No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

“Right. It was definitely an achievement worth boasting about.”

“Behold the results of a cleverly crafted trap using a fake Abyss Priest and the bluffing that exploited the ignorance of the adventurers.”

“Most of the priests met their end with a clean decapitation during the initial ambush.”

“Scattered in all directions to heal the adventurers, they couldn’t even react to the sudden betrayal.”

“‘D-Don’t come closer, you bastard! I’ll kill you!’”

“In the chaos where friend and foe were indistinguishable, the adventurers, wild and reckless, suffered near total annihilation.”

“‘What do you mean, kill me? You’re a traitor, aren’t you?!’”

“‘What nonsense! You’re the real—’”

“‘Then cry if you aren’t! Prove your innocence by weeping!’”

“‘What the hell are you saying, you crazy bastard?!’”

“Those who barely survived were in a panic, pointing swords and spears at each other while yelling at the tops of their lungs.”

“‘Damn it, damn it…! What the hell is this horrible situation?!’”

“The ruins turned into a sea of blood in an instant. The remaining ones were barely a handful.”

“It was a catastrophe that rendered the recent victory colorless.”

“‘Can you hear it? The cornered dogs are howling. They’re barking in fear. Isn’t it amusing just to listen?’”

“The instigator, Abyss Priest Hugh Casval, mercilessly mocked the adventurers and priests who had crumbled amidst the chaos, sending gray orbs flying relentlessly.”

“‘Oh, how they brag…!’”

“I dodged his magic, zigzagging in a desperate effort to close the distance.”

“A fight against a mage is a fight for distance. Winning or losing depended on whether I could close in within sword reach.”

“However, it was by no means an easy task, not against an Abyss Priest who had transcended the limits of a mere magician.”

“‘Ugh…!’”

“Throwing myself forward, I avoided a corpse explosion flying towards my head, bouncing back up to shake off the grip of death.”

“Then, looking up to glare at him, a fresh barrage of gray-white bombs were falling again.”

“Five, seven, nine, eleven. The explosions echoed endlessly.”

“The attacks showed no signs of stopping.”

“It’s said that the number of spells the Abyss Priest can cast depends on the amount of sacrifices offered.”

“I could start to understand why the mages, who had learned so much, engaged in the lunacy of Abyss worship.”

“With no need to rely on a spellbook, their hands became free, and both the frequency and power of the spells exceeded their natural abilities.”

“For mages feeling restricted by their own skills, the corruption into an Abyss Priest must have appeared as sweet as an oasis in a desert.”

“‘Every time I face these sorts, I can’t help but marvel. How ridiculous the actions of the mindless are.’”

“Perhaps this old man was no different.”

“Having reached an age where he only awaited death, with no hope of reaching a higher realm, he must have thrown himself into the Abyss out of despair.”

“How foolish.”

“‘So the path you chose with your great intellect is to live in constant fear as a fugitive? Have you lost your mind?’”

“Chasing after the Abyss Priest who was blasting magic to increase distance, I spat back in disdain.”

“‘You lured the paladins to divide them out of fear, didn’t you? If the paladins were still here, you would’ve been captured and killed in an instant!’”

“Watching him brag about creating a field of corpses, I felt the need to throw him a sarcastic comment to relieve my frustration.”

“‘Oh, sharp as ever… yes, they are foolish but fearsome beings indeed.’”

“The Abyss Priest nodded vigorously, raising his left arm behind his shoulder.”

“‘Even holding off for time against such weaklings is quite difficult.’”

“And then.”

“‘Grrr….’”

“A horde of undead stepped out behind him.”

“Corpses with exposed skulls moved forward as if to protect the Abyss Priest, blocking my path.”

“‘No, what endless undead….’”

“I clicked my tongue at the distorted faces and glared at the newly emerged revenants.”

“It seemed like the final trump card the Abyss Priest had kept as insurance. The newly emerged undead weren’t in that large number.”

“At most, a dozen perhaps.”

“Though the lead hulking undead seemed somewhat stronger, if our forces were intact, I would have laughed and pushed them aside without a second thought.”

“…But now that it’s just me fighting, it might be a bit tricky.”

“‘However, against a young lady like you, this should be more than enough. Please enjoy your dance with them without hindering me any further.’”

“‘Graaah…!’”

“Hordes of undead with bloodlust shining in their eyes approached me. The figure of the Abyss Priest was hidden among them and no longer in view.”

“‘Showing off bravado, and in the end, hiding behind the undead again, huh?’”

“‘Did I not say? I’m too old to fight.’”

“Only the voice replying to my words could be heard.”

“‘If you’re that old, why don’t you just get in a coffin?’”

“I pulled my sword to aim it at the lead undead.”

“‘Your parents, and your children are already doing just that. Why aren’t you?’”

“I picked up the stale provocation that had become a customary greeting back home.”

“‘Quit clinging on, trying to last in your old age. Just lie down to see your family!’”

“‘…There is no order when it comes to lying in a coffin. Death has no regard for age.’”

“But perhaps it was an effective provocation in this world, for his responding voice held a distinct displeasure.”

“‘Still, young lady, you needn’t worry about lying in a coffin. You shall walk for a long time even in death. So be grateful to me.’”

“At those words, the horde of undead charging towards me suddenly accelerated.”

“‘Gerda! Amy! Friede! Are you guys not here yet?!’”

“I shouted the names of my party members as I faced the undead horde head-on.”

“I wondered what they were doing, still not joining us.”

“‘Trying to call for your comrades? Do you think the lady’s allies remain?’”

“‘They do!’”

“I swung my sword decisively. No hesitation in my blunt reply.”

“I couldn’t check their condition since I couldn’t turn back, but I believed they were safe anyway.”

“‘Why not check? They might have already died.’”

“The Abyss Priest mocked me in a sneering tone.”

“‘Like your parents?’”

“I twisted my body half a turn, dodging the axe swung by the hulking revenant, and shot back with equal mockery.”

“Such a close-to-the-truth taunt.”

“A cat trapped in a box cannot know life or death until it’s retrieved, but the existence of his parents could be known without opening the coffin lid.”

“If he pretended to be an orphan, he surely wouldn’t be one.”

“‘…….’”

“Perhaps he had nothing to retort with, as his incessant mocking mouth finally closed tight.”

“Satisfactory. I even felt a bit disappointed that I couldn’t see his face hidden by the undead.”

◆◆

“Though the haphazard taunt worked quite well, it gave me only a small sense of satisfaction inside my heart. My situation hadn’t changed.”

“Of course. Blabbering wouldn’t kill the enemies; for a warrior like me, I had to wield my sword if I wanted to kill.”

“‘Hah!’”

“Thus, I stopped talking with the Abyss Priest, letting out a battle cry, and dove into the brawl with the undead.”

“From the beginning, I had no leisure to engage in conversation.”

“Fighting alone against fifteen enemies meant I had to focus all my mental and sensory capabilities on the battle and eliminate the enemies in the most efficient way possible.”

“‘Graaah!’”

“I sharpened my senses to the utmost, guarding against the magic that could come flying at any moment, while constantly moving my feet to avoid the axe blade swung by the hulking revenant.”

“‘Hah!’”

“Whenever a chance to swing my sword arose, I cut down the other revenants, one at a time.”

“Paying attention to the strong enemy’s attacks, I took down the weaker ones one by one. That was the rule of chaos.”

“I should leave dealing with the hulking revenant for last.”

“‘Grr!’”

“As I deflected a spear thrust with my armor, I smashed the rotten shin with a kick and crushed the enemy’s skull with a fist.”

“Could it be that after all this training and battle, I had started to catch up to Brunhilde’s strength? My body was responding better than I had expected.”

“Just as I took down around seven of them.”

“‘H-Hilde! Sorry for being late…!’”

“Finally, Friede joined in, splitting two revenants in one strike as she leaped to my side.”

“‘So sorry. We took a bit longer to safely extract Amy.’”

“‘Don’t apologize. Just help me with these guys! I’m going after the Abyss Priest…!’”

“I pushed the remaining undead onto my party members, quickly scanning the area for the Abyss Priest’s whereabouts.”

“Remaining revenants included one bulky and three smaller ones. With this many down, the old man wouldn’t be able to hide any longer….”

“‘What the… where’d that guy go?’”

“…He could hide.”

“I hurriedly turned my head, scanning the surroundings, but all I saw were fallen corpses and trees. The figure of the robed old man was nowhere to be found.”

“‘No way… he actually ran off?!’”

“‘No! Look over there! Over there!’”

“Gerda pointed to the ruins while splitting down one revenant with her sword.”

“‘No way, how’d he get there?!’”

“That’s right.”

“Abyss Priest Hugh Casval had taken advantage of the fight with the revenants to reach near the ruins.”

“That’s why not a single spell had flown my way; he must have darted for the ruins behind the undead…!”

“Standing not directly in front but rather somewhat off to the side, he seemed to have twisted to avoid the incoming party members.”

“‘What on earth is he trying to do…!’”

“Just as I hurried to turn my body, rushing toward the ruins.”

“‘Mors!’”

“Arriving at the wall of the ruins, the old man placed his right hand on a large pool of fresh blood.”

“Death does not come twice.”

“‘Bis non venit. Nos abiicias.’”

“We shall throw away the heart to reach eternity.”

“‘Pectus et perveniet in aeternum!’”

“The incantation used by the mages who learned necromancy, Amy had told me about.”

“Two phrases shouted as if hurling up blood resonated into a vast magical power.”

“And then.”

“Krrrr…!”

“In the next moment, the blood flowing through the ruins roiled and bubbled ominously.”

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