As soon as we crossed the portal, Sven Parav asked: «So... why me?».
It was a pretty strange question. Not because of the content of the question, but because of the moment in which it was asked.
«Why are you asking me that after I've crossed the portal?»
«... I thought maybe it would be a difficult question to answer in front of everyone else.»
Hmm, so that was really the reason. The more I saw him, the more I realized that he had a slightly sensitive side, and he also seemed quite loyal.
«Why me anyway?», he repeated. «If you needed a paladin, there were other people too...».
I gave him my honest answer. «I didn't choose you because you are a paladin».
«...Sorry?»
«I chose you because it's you».
Parav opened his eyes wide.
I was already expecting it. It was not just any statement. It was a powerful and moving reason, something that resonated in the heart every time it was said-.
That's how it should have been, at least. But for some reason, Parav turned pale and took a few steps back, as if distancing himself from something.
«...What's going on?»
When I revealed my confusion and took a step towards him, he took another equal step back before covering his upper body with his arms.
Seeing the alert look in his eyes, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. I could guess what this fool was thinking. I mean, I had experienced something similar not long ago.
«Don't get me wrong», I warned him. «Before I break your head».
«So... are you saying the rumor isn't true?».
«Rumor?»
«That... you like men-»
«Stop», I cut him off. And then, I said the same thing I said before to exonerate myself. «I love women. I love women very much».
«...is that so?» My sincerity seemed to have reached him as the alert in his eyes faded a little, but he seemed to have one last question. «So what did you mean by what you just said...?».
Not because he was a paladin, but because he was Sven Parav.
The meaning of these words was simple: it was just as it sounded. What he needed to defeat the Guardian was not a paladin, but this guy.
I think it turned out well.
I could already consider my plan half successful because this guy went through the portal without resisting.
«Did you feel anything when you entered this place? Anything that worried or bothered you?».
He denied it, then seemed to realize what my intentions were. «Oh, was that why...?».
I shrugged once and didn't give him any verbal confirmation.
With that, that issue was settled.
We moved on to talk about how to deal with the boss, and although this was practically cheating, as it was someone who had played this game before coming here, he was well informed of the initial states of the boss fight. He also quickly understood everything I told him.
«So how do you know all this, Lord Baron?».
He was also curious about my level of knowledge, but it wasn't difficult for me to find a decent excuse. I mean, I wasn't just any barbarian.
«When you become noble, you gain access to information that most normal people cannot access».
«The other nobles didn't seem to know either...»
«They are not adventurers. They don't even care about the maze unless it can make them money».
«Ah... that's true». Parav willingly accepted my reasoning and left his interrogation there.
When we finished reviewing the official plan, I thought about going to the fight immediately, but I ended up deciding to take a little more time to talk to him. On second thought, I didn't have many opportunities to talk to him like that in private.
I started with an easy topic.
«Sven Parav, what is your life like in the temple?».
«Honestly it's not that bad. After applying to leave the clergy, I was rejected a bit... but honestly, this might be easier for me».
Leaving the clergy meant that he would leave his life in the temple and become an ordinary citizen again. Once the ceremony was over, the person no longer had any obligation to obey the words of the temple.
«What is the specific process for leaving the clergy?» As a person far from the faith, I was somewhat curious about it. He had heard that he wouldn't need to cut off his little finger to leave, but he didn't believe that the Church of the Three Gods would let go a paladin they had raised too easily.
«It's not a big deal. I just need to let go of the blessing I received from the goddess and everything I received from the temple».
«Everything you received from the temple?»
«Haha, it means I won't have a single thing in my pockets. Everything I have right now I got while I was part of the temple. Oh, and I'll have to start paying taxes starting next year».
Simply put, he could leave after giving up everything he had. In some ways, this might seem a lot worse than just having your pinky cut off.
«But I'm not afraid», he added. «Miss Gowland promised she would support me to... Wait, Lord Baron, didn't you know any of this?».
Suddenly, Parav seemed to panic in the middle of the conversation. I just smiled and tapped him on the shoulder. «Don't worry. I will take responsibility for you until the end».
«Uf… exo casi surprises me».
«But you are very calm with all this. Doesn't that mean you won't be able to grow up after leaving the clergy?»
Paladins were different from ordinary adventurers. Like priests and magicians, they could not eat essences. However, they could gain new authority by accumulating Contribution. And there were many ways to get Contribution. They could hunt monsters in the maze, pay with money, or complete missions entrusted by the Church. After accumulating Contributions in these ways, the Grand Archbishop would periodically come to pray for them, and they would gain a skill after sleeping one night. That is why the authority of the Grand Archbishop was also so powerful.
«Well... It's not like I can help it, right? If I stay there, I'll end up dead at some point. And it's not like the goddess never gives new authorities after I leave, so I'm hopeful.»
«You will need to kill more monsters».
«I feel like if I continue with you, I will naturally hunt more monsters...»
He seemed like a light and usually easy character, but as I talked to him now, I could tell that he was also doing his best to lead a diligent life. Maybe that's why I was curious about something new.
If this guy could come back, would he?
He had signed up for the contest when Auril Gavis had put the escape ticket as a grand prize, but he had abandoned it shortly after starting. Furthermore, after the Ice Rock Expedition, he had openly shown his anger and said that he would seek revenge on us.
But... how can I ask you that?
After thinking about it for a moment, I asked him an indirect question.
«Sven Parav, I want to ask you something».
«Please, Mr. Baron.»
«Are you... dating someone right now?»
«Excuse me?»
He seemed surprised as if he had misheard the question, but it was a pretty serious question on my part. Depending on how he answered this question, he might know how he saw this world.
«I ask you if you are in a relationship with a woman right now».
«Yo, um... yo no... »
«Hmm, is that so...?» So I could only ask one different question.
While I was thinking that and was about to ask him...
«But!», he continued quickly. «I have a person... No, I have a woman in my heart!»
For some reason, he took a few more steps away from me.
Who was the woman holding Sven Parav's heart?
I peppered him with questions about it, but he just lowered his head and didn't answer. That confirmed to me that he really had someone in his heart.
«It's not really Miss Gowland. She's more of, uh, a t-teacher...»
«Do you mean you like someone naive and weak?»
«No-I don't mean that!»
«I know. I'm kidding.»
It was so much fun messing with this guy.
I tapped him on the back before getting up. Maybe it was because we had just shared a personal conversation, but I felt like we had gotten a little closer and I could understand a little better what kind of person he was.
«So, since we've talked enough, let's get going».
«Sí.»
With that, I left the starting point and crossed the hallway with him.
¡Crujido!
Without us having to do anything, the door to the boss's room opened as soon as we approached it. After entering, the door closed immediately behind us with a harsh sound.
¡Fwoosh!
It was dark inside, but thanks to the fact that I went into barbaric mode with candles, we could see without much problem.
Left, right, forward: these three paths were revealed to us, but the Rift Guardian was nowhere to be found, as expected. The Guardian we were trying to hunt this time was more special than any other creature.
Step step.
The maze we were walking through: this whole maze was the boss we had to fight. More specifically, it could be considered the first phase of the boss.
[Guardian of the Soul Hauciel has launched Defense System].
The moment we began to advance, the smooth wall that showed no imperfections suddenly opened and a mana cannon appeared.
¡Bum! ¡Bum!
It didn't hurt me much, but the damage was enough to kill those crystal body wizards with a single shot. It was another reason I took Sven Parav with me. Paladins could act as sub-tanks, and were capable of healing themselves as well.
«Are you okay?» Asked.
«Ah... yes. It just surprised me a little. I'm fine».
Well, that seemed pretty true. If he could get hurt by something like that, I wouldn't have brought him here in the first place.
«So let's keep moving.»
After that, mana cannons, picture frame monsters, and other such attacks continued to periodically appear, and after wandering around the maze for a while, the space we had designated as our destination appeared.
A square stone room, and in the center of it, a mana stone the size of a watermelon. Destroying it would put an end to the first phase.
¡Crunch!
As soon as I hit her with the hammer, a strange howl reminiscent of a banshee echoed throughout space as the world turned black.
When I opened my eyes, the space around us had changed. We were in the hallway of an old school mansion. However, the hallway seemed to reflect on itself and seemed to stretch out eternally as if we were in a dream.
«You said we had to go through the rooms and look for the second mana stone», Parav muttered.
«To be precise, it's not 'us'. You have to do it».
«Ah... si...».
Afterwards, we moved together to search each room one by one. Honestly, it was embarrassing to call this a search. But in any case...
«Well... I don't feel any particular danger».
After opening the closed door, we would enter, and Parav would approach the closed box in the center of the room and open it.
¡Bang!
Everything else was left to chance. The activated trap would poison him, summon monsters to fight us for a while, or even give him an annoying curse.
«That one... I don't think we should open it».
If it felt even a little strange, we marked the room before leaving it. If in the end we couldn't find the mana stone, we could go back to those and open them one by one.
This is definitely taking a while as I'm having it open by itself.
If I searched the rooms with him, we could shorten the time needed quite a bit, but it can't be helped.
[The Hauciel Soul Guardian Defense System becomes stronger.]
Even if this guy was a boss who became stronger over time.
...We could both die, so how can I risk opening one?
There was a trap here that shouldn't even exist. The probability was one in ten thousand. No, it was closer to an event that would occur once in a hundred thousand boxes.
I'm not even going to touch one.
Luck.
In the face of misfortune, talking about numbers made no sense. I knew it better than anyone.
I mean, there is an event that would be positive for us too.
There was only one of these two events, and the probability for either of them was quite similar. So when I was playing this game, I believed that the creator of the game had put both on purpose so that players couldn't just open all the chests.
So that they depended solely and exclusively on luck.
Anyway, realistically I shouldn't even wait for the golden chest...
«Um... Lord Baron...?»
When Parav called out to me in a slightly dazed voice, I turned to look at him before freezing.
«…¿Eh?»
The box opened wide like a dead mime.
Shine!
And a bright light sprouted from within.