Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 11 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: After the Attack ~Lily’s POV~

One night had passed since Edgar’s attack. I deployed the healing light of magic and let out a sigh, making sure nobody noticed. He’d gotten us completely and utterly. We’d been on guard, yet we’d been caught off guard.

That said, the method he’d used to get in had already been cut off. Lobivia had witnessed the moment it happened, after all. According to her, she’d sensed some strange mana from one of the boxes sent from Rapha, so she’d knocked over the cart and discovered a mysterious jewel hidden within.

The jewel was violet with black lines running all over it. I hadn’t seen it before, but she said it was the same thing Travis had used to escape during the Holy Order’s assault. After confirming this with Shiran, we’d found out it was, in fact, the same thing Zoltan Michalek of the All-Seeing Eye had used to allow Edgar to escape.

From what we could infer, it was a magic tool that came as a pair. One was the entrance and the other the exit. Our security against outside threats to Kehdo was perfect, but that wasn’t the case for the neighboring Rapha. A magic tool had been planted in their goods without their noticing.

After infiltrating Kehdo, the Battle Ogre had knocked Lobivia aside and attacked our master. Because of the poison he’d employed, our master was down for the count. He was now lying atop a bed, his eyelids shut. His consciousness was hazy. He did open his eyes once in a while, but he would immediately faint again.

Lobivia wiped the sweat off his brow, her movements stiff because of her broken arm hanging from a sling around her neck. After wiping all the way down his neck, she looked up at me.

“Hey Lily...shouldn’t you get a li’l rest already?”

“No, I’m fine.”

I’d been casting healing magic on our master the entire night. I had to; he’d been stabbed in his left arm. Even though it had been cleanly split open, my healing magic could close such a wound given time. In fact, it had already sealed. A fair portion of the poison had been removed from his system too. But this was, at most, a temporary solution. Whenever I stopped my magic, he would instantly start turning pale again.

Even when I used the strongest magic available to me, I couldn’t completely remove the poison. Something bad had nestled in our master’s body, and I couldn’t get rid of it with my magic. That was why he kept relapsing. This was clearly abnormal. I had to do something about it, but...

“I’ve returned,” Shiran said, entering the room.

“Welcome back, Shiran. How was it?”

“I’ve confirmed that the magic tool Edgar used is no longer present in the village.”

Shiran had been on patrol with Leah, using the spirits to investigate whether there were any other teleportation runestones anywhere.

“Forgive me, Lily,” Shiran said with an air of regret, her eye fixated on my sleeping master. “If I’d managed to capture Edgar, we might’ve been able to work something out.”

“It’s not your fault, Shiran.”

I shook my head and stared back at her. She wore a fretful expression and looked exhausted. She was emaciated as if she were sick, as strange an analogy as that was for an undead monster.

“I was so close... I didn’t think I would be influenced by this too.”

The moment my master collapsed, Shiran had also weakened. It hadn’t had any particular effect on me, so it was likely because she depended on his existence. Asarina was also in a dormant state, and Salvia hadn’t come out since either.

“Well, fretting about what’s done will do nothing,” I said to console her. “Killing him won’t heal my master, and even if we capture him, I doubt he’ll talk.”

“That’s true, but...”

“Just seeing you back here safe is more than enough.”

Even though Edgar had suffered significant wounds, Shiran was also pretty badly debilitated. If she’d pushed herself too far, she could’ve died.

“Besides, you brought back information for us too,” I added, shifting the conversation to more practical matters. “Sorry, Shiran, I know you just got back, but let me ask you something. Edgar mentioned ‘Holy Water,’ right?”

“Yes, he did.”

Shiran had been the last to cross blades with Edgar. When she did, Edgar had apparently left her with some parting remarks.

“Aah, so he finally fell over.”

“What’d I do? Nothing to you.”

“Your dear savior is getting murdered by Holy Water.”

“If he’s a big ol’ savior, then he’ll be able to overcome a li’l trial like this, yeah?”

He’d been making fun of us. He must’ve had a serious grudge to risk his life in that attack. Despite that, he’d withdrawn so easily. Well, Edgar’s intentions didn’t matter right now. The important thing was my master.

“So this Holy Water he mentioned is a superpower of one of the past saviors, right?”

“Yes.” Shiran nodded. She was knowledgeable about this stuff. “It was the superpower of a famous savior who defeated the lords of four separate Dark Woods and even accumulated vast wealth as part of society.”

“It kills monsters, so they call it the Holy Water that wards off evil, but it’s actually poison, right? My master’s no monster, and it’s killing him.”

“To put it bluntly...yes.”

“A visitor’s poison, huh? What a pain...”

Although his mana granted him resistance against poison, my master had collapsed. What’s more, healing magic couldn’t treat him. This all made sense if it was the work of a poison created from a visitor’s inherent ability.

“But the lineage of Holy Water should already be extinct,” Shiran explained. “I suppose it’s possible that some Holy Water the great savior produced in the past remains with the church. Such items are called relics of salvation.”

“A relic of salvation... That’s quite an extreme weapon to bring out. How does it work?”

“It is said that Holy Water can be charged with the prayers of knights. Once charged, it is lethal to the average monster, and even the lord of a Dark Woods can be weakened significantly by it. In that state, it also bears another name—the Martyr’s Arrow.”

“‘Martyr’? That’s a little ominous.”

“A price must be paid to manifest its power. They say the knights who’ve offered their prayers have pretty much all perished.”

“In other words, the savior was a poisoner who used the lives of others as a weapon... Oh, sorry. I took it too far there.”

Seeing Shiran grimace, I gave her an apologetic bow. My tone had been bitter for a while now.

“It looks like I can’t keep my cool,” I added. “I’m so pathetic.”

“No, it’s understandable given the situation. It’s already quite impressive that you’re not panicking.” Shiran shook her head, then got back on topic. “The legend of the savior of Holy Water says that knights on the verge of death after battle offered their own souls to the savior. The weapon used to strike Takahiro is probably the same.”

“So someone’s soul has forced their way inside him and is worming through his body?”

“Hm, an exorcism that uses one’s very soul as a weapon... No, what has affected Takahiro is far closer to a curse. The principle is the same as what the great savior once used, but the way it’s put to use is entirely different. This can’t be forgiven!”

Shiran’s voice turned hard, but upon realizing that she was getting heated, she unclenched her fist.

“In any case, two souls are now at war inside him,” Shiran continued. “The important thing for this battle is the strength of the soul and will, so there is no way Takahiro will lose. A visitor’s soul is far stronger than that of any resident of this world. Plus, Takahiro possesses tremendous willpower. Therefore, the problem is his physical body.”

“Meaning his body might weaken and die first?”

“Yes. There’s a chance it might. How is his current state?”

Shiran’s brow furrowed anxiously. My master was very dear to her too.

“He’s all right,” I said, smiling for her benefit. “He’s stable. Even if I use all my mana to heal him completely, his state will deteriorate again, so I’m keeping him stable by constantly casting weak healing magic. It’s painful to watch him suffer, but at the very least, there’s no risk of his body dying on him.”

“Is that so?” Shiran said, looking relieved from the bottom of her heart. “Thank goodness.”

“It’s vexing that I can only provide this makeshift solution, though.”

“It’s necessary right now. Nothing can be done if his body gives in before he manages to conquer the poison.”

“You’re right. I have to watch over his health until he manages to overcome it.”

“How long do you think you can maintain his condition?”

“On my own, maintaining this for a whole day is pushing it,” I answered. “But if Katou and Kei help out with their healing magic...”

“Mana and Kei can’t use healing magic continuously for that long, though, even when using weaker spells.”

“Yeah. That’s why it’ll still be pretty rough even if we take shifts.”

“We’ll have to work out a proper rotation...” Shiran then noticed Lobivia’s gloomy expression and cleared her throat. “Although, it’s possible he will conquer the poison within the day.”

Her words weren’t just to give Lobivia momentary peace of mind.

“We cannot remain so pessimistic,” Shiran added.

“You’re right. I’m sure he’ll manage,” I said.

I had a horrible premonition, though. I could feel it from the poison violating my master and my constant contact with him, even if only through magic. This poison was formidable. I had a hunch he wouldn’t be able to overcome it in a short period of time.

That said, it didn’t change what had to be done. All I had to do was believe in my master and do what I could to sustain him. Besides, if this dragged on for a while, I simply had to put in all my effort that much longer. My master was fighting right now too. I had to try just as hard.

“Thanks for telling me all this, Shiran.”

“It was necessary,” she replied, shaking her head. She responded positively, but she looked exhausted. She really was out of sorts.

“Are you all right?” I asked. “Sorry for being unreasonable. Maybe you should get some—”

“I’m fine,” she said, standing ramrod straight. “Now that Takahiro has collapsed, I cannot afford to falter.”

Shiran had her position in the village to consider. By all rights, the village should’ve fallen, but it still managed because of the help it received from all fronts. However, that could only happen because of my master, who’d saved the village, and Shiran, a former resident who’d served as a lieutenant in the Alliance Knights.

People put in their best effort when they had something to believe in. With my master down, Shiran had to put on an even stronger front than before. I understood this, but there was a time and place for it, in my opinion.

“I think it’d be okay to let loose a bit when it’s only between us,” I said.

“Thank you, Lily, but I truly am fine now,” Shiran said with a smile, a certain strength behind her expression. “As Takahiro’s knight, I can’t afford to become exhausted so quickly.”

Her body was weakened, but her mind wasn’t. This was different from when she’d nearly degraded into a ghoul. From the looks of it, she really was all right. It was a relief. The bigger problem at hand was actually...

“Now that I think of it, is Mana resting?” Shiran asked, suddenly realizing the same thing I was thinking about. “I wanted to consult her about the Holy Water we just discussed.”

“Katou is with Rose.”

“Aah...”

Shiran made a pained expression. I also felt my chest tightening. I recalled how much of a mess Rose had been when our master collapsed. I’d never seen her like that before. Our master had been wounded and fallen right before her eyes, even though she’d been there at his side. I understood her feelings so well it was painful. Katou was with her right now, likely trying to get her to calm down.

“He’s stabilized, and the possibility for recovery is in sight,” Shiran said. “It’s probably best to inform her of such.”

“You’re right. I can’t step away right now, so can someone—”

The sound of knocking at the door interrupted me.

“Sister, it’s me.”

Speak of the devil, so they say. Rose and Katou came into the room. Rose had suffered significant damage in battle, but her repairs were over now. The arm she’d lost was back to normal, and her footsteps were steady. She was also calm.

“I’m sorry for having been such a bother,” Rose said.

“You weren’t a bother at all. I was just worried,” I told her.

“Thank you. I’m fine now.”

“Good.”

I gave Katou a look, and she nodded back to me, meaning Rose had calmed down.

“How is our master’s condition?” Rose asked.

I gave Katou another look, then answered, “Well, for now, let me tell you what we know.”

“Please do.”

I told them everything I’d just discussed with Shiran. The more I said, the more I could see the light of hope shining in Rose’s heart.

“Then he will be all right,” she said, sighing with relief after I was done.

I was happy to see her so delighted. Everything would be back to normal once our master overcame the poison and recovered. However...

“Is something the matter, Mana?” Shiran asked.

“There’s just a little something on my mind,” Katou said, deep in thought, her hand to her mouth.

“What is it?”

There was no doubting Mana’s wisdom. All of us listened carefully to what she had to say.

“I’ve got a question regarding this Holy Water,” Katou continued. “Where exactly did Edgar get it from?”

“What do you mean, where?” I asked, cocking my head. It obviously came from the Holy Church.

“I mean, the Holy Order is under the direct command of the church, and they have influence, but a relic of salvation like Holy Water would be significantly valuable. Is it something a mere knight just walks around with?”

“You have a point there...”

The Holy Church revered saviors. They possessed many items related to saviors, but that didn’t mean just any member could acquire them, especially precious artifacts.

“Is it possible that Travis had it?” I asked. “He’s a company commander, right?”

“It’s possible, but he didn’t use Holy Water during the original attack,” Katou said. “Not even when Lobivia cornered him.”

“Oh yeah. He didn’t, huh?”

“He might not have deemed it necessary, and Holy Water needs to go through some process to charge it with a soul, so maybe he just hadn’t been able to prepare it.”

But what if that wasn’t the case? Once I started thinking about it, I got the chills. What if someone was out there and had given it to Edgar? Just as that thought crossed my mind...

“It’s pretty noisy outside...”

I heard voices outside the house, which were quickly followed by the sound of the door banging open. Everyone in the room suddenly went tense. As we readied ourselves for the worst, a voice called out from the hallway.

“This is awful!”

“Aunt Leah?” Shiran muttered.

Panicked footsteps stopped right in front of our room, and the door flew open.

“It’s a disaster!”

Leah entered the room. All the blood had drained from her face. She was in such a fluster that she’d forgotten that our master was lying in bed.

“The army is attacking!” she screamed.

Nobody understood.

“What...did you just say?” I asked.

“The army is attacking!” Leah repeated fretfully. “It’s the Maclaurin Provincial Army! They’re marching this way, claiming they’re here to subjugate the fake savior!”