Part Two, Section Two: “The International Saints Conference”
Chapter Sixty-eight (Mia’s POV)
I have to do something.
The number of demons was so large that it made me sick to count them. This might be a hopeless situation. After all, demons had suddenly started appearing in massive numbers all across the continent.
“Sister Emily, I followed the presence of Lady Philia and came here.”
“It seems the situation has become quite dire. So this is the crisis that Girtonia faced?”
Grace, Emily, and the other saints from Bolmern also sensed Philia’s magic power and came here. Even with their help, no, even if all the gathered saints combined their strength, it wouldn’t be enough to deal with the sheer number of demons present. They probably realized this too. They didn’t look very optimistic.
““GRAAAAOOOOOO!””
Countless werewolves, evil tigers, and other demons simultaneously charged towards us.
In those circumstances, we had to fight with all our might…
“Mega Flame! Giga Blizzard!”
I would sweep away the demons even if I became gravely injured. With that resolve, I was about to throw myself into battle, when huge flames and freezing winds blasted the surrounding demons away.
What incredible magic power and control. I didn’t know anyone other than Sister who could use such powerful spells.
But, the voice just now… it clearly belonged to a man, not a saint.
“”Father!””
“The saints of the Martilases getting shaken by something like this are pathetic!”
That person was Count Martilas. He was the father of Grace and the others, and he could use such amazing magic. Come to think of it, Sister Philia did say he was someone she deeply respected… He looked like an ordinary uncle though.
“Emily! If the saint of Adenauers can do it, I won’t accept you saying you can’t! You trained to catch up, didn’t you!?”
“Huh? Sister Emily, you can use the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle?”
“…”
Emily saw Sister Philia as a rival, and Mother Hilda also acknowledged her strength, but I never expected her to master the "Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle" in such a short time. The difficulty level of mastering that magic circle was just extraordinary. I had been training too, and while I could activate it proficiently, I still lacked the skill to expand and unfold it…
“I can do it, yes. But at my current level, it takes too much time to activate. And without enough magic power, the chances of me failing to expand it properly are high.”
She really could do it. Although there was a weakness in the time it takes to activate, being able to expand it meant…
Alright, in that case. I have an idea too.
“Ms. Emily, is what you just said true? If there’s enough magic power, you can activate and expand the magic circle, right?”
“Oh, you’re Ms. Philia’s younger sister…”
“I’m Mia Adenauer. Well, can you do it? What do you say?”
“Yes, I can do it, if I have enough magic power in reserve. But what of it?”
Sis, I won’t let these demons have their way with this continent you protected.
“I will activate the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle. Ms. Emily, please help expand the magic circle after I activate it. I can’t stabilize it on my own.”
“But for you and I to share magic power…”
“Sister Philia prepared for such a situation and gave me a necklace as well.”
That’s right, Sister must have considered the possibility that something could happen to her. If I had been able to fully master the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle myself, this wouldn’t have been an issue.
But if Emily and I combine our strengths…
“How much time do you need to activate the spell?”
“About five seconds. I’m confident I can activate magic faster than anyone.”
“I see… then synchronize your magic power and magical wavelengths with mine. Time is of the essence.”
I focused on the necklace and absorbed the gathered magic power. Then I began invoking the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle.
Sis, please be safe. I will definitely make this a success.
“Here I go!”
I activated the magic circle. The ground shone gold, proof that I succeeded.
However, the radius was only about ten meters. That was the limit of my unstable control.
The rest is up to you now. You’re supposed to be Sis’ rival, after all, Ms. Emily…
“A perfect five seconds, well done. Now leave the task of enveloping the entire continent to me!”
“Sister Emily, prove that it’s not just words!”
“Ohohoho! Of course! I’ll showcase the power of the Martilas family’s saint to the entire continent!”
She’s quite a character… I can’t wholeheartedly respect her because of her haughty attitude, but the magic circle is truly expanding rapidly.
In any case, thanks to Emily, the worst-case scenario of the circle disappearing completely had been averted.
The Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle might not affect devils, but the rampaging demons were falling one by one, neutralized. Now, all that was left was to eliminate those annoying devils!
“Damn… It’s because of me that Miss Philia…! Raaaaa!”
Prince Oswald, who had collapsed earlier, also stood up. Using his glasses to identify the low-level devils, he swung his spear, reducing them to pieces. It was not Prince Oswald’s fault. The one who couldn’t protect Sister was me. Even though I was nearby, I fainted at a crucial moment. It was pathetic. What was all that training for!?
“Silver Cross Of Judgment!”
“Impressive!”
“I won’t lose to you, Ms. Mia!”
I, Prince Oswald, along with Grace, Emily, and the rest joined the devil extermination, and it didn’t take that much time to defeat all of them in this area…
I think we managed to avoid the worst. However, the fact that Sister Philia was taken away somewhere, and we had no clues about her whereabouts, created a situation that was enough to instill despair in us.
“Regarding Philia’s whereabouts, I’m sure an exorcist should know.”
“Yes, I think so too. Honestly, she should have left us some hint at least…!”
From the way that Elsa spoke earlier, it seemed she knew about the devil Asmodeus’ stronghold. Exorcists specialize in defeating devils, so she was probably well-informed about them. Which was exactly why, with her gone now, we were left completely without any hints about the situation.
“Well, that person is an exorcist too, correct? Maybe he may know something?”
“Ouch… Huh? Where’s Senior Elsa?! And Ms. Philia too…!? Could it be, they went to Asmodeus’s place!?”
Oh, there was an exorcist. Um, what was his name again? I remembered it just a moment ago…
“Mister Nullaus! Ms. Philia has been kidnapped! Do you know where she is!?”
“I’m Klaus! Well, I do know, but…”
“Really!? Hey, tell me! Where is Miss Philia!?”
“Lady Philiaaa! I can’t believe she’s been kidnapped; I’m failing as a maaaid!”
“If you don’t tell us Lady Philia’s location, I’ll kill you…!”
“Himari, it’s not good to threaten. However, in our concern for the master, we can’t remain gentlemanly forever.”
“Lady Philiaaaa! This is a lifelong blunder for this Philip!”
That Klaus didn’t stand out much, did he?
Or maybe Sister Philia’s companions had too strong presence.
Everyone was bombarding poor Klaus with questions. He looked really troubled.
Let’s give him a chance to speak already. He can’t answer if you all ask questions at once.
“Um, you see, Asmodeus’ main body is in the Interstice, the world between the Surface and the Demon Realm. As for the reason he possessed Julius here on the Surface, it is because his main body was sealed away by Great Saint Fiana four hundred years ago so he couldn’t come to our realm. With the Demon Realm drawing closer, transferring just his soul here was the limit of what he could do.”
The Interstice between the Human Realm and Demon Realm?
What’s that? I couldn’t even imagine what the Demon Realm was, let alone understand the meaning of an interstice between realms. I could somewhat picture it if he said someplace on the continent, or another continent across the sea… and could think of ways to travel there. But this…
“Asmodeus must have taken Ms. Philia to bring her before his main body. To revive Great Saint Fiana who originally sealed him and use her power to achieve his own complete resurrection. That must be his aim.”
I see.
So he planned to revive the person who sealed him and force her to break the seal.
He had been going on about love but in the end, it was all for his own sake.
“So, Mister Klaus, do you know how to get to that Interstice?”
“Yes, of course. The reason exorcists have familiars is that devils possess the ability to teleport to the Interstice Realm. My familiar, Satanakia, can also open a gate to that realm.”
Ah, that was a relief.
If Klaus not only knew Philia’s whereabouts but also how to get there, there was a chance to rescue her.
“Then let’s not waste any time! I’ll save Miss Philia! Take me to Asmodeus!”
“Your Highness, leave this to me! I, the royal knight commander Philip, swear I will bring Miss Philia back!”
“It’s only natural for a vassal to help their lord. I shall go as well.”
“Lady Philia is an indispensable figure in this kingdom. I will also offer my assistance.”
“In other words, take us with you.”
I’d like to go too, but if I were to venture into such an unknown place, my painstakingly crafted magic circle might vanish.
I guess all I can do is trust everyone and wait.
“Wha-!? The Interstice is the stronghold of devils, an incredibly dangerous place! You should trust Elsa and Mammon and just wait here!”
No, there was no way we could just sit and wait.
If I could, I’d want to go too, no matter what. Elsa and that devil Mammon might be strong, but it was human nature to want to do your utmost.
Besides—
“There’s no way I can just stay here not knowing Miss Philia’s situation! I’m too worried about her! Taking me there immediately is the only option!”
‘Is that your voice, Your Highness Oswald? It’s Philia. Can you hear me?’
“La-La-Lady Philia’s voice is coming from my necklace!”
“““…!?”””Huh!? Sister Philia’s voice suddenly came from Lina’s necklace!?
We were so shocked by this unexpected development that we couldn’t make a sound…
Thank you for the chapter and wish everyone the best of New Years!
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