Chapter 37: Astraea Familia
Although she said it so confidently, Barbara didn't actually know if she could revive them. After all, this was the first time she had used this power since arriving in this world.
She was merely guessing based on her knowledge of the game; even on the status panels obtained by adventurers, it was impossible for a Skill to be described in such detail.
So, was there a dead person she could use for an experiment? Preferably someone who had been dead for years...
Even if she went out right now to find some members of Evilus to kill, she would have to wait at least a year to prove her theory.
Thus, at this moment, Barbara ignored the stunned people around her and began to search her mind for characters in the original story of the dungeon who had been dead for years.
Perhaps she could resurrect them and further strengthen Orario's combat power?
But where could she find such people?
Wait!
As if she had suddenly thought of something, Barbara's eyes widened. In the original story, there seemed to be several characters who died a few years before the plot began... and they were very famous!
The members of the Astraea Familia, the companions of the blonde elf, Ryuu!
It was said that while the members of the Astraea Familia were exploring the dungeon, they were once attacked by Evilus.
After a large section of the floor was destroyed by explosions, a monster called the 'Juggernaut' appeared. It easily slaughtered the Astraea Familia, leaving only the blonde elf, Ryuu, as the sole survivor.
Because the Juggernaut was too powerful, Ryuu, who escaped, wasn't even able to retrieve her companions' bodies. She could only build a cenotaph for her fallen friends somewhere on the 18th floor.
"And we happen to be on the 18th floor right now..."
Barbara slowly turned her head and glanced at Hyacine, who was lying in the tent. The pink-haired girl happened to open her eyes at that moment, gave a slight smile, and then continued to rest.
With the help of two top-tier healers, no one would be left with any wounds, but that didn't mean their depleted energy would return.
Healing wounds did not mean restoring stamina.
"Finn, can I take a walk around the area?"
Looking at the pensive Finn, Barbara proposed her idea of going for a walk, but she was quickly shut down.
"Although I know you want to clear your head, Barbara, it's best to give up on that for now..."
"Our primary task right now is to return to Orario. We need to hurry and seize this time to rest."
"What's more, you're a treasure now with that resurrection magic. I don't want any accidents happening to you."
In Finn's eyes, Barbara, who possessed resurrection magic, was the treasure among treasures—the kind that all familia members had to put on a pedestal!
Just look at Bete, who had died earlier. This was a person who could save your life at a critical moment. He believed no idiot would offend Barbara or allow her to fall into danger.
"Finn, please..."
"If it really won't work, let Bete go with me!"
Among everyone, Bete's exhaustion was actually the lowest. Because he had been instant-killed by Revis the moment he launched an attack, he hadn't consumed much stamina at all, and he was in a full-health state after being resurrected.
So, on the way during the familia's high-speed withdrawal, Bete had contributed quite a bit. For a period of time, one didn't even hear Bete cursing...
After all, Barbara was the one who had pulled Bete back from the Underworld. Although the werewolf had a foul mouth, he understood gratitude and would not speak harshly to the person who had resurrected him.
"If I let Bete go with me, it should be much safer, right?"
"Besides, I have something I want to verify. Please, Finn!"
With Barbara's repeated requests, Finn truly had no way to refuse. Ultimately, he could only call over the impatient werewolf and have him accompany Barbara for a walk nearby.
"What a pain..."
Bete still looked impatient, but he didn't refuse at all, simply following quietly behind Barbara.
At the same time, however, a hint of curiosity rose in his heart. What exactly was Barbara planning to do? Why come out for a walk at this time? Had she discovered something?
The two of them followed the gentle breeze blowing from goodness-knows-where, heading toward a sparsely populated location until they reached a place that looked like a wall.
Bete frowned slightly because he sensed the aura of magic here. Was it some kind of barrier magic?
"Finally found it. So it was here!"
"Thank you, Lord Barbatos!"
The blonde girl in front suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a green breeze swirled around her, gently knocking a small hole through the object in front of her.
"What... is this?"
"It's someone's secret base. I only found out about it through some accidents."
Barbara stepped forward, and Bete followed her into the cave.
A cenotaph!
What appeared before the two of them now was a grave.
It was covered with weapons. If one were knowledgeable, they should be able to distinguish who these people were, but Bete was clearly not among them.
After all, who would easily remember things from years ago?
"Do you know them?"
"I know them, but they don't know me..."
"Them?"
Facing Bete's question, Barbara did not give a detailed account of the Astraea Familia. She merely sat sadly on the grass and assumed a posture of prayer.
Bete stood behind her, neither rushing her nor moving, just quietly watching it all. Although he usually spoke very harshly, Bete was always reliable at critical moments.
This was why Bete's interpersonal relationships weren't great, yet he still held sway in the familia. While everyone in the Loki Familia feared Bete somewhat, they also held a deep respect for the werewolf.
"Alright, I'm going to use resurrection magic!"
Suddenly, Barbara jumped up from the ground and spoke words that left Bete dumbfounded.
"Hey, hey! What do you mean by that?"
"Looking at the setup here, these people must have been dead for a long time, right? Your resurrection magic... can it revive people who have been dead for so long?"
"I don't know, that's why I want to try!"
Looking at the weapons on the grave, Barbara made up her mind. To confirm her suspicions, she activated the resurrection magic.
Although she could only choose one target at a time and couldn't perform a mass resurrection, there weren't many drawbacks since she could use it once every 15 minutes. It could even help the resurrected person remove abnormal statuses.
"Revive!"
As light containing blue raindrops fell from the sky, the surrounding soil seemed to glow with new life, sprouting new buds.
However, the target Barbara chose for resurrection did not appear.
"A failure?"
A flash of disappointment crossed her eyes. So she couldn't revive people who had been dead for too long?
That was truly a pity.
After waiting in place for a while, there was still no movement from the grave, and not even a hint of a life aura.
Only then did Barbara lead Bete away from the Astraea Familia's cenotaph. Before leaving, she didn't even forget to use Lord Barbatos's Strength to repair the surrounding barrier.
"It seems I really was overthinking it... how could I possibly revive someone who has been dead for that long?"
—
However, not long after Barbara left, the hidden cenotaph suddenly gave a slight tremble. That rhythm was like a heartbeat; every throb caused the earth on the grave to shake slightly.
Until...
A clean, red-haired girl crawled out from the soil, gasping for breath in large gulps!
She looked around in alarm and uncertainty, endless confusion flashing in her eyes.
"Where... am I?"
Hyacine & Barbara / Dungeon Encounter :
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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