Chapter 6

“Are you a player too?”

When I asked her directly, Claire’s face stiffened. Her eyes darted around, and she bit her lip tightly.

“Ah, no, what are you talking about? Why would I—”

“You just said it. That you were a popular NPC in the game. How did that slip out so naturally?”

Claire, flustered, grabbed her head with her hands. Her voice grew more frantic.

“Ah, that’s… well… everyone knows that, right? In a world like this, you hear those kinds of stories…”

“Your excuse is a mess.”

I narrowed my eyes at her panicked expression and added, “What I’m asking is simple. Are you a player who got dropped into this world too? Do you really think I’ll just let your slip-up slide?”

She looked at me and finally let out a long sigh. Pressing her temples with her fingers, she spoke in a low voice.

“Fine… yes, I’m a player too.”

“Knew it.”

When I said it firmly, she clenched her teeth and glared at me.

“But what about you? How did you figure it out so quickly? The fact that you asked first means you’re also…”

I stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Right. I’m a player too.”

Claire’s mouth dropped open when she heard that. She took a step back in surprise.

“Really? You too…?”

“That’s not important right now.”

I cut her off and pointed to the square. The hero’s party was still fiercely battling the black-robed cultists. The hero’s sword gleamed gold as it cut through enemies, and the mage’s fireballs exploded one after another, adding to the chaos.

But the woman on the altar still held the child. The area around the altar was already filled with dark energy, and it was growing stronger.

“We need to save that kid. We can exchange info later.”

Claire nodded at my words. She knew how urgent the situation was.

“Alright. If you save the kid, I’ll handle the cultists around us. And be careful. That woman’s… something’s off.”

I quietly condensed my Holy Power and replied, “Got it. Claire, don’t push yourself too hard either.”

Claire drew her dagger and took a stance beside me.

“Don’t worry~”

…

I condensed Holy Power at my fingertips. But this time, it wasn’t just a small gathering. I pulled out all the Holy Power I could muster and spread it into the air.

A sacred light rose into the sky, taking shape as if countless angels had appeared. The light angels looked down at the square, aiming their spears of light at the cultists and the altar.

‘You human scum…’

I stretched out my hand and began to control the light angels. They flew around, shooting arrows of light at the black-robed cultists. The cultists started to flee in terror, but the light arrows precisely stopped them.

“What… what is that…?”

Claire’s eyes widened.

I steadied my breath and focused Holy Power at my fingertips. This was the first time I’d used a Sacred Technique of this scale. My breath was ragged, but I couldn’t stop now.

“Here goes.”

As I raised my hand, the fragments of light in the sky began to gather. The Holy Power took the form of angels, and they spread their wings like guardians overlooking the square.

**Lux Dominia**

The Sacred Technique meaning “Ruler of Light.” A top-tier technique I’d never even properly used in the game.

The angels soared, shooting arrows of light at the cultists. The arrows struck with a deafening roar, and the cultists screamed as they fell to the ground.

“Kuaaak! What is this?!”

“The gods… the gods are angry!”

‘Yeah, the gods you believe in are angry!!’

I steadied my breath and muttered to myself. The woman on the altar looked up at the sky in panic and shouted, “Whose power is this? Where are they? Who—”

‘Who do you think? It’s me. But you won’t see me.’

I was using **Invisibility**. This spell wasn’t particularly powerful in the game, but it was perfect for this situation. Neither the hero’s party nor the cultists in the square could see me, making it the ideal spell to slip out of this chaos without being exposed as the Saintess.

…

The hero’s party was still staring at the angels in confusion. The hero in golden armor lowered his sword and muttered, “What… what kind of power is that?”

The mage beside him waved his hand and mumbled, “No, we don’t have a priest in our party who can wield a Sacred Technique like that. So where did that come from…?”

The priest was completely bewildered. He clasped his hands together and said in a trembling voice, “The… the Saintess??”

…

I gathered Holy Power at my fingertips as I looked at the child tied to the altar. Using **Lumino Clavis**, the Sacred Technique called “Key of Light,” I undid the dark chains binding the child. The child trembled and looked up at me.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

I spoke in a soft voice. The child, terrified, clung to my clothes.

“Th… thank you. But… that lady… she did something weird to my neck…”

I examined the child’s neck. A dark red mark was engraved there.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take you with us. You’ll be fine now.”

As soon as we slipped out of the square, Claire followed me. She was panting and asked,

“Ellie, was that earlier… really the Saintess? Wait, is the Saintess here?”

I nodded at her.

“I’m not sure, but in the hero party…”

She cut me off, her voice excited.

“Wow, the Saintess? I really want to see her! If she’s here, I have to meet her!”

“Claire, that’s not important right now. We need to move fast. Let’s get out of here before something else happens.”

I spoke firmly, but Claire couldn’t hide her excitement and kept going.

“But, Ellie. If the Saintess really used that kind of power… wow, have you seen her before?”

“Claire!”

I glared at her. “First, let’s deal with this kid.”

She finally closed her mouth and nodded.

—

We ran into the forest like we were escaping and stopped deep inside. It was quiet, with only the sound of our breathing. I gently set the kid down. They were still trembling.

“It’s okay. No one will hurt you now.”

I tried to comfort them by stroking their head, but a mark on their neck caught my eye. A dark red glowing mark—it didn’t look normal.

“What… is this?”

I muttered as I examined the mark. Just then, Claire came closer. Her expression froze the moment she saw it.

“F*ck… this is the mark of a demon.”

Her voice was filled with shock.

“The mark of a demon?”

I looked at her in surprise.

“Yeah. To be exact, it’s part of a ‘demonization’ ritual. They weren’t planning to sacrifice the kid… they were trying to turn them into a demon. But… it’s already halfway done.”

Claire said, gritting her teeth.

“So… what happens to the kid now?”

I lowered my voice. Claire clenched her teeth and shook her head.

“If we leave them like this, they’ll fully turn into a demon. And their sense of self will disappear. They’ll just be an empty shell.”

I felt a tightness in my chest as I looked down at the kid. They weakly closed their eyes.

“F*ck… is there no way to stop it?”

I urgently looked at Claire.

“There is a way, but…”

Claire paused.

“What is it? Tell me. What’s the way?”

I pressed her. After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke.

“We can force their sense of self to stay by pouring holy power into the mark. But it’s only temporary. Since the demonization has already started, we can’t completely stop it.”

“So we just need to keep their sense of self intact, right?”

I cut her off and quickly replied.

“You make it sound easy. Pouring holy power will drain a lot of your strength. And if it fails, the kid will turn into a demon immediately.”

“I don’t care. I’ll do it.”

I said firmly.

“Ellie… are you really going to do this?”

Claire looked at me like she couldn’t believe it.

—

[Claire’s Flashback]

I remembered a bug from the game days. A player accidentally discovered a way to keep the sense of self of a demonized NPC.

‘Back then, I just laughed it off… I never thought I’d actually have to do it for real.’

—

I placed my hand on the kid’s neck and began condensing holy power. A warm light seeped from my fingertips.

“Lumino Clavis.”

I chanted the sacred technique in a low voice, summoning the key of light. The light covered the mark and slowly seeped in. The kid’s body trembled slightly, and the dark red mark shook faintly.

“Are you really doing this?”

Claire asked cautiously.

“Yeah! From what I can see, it’s not just sealing it. I’m condensing holy power to create a link to their sense of self.”

I answered shortly and kept focusing.

The mark glowed darker, as if resisting, trying to push my holy power away.

“Damn, it’s hard to hold on…”

I gritted my teeth and squeezed out more holy power.

—

At that moment, the kid’s body started shaking violently. A low, rough breath escaped their lips. Claire stepped back in surprise.

“Ellie, is this… failing?”

Her voice was full of anxiety.

“No, not yet. Just a little more…!”

I condensed the holy power as much as I could. Finally, the mark stopped glowing. The dark red light faded, and the kid quietly breathed again.

“It’s… done…”

I exhaled and removed my hand.