Chapter 31: Cursed Village, Torris (2)
by fnovelpia
As the will to shatter the Demon King’s head filled my chest, a sudden shout interrupted.
“No, you idiot! Move, quickly!”
The almighty Battle Mage shouted urgently.
I grabbed the head of one of the charging infected and slammed it down.
Without delay, I brought my mace down.
Crack!
Even the one wrapped in bandages like a mummy had its head crushed by the force of my mace.
“Wow, you’re just bashing them with a mace now.”
“There are too many of them. How are we supposed to take down all of them? Wait, what’s up with your hair and clothes?”
Wait, my hair had turned silver.
Was this what they call an “influence”?
Whatever, it’s like getting a free dye job, from blonde to silver.
I think the same thing happened during the Torres incident.
“Can’t you tell? It’s my awakening.”
“And your outfit?”
My clothes had changed too.
Well, what else is there to say?
This is my battle gear.
The nun’s habit I was wearing before was just camouflage.
Now, for some reason, it’s even more revealing.
It looks like everything is just… on display.
But hey, it’s comfortable for fighting.
“It’s my battle outfit.”
“What kind of existence is a Saint in your world, anyway?”
If you’re asking what kind, it’s simple enough.
“A Saint is someone who defeats the Demon King in place of the Hero.”
That’s all a Hero is, really.
If the Hero got transported to some random place on Earth, I just hope I never run into him.
Annoying people are the worst.
Anyway, it’s not like only one Hero was sent over.
If you ask, I’m sure the other two followed along as well.
“Why do Heroes even exist?”
Who knows.
“Grrrr…”
“If someone’s gotta go, then go!”
Smash!
I shattered the head of a melted infected with my mace.
This place might just be a fabricated space, because I killed everyone in Torres that day.
There’s a chance they revived as monsters, but whatever they are, they’re destined to die by my hand.
Heads must be broken.
“Kari… na.”
The authenticity is surprisingly thorough.
A black slime creature called my name again.
“How dare a mere monster call my name?”
Smack!
One by one, I took them down with my mace.
Just like that day, under the pretense of saving the cursed Torres, I turned it into a bloodbath.
I destroyed the melted infected, and the ones wrapped tightly in bandages like shells were slain too.
“Are you really a Saint?”
Battle Mage Cain spoke as he dissolved the melted infected with his bare hands.
He easily caught the black slime-like substance with his palms.
“Isn’t salvation through death for the infected?”
“Well, technically, yes… but usually…”
You don’t usually enjoy it this much.
It felt like he wanted to say more, but Cain trailed off at the end.
It’s only right to say it, though. For the humans who suffered so much that they took their anger out on me, death was the only thing left for them.
So, I’m not wrong.
Let me repeat it: the goddess is guiding me, so how could I be in the wrong?
Crunch!
I kept breaking and smashing things for who knows how long.
After a while, nothing remained of the infected in Torres.
Which means…
“This can’t be. There’s nothing here that’s worth money?”
That’s why our dear Elf had no choice but to lament.
Maybe I should lend them some money at this point.
I still have some Wraith Cloth left, so I could give them a bit.
No, wait—what’s coming next might actually be a moneymaker for our Elf.
If this really is a replica of Torres, that is.
“Don’t worry.”
“Don’t worry? My wife will…”
The Elf’s face went pale, as if she was being dragged into something.
“Come on, would a noble Elf from the Great Forest really be whipped by a mere human wife?”
“Oh… is that so?”
Erin, at the start, used to boast about being an Elf from the Great Forest, saying how different she was from mere humans.
“Of course! Say it with pride. And if she tries to take your pension, tell her to go make some money herself!”
“Well… she’s actually pretty busy during the day, you see…”
I’m really curious about how things work in that household.
It feels a bit too convenient to blame the wife for everything, but I guess I’ll have to see it with my own eyes to judge.
But should I even bother getting involved?
“I’m really curious about that Elf’s family.”
“So am I.”
“Anyway, is there nothing here that’s worth anything?”
The Elf searched the area with a sorrowful look.
Hmm, it’s not like there’s nothing…
“Have we finished them all?”
“I think we’ve taken down quite a few, but my hands are filthy.”
I picked up one of the black fragments scattered on the ground.
“It’s not like there’s nothing. These shards sell for a good price if you process them.”
“Really?”
“The catch is, processing them is more expensive.”
There’s a curse on these shards, so you need to pay a lot to dispel it.
It takes a long time, too, so you’re better off just finding another job in the meantime.
“Then it’s pointless, isn’t it?”
“Well, for now.”
Screech!
Crunch!
Out of nowhere, a wild succubus appeared, and I smashed its head.
Succubi go mad if they can’t properly absorb life energy.
When that happens, they can’t even hide their wings, and they spread them wide open—what’s called a “live wing.”
If you grip them right from the back, you can cleanly tear them off.
Standing on the dead succubus, I tore off its wings right in front of the two women.
Pop!
It made a rather satisfying sound.
Like popping bubble wrap.
I handed the freshly plucked succubus wings to the Elf.
“Want to take these fresh succubus wings with you?”
“Oh, uh, thanks.”
“You’re really going to take that? Your stomach must be strong.”
Cain teased as the Elf packed up the blood-stained succubus wings.
Well, it happens.
“Let’s just focus on clearing this place.”
Horns?
Oh, those are great.
Really valuable.
If you grind them down and drink them, they can make infertile women fertile and even help impotent men regain their virility.
They sell for a high price.
I think they go for a decent amount on Earth too.
“What about the horns? Are they any use?”
“Horns? They’re useful, but…”
“But what?”
I pointed at the shattered succubus’s head.
“I kind of smashed the head along with the horns.”
“Oh.”
Seeing the Elf on the verge of tears, I decided to change the topic.
“Battle Mage, what do you think of a Korean name?”
“I’ve never heard of this guy’s name before.”
“I threw away my old name.”
His bitter expression made me wonder if his story was similar to mine.
“Hmm, I guess we’re kind of alike.”
“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that. I just didn’t like my old name, so I decided to forget it.”
Oh, now I’m curious.
I can’t stand not knowing names.
Come on, wouldn’t you be curious too?
The Battle Mage’s name is Cain.
How cool is that?
A magician with the name Cain sounds so epic.
But now I want to know his human name from when he was on Earth.
It’s like a total contrast.
Imagine his name being Cain but then his Earth name is something like Young-hee.
This is a moment to persuade him.
“Oh, now I really want to know. Right, don’t you think so?”
I sneakily enlist the elf’s help.
“Yeah, now I’m curious too.”
“Why are you only pressing me? What about the elf?”
“My name was Jeon Yu-seok.”
The elf answered straightforwardly.
What a manly name.
Alright, the elf shared her name—what about you?
“A guy’s name… Oh, you used to be a guy, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Then after this fight is over, I’d really like to hear your name.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? There’s still more of these filthy monsters even after we’ve dealt with these ones?”
Of course.
We’re not even close to done yet.
Actually, we’ve got just one boss left—an entity formed from a mass of souls filled with resentment and hatred.
“This isn’t over yet.”
Rumble…
Black slime-like substances started gathering into one spot.
Even the corpses of the bandaged diseased were being drawn to it.
Looking closer, it was forming a six-pointed star magic circle.
“What’s this now? The corpses are all converging into one place?”
“You guys have lived in a fantasy world. You should have an idea of what this means, right?”
One of us is a Battle Mage who fought against a Demon King, and the other is an elf from a noble forest.
I figured they’d get the gist.
“You’re saying this is the boss.”
“Yeah.”
“Graaaahhh! Kaaaarinaaaa!”
Wow, they even got my name right.
“Isn’t it calling your name?”
“It’s just a scream, though.”
Come on, anyone can tell that’s just a monster’s howl.
I’ve encountered plenty of monsters that made those kinds of noises before.
“No matter how I hear it…”
“If you listen closely, it’s saying ‘Gaaaaarinaaaa!’ But my name is Karina.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes.”
I thought I’d managed to brush it off when—
“Ungrateful wretch! How dare you betray us who raised youuuu!”
Pathetic.
Betrayal?
What kind of betrayal?
Is that my fault?
They’re the ones who pushed me to become a saintess, but now they say I’ve betrayed them.
I can sense that even the cult leader might be mixed into that slime.
Not that it matters to me.
They were weak, so they suffered.
They were weak, so they fell under the curse.
They were weak, so they should’ve quietly accepted the salvation I offered.
All this regret now—it’s exhausting.
“Doesn’t this feel a little dangerous?”
Yes, it is dangerous.
“It’s just a monster’s scream.”
“But how long is that thing going to keep growing?”
At this rate, it’ll be the size of a three-story building.
There’s no reason to let it finish transforming.
“It’s pretty big now.”
“What are you waiting for?”
There’s no time to zone out.
“Huh?”
“We need to beat it down before it fully forms.”
We need to finish it off now.
“What’s its name, by the way?”
“How about ‘Cursed Meat Pile’?”
A hastily made-up name, but it fits perfectly.
As the black mass swelled to nearly the size of a two-story building, I began to approach it.
Whenever I watch anime or manga, I always wonder—why do the heroes just stand by while the villain transforms?
And vice versa, why do the villains let the heroes power up?
That’s just inefficient fighting.
Even if you’re strong, it’s just a waste of time to let your enemy transform.
So, I pushed off the ground and jumped straight into the massive blob.
“Gaaaaarinaaaa!”
Has it completely lost its mind?
“You’re not worth wasting even a second on. Just present your skull for smashing.”
Crack!
As I swung my mace—
“Why do I feel like we’re cleaning up a mess you couldn’t handle?”
Cain grumbled as his fist smashed into the creature’s right arm, breaking the magic circle and causing it to collapse instantly.
“Did I just tag along for no reason today?”
Elena’s summoned spirits attacked the creature’s belly.
We need to finish this before it fully transforms.
Bam!
But this monster had more strength than I expected.
Even as it took hits, its form continued to shift, and it created small black hands that grabbed onto me tightly.
Is it trying to crush me?
“Kariiiinaaa, dieeeee!”
As its disgusting face loomed closer, I pulled a small vial from my waist.
This is holy water—
Boom!
“Aaaaaargh! My face! My faaaace!”
—disguised as sulfuric acid.
Well, holy water anyway.
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