Chapter 159
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Over-Treatment
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This is over-treatment.
The moment I saw it, I wanted to clap so hard my palms would burst.
It was a single stroke that drew admiration naturally.
Thud!
The demon's head, wrapped in Gleipnir, spun through the air before crashing to the ground.
At the same time, the White Flame, which had been greedily devouring mana, deactivated.
"Hoo~"
Eclair, who had cleanly severed the thick neck, concealed her Innocence in the air and strode over.
She slowly extended her trembling hands and grasped my face.
"What on earth is this mess! How could you pull off something this dangerous all by yourself...!"
"I'm fine."
To reassure her, I smiled, drew a V with my fingers, and wiggled them.
Eclair bit her lip hard to suppress the emotions welling up in her chest.
"If you keep joking around at a time like this, I'm really going to get mad... Saintess! Please tend to him here!"
'Saintess?'
I wondered which big shot from the Church had arrived with such impressive holy magic, and sure enough, it was the esteemed lady herself.
The large woman who had leaped toward us midway only to turn back was now rushing over from afar, carrying a woman in her arms.
"No. We need to finish the cleanup first."
Eclair tried to stop me as I pinned the demon's head under my foot against Gleipnir.
"Roman... treatment comes first!"
Having confirmed the two still rushing over from a distance, I looked at Eclair, unable to control my naturally rising lips, and said,
"Kitty."
"...!"
"I'm really okay. Don't worry."
She looked full of dissatisfaction but let out a sigh and finally stepped back.
"...Get proper treatment once it's done."
"Promise. Oh! And I told Chloe to have Rike wait at the Church with her for a bit..."
At my mention of Chloe, Eclair drew in a breath.
Then, her voice laden with various emotions, she expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
"I was just coming from the Church anyway. Really... thank you."
"No need to thank me for doing what I had to. If I'd known the Saintess was in the capital, I should've just guarded her myself."
As I voiced my regret over the decision, Eclair shook her head.
"Whatever the situation you faced, that must have been the best course of action. No matter what anyone says, I trust and believe my man's judgment is the best."
Watching Eclair naturally boost my spirits, I felt a strong urge to dive into some intense skinship right then.
But I barely suppressed it.
"...You're the best."
Reading the signal in my gaze, Eclair blushed faintly and averted her eyes—how adorable.
Thud-!
As the Saintess drew near, right up to my nose, Eclair cleared her throat and wrapped up our intimate chat.
"We'll talk about Rike and the rest later... Hurry and finish up so we can get to treatment."
"Mm! Gotta be a good boy and get pampered."
At my words, Eclair let out a hollow chuckle, utterly deflated.
"...You must really be okay."
If this were some uninhabited forest or canyon, fine.
But a demon corpse in a populated area wasn't done just by killing it—you had to fully purify it.
I'd planned to fill it with mana and incinerate it completely with White Flame.
But now that a true purification specialist had arrived, no need for me to waste mana struggling.
Shwish-
I unwound Gleipnir coiled around the dead demon's head and kicked it firmly into the ground.
'The fact that the corpse is left blatantly... pretty obvious in the setting.'
Demons summoned to the mortal realm via contract with black mages should return to their Pandemonium bodies once their duty ends.
Like the wolf demon that turned to dust after exhausting its offerings from my Dragon Fang Kick—that's the natural order.
Conversely, a pristine corpse like this meant several things.
Even decapitated, leaving such a powerful demon could spawn an undead breeding ground right in the Empire's heart.
Coldly speaking, with endless undead fodder, there might be experiments or training uses, but no sane Imperial official would allow it.
"Treatment's done. Please handle the purification."
"...Understood."
The Saintess, descending from the holy knight's arms, nodded with a startled look at my state, clasped her hands in prayer.
A radiant light, unlike any I'd seen from ordinary priests, poured from her hands.
"O revered Goddess we worship. Look upon this forsaken soul with pity and grant us your light."
"Purification."
A spotlight-like beam from the heavens illuminated the demon.
This was no ordinary purification used by Church priests.
Her holy incantation transcended standardized chants.
She freely wove her own thoughts and emotions into true holy magic.
Sizzle-
Devoid of mana to resist the sacred power, the demon's body emitted black smoke under the purifying light and began melting rapidly.
It looked just like butter abandoned on a scorching surface.
"...!"
As the body shrank, the demon's host—and the real problem—emerged.
With the massive torso and head melting away, a decapitated human form revealed itself, stunning everyone but me.
"S-Saintess! There's a person inside...!"
"...Leo Floyd?"
Even as demon remnants, spoils of war belonged to the slayer.
I collected the lump of melted demon flesh and turned to the Saintess with a request.
"If you agree to tweak the details when announcing this, even a little, I'll share what happened."
I didn't want to publicize my or Eclair's name as the demon slayer, alerting Nematos.
Best to say holy knights and priests teamed up for it.
Relations between the Church and black mages were already at rock bottom—no need to worsen.
But a whole new enemy appearing? Different level of threat.
Announcing a demon exorcism would skyrocket our fame, but it'd attract pesky bugs, and who knows what they'd do to people around me.
"I can't promise that yet... Can I hear the situation first and decide?"
...
...
After the rough rundown, came the diagnosis-slash-treatment.
I figured the Saintess, unlike her dramatic exterior, would see I was truly fine.
Trusting she wouldn't fake a diagnosis for no gain, I relaxed.
"You should stay at the Church for a while and receive treatment."
I scowled at the unexpected verdict.
"I'm perfectly fine. Did you check properly?"
The holy knight behind her flinched at my words.
But as if anticipating it, the Saintess raised a hand to halt him and lectured gently.
"Even if no major wounds are visible now, you can't let your guard down. You've taken multiple direct hits from black magic and spent a long time in this impure space—problems might surface later."
"No. I'm good."
"There could be delayed-activation curses. High-level black magic's subtlety requires thorough checks over time. Even if I don't sense it now, you never know."
That's why I'd fought so hard, blocking chants and causing chaos.
'This is frustrating...'
No matter that she's the Saintess, I can't explain or reveal my skills for proof.
If not for Eclair, I'd have stormed off home, but quietly countering was best now.
"...I'll rest at home and come if issues arise."
"Treating demon-inflicted wounds lightly could leave aftereffects. Honestly, your blood loss alone means abnormalities anytime wouldn't be surprising...!"
"No—."
"It's true your body is ridiculously tough, brother. But relying solely on that and neglecting a benefactor would render the Goddess's teachings meaningless."
Was the Saintess this chatty in her setting? Her persistence was giving me a headache.
"This is driving me crazy..."
She smiled and asked back at my mutter.
"Brother. What was that?"
"Nothing..."
Even pulling out a faint "No—" from my past life's remnants failed.
The Saintess turned seriously to Eclair, not me, and continued.
"Frankly, retaining consciousness after losing this much blood seems miraculous. Must be your strong will."
Her words flowed like a routine for stubborn patients, and Eclair's expression grew grave.
I was the only one burning inside at the Saintess's savvy jab at Eclair.
"Saintess. My body's tough—this wound heals fully with one potion."
"Everyone says that, but no potion is a cure-all!"
With a fed-up look, she tried persuading this potion devotee.
"Roman."
"Yeah?"
Eclair gripped my shoulder with a cold tone.
"Didn't you promise earlier? Proper treatment."
"True, but... Church food tastes awful. We've done one session here—good enough, right?"
From my early adventurer days.
The Church's patient meals, meant for health, were like the watery porridge or undercooked gruel from my past life's hospital stays.
With Rike's perfect home cooking waiting, staying at the Church was absurd.
"Not a child—what nonsense... Planning to break your promise to me?"
Eclair glared, genuinely exasperated.
"..."
She meticulously wiped the blood from my face with a handkerchief and asked the Saintess,
"Saintess. Any visiting restrictions or bans on outside food during treatment at the Church?"
"Not for non-critical cases..."
The Saintess and holy knight stared at us intently, itching to speak.
But Eclair's eyes brimmed with clear worry, oblivious to it.
Pocketing the blood-soaked handkerchief, she met my gaze and grinned triumphantly, as if to say, "What now?"
"Heard that? We'll prepare food 'together.'"
"..."
She was already pondering menus carefully with Rike in mind.
No escaping this checkmate.