Chapter 13
AFTER ENJOYING her dinner, Mira headed to the bath to wash away the day’s fatigue. Since she’d come here with Wallenstein and Liliella today, Wallenstein was on the other side of the partition. Naturally, Liliella tagged along with the pint-sized summoner.
“Mira, Mira! Tell me more about Wally!” she pleaded, taking any opportunity to gather intelligence on her savior.
“Hrmm, very well. Then how about I tell you about the time we fought Grand Caecus, Lord of Fiends?”
Mira shared her stories of the past. No doubt Liliella was actually more interested in what sorts of things Wallenstein liked and what he favored in women. But Mira’s stories were colored with heroism and living legends, and the demon girl soon found herself drawn in by them. To someone who’d never experienced battle, they sounded tremendously heroic.
Mira talked until the two were starting to get light-headed, so they got out of the bath. Mira changed into a simple after-bath dress, but Liliella hadn’t brought any casual clothes with her. Mira retrieved an unused article of clothing from her Item Box and handed it over.
“This is a replica of the robes worn by the hero Danblf,” she bragged.
“Ooh. Now I can be a One-Man Army, too!” Liliella gleefully donned the robe. After sneaking some details about summoning—and her past identity—into the conversation about Wallenstein, Mira had successfully won the girl over to Team Danblf.
When they left the changing room, Wallenstein was waiting outside. “Hey, I know that outfit…”
“It’s a replica Wise Man’s robe. She didn’t have any clothes for getting out of the bath, so I gifted it to her.” It was merely a kind gesture; Mira had no ulterior motive, of course. She pointed out that Wallenstein’s hair was still wet. It turned out he hadn’t learned any of the Ethereal Arts people used for everyday tasks. The man spent so much time with light demons and so little time with human beings that he hadn’t been keeping up with the trends.
It was true that Wallenstein never had been very interested in talking to others beyond his friend group.
“As introverted as ever, I see.” Grinning, Mira used Ethereal Arts to dry his hair. “While we’re at it, I might as well teach you how to do it. From now on, you can dry Liliella’s hair.”
“Thank you. I’ll do that.”
A smile lit up Liliella’s face. This small gesture from Mira confirmed that she’d noticed the light demon’s little crush.
They moved to Wallenstein and Liliella’s room, where Mira casually took a paid drink from the minibar and taught Wallenstein a few other useful spells. After confirming that he could use them, the now-tipsy summoner returned to her own room.
“Mm… It feels good to do nice things for people.”
She’d helped a bit with Liliella’s crush and taught her friend some convenient magic. Satisfied by her exploits, Mira sank into bed and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Mira invited the pair to breakfast. After discussing future plans and making small talk over fancy-looking French toast, Mira finally said goodbye to Wallenstein and Liliella at the front door of the Epicurean Excess. As planned, the duo would check in with Isuzu regarding the investigation. Once they’d captured the dark demon Katiella, they would begin sealing her powers.
Mira prayed for their success, climbed onto Pegasus, and headed toward Irene, capital of Roslein.
Two hours later, Mira touched down at the storage complex formerly owned by Melville Commerce. It was in Roslein’s territory, which technically put it under Ebatess control. However, due to the many Chimera Clausen-related items found here, the whole place was currently locked down on church orders. Investigators employed by the church were busily taking stock of the area.
A woman was waiting at the entrance as planned. This was Louise, the international legal affairs official who’d worked with Scorpion and Snake to expose Melville Commerce.
“Miss Mira, I presume? I’ve been expecting you. Come right this way.”
“Hrmm. Let’s get this over with swiftly.”
Mira had come all this way because Louise needed Mira’s help for what she was about to do next. They entered the compound and headed straight for the hidden entrance to the War-Torn Burial Ground.
“Thank you so much for accommodating us today.”
“Honestly, I was curious about this myself.”
Louise’s position afforded her a high level of respect. When the busy investigators saw her, they stopped what they were doing and bowed deeply. Mira walked boldly alongside her to the building where the War-Torn Burial Ground’s entrance was hidden.
Several days ago, a problem had arisen with regard to the catacombs: how to deal with the black mist ore.
The church was divided into two camps. One side believed that anything that endangered spirits had to be dealt with permanently, while the other believed that the ore’s possible utility outweighed the danger. The latter wanted to research its useful purposes. A major debate still raged on among the higher-ups in the church, threatening to break into full-on factional fighting.
Louise had panicked at the appearance of something that could shake the church. She’d brought her concerns up to Scorpion and Snake, who’d passed them on to Kagura, who informed Mira of the issue. Mira had already been thinking about how to best deal with the ore in order to fulfill her promise to the Spirit King, so she’d come running.
From the start, Louise had sided with those who wanted to dispose of the substance. She happily latched on to Mira’s proposal, and her colleagues joined in as witnesses. Together, they had one job: to confirm that Mira had purified all of the black mist ore in the Spirit King’s name, and to testify so to the church. The church already knew of the Spirit King’s appearance in Sentopoli, though they believed that the summoner known as Mira had summoned him with her own power.
“Let us begin. Frankly, I don’t know if this will succeed, so watch carefully.”
Either way, it was clear that she and the Spirit King were connected. The Trinity worshipped by the church were dear friends of the Spirit King. If the spirits desired something, the church would have no choice but to obey. Furthermore, this was the Spirit King’s direct wishes they were talking about. It was the perfect justification to get the outcome Louise’s group wanted.
In the center of the War-Torn Burial Ground, they stood in the tower full of black mist ore. There, Mira summoned Holy Sword Sanctia.
When they saw the holy sword, one of the mages couldn’t help but murmur, “Divine…”
To common eyes, the sword seemed to emit a glow like faint moonlight. The mage, however, could see the bountiful spiritual power flowing from it. That was the power of the Spirit King, materializing through Mira’s blessing.
“I feel incredible pressure…” The warrior-class Louise could not see it, but it seemed she felt its presence. She gazed at the holy sword, certain that the Spirit King existed within. The others watched in silent agreement, ready to witness whatever was about to happen.
This would be the second time Mira purified oni curses, including the cursed crystal left by the Oni Princess. But it would be different this time… Instead of purifying just one spot, Mira would try to purify the entire catacombs.
“Now, I hope this works…” she muttered.
While Mira held the sword and murmured to herself, the symbols of the king’s blessing appeared all over her, and she heard a voice—the Spirit King’s. “Do not fear. Simply stab the sword into the ground at your feet, and I will handle the rest.” Only she could hear it; the others did not react whatsoever.
“You take every opportunity to show yourself… Not that I mind.” She chuckled wryly. Taking this as her cue, she threw off her coat and showed the symbols on her arms to the onlookers. She declared, “Behold the evidence of the Spirit King’s blessing.”
Louise opened her eyes wider in surprise and put her hands together as if in prayer. “It’s true… What a wonderful pattern!”
The purification of the ore would be evidence of the Spirit King’s wishes, and their testimony would add weight to that. Louise and the others bowed their heads reverently.
“Now, I plan to invoke your name. I hope you don’t mind?” Mira asked the Spirit King for permission, just in case.
“Of course not. Use it as you need,” he readily agreed. There was no need to hold back now.
“With the Spirit King’s wishes and power, I purify this place!” Mira said dramatically. Then she stabbed the sword downward.
Instantly, rays of light shot out from the sword. They increased in volume and intensity until their surroundings were blanketed in light. The brightness was overwhelming. When black shadows emerged in the boundless white, they were snuffed out without a trace.
The light spread beyond the tower. Black shadows appeared, only to be purified by the light. Like an expanding star, the light blanketed all. Yet it was also gentle; it did not blind the onlookers, and they witnessed everything.
When the Spirit King confirmed that it was done, Mira removed the sword from the floor and turned around. “I believe that we’ve purified everything here.”
She noticed that the onlookers’ mouths were agape; apparently, the event was flashier than they’d expected.
Mira dismissed the holy sword and shook Louise’s shoulder gently. “It is done. According to the Spirit King, no curses remain.”
The warrior finally returned to her senses and nodded vigorously. “Thank you, Mira! That was amazing! I felt the Spirit King’s power wash through me!”
Her colleagues began to exclaim as well. In the light emitted by the holy sword, they had felt the Spirit King’s presence. His sheer divinity rivaled even the Trinity—they were overcome with emotion.
“Well, it seems you’re popular,” Mira murmured.
“I did not expect they would be so overjoyed. Ample reward for my efforts.” The Spirit King’s gleeful voice echoed in her mind. It seemed this was his first time purifying oni curses at such scale. He had consumed a vast amount of power to ensure their success. But thanks to that, the black mist ore had been purified in the Spirit King’s name.
The results were not just because of his own power; this was a team effort between him, Holy Sword Sanctia, Mira, and the angel Tyriel who’d weakened the curses over the course of tens of thousands of years.
“I’d best go report on this matter now.” Upon returning to the surface, Louise bowed and left, a proud tilt to her chin. Her colleagues seemed to feel the same way, and they left with light, jovial steps.
Mira would later learn that it held enormous meaning for people of the church to be allowed to feel the Spirit King’s power and presence. The experience could advance their careers in the church greatly. Not to mention the lasting sense of joy, which would be with them forever.
Later, when Louise and her colleagues reported these events to the church officials, those who wanted the ore disposed of rejoiced at the Spirit King’s appearance and decision. Those who wanted to research it withdrew their objections, deferring to his divine wisdom. Despite the squabbling, the faith underlying it all was firm.
However, tensions within the church would not fade forever, Louise noted with a sardonic grin when she reported this to Scorpion and Snake. They couldn’t get too comfortable just yet.
Ebatess Commerce—the owner of this land—played no part in the emergency prohibition of black mist ore. But CEO Urashis was relieved to have been spared the effort of dealing with this particular headache.
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