Chapter 24 “Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast!”

Without caring if he could not see in the pitch-black darkness, the young man continued to run until without realizing it he finally crashed into Cecilia's body from behind, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

“Ah! Sor... Sorry!” Said the young man who immediately tried to stand up.

But due to the darkness of the room and the hardness of the Dugeon floor, the young man felt a little painful and had difficulty standing up.

“Bruuuk!”

The young man fell down once again, but now there was something different from before, because this time the young man fell on a part of the floor that felt soft.

“ What is this...?” The young man muttered as he felt the object that had previously protected his face from the hard floor.

The object felt like a pillow, not too hard and not too soft. But at one end, it felt very hard and cold like a iron, while at the other end...

“A cloth?” muttered The young man.

“... What exactly are you doing?” Cecilia asked who still lying near him.

The young man was startled and jumped backward immediately.

“Stupid! What... What have I actually done!?” thought the young man.

“Hey, are you currently lusting after me? Do you want to devour me? Eat and taste me?” Asked Cecilia in a tone that sounded like Marie's.

“No! I really didn't mean to! I don't know what saved my face, so that's why I felt it! Then I thought it was a pillow! But how could there be a pillow in this dungeon!? So I felt it again, and it turns out...” The young man continued to speak rapidly like an unstoppable train.

Meanwhile, Cecilia stroked and touched her own belly as if playing with it.

“Hmm... So, my belly feels like a pillow to you, huh?” murmured Cecilia while patting her own belly.

“I told you, it was an accident! But you're good too, aren't you? How can you see in this thick darkness? Did you use magic? Even right now I can't see my own two palms.” Asked the young man.

“Dark? Is the light of the torches lining the walls of this dungeon still not enough for you?” Cecilia asked the young man.

“What? Torchlight? Where is it? Is there a torch in this passage?” The young man asked while looking to his right and left where there was only darkness.

“Are you sure there isn't a single torch on the walls of this Dungeon passage?” Asked Cecilia who still did not believe the young man's words.

“Tch! Didn't I say until now I still don't see any torches in here!” Said the young man while groping the walls of the Dungeon.

Not long after groping the walls of the dungeon, the young man finally found something shaped like a large ice cream cone and seemed to be made of metal.

“Hey! I seem to have found it!” The young man said.

“How is it? That torch is glowing, right?”

“No, it doesn't. These torches seem to have run out of oil.”

“Don't be stupid, those torches are not just ordinary torches. They won't go out even if they don't have any kerosene in them, because they use Mana as their fuel.” Cecilia explained.

“Huh... I don't understand. So the point is that you can see in this darkness because you can see the light produced by this torch, and I can't see in this darkness because I can't see the light produced by this torch?” Asked the young man.

“No! Ah! Whatever!”

Immediately Cecilia chanted a spell that suddenly produced a ball of light that shone and floated above her left palm.

“So, now what!? Are you still unable to see!?” Cecilia asked in exasperation.

“Thanks! Now I can see clearly!” replied the young man.

“Alright, then let's finish this ritual right away.”

After confirming once again that the young man was indeed able to see the path in the dungeon correctly, Cecilia began to speed up her footsteps a little.

“Hey, Cecilia how do you know how to open the door to this dungeon? Is it possible that you are a Priestess?” asked the young man while following Cecilia's footsteps.

“Umm... I don't know about that, but what I know is that since a long time ago I was the only one who could perform all the rituals that could not be done by the priests or the Holy Sisters who lived in the Cathedral, besides, if I'm not mistaken, one of my comrades in arms once said that the priestesses who they now call Holy sisters in the holy city are all fake, the priests are fake, their leaders are fake, and even the Gods they worship are also fake. Because everything in that city is just a replica or imitation of the real holy city.” Cecilia explained.

“Everything in the holy city is a replica? Then do you know where the real holy city is?” Asked the young man.

“Right here. These ruins are the remains of the holy city that was destroyed before.”

“So you're saying that in the holy city there used to be a dungeon like this too!?” Asked the young man in surprise.

“How did you come to that conclusion!? For your information, dungeons are created by buildings that are no longer used and abandoned by humans for hundreds or even thousands of years. And because it was abandoned, the building was filled by monsters or goblins and their ilk to become their lair.” Cecilia explained.

“Ooo... I see. Then what used to be this dungeon?”

“Tower. A tower where the seven knights and a priestess who fought to save humanity gathered.” Cecilia replied.

“Save mankind? So you're saying that the seven knights are really saviors!?! If so, why do you hate them?”

“Have you forgotten what I told you before? It all started with their fear of our god's power. The seven knights were afraid that one day the god who saved them would turn around and oppress them. Although the old priestess always calmed them down and assured them that none of that would happen, their suspicions and fears began to overcome them.”

“......”

“..... And that's when the seven of them teamed up and managed to deceive and seal our god who had once saved them. After that the angry priestess raised her flag and gathered people who wanted to save the god.”

“But unfortunately it was all in vain, because the power of the seven knights was extremely strong. The priestess who had been raising her flag for years finally realized her weakness and defeat. Then the priestess reluctantly requested that the seven knights make peace with her, and the seven knights accepted on the condition that all humans and descendants of the priestess who had previously opposed her must live in the corner of the new holy city and must pay high taxes to the emperor and his seven holy knights.”

“Then why are they building a new holy city? Is it because the old city was destroyed by war?” The young man asked.

“That's true, but the truth is that it all happened because our current god has been sealed under the ruins of the tower we are currently entering.” Cecilia replied.

“...Then can't we free your god at the same time?” Asked the young man.

“If it were that easy I would have done it long ago. But unfortunately it can't be, because currently the seal that confines him is still very strong to break.” Cecilia replied.

Then suddenly Cecilia stopped her footsteps when she and the young man had reached a T-junction.

“Hmm? What's wrong?” Asked the young man.

But the young man's question was only ignored by Cecilia.

Then using her slender hands, Cecilia touched a wall in front of her.

“Umm... did you perhaps forget the way?” Asked the young man.

“Shut up, it seems like a lot of wrong things have happened to us this time.” Cecilia said.

Then Cecilia closed both her eyelids and sharpened both her senses of hearing.

“This is wrong! The two of us should have been fighting the monsters living in this dungeon by now! But why is it that until now we still haven't found a single monster in this dungeon!” Cecilia thought.

“Umm... Cecilia?”

“No! That's not all! The unlit torches, the desolate dungeon hallways without a single life, and I can't even find or smell the scent of corpses in here! What exactly is going on in this dungeon!?” Cecilia screamed inside her head which was currently filled with confusion.

“Cecilia? Can you hear me?” Asked the young man.

“WHAT!?” Cecilia snapped.

The youth in surprise jumped back a little, but soon he regained his composure and started talking to Cecilia.

“Umm... Look since earlier there was a blue ball of fire that kept hovering over there.” Said the young man while pointing towards the passage on Cecilia's right.

“Blue fireball?” Cecilia asked.

“Yes, look over there! If you ask me, it looks like it's only the size of a soccer ball.”

“What's a soccer ball?” asked Cecilia who didn't seem to understand what the young man was saying.

“Umm... That's not important, should we pursue it or not?” Asked the young man.

“...No, there's no need. It's better that right now we just return to our village. Because right now there are already too many things that feel strange in this whole mind of mine.” Cecilia said.

Then the young man thought for a moment while looking towards the blue fireball that continued to hover flying in the passage.

“Hmm... Well if that's what you want, let's hurry back from this silent dungeon.” Invited the young man.

“...Are you not against it?” Cecilia asked.

“No, because I have failed many times by doing everything in haste.” The young man replied as he walked backwards.

“Then I will force you all to continue.”

Suddenly, a deep, hoarse male voice echoed throughout the dungeon's hallways.

“...Cecilia?” Asked the young man.

“No, that's not my voice.” Cecilia replied.

“Kehehehe... Cecilia, Cecilia... CECILIA!!!!”

The hoarse voice then shouted loudly like a beast that was showing its greatness.

“Who are you!?” Asked the surprised young man.

“Kehehehe... Seeing my frightened and confused expression was weird and fun! Come here and you'll find out!” Said the hoarse voice that was now focused on the blue-colored fireball.

“Seeing your frightened expression? What exactly do you mean by...”

Before the young man could finish his sentence, Cecilia suddenly grabbed and pulled the young man's hand to rush out of the dungeon.

“Cecilia!?”

“This is all very unexpected, we must escape from this place immediately!” Cecilia said while running and pulling the young man's hand.

“But...”

“Wahahahaha! As expected, you will run away! But don't worry... Because I won't let you.”

Immediately from a distance, it could be seen that the entrance to the dungeon was now sealed shut and all the passageways that the two of them had previously passed through were suddenly ablaze with blue flames.

“Shit! We're trapped!” Snapped Cecilia who immediately stopped her footsteps.

“Hahahaha! That's so funny! It's useless if you want to try to break through it, unless you want your body to burn, so come here... Because I have prepared everything for stupid sinners like you.” Said the hoarse voice.

Currently inside the previously pitch-black dungeon, it was now bright due to the glow of the blue flames that continued to burn and blaze.

“What should we do? Since it seems that currently our only way and entrance has been closed and burned by the blue flames, Umm... Hey, do you perhaps know if there is another exit?” Asked the young man.

“No, there isn't. There is absolutely no other exit. Unless...”

Cecilia then recalled one of the memories she had experienced in the past, a memory of the first time she was killed by Marie.

After being pensive for a while, Cecilia immediately grasped one of the young man's hands.

“Hmm?”

“Hold my hand tightly! Right now we will go straight to where the ritual place is located!” Cecilia ordered the young man who was still confused.

Without thinking, the young man immediately grasped Cecilia's palm. And then...

“BOOOOM!”

Very quickly Cecilia lunged forward, she continued to dart forward as if she really already recognized the entire hallway of this Dungeon like all the lines that had been engraved on her palm.

After a journey that felt very short, finally Cecilia and the young man now stopped at a very large room with a roof that had a crack in the middle.

“What is this place?” Asked the young man.

“Welcome to this horned demon prison Cecilia.” Said the owner of the hoarse voice.

Like a king sitting on his throne, the owner of the hoarse voice sat on an obelisk pillar that had many blue light carvings while holding his chin using his left hand.

Due to the cracked hole in the roof of the vast and dimly lit dungeon hall. So the sunlight outside could enter and illuminate the body of the owner of the hoarse voice.

His body was huge and muscular, his skin was covered in beautiful white fur, his sharp teeth and fangs were visible when he grinned, and on top of his head was a pair of jagged horns.

“That...”

Cecilia swallowed her own saliva as if she could not believe what she was seeing.

“...Cernunnos.”