The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices - Chapter 77: Maru Return

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 077

EP.77 Maru Return

The scenery of dawn was serene.

Those who had fallen asleep quietly rose to start a new day.

The Sael Kingdom also gradually opened its eyes to greet the morning.

Amidst the silence, there was a bustling group moving busily.

“Alright, everyone, remember.”

It was the White Order’s Holy Knights.

Leading the Holy Knights, Riana was the first to speak.

“Our purpose is information gathering. Under no circumstances should our identities be exposed.”

Indeed, their current appearance did not resemble Holy Knights.

They had all infiltrated the Sael Kingdom while concealing their identities.

Efforts were made to conceal their identities through attire.

Instead of splendid white armor, they wore armor made of leather.

They carried ordinary swords instead of the swords wielded by the Order that punished all evil.

No one would think they were members of the Order, but rather ordinary adventurers.

“If anyone is discovered, I won’t forgive them.”

Soon, the Order’s envoy would arrive in the kingdom.

The reason for the envoy’s visit to the Sael Kingdom was never a good one.

It was to investigate the disappearance of priests and Holy Knights.

Yet, the White Order deemed even this insufficient and sent a vanguard in advance.

Secretly, at that.

Because this covert vanguard was them, they had to be sensitive to identity exposure.

If exposed, it wouldn’t just be a diplomatic issue, but they would lose the justification for dealing with the Sael Kingdom.

‘Justification.’

Their purpose for coming with this vanguard lay here.

“If there’s no information, make it if you have to.”

Riana was well-informed within the Order.

As the acting vice-commander of the Holy Order and at the same time the assistant to the commander, it was possible.

The Order aimed to increase its control over the Sael Kingdom using the current incident as an excuse.

And ruling over the Sael Kingdom was just a step towards entering the Demon World.

It wasn’t just about concealing identities and gathering information.

It was about finding justification.

And creating that justification wasn’t difficult.

Because every situation seemed to favor the Order.

The disappearance of Order members.

The first were the disappearance of the Priest Yuel and his fellow Holy Knights.

The second was the disappearance of twenty Holy Knights during their mission.

Coincidentally, all those who disappeared lost contact while heading towards the Sael Kingdom.

“We will primarily investigate the disappearance of Priest Yuel and his fellow Holy Knights. Don’t overlook even the smallest clues and find out everything.”

Even if there was no information, it was okay.

Even if this incident had nothing to do with the Sael Kingdom, it didn’t matter.

From the Order’s perspective, they just needed to push forward.

Priests and Holy Knights disappearing was indeed a fact, so no one could raise any doubts here.

‘It would be better if we had evidence.’

If evidence surfaced, the Sael Kingdom could be designated as a heretical nation opposing the goddess.

In this way, externally, the Order would gain power.

Under the pretext of purifying the kingdom, more inquisitors could be deployed.

Ultimately, regardless of the truth, the kingdom would collapse powerless before the authority of the Order.

The ending was predetermined, like a play.

– Clap. –

“Now, move.”

As Riana clapped her hands, the members began to act.

As everyone left, only Riana remained alone.

“Werther Leo Bane…”

Werther Leo Bane, the vice-captain of the Holy Knight.

Although an outsider, he wasn’t a weakling by any means.

Rather, he could be considered decent.

But such Werther had suddenly disappeared.

“What could have happened?”

But that’s not all.

Starting from Priest Yuel, Holy Knights were disappearing.

‘There might be something in the Sael Kingdom after all.’

She felt like the truth would be revealed soon.

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The actions of the Holy Knights were swift.

First, they headed to the Adventurers Guild.

As it was located within the Sael Kingdom, the distance wasn’t far.

However, not everyone headed to the guild.

Only three Holy Knights made their way to the Adventurers Guild.

They were currently in a position where they needed to conceal their identities.

They had minimized their numbers to avoid drawing attention from others as much as possible.

“Is this the place.”

Holy Knight Kairen looked at the building of the Adventurers Guild.

One strange thing was that there were too few people.

No, it was more accurate to say that there were none at all.

‘What’s going on?’

Usually, the Adventurers Guild was bustling with people.

Even as Holy Knights, they knew that when dispatched to other areas, the place they would visit would be the Adventurers Guild.

Despite shaking his head, Kairen opened the door to the building.

Indeed, the interior of the guild was deserted.

Normally, it should have been packed with adventurers, but there was no sign of anyone.

Kairen scanned the interior of the building.

The board that should have been filled with requests was empty.

The wooden chairs and tables where adventurers would usually sit and chat were also vacant.

Everything was quiet.

“Hmm.”

Even his nearby companion seemed to find it strange as they looked around.

Fortunately, there was one woman who seemed to be affiliated with the guild.

Kairen and his party approached her.

Then, he took out something from his pocket.

It was a gold coin.

“I am Adventurer Kairen.”

“Uh, a gold plate?”

As expected, the woman in front of him seemed quite surprised.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Ralli, the receptionist for the Sael Kingdom branch.”

The woman introduced herself as a receptionist along with her name.

“Then I’ll call you Miss Ralli. We’re interested in taking on a request, so would there be any suitable tasks?”

Kairen smoothly initiated the conversation.

In truth, he wanted to talk to adventurers and learn about the current situation in the kingdom, but he couldn’t do that.

So, he quickly adjusted his plan.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but there are currently no available requests.”

The receptionist bowed apologetically.

‘Could there really be no requests.’

Seeing the request board empty made him wonder…

Kairen was puzzled.

At the same time, he was curious why the Adventurers Guild was in such a state.

But getting straight to the point was the priority.

Kairen took out a gold coin and an identification card from his pocket.

All he had to offer was the gold coin, which didn’t help to ease the other party’s wariness.

“We’ve come from the Kingdom of Adonil. It’s truly disappointing to find no requests available.”

“Oh… You’ve come from afar?”

Ralli quickly pocketed the gold coin Kairen handed her.

Perhaps it was because he was an adventurer with a gold coin?

Just casually handing over a single gold coin made it seem like he had plenty.

At the same time, her affinity for him greatly increased.

And then she looked at the identification card he handed over.

Indeed, it stated that he was from the Kingdom of Adonil.

Adonil Kingdom was a neighboring country adjacent to the Order on the southernmost tip.

To come all the way here, excluding the Demon World, must have taken quite some time.

‘Can I accept the gold coin?’

Ralli suddenly felt sorry.

“I’m really sorry. Currently, there are no available requests due to the restricted access to the mountain range.”

Due to the nature of the Sael Kingdom, most requests from adventurers came through the mountain range.

Moreover, there was one special thing about the Sael Kingdom, which made it popular among adventurers.

It was none other than the Demon World.

Beyond that vast mountain range lies the Demon World.

Of course, despite being the outskirts, the Adventurers Guild had thoroughly controlled access, even for those with silver coins.

However, access to the mountain range was suddenly blocked.

Most requests originated from the mountain range or the Demon World, and now that was cut off.

As a result, the number of requests decreased rapidly, and now adventurers’ footsteps had halted.

This would probably continue until the royal family of the Sael Kingdom lifted the access restrictions.

When Ralli mentioned that access to the mountain range was restricted, Kairen became interested.

“Restricted?”

“Yes, it’s controlled by the royal family, and not only are there no related requests, but access to the mountain range itself is now impossible.”

“Why? Why did the royal family impose access restrictions on the mountain range?”

Why had access to the mountain range been prohibited?

Kairen was curious about that.

But Ralli, the receptionist, also didn’t know the details.

The guild just followed the royal decree without any other reason.

When Ralli said she didn’t know anything, Kairen’s thoughts deepened.

‘Why?’

From what he heard, it didn’t seem like something had happened, like an incident or accident.

If a high-level monster had appeared in the mountain range, they would have dispatched a subjugation force instead of imposing access restrictions.

But one day, out of the blue, the royal family suddenly prohibited access.

And nobody knew the reason.

Kairen glanced at his surrounding colleagues and subtly nodded.

The current situation was too abnormal.

‘Something smells fishy.’

Why did the royal family prohibit access to the mountain range?

Where did the priests and Holy Knights disappear to?

In their minds, these two questions didn’t seem unrelated incidents.

But for now, they couldn’t prove it.

Unfortunately, access to the mountain range was currently prohibited.

Even if access was restricted, they could still enter if they revealed their affiliation with the Order, but that would negate the purpose of infiltration.

‘It’s regrettable, but there’s nothing we can do.’

It was best to leave from here.

Just as the Holy Knights disguised as adventures were about to leave,

Someone emerged from the office.

“Oh, Manager.”

Kairen turned back at Ralli’s words.

Approaching the receptionist, the man addressed as the branch manager began speaking.

“Ralli, there was a communication from the Sael Kingdom Defense Agency just now…………….”

Perhaps due to the presence of outsiders,

He lowered his voice midway, making it inaudible.

‘Defense Agency?’

However, judging by the receptionist’s expression, I could roughly guess the atmosphere.

As the conversation continued, the receptionist’s expression brightened.

Before I knew it, the conversation ended, and the man addressed as the manager turned back inside.

Then, Receptionist Ralli spoke up.

“Oh! Kairen, good news!”

Good news?

Kairen waited for the receptionist’s next words.

“Apparently, the kingdom has lifted the restrictions on the mountain range! You’re really lucky!”

The receptionist’s expression couldn’t have been brighter.

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***

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– Dispatch Maru (★★★★) to the dungeon ‘Nest of the Evil God’. –

– Reward: 5-star transcendence ticket for Maru (★★★★). –

– Time limit: 4 minutes 56 seconds.–

Now it was time for Maru to leave.

“Maru, come back as soon as possible.”

This was my sincere wish.

Even though it was less than four hours, Coco was absolutely not someone who could be left with the dishes.

No, perhaps I should reconsider leaving household chores to him.

‘I can’t believe there’s gacha even for skeletons…’

Everyone thought Maru was just like the others, but it was a big misconception.

Maru was just something else.

Perhaps it would take even more time.

“Oh, and make sure to tell them what I said. Got it?”

Maru nodded in response to my words.

Due to the system, I couldn’t go to the El Dorad continent myself.

So, I wanted to convey my intentions through Maru.

Somehow, some facilities and units for the dungeon.

Maybe it would be more intuitive and convey my intentions better than controlling with a smartphone.

For that reason, I even gave Maru special training.

Now, time was really running out.

I immediately send Maru to the El Dorad continent.

A bright light emitted from the smartphone engulfing Maru.

When the light disappeared, Maru’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

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***

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Before Maru, a dim cave stretched out.

– Thunk. –

It was his homeland after a long time.

Maru descended from the altar.

And immediately headed for Celia.

Maru realized it.

On Earth, there is the great master.

And here, there is the Manager.

“Tick!”

Just as Manager Celia passed by, her eyes met Maru’s.

“Oh, Maru, you’re back?”

That was the name of the being who assists the master while perusing Arch Lich’s notebook.

They had met once on Earth before, but it was too short a time.

In fact, for Celia, it was regrettable not to spend more time with the master.

But this time, Maru came directly.

“Come this way. I’ve been waiting for you to come someday.”

Celia invited Maru into her office.

Maru was clearly of lower status than her.

But their positions were different.

Maru was akin to a deputy who assists the great and venerable master right by his side.

‘Envious.’

She also wished to go, but she couldn’t.

So, she changed her mindset.

Let’s hasten the master’s arrival here.

But for that, much preparation was needed.

Maru’s help was required in that preparation process.

“Now, Maru.”

Celia responded with a serious expression.

“What does the master like?”

To Celia’s question, Maru pondered.

What was the essence of that question?

While accepting Earthly knowledge, Maru could think for himself.

What the master likes.

One thing came to mind.

“Tick!”

(A dish with a homemade taste)

In fact, the master had denied it, but he had liked it so far and had very much enjoyed the ramen Maru had cooked.

What did that mean?

It was the master’s mercy, caring for the subordinate without undue hardship.

“Indeed! A homemade taste. Understood.”

Celia listened attentively to Maru’s words.

“Then, may I know what the master’s current interests are?”

To Celia’s second question, Maru once again fell into thought.

The master’s current interests…

Thinking quietly, one thing came to Maru’s mind.

Maru’s species is a Skeleton Dark Knight.

True to its name, its body was black.

But after the master did something to it, the black had slightly faded.

At the same time, Maru began to feel a divine energy surging within his body.

All of this was the power of the master.

However, the master had said this.

‘What a shame. It would have been better if there were a bit more divine power.’

Maru nodded.

Whenever time allowed, he had encountered various videos and media from Earth.

He was already adept at interpreting the meaning of the master’s words.

Divine power is essentially the power possessed by Holy Knights and priests.

In other words, the phrase ‘It would have been better if there were a bit more divine power’ was akin to saying that Holy Knights and priests were needed.

“Tick Tick Tick!”

(Interested in Holy Knights and priests)

“Indeed!”

Celia responded positively to Maru’s words.

Showing an interest in Holy Knights and priests essentially meant one thing.

It was clearly a directive to offer Holy Knights and priests as sacrifices.

“It’s a good thing I asked!”

A smile appeared on Celia’s face.