"Enough! Do you think you're in a position to make demands?" said a devil holding one of the swords sticking through the nun's stomach.
Naruto sensed a higher level of demonic power from this devil than the others in the group. He was probably High Class. That assumption was supported by the many badges fixed on the front of his purple-embossed black uniform.
"Hey, let's all take a breath here," Naruto said. "Just step back and let's just hear what she has to say."
The devil didn't back up, twisting his sword to increase the nun's pain. It was a useless attempt since the nun's stomach was currently made of nothing but fire.
"With all due respect, Sir Phenex, there's no reason to listen to a word she says," said the devil, who Naruto suspected was a member of the Uvall family. "The woman you see in front of you is Griselda Quarta, one of the church's top exorcists. She's cut a bloody path through devils for her whole life. If it were you in her position, she would cut you down without a second thought, just the way she cut down my brothers."
"I attacked no one who did not attack me," Griselda said quietly. "I've dealt no permanent injuries. I did not come here to do battle, but to bargain."
"See?" Naruto said. "I wanna hear her out. We're in Phenex territory anyway, so I should be able to do that. C'mon, put your weapons away."
The man still didn't do it. "This may be your territory, but the Uvall Clan was the recipient of her crimes. It is our right to administer the punishment. For church scum, a quick death would be a kindness.
Kurama yawned as Naruto made a frustrated sound.
Naruto clapped his hands together in front of his face and made his mother gasp by lowering his head.
The Uvall Clan were lower ranking. Even if Naruto wasn't the lord or heir of his family, it was shocking in devil society to see him make a submissive gesture to someone who should be beneath him.
Naruto never cared much about stupid pride like that. He was asking for a favor, so he lowered his head to show that he meant it. If that's what it took to resolve a confrontation peacefully so everyone left satisfied, he'd sacrifice some pride in a heartbeat.
"Just back off for now. At least until I can hear her story. Please?"
The Uvall devil was as surprised as Lady Phenex by Naruto's choice. Unfortunately, when that surprise faded, it was replaced by a cocksure smile, taking Naruto's kindness for weakness.
"Justice waits for nothing." He pulled his sword out of Griselda's stomach and held it up to swing. "Let's see if those flames can save you from a missing head."
Kurama sighed in irritation.
FWOOM!
There was an abrupt rush of orange as everyone present found themselves in the shadow of a fox as tall as the castle. Drool dripped from Kurama's fangs as she bent her head down. An exhale from her nostrils tossed the Uvall devil and all his men head over heels, scattering them around in the dirt.
"I missed breakfast. I could use a snack," Kurama said, turning her head to eye the devils with one huge pupil.
Beginning with their leader, the group of devils chose that as a good time to flee. It was an instinctive reaction that they barely seemed to have control over. As soon as they were gone, Kurama shrunk back into her human form, rubbing her stomach as it growled, and chose to wander back into the castle to find a meal that wouldn't run away. The drama with the nun had barely interested her in the first place.
"Son?" Lady Phenex said.
"Yeah, mom?"
"I take back my complaints about your choice of Queen," Lady Phenex said. "I believe I understand it now."
LINE BREAK
Griselda sat very stiffly on the comfortable couch she'd been led to. Her eyes darted around occasionally, clearly on edge despite everything.
The girl she'd brought with her, Xenovia, had been set in a chair nearby. Her top had been removed. Naruto wasn't bothered by her cleavage, he was focused on the bandages that ran from below her breasts down to her lower stomach. They were stained with lots of blood.
Lady Phenex examined Xenovia herself. She was a skilled healer, more focused on the restorative properties of the Phenex powerset than her male relatives.
Lady Phenex stood up and frowned when she turned to Griselda.
"The wound is terrible and she has gone too long without treatment. She is millimeters from death," Lady Phenex announced. "I see only two options. Her life could be saved through reincarnation—"
"No!" Griselda said "I thank you for the kindness you have showed me, but I refuse. Xenovia will not be made into a devil. She has not chosen that for herself. I will do it in her stead, whether it's your peerage, your son's peerage, or your husband's. In exchange, all I ask for is a tear."
"I'm not sure you understand the worth of those," Lady Phenex said. "You're a single exorcist. One Phoenix Tear is a treasure worth a fortune. The equivalency is doubtful."
"I'm strong," Griselda said. The massive red and black sword that had sucked up part of Naruto's powers lay next to her chair, its handle ready to be grasped at any time. Griselda looked at it briefly. "To save the girl I love like a sister, I've embraced things that would make a Cardinal weep. You will not find my service lacking."
"But what happened to her?" Naruto asked, standing with Kuroka and Ravel near the door. "How'd she end up like that?"
Griselda looked at Xenovia, focusing on her pale skin that was beaded with sweat.
Lady Phenex understood her worry. "She won't pass away for another few hours, at least. She has a very tough body for a human. You have more than enough time for a story."
"Very well," Griselda said. "In that case, I will share it with you. The truth of how we came into this sorry state. Though I must ask first… What I say will make you a target. If your knowledge of this gets out, there are those who will come for you, just as they came for us. Do you still want to hear?"
Lady Phenex looked a lot less sure than before. Naruto answered before she could say anything.
"We can handle ourselves!" he said.
Griselda nodded, not questioning him, accepting that he knew best.
"When exorcists like myself and Xenovia take dangerous missions, we carry a holy device with us. When used, it acts as a distress beacon for exorcists in mortal peril. This began when Xenovia activated hers, and I rushed to her aid…"
LINE BREAK
When Griselda arrived, three buildings had already been leveled. Bright purple flames littered the area, burning on hunks of rubble and stone as if they were made of wood. Her heart clenched as she noticed bodies mixed in with the carnage. A quick prayer was all she could offer their poor souls.
Griselda ran with incredible speed, seeking out the sounds of battle. She arrived in time to watch a blonde woman in gothic clothing level her finger at another woman. Xenovia's blue hair identified her to Griselda, although the huge holy sword Durandal was just as good an indicator.
Xenovia hid herself behind the flat of the blade as a surge of bright holy fire in the shape of a cross shot at her.
Had she been a devil, vampire, or other creature of darkness, those flames would've turned her to ash just by being in their presence. As a devout human exorcist, along with the sturdiness of her sword, Xenovia narrowly survived, though she cried out in pain as she was hurled back.
Griselda caught the young exorcist, laying her gently on the ground. The witch Xenovia had been facing laughed.
"Another of you? Hexennacht has become so popular! Master Augusta would've been so proud if she could see this."
"Walburga of the Purple Flames?" Griselda asked.
The witch grinned. "You even know my nickname!"
Griselda laid Xenovia down on the ground, unlatching a large claymore from where it had been strapped to her back. She spread her legs, getting into a combat stance.
"You and your organization have been deemed enemies of the church for the sacrifice of humans made in God's image. Heaven will judge you fairly."
"Not if I burn it down first," Walburga bragged, the colored flames she'd been nicknamed for appearing around her.
Xenovia stirred where Griselda had laid her on the ground.
"Sister Griselda?" she asked weakly. "This is wrong. That's Incinerate Anthem! It's one of the Holy Relics! And she… She used it to burn so many people, even children…"
"I know, child," Griselda said.
"It's impossible. It shouldn't be possible!" Xenovia was repeating herself out of shock. "The only way she could do something like this is if—"
"Flee to safety," Griselda said. If Xenovia said what she was about to say out loud, Griselda would be forced to confront the truth that was in front of them. If she did that, she wouldn't be able to focus on the fight. "I will follow you, once I'm done here."
Receiving orders from Griselda helped Xenovia collect herself. She rose and gave the surrounding area another dismayed look. Then she sprang away, disappearing.
"Not going to team up?" Walburga asked.
Griselda disappeared, reappearing in front of the witch in a blur of movement. She swung her holy claymore with two hands as easily as a wooden bat.
"I need no help for the likes of you," Griselda said.
LINE BREAK
An hour later, Griselda arrived on the steps of Cathedral de Cordoba. The Spanish church contained one of the largest bases for exorcists, housing many of the church's most powerful and dangerous relics. It was the closest location to the mission Xenovia had undertaken, so it was the location that Griselda had teleported to in order to reach the scene of the battle, and it was where Xenovia had fled to find help.
When Griselda arrived, her nun uniform had been burned in places and the back of her right hand was charred. The top half of her claymore was missing, having been melted away. But a few mild burns were the extent of her injuries.
A man she recognized as bishop in charge of the church was waiting on the steps, along with a crowd of other exorcists. He saw Griselda first and approached her, smiling.
"I thought you might return with the evildoer's head!" he said.
"She fled," Griselda announced. "Perhaps if I had a different weapon…"
The ruined sword was as powerful as an unnamed holy sword could be. Unfortunately, no matter how strong the skills she cultivated were, affinity for named blades was something you could only be born with. Griselda could never wield Durandal the way Xenovia did, even though she was older and more skilled.
"Yes," the bishop said sympathetically. "Still, to force such a powerful opponent to retreat is a great accomplishment. She will be brought to justice soon."
Griselda nodded, saying nothing. "Have Xenovia's injuries been treated?"
The bishop lost his smile faster than any man Griselda had ever seen.
"Are you close to Sister Xenovia?" the bishop asked.
"We're from the same institution. I'm her direct superior," Griselda said. "Has something happened?"
"See for yourself," the bishop said nastily.
He took her into the crowd of exorcists at the front of the cathedral. Griselda saw expressions full of animosity as she passed many of them. The looks weren't directed at her, but toward the center of the group. Her heart beat loudly in her chest.
Then, Griselda could see her. Durandal was flat on the ground. Both of Xenovia's arms were being held by high ranking exorcists, while the girl herself had been reduced to her knees. There was a bruise on her cheek, showing that she had been struck.
"It's the only way!" Xenovia said. She had been shouting long enough that her voice was hoarse. "The Holy Relics are the epitome of His will! I watched the witch use it to burn a child to ash! She slaughtered men and women and children using His will! That is impossible, unless something has happened to God!"
"Silence, blasphemer." The bishop next to Griselda struck Xenovia again.
She looked up at him, her eyes alight with turmoil and frustration. She spit out blood and growled.
"Speak plainly, so that we will know exactly what you mean, without any mistake. What you say next matters greatly," the bishop said.
Xenovia looked him straight in the eyes.
"God is dead," Xenovia said.
Instead of striking her again, the bishop stepped aside. Xenovia could see Griselda behind him. Hope entered her eyes.
"Sister Griselda! You saw it—"
The look of disgust and disdain in Griselda's eyes stopped Xenovia. More than when she was struck, Xenovia started to cry.
"Lock her away," the bishop said. "Her blasphemy will be reported and punished."
As she was dragged inside, Xenovia muttered things under her breath. "You saw, sister… You saw it all. How could you…"
Griselda's face showed nothing as Xenovia was dragged away. Her discipline had never been questioned by anyone. She could control her expression and her demeanor in any circumstances…
Even when realizing she had been living a lie.
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