This Is a Medical Procedure

While Yohane and Orleans had struggled to take down just one, Azu and the others had dispatched the horde of Rose monsters.

The Roses were strong but slow, and experienced adventurers had no trouble with them as long as they watched out for the poisonous pollen and thorns.

The vines that Yohane had strained to cut, they severed with ease.

If there had been a dicey moment, it was when the sap from cutting the Roses splashed on them, but thanks to Yohane's warning, everyone managed to avoid harm.

Their weapons had touched the sap when they struck the Roses, but showed no damage.

They were fortunate to have quality gear.

The machete Yohane had used, being ordinary iron, had its edge ruined.

"Not much to them. Might've been a bit dangerous for someone who can't fight, though."

"Don't worry, I'll give you plenty of satisfaction. Little girl."

"Ugh, annoying."

Despite having all her summoned Roses defeated, the Ent wore a smile of composure.

She showed no reaction to Finn's jab.

A vine shot up from the ground trying to snare Finn, but she sensed the vibration and backed away.

Matching that opening, Alexia pelted the stationary Ent with rapid-fire fire magic.

Vines formed a wall to block it, but given the elemental disadvantage, it was only a matter of time before Alexia's magic got through.

Meanwhile, Elza rushed over to the injured pair.

"Both of you, let me see your injuries… Good. These won't leave scars."

"Heal Orleans first."

"Understood. Orleans-chan, this will hurt a little, so bear with me."

"Yes, Elza-sama. Please."

Elza undid the bandages from the first aid, rinsing away the blood and dirt with holy water.

Then she pressed her mouth to the wound, likely to draw out poison.

She spat out blood-tinged saliva and cleansed the wound with holy water again.

Orleans grimaced at the pain but endured without crying out.

Only then did Elza apply a healing miracle to Orleans's injured leg.

It took effect immediately, and the wound began to close.

True to her word, it healed cleanly without leaving a scar.

"Now it's your turn, Master."

Elza gripped his left shoulder firmly.

Then she took a mouthful of holy water and pressed her lips to the burned area of his face.

It happened so suddenly he couldn't move.

Not that he could have, with his shoulder held fast.

The next instant, a sharp stinging pain shot through the wound.

But it gradually subsided.

By the time the pain had completely faded, Elza pulled her lips away.

She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Normally I wouldn't need to go this far for ordinary poison or acid, but these are plants summoned by an Apostle. Better safe than sorry."

Then she used a healing miracle to close the wound.

He'd been prepared for scarring, but this too healed cleanly.

Being kissed out of nowhere had made his heart race, but once he understood it was a medical procedure, he calmed down.

"I'm going back over there. I don't think there'll be any more danger, but don't come any closer. Understood?"

"That was the plan anyway."

"Good boy."

He nodded at Elza's words.

He didn't press further.

That could wait until they'd cleared this tower.

He had a feeling she'd tell him then.

Elza returned to the front line and refreshed everyone's blessings.

The situation hadn't changed much.

Alexia was relentlessly bombarding the defensive Ent with magic.

Most of the thick wall of vines had been burned away by fire magic.

She was close to breaking through.

But Alexia's expression was uneasy.

Given the raw difference in their mana reserves, Alexia should have been the one on the defensive.

Yet the Ent was doing nothing but blocking.

Perhaps she was planning something, Alexia thought as she kept up her barrage.

The confident smile on the Ent's face all but confirmed it.

Bring it on, she thought.

And then Alexia's magic finally punched through the vine barrier.

Fire magic surged toward the Ent.

The Ent clenched her left hand and extended her index finger, pointing it at Alexia's incoming fire.

The fire magic was sucked into her fingertip and vanished.

Alexia immediately cut off her spell.

"My turn now, don't you think?"

A clack.

The sound of the Ent's high heel striking quartz.

The next instant, the ground shook.

It was nothing like when the Roses had emerged.

A massive tremor, as if the entire tower were swaying.

It could only be called an earthquake. The Ent's mansion and garden could be seen crumbling under the strain.

Elza and the Ent were the only ones standing normally.

Azu and Alexia barely stayed upright by bracing themselves on their weapons.

They narrowly dodged a fissure opening beneath them.

Finn had produced thread from somewhere and strung it up to suspend herself in the air, mostly unaffected.

Yohane and Orleans clung to nearby rubble, barely holding on.

When the shaking stopped, the Ent's appearance had changed.

Her staff, which had resembled a thorny branch, had transformed into a sword, and she wore purple gloves on her hands.

Her dress seemed to have brightened slightly as well.

"Don't break too easily, okay? That wouldn't be any fun."

The moment she said that, she vanished.

"Alexia, right!"

As Finn shouted, the Ent appeared at Alexia's right, sword raised.

Alexia was clearly slow to react.

But her body, honed as a warrior and tempered by experience as an adventurer, responded to Finn's voice.

Without even time to look, she instinctively swung her battle-axe toward the Ent.

The Ent's sword met Alexia's battle-axe.

A sharp metallic clash rang out.

Her reaction had been late, but her response wasn't bad at all.

What she hadn't expected was that she couldn't hold her ground despite bracing herself.

With tremendous force, Alexia's body was lifted and flung away.

Like a cannonball, she was hurled into a heap of shattered quartz.