When it was all over, the only ones left standing besides Wilhelmina were Ceres, Ark, and Ellie. Surrounding them were the piled-up bodies of Paladins and Church officials. Finally, Wilhelmina was stomping on the head of the fallen cardinal and laughing.
“Umm...” Ceres began.
“Huh? I did just as you wished. No one’s hurt, right?” Wilhelmina said.
“Th-Thank you very much! By the way, why did you—”
“Aha ha ha, I’m just killing some time. It seems that I had some divine mana left over, and a few scraps of Arata’s ridiculous power too.”
“Lord Arata...” Ceres said. Then, she mumbled, “So it really was you who sent her to us.”
Wilhelmina laughed. “Indeed it was. It seems like he can’t help but feel worried about you, and when he sensed that you all were in a spot of trouble in this faraway place, he deployed me.”
“Oh, what a compassionate man...”
Ceres sounded deeply moved. Next to her, Ark the Hero seemed excited, while Ellie looked at Wilhelmina with some suspicion. The vampire’s instincts told her this: These three are going to be interesting.
“Now then, it looks like the mana for the summoning is going to run out soon, so I’ll be going back now,” Wilhelmina said.
“Huh?!” Ceres exclaimed. “But I haven’t given you my thanks yet...”
“Hey, you’ve already established a connection. If you really want to meet Arata, I’m sure you’ll be able to reach the place where we are.”
“A connection?” Ceres tilted her head, puzzled.
Wilhelmina nodded, a mysterious look on her face.
“That’s right. Oh, and if you really want to thank me, all you have to do is entertain me the next time we meet.”
“U-Understood! We’ll definitely go to meet all of you!”
“Mwa ha ha, I’m looking forward to it. If you truly desire it, I’m sure you’ll be able to make it... To the island where the gods live: Arcadia, that is!”
Then, a golden summoning circle appeared, and Wilhelmina vanished.
“I’ll definitely find you, Lord Arata and Lady Wilhelmina...” Ceres, who had believed in them until the end, closed her eyes as if in prayer.
“Let’s go, Ceres. We can’t stay here any longer,” Ark said.
“He’s right,” Ellie said. “After this, we’ll be wanted criminals for the rest of our lives. Well, not that I care. People have never liked me anyway.”
And then, the three of them left the cathedral and embarked on their journey.
“God and Lord Arata are with us. So we’ll definitely be all right,” Ceres said.
“Yeah, I believe so too,” Ark said. “After all, I saw a miracle twice over.”
“Well, it’s not like I have anything else I want to do besides go with you two, so I’ll tag along. As far as you take me,” Ellie said.
Though they were now notorious insurgents against the Church, their step was by no means gloomy. Their goal was Arcadia, the island where the gods lived. The journey of the saint, the Hero, and the Witch of Destruction would continue.