#168

If you declare a sanctuary at the same time you ring the bell, everywhere the ‘sound reaches’ becomes a sanctuary.

Of course, the downside is that it only lasts for the few dozen seconds the bell is ringing…

‘It just so happens that it’s almost noon.’

At noon, the bell can be rung twelve times.

Of course, one could ignore the rules and ring the bell haphazardly to signal an ’emergency,’ but if you do that, the Protection of Order will not be applied.

‘Because the act of ringing the bell exactly on the hour is itself an act of worship to Order.’

The ‘Bell of Worship,’ which rings six times a day from 6 AM to 9 PM, serves as a barrier in its own right.

“We must reach the bell tower before noon. I will declare a sanctuary there.”

I looked up and saw the towering bell tower.

I felt a bit overwhelmed.

‘It’s fucking high.’

Did they say there were over 600 steps?

That means even after arriving, it’ll take another ten minutes just to climb the stairs.

‘As long as there are no obstacles on the way…’

“How are you feeling? Can you run?”

“…Are you alright?”

“Me? Oh, are you asking because of my finger?”

I clenched and unclenched my hand to show him I was fine.

I really was.

‘I received the Blessing of Healing immediately after cutting it, so there wasn’t much bleeding.’

As for the pain, well, it felt somewhat similar to when you stub your pinky toe on the corner of a piece of furniture?

Rather, the endorphins that had been pouring out like crazy were still lingering, so I felt like I was experiencing a bit of a runner’s high right now.

“This is nothing! Even without blessings or whatever, the human body produces its own painkillers when it’s in pain. If humanity became incapacitated just because a peripheral part of the body was slightly damaged, we would have gone extinct long ago. I’m perfectly fine. Athanas, if you’re okay, we can leave right now.”

“…….”

“Are you still not feeling well?”

I reached out with my left hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

It felt as if his fatigue would rub off onto my hand.

In my heart, I wanted to tell him to just trust me and rest, but…

‘It would be a bit weird for a heretic to ring the Bell of Order.’

I continued in a serious voice.

“Athanas, this is something only you can do. Even if it’s hard, you have to move. First, I’ll tell Callister to carry you on his back and run…”

“What? Me? I carry that?”

“…You agreed to listen to me.”

“At least take off the armor first! I can’t run if I lift that whole thing. Unless you give me more blood…”

“Fabio.”

Athanas stood up.

“…We don’t have time, so we’ll talk more later.”

‘Is he okay? I should tell him to walk fast instead of running. Fast walking doesn’t deplete stamina.’

“But I must say this. Never, ever, no matter what happens, mutilate your own body again.”

“…Ah, yes.”

I answered lukewarmly.

‘Does he really think I’m fine?’

Damn it, I’m the kind of person who didn’t get vision correction surgery because I was scared of having a few millimeters of my cornea shaved off.

I didn’t intend to go into detail about how much resolve it took for me to ‘mutilate my body’…

‘…Well, it’s not like Athanas ever asked for it.’

“But don’t you feel some effect? Like your head hurts less…?”

“…The Sacred Relic I already possessed was sufficient. I feel no additional effect whatsoever. You have just performed a meaningless and unnecessary action.”

‘Wow.’

Look at the way he talks.

He’s saying the options are worse than the gear he already has, so it’s useless, in that way?

“Fabio, did I tell you? I told you that guy wouldn’t be grateful in the slightest! Next time, just give it to me instead! I intend to cherish anything Fabio gives me! Even if it’s vomit!”

‘…That just sounds like he’s saying anything put into a microbial waste disposer disappears without a trace.’

Athanas seemed disgusted as well and glared at Callister.

“I’m not scared even if you glare like that. Hahaha.”

“…….”

Athanas didn’t respond and turned around, beginning to walk with long strides.

I decided to just think positively about it.

‘There must be a reason he said it like that.’

What if I had sugarcoated it, saying it felt like there was a slight effect, and then I ended up cutting off his other arm entirely?

He’d be more frustrated and enraged than grateful.

Because, in reality, I had done something completely useless.

‘It’s like when someone buys you a highly suspicious health supplement, and instead of telling them it’s useless trash and they just wasted their money, you say you feel a bit better thanks to their concern, and then next time you receive health juice worth millions of won…’

Just thinking about it makes me angry.

He might have spoken harshly to prevent such a situation in advance.

Athanas is a rational person.

‘…And he seems to have a bit of a control freak streak.’

Even if nothing happened in the end, his expression hardens significantly whenever I report something that ‘could have been dangerous.’

Is it because he’s a Paladin of Order?

‘And the way he insists on reporting everything before doing anything.’

I wonder if it’s a professional habit.

There are more cases where knowing doesn’t help.

Isn’t it more peaceful for the mind to just not know?

‘…I suppose that’s why one can become a Savior.’

Only I can do it.

I must do it.

Perhaps one needs that kind of responsibility—even to the point of arrogance—to step forward and save the world.

‘Adelaide…’

Thinking of the girl who steadfastly tried to save the world even while being called by the dishonorable epithet of the Gray Saintess made me feel a bit choked up.

Every time blood stained Athanas’s hands, she told him that since she was the one who ordered it, he should only bear the sin of following orders.

Saying that everything was her fault.

Adelaide was only sixteen back then…

‘Compared to her, Pell is a fucking piece of shit.’

Shouldn’t Pell be the one falling into hell instead of Adelaide?

No matter how you look at it, that bastard is more twisted.

Is a guy who does things like “Since committing suicide leads to hell, I’ve deleted the ‘suicide’ command for you~” allowed to be a Saintess?

“Fabio, are you cold? Use this.”

No, the reason I just shivered was because I was pissed…

‘A furry hat?’

“…Where did you get this?”

“I picked it up on the way. I was going to use it, but I’ll give it to Fabio.”

‘Is this lunatic…?’

This guy’s “picked it up on the way” means he stole it.

I reflexively checked Athanas’s reaction.

“Athanas…”

“I saw where he picked it up. Just wear it.”

‘…He saw it, so why didn’t he stop him?’

He probably felt that even arguing over something like this was a waste of time.

Since there were less than 20 minutes left until noon.

I pulled the hat down and quickened my pace.

‘It is warm, though.’

My breath shattered into white mist.

There wasn’t much distance left to the bell tower.

Since the bell tower is visible from anywhere in the Capital Church, there’s no chance of getting lost.

This is because there is a wide plaza in front of it, and every path leads to that plaza.

‘…The fact that there’s no one on the way makes me feel like something is wrong.’

In the game, you know you’re heading in the ‘correct direction’ when you encounter enemies.

Of course, from the perspective of a player who has to defend, placing Units on every single path would be an absurd waste of forces.

‘They probably dumped all the Units at the bell tower.’

Just standing on the stairs gives a huge advantage in battle.

The only saving grace was that the bell tower’s stairs weren’t narrow spiral stairs where it was impossible to even change direction.

‘If they were, I would have given up on climbing.’

The interior of the bell tower was structured with stairs running along the walls in a large circle, with a large void in the center.

There were railings, but there were more collapsed sections, so I had to be careful not to fall to my death.

‘Occasionally, there are wider platforms like landings.’

If there was an enemy standing in the middle of the stairs, I would lure them to a landing and take them out.

Units with lower intelligence could be easily killed by inducing them to fall.

‘But the opponent is a player…’

They must have set up some countermeasures against falling.

The strategy that worked in ‘Die Heretic!’ wouldn’t be usable here.

For one, the situation is different…

“…It’s quiet inside.”

As expected, the interior of the bell tower was intact, with no collapsed sections.

I carefully brushed my hand against the railing.

‘In the game, it was all destroyed.’

“I will lead the way as there may be an ambush.”

Hearing Athanas’s words, I suddenly started to feel scared.

Was I being too shortsighted?

What if explosives installed in the middle went off and the stairs collapsed?

What if a creature hiding in the floor suddenly popped out and threw someone downward?

Could we respond to such unexpected threats?

“Athanas, I’ve changed my mind. I think climbing the bell tower is too dangerous. How about we prioritize finding the Apostles of Order first? If there was a deep reason why the Apostle didn’t come up this tower…”

“Fabio. Please hand me the Astrolabe.”

I hesitated before placing the star clock in Athanas’s hand.

Athanas closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them.

“I have just declared a sanctuary.”

“…What?”

“The divine power contained within is sufficient, so it will last for over an hour. We can just go up like this.”

“The sanctuary…”

“It moves along with the Sacred Relic.”

‘Huh?’

No, in Conclude, the sanctuary did move along with the Archbishop.

I knew that…

‘…It’s just that in ‘Die Heretic!’, I couldn’t use the sanctuary because I couldn’t waste divine power.’

Because Athanas climbed the tower after Adelaide died.

I had only remembered doing a time attack before the light of the Sacred Relic went out, so I must have subconsciously assumed I had to do the same now.

‘Then… are we safe with this?’

Before I could organize my thoughts, Athanas had already started climbing the stairs.

I hurriedly chased after him.

‘How impatient!’

A sanctuary won’t remove physical traps!

The enemy could have just spread caltrops everywhere.

There could be barely visible wires here and there.

I’ve even been cut before by carelessly putting my hand in…

‘Damn, he’s fucking fast.’

How is he that fast?

It was only after climbing over a hundred steps that I finally managed to catch up with Athanas.

“Athanas, whew, you have to be careful.”

“…I am being sufficiently cautious right now.”

“I mean, huff, that’s not it…”

At that moment, something flashed quickly past my field of vision.

From top to bottom.

The moment I naturally tried to look over the railing, Athanas’s hand covered my eyes.

“Do not look.”

Thump.

The sound of something heavy colliding echoed.

‘…What just fell?’

Athanas’s voice rang in my ear.

“Since wicked things cannot enter the sanctuary, it fell while trying to flee.”

I gulped.

‘So if we just walk up, the enemies will just commit suicide on their own?’