She punched him.
Any rational thought—the fact that they were childhood friends, the risk of a brawl in a public place—evaporated the moment she saw them. Frixell lunged forward in a single step, aiming squarely for the red-haired man who had the nerve to stand there boldly under the blue sky with a map spread out.
"—I finally found you, you damned idiots!!"
"……!?"
The man—Rex—barely reacted in time to parry Frixell’s full-force blow with his left arm. Stumbling back a few steps from the impact, he looked less surprised and more like he’d just swallowed something bitter. It was the face of a man who found being discovered highly inconvenient.
"Tch... Frixell!"
"You... why are you here!?"
Dino clicked his tongue in irritation and retreated quickly, positioning himself to shield Alphana. Ah, so they still make those faces, Frixell thought. The coldness of deep disappointment, a feeling she’d experienced too many times to count, sharpened her focus.
"Frixell-senpai...! Why now of all times...?"
"……"
And then there was Alphana. The vixen who had wormed her way into the party to bleed Rex and Dino dry, all while ostracizing Frixell to seize control of Flamberge.
They were at a frontier waystation, several days’ ride from the Holy City and close to the national border. These transit points provided basic lodging for adventurers tackling remote dungeons or knights on patrol.
While the place was too small and quiet to be called a town, the density of nearby dungeons meant there were enough adventurers for merchants to hawk food and items. In the middle of this bustling trade, a woman had suddenly screamed and swung a fist; the resulting silence was so absolute you could hear a pin drop.
Rex, Dino, and Alphana. The culprits behind the Clear Approval Accident had fled the Holy City and remained in hiding until they reached this remote corner of the world.
Rex lowered his center of gravity into a guarded stance, choosing his words with care.
"...Frixell, wait. This isn't what it looks like."
"The first thing you say to a teammate you haven't seen in over a month is an excuse? You clearly have something to hide."
The clank of silver armor announced the arrival of several knights from behind Frixell. They moved with disciplined precision, surrounding Rex’s group. Panic finally flickered across Alphana’s face.
"Wait, why are there knights here!?"
"Because of course there are. Do you even understand what you’ve done?"
No, they had to know. They’d run precisely because they knew, driven by a desperate need to save their own skins by fleeing to a backwater surrounded by nothing but dungeons.
Even after what had happened.
Even though their petty internal squabbles had stolen the future from a boy who had nothing to do with them.
Rage threatened to overwhelm Frixell’s self-control, but then a drawling, lazy voice drifted from behind her.
"Good grief, I finally caught up... You certainly picked a remote spot to run to."
It was Fyuji—the scruffy, unmotivated man notorious for being the biggest loafer in the Holy City’s Adventurer’s Guild.
This was the man who had tracked Rex’s group down in mere days and organized a search party of knights. Frixell had no idea how he’d found them or why he had the authority to command a squad of elite knights. Even more mysterious was how these high-ranking soldiers followed his orders without a single complaint. Who exactly was this old man?
But that didn't matter right now. Fyuji stepped up beside Frixell and scratched the back of his neck.
"Now then... I don't suppose I need to explain why we’re all here, do I?"
"Tch...!"
Alphana spoke up, her face twisting into a hostile expression that would have been unimaginable when they first met.
"We told you, we did the investigation properly! This Clear Approval Accident or whatever... we have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Yeah, I've heard that one before," Fyuji sighed. "But if that’s the case, why did you suddenly decide to bolt?"
The answer was obvious. They had initially played along with the inquiries because they thought they could lie their way out. They fled the moment they realized they couldn't.
"If I recall correctly... you disappeared right after the Church issued a summons for you to appear for Judgement."
"It would be a problem, wouldn't it?" Frixell added. "If you had to face the Saint of Star Eyes. She’d see through your lies in a heartbeat."
Exactly. The accident had happened because they had done something they were desperate to hide. It wasn't just negligence; it was a deliberate cover-up.
"—How rotten can you people get!?"
"Tch...!"
Frixell truly couldn't believe it. Alphana aside, Rex and Dino were veteran adventurers who had survived for over a decade on their own strength. They knew the dangers of dungeons. They knew that cutting corners during an Approval Investigation was an act of gross, criminal irresponsibility.
But what Frixell hated most was herself. She had seen that Rex and the others weren't fit for the job, yet she had done nothing. Worse, she had actually wished for them to fail miserably.
In the end, she had been just as selfish as them. She had been so blinded by her anger at her failing companions that she hadn't considered the possibility of innocent people being caught in the crossfire.
Because of her, Silvery Grey had been forced to face the Grim Reaper.
And Wolka... Wolka had nearly died. He had lost an eye and a leg.
It was too much.
Those kids had been completely innocent. They were a rising party with a brilliant future ahead of them.
Frixell and her team had stolen that future. A writhing, agonizing regret felt like it was tearing her heart apart.
Fyuji placed a hand on Frixell’s shaking shoulder and stepped forward.
"Look, just come quietly. I wouldn't recommend making things any worse for yourselves."
Frixell had assumed that, cornered by knights, even they would give up. Resisting now would turn them into true criminals. There was a world of difference between surrendering now and being taken in by force.
She had been too optimistic.
"Re-Rex, Dino... you'll protect me, won't you...?"
Alphana’s voice was sickeningly sweet, a cat-like purr intended to manipulate.
"Rex. Dino."
Frixell felt a wave of nausea. A hollow laugh escaped her. As her white-hot rage cooled into a frozen, deadly calm, she spoke.
"—That’s pathetic."
Rex drew his red straight sword, and Dino unsheathed his black greatsword.
They had both deactivated their weapons’ Accessorize state. Even now, they were choosing to double down on their stupidity.
Rex didn't smile.
"We're serious. Alphana has nothing to do with this. We take full responsibility."
"Then why are you running!?"
"To get Alphana out of the country. I realized during the guild inquiry that we can't protect her here. Even if she's innocent, the guild will blame her by association, and people will say horrible things to her. We won't let her be dragged down with us."
"……"
Frixell only grasped the depth of their delusion when Fyuji asked his next question.
"...So, you plan to smuggle her across the border?"
"Yes," Dino grunted, hefting his greatsword. "If we can do that, we'll return to the Holy City. We’ll face the Judgement and accept whatever punishment they give us. Just... let Alphana go."
They were offering to be the fall guys to save her.
Frixell couldn't wrap her head around it. Even if Alphana were innocent—which she wasn't—what could possibly make her worth this level of sacrifice? Frixell could understand them being charmed by her or being in love with her, but this surpassed reason.
Rex and Dino were acting like puppets.
"…Sorry, Fyuji-san. It looks like these idiots won't listen unless I beat some sense into them first."
"Whoa, easy there..."
It was clear now: force was the only language they would understand.
Frixell stepped forward, her spear gripped tight in her right hand. The knights tensed, hands moving to their hilts. The air grew heavy with the threat of violence. The onlookers realized things were about to turn ugly and quickly scrambled away.
Frixell felt a pang of self-derision.
(I never thought the day would come when I’d have to fight my own party.)
They had been a successful, normal party once. How had it come to this?
She cut the sentiment short. This was better than a chase; she would beat them into the ground and drag them back to the Holy City. She had to bring them to justice—for herself and for those kids.
(I have to apologize. I have to look them in the eye and say I'm sorry—)
She settled into a low stance, focusing her magic. She activated her Strength—
"Sigh. I guess the Princess was right after all."
Fyuji’s tired sigh cut through the tension.
"Step back. I’ve got a little trick for this."
"Wait—"
He grabbed Frixell’s shoulder and pulled her back, stepping into the fray himself.
Frixell was confused. While Fyuji was an instructor, Rex and Dino were A-rank adventurers. Rex was a skilled all-rounder, and Dino’s greatsword could cleave through monsters like paper. This wasn't a fight one man could handle.
And yet...
"You men, stand down," Fyuji ordered the knights.
"Sir!"
His voice was suddenly sharp and authoritative, a total departure from his usual lazy persona. The fact that the elite knights obeyed him without a second thought spoke volumes.
"Fyuji-san, who are you...?"
"Now, now, let's not worry about the small stuff."
Fyuji was back to his usual relaxed self. Dino leveled his greatsword at him.
"Heh. So the old man wants to do this alone?"
"Heavens, no. That sounds like too much work, and I'm not as young as I used to be."
Fyuji reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple silver pendant in the shape of the cross of the Chryscles Holy Church. He held it up for them to see. From behind the men, Alphana sneered.
"What? Are you going to tell us to behave because God is watching?"
"Haha. Well, something like that—"
A faint ripple of mana emanated from the pendant. Frixell realized it was a magic tool.
"—Think of it as a little Divine Revelation."
Frixell wasn't sure what happened next. She thought the pendant might have pulsed with a pale blue light, but she couldn't be sure in the bright sunlight. All she knew was that the tool had been activated.
And then, the impossible happened.
"...Understood. I'll... go back to the Holy City."
"Yeah... let's get moving."
"……!?"
Rex and Dino lowered their weapons. They looked dazed, turning back toward Alphana with vacant eyes.
"Alphana, you're coming too, right?"
"Of course. It’s what we have to do."
Alphana pressed a hand to her forehead, looking like she was emerging from a thick fog. She shook her head slowly.
"Yes... of course. We have to go back. I don't know why we were even doing this..."
Frixell stood frozen, her spear still in hand. What is going on? They had been ready to fight to the death just seconds ago. Was it a trick? No, their expressions were too clear, too peaceful—as if their very thoughts had been rewritten.
Alphana turned to her with a polite smile.
"Everything is fine now. I'm sorry for the trouble, Frixell-senpai."
"Huh? Uh... right. As long as you understand...?"
Frixell wasn't satisfied. The result was what they wanted, but the method was terrifying. What kind of power could make a person stop resisting so completely?
She looked at the pendant.
One of the knights whispered, his voice full of awe.
"Oh... so this is Lady Arcasiel’s power..."
Arcasiel? The Saint of Fortune and Woe? The one who never left the Holy Sanctum?
"Good grief. Her power is as terrifying as ever," Fyuji muttered, catching the pendant as it dropped. "All right, the rest is up to you."
"Sir!"
The knights surrounded the trio and began to lead them away. It was an eerie sight; there were no ropes, no struggle. The prisoners were perfectly compliant. The onlookers stared, wondering why the earlier drama had evaporated so instantly.
Frixell could only stare at Fyuji.
"Fyuji-san... who are you, really?"
"I didn't do anything. I told you, didn't I? It was just a little Divine Revelation."
Fyuji gave her a cryptic, unsettling grin and looked down at the silver pendant.
"—Because when God speaks, you really have to listen."