I was left speechless by the sight of the red-black Undead Slime engulfing the arena. It spread far larger than what I had seen in the northern Jiemeld territory, swallowing even the spectator seats.
Even though I knew that being consumed by the Undead Slime wouldn’t lead to immediate death, the scene before me was eerie and terrifying. Yet, panicking would solve nothing. It was precisely because of this great threat that calm judgment was necessary.
“Well then, let’s buy some time for a strategy meeting,” Priest Sidney said, stepping down from the Coachman’s Seat and moving forward. Together with the other Clergy who stepped up beside him, they raised their hands, and a light began to form in front of them, depicting an Ivy Pattern. The Wide-Area Barrier was being deployed. However—…
“Oh? What’s that?”
“What’s going on? Something’s glowing inside my armor…?”
“Hm, something feels off…”
The mercenaries, the Black Knight, and Mr. Dolf voiced their surprise. At the same time the Wide-Area Barrier was activated, I could see a thin, membrane-like light enveloping the bodies of everyone around us.
“It seems this is the source of the glow,” the mercenary said, pulling out from his leather armor a collar of a shirt embroidered with an Ivy-shaped button that Mr. Gilbert and I had wished for.
“Interesting! It appears our barrier magic is being remotely separated through that button and embroidery, creating individual barriers for each of us. I feel like we’ve struck gold!” Priest Sidney chuckled, clearly impressed. Mr. Gilbert and I exchanged astonished glances, our mouths agape. What we thought was merely a wish had turned into a blessing.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have made one for the knights of Beresford as well…”
“We didn’t have enough time, did we?”
As we spoke, Priest Sidney grinned slyly.
“No, this gives the Clergy quite a bit of leeway. It’s reassuring!”
“Well then, next we need to consider our weapons. Who would have thought we’d encounter Iron-Eating Slimes here? If I had known, I should have coated everyone’s weapons in advance…” Mr. Dolf mused.
Hearing this, I suddenly remembered something and asked, “Would it be difficult to procure rustproof oil right now? I recall that in the southern part of my hometown, oil extracted from wool was used for rust prevention.”
“Ah, Wool Grease, huh? It’s perfect for rustproofing, but the question is whether we can return to town and secure enough in time,” he replied.
“Then, I suppose it’s our turn,” Ms. Barbara, who had been observing from the Coachman’s Seat, turned around with a bright smile.
“Can you handle it, old lady? There are quite a few of them,” the mercenary asked.
“Of course! I’m not alone anymore,” she replied, humming as she returned to the carriage’s cargo area.
“Let me show you the true prowess of a Guide Mage,” Ms. Barbara said cheerfully, patting my shoulder.
“I told you before, anyone with the Selfless Blessing is a mage. Among them, those with particularly strong guiding and amplifying powers are called ‘Guide Mages.’ And here, I have my top disciple, the strongest Guide Mage I know.”
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise.
“Your top disciple!? Miss Flora, when did that happen…!?” Mr. Gilbert exclaimed, equally astonished.
But if that were true, then there was something I could do for everyone right now.
“The magic I cast on the pot is, ‘The food will not run out until everyone is full,’ and the magic on the sewing machine is, ‘What is made will be of use to someone.’ In this way, Guide Mages serve as a beacon of blessings, and at the same time, we can somewhat determine the effects through prayer.”
Led by Ms. Barbara, I sat in the middle of the cargo area. In front of me was the Goddess Statue, removed from the wall, crafted by the children of the artisan village.
“Now, Flora-chan, let’s cast some magic together.”
I straightened my posture and took a deep breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Miss Chelsea, who had been riding in the carriage, looking bewildered.
“Oh, Chelsea-chan, you should pray with us too. There’s someone important here, right? We need to hurry. And you too, Gilbert! Everyone else who has a free hand, please join in. The more blessings we combine, the stronger they become. After all, there are so many of us!”
With a smile, Ms. Barbara called out to Mr. Gilbert, Miss Chelsea, the Clergy, and everyone peeking through the carriage window. Then she sat down directly in front of me.
“The guiding mark is already set. It was just right to add the non-slip treatment to the handles.”
Hearing this, I recalled how we had applied a non-slip finish to everyone’s weapon handles.
“Now, imagine applying the Wool Grease to everyone’s weapons in your mind. But the content of your prayer can remain the same as always.”
“Yes…!”
Miss Chelsea came over and began to pray toward the Goddess Statue. I sensed Mr. Gilbert sitting beside me.
I clasped my hands and closed my eyes, praying that none of my dear ones would be missing and that they would all be safe. Behind my closed eyelids, a gentle, warm light began to fill my vision, and I felt a warm breeze blowing.
“Hmm… It seems to have worked well.”
At Ms. Barbara’s words, I opened my eyes to find the scene inside the carriage as usual. However, from outside the carriage, I could hear the astonished voices of the mercenaries.
“Hey, look! This is amazing!”
Outside the window, a mercenary was waving a club, clearly excited. Lord Lionel had drawn his sword, speechless. The weapons in everyone’s hands were all glowing faintly. The same went for Goliath’s additional weapon. Goliath and the Black Knights were distributing those weapons to the knights of Beresford.
“Hm, this is excellent. It seems we won’t be devoured by the Iron-Eating Slimes. I’ll name it the Goddess’s Rustproof Coating!”
“…Is that really a suitable name…?”
Beside the boisterously laughing Mr. Dolf, Mr. Gilbert chuckled in a somewhat deflated manner. Mr. Gilbert’s Battle Axe had originally been glowing, so it was hard to tell the difference, but when he slightly adjusted the tanned leather wrapped around the axe blade, it shone even brighter than before, so it should be fine.
“As for whether it has the same effect as the Holy Sword… we won’t know until we fight.”
“I think it has some effect. Look closely; there’s a small Ivy Relief floating on it.”
“Really! Um, in this case, what would it be? Holy… club?”
Just as this lighthearted banter was taking place, Lord Lionel stepped forward.
“This is… reassuring. Now, let’s split up and tackle the situation. Move to the spectator seats and the arena.”
With that command, we began to move. The Black Knights and the knights of Beresford rushed toward the spectator seats engulfed by the Undead Slime.
Our carriage, surprisingly, had no horses, so the mercenaries would be pulling it by hand. Unable to ascend the steps, we would inevitably be responsible for the arena. After all, the largest mass of Undead Slime was there. And Mr. Kevin… and surely, Elliott too.
As I felt the tension building in my shoulders, trying to suppress my anxiety, Mr. Gilbert approached me, offering a soft smile without saying a word.
That simple gesture made it strangely easier to breathe.