Chapter 199 Palanquin
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
To put it simply, while [Great Sanctuary]¹ was active, Yui was wreathed in a faint light, as if protected by a low-level [Holy Armor]².
Unlike Marina, she didn’t need physical plate. This shroud served as a final defense for a caster rendered otherwise immobile. I reached out to touch Yui’s cheek as she floated there, unable to move even a finger, but my hand was rebuffed by a field of pure pressure. I couldn’t get my palm any closer.
If I couldn’t touch her, I certainly couldn’t move her. There was nothing for us to do but stare in confusion at the Goddess’s riddle.
”I was hoping you’d notice at least this much, Yuuri-kun. I thought this would be a perfect example of how forces humans don’t normally perceive can interfere with reality.”
”…Don’t ask for the impossible,” I replied. “I can feel the power, sure. But isn’t this just the standard buff from the sanctuary? If you expect me to do something about that, you’re overestimating me.”
The empowering force prickled against my skin with a pleasant heat, extending even into the [Tentacle Space]³ that overlapped with my [Familial Workshop]⁴. It was a reassuring power, yet it carried a sharp edge of dread-like a blade held to my throat. As long as the Goddess herself held the reins of the [Great Sanctuary], I couldn’t escape it. She remained suspended in place like a divine statue.
”Hmm… maybe I’ll give you a hi-n-t. Yuuri-kun, you’re focusing way too much on me as the source. Look, I’ll keep the skill active. Go join Ashley and the others; assess the effects of the sanctuary to your heart’s content.”
Faced with her husband-who was practically petting himself in frustration at her untouchable skin-Yui gave me an exasperated look and urged me toward the other Servants.
We had already tested what we could inside the Workshop. The verdict was clear: the caster of [Great Sanctuary] was an immovable anchor. There was no point in obsessing over it here.
”Fair point,” I muttered. “Even if I could move you, it’s all for nothing if the skill doesn’t work against the Langosta.”
”Exactly. The external buff reaching into the [Tentacle Space] might be a bit of a sho-ck, but that doesn’t mean I’m peeking in on your ‘private time’ with the girls. As long as this skill acts as a proxy for the supernatural phenomena of the Goddess Shelm, I-having been ousted from my divine seat-can’t actually perceive what it’s doing on its own. You can relax.”
I knew that reducing my daughters to ‘Servants’ was a moral atrocity. No matter how much our hearts connected, I was haunted by the fear that they would eventually turn on me. Seeing Yui’s expression now-so much softer and calmer than usual-I felt ashamed of my own pettiness. Basking in the tolerance of a woman far better than I deserved, I realized I was truly blessed to have sought out this Beneficent Goddess.
Once that knot of anxiety loosened, all that remained was a profound, aching devotion.
”Nnh♡ H-hey! Save that for the Workshop!♡” Yui squeaked. “Now is… an important time for verification!♡ You need to learn to control those base feelings just a little bit!♡”
”Sorry! But wait-I see. Just as your sanctuary reaches into my deepest parts, the influence of the [Familial Workshop] reaches right through your defenses, doesn’t it?”
With my fear gone, a sudden surge of desire caused the mark on the Goddess’s thigh to flare. It was undeniable proof. Even while bound by the rules of the workshop, Yui still held genuine affection for her master.
I turned away in embarrassment, shaking off the stray thoughts. I took a deep breath to steady my heart. When I looked back, Yui was wearing her usual, gentle smile.
”Anyway… since you went through the trouble of giving me this trial, I’m going to solve it.”
”Good. I’m counting on you♡,” Yui said softly. “I expect great things from my Apostle as he strives to fulfill my long-cherished wish.”
If she knew the answer, she could have just told me. But if I was going to rule over Goddesses and Labyrinths, I had to use my own wits. I gave Yui a quick wave and sprinted toward the exit of the [Safety Area]⁵.
”How’s it looking out here?” I asked.
”Look at this, Yuuri,” Marina replied, not turning her head. “Even with a [Holy Sword] and [Holy Armor] combo, you couldn’t balance a skill this strong without the immobility restriction.”
”Yes,” Ashley added. “And since no corpses are left behind, the monster density near the entrance has plummeted.”
The two of them stood dazed by the absolute power of the [Great Sanctuary].
”Whoa! If Marina had this, she could farm [Divine Grace]⁶ all day!” Ashley exclaimed.
”Maybe, but my current skills suit me better,” Marina said. “Though I admit, this makes me want to take the easy way out.”
It had been strangely quiet during my talk with Yui. The skill treated its area of effect as a serene place of prayer, dampening the horrific screeches of the monsters for those inside. Any Langosta that tried to pounce was pulverized the instant it hit the boundary of light. They were crushed by their own momentum, falling away as dust before they could set a foot inside. The hills, once a nightmare of shifting carapaces, were now a peaceful, pastoral scene.
”Incredible,” I said. “But like I told you, I can’t move her.”
”If Yui recommended this, there has to be a way,” Marina said, her golden eyes flashing with insight. “She’s soft on you, Yuuri. Did she give you any advice?”
I recounted Yui’s words. Marina listened, then gave a sharp nod.
”I see. So the hint isn’t near the user, but at the edge of the effect. Tell me-do you feel any difference between the center and where we are now?”
”Nothing stands out. The force of the sanctuary seems uniform all the way to the edge.”
The moment I voiced that thought, Marina’s lips curled into a knowing smile.
”Yuuri… how exactly did you confirm the force is ‘uniform’ all the way to the edge? The Workshop isn’t big enough to reach the boundary, and we’re still inside the [Safety Area], isn’t it?”
”Oh. I mentioned the [Tentacle Space] is affected, right? Well, when I was walking toward the exit, the edge of that space slipped out of the effective range and-“
Marina’s gaze was intense. She’d found it-the final piece of the puzzle.
Therefore, I also strive to remain calm, choosing my words to explain my own perception, which has completely changed from that of a normal person.
At that moment, Marina-san’s expression brightened, and she showed me a powerful clench of her fist in front of her chest.
”–That’s it! Yui is, Yuuri-kun⁷ must have wanted you to know how the (Great Sanctuary) behaves relative to other spaces!”
”Other? Wait a sec. Weren’t we talking about the power of the skill?”
At times, Marina-san leaves mediocre brains behind because of her brilliance.
Therefore, she arrives at ideas that ordinary people cannot reach, which makes me feel reassured, but at the same time, it makes me feel the piercing misery of how I could never stand alongside the Golden Girl, even by mistake.
However, she is a fine wife who has offered herself along with our conspiracy. Sensing the bitterness that must have been on my face, she immediately ran over, took my hand, and gave me a bitter smile as if sharing that helplessness.
”It’s simple! Originally, once activated, the effect range of (Great Sanctuary) is fixed relative to space, right? But, when Yuuri-kun moved, the edge of the (Great Sanctuary) moved relative to the tentacle space that overlaps and moves with him. Then, if… for example, we have Yui-chan deploy (Great Sanctuary) inside the Workshop, and then Yuuri-kun, who went outside, moves through the Labyrinth…?”
”–Ah! To a different space… in other words, the edge of the (Great Sanctuary) moves relative to the Labyrinth located in the outside world…!”
In other words, it is nothing other than being able to march through a field where large numbers of monsters roam while carrying the effect range of the (Great Sanctuary), which is supposed to be immobile. This skill, whose biggest drawback is the sole inability to move, will be released from that yoke (kubiki)–.
”Wait. Before we celebrate prematurely, we have to verify it first.”
”Th-That’s right. Then let’s immediately ask Yui-chan to enter the Workshop–uwa-kyah!?”
Before I knew it, the problem was nothing special, but it has not yet left the realm of hypothesis. Therefore, before puffing out my chest with confidence, the order of business is to first instruct Yui-chan to cooperate with the experiment.
Just as I turned my back to the entrance and started to run toward the Goddess, the giant body of a Langosta stuck to the barrier behind us with a loud noise.
In that moment, forgetting that this was the inside of a “Safety Area,” a cramped scream escaped from everyone’s throats in unison. When I reflexively braced myself, the reinforcement of (Great Sanctuary) had vanished before I knew it, and Yui-chan, who had become free, was approaching while floating.
”Geez, you’re slow to notice☆ Especially Yuuri-kun☆, since you’re the most skilled among us at manipulating space, you should have noticed first without needing Marina-chan to help you.”
”Ugh, guh… My apologies… No, setting that aside, I can’t forgive this current prank that dampened our joy!”
Where did that majesty like a merciful mother, which made one want to prostrate themselves until recently, go?
Against Yui-chan, who was cackling with a wicked smile again, my thread of patience, which wasn’t very strong to begin with, snapped easily.
”You shitty Goddess! I thought about doing it quietly at the Workshop entrance, but I’ll throw you into the tentacle room until the verification is finished so you can’t turn off (Great Sanctuary)!”
”Eh, wait-ch♡ Wa-Wait♡ If you do that, no, if I have the skill I can avoid getting showered by that sticky-sticky stuff, but♡ But, leaving me in such a wiggly-wriggly disgusting place the whole time–kyahhhhh♡♡”
Tyranny is permitted only because of the power of a God. It is necessary to have Yui-chan, who has taken a human form, understand that.
The habit of behaving willfully because no one has ever defied her probably hasn’t left her, but thinking of the future, I couldn’t postpone that correction.
Therefore, using the characteristics of a servant, I bypass the Workshop and call her back to the tentacle space. When I sent the tentacles toward her intending to toy (nabu) with her, the meat-vines were helplessly blocked by a film of light just before touching her fair skin.
”–It seems it activated safely? But are you okay? Won’t the tentacles get blown away by (Great Sanctuary)?”
”Yeah. Even if she hates it, the fact that she’s a tentacle-loving s*x-maniac doesn’t change. I used the crotch tattoo⁸ for that. …As expected, I don’t think we’ll cross the 83rd floor with this. But the experiment of whether we can move around while carrying her can be sufficiently done like this.”
Even now, Yui-chan’s glossy apologies and shrill cries continue in the tentacle space.
But, those screams, which are pleasant to the ear, are unknown to the other servants. Therefore, although I was in a noticeably good mood to Marina-san and the others, I carried the Goddess like a festival float and used the long ‘stairs’ of the “Safety Area” to nonchalantly perform the movement experiment of the (Great Sanctuary) effect range.
—
Summary:
Yuuri attempts to move the immobilized Yui but fails due to her skill’s protective barrier. After a moment of intimacy and realization that their powers still interact, Yuuri joins Marina and Ashley at the dungeon entrance. Marina notices a critical clue regarding the uniform nature of the skill’s area of effect.
Marina discovers a loophole in Yui’s ‘Great Sanctuary’ skill that allows its immobile field to move if the anchor point (Yui) is inside a sub-space like the Workshop. Yuuri tests this by throwing Yui into a tentacle-filled sub-space to act as a mobile buff station. The chapter ends with Yuuri successfully moving the sanctuary field through a safe zone.
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Trivia:
- Yui’s skill is a proxy for the Goddess Shelm’s power, which Yui herself cannot fully perceive anymore.
- The ‘Tentacle Space’ is a separate dimension that can overlap with the physical world.
- Langosta corpses are immediately recycled by the labyrinth under the skill’s influence.
- The skill acts as a sound dampener, creating a ‘serene prayer space’ even amidst a monster horde.
- The ‘Great Sanctuary’ is normally immobile and fixed to the ground.
- Yuuri and Marina are in a ‘conspiracy’ together.
- Yui’s behavior shifts drastically from ‘Holy Mother’ to ‘Wicked Goddess’ when the skill is deactivated.
- The tentacles in the sub-space cannot touch Yui while the Sanctuary is active, creating a standoff.
- Yuuri uses a ‘crotch tattoo’ (Inmon) as a control mechanism to manage Yui’s hostility/arousal
—
Character Insight:
Yuuri struggles with the morality of his ‘Servant’ system but finds reassurance in Yui’s genuine affection. Marina proves her worth as a tactical genius by spotting the mechanical loophole Yuuri missed.
Marina shows her intellectual superiority while remaining a supportive ‘wife’ to Yuuri. Yuuri demonstrates a cold, pragmatic streak by using Yui’s masochistic nature and a magical brand to turn a goddess into a mobile utility tool.
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Behind the Scenes:
The title ‘Palanquin’ (Mikoshi) refers to the traditional Japanese portable shrine used to carry a deity during festivals, mirroring Yui’s status as a powerful but stationary object being ‘carried’ by the plot/Yuuri.
The author uses the ‘Langosta’ jump-scare to transition from theoretical discussion to the practical need for defense.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Shelm – Wicked Goddess, reincarnated Yuuri, manipulative, wants him to use his power.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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