Act 3. Northern Continent, Arktera (3) - First Attempt

In the process of climbing the mountain, we encountered various demonic beasts.

"Ghouls! Infuse holy power into your swords and cut them down!"

"Thief goblins are fast, so watch out for attacks slipping through your armor gaps!"

I issued orders to them while handling rear support. The paladins didn't seem thrilled about following my commands, but with Marian's help, they complied. Our enemies were all shrouded in demonic energy, forcing us to fight carefully while managing distance, which made things quite tricky.

By the time we'd reached the middle of the lower slopes,

a skeleton suddenly burst out from somewhere at high speed. In its hand was something that looked like a bomb.

...Crazy! A suicide bomber!

"Blow that skeleton far away!!"

Even with my shout, the paladins' reaction was a beat too slow.

Kieeeeng-!!!

"Shield!"

"Holy Shield!"

Double-layered shields enveloped us, followed by a deafening roar that felt like it would tear our eardrums.

Boooom-!!!

"Cough, cough... Haa... Is everyone oka—"

A few paladins who hadn't made it inside the shield in time were writhing in agony, covered in demonic energy.

"...Haa."

"I'm, cough, fine... No problem, continuing..."

"...Saintess, wouldn't it be better to convince her to head back without pushing too hard?"

Marian pondered my question before shaking her head and speaking.

"...We'll be a bit slower, but it's okay. The paladins train to adapt to demonic energy."

"...But."

'We need to hurry.'

But how could I tell them we had to reach the top before 3,000 residents died? For now, I had no choice but to follow Marian's lead.

"Huff... Huff..."

Contrary to Marian's expectations, the paladins eroded by demonic energy were even slower than I'd thought. This became especially apparent in combat. They swung their swords, but sluggishly, and against fast enemies, they could only take hits helplessly.

...Didn't they skip a few sessions in that demonic energy adaptation training?

Unfortunately, the paladins hit this time seemed to be encountering demonic beasts with demonic energy for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the first time. Training and real combat were worlds apart, after all.

Even after that disaster, the demonic suicide bombers kept appearing. The paladins were a bit cowed from the previous hit, so it took longer to deal with them.

Haa... Failure.

By the time we reached the mountainside, the quest failure condition was nearly fulfilled.

When we entered the latter half of the mountain, I stopped and sighed.

"We'll aim for the next chance."

"...Pardon? What do you—"

'...Third save point.'

In that instant, the world flipped upside down.

.

.

Second attempt.

"While climbing the mountain, a skeleton carrying a bomb will rush at us fast. That bomb is packed with demonic energy, so when we raise shields, everyone needs to huddle together."

Even as I earnestly explained based on my previous experience, about half the paladins weren't really listening. The more seasoned ones seemed to pay attention just because the saintess was there, while the rookies half-listened at best. Some even turned their backs, pretending to scout.

"Hey, are you listening?"

"Yes, we are."

When I asked directly, they answered honestly, so I couldn't call them out.

In cases like this, their leader should normally chew them out... but Marian just quietly listened to me, for some reason.

"Haa... Let's go."

We climbed the snowy mountain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again.

At the lower-middle slopes, the demonic suicide bomber appeared once more.

"Rock variant incantation: Land Modify."

From my analysis, the bomb didn't explode on contact but after a set time. I created a prison of snow-covered earth to trap the suicide bomber.

Crunch- Crack- Kieeeeng-!!

Boooom-!!!

The sound was a bit less intense than before, and the wall shattered into pieces.

...It might break through if I'm not careful.

It had nearly breached the wall just now; I'd barely held it.

Anyway, we safely reached the mountainside, but this time multiple suicide bombers popped out at once.

"Damn!!"

One in earth, one in a water prison, one blown far away with wind, and one whose skull I shattered with Magic Missile. Even so, a few remained, which Marian blocked from approaching with holy power.

Crack- Shatter-!

The sound of the earthen wall breaking began. Probably because I'd split my focus on multiple spells, the wall's durability had weakened a bit.

"Ah."

Boooom-!!!

We deployed shields again, but still couldn't cover everyone, and injuries occurred.

'Fuck.'

Just like the first attempt, our progress slowed, and we couldn't reach the top before 3,000 died.

'...Third save point.'

.

.

Third attempt.

First things first, this needed addressing. Party members who ignored the raid leader's orders weren't zero contributors—they were a straight-up -1. Mental reconditioning was in order.

"Are you going to listen to me properly?"

"..."

The paladins fell silent at my question. I let out a big sigh and turned to Marian.

"Saintess, surely you know what happens when a party ignores the leader?"

"...I do."

"Then why—!"

"..."

Marian's face had grown noticeably colder.

"...Saintess, let's talk alone for a moment."

"You, what are you planning with the Saintess..!"

"It's not like that, so don't follow. Before I slam you into the ground."

I shot a cold glare at the paladin who'd been ignoring me and doodling in the snow with his feet.

He worked his lips, then abruptly turned his head and muttered.

"Some unheard-of bitch suddenly shows up and..."

I decided not to respond. They were still my climbing companions; fueling more hostility wouldn't help.

I moved aside with Marian.

"Sound Protect."

A basic soundproofing spell. Now no one could hear our conversation.

"...Saintess."

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"...You know what I mean."

"..."

Marian bit her lip with a troubled expression and lowered her head.

"...I can't say."

"Saintess, we can't proceed like this. I'd rather climb alone than drag along members who won't listen."

"...I can't trust you yet. I know you're a good person, but... this is different."

Marian had fulfilled her role perfectly in the first and second loops. Buffing me and the paladins, healing the injured, providing excellent rear support alongside me. As a priest, her raw combat power was lacking compared to other heroes, but she was still one of them. Her stats were slightly nerfed to avoid making the main quest too easy with an overpowered NPC, yet she shone regardless.

Probably, "can't trust" meant her favorability hadn't reached true trust yet.

"Saintess."

But that didn't mean I had any reason to accommodate this situation from my perspective.

"I don't know your circumstances, but hand over control of the paladins."

"...Pardon?"

The saintess had one authority: absolute command over church paladins. Disobeying meant facing judgment of light. She could delegate some of it if she wished—though her orders took priority.

"If you won't, I'll climb alone."

"Even you can't do that! Who knows what threats lurk on that mountain..."

"We'll find out as we go."

We were more visible bunched together, and the demonic energy reacted to the paladins' and Marian's holy power, drawing more beasts to us.

I decided on a bold move.

"I guarantee you, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Saintess—you can't reach the summit normally without my help."

Her pride must have been slightly wounded; favorability dropped, but I could afford it. No, I had to.

We hadn't even passed the mountainside yet, and it was already this bad—who knew what lay ahead?

"...Fine. I'll hand over control. Extend your hand for a moment."

As I held out my hand, Marian gently placed hers on top. A cross-shaped mark appeared on my wrist.

"...It's temporary for now. Focus your power on your wrist to yank their leashes."

I smiled brightly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and bowed to the saintess.

"Thank you. We'll reach the summit safely."

"...Yes."

I dispelled the soundproof spell and returned with Marian.

"Saintess! Is everything all right?"

The paladins rushed to Marian, glaring at me with hostility.

"You shouldn't look at me like that."

I raised my wrist, showing them the mark.

Their expressions soured more and more.

"If you don't want to die, obey me from now on."

"Die by my hand, or by the beasts'."

"Your choice?"

The paladins clenched their fists but couldn't respond.