“Whew. Being able to teleport inside the dungeon… this really is convenient.”
Just before the transport convoy arrived, Raviata had torn the teleportation scroll Shane had prepared and returned to the orcs’ stronghold.
Although Raviata had a deep understanding and talent for a wide range of magic, there were still many aspects of Shane’s personally researched magic that surprised her.
“But this…can’t it be used to return to the Sanctuary as well?”
“That would be difficult. Since you exist in this timeline, returning here wasn’t too hard. But the Sanctuary lies outside the will of the world. It’s a place where time is fixed.”
“I see. But that doesn’t sound like it’s completely impossible, does it?”
“I am currently researching magic related to that.”
Having experienced regression, Shane now held a considerable curiosity about the Sanctuary, something he hadn’t felt in his previous life.
Anyway, after a brief bit of small talk, the two quickly got to the main topic.
“Most likely, Rem will make another move.”
“That woman?”
Raviata asked, and Shane nodded.
“I can’t predict exactly what she’ll do, but Rem won’t be able to stand having her position as the Saintess shaken.”
“On what grounds?”
“Because that’s just the kind of person she is.”
“.…..?”
Raviata tilted her head in confusion, but Shane who remembered his past life had a fairly good idea of how Lucid Rem would act.
She’s probably gotten pretty good at handling evil spirits by now.
Lucid Rem had been highly skilled in manipulating evil spirits in her previous life as well.
Since evil spirits were a curse of the Dragon, and Rem was well-versed in curses, she had quickly been able to establish an image as the Saintess.
However, that method likely wouldn’t be perfect this time.
Gordon who had studied evil spirits had died too early in this life, and Shane who had brought with him knowledge related to evil spirits from his past life and had built up achievements using it wasn’t on Rem’s side now.
Still, luring them in and driving them away is definitely within her capabilities.
Considering how much Rem valued her image as a saintess, she would certainly appear again to solidify her status.
“If there’s one thing in our favor, it’s that we have you, Lady Raviata.”
“Ugh… does that mean I have to play the saintess role again?”
“Do you not find it to your liking?”
[That’s just how our commander is. She may not look like it, but she’s pretty sensitive and gets embarrassed easily.]
“Shut it, Ignis.”
[Eek, scary…]
At that, Ignis who had briefly shown himself disappeared again, and Raviata let out a quiet sigh.
“If that’s what will help the situation the most, I suppose I can’t refuse. And besides…”
“……”
“I don’t want to just stand by and watch the beastkin die in a war either.”
[See? That sensitivity! Deep down, she was glad the beastkin instinctively followed her like their ancestor. Hahaha!]
“……”
[Ack! Sorry, I’m sorry! Spare me!]
Leaving behind the rare sight of a fire spirit screaming while bound by flames, Shane continued.
“By the way, what did you find at the center of the Sanctuary?”
“Just like you said, there was a temple at the center. But inside… I wasn’t in any condition to enter.”
Raviata, having released Ignis, responded with a serious expression.
“Then, did you encounter the evil spirits?”
“Yes. But the magic power they held…”
“Wasn’t it similar to the one in the central temple?”
“…It was.”
This was exactly why Shane had sent Raviata back to the Sanctuary.
She needed to directly experience the difference in aura between the evil spirits and the temple.
“As the tribes here say, the tribes of the Nakar Desert, whether great or small, were once blessed by the Dragon in ancient times. Because of that, when the Dragon’s soul became corrupted, the tribes who had received its sacred power ended up having their souls trapped here after death.”
“…So, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“To enter the temple, you’ll need to adapt to that magical power. Simply put, you need resistance to it.”
“Hmm. But can I really accept such ominous magic?”
Raviata’s doubt was valid. The magic power carried by the evil spirits was as tainted as the dark magic of the undead.
But Shane wasn’t without a plan.
“Dilaila.”
“Yes, yes.”
Dilaila, who had been silently watching their conversation, stepped forward and held out a blue gem she had been carrying.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a gem infused with my essence.”
“Essence? Like what elves use?”
“Yes.”
Raviata took the blue gem and observed it carefully. Then her eyes widened, and she looked at Shane in surprise.
“This…? Why does this feel similar to the energy I sensed from the evil spirits? No, it’s different, but also… similar. Hmm…?”
It wasn’t Raviata but Ignis who cleared up her confusion.
[What the—? How can a human possess divine energy? No, forget that….how is it even possible to contain divine energy in an object?!]
With Ignis’s outburst filled with both shock and curiosity, Raviata turned her gaze back to Shane.
“Divine energy…?”
“Yes. I obtained it by chance.”
The divine energy Shane had received from the Mountain King during the war in Arunvida was of a higher order than the power radiated by the evil spirits of the Nakar Desert.
“Evil spirits are souls bound by the corrupted divinity of the Dragon. Because of that, even after death, they exist in a frozen state of time, much like the undead. In other words, they’re dead, but not truly dead.”
“Ah…”
“They’re vulnerable to water because the element once wielded by the Dragon before it fell into corruption was water. The corrupted Dragon’s energy now rejects that, and that’s what causes their weakness.”
“So then, what exactly am I supposed to do with this?”
Raviata rolled the blue gem in her hand as she asked her question, and Shane slowly began to unravel his plan.
It was a plan built upon theories so unexpected that even Raviata hadn’t imagined them.
***
Back to the present.
While Lucid Rem repelled the evil spirits, Raviata purified those whose life force had been drained by them.
In her hand, the blue gem she had received earlier from Shane was flickering faintly.
“……”
“……”
Yet their gazes remained locked on each other, unwilling to part… until Rem was the first to look away.
“Someday, the time of unity will come.”
With those final words, Rem vanished as if melting into the moonlight.
Raviata, watching her until the very end, also disappeared in silence without saying another word.
It took quite some time for the desert tribes to fully regain their senses.
***
The caravans of each tribe had no choice but to delay their departure by a day.
Though time was needed to recover from the fatigue of battle and to tend to the wounded, the sudden appearance of the two saintesses had left the representatives deeply shaken.
The caravans had completed preparations for camp, and the representatives gathered in a space arranged by the orcs to hold a meeting.
“…First of all, does anyone have a theory as to why such a large number of evil spirits appeared?”
The first to speak was Batukan.
Since the incident had occurred in their own territory, he claimed the right to speak first. As he did, the representative of the Toh Tribe raised his hand and replied.
“The Saintess said it was because so many people had gathered here, drawing the spirits to the vitality of the living.”
“Of course, I heard her say that. But in all the time we orcs have been active, we’ve never encountered that many evil spirits.”
At Batukan’s response, the Rabbit Tribe representative’s brow twitched.
It was a direct challenge to the Saintess’s words.
Sensing the tension, the Bird Tribe’s representative quickly raised a hand and interjected.
“The Don Tribe… or rather, the orcs, might be a special case, since they came from outside.”
“If we look back, nothing like this has ever happened before.”
“It’s not as if it’s never happened before. We too have faced tens of thousands of evil spirits. However, while there were signs back then… this time, there were none.”
“What caused it back then?”
At Batukan’s question, the Horse Tribe representative turned his gaze to Parimash, seated to the side, rather than answering himself.
“That incident is something the chief of the Myo Tribe knows well, does he not?”
“It happened because, due to worsening relations between all the tribes, we failed to uphold the rules we must follow as inhabitants of the desert. One of our water sources nearly dried up completely because of it.”
That incident had been handled entirely by Parimash.
Unlike other tribes, Parimash had access to information coming in from across the desert. He sensed the crisis early and insisted on uniting the strength of all the tribes.
Had any tribe delayed their response back then, it wouldn’t have been surprising if one of them had been wiped out.
“So this time, you’re saying there were no signs beforehand, unlike back then?”
At Batukan’s question, Parimash nodded.
Even now, Parimash had not let down his guard against the evil spirits.
The meeting continued throughout the night.
Yet, they were unable to determine a clear reason for the appearance of the evil spirits.
The only plausible explanation they could agree on, thinking realistically, was the Saintess’s theory….that the spirits were drawn by the living.
“By the way, what should we do about those who were attacked by the evil spirits…?”
“The Sun Saintess took care of it, didn’t she? We’ll have to keep an eye on them during transport, just to be safe.”
“Hmph.”
Around the time the various tribes began departing from the orcs’ stronghold, the Horse Tribe, who were the last to remain, requested a meeting with Parimash.
“What brings you here?”
“I came with a request for the chief of the Myo Tribe.”
“Go ahead. Haven’t the Horse Tribe and we traded for a long time?”
“Thank you for your consideration. By any chance, do the Don Tribe… the orcs, have any recorded footage of the evil spirit incident?”
“That, we haven’t checked yet. Is there a reason you’re looking for it?”
“As you know, our Horse Tribe is well-versed in shamanism. We suspect this incident may be connected to some kind of shamanic ritual. However, no clear traces were found at the site… Also, if the miracle performed by the Sun Saintess at the end was recorded, we’d like to review that as well. Healing wounds caused by evil spirits….such a thing is unheard of.”
At the Horse Tribe representative’s plausible words, Parimash nodded without showing any particular sign of suspicion.
“I’ll ask the orc chieftain about it.”
“I hope to hear good news. May the Dragon bless the path of the Myo Tribe.”
“May the Dragon’s blessings fill the future of the Horse Tribe.”
With those parting words, the Horse Tribe fully withdrew, and once Parimash confirmed that all the beast tribes were heading back to their respective territories, he let out a quiet sigh.
Parimash had long served as a chieftain, but the events of the previous evening were still vivid in his mind.
Especially the radiance surrounding Raviata who was now called the Saintess of the Sun by the tribes…
If not for his dignity as a chieftain, he might have burned with faith on the spot.
After finishing up the matters left behind by the departing tribes, Parimash made his way to the room where Shane and Batukan were.
“I-I greet the Sun Saintess.”
“Oh come on, you too? ‘Sun Saintess’….really now.”
Raviata, who attributed everything more to magic than faith, let out a sigh and looked exasperated at Parimash’s reaction.
If I’m a saintess, then what the hell is that guy?
Even hearing herself called a saintess in front of the one who had practically foreseen and planned for the entire incident only made her scoff.
She glanced over at Shane, who was sipping hot chocolate off to the side.
So he likes sweet things after all?
“Well then, let’s get to the point. What the hell was that yesterday? Are you telling me that pathetic fake actually did it?”
“Yes. In fact, using evil spirits isn’t particularly difficult for Rem. After death, the spirits are trapped by the Dragon, after all.”
“But they’re dead. Do they even have any will left?”
“Of course. They aren’t simple undead. They can probably follow basic commands. For now, it’s likely limited to movement instructions.”
“For now…?”
Considering the hostility evil spirits harbor toward the living, the fact that they can follow even simple commands is already threatening, so what more is there?
“Part of what makes Rem so dangerous is that she can charm others through dreams… but the real problem is that it spreads like an epidemic.”
That was why Shane had deliberately taken steps to prevent the beastkin from carelessly falling under the spell of such dreams.
One such measure had been today’s trade involving the Source Stones.
There were other hidden reasons, but above all, it was to spread the message throughout the Nakar Desert that Rem was not the only saintess. He was effectively acting as a vaccine against the disease Rem was spreading.
But unlike the living, who could be reached that way, the dead were a different matter.
“What do you mean by that?”
“If we’re not careful, we might end up facing nearly ten million evil spirits.”
“…….?!”
At those words, Parimash’s face turned to one of utter shock.
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