337 - Power of the Temple 2

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: Posted in discord

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5★ ‘Saint Candidate’ Irene.

5★ ‘Saint Candidate’ Laurencia.

I wondered how their titles could overlap like this, but thinking it over, it wasn't that strange. The Goddess Faith was modeled after monotheistic Abrahamic[1] religions, with a slight fantasy twist.

In other words, the title of Saint wasn't exclusive to one chosen person but was a title for those who performed miracles in the name of the Goddess.

It was similar to how knights could handle aura when they reached a certain level, or how mages could use advanced magic when they reached their peak.

Just because the Kingdom's Knight Commander reached the level of a Sword Master and could use aura didn't mean I was prohibited from using aura.

"Indeed, it’s Sister Irene! It's been a long time!"

"How did you end up inside the tower, on the 50th floor?"

While I was thinking that, the two saint candidates, like old friends, squealed and clasped hands. Seeing this, the robed men hiding in the alley approached and slowly removed their hoods.

As expected, under the gray robes were white armors. Unlike the Royal Knights, these Temple Knights had the Goddess's symbol prominently displayed on their white armor. After all, since the saint candidate had reached the 50th floor of the unconquered tower, she would need a guard.

As Grace and Katie released their weapons, the Temple Knights made the sign of the cross and nodded in greeting, while the two saint candidates entered into a lively conversation.

Irene, a radiant beauty with golden hair and eyes, and Laurencia, a lively girl with bright brown hair matching her cheerful smile, looked beautiful together. Han Se-ah seemed to think this was a great scene and focused the camera on them without a word.

-Roughly speaking, keep rubbing until the glacier melts.

-Whether rubbing or whatever, ask them how they ended up on the 50th floor.

-A lively girl clinging to a kind older sister, this is what it's all about, haha! The 50th-floor is crazy

[Chat deleted by the mod]

-Yuri fanboys, how excited are you right now?

"Even as saint candidates, they act no different from high school girls. If you just listened to the sound, it feels less like a 50th-floor infiltration operation and more like a snack shop in front of the high school next door."

Despite Han Se-ah's assessment, the two saint candidates continued their excited chatter.

Laurencia was clinging to Irene with such vigor that the Temple Knights behind them looked flustered, seemingly wanting to intervene.

Luckily, the harpies didn’t seem interested, probably still engaged in battles with the knights. However, the stone dwarves in the workshops and the few adventurers kidnapped to the 50th floor by harpies were looking at us curiously.

Were those guys kidnapped while trying to take on the harpies, or were they people who climbed up to make some money and went missing?

"For now, let's move. There's no need to talk on the street, and we're drawing attention."

"Yes, sister!"

It wasn't good to gather over ten people on the street. Especially among the stone dwarves kidnapped and exploited city-wide, and the human adventurers trapped in the tower, unable to descend.

Nodding at Irene's words, Laurencia immediately grabbed her hand. They looked like close sisters, bringing fatherly smiles to the Temple Knights who had been awkwardly watching.

But only for a moment. The largest middle-aged man among the knights stepped forward at Irene's words. He seemed to be the captain of the escort team, naturally moving to Laurencia’s side to whisper something in her ear. Of course, trying to lower his voice didn’t mean we couldn't hear it. Both he and I knew that, so his words were likely meant for us to hear as well.

"Thanks to our collaborators, we have prepared a lodging. Let me guide you there, Lady Laurencia."

"Please, lead the way, sir!"

And so, the two saint candidates walked side by side at the front, proudly showing off a combined 10 ★s, followed closely by the Temple Knights' escort team and an adventurer party, forming a strange procession.

---

Raei Translations

---

The place the escort captain, referred to as 'sir,' led us to was a stone house with a roof. Laurencia cheerfully explained that harpies considered roofed houses to be livestock pens, so it was safe. She naturally pulled Irene to a large table.

As soon as Irene sat down, Laurencia started speaking before the others could enter the building. Her liveliness could easily be seen as talkativeness or rudeness, but her cuteness made it easy for everyone to overlook.

Maybe they were used to it since they followed her around as guards.

"It's been so long, sister! Since we last prayed together at the temple... Oh my, how long has it been?"

"Yes, it's been a long time, Laurencia."

"Hey, call me by my nickname."

"...Alright, Laurie."

So Laurencia's nickname was Laurie. This amused the Korean and Japanese viewers, who started spamming weird emojis.

Making fun of other languages is mean, but the term "Loli Saint" was powerful enough to make even Han Se-ah, who usually enforced censorship, burst out laughing. Despite Han Se-ah's awkward reaction, Laurencia continued her story. What she said next left us all stunned.

She began with a story that started when we had discovered the Harpy Kingdom on the 43rd floor.

"Wait a minute, Laurie. You’ve been moving since then?"

"Yes! I heard there's a city on each floor, so I wanted to climb as high as I could."

Her story was shocking even to the seasoned viewers.

"...You came to pilgrimage through the harpy cities?"

"Yes! But unlike the harpy kingdom, they enslave stone dwarves and kidnap people here!"

Laurencia's reckless adventure began when the harpy kingdom friendly to humans appeared on the 43rd floor.

Laurencia believed that true faith required proper teachings, a belief inspired by her connection with Irene. She said it was because of Irene that she held such beliefs.

Meeting at the temple, the kind teachings of the nun, who joined the party of the chosen hero and the wielder of the holy sword to purify unholy places humanity hadn't reached! And at the end of that arduous journey, she reformed the races suffering under the Demon King!

"So, you entered the tower for that?"

"Yes! Many people who appreciated my talent helped me a lot!"

Aside from her almost tomboyish actions, she was also a 5★ 'saint candidate' like Irene, backed by divine energy.

She proudly declared that she would walk the path of trials... and went straight to the 50th floor.

'Is she insane? That kind of determination...'

Unlike Irene, Laurencia was the second daughter of a noble family who devoted herself to the temple instead of an arranged marriage, wielding innate divine energy as a 5★. Thanks to Han Se-ah's play, gates opened every ten floors in the tower.

Various circumstances intertwined to bring her to the 50th floor.

"But the underground passage wouldn't have been open..."

"We climbed the mountain!"

"...You climbed the mountain to get here? So you spent a whole month climbing?"

While we were slowly tackling each floor from the 43rd, Laurencia went straight to the 50th via the surface. She smiled brightly, saying that she received supplies from the many kidnapped human adventurers in the harpy empire.

Her bright smile left our party members feeling like awkward sacks of barley.

Of course, what she faced wasn't a warm embrace but a fascist feathered harpy leader who enslaved other races and indulged in imperialism.

-Is this what it takes to be a 5★? She's terrifying, seriously, lol.

-Camping for a month in the highest-level zone with monsters and harpies? Even players wouldn't do that.

-Talking about it with a smile is true madness...

-Why do characters from the temple always seem to have a screw loose, except for the mommy?

-I thought she followed the knights a long way, but it turns out she led them here, crazy girl, lol.

"So, while we were watching mercenary raiders, discovering underground monsters, and capturing a city every three days, she just climbed mountains, crossed cliffs, traversed rope bridges, and speed-ran all the way up to the 50th floor?"

[Speedrun master Kim donated 10,000 won!]

If you defeat the 50th-floor boss here and there aren't any problems with the quest, that means you could speed run via the surface route.

"Right? Instead of tunneling underground and fighting monsters, it might be faster to hire a harpy or defeat one and travel to the 50th floor via the surface. But you'd need a character capable of hunting the 50th-floor boss without leveling from the 40th to the 50th floor."

As the viewers were overwhelmed by shock and awe, the loli saint opened her mouth again, delivering a second blow of shock to the chat.

"So, sister, I came here to gather the stone dwarf brothers and the imprisoned adventurers to escape... Will that noisy battle continue?"

Could it be that Laurencia's inspiration was Moses leading the Exodus from Egypt?

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

---

[1. raei: religions claim to be monotheistic, worshiping an exclusive God]

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