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“Yes, the purification in the name of our God is complete.”
“Instantaneous.”

The purification was completed with just a gesture of clasping hands in prayer over the pot containing the poisonous liquid and the knife. As evidence, the once murky water now ran clear, and the stench reminiscent of rotting flesh had vanished.

A task that would take an average sorcerer at least an hour was done effortlessly by the saint. Her title was well-deserved.

“Indeed, healing power works well against impurities. So this is the knife in question…”

The saint picked up the knife from the bottom of the pot and scrutinized it closely. The blade, darkened as if smeared with soot, would easily blend into the darkness. It was hard to believe there was no malicious intent behind it.

“…There’s no need to glare at me like that. I’m not going to eat you.”
“I’m not so sure. How could I forget what happened in that village?”
“What are you talking about? I have no idea.”

She feigned ignorance blatantly, but without evidence, my accusations were baseless. She was a truly untrustworthy vixen who knew her position and power well.

“Oh, do you two know each other?”
“We’re not acquaintances, Branch Chief. We just recognize each other’s faces.”
“Hehe, Miss Laika and Miss Momose are my friends.”

…Why is she called a saint? She seems more like a vile woman who loves to irritate people.

“Ahem! More importantly, did you find any clues?”
“No, none at all. It seems like they sharpened some old knife. It would be difficult to even trace the store it was bought from.”

She placed the knife on the table and raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. If there were any traces of magic power left, it would have been a stroke of luck, but such convenient circumstances were rare.

The poison made it difficult to examine the knife closely, and any trace evidence would likely have faded overnight.

“Well, it was expected. Let’s go.”
“Yes, we shall.”
“Wait, wait, wait! Didn’t you say there were no clues?”

Not being able to trace the culprit from the knife was anticipated. Ideally, I wanted to proceed cautiously, but with a skilled sorcerer by my side, there was no reason to hesitate. Moreover, we had to act swiftly now.

I had a bad feeling. That idiot who promised to return soon but hadn’t joined us yet must be up to something.

“Given how much you cared for your disciple, I assume you’re not acting together for a reason?”
“It seems the saint lacks comprehension skills. When did I ever show care for anyone?”
“…Oh my, how amusing.”

Damn it. There’s only so much patience one can have, even with a saint.

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“……Oh my? What do you mean by that?”
“Wasn’t it you, Ms. Mytia, who attacked Master last night?”

I couldn’t do detective work, so I just stated my conclusion plainly. She must have heard me, but she only tilted her head with a faint smile.

“Um, I don’t quite understand. Why do you think it’s me?”
“The smell. It was the same as the poison that corroded the inn’s roof.”

When I first came to this orphanage, I noticed a faint smell of something rotting. It was a rude thought, but I assumed it was either decomposing leaves or the unwashed children. However, when I smelled that knife, I realized it was different.

“I came here today to confirm it, and I found out that you, Ms. Mytia, have the same smell.”
“Oh dear, so you have no real evidence? Just that it smells the same as the culprit’s knife?”
“Well, that’s true, but… wait, did I say kni—?”

Before I could finish saying it, the tip of a knife was already right in front of my eyes.

“Waah?!!”
“…Oh my, you’re quite agile. How troublesome.”

I dodged just in time, and the knife sliced past my face, embedding itself in the wall, which instantly began to corrode. There was no doubt; it was the same poison that attacked my master and corroded the inn’s roof.

“I’ve practiced throwing quite a bit, but missing twice is a bit disappointing.”
“M-M-Ms. Mytia… so you really are the culprit!?”
“Oh my, yes, I am. It would have been much simpler if you had died in that mansion.”

She maintained her cheerful smile, but the atmosphere was entirely different. In one hand, she held a bunch of knives between her fingers, and the foul stench that had been hidden until now was overwhelming.

From the gap in her disheveled clothing, I glimpsed a tattoo of a Symbol depicting a skull and a snake.

“To think you defeated the specter… How unexpected. Was it you?”
“Huh? Um… y-yes, it was! I’m strong, you know, so let’s stop this pointless fight!”
“I see, so that smaller one is the real deal, huh?”

My brilliant bluff was seen through instantly. Why? …Come to think of it, she should have known my master’s strength from last night. My bluff was pointless.

“Wh-why did you do such a horrible thing!? Someone could have died!”
“Oh my, it was to kill, of course. People eventually die because they have flesh, you know?”
“…I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”

Was the person in front of me really the same Mytia I met yesterday? Her cackling laughter was incredibly eerie, and it felt like we couldn’t communicate.

What should I do? Can I really stop her…?

“Still, you’re too defenseless. Focusing only on me, how adorable.”
“Huh…? Waaah!”

Ms. Mytia moved the tip of her knife, drawing something in the air. In the next moment, countless arms shot out from the decayed, brittle wall behind me, grabbing my arms and legs.

I reflexively tried to shake them off and realized—These were all children’s arms.

“W-why… Ms. Mytia, what did you do to the children!?”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry, unfortunately, those children are still alive. I just inserted evil spirits into their bodies.”

Children with vacant expressions crawled out from the crumbling wall. Among them were those who had been joyfully playing with laundry just moments ago, those who had played with me yesterday, and those who had been eating their meals with gusto.

No, I couldn’t shake them off. If I used my strength, I might hurt these children.

“Ms. Mytia…! Please release these children!!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll release them soon. You’ll be joining them too, okay?”

…No, it was useless. No matter how much I tried to persuade her, it was futile. Our values were completely different. To her, dying was the ultimate joy, and she wanted to impose that same joy on everyone.

“Hehe… When this knife melts them down, it makes such good corpses, you know?”
“…”

I was an idiot. Despite all the warnings, I acted alone and ended up like this. Would my master notice? She might abandon me this time for sure. My life had been saved by various strokes of luck so far, but this time, it might really be over…

“Well, well, our Lady Saint’s prediction was spot on!”