Chapter 166

Volume 2

Chapter 145

A seaside town on the most eastern reaches of Lunaria Kingdom.

The town’s profuse aqueducts and spread-out buildings of exquisite brickwork now had flames and smoke pouring here and there from places of destruction.

「Guhah hah hah hah hah!! What a race of weak people! We magic beasts truly are the master race!」

A demon with screw-like horns and black wings on his back, like a flapping bat’s, laughed loudly.

He gathered more magic up between his outspread arms in a pretentious display.

「Tch, this magic sucks! Her power creating this huge barrier IS PISSING ME OFF!」

He said angrily with a click of the tongue.

On the other side, the Lunarian troops stood behind a magic curtain and cowered in fear at the sight of the magic monsters and their terrible magical energy.

「Damn, why did they come from the south?! I thought they were going to attack from the north!!」

「Where are the reinforcements?! Where’s our country’s holy knights?!」

「Hold them back! Hold them back!」

The security forces were the first to collapse after the sudden attack.

They weren’t in an important military position, just in a tourist trap, so there was no need for a full force.

Amidst the dwindling leadership and their will to protect the residents, the troops believed that reinforcements would come and resisted with all their might.

「Damn these beasts! Halo barrier!」

「「「OhhhhhRAH!」」」

「Hmph! That barrier’s as thin as paper! You bugs!」

Their prayers erected a light-wall of green and blue that stopped the magic being thrown at them for an instant before being quickly overwhelmed and destroyed with a loud metallic clank.

「「「Guwaaaahhhh!」」」

The magic attack continued as the security forces fell to the earth.

「Hah hah hah hah! I knew this was gonna happen, we kill all of ’em, and then we make a base here in this town and can finally knock out that magic barrier. Then our true demon king will…」

「Holy water pierce through, 『Water Spike / Holy Water!』」

Pwusssh, there was a huge sound that echoed through the raging battlefield.

A spear that appeared in a white light flew through the air and stabbed the magic beast through the back and disappeared.

All the was left was a huge hole in the beast’s chest, as the magical beast looked down in widened eyes of amazement.

「Wh…what the?! Urrgh!」

The powerful fighters other than the magic beast also had huge holes opened in their chests by the spear, and not one was strong enough to stop it.

The dead bodies, powerless, fell to the ground with a giant thud.

「Everyone, you did well to resist. Please, be at peace. As far as Lunaris’ power extends, the magic beasts will never find a haven.」

The holy woman – Metelia Laurelia – appeared with a voice that echoed of the integrity of pure water.

She was wrapped in holy clothes of white, and with a cane of pure porcelain shone like a magnificent halo.

「Oh, ohhhhh! The Holy Maiden! The Holy Maiden!!」

「Madam Laurelia is here! Ah, I knew that Queen Lunaris wouldn’t abandon us!」

After a moment of silence, the roaring of the soldiers erupted.

Amidst this shout of relief and joy, a soldier approached with his dying compatriot slung over his back.

「Metelia, Metelia! Help him! Help him! His child was born just last month!」

「…please calm down, it’s fine, as long as one is still alive, anyone can be helped. White wave of healing of surging cure 『Water Heal / Ripple Drop』.」

Metelia swung her cane in a smooth motion as if to soothe, and a wave much like a drop causes a ripple spread outward. The wounds of those it touched bit by bit began to heal.

The nearly-dead soldier as well saw the wounds all over his body close as the color of his face slowly restored.

「Ah, aahh! Thank you! Thank you!! Holy Maiden! Lunaris, thank you for your compassion! Ughhh…」

The soldiers began weeping and holding their fellow soldiers.

「B, BAztArd HMmanss…Gah…Kill!!」

「Well, well, tougher than I thought. I thought that last attack of mine killed you.」

Although the magic beast was pointlessly trying to cover the massive hole in his body, his bleeding had stopped as he struggled to stand with his heavily wounded body.

「Youuzkum! Humaann scum!」

The distant magic beasts that had avoided the attack now turned at watched the lone monster.

「Who’s that woman? Hey, he got his butt kicked by her, loser.」「One of ours got really beaten by her.」「He wasn’t careful. Better to get rid of a worm like her quick anyways.」「Ahah hah hah hah, her flesh looks delicious…」

「Ah, there’s more magic monsters!!」

The soldiers suddenly lost hope as they looked at the new group of monsters.

As the monsters all had the same imposing look as the other, it caused fear to spread through the human troops.

「You human trash are through! There’s no way humans can face us…」

「『Water cage / Holy Binding!』」

Fwissh, as soon as Meteria said the words, a binding force of holy water appeared and surrounded the magic beasts.

「Wh, what’s this?!」「Ah, this is holy water!!」「No way, this has the power to bind us?!」「Aggg, this water is electrocuting me!」

「Sorry, but I don’t have time for bugs like you. I will not permit you to hurt my town or my followers. Bow yourselves before the power of God.」

「Oh, aghhh…her power…」「The light of Goddd…」

Meteria’s magia power seemed to focus into the cane as it shook with a ring, ring, and spread a pure, white halo around the end.

「Hear the whitely-ringing bells in the church belfry. All shall bow!」

「Wha, what the? No way a human has this power!」「Impossible, no, no, no!」「This holy woman, this servant of God!」「Waaah, no way! There’s no way!」

The surprise and fear of the monsters was clear as the light began to stretch from the maiden to them.

The chanting, much like holy water spilling forth that came from her mouth reverberated together with the ringing of the cane.

「All will be judged. With this one drop, the holy water and its holy light, will suppress all evil.」

The magic energy now focused down into one shining point at the end of her cane, and Metelia waved it forth.

The unmoving monsters had something like a bell of shining crystal appear over their heads.

「The bell of blessing rings thrice. 『Water Crystal Bell / Thunder Wave』!」

In the instant Meteria spoke that from her mouth, the bell suddenly rang.

Surrounding the bell itself were water spikes the size of a person.

Then the bell rang again, and the those spikes rained down on the subjugated monsters.

「Agh!」「Guh!」「Gwaah!」「Eek!」

When the third peal from the bell occurred, the water spikes that had stabbed into each monster were filled by a light like white thunder from above.

「「「「GWAAHHHAHHHHHHHHAAAGHHGHHHH!」」」」

Through the water spikes, the holy magical force entered the monsters bodies and each individual cell of the beasts was burned away, leaving only ashes.

「No…no way…」

Upon seeing his fellows disappear without leaving a scratch on her, the magic beast with the hole in his chest slumped to his knees.

「…my, you magical beasts certainly are a nuisance. It reminds me of the sweet time I had times past with Kaito.」

Meteria stepped once, twice before the magical beast, and looked down on him with no compassion.

「Now, with the compassion of Lunaris, go back to God.」

「Y…you monster…ah…aghh!」

Meteria shot a water spear through the monster’s head, and all of them were now dead.

「Whoaa, whoaaa!」「Yeah! Yeaaaah!」「We’re saved! Saved!」「Ah, there really is a God! Long live Lurelia! Long live Lunaris!」

Aaaahhhhhhhhhh! The shout was loud enough to rupture one’s ears.

The only thing left in the town were small, weak monsters that you could knock over with a breath.

「Now, everyone, clean this town of the evil! Through the mercy of Lunaris, let them know the power of holiness!」

Meteria let a smile form on her lips that encouraged the troops.

Now that they were strengthened, they went about cleansing the town of the rest of the monsters, and when the sounds of the battle had finally stopped, there was a great cheer throughout the town.

「…」

Only one was left with worried, and that was Meteria.

☆

『Well, is this okay?』

Ah, this dream again.

From the time that Kaito was sent back to his world, I see the same thing over and over nightly, from a place I can’t remember.

『Last night a message came from the Oracle. Kaito was declared the enemy of God.』

『Hmph. This time the hero strongly holds the power of the holy area. If this goes well he can be used as a spear against her. Because she’s so desperate, she’ll do anything to chase him away from this world. Even so, is seems like spite for someone who likes effectiveness so much so send him back to his old world using so much power. Even her pride wouldn’t allow it. In other words, there’s no choice for her but to kill the hero.』

I couldn’t see the white, blurry background, but I knew that another woman was talking.

『It’s bad luck for you, your link to him is a real problem.』

The girl shrugging in front of me in my dreams looked like the one when Kaito was sent back to his world that was surrounded by various beasts.

However, what was different was her emerald green dyed hair, and the Lunarian religion habit she had on, also a light green.

『I cannot believe Lunaris. I cannot follow those instructions. However, I feel we are at a limit. Day by day, I feel myself changing.』

『Heh heh heh, I see. Maybe that’s why you’re not surrounded by beasts. I know that was my request, but you won’t have a total back-up even if you’re successful even without a totally safe ceremony? Anyway, manipulating the soul is done with holy magic. It’s going to be difficult to do it while he’s alive, but even so that’s at my limit. Do you think you can change the conditions somehow?』

『No worries. With the way I am now, I these emotions for him. I have no time for another plan. And if there’s the possibility of opposition…』

I couldn’t understand it.

The words the Holy Maiden was saying to me?

This is, what? What?

『Heh heh heh, good. I like that way. I know how it feels when you can’t take the way someone somewhere is. However, let me make this clear, this is the ceremony for splitting a soul. At the worst, it may become easier than now for her to corrupt your soul. If something happens, we might have to overwrite with a replacement soul, and if removing the effects are effective, then after that we can interfere and remove it. That being said, if the soul within you changes so much that we can’t overlay it…』

『Don’t worry, even if it does, my important memories won’t change.』

Even though my questions weren’t answered, the already blurry world now seemed to lose color.

Then, I woke up worried.

….

『I yearn for Kaito-sama. No matter what, I will remember that.』

As had I said that in my dream, I knew that it was me.

☆

「Madam Meteria! Meteria!」

「Ah! Pant, Huff…」

I awoke in a side room in the church.

A female attendant sent to care for me from the empire lightly shook my shoulders.

「You were having some kind of a nightmare. Would you like to rest some more? The reinforcements have come both from the empire and the beast kingdom, so you shouldn’t push yourself so hard…」

「…that’s not the problem. There is no way I can let the great barrier protecting our kingdom be hurt.」

The 『Holy Crystal』that created a giant barrier spread over the center of our empire’s continent.

If this barrier that shuts down the majority of the magic beast’s ability is lost, then the continent is lost.

The beasts from over the oceans as well as the small ones here are both coming in large numbers.

The reason why, is because of me.

(In order to call Kaito-sama back to this world the magical beasts must be used as a sacrifice to the 『Holy Crystal 』.)

I first thought using the power of the empire in the beginning, but that wouldn’t go along with the plan.

Whether meaningless dreams or the sudden cessation of Lunaris’ Oracle, all of my worries and fears are increasing.

「Hm? Meteria?」

「Ah, sorry. I was just thinking. Let’s make our way to the frontline in the town today.」

Many worries, so many things to do.

Having thoughts about Kaito-sama in my heart, I live as strongly as I can.

I believe that we will be together again.