There they were, three members of the âDragonâs Throatâ group that she had left behind on the other side of the country, back in the Earl Keelyâs territory.
Benedict, a fighter. A Kobold, his muscular upper body was covered in fur and his head was that of a dog. His helmet also had pointy ears. He wore mithril armor and carried a greatsword with a tip like a head-cutting axe. He was a dependable leader who led the group of people who had one or two unique qualities.
Hugh was a tank. He always wore heavy armor, saying that it was for physical training. He was small for a tank, but on the other hand, he could move, and he had saved the party many times by using his two-hand spike shields for protection and his accurate striking. He was skilled in worldly affairs and was the partyâs negotiator.
Diana was a priestess. Although she called herself Priestess, she was skilled in fighting and could easily kick a few zakos to death with her steel-plated boots. She wore a modified priestâs robe woven with mithril fibers and⊠now carried a silver whip connected with a silver accessory she always wore, instead of her usual silver staff. She was a drunkard and a slacker, but she was caring and merciful, especially to Iris, whom she treated like a mother.
âIt hurtsâŠ! Iris! You used magic that no one should ever use!? How many people have you killed with what magic!? And that was just a few minutes ago!?â
âWhatâs the big deal? Youâve been moving all over the place, even in the city! Weâve been running around all over the place thanks to you! Since when did you become such a fool with your magical powers!â
âWait, wait! How did you find me?â
âYes, yes, I must clarify that first and foremost.
Diana peeled off her robe to reveal a bloodstained mark.
âItâs called the Injunction Stigma. It can find out if someone has been killed by evil or devious techniques or power. Moreover, if you put a drop of blood from such a victim, ⊠it can be used as a detection method to hunt down ⊠the evil person even to the ends of the earth.â
«Pain Whip» and «Death Cloud» are classified in the genre of curse magic. They are a major system of techniques that distort the nature of life, the soul, and other aspects of the world as it is supposed to be. Ordinary people cannot use this kind of magic. They cannot master it unless they distort their own way of being by some means.
âWe unearthed a body in the snow⊠That white bruise looks just like the remains of «Pain Whip». Thereâs something in those woods, too. You look like you came out of there. What did you do?â
Diana activated magic that she had never heard of.
Dianaâs entire body emitted a bluish-white light in the form of some kind of pattern.
Next, an enormous amount of magical power swirled and billowed up from Diana.
Swirling trails were drilled into the surrounding snow.
The air surrounding Diana was so pure that it made her want to vomit. Diana radiated a strong sense of intimidation that would make one involuntarily avert oneâs eyes if one were careless.
Her body transformed. A little shorter, a little thinner. Her blonde hair, which had been gently wavy, became shiny silver. Her wisteria-colored eyes must have turned silver, too, although she could not tell.
Blood flowed backward and gushed out from the section of the neck where she had been cut.
It flowed slowly, floated in the air, and formed a cursed red blade. The object looked like a giant ruby carved into a sword shape.
âSilver hair, silver eyes, and⊠a rose of fresh blood!â
âNo way! No way!â
Rene could do this with anyone if she just possessed them and took over.
However, if it is a girl of the same age, she can maximize the magical power of her soul, and when the time comes, she can transform her body into an undead one and fight.
âI possessed Iris. The soul has been dormant in the body for a long time⊠Now Iâve remade this body as an Undead. Sheâs dead. Iris is.â
Before the words were finished.
Benedictâs eyes flashed.
âYouuuuu!!â
âNo, Benedict! Itâs impossible!!â
Benedict charged forward, his hand on his greatsword.
But now that she had taken the form of a Dullahan, who was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, Benedict, a heavy fighter, was rushing forward at a speed that looked like a fly could be stopped.
She knew Benedict was a good guy. She borrowed Irisâs position and lived with him for a short time, liked him, and thought he was someone she could rely on.
âCalm down, Hugh. Fortunately, Wesala is just around the corner. We can revive him if we bring him to the temple.â
Hugh was about to jump forward himself, but Diana stopped him.
High-ranking priests can use resurrection magic.
However, unless the success rate is increased with various expensive catalysts, it rarely succeeds, and the success rate declines at an accelerated rate the worse the condition of the corpse or the more time that passes after death. The problem of time was particularly serious, as adventurers usually die in the deepest part of a dungeon, and even if their companions survived and brought the corpse back to revive it, it may be too late to recover it.
This situation of dying so close to the city was a blessing in disguise for Benedict. However, in order to bring the corpse back, the two of them had to fight off the most powerful Undead.
âWhat is going on? She cut through his armor like it was butter.â
âThat sword is probably magical. Armor is useless. Take it off.â
âReally?â
At Dianaâs instruction, Hugh threw down his shields, put his hands behind his back, and fiddled with something.
The heavy armor came off easily like some kind of practical joke, and a thin macho body appeared from under it.
Hughâs armor was sturdy, but it had been crafted so that it could be removed in an instant by following a specific procedure. It was a feature for just such a case.
âIâm back to being a Thief.â
Pulling out his combat knife, Hugh laughed in a disturbing manner.
Hugh was originally a thief. However, he had switched to being a tank because of the lack of opportunities to explore dungeons and to take advantage of the partyâs two magicians to protect the vanguard (especially Iris).
Even a cursed blade, which cannot be defended against, does no damage if it does not hit. He believed that a lighter style, which emphasized evasion, would be more effective.
âRose Princess. What have you done with Irisâs body, ⊠or will you do with it?â
Diana asked as if giving an ultimatum.
âTo put it bluntly,⊠is going to destroy this country from now on. Iâve just been crushing Night Pythons because thatâs what I needed to do.â
âI see. I guess if I told you to stop, you wouldnât.â
âLeave it to someone else to get angry at the unreasonable⊠Those were your words. But if this âRose Princess of Hellrageâ forgets to take revenge, who will take her place? Who will judge them? I will return the pain and despair with plenty of interest. I will not go to the other side in peace.â
âHmmm. Iris was no longer Iris at that time, after all.â
ââRevenge is the torment of keeping oneself imprisoned in a prison of bitterness.â Thatâs what the old poet who went crazy and hanged himself said.â
The whip swung and flew straight up.
But just like that, the aftermath of the energy gouged the snow deeply, forming a small half pipe in a straight line from Diana.
âI canât leave a pretty girl like you alone like that. Itâs selfish of me, but Iâm going to stop you. Donât you dare underestimate me, princess.â