Ascending the tower with my SSS class

Uriel spotted in the distance the temple Miguel had mentioned. Some columns were destroyed; however, a large number of people were working tirelessly to raise it again.

"Hey, Miguel, why are they building the temple there? Isn’t everything supposed to disappear once we move on to the next floor?"

Miguel smiled as he shook his head.

"No, you see, it’s actually the opposite. Floors never disappear; they remain there forever so that others can conquer them. We’re just the first wave of climbers—more will probably come in the future, over the years."

"I see... Wow, there are still so many things I don’t know."

However, Uriel didn’t mean it in a negative way; quite the opposite—he felt excited by the idea. His eyes lit up with the thrill of constantly discovering new things.

"Come on, step in without worry. I’ll introduce you to the rest of us."

Miguel moved ahead eagerly; he seemed far more confident here than anywhere else, almost as if he were showing Uriel his own home. Uriel got the impression that he didn’t like being away from this place much.

When Uriel entered, he saw a multitude of people in all kinds of armor doing different things. Some were chatting, others were helping repair the place, a few were training, and a large group was receiving what looked like lessons from someone dressed in a white habit.

Uriel’s eyes widened, trying to take in as many of the scenes unfolding before him as possible. Since entering the tower, he hadn’t seen people helping each other like this, living their lives together.

"I’m glad you like it."

Miguel’s words brought Uriel back to the present.

"Even though I didn’t say anything."

Miguel covered his mouth before letting out a small laugh.

"It shows on your face. Let’s not bother the others—follow me, you’re going to like what I’m about to show you."

Uriel was intrigued by what Miguel was so eager to show him.

They both walked deeper into the temple corridors. The place seemed more restored the farther they went; it was probably because Soliel’s paladins had focused their efforts on these sections.

Finally, they reached the end of a long hallway, where a massive wooden door blocked their way. Miguel stepped forward and knocked rhythmically; in an instant, the great doors opened, revealing a beautiful round table.

Each seat bore a carved sun corresponding to the chairs placed around it. Three seats were currently occupied; the rest were empty.

Above each sun, a small beam of light descended, giving the place a mystical appearance. But the most incredible part was the empty center of the table: small lights rose and fell rhythmically. A sense of warmth reached Uriel, reminding him of Soliel.

Seated at the table were two people waiting. They wore their armor, though they had set their helmets aside.

One of them was a girl, clad in golden armor like the others; however, the design of her armor was particularly sinister—skulls adorned various parts of it, along with screaming faces. Ignoring that, she was quite beautiful; she had blonde hair tied back and emerald eyes.

Alright, another beauty, Uriel thought to himself.

However, the one who made a stronger impression on him was the man seated beside her. He had black hair, just like his eyes, which seemed like dark pits capable of swallowing anything caught in their gaze.

While the girl wore a challenging expression, the man seemed detached from any thought, as if savoring emptiness itself.

"Alright, Uriel, I’m going to ask you to step into the center of the table."

Was this some kind of initiation ritual? If so, then it was more than welcome. Uriel needed allies, and personally, he didn’t dislike Soliel; she was a powerful goddess. Who wouldn’t want to follow something so great? But he would have problems if they forced him to pray or do that kind of thing—personally, he didn’t like anything related to religion.

Now, how was Uriel supposed to reach the center? Surely they didn’t expect him to climb over the table—that would be rude.

However, the moment he wished for it, the table opened like a mechanism composed of many moving parts, allowing him to pass through.

"I was just about to explain how to control this place. How did you know?"

"Oh, I just wished to be able to pass through without any trouble."

Miguel laughed cheerfully.

"Well, with that you’ve already figured out how half this place works; you won’t have any trouble, then."

Miguel took a seat.

At that moment, the massive door echoed again with the same rhythmic knock Miguel had used, and through it entered a woman with long white-and-gold hair, a sun engraved upon her forehead.

Above her long hair, which nearly reached her feet, what seemed to be a halo of light burned intensely; however, her sea-blue eyes suggested she was, in fact, a rather calm person.

The blonde girl with tied hair spoke.

"Good heavens, we were starting to think you wouldn’t come, Oracle. You certainly took your time."

The Oracle walked forward with firm steps and an unwavering gaze.

"There was nothing I could do. In the end, the children were eager to learn. You should come more often as well; as one of Soliel’s chosen, you must set an example."

The girl rolled her eyes; it was clear she didn’t like the conversation heading in that direction.

However, the Oracle’s gaze turned toward Uriel.

Uriel, meanwhile, tried with all his might not to look at the Oracle’s exposed skin—in fact, he tried not even to think about it, afraid she might have the ability to read minds like Soliel or Ininise.

"So, you must be the new chosen one. Welcome to the Paladins of Soliel; it is a pleasure to meet you."

The Oracle gave a slight bow.

"Hey! Don’t decide things on your own. We haven’t said whether he will be or not, damn it."

Oh... now Uriel understood what this was about: it was a test to see whether he was worthy of joining this group.

The Oracle didn’t seem bothered by the interruption from the tied-hair girl; she was probably used to it.

"I’m not deciding. This person, like you, was chosen by the goddess Soliel herself. I don’t believe there is any test you could give him that he couldn’t resolve on his own."

"Oh, really? Then let’s find out."

The tied-hair girl wore a smile like a starving dog that had found prey.

Damn... it’s nice that she holds me in high regard, but if that means they’ll treat me more harshly, I’d rather avoid the praise.

"Hahaha, very well. Everyone seems eager, so how about we begin? We’re probably all quite busy."

Miguel raised his hand.

"Very well, I, Miguel, the first member of the Paladins of Soliel, will begin this fourth meeting. The topic we will address today is the acceptance of the climber Uriel as one of the members of the round table. Are there any objections?"

The man with dark eyes raised his hand, and Miguel gave him the floor.

"I am concerned about how easily we are accepting new members into the round table. I propose that new members begin as initiates for some time, and then, once they prove their worth, we can add them to the round table if they show themselves to be worthy."

Miguel sighed.

"Hahhh... it’s true that the process has been somewhat too fast, but given the number of members, it is a necessity. Besides, as the Oracle said, he is someone chosen by the goddess herself, so we can at least be certain he is not someone who wishes to harm us. However, I propose that from now on, new chosen ones begin as initiates. What do you think?"

The tied-hair girl and the black-haired man each touched one side of their table, and the sun lit up.

"Very well, in the eyes of the Goddess, the decision of her paladins is accepted."

Uriel liked this system; it was quite democratic. As someone who had grown up under those ideals, his first impression was quite positive.

"Now, as for what we will do for Uriel to prove himself worthy of joining the ranks of the round table, does anyone have any suggestions?"

Two hands were raised.

The black-haired man spoke first.

"How about we simply let him continue with the pilgrimage? Once he completes it, he can join us. That seems fair to me."

The second to speak was the tied-hair woman.

"Let’s settle this quickly. I don’t want to sit through another meeting next time. How about we have a damn quick and effective fight? What do you think?"

The black-haired man frowned.

Great—if they made him fight, Uriel was sure he was screwed. These people had clearly been trained in combat academies, and worse, they surpassed him by a full level. Uriel knew it was sheer madness to make him fight under these conditions.

Uriel looked at Miguel. This man had proven himself reliable and kind; of course he would reject the wild girl’s words. But Uriel was met with a very different response than he expected.

"I think it’s an excellent idea."

Miguel looked far too pleased with the woman’s suggestion.

Damn... you’ve betrayed me, Miguel. Uriel couldn’t believe this turn.

The Paladins of Soliel voted once more.

"In the eyes of the Goddess, the decision of her paladins is accepted."

The only one who voted against it was the black-haired man, who sighed and gave Uriel a look that almost seemed apologetic.