Chapter 104

Happy New Year

The day after Vincent regained his sanity, he chose to return to the Royal Capital as soon as possible, despite the option to remain in the hospital.

The doctor attempted to persuade him to stay for further rest, but Vincent’s resolve was firm.

As the current Commander of the Order of the Holy King, his position and responsibilities meant that vanishing for days without word was a serious matter. It wasn't hard to imagine the state of chaos the Order was in over their missing leader. Harold had no intention of stopping him.

"So, what do you plan to do now?"

"None of your business."

As usual, the sentiment of I have my own things to do failed to get across. If possible, Harold wanted to establish a cooperative relationship, but as long as he couldn't prove the truth of his claims, Vincent wouldn't agree to it.

The Knight Order could not be mobilized based on words and circumstantial evidence alone. For the time being, Harold had mentioned the previous night that Vincent had likely been brainwashed because he was seen as a force capable of killing Harold, who was plotting to interfere with the plan.

In order to verify the truth of those claims, it was more helpful for Harold to have Vincent and the others return to the capital. However, what concerned him was that time was running out.

"……I’ll give you one piece of advice."

"I'm listening."

"Station some men in Travis. Do it swiftly."

"Why?"

Vincent was likely truly puzzled from the bottom of his heart.

Travis was a peaceful town far from the Royal Capital. Its southern side was shaped like a rias coastline where the sea reached inland, with the town nestled at the back of the bay. Furthermore, mountain ranges lined the northern and western sides. The only open side to the east spread out into hilly terrain that ended in a sheer cliff. Because of its location, it was often called a natural fortress.

While not as large a port town as Delphit, trade flourished there, and its beautiful scenery made it a popular tourist destination. Its public safety was better than most other towns. It was the sort of place where one would naturally feel no need to go out of their way to dispatch the Knight Order.

However, precisely because it was usually low-risk and difficult to attack, it was a death trap if an invasion was permitted. Specifically, if the narrow land route on the cliff side was seized, the escape routes were narrowed down to two choices: fleeing by ship or crossing the mountain range.

If that happened, many people would be left behind. Just as it had happened in the Original Story.

"That place will eventually become hell."

The blame lay with the monster invasion and the atrocities committed by the original Harold.

In the Original Story, a monster invasion occurred while Harold was staying there. Instead of stopping the invasion, however, he chose to flee. But as mentioned before, escape methods in Travis were limited, so Harold had set fire to the town to create chaos, increasing the number of people who were too slow to escape and using them as sacrifices to stall the monsters.

He was an absolute piece of scum.

Of course, the current Harold had no intention of doing such a thing, but if he took no action, there was a high probability that the town would be overrun by monsters just like in the script.

Normally, Rainer and his party would arrive a step too late to find Travis in a hellish state, eventually annihilating the monsters—but many casualties would be inevitable. Additionally, in the Original Story, the number of monsters involved in the invasion was said to be in the tens of thousands.

While that number was likely used to emphasize the scale, it wasn't realistic for the six members of the Protagonist's Party to annihilate an army of ten thousand. The monster count had to be reduced as much as possible before the invasion began.

To that end, the Knight Order needed to be stationed in Travis to immediately deploy and guide the civilian evacuation the moment the monsters appeared. Simultaneously, Rainer and the others had to be guided to Travis so they would arrive in time for the start of the assault.

Harold intended to manage this smoothly through shadow support from Frieri… or so he hoped. Since the exact timing of the invasion was unknown, it required extremely delicate adjustment; being too late or too early would be disastrous.

On that front, Harold had made an unreasonable demand of El: "Ensure Rainer and the others can rush to Travis immediately upon receiving my signal." Harold’s honest feeling was a hope that El would somehow manage it, despite feeling apologetic for the workload.

Just in case, he planned to arrange ships using Frieri’s funds, but even then, evacuating the residents would take several hours. During that time, he needed Rainer’s party and the Knight Order to hold the line.

"……I understand. I’ll keep it in mind."

For now, drawing those words out was enough. If it was Vincent, he wouldn't ignore the advance information.

In the end, Harold parted with Vincent without exchanging another word. He had no time, but there were things he wanted to do in the interim.

For that, he would be waiting for a message from El, but……

"Lost in thought, Harold?"

Cody, whom Harold had assumed would return to the capital with Vincent, spoke to him with a perfectly casual face as Harold was weighing his next move.

"……Why are you still here?"

"Well, I’ve got a little business to take care of."

"I see. Later then."

"Wait, wait!"

Harold tried to walk away, but his path was blocked. It seemed the business was with him.

"I don't have time to deal with you."

"Don't say that. I have a favor to ask of you, Harold."

Harold stopped in his tracks at the tone of Cody's voice, which was tinged with seriousness rather than his usual breezy attitude.

He had no idea what favor Cody would ask at this point. That meant there was a high probability of a development not found in the Original Story.

By now, almost all developments were like that, but coming from Cody—who occupied a position close to the Protagonist—it could easily become an element of uncertainty. Regardless of whether he would grant the favor, it was best to hear him out.

"……Make it quick."

Bracing himself for some kind of trouble, Harold prompted him.

"That sword of yours—the one that shaves away your life. I’d like you to lend it to me."

However, the answer that came back was something Harold had never even considered.

◇

Her heart creaked.

"I'll support you. 'Aqua Soaring Fan'."

Her emotions were drying up.

"There's no end to this at this rate."

The piercing blue sky, the fresh green of the trees, the cityscape slumbering in the sunlight...

"I will begin the incantation."

And even the vivid, painful blood—had it always been this faded?

"……'Burst Wind'."

Ah, it was almost—……

"I apologize for the rough treatment, but please sleep for a while."

It was a sensation as if she had been severed from the world.

Was she such an empty person? To lose so much of "herself" simply by giving up on her affection for Harold and her determination to support him.

Even self-mockery was beyond the current Erika. That fact only served to drive home her own weakness.

"That helped, Erika……"

Francis smiled as he spoke, but the expression was somewhat unnatural.

It wasn't just him. The complexions of Rainer, Colette, Lifa, and Hugo were all poor. It was due to a factor entirely different from the fatigue of battle.

(……That's right, isn't it. It is a battle against humans, not monsters.)

To put it simply, it was a fight to the death. There was no way they could simply categorize monsters and humans as equal enemies.

Everyone—surely even Harrison's private soldiers, whom Erika had just knocked unconscious with magic—probably harbored a sense of aversion in their hearts.

"Let us perform healing first."

She questioned herself as she cast healing magic on the wounded Francis.

Then, what about herself? Had there been any hesitation in firing arrows at them or blowing them away with magic to knock them unconscious?

Even if she had no intention of killing them, if she misjudged her strength, or if luck was poor, it was entirely possible they could have died. Had she considered that properly?

……The answer was no. She had prioritized neutralizing them above all else.

Even if they suffered some injuries.

(I must be cold-blooded to be able to think that before anything else.)

She didn't even feel like loathing herself anymore. She was simply that kind of person from the start.

And yet, having known the light that was Harold, she had yearned for him in a way unbecoming of her. She had reached out her hand even though she could never catch up, and in the end, she had given up. What remained was an empty vessel in human form, without will or purpose.

How pathetic. To only now realize a result that had been so obvious.

"With this, we should have defeated most of the soldiers in the mansion. Just one more push."

"Yeah! Let's go, everyone!"

Receiving Erika's words, Rainer gave an encouraging shout. Her footsteps following his back were light, as if spinning their wheels; she didn't feel like she was moving forward at all.

Perhaps it had been that way for a long time, Erika thought. The reason she could never catch up to Harold…… or rather, why he had kept drifting further away, was because she hadn't moved forward a single step.

(I was flighty. Enthralled by Lord Harold's existence, and the fact that I was in love with him.)

To the point where she couldn't understand even something so simple.

They say love is blind, but this was less than that. Just as Lifa had told her, she had merely been blindly devoted. She had depended on Harold for her own will, her way of being, and even her meaning for living.

But, this at least…… this battle alone she had to see through to the end. No matter what the conclusion was, even if everything was a meaningless act.

That was Erika’s meager pride. Even if she couldn't be a source of strength for Harold, she had to avoid being a hindrance.

A loud bang resounded. It was the sound of Rainer, running in the lead, throwing a door open with force.

Wind blew in. It was the top floor terrace of the residence, which was more appropriately described as a small castle than a mansion.

Standing there was Harrison, the master of this mansion who had stolen the Griffith family heirloom sword and other treasures. And standing before him were two people who looked like guards, their hoods pulled low.

"Tch…… you persistent bastards!"

Harrison spat venomously as he looked their way.

Seeing that, Erika realized they wouldn't be able to get him to surrender quietly.

"Just give it up already. We have proof of your crimes, and those two are the only guards you have left."

How could she neutralize them efficiently? While Erika was thinking that, Lifa, standing beside her, urged him to surrender. While thinking that was a futile act, she noticed that the option of persuasion hadn't even crossed her own mind.

I want Harold to think well of me. Once she discarded the mask she had worn with such selfish and shallow thoughts, she realized how barbaric she truly was.

"Hmph, these guys are different from the mansion's rabble! Killing the likes of you will be no trouble at all!"

"It seems he will not respond to persuasion."

Let's end this quickly. Before she exposed her ugliness any further.

Thinking only that, Erika stepped forward. Rainer and the others were taken aback by her action. Feeling that presence behind her, Erika unleashed magic without an incantation.

"Ice End."

The magic, released with a voice as cold as the element itself, froze half of the terrace in an instant. There was no way the pot-bellied Harrison could react; both of his legs below the knees were instantly trapped in blocks of ice.

"Gwah! Curse you……!"

Its power, range, and speed of activation were such that one would never think it was non-incantation magic. It was magic she couldn't use inside the narrow mansion because it was simply too powerful.

An incantation was originally a means to correctly manifest magic and increase the precision of its movement. For an expert, it also served to boost the magic's power. For Erika, too, it had been that way at first.

When was it, she wondered, that the meaning of incantations had changed for her? Just as she was striving to become an existence worthy of Harold, it had happened before she knew it.

Erika performed magic incantations in order to adjust them to the appropriate power—to suppress the sheer force that would be unleashed if cast without a chant.

The Blast Meteor she had released at the source of the miasma was the same. If she had released it without an incantation, it would have destroyed not only the monsters but also the device that had to be deactivated. That was why she used an incantation to scale back the power.

To Erika, even hordes of monsters were fragile and delicate opponents.

"Erika, wait!"

Hugo was shouting something, but before she could worry about that, the two figures who had jumped to avoid the Ice End approached her. Their reaction alone told her they were no ordinary people. As Harrison had said, their strength was on a different level from the common soldiers.

Approaching were a tall man on the left and a small girl on the right.

(The male is the one who would be more problematic if he got close.)

Calmly making that judgment, Erika fired three Aqua Soaring Fans near the man's landing point with her bow while incanting. The arrows of water splashed across the ice. The man, landing on what had become an ice rink, lost his balance.

Erika fired a follow-up Aqua Soaring Fan to prevent him from recovering his posture. The moment it hit, she applied an Ice End to only the water of the previous spell, suppressing its power.

Barely a second had passed since his landing, yet the man was already trapped in an icy prison, unable to move.

(That makes two.)

The remaining one, the dual-wielding girl, closed in on Erika at top speed without losing her footing on the ice.

She was helplessly slow. That was Erika’s honest impression.

A speed that didn't even reach Harold's in his childhood. How many times had she watched him fighting his older brother Itsuki in the dojo while hiding? How many times had she sparred with Itsuki, who knew Harold's speed?

Above all, the twin swords held by the small girl were short and curved, meaning their reach was shorter than a normal blade. For Erika, that was within throwing range.

Erika dodged the sharp flash—which could easily slice through bone—with room to spare by a paper-thin margin. By the time the attack cut through the air, the girl's right wrist was already in Erika’s grasp.

All she had to do was throw the girl without killing her momentum. She twisted the wrist just enough to force her to release the weapon. It would likely only result in a minor sprain.

The girl who was thrown slid across the ice and would have hit the wall directly…… but Erika stopped her just before impact. It was her own way of showing consideration, hoping that if the girl lost her will to fight here, there would be no need to hurt her further.

"……I suppose it cannot be helped."

However, seeing the girl stand up and ready her remaining sword despite her expressionless face, Erika let out a small sigh. She slung her bow over her back and picked up the curved sword the girl had dropped. Close-quarters combat, and swords especially, were not her specialty at all.

Even so, as long as the girl before her was the opponent, there was no way she would fall behind.

The girl launched another charge.

Erika and the girl. Their shadows crossed, and a high-pitched sound of clashing steel resounded, as if being sucked into the endless blue sky.

The fighting last-boss-type heroine, Erika.