The Passionate Mage Division (3)
Lockton narrowed his eyes.
This called for a show of Ashtar's dignity.
"They're looking down on us. Threatening us with the Goddess Church just so they can meet my cute little sister."
"Well, that may be so. If you feel Ashtar has been slighted, I offer my apologies."
"That will depend entirely on Olivia's wishes."
He had no intention of forcing anything on her. She had already proven herself more than capable on the expedition. Dragging her off to the Holy Kingdom against her will? That would only get troublesome.
"Oh? So the next head of the House of Ashtar must still mind his little sister's moods?"
"Of course. She's my one and only adorable sister. Father and Mother treated her poorly, but I'm different."
When she had declared she would never marry, he had been overjoyed. He would not hand her over to any worthless fool in the world—not even if that fool were a Hero.
"Aren't you being rather too casual with an envoy of the Holy Kingdom?"
"Why dance around it? Just say I'm being rude."
This was why he despised the Holy Kingdom lot. A country of barely a few million people, swaggering about just because it was the headquarters of the Goddess Church.
"Very well. Then I shall say it: you are being rude."
"You're the Pope's lapdog sniffing after my sister. Isn't it only natural?"
If the man had any conscience left, he would not take that as rudeness. Holy Kingdom types were impossible.
"Ahem."
"Anyway, my sister should arrive soon enough. I'll ask her intentions myself."
That much he could do. Whether she would actually go was another matter entirely. He had no desire to force her.
The Goddess Church? His sister mattered more than any church.
"Thank you."
"And what is your name?"
Might as well remember the name of this insolent fellow.
"I am William, grandson of the current Pope."
The Pope's grandson? No wonder he was like this.
"Ah. William. Understood. You may leave."
"Yes."
Lockton dismissed him with a wave. He could not stand the sight of Holy Kingdom scum. He never wanted to deal with them again. If they had not been the seat of the Goddess Church, he would have taught them a lesson long ago.
The road to Crad Castle was a delight.
I could feel it—this was a mage's work, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself.
Monster attacks came frequently. The recapture of Crad Castle had been little more than a side benefit of detouring through the mountain range on the Demon Realm side to strike the Third Corps first. The direct road to the castle, however, was a different matter. With the expeditionary force having taken the mountain route, this path still crawled with monsters—monsters we now had to clear.
The mages of the Magic Division unleashed spell after spell without pause.
"Magic Bullet!"
"Fireball!"
"Ice Arrow!"
"Thunderbolt!"
Kwa-gwa-gwang! Boom!
They lacked the freewheeling style of adventurers, yet the Division's combat duties proved surprisingly fun. It was perfect, really. Watching the cascade of different magics erupt right before my eyes filled me with pure admiration.
"What has you so amused?"
Celia asked from beside me, looking thoroughly bored.
What was so amusing? Everything unfolding in front of me, of course.
"This exhilaration—even in Noah's time I never felt anything like it! Ah, I'm Olivia. I'll live as Olivia for the rest of my life. I could cry."
If I could live as a mage, I did not care whether I was a noble young lady or anything else!
"Wow. You're completely hooked."
"See? This is what I always wanted."
Far better than that dull, stifling place called Atelina. Better than some den of crawling aristocratic vermin. This—this tasted of real life.
Ah, I was genuinely moved.
"Well, once vacation ends you'll still have to return to the capital."
My good mood shattered in an instant.
Right. I was still a member of Atelina, after all. This little adventure would only last about two weeks. Why did she have to ruin the fun? What a rotten mage.
"Are you seriously trying to kill the mood?"
"Oh? Lady Olivia is going to kill the mood?"
Look at her, twisting it already.
"It's just a figure of speech."
"Still. Wow. This is completely different from Atelina."
"Exactly. These are the mages I wanted."
"A true mage ought to head for the Magic Tower, though."
Still going on about the Tower.
"They don't see much actual combat over there."
"If you work as a dispatched mage it's different. I came from the Tower myself, you know."
True enough, but the thought of being stuck inside a tower put me off. The mages there focused on research more than battle. Even the strongest among them spent their days inventing new techniques and advancing magical civilization. That was not a bad thing—humanity needed magic to progress—but it simply was not my type.
"What do you think of the Magic Division?"
"Hmm. Not as good as the Tower, but decent enough? About this level."
"Come on. Can't you give them a nicer review?"
I had been to the Tower myself; I knew the difference. The Tower's level surpassed the Division's, yet the Division was nothing to scoff at. Ashtar had carefully selected only the best talents from the start.
"Eh~ but honestly it's just average. Maybe because these are the reserves. That Kise woman might be deliberately keeping you away from the tougher spots, Lady Olivia."
"Is there any place more dangerous near Ashtar territory than the area around Crad Castle right now?"
I doubted it. Inside the territory it would be little more than patrols. The monsters near Crad had not even been fully identified yet.
"Hmm, now that you mention it… No, wait—if things get dangerous they can always call for support from the Ashtar young masters stationed at Crad Castle, right?"
"You're really good at twisting things to fit."
She needed to say something that actually made sense. That would only disgrace the Magic Division.
"By the way, Lady Olivia."
"What now?"
"The mages look like they've found something."
She was right. Near the edge of the forest the others had discovered something.
"Lady Olivia! Over here! There's something!"
Not far from Crad Castle, deep in the woods, we came upon a strange temple-like structure built of gray stone. It was surprisingly large—almost certainly a sanctuary.
"Something Berna left behind, maybe."
"Berna builds things like this?"
Who else would it be?
"That girl was completely obsessed with the Demon King before we gave her physical therapy. Building a sanctuary wouldn't be strange at all. This whole area used to be her domain."
"True enough."
This had to be something Bernoa had set up. As a user of the Authority of Fall, she might have built this sanctuary to manage her corrupted converts.
"Lady Olivia, shall we report to Lady Kise?"
one of the mages asked.
No need. Strictly speaking, this place fell under the mission Kise had given us. If Berna had left anything behind, there might be something useful for me. Fetching Kise would take too long, and Clanis or Seto would certainly know about this place. They would not want it left alone either.
I was curious. I could not exactly go ask Bernoa, who was currently managing Nora at the church in the capital. Better to see for myself.
"I think we should handle this ourselves."
"Us?"
From the perspective of a former mage of the Hero Party, it was better to deal with trouble before it grew. The bases of the Four Heavenly Kings had always been a nuisance before the Hero Party finally took down the Demon King. This sanctuary might not count as a full base, but that only made it more unsettling. That idiot Bernoa might have left some scheme involving her corrupted believers.
My mage's instincts were screaming: dig this place up quickly or something bad would happen.
"We'll notify Kise first, then go in."
She was still the Division Commander, after all. Better to let her know before entering.
We carefully stepped into the black temple standing at the heart of the sanctuary.
"For something Berna made, this feels way too creepy."
"It feels creepy because Berna made it."
She was the Fallen Saint. Of course it was creepy. She had probably dragged people here, corrupted them, and used them as pawns. Come to think of it, that woman ought to be thanking me.
"No, I mean there's a strange medicinal smell too."
"Medicinal smell?"
Don't tell me… Clanis?
Clanis had always been skilled at her little experiments.
Just then, human voices drifted from deeper inside the temple.
"O Demon King, please destroy this current humanity and open a new age."
"Return to this land quickly and deliver punishment upon those humans."
"Long live the Demon King! Long live the Demon King!"
Ugh. I knew it looked suspicious.
"Those are nuns from the Holy Kingdom."
"Defeated by Berna, dragged here, and brainwashed?"
That crazy woman never cleaned up properly. Why leave them like this? It would probably be better to save them if possible.
"We should rescue them first, right?"
"The smell bothers me, but yes, we should."
With Bernoa currently in the Empire, the Authority of Fall would not function here. A few good punches should finish their "physical therapy."
"The Demon King is—"
"Snap out of it, all of you."
I approached the nuns to question them.
"The Demon King is… the Demon King is…"
"Huh?"
Every one of them looked completely off.
"Lady Olivia, something's wrong with these people."
"What the hell did that bitch Bernoa do?"
I stopped mid-sentence. Bernoa would never do something like this. She was a lunatic, but she would not turn potential soldiers into combat-incapable mental wrecks. Corruption alone was her limit. I had fought her enough times in the past to know. Turning people into raving madmen was more Clanis's style.
Yes. This was exactly what happened when Clanis ran experiments. None of her test subjects ever came out right.
"Shit."
Gulp, gulp, gurgle—
The nuns began vomiting black liquid. Their human skins peeled away, and black monsters emerged from within. Winged creatures that resembled angels, yet their entire bodies were pitch-black and misshapen.
Of course. Clanis's work.
"Lady Olivia, does Bernoa do filthy things like this?"
"This is Clanis. That insane bitch."
The vibe was unmistakable. Every last nun had transformed from human into something that looked like an angelic stone statue—except the resemblance was only surface-deep. Some bizarre monster of Clanis's creation, no doubt. Not even mains. Just a grotesque hybrid of brainwashed personality and monstrous instinct.
The angels' nails lengthened as they stared at me. They looked like statues carved from black rock, yet the moment you drew near they moved like living humans and thrust those long claws forward.
Simply put, Clanis had cooked up another freakish creation.
"Is there a single normal one among the Four Heavenly Kings?"
"If there were, would they have become Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's army?"
Anyone still sane would never have taken the job.