With Lina, Luna, and Mio off to secure their new jobs, I decided to make my own preparations, as many as I could. That meant gathering more allies for Holy Maiden’s Trial. Obviously, my current party of nine would be in, leaving three open slots. I’d ask Rudith to fill one of those, and I had an idea as to who should fill the final two.
“It won’t take long to go see them through the Gates.” I dressed myself in my usual gear and was about to leave when Tarte and L’lyeh came up to me, asking where I was going. Apparently, they were on their way out too. “I was going to recruit some more members for the trial,” I said.
“Oh, that’s impurrtant! Should I come with you, Meowster?”
“I’ll be fine. Aren’t you and L’lyeh going somewhere?” I asked.
“We were going to buy some Furmulation ingredients. We put out a purrchase request at the Guild, so there should be a decent amount for us to pick up.”
“Now that’s an important outing!” I exclaimed.
“I’m helping Tarte. And buying food,” L’lyeh added.
“That’s important too, and it’s so awesome that you’re helping Tarte...!” I squealed. Tarte’s potions were always a huge help for the party, and her Molotovs were one of our primary weapons of attack. Running low on them might make Tarte feel like she couldn’t contribute enough. “I’m going to Zille. Do you want me to stop by the Guild on my way?”
“No, thank you, Meowster. It’s not an emergency, and we want to look around the city as well.”
“Okay,” I said. Part of the fun of playing an Alchemist was picking out ingredients for your brews. If Tarte thought she could handle it, it was best to leave it to her. Of course, if she needed help with anything, I’d back her up a thousand percent!
Tarte and L’lyeh were hyped up for their outing, calling it their “quest for ingredients.” When there’s more time, I’d love to take them to Paradise of Erungoa to hunt for rare materials.
“I’ll see you both tonight, then,” I said. “Have fun, Tarte, Lulu.”
“You too, Meowster.”
“See you.”
After parting ways with Tarte and L’lyeh, I walked through the city’s Gate and arrived in Zille. Although I hadn’t been away for too long, stepping onto the streets of Zille—which had been my base of operations for several adventures—felt like coming back to my old stomping grounds.
Now that Tithia was at its helm, Zille had become safer and more vibrant—a city of kindness and laughter. Word had spread that I—well, Tarte—had placed purchase orders at the Guild for Orc Rags, among other items, which had also attracted stronger adventurers who could take on Orcs.
Strolling through the city, I noticed some new street vendors here and there. Each of them had replaced a previous stall, but I couldn’t remember which ones. Surely everyone who lives in a big city experiences this feeling at some point.
“Speaking of, Crystalline Cathedral is now Tithia Cathedral... Will I even be allowed to see her?” I wondered. “Paladins who work directly for Tithia would know me, but I don’t think the guards at the entrance will... If I tell them I want to see the Pope, I feel like they’re going to smile and ask if I have an appointment.”
Before I could think of a solution, I arrived at the cathedral. Since the worst they could do was stop me, I tried walking into the cathedral, right past the Templar at the entrance. Apparently, the prayer rooms on the first floor were open to the public again. I wasn’t here to pray, though, so I approached the receptionist. “Excuse me.”
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“My name is Sharon. I’m Ti...I mean, Pope Tithia’s friend. Could I see her?” I asked.
The receptionist blinked a few times before letting out a chuckle. “Her Holiness’s friend...?”
I knew this would happen! “Um... Or if you could take me to Leroy, or Blitz, or Mimoza...” I stammered, painfully aware of how sketchy I must seem.
“What are you doing here, Sharon?” a voice called from behind me.
“Leroy!” I exclaimed.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.
I laughed. “There’s something I wanted to ask you...”
Leroy looked a little exasperated but told the receptionist, “I’ll take her,” and began walking.
I followed Leroy up the crystal stairs and into a sitting room. A lush rug covered the crystal floor, and a painting hung on the wall. The room’s decor lent it gravitas, but not in a pompous way.
Once a Priestess had come and left us tea, Leroy gave me a smirk. “So, what kind of trouble did you want to rope us into this time?”
“What makes you think it’s going to be trouble?!” I protested.
“It’s not?”
I considered my answer. “I didn’t say that.”
Leroy laughed. “I knew it.”
“I was hoping you and Ti could help us conquer a dungeon.”
“A dungeon?” Leroy repeated.
Nodding, I took out the key. “Ti gave me this key. I found out it conjures a dungeon when I use it.”
“That key...conjures a dungeon?! I’ve read of something like that in old texts. I didn’t expect it to be real.”
“Twelve people can take on the dungeon at once. So far, I’ve enlisted Tarte, L’lyeh, Cocoa, Kent, and my brother Rudith, as well as Frey the Hero and her party members, Lina, Luna, and Mio,” I explained.
“I see. Her Holiness and I would make twelve.”
“Exactly.”
Leroy stared at the key in silence, apparently imagining the dungeon it unlocked and the dangers that might await us. On the other hand, I bet Leroy thought that if anyone was the right choice to enter this dungeon, it would be Tithia. Still, he seemed torn. Because of how dangerous the dungeon sounded, he was probably weighing whether or not to tell Tithia at all. Of course, Ti would insist on going once she heard about it.
“The dungeon is called Holy Maiden’s Trial,” I added. “I expect Goddess Flaudia to be its boss.”
“Flaudia again?! On that island—”
“It will be Flaudia, but not the same Flaudia,” I said, struggling to explain how the Flaudia we’d face in the new dungeon was different from the one we’d already defeated. If only I could explain that we’re living in the world of a video game come to life.
Leroy let out a quiet breath and gazed at me in resignation. “Very well. I will speak to Her Holiness about this. As she’s the Pope, I believe she needs to face Goddess Flaudia.”
“Thank you. And I have no intention of losing this battle. Let’s beat this dungeon together!” I exclaimed, clenching my fist in encouragement.
“You are very reassuring,” Leroy said, flashing a hopeful smile.
“Sharon!” Ti cheered as soon as she saw me, making a beeline straight for me.
“It’s great to see you, Ti!” I said, trying to greet her with a wave, only for the Pope to tackle me into an embrace. “Ti?”
“You are the Holy Maiden, Sharon. This cathedral should belong to you...” she began.
“Wait, wait, wait. Snap out of it, Ti. I want to keep adventuring. It has to be a full-time job to take care of a place like this...” I just wanted to visit now and again to enjoy the cathedral’s splendor without any of the responsibility that came with it.
When I said as much, Leroy glowered at me. “Blasphemous...”
Tithia laughed, though. “I thought you would say that.”
Leroy asked for a fresh cup of tea for Tithia before we began catching up.
“Your party is in Farblume, then?” Tithia asked.
“We are. Oh, King Vilhelm told me about your request for peace between Erenzi and Farblume.”