"Please don't come too close to me!" said Claire, a Saint candidate, when I greeted her.
"Ah, well... I only agreed because Paul was so insistent... but... I don't trust you... I'm sorry..."
What's going on?
Why did my rating drop 100% just after greeting me?
Even if my aura is unpleasant, this is too much!
While she was treating me like this, she was chatting and laughing with Ars and Lisbeth, who were the first to greet me with a reverent smile.
But as soon as I approached, she reacted violently, like a cat whose fur stood on end.
Her expression changed, as if she saw something disgusting... At first, I was pleased by her beautiful face, but this behavior is simply infuriating.
Wait, the first meeting could have been explained by my aura, but this reaction after a simple greeting at the second meeting?
If I hadn't received information about humanization skills, I wouldn't have cared whether she was a candidate for Sainthood; I would have given up long ago.
"Sister Claire. Shall we go?" Lisbeth, perhaps sensing my mood, tried to distract me by talking to Claire about the progress of our search.
Lisbeth had spent almost no time with me over the past few days, and my initial melancholy mood had improved slightly.
And so we arrived at the western gate... but Claire again objected to our chosen method of travel.
The places that needed to be explored beforehand had already been determined.
Having received a map from Paul with several locations marked, we first led Claire to the area, waiting for her to sense the presence of Hero Eaters before moving on.
This process would be repeated until a target appeared.
If the target was not found within an extended period of time, an interim assessment would be conducted before continuing the operation. Apparently, the Kingdom and the Church intended to use this opportunity to settle matters once and for all.
But even with the numerous points marked on the map, Claire categorically refused to ride on my back. My back was clearly roomy enough for two people, and even three could have fit comfortably if squeezed in, but she would rather die than accept that.
Now, on our first mission since arriving in this other world, we're moving at a walking pace.
"Um... Miss Claire? Is Shimo burdening you that much?" At that moment, Lisbeth seemed a little worried and asked Claire.
Claire, walking ahead and talking to Lisbeth, glanced at me and said in a slightly frightened voice,
"Uh... Sorry. I know it's impolite... but due to my poor eyesight, I have a fairly well-developed sense of perception, like Ethel, and I've always relied on that perception to recognize all sorts of people."
But..." She glanced at me again, then turned away and said,
"The Ethel I sensed in Mr. Shimo... she's... more ferocious than any criminal I've ever seen... I really can't calm down..."
What? Are you crazy? Are you saying I'm more ferocious than a criminal?
"And I have this feeling... it seems you're up to no good... something's lurking... that aura."
...Huh, that bitch... she's quite perceptive. I thought her heightened senses meant she was only sensitive to auras, but it seems she can even sense emotions.
I don't sense anything from other people...
"Something bad..."
Um...?
Wait, what's going on?
Why did Lisbeth's expression become a little confused after what that woman, Claire, said?
Hello, Lisbeth.
Even if I said I was going to take your virginity... come to think of it, that would be truly terrible.
It seems to me those two women have become a little distant.
What's going on?
Did Claire's words seem to have undermined Lisbeth's opinion of me?
This sudden change makes Claire look less like a candidate for a saint and more like a candidate for a prostitute.
I was just wondering how to get Lisbeth back, and now this just adds fuel to the fire?
From now on, you'll be nothing but a whore in my eyes.
"Haa..." she sighed. Things hadn't been going so smoothly since she'd taken Lisbeth's virginity. She glanced at Lisbeth's popularity meter with annoyance; indeed, her rating had dropped to 45.
What's this?
She thought the hint of the Humanization skill was about to be revealed, so she asked, but instead, she'd been tricked?
She was the one being asked, so why had things turned out this way?
She sighed and checked the status bar of the prostitute walking next to Lisbeth.
......
Name: Nellis Claire
Race: Human
Level: 12 (3170/4620)
Title: Candidate for Saint of Compassion of the Goddess Cult
Age: 27
......
Although her level is indeed very low.
She is a priestess, but vision problems prevent her from functioning normally.
Therefore, those adventurers who reported encountering the criminals and then their disappearance must be connected to this story.
Receiving a message
Hearing the presence of this creature sensed in the dungeon, Paul hesitated briefly before joining the attacking group. He and Clea remained in the rear, requesting permission to evacuate separately if the situation became dangerous.
Els and Lisbeth were hesitant at first, but after hearing that other staff would be assigned to guard them, they finally agreed.
Today is the second day, and the major guilds are gathering, preparing for the raid.
"Dawn! Is everyone here?!"
"Esteemed members of the Twilight Shadow Guild, please prepare as agreed!"
"Kalu Guild! Are you all ready?!"
"Members of the Azure Dawn Guild, come here!" The guild's name, which sounded like it might give them away, seemed to slip unnoticed. In any case, the guild leaders shouted out their guild names and checked their membership, preparing for the raid.
Looking around the assembled guilds, it was clear they were all quite capable adventurers. Each guild numbered between 5 and 20 members, and their equipment was quite impressive.
Including priests, the total number seemed to exceed a hundred… This scale was a coordinated effort to handle unforeseen circumstances; even if the enemy turned out to be a Hero Eater, it shouldn't be a problem, right?
"Hmm... this size should be fine, right?"
"Actually, we could gather even more if we wanted. But given the size of a normal dungeon, the current number is insufficient. This is the maximum we've prepared for unforeseen circumstances."
After all, there are people we need to protect..."
Ars looked slightly tense as he spoke. Lisbeth, on the other hand, seemed calmer.
"Even without Ars, there are still three heroes... Ars, you know you can't leave, right?"
"Yes, I know. I'll stay at the back, so don't worry."
Soon, all the guilds were ready, and the leader of the largest guild, responsible for leading the group, gave the order to advance.
So, over 200 people began to enter, and we soon followed.
"Oh..." Entering the dungeon, I saw, unlike before, a forested area ahead.
Could this be a so-called open dungeon?
Looking around in amazement, I noticed that Clea's expression was strange.
"What... what is this..."
"What happened, Miss Clea?" "Ars asked, and Clea answered, her face pale and her voice trembling slightly.
"Uh... a huge amount of Ethel and Tesel mixed together, seething like waves... how could this happen..."
Hm... I'm not entirely sure... but most of the priests and some of the adventurers looked tense; the atmosphere was definitely unusual.
"Um... Lisbeth. Ars. If anything happens, climb onto my back immediately. Miss Clea, please ride me this time too?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Clea nodded this time.
She should have been so obedient from the start.
If I hadn't kept my vow to hunt only Lisbeth, I would have already bitten and sucked those watermelon-sized breasts, larger than my head.
So, you have a lover named Paul." In the tense atmosphere, about a hundred people slowly advanced in formation.
The priests spread out along the inner edge of the line, looking around, while we approached the adventurers protecting Claire and us, also looking around.
Thanks to my height, I could walk above the adventurers' heads, but just when I thought everything was in order, Lisbeth spoke up next to me.
"Strange... This is a dungeon, but there are absolutely no monsters here..."
"...Ethel and Tesel are hesitating too much; I can't even sense them... I've never encountered such an aura before..."
After walking a little further, a hurried cry rang out ahead: "Target acquired!"
The sound of adventurers clutching their hands echoed. Following the sound, we confirmed that what we'd discovered ahead was...
"Bur-bur-bur..." Erebos, the Hero-Devourer, now twice his size, stood atop a high altar, looking down on us.