Oricule allowed a thin smile to cross his lips as he looked at the figure who had just appeared in the room with the magic circle, deep in the basement of the Marstchel residence.
The robed individuals who made up the underground presence of the Holy Light Religion had all been rendered combat-incapable. Even the dolls were being utterly trampled by Vihera, a woman as ferocious as she was beautiful.
As for Oricule himself, while he had managed to avoid a lethal blow thus far against Rei, he was covered in numerous small wounds. It was fair to say the tide of battle was overwhelmingly against him.
Ordinarily, the arrival of a single reinforcement would not have changed much in such a dire situation.
However, Oricule knew better. Pri Masterche did not specialize in combat, but Oricule knew the true power of the jewels that adorned her body to the point of excess. He knew of the abilities granted by gems obtained at the cost of countless sacrifices—jewels that harbored immense power through the offering of blood, flesh, soul, and magic power.
The bolt of lightning she had unleashed upon Nakt was proof enough.
With a single strike, she had incapacitated Nakt—a thief from the relatively famous Sound Blade party—without even giving him a chance to evade.
Of course, Nakt had been distracted by Tibia and the magic circle he had been trying to deactivate. Nevertheless, considering he hadn't been permitted even the slightest reaction, the power of Pri’s jewels was undeniably useful.
Furthermore...
"MASTER, PLEASE GIVE YOUR ORDERS."
About thirty dolls emerged from behind Pri. Leading them was a doll roughly thirty centimeters tall—Pri's Masterpiece, which she always held close.
"Let's see. For now..."
Pri cast a sidelong glance across the battlefield.
The dolls she had created were already losing, and while Oricule of the Holy Light Religion had no fatal wounds yet, he was covered in countless scratches. His defeat seemed all but certain. The robed men who served as his subordinates were in even worse shape.
In contrast, among the attackers, Byune was already breathing heavily due to her small stature, and the other thief lay unconscious on the floor after taking a direct hit from the bolt of lightning.
(And the ones still capable of fighting are that woman and... the man, I see. That woman has quite a high amount of magic power, but the man... I feel an terrifying magic power from him that makes hers pale in comparison. I've never sensed magic power like this in an opponent before.)
Pri murmured inwardly while fixing her gaze on Rei.
Anyone else with the ability to sense magic power would likely have lost their will to fight the moment they felt Rei's power directly.
However, even while recognizing the magnitude of what she felt from Rei, Pri showed no fear. Instead, a delighted smile played across her face.
If he was to become her sustenance, then the more magic power he possessed, the better. The magnitude of magic power was a key element in determining a jewel's beauty.
It was an obsession with gems that could only be described as monomaniacal. Because of that fixation, Pri did not see Rei as a person, but as premium material.
She had come down to the basement because the final stages of the magic circle were nearing completion. Finding the intruders still rampaging was unexpected, as was the near-total annihilation of the Holy Light Religion's forces, save for Oricule.
Though, for Pri, the former surprise was far more pleasant than the latter was disappointing.
(Oricule is... useless. Even if he's at a disadvantage, he still has strength left. In that case, I should let them fight a little longer. Besides, that boy is the alias holder known as Crimson. It would be a waste to use that now, and the damage to the magic circle would be significant if I used it here. Ideally, they’ll wear each other down, and he’ll be appropriately weakened.)
She glanced toward Oricule. Knowing the material she had been eyeing since the moment she allied with the Holy Light Religion still had fight left in him, she decided to let him clash with Rei until both were exhausted.
While she plotted, Pri’s fingers continuously stroked the jewels on the rings fitted on every finger, cherishing them.
It was as if she were trying to suppress the urge to burst into laughter at her unexpected good fortune.
Finally, Pri turned her gaze toward a single girl who maintained a flat expression, though her eyes burned with an intensity she could not hide.
Unlike Rei or Vihera, Byune was in many ways Pri's primary target. Pri gave her a small smile before speaking to Oricule, who was currently locked in a tense stare-down with Rei.
"Oricule, I’m sorry, but I'll handle the others. Keep that boy busy for a while."
"...I’d appreciate it if you could spare some forces for me. As you can see, I’m stuck entirely on the defensive."
Oricule replied while gripping his rapier and swordbreaker, his body tensed to respond the moment Rei made a move.
But as Pri started to respond, the situation shifted.
Seizing the moment during their exchange, Rei swung his Death Scythe.
"Flying Slash!"
A blade of compressed air was unleashed with his shout.
However, Oricule was well aware of this skill that Rei favored. Without panicking, he dropped into a crouch to let the strike pass over him.
Rei had already anticipated the move. He kicked off the floor, closing the distance instantly to swing the Death Scythe again.
"Haaaaaaaaaah!"
Oricule ducked again to evade the strike aimed at his neck, simultaneously launching a sharp thrust with his rapier toward Rei's torso.
Rei parried the attack with the Death Scythe's shaft and butt end. In the split second that followed, he thrust the butt end toward Oricule's chest.
"Penetrate!"
An attack cloaked in wind for increased piercing power was unleashed, but Oricule, having seen it before, leapt far back to gain distance.
Rei pursued him relentlessly.
The battle resumed: the dual-wielding style of rapier and swordbreaker clashing against the massive, two-meter-long Death Scythe.
(...Now then, no matter which one wins, I’ll be the one to finish off whoever is left. It’s a bit of a hassle that I have to keep them alive, though.)
Pri smiled as she watched the fierce battle.
However, her gaze soon shifted to Byune, the true prize of the night.
The young girl stood there, glaring at her with a piercing stare.
Even so, the child seemed calm enough to grasp the situation, likely understanding that challenging Pri alone would be suicide.
(Or perhaps she is waiting for reinforcements.)
Next, Pri looked at Vihera. Though she paled in comparison to Rei, she still harbored an amount of magic power that was massive for a human.
(A beautiful body, a heart that seeks only strength, and immense magic power... I wonder what kind of jewel would be born if I used that girl as a sacrifice. ...But no, not yet. First, I must secure my primary goal.)
Pri smiled at the luck of having three sets of premium material—to her, they were no longer even people—fall into her lap. Still, she frowned slightly as she noticed the number of dolls facing Vihera was steadily decreasing.
Even if they weren't jewels, the dolls were still her precious creations. Seeing them destroyed so easily was a blow to her heart.
"Besides, I need to buy some time. ...You lot, half of you deal with that young lady over there. The rest, support me."
"UNDERSTOOD. PLEASE BE CAREFUL."
The lead doll spoke with concern for its creator.
Its voice was as difficult to decipher as ever, but the devotion toward Pri was unmistakable.
Pri smiled back, cherishing the jewel hanging from her necklace.
"My opponent is just that little girl. She might have become a decent thief, but she's still not enough of a match for me. ...Besides, she feigns composure, but the hatred in those eyes is impossible to hide. I wonder... did she find something out, or did she figure it out herself? Either way, one child running wild is nothing I can't handle."
She directed a beaming smile toward Byune, who continued to glare with pure hatred.
It was a wide, affectionate smile... but it was the smile one directed at a prized possession, not a human being.
The intensity in Byune's gaze sharpened.
Pri pointed her right index finger at her... and spoke.
"Now, go. But stay mindful—things will be busy after this. Avoid unnecessary exhaustion."
Half of the dolls moved toward Vihera, while the other half moved to support Pri.
"Run, Lightning."
The moment those magic-imbued words left Pri's mouth, the purple jewel in the ring on her right index finger—or more accurately, the magic item—activated.
A bolt of lightning erupted from it.
The same lightning that had stolen Nakt's consciousness in an instant raced through the air toward Byune.
"Nn!"
Byune already knew Pri had lightning at her disposal from the earlier attack. Because she knew, she could react.
The moment the lightning erupted, Byune kicked off the floor, staying as low to the ground as possible as if she were crawling.
The smell of singed hair reached her nose as the lightning passed overhead. Ignoring it, Byune closed the distance and readied her daggers... only to leap to the side an instant later without a word.
Arrows pierced the floor where she had been standing a heartbeat ago. More arrows followed her as she evaded, forcing her back and widening the distance between her and Pri.
At the same time, dolls wielding longswords, poleaxes, and spears stepped forward to form a defensive wall around Pri.
"Nn!"
Byune glared at Pri, her eyes flashing with a rare spark of irritation.
She didn't have proof. She had been searching for the truth of her parents' deaths, but no one would tell her.
Even the trusted Seracanth had kept silent, considering Byune's age.
Whether it was a thief's intuition, a woman's intuition, or her intuition as the survivor of House Flaut...
Byune understood almost instinctively that the woman before her was the cause of her parents' deaths.
"I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH MASTER PRI!"
A longsword swung toward her. Byune leapt backward to evade, then immediately kicked off the floor to close in again.
"I WON'T LET YOU."
Anticipating her move, a doll wielding daggers stepped in, swinging its blades to catch Byune in an opening.
"Nn—... Nn!"
Byune parried the dagger tip aimed at her solar plexus with her own blade and leapt back to gain distance.
Her usually expressionless face was twisted in displeasure, likely due to the unexpected strength of these dolls.
Compared to the ones that had been fighting in the room until now, these dolls were superior in speed, power, and skill.
The difference between the dolls Pri kept with her and the others was night and day.
It was clearly their superior performance that allowed them to serve as Pri’s personal guard.
"Burn, Flame."
A short... a truly short phrase.
Normally, a magic spell required a chant of significant length, but Pri could activate the magic sealed within her jewels with a single command.
"Pierce, Ice."
Flames erupted in the space Byune had occupied moments ago. She evaded them, only to find nearly ten ice arrows flying through the air to pin her down.
Using her daggers, she parried the ice arrows while simultaneously dodging or blocking the weapons of the dolls targeting her openings.
She was blown back after blocking a heavy strike from a halberd, but Byune used her agility to twist mid-air and land cleanly on the floor.
(She's calmer than I expected. ...Well then, things are getting quite busy over there too...)
Pri glanced away. The battle between Rei and Oricule was still locked in equilibrium, but it was only a matter of time before it tilted in Rei's favor. The situation with Vihera was even worse—nearly half of the dolls sent after her had already been incapacitated.
(I might as well play my trump card now. Come, it’s time for the daughter to be reunited with her parents.)
Pri reached into her robes and pulled out two jewels. She held them out toward Byune.
One was an orange-red jewel, and the other was light blue.
When she saw them, Byune found she could not look away.
To the staring girl, Pri spoke with a wide, cruel smile.
"Well, Byune? How does it feel to be reunited with your father and mother? Does it bring back memories? Are they not beautiful? The blood, flesh, magic power, and life of your parents... all offered as a sacrifice to create these. They are the crystallization of your parents."