130. Preparing to Wreak Havoc
130. Preparing to Wreak Havoc
The reason I was wary of the Saintess wasn't anything particularly grand.
"Atlas, it's really been so long~"
"I hate it. Please, don't. Help me."
"Now, now, meeting like this is fate, so come here. I'll give you a tight, warm hug."
The moment Saintess Carmel saw me, she bolted upright from her seat and hugged me, stroking my head.
Her height was about 170—quite tall for a woman.
Carmel's embrace was incredibly soft and full of a sweet fragrance, possessing a magical charm that could easily make one fall asleep right then and there if they weren't careful.
"What fate! It's obvious you chased me here, isn't it!!"
Squete's black armor had already been released.
The Pope, the Saintess, and the holy... no, the sacred dragon McIntosh were figures in the Holy See who knew I was a Master.
From our very first meeting, the Saintess had been intensely interested in me.
She wanted to hug me tightly, kiss my cheek, and stroke my head at every opportunity.
Did she say I was like some wounded little lamb? It was ridiculous, really.
It wasn't that the Saintess's actions were loathsome.
If I had to pick a side, it was fear.
The Saintess was a woman chosen by God.
She had no direct combat ability, but she was accompanied by a power stronger than anything... no, by God's authority itself.
She was loved by all creation.
Her naturally impossible pink hair, her marble-pale skin, her small, red lips like cherries, her sharp nose, her smiling eyes, her bell-like voice...
Even her cute body, hidden beneath thick clothes but faintly visible in silhouette, and her adorable little hands peeking out just slightly from her sleeves—
Everything that constituted Carmel was loved by all creation.
It wasn't the low-class bewitchment of a succubus.
She received truly, genuinely noble love.
'Ugh... s-so soft... I'm falling asleep, dammit...!!'
It was the same right now.
Carmel's embrace, as she held me, was cozier than any woman's.
The silk that wrapped my whole body snugly like a luxury blanket, the chest softer than any pillow, the hand that stroked my head in rhythm with her breathing...
Knowing the Saintess possessed that trait, no matter how hard I held onto my sanity and endured, I was always shaken.
I was terrified of this feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff, as if granting my heart to Carmel would send me plummeting straight down without a bottom or end.
"You're in the position of the Saintess, so get away from me!!"
"Oh my, that's so mean."
Even though I had only been in her arms for a moment, I pulled myself together and pushed her away, shaking off the sudden, overwhelming drowsiness of comfort that washed over me.
Carmel looked genuinely regretful.
"There's no need to be embarrassed... Fufu, not a single person will enter this place, you know?"
"Cut it out and let's just talk about work, alright!"
"So stingy. You used the sacred relic well, and you can't even do this much for me? Because it hasn't been returned, the Pope is still attending congregations holding a fake relic, I tell you."
"If I borrowed it and took down one Demon Archbishop, isn't that enough? From your perspective, you got it for free!"
It was the Saintess who had lent me the Holy See's relic, the 'Sacred Orb,' just before I enrolled at the academy.
Originally, the Sacred Orb was a symbolic relic the Pope used in speeches, carried alongside the holy staff, the 'Sacred Staff,' at congregations, but she had lent it to me.
It was true she had lent me something significant, but since the results I produced were outstanding, I didn't consider myself indebted for it.
Recently, the Holy See had been gnawing away at the Demon Church's power in small increments, but I was the only one who had stopped a Demon Archbishop and a Great Demon.
"Hmm, hmm. Still, I came as a special investigator, so I will proceed with the investigation."
"Yeah. Let's get it over with."
The investigation finally began.
"I understand you are currently infiltrating the academy. Is that correct?"
"That's right. Sensing suspicious movements from the Demon Church, I've been conducting an undercover investigation as a student. So far, I've prevented three large-scale rituals..."
"Hmm... I see. Then... did you make friends well?"
"Hey."
She suddenly blurted out something strange.
If she weren't the Saintess, my fist would have flown.
"Fufu, I was worried because Atlas acts so prickly to people he doesn't like. Then, by any chance, did you get a girlfriend?"
"Hey. I said conduct the incident investigation."
"I really am conducting an important incident investigation. Next is..."
"Ah, forget it. I quit. I'm leaving."
As I sprang up to leave, the Saintess grabbed my arm.
"Ah, ah, ah! I'm sorry. It was a joke!!"
"Ha... This is tiring..."
"If you're tired, shall I at least let you rest your head on my lap? If you lie down for about 30 minutes, your fatigue will vanish completely."
"I'm not doing that."
I was almost tempted by the offer.
Though she was called the benevolent and lovely Saintess, to me she looked like a carnivorous plant luring people in with a sweet trap.
I decided it was better to just stick to the point and leave quickly.
"...Even if it's a statement about the incident, all I did was submit the report... But since we've met like this anyway, I have a separate proposal."
"What kind of proposal? If it's coming from you, it always piques my interest."
"Lend me some troops and artifacts from the local churches. As for troops... well, I don't even need the Holy Knight order. Just people who can handle the cleanup will be enough."
"Troops...? Are you going somewhere to fight a war?"
At the sudden request to borrow people, Carmel tilted her head.
"If it's a war, then it's a war. It's been a while, so I need to ransack the Demon Church."
"Hmm? What's gotten into you all of a sudden? You attacking the Demon Church again... Well, considering you must have been tormented the most at the academy, I can see why you'd want to pay them back."
Carmel accepted my proposal immediately, without even a moment's hesitation.
"You don't need to ask about a plan or something?"
"Atlas has a record of single-handedly destroying dozens of illegal Demon Church facilities... It's us who should be accommodating you."
After becoming a Master, I had focused my attacks on the Demon Church for a while.
There wasn't any particular reason.
It was just that most of the knowledge I knew from the original story was centered around the demon hunter, Hayden, so I naturally ended up tracking the demons' traces.
That was also why my relationship with the Holy See had improved.
Didn't the commander of the Holy Knights call me a true chivalrous warrior who, despite being a Master, didn't rest on his laurels and traveled the continent offering a hand to the weak?
Though I was actually just a crazy bastard who picked fights everywhere to get used to the power of a Master.
"And... do you know what? Of the Masters currently active, you're the only one who takes such an earnest interest in demons... and fights them, you know?"
"If you tell me what you need, I'll have everything prepared for you, so please don't hesitate to speak up."
After saying that, the Saintess smiled brightly.
I had also secured the people I needed most for the 'cleanup.'
It was time to launch a counterattack.
--------------------------------------
"Emy, come with me."
"...What are you saying all of a sudden? Where... are we going together?"
It was something Atlas said after appearing out of nowhere.
Emy hadn't been in a great mood because of the incident during the Hunting Festival, and she had been trying to lose herself in thought alone under the shade of a tree when he suddenly appeared right in front of her.
Unlike usual, aside from the sword on his back, he was carrying a sword at his waist that she had never seen before, and it was fascinating how it trembled, Daldaldal, as if some mechanism were installed.
But since it was something Atlas was asking her to do together, she was certain it couldn't be anything strange, so she decided to at least hear what it was.
"Right now, I'm going to go ransack the Demon Church's bases. You should come with me."
The words that came out of Atlas's mouth were something she had never expected at all.
"Ransack... the Demon Church's bases?"
"Yeah. Only ever being on the receiving end of attacks doesn't suit my personality. I need to stomp on them this time so they can't even think of doing anything foolish."
He said that since the academy had been attacked up until now, they should, in turn, attack the Demon Church.
He said it so lightly, like they were just going to casually wreck some bandit hideout.
'Is that... possible?'
In a way, it was an obvious statement, but it was a method no one had been able to attempt until now.
To retaliate because the Demon Church attacked them... Saying it was easy, but it was incredibly difficult.
The continent was vast.
The Demon Church, hunted by the Church, didn't congregate in a single place but repeatedly changed its base locations, and the more important the base, the more they paid maximum attention to security.
First of all, they had installed something like the opposite of a barrier—the kind that raised an alarm the moment anyone possessing demonic energy set foot within a perimeter spread around the Holy See's surrounds. So, even if someone bearing holy power simply approached the vicinity, they would immediately begin preparing to flee.
Furthermore, ordinary followers without any demonic energy would always lurk around disguised as regular people, constantly monitoring whether the Church's reach was extending there.
That was the fundamental reason why, despite the Church having built a larger force, it still hadn't been able to exterminate the Demon Church.
But to counterattack a Demon Church like that... Did he have some kind of method?
"Why me... Wouldn't it just be better for you to go alone, Atlas...?"
"I can't do it by myself. You know the most about demons within the academy."
Atlas praised her, saying she was the one who had simply worked hard alone, and Emy's lips curled up slightly.
Being needed was nice, but she couldn't readily say she would go.
She felt like she would just weigh him down, getting in his way.
Atlas had resolved everything that had happened so far all on his own.
All she had done was get in his way.
"But... even if I go, there's nothing... I could really help with..."
"No, I absolutely need you. No one but you, who hunted demons alone, can do this with me...!"
Atlas held Emy's hand and looked into her eyes.
Though Emy herself wasn't that large in build, Atlas's hand was even smaller, and it was hot.
His eyes, looking up at her slightly, sparkled so much that she simply couldn't bring herself to refuse.
'Ugh... That's so unfair... If you do this, I can't refuse...'
Just as she was gradually being persuaded, Companion whispered.
-Let's follow him. It will be a good opportunity. If you do as I've taught you so far, as Atlas says, it will be hard to find someone as good as you at 'tracking' the traces of demons.
'Is that so?'
Was it true that she could actually be helpful?
"Alright. I'll go..."
"Okay, okay, then let's quickly pack our gear and head out."
Up until that moment, she had no idea it would turn into such a big deal.