༺ Everything That The Saintess Had Accumulated ༻
Although I could control the Superior Demon, our current opponent was too vile.
Despite being a Superior Demon, it couldn’t hold a candle against the Demon Lord, of which only ten were on the continent. Moreover, since it was already dead, there was no chance its old skills would resurface.
Crush!
[Kraaaa!]
The Superior Demon’s scream fiercely echoed in the dark sky.
It received a blow from Stella’s left hand and rolled on the ground, screaming in agony.
“Shut up and get back to your feet.”
As I pulled the chain, the Superior Demon raised its body once more while writhing in pain.
I thought it could buy some time, but once we initiated the plan, the Superior Demon just got swatted around like a fly.
“Master Bastard!”
At that moment, I heard Findenai’s shout and the sound of hooves from behind us.
Seeing Findenai preparing to flee in the carriage, I immediately turned my body.
I covered my soles with mana and transformed it into wind magic. It was a simple spell; my body floated up and, just like that, flew towards the carriage.
[Whoa! Deus!]
Controlling my body in the air wasn’t as easy as I thought. There was a possibility of unintentionally colliding with the back of the carriage.
“Oh, are you crazy?!”
Findenai had a fit of nerves as she climbed the top of the carriage and stretched out both hands.
Then, she skillfully caught me in mid-air and helped me land. Although, somehow, I ended up being embraced in something resembling a princess carry by her.
“It’s comfortable, right? Want something extra?”
Findenai smirked and acted in a pompous manner. It irritated me immediately, but I quickly got off and shouted to the nuns in the carriage.
“Start casting magic on the horses as we move. We need to run away as far as possible.”
“W-wouldn’t that burden the horses too much?”
I felt a surge of frustration hearing the voice from below.
“Then, should I let you die instead of the horses?”
Only then did the nuns cower and begin channeling spells beyond the carriage windows towards the horses up front.
Instead of Findenai, Illuania was the one who held the reins of the carriage.
“Can you handle the horses?”
When we were traveling to the convent, Findenai was the one who mainly handled the reins while driving the carriage. That was why I was a bit worried. However, Illuania confidently raised her thumb.
“The first thing I learned when attempting to escape from the orphanage was how to handle horse reins.”
I didn’t expect to hear such information from her, but I could trust her at least.
Illuania whipped the horses harder and drove them.
Thump, thump, thump!
The ground vibrated as the spider-legged Saintess began to chase us from behind.
Even as she ran, she kept tapping the ground with her left hand, and every time she did, deformed beasts emerged from the darkness around us, chasing us.
[So, I was right. She isn’t just able to use blood for magic.]
“Huh, you said she’s just like a Hemomancer!”
The Dark Spiritualist and Findenai each voiced their reactions in their own style. On the other hand, I shouted as I inflicted pain on the Superior Demon being dragged along with us.
“Block her. You must buy us time to run as far as possible.”
[Keeeeeeccckkk!]
The Superior Demon charged forward again and began fighting the beasts.
It was much easier for it to tear apart the beasts, rather than when it fought the Demon Lord’s main body.
The Dark Spiritualist provided support with magic, and Findenai used her axe to knock down the beasts clinging to the carriage.
Meanwhile, Illuania’s Guardian Spirit, the woman with a burn on her face, used her flames to burn the beasts that appeared in front of the carriage.
Since she thought that Illuania and the baby in her belly were in danger, she lent her hand to help.
The nuns also tried to assist us, but I immediately intervened.
“Do not do that! You must use your magic only on the carriage and horses!”
“U-understood.”
Fighting was originally not the nuns’ forte. However, with their support magic, the horses would be able to keep running for quite a long time.
“By the way… If we just keep fleeing, will something happen? Will the Demon flee when dawn comes?”
“If things were that simple, we would not need to worry about anything.”
“That’s true.”
Even as she responded indifferently, Findenai’s hands kept moving endlessly. Despite their close proximity to Stella, thanks to the nuns’ support magic, the distance was maintained as the carriage gained speed.
I was finding the perfect opportunity to use Lemegeton like before.
This time, instead of condensing the light at a single point, I made it spew into the sky like an aurora.
The light spread as widely as possible.
Seeing that, the Dark Spiritualist asked with a doubtful expression.
[D-do you have a plan? Even if you forcibly awaken souls, you cannot control them immediately.]
“…That’s right.”
Giving up on controlling the souls was arguably the most fatal flaw for a Necromancer.
Of course, this was also an unwavering principle that I should maintain even if it meant sacrificing my life for it.
However, at least in this situation, forcibly controlling them would be meaningless.
[No matter how many souls you summon, those numbers are meaningless against that Demon anyway.]
One could be able to overwhelm tens, hundreds, or even thousands.
The Demon Lord Velica was that kind of being.
The number of opponents didn’t matter to her.
“I am aware of that, too.”
Of course, I was aware.
Yet still, I continued using Lemegeton to awaken the countless souls resting dormant in this land.
“Oh, oh. Saintess.”
The nuns and the Abbess’ prayers echoed inside the carriage like a lament.
They were in the midst of praying for Stella, who had become a Demon.
Upon hearing their prayers, I naturally turned my gaze back towards Stella.
Her Demon’s eye had been fixed on me ever since it was opened.
It seemed to be longing for something, and at the same time, it looked like the gaze of a predator eyeing its prey.
“How did she come to end up like that?”
“Ah, we should have treated her better.”
“Why did we not notice? Oh, Goddess Demeter.”
Watching such a scene, Findenai chuckled.
“Crazy bitches, huh? They feel sorry for the bitch who came to kill us simply because she turned into that thing.”
The nuns certainly heard what Findenai said, but they didn’t stop their prayers.
Even with death looming close, they didn’t show any hatred towards Stella, who had turned into a Demon. Instead, they never stopped praying, asking for blessings to be bestowed upon her.
The chase went on for a while. And just when we thought we had put some distance between us, she had suddenly appeared from the side and swung her fist.
If Findenai hadn’t reacted in time and blocked it, the carriage would have been smashed and everyone would have died.
“Th-this really seems to be the limit now!”
Along with Illuania’s shout, the thunderous sound of hooves gradually began to fade.
Judging from the horses’ labored breathing, it seemed like they could collapse at any moment. The nuns’ support magic was also causing an overload, akin to an excessively used healing potion.
“And we’ll soon reach a village where people live! It’s getting really dangerous!”
Indeed, there was already a commotion coming from the village visible in the distance.
When I checked the time, it was 5 in the morning.
Even though the sky was still dark with no sign of sunlight yet, it was time for some to begin their early morning routines.
Stella’s massive figure and the commotion she caused could even be seen from the village.
In fact, it wasn’t just the horses pulling the carriage. There was no one among us here who wasn’t at their limit.
The nuns were out of strength, their magic and prayers had ceased. Unlike usual, Findenai’s grip on her axe had now lacked force, and the Dark Spiritualist’s immense mana was now visibly depleted.
As for me, who had been continuously pouring mana into Lemegeton, I felt dizzy as if I were about to vomit.
“Aren’t we… just running away until we’re completely drained?”
I shook my head in response to Findenai’s question about whether we should have fought earlier.
“This is enough now.”
Findenai and the Dark Spiritualist looked at me, asking what I meant. But I just sighed heavily as I gathered my mana.
“We are all set.”
I slowly looked up.
There were countless souls gathered in this place, so much so that they seemed to have obscured the sky. They had all been forcibly awakened and drawn to me by Lemegeton.
“I’m not sure what’s happening here, but something feels eerie about the surroundings.”
[You have certainly gathered a great number of souls.]
Even Findenai, who couldn’t see souls, felt uneasy. The Dark Spiritualist was filled with amazement as she looked at the surrounding souls.
In the place where souls gathered, many others would be drawn as well.
It was the same situation as when I conducted the memorial service in Norseweden.
As souls were gathered by Lemegeton, even souls from far away had also naturally found their way here.
And all of them were witnessing Stella’s presence.
“A Saintess is an extraordinarily special existence.”
“Huh? Who doesn’t know that?”
[…What do you mean by that?]
Findenai grumbled about what kind of nonsense I said when we were in battle. Meanwhile, the Dark Spiritualist paid attention to my words.
When the carriage’s speed gradually decreased and the distance with Stella narrowed.
I spoke to Illuania.
“The Holy Grail.”
Illuania, who had been waiting for this moment with the Holy Grail hidden under the coach’s seat, swiftly retrieved it and threw it in my direction.
The nuns were surprised upon seeing the Holy Grail, reacting loudly.
“The H-Holy Grail?!”
“The Holy Grail really exists?!”
“Wait, then the Holy Power the Soul Whisperer wielded is…!”
They exclaimed as if they had realized something, but there was no time to pay attention to their reactions.
[S-so, you’re going to use the Holy Grail now.]
The Dark Spiritualist immediately put some distance between us. The Holy Power from the Holy Grail had the potential to annihilate even the Dark Spiritualist if mishandled.
This applied to the other souls that had gathered here as well.
Whether they were Evil Spirits or not, Holy Power had a fatal effect on all of them.
At first glance, it seemed like an almighty force.
However, I now understood.
No, it was Stella who taught me.
Harnessing Holy Power was extremely tricky, and if not controlled skillfully, one would simply become prey for Demons.
I had indirectly dealt with the Holy Power by using the Holy Grail before, and it was only my second time now.
Even if I were to directly imbue Stella with Holy Power from the Holy Grail, it wouldn’t cause fatal damage to a being such as a Demon Lord.
That was why I continued my earlier statement.
“A Saintess is an extraordinarily special existence. And Stella was an incredibly exceptional woman among such Saintesses.”
No one could deny my words.
Just as the nuns in the carriage continued to pray for Stella even with their deaths imminent.
Many people on this continent had received comfort and salvation from Stella, and it wasn’t limited to just the living.
“O, Spirits of the Departed.”
I looked up at the sky.
Countless souls of the dead, enough to obscure the moon and stars, looked down upon us.
“O Spirits of the Departed. You who have now found your rest. You who were once powerless, unable to do a single thing.”
As I picked up Lemegeton, which had gathered them, I continued speaking honestly.
“Listen to me and look at the woman who comforted the continent with boundless love.”
The distance between us and Stella was closing. Her outstretched left hand seemed like it could touch the end of the carriage at any moment.
“Behold the final moments of the woman who sacrificed her whole being to save you.”
Some souls had already started to depart because they were afraid of the Holy Grail. The Demon and the compelling force of Lemegeton had already vanished.
Yet, countless souls still remained gathered.
“See how she sacrificed her own joy for the sake of others. Witness the end of the woman who bore the woes of others as her own.”
Here was what I thought.
“Even after everything she has done for you, see how she has become. Look upon how she has met her end, abandoned by all and succumbed to the clutches of a Demon Lord.”
God could never provide salvation for Stella.
From the beginning, what Stella desired was something that God could never provide.
“Are you going to let her life end just like this?”
However, if you asked if I could save her…
“Everyone! Are you truly going to let this woman’s life end as a tragedy?!”
That, too, was impossible.
I didn’t have the ability to offer suitable salvation for Stella.
“Are you truly going to show no gratitude?! Are you simply going to turn your eyes from the woman who sacrificed everything for you?! For your family! For the future generations! For her beloved people! For her closest friends! Even as her limbs decayed!”
Then who was the one who could do that?
She was someone who had only been giving happiness to others, even when she was in the midst of tragedy.
So, who could pull her out of her own wretched state?
It was the people who Stella had saved from tragedy.
To be precise, it was everything she had accumulated as she went through her journey.
“If you’re just going to pretend not to see anything, then go ahead! If you’re going to refuse to show gratitude even after death and choose to rest, then go ahead!”
I firmly raised the Holy Grail.
I felt a sensation of my insides twisting with the Holy Power flowing in from my palm.
“But, if you have even a shred of gratitude left! If you still have a bit of compassion for her!”
Then, the souls began to flock towards the Holy Grail.
“Offer your souls! Forsake your death out of gratitude for the woman who gave her life for the love of all!”
Many souls had already left from this place.
And surely, there were souls that had not received any grace from Stella at all.
Those souls had no intention of forsaking their rest.
However, the number of souls who stayed was larger.
Those who had received grace from the Saintess were allowing Holy Power to burn their souls.
To save the one who had spent her whole life helping others.
It was akin to a rescuer dousing themselves with water before entering a fire pit.
The souls began to burn like white flames.
Although those touched by Holy Power would soon vanish, they still offered up their souls and flew towards Stella as they burned.
