Chapter 27 : First Mission (3)

“Stay still.”

“…Ugh.”

The shining water from the princess’s hand seeped into my wound. Whether it was due to a strong disinfecting effect, the wound stung terribly.

‘Healing Water… Water-type?’

When I looked at the back of her hand, a water-type Mark was drawn.

“It was fortunate that the sword was stuck in your shoulder. If it had been stuck in your torso….”

The sword thrown by Julius had been lodged in my shoulder.

I was able to escape thanks to Daengdaengi being summoned at the same time the pain hit, but all I did was hide in a small shelter somewhere in the forest.

“I lived thanks to this child. What was its name, Daengdaengi?”

When she gently stroked Daengdaengi, it wagged its hard tail wildly.

While glaring at Daengdaengi, I expressed my gratitude to the princess.

“..Thank you for the treatment, Princess.”

“Just call me Isabel. We’ve shared wounds in our shoulders, haven’t we?”

When I rescued her, I accidentally shot Isabel’s shoulder instead of Sarkas’s.

“I’ve committed a mortal sin…!”

“I’m joking. If it weren’t for you, Spirit Master, I would have died there a long time ago.”

“..By the way, what’s your relationship with that person named Julius?”

The person named Julius and the princess seemed to know each other.

“..Julius was a knight who had been my escort for five years.”

“Escort knight…? Why would a knight do this…?”

“..It seems that he approached me with a purpose from the beginning. He never showed that kind of tendency, so both my father and I were completely deceived….”

She’s a princess, so he acted as if he represented the entire royal family.

It’s more strange not to be shocked if the true identity of a person who’s been with you for five years is actually a cult leader.

“By the way, why did you ride the trade carriage?”

“..I wanted to look around the market after a long time. Merchants from all over the place gather in Hafel, which is a little far from Semal.”

It seems that it was something she had done quite often, as she didn’t even think about it until Julius revealed his true colors.

By the way, the Sarkas cult doesn’t seem to have any intention of stopping the pursuit.

The sound of footsteps and conversations of the believers searching for us in all directions was constantly heard.

“..They won’t let us go easily. If I return to the castle safely and report this, my father will carry out a massive purge of the Sarkas cult.”

“…I’ve never heard of the Sarkas cult before.”

To put it bluntly, I never included such a thing in my novel.

Like the Black Dog Bandits of the Luden Forest, it’s one of the hidden elements of this world that I don’t know about.

Princess Isabel stroked Daengdaengi and continued.

“It’s a religious group that’s not well known to the general public. At first, it was just a small group of folk beliefs, but it rapidly grew in size a few years ago.”

“Was it after the giant Sarkas appeared?”

“..Yes, now that I think about it, it seems like that was the starting point.”

From the perspective of ordinary people, they might think that the giant monsters that suddenly appeared were a punishment from God.

It is presumed that they lured believers with the Master Sarkas that arose due to Chaos, further increasing their numbers.

“And he said something about the Sarkas goddess. He said my hair and face were exactly alike….”

“To you?”

A shadow fell over her face.

“..The reason why black hair is perceived as cursed in this country is because of the description of the goddess’s appearance in the myths passed down from generation to generation.”

“Myth….”

“A goddess with jet-black hair and red eyes like a Sarkas, and a black beast accompanying her, is said to have conceived Sarkas on this land.”

…

Looking only at the appearance, it’s a perfect copy of me…?

“As is always the case with folk beliefs, it’s a far-fetched story with no origin. The problem is the gaze that discriminates against people with black hair for that reason.”

I had no idea that such a background had been created for the discrimination cliché that I added without much thought.

“..Isabel. Can we escape from here to Semal?”

“We’ll be caught. They have horses, and above all, Julius is a veteran who has participated in search operations several times as a knight. I don’t think he’ll let go of his prey easily.”

“We’re trapped.”

I was making a bitter expression when the nearby bushes rustled.

Rustle.

‘Did they find our location…?’

I reflexively picked up the one-handed sword lying on the ground.

It’s the sword with the royal family’s emblem that Julius had used to hit me.

“Kieek-”

A small black creature emerged from the bushes.

‘..What, it was just a rabbit Sarkas.’

I sighed in relief.

Whether it hasn’t found us yet, it’s looking around diligently.

“…”

After hesitating for a moment, I took off my hood and wrapped the creature in it.

Seeing that, Isabel asked in surprise.

“What, what are you doing…?”

“I have a use for it.”

The Sarkas cult, which barely calmed down the rampage of the Master Sarkas, was busy searching for us.

“Search the entire forest! Find them even if you have to burn it all down!”

Julius, with a flushed face, was instructing the believers.

Unable to watch any longer, Julius left to search himself.

He left. Now’s the chance.

Isabel, who was hiding in the bushes with me and watching, whispered to me.

“Spirit Master, what are you thinking…!”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Probably.”

“Probably…?”

I took a deep breath and got on Daengdaengi.

With Julius’s sword in one hand, I confidently walked toward the believers.

When they looked at me with surprised eyes, I said this.

“…Listen, believers!”

At the sight of me suddenly appearing on Daengdaengi, they all looked at me with puzzled eyes.

I’m so embarrassed I could die, but I have to immerse myself properly here.

“I am the spokesperson of the Sarkas goddess. I have come to deliver the goddess’s words to you who are going the wrong way.”

“….Spokesperson of the goddess?”

The believers looked at each other with various expressions.

“That woman is the spokesperson of the goddess?”

“Come to think of it, that appearance….”

Even if they try to deny it, my current appearance is a spitting image of the goddess’s description in the myth.

A believer who was watching the situation shouted at me.

“Spokesperson of the goddess? Then show us proof!”

When he shouted, the others echoed, as if they’d been waiting.

“That’s right. What purpose are you impersonating the Sarkas goddess…!”

“It’s blasphemy!”

‘I knew it.’

As expected, I can’t convince them with just bluffing.

“If I show you proof, will you believe that I am the spokesperson?”

“Don’t just talk, show it quickly!”

I took out the rabbit-type Sarkas I had hidden in my robe and threw it on the floor.

“Hiiiik..!”

At that sight, the believers who were close by took a step back.

“Don’t worry. It’s already dead.”

At the words that it was dead, they slowly came forward again.

“It seemed to be in danger of dying from being poisoned by humans, so I used the given power to temporarily take its life.”

The believer at the very front looked closely at the Sarkas.

“…It’s true. It doesn’t have focus, and its body is stiff.”

It’s understandable that they’re amazed.

It must be the first time they’ve seen a Sarkas corpse.

According to the knowledge of this world, Sarkas should oxidize as soon as it dies.

However, this Sarkas is dead, leaving its form intact.

Still, they don’t seem to believe me.

They pushed me harder than before.

“So, what about it!? This is just a Sarkas corpse!”

“That’s right. But if it’s a corpse, can you explain why it hasn’t oxidized?”

“Th, that’s….”

At my question, they chose to avoid the answer.

“That woman, she must have used some kind of trick! It must be a doll elaborately modeled after a Sarkas!”

They still don’t have faith in me.

“A doll….”

I got off Daengdaengi and approached the stiff Sarkas on the floor.

And I said to them.

“If I bring this back to life, will you believe me?”

“..What?”

“I’m saying I’ll revive it right here, right now.”

The believers shook their heads.

Some believers were laughing, thinking it was a funny joke.

“There’s no way that’s possible.”

Their objections continued.

“Even if it’s a real Sarkas, healing magic only works on humans.”

That’s right. The more they believe that, the more it helps me.

“That’s right. Healing magic only works on humans. This is not magic. Watch carefully.”

I placed my palm on the Sarkas and closed my eyes tightly.

“…”

After a moment, the stiff Sarkas began to make a cry.

“…Kieek….”

Then focus returned to its red eyes, and it twitched violently.

“Kieeek-!”

As if it hadn’t been, the Sarkas, which had regained its vitality, hopped into the forest and disappeared.

At that sight, the believers who were watching fell back in surprise.

“Oh my god…! You really revived a Sarkas…!”

“What did you do to the Sarkas…!? ”

I dusted off my hands and looked at the believers.

“I told you clearly. I am the spokesperson of the goddess, and I only used my power.”

As a finishing touch, I threw in one last word.

“With the power I received as a goddess, I have come to save you.”

The last line was really embarrassing.

I bit my gums tightly and endured the laughter that was about to leak out.

“It’s a miracle! It’s the reincarnation of the Sarkas goddess!”

The believers, who initially looked at me with suspicious eyes, now seem to have completely let go of their doubts.

“Spokesperson-nim, will I be able to get married within this year?”

“Uh…. That….”

“If I pray hard, I can cure my hair loss, right!?”

Receiving their cheers, which were more burdensome than I thought, I raised my hand and shouted.

“Everyone be quiet! I will deliver the will of the goddess!”

At my words, the believers prostrated themselves on the ground.

No, isn’t the effect too much…?

“..The goddess said, release all the tied horses, and inform the other believers that the spokesperson of the goddess has come.”

“Release all the horses…?”

“It’s the will of the goddess. Is there anyone who doesn’t agree?”

The believers hesitated for a moment, but then they started to act.

“…What are you doing! Release all the horses!”

That’s right, we need to leave our ride.

“…Ah, leave one horse. I think I’ll need it on my journey.”

“Only one horse…? I understand. Hey! Leave one horse!”

The believers followed the instructions and released all the horses. The princess and I got on the one remaining horse.

“Spokesperson-nim! Are you leaving like this…?”

When I was about to leave, they stopped me.

“Yes. I have to convey the will to other believers as well.”

“Will we be able to see you again someday…?”

I scratched my head and answered roughly.

“Uh…. If you have faith, you will be able to meet again. Until then, work hard to spread the word that I have come.”

“I understand! Spokesperson-nim!”

Leaving behind the believers who were even crying, I spurred the horse to start.

‘Should I match the mood.’

While riding the horse, I spread a dark curtain with the Scotadi spell.

I slowly seeped into the darkness and completely hid my presence.

“The spokesperson-nim has disappeared!”

Beyond the darkness, I could hear enthusiastic cheers.

Princess Isabel, who was hugging my waist from behind, asked.

“Spirit Master. What did you do earlier…?”

“What do you mean?”

“You killed it, and then you revived it.”

“….Ah, that’s just freeze tag.”

“Yes…? Freeze…. What?”

I just caught a Sarkas and froze it from the inside with a freezing spell, and then melted it again with a weak fire spell.

Isabel, who heard the explanation, made a blank expression.

“That’s just basic magic…?”

“Of course. Even a ten-year-old could do it if they learned it.”

I nodded in agreement with her words.

“..You’re quite a villain, Spirit Master.”

“Haha….”

The horse carrying the princess and me ran tirelessly toward Semal.

After some time, Julius, who had finished searching, returned.

“Where are those rat-like bastards hiding…”

‘..?’

Strangely, the believers, who should have been searching for a long time, were each engrossed in their own conversations.

“I sent you to search, what are you doing here!”

“Cult Leader! The spokesperson of the goddess came!”

They showed no sign of remorse and said strange things to Julius.

“What nonsense are you talking about….”

“I saw it clearly! The spokesperson came, delivered the will, and disappeared on a horse!”

“What? Did you all have hallucinations? What are you doing without chasing after them…!”

Julius, who was dumbfounded, headed to the place where the horses were tied.

“What the…?”

The horses that were tied up a little while ago were all gone, not a single one remaining.

“Hey! What did you do with the horses!”

“According to the will of the goddess, we released all the horses!”

“Have you all gone mad…!”

“Cult Leader, listen to the words of the spokesperson and be saved!”

“Get lost, all of you, get lost…!”

That night, the night of the Sarkas cult was unusually noisy.