The Genius Son-in-law of the Swordmaster Household—Blessed by Authority

Chapter 157 : Liberation of Luminari (5)

Liberation of Luminari (5)

The innermost prison of the ruins.

"Ugh, mm..."

Nayuta barely managed to stand, forcing strength into her trembling legs.

Years of continuous torture and exploitation.

If it hadn't been for the innate resilience she possessed as a High Luminari, she would have lost her mind or her body would have shattered long ago.

― Stagger.

"Please, don't push yourself."

Ian approached and supported her as she staggered.

"Th-thank you. But right now... the other captives... The ones still imprisoned should come first."

Nayuta bit her pale lips and summoned strength in her legs again.

The life jewel embedded in her forehead began to glow faintly once more.

Rather than relief over her own salvation, it was her sense of duty to those she hadn't saved yet that made her rise again.

"But, what about that one... What do you intend to do?"

Nayuta glared at Greenyolf, who was sprawled on the ground, and asked.

The Archbishop whose neck was snapped, now foaming at the mouth.

A being who had once inspired absolute terror in her, now reduced to nothing more than a hunk of meat.

"He'll pay the price. For now, we'll take him."

Ian replied nonchalantly and reached into the air.

─《Dimensional Shop》─

◆ Item

[Magic Power Sealing Rope] has been purchased.

─────────

Ian quickly and tightly bound Greenyolf's body with the magic power sealing rope he purchased from the dimensional shop.

"Let's move outside now. We have to save your people too."

Ian effortlessly lifted Greenyolf by the scruff of the neck with one hand.

It was as light as lifting a fruit basket.

"... Ah. Yes!"

Nayuta felt awe again at his overwhelming strength and composure as she followed behind him.

* * *

The central cavern of the ruins, where the giant ancient golem of the Luminari tribe rose majestically, its upper body revealed.

Over a thousand Luminari slaves gathered and looked around anxiously.

The demonic human overseers who usually watched them had herded all the slaves into this place, and then vanished somewhere in a daze.

"Where... Where did those bastards all go? Why gather only us here...?"

"I don't know. Things feel strangely off today... Ugh, this is making me uneasy..."

A heavy murmur echoed throughout the cavern.

The overseers had never gathered all the slaves into one place like this before.

What could this be a prelude to?

Perhaps a prelude to a horrific execution.

Countless ominous thoughts raced through their minds.

The slaves clung to each other's shoulders, trembling.

― Step, step.

Just then, two shadows appeared from the dark passage.

One was a tall, muscular man.

And by his side... a much smaller woman compared to the man.

"Hm?"

In the front row of the slaves.

The elderly man who had given bread to Ian a few days earlier narrowed his eyes and focused on the approaching shadows.

And soon enough—

"...!"

His cloudy eyes widened and then began to shake in disbelief.

"T-that figure...!"

The old man stumbled forward with unsteady steps.

The other slaves had no time to stop him.

When the shadow fully entered the torchlight, a suppressed gasp escaped the elder's lips.

"L-lady Nayuta...!? Great Priestess! Are you safe?!"

At this cry, Nayuta turned her head.

"Ah! Elder! Elder Mir!"

"Ahh...! O Moon of Silvani...! You have not forsaken us! Oh, heavens, ohh..."

The old man, elder Mir, was the elder of the Silvani tribe.

As he knelt in tears before Nayuta, the other Silvani tribespeople behind him finally grasped what was happening.

"L-lady Nayuta!"

"The great priestess has returned!"

The Silvani tribespeople rushed forward in a flood.

After all, the spiritual pillar they had last seen on the day their tribe was destroyed years ago had now returned alive.

They surrounded Nayuta, collapsing to the ground in sobbing relief.

But the Luminari from other tribes still wore confused expressions, unable to comprehend the situation.

They didn't know about Nayuta—and more than that, were overwhelmed by the intimidating aura oozing from the man by her side.

"Ah!"

Only belatedly did Elder Mir recognize Ian, his eyes going wider still.

"Y-you're... the one from a few days ago...!"

Ian nodded.

"Yes. Thank you again for the bread, elder. Thanks to you, I was able to use some strength."

"O-oh...! Then you... And the one in your hands! Gasp!"

Elder Mir could not finish his words.

He could only shakily point to the lump of flesh in Ian's grasp.

What Ian was holding was none other than their nightmare—Archbishop Greenyolf.

"Y-you... Did you really... for all of us...?"

At Elder Mir's stunned mutterings, the surrounding Luminari began to focus their gazes on Ian.

Ian held Greenyolf's face up to the torchlight so everyone could see.

"... Huh?"

Someone involuntarily let out a stunned cry.

With that, murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"T-that's the archbishop... isn't it?"

"Y-yeah, it looks like—! That horrible robe... that nose like a fist! That's him! The archbishop!"

"O-oh heavens..."

The cavern filled with an uneasy buzz.

To them, Greenyolf was an embodiment of absolute terror who slaughtered their kin with overwhelming power.

But right now, the Greenyolf before their eyes was just a tied-up hunk of meat.

Thoroughly defeated—hunted like a beast.

All the Luminari present shuddered as they saw the limp Greenyolf.

"Ah, ahh!"

"Greenyolf's been captured! He's down!"

"Does this mean... is it really... finally over?"

Some sank to the ground in disbelief, others pinched their own cheeks.

As everyone remained in this state of bewilderment—

Nayuta stepped forward.

"People! The nightmare is over."

Nayuta slowly turned and pointed to Ian.

"This benefactor broke through the enemy lines alone and punished that wicked devil. He is the one who cut the chains that bound us!"

At her declaration, the confusion among the Luminari erupted into jubilant cheers.

"Th-that means! Oh, ohh!"

"Waaaah!!"

"Savior!"

"O Moon of Silvani!!"

The cave rang with voices of joy and worship.

"...."

Ian blinked in astonishment.

'That was easier to explain than I thought. Good.'

"Messiah!"

"Ah! Messenger of the gods!"

"The judgment of the gods has been brought down upon this land!"

"...."

Though the worshipful cries were a bit excessive, Ian didn't bother to feign humility.

He needed at least this much justification for them to follow him now.

"Everyone, listen to me."

When Ian clapped and spoke, the commotion in the cave ceased as if by magic.

Ian spoke in an even, clear voice so that it reached every corner of the cave.

"We are leaving this place immediately. Gather all the food, useful belongings, and anything else you have. Head for the exit. You may also take anything the overseers used as you please."

"Waaaah!!"

"As the savior commands!"

The Luminari began moving all at once.

Despite their bodies being weakened from years of slavery, their movements now brimmed with hopeful vigor.

Ian watched them stream out like a torrent and prepared to leave himself.

At that moment—

― Grasp!

Nayuta urgently grabbed Ian's sleeve.

"P-please wait! My lord!"

"... My lord?"

When Ian looked back curiously, Nayuta pointed firmly to the center of the cavern.

There stood a massive relic, only half-excavated, its lower body still buried in the bedrock.

The ancient golem of Luminari stood towering there.

"We cannot leave... that great legacy behind."

Urgency colored Nayuta's voice.

"That golem is the wisdom and heritage of our ancestors. If we leave it here, the wicked demonic humans will surely return and defile it. Please... If you could just help us recover this legacy... just a little more..."

Ian looked up at the golem.

Its overwhelming presence.

The very object Archbishop Greenyolf of the Envy Cult had spent years digging up.

Of course, he intended to take it.

Not only was the golem a formidable weapon, but if left here it might one day be remade into a Destroyer—a dangerous possibility.

"Of course. I can't hand it over to the demonic humans."

"A-ah! Thank you! My lord!"

Nayuta's face brightened at Ian's reply.

But soon her expression clouded with worry.

"But... Honestly, I'm not sure how to move it. Just its mass alone is thousands of tons... I could control it myself, but with the lower half fused to the bedrock, we'd need to separate it first, and even if all our people worked together it would still take years..."

"That's fine. I have a better way."

"Yes...?"

"I can take it right now."

Ian spoke as he strode towards the golem.

"But let's wait until everyone's out. Someone might get hurt by accident."

If he uprooted the massive golem at once, the surrounding terrain could collapse or debris could fly—dangerous if the Luminari were nearby.

That was one reason—but more than anything, Ian didn't want to display his authority before thousands of eyes.

Except for Nayuta.

As a High Luminari, she would be pivotal in operating the golem from now on.

And because she would become an important ally, letting her see some of his power would help her trust him even more.

"Ah... Understood. I'll start sending everyone out first!"

Without a shred of doubt, Nayuta gave the order to Elder Mir, and the Luminari filed out in orderly rows toward the exit.

Some time later—

Only Ian, Nayuta, and the unconscious Greenyolf remained in the vast, empty cavern.

"We're ready, my lord. What should I do? Should I try to move the golem a bit with my life jewel's power?"

Nayuta stood before the golem with a nervous face.

Ian shook his head.

"No. Just watch."

"Huh?"

"It could be dangerous, so please step back a bit too, Nayuta."

Ian strode up to the golem.

Standing before its bulk, he looked tiny as an ant.

But Ian's eyes were not daunted by its size.

Rather, they had the eyes of a predator eyeing its prey.

'The inventory function of the dimensional shop.'

And—

'Authority of Projection.'

If he combined the two, he could duplicate the inventory with projection and store even something this enormous in subspace.

Ian placed his hand on the massive belly of the golem.

― Kwooooooooom!!

The cavern roared in pain.

At Ian's touch, the dimensional space split wide open, and the entrance to a vast subspace yawned.

"Hee-hik?!"

Nayuta flopped backward in fright.

Before her own eyes, the golem the size of a mountain was sucked into the air as if sinking into a swamp.

― Kwaaaaaaaang!!

Even the lower body wedged in the bedrock was crudely torn free and sucked into subspace.

Simple yet overwhelming strength.

It took just ten seconds—

That enormous ancient weapon vanished without a trace.

All that remained was the huge pit where the golem had stood.

"...."

Blank.

Nayuta's mouth hung open in speechless shock.

Her mind went white.

A High Luminari, she had studied magic and ancient relics her whole life.

According to her knowledge, putting something so gigantic into subspace was nearly impossible.

Even hundreds of mages would need a great deal of time to arrange the spells, and even then, it was almost physically impossible.

But what had just happened before her eyes?

She barely sensed any mana flows.

There was no incantation. No magic array.

'This isn't magic... It's not an artifact!'

It was an event that seemed to ignore the laws of the world, forcibly twisting reality.

As far as she knew, there was only one kind of being for whom this was possible—

'A god.'

Only a god's authority could ignore causality like this.

Nayuta's eyes shook violently.

But at the same time, a doubt flickered.

He had clearly introduced himself as:

'My name is Ian Greysel. I serve Young Lady Yuria of the Heavenly Sword family as a knight.'

He had explicitly said he was a knight of the Heavenly Sword family—a human knight.

'A knight...? Someone with such authority can't be just a mere human knight.'

But then the pieces in Nayuta's mind began to click together.

Ancient legends, stories of myth.

Gods or transcendental beings would often assume human form and descend to the earth, borrowing a human identity.

To avoid disrupting the order of the world, or to fulfil a special mission, they would disguise themselves as ordinary beings.

'Yes... That's it!'

Her eyes sparkled.

He was currently wearing the mask of a 'knight', residing among humans.

Why, then, as a knight of Hisperion?

That didn't matter.

How could her lowly self fathom the vast will of a god?

Surely there must be some great providence to be achieved through serving the young lady of that family.

'He's not merely a formidable human! The Moon of Silvani... has manifested in the guise of a human knight!'

Otherwise, there was no way to explain how he could defeat an 8th-circle great mage with a gesture or make a mountain-sized golem disappear with a look.

His introduction as a knight was a humble disguise to hide his true identity.

― Tap tap.

Ian dusted off his hands and turned around.

"...?"

Nayuta's eyes burned as if she might faint.

"Lady Nayuta?"

"Y-yes! My lord!"

Nayuta jumped and stood straight.

Ian awkwardly put his finger to his lips.

"What you just saw—please keep it a secret, lady Nayuta. As you know, it could cause trouble if others learned of this power."

At Ian's words, Nayuta trembled.

"Just as I thought...!"

"...?"

He had said it would cause problems if others found out.

That was proof he didn't want his true identity revealed.

Ian's request was the perfect final evidence to nail down her deduction.

If a god is roaming in disguise, how could a lowly mortal dare reveal him?

That would be outrageous impiety.

"Understood! I deeply comprehend what you mean!"

Nayuta nodded gravely.

"I swear on my life! The miracle I saw today, and your true identity... I shall take them to my grave. I will never disrupt your life as a 'human', my lord!"

"...?"

Ian found her mention of "your life as a human" a little odd, but since her resolve to keep the secret was certain, he let it go.

"Thank you."

Ian hoisted the unconscious Greenyolf up like luggage and started heading for the exit.

"Shall we go? We have to lead the people."

"At once!"

Nayuta scrambled up and followed after Ian.

Her gaze sparkled as brightly as the life jewel on her forehead.

She was now following not a legendary hero, but a god incarnate.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Great, more misunderstanding...

Also, another woman...

【(⩌_⩌ )】