Chapter 80

A bottomless voice boomed throughout the realm, containing both an overpowering sense of might and of dignity. The red sky of the Pride Dungeon, as if it were made out of glass, was veiled with cracks, through which a golden glow seeped.

In the centre of it all, somewhere far in the air above them, the sky itself seemed to split open―creating something like a gateway to Heaven―causing waves of divine light to spill into the Pride Dungeon like water filling up a basin.

Staring bewilderedly before such a sight was all they could do, but unfortunately, whoever was causing this would not wait for them.

Having noticed the approach of something unnatural from above, Aphy unintentionally muttered.

“These fuckers...”

From the light-filled opening in the sky came down a bright mist; a dense fog of glittering gold dust.

When the mist reached the ground, it coalesced and transformed. The mist, as if solidifying, slowly changed into the shape of a human―a gilded youth―around two metres in height and donning heavenly golden robes.

Everything about him was golden, barring the skin tone; including hair, eyes, and even nails. As well as that, he possessed two pairs of white, feathery wings on his back, characterising him as a Seraphim.

“Now then...”

The angel suddenly spoke in a deep voice, gauging each of them with penetrative eyes in turn.

“Which one of you is the sinner?”

No one gave a response. It was all rather abrupt, but they knew the situation was dangerous, and that the man in front of them was not an ally. On top of that...

“―First you barge into my home like some petty criminal, and now you demand answers for such a nonsensical question?”

Aphy, standing at the front of the group, replied with a clear frown.

“Begone, pest.”, she spat coldly, and all of a sudden, a storm occurred around the golden angel. His clothes and hair fluttered wildly in the violent winds, but he did not flinch.

His eyes staring unemphatically at her, something white brushed past his face at a dizzying speed when a transparent golden barrier appeared to surround him in an instant, deflecting it.

“...Tch.”

Aphy clicked her tongue upon seeing the shield, realising that any small-scale attacks like that would be utterly meaningless. Then, she heard Astrantia’s voice.

[Sister. I’ve got company over here, too.]

Her eyes briefly narrowed, upon which she asked the angel.

“What are you bastards here for? This isn’t a god’s playground, you know?“

It was clear that this was a planned attack, considering there were multiple people involved. And, judging by the timing, it wasn’t difficult for Aphy to guess their goal.

“Hm. Like I said, we have come to collect the sinner. I recognise that this was rather ill-mannered of us, but I do hope you can understand. This isn’t a simple matter, nor one we can take lightly or back down on, you see.”

As I thought.

Aphy replied with a shrug, “But there are no sinners here?”, and continued in a hostile manner.

“You must be aware that this is a place not easily reached by mortals. The number of humans that have entered this place can be counted with your fingers, and they all stand before you now. Out of the people here, do you see any as ones that have committed a sin?”

Giving a single glance behind her, the angel replied with a nod.

“...If you ignore the anomaly of a child standing just behind you, then I suppose certainly not. However, is there not a lifeform hiding in that hut there?”

Beginning to panic, Aphy replied faster.

“That is my disciple who is sleeping, not hiding.”

Seeing that her reply was slightly off, the angel smirked.

“Is that so? As expected of a World Traveller, to become a Dragon’s disciple. Then, if he really is not a sinner, I suppose there would be no harm in checking?”

“There is no need for that.”, she said hurriedly as the angel turned to face the cabin.

“Hm? And why not?”

Everyone standing behind her watched the exchange anxiously, but thanks to the hints she gave, they could pick up that the situation was dangerous.

They couldn’t even meet the eyes of this overbearing man―who was certainly not human―who had abruptly appeared, and everything occurred so quickly that it was difficult to comprehend what was even going on.

As they looked down throughout the conversation, however, unable to raise their heads, they noticed something odd―letters silently appeared on the ground, creating words.

『Do not think about fighting him』

『He is far more powerful than you imagine』

They almost immediately realised what these words were; Aphy was communicating with them throughout her conversation.

『Do not say anything to him』

『He probably won’t harm you if you don’t get in his way』

『Trust me to handle this situation』

『If it results in a fight, just run as far as you can without looking back』

『Again. Do not even think about trying to fight him』

They understood what they needed to do, but no one was happy about it―because what they needed to do was nothing. That all they should do is sit quietly until it’s over or run away―it was a horrible feeling, especially when they thought about how dire it was for Jae.

“I’d rather not disturb my disciple’s peaceful slumber. Listen, there is nothing like a sinner in this place, so get your ass out of my home.”

“Hm. Your sister says the same thing... But, that’s strange...”

“What?”

“―I can definitely sense the unique scent of the depraved here? Are you sure he was not here?”

“I’ve not a clue what you’re talking about. This is my realm; I know of everything that occurs within, including who enters and who leaves. There has never been anything of that sort here.”

“And you’re not sheltering him?”

“Why would I shelter a boy wanted by the gods? Not only does it sound tiring, it’s such a foolish idea that I would have brains worth no more than a mere Wyvern’s to even consider the thought.”

“Indeed, that is true. It’s certainly fortunate that you aren’t a scoundrel Wyvern, but a heroic Dragon, then, isn’t it? Hm...”

“I know what you are here for. It’s related to him, right? The Sinful God.”

The angel quietly looked at Aphy with a sharp gaze.

“...I presume you heard about it from your father. Then, because you are already semi-aware of the situation, I shall introduce myself properly.”

His wings fluttered and spread themselves wide as he spoke, giving off an impression that couldn’t be ignored.

“I am here today on the most supreme Holy God’s decree, possessing a borrowed highest authority in His name as His most trusted warrior, Uriel.”

At the angel’s introduction, Aphy hesitated slightly before muttering.

“Uriel... I see. For you to have been sent, it must be a matter of utmost urgency.”

This...

“That’s correct. I do give my apologies for being so barbaric in our approach, but this is not something we can hold back on; our purpose for being here today is to collect the Forbidden One’s lonely underling and bring upon him righteous judgement, fitting of his status as a loathsome sinner.”

This isn’t that bad at all~

As if her attitude took a complete 180, Aphy put on a smile and replied politely.

“In that case, I understand. You are free to look around as much as you’d like. Of course, you won’t find anything like a sinner here though, so please don’t get your hopes up.”

Giving her a single look before making his way towards the wooden cabin, Uriel replied simply.

“We’ll see about that.”

Watching the angel walk freely towards where Jae lay unconscious, the others began to freak out. They were about to speak up, when Aphy turned to them and winked, gesturing to the floor. Reading the words that appeared, they were speechless.

『Don’t worry about it』

『Jae will be safe』

『He has woken up』

Relieved at first, they then wondered just how that would solve anything―his「Mark of Death」was still on cooldown, and although everything else was available, didn’t Aphy say that Uriel was incredibly dangerous? What was Jae going to do in that situation?

They didn’t have to wait long to find out, though.

Quickly following Uriel’s footsteps, Aphy led everyone towards the cabin to watch.

Entering the cabin after Uriel, they all entered the room in which Jae was sleeping previously―the room where the angel sensed a hidden lifeform. They were shocked to see his appearance.

“This...”

Uriel, wearing a complicated expression, turned to face Aphy and asked, pointing at Jae.

“Is this really your disciple?”

Seemingly confused, Uriel scratched his head with furrowed brows.

“Yes, this is my precious disciple? His name is Jae. Why... is something wrong?”

Uriel paused, stared at Jae for a few moments, and replied.

“...No, not specifically. I just... didn’t expect a Dragon’s disciple to look... like this.”

He stood still for a while like a robot with broken AI as Aphy walked up to Jae―who was in the form of a Baby Wyvern―and gingerly picked him up.

“Is it because of the size? He is only a baby, so I admit that he might seem a bit small. Still, he is my one and only disciple.”

Watching as Aphy cradled him in her arms, it wasn’t only Uriel that was speechless.

“Uuh... Daddy...?”

Then, Rena muttered a word that caused shivers to run down everyone’s spine for fear of giving it away. Her eyes trembled, on the verge of tears as she stared at Jae.

“Aah! Rena, sweetie, come here~ We’ll be able to see your dad soon, okay? Just hang in there for a little bit longer.”

Amelia took over and cuddled the teary-eyed Rena, trying to disguise the situation. She wasn’t the only one trying to cheer her up.

[No, look, it’s me! Stop crying, I’m here!]

Daddy...?

[Yes! See?]

Why is Daddy a lizard?

[Uh... I’m undercover. Until this guy leaves, I need to stay like this, so can you play along and pretend that I’m just a Baby Wyvern until then?]

Pretend...? Okay!

Wiping the residue from her eyes, Rena quickly stopped crying and spoke cheerfully to Amelia, who didn’t realise what happened.

“It’s okay! We’ll see Daddy soon!”

“Huh? O-Oh, yes, that’s right! Of course we will. Shall we get something to eat in the meantime then?”

“Okay! I want the meat we had last time!”

Did she think of it as a fun secret? As the two of them left the room in high spirits, the atmosphere seemed to have shifted to a much more casual one, relieving some of the tension everyone felt looming around.

Gently stroking the head of Jae in her arms as she rocked him back and forth, Aphy spoke straightforwardly to Uriel.

“Well, are you done now? I told you there was nothing like a sinner here. Although I’m aware of your position and the authority you wield as proxy of the Holy God, I’d like for you to leave shortly for I have things to attend to.”

He scratched his hairless chin for a moment and groaned.

“Hrm... Seeing as how you are adamant to this extent about my presence, I would apologise. You and your sister are of the same truth, too. I admire your putting up with our meddling―However, as there has been a consistent stench of the sinful around the area, I shall have to look around for a short while.”

“...It’s forgivable only because of your authority, though I truly think what you are doing is a waste of time.”

”Nothing is a waste of time as long as it contributes to the long-term. If there truly is nothing here for me to find, then when I judge that as the truth, I shall leave. However, it would not be a mere ‘waste of time’ for me to look for something that doesn’t exist, because when I judge that as the case, I will know for certain.”

“You are telling me you will look around for something that doesn’t exist just so you know it doesn’t exist?”

“That is so. There can be no uncertainties when it comes to justice and the truth.”

“Tch... Do as you please.”

With a final click of the tongue, Aphy walked past Uriel and the rest of them, still carrying Jae in her arms, but stopped at the door frame.

“And just so you know, the reason you sense that awful thing is because this is the Pride Dungeon―of course it smells like sin to those who are sensitive.”

Leaving those words behind, she left the cabin and walked a fair distance away so that no one could hear her, and also set up a quick sound barrier to make doubly sure. Finally, she sighed.

“Haa, that pig-headed bastard... How long is left?”

[About 48 minutes.]

Jae replied telepathically to her question, just like he had done to soothe Rena. Of course, what he was talking about was the time left on his「Perfect Imitation」transformation. Unless they acted incredibly quickly, they only had less than that amount of time for Uriel to leave. Otherwise, there was the risk of being found out.

It was fortunate that his「Perfect Imitation」transformations erased the smell of sin emitted from him―honestly, it was a huge gamble, but it managed to work out.

[From how he acts, I don’t think he’ll be gone before the time’s up.]

“I’ll shield you in a place where you can’t be seen so that you can immediately transform again when it’s over without any suspicion.”

[No... I think we should just kill him when I revert.]

“What? Of course, he’s by himself, but it isn’t just any Seraphim, you know?”

[Are you saying we can’t kill him even with the two of us? That’s bullshit.]

“No, but if we do, it’ll only aggravate the situation. The Holy God will send even more of His warriors after you.”

[Oh, please. He’d do that anyway. That guy is one of His best soldiers, right? Seeing someone like that right in front of me and having the opportunity to take him out for good, why wouldn’t I want to take it? It’s better we do it now while we have the chance.]

“Jae... Haa, fine. When we kill him, I’ll clean up the mess he created to break in here; that way, He shouldn’t be able to send down more of his goons.”

[Thank you.]

“Don’t thank me. I want to eradicate pests like him, too.”

[Astrantia, you too. I know you can hear this, so do your part as one of this Dungeon’s bosses. Kill those guys on your end.]

[Aah, roger that.]

[You will?]

[Fine. Just this once. It wouldn’t be as good as you, but... Well, I won’t complain about free food.]

With the plan set in motion, three of them bided their time until the transformation was over.