“Why did you allow it?”
Allowance… It’s a ridiculous notion.
“I’m not even Yena’s superior. I just said she can do as she pleases.”
Like many before, people assume I despise killing and consider saving others as a given.
But while that statement holds some truth, it is also fundamentally wrong.
Now that I am no longer a Saintess, the reason I save the innocent dying is because of a terrible curse.
A mindset rooted deeply long ago.
“Save the innocent and despise the celestial race.”
This incurable disease that cannot be healed by holy magic still lingers, but there is one thing that can neutralize it.
“What price must I pay to stop Yena?”
I have no intention of forcibly imposing my rigid mindset.
I don’t particularly like those who demand powerless justice or reward without effort.
More than anything, I value cost as much as I sympathize with the weak.
From what I’ve casually gathered from the manager and the viewers, Yena has promised to receive a ‘Mythical Item’ as a reward for her quest.
There’s nothing of equal value that could be offered to her, given she has been promised abilities comparable to celestial and demon races.
Even if we obtain something good in this dungeon, it won’t compare to a mythical item.
If I were to offer something, I’d end up at a loss, and Lily won’t tolerate that either.
So, I proposed a compromise.
“I’ll do as I please too.”
Yena will kill the beastmen to obtain a mythical item.
I will find the culprit, receive my reward, and finish the dungeon before Yena kills all the beastmen.
That would be a fair fight.
[So it’s a duel, huh? LOL]
[It’s a duel!]
[Breaking news) Yena accepts Lily’s proposal… declares to obliterate Lily]
[OMG]
[Seriously, can Yena beat Lily? LOL]
[Lily is like a god]
[Ah LOL, Yena can now use blue-blue too]
[I can’t resist a duel]
[Awakened Yena is a god, though;;]
“Alright. Is everyone ready?”
“…Are we supposed to hide?”
“That’s right.”
Hoa, still with doubtful eyes, and Kora, nodding along.
Behind them, people from each village were ready to escape at any moment.
“Yes. Everyone should separate and hide in the least visible spots.”
“If there’s only one enemy, wouldn’t it be better to fight together? No matter how strong, alone you can’t—”
I silently pointed at myself with my finger.
Hoa looked at me and broke out in a cold sweat.
“…Is that the level you’re at.”
“Not at all. Besides, I’ve gotten stronger, so even if we gathered, it wouldn’t be enough.”
Yena is strong.
Even if her evaluation has dropped significantly and she shows some foolish aspects, her skill in wielding weapons and abilities is truly commendable.
Even though she might be a bit silly at times, her skill in handling weapons and abilities is undeniably impressive.
Of course, when dealing with an assassin, a one-on-one battle would be less ideal than a multiple-against-one scenario, but the ‘opponent’ is simply not feasible from the start.
[Right now, Yena is a god, lol]
[If Yena starts with an ambush, she might actually lose]
[For real, lol]
[Yeah, no way~ Lily will win~]
[But she’ll just end up getting her pot smashed by the hammer]
“Then let’s go.”
To catch the culprit.
■
“This was the original entrance. It was until a few months ago.”
The place where Kora, Hoa, and I arrived was a small lake.
The little fish swimming peacefully here was in stark contrast to the bloodbath happening in the current situation.
“Each leaf carries the power of Bluering, stepping on these will lead us to the center─”
Splash.
I stepped onto the water.
It was as if I was walking on the same land, not entering a lake.
“Huh?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“…You crazy human.”
[Hahaha]
[Isn’t walking on water kind of basic??]
[Oh lol, this is just ‘common sense’]
[47 kills]
[Just casually walking on it, lol]
[49 kills]
“Let’s hurry. If we take too long, it might lose its meaning.”
“…Can’t you stop that butcher with your power?”
“It’s pointless. If I did it that way.”
If I had truly empathized with the Beastmen and tried to save them, I would have rushed to Yena and fought her with all my might.
Or I would have prevented the quest from progressing, even if it meant getting into debt.
Yena has shown that she wouldn’t act if I told her not to, based on her actions up to now.
But I’m not someone who’s so compassionate.
“Saving you is purely my whim. Well, catching the culprit will definitely yield some rewards.”
This whim changes every time, adapting to the moment.
Not that I do this all the time.
[So, she’s basically a tsundere, right?]
[Lily, even NPCs are worried for you]
[Tsun tsun]
[Isn’t this just being overly immersed? Lol]
[Tsun tsun Lily is cute too]
[I wonder what she’ll get for saving the Beastmen]
[If she blocks a mythical quest, does that mean a mythical item…?]
[OMG]
[If Lily ends up with a mythical item all to herself, Yena will probably cry, lol]
“…What do you mean tsundere? I’m not doing this because I’m worried about anyone.”
Again, trying to save someone is just how Lily Elbrite’s mind works.
I don’t pity them or feel sad.
I’m neither just nor sacrificial.
[Hahaha]
[Oh, is that so?]
[W-well, it’s not like I’m trying to save you for your sake!]
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Tsundere”
“I’m a lone wolf… But since you’re in my way, I’ll let you go this time.”
“Gasp”
“Hahaha”
“Lily denying it is adorable.”
“Aren’t you working a bit too hard for that? Haha”
“……”
I tried to ignore the chat window and placed my hand on the surface of the lake.
The azure mana reached out to find the echoes of the past drawn on the surface.
Whoosh!
“Oh…”
“Was it really true?”
Mana conjured the entrance connecting to the priest’s abode once more.
Beyond the portal, glowing blue and the size of a person, a dark cave was visible.
“Is that right?”
“Yes! That’s it.”
“Let’s go.”
The three of us crossed the portal.
■
“…?”
Swoosh…
Somewhere in Bluering, green blades of grass swayed.
A woman in a long pink garment sat waiting for someone, her eyes closed.
The rustling sound.
The sound of insects.
Ugh…
Gek…
“You’re dying.”
The sound of innocent life perishing.
The woman perked up her pink fox ears.
A sound completely different from the usual reached her ears.
The sound of the azure portal opening.
Blen had blocked spatial magic for months…
Did something go wrong with his plans?
The woman with fox ears slightly opened her eyes.
The beautiful scenery revealed after a long time.
Just for a moment, she took in the view before quickly reaching out to interfere with spatial movement.
‘…Quite impressive.’
As soon as she confirmed her intervention in the spatial magic, she set up a defense and layered additional magic on top.
In fact, she was even using tracking magic to gather information about this side.
How many spells had she used in such a short time?
‘Was the ‘second’ this skilled?’
‘With this level, I could probably use the second one instead of the first. Blen.’
Though feeling a bit regretful, she saw the situation through the ‘eye’ she had given to the first.
She was performing better than expected.
While she thought she might be devoured by Bluering’s power, she was wielding it skillfully, as if it were her own.
“Well… it’s not bad, I suppose.”
At this rate, it seemed like the second one could wrap things up before reaching ‘that.’
But it was already right in front of her…
Sigh. She let out a breath.
She let out a sigh.
“Blen, it would be nice if you did your job…”
Her body instantly vanished from that spot, leaving only a fox pattern behind.
■
[What is it?]
[What was that crackling sound?]
[Huh?]
“What’s going on?”
“An ambush?!”
The sudden shaking during teleportation threw the Beastmen into chaos, including the chat.
“…There was some interference. It disappeared.”
A momentary attempt to cut off the teleport was detected, and after a defense was set, the magic security system was boosted.
Shortly after, they tried to trace back, but…
‘It wasn’t magic… it was power.’
The tracking magic vanished as if it had been erased.
If it were magic using mana, there would have been traces left when it was dissipated, but this time, not even a trace was left.
Since Yena received Blue Ring’s power from the Priest, it must have been a similar force.
Anyway, they arrived.
A vast space covered by large leaves.
Like a workshop, there were quite a few magical tools and items, along with natural plants.
Kora walked ahead with disbelief in her eyes.
The papers getting crumpled under her feet.
“There’s no way the Priest isn’t here…”
“There are traces of use up until recently. She probably stepped out while the interference happened.”
I picked up the papers using the wind.
It was a paper with a magical formula written on it.
From the perspective of a great mage, it was a formula of considerable difficulty.
Not only was there a high-level magical design, but there were also quite a few things related to spells, which were somewhat apart from magic.
No, it could be simply seen as spellcasting.
I picked up various papers and checked them.
They were all similar spell magic, differing only in form.
[What is this?]
[The white ones are paper… the black ones are writing.]
[It’s ridiculously complicated.]
[Isn’t it just doodles? LOL]
[Wow, are we going to learn stuff like this in class later?]
[LOL]
[Lily seems to know something.]
[It’s amazing that Lily can read something like that. LOL]
“What do you know? The Priest has been researching quite a bit.”
“A little.”
“What? The Priest said she was looking for a way to heal Blue Ring’s body.”
Hoa, who still hadn’t given up on trusting the Priest.
The papers in my hand gathered in one place.
“A sacrifice, or a seal.”
It’s one of those two.
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.
