Chapter 4
When Yuurai woke up, she found herself being brutally tortured in what looked like an underground prison.
She was ordered to explain what had happened, and though Yuurai obediently told everything, they accused her of lying to protect herself. The torture continued.
It was no longer about getting information—it was just a way for them to vent their rage over losing the beloved Princess.
To continue the torture, they even used healing magic on her... That hellish repetition wore down Yuurai's mind considerably.
(...If it's going to be like this, I'd rather just die. Hurry up and kill me... scum.)
In that hopeless situation, Yuurai couldn't count how many times she had thought that.
(Is there a skill for suicide or something...? Hm?)
With a hazy mind, she checked her skills.
Then she noticed she had newly acquired a skill called Corruption.
(...What is this? The effect is... While active, it dramatically boosts the power of Dark Magic, and also allows the use of special magic. Side effect... mental breakdown. Haha, if I go insane, maybe I'll actually enjoy this mess?)
The torture continued. She was suspended in the air while they repeatedly pulled her intestines out from her abdomen in some incomprehensible act, but she had gotten somewhat used to it.
Her eyes remained destroyed, but her severed limbs had regenerated for now. Still, all her fingers were crushed, serving only to transmit pain.
(...Whatever. Thinking is a pain... Corruption, activate.)
Immediately, Yuurai felt her body heat up like it was on fire. At the same time, a pitch-black rage surged forth, blowing away her earlier apathy.
"W-What the!? Her mana just spiked...!?"
"Hey, kill her! Kill her now! She's dangerous!"
The surroundings grew frantic.
Before they could do anything, Yuurai activated another spell.
It was a special magic she hadn't been able to use before.
"Uro."
"Ugh! I can't move my body!"
"What is this clinging darkness!?"
"Aaaaaaaaah! My legs—my legs are being eaten!"
"Don't touch that darkness! It'll devour you!"
"Kill that Monster first! Stop her!"
"Impossible! Her mana output is too intense—we can't get close!"
Since Yuurai's eyes had been destroyed, she couldn't see what was happening. However, through something other than sight, she could vaguely sense the situation around her.
A dark mist had formed and was devouring the four soldiers inside the cell.
The soldiers, whose bodies were being gradually consumed, screamed desperately for help. But of course, Yuurai didn't stop her attack.
"Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die... All of you, just die already."
The mist expanded. It reached beyond the underground cell and began to spread above ground.
The mist continued to grow, rapidly engulfing the surface.
Yuurai could sense the townspeople noticing the anomaly and fleeing in panic.
She also understood that many of those people had nothing to do with this incident. But driven by overwhelming darkness, Yuurai kept spreading Uro.
One hour, two hours, three hours—the mist kept expanding.
...And then, a whole day had passed.
"...Did I get them all? Some escaped, but whatever. I killed all the soldiers."
The town's population was probably around twenty thousand. Perhaps a few dozen managed to escape, but she didn't bother chasing them.
"...I'm exhausted. That's enough. I want to rest."
After using magic for an entire day, Yuurai felt extreme fatigue. Her mana was depleted, and even breathing was a struggle now.
"Maybe I won't ever wake up again..."
That was fine with her.
Yuurai no longer cared about anything and let go of her consciousness.
As she felt her body being enveloped by something like a black cocoon.
* * *
The Holy Capital of the Rivalt Kingdom.
Inside the church of the Seirene Faith, Emeralda was offering prayers alone.
Emeralda was the only Saint in the country and possessed extremely powerful holy-attribute powers.
Her skills as a Saint were innate, and because of that, she had been taken from her family at a young age to live under the church's care. Even now at seventeen, she had almost no personal freedom. Any dissatisfaction with that had long since faded.
Suddenly, Emeralda shivered as an intense chill ran down her spine.
"What...? What's happening...?"
She instinctively knew that something terrible was occurring. But she couldn't tell exactly what it was.
Emeralda's body trembled, and cold sweat wouldn't stop.
Crack.
A large crack appeared in the statue of the goddess displayed in the church. It had been enchanted with special magic, so it should never break on its own.
'...A calamity is coming. A dangerous Monster... the Demon King has awakened... The northern lands will soon fall...'
"Was that... Divine Revelation...?"
Emeralda, as a Saint, possessed the skill to receive Divine Revelations. It was the power to hear the voice of something like God, and she had only received it once before.
That first revelation had said a child of blessing had been born. A child with immense power, still young, but being raised by the church as a holy warrior.
"If that was a Divine Revelation... then the world is in danger...?"
Emeralda shivered again.
As she waited for the chills to subside, the church doors suddenly burst open.
"Lady Emeralda!"
"...Emma. What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?"
Emma was one of the Holy Knights and a girl who had a personal relationship with Emeralda. She was eighteen years old, a beautiful redhead who looked great in her Holy Knight armor.
Officially, the Saint held a higher position, but in private, they interacted without regard for status.
"...Something's happened near the Dark Dungeon, in the town of Grimoire."
"...Something? What do you mean?"
"We don't know the details. But we received reports that a black mist was attacking the town, and after that, all communication ceased. Even when we tried contacting various places using communication magic, no one responded."
"...I see."
A calamity was unfolding.
If the Divine Revelation was true, then a dangerous Monster had awakened.
"...I'll head to the site. Lady Emeralda, you don't look well. What's wrong?"
"Actually, I just heard a Divine Revelation."
"A Divine Revelation? What did it say?"
"That a dangerous Monster—the Demon King—has awakened. I don't know the specifics, but I believe the world is in crisis."
"The Demon King...? That's just a fairy tale...? Understood. In any case, we need to investigate immediately."
"Yes..."
"Then, I'll be going. I may not return for a while, but I promise I'll come back."
"Hey, can't I come too? I have holy powers as well—I'm sure I can help."
Emma gave a gentle smile and shook her head.
"Lady Emeralda, please protect the Holy Capital. We don't know when that Monster might attack here."
"...I see. You're right."
In truth, Emma probably just wanted to keep Emeralda away from danger. Emeralda understood that.
"...Got it. By the way, is Claire going with you too?"
"Yes, she is."
Like Emma, Claire was also a friend of Emeralda. They were both girls and close in age, which made them closer than others.
"You both stay safe."
"Yes. We will."
"...Take care. May God's blessing be with you..."
"Yes. I'll be off."
Emma departed.
Though Emeralda had a bad feeling, she chose to believe that Emma and the others would be okay.