I’ve only worn armor once in my life since coming to this world… or rather, to be precise, I had the chance to wear it just once in my entire life. The concept of a knight, which refers to an armed group that roams on horseback, never translated into an honorific position granted by the queen, so what opportunities would I have had to wear armor in this world? Plus, I wasn’t even British, so I was never going to receive any knightly title.
Anyway, the armor I tried on was chainmail. It looked similar to a nun’s outfit, but instead of fabric, it was made of chains, and it came with underpants, greaves, and gauntlets.
Naturally, I thought I would wear something similar this time—
“…Um, so this is my ‘exclusive’ armor?”
“Yes, that’s correct. The Saintess cannot wear the same type of armor as others.”
Well, I wouldn’t mind if I could wear something similar. In fact, I was seriously considering that I’d rather wear a nun’s outfit than this saint’s robe. I also wanted to wear something less conspicuous for the armor.
Also, what am I supposed to do with white plate armor if I have to go into the sewers? It’s all going to get dirty!
That’s right.
It was a white plate armor.
Honestly, I thought Andrea’s platinum armor was a bit over the top too, but however it was made—surely it wasn’t just painted—looking at the small, spotless white plate armor made me think that a metal-colored shiny one would be less conspicuous.
Moreover, while my hair shines gold when I perform miracles, my usual hair color is pitch black. Wouldn’t it clash too much with this armor?
“I’m thinking we’re going into the sewers, so wouldn’t casual pants be better…?”
I timidly protested, but uncle Paul shook his head with a rare serious expression.
“If we were in an open space, we could freely change formation to protect the Saintess, but in a confined space, the story changes. When the Saintess is exposed to threats from any direction, we may not be able to respond immediately, so I think it’s best to wear basic armor.”
“But it’s a narrow space, and if we need to exit quickly, wouldn’t it be better to wear comfortable clothes? This armor would be really awkward until I get used to it…”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Many former saints were unfamiliar with martial skills. This was an artifact carefully crafted by the Central Church for those kinds of individuals. It fits the Saintess perfectly, and even though it’s made of steel, it’s flexible and allows for freedom of movement. Of course, we minimized the weight too.”
“….”
Well, with that much said, I didn’t have any further arguments. After all, I was already using other artifacts.
Magic is truly amazing. If it’s this versatile, wouldn’t it be more useful in other places? Like for soldier’s bulletproof plates?
Of course, looking at it as an “artifact,” it definitely wouldn’t be something you can create at will.
In the end, uncle Paul’s words were correct.
The armor, which looked a bit large for me, gradually shrank to fit my body perfectly. Since it turned out to be a size that fit “my body’s size,” the chest area really bulged out, though.
…Is it going to return to its original state when I take it off? What if after I retire, this armor ends up in a museum and people passing by think, “Whoa, the Saintess had a huge chest!”
Until the next saint appears to inherit the armor, it would definitely be something that exposes my body quite literally.
Shake off the negative thoughts floating in my head and look around, turning my arms or lightly bouncing in place to gauge how well the armor fits.
Indeed, as uncle Paul said, the armor was much lighter than it appeared. Of course, it was heavier than casual clothes, but comparing it to being all bundled up on a winter’s day, it felt a bit lighter. I don’t know what kind of metal it was made of or what kind of magic was used, but it adapted flexibly as I moved, so running shouldn’t be a problem.
“…This is certainly an impressive piece of gear.”
After I acknowledged that, uncle Paul nodded with a pleased expression.
“It looks great on you.”
“Yeeahhh…”
It was embarrassing to see not just uncle Paul but also Andrea next to me nodding with a “Wow…” expression.
“Let’s move! Let’s finish this quickly!”
In the end, to endure that embarrassment, I opted to urge everyone to hurry along.
*
And then, I regretted it.
I had underestimated the smell of the sewer.
The size of the sewer itself wasn’t too small, so it was manageable. It was about the size you often see in foreign movies or dramas, like a tunnel or cave, spacious enough for ten people to walk without issue. There was enough space to walk beside it, with a stinky torrent running through the middle.
The problem was that the smell from that torrent was serious. Of course, it was good that we didn’t have to step into it, but walking next to it was a struggle.
“…You can smell it, right?”
“…Not particularly wanting to.”
Holding my nose and making a funny sound, I asked, and Rina responded with a face scrunched up as much as possible. But what could we do? The very reason we came down here was to follow the scent, so we had no choice but to keep following it.
“It’s not the kind of smell that’s too overpowering to cover other scents. We should be able to track it well enough.”
Looking at her intently, Rina sighed and answered before starting to walk ahead.
“Over here, Saintess.”
As I followed behind her, someone poked me lightly on the shoulder. Turning around, it was uncle Paul.
“Yeah?”
I responded while still walking, and he quickly came over beside me and quietly asked, “Does that sister have some unique tracking ability? It seems like she’s been leading the way while we just follow.”
Sharp observation… or rather, it would’ve been impossible to not notice the situation. Looking at Rina leading the way without any hesitation even as paths diverged, it made sense to think, “Wow, must be something special.”
Of course, I could ignore the clueless local government officials, but someone in a fairly important position in the church would naturally start to suspect.
“Yes, she has a very special ability, but I can’t reveal too much right now. I’ll tell you when I can.”
“…Understood.”
Usually, I wouldn’t speak so decisively, but with my firm response, uncle Paul looked a bit surprised yet accepted it readily.
His gaze briefly flickered toward Rina before landing back on Andrea, who had been silent.
…That might have been a bit sharp.
If the Inquisition’s person, who should be the most suspicious, is acting entirely indifferent to something they should know, it would be natural for someone like Paul to think, “Seems they know something after all.”
However, sensing my gaze fixed on him, uncle Paul cleared his throat and then simply turned his eyes back to the front.
I felt a bit guilty, but this wasn’t the kind of atmosphere to have a comfortable and relaxed discussion where we could be surprised and convince each other. I just wanted to finish things as quickly as possible and go back. My clothes must have absorbed the smell already. How many showers would I need?
As I continued walking behind Rina, indulging in my self-pity—
“…Ah.”
Aurora let out a sound of admiration.
When I came to my senses, Rina, who had been walking ahead, had stopped.
As expected.
It seemed we had found the place we were looking for.
I drew my morning star and shield, the clanking sounds of armor halted one by one, followed by the sound of weapons being unsheathed.
The two government officials trailing behind noticed us and quickly drew their sidearms as they sensed the tension. Thank goodness they didn’t ask any unnecessary questions.
“Is this the spot?”
Rina pointed towards a spot where the long sewer path turned.
However, a gigantic iron grate blocking the entrance to that turn further fueled our suspicions that it was meant to prevent anyone from entering.
“Excuse me, could you step back for a moment?”
As uncle Paul moved forward to speak, I stepped back quietly.
“Wait a second—”
One of the officials opened their mouth as Uncle Paul raised his sword, but before they could finish, the clang of steel colliding with iron rang out.
“Hmm.”
Even though his sword had passed, the grate stood firm, and Uncle Paul muttered before grabbing the bar with both hands and pulling backwards.
With a thud, the sword removed a square section of the grate, which uncle Paul set aside, turning to Rina.
“Can we proceed straight from here?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
Seeing him so effortlessly cut through the iron grate, Rina nodded, albeit begrudgingly.
“I’ll take the lead from here.”
Given his prowess, no one would dare deny his words except maybe Andrea. Since Andrea didn’t comment, it was natural for uncle Paul to lead the way.
“…”
As we walked, I tightened my grip on my weapon. Although I wouldn’t think we’d be left at a disadvantage given uncle Paul and Andrea’s presence, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
For a while, only the sounds of armor clanking and footsteps echoed in the silent space.
“…Ah.”
Uncle Paul, who had been leading the way, stopped.
“Over there,”
Without having to check what uncle Paul was pointing at, I could see a child peeking around the corner.
The child, skinny and with hardly any flesh on their face, looked like they needed immediate assistance, but—
“That’s not the spot.”
Rina’s words immediately invalidated that thought.
“That’s probably a decoy. Our path lies ahead.”
“…”
Silence.
We had descended here specifically to save the children. Now we were to ignore one passing by, perhaps in the interest of our mission?
“It’s right in front of us. They must be trying to stall us.”
“…Does that mean?”
“If they delay us, it would be more advantageous for them.”
“Well, then we can do this.”
After hearing Rina, Andrea promptly spoke up.
“Commander Grace, may I borrow some of your knights?”
“Ah, of course.”
Noting what Andrea wanted, Uncle Paul nodded.
“Then you two, follow that child. I’d like one of the officials to accompany as well. We’ll need to follow the procedures once the child is brought up.”
The two officials exchanged glances, and one immediately raised their hand.
“I’ll go.”
“Good.”
Nodding, Andrea assigned two knights and an official to the child, who promptly started to flee as soon as they approached.
“With so many people here, we don’t need everyone chasing after it.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Andrea said.
“Let’s move.”
Indeed, it seemed like a good idea to have someone experienced in pursuit along with us.
*
Just as Rina said, our destination was very close by.
After walking straight ahead for a short distance, we found a massive iron door. It was an imposing double-door that looked more like it was built to protect some facility than a sewer entrance. It wouldn’t seem out of place if it were an entrance to an upper floor.
If I had started trying to search without Rina, I probably wouldn’t have viewed it with suspicion and wouldn’t have thought of entering at all.
“Here.”
At Rina’s word, Aurora also reacted.
“The smell is…”
“If you can smell it, it must be truly terrible.”
“…”
Having heard Rina and Aurora, uncle Paul didn’t ask further questions, likely recalling how I had cut him off earlier.
“Then, I’m going in.”
Standing before the thick iron door, uncle Paul declared this. We all stepped back a few paces. The officials wore anxious expressions, probably knowing what Uncle Paul was capable of.
Whoosh!
Uncle Paul kicked the door, and, of course, it didn’t budge. So, with his sword drawn, he swung it just like before with the grate.
Honestly, at this point, it’s bordering on cheating.
Seeing the door swing down, precariously hanging on hinges, I thought so.
I wasn’t the only one lost in thought, everyone except Andrea had their mouths agape in disbelief.
“…”
Uncle Paul stepped forward, placing his hand on the barely hanging metal door.
With a creak, the door opened inward—
Revealing a spacious round area that was completely out of place for a sewer.
“…That’s…”
What caught my eye first as the door swung open was, of course—
A Magic Point.
Well, of course.
A witch wouldn’t plot something without a Magic Point in place. Just like the one we had set up in the 21st District, this was likely a hub for their operations.
And then, what came into view next was a large man sitting cross-legged, facing away from us beneath the Magic Point.
He was shirtless, his bulging back muscles on full display, making it look like he had been excessively using steroids, which was a bit disturbing to witness.
“…So you made it here.”
I glanced at Rina. She nodded as our eyes met. So, he wasn’t human. Well, perhaps he was half-human.
“—I’ve been waiting—”
“Commander! Cut him down!”
He looked as though he wanted to deliver a powerful monologue as he slowly rose on his knees, but I didn’t have time for that nonsense!
I just wanted to wrap this up and get back to the surface!
There was no time to listen to his soliloquy!
Thud!
As he tried to catch his balance from standing up, I swung my sword down on his back, sending him flying forward, spewing blood. It felt like he got hit while trying to show off, and it made the atmosphere feel altogether less impressive.
At least the last High-Ranking Demon had the luxury of time to pose.
“You coward—”
Just barely managing to stay upright, he twisted his body to retaliate, but again, I struck down his calves, making him stagger and blood gush forth.
“…!”
Not even able to scream, he was now kneeling on one leg. It looked pitiful, but I understood. Andrea’s sword strikes were nothing to sneeze at. Simply enduring the blows was an impressive feat.
“No need to be cowardly. The rule is to neither listen to nor respond to what demons say.”
Andrea, having skillfully severed his legs, said this as she turned towards me.
I nodded, then reached for the Magic Point, but—
“Clara!”
Someone yelled, and I felt a shove to the side.
“…!”
Turning my head, I saw Rina had pushed me away with all her might. I didn’t fall, but the sudden movement threw me off balance, preventing my hand from reaching the Magic Point.
“…”
The reason Rina shoved me was because of a little kid charging at us wielding a kitchen knife. The small child, hands trembling violently, swung that knife at us as if determined to cause harm. While it didn’t seem like they had much skill, I nearly got stabbed.
Were they being manipulated emotionally?
I tried unleashing Holy Power towards the child, but their expression didn’t change at all.
…It wasn’t the witch’s magic.
Fortunately, Rina quickly knocked out the child with the hilt of her sword, rendering them unconscious. …I hope they’re ok?
At least they looked like they were still breathing.
Laying the unconscious child flat on the ground, I surveyed our surroundings.
Only then did I realize that there were many such children in the circular area. They looked gaunt from not eating properly for days, but with threatening glints in their eyes, each wielding different kinds of sharp objects.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha!”
Finally, the demon began to laugh.
“Wait! Stop! Hold on! Stop right there, you commanders!”
I shouted urgently as Andrea was about to execute the High-Ranking Demon.
“…”
Thank goodness they paused, not out of obedience but to assess our situation.
“Can you tell me what in the world is going on here?”
I asked the demon, who only grinned back at me.
“Well, what could be happening, I wonder?”
…Should I just slice everyone down indiscriminately?
Seeing that creature, bleeding profusely while smiling, made me seriously consider it.
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