Someone More Saintly Than Me. (2)
[If it truly continues at this pace...]
Krauchel let out a murmur. Nearly a thousand wraiths had been obliterated at once. Olivia's Requiem had taken hold properly.
At this rate, with just a few more attempts, not only could the Binding carved into Esti's soul be dealt with, but granting rest to every last wraith of Aquar was no longer a fantasy.
'...What in the world is this human?'
Even a veteran warrior who had endured every hardship imaginable would normally foam at the mouth when faced with that many wraiths.
[Resisting the Status Effect, 'Curse'.]
[Resisting the Status Effect, 'Weaken'.]
[Resisting the Status Effect, 'Decay'.]
Occasionally, there were wraiths that did not dissipate quietly. As if demanding compensation for their centuries of wandering as wraiths, they accepted extinction only after unloading every arrow of their hatred onto Olivia.
'I knew this would happen.'
No matter how lucid they became, it would be stranger for creatures who had wandered mindlessly for hundreds of years to accept it without a fight.
This was precisely why she had brought Rebekah along. Because a mere status effect like this could be healed at once with Divine Power.
[...Are you alright?]
"Yes. I'm fine."
It was not an act. Rebekah's healing likely helped, but it genuinely did not hurt.
'Compared to the agony of being kicked out of a Clue, this is practically heaven.'
Her head felt a little dizzy and her heart seemed to beat faster than usual, but this was within the expected range.
"If we just do this a few more times, it'll be over, so until then... just a bit..."
Grab.
Rebekah had approached her before she noticed and seized her wrist. As if unwilling to let her continue, her eyes swam with unshed tears.
"...I'll do it from now on."
Startled by the unexpected gesture, Olivia looked at Rebekah.
"...Please."
Rebekah's trembling hands, and her gaze that slowly lowered to the floor.
Olivia decided to take a step back.
'I had planned to do a few more rounds myself.'
But since Rebekah was reacting like that, stepping aside was the right call, if only for the sake of her mental state.
'And I've achieved my initial objective.'
Judging by her reaction, emphasizing the 'spirit of sacrifice' this much seemed sufficient.
The more 'Olivia's' spirit of sacrifice was highlighted, the weaker her connection to 'Asmodeus' became.
Once this matter was properly settled, Rebekah would begin to believe that every atrocity 'Olivia' committed was the work of 'Asmodeus.'
After all, how could a person who sacrificed herself this much to help complete strangers commit genocide?
Olivia nodded slowly.
"You don't have to follow my method exactly."
"...I can do it too, just like you, Big Sis."
"I'm not saying this because I don't trust you."
['Saintess Rebekah' uses 'Lie Detection'.]
Your statement is the 'Truth'.
"...Uh."
At the notification window that suddenly popped up, Olivia's mouth snapped shut.
She hadn't expected Rebekah to employ Lie Detection.
She could roughly guess why Rebekah had used it.
Probably because she was worried Olivia might sacrifice herself again.
'Even so, this is... She really is upset.'
It seemed Rebekah had lost trust in a different sense.
Sometimes, Olivia forgot the fact that Rebekah was still just a child in her early teens.
Olivia quickly regained her composure and spoke.
"I'm a mage, so I have no choice but to use such extreme methods, but you're not like that. Use the title of Saintess. With Krauchel's help, it won't be difficult."
With those last words, Olivia looked at Krauchel.
He immediately grasped what that look signified.
As expected, a telepathic message came through.
- Are you telling me to play the shill?
- If you think of it as shilling, it's shilling. If you think of it as chivalry, it's chivalry.
The wraiths might not know that Rebekah was a Saintess, but they knew Krauchel was the knight commander.
His conduct would have been famously renowned, so once Krauchel vouched for the fact that Rebekah truly was the Saintess, things would proceed smoothly.
- Help your people end their lives in the embrace of the Goddess, Krauchel.
The Church of Light had established its presence on the continent five hundred years ago.
The Kingdom of Aquar must have been deeply influenced by the Church of Light as well, and would have possessed no small number of believers.
'At least sixty to seventy percent.'
Krauchel would not be able to refuse.
[...I shall do my utmost.]
"I'll trust you with this. Krauchel."
At their exchange, Rebekah's eyes widened.
"...What about Big Sis? Isn't Olivia coming with us?"
"Since I've entrusted this task to you, I need to go handle something else. Thanks to you, I'll be able to barely make the deadline."
Rebekah's wavering eyes. Olivia's remark that she was short on time stabbed deep into Rebekah's heart.
"Where... are you going?"
"To the royal palace. I think I'll need to persuade the higher-ups myself."
"...Ah."
Forcibly ignoring Rebekah's huge, saucer-like eyes, Olivia stroked her hair.
"Thank you. I'll be back soon."
Rebekah's hand swept pitifully through the empty air.
*****
'That side is more or less settled for now...'
With Rebekah and Krauchel, they could probably secure roughly thirty percent within three days. Since the look in Rebekah's eyes was serious, maybe even forty percent was possible.
After all, Rebekah would likely continue the Requiem day and night to lessen Olivia's burden even a little.
But that was the limit.
There would be those who rejected the Requiem itself, and more importantly, there would be those who had become inhuman beings in the truest sense.
Genuine wraiths who had forgotten they were ever human and merely lusted after the flesh of the living.
Those who had abandoned their humanity could not be brought back to their senses even with Divine Power.
Requiem was impossible for them. Extinction was the only answer. Naturally, acquiring their stakes was impossible as well.
'The king must have deemed this impossible because of them.'
Even if you gathered every citizen who had a chance of regaining their sanity, they wouldn't form a majority.
That was why Olivia was headed to the royal palace.
Ultimately, to secure a majority stake, the royals had to be persuaded.
'Krauchel was 0.3 percent, so the high-ranking nobles would be somewhat less. The royals will have more than that.'
Olivia walked down the palace corridor, lost in thought.
Of course, she had no intention of making a heartfelt appeal this time either. The citizens were undeniably victims. They had lost their families overnight, and even their own lives, which was why she had pleaded for their forgiveness.
But the ones in the palace were different.
These bastards were all perpetrators. Inciting Esti to move the sea, waging a public opinion war that blamed Esti for their own deaths—it was all the doing of these wretches.
⌜Hmph, what business do you have?⌟
A black form spoke. Olivia already knew that it was one of the royal family members.
"Where is His Majesty?"
⌜Are you here to ask for more time? Give it up. His Majesty is not one to bend his will.⌟
Olivia knew that too. She had read in the history books what kind of man the Hegemon of Aquar was.
And clearly, he had said this:
- For the next four days, no wraith of Aquar will lay a finger on you.
The king likely had not meant that as a simple guarantee of personal safety.
How could he control citizens who had lost their minds as wraiths anyway?
Just because he had been a king in life, there was no reason for him to remain king after death.
There was no way a man once called the Hegemon was ignorant of this obvious truth.
"I have something to ask him."
⌜Something to ask, is it... He should be roaming the third floor, so look for him there.⌟
Judging by how readily he answered, he seemed to be one of the royals who had taken a liking to Olivia.
She immediately headed for the third floor. Finding the king wasn't difficult. The place where he lingered was uniquely dark.
[You are early. It feels like less than an hour since we met.]
Instead of answering, Olivia extended her hand. A chain, too thick to be called a fragment, materialized in her palm.
[Your stake is 7.43%.]
⌜How, already...!⌟
The royals drew sharp breaths. The king himself simply stared silently at Olivia.
"I have come to hear your definitive answer."
[...What definitive answer do you mean?]
Olivia deliberately paused. Not to make the king agitated, but as an unspoken request to send the other royals away.
The king was not ignorant of that meaning.
[Everyone, withdraw for a moment.]
The royals hesitated briefly, then vanished somewhere.
[Now speak. What did you mean by a definitive answer?]
"Your Majesty wishes to forgive your daughter. Is that correct?"
[...I will not deny it.]
"However, you are also aware that you do not have the right to forgive her yourself."
[That is also true.]
Her guess was correct.
The king wanted to break the Binding on Esti. He had simply been unable to do so because of opposition from the other wraiths.
After all, his personal stake was a mere 0.7 percent.
'Now I see.'
It felt like the puzzle pieces were clicking into place. She even felt she understood how 'Olivia' had been able to destroy Ikail.
'She must have instigated the king.'
The Binding carved into Esti's soul was to protect Ikail from 'enemies.' And the standard for that 'enemy' was determined by the wraiths of Aquar.
If Aquar attacked Ikail, Esti would have no way to do anything about it.
Since Aquar had once been Ikail, she likely couldn't block it, either.
The king would have swept away his descendants for his daughter's freedom, and Esti would have merely felt satisfied that the 'voices' had gone silent.
"Would it be permissible for me to... educate the royal family members?"
[Educate?]
"I mean beat some sense into them. Until they say they'll forgive your daughter."
[...Do you think I would permit that?]
"If you hadn't been inclined to permit it, you wouldn't have assigned Krauchel to me."
If the king had intended to protect the royals, he wouldn't have sent Krauchel outside the palace.
He had probably planned for this from that moment.
The king spoke as if in exasperation.
[Is that the only way?]
"You already know the answer."
[...Take good care of Esti.]
"I'll listen to that story after the work is finished. I'll have to pull an all-nighter just to persuade a few dozen wraiths."
The king turned his body away. It was a sign that he would tacitly condone everything that followed.
And it was exactly what Olivia had been hoping for.
"I shall return with good news. Your Majesty."