Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Scenario Dungeon

All of us returned to the church, our skin tanned. The odd looks of admiration we received confirmed Helena’s previous words.

People who believe in the Righteous Radiance apparently even like sun-tanned skin…

My reputation at the academy was never great, so receiving such warm gazes felt a bit awkward.

Iona, seemingly excited, began walking like a model out of nowhere… It was a bit embarrassing.

Anyway, after having a fun day, we were about to rest.

I met Helena’s gaze as she lingered in front of the VIP room. What is she doing here?

Her golden eyes widened with joy, and she ran towards me.

“Brother Yandel!”

“Oh, yes. What’s the matter, Lady Helena?”

“All the meetings I had to attend are over. I still have to appear before the believers to announce the presence of the Saintess, but that’s later.”

“Oh… so you have some free time now? It felt a bit odd to have fun without you.”

“Yes. And there’s more important news.”

She said, grasping the medallion on her chest and closing her eyes, as if in light prayer.

“The Righteous Radiance has awakened, Brother Yandel.”

Suddenly, light-formed lion ears emerged from Helena’s head.

“Whoa!”

She looked exactly like the humanized form of the Righteous Radiance. Her demeanor changed slightly.

She now exuded a weighty, reverent aura that made one want to look up to her.

Helena, radiating a holy atmosphere, slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing her self-luminous golden eyes, I realized it was Helena in front of me, but something else was within her.

Well, it must be the Righteous Radiance.

I awkwardly waved my hand while staring at Helena’s eyes.

“Righteous Radiance?”

“Hmm. She says it’s good to see you again, Brother.”

“Oh, Lady Helena is delivering the message?”

“In a sense, yes. Once I grow more as a saintess, you might be able to talk directly.”

Helena proudly puffed out her chest. So, it’d be possible later.

“Ah, perhaps… divine descent?”

“Yes. If I succeed in divine descent, the Righteous Radiance will fully possess my body and speak directly. Then, no one would need to translate.”

Divine descent.

A main technique of the apostles. It pulls the god’s consciousness to the surface, allowing them to fight together.

In the game, it was just described as significantly boosting all stats and divine skill proficiency for a certain period.

“It shouldn’t take long.”

“I hope so.”

“It will.”

Since divine descent was a main technique, it was learned relatively early. And Helena was the most talented of all the saint candidates.

Helena, who seemed a bit excited, asked with a hopeful expression.

“So, when are you going to the dungeon?”

“Oh.”

I remembered promising to take Helena to the dungeon.

It’s a good time to bond with other women too.

Perhaps she had fond memories of clearing the dungeon with us last time.

I nodded with a smile at the excited Helena.

“Well, since you have no work for a while… How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow…?”

“Yes. It’s better to go quickly. Oh, I plan to visit the dungeon I mentioned before. Is that okay with everyone? Except for Senior Faye.”

“Why not me?!”

“Because you’re a non-combatant, Senior Faye…”

“You’ve been taking me just fine until now.”

“This dungeon is different from the previous ones.”

“…Right. You said it was a scenario dungeon?”

A scenario dungeon is a type of dungeon where the distortion of space-time manifests the most.

It goes beyond infinite monster respawns to repeatedly recreate a specific point in time.

This happens when a strong will distorts the dungeon’s creation process, anchoring it instead of letting it fly off into another dimension.

Thus, the clearing method differed from typical dungeons.

All the monsters in the dungeon are real, but everything else is a recreation of 300 years ago.

However, you must achieve a different result than 300 years ago.

In simpler terms, you have to intervene in a past event and alter its outcome.

It was like exorcism; you must resolve the will’s lingering regrets to clear it.

Naturally, this made it highly difficult. You must reverse something that was once impossible.

That’s why we can’t afford to bring non-combatant Faye this time.

Though clearing it doesn’t really change the past, everything within the scenario dungeon is just an illusion.

But the rewards are far better.

A scenario dungeon is one that would have safely drifted off into another dimension. But someone’s lingering will forcibly anchored it.

As a result, the divine and evil forces within don’t erode each other, allowing us to recover far more power upon clearing it.

And the extra rewards for us are a bonus.

Hearing my conversation with Faye, Helena clapped her hands cheerfully.

“A scenario dungeon? Then it’s better to go secretly than try to persuade His Holiness!”

“…Wait a minute. Lady Helena. What do you mean secretly?”

“His Holiness, the Pope has instructed that now that I am a saintess, I should have an escort when going to dangerous places.”

“…”

“But since it’s you, Brother, I thought you’d be confident enough to clear it with just us?”

“That’s true, but…”

After pondering for a moment, I sighed deeply.

“I’ll handle the persuasion, so let’s not sneak around.”

“If Brother Yandel says so…”

Helena nodded with a slightly disappointed look.

Why is she disappointed?

“No, it’s not allowed.”

As soon as I mentioned taking Helena into the dungeon, Albaor flatly refused.

“It’s too dangerous. I know well that you and your companions are strong. But that doesn’t guarantee the Saintess’s safety.”

“We’ve already investigated the dungeon. It’s a scenario dungeon, so there shouldn’t be any variables.”

“Please don’t look at me like that. I’m not opposing it without reason.”

“Then…”

“I will agree if the Saintess can demonstrate her power in combat and goes with Cardinal Gilbert.”

“Hm.”

I understood Albaor’s stance.

We could handle potential ambushes with Iona’s teleportation.

However, we were going to a scenario-type dungeon, which was generally more difficult than other dungeons.

It was understandable to be worried about sending Helena, who had just awakened as a saintess.

At least learning to use the saintess’s power and having an escort would be reassuring.

“That’s reasonable. Lady Helena? What do you think?”

“I…”

After a long consideration, Helena slowly nodded.

“Alright. I think I was too hasty. I will go with Uncle Gilbert after I get more used to my powers.”

“You’ve made a wise decision, Saintess. From today on, I will personally take charge of your training. Despite my current position, I was quite a renowned battle priest in my youth, so don’t worry.”

Albaor laughed heartily, saying he had kept the position of Pope for 40 years because no stronger cardinal had emerged.

Choosing the Pope based on strength?

It was typical of the Church of Righteous Radiance, which saw fighting cultists and monsters as its highest priority…

I snapped out of my surprise at the unexpected backstory and spoke up.

“Wait a moment.”

“Hm? What’s the matter, Brother Yandel?”

Helena, who was clenching her fists in determination, tilted her head.

As expected. She doesn’t know it herself yet.

“The Pope’s skills are indeed impressive. But Lady Helena.”

“Yes?”

“You are more suited to wielding a mace than divine spells.”

“…?”

Helena tilted her head again, not fully understanding. So, I clarified further.

“I mean, you have more talent as a paladin than a battle priest. It would be better to take lessons from Cardinal Gilbert.”

“But…”

Being a saint doesn’t mean you have to stay in the rear. Why else would the symbol of the saint be armor?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Many saints in the Church of Righteous Radiance have fought on the front lines.

But Helena might not be comfortable with this, even if she knew it.

She had spent her life trying to control her habit of charging in when excited.

“You shouldn’t just suppress it. If you can harness your impulses properly, they’ll become your greatest weapon.”

“…”

Even after saying this, Helena hesitated to respond.

I shrugged at her and added.

“If you’re unsure, ask the Righteous Radiance. You can do that now, right?”

“Oh!”

With a look of realization, Helena clasped her hands in prayer.

Light-formed lion ears and a tail appeared as Helena’s lips started to move.

Twitch, twitch.

Wag, wag.

Her ears and tail moved as if answering her prayer.

After a while, Helena opened her eyes with a gentle smile.

“Righteous Radiance said the mace feels better, so it wouldn’t hurt to try it!”

“Oh, um.”

Feels better?

Is this really resolved…?