Chapter 128.1

There is a saying among those who have ever started a venture or have reached a certain level of success, they would, together, in conjunction, say:

“Raising something from the ground is extremely difficult. And managing them is even more so.”

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

Even when we first met, the three of us were like strangers, but I worked hard to bring them together as party members.

I went through all that trouble to make them into individuals who can contribute.

“But where did your levels go?!”

Did I forget about managing them?

What the hell could one do to make their hard earned skills and levels disappear?!

As I trembled with trepidation, Ophelia struggled to make excuses.

“I, I didn’t lose them. I just can’t use them temporarily.”

“Wow, that’s so much better, isn’t it?”

As I raised my hand to my forehead, she flinched and lowered her head.

“…”

“…”

I could feel the indescribable gazes of the Archbishop and Marietta.

Damn, this makes me look cruel.

But come to think of it, I am cruel.

I grabbed Ophelia by the shoulder and exerted pressure.

“Kyaaaaah! Hero, it hurts!!!”

“My heart hurts more than anything.”

“I-I’m really sorry!!”

“Why…”

“I made a mistake. I made a mistake!”

“Since you made a mistake, you should receive punishment.”

“Kyaaaaah!!!”

Ophelia flailed like a freshly caught fish.

“It seems like I’ve been too lenient with you all this time. Instead of growing, you’ve regressed. Look forward to it. I’ll make your old memories resurface like fresh sprouts.”

“Ahh..?! W-Well, I may not have [Divine Blessing], but I can still use [All Bless]. And even though it’s not immediate, someday I’ll be able to use [Divine Blessing] again…”

“And that warrants pride? Shut it, Ophelia. A Saintess Candidate lying is—”

“[All Bless]!!!”

“Hey… Huh?”

I saw as a radiant white light emanated from Ophelia’s hand, to which I narrowed my eyes. Releasing my grip on her, I asked.

“What’s this? Why is your divine power of a different color? Wasn’t it supposed to be golden?”

“Well, you see…”

“Blasphemy! It’s blasphemy!”

Before Ophelia could even come up with an excuse, Archbishop Vedic abruptly jumped up to his feet and hollered.

“…What?”

“Since ancient times, the divine power of the followers of Goddess Iris has been golden. From the Pope to the Saintess, without any exceptions! But now, the light that Lady Ophelia manifests is not golden, but white. This is consummate evidence that she believes in some other false, pagan deity, not the Goddess!”

“Oh?”

“Hero, why are you wearing such an optimistic expression? This is a very serious issue!”

“…What do you want to say?”

“We need to cause an uproar! We must strip her of her qualification as a Saintess Candidate and find out which false deity corrupted her!”

“How do you intend to find out?”

In response to my question, Archbishop Vedic assumed a serene, assuring smile.

“Don’t worry. Even though it may not seem like it, the church has skilled interrogators–”

The chair Ophelia was sitting on was up in the air and then down on the Archbishop.

Thud-!

The old man fell to the ground like a sack of grains.

“Hey, let’s stop with the crazy talk. What the hell, you are talking about torture?”

“Ugh… Well, what I meant to say…”

“Heh. I haven’t finished talking yet!”

Thump!

“I appreciate you took my side before, but since then, you’ve kept crossing the line.”

“C-Crossing the line..?”

“Why do you make decisions about my business without consulting me, Your Eminence? Even if I’m just in an honorary position and haven’t been designated any office or position by the Church, this is not right. It’s not something that an ordinary Archbishop, who is not even the Pope or the Emperor, should do. Got it?”

Thump!

“Ugh…!”

“From now on, I believe you’ll maintain healthy boundaries.”

Looking at the writhing Archbishop on the floor, I hurled the chair behind.

“Ugh.”

“Huh? Oh.”

Wondering what that noise was, I turned around and saw Ophelia, who had been hit by the chair, collapsing on the floor.

“Uh oh.”

I’ll have to ask Marietta to take care of the Archbishop’s treatment. I turned my head to Marietta.

“Oh.”

When Marietta’s, who was crawling on all fours, on way to slip out of the room, and my eyes met. She swallowed her saliva and whimpered,

“I-I’ll be right back.”

“Is that so? Wait a moment.”

I rummaged through the Archbishop’s desk and found a piece of paper and a reed. I drew a map on the paper and handed it to Marietta. She looked at the map on the paper and tilted her head.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the inn where I and my colleagues are staying.”

“What? Why are you giving this to me, hero?”

“You are going to refresh yourself, right?”

“Yes?”

“Can’t you understand? Marietta, you passed. You’ve earned the right to join us.”

“Yes? No, no. I’m fine. I’m good as I’m.”

“What did you hear from me? I told you to go back. To our inn.”

“No, I’m really okay. Besides, Ophelia is in your party… I don’t think there’s a place for me.”

Marietta shook her head and spoke hesitantly.

Oh, she didn’t understand.

I put my arm around her shoulder and explained in a friendly voice.

“Marietta, it’s always better to have two than one, no matter what it is.”

“…”

“Got it?”

Her pupils trembled like crazy.

* * *

“You’ve definitely gone mad.”

Concluded Mars, after listening to my story, shaking his head ruefully.

“You think so?”

“Isn’t it batshit insane?! You beat the Archbishop, support a Saintess of pagan belief and, hash, kidnap another.”

“Mars, as a man, there are times when you have to do things you don’t want to.”

Mars narrowed his eyes in scepticism. “…”

“I’ll give you three seconds to open your eyes wide. Three. Two…”

“They’re already open! They are!”

“Tsk.”

“Enough of my story, tell me about yours. What have you been upto?”

What did he do that made him encounter those bastards..!

“Me? Well…”

Mars lounged back in his chair and told me about the things that happened after he embarked on his journey. It was quite a long story, and there were many significant events, but one thing stood out to me the most.

“You reached the end of the dungeon?”

The dungeon where I obtained my little brother in the pants.

The dungeon that Mars had to clear in order to see the true ending where he is at least a pseudo-protagonist.

Mars recounted how he cleared the dungeon and received the reward, the ‘Essence of Ruin Crassio.’

“Yeah. I also met an Angel. By the way, were you acquainted with Archangel Rahmiel, brother? She asked about your well-being.”

“Rahmiel… Ah, that was the name of the Angel. We’re not that well acquainted.”

“Really? Judging by the expression on the angel’s face…”

“Let’s stop bickering about that. But speaking of which, you seem to have grown more than I expected. You’ve already cleared the dungeon.”

“That may be true, but it’s mostly thanks to Christina and the other comrades who helped me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it alone.”

Mars chuckled fondly.

On the other hand, I felt a sense of unease as three unpleasant faces came to mind.

“So, they did that…”

Come to think of it, I wonder how skilled they are. Did they become stronger earlier than Mars did?

“I’m not particularly hopeful.”

They’re the kind of guys who can’t put up a proper resistance even if they get beaten up.

“But I’m curious about how much those who changed you are accomplished themselves.”

After thinking it through, I nodded to Mars.

“Are they asleep right now? If they’re not, bring them here. Wake them up if necessary.”

“What are you planning?”

“They cleared the dungeon, right? Let’s see their skills in action.”