Chapter 343. The Holy Grail of Revenge (5)
Hillis, who had teleported here instead of Arwen, pinched my cheeks as if she were dissatisfied. "How could you go without telling me?! I told you to wait because I’d be there soon!”
"Nuo, that’s becwuase the Demong King was being summonged.” My pinched cheeks didn’t hurt much, but my pronunciation suffered.
"Hmph! It’s probably because you’re too lazy to take care of me,” Hillis remarked. Honestly, I couldn’t deny that. She knew me too well. She continued, "I’m not weak enough for you to need to take care of me.”
"Well, that’s true,” I replied.
In particular, if Hillis had been there while I was fighting the family members of the Demon King, it would have ended simply. Hillis’ divine power was the opposite of black mana, and they were natural enemies. In addition, she had the best selection of attack magic, healing magic that I couldn’t perform, and all kinds of blessings.
However, the problem was that Hillis’ relative had been captured.
"What about Arwen? Why did you use the teleportation spell I gave Arwen?" I asked.
Hillis smirked and replied, "Are you worried because she’s your only disciple? Don’t worry. She’s safe. Flam... No, it’s Caesar now. Arwen’s oppa is with her."
I didn’t know what she meant by ‘it’s Caesar now’, but Flam seemed to have met Arwen. Considering Arwen’s personality, she had probably beaten him to the extent it’d create dust on a rainy day. It was too bad I had missed such a sight. I should be hitting him to make him pay interest, too.
"You’re not as surprised as I thought?’” asked Hillis.
"Yeah, I heard from my grandfather that he’d sent an old looking ahjussi to Valhalla. Arwen probably would have detected it with soul magic,” I replied.
Hillis pouted as if she found my answer unfun. She added, "Then do you also know this? Arwen spoke.”
"What?! Really?" I exclaimed, surprised. Hillis smiled and nodded, seemingly satisfied. I asked, "How?"
Even though I had tried hard to treat Arwen’s mutism, all of my methods had failed. I had just guessed that some trauma in her forgotten memories had caused a psychogenic speech disorder.
Hillis looked awkward as she answered, "Well, it’s too long to explain, so I’ll tell you later.” She looked around and asked, “But how much did you fight for the surroundings here to look like this?”
I flinched. The surrounding area was literally filled with traces of disaster. The mountain had been destroyed, the ground had been overturned, and dust hung in the sky like a dark cloud due to the meteor’s collision. It was as if a scene from the end times had been cut and pasted.
"Uh... I dealt with the family members of the Demon King,” I replied.
Hillis’ eyes widened. She asked, "By the family members of the Demon King, you mean those that pump out black mana and regenerate continuously?”
"How did you know?” I asked with a worried gaze. Was it Warrant, not Valhalla?
Hillis smiled lightly and said, "Don’t worry. The great elder-nim of the Butterfly tribe froze it."
"The old man?” I asked. He’d seemed to be dawdling at Shellen Fortress, but it seemed he had finally come over. There was no need to worry, since Old Man Arpen’s ten thousand year ice could stop their regeneration.
Considering that Hillis knew about that, that meant she’d also been there. In other words, they had dealt with it after Hillis greatly weakened the Demon King’s family member, so I didn’t have to worry.
"Let’s hear more about it later. First, we need to get ready for battle,” I said, moving Hillis behind me and putting mana into the Holy Sword.
Just then, black mana exploded from where the meteor had hit. As I’d expected, it hadn’t died. Right, would it be the Demon King’s relative if it died simply because it had gotten hit by a little meteor?
“What!? I’ve never seen such black mana!" Hillis tensed up as she confronted it with divine power. At the same time, she gave my body all kinds of blessings and reinforcements.
My energy recovered so quickly that I was amazed, remarking, "Wow, a saintess is a saintess after all."
"Ahem! Respect me more!" Hillis was flattered and said something she didn’t mean.
I smiled when I saw her appearance and swung my Holy Sword against the black mana that was flying over from afar.
"Enlightenment! Cutting the Clouds!" I yelled. The blade of the Holy Sword cut the black mana in half and split apart the dust that filled the sky.
When the black mana and dust that had been blocking the view disappeared, I saw a woman in a black dress flying quickly this way.
"Unni...?" Hillis began.
"I don’t have time to explain, so I’ll tell you briefly. I’ll steal the Holy Grail in her hand and disconnect her from the Demon King,” I said.
Hillis nodded resolutely as if she thought her sister was being manipulated by the Demon King. In reality, because I had messed up the brainwashing, her sister was in a state where she only had revenge for me left, but I didn’t have time to explain in detail.
"I’ll help you!" Hillis exclaimed as she quickly purified the surrounding black mana and took control over the surroundings. She prayed, "God says, find my land! To the south! To the south! The hope of starlight leads us; the saint leads the old donkey and leaves!"
The air filled with divine power that began to resonate with my Holy Sword.
"At the place he finally arrives, the saint is certain that the name of the land must be the Holy Land! Dare you declare it!? This is the domain of God!" Hillis’ domain proclamation spread in all directions, tightly confining the Demon King’s power.
In addition, the family members of the Demon King that had been rushing over were reluctant to enter Hillis’ domain.
I was surprised by Hillis’ power and looked back. Originally, another magician’s domain proclamation should have acted like poison to me, another magician. However, Hillis’ domain didn’t end with blessing me, but began to embrace and assist me.
"Oh my? This is stronger than usual,” Hillis remarked. She also seemed surprised by the power of her domain proclamation. "It seems your Holy Sword and the glass in Unni’s hand is strengthening my domain.”
I took the Holy Shield that I had recovered, along with Gwalchavad’s core, out of my pocket space. Then, the Holy Shield also resonated and strengthened Hillis’ domain proclamation.
"Is that why the previous saintess, Oryana, was able to go around together with my great-grandfather?" I mused.
In fact, because the difference in power between Hillis and Oryana had been so great, I’d thought it was because of her age. However, it wasn’t that; it was that Oryana’s power had been strengthened by holy relics.
Later, I’d have to go recover the Holy Bow and Holy Spear.
"Wait, the Holy Grail is giving you strength?" I asked.
"Yes, it seems so,” Hillis said with a nod. I smiled broadly, and she asked, "What are you trying to do that’s making you smile so mischievously? Let me in on it too.”
I nodded at Hillis and said, "Of course. You’re the key. Shall we take the Holy Grail first?"
I swung the Holy Sword, cut down the family members of the Demon King, and flew in to retrieve the Holy Grail. Thanks to Hillis’ reinforced domain proclamation, the demons’ regeneration slowed significantly.
"I curse you!" Hillis’ older sister exclaimed. Because she had also been hit by the meteor, the power of the Demon King, which was protecting her, was also greatly reduced.
She fired black mana at me again, and I blocked it with the Holy Shield. Immediately after that, I hit her head with the Holy Shield.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Keuk!" Hillis’ older sister tried to block it, but she couldn’t show any of the skills of a paladin without her reason. In this state, no matter how much of the Demon King’s power she could use, it was no different from a cannon that only fired shells.
When the Demon King’s power was weak enough, I threw the Holy Shield and the Holy Sword and grabbed the Holy Grail. Then, I poured in as much mana as I could to disconnect her from the Demon King.
"Unni!" Hillis flew after me and hugged her sister tightly, saying, "I’m sorry. I couldn’t understand you. I’m sorry."
"Aaaarrrrgh!" Hillis’ older sister grabbed her head and screamed painfully. When she saw Hillis, her brainwashing fluctuated greatly.
While she was confused, I used Hillis’ divine power to disconnect and take away the Holy Grail. Then, the black mana slowly faded from Hillis’ sister. She muttered, "Hil... lis? Ugh!"
I quickly grabbed her head while she was in Hillis’ embrace and pulled out the black mana embedded deep within. It was delicate work that would have required me to pull it out slowly over a few months before I’d surpassed the limit, but it wasn’t so difficult now.
"Until now, what... have I done?" Hillis’ sister murmured.
"Take a rest,” I said, casting a sleeping spell. She lost consciousness and slumped into Hillis’ arms.
Hillis slowly sat down and shed tears, laying down her sister. She asked, "Is Unni okay?"
I nodded, picking up the Holy Sword and the Holy Shield again. "Yeah. She received a huge mental shock, so she’ll need to recuperate, but she’s fine." She might have been confused now, but she would come to her senses quickly.
"...Thank you." Hillis looked sadly at her sister, caressing her cheek.
I asked a question that I had put off ever since I first told her the truth. "I killed your brother-in-law. Are you okay with that?" I had no regret over what I had done, but that was from my point of view.
As family was involved, I would understand even if she were resentful, putting aside reason and law. Rather, it was natural to resent. No matter what bad things he had done, he was family, and her older sister, whom she admired more than anyone else, was in pain.
Hillis smiled sadly and shook her head. "Of course it’s not okay. But I understand you. I trust you as much as I love Unni. It’s just sad that you and Unni will never be able to become close.”
Hillis was strong. She was unimaginably strong.
I froze the family members of the Demon King, who had yet to regenerate due to the power of Hillis’ domain, with the ten thousand year ice.
"I want to teleport you and your sister to where you originally were, but there’s no ward placed there,” I said.
When she had come here, my magic wand had become a coordinate so she could arrive at once. But the other coordinate that could be used to go back, the other magic wand, was in Hillis’ hand. In fact, I had been planning to teleport away to Arwen’s magic wand right after this business was taken care of, but I hadn’t known someone would really use it to teleport here.
In response, Hillis wiped away her tears and spoke proudly. "It’s okay. I’m a saintess whether I like it or not.” She continued as she drew a cross with a rosary that had a jewel missing from its center, "I also have an obligation to stop the summoning of the Demon King."
"How reliable,” I said. They weren’t empty words; I really felt reassured. Hillis’ power, aided by the power of the holy relics, was the best source of strength against the Demon King.
I called over Tristan, Percival, and Bors, who had survived without being destroyed, by flicking my finger.
"Iya, it’s been a while, Miss." Tristan smiled happily and greeted Hillis as usual.
"It’s been a while.” Hillis nodded.
"Oh? Your eyes are red. Did Master make you cry? Iya, I didn’t see you like that, but you were a bad guy,” Tristan joked.
"I know, right? Don’t you think so, bad guy?" Hillis teased me, going along with the joke.
After suddenly becoming a bad guy who had made a woman cry, I shrugged. "The three of you, protect Hillis’ unni. Hillis and I are going to go to the winner’s side.”[1]
"Hmm. Understood, Master. Then should I just wait here?” Percival asked.
I nodded and said, "If you feel it’s become safe enough, you can follow me."
"Okay."
"Kkeung, I want to fight too, but I guess it can’t be helped, Hyung-nim," Bors said, disappointed.
Deactivating the Dance of the Fireflies, I smiled playfully, waving the Holy Grail. "Then shall I go wild properly?"
The Holy Grail was a very good tool to make a mess of someone’s efforts.
1. By winner’s side, he means where his grandfather went after winning the rock-paper-scissors match. ☜
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