CH 35

Hirune used holy magic with all her might for the first time since she came to this world.

( Holly, Jeanne, Wanda, Zekyutos, and all the people in the royal capital ….. I have to protect everyone.)

Her long blond hair floated up and her Saint’s clothes fluttered in a torrent of magic power.

(Goddess Sophia, please, give me your strength ……!)

As Hirune opened her sleepy eyes, the magic circle, which had been on the verge of disappearing, lit up with a glimmer of light.

A light ran from the center of the magic circle, and the chapel became as bright as daylight.

Masses of stardust leapt and jumped, glittering with a mysterious sound like a hymn celebrating Hirune.

Holly, who had collapsed, woke up and looked up at Hirune.

“……Hirune…… eyes are rainbow-colored……”

Holly murmured as she was sucked into the divine glow of Hirune’s eyes.

(I can see the state of the ward …… looks like it’s pretty full of holes. Okay, I’m going to put magic into the hemisphere of the ward, like coating it again …….)

Since she was maintaining the ward by herself, she could see the whole picture in her hands.

Hirune began to manipulate the ward, which was several tens of kilometers in scale, all by herself.

(Faster …… more …… more …… more …… okay, recoating complete ……. Now that the holes are gone it’s back to normal. Now I just need to get rid of the miasma that has entered the capital.)

She could also see where the miasma that had entered the ward was.

If she pictured it, she could figure out where it was, just like a map function.

(Let’s maintain the ward and remotely cast purification magic…)

The stardust that had been swirling around Hirune began to assemble into doll-sized pieces, becoming a mini-Hirune.

It was silver and gold and bumpy, but it’s definitely recognizable as Hirune. It yawned sleepily every now and then, just like its master.

(Yawning: ……)

Hirune looks at it strangely even though she wasn’t one to talk.

(Okay, go purify the miasma!)

One after another, the stardust gathered and transformed into mini-Hirunes then flew out of the chapel.

Wanda and the priests in the chapel were stunned by the sight, and stared at Hirune’s holy magic.

“……Hirune…… you are…….”

Wanda shed a tear and looked up at the glittering stardust.

It was a great magic that not even the Great Saints could imitate.

The priests bowed their heads deeply, making the holy seal.

（ Hmmm, I wonder if I can doze off for a bit like this?… I’m starting to get furiously sleepy thinking about it. ……)

While maintaining the ward and using holy magic, Hirune let out an oversized yawn, “Fuuaaaah!”

()

A little further back in time, Zekyutos arrived at the south gate of the royal capital, and with his men in tow, he joined the soldiers fighting the miasma.

Looking up at the sky, the light of the wards was flickering faintly.

The miasma was pouring out of the gaps in the ward.

“…… This won’t last long.” 

Zekyutos swung his holy mace, a two-meter long club that had absorbed a lot of holy water.

In front of him, a black chariot, consumed by miasma, was attacking the soldiers with the movements of a demon beast.

The miasma had eaten away at it.

“Hmph!”

The carriage broke apart with a crunch.

The color of the carriage returned from black to brown.

The miasma that had been possessing it fled into the air, and he hit it five times with full swings.

The miasma broke up into small thorns and dispersed into the air.

Miasma can only be attacked with holy weapons.

Purification by the saints is the most effective way of attacking the miasma, but now that they were not there, the only way was to smash it steadily like this.

“I’m Zekyutos, Archbishop of Mephistopheles! The ward won’t last long! So, we’ll stop them here at all costs!”

The soldiers steeled themselves as Zekyutos and the other priests arrived on the scene.

“Thank you for your assistance!”

The commander shouted.

It was the worst case scenario for the ward to collapse.

Even so, they had to fight to protect the capital.

The soldiers wielded their weapons to protect the city where their families, friends, and loved ones lived. The front line was wide and long, and shouts of desperation were flying.

“Come on, if you’re weak, the miasma will take you in! Remember the smiles of your loved ones!”

Zekyutos wielded his holy mace in a loud voice unlike that of an archbishop.

However, despite the lion’s share of efforts by the priests and soldiers, the miasma continued to enter the city from the sky.

It was impossible to stop it all.

As time went by, the battle line began to collapse. Some of the soldiers were caught in the miasma, and confusion led to more confusion. The situation on the front lines was terrible.

Zekyutos chanted a scripture and gave holy blessings to the soldiers, but it was only a drop in the bucket. The amount of miasma was unbelievable. At this rate, even if the total lunar eclipse ended at dawn, a large amount of miasma would have covered the capital.

“Crush them as much as you can, even if only a little. We, the Mephistopheles, are to be the people’s shield!”

Zekyutos shouted to his subordinates.

All of them nodded their heads in determination.

The subordinates clutched their sacred tools and murmured to each other, “The smiles of our loved ones.”

–the smile of a loved one.

Zekyutos naturally thought of Hirune’s face.

The smile on her face, with her big eyes like a sea of stars, was so lovely that it made him feel happy whenever he saw her.

Thinking back, picking up the fallen Hirune seemed to be a turning point in his destiny.

“The world is shining so brightly, isn’t it?”

Her words.

A world that only Hirune could see.

After becoming Hirune’s guardian, Zekyutos realized through her free actions that this world was more colorful than he had thought.

From that moment on, Zekyutos’ view of EverSophia grew brighter.

“Should I have allowed …… Hirune…… to doze off a bit more?”

The corners of his mouth turned up.

Zekyutos found himself laughing uncharacteristically, and it made him smile.

“As long as this body moves, it will destroy the miasma.”

With the holy mace on his shoulder, Zekyutos sprinted to the front lines.

As someone who had dedicated himself to the goddess Sophia, it was his desire to die here.

Prepared to die, he threw himself into the miasma and raised his holy mace.

That’s when it happened.

“–!?”

A blinding light began to cover the ward, and it was quickly restored.

“Hey, the ward is coming back!”  “Holy Saint!” ” Yes! Our prayers have been answered!”

The soldiers cheered.

Zekyutos looked up at the sky as he smashed the nearby miasma.

The ward had returned to its perfect state.

In addition, chunks of stardust flew into the sky, purifying the miasma from all sides.

“Stardust in the shape of a person: ……?”

A collection of stardust was yawning and releasing purification magic from its fingertips.

Here and there, light flashed, flashes flew, and the miasma disappeared.

‘Hirune….. is that Hirune?’

It was the first time he’d ever seen such a thing. Zekyutos felt an indescribable emotion welling up in the pit of his stomach, and he put all his strength into the hand holding his mace.

“Listen, The saint Hirune is sending holy magic of purification all over the royal capital! Our victory is near!　　Muster your strength!”

Despair turned to hope, and the soldiers and priests roared.

All the while, flashes of light were constantly popping up.

The stardust mini-Hirune, unlike the main body, seemed to be a hard worker, flying around and shooting purification magic from its fingertips.

“Remote-controlled holy magic that’s so powerful …… Hirune is worthy of becoming a great saint ……!”

Zekyutos said.

Then, a not-so-motivated mini-Hirune flew around Zekyutos and yawned sleepily. The mini-Hirune’s head wobbled and it looked like it was about to fall asleep. It moved just like the main body.

“No, that might not be the case……”

Zekyutos gently puts the sleeping stardust Hirune in his breast pocket and chuckled quietly.

()

Meanwhile, in the chapel, Hirune, who was maintaining the ward, was fighting drowsiness.

Rather, she was already defeated by ninety-nine percent.

–Pyory’s…futon……”

She was squirming, slobbering, and could barely stand.

Holly, who has been revived by the holy magic of healing, and Jeanne, who was called by Wanda, were supporting Hirune on both sides.

It was just like the composition of friends supporting a drunken friend from both sides. They’ll refrain from commenting on whether she is worthy of being a great saint or not.

“I was preparing to run away, so I was surprised when I was called.”

Jeanne looked at the sleeping Hirune, not expecting to find her in this situation.

The light from the magic circle was a bit dazzling. Jeanne squinted her eyes.

“This is the girl who saved the Royal Capital. She’s truly an amazing girl. She’s sleeping, though.”

Holly laughed and shrugged her shoulders. In spite of her words, she grabbed Hirune firmly by the waist and shoulders, not wanting to let her go.

Hirune’s holy magic had purified all the miasma from the Royal Capital.

Wanda decided that she would leave the ward to Hirune, and the saints who had regained their magic power were waiting in another room just in case but there seemed to be no need for that.

“It’s almost dawn, isn’t it?”

“Yes. …… I’ve never been so happy about a sunrise. ……”

“Yes. It’s been a long day.”

Jeanne, the maid, had also had a long day.

“……”

“……”

They turned their faces to the morning sun spilling through the stained glass.

The glow fell into the chapel, hitting the statue of the goddess and changing its shape.

Jeanne suddenly raised her voice.

“Ah! I think the goddess just smiled!”

“What? Really?”

Holly squinted her eyes and observed the statue.

She blinked a few times, and it seemed to her that the statue’s mouth had loosened.

“Oh! It’s true! I think the Goddess Sophia smiled a little bit!”

“It’s true!”

It must have been a mistake.

The girls knew it, but they didn’t want to miss out on this happy feeling, so they looked at each other and giggled happily.

“…… thousand corridors …… clean…… I don’t want to ….Munya……”

Whether the timing was good or bad, Hirune mumbled in her sleep. The girls blinked their eyes and laughed out loud.

Their joyful laughter echoed through the chapel.

The morning sun spilled through the stained glass windows.

A new day was about to shine in EverSophia.