That night. The Temple.
Torkel stood at the entrance, which was in complete disarray.
Holding a broom in his hand.
As Torkel began to carefully clean around the ruined entrance, Head Priest Zenis rushed out from inside.
"Torkel!"
Torkel blinked and looked at Zenis.
Zenis, standing in front of Torkel, gestured in disbelief.
"You should be in the infirmary, what are you doing here? You absolutely need to rest today!"
"...Just, I felt restless doing nothing."
"A patient needs to stay still. What are you talking about? Get back inside now!"
Both Torkel and Zenis were covered in bandages, suffering from unhealed post-petrification symptoms.
Despite not being in perfect condition herself, Zenis had rushed out worried about Torkel.
Feeling grateful to Zenis, Torkel awkwardly shook his head.
"I'm sorry. But somehow, today... I feel good."
Torkel slowly looked up at the sky.
Zenis looked up too.
"The wind is cool, the sky clear..."
"..."
"And the stars shine like this."
The dark clouds that once covered Crossroads had cleared away completely.
Clean starlight, like sprinkled salt, shone down earnestly from the black sky.
Zenis, about to say something to Torkel, found himself silently gazing up at the sky as well.
Torkel, feeling awkward, bowed his head to Zenis.
"I'll just clean up a bit more, then I'll head back in."
"Oh, dear."
Zenis scratched the back of his head and then insisted.
"Alright. But don't overdo it, and make sure you return to the infirmary within 30 minutes. Got it?"
"Yes, I will."
Torkel, bowing his head, resumed sweeping.
Zenis, quietly watching Torkel, eventually smiled faintly and returned to his room.
"Maybe I won't need to confess anymore..."
Torkel's sweeping, having cleaned the entrance, continued along the corridor.
The broom, pushing aside broken stones and columns, various furniture, suddenly stopped.
Torkel realized he was standing in the central hall of the temple's inner corridor.
The very place where Margarita had died.
"..."
Looking at the spot where the holy maiden had fallen and died, Torkel slowly lifted his head.
There, as always, stood the statue of the goddess.
The goddess statue he couldn't face since that day, lacking the courage, but today, for some reason, he felt emboldened.
Torkel raised his eyes to meet the face of the goddess.
"...Ah."
Was it an illusion?
The face of the goddess, which that day seemed to look down with sorrow and pity...
Now, very slightly, but unmistakably.
Seemed to be smiling at Torkel.
"..."
Inside his helmet, Torkel faintly smiled as well.
Torkel resumed sweeping.
The brisk sound of his sweeping, contrasting with his heavy footsteps, slowly left the central hall corridor.
The statue of the goddess remained standing silently in its place.
It was a clear and tranquil winter night.
***
[STAGE 23 - CLEAR!]
[STAGE MVP - Lucas (SSR), Evangeline (SSR)]
[Level Up Characters]
- Ash (EX) and 30 others <Expand List>
[Deceased Characters]
> Sub-Party ‘Blacklist’
- Buckler (SSR)
- Smart Idiot (SSR)
- And 19 others <Expand List>
[Injured Characters]
- Lucas (SSR) and 20 others <Expand List>
[Acquired Items]
- Gorgon Sisters' Magic Cores (SSR): 3
[Stage Clear Rewards Have Been Distributed. Please Check Your Inventory.]
- SSR Grade Reward Boxes: 3
>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE
>> [Next STAGE: White Night]
***
About a week passed since then.
Crossroads was bustling with reconstruction efforts.
Not only the members of the production guild but also most of the citizens who had evacuated had returned to participate in the rebuilding.
I was reviewing the names of those who would be the new occupants of the graves, with the official funeral ceremony approaching.
"..."
Among them, the names of those who had been newly hired and sent to the frontlines caught my eye.
'Blacklist Five.'
I originally built the casino in this city to attract high-ranking heroes.
And these members of the Blacklist were the representative high-ranking hero party lured by this casino.
Especially two of them whom I had wanted to recruit.
The SSR-grade tank 'Buckler,' who could freely deploy a force field shield.
The specialist in both demonic arts and magic, SSR-grade dealer 'Smart Idiot.'
They were promising characters with potential to be first-rate until their third year, but... they fell in this battle.
"Make sure they are honored properly."
It was their first time participating in the monster frontline, but I instructed that they be given the same funeral honors as those with long service.
They, too, had sacrificed their lives for a greater cause.
After giving the instruction, I handed the rest of the paperwork to Lucas beside me and said.
"And for the three survivors, try to persuade them well. See if they'll stay on the monster frontline."
SR-grade black magician. 'Chain.'
SR-grade golemancer. 'Candler.'
SR-grade swordsman. 'Nobody.'
These three are currently recuperating in the temple.
Reading the reports, it seemed they fought quite bravely, and I wanted to keep them recruited if possible.
"Especially Chain and Nobody, they fought in your party, right? What do you think?"
Lucas had lost all the wandering knights in his original party in this battle.
He had organized a temporary party with the remaining heroes to fight Medusa, and apparently, they had worked well together.
'Lucas, Zenis, Torkel, Chain, Nobody.'
A versatile knight, combat priest, pure tanker, magic dealer, physical dealer.
The combination wasn't bad.
An all-weather party composition that could be deployed anywhere.
'The frontline is solid, but the dealers are a bit unstable...'
Chain is a black magian who converts life force into magical power to fight.
When not in combat, he restores his life force and stays in the form of a child.
However, during battle, as he depletes his life force, he ages progressively, turning into an old man when it's exhausted.
The problem is that, while black magic is immensely powerful, it also consumes a lot of magical power.
It's a character that requires careful timing and management of magic.
'And Nobody, he is...'
A blind swordsman.
Instead of sight, he perceives his surroundings with qi sensation and fights accordingly.
He virtually lacks stats in defense or evasion.
And despite his keen qi sensation, being fundamentally blind means his hit accuracy is dreadful.
Even a normal attack often misses.
But, he has a game-changing move... the special skill 'True Strike.'
This sword strike, usable once every three turns, or 10 minutes, completely ignores the opponent's defense and deals critical damage.
'If he hits, that is, if he hits...'
In the game, he was a luck-based character, like a fighter going beyond limits.
If the lottery hits, he could slice off a boss mob's head, but if he misses, with no defense or movement skills, he's instantly doomed.
Anyway, these dealers were unstable, but their high points were clear, and most importantly, the rest of the three were very solid heroes, so there was a possibility they could synergize well.
When I asked Lucas about his thoughts on the party members, he rested his chin on his hand and hummed.
"Certainly, it wasn't bad... but."
"But?"
"If we end up forming a party like this, I'd like to change the party name..."
"Huh? The party name?"
What was the name of this five-member party that he mentioned?
As I blinked in confusion, Lucas waved his hand dismissively.
"No, it's nothing... Anyway, I will do as you say, my lord. I'll try my best to recruit them."
"Good, and..."
I flipped through the papers, scanning the report about Torkel.
"Torkel has now fully become a first-rate elite, able to handle his own."
In the final battle with Medusa, Torkel had awakened his ultimate skill.
He used it to single-handedly hold off Medusa.
The ultimate skill, [But man is not made for defeat].
A phrase as cool as something Hemingway would write... but it was abbreviated on the broadcast as it was too long. Was it shortened to 'BMINMFD' using the first letters, or 'BFD' as some vile viewers called it?
Anyway, its effects are simple yet powerful.
Invincibility for 3 turns, or 10 minutes. For 10 minutes, he receives no damage, is immune to all types of status abnormalities, and resists most CC (crowd control) abilities.
For those 10 minutes, Torkel could withstand the beating of the entire universe.
It's a skill set focused solely on endurance, making Torkel an ultimate-tier tank.
It can only be used once a day, and after it ends, Torkel suffers a fatigue debuff, but these are minor drawbacks considering its immense usefulness.
'With this, I've secured another endgame tank.'
I was glad to see that Torkel had overcome his hardships.
I should praise him later.
And lastly...
I glanced at the next report and gestured subtly.
"How about Head Priest Zenis?"
"...As per your instructions, my lord, I thoroughly investigated in case he harbored any other intentions..."
Lucas trailed off.
"From what I've seen, he's just a hardworking priest."
Before I left for the Imperial Conquest, the two suspects for Fernandez's spy were Metallic from the 1st Imperial Army and the new Priest Zenis.
Eventually, Metallic was confirmed as the spy, and we used that to our advantage...
But no clues came up about Zenis.
It seemed he really was just a church official suffering from a punitive demotion.
After rereading Zenis' report, I placed it back on the desk.
"...It seems we can start to trust him."
With Fernandez, the head of the secret service who operated the spies, gone, I wonder if there's still a point in being cautious.
But still, he's an enigma.
Extra caution wouldn't hurt.
"I asked Serenade to conduct further investigation into Zenis through the Silver Winter Trading Company. Let's make the final decision after seeing the results."
"Understood, my lord."
I entrusted the funeral preparations and other matters to Lucas.
Lucas saluted me formally before rushing out busily.
It was time for me to attend to other paperwork.
"Your Highness!"
Serenade burst into the room, opening the door hastily.
Serenade and the other key personnel arrived two days later than us aboard the airship Geronimo.
Since then, Serenade, rolling up her sleeves, had been helping with the reconstruction of Crossroads.
I smiled warmly at Serenade.
"Serenade. What's the matter?"
"Ah... it's..."
Serenade, lost in my smiling face for a moment, suddenly exclaimed 'Ha?!', regaining her focus and slapping her cheeks to compose herself.
Then she faced me with a serious expression.
"Please show me your smile every morning from now on... No! That's not what I meant?!"
Serenade, having blurted out her true desire, waved her hands frantically with a flushed face.
I covered my mouth and laughed.
A smile isn't too costly to give away generously.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I got carried away and misspoke."
Ahem!
Serenade cleared her throat and looked at me seriously.
"Just now, all the leaders affiliated with the World Guardian Front gathered at the hotel."
"Oh? Everyone has finally arrived."
Originally, the World Guardian Front was a coalition of some fallen and borderland kings.
While I was in the Imperial Capital, many emissaries expressing their desire to join had approached us.
And I had accepted all of them without discrimination.
The impending crisis facing the world is an unprecedented evil.
It is right for all living beings to join forces.
With these newly affiliated kings included, we had planned to hold a meeting in Crossroads, and it seems the airships sent across the world have arrived here today with the kings.
"Yes, and... as soon as those kings... gathered in the hotel lobby..."
Serenade, with her sharp silver eyes, rolled them from side to side in confusion before speaking hesitantly.
"They started a brawl."
"...?"
For a moment, my thoughts stalled.
"What?"
"Exactly as I said. The gathered kings... regardless of age or gender..."
Serenade looked like she herself couldn't believe what she was saying, but she relayed it anyway.
"They've started a huge fight! The hotel is in chaos!"
"What a crazy world."
I abruptly stood up from my seat.
"Let's go, now!"
"Yes, we must stop them-"
"And bring popcorn and soda too!"
"Yes! I’ll get the popcorn and soda... Wait, what?"
Serenade stopped abruptly and blinked in bewilderment.
As I put on my coat and rushed out of the office, I shouted back at her.
"Why would we just watch such an awesome event?!"
A battle royale of kings from around the world!
Such a once-in-a-lifetime event should be enjoyed with 3D glasses and munching on popcorn! That's the rule!
--TL Notes--
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