I wonder if I'm really going senile.
There were many assassins who had intruded upon this sanctuary before, but this is the first time one has gotten so close. Wonder if my crisis perception skill is getting rusty?
While feeling dubious with the lack of thirst of blood from the intruder, I take the initiative to greet him.
"Ara, the assassin tonight is quite excellent."
The one who appears from the shadow as if gliding on the ground is a young boy wearing a white mask. There are two wrapped clothes in his shoulder--are those people? Is he an assassin who also happens to be a kidnapper I wonder?
I could see with [Status Check], but I couldn't see his name. Since I could see the name of the two people on his shoulder, it wasn't like the skill wasn't invoked. The two are the miko of Parion and Garleon who have been kidnapped together with Sera.
His level is 70 like the hero of Saga empire, but his title is [Saint]. He can't be called anything but abnormal to have such level at his age even though he's not the summoned hero of Saga empire.
Moreover, that [Saint] title. Although there are other people who have [Saintess] title like me, there shouldn't have been anyone with [Saint] title for the last 100 years here. I wonder who. I'd have consented if he had the title of hero instead.
"Nice to meet you, Yu Tenion Head Miko-dono. I am Nanashi."
"Hey, Nanashi-san. Won't you show your face. It's hard to talk with that mask."
I endure hard not to let my voice trembles.
Hey, what about Sera?
I want to ask that.
However, my intuition as a miko has told me. That child is already no more.
"Hey, Nanashi-san. Don't you know the whereabout of our kidnapped miko, Sera."
"I knew."
Ah, as I've thought.
That child has died isn't she. I can't, it's still to early to cry, for that child's sake. As a miko, I have to ask him now.
"Was the one who deprived Sera's life the humans of 『Wings of Liberty』? or-- the demon lord. That's right isn't it, Sera has been sacrificed for the demon lord."
"That's right."
Ah, I can't hold back my tears.
Even though I have to ask for the deployment of the saga empire hero, and even though I'm not sinking in sorrow, I can't stop my tears.
"Is that so, that child wasn't able to go against her fate."
Nanashi-san takes out a handkerchief out of somewhere and wipes my tears with it. Although he's wearing a strange mask, he's a gentleman isn't he.
I talked to him about the catastrophe that would befall this land while crying. In order to pull him as a war potential before the hero arrives here. He gave indifferent replies when he heard the story about the demon lord revival. Does it not feel real to him? Or perhaps--he has already exterminated it?--That can't be right.
◇
"Yu Tenion head miko-dono, are you able to use resurrection magic?"
"Yes, I'm able to."
I answer Nanashi-san's sudden question.
He probably wants to bring me to where the Sera's body is, and use resurrection magic, but that's impossible. This resurrection artifact hasn't been filled with enough mana to be usable.
"What, that sort of things huh."
Nanashi-san took the resurrection artifact from my chest, and began to dazzlingly pour mana into it.
It's an unbelievable sight.
Doing the precise mana filling just like that. Normally you'd need one hour just to adjust the mana before you even begin to fill it.
However, he still has the body of human after all.
The amount of mana isn't something that can be filled by a person alone. While this is happening, the 30 minutes after-death condition becomes the shackles and resurrection will be impossible.
"Excuse me for a bit."
Nanashi-san takes out a holy sword just like when he took the handkerchief earlier. It's accompanied by brilliant holy light that brighten this room as if it's daylight. Even though it's this bright, it a gentle light that doesn't hurt my eyes. I've never seen a holy sword with this much overflowing power. I can feel an order magnitude different in strength compared to the holy sword that my hero-sama wielded, Joyeuse.
But, what is it for?
I don't think that it's to hurt me. Just what on earth--
"I'll fill it up right away, so please excuse my discourtesy."
--Nanashi-san is absorbing the holy light from the holy sword as if pulsing. And then Nanashi-san pours mana into the artifact without looking agitated, like he's just breathing. Don't tell me, he's using his own body as an intermediary to transfer mana from the holy sword to the artifact?
Such absurd method doesn't exist even in fairy tales you know?
While I was taken aback by that absurdity, the mana filling on the artifact was over. Completing a process that'd have taken several years in just 10 minutes, I am speechless.
He's done so much already, I'll show him that I'll run fast to where Sera's body even if I have to whip out this old body.
As if ridiculing that determination, Nanashi-san summoned Sera's body right in front of me. He doesn't have summoning skill though? Did he summon without the skill I wonder. Maybe he used the infinite stowing (Inventory) like the hero.
No, he said that it's only been a few seconds since the death of Sera's body. Time passes even for the hero's Inventory. Perhaps it's fixation magic? No, that shouldn't be able to be used on living things or corpses.
Don't tell me, time magic? Even though it's a magic that only appear in fairy tales, it's mysterious that I feel that Nanashi-san could possibly use it.
The body of Sera which has appeared in front of me is beautiful without a single wound.
Nanashi-san who has noticed that the body is naked puts a cloth on it.
Rather than that, I have to concentrate now.
It'd be a disgrace as a woman if I wasted the miracles that Nanashi-san had created.