DLRV 7

“A monster! A monster!”

“Kyaaa!”

As the wyvern descended close enough to be seen with the naked eye, panic erupted among the believers gathered for the upcoming sermon. Chaos quickly spread as people began screaming in terror and scrambling to escape. The sheer number of people made it impossible to maintain any order.

“Ahhh!”

“Ugh!”

The pilgrims standing around me were no different. Before Samuel could grab me, someone ran across our path, and I took the opportunity to duck down as if I were startled. Some people had their hoods pulled off, while others still had them on, but they were all wearing similar pilgrim attire, so I could easily blend in with the chaos. Now was my chance.

The moment I released my grip on the necklace, the unnatural aura that had been covering my face dissipated. A squirrel quickly grabbed the fallen necklace and dashed toward someone’s pocket beside me. Fortunately, that person was almost on their knees in fear of the wyvern. The person who had fallen was crawling on their hands and knees, seemingly trying to escape. The necklace was successfully nestled in their pocket.

“Get out of the way!”

“Ah, help!”

As the people nearby pushed against each other, the wyvern drew so close that its scales were visible. Unable to land, the wyvern circled the plaza, leaving a trail in the sky. The mere movement of its wings created a strong wind. People stumbled, unable to open their eyes because of their flapping cloaks.

The wyvern didn’t fly away but circled the plaza, letting out a long, mournful cry. With each sharp cry, the people’s screams and confusion grew louder. Of course, everyone else was in chaos, but I wasn’t at all. My ears just hurt a little.

[A-ne-l-l-i-e-where are you~?]

“I need to let them know I’m here.”

I quickly scanned my surroundings and spotted a familiar eagle perched on the stage, which was originally set up for sermons. I immediately joined the crowd and started screaming.

“Kyaaaa! There’s a monster!”

In fact, alteration magic didn’t work on animals. They always saw my true form. So if I pretended to be swept away with the crowd and then separated myself to reveal my identity…

“Resurrected One!”

Startled by the strong force that grabbed my arm, I turned around to see Samuel with a serious expression. The certainty in Samuel’s expression wavered slightly when he saw my face. Without missing that moment, I screamed like a frightened believer.

“Help me! Oh, gods!”

Perhaps because of my momentarily altered appearance, Samuel couldn’t grab me firmly. I pushed his hesitating arm away and quickly turned to run. I forced my way through the crowd, pushing people aside as I tried to distance myself from Samuel. Luckily, while Samuel couldn’t carelessly push the believers, I could push them aside without hesitation.

How did he find me even after I’d discarded the necklace? I had been certain he would go look for someone else. One thing was certain: if I missed this opportunity, he would definitely catch me this time. Moreover, the holy knights would soon arrive to deal with the wyvern. Although there were still many people in the plaza, preventing any major attacks, some priests and guards had already started quickly leading the believers out of the plaza.

I turned around, changing my direction. At the same time, a strong gust of wind blew over my head. The hood I had tightly wrapped around my head couldn’t withstand the wind and was blown off. My silver hair, which I had been hiding with magic, fluttered freely. Damn it, I was cornered!

The preaching stage in the center of the plaza was easier to approach now that many people had left. The eagle, spotting my distinctive silver hair, flapped its wings.

“Over here, over here! Brother!”

“Where~ where are you~?”

The wyvern, which had been circling high in the sky, began to descend closer to the ground. People who hadn’t managed to escape were trembling and screaming as they lay face down on the ground.

I quickly jumped over the bodies of those who were too terrified to move and leaped onto the preaching stage. From my higher vantage point, I could see the entire square. It was easy to spot Samuel, who was noticeably taller than the others. He was coming.

“Here!”

I waved my cloak wildly, and I jumped up onto the highest part of the stage. I could see armed knights and soldiers arriving at the edge of the square.

“Here!”

The wyvern’s claws spread wide as it locked onto its target.

“Resurrected One!”

“Anellie, hold on tight!”

Just as Samuel reached the stage, a large, dark shadow quickly passed over it. I closed my eyes tightly, gripping the cloak with all my might. I felt a sharp impact, as if I had been hit in the chest. My breath was knocked out of me, and I felt myself being lifted into the air.

“Got you!”

“Did I get the right one, brother?”

“Yes, brother!”

I could hear the eagle and the wyvern talking over the sound of the wind rushing past my ears. When I opened my eyes, I could see the central square quickly disappearing into the distance. Archers were aiming at us, but they weren’t firing. With a few flaps of its wings, the wyvern quickly put distance between us. I could hear someone shouting from below, but it was too far away to make out what they were saying.

It was more chaotic than I imagined, but it was satisfying enough. Exhausted, I let out a long breath, still clutching my cloak. Then, without hesitation, I dropped the pilgrim’s cloak. As I watched it flutter down, I couldn’t help but smile.

…Finally, I’m free.

***

“We can hit it from this distance!”

“No, a person has been kidnapped!”

“If we let it go, there could be more casualties! Give the order!”

The arrows aimed at the wyvern were sharp enough to be released at any moment. Ordinary bows would simply describe a parabola and fall, but those holding the bows now were skilled archers who could manipulate divine power. With their current skill, they could tear the wyvern’s wings and bring it down. A monster suddenly appears in the city of the gods. To prevent endless rumors and anxiety among the citizens, they needed to deal with it now.

Despite this judgment, the captain of the city guard couldn’t order an attack on the wyvern. It was because of the objection of a stern-faced holy knight.

“No!”

He couldn’t ignore that opinion. The holy knight was Samuel, a uniquely skilled knight who was favored by the High Priest.

“We can’t let her get hurt!”

“But…”

“She is the Resurrected One!”

“The Resurrected One?”

“The one sent by the gods?”

The captain of the guard and the surrounding holy knights looked at the disappearing wyvern with confused eyes. Samuel also glared at the departing wyvern, clenching his teeth.

“Something’s falling!”

Something black detached from the wyvern, which was now safely out of arrow range. A dark cloth fluttered through the air, resembling the cloak the Resurrected One had been wearing. Samuel’s face turned pale. For a moment, his heart sank, thinking that perhaps the wyvern had dropped her. But fortunately, only the cloak was falling.

“Sir Samuel, are you sure she was the Resurrected One?”

Someone grabbed Samuel’s arm and asked urgently. Samuel nodded silently, his gaze fixed on the wyvern until it became a small dot.

“Oh my God, the Resurrected One sacrificed herself for us.”

“She threw herself at the monster to protect us!”

“Ah, the gods have truly sent us the Resurrected One to destroy evil!”

The crowd murmured and then shouted. Some knelt and prayed to the gods, while others cried out that they should go and save the Resurrected One. The captain of the guard quickly sent someone to the Great Temple to report the kidnapping of the Resurrected One. The wyvern was no longer visible. Samuel, who had been standing there stiffly with a hardened expression, turned around.

Her flowing silver hair and mysterious purple eyes must have been the true appearance of the Resurrected One, who had been disguising herself with magical treasures. There was a clear scar on the nape of her neck, which she had always kept hidden. It was proof that she was once the evil empress of the empire, who had been beheaded.

“Anellie Roam.”

The name that I had never spoken slipped out of my mouth. It felt very unfamiliar and awkward compared to the title Resurrected One that I had been using all this time. But once I had said it, it couldn’t have been more fitting.

“I guess you haven’t heard of me. I was famous for being evil.”

Her indifferent voice echoed in my mind. At that time, I had casually dismissed her words.

It was obvious she didn’t want to be in the Great Temple, and those spiteful words must have come from that sentiment. 

Since there was no point in trying to alleviate her hostility now, I decided to simply ignore her comments and focus on protecting her.

“My name is not the Resurrected One, Sir Samuel.”

I had known her name from the beginning. I just hadn’t thought it was important. The fact that she was called a villain in the past didn’t matter to me. She was the Resurrected One, sent by the gods. It wasn’t my place to question who the gods chose or their intentions. Perhaps I should have approached her differently from the beginning. 

Since finding Anellie was so easy, I never imagined that I would lose sight of her.

“Why? Afraid I’ll run away? With your abilities, you could easily catch me in this crowd.”

He admitted it. He had overestimated his abilities. Because he had always been successful in pursuing his targets, he had assumed that his cold logic would quickly assess the situation this time as well.