21. The Goddess’s Blade

As expected, a boss like the emotionless, three-no personality type is the hardest to deal with. After all, even though we had appeared so suddenly, I couldn’t discern anything from the unwavering actions of the nun Urasiru before me.

She hesitated for only a moment at our seemingly “coincidental” arrival, then gave the most ordinary response.

“It seems you… are aware that such a situation would arise.”

“Hmph, more or less.”

After all, when speculation merges with the script, and inference aligns with the facts at hand, how could all the “preparations” I made for that foolish fairy Ikusis possibly go wrong?

Because, upon just arriving here and secretly meeting Ikusis, listening to this foolish fairy lament about the “death prophecy,” I had already reminded her of “what to do.” Though she’s a lazy good-for-nothing, Ikusis is quite adept at “escaping” and is definitely not as foolish as she appears; she might even understand how to save her own life better than I do.

Thus, what I needed to do, aside from sneaking Ikusis away and intervening in her death script, was to “root out the source” and find the one who would “stab Ikusis.” Ikusis had come to me secretly the night before, primarily to inform me: the death script was approaching, and those who wanted to stab her would soon reveal themselves.

Naturally, the way she clung to my leg, crying and snotting all over, was related to this. She wanted me to take her and her belongings and run after the blessing ceremony with Kfeir, which meant… the danger lay within the ceremony itself. So, every day after that, I had been asking Nilu to keep an eye on the saintess’s movements under the pretext of relaying messages to Kfeir, and sure enough, today I sensed the unfolding of Ikusis’s death script.

However, after following along, I couldn’t help but be surprised by the identity of the attacker planning to strike Ikusis: it was none other than the so-called ‘errand nun’ Urasiru, who had been giving me and Kfeir a hard time lately. No, given the current situation and the content of the script, perhaps it would be better to refer to this nun differently.

[Urasiru, a faction within the Order Church—leader of the Blade of Order, judges those unfaithful to the goddess, known as the ‘Pure White Nun.’]

What a stroke of luck, finding something without even trying…

Returning my gaze to Urasiru’s figure not far away, I continued, “Ikusis is already my fairy; she wasn’t raised in the church, and her status as a saintess now seems merely a form of ‘employment.’ If she no longer wishes to continue, it should be a clean break.”

“Even if the great goddess does not wish for Ikusis’s power to leak out and intends to ‘kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,’ then… shouldn’t she be killing her own goose? Why are you aiming your blades at someone else’s property?”

Indeed… this kind of evasive villain is the hardest to deal with. In the face of my questioning, Urasiru didn’t even blink, standing in the rain, responding with ordinary words as if they were self-evident.

“Those who are disloyal to order will be judged by the goddess’s blade, and that is all.”

“Really? You can’t be serious, can you? Your goddess can’t be that petty, right?”

I admit, I was being sarcastic.

After all…

【Urasiru insists on judging Ikusis.】

The script was already so fixed; the nun before me clearly wouldn’t just “let it go.” So, I naturally had no need to continue lowering my face to engage in meaningless banter with her.

Because sometimes, a fist is more convincing than words.

“…The judgment has begun. The goddess does not allow, nor will she care for, the interference of outsiders. Guests from afar, masters of the fairies, please do not interfere with the judgment of order any longer, or else… the blade of judgment will descend upon your heads.”

It was as if she was threatening us to hand over Ikusis and then sensibly leave. In the next moment, Urasiru raised her right hand, reaching toward the towering statue of the goddess behind her.

It was as if she had received the “goddess’s blessing.” The raindrops that fell were abruptly severed by something. When I looked again, the girl’s right hand was tightly gripping a massive spear that seemed incongruous with her petite frame… but it seemed there was more to it, as I soon discovered: many raindrops that fell onto the tip of the spear were bizarrely deflected, forming a hazy mist that clearly resembled a crescent-shaped blade—what the girl held was not a cross spear, but… an enormous scythe!

After doing all this, the girl’s left hand also raised the dagger she had been holding, waiting for our actions in a manner that seemed utterly incapable of movement, let alone “fighting,” her expression blank and silent. The fierce wind blew, her pure white hair danced in the rain. No wonder I hadn’t found any white-clad nun; it turned out that the dangerous “pure white nun” in the script appeared in this form.

What came next was beyond my ability to intervene.

Sensing the other party’s intentions, at Kephiel’s silent cue, I wisely pulled Ikusis back to a safe distance. Kephiel then stood in front of Urasiru, blocking her gaze toward Ikusis… and mine. The magic sword Alsas flew out, the cold aura of its blade turning the surrounding raindrops into ice flowers.

“Miss Kephiel, why interfere with our Order’s affairs? If you are only concerned about whether the blessing ceremony can proceed smoothly, then… please, don’t overthink it. After the traitorous saintess of the goddess of order is judged, a more devout and excellent new saintess will offer blessings for your union in the name of the goddess.”

“Is that so? Sorry, but I prefer the blessings of acquaintances.”

“…Interfering with the judgment means you will also acknowledge the subject of the judgment. Do not attempt to obstruct the goddess’s will any longer. Isn’t quietly accepting the goddess’s blessing the most perfect ending? I represent the will of the goddess of order, wielding the power of the goddess of order. Please…”

【Swish】

In the next moment, Nilu beside me suddenly made her move! A wave of colorless chaotic magic enveloped the area, and the “lies” that had just escaped Urasiru’s lips were directly exposed: whether it was the scythe she held or the dagger in her hand, the edges were now emanating ominous black mist.

“A cheap disguise. If this is the power of the goddess you speak of, then this goddess’s power is rather dark, not so great and righteous, is it?”

“……”

Urasiru silently glanced at Nilu, “The essence of judgment is slaughter. It is merely your insistence on witnessing the ugliness beneath the facade. Please do not question the power of order; it is a disrespect to the goddess.”

“Is that so?”

Kefir had already tightened her grip on Alsace, and it seemed I didn’t need to explain; she instinctively felt a distaste for Urasiru and the “Goddess of Order” she spoke of.

“Miss Urasiru, if the goddess you speak of is merely a fairy that wishes to destroy us, then…”

“I would rather not have this ‘blessing’ of ours!”

Illustration: Urasiru