“Sir Chris! Sir Chris!” she called out to him.
“Ugh...!” He grimaced slightly. His head swiveled as he desperately fought to answer her. “I...am...just...fine...” he managed to force out in a whisper, his head still swimming from shock.
“Oh, yes!” Ferns suddenly said. “Sonia de Clare! You wanted me to return this girl’s body, didn’t you?”
Sonia shielded Chris as she turned to face the voice, which no longer belonged to Ferns and certainly didn’t belong to Pamela. This was the voice of the demon Baphomet.
“Let’s trade. If you relinquish your body to me, I shall leave this girl.”
“...Really?” Sonia pressed.
“I have more to gain from possessing your wealthy vessel than remaining inside this girl. Sonia, haven’t you come to realize you are nothing more than a marionette tied to the strings of mass fortune and a title? For the sake of your noble house, you will be forced into a marriage against your will and spend the rest of your life administering the demesnes and assets. You must plunge into this lonesome, dreary life before reaching twenty years of age. Are you okay with this? How could you be? You would be far happier to pass on and start over from scratch.”
“...Will you return Pamela alive and in one piece?” she asked the demon.
“I might be a demon, but that doesn’t mean I don’t keep my word. Your wealth, prestige, and youthful body are more than enough. I will return this girl with her body and soul unharmed,” Baphomet assured her.
Sonia slowly stood up. She fixed her unwavering gaze upon Baphomet in Pamela’s flesh. Her face was completely devoid of expression. But Baphomet knew what that meant.
This is the face of a girl ready to die, the demon recognized.
Sonia took one step forward. Following her lead, Baphomet also moved forward.
“It’s time, Sonia de Clare...” Baphomet said, raising both of Pamela’s hands up toward Sonia.
Sonia elegantly raised arms light as feathers in a gesture that looked as though she were accepting an escort to a dance. In her hands, she held the bottle of sanctified body oil!
“GAAH!”
It was too late by the time Baphomet noticed. Opening the bottle, Sonia splashed the body oil at Pamela.
“What are you doing?!” Baphomet shrieked at Sonia, unable to comprehend her actions. The echo of his piercing scream cut through the air.
“Pamela!” Sonia shouted as she ran to Pamela and flung her arms around the young lady’s tender body. She embraced her tightly so as not to let go.
“Pamela! Snap out of it! Don’t lose!”
“NGH! Clare WENCH! You covered yourself in holy water! LET GO! You’re burning me!” Baphomet screamed. The stench of burning flesh stung Sonia’s nostrils.
“Stop this! LET GO! You’ll burn the girl with me!” the demon howled as he writhed in agony, but Sonia only held on tighter.
“Pamela isn’t the one suffering from the burns! This is only burning you, the demon inside her! Pamela made this for me! She’d never make something that would burn her!” she shouted at the demon.
Then Sonia addressed her friend, “Pamela, listen! I love you! I don’t care if you hate me! I don’t care if we can’t be friends anymore! Even if you hate me...I could never hate you! Having you in my life saved me! Now I want to save you! Pamela, snap out of it! I will save you! I swear I will!”
“So...nia...” came Pamela’s trembling voice.
Pamela! Pamela!
“Don’t lose! Please don’t lose! Force those villains out!”
“Sonia, I...love you...too...”
But the surge of jealousy rose again and again without end. I hated myself for it. I deserve to be cursed! That was how I felt. I didn’t want you to know I was seething with jealousy, Pamela thought in a surge of emotions, returning Sonia’s embrace. Sonia felt that she did it of her own will. Sensing Pamela’s feelings course through her body, Sonia hugged her even harder.
“Stop! What are you thinking?!” Baphomet cried out.
Pamela resembled an insect molting its exoskeleton as white mist came out of her back. The mist appeared heavy and solid.
“Pamela! Over here!” Sonia yelled and began tugging at her friend’s body, which had suddenly slumped limply on top of her. On the brink of falling unconscious, Pamela fought with all her strength to move her feet.
“Duchess Sonia!”
The doors swung violently open as Matthew and the house steward broke in.
“Gentlemen! Were you outside the door?” Sonia asked in shock.
“As per Sir Chris’ orders! He instructed us to take you to safety if the worst should come to pass!”
While the house steward carried Pamela away, Matthew held Sonia close as he tried to draw her out of the chapel.
“No, let GO!” Sonia snapped and shook Matthew’s arms away. Her eyes were shining with determination.
“This is my chance to break the curse! I can’t let the misfortune that struck Grandfather, Mother, Father, my brothers, and everyone else start all over again!” Sonia shouted in a booming voice as she picked up the sword strewn at Chris’ side.
“I must protect the Clare line. And I must protect the lives of the people who live on this land. I can’t back down for Pamela, or for you, Matthew, or for my knight in shining armor, Sir Chris! I can’t, for all the people who care about me! I have the will and the desire to break this curse! I won’t lose to him!”
Sonia walked unsteadily toward the white mist still writhing in agony on the floor...dragging the sword behind her.
“G-Grandfather...! I wish you took into consideration that a woman might wield the sword...when you had it made...!” she panted out.
It was too heavy to lift. The tip of the blade slid on the ground. Nonetheless, Sonia dug her heels into the ground as she put all of her strength into raising it.
I swear I’ll protect everyone! As the thought crossed her mind, someone from behind put their hands on the sword’s hilt and lifted the blade up with her.
“Duchess Sonia! Sorry for the wait! I shall help you!” Heedless of the blood drizzling down his forehead, Chris was smiling cheerfully.
“Sir Chris!”
“I’m sorry. I must have dozed there for a second, but I’m fine now! I’m wide awake, pumped, and raring to go!”
He’s abnormally hyper!
“While I was asleep, I could see His hand appear in the light and point the way! It was a sign God is lending us a helping hand!”
Wasn’t that a near-death experience? Sonia wanted to point out, but couldn’t bring herself to when Chris was so moved his eyes sparkled. This isn’t the time for that, anyway!
With Chris’ support, Sonia held onto the sword and commanded, “Sir Chris, please lend me your strength!” She glared at the white body of evil healing itself before her eyes.
“But of course! Allow me to show you the true essence of protective magic!” Chris answered.
Protective magic...
Modeled after the twelve birthstones, twelve knights were chosen for the Order of the Birthstones. God blessed these chosen knights with magic of “divine protection.” The protective magic split into three subcategories befitting a gift of God: defense, recovery, and purification.
Purification was particularly important for knights and soldiers who frequently entered the battlefield. The negative energies shrouding the battlefield once the fighting came to an end brought out the wandering souls of those who died with regret or didn’t realize they were dead. Demons, as specialists at seducing hearts weakened by tragedy, would tempt those no longer of flesh and blood with their sweet, silver tongues, luring them into an even crueler realm.
Protective magic could be used to keep this from happening. These twelve knights were blessed with this power more strongly than all others. Among the knights in the Order of the Birthstones, Chris stood as the pinnacle as the Diamant.