The Saintess Enters the Fray with Self-Defense Powder
The spies realized the situation had turned against them in an instant the moment the Saintess herself joined the battle. With no time to spare, they began scouting for a breakthrough.
But they didn't even have the luxury to think. The merchant guards are all rushing over here.That guy we took down with poison earlier is up and charging again.
The spies recalled the rumors swirling around. The fifth Saintess of the Saras Church was an incompetent woman who bought her position with money. Or that she came from a baron's family that had been slowly devoured after being bought off with cash, only good at making and spending money. Or that she lacked magical talent, so she received baptism to use holy magic.
Most of the rumors were negative. They might have inwardly thought she was an easy mark because of that.
But now that they faced her directly, the spies had to completely revise their assessment. If she can heal our guys this fast, we have no chance.
The spies carried plenty of magic tools, but there were limits to their numbers, and most focused on paralysis or poison for suppression. Even though they were high-quality items that would take skilled healers a good while to counter—and considering the time it took to get here—the victims were already back on their feet and charging.
In short, it defied common sense.
"Judging by your faces, you bought into the rumors that the fifth Saintess is useless," Mina said, her tone laced with a hint of bitterness, yet her expression remained composed and icy cold as she crossed her arms quietly.
"Don't get the wrong idea. Money just turns possibilities into reality. It doesn't make the impossible possible."
With that, Mina formed hand seals. Watching the lead guards grow stronger under her blessing, she added softly, "That's why someone with this level of skill became the fifth Saintess."
Even amid the endless mockery and disdain from those rumors, the Saintess who had solidified her position spoke up.
The spies, desperate for an escape, hurled daggers at Mina.
These guards are weak one-on-one. If we just take out the Saintess...
The holy magic was the real threat, not these guards. Even while the blessed guards pressed in close combat, the spies weren't being overwhelmed. As elites among the empire's best, assigned to the intelligence unit, their skills far surpassed street thugs.
They didn't have time for a drawn-out fight, though, so they aimed for the simplest breakthrough: injure or kill Mina.
But suddenly, rocks erupted from the ground, shielding her completely. Their plan fizzled.
"Too late."
"Wasn't this your promise to come? Feels like I got here first instead."
With enemies before them, her voice was cool but carried a note of gladness, overlaid with that irritating voice they'd heard earlier.
"Eisen Arklite..."
"No more polite titles, huh?"
The situation grew even grimmer for the spies. Eisen had arrived.
****
He knew they'd switched targets, so his response was straightforward—almost traditional: block the theft of the prototype. Letting a Cyclops fall to the empire was unacceptable, so there was no time to waste.
He sprinted into the factory, barked orders at the gatekeeper, and raced to the hangar. Spotting Mina directing the merchant guards to hold them off, he intercepted the thrown daggers and joined her.
"You could've blocked that yourself, right?"
"Fragile little me can't handle stuff like that."
Mina said it calmly, but it was a lie. She knew exactly where she stood.
"Would the renowned Saintess stand at the front lines without a plan?"
She'd probably noticed him coming and just stood there, but Mina wasn't the type to rush forward unprepared. Healers were supposed to stay back under protection anyway; charging ahead without a plan was reckless, and if things went south, they had to retreat immediately. The moment she stepped up openly, she'd already accounted for any spy counterattacks.
And Mina smiled as she said, "I'm the Saintess, so I'll fall back."
"Do what you want."
There was no reason for the Saintess to stay up front even with a plan. Plus, he had info only he knew right now.
"Why not surrender nicely? I sent word to the mansion—they'll be here any second."
On his way, he'd yelled to the gatekeeper to alert the mansion that spies had breached the factory. By now, the knights should be sounding the level-five alert and charging over...
"...Why'd it suddenly drop?"
"Sorry. Triggered my own trauma there."
Anyway, reinforcements were coming. The temporary mansion wasn't far from the factory. The time they needed to buy—and the spies had left—was razor-thin.
That left the enemy with basically one move, and only once.
"...All or nothing!"
They popped smoke bombs and bolted straight for the Cyclops and Knight.
They'd been gunning for a theft from the start, and being closer to the two machines, they climbed aboard in seconds.
But no one was letting that slide.
"Those are our assets."
Mina curtly voiced her displeasure, formed seals, and a beam of light shot from her hand, slamming into the Cyclops and Knight, making their surfaces glow.
The flash exploded right in their faces, staggering everyone, including the two spies.
I'd covered my eyes the instant Mina sealed, so I was fine. I charged forward.
"You think I'd hand them over with my eyes open?!"
I scooped up one of their dropped magic tools on the way and flung it back. The paralyzing rope that had nabbed us earlier coiled around the nearest spy. The one climbing the Cyclops got tangled, shocked, and fell.
He hit the ground twitching, paralyzed. Then he bolted for the Knight.
I chased him up the skeletal stairs built just for boarding, midway up. Regaining his vision, he seemed to steel himself, leaped into the air, and shouted,
"Please reach...!"
He knew I'd catch him otherwise—a desperate gamble. A wire shot from his hand.
No proper run-up, just a wild shot flying through the air, fizzling out toward the floor.
-Crunch.
But the wire's tip hooked perfectly onto the Knight's head. Swinging from it, he yanked hard and landed right at the cockpit hatch.
"Damn it!"
"Somewhere around here...!"
The cockpit wasn't left open, of course. He frantically groped the frame for the release.
I finally caught up to his level just as...
"Got it!"
The hatch cracked open, and he dove inside. My last-ditch rock projectile flew, but the hatch slammed shut.
"Argh, damn it. Could've ended clean...!"
Lady Luck sided with him at the end. The outer switch took time, but he'd nailed the close one instantly. To open it now, I'd have to get close and—
-Vrrrrm.
He'd started the engine; vibrations rumbled through.
"Yes! Finally... The empire will have this power too...!"
The spy's voice echoed from inside the Knight. He'd even managed activation.
Today's my unlucky day, I thought, wishing for a stroke of fortune. Right then...
"Urgh... Uuugh...!"
"Ugh... Uwaa...?"
Pained groans came from the outside spy and inside the Knight.
****
Boarding success felt like owning the world. Activation meant just escape now.
If I can just take this...!
Then a twisting sensation hit his gut. Cold sweat poured. His nerves screamed to vomit.
What is this? Curse? Poison?
Only those two came to mind for sudden onset. But when?
...A curse would've been blocked by my magic tool. And I have resistance to most deadly poisons...!
Unable to pinpoint it, the spy writhed, failing to adapt.
Meanwhile, Mina approached Eisen.
"What'd you do to make him thrash like that?"
"Figured the time was right, and it was."
The calm voice outside didn't matter. Escape was impossible anyway, so he gripped the controls to crush them both—arms unnecessary; just lurch forward and they'd die.
Squeezing his last strength, he shoved the throttle.
Unauthorized access detected.
To proceed with activation, please complete the following phrase.
Sprouts have bloomed in the □.
His eyes widened at the sudden text. Authorization?
Some extra condition? But pain clouded his mind; no answer came.
Still, hope lingered—he tried filling the phrase as prompted.
"What?"
Staring at the options like a quiz, his body froze. Euphoria crashed.
Strength drained, head numbed. Through the embedded magic tool projecting outside, he saw his comrade writhing, sweating, on the verge of puking.
What the hell is happening...!
Reaching his limit, then...
"Seriously, what did you do?"
"Threw some self-defense powder."
"That's what I'm asking—what is it?"
The Saintess's intrigued question filtered in faintly, followed by Eisen Arklite's voice.
"Powder made from dried potato sprouts."
He recalled the earlier fight: Eisen's tossed powder. Not a smokescreen—a deliberate lethal poison.
"They're spies, so no one's calling it cheap, right?"
Crazy bastard.
Clutching his stomach in horror at the poison's victim, the spy groaned.