“So, I have a special offer for you two—top-tier holy water at 6 gold coins each! How does that sound?”
Hadn’t she said last time that she would secretly give it to us for a special price of 6 gold as well?
For a moment, I almost blurted it out loud but managed to swallow my words and quietly let it pass.
“Hehe… I still have some left from last time…”
It was one of those situations where you felt pressured to buy, and I had to admit, it was quite a deal, so I ended up purchasing three bottles. But really, what would a regular person use top-tier holy water for?
After spending 12 gold coins, which was a significant amount of money for me, all I did was carefully store the holy water in my bag.
“So, how about Miss Deretia? This stuff is incredibly effective against demons, you know. If Miss Deretia, who’s destined to become a hero, finds it useful later, wouldn’t that be great?”
The hero’s purpose is to defeat the Demon King.
Of course, on that journey, the hero will face many demons. In such a situation, top-tier holy water would unquestionably be of great help.
But despite all this, Selian still showed no interest whatsoever.
“Selling and buying holy water for money? Isn’t that clearly a form of sacrilege?”
“But didn’t even Goddess Serena herself allow it…”
Selian also appeared to be opposed to the buying and selling of holy water, much like I had been.
“Hmm… Anyway, when you become a hero, the shrine will surely provide support, so why should I go out of my way to buy it in advance?”
“Er… That’s true, but…”
Watching Mariel struggle against Selian’s unbreakable resistance was fascinating.
Selian was logically cornering Mariel in every possible way.
“Besides, aren’t we supposed to be protecting the Saint right now? It would be more fitting if the Saint herself provided us with a few bottles of top-tier holy water.”
“That… that’s not…”
“Honestly, you said this special price of 6 gold… On what basis was it determined?”
“Top-tier holy water is nearly impossible to obtain, even if you donate dozens of gold coins…”
Mariel tried her best to counter Selian’s arguments.
But unfortunately for Mariel, Selian was a far stronger opponent than she had anticipated.
“That’s precisely within the realm of donations. It’s good when done in the spirit of charity, but reducing it to mere transactions isn’t right, especially by the Saint herself.”
“Uh… Well, then, let’s go with 4 gold per bottle…”
Miss Mariel! Didn’t you say last time that selling at 6 gold left no profit?
True, there was a 2+1 deal last time, but how could the price drop so easily?
“Even at 4 gold, I think it’s honestly too expensive. Moreover, I believe stockpiling top-tier holy water is a bit excessive…”
“3… 3 gold… At this price, there’s really no profit!”
…And it dropped to 3 gold.
“From what I know, the cost of making holy water mainly just covers the bottle and water, isn’t it? The Saint’s divine power is essentially limitless anyway…”
“…2 gold. This is my absolute limit.”
“Alright. Give me 10 bottles. Since I’m buying in bulk, it’s only natural that you give me one bottle as a complimentary service…”
In the end, Selian managed to purchase 11 bottles of top-tier holy water for just 20 gold.
Mariel’s hands were trembling as she handed over the holy water and took the gold coins from Selian.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the three bottles of holy water sitting neglected in my bag.
Three bottles… 12 gold…
When I glanced up, I met Mariel’s gaze from the opposite seat.
With an expression like her soul had been sucked out, she stared at me vacantly, but soon her eyes regained their sharpness.
“Ho, hold on! No refunds allowed!”
Seeing Selian buy 11 bottles for 20 gold, Mariel’s voice was laced with fear, worried that I might ask for a refund on mine, purchased at a far higher price.
Meanwhile, the way she clung tightly to her purse, as if bracing against theft, made it feel like I was about to snatch her money.
Miss Selian, what exactly did you do to the Saint?
When I looked at Selian, she seemed quite satisfied with the deal, smiling pleasantly while carefully stacking the holy water into a separate carrier she had brought along.
—
“So, you’re maintaining the holy barrier properly, right?”
Selian asked as Mariel, who had been wearing an expression that doubted the trustworthiness of everything and everyone, finally seemed somewhat calmed.
“Yeah. Neither demons nor their minions will notice our carriage. Don’t worry about it.”
The holy barrier currently enveloping our carriage was slightly different from the one set up in Pelches.
It had no effect on non-demons but could perfectly conceal our presence and traces from demons.
Of course, we could increase the durability if we sacrificed secrecy, but our current situation didn’t require that.
Thankfully, it seemed that thanks to the holy barrier, demons hadn’t noticed us, and bandits or other monsters hadn’t attacked us yet.
Which is why we had let our guard down.
BOOM!
“Kyaaak!”
The loud explosion caused our carriage, protected by basic defensive magic, to shake violently enough to almost throw us out.
While the shock wasn’t too troubling for myself and Selian, who were well-trained, Mariel clutched her arm in pain after likely colliding with something during the shake.
“Selian! Alicia! Protect the Saint!”
Professor Selen’s shout came from outside the carriage.
Selian and I helped guide Mariel out of the carriage, which was now clearly broken, and headed outside.
Despite the protective magic absorbing some of the shock, the exterior of the carriage was completely shattered.
We were lucky that Mariel’s minor bruising was the worst of it.
“Hilfin Professor!”
Ignoring her own arm pain, Mariel rushed to Professor Hilfin.
Apparently struck in the initial attack, Hilfin had a gaping wound in the middle of his abdomen.
Though his mastery had prevented immediate death, he was now only suffering the agony without perishing.
“O Goddess…”
Even as Mariel ignored the pain in her arm and earnestly prayed with her hands clasped, Hilfin’s wound refused to improve.
“Damn. How did these demon bastards find us here…”
Observing the scene as Professor Selen muttered, I saw a few demon minions and what looked like several demons surrounding us.
“Kukuk… This is unexpected. I was skeptical, but it’s really happening. I should’ve brought more guys…”
The weaker demon minions weren’t much of a challenge, but the demons were the problem.
If they weren’t elite demons, Selian and I could handle them to some extent, perhaps even overcome them.
However, the situation wasn’t favorable.
Besides the demon currently facing Professor Selen, four other demons were ready to charge towards us.
Even in a simple standoff, the situation was dangerous, and behind Selian and me stood Saint Mariel.
We didn’t know whether her divine magic was powerful enough, or how well she could protect herself from the demons.
Thus, all our movements must prioritize protecting Mariel.
Naturally, we had to take a defensive stance, and with no knowledge of our foes’ capabilities, things only looked more disadvantageous.
On the bright side, the demons didn’t seem ready to attack immediately.
Maybe it was Mariel’s divine healing that disturbed them, or maybe they viewed us as fish already caught.
“Selian! Catch!”
Taking advantage of escaping the carriage, I grabbed two bottles of holy water from the bag and tossed one to Selian.
She lightly slashed the bottle with her sword, soaking it thoroughly with holy water.
Similarly, I used my mouth to unscrew the cap and quickly poured it onto my sword.
If the Saint didn’t cheat me earlier, this would provide at least some assistance.
“Kkk… Look at them flailing.”
“Don’t let your guard down. It’s not just the Saint—there are two women ahead who are heroes.”
“Still, they haven’t fully awakened yet, right? Alton, isn’t it your cautious character that’s the problem?”
“True… Eliminating both a hero candidate and a saint in one shot is undoubtedly a good opportunity.”
The demons were making all sorts of noise, but we couldn’t act first.
“Khrrr…”
“Professor!”
Despite Mariel’s healing magic, Professor Hilfin groaned, grabbed her arm, and pulled himself closer, whispering something into her ear that I couldn’t hear.
“Attack all at once. When the opportunity comes, prioritize the Saint.”
Without exchanging signals, the moment Alton’s words ended, the demons and their minions charged.
As I managed to fend off the claws of the first charging demon, I could feel the powerful resistance through even my holy water-empowered sword—far from ordinary.
Unable to stay idle, Mariel began casting blessings over us and used divine magic to block some of the tougher attacks we couldn’t handle.
However, our hands were tied.
Blocking attacks from this one left us open to others, and amidst the chaos, some of the minions crept towards Mariel, attempting to exploit our inability to cover all angles.
Even though they had the upper hand, the demons weren’t letting their guard down or taking unnecessary risks.
“Khrr… Wish I had more power sooner…”
From behind, I could hear Selian struggling as well.
We couldn’t rely on Professor Selen’s help, and reinforcements were impossible.
We were absolutely at a disadvantage.
And finally, one of the demon minions lunged at Mariel.
Clang!
“Kyaaak!”
Fortunately, Mariel managed to block the attack with a hastily erected barrier, but this shifted Selian’s and my attention towards protecting her.
Seizing the opportunity, the other three demons, save the one blocking me, advanced toward Selian, aiming claws, swords, and magic at her all at once.
Damn! The hero and the saint were in danger, while the goddess… what the heck was she up to?
“You cursed goddess! Do something!”
At that moment, as though hearing my voice, a pillar of light descended from the heavens, instantly engulfing us.
And slowly…
Slowly, a single sword descended from the sky.
The legendary holy sword, that had always hung idly on the wall of the shrine, now appeared before us.
Though the demons screamed urgently from beyond the pillar of light, their voices went unheard.
In the silent, soundless space filled with white light, only Selian, step by step, walked toward the holy sword and stretched out her hand…
—
As the holy sword descends from the heavens,
And the hero comes to this land.
