Chapter 14 - Saintess Death Beam! (Engineering)
Saintess Death Beam! (Engineering)
Translator : Elizabeth
Chapter 14
Clatter, clatter.
A few days ago, on the day he was dragged to a boutique to appease Goldie.
Since Archion was a young noble master in his own right, he was forced to buy and wear formal attire suitable for official business.
“See, Young Master. Goldie was right, wasn't she?”
“It really is true….”
This was all orchestrated by his aide and Golden Retriever maid, Goldie.
He had wondered when he would ever use the uniform-like outfit he bought back then….
“The clothes suit you well, Young Master Archion.”
“Haha. Thank you.”
To think he would use it when going to meet the Saintess.
Sitting in the pure white carriage sent by the Saintess, the two looked at the massive pure white knight sitting opposite them.
“Since I am so large, it is difficult to find clothes that fit. Even the tailors at the boutique refused to make my clothes.”
A Holy Knight who was literally like a mountain, standing a whole head taller than the two of them even while seated.
“But isn't it because you have such a body that you were able to protect anyone?”
“Hahaha!!”
On top of that, his voice volume was enormous. It was so booming that Goldie, sitting next to Archion, pressed down her ears on top of her head.
This Holy Knight, who seemed born and bred strong, actually—
“That is correct! During my apprenticeship, I wasn't even half this size! However, with the Lord of Heaven’s grace as my path, I firmly filled my body with faith!”
“Ha, haha.”
Considering he looked about 2 meters tall when standing earlier, it meant he was a tiny kid less than 1 meter tall when he was young.
Archion wanted to lodge a complaint with the Lord of Heaven. What on earth did this Holy Knight do wrong for Him to raise a simple boy into such a giant monster (kind-hearted)?
“As expected of someone who received the Lord of Heaven’s teachings. If the opportunity arises, I also wish to help countless people like you, Sir Knight.”
“Young Master Archion has already achieved that. With the incandescent bulb that is comparable to a holy relic!!!”
And here was a man who must have torn apart hundreds, thousands of demon followers and monsters. Why was he praising Archion’s incandescent bulb? Comparing it to a holy relic, no less.
“Just what kind of story is behind this that the incandescent bulb became such a great help to the clergy…?”
“It would be best to hear that story directly from the Saintess. That way, it will be a much more enjoyable tale.”
Since the Saintess is the living witness to it.
With him dodging the question like that, Archion felt like he would go crazy with curiosity.
There are dioceses large and small throughout the Khalid Empire, but naturally, there are those that serve as regional hubs.
Usually, they are located in the territory of the most powerful noble in the region, and around here, Enersis was the only choice.
“May the Lord of Heaven’s grace be with you.”
Thus, the Lidasid Diocese located on the outskirts of Lidasid. Deep inside its monastery.
“It is an honor to meet the Genius Alchemist of Enersis.”
“Ah, yes. It is also an honor for me to meet you, Saintess….”
A silver-haired Saintess, similar in hair color to Archion, revealed herself.
“Ah… please do not mind this. These injuries are glorious wounds obtained while exterminating vicious vampires.”
“If you say so, Saintess, then I understand.”
She was wrapped in blood-stained bandages here and there. At this point, Archion realized that the Saintess’s thanks were related to life and death.
Archion sensed that the story would be long.
“Goldie. It looks like I’ll have to stay overnight. Could you go back home and let them know?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
So, after sending Goldie away first, he broached the subject when he was alone with the Saintess.
“So then, Saintess.”
“Yes, Believer Archion.”
“I heard my incandescent bulb… was of great help to you.”
“Yes. It was.”
As the topic of the incandescent bulb came up, she took something out that she had been hiding in her robes.
It was an incandescent bulb with a completely burnt-out filament.
“This incandescent bulb… saved our lives.”
The reason she had to use the incandescent bulb, which hadn't broken under any test, until it completely burned out.
“Two months ago, I received news that there was a village overrun by vampires, so I set out with the knights under my command.”
Recalling her confident self at the time of departure, the Saintess began to unravel the memories of that day.
Crunch!Bang!!
“Do not retreat! The Lord of Heaven is with us!!” “For humanity—!!!”
The northwestern outskirts of the Empire. Urgent news that vampires had begun to run rampant in this place, quite far from Enersis.
The Vatican was put on high alert.
“Are they planning to summon Vlad back to the continent…!” “We must send elite forces immediately!”
Although the First Hero and the Primeval Dragon drove the demons out of the Illiad Continent, their remnants were still active.
They were the culprits causing monsters to run rampant throughout the Illiad Continent, including the Empire, but if asked to pick the most vicious among them, the clergy would undoubtedly pick vampires first.
Boom!!
“Do not fear, descendants of the Hero!”
They can increase their kin through bloodsucking, and they are immortal unless exposed to divine power or sunlight. Moreover, their physical strength is enough to make an Ogre retreat.
Therefore, the Pope hastily organized an expeditionary force and entrusted the command to the Saintess. And she led the knights under her command to reach the northwestern outskirts of the Empire in just one month.
When they arrived at the village, it was already swarming with vampires.
Kiiiiek!!
“The Lord of Heaven is with us!!”
However, with the Saintess’s overwhelming divine power, said to be able to converse with God, there was nothing to fear. It wrapped around the Holy Knights, instilling vitality and courage in them.
“Deus vult!!”
The faster the halo above the Saintess’s head spun, the fiercer their momentum became.
“We defeated them all!”
“Waaaaah—!!!”
The subjugation that began like that ended sooner than expected, lasting only a few hours.
The newly joined recruits sang hymns or danced in joy at having torn apart the vampires, but—
“There is no commander unit.”
The seasoned veteran Holy Knights were serious, along with the Saintess.
“There should be at least a Sword Expert-level vampire….” “We haven't found the corpse of such a vampire. Surely, someone must be commanding these wretches from somewhere.”
Most of the vampires were wearing shabby clothes. Typical attire of slash-and-burn farmer families.
In other words, unlike real vampires who are quite fastidious, these were low-grade vampires. At this point, the veterans and the Saintess trembled with anxiety.
Where is the commander unit? Where are the powerful vampires? Catching them would fulfill the purpose of this expedition, which is to overthrow the vampires.
Above all, maintaining such low-grade vampires requires an immense amount of blood. However, their appearance was exactly like they were starved of blood and acting out of spite.
“For now… everyone has worked hard. I will stand guard, so everyone please get a good sleep.”
As if someone intentionally starved them due to a lack of blood. But there is no reason to speculate further here. The rest would have to be investigated.
“Haha, we will accept the Saintess’s consideration.”
More than that, they needed rest.
Even if they were low-grade vampires, their numbers were too great, and the Holy Knights, barely numbering a hundred, had engaged in a battle close to overwork.
The Saintess volunteered to stay up all night to fulfill her responsibility as a commander, but—
“However, since we will need troops to guard the Saintess, we will have one person stand guard in shifts.”
“There is no need for that. Knowing how deep the brothers’ fatigue is—”
“Ahem! If you cut back on sleep just because you are young, you will fall ill!”
“……But I am a Saintess.”
She surrendered to the worried nagging of the old Holy Knights.
She was an adult now, yet she slightly resented them for still seeing her as a child. Of course, knowing she was loved that much… she was grateful to these people and the Lord of Heaven who saved her, an orphan.
And so darkness fell.
Crackle, crackle….
The torches of the temporary camp burned, and the surroundings were as quiet as a dead mouse.
“Saintess, do you know what this is?”
And the 2-meter tall Holy Knight who came as her assistant was holding something strange in his hand.
“It is an art piece I am seeing for the first time. May I ask you what it is, brother?”
“Of course! This is the famous incandescent bulb!”
Come to think of it, this Holy Knight was from the Lidasid Diocese.
The ruler of Lidasid was the Count of Enersis… and the youngest young master under him was said to be a genius alchemist.
“I have heard of it too. They say it is five times brighter than a mana lamp?”
Since the Saintess and the clergy also found it difficult to act after nightfall, there had been a serious discussion about securing incandescent bulbs during the Vatican’s budget meeting.
Of course, it was rejected because of the opinion, ‘Aren't torches enough for now?’
“To think it is an object that shines so brightly. I realize once again that the Lord of Heaven has many hidden cards while coordinating the world.”
“Yes! So I also obtained a magic stone and did this… ta-da!”
Click, squeak, whirrr….
And that incandescent bulb was assembled into something in the Holy Knight’s hands in a flash, becoming a mana lamp that intensively illuminated one direction.
“This is…?”
“Isn't it truly fascinating? I made this thinking it would be a great help when searching at night if I illuminated one side brightly like this! It is an imitation of the blueprint shown by that young master of Enersis before, he called it a flashlight!”
As soon as she saw this, the Saintess’s head spun rapidly.
This would definitely be helpful. Unlike torches, this flashlight that illuminates far away would be an innovation in night searches.
To think Enersis had things like this scattered on the streets called streetlights. The Saintess felt a slight envy.
“I will try proposing it to the Vatican budget meeting again.”
“Haha! Thank you, Saintess!”
The knight from Lidasid shone the flashlight here and there in joy.
“Over there, that distant place is visible so clearly, I feel exactly like one of those vampire bastards!”
Every place he shone on was visible as brightly as midday. Even the figure standing over there was visible enough to leave an afterimage even if swept past.
“Wait, shine over there again.”
“Huh? Yes.”
The Saintess requested upon seeing a figure for a moment, and the bulky Holy Knight shone the light there again—
“Ugh?!”
A human stood there.
“……A vampire?!”
But pale skin and fangs. Clothes properly dressed up unlike the low-grade vampires.
And above all….
“It’s a vampire!!!”
Black sclera and red irises.
Clang, clang, clang!!!
“Damn it, caught this quickly?! Everyone charge!!”
The commander-level—that is, dozens of high-ranking vampires they were looking for attacked the temporary camp.
Clang! Claaang!Boom!
“Saintess! This way!”
Fortunately, because the knight from Lidasid shouted loudly, everyone who had fallen into a deep sleep jumped up and joined in.
“Hand over the Saintess—!” “How dare you!!”
Slash!
Vampire blood scattered, and the blood of Holy Knights also soaked the ground.
“Where did so many pureblood vampires come from…!”
They had thought it would end with one or two high-ranking vampires.
“Kukuku!! It was a trap to slaughter you bastards!”
“But to think the Saintess would grace us with her presence like this! Lord Vlad’s grace has finally reached us!”
“Shut up, cruel blood demons!!”
But dozens of pureblood vampires?
Each one is strong enough to command the low-grade vampires killed during the day. Such guys ambushed the Holy Knights who were off guard because it was the middle of the night, no matter how quickly they woke up.
“Our Master who art in Heaven!!” “This humble man is ascending today! Please grant me courage—!!”
The Holy Knights prepared for death.
They had to save the Saintess at least.
“Where do you think you’re running!”
“Kyaaak!”
“Saintess!!”
However, the vampires were also in a desperate situation. As limbs of the declining demon, they had to overcome the situation somehow, and the Saintess in front of them was one of the methods.
Turn her into a vampire, or if that’s not possible, kill her—
“I will make you a sacrifice to offer to Lord Vlad!!”
“It is dangerous, Saintess!!”
And deal a huge blow to the descendants of the Lord of Heaven.
Ignoring whether the Holy Knights stabbed or burned them, they were all desperate to rush at the Saintess and kill her.
“S-Saintess. Hurry….”
“Ah, ah…!”
Attacks pouring in without a gap to unfold divine magic. Holy Knights were sacrificed one by one, staining her body with blood.
“P-please give this, to Jane of the monastery, that child….”
And the Holy Knight who said he came from Lidasid also fell in front of her.
He pressed the flashlight he had assembled tightly into the Saintess’s hand.
“I beg, of you….”
“N-no. No!!”
It was the first time the Saintess experienced such a desperate defeat.
To her, who had only known victory because the infinite glory of the Lord of Heaven followed her, this situation was too terrible.
I should have said let’s retreat.I should have ordered them not to protect me.
Watching them fall one by one to the vampires with her own eyes, she sensed that her turn would come before long.
In that case,
“Dirty dogs of Vlad…!”
“No, Saintess!!” “Run away quickly!! Hurry—!!”
I will resist to the utmost.
Kiiiiek!!
A halo bloomed again above her head, and divine power raged like a storm.
“Haha! Such divine burns! Just regenerating is enough!”
Dozens of vampires jumped towards her, and she gritted her teeth and pulled up her divine power.
Crackle!
“Ah.”
Then suddenly, the Saintess felt something in the flashlight pulling her divine power.
Crackle, crackle!
The incandescent bulb of the flashlight, which should have operated on mana… was sucking up her divine power and flickering with divine light.
“……Oh Lord of Heaven! Grant me strength—!!!”
She realized what she had to do.
Aim the flashlight towards the rushing vampires,
“Hahaha! What help will emitting that light be!” “We do not fear light that contains neither divine power nor sunlight! Kuhaha!”
And poured all her divine power into the flashlight.
“Holy Light—!!!!”
And,
Flash!!!
Let there be light.
Daytime arrived in the forest for a moment, and—
Whoosh!!
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!!!” “Kueeeeek!!!!”
The bodies of all vampires in front of the flashlight began to burn.