For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

It was surprising to see Helena start wielding her mace more aggressively, relying on divine magic for support.

But thinking about it, she was just a bit more intense than usual, nothing drastically different.

The important thing was that she got stronger. Yes.

After clearing one cavity, we continued through the narrow tunnels, relying on my memory.

Of course, we soon reached another cavity where a battle ensued, but having faced them once made it easier.

After passing several cavities and winding paths, we arrived at a dead end.

Carla, low on stamina, was about to take a sip of a vitality potion when she hesitated.

“Master? Um… did we take a wrong turn…?”

“No. This is the right place. If you look closely, you’ll see that the texture of the wall here is different from the others. Someone used rocks to block the entrance.”

In the game, this part had a distinctly different wall color, as if asking to be investigated. One had to focus to notice the difference.

Comparing the game screen with the scene in front of me, I watched Carla finish her potion and blink her ruby eyes.

“Who blocked it? Was it the creator of these tunnels?”

“It could be, but I think it was the alchemist who commands the chimeras. You saw the chimeras wandering here, right?”

“Did they block it to prevent more chimeras from getting lost? Then what about the entrance we used…?”

“That one was hidden.”

The side path seemed like it led in another direction, and only at the end did it reveal an entrance.

Only gamers who needed to explore every path or those who already knew the way would have found it.

“If we looked from above, we’d have seen everything…”

“Oh, did I not explain why we didn’t fly?”

“What? Wasn’t it because flying makes us an easy target?”

“Most of the chimeras here don’t have long-range attack abilities, so that’s not a concern. It’s because flying is impossible here.”

“…Impossible?”

At Carla’s puzzled reaction, Iona raised her hand enthusiastically.

“Let me explain that part as a professor!”

“Uh… please do, Professor.”

Carla seemed a bit overwhelmed by Iona’s enthusiasm, but Iona didn’t mind and nodded.

“Yes, yes. Actually, it’s simple. It’s been that way from the start! That’s it! Explanation over!”

“…?”

Carla tilted her head in confusion. Helena, listening nearby, blinked her golden eyes, also puzzled.

Iris sighed deeply at their expressions.

“A professor shouldn’t explain so haphazardly.”

“But, but. That’s really all there is to it?”

“Still, you should explain more. We lived during the time of Cassis Valley, but these youngsters were born after the valley was sealed off entirely.”

“Gasp… old lady!”

“You’re not much younger!”

“No, no? I’m 200 years younger than Iris! I’m in my prime among vampires!”

“Ugh…!”

Iris puffed her cheeks and swung her staff, but Iona dodged everything.

Gilbert, who looked the oldest, subtly stepped back, looking exasperated.

Well, seeing a vampire from history books talk about events from 300 years ago and call 200 years an age difference must be baffling.

Eventually, Iris, failing to land a hit on Iona, gave up and continued, panting.

“Anyway. Cassis Valley has always been known for causing objects above a certain altitude to fall. It’s been this way for over 300 years.”

“What? You didn’t know why?”

“Yes. There were many underground tunnels likely made by someone, but the cause was never found.”

Iris was right.

For some reason, it was impossible to fly above a certain altitude in Cassis Valley. Crossing the boundary caused a powerful gravitational force to pull you down.

If you looked around, you could find traces of birds that crashed and died while flying.

Labyrinthine tunnels of unknown origin and a mysterious anti-flight phenomenon.

It was very suspicious. There was indeed a hidden piece related to flying in this dungeon.

But this was only confirmed by those who data-mined the game; no one knew how to obtain it.

Many thought it was deleted content or a DLC. But now that I’m here in Eurelia, I think differently.

Perhaps someone who created H&A judged that the hidden piece wouldn’t help in achieving a happy ending in this world.

Still, I’d like to check what kind of item it is…

While I was lost in such thoughts, Iris continued after catching her breath.

“That’s why you must walk through the valley, and it’s the fastest route from the southern continent to the central continent.”

“Is that why they tried so hard to defend Cassis Valley Fortress?”

“Well… they eventually lost it towards the end of the war.”

Iris shrugged. She spoke lightly, but this was information you could only find by digging through dusty old books in a library.

Seeing Carla and Elisha nodding in fascination, I clapped my hands lightly.

“Alright, we’ve rested enough. Let’s move on.”

Once we left here, we’d find ourselves in the middle of the enemy’s territory. There wouldn’t be time to rest until we cleared this dungeon.

Renewing the buffs that were about to wear off, I offered my neck to Iona.

“Since I’ll be regenerating in the sunlight as soon as we get out, you can drink a lot.”

“No! No! No dirty talk during battle!”

“……”

I still don’t quite understand vampire sensibilities.

Crunch.

Iona bit into my neck, a sensation I was now familiar with as my blood was drained.

From behind me, Iona’s magic began to surge.

So far, we couldn’t unleash our full power due to various reasons, like insufficient casting time, the narrow tunnels, or close distances.

But now, we could start with a powerful strike.

Everyone else began preparing their strongest attacks as well.

“Phew. Here we go.”

Iona licked the puncture wounds on my neck to stem the bleeding, then raised her hand with a grin. A crimson magic circle formed at her fingertips.

“Blood Fall.”

As always, the name seemed simple, just adding ‘blood’ to it. But its power was undeniable.

Rumble!!

A torrent of blood poured out from the magic circle, like a waterfall. The sheer force swept away the rocks blocking our path, revealing the outside.

The chimeras were densely packed, shoulder to shoulder, but their eyes showed nothing but shock.

Well, it made sense, given the sudden deluge of blood from the side.

Iona’s magic shot in a straight line, pushing or crushing all the chimeras at the exit with the water pressure, creating a path for us.

We quickly jumped through the opening and unleashed our prepared magic towards the fortress.

“Starlight Rain!”

Blessed by the Sun God, the light beams fell like a meteor shower onto the chimeras’ heads.

While one blast wasn’t enough to kill them, two or three hits shattered their carapaces, exposing their flesh.

Starlight Rain was a magic that rained hundreds of such light beams over a wide area.

“Screee!”

“Graaah!”

The chimeras in front melted and crumbled. Iona’s magic continued to advance, filling the gaps.

From the wall of blood, numerous spikes emerged, impaling the chimeras.

Even though they were riddled with holes, their tough bodies and strong life force kept them from dying.

They tried to fight back, punching Iona’s magic, but they couldn’t break it while injured.

All they could do was get skewered until they died.

Thanks to learning a bit of blood magic, I realized that Iona was controlling the already cast spell using blood manipulation.

She had prepared a bulldozer.

With this, we could surely and quickly push through the enemy lines before the spell’s effect wore off.

Carla, Elisha, and Iris recognized Iona’s intent and released their prepared spells in succession.

The tough carapaces melted under the relentless firepower, and their resilient life forces couldn’t withstand the continuous barrage of spells.

This time, Iona’s magic acted as a barrier, allowing Carla to unleash her full power.

The fierce onslaught of magical power from the magicians soon led to a lull as they began their next incantations. During this pause, Gilbert stepped forward, having gathered his holy power.

The brilliant light extended beyond just his greatsword.

“Hah!”

Gilbert simply swung his greatsword horizontally, but its power and range were anything but simple.

Every chimera within the reach of the holy blade was cleaved in two, leaving deep cuts in the valley walls.

The bisected chimeras convulsed before finally dying.

These creatures normally wouldn’t die so easily, but they were no match for the thickly condensed holy power.

Finally, Helena, now fully connected with the Righteous Radiance, appeared with lion ears and a tail.

“My Lord, bestow your power upon me in the face of this evil. Lend me the claws of righteous judgment!”

As soon as her prayer ended, Helena raised her mace high.

But nothing happened.

For a moment, confusion set in. Then, belatedly, a bright light began to pour through the clouds.

It felt familiar, though less intense than the divine pressure from before. It seemed as if the inner blessing recognized its true master and rejoiced.

Soon, a massive lion’s paw emerged from the light.

Everyone on the battlefield, without exception, looked up in astonishment.

But Helena remained focused, as if measuring something.

Her golden eyes shone with determination. She brought her raised mace down with all her strength.

“Divine Retribution…!”

In response to her movement, the lion’s paw in the sky struck the ground.

Boom!!

The impact shook the earth.

Though the paw made of light quickly vanished, the shock it left behind was indelible.

Helena, having expended much of her holy power with that attack, clutched her medallion and quickly drew upon the pre-stored holy power.

With a slightly breathless voice, she said,

“Let’s go, Brother.”

The fortress that had been in the distance was now quite close.

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