Chapter 92

"Sorry, Sister. At a time like this..."

"No, it's fine. Since you're guarding us, I can at least do this much."

Solute and the leader of the mercenaries were walking a short distance away from the campsite.

"You're a lifesaver. Normally, we'd have to carry the injured through the forest."

He had been woken from his sleep and asked for help just a little while ago. It turned out that one of the mercenaries had been injured in a fight with a beast.

"We tried to lure the beast away from the tent to keep you out of it, but it backfired. Getting injured and unable to move is a failure as a guard."

Seeing the man look dejected, Solute shook her head in denial.

"That's not true. You've all done a great job protecting us so far. This time, it was just bad luck. Fortunately, I'm confident in my healing abilities. I think I can get him walking again if the injuries are as I heard."

"That's a relief. No, really, it's a relief..."

Solute felt a twinge of unease at the man's seemingly insinuating tone, but she consciously shook it off. Before they set out, she had felt fear and aversion at the words and attitudes of the mercenaries, and had asked Ardis, with whom she was not particularly close, to accompany her for the sake of her mental stability.

But in the end, the mercenaries carried out their guard duties diligently, and no significant trouble had occurred. Their attitude was still casual, but perhaps that was just their way. Even the way they looked at Solute, which reminded her of what the senior sisters had told her about how young men tend to view women, seemed understandable.

All of this, she realized, was just her own preconceived notions. Through this journey, Solute had come to think that she had been needlessly afraid.

By doubting the mercenaries, she had unjustly belittled them. Even if she hadn't said it out loud, her attitude must have shown, and it must have hurt them. This was an unworthy flaw for someone who served the goddess. Solute felt ashamed of herself and had tried to interact with them as much as possible during the journey. She still felt some fear emotionally, but even that fear made her feel that she was treating them unfairly, and she felt her immaturity.

"But, wouldn't it have been better if Ardis and the others had come along too?"

The girl continued, unable to bear the lingering fear in her heart if she remained silent.

"It's fine. They're taking good care of things. It's easier for the baggage carrier to wait in a safe place."

Ardis and two other mercenaries were left at the campsite. According to the man, the more civilians they had to protect, the more dangerous it became. It was better for them to stay in a safe place, the leader of the mercenaries said. Solute thought it might be better for everyone to stay in the same place rather than split up, but she hesitated to argue with the mercenaries, who were experts in combat.

"I see..."

"Besides, it's not that far. We should be there soon."

As if to prove his words, a figure appeared in the distance. Two men standing in the darkness, their lanterns faintly illuminating the surrounding trees.

However—

"Why?"

Seeing their figures, Solute couldn't help but voice her doubt.

"What's wrong, Sister?"

"No, I thought you were injured in the leg..."

One of them had been injured in the leg during a fight with a beast. Because the injury was severe, it was difficult for him to return to the campsite, which was why Solute had come to treat the injured. That was the story.

Had her understanding been wrong? She stopped in her tracks for a moment. Both of the mercenaries standing in front of her were standing on their own feet without any signs of injury. As they approached, Solute felt the anxiety she had been suppressing start to overflow again.

"Um... What's going on here?"

In the darkness, neither of the two men approaching from the front showed any signs of injury. The girl asked in a trembling voice, and the leader of the mercenaries, who had been walking with her, laughed from behind.

"Hehe, hehehe. You're such a peaceful girl. What's going on? Can't you see?"

Turning around, Solute saw the man with a lecherous smile, mocking her. His eyes, more like those of a beast than a human, were scanning her body from head to toe.

"Well, at first, I thought it would be a hassle because you were so guarded, but it turns out that a little serious work is all it takes to gain your trust. You really are a future saint, so kind and gentle."

He spoke in a teasing tone, exaggerating his gestures.

"What... What do you mean?"

The girl asked again, though she was only fifteen and knew that the current situation was not good. However, she still didn't want to accept the reality, and her words carried the hope that it was all a misunderstanding.

"Huh? You still don't get it? Well, it would be a pity to die without knowing, so I'll tell you—"

The word "die" made Solute's shoulders jump.

"—In short, there are people who would pay a lot of money to have you dead, Sister."

"..."

Seeing Solute's loss of words, the man continued, seemingly enjoying it.

"Don't worry, we won't kill you right away. We'll keep you alive until we all get tired of you."

"From the beginning... was that your intention?"

The girl managed to squeeze out the words, and the mercenaries laughed, answering, "Of course."

Solute felt as if the world had gone dark. The fear she had felt all along was not a mistake.

The result of suppressing her instincts with doctrine had led to this situation. She regretted her judgment, realizing how foolish she had been. By trying to show compassion to everyone, as the church taught, she had put herself in this predicament.

"Hey, let's get started. We only have enough food for about a week."

One of the mercenaries urged impatiently. Taking this as a trigger, Solute quickly turned to run—

"Whoa, we can't let the main character escape."

The leader grabbed her arm firmly.

"No! Let go!"

"Relax. We're going to have some fun together."

"I don't want to! Let go!"

Solute tried to break free, but the difference in strength was too great. No matter how talented, a young girl could not escape the grip of a mercenary trained to fight beasts.

"Someone, help! —Ardis!"

"Hehe, that baggage carrier is probably already dead."

"What...!"

"Give up. No one's coming to this place."

One of the mercenaries pinned Solute down, and the other two just leered.

"No! Stop it!"

"Be quiet! You'll feel good soon!"

As she desperately resisted, a cold voice came from nowhere.

"Tsk. I don't have a fetish for interfering with the breeding of other species, but this is getting annoying."

A voice that sounded both youthful and feminine, with a slight lisp that gave it a childlike quality. The mercenaries tensed at the sudden voice.

"Did someone say something?"

The leader, who had been pinning Solute down, asked his companion. But the other mercenary, seemingly unaware, shook his head in confusion.

One of the mercenaries warily scanned the surroundings. The lantern, the only source of light in the darkness under the trees, made the darkness around them even more pronounced.

At that moment, a wind blew. The wind, weaving through the trees, struck one of the mercenaries who had been looking around.

"Ugh!"

The next moment, Solute saw a blood-soaked body without a head. What had been a human a moment ago was now headless, slowly falling to the ground, blood gushing from the neck.

"Enemy!? Monster!?"

The leader, who had been pinning Solute to the ground, released her and drew his sword.

"Be on guard! It's fast!"

"Ah!"

Ignoring the leader's warning, another mercenary was slashed across the side before he could draw his weapon.

"Where did it come from...!"

The leader's gaze was fixed on the creature that had sunk its teeth into his companion's side.

About a meter long, with lithe and well-proportioned limbs. Its elongated head had cute triangular ears, but the sharpness of the fangs that had pierced through the leather armor and into the flesh revealed it as a dangerous carnivore. Its body, including a thick tail disproportionate to its size, was bathed in a golden glow by the lantern light.

"H-help... gah!"

Blood gushed from the mercenary's mouth, who had been bitten in the side.

"Damn it! You!"

The leader swung his sword at the golden creature, trying to pull it away. Without dodging, the creature lifted the mercenary it had in its mouth and pushed it into the sword's path. The leader's sword was drawn into the mercenary's body, and with a dull sound, one of his legs was severed.

"Using him as a shield!?"

The man's eyes widened at the creature's intelligent fighting style.

Before him lay the bodies of his two dead companions. The creature, which had been staring at them coldly a moment ago, had vanished without a trace.

"Where... where is it!?"

The man's eyes darted around in panic. His frantic, fearful sword swings would have looked comical to anyone unaware of the situation.

But there was no one to laugh. Only the panicked mercenary, the terrifying creature that had quickly dispatched two mercenaries, and the girl who had lost herself in the rapidly changing situation.

The end was not far off.

Solute saw it.

The body of the man who had been pinning her down was split in two at the abdomen. The golden creature that had done this looked at Solute with a sad, calm gaze.