Chapter 117

Sahara sent Maya off, who ran as hard a she could. Sahara watched her leave, then emerged from her cover to find Teach standing motionless for some reason. It was then that Sahara realized the attacks had paused during her conversation with Maya. “How could you…” “Were you eavesdropping? Wow, I’m so embarrassed.” “You must know what will happen if that thing uses its Concept of Original Sin, loses its memories, and becomes a Human Error, don’t you?” The Pure Concept of Evil was one of the most terrifying of the taboo conjuring types. How many humans had sold their souls and become demons? How many innocent civilians had become victims of the monsters that roamed the world? “Killing that thing is the only just recourse… So why would you try to save it…? How could you protect it?!” Sahara blinked, her reaction suggesting she’d never considered that before. “Huh? I dunno. It’ll probably be fine, right?” “What…? You really think you’ve got things under control? Can you take responsibility if the worst-case scenario comes to pass?!” “Who, me? Don’t be ridiculous.” Sahara shrugged with unbelievable indifference. “Menou’s the one who handles things like that, obviously.” As far as Sahara was concerned, nothing was ever her responsibility. She’d learned through experience that it was easier to live her life with that mentality. “Besides, look at this.” Sahara held out her prosthetic arm, brandishing the finger that wore the lizard ring, to further demonstrate her innocence. “That girl threatened me with a cursed ring. Which means no matter what dangers Maya might bring on the world, it’s not my fault, ’cause she made me do it.” “…There’s nothing there, idiot.” “Huh?” After blinking a few times, Sahara examined her pinky. There was nothing on it. Maya had removed the curse just moments ago. “…Hey, you’re right. Life is full of crazy surprises, huh?” “Are you messing with me?! You’re just a nobody, dammit! I’m the one in the right, not you and your nonsense!” Teach bellowed with rage. It was clear that her soul had been taken over in addition to her body. Sahara felt a rare pang of sympathy for Teach’s loss of control. Teach hadn’t betrayed the Faust. When she was an Executioner, she’d followed orders and hunted taboos, carrying out her missions to the letter. She’d never taken a wrong step as an Executioner in all her life. Yet even though she hadn’t willingly wavered from her way of life, she’d somehow fallen onto the wrong path. Just like Sahara had when she fought Menou. Yet although they shared that quality, there were obvious differences between them. “I can still get it all back…if I just kill that blasted Flarette! I can fix it all!” Master Flare only began teaching prospective Executioners at the monastery after she took in the young Menou. There was a clear difference in the beliefs of Executioners before and after Flare’s era as a teacher. “The pride of the Faust…of we Executioners! I’ll restore it with my own hands! And I’ll make everyone see what we’ve done for this world—they’ll all see!!” Teach was an Executioner from the previous generation. That’s why she cared so deeply about the so-called pride of Executioners. Sahara lacked the same direct education Menou had received from Flare, but she’d never thought there was any pride to be found in murdering people. “Listen, Teach. There’s one thing you’ll never be able to beat Menou at. She’s got such a gift in that one specific quality that even Master Flare acknowledged it.” “What is it? Tell me!” Teach’s eyes were bloodshot—and by now she had too many eyes to count. No trace of reason survived in any of them. It was much too late for Teach, but she still longed to know why she’d ended up like this and how she could escape her hopeless situation. It was pitiful. There was nothing to be gained or reclaimed by killing someone. Sahara watched this woman who’d been left behind by the times cooly. She pointed at her own face as she replied, offering a single word. “Looks.” Teach’s expression went utterly blank. “She’s had a naturally pretty face from the day she was born. It’s so unfair.” Teach’s face slowly turned bright red with fury. She touched the scar on her cheek. With lips drained of color, she answered “…Die.” All other emotions had died, and now, only murderous rage remained. Guiding Force filled the four scriptures Teach held. The conjuring she constructed was meant to form a pseudo-church to trap and kill Sahara. While Sahara had never made it past the rank of nun, her opponent was a highly experienced priestess, one whose power had been amplified by a Concept of Original Sin. However, Sahara grinned in the face of this overwhelmingly hopeless situation. She’d always hated Menou. And she hated herself even more for being so twisted that she couldn’t help but hate someone so beautiful and pure. But oddly enough, in this moment, she felt like she could forgive herself for hating Menou. “Still, though… This really isn’t my style.” With just a bit of regret for staying behind to fight for Maya’s sake, Sahara still focused her efforts on the fight against Teach. A broadsword sliced through the air. It was nearly as long as a full-grown man was tall, graceful with a rounded tip. Any average adult would’ve had difficulty lifting it, even with both hands, yet Michele swung it in one with the glow of Guiding Enhancement around her. Her swing looked almost casual, not propelled by brute force. In the middle of an upward cut, she changed the blade’s direction to a horizontal swipe with the flick of her wrist. Her sheer skill was overpowering, and her weapon cut close to her target. “I’m amazed you dodged that.” Michele’s muttered words were tinged with annoyance, not admiration. Somehow, perhaps thanks to Guiding Enhancement, Flarette was keeping up with Michele’s movements in close combat. Michele obviously had the advantage. There was no reason to waste any more time, and no point in obsessing over trying to finish her opponent in melee range. Michele hadn’t received a replacement for the scripture she gave to Maya in time, but that wasn’t a problem. She sent Guiding Force through the crest in her broadsword. Guiding Force: Connect—Sword of Judgment, Crest—Invoke [Current] A wave of water surged from the crest carved into her broadsword. The torrent was so powerful that it could almost be mistaken for a flash flood. Flarette dodged a direct hit by jumping high into the air. That was exactly what Michele wanted. She was about to use the Compression conjuring to focus a high-pressure blast of water, certain that Flarette couldn’t dodge in midair. Then a loud blast shook the ground, the sound emanating from the train station in the distance. “What?” The unexpected distraction stopped Michele’s swing short. Flarette landed safely and retreated a bit. Michele stole a glance toward the freight station. The train carrying Maya should’ve been there. Michele had revealed Flarette’s location to Hooseyard, who she was forcing to spy on the rebel Executioners. Hooseyard, in turn, had told the Executioners, luring them into the open. However, Michele had kept Maya a secret. And yet it was clear from a distance that a battle had broken out at the station. Who could it be? Her mind raced. Flarette and company had taken down the local knights on their way here, and the Executioners had been wiped out, too. There shouldn’t have been anyone left to chase Maya. Only now did Michele realize she hadn’t seen Teach among the Executioners chasing Flarette earlier. “Don’t tell me that incompetent fool went after Miss Maya…” That wasn’t part of her plan. She couldn’t let Teach harm Maya when the Lord was so close to her destination. Michele sincerely wanted Maya and Hakua to make amends. Unfortunately, her current target stood in the way, becoming an obstacle that prevented her from running to Maya’s aid. “Getting distracted, are we?” Flarette’s blade cut into Michele’s side, but there was no spray of blood. Luminous Guiding Force bled from the wound instead. The circulating power that kept Michele’s existence anchored in this world healed her flesh in the blink of an eye. “You’re the one who tried to ambush me, and now you’re barely paying attention. What’s got you so worked up?” “Tsk!” Michele’s eye twitched in annoyance at the taunt. After all her carefully arranged plans to take down Flarette, she was getting flustered about an unexpected attack elsewhere. The feeling that the tables had turned on her only heightened her aggravation. “Shouldn’t you be more concerned? Your friend’s being attacked,” Michele said. “If you’re that worried, maybe you should’ve been nice enough to leave us alone in the first place,” Menou replied. “Silence. You’re a former Executioner, Flarette. What right do you have to call yourself a comrade of Miss Maya’s?” Her voice sharpened to shake her opponent. “Maya is an Otherworlder.” Maya Ooshima was a lost one, even if her past as Pandæmonium made that easy to forget. She was an innocent Japanese person who’d been summoned against her will, used, and ultimately turned into a Human Error. “She’s essentially no different from the people you’ve killed. And you would still try to save her? Are you trying to protect Otherworlders despite all the harm you’ve done them, the pile of their corpses you’ve created?” Michele spoke acidly. “Meanwhile, Lady Hakua has been trying to save Otherworlders for the past thousand years.” “What are you talking about?” Menou asked. “Hakua is the one who created the Faust. I don’t know how you can claim she tried to save Otherworlders when she’s the one who made them taboo.” “Hah!” Michele snorted. “Why do you think Lady Hakua and her companions created the Starhusk? Isn’t that why you people are after it now?” “It’s a weapon of mass destruction, isn’t it? The hole it created in the northern continent certainly gives me an idea of its use.” “What? Wait, don’t tell me…” Michele looked doubtful. “Do you people actually believe the Starhusk is just a weapon?” Flarette’s movements momentarily slowed at the implications of Michele’s words. Despite herself, she listened to what her opponent had to say in the midst of their battle. “So I was right. I can’t believe you really thought the Starhusk was exactly as it appeared on the surface. Although, I suppose the Director and Miss Maya never knew the true purpose behind its construction. The hole it carved in the northern continent was an incidental side effect.” Michele wasn’t foolish enough to miss the opening in her opponent’s guard. Even as she spoke, she leaped forward. Flarette managed to evade, but the decoration that hung off the broadsword’s hilt connected with her face. It could hardly be called an attack. Indeed, it was probably because it didn’t seem intentional that Flarette didn’t register it as one. She must have forgotten what kind of crests were carved into the Sword of Judgment. Guiding Force: Connect—Sword of Judgment, Crest—Invoke [Compression] The crest conjuring focused Guiding Force on the point of contact, producing enough pressure to turn liquid into a blade. The water struck Flarette, crushing her face with an unnatural squelching snap. “What an unworthy enemy for Lady Hakua—what?” Michele’s victory was short-lived. There was no blood. Cracks ran across the body that had lost its face. This was no human. It was a conjured soldier disguised as one. The glittering corpse disappeared in a flash of blue Guiding Light. “Ohhh, thanks for the info! Ah-ha-ha! You really thought I was li’l Menou, didn’t you?” came a new voice. With the body that had let her manifest in this world broken, she changed in new parts from the massive amount of material her real body contained, reconstructing in her original disguise. The pearly white skin and light chestnut hair were gone. Instead, there was a glamorous dark-skinned woman with unruly hair that went down to her waist. “Too bad! It’s me, everyone’s big sis!” Abbie, who’d disguised herself as Menou to entice Michele, grinned with satisfaction. Michele looked Abbie’s true form up and down slowly, staring as if she’d seen a ghost. “Oh my, what’s the matter, hmm? Can’t take your eyes off my flawless figure?” “…How long?” “Mm? I can’t heeear you. It’s sooo hard to tell what old people say sometimes.” Abbie exaggeratedly put a hand to her ear, causing her opponent to snap with rage. “How long have you been posing as Flarette?!” The conjured soldier smirked slyly. “Ever since we taught those nasty little knights a lesson at their headquarters. It’s obvious when you think about it, right?” Michele ground her teeth. She genuinely believed Maya and Hakua’s reunion was for the best. Menou threatened to obstruct that meeting, so Michele had focused on her, forgetting Abbie, and they’d used that against her. “Where…is the real Flarette?” “I suppose I could tell you…since it’s too late for you to get there in time anyway.” Abbie put a hand to the gear symbol on her abdomen. A dragonfly-shaped soldier crawled out of her skin. Its compound eyes projected a live feed from another insect that was with Menou. Teach had her subordinates attack Sahara. The student at her back moved with far more obedience and skill than ever before, but Sahara dodged and deflected with her Guiding prosthetic. While Sahara was a nun who’d failed to become a priestess, she was evidently still too strong to fall to simple attacks. Teach gave orders to another student and lifted one of the storage containers piled around the area. “Yikes…” Ignoring her opponent’s reaction, she flung the container. The giant box smashed into the ground right before Sahara, shattering to splinters. Sahara froze in place for a moment from the shower of flinders, and a third student moved at Teach’s command to strike with a precisely aimed scripture conjuring. Guiding Force: Connect—Scripture, 1:2—Invoke [Drive in the stake and make known the ground where all shall begin.] A stake of Guiding Force erupted from below. Sahara just barely dodged the attack from underfoot, rolling into a defensive stance as the force of the conjuring knocked her back.