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“A-Are we really safe now? It won’t suddenly start moving again like before, will it…?” Momo asked.
“It’s fine. I’ve covered the area with my magic, and I trust Ms. Laika has some backup plan ready.”
“Don’t get overconfident. I wouldn’t call this completely safe. So, what’s the plan from here?”

The mass of flesh, which had caused so much trouble, was now isolated, encased in ice and held within the Saint’s protective magic. Thanks to the self-inflicted injury, it wasn’t directing its attacks at us anymore. But trying to ‘dispose’ of it carelessly could trigger a dangerous counterattack. It was a ticking time bomb.

“…This was originally human, right? Is there no way to restore it?”
“That would be difficult. The best option is to leave it as it is and send it back, tentacles and all, frozen.”
“Alright, then I’ll try to purify it.”
“You think you can fix it?”
“I’m only going to try. Besides, Syntu—the person it once was—is already… gone.”

The Saint murmured with a tinge of sadness before slowly transitioning into a prayer. Unlike the simple prayers she had performed before, this time she knelt, fully dedicating herself to the ritual.

“O God who resides in the heavens, grant peace to the one who suffers. For every sin, offer a moment of forgiveness. For the final moments, a sliver of solace…”

“…That’s a beautiful ritual prayer.”

It wasn’t out of envy, but the words slipped from my mouth naturally. There was no trace of hesitation or malice in the Saint’s gestures, and the magic that surrounded us was pure and without blemish. Despite Syntu’s self-inflicted downfall, she was genuinely praying for a peaceful end for her.

As if in response to her devotion, the magic that filled the air transformed into particles of light, slowly drawn toward the ice-encased mass of flesh. I had braced myself just in case, but it seemed that the Saint’s magic wasn’t being perceived as a threat. The creature showed no signs of retaliation, and its convulsions gradually subsided.

Eventually, the grotesque form began to change. What was once a flesh monster turned into the lifeless body of a slender girl, frozen within the ice. She appeared to be about the same age as Momo. Her vacant eyes stared into nothingness, and her limbs hung limp, never to move again. Her long hair, a deep shade of reddish-orange, still shone brightly, as if desperately clinging to life.

So, this was the person once known as Syntu.

“…Don’t approach yet. The curse hasn’t been fully neutralized,” the Saint warned.
“I know. Momo, stay behind me,” I added.
“Y-Yes… And what about her body…?”
“It will be difficult to bury her according to our customs. We’ll give her a water burial by sending her into the sea. Let’s at least hope she finds peace.”
“I see… But don’t worry. Thanks to Ms. Roche, her body is back to normal. I’m sure she’ll rest peacefully!”
“If the plan is set, let’s move. There are still tentacles left to deal with.”

While the Saint had managed to neutralize the flesh mass, the original source of the problem didn’t seem entirely purged. Even encased in ice, it radiated an unsettling aura, making my chest tighten with unease. We needed to push it beyond the walls as soon as possible.

“You called it Ghost Ship… but is this really a ship?” I asked, staring at the monstrous tentacles.
“No, this is just a part of it. Koutei, now’s the time, while it’s moving slowly,” the Saint replied.
“Leave it to this one! Everyone, step back a little, if you please.”
“What are you planning this time…?” I muttered, stepping back a few paces as instructed.

From within the ice, the golem trapped with the tentacles began to stir, seemingly melting the ice around it with the heat of its movement. Slowly, it reached for the tentacles—and then, beams of light shot from the golem’s eyes, searing through the tendrils.

“A-A beam!? That’s so cool!” Momo shouted in excitement.
“If you had something like that, why didn’t you use it from the start!?” I snapped.
“Well, this one had to be sure it would hit, or else they would mimic the attack! But now… it is finally over!”

The tentacles, struck by the beams, lost more than half of their mass and were severely weakened. With the golem’s strength, the task was now simple—push the mass beyond the wall, seal it off, and at last, our battle came to an end.

“…They’re not going to squeeze out through some crack, are they?” I asked, still wary.
“No, as long as the wall stays sealed, there won’t be a problem. The fact that they even got out in the first place was a stroke of terrible luck,” the Saint reassured.
“Thank goodness… it’s really over,” Momo sighed in relief.
“Not yet. There’s still the cleanup with the Umravolf family, and we don’t know where Cozmiki is,” I reminded her.
“We also need to assess the damage to the town and ensure the residents’ safety. Looks like it’ll be an all-nighter,” the Saint added.
“Oh no…”

After that, we were dragged into a myriad of tasks, from inspecting contaminated areas to treating panicked residents who had been evacuated. The Saint had us working under her direction. Of course, we demanded a proper reward for our efforts, and thanks to Momo’s enthusiasm, most of the heavy lifting was handled. Still, there was a lingering unease within me.

The wall was sealed, and nothing should break through again. But now that we knew what lay beyond, it was impossible to feel truly at peace.

“But Master, that magecraft you used to twist up those tentacles at the end… what kind of spell was that? It was amazing!” Momo asked, her eyes wide with awe.
“Hm? Ah, you mean that last one? It’s a trump card. I hadn’t planned on showing it to anyone,” I replied casually.
“So it was dangerous enough that you had no choice but to use it… What was that thing, really?”
“I have no idea. But one thing’s clear—there’s something in this town we don’t yet understand.”

By now, dawn had broken, and the tasks the Saint had assigned to us were finally completed. If the investigation proceeded at Syntu’s mansion, we’d likely recover the rare herbs we’d been searching for. That meant most of the problems I’d been dealing with were on their way to being solved. I even had the chance to confront the Saint about what exactly had been sealed behind that wall.

“What does the Saint know… and why did Syntu try to make contact with whatever lies beyond the wall?”

Having gotten this involved, I had no choice but to find out. And yet, once I learned the truth, there would be no turning back.

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