The Priest of Complete Dispel ~ Every Time I Save a Cursed Beautiful Girl with My Status Abnormal Cure Skill, For Some Reason Her Dependence on Me Maxes Out ~ - Chapter 50: Escape

Chapter 50: Escape

“Kukuku… I’m making so much money I don’t know what to do with it all…”

The one who sat solidly in a high-backed luxury chair in the office was Undir Bulldog, the archbishop.

He gazed at the numbers lined up in the ledger, and a smile escaped him without thinking. His long red hair swayed slowly, sparkling as it caught the moonlight streaming in from the window.

“To climb to the position of cardinal, I need even more achievements… For that, I can’t do without money and the power of the empire. If I can’t use believers openly, then I have no choice but to rely on outsiders.”

He quietly sipped the tea from his teacup and took a breath.

Later, Bulldog stood up and slowly sat down on the sofa.

“One goblin cave got destroyed, but if I want to, I can make as many as I like. The underground sex business is going smoothly too… Even today, my collaborators must be enjoying themselves with those innocent women…”

He floated a thin smile, and this time he lay down on the sofa as if turning it into a bed.

“Even as an archbishop, the workload is quite heavy after all… I’d like to rest a bit, but now’s the time to push hard… Come to think of it, there was a report that a wonderful new person had joined the clinic I’m on good terms with… When I have time, maybe I should drop by for the first time in a while…”

Leaving those words behind, Bulldog closed his eyes, perhaps due to fatigue, and fell asleep on the sofa just like that.

“―――”

Footsteps, breathing, sounds… Nothing moved in the space.

But that night, someone was definitely there.

From Bulldog’s office, one ledger quietly disappeared.

And through a certain magical tool, his figure and voice had been reliably recorded.

◇◇◇

“Healing can’t keep up…!”

Glen, Risia, and Garo were already covered in wounds, smeared with blood and sweat. Iris kept casting recovery spells over and over, but in the face of Dorotheia’s relentless pursuit, it was like pouring water on a burning stone.

“About time to end this farce, huh?”

On the other hand, the only one without a single scratch was Dorotheia. Every time she strode forward, she overwhelmed the four with her strength and speed. The air in the area twisted so easily under her presence.

“Dorotheia… What level are you…!”

Faced with such a gap, no one thought there was any chance of winning. Even A-rank adventurers wouldn’t stand a chance against this opponent. Glen, grasping at straws, threw out the question even though he thought it impossible.

“We’re all gonna die here anyway… Fine. I’ll tell you――my level is fifty-nine.”

“F-Fifty-nine…?”

“Almost twice ours… I’ve never heard of a number like that.”

The number Dorotheia announced from her mouth was completely off the charts. The members of Silver Blade turned pale, confronted with reality. Their levels were just under thirty. The difference was hopeless.

However, there was one person on the scene who tucked away a small sense of relief in his chest. He didn’t say it out loud, but that relief definitely existed.

“Hehe… For humans, you did pretty well. But don’t you think this battle turns in an instant if just one of you can’t move?”

Dorotheia laughed with plenty of leeway and dropped even more ominous words.

“What――”

The moment Glen reacted, Iris hurriedly shouted.

“E-Everyone, get away from there!!”

Iris’s eyes were frozen. She strongly sensed the evil magical aura she had sniffed out in the underground facility in the past. But the warning didn’t make it in time.

“――<Lewd Curse>”

Dorotheia pointed her right hand. The name of the spell echoed as if melting into the darkness. Its tip pointed at the spot where Risia stood with her staff ready.

“Wha――”

“That curse――”

When the name of the curse that Iris had told them about entered their ears, Glen and Garo turned their gazes toward Risia.

“――Risia!!”

“―――”

But the one who shouted wasn’t any of the three. Suddenly, Risia’s body was knocked away by someone’s power and rolled onto the street. The one who had knocked her away was――

“E-Erina…?”

A hoarse voice rose. Erina, who should have been inside the mansion, was back here now. But right after returning, something abnormal happened to her. An expression as if her reason had been stolen floated on her face, and her body began to be eaten away by the curse.

“Nn… Ah… My body, it’s hot…!”

“Lady Erina!!”

Iris hurriedly approached Erina.

She knew well what had happened to her own body and understood the danger perfectly.

Therefore――

“Lady Medina!”

“Guh, ugh…”

Suddenly, something invisible slammed into Erina’s neck, and she lost consciousness right away.

“…You did something, huh…? But it’s a fact that one of you can’t move now. You’re done for.”

Dorotheia made her claws gleam and approached Erina and Iris. Her footsteps carried the certainty of victory.

However, Iris’s eyes remained clear. There was no color of resignation.

“――Yes, let’s end it.”

With that, Iris quietly stood up and raised her holy staff high.

“――Everyone, close your eyes!! ――<Shine Mist>”

As the incantation raced out all at once, a dazzling light exploded. The night street was instantly enveloped in light like broad daylight, no, even stronger.

“Gu――!”

Dorotheia took a direct hit, closed her eyes, and twisted her body. Her vision stolen by the light, her movements dulled.

“You think this’ll let you escape!!”

But Dorotheia wasn’t sweet enough to give up on mere light. She swung her claws and charged toward the spot where Iris and the others were. Then, a translucent wall suddenly appeared there. Dorotheia’s claws were blocked by the wall, and a metallic sound rang out.

“This is irritating…!!”

When she slammed her claws in repeatedly, a few seconds later――the translucent wall shattered. As the mist of light cleared and her vision gradually returned, the figures of those who should have been there were gone.

One carriage that had been at the edge of the mansion had quietly vanished.

“Damn… Played around too much, huh… Oh well. I can kill them anytime. Next time, no mercy…”

Dorotheia suppressed her anger and tried to leave into the darkness. At that moment, she felt an abnormality in her own body.

“――Huh?”

The tips of the five claws on her right hand rapidly turned purple, and they began to melt like heated wax.

“Gu――Hmph!!”

In a panic, Dorotheia used the claws on her left hand to slash off all the claws on her right.

The severed claws melted away in an instant――without a trace.

“My claws…!!! …Those guys… I’ll definitely kill them…!!”

If there hadn’t been that mist of light or the translucent wall, this wouldn’t have happened.

Dorotheia, who had unknowingly received an invisible attack, left a furious shout of anger, building up regret and resentment as she melted into the darkness.