novelraw Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Hidden Boss Arrives in Full Force
The atmosphere around the Spring of Life turned decidedly awkward for a stretch. Maria, having been shut down by Fred, clutched her robes with whitened knuckles, her eyes reddening at the rims, her entire person radiating a pitiful, fragile aura. The adventurers, however, merely laughed it off, and Doniel pulled Fred away to meet the leader of the other B-rank party — a big-bearded man named Roger.
Looking at this square-built, solidly compact specimen of a man, Lilu's mouth twitched. Could this be the legendary Dwarf Race? In most Western fantasy works, the Dwarf Race and the Elf Race tended not to get along particularly well, so Lilu carefully tucked herself behind Aernis, doing her best to avoid exposing herself to Roger's line of sight.
"So you're the Hero's companions?"
An arrogant voice rang out. Lilu quietly poked her little head out and looked cautiously at Maria. The woman stood with her arms crossed, looking down at her from above with a condescending air. The sheer difference in height gave her a domineering presence, and the malice in her eyes was no longer possible to conceal.
"Hmph — a barbarian, and a little Elf girl. What could Lord Fred possibly see in the likes of you two?" Maria arrogantly swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "If I were you, I'd stay far, far away from Lord Fred — spare yourself the humiliation."
Huh? Was she staking a claim to ownership? This was Lilu's first time encountering a Scheming Type up close. Back on Earth she had only seen this kind of person in novels and trashy dramas — she hadn't expected to run into one the moment she arrived in the Other World, and to have one launch a direct assault on her face like this at that. Lilu didn't quite know what to make of it, but she was thoroughly shaken!
"Oh ho, and just who do you think you are? Pretty bold, aren't you!" Aernis cracked her knuckles. "You've got the nerve talking to me like that — want me to give you a couple of solid smacks to help jog your memory?"
"Barbarian, you dare lay a hand on me? The Count's household will not let this go!"
Maria was visibly rattled. If it had been an ordinary person saying that, it might have been empty posturing — but a barbarian would genuinely throw hands. These lot, men and women alike, had nothing but muscle in their heads! They made the finest mercenaries and adventurers around — they showed up when there was work, and settled scores on the spot when there was a grudge.
"Besides! I…… I wasn't even talking about you!" Maria's eyes darted around, and she suddenly pointed at Lilu. "I was talking about her! A scrawny little beansprout! What gives her the right to throw herself at Lord Fred!"
"Oh," Lilu straightened her back. "I am the Holy Maiden of the Goddess Church — a high-ranking Holy-type Cleric holding the Holy Maiden Class. If I recall correctly, that title carries authority equivalent to that of a Cardinal Archbishop. I do not believe the Count himself would dare run his mouth in front of a Cardinal Archbishop — let alone an illegitimate daughter like yourself. Or are you trying to get the Count's entire household branded as 'Heretics'?"
Everything Lilu said was borrowed fresh from what she had just learned. Her understanding of this world was still extremely limited, but the dozen-odd thick books Serina had forced her to memorize contained remarkably detailed records on the Church. The Church was currently divided into two factions — the Goddess Faction and the Holy Light Faction. The Church she belonged to fell under the Goddess Faction, whose members were all devoted followers of the Goddess, or to put it another way, her most ardent devotees. The Holy Light Faction was far more measured — they worshipped the Holy Light itself, with the Goddess regarded as its representative, a figure of supreme reverence. But supreme reverence and nothing more.
However, the Goddess Faction possessed one department the Holy Light Faction did not — the Heresy Inquisition Bureau! In other words, as long as Lilu was willing to go through the proper channels, she had the means to have the Count's household labeled as Heretics and subjected to investigation by the Heresy Inquisition Bureau. As a general rule, such investigations tended to conclude with the investigated party suffering torture and meeting their end.
The moment Maria heard the word "Heretics," her expression shifted in an instant — from lofty, insufferable arrogance to sheer terror. She was nothing more than the Count's illegitimate daughter, and had only risen to her current standing because the Count's actual daughter had somehow ended up with the Farmer Class. But everything she had was given to her by the Count's household — her robes, her staff in hand…… not a single thing was truly her own! No one who played the scheming game was ever a fool. Faced with a Lilu who outranked her in every conceivable way, Maria decisively chose to back down.
"I am terribly sorry, I did not know that you were……"
"Get lost!"
Lilu returned her a single calm word. Maria promptly and smoothly got lost.
"Hmph," Lilu planted both hands on her hips with an air of disdain. "Weakling!"
That little display of hers sent Aernis into fits of laughter. She couldn't help herself — she grabbed Lilu under the arms and hoisted her up high. Lilu simply let her do as she pleased, secretly enjoying it just a little.
At the same time, the three party leaders who had been conferring in low voices nearby wore expressions growing increasingly grim.
"Fred, we've hit something serious this time," Roger said. "The Town Return Scrolls aren't working, the staircase leading to the Fourth Floor has been sealed with a one-way barrier spell, and a Boss Room has appeared out of nowhere on the Fifth Floor. We are well and truly trapped."
"Surely not," Fred frowned. "Could it be a 'Hidden Boss'?"
"Yes," Doniel nodded. "That's the only explanation. We scouted the Boss Room earlier — opened the door but didn't dare step inside. The entire chamber was packed wall to wall with an Undead army. The types of monsters capable of commanding an Undead army are limited, but a shallow-floor Boss that spawns on the Fifth Floor shouldn't be an Undead General or an Undead King — most likely a Lich Lord."
Fred swept his gaze across the surrounding adventurers, activating his Eye of Truth, and quickly sized up everyone's strength.
"Seven B-rank, eleven C-rank, plus those two girls — I'm afraid our numbers aren't going to cut it."
"Didn't you bring a Holy-type Cleric along?"
"That kid, well……" Fred's expression stiffened slightly. He had been about to say that Lilu had only just received her Class and was still a complete novice. But then he thought of the feat she had performed along the way — sending hundreds upon hundreds of Undead straight to the afterlife — and Fred fell silent.
He wanted to protect Lilu, to keep her from being hurt. But the sense of mission that came baked into the Hero Class was quietly and steadily bending his will. If it meant reducing losses in battle, he had no choice but to make use of Lilu's abilities.
It was the first time Fred had ever felt something close to revulsion toward the Hero Class. He was bound to be upright and selfless, to make the right choice at every fork in the road — and whoever was not chosen would become the sacrifice left behind on his path forward.
"Lilu possesses the Purification ability of a high-ranking Holy-type Cleric," he said at last, forcing the words out. "You two should not underestimate the value that a Church Holy Maiden brings to the table!"
"A Holy Maiden?"
"Holy crap! The Goddess went and made a little Elf girl her Holy Maiden!"
Roger and Doniel's pupils shook. They hadn't expected the Holy Maiden — an office that hadn't appeared for a hundred years — to just come waltzing right up to them looking fresh and bright-eyed like this. Though thinking about it carefully, a Hero paired with a Holy Maiden seemed to make absolutely perfect sense.
All one could say was — truly worthy of fate's arrangement.
Watching the two men simultaneously give him a thumbs up and flash eight gleaming white teeth at him without any prior coordination whatsoever, Fred broke out in a cold sweat. If these two ever found out that not only had he taken the Holy Maiden, but had also lost himself in the heat of the moment and turned her into a cream puff — he shuddered to think what their reaction would be.
Well, whatever. The boat will naturally find its way under the bridge when it gets there.
The reorganization of the adventurer parties was completed quickly. When Lilu found out that she was expected to serve as a primary combat force against the Lich Lord, her pupils shook on the spot! It's too late to run now, isn't it? Why on earth were they suddenly fighting a Boss!