Chapter 83 – Master (3)
“Is that the method you’ve chosen? Well, it doesn’t seem too bad, as long as you’re alright with it.”
“What Melissa did to me isn’t really a big deal. I was very resentful at the time, but I don’t think it’s right for me to repay her in kind now.”
“Trying to act all mature, huh?”
I chuckled softly, but understanding the whole story, I didn’t think Maria’s choice was incorrect.
Maria chose not to seek primal revenge. After all, Melissa was a valuable resource, and I couldn’t ignore the countless lives she would save in the future due to the grudge from the past.
Instead, Maria made sure to establish a clear hierarchy so that Melissa could never harbor arrogant thoughts again, making her her servant.
She intended to make Melissa thoroughly obedient to her words, using her abilities to serve the world to the fullest.
Thanks to this, Melissa would no longer be able to live the splendid life she had dreamed of. Instead, she was set to become a great healing saint revered by many in the future.
Even now, Melissa was out performing community service in the slums. I wondered what that reckless little girl was thinking. Was she dealing with people with a fake smile like usual, or was she revealing her true disgust and irritation?
Regardless of the choice she made, the outcome of serving for a lifetime wouldn’t change.
“As you know, we’ll be going to the infestation site soon. It’ll be your first real battle, so be prepared. They’ve finished suppressing the monsters that came out of there, but we don’t know what could happen.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Changing the subject, Maria nodded firmly.
Honestly, I’m still a bit doubtful. Both Maria and Ian are just young boys and girls. Unlike me, they don’t have spirits doing everything for them. It seems they would need at least a few more years to fully realize their strength, and I wondered if they could actually fight well.
However, it was clear that the threats engulfing the world wouldn’t wait for us. If we left things unattended, who knew how much worse it would get? We had to move as quickly as possible.
“For now, we move together. If it seems alright later, we can operate separately.”
“Are you planning to step in seriously? I think the saintess and the hero are still quite lacking.”
“Now that our identities are exposed, we don’t have any choice.”
As Arisa said, I would like to stay with Maria, who worries me, but that wasn’t an option.
Currently, only a few capable of purifying the infestation could effectively work together. If I judged that Maria and Ian could purify the infestation effectively with the church’s cooperation, I planned to take Arisa to another location to eliminate infestations.
“Sigh, looks like I’m going to be wandering the entire continent.”
Unrolling the map provided by the church, I checked the locations where infestations had been discovered so far, and I felt drained for no reason.
If I had bad luck, it had really hit hard. Rather than wandering the continent for a lifetime, the World Tree had better grow soon to provide another means of purification.
“There could be others with purification abilities besides the saintess and the hero.”
“I think so too. As long as they can wield the powers of that time in some way, we can erase that corrupt power.”
Ten thousand years was an exceedingly long time. Yet, even within that long duration, there would be those who held onto the powers of that era.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that one more bothersome task had emerged for me. I would need to seek them out and gather them, yet it seemed I was the only one well-versed in that era. Even if Ethan could be tasked with finding them, it was clear I would have to persuade and bring those unknown individuals over.
*
“The place where the infestation was first discovered is this village, called Lakeside Village. The monsters that appeared there attacked the villagers and were soon exterminated. Currently, the area around the infestation is under strict seal.”
“From what I’ve heard, it sounds like I just need to show up. You all take care of it. I’m just here to watch.”
Today was the day I took Maria and Ian for the first purification of an infestation. The commander of the crusader knights brought a report to inform me of the plans.
I appreciated it, but I wasn’t particularly keen. I was someone who would be leaving this place soon anyway. Getting involved in minutiae wouldn’t be of any help.
So today, I decided to stay out of it as much as possible.
“But you’re anticipating that there will be a fight, right?”
“…From my experience, it has never gone smoothly even once.”
Arisa glanced subtly at me and spoke. Though I was cloaked in a hooded mantle, I was actually wearing ‘battle gear’ right now.
I planned to fight with all my might alongside the spirits in case of an emergency. Even though I had purified several infestations so far, not a single enemy had just surrendered peacefully.
“Let’s go!”
With the command of the crusader knight captain, a group of people set off together. My carriage with Arisa also moved in unison.
In another carriage ahead were Ian, Maria, and Melissa. If we hurried to the destination, we could reach nearby before sunset. We planned to camp for the night and purify the infestation the next day, fresh and ready.
“—, —.”
“Are we getting closer?”
As we got a bit closer to our destination, the spirits reacted first. Spirits, deeply rooted in nature, would naturally respond strongly since the infestation was a manifestation of extreme negativity. As a companion to these spirits, it was essentially my duty to resolve the infestation irrespective of the world’s fate.
“Go ahead and check it out.”
I sent the wind spirits, who had been playfully sticking close to me, to scout the situation.
Though the distance was too far to relay sounds in real time, using them as a kind of scout was entirely possible. The freely flying winds served as the best scouting tools.
“I heard the local lord’s soldiers are watching over that place strictly. If trouble arises, won’t they notify us immediately?”
“It’s good to have a backup.”
While Arisa, who hadn’t experienced much regarding the apocalypse or the tower itself, thought very reasonably and logically, I didn’t agree with that perspective.
I had personally witnessed how malevolent and twisted that surreal system was, including the tower.
To be honest, it was suspicious that a system prophesizing an apocalypse behaved so quietly.
“–, —?”
“What?”
However, the news the wind spirit brought back was somewhat unexpected.
There was nothing happening at the expected site of the infestation. Instead, something unpredictable was occurring around us, along the path we were taking.
“Are you saying there are people following us?”
Arisa looked shocked when I relayed the information. But the important thing wasn’t that.
“They’ve at least vaguely noticed the existence of the wind spirits and are tailing us. Those guys are definitely not normal.”
No one had been able to notice the spirits until now, allowing me to use them freely.
But now, for the first time, that immense power had been blocked.
“Should we inform the crusader knight captain immediately and chase them?”
“What if they escape? We’re in an open field. If they decide to run, it’ll be hard to catch up.”
I really wanted to know who they were. For now, as they kept their distance and followed us silently, it was highly likely they would keep trailing until we reached our destination.
“Let’s draw them in a bit more. There seems to be a spot along the route to the infestation that could block their escape.”
Having rolled in this world for some time, I had learned to use my head quite well. Holding onto the map and squinting, I spotted a perfect ambush location.
I intended to block and capture them there.
“They might not be enemies, you know?”
“I would prefer that.”
Of course, nothing was certain yet. While I didn’t hold out much hope, there was indeed a possibility they could be on our side.
“I will proceed as the High Elf instructed.”
I conveyed the message to the crusader knight captain leading the group through the wind spirits. He responded that he would do as I had suggested.
‘Who could they be?’
Having decided on our course of action, I leaned back in my seat. The wind spirit told me that they were fully cloaked in black, similar to me, so they couldn’t clearly see their faces or bodies.
Since I hadn’t only brought Arisa but was moving along with the church forces, they must either be bold or quite confident.
“We’re about to enter the spot you indicated.”
The captain of the crusaders personally came to open the carriage window and relayed the message.
It was time to trap those unknown individuals.
