Allen appeared troubled by my suggestion to break the black spirit stone.

“I want to break this and save the Light Spirit too. But how to do it…”

“Allen.”

I placed my hand on his uncertain back. Touching bare skin felt somewhat awkward.

I felt his back muscles tense.

“L-Lady Calliphe?”

“What’s important right now? Hm?”

Thwack thwack!

[Faith +1]

[Faith +1]

“Ow!”

“You can do it. Why are you saying you can’t before even trying?”

“I-it hurts, Lady Calliphe… ugh.”

Allen twisted his body when I hit his back. Strangely, he seemed to be oddly enjoying it…

That’s when Noah suddenly clung to my waist. Even Lynen gently caught my wrist.

“No.”

“Noah?”

“Don’t hit other people.”

“Lynen?”

What’s with both of them?

While I stood confused, Allen laughed lightly.

“Thanks to Lady Calliphe’s encouragement, I feel energized. Please feel free to do it again anytime.”

“Of course I’ll hit you when needed.”

“Hahaha, yes. Then please wait a moment.”

Allen, now more spirited than before, began examining the black spirit stone.

After careful inspection, he summarized the results, looking slightly tired.

“There are two methods. First…”

“Doing it moderately within legal bounds?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Since it uses holy power, you could say that.”

“What’s the other one?”

“The other is… using the corrupted magic power mixed in this mineral.”

“Corrupted magic power?”

My eyes lit up.

Allen continued speaking with evident caution.

“Yes. If we had corrupted magic power equal to or stronger than this, we might be able to break the mineral. But getting help from a dark mage of that level…”

“If rumors spread, the High Temple’s reputation would take a big hit.”

“…That’s right.”

Allen hung his head gloomily, and the others’ expressions soured.

However.

‘So this is how it works.’

My lips curved into a smile.

‘Because when I defeated the familiar, I learned new information.’

I recalled when the familiar whimpered after getting hit by me by chance.

That’s when a system message suddenly appeared.

Ding!

[System analyzing user’s performed action…]

[Analysis successful]

“What…?”

I had momentarily forgotten about it since the shocking scene of Lynen blowing off the familiar’s head happened right after.

But the message didn’t end there.

[Detected application method for ability ‘Villainess’s Parenting Method’.]

[When striking targets, you can release corrupted magic power latent within you.]

The corrupted magic power couldn’t raise someone like my ability.

Instead, it was simpler and more violent.

[Can give corrupted targets an impact that feels like their body is being split apart.]

In short, it meant anything with corrupted magic power could be taken down with one of my punches.

Whether object or monster.

‘Though that doesn’t suddenly make me the strongest in this world.’

Because my defense converges to 0, making me unsuitable for combat.

But it was a shining ability in situations like this.

If there was one concerning part…

[※ Limited to targets of lower rank than user’s corrupted magic power]

It would only work if my corrupted magic power was of a higher rank.

I approached the black spirit stone and placed my hand on its surface.

[Target can be struck.]

‘Oh! I’m more corrupted!’

Though it doesn’t seem like something to be happy about, anyway.

“Actually, I learned some secret techniques from my family to deal with corrupted magic power.”

“House Offensa had such things?”

Allen showed surprised curiosity.

“I thought only holy power was effective against corrupted magic power, what kind of method is it?”

“We do, anyway. Are you trying to dig into our family secrets right now?”

“Ah, no… sorry.”

Don’t question it.

After shutting him up, I continued.

“Anyway, what’s important is that thanks to the secret technique, I can handle this black spirit stone.”

Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fist and slowly pulled back my arm.

Then I hit the hard black mineral with a serious punch.

Thunk!

“―Ow!”

Feels like my fist might split apart instead of the spirit stone!

While Lynen looked at me with an indescribable gaze.

Crack.

The mineral’s surface began cracking from where I hit it.

The cracks spread like a spider web.

Then the Light Spirit inside, resembling a ball of cotton, weakly stirred, seemingly waking from a long coma.

“It, it moved!”

“Grrrn!”

Excited, Allen and Imelen stuck to the mineral.

The black spirit stone was breaking slowly but steadily like an eggshell. It was only a matter of time before the spirit fully awakened.

“Good. Let’s not stay here anymore and go back to rest… W-wait. What are you doing?”

I was startled.

Because Allen knelt on one knee before me and deeply bowed his head.

Imelen also lay prostrate.

It was the most solemn posture priests use when praying before divine statues.

“If it weren’t for Lady Calliphe, we would have wandered endlessly in darkness. The High Temple too would have lost the Light Spirit forever without knowing why.”

“No need to thank me. I did it all for my own benefit. It’s not free.”

“Everyone acts for themselves, but not everyone shows goodwill in the process.”

He smiled slightly while looking at me.

“Even if you don’t realize it.”

“…”

He dropped his other knee and bowed even deeper.

“Though our souls are dedicated to the God of Light, from this moment until our lives end, we swear to devote ourselves to you.”

Along with tickling hair, Allen’s lips lightly touched the top of my foot.

Then my foot that had been scratched and wounded was healed.

“I thought you were the attack type…?”

“I can do basic healing. Because I’m a saint.”

Allen looked up at me with a gentle expression. His soft smile slowly spread from his lips, his docile eyes gaining an even deeper sparkle.

With the beam of light shining down from the newly opened ceiling illuminating him, Allen truly resembled an angel statue in a temple.

[Faith +1]

[Faith +1]

…Or not. Maybe he’s just a strange retriever gaining faith by himself.

When I was dazed by Allen’s unexpected action and atmosphere.

“…Ow.”

With a slightly awkward exclamation, Noah suddenly fell by himself.

“Noah?”

I hurriedly approached Noah in surprise.

“Why did you fall while standing still? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“…Yes.”

Green eyes avoiding my gaze.

Noah mumbled while fidgeting with his clothes.

“I think I’m getting a fever.”

I placed my hand on Noah’s forehead.

“You don’t have one.”

“I think I’ll get one soon. I want to leave here.”

“Ah, okay.”

A lot happened today, so young Noah must be quite tired.

“We can get out through that hole up there. Allen, can you use holy power wings?”

“Yes. Though I can’t fly, I can jump that high.”

“Then carry Noah out.”

“No.”

Noah seemed to not want to be carried by him.

“Then I’ll have to carry you out.”

“…!”

For some reason he didn’t like that either. Noah quickly let Allen carry him outside. Should have done that from the start.

Lynen threw Imelen up (Allen screamed).

“If we were going to do this, Allen didn’t need to take off his clothes to make rope.”

“Indeed. How clumsy.”

Lynen criticized mercilessly and held out his hand to me. Now he means to throw me up too?

“Wait a moment.”

Before leaving this place, I had something to say to the Light Spirit trapped in the black spirit stone.

‘Since Allen is too grateful to me, I feel really uncomfortable just letting it slide.’

I whispered very quietly and quickly close to the mineral so Lynen wouldn’t hear.

“Though the saint thanked me, you did the big part, right? Just wanted to say thanks. Thanks to you both saints are safe so don’t worry and come out quickly.”

D*mn, should have said it in my mind. Too embarrassing.

When I was about to turn around after tapping the mineral as encouragement to come out soon.

Sparkle.

On the body of the Light Spirit that had looked just like a white cotton ball, a pair of black sesame seeds suddenly appeared.

―❛⩟❛!

The Light Spirit had opened its eyes.

Just then, a system notification appeared.