The reputation Lady Katia had lost among those around her, all because of the second prince Aster's maneuvering.
To reclaim it, Katia and Ermes had accepted a commission from Yurugen and were heading east.
Their destination was a small village on the frontier.
They were tasked with subduing a horde of Monsters that had recently been rampaging through the village.
"But the village we're heading to is in Viscount Norkia's territory, isn't it? Why wouldn't Viscount Norkia handle the matter himself?"
"Who knows... The straightforward assumption would be that the Monsters are beyond what the viscount can handle, but..."
The carriage carrying the two of them would soon arrive at the village in question. Ermes and Katia were about to discuss the background of this commission when—
"Kyaaaah!"
A young girl's high-pitched scream rang out.
In an instant, they leaned out of the carriage and located the source of the sound.
What they saw was a girl of about ten years old, pursued by several dark shadows that looked like Monsters.
"El—!"
"Roger. I'll stop them. Lady Katia, prepare your Chant in the meantime."
Those dark shadows were undoubtedly the Monsters that served as the target of this commission.
Both of them leapt from the carriage at the same time. Ermes used Enhanced universal magic to boost his physical abilities and closed the distance to the girl being attacked in a single bound.
At the last possible moment, he scooped the girl into his arms and pulled her to safety from the Monster assault. Then he activated a barrier using Enhanced universal magic as well.
By halting their advance with the barrier, the full appearance of the Monsters was finally revealed.
"I see — Hounds."
Hounds. Monsters with savage faces and wolf-like frames slightly smaller than a normal wolf.
It had two defining characteristics: it traveled in packs, and it was terrifyingly cautious.
These Monsters moved with exceptional coordination, yet hunted in groups so as to minimize losses to their numbers — making them all the more dangerous the larger the pack grew.
Frightening as they were, their cautious nature meant they never acted recklessly, which was probably why the village had survived this long without being wiped out.
"U-Um...!"
"Sorry — just hang in there a little longer."
The girl looked up at Ermes from within his arms, then let out a small scream upon seeing the Hounds trying to break through the barrier.
He stroked the child's head reassuringly and spoke.
"Stay down. It'll be fine — those Monsters will be taken care of by my Boss."
Right after.
"Bloodline Magic — "
Netherworld of Salvation
"!"
Katia's voice rang out from behind. The Bloodline Magic, its Chant completed, activated, and spiritual masses struck the Monsters one after another.
Katia's Bloodline Magic was heavily influenced by the caster's emotions.
Until now, she hadn't been able to use it properly because she didn't understand this, but with Ermes's guidance, she had improved her mental control during activation and was overcoming that weakness more than ever before.
Its current power was likely on par with the upper echelons of Count-class families.
The magic struck the Hounds head-on, and their death screams echoed through the air.
However, as expected, several of them dodged the direct hits and, despite taking damage, immediately attempted to retreat.
—But he had no intention of letting them escape. Taking them down was his job.
"El! The rest is on you!"
Katya's voice echoed out. In response, Ermes began to activate his enhanced universal magic.
"...No, this is a good opportunity. Let me give it a try."
A slightly mischievous grin on his face, he activated the inscription board before him—
the Primal Inscription—
and brought it to life.
He drew a breath and declared:
"Celebrate peace on the eve of the end—no dawn shall come to this place again. The world of salvation
lies
beyond this reality—
Formula Replay—'
Netherworld of Salvation
'"
"!"
Behind him, Katya gasped.
Before her, Ermes launched spirit shards as if recreating the very scene from moments ago.
True to his aim, they struck the fleeing hounds and, this time, delivered the killing blow.
"...Hmm, the power still feels lacking compared to the original."
Ermes murmured to himself, gazing at his palm as if testing the sensation.
He had been analyzing Katya's Bloodline Magic for some time now. Gradually, the results were bearing fruit, and he had reached the point where he could activate magic in this incomplete manner.
But it was still incomplete. Was the fidelity of the Technique reproduction insufficient, or perhaps—
"In the first place. Summoning using the lingering regrets of the dead as a medium, converting them into a mass of magic power...
Is that truly
'
Netherworld of Salvation
'
behind this—
──?"
He murmured this, seemingly on the verge of giving form to the unease that had been surfacing throughout his research.
"El, are you still doing magic research at a time like this?"
Katya hurried over with an exasperated expression.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we're on a mission right now. Priority one is taking down the enemy. ...Well, you did take them down properly, so I suppose I can't complain."
"My apologies. I saw it as an opportunity to test things in actual combat."
He gave a wry smile in response to her earnest words.
At the same time, there was a rustling sound from the bushes behind them.
When they turned to look, a pack of Hounds several times the size of the last one filled the forest. Wary, yet radiating unmistakable hostility in their direction.
"...Ah, did they set their sights on us because of what happened earlier?"
"It seems so. But this works in our favor. Hounds are cowardly Monsters, so while we still have the will to fight them, now is our chance."
"True. If we let them scatter, it'd be a pain. Better to wipe them all out now. But the problem is..."
With that, Katya turned her gaze to the girl in Ermes's arms.
If they were to fight now, there would be no time to evacuate the girl. Before the very Monster that had been about to attack her—that was what he thought, but—
"T-That's amazing...!"
Contrary to expectations, the girl was looking at them with sparkling eyes.
"……It seems she's become a fan of Lady Katya's magic, wouldn't you say?"
"D-Don't tease me. You too, though. Still, it looks like we should be alright with this."
"Yes. —I'm sorry, but could you hold on to me? We're about to take down this Monster."
"O-Okay!"
The girl nodded her head vigorously, as if to say she couldn't wait to see that magic again.
They exchanged wry smiles once more, then activated their techniques against the Hounds bearing down on them.
Before long, the Monsters were annihilated.
The subjugation of the Monsters plaguing this village—the mission had, as it happens, been accomplished before they even entered the village.
◆
"Thank you so very much!"
Ermes and the others entered the village belatedly.
After reporting and confirming matters at the village chief's residence, it turned out those Hounds had indeed been the Monsters whose subjugation had been requested.
"Lina was saved too—I truly don't know how to thank you enough……!"
The girl from before bowed her head deeply alongside him. It seemed she was the village chief's granddaughter.
"These big brothers and sisters were amazing! When they said fancy words, this purple light went WHOOSH!"
The girl herself still hadn't calmed down from the excitement of witnessing the battle, and she kept describing the scene to the village chief with animated gestures.
Her appearance was quite endearing—but Katya, for her part, paid it no mind and asked the village chief something with a serious expression.
"……Mind if I ask you one thing, Village Chief?"
"Yes! What is it?"
"I'm sure you're aware, but this village is in Norkia Viscount's territory. Naturally, you first sent a request for aid to the Viscount as well, didn't you?"
"Y-Yes. But this time, it was you from the Ducal household who..."
"Do you know how that came about?"
The Hound they had just defeated was indeed a troublesome Monster. There were a fair number of them, too.
But... for a wielder of Bloodline Magic, they should not have been monsters that were impossible to subjugate.
In other words, this was not a case of the Viscount being out of his depth, as Katya had initially suggested, which was why it was forwarded to the Ducal household.
Then why? The village chief answered with a pained expression.
"Well, you see... the truth is, the Viscount had originally planned to send aid while fitting it in between his busy schedule."
"?! Then why..."
"We were told he would arrive a week ago. However, a letter arrived the day before that... ah, here it is."
Katya and the village chief both looked at what the chief produced from the shelf.
The contents written there were terse. "An urgent matter has come up in the Royal Capital. I cannot send aid. Make do on your own for the time being."
However.
"—!"
"Oh, so that's what happened."
They realized at the same time.
A week ago. That was precisely when the party celebrating Katya's achievements had been held.
"...I believe he was in attendance, wasn't he? Norkia Viscount was at that party as well."
In fact, if Ermes' memory was correct—he had been one of the nobles who had most actively pursued a marriage arrangement with Katya at that very event.
In other words, the Viscount had been thinking this.
That saving a single remote village was far less important than forging connections with a prestigious family.
Because of that very way of thinking, this village had been exposed to considerable crisis, and now, a life was about to be taken.
They must have expended a significant amount of effort to fend off the monster attack themselves. The villagers Ermes had seen earlier had all appeared somewhat haggard.
"Protecting the people is a noble's true calling! And yet—!!"
Katya, who had reached the same conclusion, could no longer contain her fury.
Ermes placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her, and after she exhaled sharply, she seemed a little more composed.
"...I'm sorry. I lost my composure."
"N-No, it's fine..."
"You've all been through so much recently. You held up well. And... from now on, I will make sure something like this never happens again. I swear it."
"Yes. This matter certainly should be reported to His Grace the Duke. Though he will likely have anticipated as much."
"Yes. So... if it looks like the same thing might happen again, come to Troikia for help first and foremost this time. We will absolutely not abandon you."
Katya's unwavering declaration, delivered with a steady gaze.
Upon hearing it, the village chief, as if a taut string within him had finally snapped, let large tears roll down his cheeks.
"...Th...Thank you... so much...!"
He collapsed to the ground, voicing his joyous relief.
It was the first quest Hermès and Katya had received from Yurugen.
And though it had laid bare the contradictions within this kingdom, it concluded with success and earned their trust.