Chapter 79
Prayer Priest Adrian and Edel of the Divine Studies Department left to spread the news. In the chaos of the academy, few voices carried any authority.
Adrian said solemnly,
“I will make sure the academy staff hear of this. Princess, Saint, please return safely as well.”
“Yes. And please take this letter. It will be excellent evidence for preventing a war. Even if the royal family denies any involvement, it proves the Regressionists’ entire plan.”
With that,
Lydia handed him the letter bearing the royal seal.
Adrian replied gravely,
“It would be better for the princess to keep it. If I carry it on this frail priest’s body, I fear I’d lose it along with my life.”
“….”
Lydia gave a wry smile.
“To be honest, I think it’ll get soaked in filth down in the sewers. And in the middle of a frantic battle, Aria and Arti won’t be able to keep casting purification spells.”
“….”
It was a more practical reason than he’d expected.
That was why Lydia could say it with a calm smile. There was no solemnity or self-dramatization in the air. She seemed as casual as someone heading off to clear a blocked sewer.
Adrian froze for a moment.
“….”
‘She doesn’t want any glory. She’s simply going because it’s something that must be done. She’ll fight in a place like that without hesitation. Even though she’s royalty… for the safety of ordinary people and the order of the world.’
This was a noble cause.
True honor.
The spirit a royal ought to possess.
The bearing expected of someone who wore a crown.
And yet most royals…
No, most royals throughout history had lacked it. Adrian, who had read countless histories and ancient documents, felt that nobility all the more keenly.
He couldn’t help but respect her.
‘Please… may this young golden lion, alongside the Saint, achieve the greater cause. May she fight alongside the Hero and live with honor.’
As he prayed silently,
he finally nodded and accepted the letter.
“Understood. I will preserve it, even at the cost of my life.”
“Please do.”
Meanwhile,
Edel looked anxiously at Aria. Edel had come to support the Saint, only to end up leaving the danger behind and retreating at once.
Edel said to Aria,
“I-I’m sorry, Saint….”
“Yes?”
“I came to help, but I’m leaving again without doing anything… I guess I’m not fit to be a priest.”
“….”
Aria smiled and replied,
“No, Senior Edel. Just coming all this way was already a great help.”
“But….”
“Please go and comfort the people who are anxious. That’s the first duty of a priest, as commanded by the Sun God.”
“The first duty….”
Edel understood.
“I understand. I’ll do my best.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best, too.”
The two of them spoke at the same time.
“So that we may stand unashamed beneath the Sun.”
“So that we may stand unashamed beneath the Sun.”
Arti watched them from the side and murmured. One hand bore the crest of the Holy Sword, while the other fidgeted with the wooden holy relic in Arti’s pocket.
“…So that we may stand unashamed beneath the Sun.”
And so,
Adrian and Edel returned to the academy.
Lydia, Arti, Aria, and Mave entered the sewers at once. Aria, who could cast divine spells without limit, led the way, unleashing purification spells.
“May the Sun’s mercy preserve life—!”
Golden flashes blazed from both her hands. Normally, the spell washed away filth with a gentle glow, but now light poured out in a blinding torrent.
Flash—!
The filth clogging the sewer like a dam scattered in the light. If an ordinary purification spell was a trickling stream, what Aria unleashed was a water jet.
Flaaash—!
Like an icebreaker cutting through the Arctic.
Her enhanced purification spell cleaved through the filth.
The group followed behind Aria.
Lydia watched from behind, quietly impressed. The effects of the overpowered reality correction were terrifying.
“….”
‘I only expected her combat ability to increase thanks to her endgame equipment. Did it strengthen all the utility skills she uses in everyday life, too? And since Aria already has so many utility skills, the synergy must be even greater.’
Detection
Purification
Shattering
Barrier
These utility skills had all been enhanced like cutting-edge devices.
Aria now had utility abilities on par with an ultrasonic detector, a filth-removal machine, a demolition vehicle, and an armored tank.
“….”
Is she… even human?
In the original, she was the purest and most delicate NTR heroine.
Now she was a human weapon in her own right.
‘And considering she can use the Holy Sword, too…’
“….”
At the very least,
Arti probably wouldn’t stand a chance in a marital spat.
Lydia smiled a little. She felt a little relieved, too.
“….”
‘The path I’m taking is not wrong.’
I…
am different from the incompetent princess in the original story.
I’m a teacher and ruler who leads from the front so that Arti and the others can grow. That’s why this path is right.
“….”
Thinking that,
she walked slowly deeper into the sewer.
The group continued onward in silence.
So much time passed that they could no longer tell how many minutes it had been.
Splash, splash.
Only their footsteps echoed through the sewer.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Morgan furrowed her brow.
Each time Morgan stepped forward, something sticky clung to her shoes. Her nose had gone numb long ago, but she could still feel the unpleasant air drifting in with the murky fumes.
It was disgusting.
She felt like throwing up.
Even when she tried to look away,
filth covered the area all around them.
And this was after the brute up front swept it away with ‘purification.’
“….”
‘This feels a lot like when my name gets called out of nowhere during a Magic Department presentation. Even a slightly complicated explanation is enough to make those nobodies stare at me blankly, unable to understand a thing…’
Lost in such idle thoughts,
Morgan kept her gaze fixed ahead.
Then Morgan estimated the group’s pace and how long they’d been walking, calculating their approximate location. The answer came quickly.
Morgan murmured,
“We should be reaching the path to the lake soon…?”
Sure enough,
the moment she finished speaking,
they heard movement in the darkness of the sewer ahead.
-…what I’m saying…!
-Now, just a little farther…!
“!”
The group immediately looked at one another.
The sewer was narrow, less than five meters across, and the sound echoed. They couldn’t tell the speaker’s gender or how many people there were.
But…
Lydia said,
“…We found them.”
“!”
As soon as she said it,
the group immediately prepared to engage.
Arti quietly summoned the Holy Sword, while Mave took up the battered shield and sword. Aria lowered the force of her purification spell, wrapped the holy cloth around a hand, and looked ahead.
Lydia already had her sword in hand.
“They’re just fifty meters ahead.”
“…!”
Morgan quietly tightened her grip on her staff, calculating how to unleash her curses and subdue them as quickly as possible.
‘In a space this narrow, an area curse could catch Lydia in the blast… Should I freeze the filth on the ground so they can’t move? But then those nobodies’ mobility…’
Morgan’s thoughts were interrupted by Mave.
“I’ll take the lead. If I use the shockwave from this shield, I should be able to sweep away everyone packed into such a narrow space at once.”
“….”
Hmph. What a brute.
Just as Morgan was about to point out the flaw in that plan,
Arti spoke up.
“No. The duchess might be caught in it.”
“Oh….”
“And you know what a commotion it causes when a high-ranking noble is taken away. If they’re carrying off someone that important without a single shout, she’s probably unconscious or unable to move.”
“…!”
Mave flinched.
Then Arti drove home the final point.
“The sewer we’re standing in is narrow, and it could collapse. So we can’t use the power of my Holy Sword or your shield.”
“…Tch.”
Morgan murmured inwardly.
“….”
‘…Hmph. So that Holy Sword-wielding nobody does have something in their head besides a helmet ornament.’
Then Morgan glanced at Lydia beside her.
Lydia was listening to Arti with a faint smile. For some reason, Morgan thought Lydia looked relieved.
‘Why is she smiling like that…?’
That question
was cut off by Arti’s next words.
“So, Lydia. Mave and I have no choice but to engage them in close combat. Please protect Aria and Morgan. Their abilities can’t be replaced, and you’re the best person to keep them safe.”
“Understood.”
“?”
Arti tilted his head at Lydia’s curt answer.
“I-I mean….”
“….”
“I was asking you to tell me if there was anything wrong with what I said.”
“….”
Lydia replied calmly,
“…There isn’t. Making the best use of what we need is the most effective strategy. But if I had to point out one flaw….”
“A flaw?”
She patted Arti on the back.
“You lack confidence.”
“…!”
“Have confidence.”
“…Yes!”
Aria patted Arti on the back, too.
“Go ahead, Arti. We’ll hold our position here.”
“Yes!”
Arti looked at Mave and said,
“Let’s be careful not to make any noise.”
“I know that much, country bumpkin.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“….”
Mave gripped the shield tightly and said,
“You got me this time.”
“Got you in what?”
“…Anyway, let’s go.”
And so they cautiously moved forward.
The closer they got,
the more clearly they could hear the others’ voices.
“Damn it! There’s too much… to clear a path…!”
“Clear it as fast as you can! The time we agreed on… is coming…!”
“Damn it, I’m a high-ranking noble, and I have to do this… by hand….”
“It’s for the greater cause!”
They cleared the filth blocking their way, trying to move forward as quickly as possible. From far away, a damp breeze peculiar to the lake wafted toward them.
‘Unlike us, clearing the filth blocking the path must have been their biggest obstacle. Did they barely make their way through by clearing just enough to pass?’
And so,
they inched closer.
Arti and Mave flinched.
“!”
“!”
Far ahead,
in a dark corner of the sewer,
Carla lay collapsed in tattered clothes, her face haggard. It was too dark to tell whether her eyes were open or closed, but she was clearly in bad shape.
Arti cried out inwardly,
‘We found the duchess…!’