Good idea.
An answer that satisfied both reason and law immediately moved Morgan. She stretched her arms forward and murmured softly.
"If we leave her here alone, this child is destined not to survive. In that case, I will take responsibility for raising and supervising her."
"Woof!"
As the stranger approached, the little thing struggling stubbornly on the rocky ground looked full of wariness. She bared her sharp teeth and squeezed a threatening growl from her throat, like a wolfhound with a fierce instinct for self-preservation.
Even when Morgan gently picked her up, she kept wriggling, rubbing around, and growling, her eyes holding a trace of defiance and hostility.
However, as a Child of Nature protected by Britannia, the rare Witch's natural affinity spread out unseen, gradually soothing the fierce little creature.
After a while, the energetic young Demon Hound finally wore herself out. She curled up in Morgan's arms and fell sound asleep, her small face, nourished by Mana, gaining a touch of color. For once, she looked quiet, innocent, and rather endearing.
"Barghest..."
Morgan raised her hand and gently brushed it across the little one's cheek, gazing at the new life in her arms with a complicated expression as she murmured.
"Barghest the Demon Hound. That will be your name from now on. Though you were born bearing sin, I hope you can live beneath the light and atone for this debt."
Fate had begun to turn again.
The serpent bearing inevitable karma leaned against the rock wall, watching the mother and daughter before him, who were destined to form a bond, complete their historic meeting. Emotion welled up inside him.
The rampaging, demonized Black Dogs nearby had already been cleared out. With time to spare, Samael casually raised his sword and blasted square pits into the rocky ground.
The wind pressure formed by Ether swept the bones around them into the deep pits, then buried them, forming new graves.
Seeing this, a faint softness appeared in Morgan's deep blue eyes. She worked with her ally to complete the burial of the dead.
At the same time, Samael stood to one side and quietly chanted in a low voice.
"Proclaim:
I preside over slaughter. I preside over life.
What I wound, I heal.
None may pass beyond my palm.
None may flee beyond my gaze.
Let them be destroyed.
The broken, the ruined, the aged, I call them all back.
Entrust yourselves to me, learn from me, obey me.
At the hour of rest,
forget not the song, forget not the prayer, forget not me.
By my lightness, cast off every burden and rest in my hand.
For your sins, be anointed with oil and branded with the mark.
Eternal life is granted by death.
Forgiveness is here and now. By my incarnation, I swear this oath. Let mercy look upon this place!"
Under the chant, flowing like song and poetry, a hazy white light spread from the man's fingers.
The deathly aura and resentment gathered around them were quickly washed away, melting like ice and snow. Even the chilling temperature nearby rose noticeably.
The red-black smoke hanging in the air also gradually thinned, until it drifted away with the wind and finally revealed the bright moon and stars it had hidden.
"What is that...?"
"Baptism Rite. A small technique used to purify evil and soothe the dead. Death is painful enough already. We may as well let them go peacefully."
Samael looked at the now-peaceful graves in satisfaction, then turned and smiled, answering casually.
He really is a very gentle, attentive man...
Morgan looked at the man before her and could not help staring a little blankly.
"Phew. Dawn's almost here. Since the matter is settled, it's time for us to head back."
Samael glanced at the pale glow beginning to brighten the eastern sky, raised his hand to pull out the Holy Sword, and lazily stretched his body. Then he lightly patted Morgan on the shoulder, waking the Witch from her inexplicable daze.
"Oh. Oh, right!"
Morgan snapped awake. To hide her lapse, she instinctively nodded several times and followed after her companion.
The man walking ahead lowered his eyes to the fingers of his right hand, and the corner of his mouth lifted faintly.
Good. One step closer.
"By the way, Morgause, have you thought of anything about this child, or why the Demon Hounds attacked human towns and abducted infants?"
On the way back, Samael noticed that Morgan behind him kept stopping and starting, her head lowered, her brows knitting and relaxing from time to time. He could not help asking.
"Yes. If I am not mistaken, this child should be an [A-Ray] created by the Demon Hounds."
Morgan lifted her head. As the breeze stirred her veil, it revealed her smooth chin, and her deep blue eyes held a faintly thoughtful look.
"An A-Ray?"
Samael did not understand the term. He put on a humble, eager-to-learn expression, slowed his steps, and walked side by side with Morgan, leaning slightly closer to listen.
The distance between them had unconsciously closed by another large step. The Ancient Serpent could even faintly smell the lingering fragrance from the Witch beside him.
After spending the whole night together, Morgan had been prompted more than once by this sharp and intelligent ally, and her confidence had inevitably taken a small hit.
Now, hearing that this man also had gaps in his knowledge, the proud Witch, usually quiet and reserved, became unusually eager to explain.
"The primordial fairies are known as [Great Mothers]. They are another manifestation of the planet's Divided Spirits and possess strength second only to the gods.
"But fairies have no concept of reproduction. Among the offspring they produce through self-division or special methods of continuation, if an individual appears with the Authority of a [Great Mother], that individual is often called an [Atavistic A-Ray].
"And I can feel that Barghest possesses tremendous power. She is very likely an [A-Ray] jointly created by those Demon Hounds."
Hearing this, Samael nodded in agreement.
"An infant's soul symbolizes purity and abundant life. The Demon Hounds infiltrated towns and stole children, likely to sacrifice them and fuse them into a new [A-Ray]."
Then the Ancient Serpent glanced at Barghest in Morgan's arms, at those mismatched blue and red eyes. He raised a hand to rub his chin and murmured thoughtfully.
"She can suppress the chaos and frenzy of the Demon Hound bloodline, and she has a human form. It seems they really did succeed."
"That should be the case..."
Morgan nodded slightly, rather appreciative of how quickly her listener could draw conclusions.
Though she was not good with words, speaking with someone intelligent was indeed pleasant.
"It's just that there's still one thing I don't quite understand..."
At that moment, Samael turned back to look toward the valley and frowned slightly.
"What exactly happened to make these Demon Hounds go berserk and create their own [A-Ray] at any cost?"
Morgan's expression tightened at the question. After thinking for a moment, she could only shake her head helplessly. That was something she had not yet figured out either.
Seeing signs that the infant in her arms was about to wake and cry again, the two had no time to keep discussing it. They could only quicken their pace toward the nearest town, Cornwall.
After several hours of trekking, Samael and Morgan finally arrived at the small town where the incident had taken place.
"Sir Knight, thank heavens! You're finally back!"
The guard captain, one arm hanging in a sling, rushed up in delight when he saw them. Then he hurriedly grabbed Samael's arm and tried to lead him toward a nearby manor.
Samael was rather surprised. He planted his feet firmly and asked with a frown.
"What happened?"
Seeing that he could not pull the knight along, the guard captain had no choice but to stop and report gravely.
"It's urgent, Sir Knight. According to Camelot's announcement and the reports from various places last night, it wasn't just Cornwall. All of Britannia has suffered disaster!
"Right now, Sir Ector has already led men to take over Cornwall's defenses. He is currently gathering people to discuss countermeasures. Your companion, that beautiful Magus, has also been invited to the manor."
So it really was not an isolated case.
Samael and Morgan exchanged a glance, their pupils shrinking slightly before they instinctively quickened their pace.
***
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