NOVPUBAmidst a peal of silver bell-like manic laughter echoing through the Basic Layer of Lichtenstein Castle.
"You pack of homeless dogs, why aren’t you laughing now?!"
The Imperial Priestess, a member of the Rebirth Church, exulted as she taunted the crowd.
She felt as if all the grievances and insults she had suffered from morning to afternoon were now liberated.
And beside the Goddess Officer, the noble Mage Girl of the Cerryti Empire, who had been her teammate, had also awoken by now.
The noble Mage Girl wasn’t a Resurrection Believer but had been deceived; the genuineness of her expression when the truth came to light was unmistakable.
Even though the Imperial noble Mage Girl still wasn’t trusted by the Challengers and was likewise restrained, she hadn’t been hit hard enough to be knocked out for very long.
At the moment, the noble Mage Girl was just hanging her head low, her breaths filled with immense dejection.
It was as if not only had she been struck by betrayal,
but also as if a fragment of hope left in her heart had shattered like a mirage.
"You...!"
The Executioner had just been distracted by the voice of the Rebirth Church’s Goddess Officer, and, filled with wrath, he raised his huge axe only to drop it again to the ground as if deflated.
Now, they truly lacked the spirit and the strength.
Even such mockery from a cultist couldn’t incite any reaction.
The situation was extremely unfavorable for them.
They also slowly realized—
It was the Attorney who, at the very last moment, hesitated, unable to harden his heart to watch them go to their deaths, therefore he didn’t use a powerful Epic Card, but merely scared off the Goddess of Destruction.
Looking at the outcome,
it might have been better for them to risk their lives and make a last stand in the Holy Temple against the Goddess of Destruction.
But they couldn’t blame the Attorney.
Because that’s just the kind of person he might be.
Even though he was intelligent and composed, he couldn’t bring himself to personally send his comrades to their graves.
This kind of tenderness, which could almost be called a bit foolish and indecisive, was the seemingly omnipotent Attorney’s only weakness, and also his fatal flaw.
But it was also because of this.
That he seemed like a living, breathing person.
Someone you were willing to call a comrade, even going to your death before him.
"It’s okay... next time, we will definitely defeat the Goddess of Destruction."
"No matter who goes first, let’s be brothers in the next life."
Melancholy spread throughout the Holy Temple; they all knew that this farewell might indeed be the last.
By morning, someone would be gone.
The only thing that kept them slightly comforted until now was the Attorney Mister’s still calm and composed demeanor.
No one knew what he was truly thinking in his heart.
They didn’t know whether he was deliberately calming everyone down, or if he really still had a strategy.
But if he had a strategy, why wouldn’t he share the follow-up plan with everyone?
Seeing him head straight for the kitchen earlier gave off a sense of resignation like "at this point, we might as well eat."
It didn’t matter.
This was a situation where they faced the Goddess of Destruction and victory was difficult.
If there was anyone to blame, it was the overly evil Rebirth Church.
Everyone had already done their best.
"The sun will set soon."
"Yes."
"I never noticed before that from this ancient castle, the sunset is so beautiful."
With a blend of sighs and encouragement, a kind of resigned smile surfaced on everyone’s faces.
Huebelle Hyperion watched from the side with a twitch in the corner of her eye.
Unlike her, who often kept company with Lanci, this group had not been around Lanci for long and didn’t understand the habits of the Lanci Clan.
That brat was definitely snickering to himself right now.
When he was normally calm, he was truly calm! There wasn’t a trace of pretense.
Lanci must have had some plan, and the situation was definitely not as bad as everyone thought.
But now, looking at the emotions that had started to brew among the Challengers,
Huebelle Hyperion felt it inappropriate to interrupt.
She always felt revealing the truth would make everyone exceedingly embarrassed...
"Turns out the mountains really do turn orange at sunset,"
Huebelle Hyperion said, her face bearing a tinge of sorrow and a gentle smile, as if she were missing someone who would disappear after the sun went down, and sighed with everyone in the direction they were looking.
Thus, even though Huebelle Hyperion was clear-headed inside, she could only play her part like a best supporting actress, pretending to be ignorant and blending into the atmosphere with everyone else.
If her acting was good enough,
maybe she could even deceive the Lady Goddess one day... since her merits were already deducted to utmost limit.
"You just keep deluding yourselves, enjoy this rare final peace," she promised. "The Goddess of Destruction will let you know what ultimate pain feels like!"
But in the church, there was still one person, heedless of the Challengers’ thoughts, shouting loudly and without restraint.
The Priestess from the Rebirth Church looked at the Challengers who were comforting each other and felt even more excited about seeing their despair when they watched someone die horribly over the next five days!
After nightfall,
that utterly cruel Goddess of Destruction
would surely make these poor souls beg shamelessly for mercy before they died, full of regret for ever coming to this world!
It was at this moment of extreme tension within the Holy Temple that Lanci finally came out from the kitchen.
He seemed to sense something odd about the atmosphere in the Holy Temple, with a hint of confusion in his brow, but he tilted his head and didn’t seem to take it too much to heart.
He belonged to the kind who only cared about resting after work was done.
Lanci still appeared at ease, casually taking a seat on the couch, even exuding an extra dose of laziness.
In his hand, he held a cup of fresh iced grape juice.
At that moment, everyone was watching Lanci, unable to fathom what he was thinking.
And the Priestess from the Rebirth Church was looking at Lanci fiercely, as if she had found her biggest target of hatred.
Lanci did not seem too bothered by her, leisurely sipping the juice at the rim of his glass.
The crimson juice, once agitated by the ice cubes, caused a chilly mist to emerge from the stem glass, and droplets of water condensed on the glass surface, which made even the Priestess who had just woken up feel a sudden urge to swallow.
After tasting it, he slowly met the venomous stare of the Priestess from the Rebirth Church.
"You have potential too, it’s a pity, you’ve gone astray,"
Lanci’s remark seemed to contain a teacher’s regret.
"There are five more nights, and Lady Adelis will have you all killed! You can stop putting on airs now!"
The Priestess from the Rebirth Church seemed absolutely convinced that with her and Lady Adelis’s powers, they would still manage to slaughter them all.
"Really?"
Lanci asked her with a smile, his tone tinged with a bit of surprise.
It was like the gentle exchange between a kindergarten teacher and a child.
"Lanci—!! You can only talk tough now!!"
Just seeing Lanci’s face seemed to reawaken all the day’s humiliation in the Priestess’s mind, she screamed with her eyes splitting and teeth grinding, almost as if she was about to bite her teeth to pieces.
Others watching Lanci tease like he was dealing with a child couldn’t calm down at all.
This sort of nonchalant attitude as if separate from the world was not something everyone could possess.
However, the next second.
Boom!!!
A loud explosion was heard from the woods, and plumes of smoke rose between the trees.
Drawing reflexive glances from everyone in the Holy Temple towards the floor-to-ceiling windows outside!
