Chapter 90

Day 1 of Return: Counterattack Begins
Marylia chuckled as she watched Cyril still sniffling and immediately began operating the golem.

… Unfortunately, the Island Golem did not achieve complete autonomy. It could not move unless Marylia constantly directed her consciousness into it.

But that was fine. If such a massive golem moved on its own without control, it could easily end up killing all the living creatures around it!

From what Cyril had said, there was no time to waste. In fact, it was a miracle they had managed to return just in time. It felt as though luck was calling forth even more luck!

"Alright... First, let's get your ship to safety~ Heave-ho.”

Not wanting to crush the hope they had finally grasped, Marylia hurried. First, she used the Island Golem to pick up the ship Cyril had been on.

With just a simple "There we go," she lifted it easily. Of course, for the Island Golem, a ship of this size was no bigger than something that could rest in the palm of its hand! Which meant that as Marylia held the ship up, she was mostly occupied with the thought, "I'm scared I might accidentally crush it..."

"Alright, you all can ride on the shoulder."

With that, the ship was placed on the Island Golem’s shoulder. It was carefully set down on the incredibly sturdy surface, where it remained perfectly stable. Well, given how vast the golem’s shoulders were...

"And now... Hmm, just moving a little might be enough to deal with this. What should I do?"

Smiling brightly, Marylia fixed her gaze on the approaching Baltoria ships.

… They could likely see her as well. Judging by the way their ships had slowed down, they were clearly being cautious.

But it was already too late. Whether they were on high alert or decided to flee, Marylia had no intention of letting them escape at this point!

"Alright, I'm going to move now. Everyone, hold on tight~!"

Her voice rang out from the top of the golem’s head to its shoulders, reaching all the allies who had been on the pirate ship.

On the golem’s shoulder, the pirates shouted with joy.

"Lady Marylia!?"
"It’s Lady Marylia!"
"Oh, gods... No, Lady Marylia herself!"

Marylia waved at them and then—without further delay—set the golem in motion.

"... Guess I'll be shuffling again."

Yes.

When Marylia was riding on top of this golem, she couldn’t afford to move carelessly. If she jumped or made any sudden movements, she and the others perched atop the giant figure could be flung off!

And so, the enormous golem shuffled forward with a scraping motion. That alone was enough to terrify the Baltoria fleet.

The enemy ships were now attempting to retreat, but... The Island Golem’s shuffle was faster than their ships!

"Alright. Time to sink them. Here goes."

Having caught up to one of the ships, Marylia casually extended the golem’s hand... and grabbed the Baltoria vessel, plunging it straight to the bottom of the sea!

One ship down. It had taken mere moments. As Marylia reflected on how sheer size alone could be an overwhelming advantage, she pressed on.

"Alright, next one. Heave-ho."

She grabbed the next ship and crushed it outright, letting the remains slip through the golem’s fingers and sink into the ocean.

"Next... Oh, another one just sank on its own~"

… Because the Island Golem had been repeatedly dipping its hands into the sea, the resulting waves were enough to capsize surrounding ships. Size really was power!

And so.

"Alright. They’re all gone."

Marylia beamed as every last Baltoria ship either sank or was completely destroyed.

Naturally, everyone aboard them had also perished... or had been crushed beyond recognition. In any case, they had been damaged beyond the point of retrieval, making it impossible to reanimate them as zombies for another fight. That was sufficient.

"Oh, Lady Marylia...! Is this real? Are we witnessing a scene from myth!?"

Nearby, Cyril stood frozen, his eyes glistening with joy and tears streaming down his face. It seemed his emotions and sense of reality were struggling to catch up.

"There, Cyril. If you cry too much, you'll dry up."

With that, Marylia pressed a squishy slime against Cyril's eyes. The slime would absorb the excess tears. Plus, it felt cool and pleasant!

"Now then, Cyril. We're moving immediately. Hold on tight, alright?"

"Y-Yes! Lady Marylia!"

While squishing the slime against his eyes, Cyril replied energetically. Marylia passed on the same instructions to the others aboard the ship... and then set the golem in motion.

The Island Golem shuffled forward, scraping along. Its destination... naturally, was Baltoria.

During the journey, Marylia brought the former knights' ship onto the golem's head, finally reuniting with them directly.

All of them were moved to tears at their reunion with Marylia, offering up prayers... Marylia watched them with amusement, thinking, "...Oh my? Are they giving thanks to the gods for our reunion? Just two years ago, they were saying there was no such thing as gods! They've become so devout all of a sudden... ehehe."

But in truth, they weren't praying to any god— they were praying to Marylia herself! Not that Marylia realized she was being worshipped.

"Alright, everyone. Listen carefully. I'm heading to Baltoria with the golem. In the meantime, I'll be leaving Fractalia in your care. Can I count on you?"

Completely unaware that she was the object of their faith, Marylia relayed the plan.

First, they would stop by Fractalia to drop off the knights. The knights would be in charge of evacuating the citizens and suppressing any riots—tasks far too delicate for the clumsy Island Golem.

Meanwhile... Marylia would trample Baltoria.

Yes, literally trample. With the Island Golem!

"I don't think it'll take too long to subdue Baltoria. I'll be back soon, so hold out until then."

With the Island Golem's sheer size, most things would be destroyed just by stepping on them— even an army of necromancer-controlled undead. After all, the necromancer couldn't control anything that wasn't a corpse. Pulverized bodies couldn't be turned into soldiers!

"That's... too dangerous, Lady Marylia!"

"Please, take us with you to Baltoria! We'd gladly serve as pawns!"

Many voiced their concern about Marylia going alone. But she had no intention of backing down.

"Oh, no no... I came back because I wanted to talk with all of you again. I can't let you die. Besides, Baltoria seems to be using the dead to create an endless army. Even if I put personal feelings aside, I could never use you as pawns."

Fighting Baltoria meant fighting that necromancer. Taking along anyone who could die would only swell the enemy's forces.

"I'll handle Baltoria's necromancer. That's why I need your strength to protect Fractalia, alright?"

It was vital to fortify Fractalia's defenses. If the country fell while she was away, all would be for nothing.

The more bodies there were, the more troublesome the necromancer became. Deploying the knights in Fractalia was the best course of action.

"... Understood, Lady Marylia."

The knights accepted her persuasion without protest. They were the type to follow orders once given. Marylia was relieved.

However...

"Then, please bestow your blessing upon us."

That was where she found herself in trouble.

"As you did in that battle long ago, please grant us your blessing!"

"With it, we can fight endlessly! Even if we're not like you, we can take down five enemies each!"

Hearing them speak with such earnest expressions, Marylia smiled... but inwardly tilted her head.
"...Blessing?"

A moment later, she realized what they meant.

"Of course, I'll do that. But not because I want you to defeat enemies—it's because I want you all to stay safe. Don't forget that."

In short, they were referring to her golem reinforcement spell. Back then, she had turned their armor into golems, and they had mistaken that for a divine blessing!

Marylia inwardly wondered how things had come to this... but she maintained her graceful smile.

"... By the way, it's not really a blessing, you know? I'm just reinforcing your armor..."

She tried to correct them, but...

"No! That is precisely a blessing!"

"Lady Marylia! You're known as the 'Salvation Saintess' throughout Fractalia now!"

"We're so proud of you! Hehehe!"

With the knights grinning brightly, Marylia could only murmur,
"Oh my..."

She gazed up at the sky, bewildered.

Somehow... Fractalia had changed quite a bit.

Even her confused expression seemed divine to the knights, who only revered her all the more.

The joy of reuniting with the one they had long admired pushed them into even deeper devotion... while Marylia could only sigh, "What am I going to do...?"

But in the end, she simply gave up. Quick to surrender—that was one of Marylia's best traits.

"... Alright then."

With a serene smile, she addressed the knights, unaware of their reverence.

"Let's save Fractalia with our own hands."

If they insisted on calling her the Salvation Saintess... well, that was fine. It would certainly be a fitting way to get back at the king. Surely, the royal court would grimace at the thought of Marylia becoming a saint.

After all, Marylia still owed the king for exiling her...

"I'm looking forward to it~"

Marylia smiled sweetly at the thought.

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