4-48: A Warning From the Past (Dream) (5/8)

4-48: A Warning From the Past (Dream) (5/8)

Before anyone could come to grips with what just happened

F-Fu ha ha ha ha ha! So we failed to finish off the rumored second princess, but we did succeed in taking out Earthgants famed strongest maid doll!

!

a joyful yet mocking laugh suddenly resounded throughout the main hall.

A group of men in robes of distinctive coloring had surrounded the sarcophagus on the altar.

The design was a mixture of black and bloody red, engendering an eerie atmosphere that left one uneasy.

They were likely high priests of the cult for there was a large emblem of the order embroidered onto their robes in gold.

But of course, such things could not possibly draw the attention of the girls right now.

Who are you people!?

Ku ha ha, what reckless children. Even adherents wont last more than a few seconds in cursed waters. Were your friends suicidal? Or maybe they actually thought that that doll could still be saved?

A deafening, high pitched laughter resounded without hesitation throughout the hall. The priest laughed at their ignorance despite attacking this place on their own volition.

A mass of black evil ki, waters marked with a curse no human could possibly survive its touch.

Any and all that fell into such cursed waters could only resign themselves to their fate; hence, why it was the cults trump card against troublesome foes such as themselves.

Thats exactly what it is, you foolish priests.

For the first time since coming here, a peerless smile appeared on the hero as he pointed his sword at the priests.

There was a tinge of pity on his face and voice as he pointed out that their suspicions were actually correct.

What?

I see, this must be what its like to feel pity toward someone thats just too ignorant. I understand now why Shinichi keeps scolding meIsnt that right, everyone?

The hero asked, and a voice responded

Indeed.

From behind the priests.

!?

Some turned around, some tried to get away, and others tried to cast a curse.

But every one of them was too slow and too full of openings against those girls.

GyaAAaa!?!?

The priests screamed, and as blood dyed their robes, someones something flew in the air.

They were taken by surprise from behind and heavily wounded, yet as grave as their wounds were, not one among them perished.

But that was only a given, after all these girls were outstanding. As maids that also worked as royal guards, being able to deal with assassins was part of the job description, and they were also more than capable enough to extract information.

In other words, they were well versed in the art of inflicting pain without killing.

Moreover, they were citizens of a great magic country; hence, they were all adept at healing magic.

They could easily cut a persons limbs and not let them die.

But of course, thats just an example.

Eek, gah, gyah AH AH! W-Why!? Since when were you there!?

The person that was laughing so loudly earlier was now on the ground, writhing in pain.

Ufufu, this time you better listen closely. Because if you listen well enough, you might just hear my masters valiant voice.

When those words were muttered by their ears, they found themselves pricking up their ears.

Indeed, there was a sound of sort from the depths of those waters a voice growing louder and louder, and

oo OO UOOOoo!

Yes, for some reason, a voice that could only be described as a yell was bellowing out with such power from the depths of the cursed waters.

And then those very waters responded to that yell and exploded.

The cultist priests could not understand why, but it seemed as though the cursed water was actually afraid.

No! It, it cannot be!

Its impossible! Impossible!

When a certain thought crossed their mind, they immediately shot it down, but as though it was waiting for that, suddenly all of the cursed waters were devoured by the brilliance of that powerful black light, and when it finally waned, it took the cursed waters with it.

Enough yapping and shut up already.

The gutters now empty, the boy, from which those black lights came, stood before the cultists priests and glared down at them.

His clothes were stained, but his body was unharmed.

In his arms was a maid in a similar condition.

Eek, why!? Why are you unharmed!?

T-That face, youre an otherworlder!? Black hair, a boy Someone that can resist curses A-Ah, dont tell me!? Youre that person whos been destroying the branches singlehandedly!!

When the cultist priests finally saw his face, they remembered a certain rumor that has been going around the cult.

More and more branches have been dying abruptly recently.

Word had it that the person responsible for that was a black-haired otherworlder immune to the power of the evil god.

In fact, said otherworlder had already destroyed some of the parts of the evil gods body.

Anyone who caught wind of that rumor snickered at the thought, but seeing the boy right before them, they could only believe.

Alas, it was already too late.

Huh, so Shinichi was famous among you cultists? No wonder he went out of his way to cover his face with a hood!

The hero said with admiration as he knocked out the priests just as Shinichi had instructed.

Meanwhile, Youko and some of the maids ran up to Shinichi.

Though they indeed trusted Shinichi and talked him up before the cultist priests, there was no helping their worries.

But before they could say anything, Shinichi curtly told the maids.

Ill leave the rest to you.

For a moment, Shinichis gaze looked outside. They realized what that meant, so they told him.

Understood What about the Head Maid?

The head maid was certainly in his arms, but her countenance was pale and her eyes were closed. The sound of her breath couldnt be heard either.

Such a scene understandably led them to draw the worst conclusions.

Leave her to me.

Y-Yes! In that case, please leave the rest of the cleanup to us!

Shinichis words were brief but brimming with confidence, so they left some members with him while the rest scattered into the temple to deal with the remaining cultists.