Ch.9595. What the Saint Has Built

Even if I could handle a high-ranking demon, the opponent was too formidable.

Compared to the great demons, of which there were only ten on the continent, even a high-ranking demon wouldn’t be much of a force. Besides, being already dead, it couldn’t display its former prowess.

Crack!

[Arghhhh!]

The demon’s scream spread fiercely across the dark sky.

The one struck by Stella’s left hand rolled on the ground again, screaming in pain.

“Shut up and get up.”

When I pulled the iron chain, the high-ranking demon rose again, writhing in agony. I thought it might buy us some time, but as the situation unfolded, the high-ranking demon was being swatted away like a fly.

“Master!”

Just then, Findenai’s shout and the sound of hooves came from behind.

Seeing Findenai preparing to flee with the carriage, I immediately turned my body.

I wrapped mana around my feet and transformed it into wind magic. It was a simple spell, but my body floated up and flew straight toward the carriage.

[Whoa! Deus!]

It wasn’t as easy to control my body in the air as I’d thought. My body was spinning unintentionally, and I might crash into the back of the carriage.

“Ah! You’re crazy!”

Findenai, irritated, climbed onto the carriage and stretched out both hands.

Then he caught me cleanly as I flew in. I ended up being carried like a princess.

“Comfortable, isn’t it? Do I get a bonus?”

Findenai grinned smugly. I felt annoyed, but after quickly getting down, I shouted to the nuns in the carriage.

“Take turns casting magic on the horses from now on. We need to escape as far as possible.”

“B-but that would put too much strain on the horses…”

Frustration welled up at the voice from below.

“Would you rather die instead of the horses?”

Only then did the nuns start casting magic through the window at the front of the carriage, tucking their tails in.

I wondered who was driving the carriage instead of Findenai, and it turned out to be Illuania holding the reins.

“Can you handle horses?”

I was a bit worried since Findenai had driven most of the way to the convent, but Illuania gave a thumbs up.

“Learning to ride horses was the first thing I learned when trying to escape the orphanage.”

Not exactly comforting information, but at least I could trust her.

Illuania whipped the reins more vigorously and drove the horses.

Thump thump thump thump!

The ground shook as the spider-legged Saintess began to chase after us.

Even while running, she kept pounding the ground with her left hand, and each time she did, deformed beasts emerged from the surrounding darkness to chase us.

[It seems she can do more than just use blood.]

“What? I thought she was just a blood manipulator.”

While the Dark Spiritmaster and Findenai showed their reactions, I inflicted pain on the high-ranking demon I had summoned and shouted.

“Block them. We need to buy time while escaping as far as possible.”

[Kieeeeek!]

The high-ranking demon charged forward and began fighting the beasts.

It tore the beasts apart much more easily than when fighting the great demon’s main body.

The Dark Spiritmaster provided magical support, while Findenai knocked off beasts that clung to the carriage with his axe.

The beasts appearing in front of the carriage were burned by Illuania’s guardian spirit, a woman with a burned face who emitted flames.

Judging that Illuania and her unborn child were in danger, she too was lending a hand.

The nuns tried to help, but I immediately reprimanded them.

“Stay still! Your only job is to cast magic on the carriage and horses!”

“Y-yes, understood.”

Combat wasn’t the nuns’ specialty to begin with. With their support magic, the horses could run for quite a long time.

“But hey, what’s the point of running away? Will the demon flee when the sun rises or something?”

“If it were that simple, we wouldn’t need to worry.”

“True.”

Findenai answered nonchalantly but didn’t stop moving his hands. The distance between us and Stella, which had been gradually closing, began to stabilize thanks to the nuns’ support magic giving the carriage more speed.

Taking advantage of the moment, I raised the Lemegeton.

This time, instead of the light converging to a single point like when handling demons, it spread out into the sky like an aurora.

As widely as possible.

Seeing this, the Dark Spiritmaster asked with a puzzled expression.

[W-what’s your plan? Even if you forcibly awaken souls, you don’t force them to obey you.]

“…That’s right.”

For a necromancer, giving up the ability to force souls was actually what could be called the most fatal flaw.

Of course, it wasn’t an absolute belief that I would defend with my life, but…

At least in this situation, forcing them would have been meaningless.

[Even if you summon many souls, numbers are meaningless against that demon.]

One overpowering ten, a hundred, a thousand.

The great demon Vellica was such an entity.

No matter how many opponents there were, it made no difference to her.

“I know that too.”

Of course I knew.

But still, I continued to awaken souls. I kept calling forth the numerous dead sleeping in this land.

“Ah, aah. Saintess.”

The sounds of prayer from the mother superior and other nuns in the carriage rose like lamentations.

They were praying for Stella, who had become a demon.

That sound naturally made me turn my gaze back to Stella.

The demon’s eyes had been fixed on me since they first opened.

They seemed to be longing for something, but also looked like they were eyeing a delicious prey.

“How did she end up like this.”

“Aah, we should have done better for her.”

“Why didn’t we notice? Oh, Goddess Demeter.”

Watching them, Findenai snickered.

“Crazy bitches. They’re feeling sorry for the woman who’s chasing them in that state trying to kill them.”

Despite clearly hearing Findenai’s voice, the nuns didn’t stop praying.

Their prayers and blessings for Stella, who had become a demon they should hate and whose death was approaching, continued without pause.

The chase continued for a long time. Just when we thought we’d gained some distance, she would suddenly appear beside us and swing her fist.

If Findenai hadn’t reacted in time to deflect it, the carriage would have been smashed and everyone would have died.

“H-hey, I think we’re really at our limit now!”

With Illuania’s cry, the sound of hooves striking the ground began to fade.

The horses’ harsh breathing sounded like it could stop at any moment, and the nuns’ support magic was overloading like a drug used excessively.

“And there’s a village with people up ahead! It’s really dangerous!”

Indeed, there was already a commotion in the distant village.

Checking the time, it was 5 AM.

It was still dark with no sign of the sun, but it was time for early risers to start their day.

Given Stella’s enormous size and the noise, people in the village must have spotted her.

It wasn’t just the horses pulling the carriage that were at their limit. Everyone was.

The nuns were exhausted from magic and prayer, Findenai uncharacteristically had no strength left in his hands holding the axe, and even the Dark Spiritmaster’s vast mana was nearly depleted.

And I, who had been continuously pouring mana into the Lemegeton…

I felt dizzy and about to vomit.

“Did we just waste our energy running away?”

When Findenai asked if we should have fought earlier, I shook my head.

“It’s enough now.”

The Dark Spiritmaster and Findenai looked at me, wondering what I meant. But I withdrew my mana and exhaled roughly.

“Everything is ready.”

I slowly looked up.

There were countless souls gathered there, obscuring even the sky. All of them had been forcibly awakened by the Lemegeton and gathered around me.

“I don’t know much about this, but something feels eerie around here?”

[There really are a lot of them gathered.]

Even Findenai, who couldn’t see souls, felt something unsettling, and the Dark Spiritmaster clicked his tongue as he looked at the surrounding souls.

Souls gather where other souls gather.

It was the same situation I had experienced during the memorial service in Norsweden.

As souls gathered due to the Lemegeton, other souls from distant places naturally came here as well.

And all of them had their eyes on Stella.

“A Saintess is a very special being.”

“Huh? Who doesn’t know that?”

[…What do you mean?]

Findenai grumbled about what nonsense I was talking during a fight, but the Dark Spiritmaster listened carefully to my words.

As the carriage’s speed gradually decreased and the distance with Stella narrowed…

I said to Illuania:

“The Holy Grail.”

Illuania took out the Holy Grail from a drawer hidden under the driver’s seat and tossed it up.

Seeing the Holy Grail, the nuns were startled and reacted noisily.

“T-t-the Holy Grail?!”

“It actually exists? The Holy Grail!”

“Wait, then the divine power the necromancer used…”

They seemed to have realized something and gasped, but I had no time to pay attention to that.

[Y-you’re using the Holy Grail.]

The Dark Spiritmaster immediately distanced himself. The divine power of the Holy Grail could potentially annihilate even the Dark Spiritmaster.

The same was true for other souls.

Whether they were evil spirits or not, divine power was fatal to all of them.

At first glance, it seemed like an omnipotent power, but…

I now knew.

No, Stella had taught me.

Handling divine power is extremely difficult, and if not handled skillfully, it would simply become prey for demons.

This was only the second time I had indirectly handled divine power through the Holy Grail.

Even if I just unleashed the Holy Grail’s divine power on Stella, it might harm the great demon but wouldn’t be fatal.

So I continued what I had been saying:

“A Saintess is a very special being. And among such Saintesses, Stella is an exceptionally special woman.”

No one could deny my words.

Just as the nuns in the carriage had been praying for Stella despite facing their own imminent death…

Countless people across this continent had received comfort and salvation from Stella, and this wasn’t limited to just the living.

“O spirits of the dead.”

I looked up at the sky.

The souls of countless dead, obscuring the moon and stars, were looking down at us.

“O spirits of the dead who have been helplessly sleeping, unable to do anything.”

I put away the Lemegeton that had gathered them and continued honestly:

“Behold the end of a loving woman who comforted the continent.”

The distance with Stella narrowed. Her outstretched left hand seemed about to reach the end of the carriage.

“Behold the final moments of the woman who devoted her entire body to save you.”

Some souls had already begun to leave. They were afraid of the Holy Grail and the demon, and the compulsion of the Lemegeton had disappeared.

But still, countless souls remained gathered.

“She gave her own happiness to others. She shouldered the misfortunes of others. Behold the end of that woman.”

This is what I believe.

“Despite all this, see her fate as she fell into the clutches of a great demon while everyone turned a blind eye.”

God cannot save Stella.

God could never give Stella what she wants.

“Will you leave it like this?”

If someone asked if I could save her…

“Will you truly let that woman’s life end in tragedy!”

That too was impossible.

I didn’t have the ability to offer Stella the salvation she deserved.

“As her limbs rot away! For you! For your families! For your descendants! For your lovers! For your friends! Will you close your eyes without even a shred of gratitude for that woman who sacrificed everything!”

Then who could?

In the midst of tragedy…

Who could pull her out when she had given happiness to others but was sinking herself?

The people Stella had pulled out of tragedy.

More precisely, everything she had built up throughout her journey.

“If you choose to close your eyes, so be it! If you want to sleep without gratitude even after death, so be it!”

I raised the Holy Grail strongly.

The divine power flowing from my palm made my insides feel twisted.

“But if you have even a shred of gratitude left! If you have any compassion for her!”

And the souls began to rush toward the Holy Grail.

“Stake your souls! For the woman who gave up her life out of love! Give up your death out of gratitude!”

Many souls were leaving.

There were certainly souls who had received no grace from Stella.

They had no intention of giving up their peace.

But even more…

The souls who had received the grace of the Saintess who had spent her life helping others were all burning their souls with divine power.

Like rescuers who douse themselves with water before rushing into a fire.

The souls began to burn like white flames. They would soon perish upon touching the divine power, but…

They began to fly toward Stella, burning their souls.