Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 43

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“I will protect you.”

“…”

“I’m going to protect you.”

The tears in the child’s eyes threatened to fall. Those innocent yet naive eyes completely captivated me. I gently placed a kiss on the child’s forehead and smiled.

“If I can’t even do that, I don’t have the right to call myself your Saintess.”

Nor do I have the right to complain or claim that I’m being exploited just because I’m the Saintess.

“So, here.” Although I felt sorry for using the clothes I borrowed from Princess Ronella, I wiped the child’s tears and snot with my sleeves.

The child’s eyes widened as if they were sucking in their tears, and they nodded.

I felt a sense of pride seeing that… and it reminded me that it was time to confront those demons.

Rising to my feet, I nodded at Prince Alois.

“Alright, I’ll be counting on you, Your Highness.”

However, he was staring at me with a somewhat mesmerized look in his eyes.

* * *

“Anyone who leaves the castle will become food.”

A bird shot up in the sky with a flutter. A demon that certainly wasn’t a frog jumped up, catching the bird mid-air, and gulping it down.

Anyone would probably get eaten the moment they stepped foot outside.

That was why I didn’t bother requesting magical support. Instead of asking for help, I sent a message warning against approaching the Nestro Castle.

It was very dangerous since the demons would devour anyone who came near.

Cr-ack!

The window was now fully cracked and on the verge of breaking.

Reneben turned back at me, “How are we going to get rid of them?”

“Well.”

“…”

“Sorry, I was joking.”

I tried to joke to lighten the mood, but because Reneben looked so serious, it became awkward.

However, it was true that I had no plans.

Although I had something similar to a plan.

Even at this moment, I could hear the cracking sounds of the window breaking.

It was shaped like a monkey, but it clung to the window like a lizard and jumped around like a frog.

“Reneben, you can surround your body with divine power, right?”

“…It is…possible.”

Talk about being humble.

There was no way that Reneben, who prayed fervently to God, had little divine power.

When I mentioned the divine power given by the very God who tossed me oracles when he wanted to, Reneben hesitatingly answered that it was ‘possible’.

“I can do it too. Most likely, those things won’t be able to harm you if you surround yourself with divine power.”

After experiencing it last time, I was now aware.

Man-eating demons might slow down when you cut them or damage them, but they would eventually recover.

They won’t burn up or disappear.

If you get close to them, they will eat you, but if you split them, they will simply reform into two bodies. The danger was palpable.

However, when we were fighting, the demons stopped trying to eat me after a certain point. When I thought about why, I realized it was after I began to cover my body with divine power.

“Too bad I can’t give divine power to others.”

It was essentially a sturdy, defensive shield.

Only for demons.

“…While it’s useful information, no one else can use this method other myself and you, Lady Emilone.”

“Indeed.”

I extended my arms as if stretching, then my eyes met Prince Alois.

He opened his hand and slowly began to fold down each finger.

What is he doing? Just as I was wondering that, a screech cut through the room, followed by a thud as a demon slammed its head into the glass window.

The prince adjusted his grip on his sword.

In the blink of an eye, three of his fingers were folded down. By the time I realized what he was doing, the window had broken.

“Why…”

I sighed under my breath, and those things began to slowly walk through the broken window.

As if they were human.

Considering they were twice the size of a human, their intimidation factor was indescribable.

Red fur, red eyes, and disgusting cries.

Creatures that harm people…

“I knew it; I can’t like demons even if I wanted to.”

I stared at the things which were stumbling around and shaking their heads. Then suddenly, their necks began to bend grotesquely.

They tilted their head till it was almost bent 90 degrees, then they slowly began to approach me.

If not for the raw fear I was feeling, I would be completely fine since I was surrounded by divine power.

Demons were creatures that moved with their instinct. They weren’t the type to move in a particularly planned manner.

Creatures born out of greed—that is what demons were.

“You’re coming here?”

I wasn’t called a ‘Saintess’ for no reason. My divine power was almost endless, and I considered this one of the few gifts God had given me.

Although it was my first time doing this… a thick wave of divine power poured out from me.

Once the dense energy filled the room, the swift movements of the creatures slowed.

It seems this wouldn’t cause much damage unless I hit them directly with divine power. Regardless, I was happy with the fact that they had slowed down.

The approaching demons stopped. This time, their necks bent even further, tilting almost 180 degrees.

“…”

Still, they seemed to have solid instincts. They craned their necks and circled around me.

Demons usually took on various forms. And that remained true, even today.

A demon in the shape of a monkey of all things…

“Your Highness, get back.”

The things couldn’t get close to me, and their speed had slowed but now, a hole had formed where one of the creatures was drooling.

I thought this would be easier than those tentacled snails that attacked the temple the other day but…

After seeing that, I moved Prince Alois, who was holding his sword tightly, behind me.

“Why are they both focused on me?”

For some reason, both demons seemed to have no interest in Reneben or Prince Alois.

“I’m sure His Highness the Crown Prince would be happy if he saw this.”

I mumbled under my breath and narrowed my eyes.

This was an entertaining situation. The standoff itself.

I tilted my head slightly and went ‘hm?’, although that tilt was nothing compared to those things who bent a whole 180 degrees.

Prince Alois was holding a well-forged sword, but I was once again carrying the dagger he had given me.

My pink hair fluttered whenever I moved, and a voluminous skirt was tightly wound around my waist.

Not wasting a beat, I used the dagger to tear apart the golden embroidered clothes. In the blink of an eye, the precious attire turned into pieces of cloth.

I decided to just rip the buttons off my tight top, rather than unbuttoning them one by one. Immediately, my body felt lighter.

Soon, I was left with a white dress that barely covered my ankles.

“Lady Emilone.”

Reneben called out softly at my bold choice, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

What mattered to me was that my body felt lighter.

I grabbed Prince Alois by the shoulder and pushed him back slightly.

“I need you to injure that but be careful not to touch that skin.”

Demons were not that impressive. Once wounded, it was over when they were injected with divine power.

Of course, causing that wound was an uphill battle and without divine priests, they were practically invincible.

In my hand, I waved the dagger that I’d used to tear my clothes. And when I took a step forward, the thing took a step back.

Just to check, I stretched out my hand and it immediately dodged. Seeing that, I quickly reached out to the demon.

Boom—!

Unfortunately, I had two opponents. Focusing on just one became a problem.

I heard the sound of something collapsing and quickly turned, only to find one of them tearing down a wall.

It had intelligence.

If there was one thing I didn’t expect, this was it.

They were extremely instinctive beings that couldn’t even think of breaking something.

So, I was even more surprised.

However, Prince Alois plunged his sword deep into its back. Just when I was feeling thankful, the demon had already torn down the wall and was approaching a crowd of people.

Their screams pierced my ears and they wanted to run but these were the ones who didn’t want to be far from the Saintess.

I couldn’t help but sigh because they were hiding so close even though I told them to run away.

I turned to the demon that Prince Alois had injured. However, the problem was not the demon that was close to being caught.

The person closest to the collapsed wall just happened to be Princess Ronella, with her deep ebony hair. She was standing right in front of the red demon.

While the demon paused, I reached out and grabbed Princess Ronella’s arm and pushed her away. She fell helplessly into the heap of nobles, and I left the noisy aristocrats in Reneben’s hands.

“What a headache…”

The demon in front of me was bleeding and writhing in pain. It was my job to get rid of it before it healed.

I stretched out both her hands and held the thing as it tried to flee.

Its divine power ridden body slowed down.

Like that, the terrifying demon was easily captured. That meant the demon’s only ability was its physical agility.

Just like the demon that attacked the temple last time, which had no other abilities other than melting everything in its path.

The spilled demon blood drenched my clothes. Parts of my white dress was burned off.

Before today, I’d never seen it writhe in pain and try to run away. But the sight somewhat gnawed at my heart.

“It can’t be helped. This is my job.”

I muttered softly, pushing away some of my remorse.

I turned to the wound made by Prince Alois and when I injected it with divine power, the effect was immediate.

The creature’s body was so weak that it was ridiculous that it was fighting so hard. Its sharp nails grazed my body, but I didn’t feel much pain.

Gradually, I reduced the strength in my grip, and somehow, it started to wobble and lose its shape.

Just when I thought, ‘It’s finally over’ and took my hand away, an indescribable sense of bewilderment swept over me.

“…huh?”

“Aaaack! It’s alive!”

“Saintess!!”

I was just starting to think that with a little more swordsmanship training, I could resolve this on my own without the help of Prince Alois or Reneben.

I thought there would be no trace of the demon left as usual, so imagine my surprise when I saw a figure remaining in my hand. Unconsciously, I released my hand, and something fell to the floor, making a strange squeaking sound.

A red, crimson lump…

“…A monkey?”

“A demon!!”

“It’s still alive. Ahhhhh!”

With wide eyes, I watched it fall to the floor, whimpering alone, but everyone was screaming and screeching, calling it a demon.

 

 

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