episode_0098

I will kill them.

They must be destroyed without fail.

As the foul smoke cleared and our vision became clear, a group of zealous followers emitting a fervent vitality revealed themselves before us.

Just as they had gloriously shattered the statues and temples of the goddess, their rage pierced the heavens.

Thanks to that, any plans to meet the goddess amidst the chaos were thwarted from the start.

…In truth, it was doomed from the moment they destroyed the temple.

“Haha…”

Feeling the weight of their intense gazes, I put on a sheepish expression and scratched my head.

What should I do, really?

I did consider causing some damage to the temple, but I never thought it would end up like this.

If I tell the truth, will they spare me? No, perhaps it would be a relief if they sent me off painlessly in one go.

Pointing at the staff with my finger, I attempted to confess in a faltering voice, “It’s all my fault.”

“”…””

“I didn’t really intend to destroy it, you know? It feels unfair.”

“Ha!”

However, before I could finish my plea, a mocking laughter erupted seemingly indicating that there was no room for repentance among the fanatical crowd.

Shortly after, a man who seemed to hold a high position within the group stepped forward, glaring at me with a look akin to condemnation, pointing a staff in my direction.

“It was a mistake to believe in the Pope’s decree. He said not to attack until a preemptive strike, yet here we are.”

“…?”

“Brothers and sisters! Let us pass judgment upon those vile beings who desecrated the resting place of our goddess!!! Let us appease her wrath with their blood and flesh!!!!”

“”Waaaaahhh!!!”

I watched in bewilderment as the earth shook with their battle cries.

Oh well.

There was really no need to confront them so ignorantly.

I could have just peacefully entered, met the goddess, and then dealt with these helpless zealots in Lorian…

“This is screwed.”

I chuckled wryly as I faced the approaching forces of the church.

Damn it, we shouldn’t have confronted them. We should have just entered through the main gate peacefully.

Why did we have to come in on a rocket…

I hastily shouted towards the still chuckling dwarf companion, “Companion? Start the ignition. We need to get out of here.”

“Hmm, seems things aren’t going as planned.”

“It’s because of you! So tone down your power a bit!!!”

“I wanted those goddess worshippers to truly taste the spiciness of a dwarf! To make the saying ‘small peppers are spicy’ from the Eastern Continent a reality…”

“It’s not about small or big peppers, why bother making it a reality… No, let’s hurry and get ready. We’re escaping.”

Despite attempting to escape using extra rockets due to the completely botched plan, things tend to spiral out of control once they start going awry.

While defending against the onslaught of divine bombings to buy time for the launch, I heard the dwarf companion’s awkward voice.

“…Hmm.”

“What’s wrong, companion? Is something bad happening?”

“…Looks like we’ve fallen into a 70% chance trap! Hahaha!!! Seems like we have no choice but to fight!”

“What?”

Shwoosh!

As I questioned him, the sound of the rocket launching struck my ears.

Whether the sound of the rocket exploding in the sky above the holy site further agitated the zealots or not, their assault intensified.

“Grrr…!”

We might still hold out, but our escape route had been cut off, plunging us into a grim situation.

The even more despairing fact was that even if we miraculously won, Lorian and the elves remained outside.

Winning wouldn’t really mean winning.

Although it was true that our conscience pricked us for destroying the revered temple and statue.

Even in the midst of the fierce battle, exchanging harsh blows while cursing internally.

A figure with a gentle demeanor suddenly rushed onto the battlefield, as if there were no end to the calls for death.

Thud!

An elderly priest paused the battle momentarily by deploying a golden shield.

Surveying his surroundings, he slowly spoke in a calm voice, “Let’s pause the battle for a moment.”

“Brother…? What is this!”

“By exerting less force like this, we are inadvertently empowering the enemies outside the fortress. Unless the loss of power is minimal, we must consider the future in situations like these.”

“… ”

As the elderly priest reprimanded in a low voice, the fanatics retreated cautiously, suppressing their divine powers.

Taking a brief respite while observing them, the elderly priest approached slowly and initiated conversation.

“Uninvited guests to the sanctuary, I will not inquire about your sins immediately. It is quite noisy inside and out, as you can see.”

“…Still, we regret our intrusion. We never imagined the Pontiff would leave such an edict.”

“I understand. It has only been a few days since you departed for the Goddess’s embrace. Let’s postpone this discussion for later. It is not the priority now.”

With a stern expression, the elderly priest quickly continued, gazing beyond the fortress walls.

“The nation is facing an unprecedented crisis. You must have seen it coming when you arrived; the newly converted servants of evil are wreaking havoc.”

“In the end, it’s a plea for help.”

“It’s a call for mutual aid. After all, didn’t we just let slip the only chance for escape?”

…How did he figure that out?

Glancing coolly at the elderly priest, the person extended a hand, offering a rather tempting reward.

“I’m not suggesting doing this for free. If we manage to resolve the crisis, I will turn a blind eye to the transgressions committed this time. How about it? I believe it’s not a bad proposal.”

“Alright, this time we form a temporary alliance. However, before drafting any contracts, I would like to add one more condition.”

“I’ll listen and decide.”

“Our visit to the nation surely has a purpose. I hope you will assist us in achieving that goal.”

“…May I ask what the purpose is?”

“Meeting the Goddess. Oh, don’t act surprised. She must be waiting for me there too.”

“If it is truly the will of the Goddess.”

After concluding their conversation and finalizing the contract, the impending clash began to sound as if signaling their awaited presence.

Was it due to the shattered golden shield? The white fortress couldn’t withstand the onslaught of the elves and quickly crumbled.

“Wow ~ Long time no see, Witch! Have you been well?”

After the collapse of the wall, the madman, who could no longer be called a priest, appeared wearing vulgar leather attire as if straight out of an SM scene.

—–

Silence fell upon the tranquil battlefield.

Naturally, it was Lorian who spoke first.

“Hehehe… I’ve been wanting to meet you, Witch! To send me to such a paradise, how should I repay this favor…”

“The only way to repay the favor is to return to the Great Forest. But… looking at your face, you don’t seem to have that intention at all.”

“Well ~ I also have a goal in mind.”

Lorian licked his lips and gazed at the destroyed statue of the Goddess with fervent eyes.

“After conquering strong and resilient you, I will even conquer the Goddess herself! How about that? Isn’t it a splendid goal?”

“…Starting with conquering me is already a no-go.”

After firmly rejecting him, I posed a question to Lorian.

“Just one thing I want to ask.”

“Please do! Hehe, what are you curious about?”

“How did you manage to survive in the Great Forest? It must have been a harsh environment to endure.”

What method did they use to make those crazy elves behave so obediently? How is that even possible in such a short period?

Even though they are terrible enemies, curiosity still remains.

Looking at the trembling and cowering elves, I asked, and Lorien replied with a smirk.

“At first, we took them down by surprise attacks, and then… well, we just made them repent as a group. Hehe, seeing everyone sincerely repent was quite delightful.”

“…Impressive is an understatement.”

“Hehe, you’ll come up with an even better assessment if you experience it firsthand. If you surrender now, I’ll go easy on you. What do you say? Will you surrender?”

Lorien mentioned surrender under unappealing conditions.

As a response to this arrogant proposal, I chose to embrace the sword companion next to me.

The reason was simple.

Being defeated by a crazy person is worse than being defeated by a longtime trusted comrade.

That’s all there was to it.

You never know what might happen if you lose to that lunatic.

Just look at how messed up the elves are. It’s better to face a sword than end up like that.

At least the sword companion values me.

Lorien, unlike you, genuinely loves and cherishes me rather than seeing me as a mere outlet for desires.

Ask someone passing by.

Would you give your heart to someone you truly love and cherish, or to someone you see as a one-night stand?

The outcome is already clear, isn’t it?

“Beatrice?”

“Shh – ”

Covering the surprised expression of the sword companion with a sudden display of affection, I mocked Lorien.

“It seems surrender is not an option. I prefer this man over you. He’s much better in bed, don’t you think?”

“What are you saying?”

“I mean being with him is better than being with you. And…”

Suppressing embarrassment, I slowly lifted my chin.

Then, approaching the sword companion with a blank expression –

Peck.

I gave him a light bird kiss.

…I hope there are no misunderstandings.

It was just a kiss to provoke the other party.

Because when you get angry, you leave more openings, right?

Isn’t that true?

After exchanging the bird kiss, I slowly pulled back my lips and turned my gaze back to Lorien.

Where my gaze landed,

“Enjoying yourself? Hehe…”

There was a ghastly aura emanating from a specter.

…Did I provoke unnecessarily?