Chapter 64

After the lecture ended, we all entered the storage room together.

There wasn’t much difference from what I saw last time I came here. If I had to nitpick, a few things had changed, but that’s probably because some materials had been used up and some new ones had been brought in.

Naturally, the deepest materials are precious and not easily used. So we conduct experiments with slightly lower-grade materials instead.

And to be honest, the field trip helps in this regard. What would hunters do with items that they can’t even figure out how to use, just sitting there in storage?

In the midst of this, we casually mentioned wanting to go to the bathroom and walked out into the corridor.

Of course, we intended to pass the bathroom naturally.

“Eek.”

While walking, we ran into some guards patrolling the corridor. Since they were guarding important facilities, they weren’t alone but in pairs, armed with guns.

Ria let out a small sound at the sight, but I confidently nodded towards the guards.

It was already known that hunters had been here in this building, and these people knew that I was a ‘Saint Candidate.’ Even Ria, next to me, was somewhat known as the daughter of a hero.

What trouble could two such people cause in here?

It was a stroke of luck that we passed by the bathroom just before running into them. It probably looked like we were genuinely going to the bathroom.

The guards lightly nodded at us as we passed by.

Just to be safe, we both went into the bathroom.

“…Ria.”

“Got it.”

In response to my words, Ria nodded.

This had been discussed between us.

Outside the bathroom, there was a CCTV monitoring the corridor in real-time. If we dashed out in another direction after entering the bathroom, no matter our status, the guards would have to respond.

In such a situation, there weren’t many options available to us.

The government naturally scoffed at my prophecy, and according to Ria, the building was so simply designed that security personnel would likely be more heavily deployed.

So I took out the small holy artifact I had prepared in advance.

It was a small piece of chocolate.

“…Doesn’t this make me a Saint?”

“…Can you not say that and just eat it?”

Of course, this was chocolate that I had sanctified. In other words, it was a consumable holy artifact.

Ria shook her head as if in disbelief and suddenly bit my finger.

“What!?”

Ignoring my shock, Ria pulled her mouth back from my finger. Despite her sudden withdrawal, my finger was left with a soft and slightly moist sensation. Damn it, the chocolate had absorbed my saint power, leaving a sweet fragrance lingering on my fingertip.

“Eek!?”

But before I could shake off that thought, something suddenly came up from below my waist.

“W-wait a minute, Ria!? This position is—”

“Huh? Why?”

Ria calmly lifted me up as if I were a princess, tilting her head as if she genuinely didn’t understand.

“Uh, no, isn’t there a way to carry me on your back? You don’t have to do it like this.”

It reminded me of times when something would get emphasized at unexpected moments, and it made me think—Ria had a great figure. I’m also not bad in that department, but Ria had developed even more.

Naturally, in this position, um… it felt a bit intimate.

Although Ria looked completely unconcerned, I felt a bit uneasy.

“Weren’t we supposed to run quickly? This way is much easier. If something pops out, it’s easier to swing around, right?”

“Who are you planning to swing at…?”

At my words, Ria chuckled and headed straight toward the bathroom door.

“If two girls scream like that inside a bathroom, wouldn’t it make things a bit weird? People will definitely think our relationship is strange.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“So let’s wrap this up quickly.”

Ria said.

“If there’s a thief sneaking into the lab, people’s attention will naturally be drawn in that direction, right?”

Am I the only one who’s conscious of this?

No, thinking like that just makes it more frustrating—

But my thoughts didn’t go much further. Ria pulled me in tightly and we ricocheted off an object.

No matter how empty the building was, I realized how terrifying it could be to fly at such speeds.

When I came to my senses, I found myself inadvertently clutching Ria’s neck and hanging on tight. Naturally, my body was pressed up against hers, forcing me to become even more aware of places I was already conscious of. Even if I was wearing a bra, the absolute size meant I couldn’t fully ignore the shape and feeling.

As I opened my tightly shut eyes, Ria was smiling brightly at me, her face incredibly close.

Well, still.

Considering Ria had run all the way here, her face was a bit flushed.

However, when Ria let me down, she didn’t just drop me. While she lifted me up all of a sudden, she gently lowered me when putting me down, so I had nothing to complain about.

“So.”

But the somewhat playful atmosphere vanished the moment Ria set me down.

“Do you understand the situation?”

…Am I really the only one concerned?

I turned my head and looked around.

We were right in front of the deepest storage room of the research institute.

There was a massive, thick door that looked like it was straight out of an SF movie or drama, and next to it was a keypad to open the door.

There were no people in sight. There weren’t even guards standing in front of the door. Then again, it was nearly impossible not to run into anyone on the way here.

Perhaps the research institute was currently monitoring us through CCTV, ready to come in at any moment.

And in such a situation, Ria’s expression was serious. Even though it wouldn’t be strange if I was mistaken or lying.

In truth, I didn’t have complete certainty either.

The story had changed, and that day, the massive magic force had even seen me. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they had altered their plans simply because they were aware of my presence.

At this point, I could think it was all my misunderstanding.

But Ria was looking at me with a serious expression.

And somehow, seeing her like that made me feel a bit more confident about my actions.

Light fell upon my face. Not the usual slightly teasing and overly bright light, but a gentle, almost caressing glow.

Ria’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the light.

…So that was it.

Under normal circumstances, I would have dismissed that light, but well, whatever.

I have things to do right now.

At least from this moment on, the government wouldn’t dare doubt my ‘prophecy’ again.

I mean, how could they contradict it after speaking out about their divine state?

Hearing the sound of shoes echoing in the distance, it felt like people were crowding this way.

“Confirming it should be simple.”

Right.

I don’t really know what these self-proclaimed ‘Worshipers of Divine Power’ are, but at least I know what kind of power they wield.

I closed my eyes and knelt on the floor.

And clapped my hands together.

If there are invisible or hidden enemies, and they use magic as a weapon…

Of course, there’s only one way, right?

We’ll just purify this place completely.

…I know it’s a bit reckless.

There’s no need to be overly powerful. I just need to fill this place with light.

This time, I didn’t want to fall over. I had no desire to collapse here and become a burden to Ria.

Surely I’ve been a burden enough already by now.

The more I expose myself to danger, the harder Ria’s promise to protect me becomes, and soon that situation would put Ria in danger as well.

One day, I would definitely find myself in danger.

If not, there would be no reason for me to be sent here at this point where I have knowledge of the hints.

So this time, I’ve prepared thoroughly. From the onset, to ensure I wouldn’t collapse midway and become a burden.

I felt someone scream.

It likely wasn’t just because of the sight of my light. They probably saw something astonishing.

I opened my eyes slowly.

“…So, this is how it is? You were right that there wasn’t any way to check just by watching the corridor.”

Ria was saying this while looking up at the ceiling.

I followed Ria’s gaze to the ceiling.

There, a person in black clothes was hanging from the ceiling.

His eyes could be seen through his mask. Those eyes, filled with astonishment, stared wide at me.

And it wasn’t just one person, but five.

Ah, I see.

So this is how it is.

Invisibility, huh? Indeed, that’s not a very common magic in this world.

The timing was perfect. If I had been even a moment slower, those guys would have entered the storage room.

Realizing they had exposed themselves, the nameless individuals immediately jumped down from the ceiling.

One of them drew a knife from his waist and aimed to stab down at me, but—

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Bam!

Before the knife could even come near my body, my fist hit the guy’s face. Ria had jumped up and delivered a perfectly executed uppercut that knocked the man sideways.

The man spun in the air a few times before crashing headfirst to the ground with a “Kya!”

Well, at least he doesn’t seem to be dead. He might have taken quite a hit, but it’s fine. We can heal him and interrogate him later.

As I stood up, Ria brilliantly charged toward me, wrapping one arm around my waist.

Then, she unsheathed the short knife at her waist and effortlessly slashed at the blade.

The spinning motion was almost like a dance; frankly, it looked pretty cool.

And then,

Ah, the smell of chocolate brushed against my nose.

Kicking with my heel into the chest of the staggering guy, Ria turned her attention to the remaining three.

One of those three rushed toward the keypad. The other two faced Ria—drawing guns instead of knives.

…This is probably a bit different from the original work. In the original, they wouldn’t have been able to come in holding weapons. They would’ve needed to get through security first.

Since Ria has to carry weapons everywhere she goes, it’s possible that the security gate beeped when she passed through, allowing them to plan their entry with weapons.

And I reached out toward the two of them.

Saint Power itself doesn’t harm people. While I can completely negate magic, I can also effectively obscure their vision.

Honestly, it might be a waste of power, but hey, I have more than enough energy to spare.

Bang, bang! The gunshots rang out, but the bullets cleanly missed Ria.

Ria released her hold on my waist and charged toward the men, delivering a powerful high kick to the head of one and smashing the hilt of her knife into the head of the other, sending both crashing to the ground.

“Hii—!”

The guy by the keypad screamed as he desperately pounded the keypad with some rock-like object.

Boom!

Well, it’s possible that my adjustments to the force had an effect. Since they decided to infiltrate this place, those intruders wouldn’t have come in with just ordinary magic stones. Once they made it this far, they couldn’t expect my power to crush them.

Since they could bring something strong enough to compete with mine, it makes sense that they could still use it.

Presumably, they thought they were carrying something quite important and useful. But using it would be a bit tricky. That’s how magic stones tend to be. They are bad for the body, and if misused, they can even be dangerous.

Moreover, if they carelessly attempt to use them in such a reckless way, they may no longer be able to use them again. While they might think they could just use a better one next time—

“Gah!”

If used without appropriate incantations and protective spells, that’s what happens. I saw part of the man’s hand get burned by the magic.

That’s going to be a tough one to heal. Even if I use saint power to revert it, it would just shatter into dust.

With a crack.

The moment the magic stone shattered, the keypad opened. It seems they were at least prepared for that spell in advance.

As the door slowly opened, the last remaining intruder turned his head toward the door, but—

“That probably won’t help.”

I told the man.

I had already crafted my plans, assuming I would completely fail. Truth be told, this mere magic stone was inherently dangerous just by existing.

I could still see the expression of the person behind the mask. In particular, those slightly exposed eyes.

Those eyes slowly widened in shock before eventually filling with horror.

Those eyes were flooded with a ‘shining light.’

Magic generally repels saint power. To be more precise, when they come into direct contact, they lose strength.

People often misconceive it as such.

That saint power is a kind of ‘light.’

That’s a misunderstanding.

Saint power isn’t a force that operates as ‘light’ from the start. It’s something that bends the laws of physics, a wholly different kind of existence, yet it has tangible effects on the physical world.

What we perceive as that ‘light’ isn’t a wavelength but something psychological. It’s the way our brain interprets saint power.

Even prominent scientists sometimes made the mistake, thinking that holy artifacts could block specific wavelengths.

Or that a ‘thick iron door’ might work as well.

The reflection of my light doesn’t depend on whether I’m inside or outside. Any physical obstruction holds no meaning.

“…What’s that?”

As I saw the man collapse helplessly onto the ground, Ria looked at me, bewildered.

“The item I just mentioned is one that the saint power has permeated completely. If we were to pour even more saint power into it, the power contained within it would no longer remain contained and leak out.”

And that ‘saint power’ instantly obliterated the magic power of the magic stone.

I had prepared diligently for such an outcome.

“I thought the institute would come after me for destroying the magic stone.”

I shrugged and said.

“If I can provide a reasonable explanation, that should be enough. Besides, even without magic power, research on magic stones is still possible.”

At least, no one should be able to use it as a threat to the world.

They might be able to infuse new magical power into it, but that probably wouldn’t be easy.

Then, the guards swiftly rushed in to surround us.

For now, it seemed their attention was mostly directed at the downed intruders. There was no doubt that Ria and I had protected the facility well.

“…You seem pretty sharp.”

“Why? Are you feeling a bit uneasy?”

“No, rather, I feel a bit relieved.”

Relieved? What does that even mean?

At Ria’s words, I couldn’t help but laugh a little in disbelief.

*

Afterwards, we were bombarded with various questions.

How did we know? To that, I replied that I had previously foresaw the incident and reported it to the government.

Couldn’t they infiltrate when the employees come in instead of the students? I pointed out that the staff’s rotations were very thorough.

Moreover, normally, breaking the code for the keypad would take quite a while. Unless you wanted to lose a hand or a valuable magic stone, that had to be the case.

To secure that ‘time,’ we chose the moment when other hunters were entering. When outsiders enter the research institute, the surveillance must certainly rotate its focus toward the outsiders.

“In a way, there were gaps in surveillance.”

If even one person had been near the keypad, they probably wouldn’t have attempted something so easily.

There were reportedly sophisticated spells that could avoid thermal sensors, but there was no way they wouldn’t notice if someone collapsed while there were CCTV cameras monitoring the area.

Well, I understood.

They were enclosed by such sophisticated equipment and features, and would never have imagined there could be magic close to perfection surrounding them.

Nonetheless, this wouldn’t justify what had happened.

Just as the faces of the government officials turned pale—

The interrogation room door burst open and the Knight Order charged in.

“Saint Anna, we’ve come to escort you.”

They said, clad in full plate armor.

I forced a smile as I stood up.

“Ria, let’s head back.”

At my words, Ria also rose from her seat.

She was wearing a smile that seemed to hint at someone quite remarkable, leaving me a bit bewildered.