Volume 7, Chapter 72 – The Morning After the End

Three days had passed since the commotion of the earthquake.

Thanks to the fact that the slime giants had not focused their attention on the soldiers and adventurers and had only fled, there were almost no casualties in the entire incident, except for the soldiers who had initially formed the defensive line and made contact with the monsters. And even among those soldiers, less than a hundred had suffered wounds that could not be easily healed. Over the past few days, under Yisi’s treatment, these hundred people had all returned to their normal state. According to the local physician, those who had been treated were recovering even faster than those with minor injuries, their lively appearance showing no signs that their lives had been in danger before.

As for the collapse of the labyrinth caused by the flood, since the water and the slimes in the giant pit had disappeared, the monsters were no longer under threat, and far fewer of them were climbing out. And because the [Hellfire] had not yet burned out, the remaining black flames formed a natural barrier in the giant pit. Dominic only needed to arrange for a 24-hour guard to prevent the weaker monsters that passed through the flame barrier from getting into the city.

In addition, under Dominic’s publicity, the adventurers and the curious all knew of the terror of the black flames. No one would actively seek death, so there would be no cases of accidental injury.

Listening to Laxy’s report, Yisi, who was enjoying breakfast in the courtyard, took a sip of her warm milk. Although it was summer, the gentle, cool breeze that blew through the courtyard in the early morning gave a refreshing feeling that was hard to let go of. Especially when combined with the fragrance of the leaves, even a sleepyhead like Yisi couldn’t help but wake up early on her own—although today she had been forced to.

Due to her actions of clearing the waterway and healing the injured, Yisi had become quite famous in Gota, and there was an endless stream of visitors every day. If these people were, as she had initially thought, coming to her for help because she was very capable, she could have just asked Laxy to drive them away without a second thought. But the people who had come these past few days were either giving her money (in the name of rebuilding the temple) or were commoners who, although they had no money, wanted to thank her personally. The sight of them kneeling and wiping away tears as they thanked her made it impossible for Yisi to refuse to see them. So, for the past few days, she had been forced to wake up early.

Taking a light sip of the steaming milk, Yisi nodded.

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“Did Dominic say what to do about that giant pit?”

“At your suggestion, my lord, Dominic reported the matter of filling the pit to the Marquis of Taris. The Marquis replied that he will personally come to Gota in a few days to use the power of the Tower of Taris to fill the collapsed pit.”

“Hmm… although that will indeed solve the problem, it means the Marquis of Taris will be coming to Gota. This place is quite a distance from the Tower of Taris. The power the tower can exert is limited; it probably can’t fill the collapse in a short time.”

Laxy nodded with her usual serious expression, her sapphire-like long hair and the hem of her maid’s dress fluttering slightly in the cool morning breeze.

“Yes, I had the same thought. Even with the power of the Tower of Alexia, it would take at least two months.”

“That’s a little troublesome…”

“Troublesome?” Yisi’s soft words made Laxy look puzzled. “Why do you say that, my lord?”

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Yisi twirled the end of her blue-streaked silver hair.

“Well, aren’t you the treasure of the twelfth floor of the labyrinth, Laxy? The reason you came to be in my possession was because I made a trade with Dominic, exchanging a Crimson Gold-grade weapon for you. And according to the law, the treasures produced by the labyrinth should be forcibly collected by the Marquis of Taris in his name as the lord. But the Marquis is unaware of the trade between me and Dominic.

Originally, the capital of the marquisate was far from Gota, and in this era of poor communication, he would not have known about this secret trade. But if he comes here in person, even if Dominic orders people not to spread the word, it’s hard to guarantee that the Marquis won’t pick up on some rumors. If he were to take a fancy to you, wouldn’t that be very troublesome?”

Although she said that, Yisi didn’t feel too nervous. According to what Dominic had said a few days ago, the Marquis of Taris was very fond of the Crimson Gold-grade longsword [Durandal] that she had forged, even treating it as a family heirloom. Although describing it this way felt a little disrespectful to Laxy, she couldn’t help but feel that the collection-loving Marquis would definitely care more about Durandal than about her.

But Yisi still couldn’t help but worry that after seeing Laxy’s perfect figure, the Marquis would use his status as lord and the law to force her to hand Laxy over.

Yisi put on a thoughtful expression.

Hmm… I have the status of a cardinal, so the Marquis probably won’t go too far. And Dominic will surely mediate as well.

Of course, the most important thing was her own strength. Laxy was not an object; she had her own consciousness. As long as she herself did not want to go with the Marquis, no one could force her, a level 41 God-Forged Angel, to do something she was unwilling to do.

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A fleeting look of hesitation and disgust flashed across Laxy’s face. She took a sharp, hissing breath, then took a small step forward, bent down slightly, and assumed a posture of whispering in Yisi’s ear.

“…Should we get rid of him?”

Huh?

First, a question mark appeared above her head. Then, understanding what Laxy meant, Yisi couldn’t help but spit out the milk she had just drunk.

“Pfft!”

“M-my lord?”

“N-nothing, I’m fine. I just didn’t expect you to say something like that, Laxy. Puhaha, if I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I would have thought I was still dreaming. Is it going to rain today?”

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Feeling a hint of offense, Laxy frowned.

“I am not joking, my lord.”

The smile on Yisi’s face grew even wider.

“It’s precisely because you’re not joking that it’s so interesting. The Laxy at the beginning was an angel who insisted on upholding justice and often spoke of abiding by the law. It’s only been a month, and you’ve already learned to be flexible.”

Only after Yisi pointed it out did Laxy realize her own change. Her face instantly turned red.

“Uh, this… this is just…” After being at a loss for words for a long time, Laxy’s purple eyes suddenly lit up, and a hint of composure appeared on her expression. “In human terms, it is said that he who touches the pitch shall be defiled. It must be because I have been with you for too long, my lord. Indeed, as an angel of guidance, I should reflect on myself more and strive to guide you onto the right path.”

Didn’t that just push all the blame onto me? I never made Laxy become like this; it’s all knowledge she learned from the human world on her own.