Once we had defeated the giant bird and waited for Halfa to recover, we made our way back to Aingurna. The city was in an uproar, far noisier than usual. It made sense, though. First, a mysterious object had appeared in the sky broadcasting a song that made people collapse, and then monsters had emerged in the heart of the city to engage it in aerial combat. Even for a city built inside a dungeon, it wasn't exactly a common occurrence. The locals could be forgiven for being a bit shaken.
When we arrived at the Adventurer's Guild to deliver our report, Buffy-san’s first words were of gratitude. While he thanked us for helping the citizenry, his primary concern had been Rache-san.
"If it hadn't been for this cat tea—I mean, this Hairpin of Conviction—things would have turned out terribly."
"I’m so ashamed, nya..."
Apparently, Rache-san had nearly gone on a rampage the moment our airship began broadcasting the Song of Soothing. While she had listened to the song several times before, it seemed that alone hadn’t been enough to fully purge the Black Haze from her system.
"The moment the song started, I heard that strange voice again, nya. It was even more powerful than before! But at the same time, it felt... desperate, nya~"
That was Rache-san’s take on the situation.
Most likely, the golems' sound amplification had boosted the Song of Soothing’s purification effect along with its volume. The Black Haze lurking inside Rache-san—which had likely been trying to lay low and wait out the storm—suddenly found its very existence threatened. In a final act of defiance, it had tried to seize control of her body.
"Are you feeling alright now?" I asked.
"It feels like it was completely washed away this time, nya. My body feels so light, nya!"
Rache-san hopped up and down, demonstrating her vitality. She certainly seemed energetic enough, but there was always the chance she simply hadn't noticed any lingering corruption. After all, that was exactly the problem she’d had before.
It would be safer to check her once more with Clean. If my magic could vaporize that giant bird, it would surely catch any trace of malice still hiding in her. I explained my reasoning and cast the spell. Even after the magic took hold, her condition remained unchanged. It seemed the purification was indeed complete. What a relief.
"By the way," I said, "what was the story with the cat tea—I mean, the Hairpin of Conviction?"
"Well, you see—"
I still hadn't heard exactly how the hairpin fit into all this, so I asked Buffy-san to clarify.
When Rache-san had started to lose control, there had been no one at the guild capable of stopping her. It was obvious when I thought about it; she was an A-Rank Adventurer and a Melee Combat Type. To properly restrain her, you would need another A-Rank Melee Attacker, which was a tall order.
If she had truly gone wild, the guild would have been smashed to pieces. As it turned out, the Hairpin of Conviction had played a vital role in avoiding that catastrophe.
The moment Rache-san began to snap, the hairpin had tumbled out of her pocket. Her movements froze instantly, her eyes glued to the ornament. Even with her mind clouded, it possessed an allure she simply couldn't resist.
One particularly sharp-witted adventurer had snatched it up and given it a little wiggle. Every time Rache-san lunged for it, they’d toss it to someone else, playing a frantic game of keep-away to keep her distracted. By the time the song finally brought her back to her senses, the only casualties were a few broken tables and chairs.
I’d given it to her for its mental resistance properties, but it seemed it had served a very different purpose. Oh well. As long as it worked, I wasn't going to complain.
Because Rache-san had been so occupied, she didn't have a clear grasp of the situation in the city. Strictly speaking, the guild wasn't responsible for urban security, but they usually kept an ear to the ground in case the Public Order Maintenance Organization requested reinforcements.
"Well, given the scale of the commotion, I'm sure we'll hear something from The Council soon, nya. The real issue is that monsters appeared inside the city walls, nya~. There's no guarantee the threat is gone just because you beat that one bird, nya."
That was a concern of mine as well. That giant bird had felt eerily similar to the Evil Dragon we’d faced in Garond. If Godfee was hiding somewhere in the city, the amplified Song of Soothing might have broken his hold on the citizens... but I couldn't be too optimistic. Our aerial broadcast had been cut short, and we hadn't even flown over the area where the giant bird appeared yet.
I felt we should investigate that neighborhood, but that was likely the responsibility of the city's security forces. Besides, I doubted anything would be left. Since the enemy had appeared in such a conspicuous manner, they had likely erased any evidence before retreating.
As for our own plans... well, we only just got back into the swing of things, but I think another vacation is in order. Everyone was drained after fighting such an unexpectedly powerful foe. The airship was a wreck and needed repairs, and I still had to refine some steel to upgrade the Petit Golems' bodies.
There were still mountains of work ahead of us, from tracking Godfee to hunting down Special Individuals. However, defeating that bird had likely thrown a wrench into the evil god's plans. Surely it would be fine to take a few days off.
Probably.