chapter 62
Monsters had been a constant torment to the Empire.
Long ago, multiple kingdoms claimed their own territories and waged war against one another, but the existence of monsters—an enemy common to all mankind—eventually forced them to join hands.
Of course, before they truly joined hands, one kingdom ended up absorbing all the others. And that kingdom became the current Frazer Empire.
Except for a single major city in the south, the Empire was a landlocked nation surrounded entirely by other territories, and thus it spared no effort in preventing monster invasions.
They strengthened patrols along every border and regularly dispatched knightly orders to exterminate threats.
Even so, casualties still occurred from time to time—most frequently in the North.
Beyond the northern border lay the Forest of Monsters.
A place where monsters thrived by feeding off the remnants of magic left behind after stealing the homeland of the fairies.
The Empire’s Swordmaster, Grand Duke Blake, had been unable to leave that forest for ten long years. The monsters had grown so ferocious that only he could keep them under control.
Nonetheless, thanks to the Imperial Knights and the border lords who defended the frontier, peace within the Empire remained firm.
Most ordinary citizens lived their whole lives without ever seeing even a speck of a monster.
[Warning! A dark energy is rapidly intensifying nearby.]
[This threat cannot be resisted. Evacuate immediately.]
[Warning! The Spawn of ■■■ is revealing itself.]
[This threat cannot be resisted. Evacuate immediately.]
[Event Quest (Emergency)]
“Escape from the Clutches of Darkness”
Quest Rank: Unique
Time Limit: ??
A being that should never awaken—its divinity consumed and corrupted by magic—has opened its eyes.
But as a low‑rank saintess, you have no power to fight even the remnants of ■■■.
Use any means necessary to escape the danger before you.
Note: Failure to complete the quest within time will result in a penalty.
Failure Penalty: Death
So even if countless red warning windows flashed before my eyes, blocking my vision, it all felt strangely unreal.
“Death… really?”
It was the first penalty I had ever seen in this world.
The word was written so simply that my mind went numb. A chill crawled up my neck.
There was no time to guess what the blacked‑out text meant.
──Ah… ah…
The magic that had swallowed Veronica swelled grotesquely. The crimson-black tendrils stretched upward so high that I had to raise my head to see their full height.
The churning mass of magic writhed as though building a shape—and then suddenly went still.
It was an angel.
Wings unfurled behind its back. A ring floated above its head.
But up close, the wings were nothing but twisted black tendrils tangled together, and the ring was warped, dripping with blood.
Black tears slid from beneath its closed eyelids. A broken moan leaked from its mouth.
“…Vero… nica…”
It looked as if Veronica, swallowed by the corruption, was weeping inside that monstrous form.
──…Ah…?
The angel-shaped monster slowly lowered its gaze toward me.
Its eyelids opened. Within the black sclera gleamed vivid, blood‑red pupils.
The moment our eyes met, terror crushed the breath out of me.
“—!”
The tangled tendrils that formed its wings shot toward me like spears.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Cure!”
At my shout, the tendrils twitched and halted.
But only momentarily—nowhere near enough to purify the corruption. After a few seconds of stillness, the tendrils surged toward me again.
Cure is only Level 2… It’s not enough?
Normal elemental magic couldn’t block it.
The ferret earlier had been different. It had turned into a monster after being corrupted, but its attacks were still wind‑elemental.
But this creature’s attacks carried no elemental signature.
It was pure demonic power.
If it had a classification, it would be the attribute of Darkness itself.
“Ugh… Heal!”
A tendril stabbed through my right shoulder. I healed it with Heal.
I survived only by repeatedly healing every time the wounds became severe.
Even so, smaller cuts remained, and my whole body was covered in injuries.
The first time a tendril pierced my abdomen, my mind had gone completely blank.
I had healed it with Cure and Heal over and over, but I had never felt pain like that in my life.
It was a miracle I hadn’t fainted.
How much Holy Power do I have left? Cure consumes 200 each use… If I just tank it and keep healing…
I shook my head.
If I had to suffer pain like that multiple times without any defense, I really would pass out.
No, I need to think of a way to escape this place…!
I glanced around.
The barrier made of corrupted magic was still in place.
If I purified the barrier, maybe I could escape—but after casting Cure several times, I’d gotten a sense of its limits.
At Level 2, it wasn’t enough to purify something this large in one go.
What if I raised the level?
[Not enough Saintess Points for purchase.]
[Remaining Saintess Points: 400]
Level 3 Cure cost 1,500 points.
Even all other Level 1 holy spells were only 500.
“…Damn it! I shouldn’t have wasted so much on gacha!”
My past greed had come back as karmic punishment.
Whoosh—another tendril lashed out. Thanks to Wind Walk, I barely dodged.
But my mana had been drained heavily after the fight with the ferret.
I tried attacking the monster with high‑tier offensive spells out of desperation, but they did nothing. Not even a scratch.
It was like fighting a boss with the passive skill:
“Immune to all attributes except Light.”
That’s such a broken ability!
I should have saved for more holy spells.
Or cleared more quests to level up my Saintess rank.
Regrets kept flooding my head.
But thinking about regret wouldn’t make this nightmare end.
“Cure!!”
[Not enough Holy Power. Spell canceled.]
[Remaining Holy Power: 0]
“…What?!”
A merciless system window appeared, and agony ripped through my body again.
“Aaa—!”
A tendril pierced my stomach. I felt the sickening sensation of my flesh being ripped open.
With no Holy Power left, I couldn’t use Heal or Cure.
The taste of blood filled my mouth. Is this really how I die?
But the monster didn’t attack further.
Instead, the tendril that impaled me lifted me into the air and raised me up to its face.
Hanging helplessly above the ground, instinctive fear seized me.
A monstrous face loomed inches away.
“Veronica…!”
──Ah… ah…
With a thread of hope, I called her name—but the sound that came from the creature meant nothing. It was no longer possible to see her as Veronica.
Then its mouth slowly split open.
It stretched all the way to its ears—grotesque and nightmarish. Inside was pure darkness, oozing an ominous aura.
From that abyss, crimson-black smoke billowed out.
The smoke drifted toward me, as if alive.
I’d seen this magic before. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that if it swallowed me, the result would be horrible.
No…
My stomach churned.
I always thought I had strong mental fortitude, but true death staring me in the face brought tears to my eyes.
How did this happen? All I wanted was to enjoy some delicious food.
I didn’t want to die. I wanted to live.
I hadn’t even properly repaid my parents yet.
I wanted to laugh more with my adorable little brother.
There was my only friend Julia, Chelsea who’d cared for me since childhood, and the Tower Master who doted on me like a granddaughter.
Everyone flashed through my mind—
and the last one was…
“Unlike myself, my heart was uneasy. I feared the young lady would not return.”
A person who—strangely—worried I might never come back.
“Next time, I will not leave you alone. So do not leave my side either.”
He said that, and yet he disappeared whenever I needed him—so frustrating.
He said he would protect me.
Then protect me.
“If anything ever happens, call my name loudly.”
“…! Blake—!!!”
Keep your promise!
Crimson-black magic engulfed my vision, and I squeezed my eyes shut, screaming his name.
And then—
a fierce wind tore through the space, twisting everything around me.
