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Episode 94
Second Mission (1)
The dust cleared and vision slowly returned.
Saaaa …
On the twisted dirt floor.
All that remains is a narrow path that roughly cuts across the vacant lot.
There was nothing left where the order had scattered.
“… … .”
[… … .]
It was a truly unnatural sight.
The middle of the forest was empty, as if someone had erased the central part of a landscape painting.
The spell Riley cast would leave a strange void in the world.
indeed.
This is the power of the “single machine”.
It’s really amazing… … .
‘It’s not a single unit, it’s a “Riley Ryu Rapid Mega Shooting Star Electric Bolt”, Madou-sama.’
[… … .]
Riley’s nagging was lightly ignored.
“Ugh, ugh… … .”
At that moment, a groan of pain was heard from somewhere.
Riley and I looked in the direction where the groaning sound had come from.
The end of the sunken road ahead.
There, Philip lay helplessly.
“Ugh, ugh, kehek… … !”
“… … .”
[… … .]
Is it because of the tenacious vitality gained through the contract with the evil spirit?
The guy managed to survive despite having his heart pierced.
Well, judging by the way he’s panting for breath, that probably won’t last long.
‘Still, just in case, I have to finish it for sure.’
[huh.]
Confirmation kill is required.
No matter how fatal the wound, Philip’s life must definitely be ended.
Because there’s nothing more foolish than letting your guard down against a warlock.
Jeokbuk─.
like that…….
It was at that moment that Riley slowly began to walk away to finish everything.
“wait a minute.”
“… … ?”
Chin─.
Someone stopped us.
Looking back, I could see Ermin holding Riley’s shoulder.
[her…….]
That’s amazing.
How does he stay conscious like that without passing out?
Riley’s “single-shot” creates an aftershock powerful enough to distort the magical power of the surrounding area.
Therefore, those within its range of effect would have all their magical powers twisted, and this internal injury was so strong that it could knock out a trained adult male.
This was a fact that could be known just by looking at the furry leader.
Because right after Riley’s “single-story” unfolded, he lost consciousness and collapsed.
But Ermine was different.
The guy remained conscious.
Judging from the fact that he’s moving around normally, it doesn’t seem like he’s suffered any internal injuries.
[… … .]
The thing is, I wasn’t affected at all by the spell Riley cast…
That’s really great.
Even though he was completely exhausted from fighting Philip, he didn’t faint and remained sane.
As expected of a battle priest of the Great Temple, his physical durability was truly outstanding.
[Well, by the way… … .]
Why on earth did Ermin stop us?
Just as I was having that question, Ermin continued to answer.
“You can’t kill Mr. Philip yet.”
“Why?”
“We need to investigate to track down the mastermind behind his downfall.”
An investigation to trace the mastermind… … .
In short, he’s trying to figure out which evil spirit corrupted Philip.
“Will it take long?”
“It will take five minutes. After that, you can kill Mr. Philip.”
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After hearing that, Riley immediately asked me a question.
‘What should I do?’
[… … .]
Actually, it wasn’t a bad suggestion for us.
Just like humans, evil spirits are also entangled in various conflicts of interest.
There were numerous factions and alliances among them.
Of course, some of these people will be related to “■■■ ■■”.
If we can find out who was behind Philip’s downfall through this opportunity.
Additionally, if we can find out the reason.
Philip’s downfall could have given me a new clue to track down “■■■ ■■”.
[Hmm.]
However, there was one thing I was worried about… … .
[… … What if Philip recovers from his injuries while the investigation continues?]
5 minutes.
According to Ermin, it takes a whopping five minutes to conduct the investigation.
As I said before, the life force of a warlock is extremely tenacious.
The recovery was also just as fast.
Five minutes was enough time for them to recover from fatal injuries that put them on the verge of death.
The point was that if we delayed killing Philip for no reason, a dangerous situation might arise.
This is exactly why I wanted to kill Philip quickly.
The investigation can be done after the guy is dead.
Of course, the traces of the evil spirit remaining on the corpse would be lighter than they were in life, but even so, it was best to be safe.
After hearing my explanation, Riley immediately asked Ermin a question.
“What if Mr. Philip recovers from all his injuries in five minutes? I saw that the severed tentacles grow back in a matter of seconds.”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
Ermin shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Don’t worry,” and answered in a calm voice.
“There is a way to do everything.”
Crunch──!
Ermin drew his sword in the blink of an eye. He suddenly stabbed the hilt of the sword into Philip’s chest.
“Ugh, ugh… …!”
Philip screamed. Blood began to spurt from his chest like a fountain.
“… … ?”
[… … ?]
Riley, who saw the sight, tried to hide her expression and asked a question.
“Uh, Mr. Ermin?”
“yes.”
“It hasn’t even been five seconds since you told me not to kill Mr. Philip… … .”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
Kkwaddeuddeuk─!
Ermin gave a calm answer this time and turned the handle of the sword one more time.
“Humans don’t die that easily. Especially not in the case of warlocks.”
“Kwaaak! Kwaaak!”
“Can you hear it? It’s Mr. Philip screaming loudly. As you can see, Mr. Philip is still so energetic. Hahaha.”
Philip flailed and screamed, but Ermine paid no attention and smiled brightly.
“But don’t worry too much. I’ll leave the finishing touches for Raul.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
Does he think Phillip is worried that Riley won’t be able to hit the final blow?
Surely Riley didn’t mean it that way… … .
[… … .]
… … That’s not right, is it?
My gaze, which had become uneasy for no reason, cautiously turned towards Riley.
“… … .”
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, as Riley was looking down at Phillip, who was screaming, with a bewildered look.
“Then how are you going to prevent Mr. Philip from recovering? Are you going to keep causing him constant pain like this and not give him any time to recover, something like that?”
“Oh, of course that’s a good idea too… … .”
Knock knock─.
Ermin continued speaking, lightly tapping the handle of his greatsword.
“… … In fact, the handle of my greatsword is made from the sacred relic of our sect, the “Iron Ore of the Sun.” Originally, such sacred relics were used to seal away the power of evil.”
“Ugh.”
“So what if I stick the sword handle into Mr. Philip’s chest like this?”
Kkwaddeuk─!
“… … Kkaaaaaaah! Kkaaaah!”
“I can restrain the evil power that Mr. Philip possesses.”
“Kwak! Kwaaaaak!”
“Well, then you don’t have to worry about Mr. Philip recovering.”
Hmm.
It’s a holy relic.
Well, if there were such a safety device, it would be a different story.
‘But, Master Magician.’
[why.]
‘Aren’t holy relics originally meant to be carried by high-ranking priests?’
[… … How do you not know that?]
‘I’m from the Thieves’ Guild. I’m always being chased by the Inquisitors and priests, so I can’t help but know.’
[ah.]
but.
Then I guess you know it well.
As Riley said, the holy relic was an object that only high-ranking priests could carry.
Because of that, I thought that young Ermin wouldn’t have such a thing… … .
Judging from the way he took out the holy relic so nonchalantly, Ermin seemed to be a priest of a higher status than we thought.
anyway.
Now that we have the holy relic, we can continue our investigation without worrying about getting hit in the back of the head.
“Then, Raoul? Please excuse me for a moment. From now on, I have to concentrate and analyze Mr. Philip’s magic.”
“Oh, yes.”
Riley nodded and pursed her lips.
After confirming the answer, Ermine took a rag out of his bosom and stuffed it into Philip’s mouth.
“Okay, Mr. Philip, please be quiet for a moment.”
“Whoosh, woosh!”
Philip’s mouth was completely blocked. As soon as the screaming stopped, the surroundings became as quiet as a mouse.
A forest where silence flows.
I too stopped all distracting thoughts.
Then, following Ermin, he began to investigate the traces of the evil spirits wandering around Philip.
‘Can you also trace the traces of the evil spirit, Master?’
[huh.]
‘… … There really is nothing you can’t do.’
In the first place, I was the first being to discover the concept of evil spirits in this world.
So there is no way I can’t distinguish the traces of evil spirits.
Saaaa …
“Hmm.”
A dark red aura was slowly swirling around Philip.
Ermin, who had been staring at the ominous atmosphere for a while, soon opened his mouth cautiously.
“… … It’s a strange form of magic I’ve never seen before.”
I nodded in agreement with his analysis.
Certainly, the magic hovering around Philip had an unfamiliar and alien aura.
Unlike other evil spirits, it is not a spirit that vaguely contains an evil aura.
Should I say that I felt a mysterious yet pious vibe at the same time?
But that form of magic might be unfamiliar to Ermin… … .
To me, it was a magic that was so familiar.
Although it had been thousands of years since I last encountered it, I still remember this magic clearly.
It had to be that way.
There was only one evil spirit in this world that gave off such a mysterious aura.
[… … That kid.]
okay.
The being who corrupted Philip into a warlock was 「■■■ ■■」. In other words, he was the one who reincarnated me into the Grimoire.
[under.]
He let out a hollow laugh.
A lot of thoughts crossed my mind. One thought after another.
It was not a question limited to just this incident.
Since we started with Riley, there’s been a huge suspicion that’s been hanging over this entire Phase.
A gap of 300 years.
Meanwhile, the evil spirits impersonated the disciples of the great wizard I had raised.
And then he built a huge magic tower.
A huge magic tower called Irantes.
Riley and I entered the Tower of Irantes to bring these guys to their doom.
So somehow I ended up doing the “Appointment Quest”… … .
During that time, we were attacked by a necromancer, one of the evil worshippers.
After barely surviving the necromancer, this time Philip was corrupted into a warlock.
Even the one who corrupted Philip was none other than “■■■ ■■” who reincarnated me into the Grimoire.
[… … .]
It has lived for tens of thousands of years.
But never before has there been this much contact with evil spirits in one episode.
Can this really be called a mere coincidence?
What are the intentions of these evil spirits when they approach me?
What on earth should I take this to mean?
[… … .]
I don’t know.
There were too few clues.
no.
Maybe there are just too many clues, but I can’t seem to organize them.
In the midst of the flood of information, I might be wandering among it all.
It took time.
A time when I can organize this confused mind.
[Phew.]
I took a deep breath and emptied my mind.
okay.
Whatever their purpose, and whatever their intentions are… .
It doesn’t matter.
I’ve said it many times, but I was planning on breaking this damn cycle this time around anyway.
Together with Riley, by killing 「■■■ ■■」.
[… … I should stop by the main temple sometime soon.]
When the urgent fire was put out, I felt I had to stop by the main temple and meet the saintess of this generation.
If you’re lucky, you might hear an answer from the Lord.
Usually, the Lord speaks to me through an incarnation once every 500 years, so now would be a good time to visit.
Of course, like any other god, he twists his words and conveys them in a riddle-like manner… … .
But, Jushin was also the only one who could give me the right answer.
In the end, it was all thanks to him that I was able to first learn of the existence of 「■■■ ■■」.
Sreung─!
Right then, right then.
Ermin pulled out the greatsword that was stuck in Philip’s chest.
“In the end, I didn’t get any information about the evil spirit.”
He continued talking while looking at Riley with a regretful expression on his face and smacking his lips.
“Then, Raul, I would like to ask you to finish it.”
“Oh, yes.”
Woof─.
Riley fired the “Magic Missile”.
Perhaps because he was already so weak, Philip couldn’t put up much of a resistance.
Crunch─!
A single magical bullet pierced his head cleanly.
That was the end of it.
dump.
Philip died without any resistance.
“oh.”
Ermin raised his eyebrows at the sight.
“It’s a neat ending. If you look closely, Raul seems to have really outstanding magical skills.”
“… … .”
“Well, that’s true. You can tell that just by looking at the scenery around you.”
He looked around the forest with a smile.
“I made the forest like this with just one order.”
Silence fell.
How much time has passed like that?
Ermin spoke to Riley, still smiling.
“So that’s what I’m saying.”
“… … .”
“I take it that you have revealed your power like this, so you have no intention of hiding your identity any longer?”
Ermin, who had been silent for a while, quietly whispered his last words.
“Miss Riley.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
Riley looked at Ermin silently without saying anything.
Whatever.
Ermin continued his speech.
“As a priest on a pilgrimage, I hear rumors from all over the country.”
“… … .”
“Of course, I’ve heard the story about the genius magician who entered the ‘Five Great Magic Towers’ at the youngest age.”
Ermin looked around slowly with a faint smile on his face.
“Uses lightning-type magic, intermediate level “Advanced” , minor…”
“… … .”
“Well, with these level of clues, there’s no way anyone wouldn’t figure out your true identity.”
Swish─.
Stop.
Ermin’s gaze lingered exactly on the spot where Riley’s spell had passed.
A sunken groove.
From that pit, currents generated by the magic power of the “Lightning Series” were still flowing intermittently.
“It is even more so when you personally witness the creation of such a spectacle by your sister.”
Riley and I looked at Ermin’s face again in silence.
His eyes were filled with confidence.
It wasn’t just the glance of a passing observer.
Ermin now had a clear view of Riley’s identity.
Eventually, Riley had no choice but to nod and acknowledge his words.
“You got caught.”
Ermine smiled faintly after hearing her answer.
“Thank you for coming clean with the facts, Ms. Riley.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
okay.
Maybe Ermin had been suspicious of Riley’s identity from the beginning.
From the moment they first set foot in the tavern until the party returned after completing the dungeon raid… … Ermin always insisted on calling them ‘brothers and sisters.’
-Excuse me, brothers and sisters.
-Come on, brothers and sisters. Come and eat before the soup gets cold.
A title that is not very suitable for the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, which consists only of men.
Perhaps this was a subtle message that Ermin was suspicious of Riley’s identity.
[I guess I shouldn’t look down on the priests of the Great Temple.]
Failure of interrogation using confession system.
And then there’s the necromancer attack.
Even amidst all these variables, Ermin constantly doubted our existence.
Thus, the guy was able to reach the conclusion that the real identity of ‘Porter Boy Raoul’ was Riley.
Of course, it was Riley’s “single-day” that gave me confidence in that judgment, but I couldn’t help but acknowledge Ermin’s persistence.
Ermin is definitely a great guy.
Physically and mentally.
The guy was a perfect fit for the Inquisitor’s ” Paladin” talent profile.
It was a scene that made one understand how he, who was still only a young priest, could already carry the holy relics.
but…….
Is it because I am still young and lack experience?
Even Ermin still had some immature aspects.
Riley spoke to him with a faint smile.
“Well, I’ve clearly revealed my identity, so now it’s Ermin’s turn.”
“……yes?”
Even if you look at it right now, it is like that.
Even though I may have seen through Riley’s true identity, I never doubted that we would have figured it out.
“Th, what is that… … .”
“why?”
Riley smiled brightly and asked the flustered Ermine another question.
“Do you really intend to continue introducing yourself as ‘an ordinary priest on a pilgrimage’?”
“… … .”
After a brief pause, Riley quietly whispered her last words.
“Your Excellency, Inquisitor?”
