Leonidas hadn’t learned about basilisks from the Clergymen’s library. Instead, he had learned it from one of the three books his mother had given him. But, that had been a work of fiction.

Within it, basilisks turned the protagonists to stone, it wasn’t like this at all. In addition, they breathed a cursed breath that could also turn you to stone if their gaze alone wasn’t enough.

This basilisk, however, was different from what was described. The three were frozen, but not turned to stone. In addition, despite having failed to completely petrify them, the basilisk didn’t seem to be preparing a petrifying breath.

It was when Leonidas reached this point in his thought that he began to pick out more differences, even down to the fact the basilisk in the book had yellow eyes, not crimson ones, or the fact basilisks loved moist environments, yet this one was located in the middle of a dry valley and without a single lake in sight.

Leonidas had no idea how true the words of that work of fiction were, but these thought processes helped him to calm down… All the way until the point he realized this wasn’t a living creature at all.

It was a statue.

It might have been one that was at least twenty meters tall, but it was a statue nonetheless.

It was exactly at that moment that Lady Eve and her two subordinates stepped out from the shadows and Leonidas heard something he had never expected to.

“Eve! You bitch! Don’t let me get my hands on you!”

Leonidas was startled, but he was sure not to move. Once again, he took a back seat, hoping to use his ignorance or weakness to draw others in.

‘There’s someone else here…’

Leonidas had been so shaken by the basilisk statue that he didn’t even catch on to the fact that there was a fourth person frozen in place before him.

Still, these words told Leonidas a lot, the most important of which was that Lady Eve had most definitely been to this place before and it seemed that she had left someone behind.

Leonidas’ gaze shifted slightly. Looking past Manfroi, past the basilisk statue, Leonidas saw that there was a man facing them on the opposing side. It was no wonder Leonidas hadn’t noticed him before, with the basilisk taking up all his mental focus, how could he have the presence of mind to look past it?

It was then, though, that Leonidas finally understood the structure of the room he was standing in.

It was exceptionally tall, allowing a 20-meter statue to stand at its center without issue. It had no edges, lending to a circular structure.

What was shocking was the fact that it didn’t seem to have a single exit. Leonidas had a feeling that if he turned back now, all he would find was a smooth bronze wall covered in complex runes.

Why was he so certain? Well, how else could this man be facing them if he was petrified? The first and most likely possibility was that he had originally entered from another entrance and thus his position was different.

But, none of this explained how he knew Lady Eve or why he was angry. Leonidas could only assume that he was enraged because Lady Eve had come here with him before and somehow left him behind, but how had she managed to do this?

Leonidas clenched his jaw, remaining unmoving.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lady Eve completely ignore the ravings of this man. Instead, from out of her bag, she pulled out an odd doll. It looked as though it had skin woven from a brown potato sack and even had eyes made of buttons.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

With a light toss, Lady Eve threw the doll out of the entrance they had come from. It disappeared through the wall with absolute ease.

Seemingly satisfied, she nodded to herself.

Manfroi, though, snapped the moment he heard such words.

“Watch your mouth! That’s my aunt you’re talking to!”

For some reason, his words sounded forced as though he was struggling to open and close his jaw.

“Who the hell are you to talk to me like this?! A mere Paladin dares look down on an Apostle?! You can’t even tell the fact she’s using you too?! She doesn’t care about you, you dumb brat!”

The booming of the man’s voice made Leonidas feel as though his ears might burst.

“You…!”

“Save it! If I could move right now, I would have already slapped you to death! Do you think I give a fuck about a brat who wants nothing more than a taste of his own aunt’s pussy?!”

Lady Eve finally showed some small reaction to this, her brow furrowing into a frown. It was clear that this man’s vulgar language was not to her liking.

Leonidas felt that someone of the man’s stature would definitely not waste so many words on someone beneath him. The only reason Leonidas could think that he was now was because he had been stuck here alone for a long period of time.

At that moment, Leonidas froze.

Before him, Lady Eve had appeared. Though her head hardly came up to his chest, the pressure from her being so close made his heart skip a beat. This woman was almost like a dinosaur in female form.

She looked him up and down, clearly confused by something.

“Odd. According to my calculations, a Paladin and two pseudo-Knights should have been enough to use up the rest of the statue’s strength. So, why is it that you can’t move?”

Eve looked up to meet Leonidas’ eyes, but this only made his heart sink.

Her words were almost like airing out the fact she had betrayed them all without blinking an eye. No matter how ignorant he tried to act now, it wouldn’t help. It was clear that she had already decided to kill him and had likely already done so before she even extended her invitation to him.

However, Leonidas calmed himself very quickly. His gaze looked down to meet Lady Eve’s, his dead eyes staring at her.

Lady Eve shook her head. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Yako, carry him. We still need him.”

Yako immediately moved to comply, planning to just hoist Leonidas over his shoulder. But, the moment he tried, he stumbled, his eyes widening with an incredulous expression.

“What’s the matter?” Lady Eve asked with a frown.

“He… I…” Yako blushed with embarrassment. “He’s too heavy, I can’t easily carry him alone and keep up.”

Lady Eve’s frown deepened, looking back toward Leonidas.

Yako was an elite amongst Knights who specialized in strength unlike Jacque. Even though Manfroi was a Paladin while he wasn’t, there were countless other variables that went into this matter. But, the bottom line was that even lifting 100 kilograms while maintaining a decent pace shouldn’t be a problem.

Though Leonidas was quite tall, he couldn’t be much heavier than that, right? What was going on?

“Jacque, help him. We’re going.”

“Yes!”

Leonidas found himself being hoisted between two men, his jaw clenching tighter and tighter.

He had no idea what Lady Eve could possibly need him for. What sort of value could he have? He was the son of a whore. His father was a dead Lower Ogre. He had lived his entire life in poverty. He was only just beginning to gather up strength for himself, yet it would be snuffed out just like this?

“Don’t let me get my hands on you, slut!” The male Apostle continued to roar, his temper fuming.

These were the last words Leonidas heard before he was sunk into darkness again, finding himself being hauled through yet another tunnel of black.

…

The basilisk statue room fell into silence.

“… S-sir…” Kyzer weakly squeezed out.

The male Apostle’s head snapped over, his eyes still lit with fury.

“I… Can you tell us what’s going on?” He managed to say, his difficulty talking was even greater than Manfroi’s.

Kyzer regretted the question almost as soon as he asked. Who was he as a mere Clergyman to dare ask an Apostle for anything? But, to his surprise, the male actually responded.

“Are you an idiot? Haven’t you pieced it together yet? This basilisk is a protector of this Shrine Ruin. In the past, it was probably able to turn anyone who stepped foot in here into a statue and then to dust right after.

“But now, its strength has declined drastically and it can only keep a few of us in place. She used all of you to get to her goal. I didn’t think that whore would actually be able to find a Paladin of her own so soon to handle the brunt of the statue’s prowess, but to think that she would actually use her own nephew.”

Manfroi’s face flushed red from anger and embarrassment.

Compared to the others in his family, he was always lacking. But his aunt had always been supportive of him. That was why he loved her so much.

A few months ago, when she asked him to be her Paladin, he practically cried with joy. He had never expected that the entire reason she had done this was because she needed a meat shield.

“Is… Are we finished?” Kyzer’s voice was laced with despair.