Ch.98Chapter 98: Searching for Corruption in a Pure White Place (2)

As I left the training grounds, my steps felt light as I walked with Shizu toward the lodgings.

This was despite the fact that we were heading to investigate the impure energy that Fafnir had detected.

There was a good reason for my lightness.

[It feels more distinct now that we’re outside. Doesn’t seem dangerous enough to worry too much about.]

I wasn’t concerned because Fafnir’s words about the impure energy he sensed as soon as we left the training grounds didn’t convey any worry.

[I reckon it’ll be resolved the moment the Proxian lady draws her holy sword, don’t you think?]

With such assurance, why would I need to worry? That thought came naturally.

Additionally, as we walked, I confirmed that the location of the impure energy Fafnir detected wasn’t far from the lodgings where I planned to rest.

My already light steps became even more cheerful.

I was heading to the lodgings to rest, and if we had to deviate from that path, the girl currently holding my right hand would likely drag me along forcibly.

Perhaps I felt relieved that I wouldn’t need to scheme unnecessarily since we didn’t have to go out of our way.

As I headed toward the lodgings, three elements were harmonizing within me:

My body’s desire to return to my room to relieve fatigue.

My determination to search for the impure magical energy at Fafnir’s request on the way back.

And my childish desire to compose myself while watching Shizu who walked beside me with a bright smile, matching my pace… yes, childish desire.

“Karl, you look very happy.”

“That’s because I’m walking with you.”

“R-really?”

Walking with Shizu, who blushed slightly and became overjoyed at almost anything I said, made me nearly forget the fatigue from our sparring match.

As we walked along, chatting casually…

“Wow… snow.”

Following Shizu’s voice filled with deep admiration, I looked up.

I could see snow falling, threatening to blanket the entire fortress in white.

Whether it was just my mood or not, I couldn’t tell.

But compared to yesterday’s snowfall, this was overwhelming in both quantity and color—a pure white snow.

“Ah! Let’s hurry back to the lodgings.”

Seeing Shizu’s expression—momentarily delighted at the heavily falling snow, then hurrying our pace after looking at me—I could tell how impressively the memory of yesterday’s first snow experience had stayed with her.

“…You want to have a snowball fight, don’t you?”

When I suggested this…

“…N-no! I played plenty yesterday.”

Her voice betrayed her desperate attempt to suppress her desire for a snowball fight.

If not for Fafnir’s request, I would have gladly joined her in playing with the snow like yesterday.

But now wasn’t the time.

“I think it’ll snow tomorrow too. Let’s do it then.”

I carefully acknowledged her disappointment while making a promise I definitely wanted to keep.

“Okay!”

Her smile, so joyful over such a simple promise, made my heart turn as white as snow.

As we continued talking while walking through the snowy fortress, reaching about halfway to the lodgings where I would rest…

[Kid, I think it’s around here…]

“Hmm…?”

Fafnir’s voice in my head and Shizu’s voice in my ear rang out simultaneously.

Before I could respond to either…

“…Tenshow.”

Two soft syllables flowed from Shizu’s lips.

It was the incantation I had heard countless times when she confronted me with her sword in the previous timeline.

The phrase required to summon the holy sword, Lumen.

Though brief, her voice was incredibly gentle and soft as she spoke those words.

In the previous timeline, the sound of that voice had been followed by the emergence of the holy sword that had given me so much trouble.

But now, that voice just felt precious and dear to me.

Anyway, as soon as Shizu finished the summoning phrase, a burst of light combining the holy sword’s pure white radiance with her golden energy arose.

Woong-!!

The space right in front of Shizu split open, revealing the holy sword that flew into her right hand.

During my time as the Demon God’s agent, even the slightest sign of the holy sword’s summoning would have made my entire body tense and shrink back.

Now, just looking at it gave me a sense of reassurance.

With each swing of that sword, creatures of the demonic realm seeking innocent lives were returned to darkness.

It gave proper rest to the unrighteous who forced their twisted values upon others.

It was a new feeling to watch this holy sword appear to fulfill its role without feeling fear.

…By the way, this isn’t just idle talk.

The light surrounding the holy sword seems more magnificent than when I saw it during my time as an agent?

Back then, only the sword’s inherent white radiance stood out.

It didn’t harmonize with her golden fighting spirit like it does now.

Even Shizu tilted her head, seemingly finding the unusual radiance of the holy sword in her hand unfamiliar.

“There’s something over there.”

She soon raised the holy sword in her right hand, pointing to one side.

It was an empty lot with nothing there.

That’s probably how it would have appeared to me before my regression.

But to my eyes, which had once been tainted by demonic impurity, even if unwillingly, it was a place with obvious incongruity that I could recognize immediately.

The snow falling from the sky, gradually whitening the world and piling up layer upon layer as it touched the ground…

In the place where the holy sword pointed, despite having no roof or structure to block the falling snow, it wasn’t accumulating.

It was as if something hidden there had been disguised with a plausible camouflage.

But it was so excessive that it couldn’t adapt to the constantly changing surrounding environment, only reflecting the environment as it was when first applied…

[It’s a distortion field.]

Yes, a distortion field.

It was a distortion field that demonic entities should have meticulously installed to hide a transportation magic circle, meant to secretly infiltrate their forces into a fortress with impenetrable defenses.

However, far from being meticulous, it was the epitome of crudeness, bound to be exposed immediately due to the heavily falling snow.

[Whoever did this laid down a really shoddy distortion field.]

It must have been truly bad for even Fafnir to make such a sarcastic remark.

I even felt like joining in with Fafnir’s mockery.

Of course, Shizu, who had noticed this suspicious area before me, wasn’t just interested in mockery.

“Hya!”

With an adorably cute shout, she threw the holy sword in her right hand straight toward the suspected location of the distortion field.

Like throwing a javelin.

Swish-!!

Making a sharper sound than any ordinary javelin, the holy sword embedded itself in the middle of the empty lot.

Shaaaaa-!!!

Simultaneously, a scream filled with indescribable ominousness rang out.

A sinister energy, visibly connected to the demonic realm regardless of how it had taken root inside the fortress, seeped up through the cracks in the ground where the holy sword was embedded.

It was unpleasant just to look at.

Woong-!!

The holy sword, emitting an even more intense white radiance upon embedding in the ground, absorbed and purified all the impure energy laid in the distortion field.

The barren lot that had rejected the accumulation of snow gradually returned to its true form, becoming soil where falling snow could naturally pile up.

And in doing so, it revealed the true nature of the sinister energy at its center.

There was a symbol similar to the Bloody Pentagram, the mark of a mage favored by the Demon God.

The difference was that instead of being drawn in blood-red like the Bloody Pentagram…

It was drawn in pitch-black, but with the two lines that should form the legs of the pentagram when viewed from the front pointing upward—an extremely ominous symbol representing the devil itself.

An inverted pentagram.

I know well which entity uses this symbol.

It’s none other than…

[Sigh… Is that crazy Adorator still breathing? Even after a thousand years, she still hasn’t evolved at all.]

Well, he’s already said what I was about to say.

Just as Fafnir said.

This symbol represents the self-proclaimed mistress of the Obsidian Palace beyond the mountain range.

A quasi-deity with immense power who constantly tries to realize the Demon God’s ideals with her own hands.

Adorator’s symbol.

“…Ominous.”

A faint sigh of displeasure escaped Shizu’s lips as she looked at the inverted pentagram emanating creeping black malice, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

And not content to leave that impure mark as merely unpleasant…

With her eyes closed, she spread wide her left hand—not the right one holding the holy sword—toward the area where the ominous energy was spreading.

“Seal Evil.”

Two brief syllables flowed from her lips.

Different from the phrase used to summon the holy sword.

It was the incantation used when performing one of the most powerful abilities a holy sword wielder like her could execute.

The Evil Sealing Ritual.

Again, though the phrase was brief, her voice was incredibly gentle as she recited it.

And as her gentle voice ended…

Golden fighting spirit, symbolizing Shizu, formed around the holy sword as brilliant radiance.

It was truly bright and splendid, yet contained only warmth that didn’t hurt the eyes.

The change happened in an instant.

As if to prove its quasi-divine nature…

Despite barely surviving under a clumsy distortion field…

The ominous energy permeating the inverted pentagram, feeling instinctive fear at the sight of the golden-glowing holy sword that would completely erase its existence…

-Kyaaaaa-!!

It let out a piercing scream.

It was a deep, dark scream that would severely impact the mind of an ordinary person just by hearing it.

“…Complete.”

But before the scream could reach its climax, Shizu quietly announced the end of the ritual.

The ominous energy, along with the inverted pentagram that contained it, vanished without a trace.

The scream disappeared.

And the serene yet warm silence that rightfully accompanies falling snow welcomed us.

[Wow…]

Fafnir could only express brief admiration, revealing his amazement at Shizu who had instantly purified the demonic impure energy.

“Amazing…”

And I was no different, speaking in a voice too quiet for Shizu to hear.

I had accepted Fafnir’s request and walked here thinking I might need to handle it myself if necessary.

But seeing Shizu detect and purify the impure energy before I could even say anything, demonstrating how much more complete she was as a hero than my current self…

How could I not admire her?

“Phew…”

After letting out a faint sigh.

I looked at Shizu who was catching her breath after completing the Evil Sealing Ritual.

This was the first time since my regression that I’d seen Shizu perform the Evil Sealing Ritual with her holy sword.

Even she, who had accumulated enough experience as a hero before my regression, couldn’t hide her exhaustion when performing the Evil Sealing Ritual.

“I’m tired…”

It’s understandable that she, not yet fully established as a hero, would show fatigue.

But there was one difference between the fatigue Shizu showed now and what I had seen before my regression:

Unlike then, when only a calm sense of duty fulfilled was visible beneath her undisguised fatigue…

“I’m glad… I could take care of it before it became more dangerous.”

Despite her tired appearance, she revealed a faint smile toward me and looked relieved.

She looked incredibly happy.

Only about two months have passed since my regression.

While cherishing the desire to make you happy that remains in a corner of my heart…

Taking difficult steps one by one to achieve that…

There will certainly be moments when I wander, unsure if I’m doing well.

But each time…

“Did I do well?”

When I recall your gentle smile like this…

I believe without doubt that I can be certain I’m not going astray.

Right after regressing, I despaired and grieved over my wretched body.

But not anymore.

Because of the different choices I’ve made…

I’m confident I can protect your happy expression—something I never saw in the previous timeline.

The pure white snow fell heavily, as if determined to dye the dark, impure energy that had lingered until moments ago into pristine white, while also turning my hair and shoulders snow-white.