"It's so boring..."

After the Shield Woman spoke up to silence everyone, the venue fell quiet for a brief moment, but quickly descended back into chaos.

Looking at this pandemonium akin to a marketplace, the Mute Girl yawned out of boredom and finally gave up on waiting any longer.

'Have you gathered all the information?' She glanced sidelong at the Catcher and communicated through Spirit Sensing.

The Catcher's right hand, concealed beneath the table, had already turned semi-transparent, yet it leaked almost no Magic Power fluctuations as it subtly recorded everything happening in the room.

'Just about done.' He lightly nodded in response to the Mute Girl's inquiry.

Though he initially resisted this solo venture deep into enemy territory, having come this far, returning empty-handed was not an option.

Even without the Mute Girl's direction, his instincts as an Intelligence Expert wouldn't allow him to overlook the information of so many people present.

It was precisely because he knew he wouldn't be able to resist that, in the past, he deliberately refrained from getting involved in such activities...

While lamenting his own Depravity in a corner of his mind, the Catcher diligently moved his right hand, extracting and recording the information of everyone present.

'Finished recording. Big Sister, should we retreat?'

Holding in his hands an informational bomb capable of taking down the entire Divine Basin Church, excitement and tension intermingled in the Catcher's voice.

'Retreat? Why?' The Mute Girl glanced at him in confusion, then reached under her ceremonial skirt to pull out something from the outside of her thigh.

'Next, you need to record the information into this. Can you do it?'

Seeing the Golden Silk Scroll extended from under the table to his face, the Catcher was slightly taken aback and then widened his eyes in realization.

Though it was his first time seeing it, with a bit of analysis, he recognized its origin.

A specialised tool of the Church's Judgement Court— a one-time use Communication Scroll, only utilized when receiving information of such critical importance that it must be conveyed even at the cost of one's life...

'Big Sister, you...' The Catcher initially wanted to ask something, but upon meeting the Mute Girl's fierce yellow eyes, he involuntarily swallowed and fell silent, extending his right hand in compliance.

The next moment, his semi-transparent right hand transformed into a mist of Magic Power, enveloping the scroll.

Observing this, the Mute Girl nodded in satisfaction.

If it could extract information, it could certainly be used to record it.

Most of the Judgement Court members merely scribbled a few short pieces of information on the scroll— after all, it was a tool intended for emergencies.

But an adept Thief like the Catcher could maximize the tool's effectiveness— for instance, recording information directly onto the scroll using Magic without Spellcasting.

Engaging in such an endeavor amidst a room full of Cultists, the Catcher's breath quickened involuntarily, and a few beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

Fortunately, amidst the venue's clamor, his unusual behavior went unnoticed.

Finally, his right hand returned to normal and withdrew from the scroll, revealing a complex expression as he looked up at the Mute Girl, who leisurely stood up with the scroll in hand.

"Big Sister, I'm entrusting my life to you now..."

"Hehe, wasn't it always mine to begin with?" the Mute Girl grinned, then coughed lightly,

"Alright, heretics—"

"Everyone, heads down!"

But before she could finish, illusory Fiery Flames swept across the room, transforming into countless shields, encircling the meeting hall like castle walls.

The Mute Girl blinked in surprise, looking towards the podium where the Legendary Knight had stood up, his earlier lethargy replaced with eyes seemingly ablaze.

Yet she remained unflustered, lazily waving the scroll, savoring the panicked expressions of those around before finally continuing her earlier words.

"Raise your hands, this is the Judgement Court."

Despite being in the enemy's stronghold and heavily surrounded, at this moment, she held everyone's lives in her grasp.

This was the Noble District in the city; merely tearing open the scroll would summon the Judgement Court's forces in less than a quarter-hour.

Of course, doing so would likely result in their mutual destruction amidst the desperate struggles of so many people...

Therefore, using this as a negotiation chip surely promised a substantial payoff.

With this in mind, the Mute Girl grinned, baring her fangs like a predator.

"You do understand what this is, don't you? At this point, I'd advise against any rash actions; you'd do well to sit obediently."

Likewise, foreseeing their impending capture and extraction, many believers of the Divine Basin turned pale, trembling with fear.

Yet, watching the calm and assured expression of the Mute Girl, the Shield Woman suddenly curved her lips into a smile.

"—Soleiwa'dokana."

"...?" The Mute Girl tilted her head in confusion.

A hush fell over the hall once more.

"What did you just say? That didn't sound like High-level Language, is it a dialect?" The Mute Girl questioned in confusion.

"Uh...that's..."

The Shield Woman belatedly shivered slightly, her earlobes tinged with a hint of red.

A few believers of the Divine Basin familiar with her couldn't help but press their foreheads in exasperation.

"Big Sister, it seems that was Otherworldly Language, meaning 'That might not be the case.'" The Catcher moved his fingers slightly, suddenly realizing.

"Oh." The Mute Girl acknowledged emotionlessly, then looked at the Shield Woman with interest.

"So, what do you mean?"

The Shield Woman regained her composure and smiled confidently.

"...Hmph, if you're so confident in that scroll, why not try using it?"

Upon hearing this, the Mute Girl narrowed her eyes while the Catcher's expression drastically changed.

The Tribunal scroll was designed for use in situations where you are deep in enemy territory and completely on your own, its penetration power beyond doubt.

So, even though this was one of the strongholds of the Divine Basin Church, the surrounding believers all looked as if they were mourning upon seeing that scroll.

But now, the Shield Maiden declared she had the ability to block the scroll's communication.

The Mute Girl glanced at the illusory shields embedded in the walls, then returned her gaze to the Shield Maiden.

"Is it the racial ability of Otherworldly People... interesting."

[Since she is in enemy territory, the Mute Girl's resistance defaults to failure.]

1.5. Propose a duel

2.6. Got locked up

3.7. Just kidding

4.8. Got taken to the dungeon

9. Memory erased

10. Great Success/Extreme Failure

D10=5

♛: Propose a duel

→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←

Realizing that the Shield Maiden was not bluffing, the Mute Girl slowly lowered the scroll.

At the same time, many Divine Basin believers, who were previously dejected, stood up with a fierce look in their eyes, as the room filled with a tingling magic power wave.

The Shield Maiden raised her hand to stop the impulsive believers, proclaiming loudly:

"Now you should understand! It's you who should surrender. Hand over the scroll and don't make futile resistance! That way, at least you can save your lives—"

"What if I say no?"

However, even though she realized she was at an absolute life-and-death disadvantage, the Mute Girl's smile showed no sign of fading.

"If I don't cooperate with you, what do you plan to do?" She glanced contemptuously at the intimidating believers, "Lock me up? Or—kill me?"

The Shield Maiden fell silent.

Though she sometimes said things that were out of touch due to memory loss, she was never foolish.

The Black Light Nun... she had some impression of her and had heard rumors that she used to be part of the Church's Inner Court, and her recent actions confirmed this.

Besides, the Tribunal's actions could not be unilateral—before she infiltrated here, the Church must have already documented her movements.

Even if her intelligence did not get out, the mere fact of her disappearance would be reason enough for the Church to act.

Ordinarily, imprisoning someone from the Tribunal and using the full power of the Divine Basin might still diminish the matter.

But not now, not during this period, they absolutely cannot stir up any trouble.

Because the Saintess was in the Ancient City.

"The scroll is merely a way for you to back down. When I appeared here, you were already doomed. Do I still need to teach you that?"

Infuriated by the Mute Girl's contemptuous words, many hot-headed believers began to curse angrily.

Yet at the same time, other believers began to act—not targeting the Mute Girl but moving to those agitated believers, quietly trying to restrain them.

If any harm came to the opponent, the Divine Basin would likely incur the Saintess's wrath...

Even if detained, with brainwashing magic to erase memories, some present might escape unscathed, but as the manor owner, the Shield Maiden ultimately could not escape unscathed.

Noticing their actions, the Mute Girl burst into laughter.

"That's right, just like that! Better hold back those fools well. If I die here, you'll end up no better than Goblins in the sewer!"

"Or, do you really plan to scatter and flee like Goblins once their leader dies? That would be quite interesting, but I won't get to see it!"

'Big Sister, am I going to die too?' the Catcher sent a communication message looking grim.

'Just shut up for now.'

Gazing at the Mute Girl standing alone against hundreds of believers, the Shield Maiden remained silently for a long time, then suddenly smiled, as if relieved.

"—You're really something."

Ignoring the believers' incredulous looks around her, she sat back in her chair with a plop, then earnestly asked:

"So let's talk. What exactly do you want to let us go?"

"But let me declare first, I won't agree to any excessive demands. Even if I can't kill you, just imprisoning you for a while allows time for the others to evacuate the Ancient City."

Although it means abandoning everything accumulated so far, it's better than being hunted down like Goblins by the Church.

"Heh, you're not so bad yourself."

Seeing the Shield Maiden with a relaxed face, appearing fearless, the Mute Girl raised her eyebrows.

"Let me put it straight. I'm actually not interested in you heretics; my target is just you—a person from the Otherworld."

"So, let's have a duel. If you win, I'll give you the scroll."

"...A duel?" The Shield Maiden was taken aback by the unexpected proposal, "Here?"

"Of course not." The Mute Girl chuckled softly, her eyes deep, "The venue for the duel is in the dungeon."

[The Shield Maiden's deepest reached floor (affecting perseverance)]

D49+10=(19)=29