Volume 2 - CH 11

The Great Saint Hirune lives in the half-destroyed Great church.

This rumor quickly spread through the frontier city of Ixendahl.

Even the skeptical citizens, who had thought that the ten-year-old Great Saint was just a figment of imagination, were moved by this news, and the city came alive with the hope that peace would finally come to Ixendahl.

The city was in a joyous mood, but soon it became dusk, and then the night fell.

The citizens, who were busy living in the moment, welcomed the night with hope for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, one of the soldiers guarding the city stared out from a five-meter high wall.

“The sun is setting. Our guests are arriving.”

He said in a thick voice.

The young soldiers, who seemed to be his subordinates, nervously dipped their swords into the holy water in the barrels.

The holy water was the only way for ordinary people without access to holy magic to fight the miasma.

“The Great Saint‘s arrival won’t change that. We’ll protect the city with our blood and vomit. That’s all.”

The man with the large scar on his face was the troop leader in charge of the east gate, where the miasma often occurs. He was a veteran soldier who has been in the field from the age of sixteen till forty. His life has been a struggle. Many of his colleagues have lost their lives in the fight against demons.

“Whether you die too soon or too late, the fake smiles of the people who live in fear beyond the spring will always be there…”

This was a song he had heard a bard sing in a tavern once upon a time.

“Hmmm…..it’s a painful song. The next time I see that bard,  I’ll ask him for my silver coins back.”

He ran a hand down his increasingly wrinkled cheek, traced his fingers over an old scar, and smiled thinly.

“All right! Light the torches! Burn the demon coal! Let’s have another demon and miasma dance party tonight!”

Under his command, the torches lit up the defensive fence of the wall.

Night is coming.

The lights come on.

The lights lit up all around the entire defensive wall of the frontier city of Ixendahl.

The west, south, and north gates also seemed to have issued orders.

The captain looked at the familiar scene of every night and thought that the frontier city of Ixendahl was like a shipwreck in the deep sea. He missed the sea town he had lived in as a child.

“……, what’s the matter? Did you get scared?”

The unit Captain spotted a new soldier and called out to him.

By all accounts, he could not hide his nervousness. His shoulders were hunched and his grip on his sword was tight.

“Relax,” he said. “What are you going to do if you get tired now?”

He patted the nervous newcomer on the back.

The sound of clashing armor and gauntlets echoed.

“Hai! (Yes)”

Hearing the newcomer’s reassuring answer, the soldiers around him burst into laughter.

The commander smiled and raised his face, remembering his youth.

“Look, this is an order! Don’t die! If you die, I’ll kill you all again in hell. If you’re afraid, laugh! Pray to the Goddess Sophia! It would be a bad omen if anyone dies on the first day of the Great Saints’ visit! Get into the spirit!”

To the Captain’s loud voice, “Yes!” The soldiers replied.

The new soldier nodded, his eyebrows furrowed.

The captain felt reassured, but he also knew from experience that if he was unlucky, this guy would die.

“Here it comes!”

The miasma was slowly seeping out from the darkness outside the barrier.

There are three types of miasma.

The Fog type, which is a collection of bad negative energy.

The possession type, in which the fog-type miasma transfers to an object, 

The other type is the monster type, in which the noxious miasma clumps together to form a monster.

The only way to get rid of them was to purify them with holy power.

“Don’t let the fog type enter the city! Archers, keep your eyes in the air!”

In the direction the captain pointed, arrows soaked in holy water flew in a blur.

Then came a succession of demons that climbed the protective wall. There were too many of them tonight, and in no time they had climbed the five-meter wall, and a battle ensued.

“Don’t break ranks! Bring the demon coal to the possessed tree types!”

The roars of the soldiers echoed, and swords sliced through the demons. As the light from the demon coal explodes, it creates a momentary glow as if a life was burning. Soldiers and miasma mingled on the stage, which was colored by the strange sounds of sword fights and sparks.

“Be sure of yourself!　　We’ve got the Great Saint and the Saints with us!

“Yes!”

They couldn’t even let their guards down for a moment.

The miasma could possess humans as well.

The captain waved his longsword and looked at the location of the newcomer.

“That guy …….”

The newcomer was swinging his sword selflessly to cut away the miasma. But it was a bad location. He was about to fall off the barrier. He didn’t even notice that there was a dog-shaped demon behind him.

“New guy!”

The captain threw his longsword.

“–Gaaaah!”

The demon dog was pierced and it let out a scream. The effect of the sword with the holy water was tremendous.

The captain pulled out his longsword, dipped it in the holy water that was nearby, cut off the demon, and stood next to the newcomer.

The newcomer was absentminded.

“Hey! Take a good look around and fight! Follow me!”

“Yes, sir!”

After that, the battle continued for about an hour.

The miasma was tireless, appearing one after the other. It was a complete war of attrition.

“Captain, how long will this last?”

The newcomer asked during the battle, wiping with his sleeve repeatedly, he couldn’t stop sweating.

“Until dawn.”

“……”

“It’s the same as always. It’s always good to eat at dawn. This is an exercise for food. Isn’t that right?” *

The captain smiled fiercely and swung his sword.

The newcomer also smiled and said, “Yes, sir.”

That’s when it happened. A high-pitched whistle sounded.

“Giant demon form approaching from three o’clock! Repeat. Giant demon type approaching from three o’clock!”

The captain immediately turned his gaze to the darkness.

A huge shadow was quietly making its way towards them. It was big as the protective barrier.

He clicked his tongue and ran through the barrier, shouting to the messenger soldiers waiting on the city side.

“Call the saints! Now! There’s a big one coming!’

“Saint Ekaterina and Saint Tatiana are in the process of purification at the north and south gates! They can’t move for the time being!”

At present, the defense of Ixendahl was being carried out by a rotation of personnel that were somehow getting by.

The saints purified the surroundings while the sun was still up to suppress the generation of miasma at night. There were only two saints on duty.

“We can’t defeat that thing without holy magic! Run to the church! Tell them it’s an emergency!”

“Yes, sir!”

The unit Captain watched the back of the messenger run and clenched his back teeth.

The priests of the Mephistopheles Church we’re also doing a great job. It was thanks to them that they’ve been able to defend the city so far. However, the timing was too bad. With the arrival of the Great Saint, personnel changes were taking place in the church. There were few people who could move today.

“It’s like the arrival of the Great Saint coincided with the attack of the big guy. ……”

“Captain ……”

Perhaps the new guy also saw the huge shadow, his face went pale.

“You need to back off. You’re too young to die.”

The captain said, and the newcomer shook his head.

“I’ve lost my …… village, so I want to pay them back ……!”

“You have your reasons,…… that’s fine. But It’s a good idea not to die if you can help it. If you live, the saints will heal your wounds.”

“Yes!”

The soldiers around them raised their swords as if in response to the conversation between the two.

“It’s time for me to go to hell too.”

It was at that moment that the captain of the unit took the initiative and put his foot on the edge of the wall to strike a blow at the giant demon.

All of a sudden, a dazzling light shone from behind him.

“Aah!”

Countless stardust danced in the air, and a translucent magic barrier spread from the inside of the city to the outside.

The magical barrier completely covered the barrier and enveloped the frontier city of Ixendahl in a hemispherical shape.

The captain looked up at the sky in surprise.

With a shuffling sound, the stardust gathered together and took the shape of a small girl. And then the stardust girl started shooting purification magic from her fingers.

There was a bang here and there, and the sound of the demon’s demise and the scraping of the stardust echoed.

“What the heck is this…… ?”

In his excitement, the unit leader threw off the helmet he was wearing and held out his hands.

The giant demons were bathed in continuous purification magic and evaporated while making bizarre “gah gah gah” noises. The countless miasma that had been looming over the city hit the magic barrier and dissipated in seconds. They found themselves in a sea of stardust.

The soldiers stood still and stared at the girl who had been formed by the stardust, stunned. She looked like a small doll. The newcomer was also staring at the fascinating holy magic with his mouth hanging open.

“Report! Report to the captain!  Where is the captain?”

A messenger called out from under the defense wall.

The unit leader rushed to turn around and leaned forward with his hands on the wall.

“What’s happened!”

The messenger shouted, seemingly bursting with joy.

“When I sent a message to the church, Great Saint Hirune immediately used holy magic to protect the entire Ixendahl…… !”

“……!”

A hot, indescribable feeling welled up in the captain’s chest. His throat tightened, yet a strangely comforting heat ran through his body.

“Great Saint ……, you really did it ……!”

He felt like screaming.

The captain could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

“A message from the Great Saint Hirune to the captain!”

“What?! A message from the Great Saint to me !?”

“Yes, sir! What I’m about to say must be obeyed!”

The messenger was proud of himself as if it was his credit.

“I will tell you the original message as it is! The Captain is to sleep in his bed tonight. You are to go to bed at eleven o’clock. I’ll be going to bed as well… that’s all, from the Great Saint Hirune!”

“In bed …… at eleven …….”

The captain bit down on the meaning of the words and looked over the barrier.

As if the battle from earlier had been a lie, the soldiers had lowered their weapons, squared their shoulders and raised their fists. The miasma and demons were evaporating, blocked by the magical barrier of the Great Saint. A Small stardust doll was purifying the large ones.

He noticed that there were no more demons or miasma around the barrier.

“I don’t have to fight …… anymore?”

“Yes, that’s right! Look at this! I’ve never seen warding magic like this before!”

“Ha ha ha. …… I never thought this would happen. ……”

“Yes! We can’t thank you enough, Great Saint Hirune!”

The captain was on the verge of tears and opened his mouth to cover them up.

“Well, you got married recently, didn’t you? You want to go back to your wife, don’t you?”

“Yes, my wife will be very happy to see me!”

“Ha, good for you.”

The commander saw the joyful look on the messenger’s face and smiled.

“It’s a good thing. Tell the troops to withdraw from the east gate, leaving only the soldiers on guard. If the Great Saint says she will protect it, she will protect it.”

“Yes, sir! I repeat the message. Unit leader Carlos will go to bed at eleven o’clock, and the rest of the unit will withdraw, leaving only the guards! If the contents are correct, I will send the message!”

The messenger shouts loudly with his chest out.

Carlos, the captain of the unit, raised his hands in a pose of surrender and nodded curtly.

“I understand. I can’t refuse a direct order from the Great Saint. All right, then, give the word.”

“Yes, sir!”

The messenger saluted and ran briskly.

Captain Carlos looked up at the night sky.

The translucent magic barrier emitted a slight glow.

The faces of his dead comrades floated in and out of his …… mind, wondering how eagerly he had longed for this light.

“….. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight with all the excitement.”

Captain Carlos wiped his eyes roughly with his sleeves and muttered.

There were cheers from the soldiers all around him.

When he tried to pick up the helmet he had tossed earlier, a girl formed of a collection of stardust flew fluffy and laid down on the helmet. She yawned loudly with human-like movements, made a nose lantern of stardust, and began to sleep soundly.

It seems that the little girl made of stardust was lazy.

Captain Carlos saw this and smiled.

“The Great Saint of Dozing …… Apparently the rumors are true.”

He gently lifted his helmet so as not to wake up the sleeping stardust girl.