How to Survive as a Dungeon Manager in Another World

26: Proselytization

Adina couldn’t help but be dumbfounded at the sight of Luke.

‘…Not threatening in the slightest?’

She knew he wielded some mystical power.

She had to admit he was stronger than her.

But to disregard her so thoroughly… it was simply unacceptable.

‘Has he never encountered the White Hair Clan?’

The White Hair Clan’s racial trait, White Mana, was a unique magic operating method solely focused on destruction.

Not only did the mana itself possess destructive properties, but it also had the ability to shatter an opponent’s mana, making it impossible to defend against with ordinary defensive magic.

‘His body is that of a normal human. Yet, not threatening?’

Of course, she knew he was an incredibly powerful figure.

She couldn’t not know.

Although her mind had been clouded by the pressure, preventing her from seeing properly… it was certain that he had dealt with the demonic beast she had seen beyond the boundary herself.

But, stubbornness took root.

His attitude, sneering that she was not threatening at all, was infuriating.

At the same time, curiosity arose.

She wanted to examine his abilities more closely.

Therefore, Adina decided to conduct an experiment.

She drew upon the mana within her entire body.

Giving it her all, quite literally.

There, she’d even employed the Clan’s esoteric art to amplify the spell’s might, the ‘White Wheel.’

This, precisely, was the most potent strike she could muster at her current level.

…However.

“!!!”

He was unscathed.

Within that insane conflagration, not even soot clung to him.

The rushing wind should have ruffled at least a strand of hair, yet he remained untouched, as if in a separate dimension.

Adina, having strained every nerve, felt strangely ashamed in contrast.

“Is that all?”

He asked Adina, standing perfectly still.

A pure inquiry, yet it grated on her nerves all the more.

As if he were saying, Is this paltry amount all you have?

“…It’s not over yet!”

She could only voice those words.

Belatedly, she once more dredged up her magical energy.

Squeezing out every last mote, scraping together her full power.

She, who boasted an exceptional reserve of magic even amongst her Clan, had now poured out everything, her magic well running dry.

“Hukk… hukk…”

Yet, only the training grounds were reduced to ruins; his expression remained unmoved.

Truly, not even a twitch.

He merely stood, regarding her with detached observation, as if an outsider.

That sight sent a sudden chill down her spine.

And then.

“The duration is roughly this long, is it.”

“……”

“Hmm, still far from enough.”

He muttered something indecipherable and strode from the training grounds.

Adina’s legs gave way, and she slumped down, blankly watching his retreating figure.

As she sat there, utterly crestfallen, she sensed a presence behind her.

“Adina, was it?”

A woman in pristine attire approached, golden hair dancing in the air.

Her name was probably… Elfriede Trivia, if he remembered correctly.

But why was she coming this way?

“You seem quite despondent.”

“…Can’t you tell?”

“There’s no need for such sorrow. To judge the great Moon’s power by the standards of us mere mortals is, in itself, an error, wouldn’t you say?”

“The great Moon?”

A tilt of the head.

Adina perked up her ears at the unexpected words.

“Adina, you have been tending to the great Moon from the closest proximity.”

“…What in the world are you talking about?”

“Your efforts until now are respected, but it seems you haven’t been fulfilling your role as well as you could.”

“…?”

A faint smile.

Elfriede lowered her upper body, still smiling.

Bringing her gaze level with Adina, who remained seated on the ground.

“I can see the form of your soul.”

“…The form of my soul?”

“A soul that is both ferocious and harmoniously balanced with all creation, purely white. A rare soul, but one I’ve witnessed… you are of the Baekmo clan, are you not?”

Elfriede could see the form of souls.

Having spent a long time in the constellation, journeying across the continent as a member of the hero’s party, she had watched over the souls of countless individuals.

Thus, she knew well.

That every being in this world possessed a soul that was similar, yet subtly different.

And that the unique form of the Baekmo clan’s soul was precisely like this.

“The Baekmo clan wields a special mana called White Force, does it not? And among them, you create white rings called Baekryun to amplify its power.”

“…How do you know that?”

“I’ve had connections with members of the Baekmo clan before. So, I know quite a lot. That some individuals among the Baekmo clan, from the moment of their birth, suffer from an extremely rare ‘Karma’ illness…”

“…!”

“That those afflicted with Karma are blessed with immense White Force, but in exchange, are unable to control their Baekryun.”

Elfriede, looking up at Adina, who had sprung to her feet, spoke.

“Earlier, I observed the instability in your Baekryun’s control.”

“……What is it you wish to say?”

A luscious, silver tail bristled, standing on end.

At the intense, wary gaze, Elfriede smiled brightly.

“Karma, I can fix it for you.”

“!!!”

At those words, Adina felt her heart pound wildly in her chest.

“How? Is it really possible? A lie!”

“Hehe, it’s not a lie. Are you curious?”

“Is that even a question? How much humiliation do you think I’ve endured because of it…!”

Elfriede, with a composed expression, straightened from her bow.

“Have you heard of a Geas?”

“Of course! Isn’t it a solemn oath sworn under the Pope’s witness, invoking the name of God?”

“You are well-informed. The method is simple.”

The Descending Sickness, Karma.

It is the price of the contract the Shinsoo, progenitor of the White-Haired Tribe, made with God.

Originally, it was the original sin that descendants must bear for generations.

“With a Geas, I will bear your original sin in your stead.”

“…That’s possible?”

Adina’s doubt was justified.

To bear Karma in another’s place.

To bring about an oath of that magnitude would be impossible with ordinary divine power.

At the very least, it would require the Pope, or perhaps a Saintess.

However.

“It is possible.”

With a twinkle.

Elfriede smiled and offered her hand to Adina.

An immense divine power emanated from her body.

So pure was its quality, that merely facing it filled the drained mana within her.

Gulp.

Adina stared at the woman before her with dazed eyes.

“What is the price?”

“You would simply need to help me from now on.”

“…How, exactly?”

“Hmm, something along the lines of simple evangelism?”

…Evangelism?

The words made little sense, but Adina had no room to be particular.

If she could only resolve her Karma, she could finally break free from the constraints she had borne and reclaim the essence of the White Hair Clan.

It was a lifelong ambition.

Thus, there was no need for hesitation.

“…I will.”

A resolute glint in her eyes.

Adina firmly grasped the hand extended to her.

Elfriede, watching this, crinkled her eyes in a smile.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Time passed, and when the time came to return, I finally arrived at the office using a scroll.

The office, located on the outskirts, felt more like an empty lot than a demonic haven.

Upon arriving, I flopped down without delay.

There was nothing in particular to do, and nothing urgently requiring my attention.

Monsters occasionally loitered about, but the manpower to deal with them was abundant here.

Upon first arriving at the office, Elfriede was provided with suitable lodgings, where she locked herself away and constantly offered prayers.

She mumbled words I couldn’t understand, but judging from the fragments I occasionally caught, it seemed she was praying to Cavilla.

‘It will all be for naught.’

Prayers are only meaningful if there’s a god to hear them, aren’t they?

But there are no gods left in this world.

It is not for nothing that the gods are called forgotten beings.

A forsaken world.

Only shards of chaos remain, so the world has no choice but to hurtle towards its end.

…Should I tell her this? Or shouldn’t I?

After much fretting, I sealed my lips shut, finally.

Only.

‘Just what is she up to again, that one?’

From a certain moment, Adina, who had always seemed to orbit on the periphery, began to trail Elfriede everywhere, dogging her steps.

The sight was akin to a pet fox, and what was astonishing was that she’d begun, however clumsily, to mimic Elfriede’s every move.

‘Could it be… is she praying right now?’

She was even wagging her tail while at prayer.

Elfriede, seemingly charmed by Adina, would often stroke her head.

It was a truly baffling sight, to say the least.

And a few days later.

“Oh, Great Moon.”

“…?”

Elfriede came searching for me.

Adina was lurking behind her, glancing about with a wary gaze and wagging her tail.

“I will be excusing myself for a time.”

“Very well.”

I paid it little mind.

She couldn’t be expected to remain holed up here all day, after all, and I had no intention of restricting such trivial matters.

Elfriede gave a curt bow and departed.

Adina, meanwhile, scurried to follow in Elfriede’s wake.

“…What is this, now?”

Quite the bizarre pairing, wouldn’t you say.

I chuckled softly to myself, pondering the thought.

A thoroughfare situated on the borderlands between the Duchy and the Empire.

This place served as both a path leading to Blackmoor, and a conduit from the Duchy into the Empire.

For that reason, a fair number of merchant caravans made use of this route.

Though the path was rough and secluded, teeming with no small measure of peril, choosing alternative detours would mean enduring twice the travel time, so many braved the risks in spite of themselves.

And now, in the present moment.

Hee hee hee HING—!

A lone horse bolts down the road.

In the direction the horse fled, wrecked carriages lay scattered, as ravaged and desolate as if swept by a tempest.

And behind those carriages.

There, a dozen or so men stood armed.

They were wary, guarding against something.

Screeeeeeech—!

…Its identity was a magical beast.

The Black Wolf, a fearsome monster renowned for its lupine form.

“Hah… Hah…!”

The men who’d drawn their swords at the front, led their bloodied bodies forward to barely stand.

Behind them, a man and woman presumed to be nobles huddled together in disarray, clutching a young child. The woman’s arm was severed, the man’s leg gone—a sight of abject misery.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The earth trembles as the magical beast moves its house-sized bulk.

With each swing of its sickle-shaped claws, the men at the front fall like autumn leaves.

Death.

Only that awaited them.

And.

“R-Run…!”

The last man standing collapses.

Next, the magical beast’s gaze falls upon.

“aaah…”

The terrified couple, and a single child.

Just as they were about to squeeze their eyes shut against the creeping dread.

Fzzzzt!

A spiraling bolt of electricity shot forth, a lingering trace in the air, then vanished.

KWA-KA-KA-KWANG!

With a thunderclap that shattered eardrums, an intensely compressed lightning blast erupted in a roar, sweeping over the magical beast like a tidal wave.

“!!!”

Dozens of stray currents crackled and sparked from the cratered earth.

Such was the power, the magical beast that threatened them vanished without a trace, reduced to ash and nothingness.

“Wh-what in the…?”

The couple could only stare, souls adrift.

It was that alien a spectacle.

After blinking a few times, they turned their heads toward the direction from which the attack had come.

There, walking toward them, were only two girls.

One was a beastkin with fox ears.

The other, a maiden clad in pristine white robes.

“……”

The maiden in robes approached without hesitation and gently took hold of the woman’s arm, which was torn and dangling wretchedly.

And then.

*Paaat!*

A bright, golden light erupted from the maiden’s hand.

The nobles recognized the nature of the power instantly.

A power to purify evil, to heal illness.

It was, divine power.

*Uu-uung.*

As a beam of white light enveloped the torn wound, red heat and smoke rose from the injured area.

The woman writhed violently in searing pain.

But the agony was fleeting, and when she opened her eyes,

The woman couldn’t help but be aghast.

“!!!”

The severed limb had been regenerated, as if new flesh had sprung forth.

Even the pain had vanished somewhere along the way, and the regenerated arm moved freely.

“Wh-what is this, exactly…?”

Their faces became masks of disbelief.

To perfectly regenerate a missing limb in such a short time.

It was a miracle only a saintess, an Apostle of God, could perform.

The maiden, who had performed such a miracle, beamed and repeated what she had done to the woman, first on the woman’s husband, and then on their child.

A grotesquely mangled leg was restored, a fatal internal injury vanished, and even the child, who had been on the verge of death, began to awaken.

It was a sight too incredible to believe.

Everyone stood in stunned silence, as the girl who had wrought this impossible feat spoke.

“By the will of the Great Moon.”

That single, cryptic phrase was all.

And with that, without a trace of regret, they turned back the way they had come.

The direction they headed…

“……”

…was towards the Demon Realm, Blackmore.