CH 104

Not long after, Shamil came running from behind the darkness, carrying a girl with hazel hair. The cat ears on his head were moving violently. His face was sweaty, and he looked breathless and desperate.

Looking at Shamil’s movements in human form so far, I could guess that although he had excellent reflexes and agility, his muscle strength was not much different from that of a human, or even inferior. Even though she was a young girl, she seemed to weigh around 30 kilograms, and running at full speed with her on his back seemed to be quite hard work for Shamil.

You can see that the girl was holding on to Shamil with her eyes closed, while enduring the pain in her legs.

“…… Master, you’re alright! Ha, ha.”

Shamil lowered the girl to the ground where a thick sheet of cloth had been laid and slumped down, weakening himself as he did so. Shamil’s face, illuminated by the magical lights from the lighting, seemed to have paled badly. Even though it was an emergency situation, I may have given him an unfamiliar role.

“Shamil, you did well. Did you notice anything?”

Souya handed both Shamil and the girl a container of water that he had prepared earlier, and then asked Shamil a question.

“…… No, not really …… I don’t think there was anyone in the vicinity, as far as I could tell from looking around while we were on the move.”

The Cait Sith has night vision to see in the dark, as well as a wild intuition to search for enemies. The report that there was no change in the surroundings seemed to be reliable.

“And the young lady – her name is Emily – seems to have taken refuge alone in a wine cellar in the basement. It’s a miracle the fire didn’t get out of control.”

From Shamil’s report, it seemed that the fact that she – Emily – had survived had a strong element of chance. Those who were on the ground and failed to evacuate Lingen would probably have all been killed. And those who did would most likely have been killed by the Bronze Demon’s pursuers.

“All right. Shamil, you rest for a while. I couldn’t have done it on my own. I’m glad I made you my Familiar.”

When Shamil received Souya’s thanks, he showed relief, drank the water from the container, and then dropped his shoulders and face and nodded his head. 

“…… Cat ears. Was the Cait Sith a beastman?”

Phyllis, who had been sipping her tea, looked a little surprised, her dark eyes wide open. It may have been the first time she had shown any kind of fluctuation in her emotions, as she had never expressed any major ups and downs before.

“Who knows. He’s the king of cats, so isn’t he usually a cat? …… It’s my turn. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Siren took from her bag the Priest’s Staff, decorated with the designs of the supreme god Luminous.

It’s a tin staff that’s clearly taller than the bag. It seems that the bag in which it was stored is a magic item with the same effect as the dimension box.

It is an ancient relic artifact with an unbelievable value of at least 100 gold coins, or tens of thousands of gold coins, depending on the volume, although the maximum allowable volume varies depending on the strength of the magic power. The fact that she possesses it is proof of her success as a Platinum-class adventurer.

“Emily, you did a great job …… With this swelling, the bones are probably broken. I’ll have to use that.”

It seems she’s broken a bone, according to Siren. It’s not a terrible break, but the pain won’t go away for a while, and it’s extremely difficult to travel long distances to Ilstadt in this condition. It was a situation that required the power of the sacred art that she wielded.

“–Supreme God Luminous. Grant this person a miracle that will heal his pain. Serious Wound Healing [Greater Cure].

As Siren finished her chanting with her Priest Staff, a strong green light radiated from the tin staff and enveloped Emily. Then the swelling on her legs and the scratches on her face completely disappeared.

(──Serious Wound Healing [Greater Cure]. Looks like she’s definitely a high-ranking priestess. In addition to that, she’s a master of the hatchet throwing axe that killed the Bronze Demon.)

In addition to high-level sacred arts, she can also use the hatchet throwing axe called the holy axe to fight in close-quarter battles and indirect attacks, making her a moderately versatile all-rounder. There was no doubt that she had the ability to be worthy of the Platinum-class.

For a priestess of the strict supreme god Luminous, she had a crude demeanor, but the fact that she could exercise the sacred arts of a higher dimension undoubtedly meant that she had a high level of faith.

God does not grant power based on outward behavior alone. There were often priests in the world who posed as saints, but were not very good.

“Good. That Cait Sith — Shamil, right? Are you hurt?”

Siren, holding her priest’s staff, looked down at Shamil, who was drooping helplessly, and asked him. 

“I got a scratch on the back of my hand from fighting a bronze demon …… Oh, no, it’s just a scratch, so it’s not a problem at all “

Shamil, who raised his face from the middle, spread his hands out in a hurry and took a gesture to refuse, perhaps because he was pressed by the force of Siren in front of him.

“…… Don’t be afraid. You did a good job. I’ll make sure your injuries are perfectly healed in Ilstadt. …… Hey, Louise, don’t stand around. It’s your turn.”

Siren tucked the priest’s staff into her bag and sat down on the ground, waving it at Louise, who had been watching the healing process as if it were her duty.

Louise had a complicated expression on her face as she was given a painful role to play, but she was definitely the right person for the job in this situation. Seran and Phyllis, who were watching in silence, did not seem to be suited for dialogue in such a situation.

Souya also remained silent and watched. He felt sorry for Louise, but he remembered that he had scared Emily, whom he had just met for the first time. Her impression of Souya may be very different now, but even so, he didn’t think he could play a greater role than Louise.

“…… Don’t be timid, me.”

As if she had made up her mind, Louise slapped herself hard on the cheek with both hands and went over to the trembling Emily and sat down, bending her legs. She made eye contact with the stunned girl with the haunting hazel hair.

“…… Hello. Emily. We’re from Ilstadt and we’re here to help.”

There was no reaction from Emily to Louise’s words. Her hands began to tremble as she held the container of water, as if her fear had returned.

“…… I’m really, really sorry. We came so late.”

The words that followed were brief. Louise bowed her head apologetically and hugged Emily gently. Her voice was dark and somber, unlike her usual voice. Yet, it was calm and not uncomfortable.

A little later, Emily’s wailing echoed through the nightfallen sky.

The reactions of those who heard it were varied. Seran turned his back to look away from Emily and Louise, who were embracing each other, his expression tense and wary of his surroundings.

Phyllis, who had been nonchalant, also looked a little uncomfortable.

Siren bared his teeth and frowned, making no attempt to hide her anger at the demons that had brought destruction to Lingen.

“Master …… The Red Horn is an existence that cannot be ignored. We must definitely do something about it.”

The telepathic communication from the nodding Shamil was filled with uncharacteristic feelings of anger.

Souya felt the same way. I had heard about the existence of the Red Horn from Seran and Louise before, but at the time, I could not deny that I felt like I was talking about someone else. It was only when I saw it in reality and became one of the parties involved that I felt the anger.

And then there was the progress of the Demonization Electrum. There is no doubt that the Red Horn is becoming an existence that cannot be ignored in every sense. However, it was difficult to find a way to draw out the demon that would bring about the destruction, and it was difficult to have the strength to ensure that it was killed.

The road ahead is a difficult one. Souya looked up at the darkened sky with a hint of annoyance.