EeDechi frowned, deep in thought. They'd caused such a ruckus, plunging into the forbidden depths of the Slane Theocracy, all the way to its subterranean heart, only to find… a portrait hidden in its most taboo chamber?
"Anyone else notice? The person in this painting looks a bit like Antilene," Franco said, rolling the unconscious Antilene over and brushing aside her black-and-white streaked bangs.
EeDechi and Barrett took a closer look, and damn if he wasn't right. The resemblance was striking—same eyes, same brow. The big difference? Antilene's hair was an even split of black and white, while the beauty in the portrait had hair as white as fresh snow.
The woman in the painting had a radiant, gentle smile, the kind that felt like a ray of sunlight piercing through your eyes and warming your soul. Antilene, on the other hand, was always cold as a stone statue, lips pressed tight, not a hint of a curve.
"What's this painting even good for? I was hoping for a World Item," EeDechi said, hefting the frame in her hands.
"It's good for licking," Franco replied, his eyes gleaming.
"Could fetch a nice pile of gold at an antique shop," Barrett added. "Assuming the shopkeeper's ready to have the Slane Theocracy hunting their ass."
EeDechi tossed the portrait onto a pile of elven skulls. The three of them left Antilene, trussed up like a roast, and started rummaging through the area, hunting for any worthwhile loot.
In the sanctum of Surshana, the God of Death, there was nothing but stark white skulls. Barrett picked up a small, rounded one, turning it over in his hands before muttering in shock, "This is a child elf's skull."
He prowled through the bone pile, kicking aside several more with his dragonhide boots. Among them were skulls of female elves and more children.
EeDechi's temple throbbed with anger. The Slane Theocracy was deranged enough to slaughter kids and women without a second thought.
Finding nothing of value, the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team retraced their steps. As they left the temple, Antilene's eyelids fluttered, a faint sign of her stirring awake.
At the altar's temple, EeDechi noticed Cardinal Josiah Carey, previously frozen in place, was gone. He'd broken the binding spell and slipped away. All that remained was a guard's corpse, blood pooling in a vivid crimson puddle beneath its slashed throat.
The mood was off as they headed for the exit. Night patrols ran through the streets, torches blazing, while someone shouted in the dark. Far off, the thunderous clatter of cavalry hooves echoed in unison. The three adventurers used the cover of night to slip away, sneaking toward their safehouse.
Back home, dawn still hours off, the night remained heavy. After a hot bath washed away the day's exhaustion, EeDechi sank into velvet pillows and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
A ray of dawn pierced the window, warm sunlight spilling across the floor. Outside, a cuckoo perched on a branch, chirping a crisp tune.
EeDechi's eyes snapped open. She bolted upright, cross-legged, brow furrowing deeply.
An old man stood before her bed, white brows arched high, eyes blazing with barely contained fury. No introduction needed—this was Alphonse, Divine Commandant of the Clearwater Scripture. He'd probably teleported in.
"What are you doing at my bedside? Is this your place to barge into?" EeDechi snapped, her voice loud to mask her guilt.
"Seems you went somewhere last night you shouldn't have," Alphonse shot back, his tone dripping with anger. If EeDechi didn't have the "Divine Envoy" title, he'd probably be spitting fire by now.
"Ahem, me? Just… took a late-night stroll, soaking up some local vibes," EeDechi said, hopping out of bed in her nightgown.
"Local vibes? So you waltzed into our forbidden zone and knocked out Antilene? Do you have any idea how vital she is to us? She's the hope of our Theocracy!"
"If Antilene's your only card, you might not want to bet on her against the Sorcerer Kingdom. That half-elf girl's got too much weight on her shoulders—it'll crush her," EeDechi said, dodging the heat.
"We don't expect her to take on Ainz Ooal Gown, but she's our key to victory."
"Key to victory? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Some things you don't need to know. Especially after you tore through our underground sanctum. It's not just me—plenty of people will question your loyalty," Alphonse said, his face cold and expressionless.
"Heh, that's rich," EeDechi muttered, her bedhead a wild mess as she yawned and shuffled out of the bedroom. Alphonse, in his somber robes, trailed her like a shadow.
In the living room, Barrett was already up, brewing a pot of black tea. The sweet, steamy aroma filled the morning air, the tea's mist rising from delicate porcelain cups.
"Tea?" Barrett offered a cup to Alphonse, who didn't refuse. The warm liquid soothed his parched throat.
Alphonse set the cup down, ready to rip into EeDechi's misdeeds again. But she cut him off, seizing the moment. "In one of your underground sanctums, I found piles of skulls—kids' and women's among them. Care to explain where they came from? Does the Slane Theocracy's army get off on slaughtering the old, the young, and the weak?"
"Killing non-humans isn't a sin—it's the path to the divine realm," Alphonse said with eerie calm. "Those skulls? They belonged to elf laborers we rounded up from the forests to build the underground temple and altars."
"So, once the temple was done, you slaughtered them all to keep the forbidden zone a secret?" EeDechi's eyes widened, her glare boring into Alphonse, searching for even a flicker of remorse in the devout man's eyes.
"It's a necessary evil," Alphonse said softly. "And I'll bear the weight of that sin."
"Necessary evil? Don't give me that high-and-mighty crap!" EeDechi spat, disgust dripping from her words. "I don't see a damn thing necessary about it!"
"Do you know how to fight a near-omniscient demon god?" Alphonse countered with a question, sidestepping her challenge.
"Don't answer a question with a question!" EeDechi snapped, her cold stare fixed on him. Her teacup spun rapidly in her hand, nails scraping rough marks into the ceramic.
Finally, she'd gotten the upper hand on the old man who'd come to grill her. EeDechi let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Fine," Alphonse said, his smile bitter. He began to explain: "As you said, our nation is no match for the Sorcerer Kingdom. The fall of the Slane Theocracy is something we Divine Commandants have long foreseen.
"For a demon god wielding terrifying magical power, the memories in our minds are like an open book for him to read at will. In such dire circumstances, how do you keep a secret?
"To us, only the ignorant and the dead stay silent. But building the underground altars and excavating the subterranean chambers required a ton of labor. Everyone involved was a potential leak.
"Only the dead don't talk. That's why we used our sworn enemies, the elves, to build the underground temple."