NOVEL NEXT Book 6: Chapter 6
Saint of Darkness
「A sinner is found.」
It was inside a clean and simple room that was modest but surrounded by pure white plaster wall. A woman who was in the middle of her twenty was smiling gently there. She was also wearing a plain but white priestess outfit.
Her beige hair flowed down smoothly until her shoulder. Her face wasn’t flashy but still well-ordered. Added with her soft atmosphere, her appearance displayed neat and modest beauty that truly showed she was a “saint”.
──Saint Ursula──.
In the legend of this continent, it was believed that [Hero] and [Saintess] were chosen by spirit when evil appeared in this world. Ordinary people wouldn’t get called like that no matter how much virtue they accumulated.
But, Ursula who was abandoned in front of the church when she should still be sucking on the teat of her mother and raised in the church’s orphanage grew to be a pious believer. She became a priestess because she had the element for light sorcery. Then she saved a lot of people with god’s love and miracle. It made the people called her [Saint] thinking that she was the closest thing to “Saintess”.
「We will make the preparation today. Everyone, is that alright?」
「「Yes, Ursula-sama.」」
Ursula’s words were responded by the four females who were inside the same room. They were wearing the same smile as the slowly got up on their feet.
They were maidens in the age range from early teen to early twenty. They all had been saved by the holy church and gathered under Ursula to form the [Holy Church’s Devotion Corps]. They had accompanied Ursula going around to various places and saved they unfortunate people.
「Before that, can I stop by to take a look at how the children are doing?」
「「Yes.」」
The maidens smiled happily at the words of Saint Ursula who was smiling gently to them. When Ursula started walking, the pure maidens who were wearing the same white priestess clothes followed behind her.
The believers who came for praying and the young priests were looking at the girls walking modestly inside the holy place with eyes that were similar to adulation and worship. Among them there were also some priests who looked at the girls with nervousness inside their gaze, though such priest was few in number. That was because they knew that the girls’ current appearance was only the “surface”.
.
「Ursula-sama-」
「Everyone, have you been good kids?」
When Ursula showed her face at the orphanage inside the church, small children wearing a simple piece of clothes immediately rushed toward her with wide smile.
The children here were unfortunate kids who lost their parents from accident or sickness. Even the children who were crying and asking for their parents at the beginning could finally regain their innocent smile due to Ursula and the priests’ selfless love.
「I’m going inside, so please take care of the rest.」
Ursula patted the head of the kids clinging on her, hugged and lifted them up in her arms, and cuddling and soothing them. Then she entrusted the children to the maidens of the devotion corps and walked deeper inside by herself. She opened a locked steel door that was protected by church knight and went down a stair that led to underground.
The stair was very long and when the sound from the surface didn’t reach her anymore, the white plaster wall changed to wall with black spots on it as though it had something sticking on it. From further inside there were sounds of objects clashing and sobbing voices of children.
There were chains and shackles that were attached on the wall, and restraining table that was dyed dark red. Ursula walked through a corridor that had small rooms with bars lined up at both sides. There were torture implements visible here and there. It was a place where instructor priests were forcing on harsh training on young children.
All the children underground were all kids who didn’t even know their parent’s face since they were born.
Here the children had the doctrine of holy church and the know-how to break human body efficiently beaten up into them. The teaching that what was being done here was the correct thing to do was also getting imprinted into them like they were baby chicks.
These children would become the next generation’s guidance corps in charge of capturing those who went against the teaching of the holy church, and then breaking those “sinners” for the sake of “educating” them.
The children believe that was the right thing to do, even so they were beaten with “stick” that whittled down their heart. Ursula then embraced the children who endured such torture with a smile like a holy mother, in order to give them “carrot”.
「My adorable “little sisters”. Were you able to break a lot today too?」
***
「Bibi……are you really going to do it alone?」
「……Yeah. I’ll kill our lady’s enemy.」
Assassination of Alicia Mercis──the one who volunteered for that mission that Hilda should be doing personally was the youngest Bibi.
Bibi had gotten saved by Clara together with Hilda. Doris and Haiji also had their family saved by Clara from predicament. They also felt indebted to Clara but, not as much as Hilda and Bibi who had gotten directly saved by Clara and were swearing their loyalty to her.
Also thanks to Clara asking a skilled healer to treat Hilda and Bibi’s burn, there wasn’t a single burn mark on their body anymore. Bibi wasn’t used to the maid work unlike the older Bibi, so she volunteered to take the assassination mission in the place of Hilda who wasn’t good in direct combat. This was a chance where she could finally be useful after her burn was healed.
The assassination would use poison but, the target was a favorite of the crown prince and the royal brother, so it was possible that she had special bodyguard accompanying her. Hilda also thought that Bibi would be more suited for this and she couldn’t strongly oppose her volunteering.
「……I’m going.」
Bibi’s whole body was covered with black outfit other than her eyes. She blended into the darkness without any sound.
There was “poison” in Bibi’s hand. It was an inhuman poison that was thought up by an evil race person inside the assassin guild in the past and got completed by a curse user.
It could be used by making the target inhaling it in its powder form or dissolving and mixing it into food. Poison in general would have stronger scent the more potent it was, and its potency would rapidly weaken when coming into contact with air, but this poison had no smell or taste. It would definitely send the target to death if it managed to enter inside the body.
But, even this poison had flaw. The flaw was this poison was only effective against “human with no magic stone” inside their body.
This poison’s main ingredient was [human’s magic stone]. The fellow human who consumed this poison would have his blood reacted to the poison, forming pseudo-magic stone of indeterminate shape inside the heart, blocking the blood flow and caused death.
That was why even if this poison was created using monster’s magic stone, any stone would already have magic stone on their own so the poison wouldn’t affect them. It also wasn’t effective against noble because almost all of them used sorcery. But, Alicia Mercis who was a former commoner and still couldn’t use sorcery would definitely get killed by this.
Human like Bibi and Hilda who had poison resistance but had no magic stone was rare, so the poison would be able to bypass the girl’s poison taster. That was why they should be able to mix the poison without getting noticed.
.
Bibi evaded the eyes of the patrolling academy knight and sneaked into the dormitory for middle ranked noble student.
In this academy, students from low ranked noble house generally lived in dormitory. But, unlike the low ranked noble houses that were numerous in number, middle ranked noble could rent one of the small mansions inside the academy that were all built with the same design.
The security inside the academy had been increased after the evil race successfully infiltrated inside. Although most of that security was assigned to the area of the high ranked nobles. Even so directly sneaking into a middle ranked noble’s mansion was dangerous even for a former member of assassin guild with level 2 Stealth like Bibi.
With the increase in security, it became impossible to mix the poison using roundabout way. And doing the mission with multiple people like Haiji and Doris would only increase the chance of getting discovered, which was not wise.
That was why Bibi ended up moving alone, but there was always a gap existing in everything.
According to the previous information that Clara gave her, Alicia Mercis had a bodyguard butler apprentice from black ops assigned to her as bodyguard.
It would be dangerous to sneak into the mansion and the kitchen, but that wasn’t the case with the laundry. The linen building beside the mansion that was used jointly by the students had sheets and covers that were collected recently.
The highest quality things would definitely belong to students who were noble. There were still multiple other middle ranked nobles remaining in the academy, but even if the poison hit someone among them there would be no problem because they all had magic stone.
Bibi sneaked toward the linen building and approached to open the locked door.
It would be different in battle, but knight and soldier wouldn’t be able to discover Bibi in the darkness of the night……or that should be the case.
「──!?」
*Dan!*
Bibi sensed a faint killing intent and reflexively jumped away from the door. A knife stabbed into it in that moment.
A boy with darkish skin was appearing as though he was oozing out from the night’s darkness.
He was a Cruzian boy who was the butler of Alicia Mercis, the target. He was walking soundlessly as though he was gliding while pointing the throwing knife in his hand toward Bibi with a cold gaze.
「Who’re you?」
***
A black carriage was running through the capital’s street late in the night while making a little sound.
It had no noble crest on it, but if someone with deep connection with the palace saw it, they would know that the carriage belonged to Lester House whose head was also the head of the royal sorcerers.
Even though the day had grown late, the cheers and light from the bars in the capital wouldn’t cease until the bell rang once which signified that the day had changed. But, silhouette of people walking in the dark night wouldn’t be found anywhere at the area away from the main street near the noble residences where mansions were lined up.
The black carriage smoothly ran on the stone paved road. It then stopped at the rear entrance of the church beside the holy church’s great cathedral that was surrounded by planted trees. Then two maidens showed their figure from the church. They were bringing staff that was lit with light of sorcery.
The coachman looked entranced for a moment when he saw the maidens clad in the neat and clean pure white priestess outfit, but he then hurriedly bowed his head and opened the carriage’s door. A girl with sickly white skin and long wavy jet black hair appeared from within the carriage.
「We bid you welcome, Carla-sama.」
「Thank you for the welcome.」
Vast magic power and pressure were oozing out from within her body, in contrast with her faint vitality. The church maidens gulped seeing that figure that was like a ghost, and yet they put on their usual smile and bowed their head in respond to Carla’s unexpectedly normal greeting and smile.
「Please come this way. We shall show you the way to Ursula-sama’s place.」
Several days ago, a secret message from Ursula who was extolled as the holy church’s saint reached Carla who was staying in the academy.
The content was roundabout and used a lot of vague jargons, but Carla could understand it. The message said that Ursula wanted to have a secret talk about the whereabouts of the princess and her bodyguard, and why evil race could infiltrate into this country.
Carla didn’t fully believe the message. Certainly it was Carla who pulled the evil race in, but the evidences and witnesses had been turned into ash.
Even so if it was the holy church that had information network in national scale, it might be possible that they had noticed Carla’s involvement. And so Carla headed toward the capital under extreme secrecy, thinking that she might be able to listen to some kind of interesting talk.
「Welcome Carla-sama. Allow me to express my gratitude for taking the trouble of coming here so late at night like this.」
After walking through a gloomy corridor where there wasn’t anybody around, she entered a room that was prepared for visiting noble where a modest looking woman with beige hair greeted Carla with a soft smile.
「I don’t mind, Ursula-sama.」
「Please take your seat over here.」
Ursula led Carla to a seat where the two of them would be able to sit face to face. The design of the room was simple with only white wall around without any decoration, but the floor that was a single piece that was cut from a huge rock had been polished until it was shiny like mirror. The sofa was so soft that Carla’s body sank into it. It seemed to be a high quality product that even high ranked noble would use.
The four priestesses were standing at the four corners of the room. The scent of the tea that Ursula had personally brewed filled the inside of the room. After having some trivial talk, Ursula suddenly leaned forward.
「Carla-sama……the truth is there are some voices inside the church that are suspecting that perhaps, it might be Carla-sama who led in the evil race into this country.」
Ursula’s gaze was laced with sorrow. Carla smiled thinly and tilted her head in respond.
「My, how terrifying. My appearance has grown because of my magic power, but inside I’m just a little girl who had only turned thirteen you know? I wonder which person was saying such horrifying thing about me?」
「Yes, yes, that’s right isn’t it? I also think so but, just between the two of us, among the holy church we have a department with specialist to question the spirit of the departed.」
「You mean wraith?」
Certainly purifying wraith could also be said as the mission of priest for the sake of saving people. But, the monster called wraith wasn’t something that appeared that easily compared to other undead.
Undaed was corpse that turned into monster due to the magic stone remaining in the corpse getting polluted by miasma, and then it bonded with the residual thought in a place that was thick with magic particle.
But wraith didn’t have body or vessel that they possessed. It didn’t even have magic stone. It would be different if it was at monster producing location where no human ever came, but wraith wouldn’t come into being unless there was a great amount of miasma and magic particle, or high ranked undead scattering those things at its surrounding.
What did she mean by a department that specialized in handling such wraith?
「I believe you are aware how sometimes there are people with very deep grudge to this world. Even their residual thought after their death would be incoherent and filled to the brim with repulsive madness, but that wraith apparently was screaming its grudge toward the evil race and a certain noble daughter.」
「Hee……」
Ursula stared at Carla when she spoke the words noble daughter. Carla slightly narrowed her eyes.
「Something like drivel that a wraith spewed doesn’t have any credibility at all but……the holy church, has a really interesting spy agency isn’t it?」
Tension ran through the church maidens from Carla’s remark. Ursula raised her hand to stop them. Then she wetted her lips with tea while Carla also took a sip from her steaming cup.
Most likely, there was really such a department, not one that specialized in purifying wraith, but one that used [Necromancy] to grant miasma somehow and produced wraith in order to obtain information from it.
Necromancy was taboo in this continent. Just having a research material about it from the past was considered a crime. It only sounded like a bad joke that the one doing such crime was the holy church that designated such act as taboo in the first place. Ursula was astonished that Carla managed to derive the most unlikely conclusion just from the short conversation here. At the same time she could see now how such a girl who wasn’t even of age yet was really the one who lured in evil race to this country.
「As I thought what the young master said is true. You are truly an “evil” that is clouding the light of this country.」
When Ursula spoke that sentence, the maidens who were standing at the four corners of the room quietly stepped forward.
「Young master said that there is no need to kill. That it’ll be enough to simply “educate” you so that you won’t be able to go back to the academy, but just as the god will it, let’s free aslotfor the queen’s seat using this chance.」
Ursula accepted the request from Nathanital to “educate” Carla wasn’t because he was the grandson of the head priest. If he contacted the guidance corps without going through the head priest just because he wanted to use Ursula and her force for the sake of his personal greed, Ursula would mercilessly put Nathanital under her education too.
But Ursula had been told by the head priest since some time ago about the special order from the church’s upper echelon……from Fandora Theocracy where the headquarters of Thurs Continent’s holy church was located.
It was to put a maiden with connection to the holy church among the three queens.
The head priest had been scheming since several years ago to make noble daughter with connection to the church to become a fiancée candidate for the crown prince, but several influential nobles including Duke Fudale interfered from the side and it was the duke’s daughter who squeezed in as a fiancée candidate.
But there was still no need to give up. Ursula thought that there was still a chance to recover if she managed to maneuver the situation well after she heard about Carla. And so she used Nathanital’s request to do this.
Carla had wandering habit like diving into dungeon solo and the like, and even the crown prince had his hands full against her. It shouldn’t be too problematic if someone like Carla vanished anytime, unlike the princess. And then after that the church could also form connection with Count Lester who was similarly starting to find his daughter to be unmanageable and won him over to the church’s side.
After that if the church could find a noble daughter with light element who wasn’t too bright and Ursula handed her title as saint to her, the church would be able to get closer to their objective.
「Carla-sama? Can I ask you if the tea’s taste is suitable for your palate……?」
「…………」
Ursula slowly stood up and looked down on Carla while the smile on her lips deepened.
Carla kept holding her cup while staying unmoving from the sofa. Meanwhile the four maidens of the guidance corps drew out stiletto and approached to surround Carla from all directions.
「Let me think……the poison of Sefriole flower. It’s a nostalgic taste.」
「!?」
In that moment, one of the maidens sensed something and thrust her stiletto forward with a shocking speed.
The maidens of the guidance corps were all rank 3 light sorcerer and also warrior. When the blade that was thrust with such terrifying speed almost touched Carla’s slender neck, a white hand with“pattern of black thorn” formed on the arm caught the maiden’s hand.
*GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!*
「────tsu!!」
Crimson flame blazed from Carla’s hand. The maiden whose hand was still in Carla’s grasp let out a wordless scream as half her body burst into fire. The abnormal smell of burned hair and flesh drifted inside the room while Carla took another sip of the tea that included the nostalgic taste that she had experienced many times in order to obtain poison resistance inside dungeon. Then she smiled mellowly.
「It has a very nice aroma.」
***
「I wonder if Bibi is alright……」
Clara muttered the name of the maid who was moving for her sake inside a dark room where there was no one else. She was looking up to the night sky outside the window. Her maid Hilda was staring at her with a pained look.
Hilda, Bibi, Doris, Haiji……Clara had a calculation when she saved them. It wasn’t like anyone would be fine, even so the background and situation of these four girls were just right for Clara.
Clara could only fall a step behind because she was unable to completely investigate the “heroine” who was the princess of Melrose House. And so she schemed to create her own information network seeing that she couldn’t rely on the black ops.
She found Hilda and Bibi at that time. It wasn’t a lie that she sympathized with the two’s situation, but they should be nothing more than “pawn” that she could use as disposable piece. And yet Carla had gotten slightly too close with them.
That was the influence from Clara’s moral ethic in her previous life.
She was unable to completely become heartless, instead Clara showed her own weakness toward the girls. But those girls became her ally after learning that side of her, however it made her unable to use them as simply disposable pieces.
It wasn’t her intention but, Clara’s “weakness” made the girls sympathized with her and they would sacrifice even their life for her sake. However Clara who was already thinking of the girls as important people to her felt her heart pained by that reality.
Clara’s weakness made Hilda and the other girls, Clara’s devouts to decide to give their life to her, however Clara couldn’t stop that because “she was scared”.
Clara was scared of the heroine who would stole the person who was important to her.
Clara was scared of the pink haired girl who looked at her with cold eyes.
Clara was scared of “herself” above all else.
She never thought that she would become this fixated with Ervan even though she had learned from her previous life’s memory about the fate of the villainess. Even Clara herself didn’t understand how she turned out like this. Even though Clara should be taking action in order to avoid the fate of villainess after she remembered her memory, she was instead stepping onto the path of villainess by her own will.
Clara too didn’t think of this world as [game world]. She was perceiving this world as a world that most likely became the basis for the otome game.
That was why she was terrified. Perhaps it wasn’t that she reincarnated into [villainess Clara], but it was her reincarnated self that was [the real villainess Clara] who became the basis for the game. She was scared to recognize that.
But, just like the otome game that would go through different route depending on the selected choices, Clara believed that the future(route) would change depending on her action and there was a version of herself who couldn’t prevent her important people from getting harmed.
What Clara feared the most was such foolishly sinful herself.
***
「Who’re you?」
「Tsu!?」
Bibi suddenly got attacked at the area of the middle ranked nobles while she was infiltrating there. The cold gaze of the young butler who questioned her identity pierced her. She felt the cold sweat trickling down her back.
She had heard about this Cruzian boy from her lady. He was Alicia Mercis’s butler. He was still young but capable. He was a [bodyguard butler apprentice] who was dispatched due to Mercis House’s request to Melrose House that was the main house and their caregiver.
Clara said that this boy still wasn’t that much of a threat right now, but after facing him directly, Bibi felt that he was as strong as her……a powerful fighter who had reached rank 3.
That strength wasn’t something much compared to the “Ash Crowned Princess” who Bibi and others hated after destroying the assassin guild’s north frontier district branch where they belonged to, or the “Rose Witch” who was dangerous to even approach.
But, someone with such level of strength only numbered around a hundred even in this vast kingdom. Someone who had reached rank 3 could be said as a professional in the path that they chose.
For a boy who was still around 12 years old to be that strong was unexpected even for Bibi.
That was exactly why she couldn’t move immediately even now that she had gotten discovered and questioned, yielding the initiative to the boy.
(This is bad!)
Bibi finally turned around and ran away when she felt the killing intent that was bursting away from the young butler.
Even though there were a lot of people with high combat strength, only those with the resolve to kill and be killed would be able to radiate strong killing intent. This wasn’t a mere bodyguard butler. Most likely he was black ops’ [combat butler] that was reviled in the underground society. Bibi started running away when she made that conclusion, but something flew past in front of her and tore a hole into the wall.
(Throwing pebble!?)
There were people using pebble made from metal even among the assassins. The range and power were inferior compared to throwing knife or arrow, but in the hand of expert, it turned into lethal weapon that was difficult to dodge in close range.
「Don’t think that you can get away.」
The voice sounded emotionless. The young butler threw his throwing knife to cut off Bibi’s escape path.
(He’s specialized in throwing weapon?)
Bibi judged that her enemy was mainly using projectile weapon with pebble for close range and throwing knife for midrange. She picked up the knife that stabbed the ground and threw it at the boy, then she immediately unsheathed her dagger and moved forward to get into close quarter combat.
*Clang!*
「Tsu!」
The boy used his bare hand to deflect the knife that was thrown back at him. Bibi immediately stopped running when she saw that. At the same time the boy’s kick flew past and grazed her face cover.
「Kuh」
Bibi moved to back away from that sharp kick, but the boy smoothly spun while leaping toward her with the back of his fist whistling through the air. Bibi tried to parry that with her arm but the impact was fiercer than expected. She counterattacked with her dagger even while feeling reeled. The boy ducked to the ground to dodge that, then his foot spring up for a kick while his hands were planted on the ground. The small statured Bibi couldn’t endure it and got blown away.
「I’ll give you a painful beating if you resist you know?」
That Cruzian young butler──Seo rotated his feet and sprang back to stand upright. He then took a hand-to-hand fighting stance.
In the past little Seo was conceited with his own talent and didn’t train seriously, but he fell in love with a girl who was one year older than him and wished to become strong in order “to take responsibility”.
He kept training desperately day by day while dreaming to be reunited with the girl once more. He blew past all the kids his age and arrived at rank 3 before even enrolling into the academy although it was just barely.
He wouldn’t lose against any ordinary adult. He could even fight against royal guard as long as he arranged the situation to his advantage.
It was around that time, he heard that his first love who went missing had gotten found. Seo who was able to finally meet her was made to realize that he was still just coasting on his talent.
Rank 4──a domain of “the strong” that couldn’t be reached with just talent. A girl who was still in her early teen arrived there with just her own strength.
Furthermore she even defeated a rank 5 monster on her own. Her fame in the open was still small but, her existence in the underworld had grown so great that there was nobody there who didn’t know about the girl.
After learning that, Seo painfully felt that he wouldn’t be able to catch up to her just by doing the same thing. He switched to a fighting style that made use of his strong point.
*Gin!* Seo smacked together the gauntlets his arms were wearing that were made from magic bronze.
Seo’s new fighting style was hand-to-hand fighting that made use of his unique martial art accompanied by the use of hidden weapons. He was hiding weapons all over his body that couldn’t be seen because of his sleeves, shoes, and so on. His main weapon the metal gauntlets didn’t only serve as offense but also to block enemy’s attack. It was a weapon that combined offense and defense into one.
Seo sighed in his mind toward the spy that sneaked into this place.
Alicia Mercis was a viscount daughter, a middle ranked noble, and yet she was involved with the like of the crown prince and the royal brother, and she often spoke and acted in a bizarre was that was unthinkable for a noble lady. Various nobles shunned her and the number of this kind of probing was rising.
It seemed the spy before him was female, but he could feel “desperation” from her that made her stood out from all the spies before this. He still didn’t know what her objective was, but her master must dislike Alicia very much.
(That’s why it’s troubling……)
After all Seo mentally felt the same. To be honest Alicia’s behavior felt unpleasant for Seo. She was intimate with the crown prince, the royal brother, the grandson of the head priest, and others, and yet she was wanting the same thing from Seo too.
He had reported it to the main house Melrose and Mercis House too, but with the royalties involved in this matter, the problem couldn’t be solved with simply expulsing Alicia from the academy.
But, although mentally he sympathized with the other side, his work was dictating him differently. Seo too had officially become a black ops knight, and if Alicia Mercis had involvement with Melrose House, for the sake of the main house there was no way he could let a spy escaped when it could prove useful to grasp other house’s weakness.
The opponent’s strength was the same like him, lower rank 3……but, rank 3 scout and rank 3 warrior were different in their role itself. He wouldn’t lose if he didn’t let his guard down.
……As long as nothing anomalous happened.
.
「Seo-kuuun, where are youuu?」
「M-my lady, please stop……」
That anomaly happened. Alicia who was the protection target ignored her servant’s caution and her head leaned out from the window side’s terrace.
「「!?」」
Seo and Bibi reacted simultaneously. Alicia who had experience of getting bullied by her fellow girls in the past wouldn’t let a maid stay at her side unless it was necessary. She would invite male servant who would listen to her request into her room, and those servants who were of the opposite sex than her wouldn’t be able to touch her to physically stop her.
Seo unconsciously wanted to click his tongue, but he swallowed that impulse. Even so Bibi moved in that short moment where Seo’s attention was diverted toward Alicia.
Bibi felt indebted to Clara. She believed that she wouldn’t mind to even risk her life for Clara.
But, that feeling was slightly different than the loyalty of Hilda and the others.
Bibi was someone who couldn’t take action unless she was dependent to someone. She entered the assassin guild was also because she obeyed the words of someone who she was dependent to. She loathed the Ash Crowned Princess also because the person she was dependent to was killed, not because the guild was destroyed.
Bibi was even still looking up to Tabatha who had betrayed them and tried to kill them in a trap just because she was once dependent to her.
Right now Bibi was dependent to Clara and Hilda. That was why she was happy working for Clara’s sake and she accepted this assassination mission in Hilda’s place because she feared that Hilda might die.
She would kill the assassination target Alicia Mercis here. And then she would get praised by Clara and Hilda. Bibi wouldn’t even hesitate to risk her life just for that. She leaped up without any hesitation.
「Wait!」
The pebble that Seo threw pierced Bibi’s shoulder as she dashed. Even so Bibi didn’t stop and threw the small jar in her hand toward the window.
Bibi was here for the sake of Clara and Hilda. Seo was here for the sake of the main house that was behind the protection target. That slight difference in their fighting spirit put Bibi on the lead and she obtained result.
There was the sound of something breaking──. Bibi immediately attempted to escape. Seo wanted to give chase, but the scream that came from the mansion made his feet stopped.
「Shit!」
After hesitating just for a moment, Seo rushed toward the mansion where that scream came from.
***
「High Heal──!」
Inside a room of the church at the capital, the burn of the guidance corps’ maiden who got half her body burned by Carla was quickly healing because of Ursula’s healing sorcery.
As expected from someone who got called saint, that healing speed was eye-widening, but the smile of Carla who was still grabbing that maiden’s arm deepened. Flame burst out from her hand once more and burning the body of the healed maiden.
「KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」
The hellish torture of being healed while getting burned made the guidance corps’ maiden who should have killed her emotion to scream. That abnormal sight pressured everyone and made them unable to move. Meanwhile the flame’s force finally won and the maiden’s body was burned until only ash remained.
「You, the poison should be……tsu!」
The sweats that flowed out from the members of the guidance corps wasn’t caused solely by the heat filling the room.
Carla calmly finished drinking the poisoned tea. Then he shook off the soot clinging on her hand while responding to Ursula’s question with an unchanging smile.
The poison of Sefriole flower mixed into the tea had the effect of relaxing muscle. It was also used as medicine in small amount, even so it would cause the inside of the mouth to be paralyzed and the person became unable to chant. It was a troublesome poison for sorcerer.
That was exactly why when Carla decided to fight alone, she increased her poison resistance by consuming them, especially the poisons that might be troublesome for her.
But Carla was able to use sorcery not only because she had poison resistance skill.
「Subdue her! She should still be unable to chant accurately!」
With Ursula’s command, the petrified guidance corps’ maidens raised their stiletto and burst into action. Then Carla who was still sitting on the sofa started moving without any sound.
『Do I look like someone who can’t use magic without even chanting I wonder?』
Chant had to be chanted to use sorcery.
Even when they had understood the chant’s meaning and learned “magic” that was chantless, activation word was still needed.
Ursula and her subordinates thought with their common sense that they simply didn’t hear the activation word when Carla used sorcery. With simple sorcery, even if someone could use it as magic, it would be very difficult to accurately pronounce the activation word in the middle of chaotic melee.
But that wasn’t accurate. The non-elemental magic Battle Skill could be activated even by monster using their roar. That was because monster could accurately imagine the meaning of that activation word.
Although poison resistance skill existed, complete resistance couldn’t be obtained. The poison was certainly still working.
Just like Ursula said, Carla was still not in perfect condition to use sorcery. Even so when someone had already used sorcery hundreds, thousands of time and could imagine it accurately, it was possible to activate the magic just like with Battle Skill even though the effect would weaken somewhat.
Even though her muscles were turning flaccid, Carla forcefully controlled her body using Soul Thorn.
She could also use Treat completely without chanting and erase the poisonous substance remaining inside her body.
The maidens who burst into action aimed their attack at Carla’s shoulder or arm, places that weren’t vital.
Even Ursula and her subordinates, the guidance corps of the holy church didn’t have the authority that could freely harm a noble daughter who had become the crown prince’s fiancée. They would imprison the problematic Carla, used drug and sorcery to “educate” her, then they would throw her out and made her withdrew from her position as the crown prince’s fiancée. That was their plan.
But, Carla Lester wasn’t so decent that she could be stopped by such half-hearted attack.
「「「──!?」」」
Pattern of black thorn undulated on Carla’s white skin. The body that was controlled by the thorn sprang up and dodged the attacks.
Soul Thorn──the church was aware that Carla had obtained Gift that strengthened her sorcery, even so they didn’t predict that it would also affect her body strengthening.
Ursula and others thought that Carla was still just a sorcerer no matter how strong she was. Their eyes widened seeing Carla dodging the attacks as though she was flying inside the room. In that moment, Carla’s spread out her arms widely like a monstrous bird and immense mana formed in her hands. Ursula sensed that and leaped backward.
「Everyone, get back!!」
Ursula’s voice warned──but.
「──Fire Ball──」
Flame blast roared inside the room. The three maidens were burned to ash without even leaving behind a scream.
「How can this be……tsu!」
It was an insane act to fire something like wide range fire sorcery indoor. Inside the room that was enveloped in flame, the only one who survived was Ursula who was clad in vestment of mythril fiber and had quickly jumped back while using level 4 light sorcery──[Bless] that increased her physical and magical resistance. She raised a voice that was filled with anger.
From inside that flame, Carla who had blocked the flame only using her own mana that she radiated out showed herself. She glanced at the surviving Ursula before looking around with a puzzled look.
「No one comes even after I went this far. Have you perhaps moved them somewhere away else?」
Ursula had taken into account the possibility of battle breaking out when capturing Carla and moved the priests who didn’t know the circumstance from the church to the lodging of the worship hall. From the start only low ranked priest and orphan were given their own room inside the church so it wasn’t difficult to move them.
Carla emitted her mana and confirmed that there was no other mana source inside the church, but she suddenly felt mana in a deep place and turned her gaze below.
「My……there are still some below here.」
「You!?」
Ursula’s eyes widened and she raised the mace that she was hiding. Then she dashed into the flame.
*DOGOONN!*
The mace’s attack pulverized the oaken table that was enveloped in flame. Carla jumped down as though to mock that, then she slipped through the burned door and leaped out to the corridor.
「I wonder if it’s over here?」
「Wait-!!」
Ursula chased behind Carla. She was hot on Carla’s heel but she just couldn’t catch up. For the first time anxiety was coloring Ursula’s face.
.
The ordinary priests and orphans who didn’t know the truth had been moved away from inside this church. But the members of guidance corps who were educating the next generation were remaining underground.
For Ursula who was an orphan, her only family was the people of the church. Especially the children who would become the next generation’s guidance corps, they were her irreplaceable “little sisters” who would continue to correct the world with the holy church’s light even after she died.
Carla advanced deep into the church, even further back of the orphanage, where she found a steel door that usually was protected by a church knight. She faintly sensed mana from behind the door. Her finger that was filled with mana moved toward that door.
「Stopppppppp!!」
Even Ursula’s grieving yell didn’t reach her──
「──Lightning──」
Flash burst out from Carla’s fingertip. Ursula immediately used her own body to shield the door and the enormous thunder that was fired horizontally pierced her. The thunder pierced through her and burned the steel door behind her. The steel became scorching red and burned the wooden material around it. Vast amount of white smoke rose up.
Ursula was burned all over her body and even inside her body, even so she avoided instant death thanks to Bless’s magical resistance. She crumbled down while praying to the god.
「……W…hy……」
Why was an evil existence like this was allowed to exist even though god existed?
Why were they who had destroyed the holy church’s enemies under the name of the god had to meet this kind of experience?
She hated it. Of this world’s evil. And also the god who left such thing unchecked. And also the head priest’s grandson who led this kind of monster into their doorstep. She hated them all.
Like that for the first time since she was born Ursula cursed the god and everything involved with the god as she was dying. Her unrewarded life closed its curtain with that.
***
Seo was taken by surprise and allowed a foreign object to be thrown at the room where his protection target resided. He returned into the mansion at full speed and rushed up the stairs before he opened the door.
「My lady!」
Seo also had poison resistance but he was on guard against unknown poison and covered his mouth with a cloth while firing sorcery into the room.
「──Gust──tsu!」
The level 2 wind sorcery blew away the poisonous substance inside the room to outside the window.
There wasn’t any poisonous smell ever since he entered inside the room. Seo also didn’t feel anything strange happening to his body. But inside the room, two servants who got called by their master inside were pressing their hands on their chest while lying down with ashen pale face. Seo could also see the silhouette of someone who seemed to be his charge further back in the room.
「My la……」
Seo was about to rush in when he stopped speaking midway.
「……Aha……ahaha-」
Licia was laughing while pressing her hands on her chest. Seo froze still without being able to raise his voice when he heard that strange laugh. Meanwhile Licia slowly stood up and turned around.
Her whole body was enveloped in the light of mana. Her lips were dirtied by blood that she vomited, even so she was laughing loudly with a terrible countenance. It made Seo unconsciously backed away.
「Seo-kun, please look! I can finally use light mana! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!」
Blood left Seo’s face and he gulped seeing that bizarre scene.
Alicia Mercis couldn’t learn light sorcery like in the game scenario.
That was why the progress of her capture was stalling but, perhaps it was fate’s mischief, Licia who was hit by poison to create magic stone inside the heart to block the blood flow managed to survive by using her abnormal tenacity to create magic stone of light in her heart.
The next day, she got recommended to be the holy church’s [saintess] by the royal brother Amor. Since then she began to vigorously capture the heart of the crown prince and others, which deepened the gap between the crown prince and his fiancées even more.
Like that, the academy that had lost the princess and the girl who served as a political and physical brake was heading toward even more chaos.
***
「W-what in the……」
At the entrance to the church that was empty late at night, there was Nathanital who was trembling because of the faint strange sound that he heard.
He listened to the wish of the girl who he loved and made a request to the holy church’s guidance corps to educate Carla, but he was losing confidence in the righteousness of his action as more time passed.
Even though Carla had done horrible thing to Licia, was it really the right thing to do as a person, as a child of god to do something like revising someone else’s personality?
The target was still a fiancée of the crown prince regardless of everything. If he was going to do it, wouldn’t it be better to ask for permission first from his grandfather the head priest?
How was he going to take responsibility in case this was something that went against his grandfather’s will?
Ursula had also agreed so he wasn’t the only one in the wrong. There was no way god would forgive human like Carla or Aria who made light of human life, so he shouldn’t be mistaken…….
Even though he was thinking like that, Nathanital came here in order to ascertain the state of things. He secretly came alone so that the matter wouldn’t get exposed to the public.
Just for today the church knight who should be protecting the entrance wasn’t in his post. Nathanital felt anxious and worried because of that fact, even so he used the key that he got from his grandfather and opened the church’s door. When he entered, he realized that there was a faint scent of burning and small amount of smoke drifting from deeper inside.
「S-smoke? Was there fire?」
There were also children in the orphanage. It would be horrible if they got harmed by fire, even so he couldn’t find any adult around to report the fire, and most of all Nathanital couldn’t think of any idea to explain the reason why he was here this late at night. That timidity made him went inside by himself.
It was then──
「……Hih!」
「Nathanital-sama, how do you do.」
Carla’s slender fingers came out from the darkness and put a tight grip on Nathanital’s face. Nathanital lost the strength in his waist and fell. Carla then started walking while dragging him like that.
「Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?」
Flame burst out from the hand that was gripping his face. Nathanital screamed from his face burning. The next moment──
*Buooon!!*
Fresh air from outside flowed in through the entrance that was left wide open. Flame that burst up from inside blended with it and it licked through the inside of the church in the blink of eye.
Fire sorcery radiated out from the inside of the church and blew away the large door at the entrance. Carla was keeping her tight grip on Nathanital who was screaming and writhing while going out of the flame to outside. She turned toward the dumbfounded onlookers who ran out from the surrounding houses when they saw the church in flame, and smiled toward them with heartfelt joy.
.
The fire in the church that happened late at night was pacified after it burned half of the structures. It was thanks to the people who could use water sorcery from among the surrounding residents who were still awake and the priests of the hall of worship who came running.
The daughter of Count Lester, Carla was thought as the cause of the fire, but the holy church that was the victim in this matter feared that the assassination attempt and the education facility underground would come out to the public. After having a discussion with the royal family and Lester House, they decided to let Carla go unquestioned while announcing that the culprit was unknown.
But there were witnesses even though they were few. There was no shutting the mouth of people.
And most of all, there were nobles who feared Carla’s insanity when she was in a possession of combat strength that rivaled a noble house by her lonesome. They reported their dissatisfaction and worry to the royal family, so his majesty the king announced that Carla’s suitability as the crown prince’s fiancée would be ascertained through the period of the present time until the day of graduation of the crown prince. With that this incident was settled for the time being.