Chapter 492: Those Who Obstruct and Those Who Advance 3

Chapter 492: Those Who Obstruct and Those Who Advance 3 Those Who Obstruct and Those Who Advance 3

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“D-Did you... defeat her...?”

Kalamaruyu, cautiously approaching the white cocoon, which was still writhing, asked Saint Ad.

Saint Ad, holding her cigarette between her fingers, exhaled a puff of smoke, and—

“Well, you could say that.”

She said.

“To be more precise, she is currently sealed by my barrier magic. She’s not dead yet, but this seal can never be broken unless I release it. Therefore, she will eventually starve to death. In other words, I won!”

“Starve to death...”

Kalamaruyu, hearing about Shimegamamo’s fate from Saint Ad’s explanation, frowned.

“You’re not thinking that it’s ‘cruel’ or anything, are you?”

Saint Ad, reproaching Kalamaruyu with a husky voice, glared at him sideways.

“Let me tell you something, this is the best I can do. It would be better if I could just kill her quickly, but that’s difficult with an opponent of this level.”

“Was Shimegamamo that strong?”

“Strong, and... a little... unknown.”

“Unknown?”

Saint Ad, putting her cigarette back in her mouth, stared at the white cocoon that Shimegamamo was wrapped in, with a troubled expression, and started talking.

“...She could manipulate plants quite freely... but rapidly growing plants requires incredibly advanced mana manipulation, as a special ability. It’s far beyond what I can do, with my barrier magic, which just forms walls with mana.”

Kalamaruyu is a researcher at heart, and he doesn’t understand much about fighting.

But hearing those words, he was a little surprised to find that Saint Ad considers barrier magic to be on par with, or similar to, special abilities.

‘Barrier magic and healing magic are examples of special abilities with established methods of inheritance’, is one of the theories advocated by the Great Mage Majurog.

The Great Mage’s words continued, ‘In other words, special abilities are techniques, not gifts bestowed upon specific individuals’, and the Holy Maiden Consortium strongly opposed this point.

According to the Holy Maiden Consortium’s official view, the barrier magic used by first-class saints, and the healing magic used by second-class saints, are divine graces bestowed upon the chosen saints by their god.

Barrier magic and healing magic aren’t special abilities.

That’s what most saints say, and they never talk about their techniques as if they’re the same as special abilities.

In other words, Saint Ad could be said to be quite a rare existence among the Holy Maiden Consortium.

‘And since they’re techniques, in theory, all special abilities can be learned by anyone. Special abilities that can be used as a result of studying and understanding the principles—that’s what “Magic” is. People who use magic are called “Mages”.’

The Great Mage continued, and even demonstrated the magic he learned through training, like 【Ignition】 and 【Collect Water】, to the people who were there.

...To be honest, even Kalamaruyu, a Great Mage sympathizer, isn’t sure if he should take those words at face value.

Because he, an ordinary person, couldn’t ‘study and understand the principles to use special abilities’.

That’s why the Great Mage created magic tools, such as Barrier Stones, to help people understand the concept of magic.

He incorporated the technique of magic that he had acquired into tools that anyone can use.

But because of that, the conflict between the Great Mage and the Holy Maiden Consortium became decisive, and—

With that single blow, the Stone Head Rabbits ceased to be living things, and became meat.

They no longer move.

“............”

There was a being silently watching the rabbits.

The owner of the tentacle that killed them.

It was something—in the shape of a human child, wearing a robe.

The robe’s color is jet-black.

Not only that, but it’s an eerie robe, with a rusty red color that appears and disappears, unsettling just to look at, unpleasant.

The tentacle that killed the rabbits extends from the shoulder of that robe, writhing.

“............”

That being then manipulated the tentacle extending from its shoulder, carrying the rabbits’ corpses before its eyes, and stared at them.

And then, after a few thin wisps of smoke rose from their white fur, the rabbits’ corpses suddenly burst into flames!

The owner of the tentacles continues to stare at the rabbit meat, roasting unevenly, swallowing its saliva.

The being was wearing a hood, backlit by the setting sun.

Therefore, its face was completely obscured by shadow, and it wasn’t possible to see it, but—

It was finally revealed by the flames roasting the rabbits.

What was hidden in the shadow was the face of a girl.

A girl’s face, so well-defined that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a stunning beauty, expressionless like a doll.

Her skin, illuminated red by the flames, is brilliantly white, and her hair and eyes, swallowing even the redness of the flames, are still black.

That was her face.

The girl, reaching out to the rabbit meat, which was cooked in an instant, as if not even caring about the remaining heat, pierced her hand into the abdomen, and roughly pulled out the internal organs.

And then she started eating the rabbit meat, headfirst, skin, bones and all!

Her eating speed was incredible, and the rabbit meat hanging from her tentacles quickly disappeared into her stomach.

Moreover, while she was stuffing her mouth with rabbit meat, she occasionally pulled out grass from the ground, and ate that too.

In other words, she’s paying attention to nutritional balance!

What... intelligence!

Now, after finishing all the rabbit meat, the girl retracted her tentacles, and then turned her gaze to a ‘foreign object’ lying in the grassland.

That foreign object is a writhing white cocoon.

“............”

The girl.

The girl-shaped something named Emi Rune.

Stared intently, intently, intently at the white cocoon, and...

She began to drool.