◆Chapter 21: Quest to Vanquish the Dark Djinn
◆Chapter 21: Quest to Vanquish the Dark Djinn
UNDER the bright, pounding rays of the sun, Grantz Kingdom’s Royal Army is preparing in the plains just outside the capital to embark on a campaign to take down the Dark Djinn. The eighty soldiers composing this campaign makes it bigger than any other expedition undertaken since reclaiming the capital. Because of that, it’s awfully noisy for this time of morning.
“More soldiers are coming along than I thought,” I mutter to myself, watching over them near the outer gate.
“More isn’t necessarily better in this case either.”
“Oh, Pino!” Pino had snuck up behind me without my notice. “Good morning,” I greet him. He merely nods in return, as unsociable as ever. “What do you mean more isn’t better?”
“Foolishly increasing our numbers could fatally increase the number of pawns falling into the enemy’s hands. Our advantage in numbers could quickly become our disadvantage.”
“Ahh. Good point.”
“In the end, we’re stuck relying on the only person who can stand against the enemy—Miss Holy Priestess. Do your best not to get everyone killed.”
“You make it sound like it’s just my problem…”
That being said, Pino is right. I’d love to list off my mountain of complaints, but that won’t do anything to change the truth. Above all else, I’m the one who wanted this vanquishing quest to happen. It’s too late to whine. I exhale and switch modes.
“Anyway, I thought it’d take more time.”
“To pinpoint the fog’s source?”
“Yeah. You seemed to be having a difficult time with it.”
“The Raw Materials Harvesting Expedition was the clincher. It was easy to locate once I narrowed my search based on that hulking blob you happened across. Investigations of the site from a distance have proved my conjecture correct,” Pino explains, squeezing the strap of the double carry sack on his shoulder.
“Speaking of which, you’re coming, Pino?”
“Obviously.”
“It’s going to be dangerous, you know?”
“A worthwhile price to pay to see the Dark Djinn with my own eyes.”
“Hmm…”
As wise and talented as Pino is, he’s still a child. Is it really okay to knowingly bring him to a dangerous place?
“Miss Priestess. Let me be clear—you aren’t my guardian or anything of the like.”
“Yeah, I know that, but—”
“If you still plan to stop me from going regardless, I will sneak among the ranks and die in front of you.”
“Stop it. That’s the one thing you should never do.” It’s scary because he doesn’t sound like he’s joking.
“You needn’t worry. I’ll run away as soon as I perceive it’s dangerous,” Pino informs me in all seriousness after seeing how reluctant I am.
To be fully honest, I want him to stay in the capital, but it is Pino who created this opportunity for me. I can’t put my foot down more than I already have.
The sound of dozens of feet breaks into our conversation. I look in that direction to see a group of twenty approaching from the capital city. All are wearing hooded red robes. The vanguard of the group throws back their hood, revealing a fair and beautiful face.
“…Iris?” It’s the young woman who abducted me.
“I caught word that you are going on a quest to vanquish the Dark Djinn, Goddess Mizuha. As such, this is a holy war. The Church of Our Lady Mizuha cannot sit on the sidelines and do nothing.”
“Don’t tell me the people behind you are—”
“Yes, they are the Church of Our Lady Mizuha believers!” Iris proudly introduces the group.
My lips curve into an unforgiving smile. “Say, Iris? Didn’t I tell you to stop with this nonsense?”
“Ack…I made a mistake…. This is the Church of Nnn!” Iris amends by rolling the new name from the back of her throat.
“We’re the Church of Nnn!” the group behind her insists in support of her claim. What a pitiful excuse. Exasperation is the only reaction I’m left with.
“I see no reason not to let them come.”
“Pino…but…”
“We will absolutely become your strength!” Iris firmly asserts.
I’ve experienced Iris’s superhuman strength for myself. She’ll definitely be of more use than I will when it comes to a physical fight.
“Fine. But don’t be reckless.”
“Did you hear the good news, brothers and sisters?! We were bestowed holy permission to partake in this holy war! We shall rain divine punishment down on the Dark Djinn!”
Iris and her group take statues from their double carry sacks and hold them up in the air. No matter how you look at it, they’re statues of a high school girl wearing a school uniform. I’m the only person wearing an outfit like that in this world. In other words—
“Hey, that’s—”
“Big Sister!”
Only one person calls me that. I spot Cia behind the believers, flanked by Sir Kurt and Sir Julian. Since Lex became my knight, they have been assigned as Cia’s temporary guard.
In the few seconds I was distracted by Cia, Iris and her cult disappeared. I search for where they went and see they’ve joined up with the soldiers. They sure are quick to flee.
“Cia, you came to see me off?”
“Yes!” Contrary to her energetic response, her expression is dark. “I wish I could go with you, though…”
“Everything would fall apart if anything happened to the princess.”
“…I know. Please stay safe, Big Sis.”
“Thank you for worrying about me. Let’s have tea when I get back.”
“I’d love to!” Cia exclaims before facing Pino. “Please be careful as well, Master Pino.”
“I-I will…”
Pino’s as curt as ever, but he’s lacking his usual composure. It clicks in an instant after seeing that reaction.
“Hoho,” I smirk. “So she’s the one.”
“Y-You’re wrong! I don’t know what misconception you’re laboring under, but I—”
“Don’t sweat it. I won’t tell anybody.”
“Like I said, I—”
Cia blinks in confusion when she sees Pino lose his cool. “Pardon me, but what are you talking about?”
“Nngh!” Pino turns his back on Cia to hide his bright-red face from view. “I’ll head over first… Miss Priestess, I’ll get you for this later.”
I seem to have taken my teasing too far. I give a strained smile as cold sweat trickles down my back. At a complete loss, Cia tilts her head, bewildered.
“Lady Mizuha, we’re all set!” Lex comes for me on Vianta’s back. Sounds like the knights and soldiers are ready to go.
I turn and say one last goodbye to Cia. “I’m heading out now. See you later.”
“Okay. Please be careful… May Goddess Sadia’s divine protection be with you.”
◆◆◆◆◆
ONLY a few horses were recovered by purifying the two Boneless Hams. The troops can move only so fast without steeds, which means we still haven’t arrived at our destination after two straight hours of marching. Exhaustion is showing on the soldiers’ faces.
“I feel bad for taking one of the horses.” I’m riding Vianta in front of Lex. Aside from my butt and thighs hurting from bouncing up and down, I’m experiencing little fatigue.
“We don’t know what is lying in wait for us. You are helping us by saving your energy now, Lady Mizuha.”
“I know, but I still feel bad.” It bothers me to be one of the few who can take it easy on the hard trek to our destination.
“Sit with your head held high because you deserve to take a load off during this part,” Pino advises. He’s in the same position as me on Sir Oden’s horse. The difference in size makes them look like father and son.
Sir Oden has his horse trot beside Vianta. “Master Pino is right. You are an exalted person in Grantz Kingdom, Lady Mizuha. No one will complain about you riding in comfort before going into battle.”
“My goddess is the Goddess!” a loud voice bellows behind us after Sir Oden’s remark. “You aren’t just the most important person in Grantz, but in the whole wide world! If anyone dares voice a complaint, your servant Iris shall—”
“Iris, can you shut your trap?”
“Yes’m.”
Sir Oden guffaws when he sees Iris wilt. “You’re loved.”
“Doesn’t what she said count as lèse-majesté?”
“I seem to be hard of hearing lately.” The corners of Sir Oden’s lips curl up. Looks like he’s going to overlook what Iris said. I’m relieved. As insane as she is, Iris is still someone who idolizes me. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if she were arrested.
We enter the forest a short while later. Sunlight is blocked by a canopy of branches and leaves, dimming the surrounding area into a gloomy darkness. The area extending ahead of us is so dark there’s almost zero visibility. The thing is, this is no ordinary darkness. I’ve seen it plenty of times to know—it’s the black fog.
“I’ve never seen it this thick before.”
Fear and unrest courses through the soldiers. I can’t shake the bad feeling I have either. This fog is clearly different from the other black fog. Suddenly, a bird the size of a human head lands on a nearby dead tree. Rot oozes from its zombified body. After intensely staring at us with red glowing eyes, it flies into the black fog.
Just as I’m thinking how creepy that was, something human-shaped steps out of the black fog. It has four limbs and walks on two legs. Human it may appear, but human it is not. The body appears to be formed from rotten clay. But now’s not the time to be focusing my attention on figuring out what makes up that thing’s body.
“H-How freakin’ many of them are there?!”
Around fifty clay zombie dolls are trudging our way from the black fog.
“Lex, protect Lady Mizuha!” Sir Oden’s voice becomes the battle signal. Knights and soldiers intercept the clay dolls with their shields.
“AGHHHHHHHH!” one of the soldiers screams. He rapidly begins rotting from the spot on his arm where the clay doll he was fighting touched him. Zombies are going to propagate from our own men if we don’t do something fast.
“Lex!”
“You’ve got it, m’lady!”
Lex navigates Vianta closer to the soldiers for me to touch the rotting men and clay zombie dolls. Soldiers regain their humanity, while the clay dolls crumble into a pile on the ground. Looks like the clay zombies can be purified by my power just like normal zombies. I take a whiff of my hand to be sure.
“Yuck! It reeks to high heaven!”
“Their appearance and base material is different, but it appears they are zombies just the same,” Lex infers, then shouts orders to the troops. “Listen up, men! These clay dolls work the same way as zombies! Whatever you do, don’t touch or be touched!”
Our enemies lack fine motor agility. They don’t pose much of a threat as long as the troops are careful. I purify the clay zombies knocked down and immobilized by the soldiers. Their numbers took me by surprise at first, but we’re down to ten by the time it occurs to me to count again.
“I think we can handle this.” I’m taking a short break to wipe the sweat from my brow, when new clay zombies appear from the black fog. And if that wasn’t bad enough, it’s around the same number as the first time, if not more. My right cheek spasms. “…I hope we can handle this.”
Thereafter, I purify dozens after dozens of zombies without flinching. Problem is, even after I decrease their numbers, more are ejected from the black fog, resulting in their numbers never diminishing. When even more clay zombies pop out, Lex groans in frustration.
“Grah! More?!”
“I can keep going!”
“Yes, but at this rate there will be no end…!”
My stamina definitely won’t keep up if I have to take on a never-ending army of clay zombies. We need to come up with a strategy to break the deadlock. Not that I’m suddenly struck by any such genius idea when I need it. All I can do is survey our surroundings and reconfirm our situation. Meanwhile, another batch of clay zombies is popped out by the black fog.
“I wonder if the zombies will stop showing up if we get rid of that blasted fog.”
“It’s worth trying,” Lex says, responding to my muttered idea.
“But how?”
“By using your powers, of course, Lady Mizuha.”
“Right, that’s how it’s always gotta be, isn’t it?”
I knew it. I knew it was going to come to that before he even said it.
“The main problem is how do we make it to where you can touch the fog—”
“Then you have no problem! I shall cut open a path for you!” Sir Oden’s thundering voice suddenly cuts into our conversation from where he’s fighting nearby. He apparently overheard. He thrusts away the clay zombies he was taking on and holds his shield out in the direction of the black fog.
“Captain of Grantz Kingdom’s Royal Knights, Oden Jaxor, hereby charges!” Sir Oden propels forward while howling, driving his shield through the clay zombies in his way and sending them in different directions. Obviously, he isn’t holding back like he does with former-human zombies. A path to the black fog is being opened before my eyes.
“Here we go, Lady Mizuha!”
“I’m ready!”
Lex kicks Vianta into an all-out run. I’d expect no less of a warhorse—we’re rapidly closing the distance to Sir Oden. However, the closer we get, the narrower our path becomes. The repelled clay zombies have staggered their way back.
“Just a little farther! Hurry, Lex!”
Sir Oden has secured us safe passage to the black fog. Vianta advances, narrowly evading the clay hands reaching for her legs, until we finally reach our destination. Then, out of one of our blind spots, a lone zombie lunges.
It’s going to claw Vianta!
My fears leave just as quickly as they came, for Sir Oden charges the zombie with his ginormous shield. He powerfully slams into the clay zombie, knocking it far away.
“GO!”
“Thanks, Sir Oden!”
Vianta gallops past the rest of the clay zombies until Lex reins her in just alongside the black fog.
“Lady Mizuha, now!”
Even before Lex’s call to action, I was stretching my arm out as far as it could go. My fingers brush along the black fog. It feels like nothingness, except exhaustion washes over me like a tidal wave, a reminder that my power has activated. Several seconds later, the black fog unleashes a blinding light, instantly losing all color until it entirely disappears.
Clay zombies crumble where they stand, returning back to the earth from whence they came. Looks like my theory that the black fog was producing an endless supply of clay zombies was on the money.
“It appears we pulled it off.”
“Yeah.” Reveling in my momentary relief, I turn my attention on the place previously hidden by the black fog. An old log cabin stands there all by its lonesome.
◆◆◆◆◆
“WHY is there a log cabin in a place like this…?”
Everyone, including myself, is staring in disbelief. I’d expected the Dark Djinn to be waiting on the other side of the dispersed fog, so now I feel like someone just pulled a fast one on me.
“Each and every one of you is an annoying pest.”
The cabin door opens with a loud creak, and out steps a woman. She appears to be in her forties and has a pretty homely, rustic look going on. Her black hair, long enough to touch the ground, is dull and splitting, and her clothes are not only tattered and in shreds but yellowed from age. In a sense…she almost looks like what would happen if Iris fell even further into the dark side.
“Say, Iris?” I ask over my shoulder. “Is that your mom?”
“She is not!” Iris frantically denies.
“So you’re the little brat who keeps getting in my way.” The woman shoots me a barbed glare.
“Getting in your way? Are you the one behind the zombies…?” I venture.
“Yes, it is I. I am the one who dyed this world in darkness with Lord Diallo’s powers!” she proclaims, throwing her arms wide. She’s boasting rather than denying it.
“Pino, who’s Diallo?”
“That’s the Dark Djinn’s name.”
By her own account, this woman is definitely connected to the Dark Djinn, and judging by what she’s admitted to, she’s the perpetrator of this curse. At any rate, we might be able to put an end to this chaos if we capture her.
Meanwhile, Sir Oden is scrunching up his face behind Pino for some reason. “I feel like I’ve seen her face before…” he mutters while stroking his beard, and then his eyes fly wide open. “I remember now! She’s the woman who used to stalk His Majesty! I think her name was Jela!”
“What lies are you spouting, old goat?!” Jela bites back less than a second later.
“O-Old goat?!”
She speaks over Sir Oden’s consternation. “Stalked? I did no such thing. I was merely trying to inform His Regalness of the truth.”
I assume His Regalness refers to Cia’s dad—the king.
“The truth?” Sir Oden repeats. Jela nods.
“Yes. The truth about how that Lia woman was deceiving him. That wench approached him for money. She’s a devil who wormed her way into His Regalness’s magnanimous heart.”
“You’re the one deceiving yourself, lady. His Majesty is the one who fell for Her Majesty first and set up their meeting.”
“Lies! If he was going to pick a commoner as queen, he would’ve picked me! I mean, I’m far, far more beautiful than she is!”
Keeping one eye on Jela as she goes into hysterics, I quietly confirm the situation with Lex. “Sooo, she was just jealous?”
“So it seems.”
“Holy smokes…”
To involve the Dark Djinn and the world in her jealousy—Jela’s a woman to be feared. She whirls on me with a vengeful look.
“It’s not JEALOUSY, I say!” she shrieks in an ear-piercing voice. My ears are painfully ringing. “Forget you pestilences! Nuisances! Nuisances!” She’s raking her hands through her hair and pulling at it from the roots. “I’m in the middle of enjoying my life with His Regalness too! Your presence here has caused me to waste minutes of my precious time with him!”
“Does that mean His Majesty is here?!”
Jela answers Sir Oden’s question with her lips curled. “Yes, he is. His Regalness is living with me. You could say this is our love nest.”
Who would have thought the king was quarantined here all this time? No wonder we never found him among the city zombies.
“Cia’s dad is in there… Lex!”
“Yes, m’lady!” Lex pulls on the reins, drawing an eager neigh from Vianta. Sir Oden and the rest of the troops fall into battle readiness.
“You look all hot and ready to see some action, but have your flea brains already forgotten I have Lord Diallo’s powers?!” Jela drops on all fours and lets a wad of spit roll down her tongue.
After seeing that, Lex cries out, “Sh-She does the same act as Lady Mizuha?!”
“I don’t do that!”
I seriously wish he wouldn’t lump me in with her… Though I do spit on the ground.
Before we finish conversing, the saliva rolls off Jela’s tongue and hits the ground. Black fog surges up and blankets the land.
“Now go, my lovely! Protect our love nest!”
No sooner do bulges protrude from the ground than something bursts from it like an explosion. A fraction of a second later, darkness befalls the area, but not because of black fog. That SOMETHING is just so friggin’ big it’s blocking out the sun.
“BWOOOOHHHHH!”
A ginormous zombie stands in front of us.