The party arrangement was as follows:
Main magicians: Madilith and Anais
Vanguards: Flora(swordsman), Hofir(warrior), Toldur(shield bearer/tank), Arthur(swordsman)
Archers: Tetrin and Jaya(adventurers from the rescue party—two B rankers)
Priests: Sabrina and Bradwyn
That was about it.
They were a small party but were strong enough to take down an S-class monster.
If Daraia and the others join up then they could even be enough for two S-class monsters.
'My magic item is sensing that a dozen people entered the church a few minutes after us... It must be them.' Madilith looked down at the small crystal ball in her hand, 'They'll probably take 10 minutes to get here. If we're lucky then we can finish up here before then.'
Of course, that's being really optimistic. Whoever placed that gate between the library and the church could put several obstacles in their way, making it difficult for Daraia's team to meet up with Madilith and the others.
Madilith looked up ahead.
They were walking down a hall of some sort. It had tables stacked with all sorts of delicacies but had empty chairs.
Was there a wedding in this banquet hall before the hall incident with the Blight King?
Strange how the meat on the tables didn't rot and still had a delicious aroma surrounding it. It was as if time itself had stopped in this church.
"I was expecting something to jump out of the corner and attack us," said Arthur when he came to a stop, "It's strange how it doesn't feel like we're in enemy territory."
"Just don't let your guard down," warned Flora, "The food on the tables here is a dead giveaway that something strange is going on. It's like whatever is watching us wants us to let down our guards."
"Yeah, let's keep on moving, everyone."
The group began moving again.
A magic circle suddenly appeared on the floor, surrounding the whole group.
"Get your weapons ready!" Arthur shouted as his body was surrounded in white aura.
Madilith's vision darkened before the scenery changed.
They arrived at what seemed to be a gigantic hall, much larger than the banquet hall from before.
There were a variety of objects scattered around the hall, each of which were covered with white sheets.
"A giant…?" Madilith noticed a huge statue when she turned around.
The statue wore a long priestly robe and a big pope's hat—sort of like a choir dress uniform that the pope from their world wears to holy services. It even had a staff with a slightly rotated "L" shaped object on the top.
Madilith scanned the whole room while the group were in distress.
She looked to the left.
'Paintings of angels and…' Madilith then looked to the right, '...paintings of a knight slaughtering those same angels…'
Is that the Blight King, wondered Madilith.
What kind of king would have a hall with paintings of angels coming down from heaven, only for them to be killed by his hand?
"—A disease or bacterium that harms one's body must be eradicated before it can harm the host it resides in," a voice came from the other end of the gigantic hall.
"What the!? Didn't I kill you!?" Flora exclaimed, "H-Huh, wait, you're skinnier?" Flora then asked in confusion.
"You know this knight, Miss Flora?" Arthur asked after he unsheathed his sword.
"That voice is similar but… his armor… It's not red like before and has a slimmer shape…"
The knight who was approaching them wore a full set of radiant white armor, with a spear as his main weapon. A red scarf was around his neck, flowing freely in the wind(even though they were inside and there were no windows open).
"He didn't use a spear before. Who the hell are you!?" Flora shouted as she unsheathed her sword.
"You need not worry about my noble name, vermin. Diseases ought to be exterminated and not treated as my equals. Death terminates whichever memories you harbored in life. We would only waste our time chatting away, even if the seconds are miniscule."
"Tch, he has that same annoying voice and condescending attitude. I'm going to beat the shit out of you again!" Flora charged at the knight.
She swung her sword but was met with the body of his spear. A loud twang rang out as the hall rumbled.
"There's a door on the other end of the hallway!" Arthur shouted, "It must lead to the grave of the Blight King! Let's go, everyone!"
"I WILL NOT LET YOU VERMIN TAINT MY KING'S RESTING PLACE WITH YOUR FILFTH!" the knight roared and relentlessly attacked Flora.
He was so fast that Madilith couldn't see his strikes. Flora managed to dodge most of them but had to block and parry the others.
The group ran towards the two, surrounding the knight.
The knight jumped into the air and manifested several lightning spears around his body. He swung down his hand which sent all those spears flying at them.
Anais cast a dome barrier spell which barely managed to stop the spears.
Madilith raised her staff and swung it down. Parts of the ceiling fell on top of the knight who was about to land.
"Cowards! Face my spear head-on!" he crushed the debris and charged at them.
Madilith swung her staff again. Part of the floor shot up, sending the knight flying into the ceiling.
The knight quickly recovered and laughed loudly as he levitated in mid-air.
"I find myself in the company of those whose understanding of chivalry is as feeble as a flickering candle in the wind. Allow me to educate your uncouthness, fake knights! What ants like you fail to realize is that the art of combat is not merely swinging a blade; it requires finesse, intellect, something that seems to elude your grasp. Your attempts at mimicking valor are as convincing as a jester's performance at court, amusing yet utterly inconsequential. It is quite amusing, really, witnessing your futile efforts to comprehend the complexity of our noble endeavors. But fear not, for I, a paragon of knightly virtues, shall deign to offer guidance amidst your woeful ignorance before I rid this holy ground of disease. Though I doubt your capacity to absorb such wisdom, I shall endeavor to enlighten you with the faint hope that perhaps, in your afterlife, you may rise from the mire of mediocrity to approach the slightest semblance of true knighthood. Then there're the cowards who throw magic behind the safety of these false knights! Magicka should've never evolved this far! Why did it not die out with rune magic!? Did the progenitor of magic not perish in his prison world!? If only my king had decided to unleash his full might upon the gods then he could've eradicated that wretched progenitor as well then I wouldn't have needed to waste my breathe or energy fighting these cowards! Fighters are only those that engage in combat with their body or weapon, not cowards that throw spells, too afraid to fight true knights such as yours truly!"
The knight disappeared the next moment.
Hofir was suddenly sent flying into the floor.
"Wha!?" Toldur exclaimed before he was punched so hard in the stomach that his eyes peeled back in his head and he foamed at the mouth.
Madilith saw the tip of a golden spear right in front of her face. Thankfully, someone pulled her back so it only grazed her cheek.
She looked up.
"H-Hofir…"
"Stay back. Using magic against this guy will only agitate him further." Hofir looked down at Madilith.
"T-Thank you for saving me…" Madilith hugged him from the side.
Hofir cleared his throat with a visible blush on his face.
"I'll be back." He charged at the knight, joining Flora and the rest.
'Seeing as how the knight is distracted…' Madilith looked around the hall, 'I might as well look for artifacts that we can take.'
She noticed a door to her left.
Strange, she could've sworn that the only door that was here was the one on the other end of the hall.
Madilith wasted no time in heading towards the door and opening in so as to not alert the knight that the others were currently fighting.
She arrived in yet another hall, with staircases on both sides of the hallway.
"Another hallway…" Madilith sighed, "How big is this place for it to have this many hallways…"
Surely only one is enough or two of the owner expects to hold big events for guests?
She walked past the staircases.
Madilith quickly glanced back, "Eh?" she looked in disbelief when she noticed that the door she came through, was gone.
"This place is so creepy… It's like some is toying with me…"
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.
"KYAAAAH!?" She hurriedly jumped back and tried to cast a spell.
"Wait! It's me! Don't shoot!"
"….Eh? Al…?"
Arnold was standing in front of her.
◇◇◇
"H-How did you get here?" Madilith asked him.
"While I'd like nothing more than to catch up, we should find a way out of here," answered Arnold, "The doors keeps changing positions. We should assume that the rooms are also different if it has a different door."
"Ah, that's right… Uhm, Al?" Madilith grabbed his sleeve as he was peeking around the corner.
"Hm?"
"I-I really missed you… I really did…"
"…I, uh, missed you too." He scratched his cheek.
'H-He missed me too!?' Madilith's face flushed as she giggled like an idiot while rubbing her cheeks.
"Where are the others?"
"Eh? Oh. They're fighting some knight in the hall behind that door—" Madilith looked back again but forgot that the door was already gone.
'The doors randomly vanish when you look away. What form of magic is this? Is it something related to eyesight?'
Madilith wouldn't be surprised if a spell like that actually existed in this world, going by the bizarre things she'd seen so far.
"They're in the hall?"
"Yes, I think the nave is beyond the door on the other end of the hall. I've been to the cathedral in the Theocracy's capital city before so I know what a cathedral's layout is usually like. The nave is almost always at the end of the hall that's connected to the grand library and banquet hall. We were looking for the hall but luckily we were teleported here. Thing is, we were attacked by that knight so we couldn't find a window to go to the nave."
"I see. I haven't been there yet. Might be worth checking out later."
Arnold muttered "the coast is clear" before he walked down the narrow hallway with Madilith in tow.
Madilith asked curiously, "Where is that elf who was with you on the second floor, Al?"
"Elf?"
"Rafaela, I think was her name?"
"Oh, ah, we parted ways on the… 56th… No, on the 60th floor. Yeah."
"Ah, okay. Did you find what you were looking for yet?"
"Uh, well no… Still searching… for what I'm looking for…"
'The way he speaks sounds a little weird…'
Did Arnold always talk like this? She kind of remembers him being loud and arrogant, always boasting with a condescending attitude.
Also, he's not the type who hides in the shadows. He's more like Flora—proudly announcing their arrival in enemy territory by smashing everything with their fists.
'I suppose the dungeon made him this way? There should be a lot of things down here stronger than even him.'
While everyone regards Arnold as one of the strongest students Ardark has ever had, Madilith knew how strong he really was. In Madilith's opinion, he should be on par with Adavire Slan de Verith(a current and the only 6th star knight) in Year 6 Class A. Adavire supports Ronia's faction while Arnold is pro-Julius faction so many students pit the two of them against each other to debate who would win.
Adavire is a mere commoner so she has no great status in the aristocracy, apart from being sponsored by several powerful nobles. Even the Murim Martial Alliance wants to take her in a senior disciple once she finishes her education at Ardark.
She has won two Knightly Competitions in the last five years, just one win behind another graduate who attended Ardark a few years go. Her two wins gave her a powerful artifact which was a former family heirloom and she inherited a Household which she'll begin ruling once her time at the academy is over.
Adavire is also part of the SS-class "Dead End" adventurer party, serving as its co-leader. With all these achievements under her belt, this woman has made quite a name for herself and is the center of both fear and admiration.
Meanwhile Arnold has done nothing significant that's worth being compared to Adavire's achievements. All anyone knows is that he trained under a 7th star powerhouse, a former gladiator who made a name for himself on the battlefield in the last great war.
From Adavire's level testing earlier this year, it was said that she was level 35, one of the only few students to have reached this far. Marcus von Berkley and Vance von Penston left the academy as level 60s(leagues above her) but Adavire's level is still amazing for a student.
Adavire could kill S-class monsters on her own(even if with great difficulty), it's safe to say Arnold could do the same.
So, why is he acting so different?
Maybe the monster lurking deep within the cathedral is just that powerful?
But if it's him and Arthur fighting together then there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
"Ah, an artifact!" Madilith ran up to a pedestal that was standing in the hallway. She quickly picked up the necklace from the torso mannequin, "A magic recovery necklace!"
Madilith could tell what it was since she had used several of these before, only this one was of much higher quality. The mana within the necklace was like a raging ocean.
Considering how much mana was gathered inside it, it wasn't a recovery magic item but instead a catalyst which will drain its mana instead of its user whenever the user casts a spell. Such a thing would be useful for magicians with high rank spells."
"Anais would love this! I'd use it too but I don't have as many powerful spells as Anais."
Madilith noticed that Arnold was looking at her with narrowed eyes and a slight frown.
"Is something wrong?"
"No… Let's keep moving. Don't just grab anything you see. There might be traps."
"Eek, you're right. I'm such a dummy!"
Madilith didn't even consider that at first. This is why she needs Anais or Evelyn to be with her.
"Let's just keep moving." Arnold urged her to follow.
Why does he seem so sure of where he's going? Did he scan the area beforehand?
"There's a door. Let's see where it leads."
"Un…"
Arnold opened the double door.
'It's pretty dark.'
Arnold went inside regardless, his silhouette disappearing as if the darkness swallowed him.
Madilith followed him inside a few seconds afterwards.
A chill went through her spine when the room suddenly brightened.
Marbled floor, two long isles of benches, a piano flying in mid-air, red curtains resembling blood, the gentle voice of angels singing and…
A throne which a figure dressed in full set of armor was sitting on.
The nave… How did they get here from that door?
"…Al?" Madilith looked around the nave anxiously.
Where did Arnold go?
"Huhuhuhuhu~" a big slimy hand touched Madilith's shoulder.
She slowly looked up at what touched her.
A horrid stench came from the creature…
"N-No, no, no, no! Aaaah!" Madilith shook free from the creature's grasp and fell on the floor. She tried to scramble away.
The same stench, the same ghastly visage… It was the creature that chased her inside her dream. The only difference was that its stomach was even more gloated with several fetuses—with their placentas entangled—hanging out of its lower body.
"Hukhukhuk, you have already fallen into ecstasy! The first cause has happened, strengthening my mark! To think you would envision me as your beloved!! Kyakkyakkyak, waiting for my seed to spread its wings turned out to be worth it!"
"S-Stay away!" Madilith tried to cast a spell but her hands were covered in maggots feasting on her flesh. She couldn't feel them biting but seeing her skin being eaten through was enough for her to go limp.
Madilith's body trembled violently. A yellow liquid leaked through her school skirt, staining the unusually clean floor.
"GET THEM OFF GET THEM OFF GET THEM OFF!! AAAAAHHH!" Madilith tried to scratch them off but even more came out of her as she tore of her skin due to her excessive scratching. A few of her nails broke off her fingers.
"P-Please stop! W-Why are you doing this!?"
Seeing as how scratching wasn't working, she tried to tear them off with her teeth. That only resulted in her biting off more skin from her arm, with the maggots' disgusting wriggling bodies ending up in her mouth.
Why won't they stop!?
"Huhuhuhu!!!" The monster stood over Madilith, "Soon I will have your heart… You won't need it where you're going, kakakaka! Spread my seed more so that my mark will continue spreading and gaining power!"
The monster spread its legs and grabbed Madilith's head. It shoved Madilith's head into its crotch.
The fetuses touched her with their slimy wriggling, undeveloped fingers which made her throw up in her mouth.
Madilith could feel something foul enter her throat, making its way into her stomach.
Strange runes appeared on her body as her vision darkened.
She heard a familiar voice as it beckoned her to "Accept Cursama's mark. Give your heart and accept its power. If you do then we can make your fairytale come true."
Al…
Ah, my Al… My precious Al…
Madilith tried reaching out to him, using his voice as the guide through this darkness.
"Let's dream together and never wake up again—"
◇
[Heart of Cause] has mutated, granting it greater power and control over the fate of those around the one bearing its mark.