"Shrine Maiden Apprentice!"
"It's useless."
When the High Priest said that and let out a low laugh, a pale yellow began to bleed through the black magic stone, and a sharp crack rang out. Line after line of cracks spread across the smooth, spherical surface.
Ignoring the astonished High Priest, I fixed my eyes on the magic stone and kept pouring in Magic Power. Before my very eyes, it shifted from black to a pale, yellowish hue.
"Wh-What is this?!"
The black color drained away until the stone was filled with pale yellow, taking on a golden glow. Covered in fine cracks, it flashed brightly once, then began crumbling to sand.
The High Priest watched the magic stone—now a pale gold—crumble to sand and slip through his fingers, his eyes opened impossibly wide and his lips trembling. Even while he stared, I continued directing Magic Power at him.
"Mine, what do you think you're—gah!"
The High Priest, his bloodshot eyes locked on me, took the full brunt of my pressure, clutched his chest, and coughed up blood. The moment I was about to pile on even more, I heard a groan of pain from Damuel.
"Ngh!"
I turned to find Damuel on one knee. His grip had gone slack—the glowing baton slipped from his hand and dissolved into the air. His body slowly tilted, then collapsed on the spot.
"Sir Damuel?!"
I rushed over and could hear labored breathing, but he was unconscious. "Sir Damuel! Sir Damuel!" I called out to him, but all I got in return were groans.
"Is this all a knight amounts to? How pathetic..."
The toad sneered at Damuel with a nasty grin and snorted.
If this went on, Damuel would be in real danger. I looked around for help and saw that of the three men on the enemy side, only one staggering figure remained standing.
Father seized the man by the back of his head and slammed him into the floor like a basketball dunk. Leaving the man unconscious with his eyes rolled back, Father came toward me while carefully shielding his powerless left arm.
"Mine!"
"Father..."
The High Priest, struck down by my pressure, was crouched on the spot coughing up blood, and the Gray Priestess who served as his attendant fluttered around him in a panic. Deria simply sat there cradling
The only ones standing without serious injuries were me and the Baron. In the midst of this chaos, the door to the Chief Priest's room suddenly opened.
The Chief Priest, who was supposed to be away, stepped out into the hallway, and upon seeing the carnage, his eyes went wide.
"What in the world is going on?!"
Indeed, anyone who walked out of a room to find what looked like corpses scattered everywhere would be startled. But the real puzzle was why the Chief Priest—who had apparently been inside the whole time—hadn't noticed the commotion outside. That was the stranger part.
"I told you
"Even if you ask me that... I instructed Arno to say he was absent. He was in his room the whole time, so I wasn't exactly lying."
In response to the High Priest's shrill voice, the Chief Priest answered with a calm, composed expression. Having been inside that room yet still "unavailable" meant he had almost certainly locked himself in the preaching chamber. That room, accessible only through Magic Power, appeared to be completely isolated—the noise outside couldn't penetrate it at all.
The Chief Priest raised his eyebrows slightly as he surveyed the scene. The moment our eyes met, I caught a faint glare, and I scurried behind Father. He might have figured out I'd gone berserk with my Magic Power. Holding my breath at the thought of being strapped to a chair and subjected to some terrifying lecture, I watched as the Chief Priest pressed his temple and turned back to the High Priest.
"High Priest, I would like an explanation of this situation rather than an explanation about me. There appears to be someone in the
However, the High Priest refused to answer the Chief Priest's question. He simply shut his mouth and glared back. The Baron, whose gaze had been directed at the Chief Priest, no longer held a glowing baton. He looked at the Chief Priest with an arrogant expression, his belly jiggling as he spoke.
"Is there any reason I should introduce myself to a priest? I am here with proper authorization."
"I would like to see that authorization."
"Why should I show it to the likes of the Chief Priest?"
From my observations of how things worked among the Knights, I understood the Chief Priest held a fairly high position. But to the Baron from another territory, he was merely a Temple functionary—and the Baron was being exceedingly overbearing.
"The person standing here is a noble from another territory. Surely you don't intend to cause trouble while the Lord is away?"
Perhaps emboldened by the Baron's attitude, the High Priest—who had been coughing up blood with a twisted face—wiped his mouth and regained his arrogant bearing, rising to his feet.
"Wasn't it the High Priest who started this? With the Lord absent, there's no way permission would have been granted."
"I-I've had it for some time now. Therefore, I am not the one who caused trouble. It was Mine who disrupted the peace of the Temple and attacked a noble. If anyone bears responsibility, it is Mine alone. Arrest her immediately for treason against the nobility!"
The High Priest pointed at me with open hatred, then immediately coughed up blood again.
"Lo-look at this! Not once but twice, she attacked me with Magic Power! There's no way she did that without malice!"
"Oh yes, I was attacked as well. A mere Commoner who was given nothing more than a Blue Robe turned her Magic Power against me—a noble! The one who deserves punishment is that child."
The Baron looked at me and let out a repulsive laugh. It was the same noble logic I'd encountered during the Trombe incident. Commoners must never rebel.
"Now, seize Mine! Make it so she can never use Magic Power again!"
At the High Priest's command, the Chief Priest let out a light sigh and began walking toward Father and me. Father took my hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Mine, you've gone berserk with your Magic Power again."
"It was an emergency!"
"So it would seem. Anyone can see that from this state of affairs."
The Chief Priest murmured softly, looking down at me with sorrowful, sympathetic eyes. It was a look that made it clear he could not protect me.
"...Chief Priest, will I be charged with a crime?"
"Yes. With the High Priest and a noble from another territory as your accusers, it won't just be you. Your family and your Attendants will be charged as well."
Hearing the Chief Priest's words, I looked up at Father and said, "I'm sorry, Father." He let out a quiet laugh.
"I was prepared to die when you entered the Temple, Mine. This time is no different."
"If only I'd had enough power to kill the High Priest and the 'toad' and dispose of the evidence before the Chief Priest showed up, instead of this half-baked Magic Power."
I said it with a shrug and a hint of a joke, and the Chief Priest's cheek twitched slightly. His expression seemed to say, "Unfortunately, you're too clumsy to pull off evidence tampering."
"Sigh. ...Lord
I tugged the chain at my neck. The golden flame still flickered steadily at the center of the black stone, but there was no change whatsoever.
The Chief Priest stared at the necklace as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Mine, what is this?"
"After our enjoyable hunting trip in the lower city forest, Lord Sylvester gave it to me as a token of gratitude. He said it was a talisman."
"I see. This will become a powerful talisman."
The Chief Priest's words made me blink. For him to state it so definitively, it must truly be a formidable talisman. Sorry for doubting you, Sylvester, I thought silently.
"...But only if you have the resolve."
The Chief Priest said this, looking back and forth between Father and me.
"What kind of resolve?"
"The resolve to become an adopted daughter."
"Lord
I was about to say I was already prepared, but the Chief Priest shook his head.
"Not Karstedt's. Sylvester's."
Not dependable Lord Karstedt, but unpredictable Sylvester—whose insides were apparently like those of an elementary school boy. It was so unexpected that I blinked several times.
But even if I didn't understand the reason, Sylvester had given me this talisman because he wanted to help me. If it meant protecting not just me but everyone connected to me—my family and my Attendants—then that was enough.
"...If it means everyone will be saved, then I'll gladly accept."
"Mine!"
Father's eyes went wide as he raised his voice, but I slowly shook my head.
"I'm sorry, Father. But I want to protect everyone too. Please forgive me."
"If you've found your resolve, then that's enough."
As he said this, the Chief Priest handed me a ring. A ring set with a yellow stone dropped into my palm. It was different from the magic stone of the evidence ring that had just been destroyed—different in both size and clarity.
"Mine, pray to the Wind and protect them. Your precious ones, from my Magic Power."
"From the Chief Priest's... Magic Power?"
Surprised by his unexpected words, I tilted my head and looked up at the Chief Priest. He grinned with the most vicious expression I had ever seen on him.
"When I open the door, Magic Power will leak out and create problems. So create a wind shield around the door to prevent my Magic Power from escaping. You have a fine justification now. Use this opportunity to eliminate the nuisance."
It seemed that being suppressed by the toad and the High Priest had been extremely unpleasant for the Chief Priest. I didn't know what justification he had obtained, but he was clearly enjoying himself, the corner of his lips turned upward, as he turned his back on me.
"Have you sealed Mine's Magic Power?"
"I gave her a Magical Tool."
"Very well. Then it would be best to throw such a dangerous person outside the territory."
The Chief Priest snorted derisively at the High Priest, who had interpreted those words on his own and was beaming with delight. Smoothly producing a glowing baton, the Chief Priest leveled it at the High Priest. It was unmistakably a hostile stance.
"Wh-What is this?"
As the Chief Priest chanted something and swung his baton, a band of light flew from it and wrapped around the High Priest, coiling around and around until he was wound up like a thin daruma doll. The High Priest clenched his teeth.
"Chief Priest, what on earth do you think you're doing?"
"I can't have you dying on me now. That's all."
"...Dying?"
The Chief Priest left the High Priest—who had raised his eyebrows at such an ominous word—and turned to face the toad. The Baron was visibly panicking, pointing at the glowing baton in the Chief Priest's hand.
"Why does a priest have such a thing?!"
"Because I am, naturally, a noble who graduated from the Noble Academy."
The glowing baton was apparently proof of graduation from the Noble Academy. A priest raised in the Temple wouldn't have one. A noble from another territory wouldn't know about it either. But the Chief Priest was not a priest raised in the Temple.
"Then, shall we have a go, Baron Bindewald?"
"Why do you know my name..."
"I would certainly know the name of someone who tried to enter the city without the Lord's permission, failed, and had to be dealt with by the Knights."
The Chief Priest had known everything all along—he'd had the toad explain the names and circumstances. I couldn't help but think he really did have a twisted personality.
"You may think that once you leave this territory you'll be safe, but now that I've obtained a just cause, don't think I'll let you escape easily."
"A just cause, you say?"
The Chief Priest's Magic Power flowed into his baton.
The Baron, whose eyes had gone wide at the sight of the Chief Priest producing a glowing baton, felt the surging Magic Power and panicked, raising his own baton in defense.
I gasped at the sheer magnitude of the Chief Priest's Magic Power. The toad's power from earlier didn't even compare.
"Father, please carry Sir Damuel to the door where Fran is right away!"
I asked Father to do that and hurried over to Fran. As I approached, Fran was trying to stand with a pained expression.
"Fran, don't move! Sit down!"
From a distance I hadn't been able to tell, but he had small cuts and bruises all over his body.
"Fran, I'm sorry. Are you all right?"
"I am not accustomed to such situations. I apologize that I was of no use."
A Gray Priest who had never received combat training, who had been taught that violence was wrong—of course he wouldn't be used to this. I was the one who had dragged him into it.
"Don't be modest. You didn't get in my way, and you even slashed at them a few times. You must have sharp eyes. Train hard, and you could become strong."
Father came over with Damuel slung over his shoulder and set him down near the door, offering Fran a word of encouragement. I stepped forward in front of Damuel, Fran, and Father, placing them at my back, and channeled Magic Power into the ring while reciting the prayer.
"Wind Goddess who governs protection,
I created a wind shield that enveloped the door and all of us. Father, who had never seen me use Magic Power like this before, murmured in a daze.
"Mine..."
The Magic Power pouring into the Chief Priest's and the Baron's batons hadn't even been released yet, but stray sparks flew this way and that as their energies clashed in midair. Sparks that veered toward the shield popped with a bang when they touched the wind.
"It's all right. I'll protect you."
The two surging torrents of Magic Power became like pressure radiating in all directions, and the High Priest's group—with no defenses at all—could only tremble in place, pinned down by the flying sparks.
Only Deria held Dirk tightly, shielding him, and began searching for a safe spot. Seeing the wind shield I had created, Deria clutched Dirk and staggered to her feet.
"Please, Lady Mine, help me! Save Dirk!"
Under the pressure of the Chief Priest's Magic Power, pouring every ounce of my energy into maintaining a rigid wind shield with the magic stone I had borrowed from the Chief Priest, I had absolutely no capacity to go rescue Deria and Dirk.
"If you want to be saved, get inside the shield yourself. I can't move."
Deria, making sure the scattered sparks of Magic Power wouldn't touch Dirk, cradled him tenderly in her arms. Pushing back against the magical pressure with all her might, she began shuffling toward us with heavy, laboring steps.
"Lady Mine, are you going to save Deria?"
"I don't have the capacity to save anyone. If she can get into the shield, she's welcome to. That's all."
"But..."
I lowered my gaze slightly at Fran's dissatisfied expression.
I understood his urge to reprimand me, but I couldn't be expected to think that just because the two of them were exposed to the Chief Priest's Magic Power and perished, it would simply be acceptable. Especially Dirk—he had been Contracted without consent, had his Magic Power drained without permission, and was on the verge of death.
My explanation left Fran looking troubled, and he muttered only, "Please don't let it go to your head."
Deria crept closer and made it inside the wind shield, then collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had left her. Even so, she refused to let go of Dirk. Her crimson hair swaying gently, Deria looked up at me from where she sat.
"Lady Mine, thank you."
"Deria, I have no wish for either of you to die, so I don't mind if you enter the shield. But I haven't forgiven your actions. Don't forget that."
"...Yes."
Seeing that Deria had made it into the shield, the High Priest's Attendants apparently decided that even if their actions wouldn't be forgiven, their lives would be spared. The Gray Priestess attendants tried to enter in the same way.
"Lady Mine, would you permit us to enter as well?"
"Come in if you can."
"Thank you kindly."
However, of the three, only one Gray Priestess made it inside. The other two were bounced off the shield and blown away by the wind.
"Kyaa!"
"No—!"
Inside the wind shield, the Gray Priestess who had made it in and Deria watched the others being blown away and blinked.
"...Why?"
"Those with malice cannot enter."
The ones who couldn't get in weren't kept out because of anything I had done. The shield excluded anyone who harbored malice toward those being protected. That meant anyone who held malice toward me—the one who had attacked the High Priest with Magic Power—or toward Father, who had kicked a colleague Gray Priestess, or toward Deria and Dirk, who had been rescued first.
The Chief Priest's Magic Power surged enormously, and his lips moved as though whispering an incantation. In the taut, about-to-explode atmosphere, the door behind us creaked open.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mine."
Sylvester and Karstedt entered with broad grins, and at the same instant, the Magic Power of the Chief Priest and the Baron burst from their batons.
"Wh-What is going on?!"
"Both of you, get inside the shield right away and close the door!"