NOVEL NEXT Chapter 329: Deep Sea Temple
I avoided the chase of the Archangels and jumped into the site of the Deep Sea Temple together with Queen Noel.
“Ouch…!” (Makoto)
I mitigate the fall to the ground with water magic.
But I couldn’t block everything.
I stood up unsteadily and looked at Queen Noel who I was hugging.
Queen Noel had lost consciousness in my arms.
Her breathing is normal and she isn’t injured.
I am worried about her, but I have to do something about the Archangels chasing us first.
“…Eh?” (Makoto)
I hurriedly looked back, but the Archangels that were chasing us with expressionless faces like that of merciless assassins were nowhere to be seen.
No, that’s not all.
“The Angels are gone?” (Makoto)
The Angels covering the sky were gone.
There’s instead something falling into the sea.
That’s…the scales of Leviathan?
The only ones remaining are the Undines that I called.
“Our King! Congratulations!”
Dia appeared in front of me while I was spacing out, her eyes damp.
Her body is not bleeding, but it is in tatters.
“Dia, are you okay? Just what in the world is going on…?” (Makoto)
“You have arrived! Our King has cleared the annoying trial of the Holy Gods! I will thank my sisters and see them off to their own planets.” (Dia)
“You are terribly injured, Dia. Wouldn’t it be better to rest?” (Makoto)
“Fufu…I am a Spirit. Something like this will heal in no time. More importantly, head to the place of the Goddess-sama…” (Dia)
Dia smiled brightly and disappeared.
She is restless but I am glad she is okay.
The Great Water Spirits that helped me out are going to be returning to their original planets.
What I am also worried about is…
(Well done, Takatsuki Makoto!)
(Astaroth?! Are you okay?!) (Makoto)
The one who called me with Thought Transmission was the Demon Lord that served as a distraction for us.
(I was saved by the Time Spirit… But I lost half of my body because of an attack of the Divine Beast. I don’t think I will be able to move for a while. I am currently healing my body at a random island.) (Astaroth)
(H-Half of your body?! You are not fine at all!) (Makoto)
Or more like, you would normally die from that.
(It is thanks to the sacred treasure armor. This body that should have originally been dying is recovering. Kukuku, what a wonderful sacred treasure. I thank you for giving this to me, Takatsuki Makoto.) (Astaroth)
(I am just lending it to you, okay…?) (Makoto)
(……Now then, I am tired. Gonna take a nap.) (Astaroth)
(O-Oi!) (Makoto)
He cut off the Thought Transmission.
I hope he is not trying to pocket it for himself.
But I am glad Astaroth is okay.
It seems like the memento of Cain was of use.
‘Tahaah’, I take a deep breath.
I look up at the sky.
*…….Zuzuzuzuzuzuzu*
There’s Leviathan doing its best in pushing the moon.
Speaking of which…the moon was in the middle of falling.
The Miracle prank of Nyaru-sama should be over now, so it should be returning to its normal orbit.
Or more like, it would be troubling if it doesn’t.
I felt a bit of respect towards the Divine Beast that is pushing the moon that’s bigger than its head.
(Do your best~, Leviathan.) (Makoto)
I don’t know if it read my mind, but…
*Glare*
It glared this way.
Hieh!
I ended up averting my gaze.
In that direction I moved my gaze…laid the Deep Sea Temple shining golden.
“Big!” (Makoto)
That was my first word.
From afar, the Deep Sea Temple looked the size of the Tokyo Dome…but I was completely wrong.
The height is that of a multistory building, and it is so wide that I can’t see the corners.
It is a construction that would be impossible for it to be man-made.
“…Hn.”
At that moment, the unconscious Queen Noel woke up.
“Noel-san, are you okay?” (Makoto)
“Where…is this?” (Noel)
Looks like she is still not fully conscious yet, but her complexion isn’t bad.
It doesn’t seem like she is injured.
I asked her about the Moon Goddess and it seems like she isn’t in her body anymore.
Being descended for too long goes straight to the path of crippling, so it seems she has properly taken that into consideration.
I am glad it didn’t turn into something that I wouldn’t be able to face Sakurai-kun about.
“……Wow.” (Noel)
Queen Noel was being overwhelmed by the grandeur of the Deep Sea Temple.
I am also in a similar position.
“Let’s go, Noel-san.” (Makoto)
“Y-Yes.” (Noel)
We can’t just stay standing here forever.
The reason why I came here is in order to have Noah-sama help us save the world.
I walked to the front and Queen Noel was a bit behind, holding my clothes.
We slowly advanced into the Deep Sea Temple.
◇◇
“We don’t seem to be arriving at the place at all…” (Makoto)
“Right…” (Noel)
Queen Noel and I have been walking for close to 1 hour.
Even though the Deep Sea Temple is visible right in front of us, the size of it is bigger than that of the capital of Highland.
Moreover, it is not a dilapidated open space, but a beautiful garden that is maintained thoroughly.
One of the Last Dungeons, the Deep Sea Temple.
However, despite being called a dungeon, there isn’t a single monster showing up.
We were walking through the peaceful garden without any interruptions.
We could fly there with a Water Phoenix, but this is the Last Dungeon that humanity hasn’t arrived at before.
Who knows what might show up, so we advanced carefully.
But it ended up with nothing happening and turning into a plain walk.
By the time we arrived close to the building, we were already exhausted.
“…We have finally arrived, Noel-san.” (Makoto)
“…Let’s go in, Makoto-san.” (Noel)
The Deep Sea Temple is like an ancient Greece building and thick pillars were surrounding the area.
The inside is dark. I don’t know how it works, but I can’t see anything from the entrance.
Fire altars were illuminating the path inside the temple.
—[Detection].
We continue walking carefully so that we can deal with it the moment an enemy shows up.
But that was unnecessary trouble.
Not only monsters, there wasn’t even the presence of life in the dark temple.
“This is a silent place.” (Makoto)
“Yeah.” (Noel)
The footsteps of Queen Noel and I were echoing creepily in the temple while we spoke.
Is Noah-sama really in a place like this?
Just when I began feeling uneasy…
““Eh?””
The scenery in front of us suddenly changed.
A blue sky.
A verdant plain that continues on as far as the eye can see.
This vibrant plain had glittering springs and trees with bright red apples.
It is an ephemeral sight.
And in this plain, there were many living beings there.
“Makoto-san! Just what in the world…” (Noel)
“Noel-san, stay behind me! Be careful!” (Makoto)
What happened?!
We should have been walking inside the dark temple.
Then why did we suddenly end up outside?
“Makoto-san, look at that!” (Noel)
“Dragon?!” (Makoto)
At a location not that far from here, there are two dragons leaning on each other and sleeping.
And close to that, there are also goblins and orcs.
But they are acting weird.
(Have they not noticed us?) (Makoto)
They are not fighting each other and it doesn’t look like they are bothered about us.
From what I can see, there’s a variety of monsters and creatures taking it easy here and there.
“Have they not noticed us?” (Noel)
“There’s no way…” (Makoto)
There’s no obstruction anywhere.
Normally, monsters would have long since attacked us.
The sound of big wings flapping resonated.
Two big griffons landed close to us.
““?!””
The alarm of Detection didn’t react at all.
I hurriedly take a stance with the Goddess Dagger and I concentrate in order to use magic at any moment.
But the two griffons were playing around with each other amicably.
Even though they have humans that can be their food right in front of them, it seems as if we are not in their sights at all.
“Let’s…move away slowly.” (Makoto)
“Yes, Makoto-san.” (Noel)
Queen Noel and I slowly take distance from the griffons to not stimulate them.
We managed to get away from the monsters and take a breath.
“Just what in the world is going on? What’s this place?” (Makoto)
“We should have been inside the Deep Sea Temple, right?” (Noel)
Queen Noel and I were conversing with agitated tones.
“This is the Deep Sea Temple.”
We were suddenly spoken to behind us.
When I turned around, there was a silver haired beauty floating there.
“Nyaru-sama?” (Makoto)
“A Goddess?!” (Noel)
Queen Noel hurriedly kneeled at my words.
I also kneeled a little bit later.
“Thank you for helping us. We managed to arrive at the Deep Sea Temple safely.” (Makoto)
“Fufufu… I managed to see something nice there. I didn’t expect you to really overcome the trial of Leviathan.” (Naia)
The Moon Goddess seems to be in a good mood.
“Uhm… Why are you descended in your Goddess appearance, Naia-sama?” (Noel)
“Noel-chan, I shall answer your question.” (Naia)
The Moon Goddess spun in midair.
“We Gods are prohibited from descending to the Mortal Realm. However, this place is a space that exists between the Mortal Realm and the Divine Realm. That’s why I can come here in this form.” (Naia)
I see. That’s why the Moon Goddess is in the same form as when I met her in my dream, huh.
At that moment, I noticed it.
“Noel-san, are you okay even when looking at the Goddess directly?” (Makoto)
“Eh? Yeah, I am.” (Noel)
Queen Noel was dumbfounded.
When you see a God directly, you supposedly lose your sanity or something like that.
“Noel-chan had me descended into her just a few moments ago after all. She probably has obtained strong resistance to Divinity.” (Naia)
“I see… That’s a relief.” (Makoto)
We can talk in peace with the Moon Goddess.
“Moon Goddess, you said before that this is the Deep Sea Temple, right?” (Makoto)
“That’s right, this is inside the Deep Sea Temple. Congratulations, Knight-kun! You have become history’s first conqueror of the Noah planet! Be greatly proud of it!” (Naia)
＼Waah!/＼Kyaaaa!/
*Clap clap clap clap*
As the Moon Goddess said this, cheers and applause of many people rang from who-knows-where.
…Looks like she went through the trouble of using magic for this theatric.
“T-Thanks.” (Makoto)
I thanked her twice.
“The monsters here won’t be attacking us, right? I feel like they don’t see us in the first place.” (Noel)
I also have the same question as Queen Noel.
This is a Last Dungeon.
I obviously thought there would be monsters I have never seen before striding this place, but they were monsters you could find anywhere.
There’s even many living beings like horses and sheeps that are not even monsters.
And, for some reason, all living beings were moving in sets of two.
“The reason for them being in sets of two is simple. All living beings here are male and female. Basically couples.” (Naia)
“Couples…as in mates?” (Makoto)
I see. It certainly does seem like all of them are getting along.
“More importantly, you have come to meet Noah-kun, right?” (Naia)
“Y-Yes.” (Makoto)
It is as the Moon Goddess says.
I have been on my tiptoes the whole time since the moment I entered the Last Dungeon.
But if I knew there was no danger, I would have hurried ahead.
“I will guide you. That said, you can see it from here though. Look at that building there.” (Naia)
In the direction the Moon Goddess pointed at…
—[Farsight].
There was a building standing on the plains.
It looks the same as the Deep Sea Temple that was at the back of Leviathan.
In other words, there’s a small temple inside the temple, huh.
*Badump*…My chest was pulsing.
I understood not from logic but from instinct.
(Noah-sama…is inside that building.) (Makoto)
I endure the urge of running straight there.
Queen Noel and the Moon Goddess are here.
The temple is still far from here.
Looks like the monsters here don’t see us as enemies.
Then, it should be okay to stand out a bit.
“Water Magic: [Phoenix]…. Noel-san, please get on.” (Makoto)
I created a ride with Water Magic, and pulled the hand of Queen Noel.
And then my eyes made contact with the floating Moon Goddess.
No matter how I see it, she is floating here, so would it be better to have her ride on the water spell?
While I was pondering about this…the Moon Goddess sat right by my side.
“Now, let’s go~☆.” (Naia)
“I will fly slowly, okay?” (Makoto)
I have a Goddess and a queen on board.
I slowly ascend with safe driving in mind.
“This is…” (Noel)
“Really big… Also, there are many living beings.” (Makoto)
Seeing it from above, I once again realize just how big the Deep Sea Temple is.
I can’t see the ends of the plains.
And the living beings in it are unbelievable.
It is as if all the living beings in existence are here…
“They are all here.” (Naia)
The one who said that was the Moon Goddess.
Queen Noel and I looked at each other when she did.
“For the sake of what?” (Makoto)
“To preserve the species, of course.” (Naia)
The Moon Goddess easily answered my question.
“Preserve…?” (Noel)
It seems like it didn’t click with Queen Noel. She tilted her head.
I speak about the knowledge of my previous world.
“If I remember correctly, it means to safeguard living creatures in fear of extinction…right?” (Makoto)
Even when I say this, I also tilted my head at the difference in the sight before my eyes.
What’s on the plains are monsters and creatures that I have seen before.
Pigs, cows, goblins, orcs; I really doubt they should fear extinction.
“That’s not true. The weak creatures of the Mortal Realm can die from the smallest of things in the blink of an eye. And so, they are being sheltered in this small garden in preparation for a moment like that.” (Naia)
There was mysterious persuasiveness in the tone of the Moon Goddess.
As if ‘such occurrences are common’.
“It applies to the curse of Nevia-chan as well. That girl, in order to make the world peaceful, is trying to remove the ‘conflict’ in all the living beings of the Mortal Realm. It seems like she doesn’t understand the risks of that.” (Naia)
“Peace is dangerous?” (Noel)
Queen Noel asked.
“Removing conflicts means removing competition after all. Living beings that have lost their ‘competitive nature’ are feeble. They crumble with the smallest of triggers.” (Naia)
“…..Is that so.” (Noel)
It doesn’t seem like it is clicking with Queen Noel, but I have heard that competition for survival urges evolution.
Does that mean that, in the cursed world of the Calamity Witch, in exchange for removing conflict, she has also stopped evolution?
…I feel like we are getting out of topic here.
“So, in the end, just what is this place? Does that mean the inside of this Last Dungeon is a safe for living creatures?” (Makoto)
I don’t really understand that part.
This place is peaceful to the point that I can’t believe this is inside a dungeon.
“It was a space with nothing in there made to seal the Goddess Noah. However, because of the long years Noah-kun has been sealed, the Divinity leaked out and the Spirits created a world on their own.” (Naia)
“Does that mean this place was created just from Noah-sama being there?” (Makoto)
That’s somewhat crazy.
But if that’s the reason, then I can understand this peace.
“Then, the living beings here were also created by Noah-sama…?” (Makoto)
“No, the one who gathered them was Eir-kun. I am not involved in the management of the Deep Sea Temple, so I don’t really know the details though.” (Naia)
“What do they eat here?” (Makoto)
There are some who are sleeping, but there’s none eating.
I feel like the expenses to maintain them would be pretty troublesome with these many.
“Aah, about that, there are a lot of Life Fruits growing around, right? If you eat that, you don’t get hungry for several centuries.” (Naia)
“L-Life Fruit?!” (Noel)
Queen Noel raised her voice in shock.
As for me, I stared at the trees with red fruits growing here and there.
Some theories say that the Life Fruit has the ‘immortality’ effect.
I do remember seeing the trading price at the Adventurer Guild, and I remember it being an astronomical number.
Of course, this is my first time seeing one.
They are growing everywhere.
The Deep Sea Temple is scary.
“Look, we are about to arrive.” (Naia)
It is as the Moon Goddess says.
We had arrived close to the temple while we were chatting.
I control the water spell and we land on the plains.
And then, I turn my face back to the temple shining rainbow in front of us.
(Noah-sama…is here…) (Makoto)
The Moon Goddess is not saying anything.
But I was sure of it somehow.
There’s no doubt it is here.
But I was brought back by an unexpected power.
“Noel-san?” (Makoto)
“Uhm…Makoto-san…” (Noel)
Queen Noel’s gaze swum around as if she wasn’t lacking confidence here.
“What’s the matter?” (Makoto)
“I can’t go.” (Noel)
“Eh?” (Makoto)
What is she saying?
Even though we are finally here.
“Noel-san, just what are you sa—” (Makoto)
“That’s not it, Makoto-san! It is not like I have forgotten our objective for coming here! However, my legs are not going any further than this!” (Noel)
Hearing Queen Noel say this frantically, I notice the abnormality here.
Something is happening?
“…Looks like Noah-kun is rejecting us.” (Naia)
The Moon Goddess muttered this.
“What do you mean by that, Nyaru-sama?” (Makoto)
“Unfortunately, I can’t go any further than this either. I was thinking about congratulating Noah-kun for the seal being undone though.” (Naia)
“Even you, the Moon Goddess, can’t move any further?” (Makoto)
“Yeah, if Noah-kun with the seal undone seriously refuses it, even I can’t match her.” (Naia)
The Moon Goddess shrugged her shoulders.
Nothing for me.
I don’t feel anything off.
…Is she saying I should go in alone?
“Makoto-san, please leave me behind.” (Noel)
“No choice but to do that. You are the only one that can meet Noah-kun. I am so jealous.” (Naia)
Queen Noel lets go of my hand.
The Moon Goddess waved her hand with a grin.
Why doesn’t Noah-sama want to let Queen Noel and the Moon Goddess into the temple?
Even though we went through so much trouble to come all the way here.
“Noah-sama!!” (Makoto)
I shout loudly towards the temple.
If the seal has been undone, she should be able to talk to me.
And yet, I can’t hear Noah-sama as always.
Noah-sama should be inside the temple that continues releasing a divine light.
And yet, she is not answering me.
(No choice but to ask directly…) (Makoto)
I turned around and said this to Queen Noel.
“Then, I will go to the place of Noah-sama.” (Makoto)
“Yes, please do.” (Noel)
The smile of Queen Noel had feelings of uneasiness at being left behind mixed in it.
I hesitated here, but things won’t get better if I stay here.
The Moon Goddess by the side of Queen Noel was yawning.
Looks like she is going to be waiting together with her.
“Give Noah-kun my regards. I will keep an eye out for Noel-chan.” (Naia)
“Understood, Moon Goddess-sama.” (Makoto)
I nodded obediently.
Let’s just indulge here.
“Noel-san, please wait for a bit. I will return as soon as possible.” (Makoto)
“Yes, I will be waiting. Be careful, Makoto-san.” (Noel)
The smiling Queen Noel overlapped with the image of Anna-san.
I shook away that illusion and advanced deep inside the temple.
(Noah-sama is here…) (Makoto)
I hold down the strange mix of expectation and nervousness with Clear Mind.
I slowly step into the temple…
—And then, I finally faced the Goddess, Noah-sama.