338 - Power of the Temple 3
338 - Power of the Temple 3
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/week
Illustrations: Posted in discord
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With her bright brown hair that looked almost blonde, a petite frame, and cute, clustered features, 5★ 'Saint Candidate' Laurencia seemed like a lovely girl who might sing in a town square with a flower basket. However, the words that came from her mouth were far from cute.
"I thought about destroying the city for the people here, but it's too big. Even though the stone dwarves know alchemy, the harpies aren't interested in it, so there’s a limit to the explosives we can get."
"Oh, really...?"
"Yes! The harpies leave all the technical stuff to the stone dwarves, so if there's an explosion or accident, they have no idea how to handle it!"
She smiled bashfully, recounting how a fire caused by an accident in an alchemy workshop started consuming the city. The harpies screamed and scolded the stone dwarves and adventurers instead of responding properly.
It wasn’t a typical plan for a girl with a 'Saint Candidate' title to cause industrial accidents with alchemical bombs and escape amidst the chaos. Feeling something odd, I watched Laurencia closely as she sat at the table, fidgeting with her hands while looking at Irene.Even while speaking such ruthless words, her slightly moving head and swaying hair weren't as concerning as her hands on the table.
"But since the commotion started when you arrived, sister, I'm planning to take advantage of it and lead the stone dwarves out!"
Some stone dwarves had given up on escaping after years of exploitation, but only those who were truly old had lost their creative spirit as artisans.
She had already gathered the stone dwarves who wished for creative freedom rather than serving the harpies, and the adventurers who wanted to return to the human world.
Despite her delicate appearance, her sturdy hands and decisive actions made it hard to believe she'd devoted herself to the temple as the second daughter of a noble family.
Judging by her actions alone, she could easily be believed to be a veteran female warrior who, tired of killing, sought refuge with the Goddess.
"So, Irene, will that commotion continue?"
"The Royal Knights came to conquer the 50th floor, so even if they retreat today, they'll keep coming back. The knight commander seemed like that kind of person."
"That's good news! Then let’s wait for the next opportunity!"
Laurencia's lengthy explanation made us all nod. The knights wouldn't be able to fight continuously for 24 hours like bloodthirsty berserkers, so they would eventually retreat to their underground base for dinner, rest, and reorganization, attacking again the next day.
The knights didn't have enough numbers to capture the vast city in one go, and the harpies couldn't follow them into the cave. This made me realize how irrationally the harpies were getting beaten.
"Then, can we look around the city for a bit?"
"The city? Of course, Hero!"
While I was thinking about how the harpies couldn’t easily enter the underground city due to their wings and size, Han Se-ah suddenly brought up the idea.
The progress was smooth, and thanks to Laurencia's month-long hardship, reclaiming the city seemed easy. However, it looked like the quest log still hadn't updated. Helping the saint candidate rescue the city’s slaves could yield many intangible benefits, but what use would that be to a gamer if the quest progress stalled?
-Is this a timed escape? It's thrilling. If you can't find the clues, you're done.
-Just from listening to Laurencia, she sounds like a second Han Se-ah.
-A hero (who likes gas and bombs) and a saint (who likes infiltration and revolution).
-Rise, comrade, rise!
-If she had been traveling with the loli saint instead of mommy... just imagine the chaos, hahahahaha!
"Ah, stop teasing. I'm really starting to get nervous... But at least if the quest fails, the video views will be high, right?"
[In the midst of worrying about views donated 10,000 won!]
Seriously, even now you're thinking about milking views?
[Loli Saintess donated 50,000 won!]
You dumbass, did you forget about Old Lady Shasha while listening to the saintess?
Ah, Old Lady Shasha.
"The squishies are looking for me?"
Thanks to a generous viewer's reminder, we finally remembered Old Lady Shasha. She was the apprentice of the first stone dwarf who built the city and was now preparing to return to the earth.
Yet her voice was still strong, and she hadn't lost her creative spirit as a stone dwarf. She was leading the stone dwarves in this district and cooperating in their escape. Considering her status, she probably remembered the names of slaves from other districts as well.
Thanks to Laurencia's cooperation with Old Lady Shasha, we found her lodging in less than five minutes.
"Yes, we have some questions about the city."
"Oh, I'm old, so I enjoy chatting. Ask away, new squishies."
Old Lady Shasha began her story, using the stalactites from the 30th floor that Han Se-ah had stashed in her inventory as snacks. As her story progressed, Han Se-ah's expression brightened.
[Old Lady Shasha, a living witness of history]
[According to her, there seems to be something strange about the harpy palace]
[It was built as if to cover something... What could be hidden on this high mountain?]
Since Old Lady Shasha started talking, the previously stagnant quest log had updated, so Han Se-ah's reaction was understandable.
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Raei Translations
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After listening to Old Lady Shasha's story and chatting for a while, we followed the Temple Knights to the lodging they had prepared. Because the harpies considered any roofed structure to be a livestock pen and slave quarters, the lodging was as comfortable as the underground city on the 43rd floor.
"Roland, just a thought... Could that tentacle monster live beneath the palace? You know, the huge creature depicted on the altar!"
Grace, familiar with stone dwarf design, sat at the table and started talking. Having infiltrated a hostile monster city, met another nun (actually a saint candidate), and prepared a plan to rescue slaves while hearing about the suspicious palace, her curiosity was piqued.
Of course, Grace wasn't the only one curious. Katie's cheeks were flushed with excitement.
"It’s possible. Considering there was a subterranean monster using that dark magic, it makes sense that the harpies' myths might be based on heroic tales turned into folklore.
In the North, there was once a man who killed a bear with his bare hands at the age of ten and was later worshiped as a god by warriors."
"Killed a bear at ten? Yeah, that would be the stuff of myths and legends."
Irene, holding Laurencia's hand, went to pray at a makeshift temple built by the stone dwarves. Han Se-ah decided to talk to the adventurers rather than the stone dwarves and headed outside.
The reason she continued playing without logging out was due to a suspiciously wealthy sponsor, which was a story only I knew. Some people couldn't sleep without revealing every corner of the minimap, and among them were those who would pay others to fulfill their needs.
Thanks to this, Grace and Katie surrounded me, letting their imaginations run wild.
Without the internet and smartphones, it was surprising how entertained Grace and Katie were.
"Are they planning to escape tomorrow? If so, they'll need to prepare a lot."
"They probably won't escape right away. With all the preparations needed, it might take a few days."
Their conversation continued like a word chain, from the suspicious harpy palace and the subterranean monster depicted on the altar to Laurencia's grand escape plan.
Listening to their chat, it was clear that the topic was intriguing enough to make anyone eager to talk.
As they talked, they discussed creating a diversion near the palace to match the knights' attack, then quickly infiltrating the palace for an easy boss kill. Just then, they heard a commotion outside.
The sun never sets here, but given the time, it was about when the knights would have had their fun and retreated. So, the noise wasn't likely from battle.
"What is it? An enemy?"
"...It seems like Hanna is back, and she brought quite a few people. Are they the kidnapped adventurers?"
"Are you sure it's Hanna?"
"Yes, it's Hanna."R/ê/Ad lat𝙚St ch/a/pters at nô(v)e(l)bin/.c/o//m Only
Since Han Se-ah was walking around with the camera off, Katie and I naturally reached for our weapons, ready to head outside. Grace confirmed it was indeed Han Se-ah.
Relaxing a bit, we stepped outside and saw Han Se-ah, just as Grace said.
She was with over thirty adventurers.
...What on earth was she doing with the stream off?
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