Ch.100Life-Saving Actions (1)

The old woman frowned, deepening her wrinkled features.

It was surprising enough that a fox beastkin with holy power could use Incantations, but she had clearly called that man from the enemy Magic Kingdom “hers.”

Could he have seduced women from the Holy Spirit Kingdom with that handsome face?

[“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”]

She could imagine what might have happened in the past.

[“Well, men are men and women are women. Being trapped on a deserted island, did only your instincts remain?”]

Riyo didn’t answer. Her gaze was fixed on Erich and Rachel, whose bodies were becoming increasingly covered with spores.

To be honest, the situation was extremely frustrating.

Fox beastkin in heat become more violent as well as lustful. This is because they must fight and defeat other competitors.

Such violence typically manifests in male beastkin, but occasionally appears in females as well.

Like now, when they might lose someone they care about for some reason.

“You…”

[“…are as good as dead.”]

The fox sisters took out monkey wrenches and twirled them.

If those were ordinary tools, she could withstand several blows.

The problem was that they were heavily infused with holy power.

The Sephiron was so concentrated it had turned liquid, radiating cold. One wrong hit from those tools would be fatal.

[“You’re not an ordinary beastkin, are you?”]

“…The Dismantling Saint.”

Niemi and Adora muttered one after another.

Adora smirked.

Just as the Riyo and Miyo sisters felt toward Erich, Adora also considered him her lifesaver.

She couldn’t coldly reject him, the man who had rescued her from a life worse than death, nor the other female soldiers from the Holy Spirit Kingdom who had assisted him.

Debts must always be repaid.

That was also in line with the military spirit of the Giford family.

[“Hey, you know what to do.”]

[“You take the front. I’ll support you.”]

Incantation was the language of demons. And mages were those who borrowed the language of demons. Miyo could communicate with Adora.

Niemi hadn’t anticipated this at all.

No matter how she thought about it, it made no sense. How could a woman who wielded holy power also handle magic? If mana and Sephiron reacted incorrectly, her soul could be torn to shreds…

[“…Could it be?”]

Just as Niemi realized something, Adora and the fox sisters charged at her from both sides.

Niemi was well aware of her enemies’ capabilities.

The moment those two could communicate and unite for one man, she had no chance of winning.

So she would separate them.

[“Earth, rise up.”]

Just as before, the Witch of Decay raised a wall to separate Adora and Riyo.

Tap!

Riyo stomped her foot and leaped up. Having anticipated Niemi’s action, she climbed up a mushroom before the wall fully rose. Then she vaulted over it in one bound to rejoin Adora.

I need to think smarter.

With that thought, Niemi cast two vengeful spells.

[“Earth returns to earth, and ash returns to ash. Let the collector sprinkle flowers on the coffin.”]

One was a massive decay spell that spread spores on the wall, poisonous to the touch.

The other was a summoning spell that brought forth an eight-armed earth giant from the ground.

The former targeted the fox, while the latter was meant for the traitorous Magic Kingdom general.

However.

“O Goddess of Creation.”

After reciting a prayer, Riyo pulled out a rope from behind her back and threw it. She secured it firmly to the wall with a hook and kicked off the ground. As a result, she was able to leap over the wall several times without touching any of the spores.

Simultaneously, Adora looked at the giant charging toward her and quietly chanted.

[“Parry.”]

Summoned monsters can sometimes be considered concentrations of mana.

In other words, they are magic.

If it was magic, it could be deflected with a basic parry, and Adora had the skill to do it.

Slash!

Adora’s blade cut through the giant’s flesh with a sharp sound.

In an instant, the giant’s eight arms were severed, and spores scattered like ash.

Whoosh, thud.

As Adora lowered her flame-imbued sword, Riyo landed beside her.

[“This maze is annoying.”]

[“We don’t have time. At this rate, the Valkyrie and the Major will die.”]

They could deflect attacks but couldn’t launch any meaningful counterattacks against the main body.

Niemi, whose head had been struck by Riyo’s axe earlier, had almost fully recovered using the power of the spores.

[“One person. We’re short one person.”]

[“If that woman came, we could definitely turn this around…”]

***

“Ugh.”

Tiria was still wandering through the maze.

“Is this the same place again…”

To be clear, Tiria is not directionally challenged. It’s all because of this confounded maze. It changes its appearance after just a short time, making even familiar paths unreliable.

The maze is alive.

She had figured that out a while ago.

When studying at the church, she learned how to deal with large-scale magic like this. Such magic requires enormous amounts of mana, so either multiple casters are involved or totems are set up for remote operation.

Since there seemed to be only one enemy, finding the totems would be faster.

Tiria, who had been following Erich’s magical traces, changed direction and concentrated.

“——.”

After uttering a Divine Word, she began her search.

Soon after, she discovered a wooden staff standing upright, covered in spores.

[“Hee hee hee!”]

She sensed the energy of an evil spirit.

Tiria knew instinctively. This soul was broken. It was impossible to restore it to sanity. It was a pitiful being that had possessed a mere branch because it had no body to return to.

[“Hee hee, hee hee hee!”]

The laughter was chilling. It raised goosebumps on the back of her neck.

The old Tiria would have immediately performed an exorcism upon encountering such a vengeful spirit.

But now she knew that they too were once people.

Instead of a prayer of destruction, Tiria recited a funeral rite.

“Rest in peace.”

[“Hee, hee hee, hee-hic, hic.”]

The laughter gradually turned to sobbing, then ceased.

Tiria opened her holy vision and looked at the sky. She could clearly see a grayish-white cluster of light ascending to heaven.

“May your afterlife be filled with happiness.”

Normally, performing funeral rites for evil spirits is strictly forbidden.

If the church found out about this, she might even be excommunicated.

But Tiria didn’t care.

Even if she lost her title as a saint, even if many believers became disappointed in her.

Because at least one person in this world would still call her holy.

Afterward, Tiria deliberately sought out the totems and performed exorcisms on all of them. Wherever she stayed, the spores disappeared and flowers bloomed.

And finally, she arrived.

At the battlefield where she should have come to provide support much earlier.

***

[“This can’t be.”]

For the first time, Niemi showed great confusion. She could no longer use her maze transformation magic.

At the same time, a different, sacred energy enveloped the battlefield.

Overwhelming holy power. It felt as if her shoulders were being pressed down.

“Haa, finally here…”

“It was really difficult.”

Gray-white eyes calmly surveyed the surroundings. Then, they quickly turned red.

Tiria drew out her baculus and said:

“What happened here?”

Riyo answered:

“As you can see. The Major and Erich… were attacked by that monster one after another.”

Beads of sweat had formed on Riyo and Adora’s cheeks. The opponent was clearly not easy.

“Even someone as gentle as me is getting angry.”

What upset Tiria most was that two comrades she had grown fond of while fighting together were on the verge of death.

Though she was trying not to show her emotions, Tiria’s irises had already turned bright red.

“Saint.”

Adora said.

“Back us up.”

“Yes.”

Despite being given a clear command by an enemy soldier, she responded without any sign of displeasure.

Right now, the hearts of the three women—no, four including Miyo—were all the same.

Save Erich and Rachel, and defeat Niemi.

Niemi’s mouth twisted.

[“Ho ho ho, I’m done for.”]

Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were desperate.

Because of that saint, she could no longer use her function to split the maze. To make matters worse, now that there were three of them, the possibility of her, a mere division commander, being defeated was overwhelmingly high.

It was just like the hero party from hundreds of years ago.

The hero alone could do nothing. The elf priest alone could do nothing. The beastkin scout and the shield paladin were the same.

Humans, mankind cannot live alone. Because they are weak beings, they form groups and live depending on each other.

That fundamental principle remains the same even after centuries.

At the point when the three gathered, Niemi’s defeat became certain.

Just as she was about to flee.

“The noble Goddess declared that if there is no light anywhere, become the light yourself. Today I stand here in human form in place of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, so those who love shall be blessed with light, and those who curse shall be destroyed by light.”

As Tiria’s prayer ended, Adora and Riyo dove into Niemi’s embrace with twice their previous speed. Conversely, Niemi’s physical abilities were reduced by half, making it impossible for her to avoid them.

[“Kyaaaah!”]

The Witch of Decay screamed as she was struck by the slashing attack.