Staff of Appointment
Allows the user to appoint someone to the position of Holy Maiden’s Guardian.
While in the same party as the Holy Maiden, a Holy Maiden’s Guardian’s stats all increase by 50%. When they are not in her party, all stats are halved.
I took in the description. It meant that I could appoint people to a position that was kind of like who the Paladins were to the Pope. In exchange for the promise of an insane buff came a very harsh restriction. I’m assuming whomever I appoint has their job changed to “Holy Maiden’s Guardian.” I couldn’t appoint my guardians lightly, then. Not only would they revert to level 1, they’d have to switch their jobs all over again if they ever decided to part ways with me. Verifying the specific effects of the staff would have been much easier if we had been in the game.
“That looks like an incredible staff. Is this going to be your weapon going forward?” Rudith asked.
“No. This staff is...ceremonial. It’s not meant for combat,” I said and then explained what I’d read about the staff to the party.
“What a staff. It’s difficult to use, isn’t it? Considering that some of us will eventually leave your party,” Rudith said.
“Yeah. I don’t even know what Skills would be available to a Holy Maiden’s Guardian. Maybe I’ll never use it,” I said. It was a shame that the reward at the end of this grueling dungeon would rot in my Storage, but it just wasn’t worth the risk.
“What?!” Angel blurted out. “You have your hands on the Staff of Appointment and you’re not going to use it...? There should be people to protect you, Holy Maiden Sharon.”
“I’m fine alone— Well, with normal allies,” I corrected, keeping to myself how Angel’s recommendation had made me even more scared of the staff.
Pretty soon, everything around us began to glow slightly. With the boss defeated, the dungeon was slowly vanishing.
“Wh-What’s going on?!” Kent shouted.
“Ground’s shaking!” Rudith chimed in.
“Calm down,” I told the group. A dungeon always had an escape route at the end. “Don’t worry. A door is going to appear, and we’ll be able to leave from there.”
Immediately, everyone started scanning the place. Soon, a door decorated with carvings of angels materialized where we’d first come through to the clearing—our exit.
“It’s easy peasy on the way out!” Tarte purred.
“Yeah. We beat the dungeon, so we can go home!”
“Yes, Meowster!”
We opened the door and returned to my room. The key was gone, and half a day had passed. I’d count this as a decent win since we didn’t have to use our Energizer Potions. At some point, Angel had disappeared. Because she was a summon from a Skill, maybe she only stuck around for a certain amount of time. I’d have to experiment with that. Everyone was cheering and congratulating each other for getting through the dungeon safely.
“Lottie, what should we do with Frey?” Rudith asked.
“I think she’ll still be out for a while. Can you lay her on her bed in the room she’s been staying in?”
“Got it.” Carrying the still-unconscious Frey in his arms, he opened the door—letting in the sound of screams and several voices crying out for help.
I thought someone in the house was in trouble for a moment before I realized that the screams were coming from the street outside. Kent had run to the window and was peering out of it now. “Kent, what’s going on?!” I asked.
“What is going on...? There’re monsters all over the city!”
I rushed to the window to see that the streets were overflowing with monsters. Farblume knights were fighting hard to hold them off, but none of them was having an easy battle. What’s happening?!
“Why are there monsters here?!” Tarte asked.
“I don’t know! But if we don’t take them out quickly, it’s going to get bloody!” Kent shouted.
“Mother! Father!” I turned to run out of the room when Rudith slammed the bottom of his sheathed sword against the ground, having placed Frey on the couch in my room.
“Calm down!” he commanded.
“But—” I began to protest.
“There’s no sense in panicking. Lottie, Kent, Cocoa—scan the house. Tarte, come with me to the Order of Knights. Luna, can I leave you in charge of Frey?”
Everyone nodded, accepting Rudith’s orders.
“You can leave Frey to me. I’m an Archmage now. No one’s hurting me or her that easily. Once she wakes, we’ll join you.”
“Great,” Rudith said, relieved that Frey was taken care of. “Everyone else, take out as many monsters as you can. From what I can see, none of them are too scary...but don’t let your guard down.”
“Okay.”
“We won’t!”
“Monsters attacking the city... It’s terrible,” Tithia murmured. “I’m going to save as many people as I can.”
“I am with you always, Your Holiness.”
“I can’t let those monsters eat all the delicious food in the city...!”
As soon as we’d all agreed, Rudith called his Dragon and partner, Mach. Flying to the castle would be the quickest way there. I assumed he was bringing Tarte along to take inventory of healing items and have her replenish the stores if necessary.
I turned on my heel and faced the door. “Kent! Cocoa! Let’s go!”
“R-Right!”
“Coming!”
While we dashed out into the hallway, the others also sprang into action—leaping out of the window and engaging with any monsters they saw. Rudith and Tarte had already flown off.
“Everyone, be careful...” I breathed. We have to find out why this is happening!