Chapter 24 TSH Vol. 1 Chapter 4 Part 7

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Still wearing his mask, Sieg rocketed through the sky at a tremendous speed. His [Air Jump] Blessing had leveled up, evolving into [Air Dash], which allowed him to truly run across the sky.

He had kept his tone casual with the Knight Commander to avoid revealing his identity, but he wasn’t sure if that had been the right call. He had no confidence he’d even be able to remember that persona if they ever met again.

The Sacred Barrier was still active. Something was clearly wrong. There might have been some secret art involved, but it didn’t change the fact that the High Grand-Priest’s life was in grave danger.

I have to hurry!

He reached the Grand Temple and, activating [Concealment], ran for the underground chambers. As he neared the large room known as the Chamber of Prayer, he heard alarms. Voices from inside echoed down the hall.

“Princess! Princess, no!”

“Q-Quickly, we have to stop it! There’s still time!”

“It’s no use! It’s not responding to the controls!”

“Why won’t it stop!? At this rate, we’ll lose them both!”

Sieg burst into the room and froze, his breath catching at the sight.

On the floor, lying on the massive magic circle, were the High Grand-Priest and one other person. When he saw who the second person was, Sieg recoiled.

Wh-Why… Why is she here!? —Cordie!

His mind reeled in confusion, but he understood almost instantly. The princess must have offered herself as a power source for the barrier. He knew it. He had known it. That was just the kind of person she was.

Sieg’s face crumpled in anguish.

Damn it… Because of me, she’s being sacrificed again… This time—I will absolutely not let that happen!

Sieg immediately used [Appraisal]. The High Grand-Priest… there was still time. But the princess… Sieg bit his lip so hard it bled. Her vast mana reserves must have been the first to be drained.

“Princess!”

He glanced toward the familiar voice. The royal guard, Emma, was near the edge of the magic circle, desperately pounding on the air. There was a barrier. Her fists were bloody, and her face was streaked with tears.

Emma stayed behind, too!? Just hang on, I will save Cordie!

Sieg ran toward the edge of the magic circle to stop the ritual. The forced-shutdown must have failed, trapping them both inside. He had no time for [Concealment].

He let his form become visible and drew his sword.

“A-An intruder!?”

“Who’s there!?”

“A mask!?”

The priests shouted in alarm. Emma spun around, her expression one of utter shock.

“…Huh? …That presence… It can’t be… Sig—”

He didn’t answer her, instead roaring at the room.

“Get out of the way!”

Emma, surprisingly, obeyed instantly, standing to block the priests.

“He’s on our side! Get in his way and I’ll cut you down!”

Ignoring the chaos behind him, Sieg enhanced his vision, analyzing the barrier’s magic structure. It was a complex, tangled web of mana circuits. He pushed his senses to their absolute limit, his eyes bleeding as he deciphered the pattern.

Once he’d fully mapped the complex structure, he raised his Sacred Silver Sword. He channeled his mana into the blade, temporarily forging a counter-circuit on its surface, a feat only possible with his level of mana control and a sword designed specifically to conduct it.

With the instant-cast counter-spell built into his blade, Sieg raised his sword high. He watched the constantly shifting barrier, waiting for the precise moment. The structure shifted… an opening—

Now!

Sieg unleashed an overhead slash with divine speed.

A spiderweb of cracks appeared in the barrier, and with a high-pitched shatter, it exploded. It was an unprecedented, impossible feat: [Magic Destruction] with a sword.

The surrounding priests stared, their eyes wide.

“Wh-What!?”

“Magic Destruction!?”

“With a sword!? That’s impossible!”

Sieg tumbled onto the magic circle and shouted at the priests.

“The old man is savable! Get him off the circle and give him a high-grade potion! Now!”

Snapped back to reality, the priests scrambled toward the High Grand-Priest.

Sieg rushed to Cordelia’s side and knelt, checking her pulse.

Ah…

His face twisted as if he were about to cry. It was just as his [Appraisal] had shown. She was beyond the help of potions or healing magic.

“Princess!” Emma cried, starting to run forward.

“Stay back!” Sieg roared, his voice cracking. “Don’t step on the circle! We don’t know what it will do! Just stay put!”

Emma was shouting something, but he ignored her. He shut his eyes tightly, his mind racing.

What do I do!? What do I do!? How can I save her!?

And then he remembered. That’s right… I have that Blessing! With that, I should be able to do something!

Sieg clasped his hands, bowed his head, and prayed. He prayed from the bottom of his heart, from the depths of his soul, betting his very existence on it. The words came to him naturally.

—I beseech thee, O merciful Sanatia, Goddess of Healing and Medicine. —Take my life as payment, and grant that my beloved may live.

The instant he finished the prayer, all the mana in his body was ripped from him, becoming a beam of light that shot toward the heavens. It passed through the ceiling and vanished.

G-Guhh-guuuuuuh!

The sudden mana drain sent tremors through Sieg’s body. He desperately fought back the vertigo and nausea. But this offering of mana should be enough to receive a great blessing from Sanatia.

He steadied his ragged breath, then pulled out every last potion he had and turned back to Cordelia. He placed his hands on her body and activated the Blessing he had received from the healing goddess.

Its name was—[Life Force Transfer].

The ability to share one’s own life force with another. It was a ‘dud’ Blessing, far too altruistic for its own good. But by the grace of the god, the more life force one gave, the more its effect was exponentially amplified.

In other words—if he was willing to die, he could work a miracle.

“UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

Sieg put his entire being into the act, pouring his life into Cordelia. He supplemented his own fading life force with potions, continuously feeding his own life into hers. The empty potion bottles began to pile up beside him.

But—it wasn’t enough.

His body grew cold. His vision dimmed. His heartbeat slowed, his breathing shallowing. He approached the brink of death again and again, but he refused to give up.

I will not… I will not let you die! Wake up, Cordie!

But at last, the potions ran out. Sieg’s own life was about to be extinguished. His body shook, and his face twisted in regret.

…C… Cordie…

It was at that moment.

…Huh?

His body suddenly felt light. Sieg realized what was happening.

An Ascension. Using a Blessing also awarded experience.

His maximum life force had just increased, and he was fully healed. What’s more, his proficiency with [Life Force Transfer] had also increased.

This time!

For the first time, Sieg thanked the gods for their miracle.

This time, for sure—

He stared at the princess and gritted his teeth.

“This time, I won’t let you die! Take my life—CORDIE!”

Sieg squeezed out every last drop of his being, pouring his life into her. He was prepared to die here, if only she could be saved. That had been one of the reasons he’d started this journey over again.

Live! Cordie!

He gave and gave, until he was just a breath away from death. And then—

“…Pr… Princess…?”

“Her Highness is breathing again!”

“What! It’s a miracle!”

Emma’s choked voice and the cries of the priests tending to the High Grand-Priest rang out.

Cordelia’s eyes fluttered open, and she took a single, deep breath. Her face was still pale, but her chest was rising and falling.

She was alive.

Seeing this, Sieg smiled, his body trembling.

Ah… Cordie… Thank goodness… The one I… cherish…

Sieg let out a final, relieved breath. He collapsed, his consciousness fading to black.