Death March — Fixed

POV: Head Priestess of the Tenion temple (Yu Tenion)

 

“Head Priestess! It’s terrible!”

 

Jeez, what a hopeless child. To lack composure when he’s soon going to be 40, think that it’s a bit problematic. Maybe I should give him some stern advice now.

 

“What’s wrong, Head Priest? You are higher-ranked than me, and should show decorum.”

 

“I’m sorry, Head Priestess. No, this isn’t the time to talk about that!”

 

“Calm down, what’s happened?”

 

“Priestesses of Parion temple, and even of the Garleon temple, have been kidnapped by someone.”

 

Oh me, such a thing happened?

 

Kidnapping the Priestesses of Oracles in the middle of Demon Lord season like this, is bad.

 

There are seven Priestesses who have received Oracles in the Duchy Capital. They are: Sera and I, the Head Priestess of Urion temple and Zaikuon temple, the apprentice Priestesses of Heraluon temple, and the two kidnapped Priestesses.

 

Normally, one would have sufficed. But, last month, by the Duke’s orders, every temple was to receive Oracles, and search them for any hints about the Demon Lord’s revival.

 

Yet, instead of narrowing down the possible Revival location, each temple received a different response. Although it’s normal for the details to be different between people who receive Oracles, depending on their gods, this is the first time there was this much of a difference.

 

My Oracle points towards the Duchy Capital. If possible, I want it to be a miss, but it’s the same place that was predicted to be the location of the Demon Lord’s revival 66 years ago--there is no mistake that the Demon Lord will be revived here.

 

Before, there was a Hero near me, but that person has left us and gone back to their original world.

 

Aren’t I no good, wishing for something that doesn’t exist.

 

The Oracle that Sera received points to another continent. Even though our Oracles are from the same god--I wonder why we receive different Oracles.

 

For me to try and guess what the god is thinking, it’s really not Priestess-like at all isn’t it.

 

Oh right, Sera!

 

This isn’t the time to get lost in my thoughts.

 

“Head Priest, check where Sera is.”

“Yes, Head Priestess!”

 

I ask the Head Priest to contact his excellency, the Duke, if Sera’s whereabouts can’t be confirmed--since this child is flustered like this, he looks like he’ll end up collapsing soon.

 

***

Even though the Priests have looked everywhere, Sera’s whereabouts is still unknown.

 

The matter about the three kidnapped Priestesses have reached his excellency, the Duke, too--his knight and guard subordinates are searching the Duchy Capital even now.

 

Although I haven’t got the reports from the Bell Tower, since I can see the lights from the ships outside the harbour aren’t moving, the harbour is probably blockaded.

 

That’s relieving.

 

However, since the opponents have defended against our Detection Magic, it looks like they have a powerful Mage that can use Advanced-Grade Magic, or a person who holds powerful Artifacts.

 

I wonder if it’s that group who were spreading rumours about the end, Wings of Liberty, that the Priests had been talking about.

 

Sera, please come back safely.

 

I take the Resurrection Artifact, that I usually hang around my neck, onto my palm. I begin to pour Magic into it, even though I know that this is for nothing but for my peace of mind.

 

***

I woke up in my room, and notice that it has begun to get dark. It looks like I’ve fainted.

 

It can’t be helped at my age right--to faint while I was pouring Magic into the Resurrection Artifact like this.

 

I can’t believe it--this place is near the sanctuary where Ritual Magic is held, and it is filled with Divinity. Even for an old woman like me, when I’m here, I just like a young woman--which seems too exaggerated. Although I can move and look like a youngster, fainting even in a place like this, maybe I don’t have much time left.

 

I’m already physically 80 years old after all--my levels have also stopped replenishing me, I am much older. Soon might be a good time to go on a journey to where my friends who died earlier also went.

 

I didn’t notice it before when I was lost in such thoughts, but there’s no shaking today. I’m glad that the tremors that have been assaulting the Duchy Capital, for the past several days, is gone.

 

It was troubling to deal with nobles who came almost every day, asking ‘Is it going to be alright?’, you know. Though since they’re donating, the Head Priest doesn’t seem like he has any complaints.

 

***

I wonder if I’m really going senile.

 

There were many assassins who had intruded into this sanctuary before, but this is the first time one has gotten so close. I wonder if my Danger Sense Skill is getting rusty?

 

While feeling dubious about the lack of blood thirst from the intruder, I take the initiative to greet him, “Oh my, the assassin tonight is surprisingly good. This is the first time I don’t notice one until he’s this close.”

 

The one who appears from the shadows, as if gliding over the ground, is a young boy wearing a white mask. There are two bundles of wrapped cloth on his shoulders--are those people?

 

“Oh my, you’re an assassin and also a kidnapper?”, is he an assassin who also happens to be a kidnapper, I wonder?

 

I could see a lot of information with Status Check, but I couldn’t see his name--since I could see the name of the two people as well, it wasn’t like the Skill was malfunctioning. The two are the Priestesses of Parion and Garleon who have been kidnapped alongside Sera.

 

His level is 70, like the Hero of the Saga Empire, but his title is Saint. He can’t be called anything but Abnormal, since he has such a level at his age, even though he’s not the Hero who was summoned by the Saga Empire.

 

Moreover, that Saint title. Although there are other people who have the Saintess title, like me, I haven’t seen anyone with the Saint title for the last 100 years--I wonder who he could be. I’d have consented if he had the title of Hero instead.

 

“Nice to meet you, Yu, Head Priestess of Tenion’s temple. You can call me Sine Nomine--I have no intention of harming you. These two girls are Parion and Garleon Priestesses that I rescued from a cult called the Wings of Liberty.”

 

“I certainly remember them. Hey, Sine Nomine--won’t you show me your face, it’s hard to talk to you with that mask on.” I try hard to stop my voice from trembling.

 

Hey, what about Sera?

I want to ask that.

 

However, my intuition as a Priestess has already told me: That child is already no more.

 

“I’m very sorry, Head Priestess--but, I don’t know you, and I don’t want people to be able to identify me, then bother me with inane requests.”

 

“Is that so? Such a pragmatic Hero. Hey, Sine Nomine--do you know the whereabouts of our kidnapped Priestess, Sera?”

 

“I knew.”

 

Ahh, as I thought.

 

“So, that child died, huh?” I can’t, it’s still too early to cry, for that child’s sake.

 

As a Priestess, I have to ask him now, “Was the one who killed Sera the humans of Wings of Liberty? Or--The Demon Lord? That’s right isn’t it, Sera has been sacrificed for the Demon Lord?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Ah, I can’t hold back my tears.

 

Even though I have to ask for the sake of the deployment of the Saga Empire’s Hero, and even though I’m not sinking sorrow, I can’t stop my tears.

 

“Is that so? That child was unable to go against her fate.”

 

Sine Nomine takes out a handkerchief out from somewhere and wipes away my tears with it. Although he’s wearing a strange mask, he’s a gentleman isn’t he.

 

I talked to him about the catastrophe that would befall this land, while crying. In order to pull him in as a war asset before the Hero arrives--however, he gives indifferent replies when he heard the story about the Demon Lord’s revival.

 

Does it not feel real to him?

 

Or perhaps--he has already exterminated it?--that can’t be right.

 

***

“Yu, are you able to use Resurrection Magic?”

 

“Yes, I’m able to.” I instinctively answer Sine Nomine’s sudden question.

 

He probably wants to bring me to where Sera’s body is, and use Resurrection Magic, but that’s impossible. This Resurrection Artifact hasn’t been filled with enough Magic to be usable.

 

He nodded to my words, and then took the Resurrection Artifact from my chest--and began to pour Magic into it with a dazzling glow.

 

It’s an unbelievable sight.

 

He’s doing such a precise Magic filling as though he is shoving Magic into a cheap Magic Circuit. Normally, you’d need an hour to just adjust your Magic to a frequency that the Resurrection Artifact, before you could even start filling it.

 

However, he still has the body of a Human after all.

 

The amount of Magic Power isn’t something that can be filled by a single person alone. While this is happening, the 30-minutes-after-death becomes the shackles and resurrection will be impossible.

 

“Excuse me for a bit.” Sine Nomine takes out a Holy Sword just like he took out the handkerchief earlier. It’s accompanied by a brilliant Holy Light that brightens the room as though it’s daylight. Even though it’s this bright, it’s a gentle that doesn’t hurt my eyes.

 

I’ve never seen a Holy Sword with this much overflowing power.

 

I can feel that it’s an order of magnitude different in strength, compared to the Holy Sword that my Hero wielded, Joyeuse.

 

But, what is it for?

 

I don’t think that it’s to hurt me--just what in the world?

 

“I’ll fill it up right away.”

 

--Sine Nomine is absorbing the Holy Light from the Holy Sword, as if it is pulsing. Then he pours the Magic into the Artifact without pause, without looking agitated, almost as though he’s just breathing.

 

Don’t tell me, he’s using his own body as an intermediary to transfer Magic from the Holy Sword to the Artifact?

 

Such an absurd method doesn’t exist even in Fairy Tales you know?

 

While I was taken aback by that absurdity, the filling of the Artifact is done--a process that’d have normally taken several years in just 10 minutes, I’m speechless.

 

He’s done so much already, so I’ll show him that I’ll run quickly to where Sera’s body, even if I have to sacrifice this old body.

 

As if ridiculing that determination, Sine Nomine summoned Sera’s body right in front of me.

 

He doesn’t have the Summoning Skill, though?

 

Did he summon without the Skill, I wonder.

 

Maybe he used the infinite storage, Inventory, like the Hero.

 

No, he said that it’s only been a few seconds since the death of Sera’s body. Time passes even inside the Hero’s Inventory--perhaps it’s Fixation Magic?

 

No, that shouldn’t be able to be used on living things, or even corpses.

 

Don’t tell me, Time Magic?

 

Even though it’s a Magic that only appears in Fairy Tales, it’s mysterious--but I feel that Sine Nomine could possibly use it.

 

The body of Sera, which has appeared in front of me is beautiful, without a single wound.

 

Sine Nomine, who has noticed that the body is naked, puts a cloth on it.

 

Rather than that--I have to concentrate now.

 

It’d be a disgrace as a woman if I wasted the miracles that Sine Nomine had created.