As I regained my senses, I found my sword embedded in the neck of the monster.
Blood flowed down in torrents. The thick liquid soaked the ground, emitting a putrid stench.
The outstretched arm of the monster was long and menacing. How many could face such a frightful sight without recalling the terror of death?
I too felt fear and dread. Yet at the last moment, I was finally able to abandon myself.
It was a peculiar sensation.
As my insides emptied, I could distinctly feel every fiber of my being. Time accelerated, and my body, now harmonized with the flow, had somehow burrowed into Mr. Guildford’s embrace.
The result of this was now laid out before my eyes.
The monster convulsed, and blood spewed from its mouth as well. Even with half of the blade embedded in its throat, it did not die instantly. It was a vitality so strange that it felt almost grotesque.
However, even a mage empowered by the Dark God has its limits. It could still barely open its mouth for a few minutes, but that was all.
Even as its life hung by a thread, it was of no use. It only prolonged the time of unnecessary suffering.
Despite that, Mr. Guildford smiled.
“Wow, perfect… Ugh, it was perfect.”
“…Any last words?”
I asked this, panting.
It was a grievous wound, enough that it wouldn’t be strange if I collapsed at any moment. There was little time left for me to listen to the tale of something that once was human.
Mr. Guildford was in the same situation. Time was precious for him too.
“W- can it be saved? Hah, the flesh seeds will be unleashed soon.”
“Because I’m not you.”
I gritted my teeth, applying pressure on the hand that gripped the sword. With a groan from the monster, the blood gushed forth even more from its neck.
“If you can save it, then save it. Hah… if that’s my best.”
My ragged breath blocked my speech, but I made an effort to appear nonchalant. Mr. Guildford, who would not have been unaware, finally smiled with calm.
The groans ceased. The empty eyes that only one facing death could possess.
“…You are strong.”
“Stronger than you.”
Hah, Mr. Guildford let out a cracked laugh. The blade pierced through to his vocal cords, mixing blood with his speech.
“…You have good eyes. Even faced with murder, there is no hesitation; those are the eyes of a fine murderer.”
With that, the old man smiled.
Not the hideous grin of the monster, but his usual gentle smile.
“Then, I shall wait in hell.”
He left behind those final words, and I pushed the blade with all my might.
That was the end.
Blood exploded from the severed neck like a waterfall. The monster’s head rolled on the ground, and I caught my breath under the pouring crimson rain.
The putrid warmth soaked my entire body. I staggered and straightened my posture.
My arms and legs were numb. There was hardly a spot on my body that did not hurt.
I had to hurry back. Just as I was about to move my feet,
Something brushed against the ground near me.
It was the monster’s head. Seeing the monkey’s face still wearing that gentle smile, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
With a crunch, I stomped on the monster’s skull, and it burst open like a rotten fruit.
As brains and shards scattered, I finally managed a bitter smile.
“…Emmanuel.”
May you find peace in hell.
My swaying body stepped over the blood. These footprints would continue onward.
Continuously.
Now, only the final stage of the battle remained.
At the entrance of the orphanage, countless corpses were already piled up.
Most of them were the remains of monkey monsters. Fortunately, it seemed the children had taken refuge inside the orphanage, and my companions were still outside trying to assess the situation.
They must have been shocked by the sudden retreat of the monkey monsters.
When I arrived in the orphanage’s courtyard, the first person I encountered was the Lady Virgin Saint.
She was looking around with an anxious expression. As soon as her eyes met mine, her body froze.
Her pink eyes scanned my whole body. There was no need for her to examine closely.
To put it bluntly, I looked like a walking corpse. Just from appearances, I was at least seriously injured.
After staring blankly for a moment, the Lady Virgin Saint approached me immediately. With trembling hands, she began to touch my wounds.
As expected, it hurt.
“Ah, ah… Aaaah! It hurts!”
Though I had performed first aid with a healing potion, that was all it was.
I still bore bruises and fractures all over my body. The slightest touch struck a sharp pain through my mind.
Yet the Lady Virgin Saint was unfazed by my cries.
After inspecting my condition for a while, she bit her lip and said,
“…What happened?”
Her pink eyes were clouded with despair. That meant my injuries were severe.
I hated the heaviness of the atmosphere and decided to joke around.
“I killed the monster. In exchange, I got a noble medal… Aaaah!”
Of course, once she grabbed my arm, it would be a facade that would fall apart immediately.
The Lady Virgin Saint sighed as if she expected this. Her complexion turned serious when she pressed her forehead.
“…Your injuries are too severe. We need to get ready to leave quickly. You need treatment at the temple.”
I stared at her silently, not replying. What was she talking about?
Frustrated, the Lady Virgin Saint began to thump her chest, and the weight of it bounced back in a whirlwind.
“Of course we need to leave! The monkey monsters have temporarily retreated. Uhlen is making an escape route while the encirclement has weakened! If you want to live, we have to go now!”
Listening to those words, I fell silent for a moment.
Just as Mr. Guildford said. The monkey monsters retreated after losing their leader, but instead of fleeing entirely, they seemed to have formed a looser encirclement.
However, as the encirclement widened, it inevitably became filled with more gaps. I didn’t know what Uhlen was plotting, but if he said he could secure an escape route, then that was probably true.
We would leave the orphanage.
And upon reaching the temple, we could receive treatment while waiting for the army to resolve the remaining issues.
Having narrowly escaped death, my body was in critical condition. Even if I received treatment right away, there was no guarantee of avoiding aftereffects. Moreover, hadn’t I already accomplished enough?
I had exterminated numerous monsters, defeated the mage, and uncovered the conspiracy of the Dark Cult.
In that light, it wouldn’t be strange for either the Holy Kingdom or the Empire to reward me as a valuable asset. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about aftereffects.
The fame of me and my party would reach the heavens.
It was a happy ending for all our hardships.
Indeed, it was for us.
But what about the children left in the orphanage?
Suddenly, Mr. Guildford’s warning echoed in my mind as the mage coughed up blood.
“…Now, the flesh seeds will be unleashed.”
I opened my lips, then closed them again.
The Lady Virgin Saint looked at me with a puzzled expression. Her eyes seemed to urge me to prepare without delay.
Yet I could not meet her expectations.
“Let’s go first.”
“…What?”
Her expression twisted in disbelief as if she did not understand my intent. However, my will remained unchanged.
“The mage had control over the flesh seeds. Now that the mage is dead, the flesh seeds will be released. Where do you think they will head?”
“Please, I-an…”
With every word I spoke, the Lady Virgin Saint’s face changed.
At first, she looked surprised, then contemplative, only to now plead with me.
She spoke to me with a trembling voice.
“Are you saying the flesh seeds will be unleashed? Do you not remember how many were in their nest? We have to leave even more! Look at your condition… Do you really think you can fight?”
Her eyes were pleading. It seemed she could not genuinely understand me.
But the more I thought about it, the only answer was one. I continued in an unexpectedly calm voice.
“If the flesh seeds swarm in, then the children are finished too. The numbers of flesh seeds may multiply drastically, and some could escape to take root in new places…”
“Who cares about those damn orphans!”
Abruptly, she retorted, causing me to fall silent.
My eyes silently fixed on her. I could see her shoulders trembling.
“Do you think no one wants to save them? But it’s hopeless, you are injured, and there are dozens of flesh seeds left! The best option is to flee… Are you really such a fool you can’t understand that?”
As she said this, a glimmer of moisture flickered in her eyes.
“I-an, I understand your feelings, but we can’t save everyone. Think about it, how many orphans are dying at this very moment! Can we save them all?”
“No.”
My answer was immediate. For a moment, the Lady Virgin Saint’s expression brightened.
Had I spoken no further, she would have rejoiced and pulled me along.
“…But I do not want to lose even the children we can save. This is not just a stubborn insistence. It must end now. If the flesh nest spreads, it might become uncontrollable in the future.”
That was my heartfelt sentiment.
This was also for the children, but the moment I saw the flesh nest, a scenery came to mind.
The dream I had the day the second letter arrived.
A tree made of flesh covered the entire plain. The voice of a woman beset with despair and pleading still seemed to echo in my ears.
It must be ended now. So that it does not spread any further.
The Lady Virgin Saint looked at me, unwavering in my voice, in silence. I had no more words to say either.
A long silence enveloped us. That was when Uhlen arrived.
“Sister, everything’s ready… Huh, I-an! What happened to you…!”
“…I might die.”
It was a chilling voice. Her pink eyes were gazing at me. The final question, perhaps her last chance.
Time was now short. The situation was too urgent to convince me to relent.
Uhlen, sensing the heavy atmosphere, immediately fell silent. He gingerly took a step back, trying to gauge our moods.
I decided not to concern myself with Uhlen. I nodded.
“Yes, I am prepared.”
The Lady Virgin Saint began mumbling, trying to speak.
But no proper words came to her as she seemed to struggle to organize her thoughts, and soon a groan escaped her lips.
“…Ugh.”
It was an irritating sound. The Lady Virgin Saint soon began to stomp her feet, expressing her feelings even more vividly.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!”
Finally biting her teeth, she managed to swallow her anger and stomped the ground.
The ground sunk in. It was proof that she hadn’t wasted her time learning the vision arts of the Holy Kingdom. Even I stumbled for a moment from the shockwave.
Regaining my balance, I was met with the Lady Virgin Saint’s pink gaze, within which intense emotions danced.
“…You’re frustrating, you!”
She pointed a finger at me, and I smirked in response.
“Well, when was I not frustrating?”
“Nevertheless, it’s particularly frustrating today! You keep confusing people!”
There it was again. I shook my head fervently.
“I’ll say it again, my appearance has always been the same. The confusion is solely in your heart…”
“…Shut up.”
And with that, my upper body was suddenly pulled.
The Lady Virgin Saint gripped my collar and yanked. My expression went momentarily dazed, and her sweet breath brushed against my nose.
In her pink pupils, my bewildered form appeared. I looked foolish.
“I don’t trust anyone, including you. Want to save the orphans? Risk your life? Do you think that can lead to victory?”
“Whether you believe it or not, my intent is unwavering.”
With a grind, the Lady Virgin Saint gritted her teeth. She glared at me for a long while, then turned her gaze away, finally sighing as if she had given up.
Her soft whisper brushed against my ear.
“…And this is a secret.”
With that, she suddenly pushed my body back. As I staggered, she took a small blood-red orb from her bosom.
I already knew what it was.
‘Bloodstone,’ that little orb was worth more than a castle. Before I could even protest, she clasped her hands together and drew forth the bloodstone’s power.
A divine force surged like a storm.
A pure, white brilliance surged wildly, wrapping around my whole body. The pain felt like a hot iron rod piercing through my nerves, but even that was brief.
After a few seconds, the storm of divine power subsided. And I, who had stood in the center of it, was miraculously healed.
Although I had been heavily injured, the senses in my fingertips revived in every aspect, and strength overflowed in my body.
My eyes wide, I looked towards the Lady Virgin Saint’s hands. With a sigh, she opened her hands to reveal a bloodstone smaller than before.
I widened my eyes. I remembered a time when this had happened before.
“No, no matter how much, it isn’t supposed to shrink this much…!”
Then, a slender finger touched the tip of my nose.
It was the Lady Virgin Saint’s finger. She made a shushing motion and turned her gaze behind her.
“…Uhlen.”
Uhlen, who had been observing us for a while, was now wearing a resigned smile, shaking his head in disbelief.
Uhlen shrugged and said, “To save your own life while escaping, you dropped one stone, huh? Come on, Lady Virgin Saint, you should be more careful. No matter how precious, even that isn’t worth your life, and even the cardinals wouldn’t say much.”
The Lady Virgin Saint smiled with satisfaction at Uhlen’s excuses that flowed like water. She then shoved the remaining bloodstone into my chest.
“Keep what’s left. Because I’m lending it to you, be sure to return it.”
“That, after all, isn’t even yours…”
The moment the Lady Virgin Saint started fidgeting her fingers, I quickly fell silent. Saying more would likely lead to a painful pinch in my side.
Instead, I cautiously accepted the bloodstone.
I understood her meaning. The Lady Virgin Saint spoke.
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of participating in this gamble. My life is precious. I have ambitions and many things to do. Disappointed to know I’m a selfish woman?”
“…No, I understand.”
My voice in response was utterly calm. The Lady Virgin Saint gazed at me again for a moment and then gently rested her head on my chest.
For a moment, my body stiffened, then the tension faded away.
Her warm breath drenched my heart. The Lady Virgin Saint whispered one last time.
“Come back alive, I-an.”
I didn’t see the Lady Virgin Saint off as she departed.
Leaving behind Reto, who wouldn’t be of much help in battle, the Lady Virgin Saint and Uhlen left. Only three remained.
Senior Delphine, Senior Elsi, and Ceria and Celin.
I looked at Senior Delphine as if somewhat surprised.
“You didn’t leave.”
“…You promised me, didn’t you?”
Senior Delphine averted her gaze shyly, saying this.
“You said you would achieve victory. So let’s see it.”
Hearing her words, I held a vague smile.
There was no need for a reply. My eyes were focused on the forest.
The minions of the Dark God were still there.
It was time to finish this.
