OMS Chapter 17

After making a quick stop at the infirmary to heal the serious patients, I left the church with Viirant.

Our destination was, of course, the place where the impurities were the most concentrated.

But since I didn’t know exactly where that was, I planned to just rely on my senses as we walked… but—

“I only managed a quick inquiry, but I’ve gathered several locations known for frequent demon beast sightings. Shall we start by heading to one of those?”

“Oh, that’s impressive. When did you manage that?”

Ah, must have been while I was busy healing people. After we rejoined Diruk and Kahim, Viirant had said he needed to prepare and left for a bit. He must have been questioning the local knights then.

He was blushing like crazy just a while ago, yet here he was, being the epitome of competence. Not only is he incredibly skilled in combat, but he’s sharp and effective in everything else—and now, thanks to the blessing, he’s even more capable.

Despite the roundabout way we got here, I have to admit this was the right call. At the very least, he’s saving us a lot of time with his inquiries.

“So, does anything match in that direction?”

“…There are two places. One is a forest called Furumori, a restricted area, and the other is an abandoned graveyard.”

“Both sound suspicious. Let’s start with whichever one’s closer.”

I had my bow, a knife, and the “Purification Orb” on me, and Viirant was carrying the Sacred Tree branch.

I didn’t bother bringing arrows because I could form them out of holy power. It’s basically the holy maiden’s version of the arrow the Demon Lord created. For demon beasts, it’s like being hit with pure poison. As long as I hit my target, I should be able to take them down easily enough.

…Though I’ve never actually fought a demon beast, so I’m not exactly brimming with confidence.

Once we reach the center of impurity, the first task will be finding the core of the land. You could say the “White Room” serves as the core for this entire country, so that should give us an idea of what we’re looking for. It functions like a heart, circulating energy. Once we find it, we can purify the entire area in one go.

On the flip side, it’s because the core has become so corrupted that this land is filled with impurities.

“What does this core look like?”

“I’m not sure. It could be a stone, a tree, or something else. Some places even have broken swords as their core. The core of the ‘White Room’ is a statue of the gods.”

“That’s pretty vague.”

“Yeah, there’s still a lot we don’t know about cores. But once we get close, it’ll be impossible to miss. —And speaking of, here they come.”

The core lies at the center of the impurities. And when the corruption of a place reaches a certain threshold, even the holy maiden’s aura becomes ineffective.

Demon beasts, which usually avoid the holy maiden, will start appearing in droves. I was hoping to take out as many of them as possible along the way, so in that sense, this is perfect.

I stopped, drew my bow, and gathered holy power in my right hand, forming arrows. Three demon beasts—still unseen—were approaching. I nocked one arrow, prepared two more, and shot the moment they came into view, piercing the first one cleanly.

There were two boar-like creatures and one resembling a deer, though each was grotesquely mutated with numerous horns and spikes jutting out from their bodies.

Before they could reach us, I loosed the remaining two arrows, each finding its mark in their foreheads.

Since these were demon beasts, I was on my guard, but the holy-powered arrows were overwhelmingly powerful. The beasts collapsed just like regular animals, and soon, the forest was quiet again.

It seems my practice has paid off—my skills haven’t dulled too much.

“You’re… very strong.”

Viirant mumbled, still holding his unsheathed sword as he stared in disbelief. I shrugged, pulling the arrows from the beasts’ foreheads. The pure white arrows still brimmed with holy power and could probably be used a few more times.

I should’ve brought a quiver, at least.

✢

As the number of demon beasts attacking us increased, it became harder to take them all down with arrows alone. I missed a few, allowing them to get close, but Viirant swiftly dispatched them without breaking a sweat.

Even considering the boost in stats from the blessing, he was almost superhumanly strong. His swordsmanship was exceptional, and he was clearly accustomed to fighting demon beasts.

“You’re pretty strong, huh…?”

“I’ve participated in nearly every large-scale extermination effort.”

“Seriously…?”

So the reason Viirant traveled to different regions was to help with demon beast exterminations? With skills like his, it’s no wonder he was in high demand. No wonder he’s so experienced.

I had originally planned to come here alone, thinking I’d just unleash holy power whenever I encountered a demon beast, but so far, I haven’t even had to lift a finger. I’m grateful for the chance to conserve my strength, but his strength is almost unnervingly impressive.

The blessing was supposed to just give resistance to impurities, but maybe it made him a little too strong.

Rest in peace, demon beasts.

The abandoned graveyard had indeed been crawling with demon beasts, but there was no core there. That meant our next stop was the Furumori forest, so we set off, relying on my senses.

The forest was dark and overgrown, and the further we went, the thicker the air became. The oppressive weight of the impurities clung to my body like a heavy shroud, and it felt like the air was thinning.

We were entering a place that had become entirely hostile to human life.

—This is tougher than I thought.

Demon beasts continued to attack us one after another, giving us no time to rest. I was protected by holy power, and Viirant by the blessing, so we were still managing to move. But for an ordinary person, even breathing would have been a challenge.

With impurities this dense, there’s a natural aversion that keeps people away, so no one in their right mind would come close. But if anyone did happen to wander here, they’d surely turn into a demon in no time.

“…You were planning to come here alone, weren’t you?”

Oh boy, Viirant’s mad.

He’s cutting down demon beasts with alarming ease, but the way he’s glaring at me is unmistakable. Those eyes are filled with resentment, and though I can understand why, I didn’t expect things to be this bad. If I had been alone, I would’ve taken more care and left earlier…

So, yeah, don’t give me that look. I brought you along, didn’t I?

“I’m grateful you’re here.”

I kept my response short, and the sharpness in his aura softened—if only a little. He still seemed dissatisfied, but for now, it looked like he was willing to let it go. He reminded me again, “Make sure to always bring me along,” as he dispatched another demon beast.

…That means I’ll be kissing him fairly often from now on, but I guess he’s aware of that.

I’m a little conflicted, but I don’t have any real objections. If having Viirant with me makes things go this smoothly, I’m all for it. I’ll get used to the kissing eventually.

After that, there was no room left for conversation, and Viirant and I silently continued slaughtering demon beasts.

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed when the attacks suddenly stopped. Viirant and I stood back to back, cautiously surveying our surroundings.

There was an unsettling atmosphere that made my skin crawl.

It seemed we had finally arrived.

“It’s the guardian. It’s coming.”

The moment I whispered the warning to Viirant, a massive demon beast, as big as a hill, appeared.

The guardian of the core, the Nushi—a giant black stag with multiple horns, it barreled toward us, shaking the ground with its approach.

One shot. The arrow aimed at its forehead was deflected by a single swipe of its antlers. Clearly, this wouldn’t be easy.

Second shot. The arrow sank deep into the base of its leg. It let out a deafening scream but barely slowed down.

Third shot. I abandoned the idea of killing it with arrows and aimed for its left eye, blinding it in one.

This gave Viirant a chance to slip into its blind spot.

Viirant darted in close to the approaching Nushi, slashing at its neck. His strike didn’t go deep enough to sever its head, but it left a shallow wound.

Even without faltering, Viirant continued to attack, one strike after another. This was probably the first time he had faced a creature this large, but he was doing an impressive job.

Thanks to him, I had enough time to prepare.

I gathered several times the usual amount of holy power to form a shining white spear. I gripped the large, glowing spear tightly and hurled it at the Nushi with all my strength.

My target: its remaining eye.

The tip of the spear gouged out the eye and pierced through to the brain.

And just as I let my guard down a bit—whoosh—I was flung into the air as the Nushi, in its death throes, swung its head violently.

I looked down, and my eyes met Viirant’s in midair.

Uhh… now what?

The only magic I can use is holy, light, earth, and water… none of which seem particularly helpful in this situation. I never had time to practice non-holy magic, since all my focus has been on purification.

Looks like I’m in trouble.

…Well, I suppose I’ll survive, even if I don’t come out unscathed. As long as I don’t land on my head, I should be okay.

As I braced myself for the impact, my body suddenly became weightless.

I opened my eyes slowly, and immediately felt a firm, warm hand supporting my waist.

In my line of sight was Viirant’s face.

…And from the look of it, he was furious.

“You… idiot!”

He actually called me an idiot. That’s a first.

Not that I can argue.

It seems Viirant used wind magic to cushion my fall and caught me before I hit the ground. He had been quite far from me, but he must’ve sprinted over at full speed.

If he hadn’t been there, I definitely would’ve broken a bone or two—or worse.

I deserve this scolding.

“…Sorry.”

Still being held around the waist, I muttered an apology, and in response, Viirant hugged me tightly.

It actually hurt a bit, but I closed my eyes and accepted it.

…I could feel his hands trembling, so there was no way I could ask him to let go.

I mumbled another apology and gently patted his broad back.

In the eerily quiet forest, the only sound I could hear was the steady thumping of Viirant’s heartbeat.