episode_0213

212.

Erina had no time to worry about the Queen or Princess. While it was undeniably her duty as a cleric to confront the Magi, the looming threat of demons, coupled with Seira’s suspicious connection to them, made her increasingly anxious.

Perhaps, just like what she briefly experienced, a corruption phenomenon had occurred. She needed more information, a more detailed story. Simply waiting for a demon attack would only worsen the situation. She might be able to preemptively strike, perhaps even prevent it altogether.

“This… this feeling….”

It was faint, but remarkably similar to the oppressive sensation she’d felt in several ruins. And that feeling was always linked to demons somehow. The girl, Piki, flashed through her mind. With her uncanny ability to appear and disappear, a surprise appearance here wouldn’t be out of character. She couldn’t rule out the possibility of Piki trying to silence Seira.

Her thoughts raced haphazardly.

‘Enemy… is she? She said she was… chosen…’

She couldn’t forget the day she was chosen by the Goddess. The day she became a futanari. The day she tasted the Goddess’s mouth with her futanari cock. Had Seira experienced something similar? When? The thought filled her with envious frustration. But beyond that, the knowledge that Seira knew more than she let on, made her heart flutter. Her intuition, and the apparent power she possessed… She’d tried talking to her several times since then, but to no avail.

“Seira-ssi!!”

A strange aura emanated from inside. It sent shivers down her spine.

“Ah, Erina-nim?”

Seira greeted Erina with her usual calm voice, though Erina sensed a slight flush in her cheeks.

“Whatever you’re doing, stop it!”

“The Queen is here too? But I can’t obey that order.”

They had reached the entrance to the prison cell where Seira had voluntarily confined herself. Queen Wilhelmina gathered her magical power, and Erina her divine power, preparing to intercept.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know, sometimes when I eat with my mother, she scolds me for not eating a side dish that’s already on the table. It’s like that.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?! I told you to stop!”

Threatening magic projectiles erupted around them.

“I’m saying that I’ve already finished what I needed to do.”

“Correct!”

With a cheerful reply, both women lunged at Seira. There, amidst the twisted iron bars and a fallen guard, Seira stood politely, her usual bright expression unchanged. A girl with pale rose-pink bobbed hair, wearing a sleeveless black mini-dress. Crimson blood spattered across her body, like a gory rain, staining her from head to toe. The trail of blood reached the fallen guard on the floor.

“You, you bitch…!”

“Oh, I didn’t do it. Really. I don’t have any weapons or strength.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, isn’t that blood on your hands?!”

About ten short, 2-4cm long clear ice spears appeared around Wilhelmina.

“That’s why I said I don’t have the strength to do it.”

Wilhelmina immediately launched the ice spears at Seira. The swift attack was imbued with clear malice, making any further conversation unnecessary. However, just before they reached her, they melted away.

“I didn’t do that either? To be a little, just a little presumptuous, the chosen one was simply here.”

“Chosen? Chosen by whom?”

Erina used her divine power to give herself and the Queen a Magi resistance buff. Her skill had improved considerably, significantly reducing her divine power consumption.

“Well, by the one who chose me, of course?”

“What, impossible… are you babbling nonsense???? The Goddess… you’re saying she did something like that, harming us humans?!?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Even the usually composed Erina was beyond furious.

“Oh dear, oh dear.”

However, Seira only tilted her head in apparent confusion at Erina’s reaction.

“You seem to have misunderstood—. Hmm. Well, that’s possible to do.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“Definitely, I did speak ambiguously.”

“Do we have time for a conversation? I shall imprison you as a suspicious person and then I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Wilhelmina calmly prepared her next attack. Longer, sharper ice spears materialized, emitting a chilling aura.

“That’s right. I wasn’t chosen by the Goddess.”

“What?? However, you said your goals were similar to the Goddess’s!!”

Seira seemed to ignore the spears of ice, slowly nodding towards Erina.

“I was chosen by the Dark God.”

“Wh-wh-what did you say?”

Their minds couldn’t process what they’d just heard. Wilhelmina was no exception. She’d never heard that name before, yet understanding its implications didn’t take long.

“You were the true evil all along! Revealing it only now… that’s what this was all about?!”

Her ice spears pierced towards Seira, but as if an invisible barrier blocked them, they couldn’t reach their target.

“Oh, come on. I told you, I have nothing to do with the demons… well, we do have a connection, but it’s not that deep. You know I’m not the kind of person that could awaken or help them, right, Erina-nim?”

“…You’re probably right. The level of power I’m sensing is comparable to an apprentice in the Order… That is, if we’re talking about Magi.”

“Explain the differences quickly.”

“The source of the Magi is likely not from her. I believe there’s someone else here aside from her.”

Erina wiped away a bead of sweat.

“I, I truly love peace. I don’t have any great combat skills….”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Are you saying this for fun?? You’re clearly trying to plunge this world into chaos. This isn’t just an Order issue; this is pure evil. How dare you talk about the Goddess’s will with that mouth?”

“I understand what you mean, Erina-nim. But that’s arrogance.”

“……Tsk.”

The Queen clicked her tongue. She considered a stronger counterattack but the location was unfavorable. At least above ground they wouldn’t have to worry about cave-ins. The Princess was being evacuated by the soldiers, and reinforcements would arrive soon, so stalling with conversation seemed the best course of action for the time being. However, she sensed no other presence that had blocked the attack. If what Erina had said were true, she should be more wary of that other entity. They only had five minutes at most.

“Arrogance? What’s arrogant?”

Erina channeled more divine power. This time the light seemed to be a soft golden yellow that gathered around her.

“Think about it. What’s the difference between what we do and what we do when humans raise livestock and collect fruits from the trees?”

“It’s a problem because you harbor malice. Can’t you even distinguish that?”

“You’re too worked up to have a rational conversation. Your Majesty, do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I don’t wish to engage in this foolish debate. Stop this pointless argument and reveal what that ‘Dark God’ intends to do.”

Wilhelmina spoke decisively. Her majesty still shone brightly, but it was unusually ineffective against the two girls.

“Oh, right. And about releasing the demons. It wasn’t me, it was Erina-nim.”

“What…, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Erina released the divine power she had gathered. It was a shapeless release, reflecting her emotions in its current chaotic form. However, she remembered, a fact she’d tried to bury, it was revealed to her by the answer.

“The Goddess statues. You’ve been collecting them, haven’t you?”

“……!”

She bit her lip. She didn’t want to think about it. But, the demons appeared after contact with the Goddess statues. However, she’d avoided thinking deeply about this, assuming there was no clear cause-and-effect relationship. In fact, the Goddess herself had ordered her to collect them. That’s why she felt assured it was false.

Logically, there was no reason to trust her words, yet all the facts started to fit together in her head.

‘Th-the Goddess… wants the demons to be revived??????? Im-impossible. That can’t be. It’s a trap, there has to be a trap.’

Lost in the oppressive atmosphere of the underground prison, nobody noticed a group of soldiers approaching.

“Your Majesty!! Are you alright???”

“I’m fine. Forget about me, arrest her or, kill her if it’s necessary, capture that woman! The demons… that is to say, she’s highly likely to be behind the sudden appearance of monsters! Capture the nun!”

Erina’s arms were forced behind her back as the soldiers arrested her. The divine light surrounding her vanished. Other soldiers with trained movements formed a formation, even within the narrow confines of the prison.

“Hmm. This is seriously troublesome. Oh dear, I can’t get involved in a fight.”

“What are you all waiting for, attack!”

Following the Queen’s order, they lunged towards Seira.

“I’m sorry, Erina-nim. You are quite slow on the uptake… Of course, I don’t think it’s your fault, but I don’t think we should be here any longer.”

Just as the soldiers reached her, Seira vanished before their eyes in a burst of dark, mud-colored magical energy.