Volume 7, Chapter 28 – The Mysterious Altar

“Good morning, Saint-sama.”

“Good morning.”

The day after the mysterious Necromancer escaped, Khalid approached us while we were having breakfast at the hotel.

“Forgive me for interrupting your breakfast. I apologize for the sudden request, but would you be willing to stay here in Dalha for a while longer?”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“Yes. Our ship sustained damage during the Sea Serpent’s attack. We are currently rushing the repairs, so I would like to ask for about one more week.”

Ah, come to think of it. All the ships in the harbor were wiped out.

“Is it not possible to return on foot?”

“Unfortunately, the primary means of transport between Dalha and Sharikla is by ship. There are no properly maintained roads.”

“I see.”

Crossing a desert with no roads on our own might be a bit much. If it were a forest, that’d be another story.

“I understand. Then we will be in your care for a little while longer.”

“Understood. Also, I have a message from Hilar-dono.”

“From Hilar-san?”

“Yes. He says he has an important matter to discuss and will come to pick you up by carriage at 10 o’clock.”

An important matter, huh. I wonder what it is?

“All right. I’ll get ready to head out.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Having delivered the message, Khalid took his leave.

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“The Flame Temple?”

“Yes. Yesterday, we suffered an attack by monsters from the Western Desert. I do not know the true identity of the Necromancer Saint-sama mentioned, but beyond the Western Desert lies the Flame Temple, which enshrines the Fire God who protects Yellow Planet.”

“The Fire God?”

“Ah, the White Moon Kingdom belongs to a sect that enshrines only the Great God, does it not? Here in Yellow Planet, our faith holds that the Great God stands above many other gods. Among them, the Fire God is widely worshipped as the guardian deity of our country.”

Hmm?

“Therefore, while confirming the safety of the Flame Temple beyond the Western Desert, we would very much like Saint-sama to offer a prayer there.”

Ah, I see. So that’s it. I’d feel bad turning this down, and I’d just be bored if I stayed here anyway.

“All right. Can you guide us there?”

“Of course. Would it be acceptable to depart tomorrow morning?”

“Yes.”

And so, we decided to head toward the Flame Temple.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Hmm. This is…”

“It’s the same kind of altar that was in the Forest of Airoll.”

“Then that guy really was behind the Treant!”

“I know not whether it is for using Necromancy or for controlling monsters, however.”

We were currently on our way to the Flame Temple, but along the path, we stumbled upon one of those mysterious altars like the ones in the Forest of Airoll.

Since the man himself had admitted to the Airoll incident, there was no doubt that the Necromancer from yesterday was the one who had placed this altar here.

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However, there was one decisive difference between this altar and the ones in Airoll.

This altar was shrouded in something like a black mist.

“Hmm? It’s almost like an Undying Beast.”

“It is indeed similar, it is.”

“In that case, couldn’t it be cleared away with Fiene-sama’s Purification Magic?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

While we were debating whether it was okay to just purify it, something happened right before our eyes that made us doubt our sight.

The black mist gathered atop the altar, and suddenly, a Yellow Scorpi appeared.

It then lashed its poisonous stinger toward me, since I happened to be standing nearby.

“Fiene-sama!”

“Eh!?”

In the nick of time, Chris-san grabbed me from behind in a hug and whisked me out of the way.

“Fiene-dono! Are you all right?”

Shizuku-san looked at me with concern, but what happened to the Yellow Scorpi?

“Hmm? The Yellow Scorpi? As for that…”

I looked where Shizuku-san pointed, only to find the Yellow Scorpi already lying in pieces.

W-when did that happen?

“Ah, um. Chris-san, Shizuku-san, thank you. Lu-chan, Sara-san, are you both unhurt?”

“Yes! I’m just glad Onee-sama is safe!”

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“Yes, Saint-sama.”

Thank goodness. Both of them seemed fine. Khalid-san and the escort soldiers also seemed safe.

“Still, what on earth was that?”

“A monster appeared out of nowhere.”

“Onee-sama. Could this be some kind of monster summoning device?”

I see. Lu-chan’s opinion might actually make sense. Although there’s no black mist, that’s pretty much how it looks when I summon Riche.

“That is a possibility. It was not shrouded in this black mist during the Airoll incident, so perhaps this black mist is necessary for this altar to operate.”

“Then why wasn’t the one in Airoll operating?”

“There are several possibilities. First, these altars may have a limit; since the one in Airoll summoned enough monsters to cause a Monster Stampede of that scale, it may have simply fulfilled its purpose.”

“I see. So it’s disposable.”

“Or, there is the possibility that it operates only as much as the Mana poured into it.”

I see. As expected of Shizuku-san. Sharp.

“And one more possibility is that it was destroyed by someone.”

Saying this, Shizuku-san stared intently at me.

Hmm? Me? Did I do something?

When I tilted my head in confusion, Shizuku-san gave a wry smile.

“Fiene-dono. That night when the Undead swarmed the town of Airoll, you used a massive Purification Magic, did you not?”

“Ah, that’s right. Yes. The whole town and the southwest, was it? There was something stubborn over there that just wouldn’t purify easily, so it was quite a struggle. Wait, huh?”

“Ah, as I thought. In that case, I would like you to purify this.”

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“Hmm? Oh. All right. Purification!”

I cast Purification Magic on the altar shrouded in black mist, but it was incredibly stubborn.

“Ugh, this is…”

It wouldn’t purify easily. Even though it’s such a small altar!

I stopped the Purification Magic for a moment.

“Eh? Could it be that there is something even Fiene-sama cannot purify…?”

Chris-san looked shocked.

“No. I just figured I’d go all out.”

I took a deep breath and concentrated.

Every last corner of this altar… completely!

“Purification!”

The dazzling light of my full-power Purification Magic enveloped the altar.

The altar resisted even that magic, but after I kept pouring everything I had into it for a few seconds, the resistance vanished all at once and it was purified.

When the light subsided, the altar stood there, the black mist completely gone.

“Phew. That was stubborn.”

“Fiene-sama. Thank you for your hard work.”

And when I looked around… Sara-san’s muscles were twitching, and Khalid-san and the guards had all gone Bitan again.

Lu-chan and Shizuku-san were looking at everyone with exasperated eyes.