Chapter 67
Demonic Race.
Although the Demonic Race didn’t exist on Earth, where Da-eun was from, she wasn’t unfamiliar with them.
‘They’re a regular feature in fantasy novels, after all.’
So much so that their absence would feel strange.
Even though she had never actually seen one, Da-eun already felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity with them long ago.
Although she was a bit flustered when Kana first mentioned them—
‘…That makes sense!’
Come to think of it, there are countless creative works that portray the Demonic Race in a positive light.
Since adding one more to that collection didn’t make a significant difference, Da-eun quickly composed herself.
However, there was one thing she couldn’t compromise on.
“If Celine is coming with us, we should be safe. After all, Holy Power and Magi are natural enemies!”
What is the Demonic Race’s weakness?
It’s none other than Holy Power.
The golden Holy Power that withstands the ferocious storm of Magi.
The image of a frail priestess bravely confronting powerful Magi was enough to deeply stir the hidden romanticism within Da-eun.
If it weren’t for the fact that Silia Online’s “Priest” class had combat abilities close to zero, she might have chosen to become a priestess without hesitation.
For that reason—
While it was still terrifying to head to the home of the Demonic Race, Laxia—
Having the reliable tank and dealer Kana, and Celine, the healer, by her side—
Thinking about heading to Laxia with those two made Da-eun’s heart, which had been still for a while, start racing again.
‘It’s totally a Hero’s Party…!’
Even though Kana had denied it, in Da-eun’s eyes, the small girl looked like a dependable hero.
‘…Wait a minute.’
…Something seemed off.
Da-eun stopped her endless daydreaming and furrowed her brow.
If Kana is the dealer, and Celine is the healer, then what’s my role…?
Of course, there’s no rule that says a Hero’s Party should only have one dealer, but no matter how much she thought about it, Da-eun couldn’t picture herself playing an active role in the Demonic Continent.
…Am I… just baggage?
Was this secretly one of those stories of despair and regret?
Kana, noticing that Da-eun was lost in some useless thoughts, looked at her with pity, but Da-eun didn’t realize it at all.
She only snapped back to reality when she heard Celine’s puzzled voice.
“Hmm? Natural enemies?”
Celine looked genuinely confused, as if she were hearing such a thing for the first time.
Hearing her voice, Da-eun, who had been lost in her own world, was suddenly thrown into confusion.
“Wait, is it not true?”
Double damage to Magi-type creatures, purifying lands tainted with Magi, things like that.
“…There’s no such thing.”
“No such thing, really.”
Crash!
Celine’s direct reply struck Da-eun’s head like lightning.
“My… my dreams….”
Da-eun collapsed, clinging to Kana, to soothe her wounded heart.
Here we go again.
Although the usual expressionless look briefly crossed Kana’s face, she didn’t resist Da-eun’s embrace.
Having regained her inner peace by hugging Kana, Da-eun spoke up.
“Then there’s no real point in coming along, is there? Ah, not that I doubt Celine’s abilities….”
“Hehe. I understand your concern.”
Celine gently placed her hand over her chest.
“But even if I look like this, I’m still a trainee saintess of the Edel Church. So you can rest assured, I’m quite confident in my abilities.”
“…Trainee saintess?”
“Yes.”
“…What is that, exactly?”
“…Pardon?”
Seeing the pride exuding from Celine, it seemed like it was something amazing.
Da-eun didn’t know what a trainee saintess was, but since it had the title “saintess” attached to it…
Should she be impressed or just let it slide?
While Da-eun wavered between these two options, Celine, having regained her composure, kindly explained.
“A trainee saintess is a nun who trains to become a saintess.”
“Huh? But isn’t a saintess supposed to be chosen by Lady Edel?”
“Hmm, that’s an interesting way to put it. Since a saintess is more adept at handling Lady Edel’s blessings than others, you could see it that way.”
Though she phrased it differently, in summary, it meant “not necessarily.”
“So it wasn’t like that….”
If that were the case, then what does a saintess do? How does one become a saintess? And how many trainee saintesses are there?
There were still so many questions.
Kana, who was trapped in Da-eun’s embrace, began to squirm, clearly uncomfortable.
Sensing from the small movements within her arms that her time was running out, Da-eun decided to put off satisfying all her curiosity for now.
There was no need to ask everything right away.
After all, since they were going to be traveling together, there would be plenty of time to talk.
Instead, Da-eun decided to ask the one thing she was most curious about.
“This… really, really isn’t because I don’t trust you, Celine, but… can I ask just one more thing? Just one more?”
“Of course. Feel free to ask anything.”
“I apologize if this comes off as rude… But being a trainee saintess means you’re technically a lower rank than a saintess, right?”
“…That’s true, yes?”
“From what I’ve heard, Laxia, the Demonic Continent, is an extremely dangerous place. If that’s where we’re going, shouldn’t a saintess be sent instead of a trainee saintess? N-not that I’m complaining, of course, since I’m glad you’re coming with us, Celine!”
Even though Da-eun had no intention of belittling Celine, her question was more than enough to sound rude.
Knowing this herself, Da-eun tried to soften her words with layers of disclaimers, but she couldn’t hide her nervousness.
As expected, the chat window exploded with comments like “habitual disrespect” or was filled with just the words “me” and “lock.”
‘But still, it’s something I’m curious about.’
Why would they send someone of a lower rank and leave the most skilled person behind?
Or maybe it’s because the position has more symbolic significance, so they can’t send them to a dangerous place?
“Oh! So that’s what you were curious about?”
Fortunately, Celine responded cheerfully, without the slightest hint of offense.
“The position of saintess is currently vacant.”
So, as the strongest candidate, I ended up being sent.
Her voice was full of pride as she said this.
***
The Demonic Race didn’t originally exist on the Ardina Continent.
However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist in the world of Silia.
Unlike the Dimensional Creatures that suddenly appeared with Edel’s defeat one day, they had lived on a continent beyond the western sea for a long time.
In other words, the Demonic Race is a race created by Edel’s own hands.
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, the Demonic Race, monsters… from various beasts to even the smallest gnats.
Except for the Dimensional Creatures, every living being in the world of Silia was born from Edel’s hands.
Oh, right, I should exclude myself from that list.
In any case, why would Edel’s Holy Power have a harmful effect on the beings she herself created?
Anything in excess is never good, so staying exposed to it all day wouldn’t be healthy, but it wouldn’t have the dramatic effects that Da-eun was imagining.
—That’s what I thought as I listened to Da-eun’s words.
And—
“Idiot.”
“Ugh….”
That one word summed up my feelings.
Sure, Da-eun is an outsider and couldn’t know all these internal details, but…
I don’t know, I just found it amusing to tease her, so I threw in a comment. She recoiled as if struck by an arrow.
“I didn’t know…! I really didn’t know!”
That was the extent of the defendant’s plea.
If Holy Power and Magi were truly opposing forces like she thought, the Sedeth Kingdom would have never stepped in to mediate the Second Race War.
If Holy Power opposed Magi, that would mean it’s a power that defies Edel’s will.
“Holy Power is a force related to life.”
Not all sacred spells are related to life, though.
“That’s why it can heal wounds, cure diseases, and even boost vitality to strengthen the body.”
“Ah… so that’s why….”
Hearing my words, Da-eun seemed to have a realization.
“That’s why priests have higher healing capabilities than other healers, huh.”
She suddenly muttered in Arkish, likely talking to her viewers.
If I knew Arkish, I would have understood what she was saying.
I don’t regret not learning it, but hearing her talk—no, hearing her pretend to talk to herself while actually conversing with someone else—made me realize I needed to learn it quickly.
Not yet, though. There’s still time. Yeah.
“Do you remember what I said about Magi?”
“Are you asking if I knew? …You all knew this—huh? Kana mentioned it?”
Da-eun’s face turned from frustration to curiosity upon hearing something.
“Ahem, ahem. Kana, what did you say?”
“…I just asked if you remember what I said about Magi.”
“Of course, I remember. You said it’s like poison to non-demonic beings. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s right.”
Even though the Descent Festival was still ongoing, the streets were lively and bustling.
With my hood pulled low, I strolled down the energetic streets with Da-eun by my side.
“Creatures that come into contact with Magi gradually become weaker.”
The longer the exposure, and the higher the concentration of Magi, the stronger and faster its effects become.
It’s manageable if you have resistance to Magi, but not every living being is born with a resilient body or the ability to reach a high level of resistance.
“And for those who can’t resist the Magi that has invaded their bodies, there are only two fates awaiting them.”
Death, or becoming a monster.
The fact that there are an unusually large number of monsters near the lands where the Demonic Race resides isn’t just a coincidence.
Because of that, Grasis had quite a headache.
Since just a short distance to the west was where the Demonic Race had settled, the lands surrounding Grasis were overrun with monsters as well.
… Well, it was their own fault, to be honest.
It was an inevitable consequence that the monsters would start appearing in droves once the Demonic Race settled near Grasis.
So, the entire Ardina Continent had agreed to support the subjugation of the monsters, but Grasis, with its disastrous diplomatic decisions, ended up driving that support away.
If pushing away unity that transcends nations and races can be called a talent, then perhaps it was a talent of theirs.
“Now do you understand why people think it’s impossible to coexist with the Demonic Race?”
I’m guessing that’s also why rumors spread that the Demonic Race controls monsters.
“Y-yeah… But why did you suddenly tell me all that? Now I’m even more scared….”
Although Da-eun’s physical body wouldn’t truly die, or more accurately, it would only appear as if she died, she still shivered at the thought.
In the past, I would’ve thought she was just being unnecessarily scared for someone who can’t die anyway.
“…You seemed curious as to why we’re taking Celine along.”
But not now.
After talking with Da-eun, I understood why she had such a pathological fear of pain.
“As I said, Holy Power is related to life. So, with her Holy Power, she should be able to protect you from the effects of Magi.”
Since even Edel has attested to her abilities, she should be able to do at least that much.
If Celine’s power is insufficient, it means I wouldn’t be able to withstand it either.
And if that happens, it’d be better if….
“…”
… No, let’s not go there.
I quickly pushed that thought out of my head.
I know it’s just a thought, but that was too far.
“I won’t let you die.”
“Kana…!”
Upon hearing my words, Da-eun looked like she was about to burst into tears.
Then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, she stopped tearing up.
“So… does that mean you’ll teach me swordsmanship more kindly now?”
“…”
“Kana? Hey, Kana? Can’t you hear me?”
“…”
No. Absolutely not.
She’s the one who wanted to learn swordsmanship, right?
I’m teaching her swordsmanship, not trying to kill her.
If I’m harsher now, she’ll be better able to protect herself in dangerous situations, and that’s more in line with not letting her die, right?
Yeah, I’m sure that’s what it is.
I turned my head away, pretending not to hear her.
“Waaah! I hate you, Kana!”
True consideration for others often means being hated by them.
It’s a painful thing, but that’s something I’ll have to endure as well.
—
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