The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - 37

“Oh? You guys are entering here today?”

As we cut down the zombies and wraiths that appeared, we advanced further into the demon castle, and the entrance to the chapel came into view.

In front of the massive door stood one of the academy teachers and a national adventurer.

This was the most accident-prone area in the castle that we were investigating, so they had stationed personnel here as a precaution.

“How many groups are inside?”

We had started late, probably because we took some time preparing. I thought I would gather a bit of information about the other groups’ progress.

“You’re the tenth group so far.”

The teacher answered my question.

“With that many people, it seems like things should be fine even if something happens.”

Melissa sighed in relief, a look of reassurance on her face.

“Don’t let your guard down. If you see another group in danger, offer them help.”

The national adventurer warned us.

“Of course.”

Lorraine placed her hand on her chest as she responded, and we opened the door and entered.

As soon as we stepped into the chapel, we spotted several groups of students. Not too far in, they were engaged in battle with ghouls alongside their adventurer escorts.

As expected from those preparing for the national adventurer exam, they held their ground well against multiple ghouls, while the remaining escorts kept a vigilant eye on the surroundings to ensure no harm came to the academy students.

It seemed that the nine groups who entered before us had decided it was safer to move together as a group.

We, however, didn’t join them and proceeded further in.

From the atmosphere, I could tell that Melissa and the other three weren’t particularly close with the students in this chapel.

“Still, it’s creepy, isn’t it? Did they really worship such a grotesque god?”

Lucia spoke, looking into the distance. A massive statue, tall enough to reach the ceiling, stood there. Its form depicted a demon, giving off an eerie aura as though it might move at any moment.

“We worship the goddess Muse, but the Demon King is said to have worshiped an evil god. These kinds of statues are found in ruins elsewhere too, all wrapped in miasma, attracting monsters.”

“Really? You know a lot from your long adventuring career. Could you tell me more later for my report?”

Melissa smiled casually as she spoke to Blaze.

“Uh… Sure, I don’t mind.”

Blaze seemed a bit flustered but agreed.

Maybe it was because things had calmed down a bit, but the atmosphere between the two seemed more relaxed.

“To think there’s an evil god opposing the goddess Muse. I can’t understand those who would worship such a thing.”

Hearing our conversation, Lorraine glared at the statue with hatred in her eyes.

“Lorraine’s a devout follower of Muse,” Lucia whispered to me with a mischievous grin.

I wondered how Lorraine would react if I told her I had met the goddess Muse before.

Of course, I had never told anyone about it—not my father, mother, or even Celia. I had no intention of doing so.

If I said something like that, I’d either be seen as insane or be hunted down as a blasphemer falsely claiming to speak for the goddess Muse.

It’s best to stay quiet. Nothing good would come from saying anything.

“By the way, Klaus, I have a favor to ask. Is that alright?”

“What is it, Melissa?”

As we advanced cautiously through the chapel, Melissa spoke to me.

“When we defeat the ghouls, could you collect their poisonous claws?”

“I don’t mind, but why?”

Seeing my puzzled expression, Lorraine joined the conversation.

“Several of us, myself included, are majoring in alchemy at the academy. The poison of C-rank monsters like ghouls can be used as alchemical materials, so we thought we could collect some while we’re here.”

“That makes sense. In that case, let’s put some effort into defeating them.”

Now that I understood the request, I had no reason to refuse. It also explained why the group we saw earlier was hunting ghouls.

Soon, three ghouls appeared in front of me.

“Klaus, should I go forward too?”

“No, I can handle this alone. Please protect the others.”

I left the protection of the three to Blaze and unsheathed my Sun Sword, rushing forward.

“Guuuuuurrruuuuu!”

A dark, heart-wrenching voice that sounded as if it could grip one’s soul echoed.

“Eek!”

A scream. Judging by the voice, it seemed to be Lucia.

“Don’t get cocky!”

—”Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”—

I opened my mouth, unleashing an intimidating roar at the ghouls.

“Guu… Aaaa!?”

The ghouls froze in confusion. It seemed the Intimidation (Medium) skill I inherited from Feni had taken effect.

“Now they’re wide open!”

Striking a stationary enemy was easy. As I swung my Sun Sword horizontally, the three ghouls were sliced in half, their upper bodies separating from their lower halves as they collapsed to the ground.

“Unbelievable. Taking down ghouls in an instant…”

Blaze looked at me, amazed.

“Are… Are they really dead?”

Lucia timidly peeked out from behind Blaze.

Since ghouls were originally corpses that moved after absorbing miasma, I hesitated for a moment on how to respond.

“Undead monsters are resilient. They can still move in this state, so please stay back.”

I warned the three of them to keep their distance and proceeded to sever the ghouls’ heads, hands, and feet, making sure they were completely immobilized.

Despite their appearances, ghouls’ bodies were toughened by miasma, so dismembering them was usually difficult with normal weapons. However, the sharpness of the Sun Sword was unmatched, making the task much easier.

After removing the ghouls’ claws and placing them in a leather bag, I handed them to Lorraine.

“Will this be alright?”

“Th-Thank you, Klaus… But, um, I’m sorry… Could you hold onto them for a little longer?”

Lorraine’s face had turned pale, her expression tense. It was understandable; the claws were still moving inside the bag, making it change shape in a creepy way.

“I don’t mind. I’ll hold onto them until they stop moving.”

As I forced a smile…

“Oh, Lorraine’s scared. You know, you won’t be able to practice alchemy without touching the materials, right?”

Lucia began teasing Lorraine.

“Honestly, even as an adventurer, I find this pretty gross.”

Blaze stepped in to defend Lorraine.

“Exactly. If you say that, Lucia, I’ll slip one of those claws down your back while you sleep.”

Melissa grinned mischievously, threatening Lucia.

Imagining the situation, Lucia’s face turned pale.

“Eek! Please don’t even joke about that!”

Tears welled up in Lucia’s eyes as she grabbed Melissa’s arm, pleading.

Everyone laughed, the mood lightening. I began to think we’d complete our escort mission without any problems today when…

—BOOOOOOM!!!—

“What was that explosion!?”

“It came from the entrance!”

I locked eyes with Lorraine and heard her speak.

“No academy student has the ability to cast magic that would make a sound like that.”

The three of them exchanged uneasy glances, and Blaze and I nodded at each other.

“Let’s go check it out.”

Everything had been progressing smoothly until now, but then an irregularity occurred.