Chapter 515 - 458. Relying on a Senior in Times of Trouble
"Phew."
The Zakmantis was successfully dismantled without any parasites popping out. I got a small Magic Stone, a mantis scythe, and a carapace, but... I don't need anything but the Magic Stone.
The mantis scythe was appraised as a weapon, and the carapace as light and hard, suitable for armor, but I'm already well-supplied with Mithril for those purposes.
"Ryu."
"Thanks, Pan."
So, I had Pan crush them into tiny pieces with his Mithril hoe and buried them at the side of the path.
During that time, Lupi, Leda, and Roy continued to be vigilant, but...
"~ ~ ~?"
"No, there's no need to go look."
Sweee offered to check the top of the cliff, but I was a bit hesitant to let her go alone. There might be other monsters besides the Zakmantis.
"Alright, let's go."
"Yes."
I stopped leading with Lupi, and we changed our approach to moving together. Considering the possibility of attacks from above, there was no need to split up.
We proceeded cautiously, mindful of both front and above, and arrived at the church's entrance, before a large gate.
"Before we open it, Raz, can you go take a look over there for a bit?"
"Kuru!"
Raz can pass through the gaps in the bars, so I'll have him peek over to the other side.
I crouched down and reached out, and he swiftly ran off, slipping through the bars.
"Will it be alright?"
"Raz is fast, and it's close to the entrance, so I think he'll be fine."
When the mansion was dilapidated, he managed to escape from a huge snake, and even tried to lure it to the rats inside the mansion, it seemed.
"Woof."
"Yeah."
I checked Raz's [Presence Detection] with [Shared Presence Detection]... He's proceeding surprisingly cautiously, but there are no strange reactions, it seems?
He went to the front of the entrance, looked left and right, then ran back.
"Welcome back. Thanks, little one."
"Kururu~♪"
Raz climbed onto my shoulder and rubbed his cheek against mine.
Once he settled back into my hood, I stood up and placed my hand on the great gate's door.
"I'm opening it, okay?"
"Yes."
After our usual exchange, the lock disengaged.
Alright, pulling it towards me is the right way to open it, then.
"Heave-ho!"
It made a heavy, creaking sound, but the resistance was light.
Once it was slightly ajar, Lupi and the others slipped inside.
"Woof!"
"Yeah, seems fine."
Inside, I checked left and right.
Leda and Roy were on alert, but it's really narrow in here.
"The building is the same as the one on our island, but the surroundings are quite different."
The cliffs on either side are very close, there's no space for a stable, and it's only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side.
This area truly feels like it was carved out of a slope.
"I'm curious if there's a backyard."
"Yeah. While we're at it, let's check if any walls have collapsed."
"Yes."
We did a full clockwise circuit. I was hoping for a backyard, but it ended up just being narrow.
Well, the building itself seems sturdy. In fact, it looks newer than the church on my island?
"The walls don't seem to have any holes either, so the inside should be fine, right?"
Thinking about it, this place isn't far from the starting point, and that Zakmantis wasn't that strong, so maybe I was overly cautious.
I put my hand on the entrance door, did the usual routine, and quietly opened it.
"~ ~ ~ ♪"
Sweee's light spirit flew in, illuminating the interior.
Following Lupi and the others as they slipped past my feet, I entered and found the familiar interior.
"It's the same. Nothing particularly different."
"Nya."
"There's no Goddess Statue either."
Both the interior structure was identical.
Rows of pews led to a slightly raised platform, where only a pedestal, seemingly for a Goddess Statue, remained behind the pulpit.
"Kyu?"
"Ryu, ryu."
"Nyaa~"
Oh, right, True and the others have never seen a church or its interior before.
Pan and Shal seemed to be explaining things, and they appeared quite interested in the Jade Goddess Statue I carved.
I'll have to take them to the island's church sometime.
"Shall we see if there's a basement?"
"Ah, good idea. Uh, first, let's move this aside..."
I lifted the pulpit and moved it to the side, and sure enough, there it was.
It wasn't ingeniously hidden, but I grabbed the handle and pulled it up to reveal a familiar staircase.
"Kyukyuu~!?"
"Ahaha. Our island's church has one of these too. Well, it's just a storeroom now."
The Necropolis had a hidden passage, but I doubt this one does. It would probably just lead to the sea.
"Woof."
"Yeah, let's check it out just in case. Mion and the others, please wait a bit."
"Yes."
I summoned a light spirit, separate from Sweee's, and sent it down the stairs, with Lupi going first.
She's not a pup anymore, but I still worry a little. Thinking that, I followed her, and...
"Oh?"
"What's wrong?"
"There's a bookshelf, and lots of books. Mion, you can come down too."
"Yes!"
The basement itself was the same, but on the right, there was a large bookshelf packed tightly with books.
From the look of the spines, they seemed to be related to Holy Magic, so I should collect them all for Mion... No, I need to consult with Bell first.
"~ ~ ~ ♪"
Mion and the others came down, and Leda, Roy, and True's two attendants stayed upstairs. It's narrow down here, so that's helpful.
"Woof!"
"Ah..."
Lupi sat down and called my attention to a familiar, tall wooden box.
From its size, it probably contained a life-sized Nameless Goddess Statue.
"That's probably it."
"What should we do?"
"This time, I'll definitely leave it to Bell. I'll consult Azure-san too."
Removing the Amama Fabric covering it, we found exactly what I expected: the Nameless Goddess Statue lying carefully within.
"Just as I thought."
"Indeed."
I wonder if this was prepared to be placed in the Necropolis?
The one on our island was installed as the Jade Goddess, but I wonder if it would be better to make it a different Goddess Statue...
"Kyu?"
"Ah, sorry. We're done here, let's go back."
I had a feeling this would lead to a lot of trouble, so it's definitely better to leave it to Bell.
More importantly, since we brought True and the others, let's enjoy the southern sea...