A monster had occupied the research tower.
As a result, the temple in the holy kingdom of Lishlua was in turmoil from the morning, as though a beehive had been poked.
The first thing they did was to keep the road leading to the research tower under control.
The tower was located on the outskirts of the city, but there were a good number of merchants who come and go to transport the materials used to make potions.
The next step was to gather the troops to retake the research tower.
Even so, numerous slimes had appeared around the Goddess' barrier surrounding the holy kingdom, and many warriors had been directed in those places.
There was a statue of the goddess in the temple that maintained the barrier, and they sent some of the remaining warriors that were guarding it to the research tower.
In addition, some of the front-line troops had been sent to the research tower as well.
Even so, more than half of the research tower that could be seen from the upper floors of the temple had already been swallowed up by the black mucus of the slime, and it looked like a fortress inhabited by monsters.
"Well, it's a terrible crime for Saint Jenna to invite such a thing into the barrier."
"Indeed."
The upper floors of the temple.
In a room decorated with the most extravagant vases and paintings, ten old men were gathered.
The Archbishops.
In the land of the Goddess, Lishlua, the religion of the Goddess sat at the top of the order, and they were the ones who heard the voice of the Goddess long ago.
They used to be devout followers of the Goddess and tried to live a simple life, but after helping the hero to defeat the Demon King and receiving support from various countries for their achievements, they have become corrupt.
The number of prayers to the goddess that they used to perform every day had decreased, and they spend their days like this, devouring fresh fruit in their luxurious rooms.
With the threat of the Demon King gone and everyone on the continent believing in the Goddess, money was pouring in, in the form of offerings without them having to do anything.
It corrupted the bishops.
"Subjugation of the monsters. Controlling the tower. Ensuring our safety―― I think we should wait until we've done that before we charge her with a crime."
"You think you can use it and then take her place?"
"Well, that puts us in a safe position."
In a safe place, the old men laughed.
The maid beside them poured blood-red wine into their dwindling cup.
The slime was no threat to them.
Knowing the terror of the Demon King, they assumed that the weakest of the monster army would eventually be destroyed, even in this peaceful world.
Or perhaps they were so blinded by their luxurious lifestyle that they were unable to see the world's situation.
The only thing they could think was that the threat to them was not the slimes that wanted to overrun the continent, but saint Jenna who threatened their position.
"But I was surprised to hear that Fonteau fell."
"They must have let their guard down, thinking it was only a slime. But thanks to that, we have been able to keep our guard up against the slime."
"A good lesson. No matter who you are or how inferior you are, you must never let your guard down."
"Indeed."
For them, today was still a peaceful day.
"When the top makes a fuss, the commoners get scared."
"Yes. We'll just have to sit tight like this."
"The warrior priests and the saint will take care of the problem. That's fine."
They didn't move.
They didn't have the ability to slay monsters, and they have nothing but an abundance of wealth.
And while they elaborate on the luxuries of today, tomorrow would come.
That was what they thought.
"I'll be off then."
"Be careful, dear. Please return safely with everyone."
"Yeah, I know."
Graffus, Jenna's husband, smiled at his anxious wife and left the temple with about twenty warrior priests.
The slime that had occupied the research tower―― it was to confirm its scale.
Initially, the 20 of them thought that at the very least they would be able to rescue Kara, the administrator of the research tower, but Jenna told them to reconsider in a strong tone.
"If the warrior priests are dispersed within the barrier, it will cause unrest among the people. We need to gather our forces and make sure we deal with it...... If it turns into a riot, the people will distrust the temple."
The Goddess Barrier.
The source of the powerful protection was the people's prayers to the Goddess.
It was gathered at the statue of the goddess, which served as the core, and turned into a barrier that protected the area around the holy kingdom.
If faith waned, the power of the barrier would weaken, and even the slimes that gather around the perimeter of the barrier would invade.
Jenna decided that she had to prevent that from happening first.
"Then I'll go tell the officers in the front lines to send as many troops as possible to the research tower."
"Thank you."
"Haha. Please take it easy on yourself, Jenna-sama."
Then, one of the warrior priests rode a horse from the front of the temple and goes down the sacred mountain where the capital was located.
(It'll be at least half a day before we can get anyone from the front lines, no matter how fast we hurry...... Until then, stay safe, Kara.)
Jenna learned about the characteristics of the slime from a refugee in Fonteau.
They use magic, and they use women to multiply.
But on the other hand, they didn't kill women.
There were some aspects that could not be understood from information alone. Jenna's face clouded with anxiety as she thought about the people she knew who were now at risk.
"If possible, I'd like to go to the front lines too......"
Only today, that was not the case.
Because the Archbishop had entrusted her with a task.
"Fuu."
It was true that bad things do come together.
Jenna thought so and deeply sighed.
She went back inside the temple and kneeled down in front of the statue of the goddess, hung her head, and prayed.
She prayed that everyone would be safe.
And that they would be able to overcome the crisis.
Her hair, which was as beautiful as gold, fell from her shoulders as gravity pulled it down and onto the white porcelain floor and the red carpet embroidered with gold, like a golden waterfall.
The sunlight shining through the colorful stained glass windows near the ceiling fell on Jenna as she prayed, and even though the country was in turmoil and trembling, a silence enveloped her as though time had stopped.
(Please, let everyone be safe.)
How long had she had been doing that?
It was not a long time.
――A sound broke the silence and Jenna opened her eyes, still kneeling down.
The owner of the footsteps had killed its presence.
It was Jenna's experience in actual combat that allowed her to notice the slightest sound. If she had been a priest who was praying in peacetime, she would not have even noticed its approach.
(...A mage.)
Jenna immediately thought of the reason for the lack of presence.
Her friend, the Elven Queen, used the same magic a long time ago.
"――――"
"――――"
The distance was far.
It was a mage's distance. The mage stopped in a position where the priestess Jenna could not reach her.
(The guard is...)
It was the place where the statue of the goddess was enshrined.
Naturally, there should be guards standing at all times, so it was suspicious that the mage was behind her.
"Who are you?"
"――"
The mage seemed startled, and she could feel her gasp.
Jenna called out to her because she couldn't resist at this point anyway.
She called out and turned around.
What she saw was a woman who was dressed up like a mage.
She was dressed like an adventurer, but with a large black triangular hat on her head and a black cloak over her heavy clothes.
It was a normal adventurer's outfit, but it was out of place in the temple.
The beautiful blonde woman must have been confident in her magic.
That was why she was disappointed when she was called out―― her approach had been noticed.
"You don't look familiar."
But it was Jenna who was now disappointed.
(……Two?)
There was definitely one presence. Even when they faced each other, she could only feel the presence of one person.
Next to the mage stood a "human", dressed in simple black clothing.
She couldn't see its face. It was wearing a hood that hid its face.
If the blonde woman was a "mage", the being standing next to her was a "ghost". It was there, but she couldn't feel its presence.
"This is not a place where ordinary worshippers are allowed to enter, didn't the guards tell you that?"
"Yeah."
The blonde mage, Frederica, turned her head back to look behind.
A priest on guard duty was lying there.
If she used magic, Jenna would notice, no matter how focused she was on her prayers. Then, she immediately understood that he could have been incapacitated in a way other than magic.
"You're after...... the statue, aren't you?"
"Yes, this child wants it."
Frederica said, tapping the shoulder of the being standing next to her.
Jenna was wary.
Her instincts alerted her to the fact that she was dealing with a person she could not feel its presence.
She pulled out a short staff from under her vestments and held it at the ready.
"Do you know any martial arts?"
"A little."
"It's useless then."
Immediately after, the "humanoid" standing next to the mage extended its tentacles from all over its clothes.
Both hands. And a total of three from the abdomen.
"!?―― It's useless."
The same words were said in return, and Jenna did not think about attacking or escaping but turned her magic to defense.
The barrier that was activated near the statue of the goddess was comparable to the strength of the barrier of the goddess that protected the sacred mountain, and it was able to catch the three tentacles without difficulty.
In front of Jenna's eyes, the black mucus tentacles blocked by the invisible wall and hid her vision.
"...Slime. I can't believe it's in humanoid form...."
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She was surprised, but she didn't let it show on her face. She kept her arrogant attitude, making it show that she knew.
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It was Jenna who was being cornered.
She was alone, and behind her was a statue of the goddess, the key to protecting the city.
She had to fight to protect it―― and she was not prepared to do anything about it.
There was little chance of winning...... it was a sudden desperate situation. She knew from her experience fighting the Demon King that if she didn't at least show an arrogant expression, she would be literally swallowed up in no time.
"I can't believe you're using tentacles as a distraction."
Another tentacle from behind, using the mucus to block her vision.
However, that too was blocked by the barrier.
A slight hint of impatience appeared on Frederica's face.
Jenna immediately noticed the reason for that.
It was the sound of footsteps. And there was more than one.
It was the same for Frederica who was trapped. It was the center of Lishlua. At the far end.
If someone used any magic or any kind of power, the warrior priests would come rushing.
It had to be finished with a single blow―― but the humanoid slime followed its instincts and targeted Jenna, the woman, instead of the goddess statue, the key for the barrier.
And it showed on Frederica's face.
"I thought the temple was thinned out after the troops went to the research tower."
"That's right."
(I had to stay behind because of the Archbishops' selfishness, but now I was grateful for him.)
While maintaining the barrier, Jenna smiled with a mixture of dismay.
"Jenna-sama!!"
The person who rushed into the room where the statue of the goddess was enshrined was also a face that she had never seen in the holy kingdom of Lishlua.
She had beautiful silver hair and good looks.
The half-elf had grown into a beautiful woman, with an atmosphere similar to that of when she first met her old friend.
"Meltia!?"
"――Tch."
Jenna called out her name in a surprised voice at the appearance like that of Leticia, the queen of Fonteau, the genius's daughter who had inherited her talent for magic.
Frederica clicked her tongue when she heard the name.
Frederica, who was working as an adventurer in Fonteau, knew the princess of the country well―― the silver-haired princess who was rumored to have magic that rivaled her mother's at a young age.
They were both mages, and she knew which one was superior.
"But why, of all people, the princess of Fonteau!?"
"Who are you?"
Meltia pointed the tip of her large staff, which she had already prepared as a precaution, at the intruder, Frederica, and the tentacled "humanoid".
The place was in a state of equilibrium, but only momentarily.
However, it was only for a moment.
The humanoid tore off the robe it was wearing and extended its tentacles from its back.
"I had never been in combat before, and I never thought that tentacles would grow out from the back of a human", Meltia thought, momentarily unsure whether to point her staff at the body or the tentacles.
Frederica, in the meantime, started chanting her magic. She held her staff, which was as large as Meltia's, in both hands and concentrated.
"Meltia, be careful―― don't be reckless."
"I'm fine. Mother, please lend me your strength!"
As though in response to her voice, Meltia's staff gained mana and shone with light.
Jenna had seen that staff before.
(The staff that Leticia used in the past!)
The staff that she had used when she defeated the demon king―― a treasured staff, the only one in the world, made from the branches of the world tree that watched over the world in the center of the continent and the sacred stone that had been bathed in the light of the sun at the top of the sacred mountain for tens of thousands of years.
It was the best staff that mankind could make, with mana that was no less than the holy sword of the hero.
The tentacles of the humanoid slime that was coming towards her were instantly frozen.
Not only that, the cold air gradually froze the floor of the temple as it made its way towards the slime.
"――――"
The slime also began to construct its magic.
The humanoid's surroundings flickered like a shimmer, and the red carpet on the temple floor suddenly ignited.
Heat.
That was how it's trying to offset the cold air made by Meltia.
"What magic..."
Jenna muttered as she looked around to see if there was anything she could do within the barrier.
However.
"Wind, blow―― destroy!"
The end of Frederica's chant was faster than the collision from her magic.
She destroyed the wall of the temple with wind magic and ran towards it.
At the end of destruction, several warrior priests who had moved to rush to the spot were unlucky to be hit by the rubble of the wall.
They were surprised by the suddenness of the situation and fainted. Their injuries didn't seem too bad.
"I'll be back!"
After saying that, Frederica ran away from the hole she made.
"――――"
The slime turned its faceless face alternately to Jenna and Meltia, then "ran" away.
It was only a short time... but.
"Haah..."
Jenna slumped to the spot as though her back fell out.
"Jenna-sama, are you okay!?"
"Meltia... I'm glad you made it in time, But what are you doing here?"
Jenna asked, smiling back at Meltia as she ran up to her.
Jenna knew that the silver-haired half-elf would be coming.
Reclaiming Fonteau. She had come to ask for help.
"When I arrived at the temple, the guide told me that the guards had fallen and I was worried about this place. I knew where the statue of the goddess was because I had played in this temple many times as a child."
"...Yeah, you did."
Jenna finally breathed out a sigh of relief when Meltia said in a cheerful tone.
"What about Mariabelle?"
"She's at Grabalt now. She has inherited our father's sword and is being trained by Fornelis-sama."
"His sword?"
"I was wondering if I could get some help from the people of Lishlua in the meantime."
"...Yes, I've heard. I'm sorry for all the trouble as soon as you arrived."
Then Jenna turned her gaze to the large hole that Frederica had made.
"She said, she would be back."
"Yes... But why would a human be with a slime?"
"Not sure, I don't know yet."
I'll be back.
(We need to put a force in the temple.)
The front lines, the recapture of the research tower, and the protection of the temple.
(They got us. We can't send our forces to retake the research tower.)
If the bishops learned of the attack, they would devote more forces to the defense of the temple.
If the barrier protecting the city were to disappear, it was only natural that they would be defeated.
And the soldiers in the front lines and the research tower would be reduced in strength.
In both cases, they would not be able to cope with any unforeseen situation if their manpower was reduced. The dilemma, however, was that if the barrier, which was the heart of the matter, could not be maintained.
Jenna realized that they were now at an overwhelming disadvantage in a long-term battle.
"Human slime... if it was covered with clothes, there's nothing we can do if they blend in with the crowd."
"Earlier――"
It was a new enemy. Perhaps it was a new kind of monster.
Meltia remembered the figure of the humanoid slime―― a monster with arms and legs like a human but without a face, and even after all this time, she got goosebumps.
With her right hand holding the cane, she unconsciously rubbed her left arm.
"That staff."
"Ah... yes. One of the refugees being sheltered in Grabalt was a mage who used to work at the castle. He brought it to me."
"Yes. You looked just like the old Leticia―― and it worked just fine."
A treasure made from a rare item could indeed give its wielder powerful magic, but not many mages could withstand the magic given to them.
In the first place, the staff was made for Leticia, the strongest mage on the continent.
It was natural that only a person with mana comparable to that could fully demonstrate its abilities.
"I haven't seen you for about two years now, but you've grown up, haven't you?"
"――I hope so."
Her lack of confidence was due to the fact that her country had been destroyed by the slime.
Realizing that, Jenna stood up and gently held her head to her chest.
"It's okay. Both Fonteau and Leticia. It would be okay."
"……Yes"
A few moments later, the sound of footsteps approached.
The warrior priests, who had been stationed in the back in case of emergencies, had finally arrived at the far end of the temple where the statue of the goddess was located.
"I've got to go and take care of a problem in the barrier...... Sorry, I didn't have time to talk to you."
"No, I know what's going on―― please let me help you. I'm sure...... I can be of some help."
Looking at her mother's staff, Meltia said.
Jenna tried to refuse, but her hands were trembling with fear of the slime, but her eyes were filled with a strong will.
She hid her fear with courage.
It had the same strength as the words of her father, her first love many years ago, the man she had longed for so much that she could not help herself.
(At that time, just because he was the "hero", we could rely on him, feel at ease, and leave everything to him......)
She did not notice the hero's fears.
Meltia's mother, Leticia, noticed the hero's anxiety and comforted him.
Jenna smiled and put her hand on Meltia's shoulder.
"Thank you."
When Jenna told the bishops what had happened, their actions were as expected.
In order to increase the security of the temple, the soldiers on the research tower were reduced, and the saint and the daughter of the Queen of Fonteau would go to fill the gap.
Jenna thought they were quite a schemer if they were still able to make this prediction after their failed attack.
She didn't know if it was the blonde mage or the "humanoid slime"...