Chapter 193: Priestess of The Red Lotus (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 193: Priestess of The Red Lotus (6)
[Let’s stop now. You’re badly hurt.]
“Fuck… who are you to order me around?”
Miya’s eyes were bloodshot, stained a deep, vengeful red.
She glared at the Nine-tailed Fox with narrowed eyes, snorting in derision before turning her arrows of resentment toward the magic beast.
“Ah, right. It’s because of you. You useless fox. You couldn’t even protect your master. This is why things always end up like this. What can you actually do right? What were you doing while I was being reduced to this state?!”
[…]
“I thought you might be of some help when I made the contract, but you turned out to be just another useless insect. Uwaahaha…! Hic… hic. Fuck… Fuck!!”
When her power had been siphoned by Elmetona the Ethereal, the Nine-tailed Fox had lost consciousness, her body overtaken by the demon.
It was as if she had been asleep, remembering nothing of the chaos that had ensued.
However, seeing Miya in tatters, it wasn’t hard to piece together what had happened.
Amidst the dying flames, Miya continued to shed bloody tears, her voice a constant stream of curses.
The Nine-tailed Fox, Mae, quietly watched her master fall apart, her mind drifting back to a conversation she once had with a young Miya in the Forest of Death.
—“What are you doing? You’re wearing the flower ring on your index finger… Ah, Mae, this goes on the ring finger. Wait, this is your hand, right?”
—“Eek, it’s your foot?!”
—“Alright! It’s a flower ring from Miya. With this, we’re officially friends!”
—“Huh? A human and a magic beast being friends…? Why bother questioning it? If we’re friends, we’re friends.”
—“I really like it. Being able to be friends with such a pretty magic beast.”
“What are you staring at, fucker? Aren’t you going back right now?”
She had been such a lovely child.
The Nine-tailed Fox overlaid those precious memories with the girl before her, speaking in a nostalgic, heavy voice.
[I’m sorry. Blame my incompetence for failing to fulfill my duties as your familiar. I will accept my punishment later. But even so… won’t you allow me to stay by your side for now?]
“What?”
[You are my only friend. You saved me. In that quiet forest, you led me—who was suffocating in loneliness—out into a bright world.]
The Nine-tailed Fox offered a wistful smile.
[Miya, you are my light. I love you. So… please, give me the chance to share your sorrow.]
“…Pfft!”
Suddenly, Miya burst into laughter, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
It was a reaction the Nine-tailed Fox hadn’t anticipated.
“‘Friend’? ‘Led you to a bright world’?”
Miya felt dizzy. Despite her physical state being a wreck, a surge of exhilaration sharpened her senses. A deep-seated malice and extreme excitement filled her, urging her on.
She wanted to hurt those who irritated her. Immediately.
“What a load of absolute nonsense.”
[Miya…?]
Isaac, sitting atop the escort carriage, steadied his breath.
Is she about to reveal the truth she’s been hiding?
Miya let out a twisted smile. Her face was a far cry from its usual beauty—grotesquely swollen and smeared with blood.
With her head spinning, she thought.
Undeniably, she had entered into an exceptionally unfair familiar contract with the Nine-tailed Fox, more so than anyone else. No matter how things turned out, the Nine-tailed Fox could not terminate the contract at will, and the master’s orders were absolute.
Moreover, her status as the Priestess of the Land of the Fire Blossoms wouldn’t change; she had already firmly established herself in that position.
The only one who would be hurt emotionally was this incompetent familiar—the fox who couldn’t even protect her master.
Miya had been contemplating when to reveal the truth, savoring the anticipation of the Nine-tailed Fox’s eventual downfall. In the end, the fox would follow Miya through despair and regret. How entertaining would that be?
Intense anger and excitement—the ‘malice’ that Alice had shed—had completely consumed her.
“Lean your ear toward me for a moment.”
The Nine-tailed Fox, Mae, leaned in, bringing her head close to Miya.
With a voice dripping with cruel laughter, Miya whispered the truth.
“That… wasn’t me.”
The little girl who had risked her life to show kindness to the Nine-tailed Fox.
The “True Priestess” Isaac had wanted to protect in the first timeline but ultimately failed to save.
“It was my damn sister.”
The twin sister.
The real Miya.
[…What are you talking about?]
The Nine-tailed Fox’s thoughts seemed to freeze.
[What do you mean?]
The black-haired girl in front of her was, without a doubt, the one who had saved her. With her extraordinary powers, there had been no doubt in the fox’s mind that this was her master.
But now, what was she saying? The Nine-tailed Fox couldn’t comprehend it.
[No… you’re Miya, aren’t you? There’s no need to deny yourself like that…]
“I stole everything my sister built. You’re the same. You’re just my property,” said Miya. No—Mei.
“So, why were you foolish enough to agree to such a damn idiotic contract? You moron. Tsk, tsk.”
[Miya…?]
“Now shut your mouth. That’s an order.”
With a shocked expression, the Nine-tailed Fox stood up. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes wandering aimlessly through the air.
No one else could hear the conversation between Mei and the Nine-tailed Fox amidst the crackling flames. However, those watching could tell that something had been said—something that had mentally shattered the magic beast.
Suddenly, the Nine-tailed Fox remembered another fragment of conversation with the young Miya.
—“I have an older sister. Mei. She’s articulate and incredibly cool. I want to be like her someday.”
Miya’s sister. Her name was Mei.
After the familiar contract had been formed, it was reported that Mei had gone missing from Miya’s side.
But was it actually Miya who had gone missing?
“Khhhh. Pathetic fox. Incompetent, unable to even protect its master…”
Clatter!
Boom!
“…?”
Chunks of ice slammed down, extinguishing the flames that had enveloped the dueling ground.
Isaac, the silver-blue-haired student, stood firmly in front of Mei. Dispelling her flames, which had already reached their limit, was an easy task for him.
He looked down at Mei with cynical red eyes. His gaze was so cold it could chill the soul.
“Fuck, Senior? Why are you here? Trying to meddle again…?”
“Don’t you think it’s strange?”
Isaac knelt on one knee and grabbed Mei’s left wrist, lifting it.
As pain shot through her, she groaned, her face twisting in disgust.
“You insect, how dare you touch my body…! Huh?”
Mei’s eyes widened in shock.
It was strange.
To form a contract with a magic beast of 8-stars or higher, a specific familiar contract circle was required. The 8-star circle Isaac had received from the Candy House Witch was exactly that.
He had witnessed the contract circle on her wrist activate when Mei used the Nine-tailed Fox’s power. That was why he grabbed her wrist—to remind her of a glaring inconsistency.
“You’re clearly out of mana. So how do you think the Nine-tailed Fox is standing here in perfect condition?”
Demons awakened by the Evil God were all born with dangerous, reality-warping powers. It wasn’t always obvious because Isaac usually dealt with them the moment they appeared.
However, consider demons like Vera the Summoner or Elphelt the Evanescent. The former could dominate any familiar, even those bound to another. The latter could neutralize mana entirely.
All of them possessed unbelievable abilities.
How much more so for Elmetona the Ethereal, who had lived significantly longer than them?
The demon had stolen both the Nine-tailed Fox and Mei’s mana.
Its ability was Complete Deprivation.
It had forcibly nullified the contract between Mei and the Nine-tailed Fox, allowing it to freely control the fox’s power.
“Ah…”
Mei’s face turned deathly pale.
She felt it now. The contract circle on her wrist had vanished. This was the ultimate proof that her bond with the Nine-tailed Fox had been severed.
Only then did Mei realize the source of the unease she had been feeling. She no longer felt connected to the fox. It was as if they had become complete strangers.
“Ah, aah…!”
Mei was the type who had to possess everything she wanted to be satisfied. She had taken everything from her sister because she coveted it all.
Her face twisted. First came shock, then a sense of being wronged, followed by sadness, and finally, a mask of pure rage.
Not being able to have what she wanted… and the fact that what she did have had been taken away… gave her a terrible sense of loss.
Finally, Isaac drove home the truth she wanted to deny.
“For reasons unknown, your contract has been terminated. Your familiar is now free.”
Memories of rummaging through trash cans for a piece of bread filled Mei’s head.
Their damned parents had abandoned the twin daughters and fled long ago. Mei had been left alone with her sister. The daily hunger and the selfish people who lived in luxury while looking at them like insects had bred a deep resentment in her.
She recalled clutching a handful of sand on a beach. Just like that sand, Mei desperately wished for immense wealth that she could gather at will. To be free from poverty and hold a status where she bowed to no one—that was her fervent dream.
And it was her twin sister, Miya, who became the key to that dream.
Her sister, born with the sacred flame, possessed the qualities of the Priestess that the Land of the Fire Blossoms had long desired.
The selection process was grueling. Only by passing notorious screening conditions could one be recognized as a Divine Maiden and become the Priestess.
Black hair as fine as silk. Eyes like obsidian. Fair skin. No flat feet. The mental strength to endure a month in total darkness. The fire element…
And not a single scar on the body.
Those were just a few of the requirements. Only those who passed the strict criteria, which filled several pages over a three-month testing period, could attain the position.
Eventually, Miya became the Priestess and, in an instant, obtained everything Mei had ever wanted.
Miya had wanted to make a fresh start with her sister, hoping their future would be filled with happiness. However, the emotion Mei felt toward her sister was neither joy nor pride.
It was boiling, poisonous jealousy.
“Aaaaah…! Ah, aaaaah…!!”
Mei trembled, screaming incessantly as if she had lost the ability to speak.
The healing team carried her away on a stretcher, while Isaac and the Nine-tailed Fox silently watched her leave.
Priestess Miya.
In the memories of the first iteration, recalled during the Trial of Sandstone, Isaac had been immersed in deep regret for those he couldn’t protect. Because of that, he had harbored even greater affection for them in this life.
That included the Priestess.
However, Isaac had not been pleased with this "Priestess’s" arrival. He had belittled her in his thoughts and taken revenge on her whenever she angered him. He never regarded her as a comrade or someone to protect.
Because the Priestess—the comrade who had stood against the Evil God alongside him—was not the black-haired girl being carried away on that stretcher.
The Nine-tailed Fox, Mae, lowered her head.
[What have I… until now… what have I done…]
Seeing the fox heartbroken, Isaac reached out and stroked her fur. It was easy to guess what Mei had said to her.
The Nine-tailed Fox looked at him with teary eyes.
“Horan, the 3rd Martial Imperial Court of Haeseo.”
[…?]
“Go to its basement.”
Isaac whispered in a soft, soothing voice.
In Horan, the capital of the Land of the Fire Blossoms, the 3rd Martial Imperial Court of Haeseo was an abandoned palace in a remote location. It was wrapped in powerful barriers and ironclad security, forbidden even to high-ranking officials.
Only the Priestess and her registered familiars could enter. It was supposedly for religious reasons, but Mei had exploited this.
“Now you’re free. Go ahead, even if it feels like you’re being fooled.”
There…
“…You’ll find the person you’ve truly wanted to see.”
A Priestess was a being who handled sacred flames. The only reason Mei was able to prove her qualifications and solidify her status by displaying those unusual red flames was because…
She had trapped her sister, who had fallen for her trickery, and used her as a living battery for mana.
Status, power, wealth. Mei wanted everything Miya had. She overlooked the fact that it was all like grains of sand—even if she clutched it for a moment, it would eventually slip through her fingers.
The only reason such a thing was possible was because Miya had deliberately fallen into her sister’s trap. She had thought it would be better for the nation if her more "competent" sister became the Priestess.
Miya likely didn’t know that her sacrifice would create a tyrant.
Isaac looked into the Nine-tailed Fox’s eyes with indifference. Now that Mae was free and knew the truth, there was no reason to hesitate.
It was time for the sleeping Miya, who had avoided her fate and responsibility, to finally awaken. She needed to confront the Land of the Fire Blossoms with the truth—that they were serving someone unworthy of the Divine Maiden’s title.
This would undoubtedly cause political upheaval and public chaos, but it was a necessary ordeal for the nation to endure.
The Nine-tailed Fox’s eyes widened.
[How do you know that…]
In that moment, the fox realized something. From the first day of the entrance exam, Isaac had been extraordinary. Her instincts had been right.
[So, it’s you…]
Is he the Nameless Hero Mei had been searching for?
It must have been this man who had slain the demons emerging from the shadows. A being who had reached the realm of an archwizard, performing incomprehensible acts as if they were second nature.
If he was the Nameless Hero, he was viewing the world from a higher plane, understanding things far beyond the Nine-tailed Fox’s comprehension. It made sense that he would know the true location of the Divine Maiden.
“See you later.”
[…]
Mae engraved the smile of the legendary archwizard into her memory. The freed magic beast turned into fox fire, soaring into the sky.
If what Isaac said was true… she promised to repay that grace.
Everyone gathered at the outdoor dueling ground watched as the fox fire streaked across the night sky like a beautiful meteor.
The Nine-tailed Fox departed, searching for her dear friend.
*
It was silent and cold.
Flames flickered inside the dark, abandoned palace. With every step, the sound of crumbling stone echoed.
Upon closer inspection, a tiny hole hidden by a bookshelf was visible—perhaps a vent for air circulation. Pushing the bookshelf aside revealed a passage leading underground.
Descending the stairs, a gradual warmth began to rise. At the bottom, a soft crackling sound could be heard.
In the center of the basement, amidst gently flowing, ethereal blue flames, a girl was suspended in mid-air. She was asleep, as if time had stopped, her long black hair dancing quietly in the heat.
As if longing to see her, the Nine-tailed Fox stared at the beautiful girl through teary eyes for a long time.
[Miya…]
Mae extended her flames.
Whoosh!
The fox’s fire damaged the large magic tools surrounding the girl. As the machinery malfunctioned and the flow of mana was disrupted, the girl began to stir.
Miya slowly opened her eyes.
She looked around in a daze. When the Nine-tailed Fox came into view, a gleam appeared in her obsidian eyes.
Gradually, Miya’s body descended to the ground. As the blue flames finally died out, her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees. It had been a long time since she had touched the earth.
“Mae…?”
She had been wandering in a dream. The times she had happily chatted with the Nine-tailed Fox had repeated countless times in her mind. To Miya, the fox was her most precious friend.
The Nine-tailed Fox silently approached and rubbed her cheek against Miya’s.
Taken aback, Miya soon smiled softly and embraced her long-lost friend, savoring the warmth. She didn’t know exactly what had happened, but it was clear that Mae had come to rescue her.
[I missed you.]
“…I’m sorry I couldn’t come to find you sooner.”
Miya climbed onto the back of the Nine-tailed Fox and left the ruins.
The sound of insects filled her ears. Around them lay only broken debris and overgrown bushes. The night sky, seen for the first time in years, was breathtaking. The moonlight and stars were dazzling.
She had been asleep since falling into Mei’s trap, but leaving the position of Priestess to her sister had been Miya’s own choice. Now, she wanted to see the results of that choice for herself.
She was determined.
“Let’s go, Mae.”
The Nine-tailed Fox, carrying the true Priestess, moved forward.
The night deepened.