Chapter 192 - 192. The Royal Guard Captain and Crystal Palace
The door to my room crashed open early the next morning, jolting me awake. Fam, who was already up and in the middle of her morning prayer, opened the door to reveal the innkeeper.
"A guest is waiting for you in the dining hall. You should go see them."
His usual boastful tone was replaced with a strange, almost reverent formality. Even if Marmie and Marianne were around, his demeanor wouldn’t change. Who here could possibly warrant such concern that he'd bother summoning me personally? A dread that I was about to be dragged into another mess washed over me. Was peace impossible in this city? I shook Uta and Maira, along with Marmie, awake and headed to the dining hall.
Inside, a masked knight with dog ears the color of dark tea was waiting. His face was etched with deep wrinkles, suggesting he was in his later years. His eyes, though sunken, gleamed with a sharp, intense light, giving a glimpse into the powerful man beneath the weathered exterior. He was a giant—bulging muscles beneath his chainmail and a surcoat atop it. A samurai sword, tooled to fit his large frame and stored in a thick, reinforced scabbard, hung from his waist instead of a shield. He exuded an overwhelming aura of dominance. The other patrons had distanced themselves from him, eating at separate tables.
The knight sat ramrod straight, meticulously eating a kebab sandwich. My appetite vanished the moment he started watching me. I faked a yawn and nonchalantly tried to leave, pretending I hadn’t noticed him.
"Stop right there."
His thick voice, like rock, rooted me to the spot.
"U-uh… I was just going to buy something. I’m feeling a little hungry…"
"You should be able to get a free breakfast as an inn guest. Their kebabs are quite good. Come and sit down."
"Ah… sure."
I shot Fam a pleading look for help, but she and the others just resumed eating, watching the scene unfold.
"Are you sure? We’re a mage, a priest, and a lancer. And Mo is our companion for only three days.”
"Enough stalling." He smirked, and his shoulder reached its peak.
"Now that I recall, you’re an adventurer who came to this city, yes? I know of an excellent location."
"Where?"
"The Crystal Palace."
The Crystal Palace.
We followed Tulsa (as I later learned he was called) through the district ruled by the Airally humans—their authority was clear even from the architecture. We approached the part of the district called Crystal Square, where brothels lined the streets, indistinguishable from the inn itself. Only the walls, meticulously smoothened and coated, gave them a bright, high-end feel. The ground floor was a tavern, where one could hire the servers, or stay as a regular guest (though most were here for the women). I distinctly remembered Shizka bragging about how he always got waited on. Still, the area was desolate; the bustling atmosphere of Longhorn Street was absent. Perhaps it came alive at night. The few passersby were mostly adventurers, heading toward the center of Crystal Square.
The center of the square featured a pyramid-like altar, each side about ten meters long, built from polished white stone that glowed softly. Stairs led to the summit, where a black circle—the dungeon entrance—lay visible. The knight had struck up a conversation with several adventurers nearby before returning.
"Alright, I’ve arranged for a group of two adventurers to guide us. We’ll split up into groups of three to enter the dungeon."
"Wait, isn’t the first floor available?"
"We’re going to the fortieth floor."
"Fortieth floor?! We’ll die!"
"Don’t worry. Lady Marianne told me the other hero is strong enough to solo a floor forty education guard. Besides, there’s Master Mo Starunion, right?"
Tulsa turned to her expectantly, and she nodded smugly.
"But, no Healers and only one mage, and she’s new," I tried arguing again.
"It’s fine. You formed parties during the promotion exam. I’ve heard that."
"Guh…"
On the way here, Tulsa wedged himself between Fam and Uta, chatting with them like old friends. Uta cheered him up. But what surprised me was Fam taking a liking to him, too. She and Uta must have filled him in. Perhaps Yuuki had our information at his disposal, too. I sighed, fearing the worst.
We reorganized our party into: me, Fam, Uta, Maira, and Mo, with Tulsa. As I took the sword Marianne had given me from storage, I remembered Racshell entrusting me with Uta’s sword, along with another item.
"Uta, I almost forgot Racshell gave me your sword."
I handed her the sword and the paper bag. She took the sword and drew it from the scabbard with reverence.
"What is this?"
She withdrew my description of the symbol.
"The husband god is the only one without form. Void yet possesses spirit."
Maira read it aloud, as I couldn't.
"Huh?"
Then I remembered another sword in the storage and retrieved it—the Sword of Akizuki Uta.
"Doesn’t it mean, 'God is the only being, without form, a spirit in void'?"
Maira tilted her head.
"Racshell sent this, so it must be a message. My interpretation could be wrong. Maybe she’s telling us that she’s not the god of our world either?"
But then Marmie interrupted, "In myths, the Two Original Pillars spawned the Five Pillars of Genesis, and those, in turn, bore the Fifty Gods. But the Original Two were also gods!"
My thoughts raced. Was it truly about my original world’s monotheistic god? And what was Racshell trying to tell us with this sword being the same as Okita Souji’s? I was still lost in thought when Marmie stared at me.
"… Marshall, there’s another of these swords in the capital building."
"… Is it said to be Okita Souji’s?"
She nodded.
As we debated, Uta poked her head into the paper bag. Then, her face flushed, and she clenched it, shoving the sword and bag into storage.
"Wh-what’s wrong?"
Her face was red. She leaned next to me, whispering, "… Racshell asked someone send my 'special' undergarment."
Everyone groaned.
Now, Tulsa was watching us.
"What’s wrong?"
"Monster’s here."
We readied ourselves for battle as a sludge-like creature oozed into view, creeping along the floor. Its gelatinous body was the size of a child, with one large eye and countless tentacles flailing wildly.
"A Loper variant. A Slime Loper."
Tulsa’s deep voice echoed as Maira grasped her mace.
"Ew, gross!"
Uta instinctively raised her shield and short sword. Fam and Mo followed suit. The Loper at the front glowed as it conjured a massive fireball. Marmie stepped forward, wand raised, and a magical barrier appeared. The second and third Lopers mirrored it, unleashing their own fireballs. The three fireballs combined in a swirling inferno that collided with Marmie’s barrier. The force of the impact shattered it.
"Now!"
Uta plunged into the flames before me, followed by Fam.
"Maira, support them! Moe, cast spells to weaken them. Tulsa!"
He smirked, drawing his sword with a flourish before answering.
"Leave one to me, the other two are your job!"
Before I could react, Tulsa danced forward like a feather, his movements light. His body slammed into a Loper like a storm, sending it crashing backward.
Flames dwindled as Fam and Uta locked blades with the first Loper. Their attacks were precise, slicing through tentacles, but the creature instantly regenerated them, whipping them back like living whips—crackling with energy. Uta barely deflected one with her shield.
A second Loper was circling, approaching our backs. It moved with sluggish speed, yet its movements were alarmingly fast. Its tentacles burned with dark energy.
The front Loper then fired its fireball at Uta.
"Uta—!"
I instinctively loosed an arrow, guided by wind magic, straight into the creature’s eye. The world froze as the tentacles stopped mid-swing. Fam didn’t hesitate—she sliced into its core. It took several strikes before the Loper crumbled into dust.
The third Loper held Uta at bay with snapping tentacles while preparing another fireball.
But before it could fire, Marmie’s spell struck it dead center.
"I think they’re all gone."
Tulsa approached, the fight over.
"Tulsa! Where are we going?"
He ignored my calls, walking forward.
"Where else could we be going but the Area Guardian’s room?"
"What did you say?"
Why now? If Hyakka were here, she could’ve stopped him with a single punch. Alas, I lacked the courage.
He stopped abruptly ahead of us. A grimy plate-armor-clad knight stood with a greatsword—but no head.
A new Loper emerged from the darkness.
Tulsa’s eyes had locked on it. Without a care for footwork, he glided across the floor, landing only on the balls of his feet before he sliced through the Loper's tentacles and then cleaved it in two.
With a final flourish, he flicked the gunk off his blade and sheathed it before turning to me. "Let's go."
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