Chapter 187
After lying down for two days, my stomach started to beg for food.
Thesilid and I ate regardless of whether or not the dark, shady ritual was being performed below.
The ceiling was quite high, and the demons were all low-class, so we didnt have to worry about being caught.
Not having to carry inventory came with one fatal drawback.
In case of emergency, Thesilid could no longer use anything himself.
I felt bad because he had been starving for the past two days while I was sleeping.
Cant I give inventory access to someone else?
Only then did the gods send a message.
[The Scales that Judges the Soul nods, saying that a couples common property should be recognized.]
[The World-building God says that the protagonist cannot be trusted and that one must be careful.]
[The Scales that Judges the Soul is greedy to see it, but says that she leaves the choice to you.]
Ive fasted often, so it doesnt matter.
Thesilid was calm, but I felt even more sorry for his words.
My Lord, the World Church will never practice fasting prayers.
[The World-building God answers that he understands.]
Agnes talked to me while I was eating a meal with food that didnt smell.
<Now that I think about it, the mad wizard trapped in the mirror has been starving for two days. Serves him right.>
He knows life-sustaining black magic, so there wont be as much damage as you think.
He may even survive for about a month with the tough vitality of a cockroach.
Then Thesilid stopped chewing and lowered his eyes.
I dont like the fact that a guy like that is in your inventory. Cant we just bury the mirror in the ground?
Im kidding.
No. He was serious, I know he was.
I calmly persuaded him.
Morifis will be used as a bargaining chip to settle the Bloodstone Mine dispute. Only then can we prevent conflict between the two countries.
Right.
Rather than that, we should think about going back quickly. Everyone must be going crazy worrying about us right now.
It was fortunate that my companions escaped the dungeon through the exit gate just before Reed showed up.
I was concerned with some people though.
I wonder if Marquis Lecandro and Princess Celestide will be okay.
<She must have done well as an Aura Master.>
I guess so. Sigh, I also want to become an Aura Master.
Thesilid brought the topic back on track.
Eli, it would be best to leave this temple first to find the exit gate.
Yes. There seems to be a forest nearby, so lets go around there and find the exit gate.
Were in the middle of a Demon Kings Territory.
If we run amok or try to subdue the Demon Archbishop, the Demon King may be summoned.
Thesilid was also worried about this.
I dont know if well be able to get out of here without being caught by the demons.
Dont worry about that. I happen to have a good item.
This attic was probably being used as a warehouse, so there was a lot of accumulated junk around.
Among them were black priests uniforms similar to the ones worn by the demon cultists downstairs.
The robe and the one-piece dress were relatively orthodox despite being something made by pagans.
I took out the ascetic black robe and handed it over to Thesilid, and picked up the black dress with side slits for myself to wear.
Thesilid said somewhat skeptically.
Eli, I dont think its possible to cheat their eyes by wearing this.
Oh, well wear this, but the good item I was talking about is something else.
What is it?
This time I rummaged through my inventory.
What came out in my hand was the item I got from killing the succubus last time.
Two sets of vests that look like they were made with black leather belts loosely woven together. These are
[<Item> Dream Demons Leather Harness
A costume item that can be worn under clothing to disguise yourself as a Dream Demon.
Notes: Increases Charm by 200% when worn, but decreases Elegance, Majesty, and Charisma by 100%].
As long as you have this, smuggling into the Demon World is no problem.
[The Scales that Judges the Soul blinks with anticipation.]
However, there was a minor problem with the process.
Here, Terry. With this, you can disguise yourself as a Dream Demon. Wear it under your robes.
Wear it?
Yes.
How?
After a long struggle, we somehow managed to get out of this predicament.
After dressing in our robes, Thesilid and I looked at each other.
How are you feeling, Terry? Uncomfortable?
Im fine
There was a significant gap between his answer and his facial expression. He looked very awkward and uncomfortable.
He must have felt troubled under my gaze and covered his mouth, pretending to sweep his face with his hand.
Then, for some reason, he stared at me blankly.
I stopped fixing the side slits of my dress and asked.
Why?
Nothing
This time Thesilid dry-washed his face with both hands.
Is it because of the effect of elegance, dignity, and charisma decreasing to nothing? Thesilids answer now sounds particularly weak.
This is what a handsome man with low self-esteem looks like. Not bad.
Oh, this is the taste of triple charm.
I snapped out of it when I realized that corrections had been made in his most lethal attribute.
Lets quickly get out of the temple.
Thesilid, who seemed desperate for some reason, opened the door to the attic and took the lead.
The hallway where we first stepped into was quiet. I hoped we wouldnt run into any demons, but it was too much to hope for.
It wasnt long after studying the map that Thesilid and I came face-to-face with a cultist demon.
Judging by the sharp fangs sticking out, it was a vampire.
Human?
The eyes behind the glasses narrowed with suspicion.
I responded like a normal demon would. As I passed by the vampire and blew him a teasing hand kiss, he dispelled any doubts.
Oh, i-it was a succubus.
It seems that the 3x charm effect also works on devils. It was funny to see his face blush slightly.
I passed through a long hallway and went down a crude stair made of stones.
We bumped into other cultist demons along the way, but nothing major happened.
Were already on the first floor.
Well be out soon.
According to the map, the exit wasnt far away.
But something happened that stopped me and Thesilid in our tracks.
When three demons were heard shouting we reflexively ducked into a blind spot. We waited quietly for the demons to pass, but their behavior was suspicious.
Its the Archbishops treasure. Care it carefully.
Shh! What if someone overhears?
Lets hurry and get this done with before others see us.
The three demons were very wary of their surroundings and moved the jewelry box to the basement.
Thesilid and I peered in the direction of the basement stairs theyd disappeared down, exchanging words.
Doesnt it look suspicious?
It looks very suspicious.
A revelation from God came just in time.
[The World-building God tells you to quickly follow them with shining eyes.]
[The Scales that Judges the Soul lights up her eyes and says thats a very good idea.]
A situation where the opinions of World God, who is serious about expanding the Church, and Libra, who is passionate about romance, are in agreement?
I cant help but be intrigued. If so.
<Lets go, Ellet, Thesilid!>
Yes.
Thesilid and I answered in unison. We waited for the demons to come back and then went down the stairs.
At the end of the basement was a seemingly ordinary wooden door.
They said it was the Archbishops treasure, right? It would be obvious if they put something like that in a place like this.
Yes. It must be a treasure trove.
All right, we cant come to the Demon Realm and leave empty-handed. Even if we dont defeat the boss, lets at least take home a souvenir.
I hope theres something useful.
There will be. But how do I open this door?
It quickly turned out that my worries were unnecessary.
Rumble!
?
?
The treasure vault opened by itself. It happened the moment Thesilid stood right in front of the door.
<Huh? What? Does it just open up to anyone?>
ThatI dont think so.
<Then?>
This is the temple of Chaos and Evil. Could it be that they recognized the future New Born Chaos and Evil and gave Thesilid permission to pass through?
Of course, such speculations cannot be stated outright in front of him.
Perhaps Thesilid had guessed as well, for he changed the subject with an embarrassed and bitter expression.
Lets go in, Eli.
Yes.
The inside of the room was disappointing. The only treasure was a jewel box neatly placed on a platform in the center of the room.
The Demon Archbishops life is not very nice.
Its a very simple treasure trove. There dont seem to be any traps. Ill open it.
The moment we opened the lid of the box, Thesillid and I had no choice but to retract our previous thoughts.
This is!
This single treasure was quite the find.
A pair of jewelry pieces placed on the velvet sparkled in the light.
It was a pair of rings in black and gold, but instead of having a jewel on the head, it had an embossed cross shape.
The system appraised the ring.
[<Artifact> Archbishops Rosary Ring
An artifact that amplifies demonic energy according to the power of the religion you have converted to. It can only be used by Bishops and above and can be purified to be compatible with sacred power
Note: Only one can be worn per person.]
It was awesome.
It is a holy power-boosting artifact that is compatible with all religions!
[The World-building God urges you to quickly grab it and run away.]
[The Scales that Judges the Soul says its perfect as a camouflage coupling ring since it comes in a pair.]
I asked Thesilid for his opinion.
You know, if we steal this, will it set off an alarm?
Im sure the Archbishop here would find out pretty quickly.
Terry.
Yes.
I picked up the pair of rosary rings.
Run!
I started running without looking back. As soon as I got out of the basement stairs, a heart-pounding message popped up.
[<System> Warning. The owner of the area, Archbishop Tezrihal, realizes that the artifact has been stolen.]
[<System> Warning. Archbishop Tezrihal becomes furious and begins to block the entrance to the temple.]
At the end of the straight hallway, we could see the door slowly closing.
There was no other fuss in the back, too.
Artifact thief!
Catch it! Hurry and catch it!