“Reveal your identity. Who are you?”
The voice of the hero, which I had grown accustomed to hearing often, now echoed in my ears.
A chilling sensation trailed down my neck.
The surroundings were dark, so I couldn’t confirm it with my eyes, but if my guess was correct, it was probably a sword.
Now, let’s think about this.
What would one call the sword carried by the hero?
Correct!
It’s a holy sword.
And from this, I can conclude one thing about the identity of the sword pressed against my neck right now.
The Holy Sword.
It’s the Holy Sword.
Damn it! It’s the Holy Sword!
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
At the moment the hero thrust the sword at me, I found myself unable to move, as if my body had frozen.
In fact, I knew why I couldn’t move.
I was terrified. Really, incredibly scared. I was so afraid that I couldn’t move my body.
I feared that any slight movement would cause the sword to cut me, and I feared that giving the wrong answer might irritate the hero and cost me my neck.
Maybe it’s because I’m a demon, but just the presence of the Holy Sword’s blade pointed in my direction is enough to hinder my rational thought.
Is this how animals feel when they hear the roar of a wild tiger?
Even though my mind knew I was fine, my body trembled uncontrollably.
Almost as if it were engraved in my instincts.
And damn it, did this hero slice through something on his way here?
The smell of blood rising from beneath his face was strong.
Each time the scent of blood tickled my nose, I couldn’t help but imagine that it could soon be coming from my neck, and my legs weakened.
If I had to compare it to something, it would be like finding out that the friendly neighbor I laughed and joked with yesterday was actually a serial killer, and now he’s holding a bloody knife to my throat, demanding my name.
Basically, I’m saying I’m really scared right now.
“Ruina!”
I heard Bliss calling my name from behind.
Along with loud noises, it sounded like chaos had broken out over there.
But our hero didn’t seem to care at all about the noise coming from behind.
“I’ll ask again. Who are you?”
She asked my name once more.
Bliss seemed to have said my name just now, so why is she asking me again?
I was really puzzled, wondering if there was something wrong with the hero’s hearing, but I was in no position to question him, so I forced myself to answer with difficulty.
“I… I’m Sister Ruina…”
I responded in a faint voice.
“What?”
The hero sounded confused at my answer.
And then, at the same time—
“Light, illuminate the darkness. [Light]”
A voice that I presumed belonged to Olivia came from behind, chanting a spell.
Soon, a light, presumably Olivia’s magic, began to brighten the room.
“Olivia?!”
In the suddenly illuminated room, I managed to slip from the hero’s grip while he was momentarily distracted.
At last, we faced each other.
“Huh? Sister Ruina…?”
The hero looked at my face with a blank expression.
“Dain, you idiot! How could you point a sword at the person you were looking for?”
Olivia scolded the hero.
“What? Wait… So the one who ambushed us was Sister Ruina?”
“Yes.”
I nodded to confirm, in response to the hero’s shocked expression after hearing Olivia’s words.
“Lady Ruina! Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
I answered Bliss, who was anxiously asking about my safety.
“Why did you attack us?”
“Because I didn’t know it was you.”
“This is a goblin den, so I had to be cautious of anything approaching. Then, I saw unidentified figures coming this way, so we decided to intercept you first.”
…
“That makes sense.”
The hero nodded.
“Are you both alright? We were searching for you for quite some time after you disappeared.”
“Yes, thankfully, we’re unharmed.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Now let’s hurry and get out of here. It seems like this place is indeed a goblin den.”
“While there don’t seem to be any goblins here right now… we should hurry before they come back.”
With that, the hero turned.
“Let’s go, quickly.”
“Wait a moment.”
I stopped him as he headed toward the path we’d come from.
“There are other people gathered in the back room.”
“Other people?”
“The people who had gone missing.”
“Are you saying they’re here?”
Yes, you idiot.
“Yes, I thought they’d vanished, but it turns out they were all brought here together.”
“All five of the missing people are gathered in the back, so please wait a moment while I bring them.”
“Understood.”
“You know where the exit is, right?”
“Yes.”
“Great. I’ll bring them quickly, so let’s get them out of here. I don’t want to stay here any longer.”
After halting the hero in place, I headed back with Bliss to where the clerics were gathered.
“Sister Ruina, you’re back?”
The intermediate priest greeted me with a smile as I re-entered the room.
“Yes, I have news. Can you gather everyone?”
“Yes!”
With a bright smile, the priest gathered everyone for me, and soon, they all stood before me.
I addressed them loudly.
“I’ve met someone who knows the way out. We’re going to follow them out of here.”
“How can we trust them?”
One of the five missing people raised an objection.
This man had been contradicting my words since earlier.
Was he aware that Bliss’s face was turning sour beside me?
“If you are a believer in the Order of Beginnings, you should trust him. He is the hero of the Order.”
“The hero…?”
The man looked at me with a bewildered expression, but I didn’t bother to answer.
“We don’t have time, let’s move quickly. We need to get out of here before the goblins return!”
Then, I led the group back to where the hero was waiting.
“They’re all here.”
“Good. Follow us.”
With all the clerics in tow, the hero took the lead.
And so began the endless procession of hallways and rooms.
“How did you two end up here?”
While passing through yet another hallway, the hero asked us.
“Bliss here…”
“I’m sorry…”
As I trailed off, casting a glance at Bliss, he bowed his head in shame, his face flushed.
So, he does know how to feel remorse.
The hero, seeing this, cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“Ahem… So, how did you manage to escape?”
“Sister Ruina saved me.”
Bliss answered, looking at me as he responded to the hero’s question.
Why does his gaze feel a little intense?
“Then Sister Ruina?”
“I was able to escape easily because I had prepared in advance.”
“What? How?”
“I foresaw it.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
The hero asked, puzzled, but I didn’t feel the need to answer.
“No way…?”
The hero, seemingly realizing something, looked at me again.
“Did Lady Naias give a prophecy?”
Yes, that’s it.
“Indeed.”
I nodded proudly.
“Is that so? Impressive. It seems the rumors were true after all.”
I glanced at the hero, who was looking at me in admiration.
Seeing this, I held back a smile that threatened to creep up and thought to myself.
Here was yet another chance to solidify my reputation.
If not now, when else would I have a chance to build my image?
The stronger I made it now, the less likely anyone would suspect me as a fraud later on if any of my predictions happened to be a little off.
Well, it’s bound to come out eventually, but…
“Dane, we’re close to the exit,” Olivia said, and the hero turned to me.
“Follow this path straight out, and you’ll reach the outside.”
“Yes.”
Hmm?
While I was answering, I felt someone tugging at my clothes from below.
Judging by the low angle, I didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
I turned toward Reina. “Are we finally going outside?”
Her bright, hopeful eyes looked up at me.
“Yes, just follow that way,” I replied, pointing forward.
With that, Reina took off running. “Then let’s go!”
“What? Wait, Reina, why are you rushing?”
I called after her, but she didn’t even glance back, just kept running.
A little distance ahead, she stopped, looked back at me, and then called out.
“Last one out has to grant the first one’s wish!”
Oh, no. I thought she’d turn around, but instead, she called this back to me before dashing off again.
“Wait… huh? Hold on!”
I tried to call after her in a rush, but my words just faded into the air, unable to stop her.
Wait a minute—what should I do?
Should I run too?
But then I’d leave the others behind.
If I stay, Reina’s going to be on my mind the entire time.
This is…what should I do?
I glanced back at the hero, still indecisive about what to do next.
“Go on ahead. We’ll make sure the others get out safely,” he said, giving me permission to go.
Perfect.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
With a brief nod of gratitude, I set off down the path Reina had taken.
“Kids, I swear…” Olivia muttered from behind.
“I think it’s endearing, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do too,” Agnes agreed.
“Dain, Agnes, seriously… never mind.”
I could hear Olivia’s grumbling from behind, but I paid it no mind.
Reina might have disappeared from view, but no matter; as an adult, I’d catch up soon enough.
Just you wait, Reina. I might have a big wish in mind.
***
Damn it. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t catch up to her.
Maybe it’s this nun’s robe slowing me down.
This is humiliating—losing a footrace to an eight-year-old.
I took a moment to catch my breath and decided I might as well take the time to reflect on today’s events.
Of everything that happened, what stands out the most was the End Order Cult.
It was the first I’d ever heard of it, and if their words were anything to go by, they were the reason the goblins invaded human territory.
And all of this… simply because others didn’t believe in their religion?
Such brutal and senseless behavior, sacrificing their own kind simply because of differing beliefs—at least in Origin Church, you wouldn’t find such actions.
Sure, maybe it’s because the End Order is a demon religion, so it’s harsher, but still… it bothers me.
There’s no record of it in the Origin Church’s extensive archives, either.
A completely unknown sect?
There’s another thing that gnaws at me: the incredibly powerful man the goblin leader mentioned.
This goblin leader—capable enough to carve out such an extensive tunnel network, clearly a skilled mage—could do nothing but watch his companions perish at that man’s hand, despite being in his own fortress. It’s unsettling.
Anyway, I decided I’d remember the cult’s name, but for now, it wasn’t worth worrying over.
My focus was on the goblins reaching safely.
Not because I care for their well-being—no, I simply needed them to relay my message to my subordinates there.
I’d placed a magic message on the token I’d given the goblin leader.
He wouldn’t know it was there, but the vampire or the witch would recognize it when they checked the token and receive my message.
So that’s why I let those goblins live.
If the goblins survive the journey, they’ll deliver the message, and the vampire and witch will come for us.
And if they don’t make it?
Well, that’s simply their fate.
It doesn’t harm me either way; I just have to wait and see.
And now, with that settled, I should probably focus on getting out of here.
The more I walked, the more I noticed something brushing against my ears, cool and gentle.
A breeze.
A breeze meant the exit was near, and the hero had said to keep following this path.
Just a little farther, and we’d be outside.
How much longer would it be?
Ahead of me, I began to see a light illuminating the darkness of the cave.
A flood of brightness poured into my sight, and as soon as I saw it,
I felt drawn to it, as if enchanted.
I walked toward it, letting it guide me, and finally stepped through into the open.
As I emerged from the cave, I heard a voice from behind me.
“Hehe, Hella, you’re late,” Reina called out playfully.
Thanks for the chapter !
The pronouns are messed up in this chappy