it.

"...which one? ...and open your status.

'What? It hasn't changed anyway. Status open.

Name: Luciel.

Job: Healer IX and Holy Dragon Knight I

Age: 18

LV : 1

HP : 840 MP : 550 ST : 580

STR: 142 VIT: 163 DEX: 137 AGI: 129

INT : 158 MGI : 182 RMG : 174 SP : 0

Magical Aptitude: Holy

[Skills]

I'm into it. I'm into it. I'm into it.

Meditation VII Concentration VII Restoration of Life Force VII Restoration of Magic VII Restoration of Physical Strength VII　

Throwing V Dismantling II Hazard Assessment VI Walking VI Physical Strengthening II　　

Parallel Thinking IV Chanting Omitted V Chanting Discarded III No Chanting I Magic Wing Chanting III

Kenjutsu IV, Shield III, Spear III, Archery IV, Archery I, Airborne Detection V, Two Spear Kenryu III

Trap Detection II, Trap Detection I, Map Creation III, Magic Amplification III, Thought Acceleration II

Increased HP80%III Increased MP%III Increased ST86% Increased ST86%III

STR IncreaseⅧ VIT IncreaseⅧ DEX IncreaseⅧ AGI IncreaseⅧ

Increased Rate of INT IncreaseⅧ Increased Rate of MGI IncreaseⅧ Increased Rate of RMG IncreaseⅧ Increased Rate of Physical Ability I

Poison ResistanceⅧ ParalysisⅧ ParalysisⅧ PetrificationⅧ SleepⅧ EnchantmentⅧ EnchantmentV

Spell ResistanceⅧ WeaknessⅧ WeaknessⅧ Illness ResistanceⅧ SicknessⅧ Striking ResistanceⅧ

Illusion Resistance VI Mental Resistance VIII Slash Resistance V Stabbing Resistance IV

[Title]

Changed Destiny (All stats +10) Blessing of the God of Destiny (Increase acquisition of SP) Blessing of the God of Holy Order (Holy Attribute Recovery Magic becomes 1.5 times more effective).

Holy Dragon's Blessing (Become a Holy Dragon Knight and increase your combat skills and status. You will be able to talk to dragons. Dragon Slayer (Makes you stronger in attack and defense against dragons.　

The one that releases the seal (will not be cursed by the evil gods. The one that gains the power of the sealed dragon.

''See, it's still at level 1.

'You're getting more jobs, and that's your level 1 status?

'It's certainly increasing across the board, but if you're so insistent, why aren't you raising the bar?

Can't argue with that. It's true that my status has increased, but Brod-san is going to kill me instantly, so there's no way I'm that strong.

"...Cattleya, show this to Luciel.

As I said this, Mr. Cattleya handed me a certain old book from the Pope and handed it to me.

'What's this?

"Lamentations of the gods and the original document attributed to Object X. Let's read it.

The literature contained a variety of considerations. Several possibilities were described in it.

The physical level considerations confirmed the demerit effect of making it very difficult for people to raise their levels during the period they were drinking.

Moreover, since no one has taken it continuously, I hope that some detailed study will appear one day to study it in detail.

At the end of the document, it concluded with this statement

'........eh, what? I'm not a very good speaker. Hahaha. Oh, but?

"Calm down, Mr. Luciel.

"It's all right, Mr. Luciel, you're alive and well here.

You really thought this whole thing was a hallucination.

Thus I stayed in that position until I calmed down, with Katrena and Lumina holding me by my sides until the chaos settled.

I really didn't have time to spare at this time, and I didn't feel anything about the scent of the girls, or the fact that I was in such a position, like having them samurai on either side of me.

After I calmed down, I took out the things in the magic bag, and all the Pope collected was a forty-level great sword, a long spear, and a fifty-level staff.

The magic book became my property, and when I was asked for permission to make a copy later, all but Revive agreed to do so.

And the equipment I got at the 40th level and the equipment left by the holy dragon was returned to me because it was my own exclusive equipment and no one else could handle it.

Furthermore, they don't need the magic bag because they don't have a chance to use it, but it seems that the magic bag for the labyrinth item is something that can be bought with white gold coins or not.

I'm not going to be able to get the bones of a purified holy dragon that has become undead, would you be willing to give them away for a bit?

''Yes. If I'm the only one who can use the Holy Bone of the Holy Dragon, then I can use the part that became an undetermined part, right? However, Pope, only the War Maiden Holy Knights and former Knight Commander Catherine.

Okay. We'll have another labyrinth-top celebration in a week, and you'll be the guest of honor.

Yes, sir.

"Cattleya and Lumina will stay behind and take further action.

"What.

It was a great cause, Luciel. And I'm glad to have you back in one piece.

'Ha. Thank you.

Thus, I was thinking about the lack of sleep, the confusion and how dangerous what I had done was as I returned to my room.

Normally I wouldn't be able to sleep at a time like this, but my cheat item, an angel pillow, helped me to fall into a deep and gentle sleep.