At first glance, it looked like regular money and didn’t raise suspicion, but for those who knew the true identity of the prayer meeting, it was used as a means of entry without any separate identity verification, yet with a low risk of external leakage.
Ranshel stayed close to Daniel and slowly descended the stairs.
A huge door appeared as before, but this time they didn’t need to be restricted by the Holy Knights.
Because the Knights were in the chapel where Zavad and Frey were.
It was the moment to confirm the reality of the prayer meeting they had only heard about.
Ranshel slightly bowed his head, concealing his gaze with his hair, and scanned the surroundings thoroughly.
Quite a number of people, regardless of age or gender, were gathered in the hall.
Ranshel spotted Kon among them and covered his face even more with the wig.
‘I’m glad he looks healthy.’
Now he would have to be careful not to get involved with him.
As Ranshel and Daniel naturally stood shoulder-to-shoulder, checking the opposite view, people suddenly started murmuring.
“Archbishop!”
Simultaneously with someone’s shout, a middle-aged man in elaborate robes with luxurious decorations on long white cloth appeared on a high platform, set up like a stage for a grand play.
And soon, a system window popped up in Ranshel’s sight.
[A powerful curse skill is activated nearby.]
The surprised Ranshel quickly scanned the surroundings past his wig.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the Archbishop standing on the platform, as if they were all acting.
“Oh, great one…!”
“The King’s most devoted sheep…!”
People, clutching their hands tightly, began shedding tears of emotion and praising the Archbishop.
Ranshel also imitated what people around him were doing so as not to look awkward.
Then, he gently tapped Daniel’s fingertip, and Daniel responded by lightly pressing his toe against Ranshel’s.
‘Daniel is in his right mind.’
Although they couldn’t confirm everyone individually among the crowd, it seemed that everyone around them was caught by this curse skill and was praising the Archbishop.
[Main Character ‘Frey Vershel’s’ Blessing neutralizes the curse skill.]
[Sub Character ‘Daniel’ is not affected by the curse.]
Daniel seemed unaffected by the curse thanks to the blessing he received from Frey.
‘I didn’t receive anything from Frey.’
Then, perhaps the game system was fulfilling a role similar to a blessing for him, just as he had heard before.
“Oh, the King’s Stigma!”
When the Archbishop raised the pitch-black lump in his hand high, the murmuring around them grew louder.
Ranshel couldn’t see it clearly because of the distance, but he could feel that an ominous aura was spreading from the lump he was holding.
As acrid smoke flowed from the lump, the system displayed another alert.
[The Master of the Dungeon cries out for his retainers.]
[Curse skill is strengthened.]
Ranshel’s eyes narrowed.
As far as he knew, the part of this game where a word like ‘Dungeon’ would appear was near the end of the story.
[The Dungeon responds to the Master’s will.]
[Strong demonic energy surrounds the area.]
……The Dungeon shouldn’t appear here.
This is a space he should not face right now.
This is where Zavad goes to lift Frey’s curse, after Ranshel leaves….
‘…But is that effective even when Zavad isn’t interested in Frey?’
The current game had too many twisted parts from the original story.
Where the heroine should naturally be, the male protagonist, who was cross-dressing, was playing the role of the Saintess.
The capture target who should win the player’s love had grown into a crazy swordsman who would rather train than date.
The two were in a complete business relationship, and there was no root left for love to bloom.
But would the current Zavad go into the Dungeon to lift Frey’s curse?
He was not the type of person to risk his life to help someone he had little interest in.
Ranshel knew that well, even with his rose-colored glasses on.
So, it was a situation where the story absolutely could not flow according to the original plot, and yet, they were facing the Dungeon much earlier than expected.
The Archbishop raised the black lump, which emitted an unpleasant aura, high and shouted.
“The day our King will arrive is not far! We must quickly drive out the wicked things from this polluted land!”
“That’s right!”
“For the glorious return of the great King!”
The believers participating in the prayer meeting responded.
Cold air spread throughout the hall.
Breath came out with every exhalation, and it was so cold that their bodies trembled.
Ranshel squeezed and released his fingers, which were stiff from the cold air.
“That day is coming! The day when we drive out the false and corrupted souls from this land and reclaim the glory of old!”
Ranshel stared intently at the lump the Archbishop was holding.
The pitch-black object was not fixed in one shape.
It kept bulging and squirming like the surface of boiling water.
And suddenly, Ranshel felt a chilling sensation as if an intense gaze from within the lump was piercing him.
[The Master of the Dungeon recognizes your existence.]
[The Master of the Dungeon is enraged.]
System windows popped up one after another in front of his eyes.
[Half-Gaze of the Demon King is registered in the Item Encyclopedia.]
[Item Encyclopedia]
+
Half-Gaze of the Demon King
The Demon King was defeated in battle with the human hero a long time ago.
The human hero, protected by the grace of God, tore the Demon King’s body apart, but could not destroy the Demon King’s hardest core.
He sealed the Demon King’s core deep underground to prevent the Demon King from regenerating his body and resurrecting.
The Demon King raged and shouted until the moment both his eyes lost their light.
-Your soul shall not find rest in any land. My eternal resentment shall persist even if you cross the rift of the world. Despair and suffer in never-ending torment for eternity!
The human hero, cursed by the Demon King’s bloodied resentment, soon passed away.
The Demon King could no longer exert his power, but his demonic energy, like his deep-seated grudge, remained throughout the continent, freezing the land and preventing life from flourishing.
God sent a soul with sacred power to ensure that his weak followers would not suffer at the hands of the demons of the snowy mountains again, and that soul became the ‘Saintess,’ granting blessings to ‘Agents’ with the qualifications to counteract the demonic energy.
Eventually, the demonic energy in this land weakened, and the Demon King, having lost his power, awaited the day he would regain strength and recover his body from within the core sealed underground.
He was certain that these weak followers would seek a way to resurrect him, chasing his mighty power.
And after a long wait, the time has finally come.
The Demon King will not miss this opportunity.
While Ranshel was absent-mindedly reading the description of the mysterious item that was automatically registered, the Archbishop’s sermon continued.
“Now we must act. We must drive out the Saintess, who was created by a false prophecy, and drag down the Empress, who sits at the table of lies!”
The believers who praised the Archbishop responded with voices full of fervor.
“For the glorious resurrection of the great King!”
Ranshel matched his mouth shape with the people around him and lowered his shaking eyes.
The Demon King’s… half-gaze?
Does that mean there is another half?
And what about the hero…?
