Chapter 49
An old temple, left unrepaired and worn down.
Broken statues lay scattered here and there.
In the empty space between the altar and the pews, people were collapsed on the floor.
A middle-aged woman sprawled out blankly, having inhaled too much smoke.
A little boy drooling and coughing nonstop.
An elderly man who clearly needed treatment as soon as possible……
All the people from Plank Street who had disappeared were here.
And sitting cross-legged on the central priest’s seat, sipping milk from a teacup of unknown origin—
“Since you’re here, come down, Magical Saintess.”
That handsome loser!
The same crazy bastard who’d threatened people with tofu at Skitter’s house before.
Since I’d already been found, there was no reason to hesitate.
I tore the window off and jumped down.
“Your kneecaps are healthy,”
the animal-abusing criminal sneered as I landed.
My whole body’s healthy, thanks.
Instead of retorting, I asked him,
“Did you start the fire?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“……”
That habit of never answering questions properly—still the same.
I looked around.
Dozens of exhausted, injured people.
“So you took hostages again. Didn’t you learn last time that it doesn’t work?”
I tried bluffing.
“This time’s different!”
The abuser didn’t take the bait.
Laughing, he nudged the head of an old man collapsed in front of him with his toe.
“Today, we detected you using magic.”
He set his teacup on the old man’s back and continued,
“My master says that since you’re not a real mage, there must be a limit to how much magic you can use.”
“……”
“You must’ve already gone around playing hero somewhere else, right?
That means you don’t have much power left now.”
Can you even use magic anymore? he mocked.
The black-gloved hand pointed at the fallen hostages one by one.
“No matter how strong you are, you’re just one person.
The hostages are dozens.”
“……”
“If you attack me, I’ll dodge and start hurting whoever I grab first.
While that’s happening, the fire will spread and burn this whole trashy slum down.
How many do you think you can save? And how many— urk!”
Thud!
“Talk too much.”
Didn’t your master teach you not to talk during a fight?
Then I’ll teach you myself, Magical Saintess style.
Today, you’re getting properly beaten.
I spun my squeaky hammer and walked toward him.
Pinned under a statue I’d thrown, the abuser screamed,
“Who attacks while someone’s talking?!”
“What are you talking about?
You’d attack me if you ran into me mid-transformation, wouldn’t you?”
Like—
“Oh! She’s transforming! I’ll politely wait!”
As if.
“Do you know how horrible it feels to watch your own home burn down?”
I was in a really bad mood.
“I’ll make sure you never pull this kind of crap again—”
“Cough!”
A coughing sound cut me off.
A girl who looked about five, her face smeared with soot, was coughing painfully with tears and snot streaming down.
“Sis….”
She couldn’t even open her eyes properly, crying as she searched for a sister whose location she didn’t know.
Trapped under the statue, the abuser smiled viciously.
“Beating me doesn’t change the situation.”
“……”
“Don’t you need to save the people, Magical Saintess?”
How were you going to get all these people out?
“And even if you do, how will you put out the fire?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I just need to save the people.”
Arden and Cassian would handle the fire.
Have you seen their personalities?
If they failed to put it out in time and the district burned down, they’d rebuild it even if they had to pay out of pocket.
Well, Arden has no money, but…
Cassian probably has plenty… he is the High Priest…
Anyway.
One’s a poor neat freak, and the other’s an unrefined priest, but I trust them.
At least in situations like this.
So I just needed to save the people.
I swung my squeaky hammer.
★★★★★
If I have to catch the villain, put out the fire,
and save the people all by myself!
Then what are other people even doing?!
Magical Saintess Seraphina!
“I only have one body!”
Hammer smash!
★★★★★
My final spell for today.
I brought my lips to the squeaky hammer and blew gently.
Dozens of soap bubbles poured out from where my breath touched, floating up softly.
I placed each collapsed resident of Plank Street into a bubble.
“Huh?”
Those who were still conscious looked confused as they suddenly found themselves riding inside bubbles.
Boom!
At the same time, the temple’s main doors burst open.
“What is this?!”
“Waaah!”
The bubble-encased people floated out of the temple one by one, rising into the sky.
The night sky was thick with smoke and reeked of burning,
but it had no effect on those inside the bubbles.
Soon, even the people who’d been sprawled out began to regain consciousness.
“What…?”
“Soap bubbles?”
“Mom! I’m flying!”
“This is fun!”
“Miss! I’m fat—I’m stuck tight in here!”
Sir! Please endure that much!
I watched as the floating people drifted toward a safe area untouched by the fire—
“Kuahaha!”
The abuser under the statue burst into laughter.
What now?
I turned back, feeling uneasy—
A dagger flew and popped one of the bubbles.
“Ack!”
Thankfully, it was an empty one, but a nearby child screamed.
It was the little girl who’d been crying for her sister earlier.
She was floating above a spiked fence.
If she fell from there, best case—broken bones.
Worst case—
Before I could react, dozens of daggers flew through the air.
“No!”
I tried to control the bubbles to dodge the daggers while also keeping an eye on the abuser, who kept pulling more knives out of his clothes—
Chaos.
Smack!
“You bastard!”
Out of nowhere, a madwoman kicked the abuser in the head!
“You crazy son of a bitch!”
Crack!
“You dare touch my sister?!”
“Oh!”
So that’s her sister!
They don’t look alike at all!
“Die!”
The woman yanked off the pink long-haired wig she’d been wearing and started slapping the abuser’s face with it.
“Yipe!”
As he struggled—
His body suddenly blurred.
“What?!”
“He’s escaping!”
Not happening!
I raised my squeaky hammer, determined to land at least one more hit—
“Magical Saintess!”
The woman—brown hair hidden under the wig, looking just like her sister—shouted.
“The imperial knights are on their way!”
The investigator chasing you!
That handsome knight!
“Run! I’ll handle things here!”
You’ll handle it?!
“Why would you?!”
Is there something here to steal?! I looked around suspiciously.
“Ugh!”
Stamping her foot, the woman yelled,
“To repay you for saving my sister!”
“In that case!”
I ran without hesitation.
As I dashed for the main doors, the madwoman shouted after me,
“Keep an eye on the Imperial Daily’s ad section!
If I find out anything about today’s arsonist, I’ll post it there!”
“Under what name?!”
“<The Association of Women Who Hate Short Legs>!”
“I like it!”
I nodded and kicked off the ground.
In the distance, I could see the bubbles carrying people away.
I hopped onto the last remaining bubble.
There wasn’t time to get inside properly, so I sprawled on top of it like luggage.
Floating away like that—
“Magical Saintess!”
Arden?!
Why are you here already?!
Still lying on top of the bubble, I locked eyes with Arden.
His wide eyes moved from the bubble,
to me lying on top of it,
to my skirt fluttering ever so slightly in the breeze.
“…….”
“…….”
“Ghk!”
Arden drew his sword.
