-So what does the Saintess even do?
What does the Saintess do for a living? I haven’t really seen her come outside much.
ㄴThat’s originally the Saintess’s job. Waiting.
ㄴ? What are you talking about?
ㄴThe Saintess is usually the person most closely connected to God, so she serves as a messenger who delivers revelations.
ㄴThere’s another role besides messenger.
ㄴA counterweight?
ㄴOh right, that.
-So how much is the Saintess’s holy water?
Not in a sexual way;; I’m seriously curious.
ㄴI don’t think they sell that? Even if they did, only the imperial family could probably afford it.
ㄴThey do use it sometimes. Like when that fatal disease was going around.
Posts about the Saintess occasionally appeared in the gallery.
It was only natural. Whenever the empire’s powerhouses were discussed, she was always a subject of gossip.
Not only that, but the rare glimpses she showed of herself were also mysterious and beautiful.
It was inevitable that people in the gallery would talk about her.
So, what I wanted to say was…
HealingIsViolence: Holy water. The Saintess’s.
I wanted to say just how absurd the object in my hand was.
A waterdrop-shaped bottle adorned with golden decorations.
Inside it was water with such immense power that even its value was difficult to measure accurately.
As I stared at the holy water scattering light in random directions, I hurriedly asked a question.
No matter what…, there was no way an item like this came with no price.
Aurora: This… doesn’t seem like something you can just give away, though? No matter how I look at it, I feel like even one of these disappearing would come with an enormous cost….
HealingIsViolence: It’s fine. There’s no problem at all. Just keep it. Oh, and try not to show it on stream if you can.
…Is that really all? HealingIsViolence showed so little reaction that it made me wonder.
They didn’t demand anything, nor did they seem interested in the repercussions of the holy water disappearing.
Even when I asked again, they only said, “Just turn on your stream more often.”
And after explaining how to use it, the conversation ended one-sidedly.
A strangely uneasy feeling lingered in my body, but this was a favor too hard to ignore right now.
Whatever the case, it was certain to be something that would help me survive.
“The basic way to use it is to coat a weapon with it or sprinkle it….”
The one called the “Old Reaper” specialized in close combat.
The sword I mainly used…, didn’t seem easy.
“Even if I coat my sword with it…, it looks difficult to strike the Reaper directly.”
First of all, the Reaper’s great scythe was so fast that it was hard to judge its speed.
If I charged in recklessly, I would likely turn into cube steak on the spot.
Then I needed a way to strike it reliably from a distance….
“A mana rifle?”
The first weapon that came to mind was the “Mana Emission Rifle,” but there was a fatal problem with that.
Namely, it didn’t handle any energy other than mana.
To begin with, one of its materials was a mana-gathering stone that only drew in mana….
“Ah…, then what am I supposed to use to attack the Reaper?”
I couldn’t see an answer.
Honestly, it would be nice if I had a weapon like an anti-materiel sniper rifle that could snipe from far away….
Lying on the mattress I’d bought from the exchange, I stared at the ceiling and pondered.
With the gallery, my only channel of communication, open.
The gallery screen spread across the white submarine ceiling like the light of a beam projector.
I stared blankly at it.
“…Ah! There’s that method, isn’t there?”
One method came to mind.
The idea came from Truth Scholar, who even answered shitposts.
-What is divine magic?
How would I know.
ㄴUgh, you spoon-feeding beggar, use the time you spend writing posts to search it up.
ㄴTruth Scholar: Divine magic is magic based on divine power that follows the flow of magic, and though it is the same as magic, it is more specialized against undead or monsters…
Divine magic.
Magic that had the same principles as ordinary magic, but was even more specialized against monsters.
Of course, drinking holy water wouldn’t give me divine power.
So I intended to use a magic circle.
I immediately obtained a sheet of parchment from the gallery’s exchange and placed it on the submarine floor.
Then I put my finger on it.
What I intended to draw was a long spear that pierced a single point.
I pictured the flow of the spear in my mind.
I closed my eyes and thought of a spear.
Then my hand moved. Following that flow.
A spear—it was, in other words, piercing.
What I intended to draw was the emptiness of a single point.
Farther than anything, more precise than anything.
It advanced toward its target.
That was the meaning of its existence.
I opened my eyes.
Then, on the yellowish parchment, green lines had soaked in.
Looking at the picture drawn on the parchment, I could be certain.
This was undoubtedly a spear.
But my head was a little….
“Urgh!!”
Drip.
Crimson blood fell onto the parchment and seeped in.
From my eyes, from my nose, from my mouth. The product of life flowed out.
Along with my red and hazy vision, a pain like needles stabbing into my head assaulted me.
Before I even had time to judge what was happening, my consciousness blurred.
“…Hah.”
Oxygen entered deep into my lungs, making me feel with my entire body that I was alive.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar animal.
Lick. Lick.
Jui was beside me, diligently licking my cheek.
For some reason, it seemed as if ripples were spreading through its golden eyes.
Whiiir!
Eosollujeun was also beside me, violently waving its mechanical hand.
It looked as though it was worried.
“Sorry….”
At that sight, something in my heart strangely stirred.
It wasn’t as if I had wanted this to happen, but I felt sorry.
After soothing Eosollujeun and Jui, I reflected on the current situation.
Why I had collapsed.
I lifted the parchment stained with blood.
The green lines visible over the crimson blood were clearly the flow of a spear.
“I definitely collapsed while drawing this….”
As I brushed the dried blood off my face and examined it closely, there was nothing wrong with the magic circle itself.
No matter how much I thought about it, this was not a problem I could solve with my knowledge.
In that case, there was only one method.
-Aurora: Anyone ever collapsed while drawing a magic circle?
(Photo of a magic circle soaked in red blood)
I drew a magic circle because I’m going to fight the Reaper this time.
But suddenly blood started coming out of my eyes, nose, and mouth, my head hurt like it was going to split open, and I passed out.
Does anyone know what happened?
Then, just as expected, that person immediately left a comment.
…A comment with a strangely serious tone, at that.
ㄴTruth Scholar: Did you happen to draw it while thinking of a spear?
ㄴAurora: Yes, I did think of a spear, for now….
ㄴTruth Scholar: This is less like a spear… and closer to piercing….
Closer to piercing than a spear? I was about to ask Truth Scholar, who had written such a strange reply, another question.
Soon, Truth Scholar’s next comment appeared.
ㄴTruth Scholar: Did you draw the magic circle without placing a spear beside you?
ㄴAurora: Yes…, is that a problem?
ㄴTruth Scholar: …If you put something so obvious like that. No, you still haven’t properly read the book I gave you, have you?
…To be honest, it was so thick that I had put it off for a while.
I had time to practice swordsmanship, and time to explore, too….
At any rate, it seemed I had missed a very important element.
Since Truth Scholar was getting that angry….
ㄴTruth Scholar: No, forget it. As long as you’re alive, that’s enough.
ㄴAurora: …I’m sorry.
After that, comments from other fixed-nicks and anons flowed in.
ㄴ?? You tried to draw its flow without the real thing?
ㄴDrawing a magic circle without the real object <-- I will create the flow myself.
ㄴSword Saint of the Draw: Did you almost die trying to learn magic?
ㄴBut it looks? well drawn? though?
Apparently, I had done something quite dangerous.
…From now on, I should ask the gallery first, or gather as much information as possible before trying anything.
And so, following Truth Scholar’s words, I opened the book Truth Scholar had given me.
『All About the Magic of the Seven Attributes. Author: Ajentaseu』
While thinking that if I hit someone with this book, it would definitely count as aggravated assault.
I found the letters on the page I had been reading.
『The attributes are based on a total of four elements: fire, water, earth, and wind.
By linking fire and water, ice may be used. By linking water and earth, plants may be used. By linking water and wind, lightning may be used.
Thus, if the seven elements are expressed as flows…』
A thick arrangement of type. Just looking at it made my head spin, but for survival, I had no choice.
Enduring the pain, I built up my magic slowly, but steadily.
And so, a day passed.
Time remaining until the Reaper’s area shift: 4 days.
***
The Saintess’s holy water had an astronomical value, to the point that it was difficult to place a price on it carelessly.
There was even a joke that the Saintess’s holy water could be traded for a small country.
However, unlike other holy waters, the Saintess’s holy water was closely connected to the Saintess’s divine power, and if used incorrectly, a situation could arise where it had to be directly exchanged for the Saintess’s life.
As one example, when an unprecedented epidemic spread through the empire, the Saintess’s holy water was used as an ingredient in a secret rite.
That Saintess died four days later.
Exaggerating slightly, the holy water could be seen as something akin to her lifeline.
Yet in an empty church, she who prayed alone had handed over her life.
The first Saintess, evaluated as possessing the greatest divine power among all Saintesses in history.
The Saintess evaluated as comparable to her, Seuijeun.
The reason she handed the holy water to Aurora was
because of her fundamental duty.
“…….”
Without saying a word, she prayed in the church where lights of every color streamed in.
As she prayed, and prayed, she heard that sound.
██████
What kind of sound was it?
Rain? Glass? What sound was it?
After that unidentified sound passed, a directive descended.
Something some called the will of God, and others called the solution.
The Saintess, Seuijeun,
-Hand over the holy water to the one called “Aurora”-
-Completed-
called that directive a shackle.