Chapter – 93
Dii looked back and forth between Kyle and Amila and asked,
“Then who will go?”
Amila, who did not feel fear, spoke up.
“I’ll go.”
“Ah, as expected from our Amila….”
Dii was touched, but Kyle suddenly said,
“Then both of us will go.”
“Ah, no, Your Highness! Please don’t abandon us!”
The subordinates cried and tried to hold him back. Kyle ignored them and tried to move forward, but Dii stopped him.
“Kyle, if something happens to us, you’re the one who has to deal with the aftermath. Where are you going?”
“I don’t need that.”
“What?”
“If you’re not there, I don’t need anything.”
Kyle said it firmly.
Dii wondered how she could possibly leave this guy behind.
If she ended up in danger, Kyle would obviously have to clean up everything afterward. No matter what, he had to take the imperial throne.
Just look at this village. Many of the people who owed Xian a debt had no choice but to come live in this dangerous place.
Xian.
Dii’s eyes suddenly sparkled as she thought of a way to separate Kyle.
“Xian might come.”
“What?”
“That guy keeps watching what we’re doing. So he might come here. You stay here and stop Xian.”
“….”
“Amila and I will go check the situation. If everything’s fine, we’ll call you. Okay?”
The possibility that Xian might appear seemed reasonable even to Kyle.
He stayed silent for a moment, then nodded as if telling them to go.
Dii and Amila immediately mounted their horses and rode off.
The Village
Near the village, the two got off their horses and quietly approached.
Dii, who had bravely been walking in front, turned around after just a few steps and clung to Amila’s back.
“I’m already scared….”
“Don’t stick to me. You’re annoying.”
Amila scolded her and continued walking ahead.
At times like this, fearless Amila was truly precious.
Dii walked with her face almost buried in Amila’s back.
Soon, they heard crying and screaming from the village square.
With a trembling voice that sounded half like crying, Dii asked,
“What’s going on?! Why are they like this?!”
“See it with your own eyes.”
Amila pulled her forward.
The moment Dii saw the square, her eyes widened.
Villagers were running around screaming in terror.
Just then, one villager rushed toward them.
Amila instantly pulled out a dagger to kill him, but Dii rushed forward first and stopped him with both hands while tightly closing her eyes.
Thankfully, the man suddenly stopped.
Then he screamed and collapsed.
It seemed her divine power worked.
Relieved, Dii led Amila toward the center of the square.
She gathered pebbles from everywhere, crouched down, and began drawing a large circle on the ground.
Amila watched her as if she were crazy.
Dii asked,
“Amila. I told you about the monster called Jur that I saw while running away from the gambling gang, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You must never look at it from the front. It drives people insane. I’m fine because I have divine power, but you might not be.”
“I see.”
After collecting enough pebbles, Dii completed a circle with a diameter as wide as the span of her arms.
Then she grabbed Amila’s arm and pulled her inside.
“Close your eyes and stay here. I’ll quickly go find the monster. It must be somewhere around here.”
“Alright.”
Just then another villager rushed at them, so Dii quickly jumped inside the circle too.
The pebbles filled with divine power formed a barrier, preventing the villagers from entering.
They could only scream outside the circle.
Amila understood that Dii was trying to keep her safe while searching for Jur.
She took out her handkerchief, folded it neatly, covered her eyes, and tied it behind her head.
Dii trembled and asked,
“Aren’t you scared? I’m scared too….”
“I’m fine.”
Amila answered calmly.
“I trust you.”
Dii covered her mouth with both hands, deeply moved.
“Right! Trust this priestess!”
She turned around energetically to search for Jur.
But suddenly a scream sounded nearby, followed almost immediately by killing intent.
When she turned around, Amila had taken out her bow and aimed toward the sound.
“Aaaah! Amila! You said you trust me!”
“I trust you, but it’s noisy.”
“I’ll make it quiet soon! Just wait!”
After barely calming Amila, Dii ran off to find Jur.
Calling the Monster
“Jur! Are you here?”
She shouted loudly, calling the monster.
Of course, she wondered if a monster would really come just because she called it.
Still… it kind of acted like a puppy sometimes.
Dii clicked her tongue and called again.
“Jur, let’s play. Come out….”
She suddenly stopped.
A chilling feeling ran down her spine.
When she slowly glanced to the right, she was startled.
Jur was peeking out from behind a wall, only half its face visible, staring at her cautiously.
Even seeing it again… it’s terrifying!
Dii gestured for it to come.
Jur slowly floated closer, wincing slightly from the divine power surrounding her.
Dii crouched down.
Jur also crouched down.
“Jur. Did you make the villagers like this?”
Jur tilted its head ninety degrees, as if it had no idea what she was talking about.
The bizarre sight made Dii shiver.
Then Jur tilted its head a full one hundred eighty degrees.
Dii’s eyes filled with tears from fear as she continued.
“How are we supposed to communicate… Oh! Jur, wait there a second.”
Suddenly remembering something, she stood up.
Then she imitated Jason’s sloppy walking style.
“Look. Have you seen someone like this? And he’s always smoking.”
She even made a smoking gesture with her fingers.
Jur suddenly nodded enthusiastically.
Then it stood up and gestured for her to follow.
Dii’s eyes widened.
“You know where he is?!”
She immediately ran back to the square, grabbed Amila’s hand, and brought her back to Jur.
She warned her,
“Absolutely don’t look at it! Okay?”
“That monster is here?”
“Yes! But don’t kill it!”
Amila clicked her tongue in disappointment.
Jur thought she was calling it again and tried to approach, but Dii stopped it with her hand.
After many complications, the two women followed Jur deeper into the forest.
Jur led them to the place where Dii had first encountered it.
It stopped in front of an old cave.
Jur gestured for them to follow.
But Dii froze.
It was too scary.
Just then, a voice came from inside.
“Damn it! They sent me here again…!”
It was Jason’s voice.
Jason
Dii rushed inside.
Deep in the cave was a wooden-bar prison cell.
Jason was inside it.
His arms were twisted behind his back and locked into a wooden restraint. His eyes were tightly shut.
“Jason?”
Dii asked in surprise.
Jason flinched.
“Who is it?”
“It is Priestess Diana.”
“You—you came to save me? Can I open my eyes?”
“No.”
“Damn it!”
“More importantly… what are you doing here?”
Jason sighed deeply.
“I was tricked by Xian! He said no one comes here because of that monster!”
“Ohhh.”
“Hey! Someone’s trapped here and you’re admiring it?!”
“Maybe I won’t save you.”
“Please save me, Priestess! I believe in the God Roxand!”
Jason clung to the bars and shouted.
Dii stepped closer and asked,
“Before I save you, I have something to ask.”
“W-What?”
“It was definitely you who met me in the Vitencia Empire, right?”
“Yes, that was me. Why is Xian so friendly to a noisy brat like you—HEY! Did you just throw dirt on me?!”
“What are you talking about? It fell from the ceiling.”
“Oh… if that’s the case, then I misunderstood.”
Jason apologized, still unaware that Dii lied as naturally as breathing.
Then he sighed again.
“I was trapped here before. This time I didn’t open my eyes so I wouldn’t go insane again… but now I think I might go blind.”
“How did you recover last time?”
“It was Wiss.”
“Wiss?”
“Yes. That mage who travels with Xian. When I came to my senses, he was there. So I think that mage saved me.”
“Wiss….”
“Alright, now let me out!”
“That’s useless. I don’t have Wiss right now.”
“Ugh! You’re a priestess! You must have some kind of method!”
“Think harder, Jason Depp!”
“Gaaaah! You evil woman!”
As the two loudly argued, Jur quietly approached Amila.
Amila began gently stroking the fluffy monster.
“…Hmm.”
“…?”
“So this is what people call cute.”
“…????”
Amila seemed to like it and scratched Jur’s neck with both hands.
Jur, who had always run away from screaming people, felt the greatest happiness of its life.
It rolled over and exposed its belly.
The “Cute” Monster
Later, Dii turned around after hearing Jur panting happily behind her.
Her mouth fell open.
“It’s… cute?”
Amila sat next to Jur, happily scratching its belly while Jur twisted around in delight.
“A-Amila? Do you really think that thing is cute?”
“The sentence ‘is it really cute’ is incorrect.”
“That sentence reflects my shock.”
“I want to keep it.”
Amila said it like a child.
Dii, weak to cuteness, looked troubled.
“Amila… let’s calm down. A priestess can’t raise a monster.”
“You’re raising a drunken fox.”
“That’s not a monster. That’s the God Roxand.”
“Don’t make me laugh. The God Roxand isn’t a tiny fox.”
“Our Roxand isn’t that tiny! Cover your eyes again.”
Amila tied the blindfold again.
Dii removed her hand from Jur’s eyes.
Jur looked at her with sparkling eyes.
Then it covered its own eyes with both hands.
“…Huh?”
Jur removed its hands, then covered its eyes again.
Dii suddenly clapped.
“Of course! Jur! If you cover your eyes, people won’t go insane!”
She quickly borrowed Amila’s dagger and tore a long strip from her priestess robe.
Then she wrapped it around Jur’s head.
“Ah, it’s too short.”
So she tore more fabric and tied a proper blindfold around Jur.
After that she untied Amila’s blindfold.
Amila stroked Jur’s head.
“Dii won’t let me keep you.”
“A priestess raising a monster makes no sense.”
“Are you from the ancient times?”
“What?!”
While they argued, Jason suddenly shouted after secretly opening his eyes.
“Priestess! Give me a knife! I’ll cut the door open!”
Dii walked over.
“I told you. Remember how you recovered last time.”
“How can I remember something I don’t know?! The memory doesn’t exist!”
“Use superhuman strength!”
Jason looked like he was about to cry.
This priestess… I underestimated her.
It looks like she has no intention of letting me out until she gets the information she wants.
