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(Hah…)

After smashing down a massive tree, with a trunk so thick that it would take two grown adults to wrap their arms around it, he finally came to a stop. Lying spread-eagle on the ground, he stared up at the night sky.

The trees of this forest, left unchecked, had grown wildly, and the dense branches hardly allowed any glimpse of the stars. Normally, the forest at night would be alive with the sounds of birds and beasts, but now, the only things filling the silence were the whispers of the wind. The commotion had either scared them far away or sent them hiding in their dens. Not a single animal cry could be heard.

Occasionally, the distant clash of swords and the battle cries of warriors full of spirit echoed through the air.

(Come to think of it, battle has always been by my side.)

As he gazed up at the sky, memories of his homeland stirred in his heart, bringing a wave of melancholy. Compared to the ceaseless conflicts of his homeland, the skirmishes here were mere child’s play—a kitten’s quarrel in comparison to those days of relentless war.

(No, a warrior must never underestimate a battle. To look down upon even the smallest of conflicts is the height of arrogance. This is still a battlefield, and no soldier should ever let their guard down on one!)

He chastised himself for his moment of carelessness. After all, that fragile girl he had begrudgingly accepted as his master—was she safe? She was but a frail human, after all.

His frustration grew as he glanced again at the sky.

Taking down someone as insignificant as their enemy should have been effortless for him. He could have annihilated them without leaving even a trace of their soul behind. In fact, his style was purely brute force—charging headlong and crushing his foes with overwhelming power. Tricks and cunning strategies were a bother, not to mention something he wasn’t capable of. For that reason, he had no choice but to stay here. It was frustrating, but a promise was a promise. There was no other option.

♦♢♦♢

“They say a fool is more frightening than a fire next door, but just look at this place—she hasn’t done any cleaning! What on earth has that damned ragweed been up to?”

Regina, seated comfortably in her favorite armchair with a cup of fragrant tea in hand, had all the windows of her hut flung wide open as her enchanted cleaning tools bustled around energetically. Meanwhile, her guard, Maya stood vigilantly at her feet as she relaxed, enjoying a moment of tea in the tiny, meticulously weeded garden outside.

Noticing Regina’s usual harsh language, he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the absent girl and decided to defend her.

“Oh, come now, Madam Witch. Lady Jill does her fair share. Every six months, she maintains the protective wards, cleans up, and even speaks with the nearby villagers and elves to ensure the upkeep of this hut and the surrounding forest.”

Even if it wasn’t far, venturing into the Tenebrae Nemus along barely visible paths to reach this place wasn’t for the faint-hearted. Of course, he accompanied her as a guard on these trips, but for an ordinary villager, it would be a perilous journey.

Regina shot him a sharp glare, her golden eyes narrowing.

“You’re not completely blameless! Just look at this garden—and those bizarre plants she grew in the patch over there. I just saw one practically digesting a goblin whole!”

Ah, that explains why she’d used magic to torch the entire garden just moments ago. He nodded heavily, now understanding the situation. “Such is the law of the jungle. It is only natural.”

“As if! You blockhead! Dimwit! It’s because you’ve been wandering around here that the magic and spirit energy in this area has gone haywire! Are you trying to turn my garden into a dungeon?”
“Well, be that as it may, I’ve been entrusted with protecting this land. Thus, even with my official duties, I make time for patrols. I’d be remiss not to, and I don’t mind doing it.”

“Maybe you don’t mind, but I sure do, you empty-headed fool!” Regina snapped, her face scrunched up with frustration. “I don’t know what you find so endearing about that ragweed, but stop coddling her! She’s got plenty of burdens to carry, and if someone’s always helping her out, she’ll collapse under the weight when it’s finally time to stand on her own. Sometimes letting go is the best thing you can do.”

He watched her, a small smile playing at his lips as she snorted in irritation.

“A motherly sentiment, perhaps? Although I hear, Madam Witch, that you secretly look after Jill yourself—”
“Bah! Don’t you go making that ugly mug of yours look even uglier!”

Flying into a fit of anger, Regina’s enchanted broom and dustpan soared through the air, dumping a pile of collected debris over his head.

“In any case, it’s time you let her find her footing on her own! So no more meddling!”

♦♢♦♢

“That’s that, then. From now on, no unnecessary interference. —Well, that thing’s been weakened enough, so she should probably be fine.”
“However…”
“The girl may be straightforward, but there’s a strange distortion at her core. I think it’s largely due to her mother’s influence. So, whether she can overcome this will be a good test of her strength.”

He held back a rebuttal, suspecting that the burden might be too much for her. Instead, he lowered his head deeply, paying silent respect to his master, whom he’d unexpectedly encountered once more.

“…your wish is my command.”
“Alright, I’m counting on you, Houzuki.”

♦♢♦♢

When Igoronak swung his lone arm, the claws on his left hand extended, becoming as sharp as blades.

“Saintess, let me strip away your pretensions and reveal your truest—”
“「O celestial bell, send this impure soul back to the underworld with thine eternal melody」—「Purify」!”
“Grah!”

I interrupted him before he could finish his speech, striking him quickly with a purification spell.

“You insolent little—!”

Even after being seared by the golden flames, Igoronak looked surprisingly unaffected. As expected from the No-Life King. His resilience is a league above ordinary undead.

“Purify! Purify! Purify!”
“Graahh, guh, guooahh…!”

To settle things quickly, I fired multiple rounds of ‘Purify’ in rapid succession.

Earlier, while fighting the other undead, I used the Tiara of Starflower to expand the spell’s effective range, purging multiple targets at once. Although the dispersed effect reduced the impact on each individual, it was sufficient against low-level undead infested by Corpsegrass. But for this foe, I couldn’t afford to hold back. This time, I concentrated the spell’s power to focus solely on him, maximizing its potency.

According to Coppelia, even a Lich-class enemy would be nearly obliterated after being hit with two or three strikes. However…

“Enough already! Do you honestly think such weak attacks will harm me?”

So sneered Igoronak, though I could tell his black robes were fraying, and his body seemed to be taking more damage than he let on.

“It’s working, it’s working. Look at him; he’s definitely rattled,” Coppelia whispered to me. Still, how many more Purify spells will it take to land a critical hit? I have a feeling my mana will run out well before then.