IBWMD 114

~Chapter 114~

Where did that come from?

Pinned against Karl’s solid chest, I traced the direction the attack had come from.

When I looked up, I saw a shadow taller than most soldiers.

A monster?

“Be careful, Elaine—no, Milady!”

Zeon, snapping back to his senses, shouted.

“That’s the one who controls this back alley!”

“Then that’s…”

The back alley boss?

After searching so hard for him.

It seemed he had gone through the same thing as the assassin or the man from the slums.

I clicked my tongue lightly.

The man from the slums had returned to normal after I purified him.
Then maybe this man could too…

“…Is it even possible?”

It wasn’t an empty doubt.

With the slum man, I could at least tell up close that he was still human.
But this figure before me—only malice and magic power poured off him, with nothing human left.

It’s like someone shrank a real monster down to human size.

The aura was so strong that even my weak holy power made my skin sting.

It was like the difference between someone who’d accidentally eaten a small dose of poison once, and someone who had deliberately taken strong poison over and over.

It might be hard to purify him with ordinary holy power.

“Hm.”

While I was thinking quickly, the monster—once the boss of the back alleys—swiped its claws toward Zeon again.

“Ugh!”

“Zeon!”

Bang, bang!

Screeech!

Bullets pierced the boss’s arms and legs. This time, he charged straight at me.

Karl’s alarmed voice followed.

“Elaine!”

“I’m fine!”

When the monster was right in front of me, I swung my musket hard.

That should buy some time—

Crash!

Screeeech!

…Or maybe more than that.

With heavy force, the monster smashed into the wall. It was like being hit with a giant hammer, not a musket.

I thought I swung moderately…

I glanced down at the musket in my hands.

“Am I really that strong…?”

“Elaine! Come here!”

Karl cut me off, running over to pull me behind him, drawing his greatsword.

The killing intent in his eyes said he was ready to cut the monster’s limbs—or head—clean off, like last time.

I quickly shouted,

“Wait! Keep him alive!”

“But…”

“Leave his limbs intact if possible!”

So we can purify him and make him a witness!

Even if I’m still not sure it’s possible!

Karl shifted his blade to strike off-center.

Crash!

The heavy swing sent a sharp wind slicing through the air.

Rumble—

Part of the building wall collapsed under the golden aura’s impact, and the floor’s edge gave way.

The boss—no, the monster—standing there toppled with it toward the drop—

“I said keep him alive!”

Thud!

Just as the monster lost balance, Karl whipped out a dagger and stabbed it into the monster’s hand, pinning it to the floor.

Screeeech!

The monster dangled in midair, shrieking.

“Ugh.”

“Ow.”

That had to hurt…

Zeon and I groaned at the sight, but Karl just looked like he was asking, “Happy now?”

Then his eyes went to Zeon, who was glaring at him—

And Karl smirked.

A confident, smug grin that practically said, “What did you do compared to me?”

Then he glanced at me, clearly wanting praise.

…He looks like a favored concubine who’s just given birth to a son.

The eyeball at my waist narrowed in irritation again. I was about to scold Karl when—

“Praise me,” he said with a pretty smile, leaning his head toward me.

Without thinking, I almost reached out my hand—

“Ugh!”

“…Are you okay, Zeon?”

Right, this wasn’t the time!

I hurried over to Zeon and began untying him.

“M-Milady, maybe you should have the man over there do this…”

“This isn’t the time to be modest, idiot!”

“Huh?”

I slapped Zeon’s back several times, the way I often did when we used to live together.

“Running into such a dangerous place alone, you fool.”

“Uh…?”

His face showed slow, doubtful realization.

“Milady… do you actually have a twin brother…?”

“That’s me.”

“What?”

It’s me, you glasses-wearing gorilla.

I pulled my hair back to show my face, and Zeon’s eyes went blank—finally realizing the truth.

“You were a beggar before, and now you’re a lady?”

“Calling me a beggar is harsh.”

“You were really a woman? You?”

His gaze then drifted naturally toward the gap in my cloak, where my body was visible—

Whack!

Karl grabbed his head and forced it to turn away.

“Mmph?!”

“Karl!”

I slapped Karl’s wrist, but he just gave Zeon a dangerous glare before lowering his hand.

He didn’t even like me patting Zeon’s back, apparently—but that wasn’t the priority right now.

“I’ll explain later. What happened?”

“Ah… well…”

Despite the chaos, Zeon did his best to explain.

While investigating the missing Holy Knight case, he’d been caught by members of the assassin guild.

“When they brought me here, that man was here.”

Zeon’s face went pale.

“Then he started raging, asking where the chief priest was, demanding the antidote.”

“Chief priest?”

And antidote?

“After that, he cursed the Temple, then suddenly turned into… that.”

Pieces started fitting together.

So all the monster transformation cases are connected to the Temple after all.

The back alley boss was linked to them—
And not just anyone, but a chief priest.

He was probably working under the priest’s orders.

…And maybe the chief priest isn’t the top of it.

There could be someone even higher involved.

But one thing I still didn’t get—

Why would the Temple do this?

And for people who treated monsters as evil, why make poison that turns people into monsters?

And how did they even make it?

That thought made my gaze drift to my waist—

Wink.

The eyeball was making gestures with its gaze.

Could this be related to the missing dragon’s cast-off skin?

As I thought fast, Karl frowned at the eyeball like he didn’t like it winking at me.
The eyeball would wink at me but narrow at Karl, looking dissatisfied.

…Honestly, it looked childish.

A grown man and a dragon acting like this.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, they both looked kind of cute.

Zeon’s subdued voice broke my thoughts.

“To think the chief priest was involved… and I didn’t know while all this was happening…”

“Hm.”

“The Temple… how could they…”

Zeon looked unusually hurt.

“It’s all over. The Temple, my mission…”

“Hey, hey!”

Stop digging yourself into the ground!

“Don’t lose heart yet. You’re not the one who should feel ashamed.”

“That’s…”

“The ones who should feel ashamed—and just die—are the ones who did this.”

“Killing a priest is a crime, Elaine…”

“It’s a figure of speech. Anyway, come back. There are lots of little lambs waiting for you.”

I encouraged Zeon and helped him stand when—

Creak!

A sound like nails on a chalkboard overwhelmed us.

We turned to see the boss—no, the monster—dangling from its pinned hand…

Now clawing at the wall and floor to climb back up.

Gulp, gulp.

Its mouth slowly opened, chest swelling.

That…

He’s going to spit poison!

The thought hit me, and I jumped up, running toward Karl before I even realized what I was doing.

“Elaine!”

Karl sensed the danger too and reached for me.

Not this time.

That thought filled my mind completely.

This time, I would not let it happen.

I pushed off the ground, wrapping Karl’s head in my arms.

Karl grabbed my back, trying to pull me down—
Probably to shield me instead.

Don’t make me laugh.

Last time he did that, he got hurt—
And then he disappeared.

Even if I never see you again…

I won’t lose you like that again.

Just as I hugged his head tightly—

“Hyaaaah!”

Zeon suddenly snapped out of it, shouting and running forward without hesitation.

“Zeon!”

Thud!

He slammed into the monster just as it was about to spit.

Screeeech!

The monster’s body bent backward from the holy power in his punch—
And went straight into the empty space where the floor had collapsed.

Then—

Boom!

It fell.