Weekend Date - Dorothy's Turn
Right after Dante had unleashed a frenzy to help Dorothy, the four who had been brimming with confidence just moments ago were trembling in an indescribable terror.
'Impossible... A human wielding both aura and mana at the same time.'
No one knew what things were like a few hundred years ago, but in the present day, no such human existed. Both aura and mana were powers rooted in the heart. Mastering even one was a massive strain, so using both simultaneously was simply inconceivable.
But that wasn't the only reason they felt such dread.
"...What the hell was that guy?"
"Even if you ask me, I can't give you an answer~ee?"
"How could a human have such an overwhelming presence..."
Dorothy, standing before them, radiated her own crushing aura. But the man who had just unilaterally slaughtered them was on another level entirely.
The group roughly guessed their identities: the vice-captain of the Silver Radiance Knights and the imperial personnel under him. As much as they hated to admit it, each one was elite-tier. Yet even those powerhouses had died without mounting a proper defense. The swordmaster's abdomen had been pierced, and the mage had fallen to his own magic.
Their raw combat prowess shattered all common sense.
'Aura and mana... and he absorbed demonic energy while handling divine power too?'
They'd never even heard of such a thing. Not even in the Genesis Myth, which anyone born on the continent had heard at least once. Even the beings in that myth didn't wield all four powers. Aura and mana, divinity and demonic energy—they were forces at opposite ends of the spectrum.
"Absolutely not...! We cannot let him take our hearts! If he's in league with that guy, he'll definitely obstruct our great cause!!"
"As believers in the divine, we cannot side with heretics who wield both divinity and demonic energy."
Irregular. Outlier. Even though it was just Dorothy before them now—not Dante—they all steeled themselves. Somehow, it felt like that man getting his hands on it would hinder their grand ambitions far more than devil worshippers or the Church ever could.
"Right. He went out of his way to set this table for me—if I don't clean it up, I'd lose face."
Dorothy's light purple eyes gleamed as she once more wrapped mana around her body. The mere act of cloaking herself in mana exuded an overwhelming presence that dominated her foes. The four, who had been fixated solely on Dante until now, finally remembered that the woman before them wasn't some helpless weakling.
'7th Circle... A monster on par with that guy.'
A mage was recognized as a true powerhouse at the 5th Circle. At 6th Circle, they reached the level of Magic Tower lords or academy professors—treated as overwhelming elites by the world.
And then, the 7th Circle. Where a mage constructed their own unique world, wielding proprietary spells. A realm so lofty that even a bundle of 6th Circle mages couldn't touch them.
That was the current pinnacle Dorothy Merhenia, the Illusion Witch, had attained.
"You don't need any mercy from me, right?"
It took mere moments for her words to unleash a merciless slaughter.
The devil worshippers lost limbs to just two or three spells, even partially demonizing in desperation... but...
"Ugly. To think something like that came from the same 'ma' (魔) as true magic."
They lasted less than five minutes. No matter how impressive devil worshippers were, they were at best a 6th Circle mage and a 5th Circle one.
"Ahem... We offer our deepest gratitude for capturing these repulsive minions of evil. This all aligns with our Church's will..."
Of the seven elite operatives, five lay dead. And Dorothy had barely expended any of her 7th Circle mana to do it.
'Time to bail. No way we can beat this bitch.'
Even a high-level divine priest's combat prowess paled against a standard aura user or mage. Divinity was a power meant to save lives and purge evil—not for direct confrontation. Especially against a mage who poured overwhelming firepower from range, it was a hard counter.
"...So you're saying the Church set this trap? To catch the demonkin?"
"Something like that. It's all thanks to Sister's outstanding abilities..."
Dorothy let out a hollow chuckle at the man's feigned affable bow. She wondered what expression hid behind that perception-disrupting facade.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Then... are you saying you'll use force against our Church?"
The Church's power was immense. Though currently split between the Old Testament faction led by the Pope and the New Testament faction seeking fresh salvation, its might was unrivaled.
Especially now, with the Saintess and Hero's reincarnation officially confirmed.
"...The Church really is at the height of its power these days."
"Indeed. Sister's judgment is wise."
"Impressively so. Since scum like you, more revolting than demonkin, are still breathing."
In an instant, a circle bloomed at Dorothy's fingertips.
"You bitch...!!!!!! Dare to use force against the Church?!?!?!?"
"Doesn't matter to me. I'm not exactly unconnected to the Church."
Dorothy smirked and pulled a single gold coin from her pocket. An archaic coin no longer used in the Empire. Etched in tiny script were the words:
'To the esteemed Lady Merhenia, the Church shall repay your grace.'
Back when Dorothy had aided the Church in eradicating a devil worshipper branch. The Pope himself had given her this token of trust for her merits.
And even the New Testament faction, hostile to the Pope, couldn't deny it signaled her status was beyond their reach.
"Y-You... Th-Then... Aaaah...!"
Before he could finish, a beam of light from Dorothy's hand pierced the man's skull. A clean, precise strike—no divine power could react in time. It was beyond what hollow priests could block.
"Now it's just you left."
"...Could you spare me?"
"Me? Spare you?"
"I'm innocent! This was all because of my senior here."
Dorothy didn't doubt it was bullshit for a second. Still, on a whim, she prepared to verify with the 6th Circle spell Eye of the Scales.
—Whoosh!!!
A dagger flew from the man's hand.
Of course.
"This is why I despise you New Testament lot."
The dagger never reached Dorothy. Instead, the man died without reaction, just like the others.
A clean, overwhelming 4-vs-1 victory. Someone might've asked if it wasn't more like 7-vs-1... but...
'Lucky he was here.'
Dorothy felt relief at Dante's presence. Even at 7th Circle, her power wasn't infinite or absolute.
Demon worshippers for solid support, priests for buffs. A sturdy backline that was no pushover. And a frontline at vice-captain knight level.
Against such a well-composed party with defined roles, even Dorothy couldn't guarantee victory.
But now, with Dante having wiped the frontline, she only needed to firepower the backline into submission. No frontline meant their hands could never reach her.
"Mmm... Thanks to him, I kept this safe."
Dorothy gazed at the pristine white heart nestled in her bosom. She'd worried it might be stolen, but one man's help had secured it.
If it had fallen into any of theirs' hands... the thought was nightmare fuel. No matter who held it, that pure white heart would birth something horrific.
'I'll hand this to the chairman for now...'
Her mission was a perfect success regardless. All that remained was returning to the academy.
As Dorothy headed back, her mind was filled solely with thoughts of that man from earlier.
"What kind of person is he, I wonder... First one like that."
Few had ever piqued her interest. Among women, just Chairman Hinisila Prihen and Yuria. Among men, only the 1st-year club president she'd just joined.
'Now one's more added. Wonder if I'll see him again?'
All her life, she'd been the one giving aid. Her innate talent and kind nature had shaped her that way.
Receiving help? A first in her life. She simply hadn't needed it—her gifts and efforts made it unnecessary.
But today, Dorothy Merhenia had, for the first time since birth, been helped by a nameless man.
"...Hehe. What an intriguing guy."