The Successor of the Saint Does Not Fight - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Curse of the Rain-Summoning Serpent Part 3

It was a truly disheartening moment.

I had hoped for the arrival of a reliable knight to serve as my escort, but to my disappointment, all I discovered beneath the lid was a mere child. If the kid had some skills, I wouldn’t be worried, but considering his past mission failure, I couldn’t expect much in terms of competence.

(Come on, think! How can I figure out a way to somehow abandon the mission from this point…!)

With bloodshot eyes, I pushed my brain into overdrive.

Inside the special train, it felt like I was in a room at a high-end hotel. Chandeliers adorned the ceiling, leather sofas encircled an antique wooden table, and there was even a piano and a bar counter.

As I pondered on the sofa, the exorcist boy, Yuno, commented,

“It’s quite rare to come across a dog with the scent of a demon.”

“I’m not a dog; I’m a demon.”

“Miss Meril Klein wouldn’t keep a demon as a pet. Therefore, you must be a dog—a very rare talking dog.”

“Kukuku… If your thinking is stuck in such narrow perspectives, you won’t even measure up to that girl. You should broaden your horizons a bit, inexperienced demon exorcist.”

“Yes, I can agree with that. In this mission, I aim to learn a lot from Miss Meril Klein’s tactics.”

Seated in the corner of the carriage, he playfully bantered with the white wolf.

In the end, he was just a kid, finding joy in playing with a little demon dog.

By this moment, I had abandoned the idea of entrusting the responsibility of handling the white wolf to this boy, Yuno.

The white wolf was a formidable demon, capable of quickly dealing with a mercenary group. It was not a foe that a third-rate demon exorcist, incapable of fulfilling missions properly, could confront.

With a sigh, I reopened the request form, recognizing that despite my initial plan to delegate it to the accompanying demon exorcist, I had no option but to thoroughly read it.
And, just as I did during the incident with the white wolf, I must somehow find flaws, prolonging the battle as much as possible.

This demonic incident takes place in the village of Peg in the Shiraat territory.

Although Peg was a small village nestled in the mountains, it was known for its fertile land.

Approximately six months ago, the lord of the Shiraat family, who governed this land, submitted a petition to the church.

‘In our territory, in Peg village, it has been raining continuously for a year.’

Peg village, with its dry climate suitable for crops like wheat, was not known for being a region with abundant rainfall. The continuous, year-long rain in that place was an unusual occurrence.

Upon receiving the petition, the church determined that ‘there is a high possibility of demonic involvement’ and dispatched the demon exorcist Yuno Agius to Peg village.

Yuno Agius discovered and subsequently vanquished a demon in the form of a giant serpent (identified as the [Rain Serpent]) in the area.

With the defeat of the serpent, the rain in Peg village ceased, and the incident appeared to come to a temporary end.

However, shortly after that, a new disturbance occurred in Peg village.

Several villagers committed suicide by throwing themselves into the waterfall, which was the dwelling place of the [Rain Serpent]. The individuals just before committing suicide appeared completely exhausted, as if possessed by something.

As the number of victims of suicide reached ten, long-lasting rain began again in the village.

This rain has shown no sign of stopping, persisting for over a month.

“Little girl, something about this incident doesn’t feel quite right.”

“Hmm.”

Around the time I finished reading the details of the request form, the white wolf approached with an amused expression.

“You’ve been reading the request form with such a serious expression. The fact that you’re so absorbed implies that—this incident isn’t as straightforward as just slaying the demonic culprit and moving on, right?”
It’s quite the opposite.

I’ve been struggling with how to come up with excuses to delay the straightforward task of killing the demon. Because no matter how I interpret the details, the only conclusion that comes to mind is, “The demon serpent we failed to defeat is consuming the lives of the villagers to regain strength and is once again causing calamity in the village.”

In the first place, causing rain that doesn’t stop for a year is only possible through the actions of a demon. It’s different from the fabricated paperwork during the incident with Dozel. Since the rain causing harm to the village is undeniably the work of a demon, it’s exceedingly difficult to challenge the execution with objections.

“Well, yes… but…”

I vaguely evaded the question. If I firmly assert, “The demon is to blame,” I’ll inevitably be the one tasked with confronting it. And relying on the incompetence of someone like Yuno, who has already failed previously, is not an option.

“Is that true, Lady Meril Klein?”

Following the white wolf, Yuno also approached Meril. He slid on the floor while remaining in a seated position, a rather peculiar method of movement.

“I would like to hear your opinion. Is merely killing the demon insufficient to resolve this incident?”

“Firstly, let’s refrain from assuming that we’ll ‘kill the demon,’ alright? The initial step in solving the case is to observe the situation objectively and openly without being bound by preconceived notions.”

As I nonchalantly uttered this, Yuno’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning.

“Not kill the demon…? Lady Meril Klein, what on earth…? Aren’t we supposed to exterminate every demon we encounter…?”

“Hey, kid. What happens to your theory when it comes to me?”

“That’s why you’re a dog. There’s no other possibility besides you being a dog.”

“Well, in that case, what’s in that Peg village might just be an ordinary snake.”

This dog has quite a sharp tongue.

The white wolf and Yuno locked eyes intensely for a moment, but eventually, they both shifted their attention to me.

“Let me hear your thoughts, little girl.”

“I would like to hear your thoughts, Lady Meril Klein.”

I broke into a sudden sweat.

I hadn’t come up with any excuses or thoughts yet.

Keeping my composure, I bought some time by raising my finger.

“There’s no need to rush. We still lack sufficient information to draw conclusions—first, Yuno, could you please share in detail what happened when you initially headed for this mission?”