The Mutant Elf Euris (1)

"Does it suit your taste?"

Eluke asked, hoping for a favorable answer.

"It's not bad."

The tone was indifferent, but her eyes had softened in a way they almost never did. A better reaction than expected.

"It's a tea I drink often. It's called Forest Labyrinth."

"Tastes like actually getting lost in the woods."

"I felt the same way the first time I tried it."

The true worth of this tea was something she hadn't known until she became Pope. By now it had become a drink for the soul itself. She had been certain it would suit her other self's tastes as well.

"I've stocked plenty, so please help yourself."

"Sure."

Clitia kept sipping from the cup, her gaze vacant, as though her mind were somewhere else entirely. That was the face of someone floundering in the wake of something terrible. There were plenty of cases where a person looked perfectly fine on the outside while everything inside them had burned itself black.

Easing another's troubles was as good as a papal duty. Eluke smiled her habitual gentle smile.

"Tell me about it."

A statement with every preamble cut away. Even so, the meaning came through more than clearly enough. They could have communicated with nothing but a look. They knew each other far too well for anything else.

"Riella is speaking with the branch director, so you needn't worry about anyone overhearing."

"There might be eavesdropping magic in this room."

A guest chamber at the Purple Magic Tower's Serda branch. It had its shortcomings compared to headquarters, but it was comfortable enough. Security, however, was not something to take on faith. They might well have slipped a listening function into the magic circles installed for convenience.

"If they catch us, I'll use a holy incantation."

"Don't bother. I just finished talking with the Grand Patriarch."

Clitia brought it up in her usual even tone.

"Damon, you mean. How did you come to meet him?"

"Just ran into him at a restaurant."

"How fortunate."

A lie. A priest of the Grand Patriarch's standing would never sit down to a meal with an ordinary person. His attendants would never have allowed it. But she decided not to dig any deeper. There was always a reason when someone chose not to speak. Prying into another's private affairs was a transgression best restrained.

"What did Damon say?"

"He said the Goddess told him not to even associate with me."

"……"

Eluke fidgeted with the handle of her teacup, reading the room. No words came to mind. She couldn't even bring herself to offer comfort. The hope that the Goddess might shine her light upon them once more had been snuffed out completely — a truth that was as good as a finishing blow. No words would have been any consolation.

"Are you all right?"

And so she at least checked, carefully, on the state of her heart.

"How would you feel if the Goddess turned her back on you?"

A question turned back on her. Eluke frowned.

"It's so far from reality I can't even imagine it."

"Then what if Liam left you for some other woman?"

Now that analogy hit home.

"I'd be shaking with betrayal while deciding which holy incantation to use."

A battle between the Pope and the former Hero — the Beast King — would commence. She would lose if they fought head-on, of course.

"Then… surely you haven't come to hate the Goddess?"

Even if she had, Eluke had no right to say anything about it. The relationship between a god and a believer was a domain no outsider should interfere with. But she needed to stay sharply alert. If things went wrong, Clitia might join forces with this world's Liam. If the situation flowed that way, it would be a catastrophe. There would be almost no one capable of stopping them.

"It's a situation that would warrant being consumed by rage. But there's no way I'd get angry at the Goddess."

Fortunately, Clitia's faith still looked unshaken. She even laughed lightly, in a situation where crumbling would not have been strange at all.

"The new Hero said something. Faith is called faith because it doesn't waver."

"Is that so."

"She must have her reasons. I'm sure of it."

In the same situation, Eluke would have agonized terribly. Clitia had only grown a little vacant — otherwise she was as composed as ever.

There's not a single opening.

Riella had said Clitia's weakness was a mind no different from an ordinary person's. But in truth, even her mind was that of a superhuman who had surpassed every limit. Transcendent Aura control. A miraculous capacity for physical recovery. A spirit harder than anyone's.

What would happen if Clitia fell completely? Eluke was certain she would become something no different from the Demon King himself.

"If anything happens from here on, please tell me. We're the same me, after all."

Eluke made a firm resolution. To stay by her side and look after her, just in case. There was no chance of failure. She was the one who had snapped Liam back to his senses and even taken down the Demon King.

"How's the curse analysis coming?"

I asked it casually, taking a sip of tea. The more I drank, the more my hand kept reaching for it.

"It's proceeding smoothly. The analysis should be complete within this week."

"That's Riella for you."

Impressive, sure — but this was nowhere near a stage where I could relax. In practical terms, we hadn't taken a single step toward actually lifting the curse.

"You needn't be concerned."

Had she figured out what I was worrying about? Eluke reassured me and held out her right hand.

"Hey…"

Her palm had turned black.

"Are you sure you're really okay?"

"Of course. Watch closely."

Pure white Holy Power rose up and covered the blackened palm. Before long, it had returned to ordinary skin.

"I can still hold it at bay with Holy Power."

"For how much longer?"

"Roughly three months, I'd estimate. Easily."

Neither a long period nor a short one. If we hurried, we might just make it.

"Ah — I have important information. The Nightmare of the West was Kbalt's doing, not Remiraen's."

"Yeah?"

Pretending not to know something I already knew perfectly well was a tall order for a beginner at acting.

"Never would have imagined."

"You didn't hear anything from Euris? That elf was the informant, after all."

My awkward performance had come back to bite me.

"Didn't you say you'd already met her and even discussed forbidden magic?"

"That's exactly why I ran out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of time."

"Is that so? I understand."

Crisis averted, for now. She still looked unconvinced, though.

"Speaking of your master — have you heard the news?"

Eluke took a light sip of tea before continuing.

"A goodwill sparring match between Euris and the captain of the Evergreen Mercenary Group will take place tomorrow."

"How'd that happen?"

My line delivery was still awkward.

"I'm not entirely certain myself, but the victory condition is quite interesting."

Eluke pointed at me with a faint smile.

"Whichever side becomes your target is declared the winner, apparently. Was this something you agreed to?"

"First I've heard of it."

They'd gone ahead without consulting me. I was about to become the ungrateful disciple who ambushed her own master in front of a crowd.

"I doubt this was done simply to mess with the mercenary captain."

"She's eccentric, but she's not that kind of person."

"I wonder what she's thinking."

It definitely wasn't just for fun. There had been quite a few times I'd thought she was doing something bizarre, only to find there was a perfectly sound reason. She'd probably drawn up some grand design this time too. For now I could only vaguely make out the background color, so it was hard to grasp the picture.

"That should about cover our exchange of information."

"Then I'll get going."

I stood up. It was starting to get dark outside.

"Why not simply stay here until tomorrow?"

Eluke stopped me as I reached for my robe.

"If you're going to be somewhere out of sight anyway, isn't this far safer?"

Now that she mentioned it, she had a point. This was a Magic Tower branch where Riella's influence carried enormous weight. And when it came to comfort, an inn couldn't even begin to compare. This room, where just breathing made my body feel at ease, was far better.

"I'll rest here, then."

I reached a quick decision and sank back into the plush chair.

"Let's share a room and stay up talking."

"What are we, high school girls?"

I downed what little tea was left. The gloomy feeling that had been caught in my throat, however slightly, washed down with it.

"If you stay, Euris may come by to tell you what she has planned for tomorrow, don't you think?"

"She'd better."

"Stay ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on your guard. From what I can see, something about this isn't ordinary."

We spent the night in the Magic Tower branch's guest room, talking back and forth. But my master never came looking for me. Not even by the morning of the sparring match itself.

Had she put together a plan that didn't need me? I had to go, if only out of curiosity.

The goodwill match was being held not far from the Magic Tower branch. Directly in front of it, actually. The facility belonged to the Purple Magic Tower.

The Circular Magic Arena. Originally used for magic circle demonstrations and experiments. Riella had accepted Master's request and designated it as the sparring venue, I was told — on the condition that all proceeds from admission fees and the like would go to the Purple Magic Tower.

"I'll see you later."

"Good luck."

Eluke said she had business, so I headed to the magic arena alone. I brought both the mask and the robe, just in case.

"There are more people on the streets than yesterday?"

The streets were already packed. Even though the matchup had only been arranged yesterday, rumors had already spread throughout all of Serda. The one who had stirred the public's curiosity was none other than my master. Thanks to her long seclusion, she wasn't well known. Everyone seemed to want at least one look at the elf who could be called a living witness to the Adventurer's Guild's prosperity.

Walking mixed into the crowd, my pace naturally slowed. Before I knew it, I was near the magic arena. A scale that rivaled any proper stadium. When I entered, countless spectators had already filled the seats.

Overlapping chatter upon chatter, none of it resolving into meaning. If I weren't implicated in this scheme, I probably would have been just as excited as the rest of the audience. An environment that ran hot even if you just sat there. A feverish heat born of anticipation. An atmosphere that set the heart stirring.

Was this why coliseums had existed? The tension of fierce combat was more than enough to soak even an ordinary person's heart in exhilaration.

"But there's nowhere to sit?"

"Doesn't matter."

I was going to crash the match midway anyway.

I went to the very front of the terraced spectator seats. Down in the arena, mages were following Riella's directions. Magic circles of every color bloomed one after another in midair. A transparent curtain protecting the stands was slowly taking shape.

"Would the barrier even do any good?"

"Can't exactly skip it."

Both participants in the match were masters of Aura. It was going to be a fight with Aura surging everywhere, so protective measures were essential.

When would it start? As I waited quietly, Master entered the magic arena.

"Huh? Isn't that a different elf?"

I almost failed to recognize her myself for a moment. Neatly combed hair. A spotless martial arts uniform. Her appearance was far more put-together than usual.

And it wasn't just her looks that had changed. The flow of mana circulating through her body had been completely transformed — as if she had become an entirely different being. Had some sudden change of heart come over her? Even the presence she radiated had grown somehow vicious.

"That's really suspicious."

"Let's just watch for now."

Master stood in the center of the arena with her arms crossed, spine perfectly straight. She didn't even bother warming up for combat — the picture of composure.

Her opponent, Lefis, still hadn't arrived. For someone who reeked of battle-madness, she was certainly taking her time now that an actual fight was on the table.

Time flowed on, endlessly. A good thirty minutes slipped by. Lefis still showed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no sign of coming. A restless murmur overflowed from the stands as the audience grew tired of waiting. Some even started saying they'd just leave if the match was delayed any further.

Master, for her part, remained exactly where she was. In a posture that hadn't changed in the slightest from the beginning.

You there.

And then, through the mask, my master's will reached me.

Come down.

Right now?

Hurry.

A disciple cannot defy her master's words. I still didn't understand her intent, but I decided to obey. I lightly brushed the barrier in front of me, then clenched my fist.

I shattered the magic the Purple Magic Tower had so painstakingly crafted in a single blow.

A roar that rang out like an explosion. I descended into the arena through the gaping hole. I pulled off the mask first, then threw off the robe as well.

The murmuring grew louder.

"It's the Banished Saintess!"

At someone's scream, the stands dissolved into pandemonium. An indescribable chaos. Paying it no mind, I strode forward and came to stand before my master.

A brief war of eyes. Then my master's tightly sealed lips opened.

An exceptionally resonant, booming voice. Loud enough to carry clearly even to the confused spectators.

Unmistakable killing intent. A vicious aura rose from my master's body, fierce enough to pierce the heavens.

"No…"

It was fake. It looked like killing intent, but in reality it was nothing more than black mist.

"What are you trying to do?"

As I murmured it under my breath, I felt a presence approaching from behind.

"We'll help you!"

The Hero party. Selen and her companions.

"Why are you…"

"We received a report that the mutant elf Euris had been tainted by evil, and we've been standing by."

The situation was unfolding in a way that was anything but ordinary.

"Clitia, you're going to fight with us?"

"I'll fight with everything I have, if only to return our wayward master to her former self!"

It was as if I were joining forces with the Hero party to fight.

"Good."

A look of satisfaction. Master was smiling, just barely.

"The Banished Saintess and the Hero party besides. This should be entertaining."

Don't tell me.

This unworthy disciple had finally grasped her master's true intent.

And just like that, I had become a temporary companion of the Hero party.