novel
| ← Ch.149 | Ch.151 → |
Part 5
She had learned various information from the Dwarf White Mask.
The Inner Court was separated into four large parts──it seemed.
The place where things like storehouses and kitchens which were needed for daily life was the lower floor section. It was where the White Masks feigned to do voluntary services and worked.
The center was a place of worship where large-scale ceremonies were held, and where they would pray several times a day.
The east side is where the bedrooms that acted as the residences for people with high positions were. The High Chief Priest's private room was also there, but that probably didn't matter right now.
In addition to those, the library and the reference room were also there. Most likely, the evidence of bribery that Alicia's cooperators gathered were from this reference room.
On the west side of the Inner Court, there were small lecture rooms and dining halls. The confession rooms were also on the west side.
It seemed that Lumachina and Diablo's group were locked up separately. The confession rooms were only that in name only and were similar to a jail.
She was able to get that much information out of him, but unfortunately, the Dwarf White Mask didn't know as far as their specific locations.
Since it was a vast building, it seemed that the responsibilities were divided up.
She decided to first go to the west side and then get information out from a different person.
Horun ran through the hallways.
White walls, and white floors.
Was it stone? Was it earth? She couldn't really tell. Since it was a miraculous building that could float with God's miracle, the walls and the floors might be special.
There were small windows on the walls, and starlight came in. That was all the light that was there. There was a sense of cleanliness, but there was also a sense of gloominess, making it eerie.
If it were her former self, she might have been paralyzed with fear──that is what Horun thought.
Passing through the lower strata, she entered the west side area.
Here, it had a modest interior design where the floors and walls were generally made of lined up wooden boards.
Although they were made so that they couldn't open, there were latticed windows, and it was somewhat brighter than the hallways of the lower floor section.
The Holy Grail Goddess grumbled.
『I'm so bored with you doing nothing but running -poyo～. I might be hungry. Could you offer up something like your lifeblood?』
「Haa...... haa...... We'll almost...... be at the floor where the confession rooms are -ssu. 」
『No way, you completely ignored a Goddess!?』
There was a figure of a person as she climbed up the stairs.
Horun pushed out her hands.
「《Charm》!!」
「Eh!?」
The slender White Mask was surprised and looked her way. Their orange hair was long, and their chest was big.
──A Pantherian...... woman!?
A pink heart flew out.
*Hyo hyo hyo hyo...... * That was all that happened, and no sort of effect was activated.
Horun timidly talked to her.
「U, um...... 」
However, the other party made a merciless response.
「Kyaaaaah～～～～～～～～～～～～!!」
「Awawa...... It was a massive failure -ssu!」
『Nfufu, although it depends on the other party's tastes and preferences, it seems that it's hard for Horun-chan's 《Charm》 to work on women～. I'm OK either way though. 』
She ran past the side of the Pantherian who raised a scream.
「If you knew that, I would have liked it if you said that to me earlier -ssu!」
『Normally, you'd notice that. 』
「Th, that's true -ssu, but...... 」
『It's fine, isn't it. Since you obtained a large power, overestimating the ability and failing comes as part of the set -yon♪ 〇bita-kun was the same way, right?』[1]
「I have no idea what you're saying! It's because I'll die if I fail -ssu, okay!?」
Getting this far, she had pulled information from several White Masks, and a map of the premise had already entered her head.
She barged into the key room that controlled the confession room keys.
──May there no be any women! Also, may there not be too many people!
When there are a lot of opponents, the Skill 《Charm》 decentralizes.
The key room──
There were only two people inside.
A top half naked macho Pantherian man, and a book reading Grasswalker boy──No, he was probably an adult.
Grasswalkers were a race where their appearance would remain as that of a child even when they reached adulthood. His age was unknown even when seen by Horun who was of the same race, but since he was in a place like this, she should think of him as an adult.
They weren't wearing white masks.
Their clothes also weren't monk working clothes, as the Pantherian was in leather pants, and the Grasswalker was wearing a black top and bottom and had glasses.
Other than the White Masks in the Inner Court......
Horun opened her eyes wide.
「Could it be...... 」
──Are they Holy Knights!?
The Pantherian raised up the ends of his mouth.
「Gufufu, they really came. It's just as Guryuun said. 」
「...... Naturally. 」
The Grasswalker didn't raise his eyes from the book, and muttered that.
The Pantherian grabbed the nearby War Axe, and stood up.
He pointed at his own crotch.
「Gufufu...... So you've come to save your companions. The keys to the confession rooms are right here, little rabbit. 」
「Fuahー!? How could you put them in such a place -su ka!?」
Holy Knights, how dreadful!
While reading his book, the Grasswalker breathed a sigh.
「Gadolas, the place you're pointing to is wrong. It's the back side. 」
「Nn? Whoops! Thanks, Guryuun. 」
The Pantherian called Gadolas once again pointed out──a bunch of keys were hanging at the back of his waist.
It was this sort of situation, but Horun felt a bit relieved.
Numbers were on the keys.
「Gufufu...... Your companions are in the thirteenth confession room. If you wanna meet them, I can let ya meet with them right away, you know?」
「Eh, is it alright -su ka? With that face, could it be you're actually a nice person -ssu ka!?」
「My face has nothing to do with this! My face!」
「Awawa...... 」
「I'm sayin' that if you obediently get captured, then I'll put ya in the same confession room...... Gufufu. My great self is so generous, right?」
「So it was with that sort of meaning -ssu ka. That doesn't make me happy at all -ssu!」
The Holy Grail Goddess also raised a voice.
『What's with that? Calling himself "great" on his own, he seems super stupid～. It's totally hilarious though. 』[2]
「...... That's true -ssu ne. 」
She remembered the words when the Goddess had appeared.
──I, who am awe-inspiring and reside in the Holy Grail, am a Goddess! You are facing this Babylon-sama!
At any rate, it was certain that this was not an amicable opponent.
Horun pushed her hands out toward the opponent.
「《Charm》──Kira☆」
She activated the Skill.
Just like always, pink hearts flew towards the men that she was confronting.
*Hyo hyo hyo hyo...... *
「Funnurah!」
Gadolas stretched out his chest, and flexed his pectorals. Hitting those muscles, the heart popped like a soap bubble.
「EHH!?」
「Guhahahaha! Something like that won't work on my great self!」
「Are you a homo -ssu ka!?」
「You're wrongggg! My great self only has interest in bouncy curves, you damned childishly flat little rabbit!」
Behind him, the Greenwalker muttered.
「It isn't due to gender designs. The Skill 《Charm》 does not work on opponents of higher rank. 」
「Seriously -ssu ka!?」
At this late point in time, Babylon started talking.
『Yup, yup, I was also thinking about telling you but...... 《Charm》 won't work unless your opponents' total level is lower than your own level～. Of course, there are corrections made depending on Horun-chan's charm value and the opponent's resistance value though. 』
「I would have liked it if you told me that sort of stuff earlier -ssu!」
In other words, 《Charm》 couldn't be used on the Holy Knights.
Horun stepped back.
She jumped out from the room.
──I can't fight in such a narrow place -ssu!
Right away, Gadolas came chasing after her.
「Hyaーhaー!! Time for some rabbit huntingggg!!」
「............ 」
In the now silent room, Guryuun turned the page of his book.
Translator's Notes:
[1] Doraemon reference
[2] Gadolas uses "ore-sama" to refer to himself, and Babylon mentions how he adds "-sama" when referring to himself.
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