Chapter 35
When they first set out, Elise had been grateful the Church had sent a Prime Second-tier silver dwarf along to help her.
It hadn't taken long to learn that Lofnar was a walking problem. Still, she had tolerated him.
He was a dwarf, after all—another race entirely, working under a dwarven commission to assist the Church.
But the convoy comes under attack, and his first instinct is to stand aside and let the monster finish its hunt?
The monster was hunting humans.
Was a High Cleric of the Church of Light supposed to watch a monster prey on human beings and then wave it on its way?
If word of that got out, Elise couldn't begin to imagine the damage to her standing within the Church.
More to the point, Lofnar's primary duty on this convoy was protection.
He was to protect Elise, and to protect the people traveling with them, unless they ran into a force genuinely beyond him.
The griffin before them was a high-level Second-tier monster—but it was injured. In its current state, it couldn't possibly match Elise, Chalmers, and Lofnar working together.
So why let it walk away?
"Dwarf, you have officially made me angry."
Without another word, she didn't bother preparing a stronger spell. She snapped a [Holy Light Arrow] straight at the griffin.
"Elise, I'll buy you an opening."
Unlike Lofnar, Chalmers—the noble Grand Knight Elise had once disliked—charged without a moment's hesitation.
Lofnar, meanwhile, managed to say something even more infuriating.
He sidled closer to Elise and announced, with an air of great virtue, "I will protect High Cleric Elise."
Elise nearly struck him.
A high-level Second-tier monster was the equivalent of a Prime Second-tier Awakened.
The person best equipped to meet the flamewing griffin head-on was Lofnar.
Instead, he had scurried to a caster's side to "protect" her, while Chalmers—a Grand Knight of barely two or three months—took the front line.
Elise was furious.
She was also afraid Chalmers would be badly hurt, and that a drawn-out battle would cost too many commoner lives.
In that split second, she gritted her teeth.
A spell scroll radiating Third-tier mana appeared in her hand.
One of the life-saving measures Megalith Parish had prepared for her.
Before departure, Bishop Almus had given Elise three spell scrolls: Third-tier [Holy Light Prison], Third-tier [Gaemis's Arrow], and Third-tier [Gaemis's Shield].
The first was a support spell.
The second, an advanced offensive version of [Holy Light Arrow].
The third, an advanced version of [Lightshield].
All three were activation-type transcendent items, ten times the price of ordinary spell scrolls.
A normal Third-tier spell scroll started at a thousand gold coins on the open market.
Each of the three in Elise's possession was worth over ten thousand.
"High Cleric Elise..."
At the sight of the scroll, Lofnar's throat bobbed. He knew precisely what that item was worth, and the words nearly died in his mouth.
"Dwarf, you will pay for this."
Elise tore open the scroll's protective array with her spirit energy.
Pure holy light began to gather.
She could feel the light-attribute mana above the forest stirring restlessly.
Then the scroll's magic array and stored mana activated, seizing control of the surrounding light-attribute mana.
A spell took shape at blinding speed.
Elise barely managed to steer it, hurling the mass of light at the rampaging flamewing griffin.
The instant the light touched the beast, it unfurled into a radiant curtain.
Then the curtain resolved into chains of light—a prison of holy radiance and binding links.
"Roar..."
The flamewing griffin's cry carried pure despair.
The moment [Holy Light Prison] manifested, the flamewing griffin lost all ability to resist.
Chalmers, mid-charge, felt the corner of his mouth twitch. He turned and walked silently back to Elise's side.
Several dozen feet away, the commoners erupted.
"The Cleric acted!"
"Hahaha! Damned monster! We are believers under the Church's protection!"
"That's the holiest spell I've ever seen."
"Praise our god."
They cheered wildly.
Beside Elise, Chalmers had only just returned, and neither Lia nor Lina had said a word—but Lofnar already looked ready to collapse.
That had been a scroll worth ten thousand gold coins.
And Elise had spent it. Just like that.
On a high-level Second-tier monster.
A Third-tier activation-type spell scroll?
Who was footing this bill?
Lofnar's thoughts were in shambles, because one thing was perfectly clear to him.
Having paid a price like that, Elise would never let this drop.
He was right.
Having burned one of the life-saving scrolls the Church had prepared for her, Elise turned and fixed the wretch with a grave stare.
"El... High Cleric Elise..." Lofnar stammered, panic finally breaking across his face.
"Mister Lofnar, I will report this matter to the dwarves exactly as it happened," Elise said, sparing him no dignity whatsoever. "Because of your cowardice, the Church of Light was forced to expend a rare spell scroll."
"This has nothing to do with me..." Lofnar tried.
"I used [Holy Light Prison]," Elise said, declining to debate. "Care to guess who arrives in a moment—a Bishop, or an Archbishop?"
Lofnar looked as if he wanted the earth to swallow him.
Elise wasn't finished.
"I will advise Archbishop Norias to put a formal question to the dwarves. Humanity has cause to ask whether the dwarves have lost the courage their people are famous for."
"High Cleric Elise, please..." Lofnar looked ready to dig his own grave and lie down in it.
But Elise had no interest in his excuses.
That scroll was worth more than ten thousand gold coins.
Besides, Lofnar had brought every bit of this on himself.
Had he done his duty, a Prime Second-tier dwarf would have had little trouble pinning an injured high-level Second-tier monster.
With a Second-tier Grand Knight and a Second-tier High Cleric in support, the flamewing griffin would have ended up trapped all the same.
Instead, Elise had spent one of the Church's rare scrolls to limit casualties—and to punish Lofnar.
Naturally, the party at fault would pay the price.
The only possible wrinkle was the Church's upper ranks wronging Elise to appease the dwarves.
But how likely was that?
Elise was a genius High Cleric of the Church of Light.
Lofnar was a dwarf who had made a mistake.
The Church knew how to protect its own.
In that moment, Lofnar clung to a single thread of hope.
I heard Archbishop Norias is very strict with Elise. Maybe the Archbishop will seize this chance to lecture her.
Beyond that sliver, Lofnar knew he stood no chance at all.
Then the mana above the forest churned into violent motion.
Archbishop Norias appeared in midair.
His expression was grave. His first act was to sweep his spirit energy across the entire scene and locate Elise.
Only when he confirmed she was safe and unharmed did relief cross his face.
Then he took stock of the situation.
An injured high-level Second-tier monster.
A nervous-looking dwarf.
Cheering commoners.
And Elise, whose expression...
Hm.
Carried a trace of grievance.
Dwarves.
You had better have a very good explanation for me.