With nothing dangerous on this floor, the two waited at the top of the second stairwell’s entrance, as the priest combed through and made meticulous notes of the first floor.
“She was nude? And possessed a sizable pair of breasts? Are you joking with me, Tibaut, don't think I didn't take note of the drawings Grace made for you!”
“Woah, woah, what does that have to do with anything? (She knew about those!? Shit, I thought I hid the ones I brought back pretty well...)”
“Hmph, just ready yourself for one hundred lashes if I find out this is inaccurate.”
She put the finishing touches on the drawing and showed him the final product.
“Well, you obviously wouldn't have gotten the face right without seeing her but the major points are accurate. Put a label saying she had red skin and it should be good.”
“So this is what the both of you saw.” She said before holding up the drawing.
“Yup. So I guess we're back to waiting for Yuri to finish. How long is he going to take?”
“We should be finished by midday tomorrow. After all, he wanted the most significant things this dungeon provided. Afterwards, they'll obviously send others for further documentation.”
“Others.. Oh right, I've been meaning to ask since I heard you guys talk earlier, what did he mean by other channels? Can you just send him a letter anytime? Probably would have saved us some effort with the cultists.” He commented as his eyes looked down the stairs.
“Of course not, he simply thinks I'm more influential than I am. But after Mr. Bentley's scheme, maybe I should make some connections. You remember he sent a letter for our help, correct?”
“Right? Whatever happened to those guys, they never showed up.”
“It seemed in his paranoia or maybe it was shrewdness, he never sent any letters in the first place. It seemed he wanted this to be contained without anyone outside the parish involved. Even at our detriment.”
“So you're saying we could have avoided that whole thing if you sent a letter too?” He asked with a groan.
“No, the letters of an adventurer aren't delivered to the same place as a branch manager like Mr. Bentley. But,” she sighed. “I should have scrutinised his actions more.”
“Hey, come on, what reason would you have to doubt him? He had all of us fooled.”
“If one of us died during that time, do you think a simple ‘Ah my bad, but he was so trustworthy you know. How can you blame me for something so unexpected!’ would do? Do you think I could look a mother in her eyes and tell her, her son died because of such a simple oversight?” She snarled at him. Her breathing grew heavy and she accidentally crushed the paper as she spoke.
“...”
She quickly calmed herself down.
“Tibaut, it would do you well to be careful of who you trust. Even I might one day catch you unaware. Just ensure if that day comes, you have done everything in your power to see it coming. Trust alone isn't enough for ease of mind. Trust is no more than a fool's assurance.”
Tibaut wanted to refute her, but he knew in himself that he couldn't think of any counterarguments to ease her mind.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
----------------------------------------
The two sat in an awkward silence as the Saint returned.
“Eh, what happened?” He asked.
“This boy decided to give his mouth a break. Are you finished, Saint Nichto?”
“Yes, I am, I just had a quick run-through to make sure you didn't miss anything. If what you told me is true, the real floors of note are the fourth and the fifth floors.”
She quickly got up and walked down the stairs.
Yuri motioned for Tibaut and whispered something when he got closer. “Don't be afraid to talk to her. You're someone she has a lot of care for.” He wore a faint smile on his face and gave Tibaut a thumbs-up.
“Y-yeah, don't worry about it.” Tibaut wasn't entirely confident in the Saint’s belief, but he appreciated the gesture. Maybe he wouldn't be so silent next time she got so negative.
----------------------------------------
On the third floor, they encountered one of the pale women. She had one wing and black hair with a blonde sheen. And for a change, instead of harassing Tibaut, she stood with a finger on her chin as she watched Yuri.
“Saint Nichto, might I trouble you to have whatever group that comes next to this dungeon bring a change of clothes to these ladies?” Elizabeth stated.
It seemed she had gotten into a scuffle with another resident of this dungeon as she was full-blown naked, with minor scratches and bruises across her body.
“Certainly.” He stated. “To experiment on your fellow man like this…” Although his face remained calm, the pair heard his fists clench as he looked at her.
“U..rie..l.” She said in a wet and nasally sounding voice. Her voice was unnatural. It was like trying to speak using only the growls and hisses an animal could make
Elizabeth and Tibaut turned to her.
“(She sniffed me out immediately…) Yes, that's right, I'm the Saint of Uriel. I hope we can get along, as I'll be coming here quite often in the future.” He went for a handshake but she ignored him completely.
“You guys can talk?” Tibaut asked.
She nodded her head.
“come back more, Mig. No tv, boring without you.” She said.
“Mig?” Elizabeth asked.
The woman pointed to Tibaut.
Tibuat's eyes flew open at her words.
“Huh!? How do you know that?” Tibaut asked.
The attention soon turned to Tibaut.
“Excuse me, ‘Mig’, what is this ‘TV’ she talks off?” Elizabeth asked as she slowly approached Tibaut.
“Uh, well it's… (how does she know that!? In the first place, how does she know my old name!?)”
(“I suppose I have to spell it out for you. Those women all have had their personalities affected by the powder. As a result, they are similar to Lucifer and even have some of her memories as well. Now think back to how ‘Lucy’ acted in your mind.”)
(“So that's it! Wait a second, is that why you were so bitchy when they were playing with me?”)
He didn't get a verbal response but the feeling of his chest slowly being crushed told him all he needed to know.
“Brother!” The pale woman shouted. “Don't you dare harm him!”
She roared as Tibaut fell to his knees and was stopped by Yuri before she got too close to him.
“What's going on!?” Yuri shouted as he did his best to hold her in place.
“Damn, he's still weak. I think she's reacting negatively to his poor state.” Elizabeth answered.
He felt the weight on his chest disappear and the pale woman calmed.
(“Bit far for a fucking joke, don't you think!?”) Tibaut thought.
(“oh, tibaut mmm.. my siwwy wittle snookums, y-you s-shouwdn't have g-gotten youw k-kitten so mad. besides i don't h-hate you〜☆ i just h-hate the fact that whore gained interest in a human of all things.”) Satan answered as Tibaut felt his back being rubbed by someone. He turned around to see no one. Satan was very likely messing with his senses.
(“If you speak like that again I'll… sigh just speak never like that again man…”)
(“No promises.”)