∗ ∗ ∗
The <Holy King> only managed those final words before spitting blood and drawing his last breath.
I bore witness to his dying moments and tidied up his appearance, then located the documents for succeeding the title of the <Holy King> on the underside of his desk just as he’d said. They were formal papers designed to go into immediate effect after being signed. I wrote down my own name and placed them back where they had been.
According to the manual that was hidden in the same location, the only other person who knew about the documents would later retrieve them and then carry out the coronation. Evidently the <Holy King> had foreseen that something of this manner might eventually happen, and made efficient arrangements from the very onset. That convinced me that he had been telling me the truth.
“The <Holy King> is a <Demon King>? How utterly ridiculous... No, even if it’s the truth, my feelings will remain unchanged,” I murmured to myself. The <Holy King> had been placed in a casket and carried away to where he belonged, leaving the office empty.
As far as my skills could tell, there were no magic tools whatsoever in this room, and therefore my words would not be overheard. There was no better place to voice my resolution.
Yes, my resolution will never, ever change. No matter what manner of being Master Noah becomes, I will spend my life alongside him. Even if he truly is the <Demon King>...
“...That is none of my concern. Master Noah shall forever be Master Noah to me.”
That was that. I had returned to the Church for this explicit reason and overthrown the Holy King. What I had told Master Noah about reporting his death to the Church had been a mere excuse. My true intent had been to destroy the Church at all costs and make certain that it could not lay its hands upon Master Noah, come what may. Even if this were to cost me my own life.
Now my schemes had succeeded, and I could return alive to Master Noah’s side. That alone would surely be enough.
I’ll leave the Church’s administration in the hands of my sisters and the priests, and then I can live together with Master Noah.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Dammit! Why?” I exclaimed at the barbarity of the situation.
Just as soon as we’d gotten used to living in Asyl, one of the houses was destroyed in the middle of the night. I was awoken by a booming sound and rushed out, only to spot a monster I’d seen once before. It was the one which had terrified me in the Purgatory Forest, which I could never have won against. The very same giant was there before my eyes.
The ishkitini.
A cold-blooded, infernal fiend. A powerful and dreadful monster which lived in the Purgatory Forest.
“Are the kobolds—oh good, they’re safe.”
I saw that the destroyed house was luckily vacant. It was one we’d constructed in anticipation of more people coming to live here, so it wasn’t occupied yet.
The sound had woken up the kobolds as well, and they were looking at the ishkitini from a distance, with weapons equipped. Aht’s training to be immediately ready to handle an emergency had come to bear.
Yes, we’d all trained for something like this.
“I’m scared...but not as much as I once was. Not nearly as much as the first time it drove us away from our shelter! Right, Cath?”
“Meow!” responded Cath, who had come alongside me and was crouching low.
To us, the ishkitini was a despised enemy. We had an axe to grind against this beast, which had forced us to leave the cave we’d decided to live in. The first time we encountered it, we’d been no match for it and had to flee in terror.
But this time, I didn’t feel as much pressure from it. Because we’d gotten stronger. We’d trained, fought on the battlefield, gained allies...
And besides, the ishkitini felt like nothing compared to Aht. During our training, Aht was a hundred times scarier when she got serious. At the very least, I could tell that the ishkitini couldn’t last ten seconds against all of us.
Now...we can do this!
“Everyone, we’re going to kill it! This is our town! We’re not gonna let it take what’s ours!”
“Meow!”
“Woof woof!”
Cath and the kobolds rallied, and we charged at the ishkitini.
“Like I thought, we’ve got this!”
The fear I’d initially felt hadn’t been misplaced; we were just that much stronger now, both individually and coordinating against bigger enemies. But as we hacked away at it, the ishkitini huddled its huge body and transformed into a giant owl. That was bad news.
“Dammit, it’s going to get away!”
We did have some options for an aerial offensive, but we didn’t yet have any skills with enough attack power to knock down an ishkitini. We could gradually chip away at it, but nothing more.
If we let it get away, it would come back to attack us in due time. I sensed enough tenacity and vindictiveness from it for that. Judging from how we were faring in this battle, we’d be able to kill it eventually, even if it did escape now. But I didn’t even want to think of how many victims there would be in the meantime.
Asyl was still under construction. If this horrid thing kept returning, we wouldn’t be able to attract immigrants. Depending on the circumstances, the town could become abandoned again...
That was why I made my choice.
“Cath! We’re going after it!”
“Meow!”
“Kobolds, defend this point! Mataza and Liber, that goes for you too!”
“W-Woof! (B-But Milord!)”
“Woof! (Master!)”
“There’s no telling whether it’ll decide to circle back here in a hurry. It’s got superior mobility, so this is the only option. Please understand.”
“Woof... (If you insist...)”
“Woof. (Please be careful.)”
I nodded to the pair and ran off with Cath.