Lionel emerged from the rear, swinging his sword sideways, which had just pierced through Agreas’s chest. If he were a mere mortal, he would have surely succumbed to death at that moment. Yet, only a few droplets of blood splattered, and Agreas showed no signs of collapsing.
However, Agreas’s once serene and beautiful face was now twisted with rage, the calm smile replaced by a fierce scowl.
“…Lionel… you, pathetic knight…!”
Her neck turned as if she were a doll, casting a glance at Lionel, her voice laced with venomous resentment.
“…It seems this wound is not fatal after all. But your regeneration appears to be quite slow,” Lionel remarked, gripping Agreas’s neck from behind and wiping the blood from his sword, which shimmered with a divine blessing.
The regeneration of her severed upper body was sluggish, leaving her with no chance to escape. Gagging on her own blood, Agreas drove the longsword she held into the floor. The thick wooden planks cracked with a loud splintering sound, and dark, viscous liquid began to crawl up the blade of her longsword.
“Gilbert, take this opportunity to slay the magical beast in her lower half…!”
“…! Understood!”
At Lionel’s command, Gilbert immediately swung his battle axe down at the beastly part that constituted Agreas’s lower half. With the strike, a small bolt of lightning crackled, and the creature, resembling a four-legged beast, disintegrated into mist.
As a result, Agreas lost her balance and fell to the ground. The luxurious tunic, befitting a high-ranking noble, that adorned her body was torn at the knees, the hem ominously losing its thickness. Noticing the absence of what should have been human legs, Gilbert grimaced deeply.
“This should keep her movements restrained for a while. Now, is there something we can use to bind her…?”
As Lionel and a few others held Agreas’s upper body in a tight grip, they scanned their surroundings. Agreas, perhaps resigned to her fate, remained silent, her pale face betraying no further resistance.
──Asking Miss Flora for another vine from her brooch… No, that would be too dangerous.
While pondering, Gilbert attempted to pull the battle axe from the floor, his gaze fixating on the braided cord in his hand.
“That’s it… Dolf, Miss Flora, do we still have any of that braided cord left?”
Shouting towards the carriage across the barrier, Flora quickly dashed back, returning with a bundle of braided cord, coiled multiple times as if it could be used for harnessing. There was enough to bind at least ten Agreases.
“…W-when did you gather so much…!?”
“Um, well… actually, while I was in the Territory of Kelvim, I thought it might come in handy, so I made it during my free time…”
Flora smiled shyly while cradling the bundle of braided cord. The cord, woven with iron thread, was remarkably sturdy. Although it was somewhat unsettling to use Flora’s blessed cord to bind Agreas, Gilbert was confident it would be a more reliable method than any other.
Handing it to Lionel, they began to bind Agreas tightly, ensuring she could not move.
“Hmm, a good plan indeed. Let’s give it a try. I shall imbue it with my blessing as well.”
Priest Sidney said this as he raised his hand towards the braided cord binding Agreas.
“…You shall be judged as a human. For that reason, you must not lose your life here.”
Sidney’s expression was one of utmost seriousness, his prayer reflecting the pride of one who has served the goddess for a long time. In stark contrast, Agreas, who had been so loquacious just moments ago, now appeared strangely silent.
──Something feels off…
As Gilbert pondered this, the ground began to tremble once more. The shaking intensified gradually.
“Ah, damn it, so her goal was to buy time after all…!?”
Gilbert turned, battle axe at the ready. However, he noticed the nearest Undead Slime retreating.
“…What’s going on? Is it fleeing…?”
“No, that’s not it… Look at the center.”
At Lionel’s urging, Gilbert turned his gaze to the center of the arena, where an enormous pillar of dark, viscous mud was rising ominously.
“Hahahahaha! I told you, this is a waste of time. From the very beginning, it was already too late for everything!”
Agreas began to laugh maniacally, her voice echoing with an unsettling glee. Realizing the reason for her sudden silence, Gilbert exhaled sharply.
“So, it’s multiplying and gathering in force…”
“Correct. You all are quite fortunate to be so carefree. I merely came to scout the enemy’s situation. I wasn’t even trying to buy time. Once everything is consumed by that, it won’t matter how it turns out. Ah, but you may regret not eliminating me.”
Bound and restrained, Agreas taunted them with a mocking tone. Her deliberately contemptuous and derisive voice made both Lionel and Gilbert furrow their brows in annoyance.
“Truly, what a noisy man. Let’s silence him for now.”
Turning at the sound of a somewhat lackadaisical voice, Gilbert saw Dolf holding a funnel and Barbara, beaming with joy, wielding a ladle like a magical staff. Behind them, Flora stood with a magical pot, smiling awkwardly.
“To someone as prideful and scheming as you, our delightful antics must be the most humiliating, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Hah, you fools. While you play around, I—… cough… ugh!”
Before Agreas could finish her sentence, Dolf unceremoniously shoved the funnel into her mouth, while Barbara, with a face full of compassion, poured the infamous soup down her throat. The mercenary held Agreas’s head firmly, and the scene resembled a bizarre form of torture. Gilbert exchanged glances with Lionel, both unable to suppress a smirk. He thought he heard Flora’s voice asking, “Shall we go for the pot too?” and did a double-take.
Turning away from the absurdly comical scene, Gilbert looked once more at the towering pillar of Undead in the center. It loomed as if reaching for the heavens. If that were to collapse and unleash its fury upon the surroundings, everything would be swallowed in an instant. The sheer enormity of it suggested that its impact would extend beyond just the arena, potentially reaching the Royal Capital itself.
“Now, what to do about that…”
He let out a deep sigh, but no brilliant idea came to mind. It was clear that chipping away at it would not suffice.
“Don’t worry. The blessings here are already abundant. All we need to do is tie the guide.”
Barbara said this with an inexplicable sense of joy, her demeanor relaxed.