Deadlord knelt without realizing it.
Moreover, he bowed his head, exposing his neck, a gesture one would only make to their sovereign.
"I greet Lady Maybel."
Deadlord remained frozen in place.
I watched his reaction and then looked at Cynthia, giving her an order.
"Cynthia, finish him."
Cynthia swallowed hard as she looked down at him. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she drew her sword and spoke to Deadlord.
"By the will of the divine, return to where you belong, according to His will."
Swish—
Cynthia's sword drew a beautiful arc as it severed Deadlord's neck.
Thud.
'As expected.'
Cynthia is strong.
It's only the rigid swordsmanship learned at the academy and her lack of battlefield experience that make her seem lesser.
She undoubtedly has the qualifications to become a knight of the 7th rank or higher. Just the fact that she beheaded Deadlord is enough to prove her talent.
He was someone that couldn't be cut down by a knight of less than the 5th rank.
"...Did we win?"
Cynthia slowly turned her head to look at me. I extended my hand, signaling her to stop, and then shouted at Deadlord.
"Apostle, the game is over."
As soon as I finished speaking, Deadlord's head, which had fallen to the ground, flew up and reattached itself.
Snap.
"No, the game is not over yet."
"Why not? You said yourself that the game ends when all the pieces in the arena are dead."
"Because I haven't died yet."
I looked at him and smirked.
"Are you planning to lie, Apostle?"
"It's not a lie. If it were, I wouldn't be standing here now."
"Really? To me, it looks like you were revived by the ability 'Undying' given to you by the so-called master of the tower."
"..."
"Am I wrong?"
Deadlord glared at me.
"How do you know about Undying?"
"The questions are mine. The answers are yours."
"What?"
"Let me ask again, is this game over or not?"
"..."
"I think the game ended the moment you died, even if you came back to life. Because there was a moment when all the pieces on your team in the arena were gone."
The game was decided.
He answered my question with silence.
Acknowledging this meant the trial was over, and he would be sealed back in the shrine.
Knowing all this, I stopped speaking and waited to see how he would respond.
"You said your name was Verdin?"
"Yes."
"Before I end my trial, let me ask you a few things. Can you answer?"
Well, it's not a difficult task.
I didn't want to be hostile to him since he had helped me in my past life.
"Go ahead and ask."
"From that woman, I sense the same aura as someone I knew long ago. Can you explain that?"
The answer was simple.
"She is her descendant."
"...Descendant?"
"Yes, the person you knew was named Maybel, right? That woman is Cynthia, her descendant."
"Cynthia?"
"You must be curious about Maybel. If you want to know more, ask her. She can tell you everything."
"...Understood."
Deadlord sheathed his sword and cautiously stepped forward, moving to Cynthia's square.
Thud.
"Are you... the descendant of Princess Maybel?"
"Ah, yes."
"Tell me about Princess Maybel. What happened that day? Her life and death. Tell me everything you know."
Cynthia tilted her head, pondering for a while, then replied.
"It's not difficult, but..."
She glanced at me for a moment before speaking to Deadlord.
"If I tell you, what's in it for us?"
Deadlord made a silent promise in her ear.
Cynthia nodded and began recounting what she knew about Maybel.
She explained what happened after Maybel left the shrine, the circumstances that led her to hide in the Holy See, and how she met a prince from a neighboring country and bore a child. She described the generations that followed until she was born.
Though she couldn't remember everything in detail, she had enough information to satisfy Deadlord.
After hearing all about Princess Maybel, Deadlord accepted the game's outcome.
"I declare that Verdin's entire party has passed the trial."
Swoosh—
A bright light burst from the arena floor and poured down on the shrine.
Boom!
From the point where the light reached the jungle sky, a green staircase formed, opening a path to the next level.
Not only that, but Deadlord's subordinates, the gargoyles, began bringing out dozens of treasure chests from the shrine and stacking them before us.
"Oh!"
Alfredo's eyes widened as he inspected the chests.
Judah, sensing the atmosphere, began jotting something down in his book.
Cynthia, though pleased, tried not to show it, looking off into the distance as she spoke to Deadlord.
"I heard Maybel's tomb is in the southern monastery. When I return home, there's a map indicating its location. If you ever want to visit, I can take you there."
"No, I cannot leave the tower. Just pray for her on my behalf."
"That's the least I can do."
"..."
Deadlord opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it tightly, shaking his head.
Cynthia waved lightly in farewell before returning to my side.
Thus, we succeeded in opening the path to the next floor.
'Here it is.'
I had successfully obtained the hidden piece on the 20th floor, an artifact I never managed to acquire in my past life.
"Good."
I picked up an old-looking wooden box from among the piled treasure chests.
Deadlord, who had been waiting for my choice, cautiously approached and asked in a low voice.
"Are you sure you want that box?"
"Yes."
"It's as if you know what's inside."
No response was necessary.
I simply gave him a knowing smile.
"Don't you want to see your mother?"
"It would be a lie to say otherwise."
"And the princess?"
"..."
"I must have spoken out of turn."
Deadlord pulled his helmet down tightly and responded.
"Even if I want to see them, how could I? You know I cannot leave this tower."
"Pray to the gods. Ask to step out of the tower for a while. If I were a god, I would grant that."
"If that were possible, I would have done it long ago."
"True, considering you were trapped in the shrine until I arrived. Well, you must have been frustrated. Feel free to wander around the jungle."
He chuckled and pointed to the stairs leading to the next floor.
"Go, the door will close soon."
"Carson."
"...It's been a while since I heard that name."
"I will return here soon, so wait for me."
"Return?"
"Yes, I want to see which of us is stronger."
Carson, the apostle who fought evenly with me in my past life.
Unfortunately, I don't have the time to face him now.
I already know who has the upper hand.
We'll clash again someday, so be patient until then.
"Come anytime."
"When I return, I hope there's a village here."
"Village?"
"A place for adventurers to rest."
"...That won't be difficult. But why should I grant your request?"
"There's no reason. I just thought it would be nice for someone to have a comfortable place to stay."
I pulled out a wooden doll from my pocket and tossed it to Carson.
"This is a gift."
With a light wave, I departed.
"A doll?"
"Yes, I bought it at the market. They say it brings good luck."
There was no further conversation.
I led my party to the next floor.
Deadlord watched our backs as we left.
"Interesting fellow."
* * *
Verdin's party ascended the green stairs to the 21st floor.
Not long after, a jester with a ridiculous appearance appeared before Deadlord.
"You can hear my voice, right?"
Deadlord nodded.
"Whose familiar are you?"
"That's none of your business. Just consider everything that's about to happen a dream."
"...A dream?"
"Yes, a dream. One you've never experienced before."
"I don't understand."
The jester waved his hand in the air.
At the same time, the doll Verdin had given to Deadlord escaped his grip, inflating like a balloon and transforming into the shape of a slender woman.
Flash!
"...?!"
Deadlord stepped back, unable to believe his eyes.
The doll, now a woman, examined herself and then waved shyly.
"How have you been, Carson?"
"P-Princess Maybel?"
Step.
As Maybel stepped forward, Carson took two steps back.
"Is this a dream or an illusion?"
The jester laughed and whispered in Carson's ear.
"I'll be leaving now. Oh, and that woman, though her body is fake, her soul is real. Treat her carefully."
"Her soul is real?"
"Yes, Verdin went all the way to the south to retrieve it."
"..."
"He said he wanted to give an old friend a gift."
"An old friend? Did he mean me?"
"Who knows? Whether he meant you or her, you can ask Verdin when he returns. He said he'd be back."
With that, the jester burst into laughter and flew into the sky.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
After the jester disappeared, the two stood staring at each other.
As the wind rustled the branches, Maybel broke the silence with a beautiful crescent-eyed smile.
"Will you be my guardian knight now?"
Clenching his fists, Carson removed his helmet and showed the brightest smile he could muster.
"...Yes, Princess."
* * *
On the second day after Verdin left for the tower.
Unusual events began occurring at the borders of Legion.
Strange's knights, moving on orders from the Empire, started falling one by one.
The cause was unknown.
But there was one common factor in their actions before death.
"They took high-grade potions and collapsed?"
This incident quickly spread through Strange's command structure and reached Lois' ears, escalating the situation beyond control.
"It's all-out war. Send Valentine to Legion."