The Chimera's Approach
"Look at that ankle. If you were truly a priest, you wouldn't be able to turn away from something like that. Pour all your emotions onto me and me alone. Don't go causing trouble for anyone else."
"Hearing those words from you is rather amusing. Well, I'll treat her anyway. The Saintess must have overexerted herself using so much holy power."
You should have done that from the start. There's a patient right in front of you—any priest worth the title would set aside personal feelings and treat the injured first.
Still, I'm curious. She looked younger than us earlier. Why would he do something like that to a kid like her?
I should look into it separately later. Even though I know most of the story, there's a past I'm unaware of. As expected, there are still many unsolved mysteries surrounding Vern.
Well, I'll figure that out bit by bit.
"Then I'll begin the treatment."
"Is that so. I'm grateful."
"Th-thank you."
"And one more thing. I need to know how Ron and Lloyd are doing. Even from a distance, I could see blood pooled around them."
"What is it?"
"Are the ones collapsed over there all right?"
"Ah, those two were treated directly by the Saintess, so their condition has fortunately improved. But why do you ask?"
"I see. Those two are on my team as well."
"Ah… I see. It seems luck wasn't on your side. Still, since they've received the Saintess's blessing, I suppose it isn't all bad."
This bastard. He's got a real way with words.
"Then the lady should follow me. Pia, let's go. You need to report to the Saintess."
"Uh… Yes…"
Still, if he's a priest, he should be able to treat an ankle injury perfectly.
"Elin, go get treated."
"Okay. Thanks, Vern."
The golden-haired priest siblings led Elin toward the Saintess. But before they left, Elin's expression looked somewhat reluctant.
Just my imagination?
Still, I'm glad. At least I've found everyone in my group.
Should I leave Elin with the Saintess's party and continue searching alone? But on the way here, I'd already run into several low-level monsters. It would be dangerous to go alone. Even so, I can't stop. I have to find people however I can. There are bound to be others separated from their teams because of the barrier or the monsters.
I'll talk to Elin after her treatment is done. We are on the same team, after all. And she's a new friend.
"By now, the treatment should be finished."
The golden-haired priest had told me to stay away, so I'd come far enough that Elin and the others were out of sight. Does he really hate me that much? Well, given what I did to his sister, I can understand.Sigh. Vern, what kind of life did you live?
Still, it shouldn't matter since I'm only going to check. I tapped the sword at my waist and headed toward the Saintess's group.
In the quiet forest lit only by moonlight, without any torches, an alien sound began to reach my ears.
Rustle.
This wasn't the sound of my own footsteps.
"…?"
Thud… Thud…
This wasn't my sound either. The noise was faint, but in the silent forest, it was audible. I crouched down and hid in the nearby bushes.
Yeah, it was strange that I wandered the mountain so much without encountering a single golem. But now, of all times?
Should I go to Elin? Or face it alone? Should I draw its attention while telling the others to escape with the patients?
Golems are large but very slow. Their destructive power, however, is immense. Powered by a core of mana… Wait, a golem? In the early practical training episode where Requiem attacks, the golems were already destroyed by Requiem in advance. So the source of that sound isn't a golem. It must be something even larger and more threatening.
I couldn't see it yet. But my body was warning me. Something enormous was approaching.
Its form gradually came into view as it drew closer. The moon, previously hidden behind clouds, shone brightly, and moonlight filtering through the trees illuminated it.
Its appearance began to etch itself clearly into my eyes. It had a massive body, the head of a lion, and the tail of a snake.
Yes. A chimera.
Though it bore the form of the mythical monster, it wasn't a proper chimera. It stood still, looking around restlessly.
An incomplete chimera? But it's still dangerous. I need to warn the others immediately.
But why is a chimera appearing now? This named monster only shows up once you've reached the stats to fight mid-boss Vern. There was no time to think about that, though.
An incomplete chimera has less than 60% health and suffers from impaired vision and hearing, making it vulnerable to ambushes. However, its sense of smell is highly developed to compensate, so if you're injured and bleeding, it's the worst possible opponent.
Did it come here to get me? No. That thing focuses exclusively on those who are bleeding.
The chimera, which had been standing still and scanning its surroundings, began moving again.
Has it locked onto a target? Damn it, I don't have time for this. It's probably after the injured Ron or Lloyd.
I sprinted toward Elin at full speed. The incomplete chimera didn't seem to notice me.
"Haa… Haa." I went way too far.
"Elin! We need to get out of here right now!"
"Vern? What are you talking about?"
"Vern Flame, I told you not to approach the Saintess! Someone like you who brings nothing but misfortune has no business being near God's representative!"
Misfortune? What the hell is he talking about?
"Shut up. A chimera is heading this way right now."
"Brother, please calm yourself. Is that truly the case?"
Victoria, the Saintess with pure white hair and golden eyes, intervened to mediate the situation.
"You're the Saintess. Saintess, an incomplete chimera is approaching this location. Its targets are likely those two over there."
"Show some respect to the Saintess!"
I ignored the priest and pointed at the patients collapsed beside the Saintess. Their wounds seemed fully healed, but the spilled blood remained.
"The chimera is incomplete—likely a failure. Its vision and hearing are poor, but its sense of smell is excellent. It probably followed the scent of their blood here."
"Saintess! We must leave immediately! This place is no longer safe! Pia! Take the Saintess and go!"
"Yes! But what about the patients?"
"……"
Look at this bastard.
"Those who are injured are also children of the Goddess. We must take responsibility for them until the end."
"But Saintess! We can't take everyone! The most important person here is you, Saintess! You must also think of the other brothers!"
"Even so, I can't abandon them."
Yeah, the Saintess is important. She's the next Saintess of the Holy Order, after all. But to think of leaving others behind…
"Just get lost. I'll protect these two."
"Vern? What are you saying? And what is the priest talking about?!"
"My apologies, brothers, but it can't be helped. We must protect the Saintess no matter what."
"Th-that's…"
"Kyle? What are you saying! I will take responsibility for these people…!"
Thud!
"Vern, I'm sorry about this. If anything were to happen to the Saintess…!"
The priest called Kyle knocked the Saintess unconscious and carefully lifted her onto his back.
"Kyle, was it? I understand how you feel. Having someone you must protect means carrying that much more weight."
"I don't want to hear that from you, but… this time, I truly am sorry."
A priest who serves the Saintess must be strong, but protecting others while fighting is vastly different from fighting to protect oneself. There are countless variables, and no matter how strong you are, fighting while guarding someone else is never easy.
Of course, as a priest, his duty is to protect. But the opponent is a chimera. Even if it's incomplete, chimeras are fast and agile. If its fangs or claws connect…
So I can't say I don't understand. Moreover, the Saintess is an extremely important figure both to the Order and the Academy.
If I were alone, I might have run too. Fighting a chimera without being able to use mana is practically suicide. But there are times when you have no choice but to stand your ground—and this is one of them.
Abandon the people I know just to save myself? If my life matters, then so do theirs. What meaning is there in standing atop a mountain of corpses while turning away from others?
I want to live too. I want to run away too. I want to go home alive too.
I'm not even from this world. Someday, I'll return. But if I justify myself like that, could I truly stand with pride atop the bodies of others?
"So, Elin. You should go with them. I'll protect these two."
"Vern, what are you saying! Why are they just leaving?! How can people calling themselves the Saintess and a priest do this?! Vern, are we going to protect Ron and Lloyd by ourselves?!"
"No. You need to get out of here."
I'm sorry, Elin. But you have to go. If you stay, you'll be in danger too.