Chapter 270
“Where are we? We should be able to see something around here.”
“…Frua, a small village in Osman County. Or rather, a place that used to be a village. I don’t have any particular evidence, but for some reason, I feel like that’s what it is.”
It was Yusti-ah who answered Yuna’s question. Her gaze calmly surveyed the surroundings.
Perhaps she was feeling guilty about the world turning out this way.
“I can feel divine power coming from this direction. The person we’re looking for is probably at the end of it.”
Yusti-ah took the lead and stepped forward.
Flustered by her actions, Franz and the others exchanged glances before following her.
After Franz’s group walked for a while through the wasteland where only dirt and dust blew with every gust of wind, something suddenly appeared to block them.
“What a terrible sight…”
Just as Yusti-ah said, the thing that appeared before them was a terrible sight. It had the shape of a person, but it was crushed here and there, oozing a dark, murky liquid.
Humans, yet not humans - that was the only way to describe them.
“…How awful.”
“Indeed…”
Everyone narrowed their brows, expressing their displeasure. Since the opponents were fellow humans, the depth of their emotions seemed even greater.
Meanwhile, Yusti-ah, who had been standing blankly, nodded. It was as if she had resolved herself to something.
“Everyone, may I ask one favor of you?”
“…Tell us first.”
“If possible, I want to handle this. I’m surely the one who did this, after all.”
“It might not be your doing, right? There’s no need for you to step up and take responsibility…”
“Indeed. It’s just too similar to the thoughts I once had, turning the entire world into a wasteland, wanting to leave humans in such a hideous state…”
Yusti-ah trailed off. It was as if she had more to say but chose not to.
After pondering for a moment, Franz quietly replied.
“If it gets dangerous, I’ll step in immediately.”
“Yes, please step in anytime then. I have no desire to die.”
The corners of Yusti-ah’s mouth curved into an arc. It might have been his imagination, but that smile felt a little pitiful.
'Honestly, it’s inefficient…'
The fastest way to deal with something already encroached upon by demonic energy was, naturally, to kill it. Just as Hera had done in the Great Forest.
It was possible to deal with them using pure divine power, but in terms of efficiency, it couldn’t even be compared. This was especially true since divine power exacted a toll on the user’s stamina.
Even so, the reason he accepted her proposal was that he thought that by solving the problem herself, she might be able to alleviate the guilt in her heart, even if only a little.
“You must have suffered a lot.”
Yusti-ah murmured quietly as she stepped forward. With her two hands gathered modestly in front of her chest, she offered a prayer.
“Please, may you find peace in that place.”
A golden aura began to waver and flow out from Yusti-ah’s body.
Did they notice that pure power? The undying undead all looked at Yusti-ah and charged at her. Every time they took a violent step, dark, murky liquid splattered everywhere.
Eventually, the golden aura eventually touched their bodies.
Sizzle - .
Along with pure white smoke, their flesh slowly began to burn.
Even so, a strong resentment was evident in their relentless charge.
Undead who wandered the living world, unable to die, merely resented the living. They surely hadn’t wanted to end up like this either.
Splat -, splat - .
One whose two legs had already disappeared crawled clumsily across the ground and arrived right in front of Yusti-ah.
Yusti-ah, still with her hands gathered modestly, looked at it with a pitiful gaze.
“You have suffered enough.”
With a short farewell, the undead’s flesh completely disappeared. Even the sludgy liquid they left behind vanished under the divine power, returning the area to a state of nothingness once again.
All that remained where they disappeared were the clothes they had been wearing and small mana stones. It was truly insignificant to be considered a legacy of a person’s life.
Inhale -, exhale - .
Yusti-ah took a deep breath in and let it out. Since a Saintess who had been active in the Hero’s Party couldn’t possibly be this exhausted, it was highly likely an act to calm her mind.
Was that thought the correct answer? Soon, Yusti-ah showed a calm smile.
“Shall we go then?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Franz thought as he stepped forward with her, hoping she wouldn’t overdo it.
Yusti-ah was always scolding Franz for overdoing things alone, but in truth, she also had a tendency to overdo things herself.
The same thing happened several times after that. Whenever the undead appeared out of nowhere to block their path, Yusti-ah stepped up and resolved it.
Things she could calmly brush off at first happened twice, three times… ten times. As the frequency increased, beads of sweat began to form on Yusti-ah’s forehead.
Franz handed her a handkerchief.
“Yusti-ah, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. This much is nothing.”
Yusti-ah smiled and wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with the handkerchief Franz handed her.
Franz looked at her pitifully and thought.
“About halfway through…”
If they walked the same distance again, they would be able to meet the Yusti-ah of this world.
Of course, it wasn’t a positive situation since the undead were getting stronger and more numerous the further they went…
But Yusti-ah would surely manage somehow. At least, Franz believed so.
“You’re worrying about me right now, aren’t you?”
“Well… of course I am.”
“Ugh -, why am I happy about your worrying even in this situation…”
Yusti-ah sighed and slumped her shoulders, as if she found her own behavior pathetic.
But that was only for a moment. Soon, she smiled gently and pressed down firmly on Franz’s nose with her hand.
“Anyway, you’re secretly overprotective.”
Still, thank you.
She added those words quietly, Yusti-ah slowly stepped forward. He didn’t know why, but his steps felt a little lighter.
It was a little while later that she faced a crisis.
Plop -, thud - .
What appeared before them was an undead giant. More accurately, it was a massive form made of undead tangled together.
The sight of hundreds of heads and limbs wriggling simultaneously could not be fully described with the word bizarre.
It was a good thing that those present had strong stomachs; otherwise, they would have thrown up immediately.
“What sin did they commit to end up like this…”
Yusti-ah murmured quietly with her brows narrowed.
This was the hideous conclusion created by one person’s selfish heart. Because it was the doing of her other self and reflected a feeling she had once harbored, she couldn’t continue speaking.
“If Franz hadn’t set me straight, surely…”
Yusti-ah quietly closed her eyes and began to pray. Then, golden divine power wavered like a haze and flowed out from her body.
It was a powerful divine power that couldn’t even be compared to anything before. It was enough to slightly surprise even Franz, who was watching.
BOOM - !
At the same time Yusti-ah took action, the creature also began to move. The moment it planted its giant foot on the ground, it felt as if the earth’s axis was shaking.
Yusti-ah’s divine power seeped into its body, and its dark, murky flesh slowly melted away while emitting smoke.
Even so, the creature didn’t care and charged at Yusti-ah, as if killing her was its only goal.
“Come to think of it, Yusti-ah used to hate clerics and the Goddess…”
If the other Yusti-ah had created that giant creature, it wasn’t strange for it to charge in like a moth to a flame.
A user of divine power was a cleric. To the other Yusti-ah, he or she was no different from an enemy.
“Franz, you should probably step in…”
“Yeah, just in case.”
Answering Yuna’s worried voice, Franz snapped his fingers. Then, a transparent, hemispherical shield formed around Yusti-ah.
Yusti-ah’s divine power was rapidly burning away the creature’s giant body, but the speed was rather precarious.
If Yusti-ah’s concentration faltered midway for even a moment, the result would be disastrous.
Of course, this was the last time he would help. Dealing with that giant undead was entirely her burden to bear alone.
BOOM - ! BOOM - !
The creature dragged its now-tattered body and stood right in front of Yusti-ah, just as it raised its giant fist.
Yusti-ah’s closed eyes snapped open. Her golden eyes were shining more brilliantly than ever before.
At the same time, an even stronger divine power flowed out, completely burning away the giant creature’s remaining flesh.
The source of divine power was said to be faith in God, and that feeling had grown even stronger within her.
Eventually, as the brilliant divine power that had been flowing out disappeared, Yusti-ah fell to her knees.
Her breathing was quite rough, and the sweat beaded on her forehead flowed down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground.
Franz immediately approached her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine… More importantly, what just happened? I firmly believed that I trusted you, and suddenly this power…”
No way…? It couldn’t be…?
Franz’s eyes were trembling. Becoming a god on top of being a Magic Tower lord, a Duke, and a Saint seemed a bit too much, no matter how he looked at it.