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The Fierce Saintess

episode 22

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

Eight days remained until the ceremony for Prince William's accession to the throne. Princess Kana set out once more alongside Burley and the elite squad to subjugate magic beasts and purify miasma pools.

This time, their primary targets were the Egerton territory—located at the Ura-kimon—and the adjacent Margraviate of Carradine, with one of their objectives being to ensure the local lords could attend the ceremonies at the royal palace.

For that reason, the itinerary had been discussed in advance between the Princess, Burley, and Shaira. William and Aldridge were consumed with preparations for the ritual, and Beaton was similarly occupied.

「This time, it is fine with just me, Burley, and the squad. Unlike before, we already know what needs to be done.」

Burley readily agreed with the Princess's remark that traveling light would make them far more nimble.

「First, we shall head to Egerton, which the Saintess identified as the Ura-kimon, and then proceed to the Margraviate, the Queen's family domain. Afterward, as we make our way back toward the capital along the highway, we can focus on subjugating and purifying any miasma pools that catch our eye.」

The Queen nodded in agreement with the subjugation squad commander.

「Indeed. I believe that is best. I sent letters to all domain lords recently detailing how to destroy miasma pools, so they should be able to handle smaller ones on their own.」

Saying so, she turned toward Burley.

「No matter how magnificent the Saintess's purification powers may be, it is wrong for them to request help for tasks they can manage themselves. Should anyone raise such demands, you have no need to give them the time of day.」

She offered the firm warning to head off any foolishness. Shaira believed that by laying this down clearly, even high-ranking nobles would refrain from making unreasonable demands. Though Burley was immensely popular among the common folk, some nobles still looked down on him due to his rank as a viscount.

In particular, noble sons, wives, and young ladies who failed to grasp his true importance were a presence to be wary of.

「I am fully aware, Your Majesty.」

Nodding at his response, the Queen turned her attention back to the Princess.

「Also, Princess Kana. Though it may be an imposition, would it be acceptable if I entrusted you with a letter to my brother?」

「I mind not. Such a small favor is no trouble at all. Ah, so you have a brother...」

Shaira smiled gently, mentioning that they were somewhat apart in age. She explained that she had two elder brothers: the eldest was the current Margrave of Carradine, and the second was the commander of the frontier and border forces. The letters addressed to both had been handed over just before departure, and they now rested inside the Princess's All-Desire Fulfilling Treasure Chest.

Just like their previous journey, they traveled mounted on Kaou and Suou with no intention of stopping until they reached their destination. However, halfway through their journey, they came across a town below currently under attack by magic beasts.

Naturally, Princess Kana could not simply turn a blind eye and pass by. She ordered Kaou to descend, and Suou followed close behind.

The town possessed no outer walls, surrounded only by wooden fences. Several sections of these palisades had already been smashed through, allowing a multitude of magic beasts to swarm inside.

Guided by soldiers, the fleeing residents were in the middle of evacuating to whatever sturdy buildings they could find, and it appeared that heavy casualties had not yet occurred.

(However, I cannot use the Kuji in a situation like this. In that case...)

「Burley. I leave this place to you all. I shall go ahead and purify the miasma pool.」

Leaving those instructions with Burley's squad, the Princess signaled Kaou to soar back into the sky, heading toward a miasma pool visible a short distance away.

It was not particularly large compared to those she had seen before, but perhaps because it was newly formed, the rate at which magic beasts spawned from it seemed faster than usual to her eyes.

Furthermore, around ten soldiers and three mages were already engaged in battle with the monsters, but they were clearly being overwhelmed by the endless stream of beasts being born.

To make matters worse, the melee was a chaotic tangle of humans and beasts, making it impossible to safely cast the Kuji here as well.

(They are in the way...)

The Princess let out a sigh of annoyance. Knowing that lingering would accomplish nothing, she drew forth several talismans inscribed with 'Exorcism' and blew upon them. And then:

「Get back!」

She called out from above and released the talismans.

「Kyuukyuu Nyoritsuryou, Jufu Taima!」

*Snap, clatter-snap, snap!*

Watching the magic beasts burst into pieces before their eyes, the fighters below stared in wide-eyed shock. The Princess called out once more:

「I told you to get back! You are in the way!」

Finally realizing that her words were directed at them, they looked up into the sky in wonder, their astonishment doubling the moment they laid eyes on Princess Kana. Yet none of them moved to retreat; in fact, the soldier leading them even glared up at her. The Princess gave him not a second glance.

「Complain not if you get caught in it next!」

With that, she readied her hand blade, chanted the Kuji, and unleashed it.

「Suzaku, Genbu, Byakko, Kouchin, Teikyuu, Bun-ou, Santai, Gyokunyo, Seiryuu!」

「「「Gigaaagyiiiiiii!」」」

The soldiers watched dumbfounded as the magic beasts shrieked their death throes while being sliced to pieces right before their eyes. Finally understanding the intent behind her warning, they fell back all at once to put distance between themselves and the monsters.

Without missing a beat, the Princess unleashed a second Kuji. By the time she cast a third, the remaining handful of beasts fled, effectively settling the battle.

However, Princess Kana did not land on the ground. This was because the soldiers from before had leveled their swords toward her. To be sure, hostility emanated only from the young man at the front, while the rest merely held their weapons because they had been ordered to do so.

「Hey, woman. You wear strange clothes—where did you come from? And what is with that fox? A flying fox is suspicious beyond belief!」

The young man with reddish-gold hair and light blue eyes aimed his sword at Princess Kana, shouting at the top of his lungs for her to come down immediately.

(Where is the fool who would land in a place where someone will surely attack them? Well, dealing with someone of that level is trivial enough.)

Granted, she understood that her kimono and Kaou might seem strange to first-time onlookers, but that was no reason to tolerate such an arrogant attitude. Kaou seemed even more displeased than the Princess.

「Princess. May I freeze every last one of them?」

Puffing out its tail, the fox asked without concealing a shred of intent to kill.

「Be not so angered by fools. Let us see. Freeze them just enough to render them immobile. So long as they interfere not, it matters not.」

「Understood! Hmph, they have gathered quite conveniently. I shall use a bit of Baikeisou, so please cover your mouth, Princess.」

Smirking, the fox made a motion like stomping its front paws in midair. In an instant, thick walls of ice rose towering around the soldiers, trapping them within.

Never expecting such a counterattack, they panicked all at once, but it was already too late.

「Roubu!」

Inside the icy walls, a soft, snow-like powder fluttered down, accompanied by the scent of crushed plants filling the air.

「「Wh-What is this...」」

「「E-Eek... My body is... so cold...」」

「Damn it, poison...?」

They desperately tried to escape the freezing air and mysterious scent, but enclosed within the tight space, they were too close together to swing their swords or cast fire magic to melt the ice. To make matters worse, with every breath they took, a frigid numbness gradually seeped from within their bodies and spread across their limbs. As they realized they could no longer move, terror gripped the soldiers.

「Eek, help us...」

「Please, I beg you, save us...」

Some looked up and reached out toward the Princess, pleading for mercy. But at that moment, the young man yelled out:

「Hey! What are you all doing?! Protect me right now!」

Yet even if they wished to obey such an unreasonable command, the soldiers succumbed to the cold and numbness one after another, collapsing into a heap. Naturally, the shouting man was rendered immobile as well. After watching every last one of them fall, the Princess landed beside the miasma pool.

「Now then, at last. Kaou, I leave it to you.」

「Right away, Princess!」

Matching the mantra recited by the Princess, the flower-patterned white fox conjured a mist that enveloped the entire miasma pool, freezing it solid.

「On abokya beiroshanou makabodara manihandoma jinbara harabaritaya un, on abokya beiroshanou...」

Once the purification was complete and the water receded, a ceramic jar appeared just as expected. However, unlike previous times, it had not been buried, but simply placed casually on the ground.

(Were they in such great haste, or perhaps...)

「Now then. Were Suou here, I would have him burn it at once, but what to do?」

As the Princess stood pondering before the jar:

「Princess, are you safe?!」

A voice called out from above. Looking up, she saw Suou descending with Burley on its back.

「Oh, perfect timing. Suou. I was just thinking of burning this.」

「Then make haste!」

At the Princess's words, Suou set Burley down and ran over immediately.

「Noumaku samandabazaradan kan, noumaku samandabazaradan kan...」

As Princess Kana recited the Fudou Myouou Mantra, Suou's flames danced forth, burning the jar to ashes in an instant.

「Now, that is finally done. But why only you, Burley? What of the others? Have they not finished clearing up yet?」

When Princess Kana asked with a puzzled look, the subjugation squad commander replied with a troubled expression.

「No, we have already defeated the magic beasts that invaded the town, but it seems the domain lord's daughter insists on speaking with the Saintess...」

「How troublesome. I feel no need to entertain such a person.」

「As do I, but she was adamant, and I could not refuse. By the way, Saintess... what is this mass of ice?」

Noticing the ice wall Kaou had erected earlier, Burley inquired, and the Princess explained the sequence of events.

「They were in the way of purification, so I told them to fall back, but they turned their blades on me. I simply decided to let them suffer from cold and numbness for a while.」

Saying so, the Princess ordered Kaou to melt the ice, and asked Suou to bind them the moment they thawed so they would cause no further trouble.

「「Understood!」」

At their reply, the ice wall vanished instantly, replaced by a mound of soldiers bound tightly in ropes like caterpillars. Burley seemed slightly taken aback by their numbers, but catching sight of a familiar face among them, he muttered:

「This... I had best send a signal.」

Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out a small cylinder, stuck it into the ground, and lit it. After an initial burst of flame, it settled into a steady stream of wavering smoke.

「Burley. Is that a signal fire?」

「Yes. The smoke will continue rising for about half an hour, making it easier for those searching for them to find them.」

「Indeed. Now, let us return for now. If we hurry not, we shall miss our schedules.」

「What of them? Surely they will not die...?」

「They shall not die. Though they may suffer from cold and numbness for a while.」

「Now, let us go meet up with the others.」

Mounting Kaou's back, she returned to the town alongside Suou, but things did not go as smoothly as the Princess had hoped.

「Saintess, please, I beg of you to purify every single miasma pool in our territory! And please heal our wounded people!」

A young woman was currently kneeling before Princess Kana, eyes brimming with tears as she made her desperate plea.

A short while earlier, when Princess Kana descended to the open square where the subjugation squad members waited, she noticed a finely dressed young woman surrounded by several soldiers, staring intently in her direction. The moment she caught sight of her reddish-gold hair and light blue eyes, a bad feeling washed over the Princess.

(I have a feeling this will only lead to trouble...)

Sure enough, the young woman ran up to the Princess, clasped her hands together, dropped to her knees on the ground, and shouted those very words. On top of that:

「My Lady, there is no need for you to kneel yourself...」

「It is quite alright, Nurse. This is nothing to me. After all, it is for the sake of our precious people.」

「My Lady, how wonderfully kind...」

It came complete with such cheap melodrama.

(Glancing at me every time she speaks. Truly troublesome... Furthermore, this hair and eyes. I just saw a face very much like this a moment ago.)

Princess Kana let out a sigh and spoke to the subjugation squad commander standing beside her.

「Burley. Are all people in this world so universally greedy? Or is it simply that those who look like this girl are particularly brazen?」

The Princess did not miss how the young woman's face twisted in displeasure upon hearing those words.

*****

The so-called two-faced textbook villainess.

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