Dark magic was like a parasite. Once it started to corrupt someone, it was nearly impossible to get rid of it. The only way to survive it would be to control it and make it your subordinate.
But it was clear that Lady Shelly Munero had no such capabilities. She had become a ticking time bomb that could not be stopped.
"I—I don't know what happened! One second I was… and the next… please, save me. Goddess Auriel, you have to save me."
The dark magic used by Shelly was causing her pain, and she was losing her mind because of it. She tried to grab Auriel to beg her for help, but Princess Evelyn jumped between the pair before they could touch.
At the same time, Auriel used her divine magic (what little she could use) to purify the dark magic that was eroding the area, but it only served to cause Lady Shelly more pain.
"I am sorry, but I only know one way to resolve this situation—to purify the dark magic. Whether you survive this or not will depend on your mental strength. Keep hanging on to your sense of self—"
Auriel started her divine chant, but she was not even done with the first verse when she felt Lady Shelly's mind give in.
The older lady had always felt a little mentally fragile to Auriel, and she collapsed as soon as the tiniest bit of pressure was put on her mind.
"No, stop it! I cannot take it anymore. I will curse you if you continue. Hey, stop it—"
Lady Shelly suddenly charged toward Auriel, unable to take it anymore, and Princess Evelyn reacted seconds later, her sword piercing the lady's chest and heart.
It should have caused instant death, but because of the dark magic, Lady Shelly was still standing even after being stabbed in her heart. The stunned lady took some time to notice what had happened.
"He… hehehe… hahahaha… I cannot believe I am alive. Looks like the heavens are on my side. Goddess Auriel, do you see? I am alive—"
"I am afraid that you won't be for long. I am sorry, Lady Shelly. But I don't think I can save your soul anymore. May your soul go to heaven after this."
Auriel finished her chant and released her divine power. Auriel was pushing herself at this point, and her divine power felt as if it was burning her from the inside. But she continued to purify the area since that was her duty.
The place where her golden aura touched was quickly purified, and the dark magic held no chance.
Seeing this happen made Lady Shelly's heart skip a beat, and she instinctively knew that something was wrong. So she tried to run, but Princess Evelyn pulled her sword, which was still stuck inside Lady Shelly's body.
It caused Lady Shelly to stagger and fall backward, finally being engulfed by the golden light in the process.
"T—This is not fair! I just wanted to even out the playing field. Just what did I do so wrong—"
Before Lady Shelly could finish speaking, her body was engulfed by the golden light. Once the light dimmed down, nothing was left of Lady Shelly's body. She had vanished in that light.
Auriel had suspected that this would happen, but to actually see it was beyond sad. And also concerning.
How had someone managed to get so influenced by dark magic while being under others' eyes? And if Lady Shelly had managed to do this, then how many more people were infected as well?
'This might be beyond my scope. Generally, I would like to resolve this situation myself, but I don't think this is within my power alone now. It reeks of demons. Ugh, I guess I better contact that old hag and tell her what happened.'
Auriel sighed as she locked her powers inside herself once more. The purification was done, and she felt drained as a result. A hearty meal would be good to have—
"The body disappeared. Goddess Auriel, what happened? And where did Lady Shelly go? We need to present her body to reassure people that she is dealt with."
Princess Evelyn looked shocked and shaken, but she was far stronger mentally than most people and was able to overcome her shock easily. She turned to look at the goddess standing beside her with strong eyes.
If Auriel was not this tired, she would have gasped and tried to make an excuse.
But she was not in the mood to make excuses and decided to tell Princess Evelyn the truth.
"Don't worry about it. I will ask Priestess Lilith to make an announcement regarding what happened here today. As for Lady Shelly, I am afraid that there was nothing we could do for her. Her body was too corrupted by dark magic, and if we kept her around, she would have started to poison others as well."
While it was a shame about what happened to Lady Shelly, in the grand scheme of things, it was better for her to have perished like this. This way, she would not be able to cause any more trouble.
Even if Princess Evelyn looked shocked after hearing what she did, Auriel was not going to change her mind about what happened.
"Goddess Auriel, you can be surprisingly harsh on people when you need to be. I never thought you had it in you. But I guess even this side of you is charming."
Princess Evelyn spoke as she walked closer to Auriel. Seeing her walk this close made Auriel's heart skip a beat, and she was about to reply when she felt the princess falling toward her.
Auriel reached out to grab her out of instinct, and she wrapped her arms around the princess before she could fall and harm herself.
"Oh, sheesh. What the heck do you think you are doing falling asleep like this? Do you think I am your bed or something? Princess Evelyn, please get up right now or I won't be able to move…"
Auriel complained, but the princess had already fallen asleep in her arms. It was clear that Auriel wouldn't be able to move… for some time.
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In the end, Auriel had to wait for someone to come and help her out because she was not able to move under Princess Evelyn's weight. She tried to push the princess away, but the princess felt too heavy for Auriel to lift alone.
The first to arrive near her were the guards, followed by Priestess Lilith and Carol. The other candidates for the throne were not far behind.
Other than those needed here, everyone else had likely been prohibited from entering this area, and Auriel was grateful for it.
"O Divine One, are you alright… Ugh, allow me to help you get rid of the leech that is stuck to you. You do not have to feel burdened by her anymore."
Priestess Lilith moved quickly and grabbed Princess Evelyn by the back of her clothes before pushing her toward one of the guards. Not a single shred of care could be seen on her face as she did that.
But once the priestess turned toward Auriel, the concern on her face exploded to cover her whole expression.
"I am fine. I just purified this area along with Lady Shelly since she was using dark magic. But as a result, Lady Shelly's body got purified in the process as well, so we won't be able to retrieve it. Would that be a problem?"
Auriel asked, and she watched as many of the guards looked uncomfortable. But they could not say anything when Priestess Lilith spoke up first.
"Of course not! Anyone who practices the forbidden arts of dark magic is beyond salvation. It is the law, and I assure you that no one would sympathize with Lady Shelly for what happened."
Now, that did not seem to be true. Auriel could see a lot of guards looking at her with alertness now. But whether that was because they were afraid of her due to her power, or because they were dark magic users themselves, was something Auriel needed to check up on soon.
But not right now. Right now, her body was tired and on the verge of collapsing. She did not have time to be wasting around like this.
"Carol, make sure you accompany the princess back to her room. I will take the Divine One back to her room. The rest of you, gather people for a press conference. I will address them all and give them an explanation about what happened."
Priestess Lilith was a well-respected public figure. If she were to give an explanation, people would have no choice but to take it as the truth.
Knowing this, the priestess made this decision, and no one could oppose her after she had made up her mind.
Auriel followed the priestess back to her room to rest for a while. She needed it after using so much of her divine magic.
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