The effect of [Obedient Doctrine] disappears, and as the wave of pain subsides, Jimbo recovers the ability to think and see. Expecting to find more danger, the unexpected image of Arrax with his chest pierced by Hilda's sword leaves him speechless.
Two trails of blood run down the corners of the mage's lips. He slowly moves his head to face Hilda and dedicate a couple of curses to her. She, with an unperturbed countenance, does not let him speak. She moves the sword, twisting it with the sorcerer still skewered on the blade, swinging Arrax and throwing him against a pillar, where the mage's body bounces before lying face down on the floor.
Marnie, her back pressed against a wall, moves slowly toward the secret shortcut, trying to go unnoticed in order to escape. When Hilda's eye locks onto her, the disciple jolts and squeaks. Hilda points a finger at her, and Marnie understands the silent command: Stay put until I say so.
The captain approaches the crystal and faces it. Jimbo remains frozen by the situation; for a second he thinks he will be the next to be cut down.
Hilda speaks in a calm, but no less firm, tone.
"Arrax revealed his true face. Not only did he show clear intentions of taking over a valuable tool of the kingdom... But also of destroying a servant of our majesty."
Jim's gaze constantly darts between her and Arrax. Having a corpse lying so close makes him a bit nauseous; it's a brutality his modern sensibilities still need to get used to.
"You received the king's protection, he knew it, he didn't listen... Actions have consequences, especially actions committed by fools," Hilda says loud and clear, as if to make the flawless logic that mobilized her actions evident to the world.
She turns her back on Jimbo and returns to Arrax, stopping when she notices Dowmy near the corpse, kicking it until she runs out of breath. Hilda raises an eyebrow, places a hand on the imp's small shoulder, and pulls her away without a word. She raises the longsword above her head and...
Both Jimbo and Marnie close their eyes. Dowmy, on the contrary, does not look away. The sound of metal cutting through flesh and bone is heard, along with a splashing liquid.
When Jim looks again, he sees Hilda carrying Arrax's body on one shoulder, and holding his head by the hair in one hand. As she walks, she drenches the floor with blood. The crystal pales from the dizziness the whole situation causes him.
"Let's go," Hilda says to Marnie.
The disciple falls to her knees and clasps her hands to beg.
"I don't want to die!"
"Show some composure. You are innocent, and you are a witness... Most likely you will have to testify before the oracles, just as I will. The king will wish to know what happened."
"I'll say whatever you ask me to!"
Hilda frowns.
"You will tell your version of the events, nothing more and nothing less."
"Exactly! I'll be honest! I'll cooperate, it's not like I even liked him!"
The captain snorts through her nose, but doesn't insist further. With a master like Sir Arrax, she figures the disciple must be used to playing her role correctly. The women prepare to leave, but then Jimbo's voice stops the warrior.
«Thanks for saving me.»
She looks over her shoulder at the crystal, observing it in silence for several seconds, then nods and leaves with Marnie. The door to the secret shortcut closes.
Jimbo lets out a long sigh of exhaustion and approaches Dowmy to ask how she is.
"I am much better now, master," she smiles. "But thank you for worrying about me."
«Damn it, this was way too intense! My ether tank is at zero, but at least it all ended well, and we have one less headache to think about.»
Jimbo observes the trail of blood, the scorched stone, the spikes ruining the aesthetic of the core room. Since he has no ether, he'll have to ask Dowmy to at least clean up the blood on her own. Afterward, he'll tell her to take a well-deserved rest. And as for Hilda...
Maybe he misjudged her.
Dowmy the Imp has grown stronger and leveled up to LV 7! Magical traits unlocked!
Jimbo jumps at the sound of the bell and the notification.
Dowmy finishes chewing and swallows.