CH 110

After going through a dug-up courtyard filled with frozen pine trees, we entered the main building. A huge grand hall greeted us.

<It’s pretty.>

The whole place glistened in ice blue. The floor and walls, as well as the chandelier on the ceiling, were built with elaborately crafted ice.

The inside was as cold as a freezer, but it made it much more livable just by blocking the snowstorm.

While everyone was taking a breather. From the side, I saw Thesilid narrowing his brows while looking at the three passageways.

I thought that he was attractive and handsome even if he frowned, then, coming to my senses I asked.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

He put his hand near his mouth as if conscious of the mirror shard. 

“I can’t remember the way to the boss’s room.”

“Oh, what else am I here for?”

I turned on the system map and checked.

“Was the boss room the Grand Banquet hall? Hm, good, just trust and follow me.”

Thesilid, who I thought would be thrilled with my reliability, narrowed his eyes.

“Hmm.”

“Excuse me, Sir Thesilid? Do you have to give out gazes like that to your colleagues?”

“Then, I ask you as a colleague, how do you know everything? It’s almost at the level of omniscience.”

That’s because I’m a transmigrator who receives preferential treatment from the system, but Thesilid’s suspicions seemed to have gone the wrong way.

“Eli, it’s an important question, so I want you to answer honestly. Perhaps your true identity is an alter ego of ‘Strict order and Goodwill’……”

[‘The World-building God’ is furious with the remarks that crossed the line.]

“Don’t says things that could get us in trouble. Absolutely not.”

“Really? That’s great.”

I was grateful for his neat understanding, but I felt puzzled for a moment.

Looking from his point of view…should he be happy?

As if reading the questions from my gaze, Thesilid gave a smile like a painting.

“You must be a human to stay by my side.”

It sounded like an obvious statement, but it also had a strange nuance.

Then Thesilid closed his mouth and swallowed his cough lightly, sweeping away my thoughts.

“It must be because my airway is cold as the shard has cooled me down. Let’s go.”

The Holy Knights were also notified.

“We are leaving again. Follow me carefully from now on.”

“Yes! Your Grace!”

The structure of the Ice Castle was like a maze. Walking along the corridor, we came to a hall that seemed to have no use, and across from it, a forked road awaited my choice.

It was a repeat of the same pattern.

Sometimes enemies were waiting in the rooms or halls. They were snow elementals who guarded the Snow Queen. Have been corrupted just like her, their original ice-blue body turned blue-black.

<Those who do not have the shards cannot pass……Kiek!>

<The only one the Queen allowed to enter was Kai……kyaaak!>

As I took the lead, Thesilid and I naturally took charge of the enemy’s handling. 

Each of the fallen spirits was at a level comparable to that of a B-class boss, but they were nothing more than rubbish mobs in front of my Saint-class divine power and Terry’s Top Expert-class aura.

However, there were side effects to handling everything too easily.

“The enemies are weak for an S-class dungeon, right? I was nervous for no reason. Ha, ha, ha.”

Those were the words of Rex, the leader of the Knights of Grace, as he removed his hand from the handle of his sword.

<What is this person saying? On the subject of an intermediate expert level.>

It was too cumbersome to explain every word, so I just laughed and replied.

“Of course. Sir Rex can do it well enough.”

It was a sweet voice even to me. Isn’t this what a true Saint cosplay is all about?

……However, I forgot the fact that it’s common for a Saint character to look like easy prey.

“Yes, of course! We, the Knights of Grace, are always ready to fight for the Holy One. If you need support and cover, just let me know, Your Grace!”

“……Support and cover.”

You sound the same as Clovis.

In any case, it seems that there are many people who are looking forward to the situation in which Thesilid and I have failed in our two-player attack plan and become desperately in need of help.

I just pulled the corners of my lips together for a small smile and nodded lowly.

“I can’t wait to see who will ask first.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

When you go up to the second floor of the Ice Castle, there are some changes to the interior.

I could see art pieces everywhere as if the owner wanted to imitate any other normal castle.

Various paintings framed in ice frames were hung on the walls of the corridors, and statues were placed like gatekeepers on both sides of the entrance of each room in the corridor.

Of course, since it is a place that has become part of the demon realm, the sensibility of the artwork was not human-like.

There were only extremely obscene or sadistic things befitting a demon’s taste. 

Protected by the system, I frowned a little, but it seemed quite shocking to others. 

“Oh My God! Such an ugly picture!”

“Ah, ‘Strict order and Goodwill’. Please cleanse my eyes.”

“We beg you to protect us from corruption……”

The sound of desperate prayers coming from the back of my head never stopped.

Glancing at Thesilid, he too was walking with his eyes facing forward, trying not to turn to the paintings.

We quickly walked to the end of the hallway and entered a new room. Inside were works of art that were different from what we had seen before.

“No, that……!”

“A decent piece of art in a place like this?” 

Located in the center of the huge hall was a beautiful statue of an angel.

A female angel with her wings drooping down, praying to heaven on her knees. It was so holy that every one of the paladins, moved to the brim, even made the holy sing.

However, Thesilid and I felt a chill in our chests.

“……It’s Silevan’s work. I didn’t think there would be a piece of it here.”

The Boss from ‘The Atelier of the Sculptor’, a dungeon in which Thesilid almost died by ‘Newborn Chaos and Evil’ hands. 

It was clear that this angelic statue, ordered by the owner of this place, was made from a massacred corpse of human material.

“It is very beautiful.”

Even Rex, the leader, was seen making the sign of the holy cross. I felt the need to stop this ignorant worship.

“Everyone, stop.”

“What?”

Since the long procession was already inside the room, my voice was heard by everyone.

“This angel statue is not a work of art, but a corpse desecrated by the devil.”

“What?!”

“Among the tools used by artists in the underworld, there is a glaze that slowly hardens the human body into a statue. Demon sculptors sculpt that way.”

“Th-then this angel statue……”

“It must have been made by putting harpy wings on the back of a living person, holding them in place with wires, and then applying a special glaze for 15 days. This person must have died slowly during that time.”

“Huh!”

The hands, which had been making the sign of the cross, hurriedly changed to a posture of attention.

Movement resumed. Just as I was about to step out of the room and step into a new hallway, a problem arose.

<Ellet.>

I sensed an aura at the same time as Agnes called and turned my head around.

Pusssok!

Looking back, what was reflected in my vision was the image of a falling angel statue and a knight with a sword in front of it.

“……They had an accident.”

Thesilid’s dry murmur summarized the current situation.

“Sir Senail! What are you doing!”

Soon, Clovis’ roar rang out.

A dark brown-haired female knight flinched for a moment but soon proudly replied. 

“Why is that, Captain? What did I do wrong……?”

“Come again?”

“Didn’t Her Grace tell us? It’s a corpse desecrated by the devil. I just broke it because I thought returning it to the soil was polite to the dead.”

“Ha! Courtesy?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you think Her Grace and I left the statue alone because we were not polite?”

“……!”

Only then did the knight Senail flinch in realization, but it was already too late.

Kugugung! Kuuung! 

All roads leading to the hallway were blocked and everyone was locked up in the room.

“D-Don’t tell me, be-because of me….”

“Yes! Did you understand it now?!”

There are always traps lurking in dungeons, this was especially true in this type of holy-like environment.

Criticism was shot from all sides to Senail, who had touched things complacently, but Rex chose a target with a better hitting score than a simple knight.

“No matter how much the main mission of the temple is scouting for dungeons, it’s absurd that a paladin doesn’t even know common sense inside said dungeons! How does Captain Clovis train the members?”

“……I have no face.”

Koo Goo Goo!

The ominous tremors grew in scale and shook the room again.

“Eli, do you have any traps in mind?”

“That’s what I was going to ask you.”

Whatever happens, I need to prepare first. I reached out.

“Mercury’s Barrier.”

A huge silver citadel, big enough to enclose sixty people was built. It soon turned out that this response was a wise choice.

Bang! Kwakwang! Kwaaang!

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

Countless large icicles, big like pillars of stone, fell from the high ceiling.

Of course, they were not ordinary icicles, as they were made with a freezing magic called Cryo-Mancer. Its power came from a whopping 6th circle spell. If it wasn’t for my barrier, those less than Aura Expert would have been seriously injured or killed.

“Yo-Your Grace……!”

As if everyone was aware of their possible bleak future, their eyes of emotion were stuck here and there. 

The momentum of the ice hitting the barrier subsided. But I couldn’t be relieved.

<Intruders!>

<How dare you touch things in the castle!>

<Pay for your sins with your life!>

Fallen snow elementals appeared from the ceiling. Agnes said at the appearance of the enemy.

<The volume of the offensive is no joke.>

“I know, right.”

After all, this is an S-class dungeon close to SS-class. It was a number that should be called an army. They rushed this way as if they were marching.

I immediately cast a Divine skill.

“Divine Punishment. Divine punishment. Divine Punishment!”

<Keeek!>

There were so many of them that it was only possible to handle half of their numbers. The survivors clung to the barrier.

Now it was a distance where we had no choice but to engage in close combat.

“I will count to three and release the barrier. One.”

“All hands! Ready for battle!”

“Two.”

“Ye-yes, Sir!”

“Three!”

<Kyahahahaha!>

The fallen spirit army rushed at the allies with a horrifying laugh.

“Wh-what! Why are these things so strong!”

“They’re stronger than I thought……Ahh!”

It was a situation where enemies, who alone were no different from a B-class boss, drove into the allies in groups. Unable to set formations, individual battles began. Of course, with the exception of a few advanced expert aura users, they struggled.

“S-Set the formation somehow! Protect the Healers!”

“Damn it! Even if it is corrupted, it is an elemental, and it has resistance to divine power……!”

“You have to attack mainly with aura to deal damage!”

“Hey, help me out here!”

A difficult melee war broke out. 

They had the power to subdue an S-class boss if united, but each one taking on a matchless enemy was a separate business.

Above all, the inability to build formations was fatal.

“Aaaagh!”

A loud scream rang in the ears.