Chapter 92
[“Inspector of Heavenly Secrets Leak” is worried about the protagonist, who is weak in office politics.]
[“The Caustic Critic Who Balances Everything” suspects you’re just trying to skip quickly to the next episode.]
[“The Word That Builds the World” signals them to be quiet.]
Silence filled the small prayer room.
Tesilid was lost in deep thought over the anomaly that occurred in his seventeenth life.
Meanwhile, I could see Ipeil and Hestio exchanging glances as they watched him.
They clearly wanted to hear exactly what had happened in the burst dungeon.
Agnes felt the same way.
<There was no Radiant Knights when we saved Tesilid in the dungeon. What exactly happened?>
I hesitated.
It was Tesilid’s story—he should be the one to tell it.
But forcing him to speak those horrific events out loud felt like violence.
And there was something else. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if he remembered everything properly.
The trauma must have been severe, yet he looked relatively fine right now.
In that case, it would be better for me to step in.
“The Radiant Knights’ claim isn’t true. Those bastards tried to escape the burst dungeon and—”
“They abandoned me.”
A dry voice cut me off. When I turned, his face was expressionless to the point of being mechanical.
“More precisely… you could say they sold me.”
“….”
…So he remembered everything.
The silence grew heavier, almost suffocating. I was certain the atmosphere here was heavier than even Tesilid’s funeral.
Hestio and Ipeil didn’t press further. Instead—
“…Are you okay?”
The cautious question carried genuine concern for a friend.
Truly, one of the few healing moments in the protagonist’s life. What would have happened if I hadn’t saved him?
“I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“I already knew what kind of people they were. Seeing the bottom of it doesn’t make it newly disappointing.”
It sounded more like he was convincing himself.
When the three of us said nothing, Tesilid tried to lighten the mood.
“Well, I suppose they didn’t come to my funeral either?”
Hestio played along.
“Of course not. Those Radiant bastards have been gone on a mission for ages.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
Alright, at this point, let’s predict how the flow of the 17th timeline—where the protagonist’s fate has changed—will unfold.
Tesilid spoke.
“When I return, the Holy See will be in chaos.”
Ipeil nodded vigorously.
“Let’s flip everything over and crush the Radiants to restore your honor. Sounds fun.”
Hestio suggested a plausible plan.
“How about joining us and returning together? Even if the commander is passive, you’re still the adopted son of the Argent family—he’ll protect you.”
“That’s a good idea, but there’s a problem.”
“What problem?”
“I’ve lost my power.”
“What?!”
“I have neither divine power nor aura right now. I’ve basically become a civilian. I can’t even draw my holy sword.”
“…Seriously? How did that happen?”
“The shock of dying and coming back.”
Since honesty wasn’t exactly one of the Seven Virtues here, a blatant lie slipped out smoothly.
Tesilid continued.
“To me right now, the Holy See feels like enemy territory. I can’t reveal myself in this weakened state.”
“Then shouldn’t you stick with us even more?”
“It’s fine. Ailet has business at the Holy See, so she’ll accompany me.”
“…You’re saying it’s fine because of her?”
Two pairs of unimpressed eyes turned toward me.
It seemed they didn’t fully understand that I was the one who had saved Tesilid from dying in the dungeon.
Well, they probably still thought of me as just a young alchemist—someone who treated him with potions at best.
I was about to correct the misunderstanding when Tesilid lightly touched my arm.
Agnes interpreted it for me.
<He’s telling you to stay quiet.>
Ugh. Why?
[“The Word That Builds the World” says they have a thing for hidden powerhouses.]
But it soon became clear it wasn’t about preference.
“I’ll recover soon, so don’t worry. By the way, where is the Holy Knight Order headed?”
Ipeil answered.
“To Greenwall Village. We were heading to what’s known as your grave. There’s a rumor that a saintess closed the burst dungeon.”
Gasp.
Good thing I didn’t reveal that I went into the dungeon myself, saved Tesilid, and defeated the boss.
I thanked Tesilid with my eyes. He smiled gently and wrapped things up.
“I think it’s better if we go separately. It’s where I died—I’d rather not go back.”
“…Alright.”
“Please keep it a secret that you saw me.”
“Got it. Stay safe.”
After saying goodbye, Tesilid and I quietly left the underground prayer room.
✠
The next day, after a good night’s sleep in a proper bed, we resumed our journey feeling refreshed.
Our destination—chosen by Tesilid to recover his strength—was a hidden village deep in the mountains.
To avoid camping outdoors, we took the shortest route, which turned into a long and grueling mountain climb.
Tesilid looked at me with admiration as I confidently led the way using the system map.
“You really know the way well.”
“You could say it’s thanks to divine guidance.”
“Whenever I get guided, it’s always a dead end or a trap. Are we even serving the same god?”
Of course not.
But even as a joke, I wasn’t about to confess heresy in front of an Inquisitor.
“Well, I suppose I can’t compare to a saintess who can use Divine Descent.”
He accepted it on his own.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you use Divine Descent in a while.”
“You know why. If I use it, I get divine fever and collapse for two days.”
“You couldn’t use it unless someone you trust is beside you.”
“Exactly.”
“…Am I someone you can trust?”
That came out of nowhere.
But if he expected me to be flustered, he was mistaken.
“Yeah.”
“….”
“Don’t believe me? Want me to try it right now?”
My bold response seemed to catch him off guard instead.
Then he lightly scolded me.
“You think too highly of me.”
“I see you clearly.”
“You speak as if you know me well.”
I checked his expression, worried he might be offended, but he was only smiling faintly.
“In that case, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Do you also know who tried to kill me in the burst dungeon?”
That question did shake me.
A being came to mind immediately.
A newborn embodiment of chaos and evil.
The final mastermind—Reed.
Just thinking of him made my mood sink.
“…Yeah.”
“…I see.”
Tesilid didn’t press further. It seemed he wasn’t ready to hear the full truth yet.
“We’re here, Ailet.”
“Yeah.”
We stopped in front of a stone marker that read: Creco Village.
Whoooosh.
Caw, caw.
What greeted us was a chilling wind and the cries of crows.
It was an eerie village.
The houses looked like ruins, and people were sprawled across the streets.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a slum—or even a plague village.
In fact, the people’s conditions were terrible.
“Heehee… I’ll kill them all… I won’t let them go…”
“Sob… sob…”
“P-please save me… I don’t want to die…”
“It’s because of her… If only she didn’t exist…”
“It’s over…”
Everyone was consumed by twisted emotions, muttering nonsense.
Agnes sounded shocked.
<What happened here?>
“Have you heard of a phenomenon called dungeon drain?”
Tesilid glanced at me briefly.
He seemed used to me talking to Agnes like this.
<Dungeon drain?>
“It’s when toxic substances from a dungeon leak outside—things like poison or demonic energy.”
<So these people have gone mad from demonic energy?>
“Exactly. You need at least beginner-level aura or priest-level divine power to withstand it.”
<Wait, then isn’t Tesilid in danger?>
“…Oh.”
Good point.
I immediately turned to him, and he understood my concern.
“I’m fine. If something like this could affect me, I’d have gone mad long ago.”
“….”
That answer was both bitter and pitiful.
I continued explaining.
“If we close the dungeon and stop the leak, people will recover quickly.”
<What rank is the dungeon?>
“A-rank.”
<That’s easy for you, right?>
“…Well, this one doesn’t have a boss.”
<What? Then how do you close it?>
Tesilid spoke as if responding.
“No need to worry. This dungeon can be cleared by completing a simple task. I can handle it alone.”
“….”
“Agnes, don’t believe him. It’s not simple.”
Before explaining properly, I needed to point something out.
“Do you remember what the villagers were muttering earlier?”
—Hatred.
—Sorrow.
—Fear.
—Jealousy.
—Despair.
“…Add plague, death, and hope to those, and you get a famous sealed box.”
As we moved deeper into the alley, purple mist thickened.
Soon, we reached a dead end where a black gate flickered.
“The deeper part of the dungeon is filled with deadly plague. The goal is to endure it and find the box.”
We stepped through the gate.
The environment shifted into a vast barren plateau.
[<System> You have entered the A-rank dungeon “Pandora’s Bottom.”]
But we weren’t the first to arrive.
There were already people inside—
Wearing the same white uniforms we had seen yesterday.
