Originally, Theresa had planned to have Oath of Judah forcefully tighten its grip and 'choke' Ilulu unconscious.
But before she could put that plan into action, she noticed Ilulu had already passed out.
Come to think of it, that made sense.
Even though Ilulu had seemed lively and energetic earlier, the sheer agony—which even Theresa found hard to bear—had hit Ilulu even harder.
It was no surprise she'd blacked out at some point.
For her to have thrashed around as much as she did just now must have taken every last bit of strength she had.
Thinking this, Theresa simply guided Judah forward a bit, then shut her eyes, kicked Ilulu off the cross, and settled into a comfortable position herself.
After all, Judah was only about two meters tall. And even though both of them could be described as petite, there was no way they could lie side by side on it.
--+--
Some time earlier, in the distance.
"Damn it…! You worthless trash among humans!"
Lainer knew time was precious.
He had deliberately lingered at the back of the advancing group and dragged the two who had just opened the gate behind everyone else.
Tifa frowned at his actions but made no move to stop him.
Those who broke the rules had to be punished.
Simply sending them to a court-martial later wouldn't be enough to soothe Tifa's anger—in fact, she was fully prepared to give them a beating herself.
However, the two who'd been pulled out stood there pale as wax statues, as if unaware of what had happened.
Lainer felt his blood pressure spike. He drew the pistol at his waist and pressed it against one of their heads.
"Still pretending, even now?!"
He recognized these people—or rather, he recognized the attire of everyone in the expedition. Judging by their clothing and appearance, these two were members from India.
As if suddenly awakened, the man with the gun to his head blinked dazedly, then stared in disbelief at his own hands. "I… what did I do?"
That reaction nearly made Lainer laugh in fury. He shoved the barrel harder against the man's skull. "What did you do? Need me to refresh your memory?"
"N-no… wait!?"
Hearing this, the Indian man frantically waved his hands. Stimulated by fear and pressure, Lainer took the chance to study his expression closely.
"Why did you activate the 'gate' without authorization!?"
He demanded.
"I don't know! When I came to, it was already…! And before that… it was like I was dreaming…"
His reply was emotional, offering little useful information, but one thing was clear: his actions hadn't been deliberate.
Lainer stared hard at his face, brows furrowed.
He saw no signs of lying. If the other had been a soldier or officer, it might be different—but this man was just a botanist.
"What's going on?"
Tifa had been monitoring the situation and now stepped over. "Are you saying opening the gate wasn't your intention?"
"Y-yes!"
A Valkyrie seemed much more approachable than a fierce-looking American colonel.
The botanist immediately turned to Tifa, explaining hurriedly, "I never meant to open the gate on my own! I swear on my faith—a devil controlled me!"
Tifa and Lainer exchanged a glance, then looked at the other man who still seemed out of it.
Devils… in their previous world, neither Tifa nor Lainer would have believed it.
But… in a world where gods and dragons existed, demons and devils weren't so far-fetched.
Lainer slowly lowered his pistol, though his frown remained.
If these two had been swayed by an evil organization due to weak will, he could have executed them on the spot.
But if they'd been bewitched by a demon or devil… their value increased considerably.
Research value.
At that thought, Lainer let out a breath. "Keep up with the group for now. I'll be watching you closely."
The affected probably weren't limited to these two, but only they had been caught.
To find out how many were compromised, they'd need to interrogate everyone later and look for similar abnormalities. But that wasn't possible now—it would have to wait.
As Lainer holstered his pistol and prepared to catch up with the main group, he noticed Tifa staring intently behind him.
"That golden barrier is gone…"
Noticing the change, Tifa turned to Lainer. "I'm going back to check on Bishop Theresa!"
Lainer looked back and saw the barrier had indeed vanished, but he didn't immediately agree. "What if Lady Theresa failed? You'd be walking to your death!"
"Bishop Theresa… would never fail."
"But we have to consider the possibility. If you rush over recklessly, you could expose our location."
"I'll change my route on the way."
Tifa gave Lainer a complicated look. Who would head straight back after leaving the group? We Valkyries have some tactical sense too, you know.
Lainer exhaled sharply and said bluntly, "We can't afford any more casualties."
"And we absolutely cannot afford to lose Bishop Theresa!"
Hearing that, Lainer had no rebuttal.
In truth, he didn't want to object—but between the two of them, someone had to raise doubts to ensure a more thorough analysis of the situation.
"Come back quickly. And bring Lady Theresa with you."
Tifa said nothing more, just nodded before leaping away and vanishing from Lainer's sight in two bounds.
The mountain path was complex and rugged—easy to lose your way if you weren't familiar with it.
But as a Valkyrie, Tifa had an excellent sense of direction, coupled with her enhanced physical abilities. In less than ten minutes, she found Theresa lying on the cross and Ilulu collapsed on the ground.
Without even glancing at the girl on the ground, Tifa anxiously checked the pulse and breathing of the white-haired girl.
Only after confirming they were steady and calm did she relax, finally taking a moment to observe the little girl lying nearby.
"Is this… that dragon?"
Looking at the girl's red hair, along with the claws and horns that remained in dragon form, Tifa felt a shock run through her.
She lifted Theresa onto her back, then scanned the surroundings. There were no signs of a struggle—only the massive crater left by the dragon's landing.
So… did Bishop Theresa convince this dragon to surrender? Or something else?
Tifa couldn't easily decide. Even though she noticed a golden pendant around Ilulu's neck, she didn't dare bring her back to the main group just yet.
After some thought, she decided to take Theresa and that mysterious cross back first. As for the dragon… she couldn't make an immediate judgment.
However, an awkward problem arose: while she could carry Theresa, she unexpectedly found herself unable to lift the cross—even though she'd lifted it before without issue.
With no other choice, Tifa held Theresa and hid in a tree not far away, waiting for Theresa to wake up.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.