I agonized over my decision, but ultimately, I decided to tell my squires about the ritual. According to Alice, the spell’s success rate would increase if I could gather more mana. This meant that I inevitably required others to help me. For the past eight years, my squires had stuck by my side and followed my orders, always keeping a keen eye on every movement I made. It wasn’t rare for them to predict my actions beforehand—I had educated them to do so.
I was sure that they already had an inkling about my plans, and I knew that there was no sense in hiding it. I gathered my squires and told them exactly what I’d told Alice earlier.
“If this person is important to you, Lady Serena, we shall happily offer our lives for your endeavor,” Oscar said.
He didn’t even flinch as he spoke. I was sure that they must have had more questions, but none of them said a word; they easily accepted my explanation. Ultimately, I was a coward and hid the fact that I’d received a second chance at life. I didn’t want them to know that I’d been executed for such a stupid reason in the past. If I disappointed my squires, I feared that I would lose their loyalty too.
“Does the sacrifice have to be human?” Richard asked. “Can’t we catch a monster or something and use that instead?”
It was less of a sacrifice and more of a price to pay for the spell, but really, the two were one and the same.
“In this world, there isn’t much of a difference between monsters and humans,” Alice replied. “But the one to be offered must be accepting of the fact that they will die for this spell. I think that’s difficult to ask of a monster. And if the legends are true that humans were made in God’s image, a different species likely cannot replace a person. I assume that several monsters would be necessary to replace the cost of a human life, and it’s likely impossible to assemble a team of monsters who’re all willing to die for the ritual.”
“Hmph,” Oscar scoffed, annoyed that humans were so valuable in this ritual. “Humans and monsters aren’t so different, and yet the former seems overvalued. If it were up to me, I’d put humans at the absolute bottom.”
“Why don’t we select a random student from the academy?” Isabel suggested. I found her idea to be quite cruel. “If their very existence will vanish, I imagine that a random person won’t become much of an issue.”
Alice was against this too. “We can’t be sure just how loyal the person we select will be toward Lady Serena. Worst case, this information might be leaked to outsiders. That will only hurt Lady Serena’s reputation, and I cannot agree to that.”
Lewis raised his hand. “Then I’ll do it. I’m the most useless of the bunch, so I think I’ll be a fine sacrifice.”
There wasn’t a hint of despair in his voice; in fact, he was smiling. Lewis wasn’t useless—far from it. He was an excellent priest with shining prospects for the future.
“You can’t get ahead of us,” Richard said. He scowled and stepped toward Lewis. “You’re not the only one who wants to be of use to Lady Serena. I’ll be the sacrifice.”
“No, I will,” another of my squires said.
“No, it’ll be me,” said another.
A bidding war ensued, my squires eagerly nominating themselves to be used for the ritual. If their very existence were to vanish, it meant that I wouldn’t even remember that they’d been useful to me. I simply couldn’t understand why they all wanted to undertake such a thankless role.
I decided to put an end to their meaningless debate.
“I’ll be the one to decide my candidate,” I said. “I won’t accept any objections.”