To construct the barrier and purify this land, everyone in the village—including us—took action.
We gathered the necessary materials.
We carried on with the preparations.
At the same time, we stayed alert, not neglecting vigilance against a second attack.
We had managed to fool the scouts once, but it might not be long before they discovered us.
Or perhaps another scouting party could arrive.
Our actions were meant to be ready for such possibilities.
And so, with everyone working together, the preparations steadily advanced…
The next day, the preparations for constructing the barrier were complete.
“This way, please.”
Guided by Claudia, we entered the temple within the village.
Apparently, it was usually a place for offering prayers.
For humans, it would be something like a church.
Because it was such a sacred place, it seemed to be the perfect location to serve as the starting point of the barrier.
Everything had already been arranged.
A magic circle was drawn on the floor.
Crystals infused with magical power were set to the front, back, left, and right.
“Princess, Sacred Beast, please step onto this magic circle.”
Claudia led the two of them to the circle.
“Um…”
“It’s alright.”
“We’ll be right here with you.”
Aisha looked a little uneasy, but we smiled at her.
That seemed to put her at ease, and with a determined I’ll do my best! she clenched her small fist tightly and stepped onto the circle.
“Please offer your prayers there.”
“Prayers…?”
“Yes. The thoughts of the Princess and the Sacred Beast will become the most important power… we’ll take care of all the finer details.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
Aisha knelt down and pressed her hands together in prayer.
Snow sat firmly on the floor with her legs tucked under her.
Then, together, they closed their eyes and began to pray.
“……”
Light began to overflow from Aisha’s and Snow’s bodies.
It was so gentle, so warm…
It was also something so nostalgic that it made me want to cry for no reason at all.
――――――――――
The barrier was successfully constructed.
At the same time, the purification of the village was complete, and the negative emotions that had accumulated there vanished completely.
It was a great success.
“Suu, suu… nnhu…”
“Snnrk… snii…”
Aisha and Snow were asleep in bed, holding each other as if cuddling.
They must have been tired from creating the barrier.
For now, I just wanted them to rest peacefully.
Sofia and I watched their sleeping faces for a moment, then quietly closed the door to their room.
After that, we went downstairs and met up with Claudia.
Incidentally, this was the house prepared especially for us.
Perhaps because Aisha and Snow were with us, they had given us the best house in the village.
“And the Princess and the Sacred Beast…?”
“They’re fast asleep. It seems they were a little tired out.”
“I see…”
Claudia’s expression turned troubled.
The construction of the barrier and the purification of the village had been essential, but she seemed worried that it might have placed too heavy a burden on Aisha and Snow.
“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Claudia.”
“But still…”
“It was Aisha and Snow’s own decision to do this. That’s why it’s fine.”
Besides, I was sure the two of them weren’t bothered by it at all.
If anything, they were probably proud that they had been able to help the village.
“More importantly, let’s think about what comes next.”
“You’re right, Fate. Now that we know the true objective of the Dawn Alliance, we can’t simply leave them be.”
That was a bit surprising.
I never thought Sofia would show this much determination.
“If we leave that thieving cat alone, who knows what she might do. Fate belongs to me and me alone!”
She squeezed me tightly in her arms.
Yep… Sofia was still Sofia.
“But what should we do next…?”
We had uncovered the purpose of the Dawn Alliance.
But their size, their members, their headquarters—the things we didn’t know still far outweighed what we did.
“…Hmm.”
Claudia looked thoughtful.
After a pause, she spoke.
“In that case, how about setting a bait?”
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