People Who Want To Track The Saintess

Some time after the alchemist Seyi Falt had dived into the dungeon of Fotiatuyah.

The S-rank adventurer Phylite, who was chasing Seyi and the others, had also arrived at the royal capital Tuyah.

“So this is the southern island nation Fotiatuyah… the Saintess-sama is here!”

Now then, how had Phylite and the others gotten this far?

They first gathered information at the port and learned there had been a ship that froze the ocean.

Someone had defeated a gigantic sea monster that ruled the waters and saved the passengers.

Who other than the Black-Haired Saintess could do such a thing?

Phylite and the Holy Knight Ufhcok realized it instantly.

The Saintess had boarded a ship from this port.

They questioned people about her whereabouts and learned she headed to the royal capital.

Wanting to catch up immediately, Phylite decided to use a Mana Ship.

The Mana Ship was a convenient mode of transport developed in recent years.

It used magic to create wind and fly through the sky.

It was a flying vessel invented by the genius magic-tool engineer Marik Walnut.

However, because it required enormous mana crystals (*ore containing magical power) as fuel, the fare was higher than normal.

Although it arrived faster than a regular ship, the high price meant ordinary people rarely used Mana Ships.

Incidentally, Seyi hadn’t used one simply because she didn’t know about them.

These magic-powered vehicles were modern weapons first created by the Imperial military.

Seyi, a human from 500 years ago, did not know about such convenient transport.

“Now then! We shall search for the Saintess-sama!”

“…Yeah. I want to meet her soon. My Saintess…”

Phylite and Ufhcok were believers of the Black-Haired Saintess, so they couldn’t wait to meet Seyi.

Meanwhile their companion, the male adventurer Bols, wasn’t nearly as obsessed.

So he calmly stopped them when they tried to run off recklessly.

“Hold on. How are we even going to find the Saintess from here?”

“…Now that you mention it, we don’t have a clue. We only heard she came to Tuyah.”

“Right? First we get an inn and use it as a base, then question the people in the capital.”

Ufhcok nodded at Bols’s suggestion, but Phylite looked dissatisfied.

“What if the Saintess disappears again while we waste time!? That person is busy! She’s trying to save unhappy people across the world, even one second faster, even one more person!”

Indeed Seyi was in a hurry.

But the real reason was simply greed — she wanted to monopolize the materials she desired.

To the two believers, however, everything she did looked virtuous.

“Calm down Phylite. Where are you even going without knowing where she is?”

“I do know!”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

Phylite puffed out her chest.

“You still don’t understand…?”

“…………”

Bols clenched his fist and lowered it.

He couldn’t exactly punch his lover, but she was extremely irritating.

Meanwhile Ufhcok nodded knowingly.

“…I see! The Saintess must be where people are in trouble!”

“Correct, Ufhcok! Analyzing her past actions, that person’s purpose is helping those in need!”

No, it isn’t.

“Therefore wherever there are troubled people or an incident, the Saintess must certainly be there!”

“…Genius! Phylite, genius!”

“Hehe, of course.”

“I can’t keep up…” Bols held his head as if enduring a headache.

So Phylite’s group decided to search for people in trouble…

And surprisingly, they found them quickly.

“Please! Let me inside…! My big sister is inside!”

There was a strange shrine in the center of the capital.

Near the entrance leading underground were three beautiful girls wearing slave collars.

“What’s that?”

“…Looks like a dungeon entrance. And slave children.”

It was clear the slaves were desperate.

That alone made Phylite understand everything.

Trouble had occurred — the Saintess must be near.

“Are you in trouble?”

Phylite approached the slave girls.

A rabbit-tribe girl, a tall beauty who looked like a Fire Drakekin, and an elf beauty.

All of them were exceptionally attractive slaves.

Bols thought:

“(Slaves this beautiful… normal people couldn’t afford them. They’d be insanely expensive. And three of them… that’s a wealthy owner’s slaves.)”

But then he reconsidered.

“(Come to think of it, the Saintess also travels with three slaves…)”

There was another blue-haired woman, but she didn’t wear a slave collar.

That made the conditions line up.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Who are you?”

The elf slave girl looked suspiciously at them.

Being suddenly addressed, caution was natural.

Phylite smiled and gracefully bowed.

“Nice to meet you, I am the S-rank adventurer Phylite Strangia♡”

“…! An S-rank adventurer! One of the few even in this country!”

The elf’s eyes sparkled.

Then she bowed her head.

“…Please! Save our master who went into the dungeon!”

To the elf girl’s request…

“Of course!”

Phylite nodded without hesitation and accepted.

Ignoring reason and logic, she simply rushed toward those in need.

However, after accepting the request…

“You cannot enter!”

A dark-skinned elf — a desert elf man — stepped forward.

“Why? Their master entered the dungeon and hasn’t returned, correct?”

“Yes. Quite some time has passed…”

“All the more reason. They may be unable to return from deep inside. Now step aside.”

But the desert elf refused to yield.

“I will break through by force!”

“Try it!”

Phylite readied her rapier, and the desert elf raised a curved sword.

From their stare-down… a flash.

Clang!

Before anyone realized, they had switched positions.

“H-He’s fast… that guy’s pretty good…”

“Hmph, naturally. I was trained in swordsmanship at court and certified to rival S-rank.”

“The court…? Don’t tell me you’re royalty…”

If so, this was serious.

Phylite had just struck royalty.

Execution would be unavoidable.

Yet Phylite kept attacking without concern.

“You’re impressive! Let me hear your name.”

“Brockes. And you?”

“I am Phylite.”

“Hmph…”

“Hmph…”

““UOOOOOOOOOOOO!””

Phylite and Brockes clashed.

They exchanged fierce blows, neither yielding a step.

In other words, Brockes possessed power equal to hers…

Seyi had mistakenly thought Brockes was a weak man who relied on others to solve domestic problems.

But in truth, he was a young man with strength equal to S-rank Phylite.

Of course, Seyi remained unaware of this fact.