Theodore immediately moved toward the next target.
The holy knights who had appeared like heroes began cutting down the basilisks with Theodore at the front.
He swung a greatsword as large as his own body. Every time the blade, filled with holy power, came down, a basilisk’s neck fell as easily as slicing ham.
He tore through them like a blazing fire on the battlefield, red hair whipping in the wind.
With Lowell and the remaining imperial knights joining in, the basilisks were wiped out in no time.
After finishing off the last one, Theodore cleaned his sword and slid it back into its sheath.
Then he walked up to Lowell and smiled brightly.
“If the Empire’s greatest mage struggles with just this, maybe you’re not as impressive as they say?”
Lowell slowly turned toward him.
He wore a gentle smile, but something about it felt off.
His lips were smiling. His eyes were not.
“So you’re Sir Theodore Blair, Commander of the Holy Knights.”
“The Empire’s top mage knows my name? I’m honored.”
Right on cue.
The red-haired man was another capture target—Theodore Blair.
Lowell smiled at him without warmth.
“Of course I know you. Your skills are widely praised.”
He added mildly,
“Though I didn’t know your tongue was sharper than your sword.”
Theodore laughed easily.
“You’re more shy than I thought. You could’ve just said, ‘Thank you for saving us.’”
“You expect gratitude for fulfilling a vow sworn in the name of God? I didn’t realize there were conditions attached.”
“I’m a flawed believer. I like hearing thank-you.”
As always, the two clashed the moment they met. They really didn’t get along.
Lowell sighed.
“What’s your purpose? You didn’t come out of boredom.”
“Looked like you needed help.”
Theodore gestured past Lowell.
The imperial knights who had been paralyzed by basilisk poison lay frozen.
“You’ve only got one mage. Antidotes and treatment will exhaust you. Wouldn’t holy power be faster?”
“I’m more than capable on my own. We don’t need the Temple’s help.”
Lowell’s tone was firm. I had never seen him reject someone so coldly.
Theodore shrugged.
As he turned to leave, our eyes met.
A system window popped up.
[Theodore Blair’s affection has increased by 5.]
[Theodore Blair – Affection: 5]
What?
We didn’t even talk. Why did it go up?
Did he fall in love at first sight or something? But it was only five points.
Even in the game, his affection didn’t increase at first meeting.
Well, if his affection had risen after seeing me unconscious, that would’ve made him just as creepy as Lowell.
Still. The affection I want won’t rise, but random ones do.
While I grumbled internally, Theodore walked back toward the holy knights.
“Lady, can you help me make some antidote pills?” Lowell asked.
“Oh, yes!”
I hurried over.
Following his instructions, I ground herbs in a portable mortar. As I rolled the crushed herbs into small pills, the imperial knight commander approached.
“Sir Chiprian, are you certain? Should we not accept the holy knights’ assistance? If you exhaust yourself—”
“If I couldn’t handle this alone, the Crown Prince wouldn’t have sent only one mage.”
Lowell’s voice was steady.
“Especially now, when His Highness is closely watching the Temple’s movements. It would be unwise to give them room to interfere.”
So he really doesn’t like the Temple.
Did something happen between them? Is that why he left the priesthood?
Not important.
I fed the antidote pills to the paralyzed knights. Lowell cast recovery spells, and soon their bodies returned to normal.
Even after healing dozens of people, Lowell looked steady. Maybe he really didn’t need help.
After finishing, he said to the commander,
“It’s strange. Basilisks have never appeared in such numbers in one place before.”
“Something is definitely wrong. We’ll investigate the surroundings.”
Lowell nodded and cast a detection spell.
“Detectio malefica.”
A translucent wave spread deep into the forest.
“There are no dangerous monsters nearby. You may begin the search.”
As the knights scattered, Lowell suddenly staggered.
I quickly grabbed his arm.
“Master?”
“Haah…”
He leaned against me, breathing heavily.
A handsome man leaning on me with flushed cheeks and uneven breath.
Focus. He’s unwell.
“Are you okay? You don’t look good.”
“I’m fine. Using the last of my holy power must’ve strained me.”
After steadying his breath, he said,
“It’s nothing serious. I’ll recover if I sit for a while.”
So much for ‘I can handle it alone.’
Still, seeing him weakened felt… unexpected. A little pitiful.
I led him to a place to rest.
“Please sit here. Should I bring you something to drink?”
He shook his head.
“No need. Why don’t you rest as well?”
Resting wasn’t a bad idea.
But I had something important to do.
“I’ll gather some extra herbs nearby. That’s okay, right?”
“It’s safe here. Just don’t go too far.”
I nodded and headed into the forest.
In the game, the expedition would search for days without results. Eventually, they’d find wyvern corpses, follow the trail, discover a cave, and inside would be the portal causing the monster surge.
But I didn’t need to wait.
I knew roughly where the cave was.
If I closed the portal early, we could return to the city faster.
And honestly?
Why should I sleep outdoors when I could be indoors?
The cold ground. The strange noises at night. The worst part—
The bugs.
They were enormous here.
Mosquitoes the size of my palm. Moths as big as small dogs.
And centipedes.
Thick as a person’s arm.
Just then—
A red centipede as thick as a baguette slithered past me.
Right.
Why does it need to be that big—
Wait.
That thing was over a meter long.
Worse, it stopped and looked at me.
Then—
“Kyurrrk!”
It charged straight at me.
You said there were no monsters!
You said it was safe!
