For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Chapter 199: To The Church Of Righteous Radiance (4)

The carriage sent by the Church of Righteous Radiance was not just comfortable.

The wheels were enchanted with all sorts of auxiliary magic, and the horses pulling the carriage were blessed creatures raised from a young age.

Naturally, the speed of travel was quite significant. It took only a few days to travel from the center of the continent to its eastern edge.

So, what does this mean…? It meant it was about time to tackle another dungeon.

“…How do I bring up the fact that there’s a dungeon nearby?”

“Grrr… Ugh. Just say you suddenly received a revelation, Junior.”

Faye, still half-asleep and stretching, suggested with a drowsy expression.

I answered, my gaze naturally drawn to her emphasized chest as she leaned back.

“That won’t work. Think about it, Faye. The gods created the dungeons, so why wouldn’t they tell their followers the locations?”

Sensing my gaze, Faye sighed and subtly unbuttoned two buttons on her shirt, nodding.

“Oh! The existence of dungeons is a mark of resistance from Evil Gods, so the Good Gods don’t know the locations?”

“Correct.”

Dungeons were remnants of the failed attempts to banish monsters from this world.

It was like throwing a crumpled piece of paper into the trash can only for someone to block it mid-air.

Because it was deflected by another’s will, even though the Good Gods created the dungeons, they didn’t know their locations.

Fortunately, this was also true for the Evil Gods… until they succeed in descending.

Anyway, this was something people usually learn as children. Faye might not have known due to her unusual upbringing.

Feeling a bit sorry, I patted Faye’s upper chest.

Faye, blinking in confusion, soon smiled and started enjoying my touch.

Pat, pat.

“Hehe.”

Squishy, squishy.

“Hihi.”

Lost in the unexpectedly pleasant sensation, I kept patting for quite a while.

“Um, Brother? I’m here too…”

“…Ah!”

Just as Helena finished her morning prayer and walked over, her face turned bright red.

I quickly withdrew my hand and spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Ahem. Have you finished your morning prayer, Sister Helena?”

“Yes… There’s a bit of time before breakfast, so would you like to go outside for a while?”

Helena kept glancing at Faye and me. Was this her way of being considerate?

I shook my head with a serious expression.

“No, no! It’s fine. There’s something important to discuss, Sister Helena.”

“Important? What is it?”

Helena reflexively covered herself, hesitating. …That reaction stings a bit.

Hiding my dejection, I continued.

“It seems there’s a dungeon nearby.”

“…What?”

Helena’s face, momentarily stiff, leaned in closer, demanding more details.

“Which direction? How big is it? Can we handle it alone? What type is it? Are there any cultists nearby? If the information is insufficient, should we call for reinforcements from the nearest church?”

“Wait. Please, slow down. One at a time.”

“Oh… I must have been too excited, Brother.”

Saying that, Helena patted the mace on her waist and took a deep breath.

As her breathing slowly returned to normal, she spoke again.

“Do we need the church’s support?”

“No. We can handle it ourselves.”

“Then let’s go quickly. Where is it?”

“One moment.”

I pulled out a suitable map from my inventory and circled a spot with my finger.

“It’s around here. If we follow the path a bit further, we’ll find a small waterfall. Let’s start investigating from there.”

“Understood. I’ll inform the driver.”

Nodding, Helena headed straight to the window to talk to the driver.

She didn’t seem to doubt me at all, making me feel silly for worrying about what to say.

“Um… Sister Helena? I feel a bit odd bringing this up, but do you really trust me?”

“Of course. The Righteous Radiance wouldn’t have bestowed such a great blessing on you without reason. Moreover, I trust the Brother I’ve observed so far. Putting aside personal matters, you wouldn’t joke about something like this, would you?”

“Thank… you?”

Hearing such unwavering trust made me feel a bit embarrassed.

---

“Iona’s tired.”

“Why are you so exhausted, Professor?”

As the carriage stopped before the waterfall as planned, we all got out to prepare for dungeon exploration, except for Iona, who leaned on me, exhausted.

“I’m so tired!”

“Well, I don’t mind since it’s cool…”

While enjoying Iona’s unique cool body temperature, she nudged my side and whispered.

“Hey, let’s do it. That thing.”

“What thing…?”

“You know, the thing that hurts a bit but feels good soon after!”

“Just from that description, anyone would misunderstand! You mean feeding? Hold on.”

Drinking a bit of my blood every morning had become routine, but today I hadn’t done it yet.

Even though it didn’t seem like Iona would need to exert herself, I should feed her well since we were going to a dungeon.

I slightly pulled my shirt and offered my neck to Iona.

“Thank you, thank you!”

Crunch.

Iona sank her fangs into my neck in one swift motion and gulped down my blood.

Suppressing the rising ecstasy, I gently stroked the back of Iona’s head.

I get used to this over time.

Soon, Iona finished drinking her daily share of blood and pulled back, wiping her mouth with a smooth motion.

“Phew… This is bliss.”

“It’s a meal, not bliss.”

I chuckled and pressed on the wound on my neck for a moment. It wasn’t long before the wound healed.

Helena, who witnessed this, widened her golden eyes and asked.

“Brother? Was that just…?”

“You’re thinking correctly. If the sun is up, such wounds heal quickly.”

“Oh…!”

Helena herself had regenerative abilities thanks to the Blessing of the Sun God… but my blessing was of a higher rank, further amplified by the Blessing of All Gods.

It must have been quite a sight for Helena.

I shrugged and looked at the waterfall in front of us.

It was about 3 meters high. The flow rate was not very impressive, and the pond below was quite shallow.

The only remarkable thing was how clear the water was.

But on the pollution-free Eurelia Continent, you could find such clear water almost anywhere.

In other words, there was no particular reason to stop and look around here.

However, upon closer inspection, you’d notice something odd.

Gush.

I raised my head to the pleasantly loud sound of the waterfall.

The shape of the waterfall was a bit peculiar.

The stream of water bent unnaturally in the middle, resembling a silhouette of a woman behind a curtain.

It was a subtle distortion that was hard to spot, but once you see it, it was unmistakable.

The distortion was caused by the gate to the dungeon entrance. It was just a coincidence that it looked like a woman.

Like most dungeons, this one was also found through a series of linked quests.

The quest involved rumors among merchants and mercenaries about the woman in the waterfall.

Observant players noticed the strange graphics of the waterfall and discovered the dungeon without completing the prerequisite quests.

Fortunately, the dungeon was low-level. If it were a high-level dungeon, it would have been a death trap for newbies.

Recalling fond memories, I reached out my hand.

“Look. Would you check the center, Sister Helena?”

“…Indeed. Now that you mention it, it does seem strange.”

Helena nodded heavily.

In reality, I had already informed the other women about the location and nature of the dungeon, so Helena was the only one unaware and nervous.

Smiling at Helena, who was tense, I suddenly grabbed Iris and Iona, who were hanging around nearby.

“Master?”

“Huh? Yandel?”

Both looked up at me with puzzled expressions.

“See? We have two high-level magicians here. Whatever’s in there, we won’t be in danger.”

Iris, catching on, puffed out her flat chest and adopted a confident stance.

“Ahem. Master is right. Unless a giant monster pops out, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Exactly. And didn’t Yandel say we’d be fine on our own? So we’ll be fine!”

Iona echoed, but Helena’s expression didn’t lighten.

Instead, she bowed her head slightly and started breathing heavily.

“Sister Helena…? Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. I’m not nervous or scared, Brother. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“Just thinking about going into the dungeon to exterminate monsters makes me tremble with excitement.”

“……”

Helena’s voice was slightly moist, and her face was flushed pink.

Seeing the faint excitement sparkling in her golden eyes, I reaffirmed my resolve.

I must never become an apostle of the Righteous Radiance.

I don’t want to spend my life among people like her, living like them.