20. If you play with me, you must take responsibility!

Even the falling raindrops could not keep up with Urasiru’s form, which had already appeared before Ikusis in the next moment. Neither the cold raindrops, the rising winds, nor the icy weapon in her hand and the downward swing of the sword changed the expression on the nun’s face in the slightest! It was as if judgment and execution were merely her duties.

“Repent in the face of death, you incompetent fairy who betrays the will of order!”

The slender sword swung down, even slicing through a falling raindrop! However, the lack of tangible sensation in her hand finally stirred a hint of “emotion” within Urasiru.

She furrowed her brow slightly, glancing at the Saintess Ikusis, who had retreated to a safe distance.

【You can dodge the head nun’s attack…】

“Ha… ha… ha…”

Ikusis gasped for breath, relieved that she hadn’t just been stabbed through the heart, while patting her chest and offering a wry smile to the nun before her. “S-Sister, surely it can’t be this serious? I just don’t want to do this anymore…”

“The moment you were chosen as the Saintess, you accepted the grace and forgiveness of the Goddess of Order, fairy.”

Urasiru replied coldly, “The goddess has forgiven your fairy identity and even tolerated your act of recognizing another as your master. You are already a part of order; you have no right to withdraw.”

The mention of the word “fairy” made Ikusis tremble slightly as she finally understood.

“You… you know I’m a fairy!?”

The nun’s expressionless silence was the best answer.

“Then… then you clearly know I’m a fairy, so you must also know that listening to the goddess’s ‘prophecies’ is all a lie! It’s just my ability! Why do you still want me, a fairy who just came to scam a free meal, to be some ‘Saintess’ in the church!?”

“…Because your ability can serve the Goddess of Order and garner the faith of believers. You are more suitable than any ‘Saintess’ the church has ever found. A perfect ability, devoid of any filthy, corrupting thoughts driven by greed. You are the perfect ‘Saintess’… I once believed this too.”

The wind and rain lifted the nun’s black hat and skirt, and then her white hair began to flutter.

Pure and flawless, as if representing the goddess’s most untainted will.

“However, you have now betrayed order. The goddess does not permit the existence of traitors and the unfaithful, so you must face the judgment of the Blade of Order. Please, accept your death in the name of the Goddess of Order…”

“…You’re being unreasonable! What’s the difference between the goddess you speak of and a bandit king!?”

“!”

The sudden surge of killing intent made Ikusis shiver. Was it because she had insulted the goddess? The expression in Urasiru’s eyes had suddenly turned terrifying…

But to obediently accept death? How could that be possible! She was the one most afraid of dying! So now, she had to become the one who feared death the least!

“[You fear not the enemy’s attack.]”

“[You hold the method to defeat the enemy.]”

“[You are not afraid… of the nun before you.]”

“Don’t think I’m easy to bully… you old hag!”

After all, I too am a light fairy bestowed by Nilu, and the last person who looked down on me, that old crone Claudilus, ended up getting blown to bits!

What’s a nun who just swings a sword? Just watch as I use my proud light magic to…

[Whoosh]

What was that, slicing through the sound of rain!

By the time Ikusis reacted, she realized: the spot where she had just been standing was now filled with “light swords.” If it weren’t for the “suggestion” that had instinctively triggered her body to react at maximum capacity, she would have probably turned into a toy for children playing “pirate with a wooden barrel” by now!

Looking up, Ikusis was astonished to find: the nun Urasilu in her line of sight was using her slender sword as an “arrow,” drawing back a golden bowstring, and then… shooting it at her!

[Whoosh whoosh whoosh]

What the hell!? This woman is using magic!? Then why was she just showing off with a sword!? My suggestion was completely off the mark!

“[You have a connection to magic… Ugh!”

More “swords” fell from the sky, and just as Ikusis was about to “suggest” again, she found that her feet seemed to have been blessed, moving as if guided by some unseen force, wherever she went, swords would immediately pierce the ground.

Why is this nun so powerful! Wait, could she be the legendary “Pure White Nun” from the church?

The cumbersome clothes she wore for the blessing ceremony made it even harder for Ikusis to move. After just a few steps, she twisted her ankle and fell on her backside! Swords and arrows seemed poised to pierce her body at any moment.

“No… it can’t be, why am I the only one so unlucky…”

“This is judgment, Your Holiness.”

In her line of sight, the nun Urasilu once again “nocked an arrow,” preparing to completely “pierce” Ikusis.

“Demon, who said anything about judgment!? Ugh… my leg hurts so much, Master! Master, ahhh! Come save me! I didn’t pledge my loyalty to you for free!! If I give you OOXX, you have to take responsibility too!”

“How tragic…”

In response to Ikusis’s self-destructive lament, the nun hesitated for just a moment.

Her lips parted slightly, her hand released, as if the sword of judgment had already descended! However, in the next instant, what the nun saw was the saint, who had just been wallowing in despair, now sticking out her middle finger and making a face at her.

Because… the “judgment” had been interrupted by something!

Immediately, as the nun Urasiru jumped back, a circle of shadows emerged around her, rushing toward the spot!

The scent of fairies, and… a lot of them.

Soon, nun Urasiru understood what was happening before her.

“Hey, Ikusis, you can shout all you want, but don’t go spreading baseless rumors! When did I ever take responsibility!?”

“Huh? Have you ever played irresponsibly?”

“I’ve never played at all! Come back here!”

The saint immediately clung to his leg in a cowardly manner, and at the same time, more figures appeared. This made nun Urasiru frown slightly.

“Mr. O’Keefe, you and your family have arrived at an inopportune time.”

“Not quite, I’d say I arrived just in time.”

Reining in my earlier irritation toward Ikusis, I…

Stomped down on the glowing arrow still embedded in the ground, shattering it.

With Kephir and Nilu, two big shots now by my side, both the protagonist and the boss were aligned with me; I felt so confident! Being in a good state gave me strength!

Thus, some words I would never dare to utter in the face of danger from the “big bosses” I usually encountered could now flow from my lips as easily as a rhyme.

For example, the next one.

“The Blade of Order, the Pure White Nun, right?”

I looked at the taciturn nun Urasiru and pointed at the idiot still clinging to my leg.

“My fairy may indeed be a bit dim-witted, but…”

“What exactly did Ikusis do that was illegal or immoral, to the point where you want to kill her?”

“Acting recklessly against someone else’s fairy, Miss Urasiru, don’t you think that’s a bit unkind?”