When she returned to the others, they all looked at her with worry written across their faces. Then they glanced behind her, as if expecting her to have captured the Witch Cultist and brought him back.
However—
"No need to look. I cut him down."
She sighed, stopping their curiosity with a single sentence.
"Oh... I suppose so. After all, he tried to harm Lady Emilia. There's nothing wrong with him being dead."
Felix gave an awkward laugh.
"Shogun, are you hurt?"
Unlike the others, Emilia stepped forward and asked her with sincere concern.
"I'm fine. It's safe now. You may board the carriage."
She lifted the cloth sack wrapped around the fire magic stones, allowing Emilia and the children behind her to get on.
"Mm..."
Emilia did not argue. She took Petra and the others by the hand, carefully helping them onto the carriage. During the process, she glanced at the Shogun again, her eyes seeming to ask silently, What will you do afterward?
"You all go ahead. I'll bring up the rear."
She answered.
"Mm... be careful. If you get hurt, I'll be angry~"
Emilia puffed her cheeks at her in mock annoyance, but her beautiful eyes were filled with affection.
"Pfft... worry about yourself first~"
Seeing her like that, the Shogun couldn't help but laugh. She reached out and poked Emilia's forehead, teasing her in a softened voice.
As if something could happen to me. Impossible.
She complained inwardly.
"Mmph~ honestly... fine."
Emilia stopped protesting and held Petra protectively in her arms.
"Let's go."
She called to the driver.
"Yes!" ×N
Thus, the final batch of carriages bound for the royal capital began to move, carrying Emilia and the children away. Even as the carriage departed, Emilia kept waving at her, mouthing the words, Don't take too long.
[What a wonderful girl...]
Ei sighed.
'Your own thoughts?'
[Speaking for you.]
'You're annoying.'
Her face flushed slightly as she retorted in her mind.
After that, she turned to Felix and the others—
"How many soldiers remain?"
She asked.
"Eh? About half, I'd say, meow."
Felix estimated.
"Stand by and await my signal."
After giving a simple instruction, she flicked her hand, releasing a violet-glowing mark of the Eye of Stormy Judgment.
Hummm~
The mark vanished into the air. In the next second, it unfolded high above the forest, transforming into a massive eye capable of tearing through space itself. Its pupil bore the sigil of Ba, and it moved like a living being, sweeping its gaze across the entire forest canopy.
The Shogun slowly closed her eyes, linking her vision with the eye in the sky.
She intended to use the Eye of Stormy Judgment to locate the enemy. Since they had arrived so quickly, it was obvious they had set up an ambush in advance. If so, their positions should be easy to identify.
Rustle! ×N
The enormous eye shifted directions from time to time, occasionally blinking like some indescribable entity suspended in the heavens.
Hummm~
Just as expected.
Under elemental vision, several hastily built camps revealed themselves instantly. But farther away, halfway up the mountain, there was also a cave entrance. There was only one life sign there.
Strange. Why stand so far apart?
"Bring me pen and paper."
With her eyes still closed, the Shogun raised a hand and spoke.
"Eh? Ah..."
Felix looked toward Wilhelm, who retrieved a set of pen and paper from inside his suit and placed it into the woman's slender hand. Without opening her eyes, she marked four locations.
After the Eye of Stormy Judgment dissipated, she reopened her eyes and handed the paper to Felix, whispering a few instructions into his ear.
"..." ×2
"Understood!"
He nodded in comprehension, gave her a knight's salute, and led his forces toward the four marked positions on the map.
"Divide into four squads. Proceed cautiously. Leave no survivors. Do not allow them to alert anyone else."
She instructed the soldiers like a seasoned general commanding troops.
"Yes!" ×N
All the soldiers nodded instinctively, obeying her without hesitation.
Once they began moving, she shifted her gaze toward the distant mountainside.
That must be where the Witch Cult's leader is hiding.
If she remembered correctly from what Natsuki Subaru had said, the title was something like... Sloth Archbishop?
Whatever.
She didn't care to remember names, and the names in this world were far too troublesome anyway.
"Ei..."
[Hm?]
"Want to come out and stretch a little?"
She asked teasingly.
[You want to end this quickly?]
"Mm."
[Very well. If you don't mind me.]
Hummm~
In the next instant, a purple-haired beauty materialized beside her from violet particles of light. Her gentian-colored kimono fluttered in the wind, easily distinguishable from the Shogun's attire.
"How could I mind~?"
She took her hand and smiled sweetly at her.
[Silver tongue~]
Ei gently pinched her cheek, her eyes filled with tender warmth.
Zzzzt~
The next second, the two of them dissolved into lightning and vanished, flying toward the mountainside behind them.
...
"..." ×3
An awkward silence hung in the air.
Today, the Shogun truly experienced what it meant to be struck head-on by embarrassment.
Before the cave stood a long-ruined ancient ruin. The three figures faced each other silently.
No—more precisely, two facing one.
"You... who are you?"
As the Sloth Archbishop, Petelgeuse looked utterly bewildered. Baring a row of white teeth, he spoke to the two women who resembled twins.
"Why do you know of this place? Why have you come here?! Why—why did my Fingers not report to me?!!"
Crack!!
He grabbed a subordinate by the collar.
Thud! Thud!
He punched the man in the face several times before throwing him aside.
Fingers?
His subordinates?
The Shogun was puzzled.
"If you mean your men, they didn't have the chance to inform you. They may not even be in this world anymore."
She mocked casually.
"Of course, if you're envious, we can grant you the same fate."
Ei crossed her arms and added.
"What~! You... what did you... do?"
Crack! ×N
The deranged man bit into his own fingers and began chewing. The grotesque cracking sounds from his mouth were nauseating, saliva dripping onto the ground.
"You actually... you actually treated my arms... so cruelly..."
Huff! Huff!
He twisted his body wildly.
"So cold... so chaotic... so cruel... so arbitrary... so effortless... so utterly meaningless!!!!! Ughhhhh!!!"
Crack crack!!
His chewing quickened. Blood spurted from his mangled fingers as he trembled like a rabid beast.
"My brain!!! My brain is trembling!!!!"
He bent over, clutching his head and shaking violently.
"..." ×2
The two exchanged a glance, both wearing expressions of disgust.
"Shogun, let's switch weapons."
Ei gestured to the Musou Isshin in her hand.
Without a word, the Shogun tossed Engulfing Lightning over, exchanging it for Musou Isshin. They paid no attention to the man's hysteria.
"You!!!! You have desecrated the Witch's love! Love!! To be loved! To be loved! To be loved! Love!!!!"
Whoosh!!
In the next instant, a mass of unseen hands erupted behind Petelgeuse, lunging toward the mother and daughter.
Whoosh!
Though invisible, they stirred up violent gusts. The two women calmly tracked the movement of dust and airflow, switching positions seamlessly and dodging every strike.
"What?!"
Petelgeuse was stunned. They could dodge that?
Zzzzt!
In the next instant, two flashes of blade light severed all the unseen hands.
"Ugh!!! What is this—?! You—do not take away my 'love'—!!!!"
He staggered back, descending further into madness.
Clang!
Ei and the Shogun tapped their blades together with a crisp sound.
In that instant, time slowed.
They transformed into twin bolts of lightning and shot toward him. Along the way, the two streaks of lightning intertwined like dance partners waltzing through the air.
Zzzzt~
The twin streaks arrived at Petelgeuse's left and right, circling him several times before crossing through his body.
Hummm~
Countless blade marks filled the air.
His voice, slowed by the distortion of time, sounded almost comical. When time resumed, his body split apart in an X shape, limbs scattering across the ground in a spray of blood.
Standing on either side, the mother and daughter flicked the blood from their blades in perfect unison. The Shogun lightly tapped her foot and performed the sheathing motion of Musou Isshin, while Ei rested the naginata behind her, feet set apart.
They struck a pose together.
The battle was over.
Clack!
The moment his body hit the ground, a thick, heavy book fell from him and struck the earth with a crisp sound.
The noise immediately caught their attention. The two exchanged a glance and walked over.
The Shogun bent slightly, intending to pick it up, but Ei gently tugged at her sleeve.
"?"
She looked back in confusion.
"Be careful... It could be a trap."
Ei's eyes were filled with vigilance—along with unmistakable concern for her.
"It's fine..."
She nodded reassuringly and reached down again, lifting the book.
"..." ×2
Ei leaned closer to examine it. The cover was a deep, abyssal black, embossed with strange characters that neither of them could read.
"What is it?"
Ei asked softly.
"A book."
She stated the obvious.
"I know it's a book..."
Ei shot her a speechless glance. Seeing that, the Shogun deliberately smiled at her.
Rustle~
She flipped it open slowly. Yellowed pages filled her vision, aged and worn. Like the cover, they were covered in incomprehensible characters, densely packed in neat vertical lines. The print was small enough that reading it at night might very well put someone to sleep.
"It should belong to him."
She glanced at the Sloth Archbishop—Petelgeuse—whose body lay in pieces where they had cut him down. His bloodshot eyes remained wide open, his mouth stretched in a grin. With his corpse severed and scattered, the sight was somewhere between grotesque and absurd.
"Is he truly dead?"
Ei asked, still cautious.
"...If he could survive the blades we just gave him, then he'd be a god."
The Shogun shrugged mockingly, casually flipping through the eerie book.
"Shall we take it back and let them have a look?"
Ei suggested.
"...That makes sense. Let's head back first."
They might not understand it, but the locals probably would—or at least recognize it.
"Mm."
Hummm~
Ei dissolved into violet light and merged back into her chest. Feeling her body become whole again, the Shogun narrowed her eyes slightly. Then she transformed into lightning and left the abandoned ruins behind, streaking toward the village.
A few minutes later—
"Hmm—this should be a 'Gospel,' I believe."
After returning, she showed the cover to Felix. He stroked his chin thoughtfully before reaching that conclusion, his expression carrying a hint of distaste.
"So this is the legendary 'Gospel'? It's my first time seeing one."
Wilhelm stepped closer to inspect the cover. His gaze was probing, his expression solemn.
"...Gospel?"
The Shogun tilted her head slightly, looking down at the contents again, confusion flickering in her eyes.
"Can you read it?"
She held the open pages directly in front of Felix and asked.
"Wah—w-wait—! Don't just show it to me like that, meow~!"
Felix hurriedly turned his face away, waving his hands in flustered refusal as if afraid.
"...? What's wrong?"
She withdrew the book and looked at it again herself.
"Honestly, Raiden dear, don't do something as foolish as reading a 'Gospel'~!"
Felix continued trying to stop her.
[Judging by his tone, it seems dangerous?]
Within the Plane of Euthymia, Ei crossed her arms lightly, observing through the shared vision.
'I'm not sure... I don't sense anything particularly dangerous.'
She shook her head.
[Neither do I... Perhaps it only affects others.]
Ei replied.
"Is it dangerous?"
The Shogun flipped through the Gospel again, glancing at Felix and Wilhelm.
"The 'Gospel' is proof of Witch Cult membership. To them, it's like scripture."
Wilhelm nodded and began explaining. His deep voice carried steadily through the air, drawing everyone's attention.
"...Scripture?"
She looked down again at the worn pages. For a moment, it felt as though the words were subtly writhing. Perhaps it was an illusion, but the book seemed to emit something faintly malevolent—like whispers from somewhere unseen.
"It's said that the book is delivered to those who have the potential to join the Witch Cult. Once it arrives—wow~ how miraculous! A devout Witch Cultist is born, meow~!"
Felix even acted out the final line dramatically, as though performing on stage.
"You mean... it has the power to make people join the Witch Cult? Or brainwash them?"
She asked.
"Not exactly. If someone has no understanding of the Witch Cult, it does nothing. But if a person carries the nature of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, then it reacts~. For example, someone inherently greedy would be influenced by it. The same applies to the other sins. For ordinary people, though, it's just a normal book."
Felix explained.
"It reacted to me just now. Does that mean I also carry the nature of a sin?"
She gestured at the faintly shifting text on the page.
"Eh? It shouldn't... I don't sense anything wrong with you, Raiden dear. You're very kind."
Felix looked puzzled.
"Perhaps it has something to do with Lady Raiden's constitution."
Wilhelm offered.
Constitution?
Would it react to a puppet's body? That sounded absurd.
She scoffed inwardly.
Never mind. She would ask someone else later. For now, they needed to leave.
[Emilia...]
'...What?'
Ei suddenly spoke the silver-haired girl's name, catching her off guard.
[Do you think she might know something deeper about this?]
After all, though she was not a witch, outsiders constantly mocked her as one. Perhaps she possessed some related knowledge.
'You want me to ask her?'
[It wouldn't hurt to try.]
Ei replied.
'...Would that really be alright?'
[Are you afraid of hurting her?]
'Mm...'
Topics related to witches easily wounded her. She could feel how fragile Emilia's heart truly was, and how much she hated being called a witch.
[Then forget it. If you care about her, I won't insist.]
Ei conceded.
'Don't you care about her too?'
She asked.
[...I only care about you.]
Ei smiled and answered directly.
"///!"
Her face instantly flushed bright red. Her small lips puffed up slightly, as if silently accusing her of being unfair.
[Look how embarrassed you are.]
Ei smiled in satisfaction.
'I'm not embarrassed~///!'
She protested in her heart.
[Alright, alright~ Not embarrassed.]
Ei shook her head indulgently.
How adorable... my daughter.
"...?" ×2
At the side, Felix and Wilhelm exchanged puzzled looks. They watched the Shogun's expression change every few seconds, then shrugged at one another.
"...Is something wrong?"
The Shogun snapped back to reality and asked them.
They both shook their heads.
Sometimes Raiden dear is truly strange, meow. Heh heh...
Felix chuckled awkwardly to himself.
"By the way, what about the remaining Witch Cultists?"
The Shogun asked. She had ordered them to clear out the enemy camps earlier. If they hadn't succeeded, she would simply go herself.
"Don't worry about that~!"
Felix gave her a thumbs-up.
"The remaining Witch Cult members have all been eradicated. Lady Raiden need not be concerned."
Wilhelm confirmed.
"Mm, just like you said—'leave no survivors,' meow~."
Felix winked and made a slicing gesture across his throat.
"That's good..."
She let out a quiet breath of relief. Without their leader, the underlings would not have caused much trouble anyway.
"By the way... Raiden dear is really amazing. You pinpointed their locations perfectly."
Felix praised.
"It was nothing worth mentioning... Let's return to the royal capital first."
She was about to step away when—
"Ah... what about these fire magic stones? Should we detonate them in an open area?"
Felix gestured at the still-primed 'timed bomb.'
"...Give them to me."
Crack!
She lifted the sack filled with fire magic stones in one hand and looked up at the sky.
Whoosh!
She transformed into lightning and shot high into the air. From above the clouds, she hurled the sack into the distance and sent a slash of blade-light after it.
BOOM!!!
The blade struck the overheated stones just as smoke began to pour from them. The impact and accumulated heat triggered an immediate explosion.
A blinding white flash bloomed overhead. The shockwave spread across the forest, bending trees and kicking up clouds of dust. A fiery cloud expanded through the sky, dyeing the land below in molten gold and crimson.
Even from the ground, the heat brushed clearly against their faces.