Chapter 840 - Chapter 6: Beyond That
As we proceeded through the stone underground passage illuminated by pale blue flames, we came upon a door.
"That's the first one."
Apparently, a battle awaits beyond the door. I say 'apparently' because it's what I heard from the Demon Lord.
Bonnie ran up to the door quickly and silently, and after checking it, she made an 'OK' circle with both hands.
"It's beyond the door, right?"
"Correct."
"Then I'll go scout it out."
"Be careful."
Fiona disappeared beyond the door.
The formation was decided. In addition to the Wetlands Priestess and Fiona, Violet and seven members of the Class of 175 joined.
After going from the Cave of Testament to the church, I explained things to Price-sama and the Henry Party. At that time, Will and Bonnie, regulars of the party, were there. The two of them contacted Beatrix, who was waiting in Nakanohara, via a magic circle for sending letters, and they came over in a crowd using Beatrix's Translate. Apparently, they had been on standby since two or three days before I activated Testament, prepared to move if anything happened. In response to my request to Price-sama—females only, no spirits, mages must be ultra-high-level or above—the seven and Violet declared their participation, and they came all at once along with food and other supplies via the Translate they had connected in advance with permission. It seemed they had originally prepared to fight the Demon Lord. The objective had changed slightly, but it seemed they were determined to come.
The number of people was just right. We had equipment. We had experience. However, I was the only healer. So, setting aside the powerful Violet, I had opposed the idea and suggested replacing two or three members of the Class of 175 with priests, but I was overruled. For goodness' sake, three of them were newlyweds. And one was the Crown Princess of a nation. What were they thinking?
However, according to Price-sama, since the sealing of the Demon Lord itself was complete, stepping further into the matter became a personal affair. Despite that, it would be extremely difficult to recommend ultra-high-level church priests. Furthermore, proceeding together with the Demon Lord, an enemy of the church, could not be made public due to their position. This applied not only to church priests but also to recruiting from the general public. It was because the matter couldn't even be announced. The time constraints were also severe, making it impossible to recruit. In other words, the participation of ultra-high-level priests was impossible. However, with the Grand Archbishop's intent, they would provide support.
Support would be provided directly through Price-sama by the Henry Party, who had received an informal request from the Grand Archbishop. It was mainly for recovery. Living heroes and former heroes couldn't even enter the Demon Lord's Cave, but others could. Of course, only as far as the Demon Lord's Temple. There, Eleanor-sama proposed making the Demon Lord's Temple a forward support base and gathering supplies there. As a result, one orb each of Heal and Holy—infused by an ultra-high-level mage from Finis and, moreover, containing a precious female ghost—were provided, along with many holy magic scrolls and mana recovery potions from Northern Gram, Medioland, Regnentes, and Sertoria.
And as reinforcements, Gwyn-sama, Eowyn-sama, Edward-sama, Sianya, Harris-sama, and Jones-san came. These six, along with Erikson-sama and Wilson-san, making eight in total, would actually come as far as the Demon Lord's Temple. And at the fortress at the foot of the mountain, Price-sama would take command as the representative of the church. Furthermore, Crown Prince James of the Kingdom of Medioland joined. Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama were the same. It became a magnificent lineup with royalty from five countries participating.
Eleanor-sama's strategy was that if someone was seriously injured, they would basically be sent back to the Demon Lord's Temple via Beatrix's Translate. Since the Demon Lord said that movement via Teleport or Translate was possible within the cave, that's how it was decided. If that were the case, it seemed like the Demon Lord could have just sent us all the way to the final destination from the start, but apparently, it doesn't work that way. He said his limit was acting as a guide and he couldn't take responsibility for movement. Or rather, he said if he did that, things wouldn't end well once we arrived. If so, it couldn't be helped.
Due to those circumstances, Beatrix became part of the rear support group along with me. There was one more in the rear support. Violet and the Wetlands Priestess.
Violet's role was, to be precise, as my bodyguard rather than rear support. Why? Because I was the only user of Light magic. If I withdrew, the exploration itself would be canceled. According to the Demon Lord, there was only one chance.
And while this exploration was, so to speak, my own selfishness, Price-sama fully understood my intent. In exchange, I was obligated to remain until the end and return alive. Violet was not only to protect me but was also entrusted with the judgment of withdrawal. With her keen senses and high-level crisis detection ability, it was decided that if Violet judged we should withdraw, everyone would follow. Her position was at the very rear, guarding the back while simultaneously grasping the overall situation. At the same time, since she had power, she was in charge of logistics, pulling the cart.
And one more thing. It was discovered that if I cast Camouflage and Almighty Guard on the fine-meshed net Violet made with her thread, it would become a powerful large-scale barrier for resting. Since it was cast on the net, there was no problem even with ultra-high-level holy magic. Even if we had food and water, mana wouldn't recover without sufficient rest time. In that regard, Violet's ability was truly a help.
The Wetlands Priestess's role was, so to speak, my other half. She would merge with me and handle recovery using the orbs. And she would support the whole group with Dark magic. Since I basically used Almighty Guard and Eight-Shot, I would mainly use orbs and scrolls for other magic. If the Priestess used the orbs through my body, she could perform recovery.
The scouts were Bonnie and Fiona. Fiona would also act as a decoy during combat, and the three of us—the Priestess, Fiona, and I—would also merge. Because we had Heaven's Roar.
The vanguard consisted of Beowulf, Will, and Matilda. All three wore Eleanor's armor and held silver weapons. Furthermore, if I cast Almighty Guard, they would be perfect.
Lyudmila and Mary were in charge of attack magic. High expectations were placed especially on Lyudmila, who had shown remarkable growth. And Beatrix, who was in charge of sending the wounded back via Translate, joined them. That was the lineup.
Regarding the meeting with the Demon Lord, perhaps because we had talked before entering the cave again, there was no particular trouble. The wall that could be erased with Holy magic had changed into a membrane like the one when I met Mel, and former and current heroes could not pass through. Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama were envious that we had a banquet with the Demon Lord, and Harold-sama was extremely frustrated that he couldn't go inside. When I told them about winning the drinking contest to seal him and the story after that, Violet was very happy. As for Eowyn-sama, his usual 'illness' became severe, and he was crying with joy, saying, "As expected of Jeanne-sama."
Unfortunately, the Demon Lord had gone ahead, so even though they came to support, they couldn't meet him.
The departure was from the basement of the Demon Lord's Temple.
When we entered the room to the left of the throne as seen from the front, it was shrouded in mist, and upon entering the mist, we reached a basement room that I didn't quite understand. This was also protected by a barrier, and only the eleven who had volunteered this time and the Demon Lord who made the barrier could pass.
We reunited with the Demon Lord in the basement room we reached and began the exploration further beyond the Demon Lord's Cave.
"I've seen it! The inside is quite large. It's high, too. About the size of the cathedral in the Sertoria Royal Capital. There's one monster that looks like nothing but a human."
Fiona returned.
"What kind of guy is it?"
Matilda snapped.
"Um, a warrior. He has a sword. Since he looked a lot like a human, he might be of the Demon Race."
"Is he alone?"
"Yeah. Well..."
She seemed to be hesitating. That was rare for Fiona.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. I was spotted."
"Heh, he's quite skilled then."
He might be Demon Lord class.
"We talked a little."
Since she was called out to, she had apparently dealt with him while moving and changing locations while remaining hidden.
When Fiona said she was going ahead with the Demon Lord's guidance, the warrior apparently went, "Hmm," and fell into thought.
"And then, he said he couldn't let us pass without a fight. So, he said as long as we're fighting, he wants to have a one-on-one duel at least once..."
Right off the bat? Does he mistake us for someone like Roberts-sama?
"I'll do it."
Matilda, you're also very sudden.
"Is that okay, Jeanne?"
"It's fine, but there are conditions."
"Conditions?"
"You must receive all of my support magic."
"Is it no good without that?"
Listen. The opponent is different from a wild boar.
"What do you think, Demon Lord?"
"The other side will use anything they can to win. That is what battle is."
"...I see. Understood. Then, I'm counting on you, Jeanne."
Matilda backed down easily. The Demon Lord's expressionless face is useful, after all.
When we opened the door and went inside, it was full of light, just like the Demon Lord's Temple. However, it wasn't a strong light like the Light spell, as Fiona had been safe. Perhaps it was the light of a soul. It was a warm and soft light.
The room was built like a church cathedral, and there was a man in the back.
He was lightly equipped and carried a greatsword. He wore the Finis check pattern. The color was red. His hair was disheveled and reached his shoulders, and he was a man with a sharp face. In terms of apparent age, he was about the same as us. Carrying the two-handed sword on his shoulder, he was sitting on a rectangular pedestal-like object placed between grey stone pillars about the height of a human.
"You have come."
When he saw us, he said that and stood up on the spot.
He was a giant of a man, about the same as Edward-sama.
Lowering the greatsword he carried on his shoulder with his right hand, he let the tip of the sword hit the floor with a clang. His attitude was dignified.
"It seems you have come with many people, but as I told Fiona-dono earlier, I desire a one-on-one duel."
He was quite polite.
"I'm your opponent."
The 'Mad Dog' stepped forward.
"Ho, your weapon is a mace. And silver at that."
"Yours is steel. Is that okay? Getting a handicap from me."
You shouldn't say unnecessary things.
The Demon Lord volunteered to be the referee for the duel. Matilda, of course, had no objection. Or rather, knowing Matilda, she might not care about a referee at all.
"It has been a long time. I never thought you would take that side."
The warrior seemed to be an acquaintance of the Demon Lord, as he spoke to him with a smile.
"I am only a guide. I will not participate in the combat."
"Then you are perfect for a referee. I ask it of you."
"Very well."
Once the stage was set, both sides announced their names.
"I am Edrak, the warrior."
"I'm Matilda. A craftsman."
The warrior raised his greatsword high. Matilda held her mace softly with both hands, holding it in front of her body like the Headmistress, pointing the tip toward the opponent's throat.
"Hmm. A good stance."
"My master is good, after all."
"I thank you for accepting the duel."
"Nah, I like this kind of thing better too."
Both sides exchanged words while wearing fearless smiles.
"I'm coming!"
"Bring it on!"
Both roared and closed the distance at once.
The battle between power-types began with Matilda's overwhelming offensive, fully utilizing the effects of the basic equipment of Eleanor's armor and Lindwurm shield, plus Almighty Guard and the Cat Stone I had lent her.
The opponent apparently was the type to use the weight and size of the greatsword to suppress the opponent's movements and use martial arts to break the opponent's posture and deliver the finishing blow. Matilda was striking her mace with counter-like preemptive strikes against all those attacks. Or so Will told me.
According to Will, Matilda had changed her fighting style. Previously, she was the type to just charge in recklessly, but it was likely the influence of Jones-san. She had changed to the type who identifies and predicts the opponent's movements and strikes at their start. This was the Headmistress's basic style, and Will said she must have practiced quite a bit with Jones-san and the Headmistress.
Matilda's tactics worked perfectly, and in exchange for a few slight cuts from the greatsword's blade, she landed effective heavy blows. Eventually, the opponent was forced entirely onto the defensive. He began to use the size of the greatsword to protect himself. And then, an impatient Matilda began to take big swings. Naturally, openings were created. Against a blow aimed at such an opening, she thrust her head forward as if she had lured him in. She took it with the very front of her helmet, with the defense power enhanced by the helmet and support magic. Then she struck a counterblow into the opponent's neck, and with a sickening sound of bone crushing, the opponent was blown away and stopped moving. But immediately after that, Matilda also collapsed, incapacitated. Or so I heard from Will.
The outcome was a mutual knockout. Both sides were incapacitated.
The Demon Lord's judgment was also a draw due to both being incapacitated. Hearing the judgment, the Wetlands Priestess made a quick decision, used my body to run to Matilda, and immediately treated her with an upper-level Heal orb. After that, without any hesitation, she held an orb in front of my face toward the unconscious monster and fired off Magic Reflection-enhanced Overflows repeatedly. Because we had been told that if our representative won, we could all attack at once. Seeing that, Bonnie slit his throat with a silver knife to finish him off.
Matilda, though without major injuries, had received many wounds and lost a lot of blood. Since the judgment of being incapacitated was handed down, she became a target for being sent back and was sent via Beatrix's Translate. As for the enemy who called himself Edrak, I sent him off, but perhaps because he was of the Demon Race, his body crumbled like dust and disappeared.
"Splendid. You lost one, but you defeated one."
The Demon Lord praised us. Matilda would be satisfied too.
"How many people's worth is that person?"
"Two people's worth."
Two people's worth, huh. The Demon Lord's subordinates were four people's worth in total, the Demon Lord was two, and since Diana-sama is an irregular we won't count her, it was originally six people's worth, so fourteen people's worth remained at the start. After defeating Edrak, twelve people's worth remained. If one person is two people's worth, then six people remain. It's going to be a long fight.
"Was that person from the north?"
"Why do you think so?"
"Because his clothes were the northern check pattern."
"I see. That was so."
He said only that and didn't answer anything else. There must be some story behind it.