The female paladin was armed to the teeth, and presumably high level. A second passed, the monster and the paladin staring at each other. After which the paladin surprised Sofia by dropping her sword and raising her hand.
“You’re… surrendering?” Sofia asked with her grating voice, she had been ready to fight.
The old paladin nodded once in response.
“Why?”
“I would rather live to see another day,” she answered.
“Will you lead me to Ellen then?”
“Do I have a choice?”
So she’s really here? Unless she’s leading me to some trap?
“No.”
I still have [Regret] available so I’m not too worried. Sofia gave a sign to the paladin to lead the way.
The paladin turned around, without picking up her sword or even sparing a glance for her fallen comrades. Now that she was walking, her cape swayed around, revealing that she was actually missing an arm.
Peculiar for a paladin to be missing a limb. Must date to before she joined the church.
The paladin silently led the way through the tortuous corridors of the church. They passed multiple patrols but they would all faint before anyone could even ring the alarm.
“Isn’t what you’re doing against the principles of the Church?” Sofia asked. Even though the paladin walked remarkably fast for someone her age wearing a full set of heavy plate armor, the long walk in the church was quite boring.
“Not really. Should I elaborate?” the paladin answered, not slowing down in the slightest. But Sofia could see her trembling.
“Please do.”
“I’m surprised a demon would even take interest in such matters,” She forced a weak laugh but it didn’t seem to help her calm much, “The Princess isn’t a believer or part of the church, at best she is a trading partner. I have no obligations toward her.”
“How pragmatic. And what does the church think about my kind?”
“To talk of the Recessed is a taboo, let alone becoming their apostle. But the Demon Lord isn’t an enemy we are preoccupied with, the church has much greater purposes.” The following silence compelled her to keep going, it also probably helped her take her mind out of her current circumstance, “Wasting precious manpower in the pursuit of demons isn’t something we do if we can avoid it. Only a few Heroes are the kind to actively pursue such goals.”
Recessed? Demon king? … Maybe we really need to go pay Kuli a second visit soon… I’m an apostle then? Apostle of sorrow?
Are demons all transformed humans? She shivered at the memory of the disgusting rotten demon she had killed in the mage tower.
They were both silent again for a while.
“How did you lose your arm?”
The paladin tensed up when she heard Sofia talk to her again, and relaxed somewhat when she heard the question.
“Level 80 Dire Wolf, I was only twelve when the caravan I was part of got attacked, I got bitten but survived, along with eight others out of the original ninety. The wound in my arm was too deep and it necrotized. Had to cut it. Our healer was of those who didn’t make it. Now it cannot be healed anymore. Been like that for many decades.”
Her story was followed by yet another silence, she was the one to break it this time.
“May I be allowed some questions as well?” she asked, turning around and giving a curt but respectful bow.
“You may, but keep walking.”
“Sorry,” The paladin resumed her guidance, “If it isn’t too presumptuous, how does one end up becoming an apostle? And why seek the Princess?”
“I cannot say much about this, nor talk for the others, for me, this was a last resort, there’s nothing much to explain. And your other question… you already know the answer.”
“So the new king…”
“Yes.”
“No wonder they sounded so many alarms…”
They were silent the rest of the way.
The one armed paladin stopped in front of an inconspicuous wooden door.
“We are here. If I am not needed anymore, I will go attend to those who collapsed on the way.”
She looks like the one who’s about to collapse if I say no. Sofia waved her off and pushed the door. The lock gave up under her strength and the door flew open, revealing a disorderly bedroom with expensive looking robes and jewelry thrown about everywhere. The princess however was nowhere to be seen.
A thief got here before me?
Sofia picked up a large mana disturbance coming from into a wardrobe near the closed windows. She approached slowly, her every step leaving deep claw marks in the ground. This was apparently too much for the girl hiding within, who addressed her without coming out of her hiding place.
“Stop! Leave me alone! Go away!”
But the footsteps coming toward her didn’t stop.
“You already killed Jevvin! I have no value!”
Her tone had shifted from scared to heartbroken. But Sofia didn’t stop.
“I can’t even be used as a hostage, no one wants me! Just take the seal on the desk and let me go! Please!”
Way to make me feel like an asshole. She was still the one who framed Aurelia to have her killed, can’t forget that.
Sofia opened the wardrobe closet.
This was indeed Ellen, the princess that had been looking down at Aurelia and smirking at her while the king declared the death penalty. But she had nothing left of the elegance and decorum of the grieving noble lady she used to pretend being a month ago.
She was nothing more than a shivering mess, hiding in fetal position at the back of a closet, encircled by a softly glowing blue barrier. She was lying in a puddle of yellow liquid.
Sofia stood there dumbfounded. She had killed in battle, killed by accident, killed to save herself. But she had never killed someone that was just powerless, scared, hiding and begging for their life.
The barrier wouldn’t protect the princess, a single punch would certainly be enough to not only destroy the barrier but also the closet and the whole wall behind it. But she had a hard time doing it.
Am I becoming weak willed now? She isn’t even real…
It took her some time to gather her spirit and get ready. She would do it quickly and cleanly. Real or not she could at least give the girl a painless death, she readied her fist and clenched her muscles.
‘You have murdered [Ellen Trinal - Princess lv. 6]’
Again?
She hadn’t done anything yet, but the princess had stopped breathing all the same.
Really?
The barrier hadn’t disappeared when the girl died, it must have come from a magic item.
I scared her to death?
Well, this… Ah! Whatever! She gave a light kick to the nearby wall, opening a hole large enough for her to jump out the building.
She jumped a few times and laid down on a rooftop to observe the night sky.
That’s at least one thing that looks exactly the same no matter the year… She contemplated her trial and took the chance to sort her emotions. Being stuck in this demonic body was a strange thing to accept. At the start she was relieved that it was temporary, but now she kind of dreaded going back to her weak human self.
She liked her original appearance more, but it was unquestionable how strong and practical this form was. Losing the 360° sight and the tail would be the hardest things to adjust to. Losing a limb was certainly not as easy as having to adapt to a new one.
“Well, I’m done now, right?”
She checked the system prompts.
[Trial completion : Survive the solstice (3 hours remain)]
[Additional rewards task : Avenge Aurelia (Completed)]
Sofia sighed in relief. At least she hadn’t done all this for nothing. Finally done. Now I relax for three hours and get my level 100. Should end at midnight.
The city underneath was very much alive, even that late, the ripples of her actions at the palace just now reaching the populace. People were gathering outside, wondering what happened, why all the guards had suddenly been called to the palace. But Sofia couldn’t care less.
Hours later, the system clock showed a remaining time of zero.
The day of the Solstice, the shortest day of the year, had come and gone, and she was alive.
Not human, but alive.
The female paladin was armed to the teeth, and presumably high level. A second passed, the monster and the paladin staring at each other. After which the paladin surprised Sofia by dropping her sword and raising her hand.
“You’re… surrendering?” Sofia asked with her grating voice, she had been ready to fight.
The old paladin nodded once in response.
“Why?”
“I would rather live to see another day,” she answered.
“Will you lead me to Ellen then?”
“Do I have a choice?”
So she’s really here? Unless she’s leading me to some trap?
“No.”
I still have [Regret] available so I’m not too worried. Sofia gave a sign to the paladin to lead the way.
The paladin turned around, without picking up her sword or even sparing a glance for her fallen comrades. Now that she was walking, her cape swayed around, revealing that she was actually missing an arm.
Peculiar for a paladin to be missing a limb. Must date to before she joined the church.
The paladin silently led the way through the tortuous corridors of the church. They passed multiple patrols but they would all faint before anyone could even ring the alarm.
“Isn’t what you’re doing against the principles of the Church?” Sofia asked. Even though the paladin walked remarkably fast for someone her age wearing a full set of heavy plate armor, the long walk in the church was quite boring.
“Not really. Should I elaborate?” the paladin answered, not slowing down in the slightest. But Sofia could see her trembling.
“Please do.”
“I’m surprised a demon would even take interest in such matters,” She forced a weak laugh but it didn’t seem to help her calm much, “The Princess isn’t a believer or part of the church, at best she is a trading partner. I have no obligations toward her.”
“How pragmatic. And what does the church think about my kind?”
“To talk of the Recessed is a taboo, let alone becoming their apostle. But the Demon Lord isn’t an enemy we are preoccupied with, the church has much greater purposes.” The following silence compelled her to keep going, it also probably helped her take her mind out of her current circumstance, “Wasting precious manpower in the pursuit of demons isn’t something we do if we can avoid it. Only a few Heroes are the kind to actively pursue such goals.”
Recessed? Demon king? … Maybe we really need to go pay Kuli a second visit soon… I’m an apostle then? Apostle of sorrow?
Are demons all transformed humans? She shivered at the memory of the disgusting rotten demon she had killed in the mage tower.
They were both silent again for a while.
“How did you lose your arm?”
The paladin tensed up when she heard Sofia talk to her again, and relaxed somewhat when she heard the question.
“Level 80 Dire Wolf, I was only twelve when the caravan I was part of got attacked, I got bitten but survived, along with eight others out of the original ninety. The wound in my arm was too deep and it necrotized. Had to cut it. Our healer was of those who didn’t make it. Now it cannot be healed anymore. Been like that for many decades.”
Her story was followed by yet another silence, she was the one to break it this time.
“May I be allowed some questions as well?” she asked, turning around and giving a curt but respectful bow.
“You may, but keep walking.”
“Sorry,” The paladin resumed her guidance, “If it isn’t too presumptuous, how does one end up becoming an apostle? And why seek the Princess?”
“I cannot say much about this, nor talk for the others, for me, this was a last resort, there’s nothing much to explain. And your other question… you already know the answer.”
“So the new king…”
“Yes.”
“No wonder they sounded so many alarms…”
They were silent the rest of the way.
The one armed paladin stopped in front of an inconspicuous wooden door.
“We are here. If I am not needed anymore, I will go attend to those who collapsed on the way.”
She looks like the one who’s about to collapse if I say no. Sofia waved her off and pushed the door. The lock gave up under her strength and the door flew open, revealing a disorderly bedroom with expensive looking robes and jewelry thrown about everywhere. The princess however was nowhere to be seen.
A thief got here before me?
Sofia picked up a large mana disturbance coming from into a wardrobe near the closed windows. She approached slowly, her every step leaving deep claw marks in the ground. This was apparently too much for the girl hiding within, who addressed her without coming out of her hiding place.
“Stop! Leave me alone! Go away!”
But the footsteps coming toward her didn’t stop.
“You already killed Jevvin! I have no value!”
Her tone had shifted from scared to heartbroken. But Sofia didn’t stop.
“I can’t even be used as a hostage, no one wants me! Just take the seal on the desk and let me go! Please!”
Way to make me feel like an asshole. She was still the one who framed Aurelia to have her killed, can’t forget that.
Sofia opened the wardrobe closet.
This was indeed Ellen, the princess that had been looking down at Aurelia and smirking at her while the king declared the death penalty. But she had nothing left of the elegance and decorum of the grieving noble lady she used to pretend being a month ago.
She was nothing more than a shivering mess, hiding in fetal position at the back of a closet, encircled by a softly glowing blue barrier. She was lying in a puddle of yellow liquid.
Sofia stood there dumbfounded. She had killed in battle, killed by accident, killed to save herself. But she had never killed someone that was just powerless, scared, hiding and begging for their life.
The barrier wouldn’t protect the princess, a single punch would certainly be enough to not only destroy the barrier but also the closet and the whole wall behind it. But she had a hard time doing it.
Am I becoming weak willed now? She isn’t even real…
It took her some time to gather her spirit and get ready. She would do it quickly and cleanly. Real or not she could at least give the girl a painless death, she readied her fist and clenched her muscles.
‘You have murdered [Ellen Trinal - Princess lv. 6]’
Again?
She hadn’t done anything yet, but the princess had stopped breathing all the same.
Really?
The barrier hadn’t disappeared when the girl died, it must have come from a magic item.
I scared her to death?
Well, this… Ah! Whatever! She gave a light kick to the nearby wall, opening a hole large enough for her to jump out the building.
She jumped a few times and laid down on a rooftop to observe the night sky.
That’s at least one thing that looks exactly the same no matter the year… She contemplated her trial and took the chance to sort her emotions. Being stuck in this demonic body was a strange thing to accept. At the start she was relieved that it was temporary, but now she kind of dreaded going back to her weak human self.
She liked her original appearance more, but it was unquestionable how strong and practical this form was. Losing the 360° sight and the tail would be the hardest things to adjust to. Losing a limb was certainly not as easy as having to adapt to a new one.
“Well, I’m done now, right?”
She checked the system prompts.
[Trial completion : Survive the solstice (3 hours remain)]
[Additional rewards task : Avenge Aurelia (Completed)]
Sofia sighed in relief. At least she hadn’t done all this for nothing. Finally done. Now I relax for three hours and get my level 100. Should end at midnight.
The city underneath was very much alive, even that late, the ripples of her actions at the palace just now reaching the populace. People were gathering outside, wondering what happened, why all the guards had suddenly been called to the palace. But Sofia couldn’t care less.
Hours later, the system clock showed a remaining time of zero.
The day of the Solstice, the shortest day of the year, had come and gone, and she was alive.
Not human, but alive.
