Part Two, Prologue Section
Chapter Forty-eight
On that night, I delved into documents containing descriptions of devils. It was said that they spoke human language, wielded powerful magic, possessed robust life force, and had a lifespan much longer than humans.
If those beings were the culprits behind the mysterious disappearances, it was possible that they could act without us humans even realizing it. It wouldn’t be surprising if they possessed abilities beyond human comprehension.
However, if that were true, we must consider that the effectiveness of the Anti-evil Magic Circle against devils was limited. The magic circle that covered the entire continent almost nullified the power of demons. Occasionally, powerful ones might still move, but it didn’t take much effort to eliminate them.
The power to make a person disappear without anyone noticing was simply beyond the realm of possibility.
At that moment, someone entered the room—I instinctively tensed up.
“Lady Philia…”
“Ms. Himari? It’s unusual to have you here in my bedroom.”
“Lady Philia, it’s an emergency. I’m not sure what happened, but… Philip and the other guards, who were keeping watch outside, have collapsed.”
Did they collapse? The Parnacota Knights were among the finest of the finest. Especially Philip who was renowned as the world’s greatest spear wielder, his skills known across the continent. It was hard to believe that they would be easily defeated.
Considering the situation, what comes to mind was…
“Ms. Himari, please stay close to me. I’ll go and call Ms. Lina and Mr. Leonardo.”
“But escaping from here might be a better…”
“There’s a chance that the adversary deliberately showed that Philip was defeated. It could be more dangerous to go outside. We’ll confront them here.”
“…I misjudged you, Lady Philia. So you can make such an expression as well.”
I didn’t know what kind of face I was making, but I couldn’t forgive the fact that people protecting me had fallen.
Philip, and other knights, please be safe…
I left the room and stood ready at the front door with Lina and Leonardo. There was a possibility they might enter through a window, so while keeping an eye on that side as well, I sharpened my senses.
“Oh, I hear footsteps. Lady Philia…”
“Let’s be quiet… and no matter what happens, we mustn’t lose our composure…”
I softly spoke to the frightened Lina and then waited for the right moment after calculating the speed from the footsteps…
“―Hmm, you are quite cute, Philia. As expected from the Great Saint, you have delicious-looking magic power.”
Emerging through the door was a man with pale skin and vacant eyes. Illuminated by the lamp’s light, his expression appeared eerie—his mouth was smiling, yet his eyes remained expressionless, creating a peculiar and unsettling visage.
Who is this person…? That said, it was pointless to ponder over it. It was clear from the situation that he was the one who defeated Philip.
It was risky to approach him carelessly…
“We won’t let anyone lay a hand on Lady Philia…”
“Please leave at once!”
At that moment Himari and Leonardo leaped forward. This was not good. It was dangerous to intervene without knowing how he defeated Philip and his men.
“…Take a little nap. I’m only interested in that beautiful lady over there.”
The intruder emitted a bluish-white light from his fingers towards the two. Himari and Leonardo collapsed powerlessly on the spot. That light was—
“M-Ms. Himari and Mr. Leonardo, both in an instant…”
“Don’t worry. Both of them are safe. They’re just sleeping.”
“I see…”
I had made some estimations after hearing how easily knights were defeated. The opponent must be a spellcaster, and he used some spell to deprive them of freedom of movement, like sleep or paralysis.
“As expected of the Great Saint, you’re calm. Normally people panic when their guards are taken out, ya know…”
“…What is your objective? Could it be that you are the culprit behind the mysterious disappearances?”
“Well, who knows? If you go on a date with me, I might consider answering. Now then, shall I let missy over there also have a nice nap?”
“Is that so…”
This time, the intruder aimed his index finger towards Lina. However, his arm didn’t move. It looked like he also noticed something unusual.
“Ngh… Why can’t I move my body?”
“The Saint Bind… I may be inferior to Mia, but I have confidence in the activation speed of my spells. Despite that, it was careless of me to let Ms. Himari and Mr. Leonardo fall into your clutches. I should have been more cautious in my approach.”
“W-When did this happen? Chains of light are all over my body…”
I successfully bound the intruder with chains of light capable of restraining even a giant dragon, effectively immobilizing him. Being overly cautious of the unknown opponent and delaying my initial response was extremely regrettable. Fortunately, the spell he used didn’t have any lethal capabilities…
“…Haha, as expected, strong women are quite alluring after all. No wonder he desires you.”
“Who are you?”
I asked him a question with the utmost caution. His magical wavelengths were distorted… It hardly resembled anything human. It was also different from that of demons. In other words, he was…
“—He is a devil. I assume you’ve already figured it out, right?”
“Gyaaah—”
What was blown away before my eyes… was the man’s head. Before me appeared a golden-haired girl wielding a falchion—a sickle-shaped sword—with a bright red blade in one hand.
That day, I saw an exorcist for the first time.
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