Chaos Orientation (5) — What the Hell Was That?
The sound of thunderous cheers erupted from the castle walls. “Waaaaaaaah!”
In a situation where the defenses could have collapsed at any moment, a brilliant golden Divine Power rose like a brand-new sun. A unit of paladins had struck the rear of the enemy army. The charge itself went incredibly smoothly. A few quick-witted foes noticed and tried to block it, but their numbers—only about twice as many—were nowhere near enough to stop the onslaught. The organizational structure of the gnolls, who had been on the verge of breaching the castle, began to crumble in an instant.
Holding the line only works when both sides are on roughly equal footing. No matter what tricks they had, they were still just bipedal hyena-headed beasts. Creatures whose morale had been shattered this badly couldn’t possibly regroup. So the outcome of this battle had already been decided.
Yet—
“Saintess? Are you all right? You aren’t overexerting yourself, are you?”
“No, no. Using Divine Power like this isn’t straining me at all.”
This much output wasn’t enough to cause any real problems. I had rested for a full day, and although I hadn’t completely recharged, my original reserves were so enormous that being a little short didn’t matter. Still… I had definitely made eye contact with something. Even though I couldn’t make out its shape, the memory lingered so vividly that I kept wondering if I had imagined it. No. I had definitely locked eyes with it. That was the real problem. I had felt its presence clearly, yet I had no way to identify what it was. Not even a guess.
“Even so, your complexion doesn’t look good. Why don’t you leave this to the Patriarch and rest?”
Hmm. Was it really because I had used too much Divine Power? It was true that whenever I thought it was necessary, I had poured it out without restraint. It really was an absurdly overpowered ability. Even with my firm belief that God existed, this power felt far too strong to be something granted so casually. Could this be a side effect? No, it probably wasn’t that simple. The constant prickling at the back of my neck, the goosebumps rising all over my skin—something was definitely nearby, irritating my nerves.
Tsk. It feels like a waste, but I don’t have a choice.
“Everyone, gather up. Something’s wrong. I’m going to cast the Miracle of Protection, so stay inside it.”
“Good instincts. A little late, though.”
A low, heavy voice rang right beside my ear. My shoulders tensed and goosebumps shot from the base of my skull all the way to my crown.
“Who are you?! Get away from the Saintess!”
It was a man with short-cropped black hair and black eyes, wearing leather armor. He stood roughly three or four steps behind me. Only after his voice sounded did the mercenaries finally notice him and raise their weapons. Two of them faithfully secured Yulia and put distance between her and the intruder.
“I know. She’s the Saintess.”
His voice was a deeply cynical baritone. He looked at least a head taller than me—probably over 180 centimeters. And his appearance was far from ordinary. I had thought Prince Peter was ridiculously handsome, but this bastard possessed a beauty that surpassed even that standard. The direction of his good looks was slightly different from Peter’s, though.
“W-wait, everyone, lower your weapons.”
“Pardon? Saintess? But…”
“Lower your weapons! Now!”
Let’s think rationally. Just moments ago, I had made eye contact with someone whose identity I couldn’t confirm. Right after that, a person appeared behind me, and I had no idea how he had gotten there. So what could his identity possibly be?
“Even in this situation, your head works remarkably well. I like that too.”
“You’re the Demon King, aren’t you? I’ll obediently follow whatever you want, so don’t touch the others.”
Only after hearing the words “Demon King” did the mercenaries suck in sharp breaths. A Demon King powerful enough to appear like this couldn’t possibly be opposed by mere mercenaries. To prove that I meant every word, I withdrew the Divine Power I had been radiating instead of using it for the Miracle of Protection. Thanks to Yulia’s power the surroundings didn’t plunge into total darkness, but the light dimmed noticeably.
Good. The light had weakened. If I could buy just a little more time, Ziegfried would notice and return. There was no better existence than the Hero for catching a Demon King. If I could hold out until then, we’d have a chance.
“Hmm, is that enough to negotiate with?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? If I start resisting here, what do you think will happen? Do you really believe you’ll walk away unscathed? Is there zero chance of failure?”
The Divine Power I possessed was one thing, but I also had one final trump card. I wasn’t sure if it would work on a Demon King, but I didn’t think it would be completely useless.
“I see. So you value human lives that much? I’ve heard similar rumors. They say you care for the powerless.”
“Why? Doesn’t suit your taste? Then how about you just leave?”
“Hahaha. No, actually, I like it even more. Very well—I’ll spare them.”
Crack!
The legs of the mercenaries who had been stealthily inching closer snapped with a sickening sound. Every single one of them—except the two who had been escorting Yulia farther away—collapsed, instantly incapacitated.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“You said you’d spare us! Kgh!”
“I didn’t kill them. Well, the annoying Hero is on his way back. I’ll be taking the Saintess with me, gentlemen. Don’t blame yourselves too much. You all did your best.”
The scenery before my eyes twisted violently. The forest, the mountains, the river, the lake, the swamp, the plains—ugh, I’m going to throw up. So this was spatial teleportation. Not every Demon King could do this, or the human world would have already been overrun. This particular Demon King probably couldn’t use it just anywhere. If he could have, and if his target had been me, he wouldn’t have ambushed me on the road—he would have snatched me in the middle of the night. Still, it would be far easier for him near his own territory. If I let myself be dragged along obediently, I would almost certainly end up in the Demon King’s castle or his domain, where escape would be nearly impossible.
Ah, I don’t know anymore.
“S-sorry about this.”
“What are you—”
I pulled out the golden cross and literally detonated the Divine Power stored inside it. It wasn’t a physical or chemical explosion, but a holy one—precisely the kind that had an even stronger effect on the magic used by Demon Kings and monsters. Because I had steadily poured Divine Power into it over time, the blast was on a completely different scale from anything I could produce by simply drawing on my own power. In exchange, the golden cross completely disintegrated into glittering dust that scattered into the air. Still, it was worth the price.
I watched the Demon King’s hand reach out to grab me again, only to miss as I grew farther and farther away. Even so, a promise was a promise. I figured I should at least say one thing.
“You fu—”
“Fu?”
“You crazy bastard! You’re the one who broke their legs first!”
The surrounding scenery returned to normal. I mean, come on. I told him to spare the others, and he went and snapped their legs? Of course I had made the condition because I was most worried about Yulia, but still—doing that to the mercenaries was not something I could just overlook. That was why I had only let myself be dragged halfway before cutting the connection. The bonus was how satisfying it felt to see genuine bewilderment flicker across that coldly handsome face.
“Anyway… where the hell am I?”
The land where the Demon Kings fought for supremacy lay somewhere beyond the desert. Since this wasn’t a desert, I was either still in human territory or had already been taken across. The sun had set, but it wasn’t particularly cold. The area was forested, but it didn’t feel like a tropical rainforest.
“Ugh…”
When I placed my hand on the ground to stand up, my palm felt damp. Had it rained recently? Well, that was possible. At least it didn’t seem to be a swamp. I couldn’t see any signs of people or roads, but I didn’t feel any overwhelming sense of danger either. Strange. Every single tree was thick, tall, and massive—each one could practically be called a small forest on its own. And more importantly, how could I even see them? The sun had already set. Even if the moon was out, the canopy was so dense that almost no light should reach the ground. The forest floor was covered only in fallen leaves and gnarled roots, with almost no undergrowth.
“Oh…”
I used a bit of Divine Power to illuminate the surroundings. Even in a forest like this, it felt as if the Milky Way itself was flowing around me. Swarms of fireflies danced through the air. Yet despite the breathtaking sight, an uneasy feeling slowly began to rise within my previously calm heart.
Wherever this was, it was an incredibly vast forest. Aside from the trees, the vegetation was practically barren. I had the bare minimum of food and water, but I had no idea which direction to go or how far I would need to travel. To think I had felt relaxed even for a moment—was I crazy?
“Mmm…”
Tonight wasn’t a new moon. It wasn’t quite a full moon either, but it was fairly bright. Maybe if I climbed one of the trees, I could see something? I looked up. The height was enough to snap my neck instantly if I fell. It looked like it would easily surpass six or seven stories. Now what?
There didn’t seem to be any immediate threats nearby, but I couldn’t exactly feel safe either. This was a fantasy world, after all. A dryad suddenly popping out wouldn’t be strange at all.
“Hello?”
Speak of the devil.
“W-who are you?”
The being that had suddenly greeted me looked mystical at first glance. But dryads, who were said to lure people in forests and drain their life force, had a similar aura. I couldn’t let my guard down, so I temporarily withdrew my Divine Power. I had no idea how much more I might need to use.
“I felt something similar to a Demon King’s aura and came to check. Turns out it’s a human priest.”
Only then did I notice the pointed ears. Snow-white skin, light green hair, and a pair of sharply protruding ears.
“An elf…? Are you an elf?”
“What sharp observation skills. Then, would you kindly explain why I should spare an intruder?”
Unlike Guinevere, this elf was tall and slender. She had already been joined by several other elves, all of whom now aimed their bows at me as she spoke. Had they not seen my Divine Power? Or were they simply ignoring it? Did the title of Saintess not carry much weight here? Fortunately, even in this situation, I still had a card to play.
“I am Saintess Lucia. I was traveling with the Hero who freed the elven slaves last time.”