So I'm a Dragon, So What? - Game System [88]

He watched as Emilia’s power began to wane, the golden light in her eyes dimming as her MP hit rock bottom. Seeing his chance, the elf named Reinhardt hefted his massive shield and charged. 

The shield was coated in dragon's blood, granting it a portion of the [Reverse Scale] effect. Everyone knew dragon scales were the bane of mages.

They must have been truly surprised by the Saintess's combat power, Elliot mused. But it doesn't matter. They have to bring her back to the Village of the Elves. That is the Pontiff's command!

The other elves followed close behind Reinhardt, using the shield's magic resistance to push through the last of Emilia's spells.

"Your Highness, please stop," Reinhardt said, his voice flat, yet with a strange, persuasive quality. "You are only making this difficult for your loyal servants. This is a waste of time." Even knowing Emilia’s resolve, he didn't stop trying to convince her.

In truth, it didn't need to be this complicated. Once they captured the Saintess and brought her back, the Pontiff would perform a "soul cleansing," and the "tainted" girl would become pure and perfect once more. 

Reinhardt had no doubt of this. He himself had undergone the Pontiff's soul cleansing. After the ritual, he felt as if his very soul had been elevated. 

Restoring the glory of the elf race became his sacred, all-consuming purpose. Family, friends, children… they all became burdens on his path to success. But he had no regrets. Not a single one.

The Saintess, after her own cleansing, would surely dedicate herself to this great cause as well!

But suddenly, Reinhardt stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened with a hint of fear as he looked behind Emilia. A man… had appeared there, out of thin air, without a sound.

….

Emilia, tense and on the verge of collapse, suddenly felt a large, warm hand rest on her shoulder. 

Her first instinct was to lash out, but then she felt the familiar warmth of his touch. She spun around, her heart leaping with a joy so intense it almost hurt. It was him. The man she had been hoping for.

"Lord Elliot!" A wave of relief washed over her. She knew it. She knew he would come for her. But now, with her Witch form faded, she was incredibly weak.

"Doing that… leaves you open to attack," Elliot said with a gentle smile. It was a common mistake. 

When reinforcements arrive, it's easy to let your guard down. 

A moment of relaxation is the perfect opportunity for an enemy to strike. It was a bad habit she needed to break.

Emilia nodded seriously, committing his words to heart.

Then, a soft green light flowed from Elliot's hand, healing her. His power didn't just mend her wounds; it also restored a portion of her spent MP. 

The power of the Dendro Gnosis was about cleansing all negative effects and restoring one to their optimal state. 

HP, MP, even Stamina could be replenished. If you were starving to death, a single touch from Elliot could bring you back from the brink.

Seeing Emilia's mana begin to recover, the elves hesitated, a flicker of fear in their eyes. They had already gotten a taste of her full power. They didn't want another.

Even with their domain’s power keeping them from true death, the pain was still very real. The feeling of being flash-frozen and then shattered into a thousand pieces was something none of the elves were eager to experience again.

Reinhardt’s attention, however, was now fixed on Elliot. He recognized him instantly. This was one of the two individuals he had been warned about. 

Shifting tactics, the elven captain abandoned any thought of a direct assault and instead, began to speak.

"Your Highness the Saintess," he said, his voice ringing with a false piety, "return to the Village of the Elves. The Pontiff himself will perform the rites to purify your blood, making you a true, pureblood elf, the most sacred woman in this world. To follow a man of such questionable character will only lead to the defilement of your soul! Even knowing this, do you still choose to walk with him?"

The elves’ obsession with ‘purity’ was almost pathological. As discussed before, they despised any physical blemish. 

But soul impurity was a far greater sin. In their doctrine, to be impure of soul was to stray from the teachings of the Divine Religion. 

And one of the most sacred tenets was that the Saintess must never be touched by a man, lest she be considered unclean.

And now, it was painfully obvious to all of them that the Saintess harbored… an attachment… to this man. It was… utterly defiling!

Elliot remained silent, allowing Emilia to make her own choice. If she truly wanted to return to the Village of the Elves, he wouldn't stop her.

In a way, he was the one who had taken her from there in the first place. He hadn’t known she was their Saintess at the time, but now he understood why they had sent such a powerful force to ‘welcome’ her back.

But it was clear. After the childhood she had endured, Emilia had no desire to ever return to that place.

She reached out and firmly took Elliot’s arm, her gaze towards the other elves now filled with a cold, undisguised loathing.

"I am never going back with you!"

"Is… that so?" Reinhardt's voice finally lost its gentle veneer. He took a deep breath, his tone shifting to that of a lover whose beloved had been stolen away by another man, seething with a universe of hatred. "Then if that's the case… if I kill him, you will come back, won't you?"

The Elven Saintess was, in a spiritual sense, the ‘lover’ of all elves, their most revered goddess! To see her cling to another man like this… it was a desecration. 

They believed Elliot had defiled their goddess! 

To an elf, a spiritual stain was far worse than any physical wound. Seeing Emilia so willingly take his arm, their rage could no longer be contained.

BOOM—

But before they could even launch their attack, Elliot cast [Rock Burst]. He had leveled the minor skill to LV 10, and his mastery over it was now second nature. With a flick of his wrist, the dozen or so elves in the clearing were instantly blown apart.

For Elliot, [Rock Burst] cost next to no mana. He was curious. Just how many times could this "revival" of theirs work? It couldn't be infinite. 

Not even the Hero’s [Ruler of Mercy] could do that. How could a simple domain be stronger than a Ruler ability?

So, Elliot decided on a simple strategy. He would keep killing them. He would kill them until they couldn't revive anymore.