Chapter 18 : Salvation (2)

‘Now, if I just do this… done.’

At last, I finally removed all the restraints from Bliss’s feet.

I wiped the nonexistent sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

Phew… It took quite an effort just to get this done.

There was a key for the restraints, but I couldn’t use it, which led to quite the struggle.

The reason I couldn’t use the key was because of Bliss. She had altered the restraints so that the key wouldn’t fit into the keyhole.

In the end, I never even got to try using the key.

I had specifically gotten the key from the goblin leader to make it easier to release the restraints…

But what good is a key if you can’t even use it?

Since the key didn’t work, I eventually had to rely on magic to solve the problem.

Perhaps the key will be useful for unlocking the restraints on the other priests.

But if they all did this kind of nonsense with their restraints…

I don’t want to think about that possibility.

Hiding the neatly cut restraints behind me, I said,

“You can get up now.”

“Is it completely removed?”

“Yes.”

The reason I’m hiding the cut restraints is because showing them might raise suspicion.

The nun, Ruina, that they see shouldn’t be capable of using magic, so I need to keep such items out of sight.

I tossed the cut restraints into a corner of the room. That way, they won’t be visible to her.

Now that Bliss’s restraints are all removed, should I go and rescue the other priests?

Considering that a high priest like Bliss is in this state, I wonder what condition the mid-rank and junior priests are in… They’re probably hoping for salvation as well.

I’m tempted to wonder if converting a mid-rank priest is necessary when there’s already a high priest here, but if they’re converted, they might prove useful down the line.

The more allies, the better.

Just thinking of the little lambs who will look up to me fills me with joy.

Hehehe.

Sigh… damn it.

Why does nothing go my way?

Before my eyes, a peculiar scene is unfolding.

Bliss, now freed from her restraints, attempts to rise with both hands and feet.

She uses her arms to support her body, stretches her legs, and starts to stand…

But then she collapses back down.

Not giving up, she tries again to stand.

Yet again, she falls back with a thud.

It’s like watching a newborn calf trying to stand for the first time…

I thought of waiting until she could stand on her own, but I don’t think I can anymore.

I walked over to Bliss and asked,

“What’s the matter?”

“I… can’t stand.”

Bliss looked at me and answered weakly.

What kind of nonsense is this?

“Why… why can’t you?”

“My arms and legs have no strength.”

“Then just heal yourself…?”

With healing—an ability unique to priests that can create strength even from nothing—she should be able to restore the strength to her weakened legs.

So why is she in this state, leaving such a useful power unused?

“I… used up all my divine power before you arrived, Ruina… so I can’t use any healing right now.”

Damn it. No wonder the restraints were so beat up—there was a reason.

She must have used all her divine power before I got here.

Well, this is a problem. I need to find the others quickly and sway their minds before the hero arrives.

But how should I handle this?

I asked her,

“So what do we do now?”

“Would… you give me your hand?”

“Excuse me?”

What kind of nonsense is this now?

With a hesitant voice, as if embarrassed, she replied while glancing at me,

“I mean… if you’d just help me up by holding my hand… I think I could stand…”

Hmm… Pulling her up by the hand…

That’s a good idea.

Why didn’t I think of that?

Was I subconsciously avoiding contact with her because of her previous attitude toward me?

“That’s a good idea.”

I extended my hand to her.

“Here, take my hand.”

“Y-yes.”

Bliss gently held onto my hand.

“I’ll pull you up on the count of three, alright? One, two.”

“Three.”

With perfect timing, I pulled her up with some strength, and she successfully stood.

“Alright, now that you’re up, let’s head out.”

Now that she’s up, we can really start moving.

I turned away from her and began walking toward the door.

As I stepped into the corridor, intending to proceed to the next room,

I felt someone tugging at my clothes from below.

Considering the tug is coming from below, I don’t even need to look to know who it is.

“What’s wrong?”

I looked down to find Reina staring up at me.

“Sister hasn’t come out yet.”

Reina pointed towards the room where Bliss had been.

Sure enough, Bliss hadn’t come out of the room…

Why? I had even helped her stand.

Perplexed, I turned back and stepped into the room again.

Once inside, I found Bliss standing in the exact same spot as before.

“What are you doing?”

“I… I can’t walk…”

Bliss avoided my gaze as she replied.

“What?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

When I stared at Bliss without saying anything, she spoke in a crawling voice.

“I feel like I might fall if I try to take even one step…”

This is a complete disaster.

“Sigh… so, what should we do then…?”

I sighed as I spoke.

What should I do?

Do I have to wait for her to recover?

That would be such a waste of time…

While I was pondering what to do, Bliss hesitated before speaking up.

“If you could… support me, I think I could walk. Is that… possible?”

“Hmm…”

Support her? As in, shoulder-to-shoulder walking, like that?

I thought carefully.

I don’t particularly enjoy being physically close to others for too long. But… this is an emergency, so I have no choice.

Sighing inwardly yet again, I approached her.

How many sighs have I let out by now…

“Alright… hold on. Ugh.”

I placed her arm over my shoulder and held her by the waist to support her.

As soon as I held her waist, I felt Bliss flinch.

Was that too sudden?

Well, not my concern. Time is of the essence right now!

“Okay, you ready? Let’s start walking.”

“Y-Yes!”

With her strangely hesitant response, we took our first step forward.

Ten minutes into supporting her like this.

I’m regretting my decision.

Ugh… supporting someone is exhausting.

I should have waited a bit and then set off… Trying to save those ten minutes by supporting her feels like a huge mistake now.

At first, having her so close to me felt a bit odd.

But damn, after a few steps, any awkwardness vanished, replaced by pure exhaustion.

“When do you think your divine power will return?”

“Just a little… If we wait a bit longer, I think I’ll have enough for healing.”

“How long, exactly?”

“If you could wait just five minutes… it should be enough.”

Damn, that’s still a lot of time.

“If it never comes back, that would be fine too…”

Hm? Did she just mutter something?

“Did you just say something to me?”

“Ah… no, nothing?”

Bliss stammered awkwardly.

What was that… I’m sure she said something?

She wouldn’t be talking behind my back, would she?

Anyway, five minutes… How am I going to endure five minutes?

It feels like my shoulder might pop out at any moment.

“Five minutes, huh. By the way, why’s your face so red? And why’s your breathing so rough?”

As I pointed out, her breathing was indeed quite labored.

Damn, I’m the one supporting her—why is she the one out of breath? And even if that’s understandable… why is her face so red?

At first, I thought it was just the torchlight creating an illusion, but on closer inspection, her face was definitely quite flushed.

Why on earth?

Let’s think carefully.

Labored breathing and a flushed face.

Could it be…

A cold?

It sounds absurd, but people’s faces only turn red when they’re angry or embarrassed, and she doesn’t look angry… and it’s not likely she’s feeling embarrassed, is it?

So, considering her flushed face, there must be some other reason…

Did she perhaps catch a cold after shouting her throat hoarse on that freezing floor?

Damn… that’s serious.

Does this magical fantasy land even have cold medicine?

If not…

No, I’ll have faith in Bliss.

She’s a priest—there’s no way she’d catch a cold, right?

I’m choosing to believe that she’s just out of breath because she’s exhausted.

It’s possible for the supported person to get tired too!

It’s probably just exhaustion causing her labored breathing!

But if she starts coughing…

Then… I’ll have to make a run for it.

“Th-That’s…”

Was it because of my abrupt question? Bliss reacted as if she were flustered.

Maybe that was too random of a question.

Before the warm mood I’d established goes completely cold, I should change the subject quickly.

With a hint of concern in my voice, I said,

“Are you alright? Should we slow down a bit?”

Definitely not asking that because I want a break myself.

“No, it’s fine.”

But Bliss refused firmly.

Damn it.

Holding back the grimace that threatened to appear on my face due to her answer, I forced a smile and said,

“Alright, let’s pick up the pace then. After all, there are people waiting for our help right now.”

“Y-Yes!”

Help… right. As if.

I’m the one in need of help right now.

Someone, please come and help me.

Damn it!!!

I made a miscalculation.

I thought we’d be fine with just the two of us.

I thought having someone as strong as Bliss, who’s about as powerful as a paladin, would be enough.

I thought that as long as I wasn’t far from her, we’d be safe.

But all of that was wrong.

It’s now the time in the morning when the signal to reveal one’s position should go up, just as I instructed earlier.

But the signal that went up into the sky…

Only two.

One was mine, and the other likely Olivia’s magic.

Which means… the signal from the priests hasn’t gone up for over an hour now.

I immediately headed toward the location of their last signal.

Since I made sure not to stray too far from their position, I was able to reach the place where their last signal was raised quickly.

I searched the entire area thoroughly.

But even after one hour, then two hours of searching…

I couldn’t find a single trace of them.

“Damn…”

I had no choice but to accept it.

They were gone.

I kept searching for them afterward, but not a trace was found.

Finally, it was time for us to gather at the meeting place, so I began making my way there.

“So, you’re saying they’ve disappeared?”

“Yes.”

“Sigh… Why did this happen? I thought a high priest was as strong as a paladin?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Hah… So, the culprit behind this incident must be at least paladin-level, right?”

“Most likely.”

At my answer, Olivia let out a sigh.

“So, what now? The sun’s already set.”

“I… I’m thinking of continuing the search.”

“What? Dane, can’t you see it’s already dark?”

“We don’t have time. Who knows what might happen to them while we’re standing around like this.”

“Sigh… Fine, but on one condition: Agnes and I are coming with you.”

“But it might be dangerous.”

At my response, Olivia’s brow furrowed.

“Quiet! You think I care about that right now? Even if you tell me not to, I’m coming, so just accept it!”

“Alright…”

I thought it would be safer if I went alone, but… I understood where Olivia was coming from, so I reluctantly agreed.

Yeah, the more people, the better.

Right now, I need to focus on how to find them as quickly as possible.

I hope they’re safe.

After a final check of our gear, we resumed the search through the forest.

Our search area was the spot where their last signal had disappeared.

We began combing through that area meticulously once more.

“Dane, are you sure this is the place?”

“Yes.”

Olivia looked at me with a skeptical expression.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Hard to believe…”

Just as I was about to respond to her words,

“Dane! Olivia! Come over here! I found something!”

We heard Agnes calling us.

“What is it? She’s not calling us over for another person-shaped tree, is she?”

With a doubtful look, Olivia and I walked over to where Agnes was.

And when we reached her…

“Take a look at this.”

Agnes was pointing at something shaped like a person.

“This is… armor?”

“Yes, Dane, armor.”

“Why is it here?”

“I don’t know.”

Agnes shook her head.

Olivia knelt down and placed her hand briefly on the armor, then brushed her hand off and stood back up.

“There’s no sign of life. And it’s empty inside.”

“So, Olivia, this is…”

“Yes, it’s a doll.”

Upon hearing Olivia’s words, I started to think.

When I’d checked here before, this wasn’t here—yet now it suddenly appeared.

Suspicious.

A doll… why is there a doll here? And one wearing armor, no less.

An armored doll… an armored doll…

Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind.

“Could it be…?”

“Why, Dane? Do you know something?”

Digging through my memories, I began to speak.

“Once, while I was on a walk with Aelia in the forest…

We came across someone lying on the ground.

Aelia couldn’t just leave them there, so, as always, she used her healing power on them.

But soon after she used her healing power, she suddenly fell asleep.

It was alarming, but I propped her against a tree, thinking she might just be tired, though it felt strange.

Then, right after she fell asleep, something bizarre happened.”

“What happened?”

“A sudden attack by demonfolk.”

“What?”

“Yes, not long after she fell asleep, demonfolk launched an assault.

It was odd because that area was known to be safe, free from the Demon King’s forces, which is why we were walking there.

Regardless, I fought them off to protect her while she slept. It was tough, but I managed to fend them off.

Afterward, I took both the sleeping Aelia and the armored person back to the shelter.”

“When I returned to the shelter, I took off its helmet to check its identity.

And when I removed it, I couldn’t help but be shocked.”

“Why?” Agnes asked, turning her head towards me.

“It was completely empty inside.”

“What?”

“The armor was hollow. There was no one inside.”

“So, that means…”

“Yeah, it was a doll. An armored doll. Just like this one here.”

I looked at Olivia.

“Olivia, you said earlier that this was a doll, right?”

“Yes… that’s what I said.”

“Alright. Then, can you start preparing a purification spell?”

“Huh…? Why?”

“There’s something I want to test.”

“Understood.”

As Olivia began chanting, I recalled the past encounter.

Back then, what we did to that doll was to channel divine power into it.

And if this doll is the same type…

It should respond to divine energy.

I drew the holy sword from its scabbard.

Although I couldn’t use the holy sword’s full power right now, its blade could still hold my divine energy.

I infused divine energy into the raised sword and then plunged it downwards.

~Thunk.

I held my breath and looked around.

‘Alright, what’s going to happen now?’

But no matter how much I looked around, nothing changed.

A creeping doubt began to form in my mind, wondering if I had miscalculated.

Then, at that moment, a change began.

“Dane? Maybe you should pull the sword… out… ah…”

Agnes’s eyes started to lose focus as she spoke to me.

I shouted in a frantic voice.

“Now, Olivia! Use the spell!”

“May all be cleansed. [Cleanse].”

At the same time as my cry, Olivia’s purification spell activated.

Seeing the spell take effect, I immediately called out to Agnes.

“Agnes! Snap out of it!”

“Uh… hmm? Dane? Did something happen?”

Fortunately, the light returned to her eyes.

“So, what do we do next?”

“Now, we just wait…”

I was about to respond to Olivia’s question when—

~Screeeeeeeeech!

A piercing cry started to echo from within the forest.

But it wasn’t just one cry.

~Screeeeeeech.

~Screeeeeeeeee.

~Scree…

~Screeeeeeeech.

~Screeeeeeeeech.

~Screeeeeeeeeech.

~Screeeeeeeeeeech.

The sounds filled the air, one after another.

“This sound… goblins?” Olivia muttered.

I pulled out the sword I had lodged into the doll and raised it.

Now, it was clear.

The priests hadn’t simply vanished.

They had been kidnapped.

And those who knew their whereabouts… were likely the owners of those yellow, glowing eyes watching us from within the dark forest.

Our next course of action was clear.

We would kill every goblin here and rescue them.

Pointing my sword towards the dozens of glimmering yellow eyes in the darkness, I shouted,

“Prepare for battle, everyone!”