The Holy Sword Drald
The shop Rielia led me to was tucked away in a secluded alley. An antique shop, perhaps? It didn't look particularly high-end, though treasures sometimes lay dormant in places like this.
The owner was a petite, elderly man. Recognizing Rielia, he greeted her first. "Is that you, Rielia? It's been a while."
"How have you been, Mr. Ryotsu?"
The man welcomed Rielia with a smile. Soon, his gaze shifted to me, her companion. Just as I pulled back my hood, his eyes went wide with shock. "Oh... Y-You are... Princess Sera? What brings you to such a humble place...!"
The man scrambled out from behind the counter, looking as if he were about to bow to the floor. I raised a hand to stop him. "Please, don't mind me. I am merely accompanying Rielia."
"I-Is that so? I understand. Ahem. Well, Rielia. What brings you here today?" His voice trembled slightly. Well, it was only natural; it wasn't easy for an ordinary person to remain composed with a princess standing right in front of them.
"I've come to retrieve the item I left with you. The Holy Sword Drald. You still have it, right?"
The Holy Sword Drald. At those words, the man's expression instantly turned grave. He glanced at me briefly before turning back to Rielia. "A curse so severe that you need that? Has something happened to the city? For even the Princess to be involved..."
The presence of a princess accompanying the Saintess seemed to have triggered some terrifying scenarios in his imagination. Rielia shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's highly confidential, so I can't tell you everything... but it won't affect most people."
"W-Well, that is a relief... Yes, alright, I'll go fetch it right away." Ryotsu disappeared through a door behind the counter, which presumably led to a storeroom. Taking advantage of the quiet moment, I turned to Rielia. "Rielia, what kind of weapon is this Drald?"
"It's a holy sword that dispels curses. Well, it's not as legendary as the ones in fairy tales... but it's still quite powerful in its own right. I received it as a reward for breaking a curse on a noble some time ago. Since I didn't have any immediate use for it, I left it here for safekeeping."
Indeed, with Rielia's divine power, she could easily handle most run-of-the-mill curses. There would have been no need to wield a holy sword. "With that, can we dispel Mistylia?"
"Yes, probably." Just before she answered, there was a fleeting hesitation in Rielia's voice. I couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind that hesitation.
Soon, the inner door opened, and Ryotsu reappeared. He was carrying a wooden case. It seemed a bit too small to hold a sword. He placed it on the counter and opened it, revealing a weapon too short to be a sword, yet too long to be a dagger. "So this is Drald..."
It looked more like a ceremonial piece than a weapon meant for actual combat. The silver hilt was delicately engraved with the image of the Goddess. The scabbard covering the blade was also etched with various symbols of faith. Although I couldn't see any divine mana radiating from the sword, its appearance was undeniably sacred. Well, since Rielia had vouched for it, its efficacy was practically guaranteed.
After inspecting Drald, Rielia closed the lid and took the case. "Thank you, Mr. Ryotsu. We'll be on our way. Please give my regards to your daughter."
"Ah, yes, of course. Oh! Safe travels to you as well, Your Highness." Stopping Ryotsu as he tried to scramble out from behind the counter to bow again, Rielia and I left the shop.
By the time we returned to Carmel's door, darkness had already begun to fall. The temperature had plummeted rapidly, casting a bleak, chilling atmosphere. No, it wasn't just the weather. Rielia seemed to have noticed it too—that while we were away, the curse of Mistylia had already activated.
"Are you prepared, Your Highness?"
"Yes. Fully."
"Then please take this." Rielia opened the case and handed Drald to me. I took it reflexively, utterly bewildered. "Wait, why are you giving this to me...?"
"During the purification ritual, it will be difficult for me to move my body. I will have to entrust the task of wielding the holy sword to you, Your Highness. Will that be alright?"
"Of course it's fine. But where and how do I use it?"
"I will... explain as we go. It's possible the situation to use it won't even arise. That would be the best outcome, of course."
Rielia's attitude, as if she were deliberately withholding crucial details, filled me with an inexplicable sense of unease. "Should we call this off, Rielia?"
"Pardon? Why so suddenly?"
"I have a bad feeling about this. I don't think you can handle that curse... It's not too late. If we look for another way..."
"We can't do that, Your Highness."
"What?"
Rielia wore a gentle smile. In a saintly voice that made me want to lean on her in spite of myself, she continued. "That is no ordinary curse. It's a miracle the Queen has managed to maintain her original personality for this long. But you mentioned feeling that the curse's influence was gradually weakening, yes? That is not a positive sign. The more the Queen's mind resists, the more mana the curse will flood into her head. We can't rely on luck forever. There might not be a next time."
"...How could that be..."
"Don't worry too much. I am an expert, after all. If you trust me... and follow my instructions, we can definitely pull this off." Rielia sounded uncharacteristically reliable as she spoke. Yet, for some reason, a melancholy smile lingered on her face. She gripped the doorknob. "Let's go, Your Highness."
With a tense expression, Rielia turned the handle and boldly pushed the door open. The state of the room was exactly as we had left it. It was quiet. Carmel was still sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed. The box containing Mistylia remained open.
"You're late, Sera." Her voice alone made it instantly clear that Mistylia had activated. Carmel glared at Rielia with eyes that had grown significantly sharper.
"You talked so big about dispelling Mistylia, and I wondered what trick you had up your sleeve... A Saintess who has received a measly blessing from the Goddess. Do you really think you can stand against Mistylia with such trivial power?" Her voice was freezing cold. It was the voice of a villainess, woven from pure cynicism and cruelty.
Rielia stood firm, stepping directly into Carmel's line of sight to face her. "I will succeed, Your Majesty."
Carmel let out a cold, mocking chuckle. "Have you run out of women to seduce, Sera, that you've resorted to corrupting a Saintess? What a sinful woman you are. I wonder, does this child know she's merely being used by you?"
Carmel's venomous words pierced my chest deeper than ever before. I couldn't easily refute them. Because when I first approached Rielia, my intention had indeed been to use her.
"No, I don't think that way at all. Coming here, and trying to lift Your Majesty's curse—it is all a mission I chose of my own free will."
"Hmph..."
Rielia looked toward the box containing Mistylia. Then, turning back to Carmel, she clasped her hands together, her face set with determination. "Now, I, Saintess Rielia, shall deliver you from this dreadful curse, Queen Carmel."
The moment she finished speaking, an overwhelming torrent of divine power began to radiate from Rielia. It was blinding. A pure, brilliant white light flooded the room, a sight so magnificent it made my heart swell.
But that awe was short-lived. As if reacting violently to Rielia's divine power, black mana began to pour out of Mistylia. Rising like a swamp, the dark energy sought to swallow Rielia's holy light. "Ugh...!" Rielia staggered. Clutching Drald tightly against my chest, I could do nothing but watch.
She was straining with everything she had. Against that sickeningly deep, abyssal black mana, Rielia's petite frame looked far too fragile. Yet, she did not yield in the slightest, unleashing her divine power to its absolute limit. Beads of sweat poured down her solemn face. Rielia was pouring every ounce of her strength into this desperate struggle.
But through my Mana Sight, a tragic sight unfolded. Though Rielia's divine power fought valiantly, shining with brilliant light, it was hopelessly insufficient compared to the bottomless abyss of black mana that Mistylia continuously spewed. The light was being swallowed by the darkness. Crushing the radiating divine power, the dark mana's tendrils crept closer and closer to Rielia.
"How tragic, Sera." Carmel looked at Rielia and me with a cold, detached expression. She, too, must have grasped the current situation—not with her eyes, but through her own mana detection. "Soon, the curse's mana will consume this poor child. Had she been lucky, she might have merely ended up a vegetable, but meddling so recklessly was her undoing. Once she is completely overwhelmed, her body will be torn to pieces by the overflowing mana, and she will die."
"...What did you say...?"
"Why? It's not as if you didn't anticipate this outcome, is it? You chose this child as a tool to achieve your goal of lifting the curse. And unfortunately, she simply wasn't a very suitable tool. There's no way you never considered this possibility, is there? Not you, who are cleverer than anyone."
"No...!" My hands and feet trembled. This time, it wasn't an act. I couldn't say anything to Carmel's words other than to scream my denial. Watching me, Carmel wore a chillingly joyful smile.
"I'm truly looking forward to it. What kind of horrific face will this foolish Saintess make as she dies, only realizing at the very end that she was deceived? How much resentment will harbor in her pure soul? In her final moments, do you think she might even curse you? Aren't you excited too, Sera?"
"Shut up... Shut up, Carmel...!" Carmel's cruel words gouged into my chest. It hurt. It felt as though an awl was being driven deep into my heart. Even when explosives went off right in front of me, even when I was surrounded by the Empire's soldiers, I hadn't felt a shred of fear. But right now, the words spilling from Carmel's mouth terrified me. It felt as though they were leaking directly from the darkest, most shameful corners of my own mind.
It was at that moment. Rielia's voice rang out from within the pure white light, which was flickering so faintly it seemed on the verge of extinguishing. "Not yet! Not yet... Her Highness and I... have not lost yet...!"