Chapter 245: Saintesses of a New Era - Part 1

◆ Foka ◆

The moment my surviving fellow priest held something up, our surroundings were enveloped in a pitch-black mist.

No, to be precise, a poisonous mist.

Fortunately, thanks to the detoxification magic items lent to us by the temple, we managed somehow. But the problem was that the most expensive magic item among them, meant for neutralizing lethal poisons, shattered with a loud crack.

Troublingly, this item was a single-use product prepared for emergencies, and it became clear that constantly active detoxification magic items were useless here.

“Ugh! You guys, don’t leave my side!”

Luckily, thanks to Lamies putting up a wind barrier, we were spared from taking a direct hit from the poison again.

However, perhaps because it wasn’t an ordinary poison, we were gradually being assaulted by ailments.

“ANTIDOTE!”

I repeatedly used Detoxification Magic to detoxify my comrades.

“Good grief, what on earth did she use?”

I stared at the figure of my colleague, who was wearing a smile while still holding up the jewel that continued to shine black and produce poisonous mist.

“Hahaha! This is amazing! A magic item that releases a poisonous mist to neutralize enemies!”

“What on earth are you using! Stop that right now!”

However, she snorted and laughed off my words.

“Hah, I finally activated it! There’s no way I would do something so foolish!”

“Even so, poison is going too far! Besides, do you intend to drag us into this too!”

“If you don’t want to get dragged in, you should just run away quickly. I will conquer the pilgrimage. Although, in exchange, my faction will become the mainstream of our god’s teachings.”

Ugh, bringing factional disputes into a place like this!

“Hahahahahaaaaaa!?”

However, for some reason, she—who had been triumphant just a moment ago—collapsed onto the ground just like that.

“H-Huh…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“M-My body is numb… I can’t move…”

Could it be…

“Has the poison circulated through you too?”

“I-Impossible!? I have a valuable, high-grade detoxification magic item, you know!?”

Saying that, the detoxification magic item she hurriedly took out of her pocket was miserably shattered into pieces.

Ah, this is completely broken.

Is the cause perhaps because it continuously absorbed too strong a poison at close range?

“H-Help me!!”

Suddenly, she was pleading with us for help.

It’s an almost refreshingly quick change of attitude.

That being said, she is a colleague who believes in the same Earth Mother Goddess, so I can’t exactly abandon her.

Well, I’ll have her properly take responsibility later, though.

“Then hurry up and stop that magic item!”

“I-I can’t! I don’t know how to stop it!”

“Why did you use something like that!”

No matter what, there’s a limit to being unplanned!

“It was given to me by a collaborator sent from the higher-ups! They said just activating it would scatter the other participants.”

And it resulted in this state, huh.

No matter how eager for success she was, her sense of danger is seriously lacking!

Or rather, she was probably used precisely because she’s like that.

“Then at least throw it far away! At this rate, we can’t even get close to you!”

“U-Understood!”

My colleague hurriedly tried to throw the magic item far away. But for some reason, she just swung her arm wildly, showing no sign of throwing the magic item. What on earth is she doing?

“I-It won’t leave my hand!?”

It won’t leave her hand? Could that mean!?

“I see, so it’s a cursed item.”

The one who immediately realized the cause was Lamies.

But this has turned into a troublesome situation.

To say it’s a cursed item means we need to use Purification Magic to do something about it.

But there’s a problem with using Purification Magic…

While I was thinking about this, my colleague’s complexion grew worse and worse.

She barely seems to be breathing still, but she won’t last long at this rate.

If I recall, the faction she belongs to is the one least hesitant to use drastic measures, right?

To think they’d use an item that would involve their subordinates as collateral damage, what are they thinking?

“Hey, what are we going to do about that in the end?”

Rody asked what we were going to do about her, or more accurately, the magic item in her hand.

Right now, I’m their employer, so he wants to know whether we’re going to stop it or ignore it and move forward.

“We obviously can’t just leave that alone. We have to stop it somehow.”

I can’t let the sacred holy land be polluted by poison any more than this!

“If we’re going to destroy it, the poison is in the way. Lamies, can you make your wind reach her?”

“Impossible. This poison mist seems to have the property of gathering around that jewel, so even if I sweep it away with wind, it will just come back. That’s the reason we’re being affected by the poison. Plus, that’s the source of the poison mist. The speed at which you’d be affected there is incomparable to here.”

Lamies called a halt, saying it was too dangerous to get close to the jewel.

This is troubling. I was honestly relying on Lamies‘s power.

“I should also mention that destroying a cursed item should be left as a last resort. In the worst-case scenario, the curse condensed inside will overflow all at once, causing a massive disaster.”

That’s true. Not all of them, but some cursed items are dangerous goods that involve the surroundings when broken.

“Then should we dispel the curse with Purification Magic? Can you do it, Foka?”

“Impossible. To perform Purification Magic, you need to do it together with multiple priests in a purified cathedral. But in a place like this… besides, in a situation where poison mist is overflowing like that, it’s not the time for purification.”

Purification is practically impossible, and if we destroy it, danger will befall not just us but also the people of the holy land.

What should we do…

“Hmm, if we’re going to do it, the best we could do is temporarily step outside the poison mist and freeze that magic item with Ice Magic. If we solidify it with ice, it shouldn’t be able to spew out the poison mist.”

“Can you do that!?”

When I asked Lamies, he silently nodded back.

“However, it’s impossible to freeze just the item without harming the owner. She will end up getting caught in it too.”

“Well, that’s her own fault. If we use Foka‘s Recovery Magic, at least her life will be saved.”

“That’s right. If that’s the only way…”

Having decided on our course of action, we immediately tried to step outside the poison mist, but for some reason, Lamies made no move to shift the barrier.

“What’s wrong, Lamies?”

“This is bad. The density of the poison mist and the force pulling it to the center are getting stronger. It seems our guy has no intention of letting us escape.”

What a disaster. It seems we’ve been trapped inside the poison mist by that magic item.

“Ugh, at this rate, our magic power will run out and we’ll be killed!”

“If it comes to this, we have no choice but to take a gamble and destroy it!”

“That’s why I’m telling you it’s dangerous to destroy it without purifying it first!”

“But the situation will only get worse at this rate. Then our only option is to get close to that jewel as fast as possible and destroy it, right?”

Rody tried to shake off our restraint and dash out, but suddenly he fell to his knees and then collapsed onto the ground with both hands planted.

“What’s wrong, Rody… Ugh!?”

It wasn’t just Rody. Risou, Lamies, and even I felt dizzy and fell to our knees.

“What is this…”

Dizziness, palpitations, numbness in my body…

“Could it be, the poison!? ANTIDOTE!”

I immediately activated Detoxification Magic, but the numbness showed no sign of disappearing.

“My magic isn’t working!?”

Does that mean this poison mist is such a strong poison that my Detoxification Magic can’t fully detoxify it!?

Until now, I thought I was managing with my magic, but it seems the poison was eating away at our bodies without us noticing.

“This is getting really dangerous…”

If we can neither run away nor treat it, there’s nothing we can do…

The dizziness grew worse and worse, and my body fell to the ground on its own.

To think that we, known as S-rank adventurers, would be taken out by poison set by an ally…

And in the most sacred place for us who serve the gods, of all places…

“HIGH AREA ANTIDOTE!!”

It was then. The numbness in my entire body suddenly vanished.

“Eh?”

“Thank goodness, it looks like I made it in time for you guys.”

“Eh?”

Raising my head to see what on earth had happened, the face of a familiar young girl was there.

“You are, if I recall, from the Temple of the Chief God…”

This girl should be a priest working at the Temple of the Chief God named Tracy…

“I came to help you all. Is your physical condition okay?”

“E-Yes. I’m… okay.”

This girl saved us? But she should have only recently become a priest. To think she could detoxify the poison of this poison mist…

“Over there, Norie-san has gone to help, so it’s okay.”

Norie? Ah, I believe that was the alias of one of Lexus-kun’s companions… right!?

“No way!?”

Startled by Tracy-san’s words about “over there,” I immediately looked around for Norie-san.

And I found him.

The figure of Norie-san heading toward my collapsed colleague.

And right beside her, that jewel was still continuing to release lethal poison…

“Don’t! Run away!”

No matter if he’s Lexus-kun’s companion, approaching that lethal poison without any countermeasures is suicidal… wait, huh? Why is he perfectly fine?

Even though we were taken out by the lethal poison that seeped in while we had a barrier up from a distance.

Norie-san easily reached the side of my collapsed colleague.

“Ah, I see. So this is what’s causing the mischief. It seems detoxifying her is useless unless I do something about this first.”

Even though a lethal poison mist was being emitted right beside him, Norie-san showed absolutely no sign of getting sick.

Why on earth!?

“Then let’s purify it right away. HIGH PURIFICATION!”

The moment Norie-san activated some kind of magic, the black jewel was enveloped in light!

And with a sharp crack, the jewel split clean in half, then turned to ash and vanished just like that.

“Wha—eeeeeeeeh!?”

No way!? He purified a cursed item all by himself!?

Without any support!?

Impossible!!

“HIGH ANTIDOTE!”

While I was shocked, Norie-san used Detoxification Magic on my collapsed colleague.

I mean, High Antidote? Could that be the legendary advanced Detoxification Magic!?

That kid can use it!?

Then, my colleague’s body, which hadn’t twitched at all until a moment ago, jolted with a shiver.

“U-Ugh…”

And my colleague’s eyes slowly opened.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-You are…”

“I am from the Temple of the Chief God.”

“The Temple of the Chief God? Why would someone from the Temple of the Chief God save me…!?”

It’s only natural for her to wonder. After all, right now we are rivals competing in the pilgrimage.

“It’s only natural to help someone if they are in trouble, isn’t it?”

“Wha!? F-For a reason like that!?”

“Well then, shall we return to the trial?”

And so, Norie-san, who saved our lives, held out a hand to us to resume the trial as if nothing had happened.

◆ War God’s Priest Santoi ◆

“Gugh, this is just…”

We were inside suddenly swirling flames.

Fortunately, thanks to defensive magic items, we were saved, but at this rate, we’ll be caught in the flames and die.

The anomaly didn’t just occur here.

Different anomalies were occurring in the locations where the people from the other temples were.

The anomaly occurred the moment the people from the other temples held up the jewels they had in their hands.

And it involved the very people who used them.

“Hmph, it seems I made the right choice not to use it.”

I stared at the jewel hidden in my breast pocket.

Yes, I had the same jewel as the ones the people from the other temples used.

The liaison from the higher-ups told me that if I used this magic item, it would be a trump card guaranteeing victory, but looking at this situation, it’s highly suspicious.

I didn’t use it. No, I couldn’t use it.

A small fragment of pride remaining within me made me hesitate to rely on such a thing in front of that girl.

“But it’s comical that the other guys used it while I was hesitating.”

The ones who produced these flames from a red jewel were the priests of the Night God.

Looking at them, they also put up a barrier to protect themselves, but at that rate, it won’t hold.

Troublingly, these flames are unaffected by Ice and Water Magic.

Thanks to that, we’re in a situation where we can’t step outside the barrier.

However, the barrier cannot block the heat of the flames.

Our end will likely come when the magic power of the magic items we’re wearing runs out.

“Tch, is this it…”

If I can’t move, there’s nothing more I can do.

Good grief, there’s a limit to how pathetic I can be.

“Hey, hey, don’t give up in a place like this.”

At that moment, I heard an unbelievable voice.

“Y-You!?”

“Yo, we meet again.”

Raising my head, there was the face of Janet, whom I had just parted ways with.

“Y-You fool! Run away quickly! You’ll be burned to death too!”

What is she doing coming all the way back here!?

“No need to worry. I’m gonna smash that thing.”

“Wh-What!?”

Smash these flames!? Is she out of her mind!?

“Big Sis Liliera, I’m leaving this to you.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Along with those words, a cool breeze blew across the scorched field enveloped in heat.

No, it wasn’t a breeze, it was cold air.

Looking around, the area was surrounded by a wall of ice.

“I can’t use Recovery Magic, so you’ll have to make do with ice.”

The one who said that was another girl who was with Janet at the Temple of the Chief God earlier.

“My goodness…”

The girl called Liliera was protecting us from the heat of the flames with a thick wall of ice.

But I have heard this before.

When using magic of an opposing attribute in a place where the power of a specific attribute is strong, it consumes a considerable amount of concentration and magic power.

Yet this girl achieved it with a cool face. Not only that, she was perfectly maintaining the wall of ice!?

“Heeey, please take care of this one too. One of her hands is burning or something, so heal it for her.”

Along with those words, a well-built woman was tossed in from outside the wall of ice.

That woman was wearing the vestments of a Priest of the Night God, and her right arm was carbonized, having lost the shape of a hand.

I see, so this is the one who used that jewel.

And perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that her arm turning to charcoal caused her to release the jewel, allowing her to escape close to here.

However, even with the protection of a magic item, because she was exposed to the flames for a long time, her entire body was covered in severe burns.

At this rate, she won’t last long.

“This is terrible. I have no choice but to make do with potions until we join up with everyone. I’m sure the one I got from Lexus-san was… ah, here it is.”

A potion? There’s no way something like that can heal these burns.

Well, it might serve as a painkiller, I suppose.

“There.”

When Liliera sprinkled the potion on the Priest of the Night God, her body faintly glowed, and the burns all over her body healed beautifully.

“…Hah!?”

Eh? It healed? Those terrible burns, with a potion!?

And her arm! Even her arm, which was carbonized and crumbling, had grown back!?

“Wh-Wh-What!?”

I tried to ask what on earth she used, but my attention was diverted when Janet, who was outside the wall of ice, started running.

“Well then, I’m gonna finish this up quickly!”

Janet readied her sword and dashed toward the jewel that continued to spew flames.

Hah? A sword!? Is that little girl crazy!?

The area around the jewel was enveloped in terrifying flames, and it was obvious she would burn to death before getting close to the jewel in the center.

More than anything, there’s no way you can cut flames with a sword!

“BURNING MELT SWORD!!”

Janet‘s sword was clad in blue flames. But what is that going to do!

“You fool! As if Flame Magic would work against flames!”

Even while I was saying that, Janet plunged into the flames.

Oh, Gods!

“Hehe, here I go! My new special move!! BURNING MELT IMPULSE!!”

The blue flames overflowing from the sword enveloped Janet‘s body, flickering like heat haze behind her.

Then, Janet‘s body advanced forward at a literal flying speed.

Janet was no longer running on her own legs.

It was as if she was being pulled by the pale-blue burning sword.

Moreover, unbelievably, the pale-blue flames were tearing through the surrounding flames.

And she pierced the jewel at the center of the flames.

But the moment she did, terrifying heat and flames erupted from the jewel.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!!”

What terrifying flames!

To feel this amount of heat even while inside a wall of ice!

“Hah! Little girl!!”

If I feel this much heat here, what will happen to Janet in the center!

“Little girl! Little girlllll!!”

Unacceptable! Such a thing must not happen!

For only us who strayed from the path to be saved, while that soft-hearted little girl becomes a sacrifice, such a thing must not happen!!

“It’s fine.”

Liliera, while still maintaining the ice magic, told me as I panicked to stop the little girl.

“That girl will manage somehow. After all, flames are her specialty.”

She’ll manage somehow!? How!?

However, pathetically, not only could I not go help Janet, I couldn’t even move from this spot. All I could do was wait for the raging flames to subside.

After a long time passed and the flames finally subsided, Liliera erased the wall of ice.

“This is terrible.”

Just as she said, the trial grounds were in a terrible state.

The surroundings were scorched black, and of course, Janet‘s figure was nowhere to be found.

She must have been caught in those flames and her entire body burned to ash.

Not even a single fragment of bone remained.

As if to prove that, a pure white circle had formed at the spot that was the center of the flames.

“Hm? A circle?”

What is that circle? Why is there such a thing amidst where the explosive flames swelled up?

At the same time, a strange sound could be heard.

“Wh-What!?”

A cloud of dust rose exactly where the white circle was.

“I-Impossible…”

There stood that little girl, Janet.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch. I didn’t think I’d get blown away.”

“H-Hey! Little girl!!”

Unable to just stand there, I ran over to Janet.

“Hm? Oh, looks like you guys are safe too.”

“Never mind ‘safe’! What on earth happened!? What did you do!? Why are you safe!?”

Unable to control my welling emotions, I threw my questions at Janet.

“Wait, wait, don’t ask everything at once.”

Saying that, Janet looked around.

“Oh, looks like the flames were put out successfully. As expected, it’s exactly as my Bro… Big Sis taught me!”

“Taught you?”

“Yeah, I heard it from my Big Sis. Apparently, to put out a fire, you just have to create an even bigger fire and completely burn away the source causing the flames.”

“S-Such a thing…!?”

Putting out flames with flames? Is such a thing possible!?

And what does it mean that this girl plunged into a jewel emitting that much fire without singeing a single hair!?

“I see, so that white circle is the remains of the space created by your ultra-high heat.”

“Yeah! It’s a technique to trap a super-hot flame inside a tiny space, compress it tight, and make it ultra-hot! Well, the recoil from that blew me straight up into the air, though!”

Wh-What is that technique!? I’ve never heard of such a thing!

And who on earth taught her that technique!?

“Anyway, extinguishing complete! Now then, shall we resume the trial?”

Despite having done such a thing, Janet tried to return to the trial as if nothing had happened.

“W-Wait! Why did you save us…?”

Unable to comprehend the actions of Janet and the others, I couldn’t help but voice my doubt.

But Janet, looking genuinely confused, said this:

“Ah? That’s obvious, ain’t it? It’s ’cause there were guys in trouble, so I came to help.”

“Wha!? F-For a reason like that…?”

S-She came to help because we were in trouble!? Without even considering the danger to her own life!?

“Well then, we’re taking off. You guys can still keep going, right?”

Saying that, Janet dashed off.

“F-Fufu… I can’t beat an idiot.”

The second time I saw her back, it shone so brightly I couldn’t look directly at it…