Chapter 151

Chapter 151

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 151: The Underground Of The Holy Kingdom (2).

“Ah, I want to have sex.”

Yuli, the roommate of Scent Maiden Monua, abruptly stood up during prayer time and shouted as if possessed by a sudden madness. Monua, who had witnessed such behavior from her senior more than once, replied in a matter-of-fact manner without even opening her eyes.

“Senior, it’s prayer time.”

“There’s time for prayer, but not for sex?! You said I’d get leave time when I returned!”

She had been all smiles, expecting to meet her lover after completing her mission. But then Vice Group Leader Quintus suddenly issued a no-leave order. He said the situation was urgent and unpredictable, and that the no-leave order would only be lifted once this sealing mission was completely finished.

For those who returned after nearly four months of restraining their desires, it was like a bolt from the blue… But what could they do? If they were told to do something, they had no choice but to obey.

As a result, Yuli, who seemed to be on the verge of literally cobwebbing, was more hysterical than ever. Monua suggested overcoming it with prayer, but of course, it was of no use.

“Do you think that can be solved with prayer? There are things you just don’t understand!”

Of course, the Scent Maiden had no idea what Yuli was talking about. But isn’t overcoming such desires just a matter of conviction?

“The great saint…”

“You be the saint. I’m going to have as much sex as I want.”

“If you can’t overcome even that, can you really call yourself a noble holy knight?”

“Are holy knights sexless? Under the holy spirit, everyone is all the same.”

“…I suppose.”

“Hmph, do you think you’ll always stay the same? You should try falling in love once. You might end up more helpless than me. You might even quit being a knight.”

The woman with a keen sense of smell shook her head firmly, saying that would never happen. Unlike her counterpart, she was very proud of being a holy knight.

“You said you keep smelling something from that Group Leader, right? Who knows? Maybe he’s your destined one? And honestly, he’s really handsome. If I didn’t have a lover, I might have made a move.”

“Destiny, what destiny…? That man doesn’t even believe in the Holy God. Destiny is already out of the question.”

“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t believe it. I sometimes have my doubts, too.”

“That’s a blasphemous statement, senior!”

“Tsk, tsk… You’re really going to have a hard time losing your virginity, seriously.”

“I don’t mind being a virgin for life. The Holy Spirit is always by my side…!”

…She said that, but, of course, Monua couldn’t help but be drawn to the fragrant Group Leader Allen. She had lived her whole life relying on scents, and it was impossible to ignore it overnight.

The reason for this was completely unknown. She had certainly met him, gone to the East to hunt down heretics, and returned to the Holy Kingdom… yet the fragrance emanating from him remained unchanged. Not that there were no other scents, but none were as intense as his… As Yulia had said, it was as if it were fate.

…Why? Is something more needed? Is it because it’s not completely over yet?

For the Holy Knight Monua, having an issue with this talent, which was almost synonymous with her identity, was extremely serious. Although she didn’t show it outwardly, inside, she was in utter confusion… Still, for now, she had to wait and see until this sealing issue was resolved.

If the scent doesn’t disappear even after that…

“Huuu.”

As the Scent Maiden Monua let out a long sigh, the female knight Yulia curved her eyes into crescent moons and laughed vulgarly.

“You were thinking about that person, weren’t you? Right?!”

“…Ah, that…!”

Unable to lie, the flustered Scent Maiden stammered her words.

“Gotcha! I thought you were a stone, but you’re a woman after all!”

“It’s not like that!”

…The Scent Maiden thought about hitting this damn senior on the back of the head, then asked the Holy Spirit for forgiveness.

The Allen-Mercenary Group spent three days relieving the fatigue accumulated from their long journey, bringing their bodies to peak condition.

Meanwhile, the Holy Kingdom made various preparations for the sealing issue. Certain areas were declared off-limits, holy water was prepared, and the Holy Knights were all put on combat readiness. Furthermore, even the guards were put on constant standby in case of any emergencies. Of course, the exact reason for all this remained a top secret. And they brushed it all off with faith in their god… Truly remarkable folks.

Anyway, the Allen-Mercenary Group spent their last night before the mission and woke up early at dawn. They performed purification rituals, had a hearty breakfast, and then conducted a final equipment check. Afterward, each member was provided with three bottles of holy water. Of course, the extras were to be held by the third row.

Once all preparations were completed, Group Leader Allen met with the Leader and Vice Leader of the Holy Knights Order. Having already discussed this matter with them several times, there was nothing more to say.

“Are you ready?”

“We’re all set.”

After a firm handshake between Allen and Commander Gorgon, they each meticulously inspected their members one last time before entering the underground.

Then they opened the door leading to the underground, located in the most secretive place of the cathedral. At the same time, a powerful aura surged up.

Ugh.

The Blind Saintess, sensitive to such energies, was the first to react, followed almost simultaneously by the Pinkette and the Milk-Jug Mage. The contradiction of having the most evil aura surging in the most sacred place on this land was right before their eyes.

After a brief exchange of glances between the two leaders, the Commander gave a firm and concise order.

“We’re going in!”

And led by the Holy Knights Order, the two groups slowly descended the passageway stairs leading underground.

The narrow passage, barely wide enough for a single person to pass, seemed like it would instantly induce a panic attack in anyone with claustrophobia. This eerie passage, devoid of any holiness, evoked a primal fear.

The heavy footsteps on the stairs and the tense breaths kept getting out of sync, mixing into the air. They stepped forward relying solely on intuition, as the ground beneath their feet was almost invisible, even in the dim light of the shadows.

Just when the air seemed to turn as cold as frost on a winter’s day, they reached a flat space underground. Of course, there was still a long way to go.

The two group leaders once again checked the members to ensure there were no issues, then set off in a line. The maze-like space was cold and damp. Allen couldn’t shake the feeling that this was like a scene from a horror game. Watching someone else do it was fun, but doing it himself was a pain in the ass…

After walking for a while through the winding passages, another path leading downward appeared. This time, it was a spiral staircase.

The reason for this construction was to collapse the passage and trap the demon in case it was ever released from its seal. Of course, it wouldn’t keep it trapped for long, but it would at least buy some time to respond.

At this moment, the tension among the members had already reached its peak. Even those who were usually insensitive could now feel the malevolent aura.

Given that several axes had already collapsed, it was impossible to block all the creeping energy. While they somehow managed to stop it from rising above, there was nothing the Holy Kingdom could do about the underground.

Around that time, those with low [Magic Power] began to experience status abnormalities. Allen also started hearing hallucinations and seeing illusions.

However, for the grand mercenary business, this level of trial was merely a trivial process. How could someone aspiring to become a Top 10 group leader fuss over something like this?! He bit his tongue, tasted the metallic flavor of blood, and firmly steadied his mind.

After descending the spiral staircase for a long time, the group finally saw the floor. And in the distance, stood a massive arched door, unwavering.

The group that reached the ground moved straight to the door without a moment’s pause. Two large knights of the Holy Knights Order pressed against the door, pushing it open with all their might.

As the door creaked open, a tremendous amount of dark mana poured out. Despite being drenched in holy water, Allen, exposed to the vast quantity of dark mana, felt a surge of nausea. But he held it back.

From now on, it was a battle with oneself.

That’s how it always was when fighting demons. It was not just physical; the mental battle was equally daunting. No matter how powerful one’s body was, if one’s mind crumbled, it was over.

That’s why battling demons, with their myriad negative traits, was such a pain. That’s exactly why Allen valued traits as much as stats. To offset bad traits with good ones as much as possible.

As they opened the door, they took one step at a time into the dark abyss. It felt like entering the gaping maw of a demon.

The bright orb’s light illuminated a massive object in the center of the vast space.

It was a black monolith, reminiscent of an obelisk, covered in various patterns.

…The root of the damned Holy Kingdom event finally appeared before Allen’s eyes.