Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 45 I Heard You Say

Charlotte searched all over Axel but couldn't find Mitsuki Hibiki or the others.

I later heard that they left the town.

Whether she left the place heartbroken after a series of crushing defeats, or went to earn money to redeem the lost magic sword, it's unclear. In any case, her beautiful dream of teaming up with the magic sword hero at the goddess's behest has to be temporarily put aside.

Charlotte had also spoken with Kazuma Sato about the Hill Castle incident, warning him to keep an eye on Megumin and not let that chuunibyou (delusional) girl provoke them, because they really didn't want to be blocked at the door by the Headless Horseman.

However, it was somewhat of a assumption.

Even though the guild kept the information about the Demon King's army officers occupying the castle well-hidden, the nearby weak monsters, out of fear of the powerful Headless Knight, all went into hiding, causing a sharp decrease in the number of mission requests. This phenomenon still alerted others.

Charlotte has just been busy helping out at church lately and hasn't been paying attention to these things.

Until this day.

Charlotte was reviewing her morning prayers at church.

Just as it ended, a frantic-looking Kazuma Sato rushed in and shouted at him, "Charlotte, why are you still praying?!"

"...What are you talking about? Why wouldn't I pray?"

The novice priest got up and patted the slightly dirty corner of his robe.

After leaving town, Kiris didn't reappear for a long time. He could only pray to the statue of Eris, explaining that it wasn't his fault for not teaming up with her, but several days passed without a response.

"There's no time, hurry up and come with me!"

"Look at you, so impatient again. Did Aqua do something stupid again?"

"Doesn't she do stupid things every day...? No, didn't you hear the town announcement just now?"

"broadcast?"

Just then, the sound of a broadcast came on.

[Urgent Announcement! Urgent Announcement! Attention all adventurers! Upon hearing this announcement, immediately equip yourself fully and prepare for battle, assembling at the town's main gate! Repeat! Assemble at the town's main gate in combat readiness! ...Especially Mr. Charlotte, Mr. Sato Kazuma, and their companions, please proceed to the scene as quickly as possible!]

Sensing something was wrong, Charlotte and Kazuma Sato exchanged a glance, then quickly ran towards the town's main gate.

When the two arrived.

Many adventurers have already gathered there.

Upon seeing a large group of knights in tattered armor appear outside the main gate plain, they knew that the Headless Horseman had led his troops to block the gate.

So fast? No way!

Charlotte thought she could stall for time until the adventurers from the capital arrived, and then join forces with them to deal with the Demon King's army officers, but she didn't expect the attack to be launched so quickly.

Then--

"I'm a high-ranking officer in the Demon King's army, and I only recently moved to a nearby castle... Every single time, every single day! Who is this crazy, idiotic idiot who comes to my castle every single day to unleash explosive magic?!"

The headless horseman's shouts sounded like he had been enduring something for a long time, and finally he was about to explode in anger. There was even a hint of grievance in his voice.

"Kazuma, you bastard—"

"Wait, wait, I don't know either! I definitely didn't tell Huihui about this..."

The two turned to look at the Crimson Demon girl.

After all, when it comes to explosion magic in Axel, she's the only one who knows it.

However, even when she was exposed, Huihui showed no remorse for her wrongdoing; instead, she stood tall and proud with a particularly smug expression.

"You thought you could keep it from me and be safe? Actually, I've known all along! Charlotte went to the Hilltop Castle to investigate this matter, didn't she? Hmph, I'm a Grand Magister!"

"You mean, you knew there were Demon King's army officers in the castle, yet you still bombarded it with explosive magic every day? Why did you provoke him?! And what does all this have to do with your profession? What are you implying?!"

"My explosive magic is invincible!"

"...What are you talking about?"

But Charlotte unexpectedly resonated with Megumin, the Crimson Demon girl who dedicated her entire life to explosive magic, and decided to prove herself in this way.

Just like myself.

It's the kind of beauty that once a goal is set, one will move forward steadfastly, even if it means killing everyone along the way; it's a kind of beauty that disregards the lives of others.

"Then you should also take responsibility, right?"

"...What?"

"The Headless Horseman has come knocking; someone has to be held accountable, doesn't he?"

"Isn't this a bit...?"

Huihui's eyes began to dart away.

Correction: She's completely different from me. She's the kind of person who does something wrong, then just walks away without taking any responsibility.

"You explosive woman—"

"It hurts so much! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

Charlotte pinched her cheek hard.

"Wait a minute." Charlotte sensed something was wrong. "You're unable to move after each explosion spell, so who's your accomplice?...Aqua, is that you!?"

"It hurts so much! It wasn't me! I don't know anything!"

He pinched the silly goddess's cheeks hard, making her scream in pain and quickly deny it.

"Don't lie, it must have been you! The Headless Horseman prevented you from accepting quests properly, and you've been wanting revenge, so you helped Huihui, right?"

"No way! I'm not short of money!"

That's right.

The bounty for purifying the lake last time was all given to Aqua, and with the additional donations from Mikage Hibiki, even after repaying some of it, there's still a considerable amount left, so they're not really short of money.

So what exactly is it...?

"Yes, it's me."

Darkness slowly raised his hand.

Charlotte stared blankly, while the perverted female knight, who was expecting to have her face pinched, sighed in disappointment when she saw that he was unmoved.

Then she blushed and started fidgeting.

"Because the thought of the Headless Horseman attacking me, taking me straight back to the castle, and demanding I play all sorts of perverted, unspeakable games with him... No way! Even if you can manipulate my body as you please, don't think you can play with my heart! I will not yield!!... Ah, so good!"

"...What the hell are you talking about?"

Charlotte covered her face in pain.

"It doesn't matter what happens!" Sato Kazuma asked anxiously in a low voice, "Now think of a solution. Charlotte, what are your chances of winning against him?"

"Fifty-fifty."

"……real!?"

"In five seconds, I was divided into five parts."

"Stop joking, okay!?"

Charlotte wanted to say that he wasn't joking, that he could hold out for more than half an hour even when surrounded by giant toads, but he was completely helpless against the headless knight.

The Demon King's army officers are too powerful.

None of the adventurers present could withstand a single blow.

Suddenly, a female thief was heard muttering resentfully in the crowd, "If Hibiki were here... if the Demon Sword Hero were here, he would definitely defeat you decisively!"

"That's right, that's right! Swordmaster is our pride! If he were to fight, even a high-ranking officer of the Demon King's army wouldn't lose...!"

"He's the third-best adventurer in the kingdom, he won't be afraid of you!"

The others echoed his sentiments.

Hearing these words, Charlotte couldn't help but speak up.

"I heard you say that~"

"...Why did you suddenly start singing?"

"It's nothing, it's just that it gets whipped around by anyone and then spins like a crazy top."

"What?"

Kazuma Sato was speechless.

But for some reason, the topic of conversation quickly shifted from Mikami Hibiki to Charlotte.

"It's okay, we still have Charlotte!"

"That's right! He's the high priest whom Yujian Xiangye specifically invited to team up with, a natural counter to the undead!"

"And I heard he sparred with Mitsurugi Hibiki in private, and actually won!"

"Does that mean we're saved?!"

The adventurers at the main gate of Axel all turned to look at Charlotte in the crowd, their eyes burning with anticipation.

...Huh? Me?

Is it a bit too much to ask a novice high priest to face off against a demon king's army officer?