Chapter 380 Between the Lines of Defense
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The group of monsters that attacked the Hateyama branch is quickly defeated by a party of adventurers who had just arrived as reinforcements without being exhausted. <Running Wolves> also participated in the battle, showing no signs of fatigue from the continuous fighting.
And now, while Alvin and the others are resting and filling their stomachs, Shinji exchanges thoughts with Flair.
[Umu, if I can’t connect after this much… then maybe Shinji is right~noja. There’s a strong possibility that the demon is a succubus and the goddess is responding to an attack from outside]
[Has Arian received an oracle yet?]
[Wait a minute~noja…]
Flair’s thoughts are temporarily interrupted. Then, the next message that came to Shinji is not from Flair but from Miko Arian.
[Danna-sama… can you hear me?]
[I thought it would be quicker to talk directly, so I connected you to her~noja]
[I hear you, Arian. Thank you, Flair. Do you have an oracle from the Goddess?]
[No. …I tried to reach out to her, but she didn’t respond…]
Miko Arian, who could substitute for Goddess Arian, has been given priority to contact Goddess Arian, and the only time she hadn’t received an immediate response was during the last succubus riot when she was under attack from the goddesses of the outside world. This fact confirmed the correctness of Shinji’s assumption.
[Without the oracle, the temple can’t operate, huh]
[Yes. …Danna-sama, your situation…]
[Honestly, it’s not good. Right now, we’re dealing with goblins and wolves on the lower layer so no one has been injured or killed but we don’t know if the monster on the middle layer will start to mix in. If we don’t deal with the dragon as soon as possible, the monsters will keep coming, and it’s probably impossible to keep protecting the place forever]
Shinji thinks that if the ruckus was an accidental result of a succubus manipulating a dragon on a whim, then Mizer’s response is fine. The method of holding out until the situation calmed down, making preparations, and then striking back when the situation is certain to turn into a hunting situation makes sense and seems to minimize the damage to his teammates.
However, in reality, the succubus from the outside world is the mastermind, and her goal is to kill as many people as possible in this world. A succubus with a clear intention of hostility will try to bring down a stronger monster from Hateyama, and if the repeated attacks exhaust her, she may attack directly with a dragon.
It is clear that the longer time went by, the more disadvantageous the situation would become.
(If things continue like this, even my own life will be in danger. There is no way Alvin and the others would abandon the mission halfway through. We’ll have to fight until the very end…)
Shinji doesn’t think that his good friends will choose to run away. On top of that, Alvin, an honorary knight, will not be allowed to run away when he is involved in this disturbance, which could be considered a matter of national importance.
[I’ll keep calling for the oracle to be obtained as soon as possible. Danna-sama, please endure for a while longer…]
[I want you to call me as well from the next battle~noja. This is not the time to be sparing our forces]
Without the oracle of Goddess Arian, the temple is helpless. Because of their faithfulness to the Goddess, they have been unable to formulate new policies without her direction. It can be said that this is the result of having faithfully followed the oracle of Goddess Arian all these years.
[Can Arian run the temple without the oracle of the Goddess?]
[No. …As a Miko, I can’t move it… Which is why I have to obey the oracle. Because of its power, a Miko must not make mistakes or give simple orders…]
[I understand the logic. But we can’t afford to wait for an answer]
Shinji’s instincts tell him not to give the time of day to someone who would use the strategy of simultaneous attacks from the outside and inside. He feared that by the time he is able to contact Goddess Arian, the situation might be impossible to recover from.
[I’ll explain myself to the Goddess. I’ll take the blame. So, can you lend me your strength right away as a Miko-sama]
If he just waits, he, his girlfriend (Renka), and his friends will die. If that’s the case, then all Shinji can do is risk his own life to prepare a way to fight back.
Shinji’s determination must have been conveyed to her. Flair did not become enraged, nor did Miko Arian blame him, despite the fact that it could be said that he is neglecting the Goddess. The thoughts stopped, and silence fell. All Shinji could do is to repeat his request.
[It is in the goddess’s best interest that this disturbance be put to rest quickly. We should act to help her]
Shinji would not use any words that would take advantage of her favor. As an apostle of the Goddess, Shinji explained to her the necessity of being a Miko of Goddess Arian. His words made Miko Arian feel lost.
In her heart, she wants to help Shinji. However, as a Miko, she is not sure if she really wants to accept Shinji’s advice. Then, Flair, who knew the responsibilities of a Miko, pushed Miko Arian to accept the proposal.
[Miko-sama. I think you should listen to Shinji before you make a decision~noja. Shinji has done nothing to trouble the Goddess since he became an Apostle. If it will help the Goddess, I’m willing to help him~noja]
[Of course… Danna-sama has been working diligently all this time]
[I’m glad to hear that, but Flair, if you say so, you will also be held responsible]
[When that happens, I will be scolded along with you~noja! But Shinji will do it as well as the time you framed me, won’t he?]
[Well, let’s just say I’ll do my best]
This is the kind of trust that only Flair, who knows Shinji well enough to know that he’s done a lot of dirty work and gotten the results he wanted. Miko Arian naturally smiled as she listened to the thoughts of the two of them exchanging casual thoughts.
[…I may join you when the Goddess get angry. Danna-sama, what are you going to do?]
[<Running Wolves> are going to use the Pegasus to launch a surprise attack on the succubus from the sky. To accomplish this, I think it’s necessary to…]
Shinji tells Miko Arian, who has made up her mind, about his plan.
In order to overcome the situation, Shinji asks for help from the temple.
He beat the asses of the Miko and spirits who were habitually waiting for instructions from the powerful leader, the Goddess.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.