“Kana! Clarice! Let’s go at the same time! Ready, set!”
“Ready, set, got it!!”
In the end, the conclusion after much thought was for Nina to open the door on the boss’s side with me, while Kana opened the door on the exit side with Clarice.
“Hmm, it won’t open!”
“This side opened!”
“Was the timing off? Let’s close it and try again!”
I always get nervous when opening the boss room. It’s true that the boss can’t leave the room through the door when it’s unseen, but there’s still the risk of magic and weapons flying out, which could easily lead to death.
“Three, two, one, go!”
“Yes! …Alright, it opened just enough for one person and stopped!”
“This side too! I can see the boss!”
Yes, I can see a huge treasure chest. That’s the Demon Lord of the Ruanko Theocracy Dungeon, the Poison Mimic. The boss door automatically closes once opened, but Nina wedges her Berserk Sword in there.
“…Alright, as long as my stamina holds out, I can keep it open. Deles, it’s your turn.”
“Yes, I’ll be right back!”
I cast the Sage Magic ‘Rapid Pace’ without incantations, and with the effect of the Sexy Panther Mantle, I head towards Kana and the others at unbelievable speed. The exit door is also being held open by two giant shields, braced by someone to keep it ajar for one person.
“Ugh, it really does close on its own. Boyfriend, it’s up to you! The Saint is already going in!”
“Understood. Just as planned.”
As I exit, it’s night, and several parties whose events just ended are gathered. Among them, I search for a party with a ribbon of a color other than the red, blue, yellow, and green I was told. The first thing that catches my eye is a light blue ribbon. Yes, it’s light blue, not pure blue. A man, probably a Hero, with cool blue hair… he looks tired!
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“What? Hey, don’t open the exit, that’s bad manners.”
“I’m sorry, that’s not important right now. The Demon Lord’s room is over there.”
“Really!”
“Yes, but if we ask the five churches other than the Church of the Goddess, there will be trouble, so we’re asking for cooperation from the other eight churches.”
Yes, it’s incredibly troublesome, but it apparently always leads to trouble. If it gets bad enough, the dispute could drag on forever, and the distribution of the boss’s drops would never be decided.
“Understood. I’ll gather people. It’s fine if they’re from our church, right?”
“Yes, we’re forcing it open with human power, so please hurry.”
“Hey, Hashimov! Go help them!”
The warrior with the biggest build rushes in first and aids Kana. That’s fast! Next is a party with gray ribbons. Apparently, they look like they’re at a wake no matter what after finishing a dungeon.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“…We’re in the middle of a post-mortem.”
“No, that’s not it. If it’s now, you can go all the way into the boss room.”
“…Really? It’s not a trap, is it?”
“If it were, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
As I step out and force it open, I point to the exit.
“…Then I’ll just take a look. If it’s real, I’ll participate.”
“Thank you!”
“…Even if it’s not, if you come back alive, it’ll be a sad story.”
After that, I avoid the pink ribbons from the five churches… Found one! A brown ribbon! I’m sure that’s the one! Alright, I’ll talk to them just like Clarice advised!
“I apologize for interrupting your ritual.”
“Ukyo, ukyo? Ukyokyo-kyo?”
“UKYO! UKYO! UKYOKYO-KYOKYO!”
“UKYO~! UKYOKYO! UKYOKYO-KYOKYO-KYOKYO!”
“UKYO-KYOKYO, UKYO-KYOKYO, UKYO-KYOKYO-KYOKYO!!”
Okay, it seems to be getting through.
“Understood. Let’s hear what you have to say.”
You’re not getting through at all!
…And so, after getting about five parties to join, Clarice descended from above, bringing the Saints from the Church of the Goddess and the eight churches other than the high-ranking ones.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. A few were about to leave, but I spoke to them privately and got them to gather companions.”
“So many in such a short time! Thank you, everyone.”
“No, thank you. We didn’t have much time, so I was already swamped with my own party.”
Dozens of companions emerged from behind the Saints! This is reassuring.
“I’ve also spoken with the Guild. It may be a violation of etiquette, but the other party is a Demon Lord, so it’s different.”
“That’s good. We were allowed to reverse it.”
“Let’s go, we’re out of time.”
Everyone hurried and entered one after another. The Warrior and Swordsman who had gone in earlier were already helping Kana, so there was space for about three people to enter simultaneously, allowing for a smooth passage. Clarice went in last.
“Is everyone here now?”
“For now, it seems so. Shall we close it before anything strange comes?”
“Wait! My, my Demon-Devouring Church’s Summoner hasn’t arrived yet!”
“Time’s up. The door’s closing power is getting stronger. If this goes on, my shield will break.”
“Nooo!”
In vain, the Saint’s plea was ignored, and the shield was removed, closing the exit. After a while, it simply disappeared. On the way to the boss door, I heard voices saying things like, “What’s a Demon-Devouring Church without a Summoner,” but I managed to calm them down by saying it was fine. I was grateful enough that Adventurers had come.
“They’re here. We’re about to reach our limit too.”
The Berserk Sword is groaning. If we only open the exit and come back, we don’t know if the door will open again. There was even a possibility that the boss door itself might disappear, so it couldn’t be helped.
“Inside is the Demon Lord, the Poison Mimic. If we don’t attack first, it will remain still, disguised as a treasure chest.”
I know that much with the Hero’s skill.
“Then shall we all attack at once?”
The man from the first party I met, likely the Hero, asked, so I replied.
“I have an idea regarding that. All you Sages, please gather. Including the Saints.”
They all shuffled over, including Clarice, ten Saints, and two male Sages, making a total of twelve people.
“What are we going to do? I don’t have any High-level Sage Magic.”
Canon, a Saint from the same Church of the Goddess as Clarice, said with concern.
“That’s fine. The magic I will have you all cast simultaneously is…”
At the name of that magic, a gasp of awe arose.
