Chapter 75
Inside the building of the New Life Newspaper, the party began their final meeting.
Bennett pointed to two points on the map.
“This magic circle seems to have two central axes. One is the Order of the Silver Twilight’s building and… the other is where the meteorite fell. The rituals will be conducted at both places.”
“If there are two central axes, does that mean it’s more stable? So, we need to smash both of them?”
“No, I don’t think so. Generally, increasing the number of central axes in a magic circle raises both instability and power. Just disrupting one of the axes should be enough to cause their ritual to fail.”
Because of that…
“I believe they would have divided their forces between the two places.”
[Then one side must have the cult leader.]
“Exactly. And in the other location… there would be a key figure leading the ritual.”
Tara clenched her fists tightly. The battle against the Order of the Silver Twilight was just around the corner. The time for proper revenge had finally come.
“So we can just pick one of the two and crush it, right?”
[Which one should we attack?]
“I think… it would be better to hit their church building.”
Bennett explained why he made this decision.
“The location expected to be the other axis, the meteorite pit, has no obstacles. And as you all know, their magic is extremely offensive. While we’ve managed to develop a new technique called ‘Parrying’ as a countermeasure, in an open field like that…”
“If they attack from all directions, we can’t stop them.”
“Exactly. An open field favors the side with more numbers. Since we are few, it would be preferable to choose a battleground that is narrow with more obstacles.”
“That does make some sense…”
As Tara nodded with an intrigued expression, Niolle tapped her finger on the table and scribbled on the map.
[I think the opposite.]
“The opposite?”
[Because a flat area without obstacles is perfect for using mass destruction magic. The fanatics have weak defenses; we could actually blow them up in one go.]
Tara slammed her fist on the map where the church building was drawn.
“…Niolle, can’t you just blow up the whole building? If you have that kind of magic, wouldn’t it work either way?”
[These enemies have even set up a magic circle throughout the city. It’s hard to believe they wouldn’t have any defenses in their base. Don’t you think they’d have countermeasures?]
“A well-prepared wizard is powerful. It’s a law of magical warfare. You have a good point. But that only applies when we can use mass destruction magic.”
[I’ve learned a spell in my spare time. It borrows the power of the Flame God from a distant universe, with vast power and a wide range.]
Bennett fell deep into thought.
The reason he thought of attacking the church building—which might have all sorts of magic traps installed—was that he judged it was more dangerous to fight against many enemies in the plains.
If they had mass destruction magic prepared, targeting the meteorite pit might be acceptable, but there was one point he needed to clarify.
“Is it a spell that is safe to use?”
“Ah.”
“If you use a spell that powerful, I don’t think it’ll end with just a nosebleed.”
[…Would you mind reading this without being shocked?]
Niolle clasped her hands over her heart and took a deep breath. In her eyes flickered an emotion that Tara found quite familiar. It felt like something she had seen before.
[I think I met the Goddess.]
Tara’s expression grew clouded.
“Goddess?”
[Yes, she had blonde hair. Her features were blurry, so I couldn’t see her well, but she said she used to be the guardian deity of this planet. She’s been defeated by the Evil God and sealed, but… she wanted to help us in whatever way she could. Here.]
Niolle pulled out a shining white crystal and placed it on the table. It sparkled with a milky hue, radiating a mysterious power. Essentially, it was a holy relic.
Its effect was to make the cost for spell-casting nearly zero. They could feel pure and vast mana swirling inside it. It seemed like it could also be used for Bennett’s black magic.
Goddess, huh?
Bennett too had dreamed something similar while half-asleep. Was that being truly a Goddess? If a being could convey messages in dreams and provide tangible artifacts, it must mean there indeed exists a divine entity.
“So there was a proper God in this world too…”
[Although it seems she has been defeated.]
“If that’s the case, then by receiving a revelation from God, you are a Saintess, Niolle. Isn’t that right?”
[It’s a bit embarrassing, though… ]
As Niolle shrugged her shoulders in embarrassment, Tara’s eyes shook with unease. The fact that the Goddess had chosen Niolle over her stirred worries within her.
After a moment of hesitation, Tara timidly spoke up.
“…Hey, what about this, Bennett?”
“What is it?”
“If I hypothetically become useless, what would happen?”
“You were already useless when it came to house chores.”
Tara angrily slapped Bennett on the arm. After a brief pause, Bennett asked her seriously, as if sensing there was more to her words.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing, it’s just… it’s nothing important… just a thought.”
“That’s the most unconvincing ‘just’ I’ve ever heard. Tara, if you have something to say, just say—”
Crash!
The door was kicked down, and reporter Sally rushed in. She looked pale and was drenched in cold sweat. She screamed as if she were broadcasting a crisis.
“L-Look at what those c-crazy bastards are doing right now!”
“Let’s go immediately.”
The party armed themselves and headed up to the roof of the building.
There was a high-performance telescope installed there. But instead of observing the stars in the night sky, this time, they looked down upon the city’s people.
The world seen through the lens was a hellish landscape.
A long procession of people was walking side by side somewhere. But they weren’t just walking. A quick inspection of their expressions revealed dazed looks, indicating they were unable to think properly.
Among those blank expressions were occasionally visible coherent faces. As they mixed in, countless unsettling and unpleasant scenes unfolded.
A family could be seen.
A father, his young daughter, and a mother walked hand in hand. At first glance, it appeared to be a lovely family outing.
However, the daughter’s expression, held firmly by her dazed father and mother, was filled with terror as if the world around her was falling apart. She screamed and struggled, but she couldn’t overpower the adults’ grip.
A man dragging his girlfriend, a high school girl wheeling her elderly grandfather, and others. Those under hypnosis forcibly led those who were unaffected forward.
At the end of the procession…
They could see fanatics tossing individuals one by one into the crater formed by the meteorite collision. The first ones thrown in were crushed under the weight of those who followed.
Together, they were all being crushed.
“…How horrifying.”
“We need to save them!”
[…Yes, we have to save them. Exactly.]
“It may sound cold, but if that many living sacrifices are made… I can’t imagine how much power our enemies would gain. Before we even think of morality, we must stop this madness to achieve our goal.”
The party hastily prepared to set off.
Tara bit her lip. She checked her remaining divine power.
Last night, the recovery speed of divine power had dropped to zero.
Once she used all the divine power left in her body, Tara would return to being just a clothing store employee. She would regain no special abilities. She’d lose the wealth, honor, and respected status she had earned as a Saintess.
If she could just hold on and not use her divine power for now… perhaps she could extend her life as a Saintess. If she cleverly concealed the truth, she could maintain this charade for a good ten years.
Yet she felt no regret about losing such things.
Anxiety did linger. The sense of loss from what she had gained at the cost of her family, the fear of what awaited her once she ceased to be a Saintess. More than anything, she worried…
Whether she could still be of help to them one last time.
Bennett was fighting for his sister. Tara deeply understood the fervent desire to save one’s family. That left her reflecting on her own situation.
Tara had failed to save her family. She was too late.
Then at the very least, for Bennett… Bennett should be able to…
The party quickly geared up and set off.
===============================================================
They blended into the procession heading towards the pit, disguising themselves under rags. Luckily, their identities didn’t get discovered, possibly due to the perception-impairing magic cast by Niolle.
From across the telescope, there was no sound in that world.
However, once they immersed themselves in the procession, the visitation of hell’s desperation was vividly palpable.
“MOM, DAD, WAKE UP, PLEASE…!!”
“GRANDMA, WHY ARE YOU GOING THIS WAY? LET’S GO BACK, PLEASE! OKAY?!”
People walked toward death, their wills lost.
“…”
Bennett looked up at the sky. The stars in the night sky sparkled, laughing as they observed the cries of despair from the ground. And then… they grew larger.
As time went on, the constellations in the night sky blended and twisted strangely. The starlight linked to become someone’s glaring eyes, a decapitated child, and an upside-down clown.
The increasingly chaotic night sky was surely a portent of the Evil God’s descent.
When the party neared the meteorite pit, they saw the fanatics preparing the ritual. They were so closely entwined with the throngs that using mass destruction magic would risk burning innocent lives too.
“…This is.”
[I’ll use it.]
“…What?!”
[The spell, I will use it. Those people… will get caught and die. But it can’t be helped; we have to save the others.]
Bennett and Tara’s eyes widened as they reacted to Niolle’s calm notation on the whiteboard. Tara trembled with shock, looked at the scene of those heading to their demise, then back at Niolle.
“You… What do you… Are you saying you’re going to kill all these people?!”
[Yes. But not everyone. Half would be caught in the range and die, but the other half who haven’t thrown themselves into the pit will survive.]
A decision to sacrifice half to save the other half.
“No, think again, this isn’t like you…”
[But Tara, when I acted like myself… when I wanted to save everyone without leaving anyone behind. You saw what happened, didn’t you? In fact, weren’t you also resenting me for it?]
“…What?”
Niolle’s eyes darkened.
[What if I hadn’t tried to save the reporter? Have you never thought about that?]
“…”
[So, I’m going to give up. Tara. I don’t want to lose more precious things for less important ones. It’s not that I’m not tormented by this choice, but… ]
Niolle clenched her fist. Her fist turned white, and her nails dug into her palm, drawing blood. Even though the triangle of conscience was tearing her heart apart, she gritted her teeth.
[It has to be done.]
“…But!”
[Tara, wouldn’t you rather eliminate more of the Order of the Silver Twilight than save a few civilians?]
“…”
Tara understood Niolle’s true nature. She loved helping people and had a warm heart, often diving into matters that didn’t concern her.
Thus, the decision she faced… suggesting the sacrifice of innocent lives… must have been agonizing.
Because of that, Tara couldn’t scold her for even suggesting such a thing.
Then Bennett chimed in.
“Both the idea of saving everyone and the idea of sacrificing half to ensure the other half is saved are still better than standing idly by. However, personally… I’d like to aim for saving everyone if possible.”
[…Even if it means it’ll be riskier?]
“I will do my utmost to make up for any shortcomings. Surely you can do the same.”
If they forced their hearts to comply and achieved victory at the cost of many lives… it would leave a significant scar. Bennett didn’t want them to endure that.
Hiding his true feelings, Bennett said something simple yet sincere.
“Wouldn’t it be… better to save more people?”
“Is that really something you’d say, Black Wizard?”
“…”
Tara’s resolve solidified.
“Then I’ll also throw this in—after this battle, it’s likely I won’t be able to use my Divine Power anymore.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t know. Ever since that day, it’s been diminishing steadily. Now it has completely stopped. Maybe… perhaps I no longer believe in the Goddess. That might be why she has withdrawn her power.”
Bennett finally understood why Tara’s use of Divine Magic had drastically declined, as well as her anxiety. She was losing her identity as a Saintess.
Tara forced herself to smile and said.
“Still, I have enough left for a few more fights… And if I pour everything out right now… I can save everyone while still fighting.”
“…”
“Can I leave the decision to you then? Bennett. Whether to use my last bit of Divine Power to save people or to save us.”
Bennett paused for a moment, then placed his hand atop Tara’s head.
“A, why.”
“Thanks for letting me know in advance.”
“…It’s a bit late for that.”
Pat pat. His light strokes conveyed comfort. Losing her powers overnight would be a devastating shock. Under any other circumstances, he would have tried to scrape together some comforting words, no matter how clumsy.
But in this urgent situation, Bennett expressed his feelings through his actions.
Then he continued.
“Please use it to save lives. In fact, that seems like it would make it easier for us to fight.”
“Okay, got it.”
“We’ll wrap this up quickly. The one orchestrating the ritual… appears to be the person on that platform. We’ll take them down and then retreat.”
Bennett eyed someone at the meteorite pit who directed the fanatics with gestures. The figure’s face was obscured by a hood, but their body shape felt oddly familiar.
“Alright then… How about I perform one last act worthy of being called a Saintess?”
“If you lose your Divine Power, I’ll give you personal lessons on using mana. It’ll be easier to rebuild compared to starting from scratch.”
[………]
Bennett unsheathed his longsword, Tara retrieved a holy emblem, and Niolle opened her grimoire.
With the stars looking down, the three of them waded through the cacophony of human screams, the sound of someone being crushed, and the ecstatic groans of fanatics.
Each of their wills was tinted with a different color, but they were undeniably shining.
As they approached, the hooded figure looked down from the platform and smiled. In a soft voice, they greeted the group.
“Everyone, it’s nice to see you again.”
“…As expected, the one who sacrificed Abraham… was you.”
“Everything is for the sake of the Great One.”
As she removed her hood, beneath it was the face of Isaac.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.