Chapter 6 – Player Claire

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“Are you a player too?”

When I asked her directly, Claire’s face stiffened. Her eyes darted around, and she bit her lip tightly.

“Ah, no, what are you talking about? Why would I…”

“You just said it. That they’re popular NPCs from the game. How did that come out so naturally?”

Claire, flustered, grabbed her head with her hands. Her voice grew more urgent.

“Ah, that’s… it’s just… everyone knows that, right? In a world like this, you hear those kinds of stories…”

“Your excuse is terrible.”

I narrowed my eyes at her flustered expression and added, “What I’m asking is simple. Are you a player who got dropped into this world too? Do you think I’ll just let your slip-up slide?”

She looked at me and finally let out a long sigh. Rubbing her temples with her fingers, she spoke in a low voice.

“Ha… yeah, you’re right. I’m a player too.”

“I knew it.”

When I spoke firmly, she gritted her teeth and glared at me.

“But what about you? How did you figure it out so quickly? The fact that you asked me first means you’re also…”

I stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah. I’m a player too.”

Claire’s mouth fell open when she heard that. She took a step back in surprise.

“Really? You too…?”

“That’s not important right now.”

I cut her off and pointed to the plaza. The hero party was still fiercely fighting the black-cloaked cultists. The hero’s sword gleamed gold as it cut down enemies, and the mage’s fireballs exploded one after another, adding to the chaos.

But the woman on the altar was still holding onto the child. The area around the altar was already filled with dark energy, and it was growing stronger.

“We need to save that child. We can exchange information later.”

Claire nodded at my words. She knew how urgent the situation was.

“Alright. If you save the child, I’ll handle the cultists around us. And be careful. That woman seems… off.”

I quietly condensed holy power and replied, “Got it. Claire, don’t push yourself too hard either.”

Claire drew her dagger and took a stance beside me.

“Don’t worry~”

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I condensed holy power at my fingertips. But this time, it wasn’t just a small amount. I gathered all the holy power I could muster and spread it into the air.

A holy light rose into the sky, and it began to take shape, as if countless angels had appeared. The angels of light looked down at the plaza, aiming their spears of light at the cultists and the altar.

‘You despicable bastards…’

I extended my hand and began to control the angels of light. They flew around, shooting arrows of light at the black-cloaked cultists. The cultists, terrified, began to flee, but the arrows of light precisely stopped them.

“What… what is that…?”

Claire’s eyes widened.

I steadied my breath and focused the holy power at my fingertips. This was the first time I’d used a holy spell of this scale. My breath was ragged, but I couldn’t stop now.

“Here goes.”

As I raised my hand, the fragments of light in the sky began to gather. The holy power took the form of angels, and they spread their wings like guardians overlooking the plaza.

Lux Dominia.

It was a high-tier holy spell, meaning “Dominion of Light.” Even in the game, I had never been able to use it properly.

The angels soared, shooting arrows of light at the cultists. The arrows struck with a deafening roar, and the cultists screamed as they fell to the ground.

“Gah! What is this?!”

“The god… the god is angry!”

‘Yeah, the god you believe in is angry!!’

I steadied my breath and muttered to myself. The woman on the altar looked up at the sky in panic and shouted.

“Whose power is this? Where are they? Who…?”

‘Who do you think? It’s me. But you won’t see me.’

I was using Invisibility. It wasn’t a particularly powerful spell in the game, but it was perfect for this situation. Neither the hero party nor the cultists in the plaza could see me, making it the ideal spell to escape this chaos without revealing myself as the Saintess.

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The hero party was still staring at the angels in confusion. The hero in golden armor lowered his sword and muttered.

“What… what kind of power is that?”

The mage beside him waved his hand and mumbled.

“No, there’s no priest in our party who can handle holy spells of that level. So where did that spell come from…?”

The priest looked completely bewildered. He clasped his hands together and said in a trembling voice.

“The… the Saintess??”

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I looked at the child tied up on the altar and gathered holy power at my fingertips. Using Lumino Clavis, the Key of Light, I broke the dark chains binding the child. The child trembled and looked up at me.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

I spoke in a soft voice. The child, still terrified, grabbed the hem of my clothes.

“Th… thank you. But… that woman… she did something strange to my neck…”

I examined the child’s neck. A dark red mark was engraved there.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take you with us. You’ll be fine now.”

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As soon as we escaped the plaza, Claire caught up to me. She was panting and asked, “Eli, was that… the Saintess? Is the Saintess here?”

I nodded at her.

“I’m not sure, but the hero party…”

She cut me off and spoke in an excited voice.

“Wow, the Saintess. I really want to see her! If she’s here, I’d love to meet her!”

“Claire, that’s not important right now. We need to move. Let’s get out of here before things get worse.”

I spoke firmly. But Claire, still unable to contain her excitement, continued.

“But, Eli. If the Saintess really used that kind of power… wow, have you ever seen the Saintess before?”

“Claire!”

I glared at her and said, “First, let’s focus on this child.”

She finally closed her mouth and nodded.

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We ran deep into the forest, fleeing as if escaping, and stopped in the deepest part. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of our breathing. I gently set the child down. The child was still trembling.

“It’s okay. No one will hurt you now.”

I tried to comfort the child by patting their head, but the mark engraved on their neck caught my attention. The dark red glowing mark was unsettling.

“What… is this?”

I muttered as I examined the mark. At that moment, Claire approached me. Her expression hardened the moment she saw the mark.

“F*ck… this is the mark of a demon.”

Her voice was filled with shock.

“The mark of a demon?”

I looked at Claire in surprise.

“Yeah. To be precise, this is part of a ‘demonization’ ritual. That woman wasn’t trying to sacrifice the child… she was trying to turn them into a demon. But… it’s already halfway done.”

Claire spoke through gritted teeth.

“So… what about this child now?”

I lowered my voice. Claire clenched her teeth and shook her head.

“If we leave them like this, the child will eventually turn into a full demon. And their sense of self will disappear. Only a shell will remain.”

I felt a tightness in my chest as I looked down at the child. The child’s eyes were weakly closed.

“F*ck… is there no way?”

I looked at Claire urgently.

“There is a way. But…”

Claire paused.

“What is it? Tell me. What’s the way?”

I pressed her. Claire hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke.

“We can forcibly hold onto their sense of self by infusing holy power into the mark. But it’s only temporary. Since the demonization has already progressed, we can’t completely stop it.”

“So we just need to keep their sense of self intact, right?”

I cut her off and quickly replied.

“You make it sound easy. Infusing holy power will drain a significant amount of your strength. And if it fails, the child will turn into a demon immediately.”

“I don’t care. I’m going to try.”

I spoke firmly.

“Eli… are you really going to do this?”

Claire looked at me in disbelief.

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[Claire’s Flashback]

I recalled my memories from the game. A bug that a player accidentally discovered—a way to preserve the sense of self of an NPC undergoing demonization.

‘Back then, I just laughed it off… I never thought I’d actually have to do it.’

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I placed my hand on the child’s neck and began condensing holy power. A warm light seeped from my fingertips.

“Lumino Clavis.”

I chanted the holy spell in a low voice, summoning the Key of Light. The light covered the mark on the child’s neck and slowly seeped in. The child’s body trembled for a moment, and the dark red mark shook slightly.

“Are you really doing this?”

Claire asked cautiously.

“Yeah! From what I can see, this isn’t just sealing it. It’s about condensing holy power to create a link to their sense of self.”

I answered briefly and continued to focus.

The mark began to glow darker, as if resisting, trying to push back against my holy power.

“Damn, it’s hard to hold on…”

I gritted my teeth and forced out more holy power.

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At that moment, the child’s body began to tremble violently. A low, rough breath escaped from the child’s closed mouth. Claire stepped back in surprise.

“Eli, is this… failing?”

Her voice was filled with anxiety.

“No, not yet. Just a little more…!”

I condensed the holy power as much as I could. Finally, the mark stopped glowing. The dark red light faded, and the child quietly began to breathe again.

“It’s… done…”

I let out a sigh and removed my hand.

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading!!!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Woah, the author sure is excited in this chapter~

Either way, despite how much she curses, she sure only focused on saving the child, what a saintess~