Kuro No Maou

Chapter 555 – The Underground Shrine of Primver

Sariel, aiming for Rank 4 advancement, diligently accepted the necessary extermination quests one after another, riding her Pegasus, Shiro, and flying around Spada to hunt monsters tirelessly. It was almost like a chore, one might say. If Kurono were watching, he might comment on Sariel, who only aimed to exhaust the targeted monsters as efficiently as possible, resembling the efficient leveling of an RPG.

Without any amusement, without the sense of accomplishment from defeating monsters, and without even feeling tired of the repetitive tasks, Sariel continued to fight mechanically.

And the last place Sariel visited was the Rank 4 dungeon, The Underground Shrine of Primver, located right on the southwestern border of Spada.

Being in a remote area of Spada with poor access, the dungeon had a simple structure and had been thoroughly looted of treasures. Yet, its interior, filled with dense magic, was inhabited by at least Rank 3 or higher powerful monsters roaming in groups, making it a disproportionately challenging difficulty.

However, adventurers never ceased to visit this Underground Shrine of Primver, because succubi appeared in this dungeon.

“…Succubus’ presence.”

The moment Sariel stepped into the crumbling small ancient temple standing out front, she immediately sensed its unique magic. Pegasus, known for its modesty and chastity, particularly disliked this succubus-specific aura. Sariel had even abandoned Shiro in a distant forest and come here on foot.

As an apostle, as a Sister of the Crusaders, Sariel had staunchly preserved her purity until it was taken by Kurono. Now, with the will of Shirasaki Yuriko as well, her sense of chastity had only heightened. However, even so, Sariel did not feel a visceral aversion to succubi. Succubi were just another type of monster, neither more nor less than that.

Without much thought, Sariel stepped into the succubus nest, confident that if the target monster was here, it would be within.

The temple part on the surface was desolate. It exuded an atmosphere akin to abandoned ruins deemed unworthy of study. There was no sign of other adventurers setting up camp.

The Underground Shrine of Primver did not attract an influx of adventurers seeking dreams and romance. Since succubi had a certain appearance cycle, unless it was their season, this place was nothing but an unpopular dungeon that didn’t offer any benefits, just disproportionate difficulty.

During periods when succubi are not present, the deepest part of this underground shrine is typically inhabited by the boss of the incubi. Unlike succubi, who are famous for draining energy from men by seducing them, incubi, who are counterparts to succubi, attack women using their illusions. Women ensnared by these illusions fall into a deep sleep, where they are shown a sweet dream world of romantic encounters with their ideal men. In this state of vulnerability, fueled by the stimulating contents of the dream, the women’s energy is then siphoned off. Women preyed upon by incubi are enveloped in their tentacles without any physical harm until all their energy is drained, leaving them with the possibility of being safely rescued before dying. Additionally, incubi lack attack methods other than illusions. For these reasons, they are categorized as Rank 3, one rank lower than succubi.

The target of Sariel’s current mission is one such incubus. It’s listed as a necessary extermination monster for Rank advancement not only to test combat abilities but also to assess proficiency in dealing with tricks like illusions. Besides incubi, there are various other monsters to choose from, specializing in illusions and status ailments. Sariel chose the incubus simply because it was the most reliably encountered.

Even without the power of an apostle, now that Sariel has received the blessing of the Dark Knight Fricia and is supplied with a considerable amount of magical power, monsters of Rank 3 or so are all just lumped together as no big deal.

With complete disregard, Sariel headed towards the back of the temple where there was a staircase leading underground.

“There, statues of the Virgin Mary and angels…”

Just by walking straight through the not-so-wide temple, Sariel found several stone statues with familiar designs. The Virgin Mary Aria, beloved by the white god, and the angels, depicted as young and adorable, have been classic motifs for stone statues from ancient times to the present, highly revered in Christianity.

Though most of the statues in this temple were nearly broken, the design with wings on the back draped in flowing robes was instantly recognizable. Even the notably large statue of the Virgin Mary displayed at the main gate, with only its head missing as if decapitated, still portrayed a chaste figure clad in a nun’s habit, unmistakably Sinclairian.

Discovering remnants of ancient Christianity, Sariel proceeded down the stairs leading underground without any particular emotions.

As she did, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. No, perhaps the solemn Christian-style temple aboveground was nothing more than a camouflage to conceal this succubus nest.

The same stone-built space stretched out, but the walls were carved with relief sculptures that eerily resembled countless writhing tentacles. Particularly unusual were the statues resembling succubi, clad in provocative attire as if replacing the Virgin Mary and angels.

Each statue had a beautiful and cute face, but their bodies were exaggeratedly endowed with large breasts and buttocks, to the point where Sinclairian sculptors would rage at their lewdness. Their bikinis with daringly small coverage or lingerie designs exposing their genitals completely were definitely banned statues that would never circulate in Sinclair.

However, Sariel didn’t think much of it and just brushed it off. Since it was a succubus nest, she understood and accepted that this was the norm. Even the personality of Shirasaki Yuriko in her memory wasn’t so innocent as to blush and panic just from seeing such things.

Rather, in order to understand the sexual preferences of her beloved Black Demon King, she was reasonably familiar with works aimed at men—no, Sariel halted her thoughts, deeming further contemplation unnecessary.

And so, Sariel proceeded through the underground shrine with detachment, encountering monsters along the way as expected from the information she had gathered. Being influenced by succubus auras made them more aggressive than usual, but fundamentally, their abilities remained unchanged.

Humanoid monsters like minotaurs and cyclopes didn’t suddenly start using magic, and fire elemental wisps like Ignis Elementals didn’t switch to ice attacks. Sariel simply dealt with them by mowing them down with her Rebellion Cross, the Rebellion Cross Spear, in hand as they came at her.

Within an hour of starting her exploration, Sariel descended to the middle layer of the underground shrine, where she sensed a presence different from monsters for the first time.

“…Adventurer.”

It seemed that besides herself, there was someone else diving into the Underground Shrine of Primver during the off-season.

Sariel, of course, was familiar with the adventurer’s code of conduct as common sense. For example, if encountered in a dungeon, it was generally best to refrain from interference to avoid disputes.

However, Kurono had instructed her that if someone was in trouble, he hoped she would help them as much as possible. In other words, if help wasn’t requested, there was no need to intervene.

Ignoring the nearby presence, Sariel decided to move on ahead without delay.

“Help meee! Somebodyyy!”

With a plea for help as clear as it could get, Sariel swiftly switched gears from conquest to rescue and dashed towards the source.

“Phew, thanks a bunch, Sariel-chan!”

The adventurer she helped, who lightly tapped her shoulder with a familiar tone, wasn’t the Eighth Apostle, Ai—though their comedic style was similar, it definitely wasn’t her.

Even without Sariel’s remarkable memory, anyone would recognize the distinct figure of this adventurer at first sight. Clad in a shocking pink assassin suit with a matching scarf and a full-face helmet, this adventurer was unmistakably unique.

Sariel knew the name of this eccentric, or rather, downright bizarrely dressed adventurer.

“The Pink Arrow of Blade Ranger!”

“Hit your heart a hundred times over! Flutter with the peach-colored love! Heart-pounding full charge, Pink Arrow!”

As Pink struck a pose, even Sariel couldn’t help but feel surprised.

Not because Pink, clearly from another world, adopted a costume and catchphrase clearly inspired by Japanese sentai heroes.

“You’re the one I stabbed during the Galahad War.”

Sariel remembered it vividly. The Rank 5 adventurer party, Blade Ranger, had been wiped out by her Godslayer Spear, Gae Bolg. While Pink narrowly escaped a fatal blow thanks to her comrades shielding her, she later attempted a surprise attack, which Sariel responded to by eliminating her with several Stake Impales.

“Yeah, that hurt like hell. Thought I was gonna die for real after so long, seriously.”

Though she said it casually, there was no mistaking that it was indeed her.

“Why don’t you resent me?” That’s what surprised Sariel the most.

Sariel, lacking in understanding of human emotions as she may be, had a deep understanding of what it meant for a person to harbor feelings such as anger or resentment, having fought against pagans as an apostle. Those emotions almost always translated to hostility or murderous intent, sending jolts through her sixth sense.

However, she couldn’t sense any of that from Pink in front of her. Even without relying on intuition, just by taking Pink’s words at face value, one could only interpret them as devoid of any resentment.

“Well, of course, I resent you. My comrades all died, after all.”

“From your words, I can’t sense any feelings of resentment towards me.”

“Oh no, if we were hostile here, I’d be done for.”

Indeed, it was a logical and reasonable judgment.

Currently, Pink was solo diving into this dungeon. Her combat strength was solely herself. And the disparity in abilities between Sariel and Pink had already been made clear during the Galahad War.

Once again, in this situation, with Sariel effortlessly piercing through hordes of monsters to save Pink from imminent danger, it couldn’t be more evident that this gap hadn’t closed.

“So, if we get out of this situation, do you wish to kill me?”

“Haha, wow, you’re quite the goody two-shoes, aren’t you?”

Sariel didn’t understand the meaning behind Pink’s retort. It was too difficult for her to grasp the significance of such an unrelated question.

“I fought in the Galahad War under someone’s orders. I didn’t kill because I wanted to, nor did I fight because I wanted to. Just a mere puppet… isn’t that close to the mark?”

A second surprise. It was almost a bull’s eye.

“Well, even so, it’s not like I’ll forgive everything! I won’t forgive the fact that my comrades died, or the fact that you stabbed me in the gut. But it’s not like I sympathize either. It’s just another commonplace story in this world.”

“Still, I don’t sense any resentment from you.”

“I do resent you, properly. But it’s not like I’m out for revenge. I mean, come on, I’m an adult. I’ve got plenty of experience in this kind of thing, and I’m good at accepting reality!”

According to Sariel’s experience, the older one gets, the more resentment festers, becoming irreconcilable and unforgivable. Eventually, it leads to an unquenchable desire for revenge, even for someone like me, the Seventh Apostle with the strongest power.

“By the way, I heard you’re Kurono’s slave now?”

“Yes.”

There’s nothing shameful about being Kurono’s slave. It was a confident and unwavering response.

“In that case, isn’t it enough that you’ve already received your due punishment? Kurono took care of my comrades’ grudges for me.”

“I don’t have such recognition from Master.”

“Well, since it ended up that way in the end, it’s fine, isn’t it? In the world, results are everything!”

Pink completely negated the process of effort. It seems she’s a results-oriented person.

“So, you helping me out of trouble is also the best outcome. Thanks!”

“No, I’m simply following orders from Master to help people.”

Once again, human emotions remained a mystery to her. Sariel found herself questioning human emotions even more after interacting with this peculiar woman named Pink.

“Hey, by the way, Sariel, want to team up with me? I know this dungeon pretty well. I’ll only tell you! The delicious secrets of the Underground Shrine of Primver that no one else knows!”

Wow, suspicious… making Sariel think that was quite impressive. It’s probably something Pink couldn’t even imagine.

“You’ve heard that this dungeon is overflowing with foolish men who are after succubi, right?”

In the end, Sariel ended up joining forces with Pink Arrow.

Having lost her comrades, she’s currently operating solo. She’s aiming to rebuild a five-member party and is currently focused on gathering funds for her comeback. Despite attempting to strike it rich based on the secret information she knows about the underground temple, she’s currently facing a horde of monsters… In any case, for Pink Arrow, who lacks the necessary combat power, Sariel, the strongest adventurer, was a desired partner beyond measure.

Faced with Sariel’s reluctance to agree immediately, Pink Arrow resorted to crying, screaming, and kneeling to finally persuade Sariel to form a temporary partnership.

“Yes, I’ve gathered all the information available at the guild.”

Pink may have a rather peculiar demeanor, but now that they’ve formed a team, Sariel responds normally. There’s no hint of disdain in Sariel’s eyes, perhaps just kindness due to her being a puppet.

“But you see, this dungeon, besides succubi, also harbors other lucrative boss monsters—oh, that’s a trap, watch out!”

“Got it.”

Although Pink’s warning seemed unmistakably filled with murderous intent, Sariel followed her instructions word for word, stepping right into the middle of the hallway where the trap was triggered with a heavy clunk, splitting the passage into two. It was a classic trap activation like something out of a manual.

While Sariel could easily escape the pitfall, she followed Pink’s instructions and descended straight into the hole.

“…There’s nothing here.”

“It used to be filled with poisoned needle traps, you know? They were removed decades ago.”

One might think they should just seal off the pitfall if that’s the case, but there are many unknowns regarding traps and gimmicks in ancient ruins. At the very least, modern adventurers couldn’t find the mechanism controlling this pitfall at this location.

“Thanks to that, we can safely use this hidden passage.”

At the bottom of the pitfall, resembling a stone cell, after Sariel landed, Pink searched the seemingly blank wall—

“It’s opened.”

“Now we can shortcut two levels with this.”

A narrow passage just wide enough for one person to pass through opened up in the wall. Sariel examined the wall where Pink touched, but there were no discernible features. It might be a highly concealed switch or hidden fingerprint recognition functionality.

In the brief time since teaming up with Pink, Sariel had come to fully understand just how knowledgeable she was about this dungeon. Hidden passages, doors, trap placements, and activation mechanisms—Pink’s actions were decisive, as if she had thoroughly mastered a video game stage.

Nevertheless, Pink’s predicaments arose because monsters’ behavior couldn’t be predicted. The presence and behavior of monsters in this dungeon were entirely natural occurrences. No matter how familiar one might be with a dungeon, this was the reality of another world, not a predetermined game world.

“Here we are, the boss room!”

In the blink of an eye, Sariel and Pink arrived at the boss room. It wasn’t before a massive iron gate like one might expect, but they were already inside the room.

It resembled the experimental facilities of the White Secrets, a large circular hall. Eerie blue-white flames lit torches evenly spaced along the walls, casting a dim but uniform light throughout the hall.

The two found themselves standing in what seemed like a balcony on the second floor of the room. If one were to enter this room directly, this location, near the dome-shaped ceiling, would be mostly obscured in shadow and hardly noticeable. The existence of a hidden passage leading here was unimaginable.

“Check for the Incubus.”

“Darn, no luck.”

Sariel spotted the monstrous figure with a large eyeball and numerous tentacles in the center of the hall, exactly as she had hoped. As expected of a boss-class monster, it was quite large, with a diameter of about two meters for its eyeball and substantial thickness and length for its tentacles. Its appearance inevitably brought to mind the Gluttony Octo.

The Incubus’s large eyeball seemed to stare eagerly at the gate in front, as if anticipating the arrival of adventurers. Sariel and Pink were precisely behind it, completely hidden from its view.

“Alright, Sariel. The Incubus boss is a bust. What we’re after is the Succubus Statue, Sexaroid.”

The name was unfamiliar to Sariel. If anything, in the memories of Shirasaki Yuriko, there was information about a term referring to a science fiction concept—a term for a humanoid robot designed for intimate interactions with humans.

“Is that the stone statue resembling a succubus?”

“If it were just a regular statue, there would be plenty of them lying around. But the Succubus Statue Sexaroid that pops up here is like a kind of golem. It moves, and it can do naughty stuff. Though I’ve never actually seen anyone doing it.”

Pink explained.

Perhaps it was what one might call a hidden boss.

In dungeons, special monsters appeared at regular intervals—sometimes like migratory birds, visiting only during certain seasons, or created and summoned by dungeon functions. The Succubus Statue Sexaroid was likely one of these.

“The best part about the Succubus Statue Sexaroid is their attire. They’re decked out in gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds… Some even have accessories made of pure holy silver Full Mithril or high-purity magic stones. Those ones are a jackpot, hehe.”

Inside her full-face helmet, she was probably wearing a wicked grin.

“Of course, they have combat abilities and are armed. But their equipment is pretty good too. So just defeating one can make you some good money.”

If they were adorned with precious metal accessories and had equipment beyond a certain level, the harvest would be substantial. It was like attacking both a noblewoman and a skilled adventurer at the same time, stripping them of everything they had.

If they defeated the Incubus, they’d receive the bounty for its defeat and maybe some modest materials like bodily fluids or tentacles for various potions.

“So, let’s bid farewell to the Incubus who won’t make us any money. Heartbreak Shoot!”

With Pink’s sniper shot, a mysterious pink magic arrow pierced the weak spot, the large eyeball, from behind, and the Incubus fell with a single blow.

As a magical being, when the Incubus died, its main body, a dense magical energy core, dissolved into shining particles of magic, and only the tentacles of its flesh scattered like they were melting.

“Now, if we wait here for a couple of days, one should show up this time of year—”

“No need, it seems one is already here.”

Sariel interrupted.

Under the fallen Incubus, covered in slimy green fluid instead of blood, was a single statue.

It was identical to the Virgin Mary statue they had seen in the front temple.

“Wow, on top of the Virgin Mary-type Aria, this presence… undoubtedly the highest-grade Primverell-class queen!”

Pink exclaimed.

“Is it strong?”

Sariel inquired.

“It’s a bit too much to handle… Hey, wait! Sariel-chan!”

Without hesitation, Sariel leaped into the hall.

Emerging as if it had been standing there from the beginning beneath the Incubus’s massive body, the Succubus Statue Sexaroid was indeed facing the main gate. If they had stayed in their previous position, a sniper shot from the blind spot could have been possible—but if the opponent had been aware of them from the start, it wouldn’t have mattered.

“…Hehe.”

Laughter echoed, not from Sariel or Pink, but from the stone statue.

“Hehe… Ufufu…”

With a joyful laughter, the Sexaroid began to move. Cracks formed, and the stone coating shattered as it turned to face Sariel, who was approaching from behind.

The stone surface that covered its entire body exploded, revealing a physique that resembled a real woman’s, with pure white, soft-looking skin underneath. Yes, the habit that had covered its entire body was just stone.

As if shattering chastity itself, from the pulverized habit emerged the voluptuous body of a succubus, so enticingly grown for the sole purpose of seducing men.

Adorning her enticing white body was a minuscule black bikini. Black leather long gloves and boots, made of devil’s skin-like material, snugly hugged her limbs. And around her slender neck was a thick leather collar, wrapped like a slave’s mark.

It could be described as a kind of bondage costume. The black thorn whip that the succubus had somehow acquired added to that atmosphere.

The succubus, with her undulating blonde hair, smiled with sadistic glee at Sariel before her.

“Both armor and weapons are of quite high-grade. A delicious prey.”

Facing the unnaturally ominous presence of the succubus statue, Sariel merely tightened her grip on her spear, its tip gleaming with dark lightning.