The False Saintess (2)

Time flowed by, and before I knew it, the third morning of the subjugation expedition had dawned.

After two days of fierce battle, the first dimensional rift had closed. Rumor had it that thanks to Abel's grand magic and the priests' healing, not a single person had been seriously injured.

'Abel is still as incredible as ever.'

Even among the holy knights, whispers of admiration for Abel's martial prowess circulated, making it clear just how actively he had participated.

Of course, the fact that those making such comments were themselves among the most elite warriors was also part of the reason.

The battlefield was overflowing with first-rate fighters—so many that one could trip over them. The participants in this expedition were truly formidable.

Had they been any less capable, no amount of priestly healing would have saved them from being killed in a single blow.

Conversely, the fact that such elite forces were necessary spoke volumes about how dangerous the dimensional rifts had become.

"Haa..."

This time, four rifts had opened in total.

Compared to the past, when there had been as many as seven, the number had decreased significantly. But many said that the quality of the monsters had risen in proportion.

Thinking back to that eyeball-cluster monster that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had unleashed wide-area mental interference, the claim certainly held ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠water.

But whose voice had it been that told me not to look at that monster when my mind was breaking apart?

'Don't look, it said...'

Even when I asked Silpi, he claimed not to have heard any such voice. It was too unsettling to dismiss as mere auditory hallucination—especially since it had sounded so much like my own.

As I remained lost in thought, Yurp approached me.

"Are you all right?"

"Ah, I'm fine."

Unlike before, when she had been curt with everyone, her voice was gentle as she expressed concern for me.

It was hard to adjust to this change—especially since she had been sharp even with Kal, whom she had seemed close to. Not that this unfamiliar side of her was unwelcome, of course.

It just meant we had grown close enough for her to worry about me.

"Miss Id, did you remember to bring potions?"

By potions, she must have meant emergency ones. The escort teams carried them in case they were ever separated from the priests.

Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten to pack them before leaving. A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself not to show it.

Just as I was about to admit I hadn't brought any, Yurp pulled a potion vial from her pocket and handed it to me.

"No need to worry, Kal. I packed some."

"Ah, thank you."

I accepted the potion with gratitude. Her thoughtfulness left me feeling oddly bashful.

Silpi, who had been floating invisibly beside me, let out a quiet sigh. He exhaled deeply before muttering under his breath.

[At this point, it's starting to get a little creepy.]

'She's just being considerate. I should be grateful.'

[No, not that.]

Silpi pointed a tiny finger at Kal. The man was scratching his head awkwardly as he glanced at Yurp.

But she deliberately ignored his gaze, keeping her eyes fixed solely on me.

[Isn't it weird how prickly she is with that guy?]

I nearly nodded at Silpi's puzzled question before catching myself. He was right—Yurp was being unusually dismissive of Kal.

To the point where an outsider might suspect they'd had a falling-out.

"Well, that's a relief. You've softened up quite a bit, Yurp. I'm glad."

"...Shut up."

Yurp barely acknowledged Kal's remark before stepping closer to me.

Watching her, I felt an inexplicable unease. A foreboding sensation, hard to put into words.

Silpi seemed to share my discomfort, his expression twisting into a frown.

"Let's do our best. Both of us."

"Yes. Of course."

I stuffed the potion vial into the leather pouch at my waist before turning my gaze toward the rift in the distance.

Slightly larger than the first one. I'd heard they grew bigger the closer they were to the center.

A frivolous thought crossed my mind—would they eventually swell to the size of a mountain?

But the realization that this might not be so far-fetched soon left me feeling hollow.

[Don't dwell on negative thoughts for too long. You might get corrupted.]

'Yeah. I know. I must be a little tired.'

Arin, captain of the Black Crow Knights and my spirit magic instructor, had always emphasized one thing during our lessons.

A mantra repeated like clockwork every session: Spirits can be corrupted by their contractor's negative thoughts.

The longer such thoughts persist, the higher the contamination level grows. And once that level crosses a threshold, the spirit falls into depravity, bound to this world forever.

The stronger the spirit, the higher that threshold—but none were immune. That was why spirits chose their contractors so carefully.

My contract had been a bit of a special case, though.

[Mental discipline is one of a spiritualist's most vital virtues.]

'Right, I'll keep that in mind.'

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, steadying my turbulent emotions. If Silpi had felt the need to warn me directly, the accumulated contamination must have been significant.

It seems my mindless tension about the Subjugation Expedition had backfired on me.

Though I've improved a lot since then.

I slapped my cheeks with both hands and quietly observed the distant Dimensional Rift.

Krrrk—

A monster began forcing its way out of the rift.

A mantis-like form, but with eyeballs protruding like warts across its body, and pupils rolling wildly in every direction.

Grotesque monsters began emerging one after another from the rift.

Unlike the monsters from the previous wave, these ones slowly scanned our side, as if sizing up their opponents.

In the brief standoff that followed, a white Magic Circle began unfolding in midair.

Krk?

"Seems you have the leisure to just eyeball us."

Abel, standing at the forefront of the subjugation team, flicked his fingers, and spears began pouring from the white Magic Circle.

The monsters shrieked as the spears impaled their bodies clean through.

As if annoyed by the noise, he stretched out his hand—and the monsters compressed into a single point before shrinking into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tiny blood beads.

Perhaps emboldened by the sight, our Knight Order immediately took the lead.

"Follow the Duke!"

""For the glory of House Hardenberg!""

""For the Duke's glory!!""

Their voices boomed loud enough to shake the earth, and the Holy Knight Order, seemingly spurred on as well, roared and followed suit.

""We dedicate this glory to the Goddess!""

"Finish them!"

Overwhelmed by the sheer difference in momentum, the monsters were swept away like fallen leaves in autumn, unable to put up any resistance.

Blades and slashes forged from Aura and Holy Power began cutting them down in an instant.

"O Goddess, I beseech You—may this power be used for the world's benefit."

Yurph murmured a prayer before casting a Blessing over me and the escort team.

When I turned my head, I caught a glimpse of her faintly smiling face. It was still awkward, but far better than the completely expressionless mask she'd worn before.

[Front entity—this one seems capable of adjusting its size.]

What a bizarre bunch.

The monster slipped through the subjugation team's gaps before suddenly enlarging right in front of the escort team. The peculiar behavior left them momentarily stunned.

"O Wind."

I had no intention of standing by and watching.

In battle, momentum is just as crucial as psychological warfare. Once you seize the momentum, the fight quickly tilts toward victory.

[Distance to target—confirmed. You know what's left, right?]

"Yeah. Let's go."

Silpi nodded beside me. Drawing strength from that, I stomped my right foot against the ground. Unlike before, I didn't leap into the air—instead, I charged straight ahead.

Wrapping the Rapier in wind, I lunged.

Squelch!

Green blood splattered in all directions as the monster shrieked.

The escort team, who had been staring blankly, quickly followed my lead and began finishing off the monster.

I pulled the Rapier free from the monster's body and turned my head.

The same tactic was being used by more than just one or two monsters—screams echoed from all sides.

Though the escort team was handling them, it was clear they were struggling.

Just as I was about to step in to help, a chilling sensation crept up from behind.

[Contractor! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Watch out—]

Before Silpi could finish, the blade attached to the monster's arm was already at the tip of my nose.

Despite the gaping hole in its body, it was desperately swinging its blade.

I'd let my guard down, assuming it was already dead.

I'd hoped to avoid using Regression if possible.

A futile thought crossed my mind—I hope the Save Point is set to a recent time—as I squeezed my eyes shut.

Clang!

The metallic clang that followed made me crack my eyes open. Abel stood there, blocking the monster's blade with one hand.

He lifted the monster by its blade and hurled it into the air.

Whoosh—

Dozens of Magic Circles calculated in midair. Spears shot from the white circles and skewered the monster straight down.

The monster died without even a scream. Green blood burst out in all directions before its corpse crumbled into dust and vanished.

As I stared blankly, Abel approached me.

"Remember this. On the battlefield, you always confirm the kill."

"...Understood."

When I nodded in response, he sighed and scolded me under his breath.

"Some 'I'll get stronger' talk from someone who let their guard down."

"Ahaha."

I laughed awkwardly to brush it off, but he clicked his tongue and returned to the battlefield. Despite his words, he must've been worried when I nearly died.

No doubt about it—that was entirely my mistake for being careless.

To clear my head, I took a sip of cold water.

After sheathing my Rapier and turning back, I saw Yurph staring at me with sparkling eyes.

She hesitated for a moment before suddenly asking:

"Do you, by any chance, like the Duke?"

Pfft—!

The direct hit, striking straight to the bone, made me spit out the water I'd been holding in my mouth.

Thankfully, I managed to turn my head in time, so Yurph wasn't hit by the spray.

"N-No, not at all."

"Hmm... I see..."

Her words said one thing, but her awkwardly shifting pupils told another. No matter how you looked at it, she didn't seem to believe me.

No—wait, my face is burning up. There's no way she'd buy it now.