Special Story: In the World of Midgar (Part 5)
After parting from Juvia and leaving the castle, we headed straight for where Aries was, the Gheil Volcano. We were already going to go there anyway if it weren't for that whole attack, so we were actually following our original plan.
If left alone, Aries would definitely defeat Levia and destroy Svel, and that's not a good thing. I wasn't there for long, but I quite like that country. It's really got a fantasy feel. So I'm going to have to stop that dumbass sheep myself.
The distance looked to be about 20km from Svel. It was farther than I expected, but for Aries's huge body, it probably wasn't actually that far.
First off, let's say a regular sheep is a meter tall. Of course, this is with it standing on all fours, not vertical for some reason. Aries on all fours was over 100 meters tall, so she was 100 times bigger than a normal sheep. So, 20km to Aries was basically as close as 200m.
Of course, there were differences in speed between a human and a sheep, but in any case, to Aries the distance was only a matter of a few minutes or even tens of seconds, so even 20km away, Svel was by no means safe. If the country were to get complacent because of the distance, it'd be entirely possible for Aries to trample over the entire city in thirty seconds.
Just being large has accompanying power and speed.
Normally, you'd think that if someone got bigger they'd get slower, right? For example, if some bug were to become human-sized, it wouldn't suddenly become really strong or fast, it'd just get crushed under its own weight. A bug's exoskeleton is unable to support a large amount of weight, and it only works because the bug is so weak. It's because it's small that a bug can fly several tens of times its own size in distance and can carry things much heavier than itself. This isn't just limited to bugs. Every living thing has its own perfect size and physical ability.
But this is a fantasy world. In this world, things can make no sense, and the unnatural can become natural. Just what kind of power is behind that, I have no idea, and given my education, I wouldn't understand anyway. It could just be that living things are made of different stuff, right down to the bones.
However, there is one thing I can say.
"In this world, common sense doesn't apply."
In reality, Aries is able to move normally with that size, so there's no choice other than to accept that statement. The contradiction of being able to move far better than a normal sheep on top of that over-100-meter-tall body. It works in this world.
Also, this distance is no huge deal for me, either.
"Well then, We'll be going. You can drop in through teleportation later."
"Understood. Good luck."
I left Naruko in town. Even if I were to leave her behind, she could just use teleportation to meet up again later, and thinking clearly, there wasn't any need to bring her around with me before, either.
The blond girl was a really convenient person to have around, was my honest impression.
Well, that's just fine.
The problem is the grimmfolk behind her, or whatever, but… I can't really tell anything until I meet that person. If they're the boss of the grimmfolk, they're definitely level 1000, but if that's the case, I have no idea why Svel is still standing.
Could they just be torturing them? Or do they really only have that much power?
I can't shake this creepy feeling.
The Gheil Volcano.
This mountain, which peaked at a towering 1000 meters above sea level, stood 20km away from Svel. It was an active volcano, but was currently undergoing a long rest period, and hadn't erupted in several hundred years. At its foot, a single castle fortress stood, playing host to monsters.
However, Aries was not inside. In the first place, Aries couldn't fit inside with her huge body. This castle was just there for appearances, and the throne was left empty.
It was definitely not impossible to get inside for Aries. Aries did have a skill to assume a temporary human form given to her by a Monster Tamer skill. Most likely, it was possible for her to assume that form and sit on the throne in the castle.
However, she had no intention of doing so. If she were to take human form while being consumed by revenge like she was now, it would certainly look awful. Aries wouldn't be able to take the form given to her by her master being sullied and twisted like that… So she always moved around as a monster.
These thousand years, Aries had never once used her skill to take human form.
"Lady Aries."
Someone called out to Aries, who was lying down next to the castle. It was the voice of a woman… Aries didn't hide her disdain and turned a sharp gaze on her.
From Aries's huge perspective, she was so small Aries could just fail to notice her, like an ant… Mizuki, the woman who just called her, smiled happily as Aries properly centered the woman before snorting in derision.
"What do you want?"
"Oh? Can't I talk to you without any particular business, m'lady?"
The woman looked like a human in shape, but her skin was clearly a different color. She has silver hair, and her entire body was covered in purple skin with several red markings that line her face and some part of her body. The whites of her eyes were actually black with glowing crimson irises. Fangs peeked out of the corners of her mouth, and her presence was definitely inhuman.
And in truth, the woman wasn't human at all. She was part of the race of grimm that was currently tormenting humanity, the grimmfolk. Her appearance perfectly aligned with that race's traits.
"First, shall I compliment you on a job well done? That just then weakened Levia considerably… The next time you fight, you'll probably win, Lady Aries."
"… Of course. That was my plan."
"Then, why are you simply sleeping and doing nothing right now? You're so close to bringing down Svel, you know? Just what are you waiting for?"
The grimm woman talked kindly, like a close friend trying to get Aries to confide in her. But the dangerous glint in her eyes held not even a single hint of friendliness nor kindness.
"No, it didn't just start now, either. These last couple years, you could have crushed Svel any time you pleased. But you haven't. Why?"
"…"
"You couldn't be second-guessing yourself. They're the bastards that betrayed your precious master. Did you forget?"
"… No, I could never forget."
Aries was actually hesitating. That was an indisputable fact.
She had no qualms about bringing down the Seven Princesses of Midgar themselves. If they were just some common warriors or mages, she would have killed them long ago.
However, if they died, their countries would fall, and the grimmfolk would be pleased. Her master definitely wouldn't want that. Because she, more than anyone, had desired and aimed to be free of the fear of the grimmfolk. There was no way she'd want to destroy an entire country only over revenge.
Aries already knew from the beginning that her revenge went against her master's wishes.
But, even so… Aries couldn't forget. Not ever. The warmth of that hand that was offered to her that day. Nor could she forget the anger over the fact that that same hand was stolen from her.
"I know… I will definitely kill Juvia. Right now, I'm just waiting for my wounds to heal."
"I see. I'm relieved to hear that, Lady Aries. Then, you can go already, right?"
"… Yes. I can go at any time."
Aries had her doubts. But the fire of her anger towards Juvia… No, all of the Seven Princesses of Midgar, would never fade. No matter if it caused the destruction of the world or if it went against her master's wishes… Even so, Aries couldn't suppress the anger with reason. Just how could she live without clearing away the anger and grief at having her master stolen away?
Aries let the madness consume her and stood her huge frame up.
Levia would probably show itself again, but this time, she had confidence that she'd win. As for Juvia herself, although in her prime it was another matter entirely, as she was now, she was entirely killable.
"Great. Then let's go attack now. My monster preparations are perfect. Of course, it's not just a gathering of weaklings like last time. It's an elite army full of monsters, like over level 100 wyverns. This force'll even overwhelm the great Sword Saint in only tens of minutes."
"… I only see a gathering of weaklings, though."
"Forgive me my lady, but when compared to the legendary Twelve Zodiac's Guardians. Anything'd look weak."
From Aries' perspective, the monsters that the woman gathered were simply weaklings that would make no difference whether they were there or not.
Humanity wasn't the only one that degraded over the last one thousand years. Although, as a result of that fight the grimmfolk won, they didn't come out unscathed, given that it was a fight hard enough to wipe out almost all of the heroes from that era.
Just like how humanity lost all of their great warriors of the time, the grimmfolk also paid a great price, and nearly all the grimmfolk that could be called strong, other than the Grimm King himself, were also wiped out by the heroes. And the most powerful monsters were used by both sides, humanity and the grimmfolk, so their numbers were reduced as well, with some species even being completely wiped out.
The grimmfolk won, but that fight was almost completely even. It was a fight where either side could have won, and the winner was simply the side whose casualties were the least severe… That was exactly why it was unforgivable.
If Aries' master had been there, humanity would have won. It would have been a massacre. Humanity would have cleaned this world of the grimmfolk, and Haruka would have built a world free of their fear.
And who was it that wasted all that potential? Just who were the fools that caused this current situation? Those people, who were nothing more than war criminals, were hailed as heroes and, even now, lived carefree, and Aries just couldn't stand that.
That's why she would kill them. She had no doubts about that decision. They probably had their own version of justice, but it didn't matter a wink to Aries.
Her only real worry was… Aries just couldn't stop thinking the person in the golden mantle that appeared back then was her master. And that filled Aries with a strange sense of hope as well as fear.
"Heheheh… Finally, Svel will fall. I hope you're pleased, great Grimm King. Now, once again, one of the foolish heroes who dared to stand against you will disappear."
This grimmfolk woman, who was one of the Grimm King's loyal seven commanders given the title of the "Seven Grimms of Destruction" by the Grimm King himself, was named Mizuki, and she was currently chuckling to herself with a fascinating smile on her face.
After this battle, she would have taken down one of the Seven Princesses of Midgar and be able to present her great king with the human's head. Once that happened, she'd surpass the other six and be recognized as the king's aide.
It'd been one thousand years since the Age of Heroes… Almost all of the elites from back then had gone, and the upper ranks of the grimmfolk had been almost completely replaced.
The Seven Grimms of Destruction were also something that only formed due to that trend as a new rank of commander, but all of them lacked actual achievements. However, if Mizuki were to win this fight, she'd have such an achievement under her belt and should be able to win the king's trust.
Back when Mizuki tried to attack Svel herself, she got burned.
Putting Juvia aside, that guardian deity Levia was far too troublesome. It had a nearly bottomless amount of health due to it being made out of an entire huge lake, and it wasn't affected by physical attacks. On top of that, Juvia could heal it indefinitely.
Mizuki had a lot of trouble finding a way to defeat it, but luck was on her side.
When Mizuki found Aries sitting here at the foot of the Gheil Volcano right by Svel, acting as if the soul just flew right out of her, she even thanked a goddess she didn't believe in for that wonderful chance meeting.
Mizuki took months and years to convince Aries, who was full of doubt and hesitation, drive her to madness, and blow up her desire for revenge. It was pretty hard to get her to attack Svel.
However, today, all that effort would pay off.
I'm about to use one of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, who once sided with humanity, to drive them further into despair… What a pleasant feeling!
Now show me, dumb sheep. Give me the despair and fear of humans.
"The only thing I'm worried about is that one in the golden cloak… Even though you'd let your guard down, that person still blew you away, Lady Aries. They're no weakling…"
Mizuki was thinking, Of course, if Aries got serious she'd never lose to such a person.
However, if that person, Levia, and Juvia were to fight all at once, even Aries would have a hard time. There was still the monster army, but it would be a hard sell to convince anyone that would close the gap .
"… I don't really like it, but in the worst case, I might have to join the battle myself."
Mizuki crossed her arms and looked over at the crowds of monsters formed up past the castle.
The situation favors us.
As long as I don't let my guard down, we won't lose.
Mizuki could just imagine Juvia's face twisted in despair. She could even almost see the jealous faces of the other Seven Grimms of Destruction.
The flow is coming our way. This is definitely the pattern where we win.
With that thought, Mizuki smiled—And right after, a giant group of monsters was blown away all at once, and the smile froze on Mizuki's face.
"…?! Wh-What the hell?!"
Leaning out of a window of the castle, Mizuki stared out into the distance.
What the hell? What just happened? No way, did Juvia come out herself to attack?
Using the excellent vision given to all grimmfolk, Mizuki focused on the monsters being blown away before her, and she saw it. A person wearing a golden mantle, walking this way.
"That's…!"
It was the uncertain element that punched away Aries the other day.
Seeing the person stand against them once again, Mizuki clenched her teeth, but she immediately turned around and thought that this was her chance at victory.
Yes, this is a chance. If we can eliminate that person now, that stops any chance of them teaming up with Juvia and Levia later.
In the worst case, it can just be me, Aries, and a couple high level monsters who take down Svel.
So what's important is to go kill that golden mantle right now, no matter how many I have to sacrifice!
"Don't falter! It's just one person!"
The monsters howled in response to Mizuki's encouragement, and they all charged at once at the single figure.
No matter how strong the person was, they were alone. There was no way to push back this many with quality alone, and it was impossible to control the battlefield with just a single unit.
However, Mizuki's expectations were easily overturned.
In an instant, several hundreds—no, several thousands weapons of swords, axes, spears, and halberds, manifested around the figure, launching themselves all at once and blasting the monsters apart one after the other.
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred…
Monster corpses continued to pile up, but not even one got close. Five hundred, five hundred-fifty, six hundred…
Even now, nothing managed to close the distance. There was no sign of the enemy stopping their attack.
Seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred…
Mizuki could see the army given to her by the Grimm King himself disappearing. They were being trampled.
"… W-What is that…?"
Way too strong.
That mysterious person is way too strong! It's as if one of the great warriors from one thousand years ago is right here! Like one of them came back from the dead.
Is it another one of the Seven Princesses of Midgar? No… the White Princess hates mana and wouldn't be anywhere near here, and the Moon Princess isn't the sort to suddenly help elves out.
It's not one of the Seven Princesses of Midgar… but what fearsome strength.
Mizuki decided that, as it was, the monsters would only continue to die with nothing to show for it, so she made the army fall back.
In exchange, she went out to face the golden mantle herself.
"… A grimmfolk, huh?"
"That's right. And just what are you? I didn't think there was anyone left in this world that strong," Mizuki said, readying a ring-shaped blade in each hand.
A blade of fire in her right. And a blade of lightning in her left. Stunt their movements with lightning, and burn them to death with fire.
"But, it's all over now that I'm here. Too bad, but your life is forfeit now that you've made enemies of the grimmfolk. You should curse your own foolishness that you came all the way out here with only your half-assed strength!"
Mizuki ran.
The ability to put on an instant burst of speed thanks to her lightning blade's effect gave her the ability to move at the speed of a lightning, making it impossible to even see her.
Mizuki ran while leaving several afterimages behind and, at the same time, she unleashed a ring of fire at her opponent to trap their movements with her fire attribute. That combo was the cornerstone of her invincibility, and up until now, there was only one person to ever break through it. It was a technique that would definitely bring victory if used. That was—
"Look closely in wonder! This is the secret technique of one of the Seven Grimms of Destruction, Mizuki the Grimm of Fire! My Lightning-Flame Storm Hellfire Grimm Sword! These twin blades are my symbol! My limbs! And my secret art! Look at this blade of lightning in my left hand! Its blade can cuts through all flesh, and its sharpness will cut through even your soul! Look at this fire blade in my right hand! The swordsmanship that comes from it won't let anyone escape! The sheer heat it emits turns everyone's hopes to ash! Now, with both blades combined, all my enemies are as trash! Now, look and be captured by my special technique! This is the strike of condemnation from a beautiful and sinister god of death that will take your life! Your freedom is stolen and your defenses shattered; I bet you can see your death coming. That is the death god of fire that mercilessly burns all! But there's nothing to grieve about. Your suffering will only be for a moment. That is my mercy. In fact, you'll probably be grateful to me at the moment of your death. You'll say, 'Ah, thank you for freeing me of this suffering!' Think of being struck down by me as the highest honor, and fall to eternal darkness! The lid of hell has been opened just for you! See it. Now is the time for your punishment! The feast of grimms; it's your life's curtain call! Inferno, my right! Thunder, my left! Let yourself be kindly embraced by the fires of dark—"
"You're annoying."
Mizuki flew through the air in a flash.
She didn't even know what happened to her.
Unable to comprehend just what kind of attack she took, the only thing Mizuki understood was, "I was attacked with incredible power."
"… N-No no… way…"
Blood spilled out of her mouth onto the ground.
Just what happened? Just who is that, to do this to one of the Seven Grimms of Destruction with just one hit…? No, it wasn't just one!
That was when Mizuki finally realized. Out of all the over one thousand monsters that jumped at the golden mantle and were blown away, not a single one was dead! They were unconscious, but every single one of them was fine.
That meant that this person had enough leeway to go easy on this many opponents. Strong enough to not kill them, but to instead purposefully miss their weak points with blunted weapons and just blow them away!
"Wh-What the hell… are you…"
As if to answer her question, black wings ran through her vision at that exact moment.
There was a single powerfully clenched fist that appeared from within the cloak. And, as a result of her arm moving, a pair of large, pitch-black wings spread out. Long braids golden hair that resembled tails of a majestic bird. Fire-like scarlet eyes that burn. She was far too beautiful to be the god of death that killed her and too lovely to be called the Blackbird of Death.
That form was unmistakably…
"… H-Haruka Heartfilia…?!"
The Blackbird of Death, the only one that ever scared the Grimm King away from completing his conquest. Mizuki finally realized that she had challenged an opponent she should never have challenged.
I undid the clasp on my cloak and spread my wings. Instantly, I felt liberated.
Even now I just can't get used to the idea of restraining myself with my own wings. I mean, if there was anybody like that, I'd be really creeped out.
Now then, I just punched this woman as she was loitering around me spouting an insanely long speech, but is this the woman Juvia told me about? The one behind Aries? Honestly, she's not really strong, so I'm not sure, and if they're just running their mouth, anybody can do it.
… Ahh, didn't she say something about being one of the Seven Grimms of Destruction?
"Seven Grimms of Destruction, huh? We are not familiar with that name."
"Let this cute little sister of yours explain!"
As if she was just waiting for me to ask a question, Naruko suddenly appeared in a golden flash.
Yeah, uhhh, you know… I'm really thankful, but has explaining things become your hobby recently or something?
"The Seven Grimms of Destruction is the title for the seven commanders supporting the grimmfolk, and it was established three hundred years ago. It wouldn't be too much to say that they're the strongest among the grimmfolk, excepting the Grimm King himself and his son."
"… At this level? From what We see, this one's only level 300…"
"That just means the level of the grimmfolk has also dropped. It's true that humanity lost against the Grimm King, but the grimmfolk were bloodied, too. The other side lost almost all their strong fighters. If they hadn't, this world would have been destroyed long ago."
Ahh, I see. That answers one of my questions.
Before I wondered, "How is it we're maintaining this equilibrium?" But now that I think about it, it was weird that I assumed the grimmfolk were at the same level in the first place.
With all the high level and mid-level players that were wandering around the world, if a fight occurred that wiped all of them out, of course it'd be strange if the other side wasn't dealt a huge blow, too. In other words, my prediction of "definitely level 1000" couldn't be farther off the mark, and the reason that Svel was still standing was simply because its opponents were weak enough for it, too.
… Hm? Which means… Could it be that in the world right now, the only ones able to fight me properly are the Grimm King and the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians?
"By the way, Big Sis, shouldn't you go deal them the finishing blow? It doesn't look like you've killed a single monster yet."
"Hm? Ahh… About that. Even We don't feel like killing monsters that are only being used. Our enemy is only the grimmfolk," I said before lightly waving my finger.
When I did, the countless weapons that blew away the monsters and were currently scattered all over the ground disappeared. It's the opposite of alchemy. Disassembly, I'd call it?
"What are you going to do about the monsters? Now that they've lost their master, they're going to return to the wild. You can't guarantee they won't attack people."
"We have thought of that… 'Capture'!"
I activated the skill that was the foundational and most prized skill of Monster Tamers, "Capture". Its effect was to, with a certain chance of success, capture a monster that was under a certain amount of HP or otherwise rendered unable to move and add it to the player's forces. The number of targets a player could try to capture at once, as well as its success rate, increased along with the class's levels, and in my case, I could capture ten at a time.
With this number, I'd have to repeat the skill over fifty times, but I had something I wanted to try. It was an underhanded trick that wasn't available in the game but at the same time was used regularly by enemy characters.
I should be the same as Mizuki in the fact that I had the Monster Tamer skill to control monsters. Then there was no reason I wouldn't be able to do what she was able to. This wasn't the game, so there should be no rule saying, "It breaks balance, so only enemies are able to use it."
In other words, I'm going to try to view these monsters not as individuals, but as a group!
[ Mixed Monster Army ]
[Level]: ????
[Race]: ????
[HP]: ????
[SP]: ????
[STR (Strength)]: ????
[DEX (Dexterity)]: ????
[VIT (Vitality)]: ????
[INT (Intelligence)]: ????
[AGI (Agility)]: ????
[MND (Mind)]: ????
[LUK (Luck)]: ????
… I did manage to do it, but what the hell is this? All the numbers are in question mark. Can it not display properly since all their values as individuals are different?
Like this it's basically impossible to understand their actual strength.
But I definitely managed to capture them. I felt the response when all the fallen monsters here became my followers. After this, I can just give them the instruction to not attack people without reason and have them return to their homes.
By the way, I have no intentions of bringing them along with me. It stands out way too much to have this many monsters following me.
"Now then. Now it's only you—Aries."
I turned my gaze to a spot a little ahead of me… Where Aries was standing, staring at me. Her expression was the picture of complete surprise. It was the face of someone who didn't believe what they were seeing.
Well, it's not like I couldn't sympathize. A person who'd been dead for one thousand years just suddenly appeared like nothing happened. Anybody'd want to yell, "Just who do you think you are, coming back after all this time?" But I purposefully pretended I didn't mind and approached Aries.
"What's wrong, Aries? Do you not believe your own eyes? Or do you think We are just someone that happens to look similar?"
"… Uu… Ahh…!"
Now then, how will Aries react?
If she calms down, that's fine. But if she starts yelling "You're a fake!", that'll be a little troublesome.
Honestly, I'm not great at using my words to convince anyone. No matter how high my INT stat is, that's just a measure of memory and not a person's quick-wittedness or ability to express themself. In other words, I have something very near photographic memory, so once I commit something to memory I'll never forget it, but it's not like I can think particularly fast or anything.
"No… way… Lady Haruka should… be dead…! As if you'll… trick me now…!"
"We aren't tricking you at all, though."
Well, it is true that there is some doubt whether I'm actually Haruka Heartfilia, though. But this body is undoubtedly Haruka's, and her will still resides in it. So, that probably means that I am Haruka Heartfilia. I've got no basis for it, but there's something inside me telling me that.
So, I will say this with full certainty:
"We are certainly Haruka Heartfilia. We are not simply a doppelganger nor are we in disguise. We are not an illusion, a ghost, or a dream. If you still don't believe, then—Let's see, why not try to verify physically?" I said, cracking my knuckles.
The most certain proof that Haruka is Haruka. That would be strength.
For the face, the wings, or even the speech pattern, all of it can be copied and imitated. But this strength was something no one could imitate. I wouldn't let anyone imitate it.
I wagged my finger, inviting Aries to try her luck.
"Come at us, Aries. We will test just how much you've grown these one thousand years ourself. And at the same time, We will remind you that the one standing before you right now is none other than ourself."
"Oh—UUOOOGGGHHHHH!" Aries let out a roar that was filled with fighting spirit, but also sounded like a great cheer.
Just by her shouting, the air shook, conveying her strength as tingling on my skin.
I'm definitely no battle junkie. I've never even properly fought anyone. I don't want to, either.
Ahh, but what is this feeling of excitement?
It's unmistakable. Right now, I'm definitely excited. The prospect of finally having a proper "fight" after coming to this world has my heart dancing.
"OOOOOHHH!"
Aries used her body's entire weight and rushed at me.
Normally, the sight of it would scare me and I would cower. But I actually saw it as charming. It was as if a lost puppy was jumping into its owner's arms after finding them… I felt something like that from Aries's actions.
Then, there was only one action for me to take.
"Hm, your desire to be coddled hasn't changed after one thousand years, huh? Then fine, We shall embrace you."
I took flight and stuck out a hand. At the same time, that arm made contact with Aries's head, and I felt some force pushing back at me.
A sound like an explosion erupted, and my body was carried backwards. As one might expect, without any feet on the ground it was hard to brace oneself, but the air was a flugel's territory. I spread my wings and flew forward.
Just that stopped Aries in her tracks, and I even started to push her back as I placed both of my hands on her head.
"How cute."
It was funny. I couldn't help but see this over-100-meter-tall monster sheep as a spoiled puppy or something. Or maybe something like a grown dog that's still cute no matter what? At any rate, it seems I can't bring myself to dislike her at all.
Still, Aries was huge. It probably couldn't be helped that our skinship would be a little extreme.
"Here!"
Putting some power into my arms, I lifted Aries up. Like someone lifting up their pet and going, "look at how high you are!" I lifted Aries over my head before tossing her away lightly.
The huge sheep flew through the air. Aries crashed into the ground, causing the largest earthquake today.
But it's not over. It won't end with just this. Right, Aries?
"What's next, Aries? No need to hold back. Come at us with all you have."
I invited her to continue, and at the same time, Aries roared something that was hard to make into words.
All the wool on her body stood on end, and Aries became a flame personified that shone rainbow colors. It was Mesarthim, the skill that made Levia suffer so. And it was Aries's trump card.
It would be easy to defend against it but… Hm, why not try taking it?
"MeeeEEEEHHH!"
After becoming a burning personification of fire, Aries charged at me, and this time, I used two hands from the get-go. When we made contact, I could feel the heat on my palms, and a heat like the middle of summer assaulted me.
Hm, I see. Even taking a flame like this, all I feel is the heat of the middle of summer. I just keep affirming how much of a cheater I am. Still, what's hot is hot. I'm basically taking no damage, but if this keeps going long enough, even I might suffer from heatstroke or something.
All right then, let's have her take some distance.
"Hup."
I once again threw Aries, and she crashed into the ground. With that done, it was my turn.
Aries was still covered in fire, but to me, it was basically like being in the middle of summer. It wasn't like that much heat would stop me, and I could move normally. In other words, there was no problem at all.
"Let's see… Why don't We pet you? It's been a while."
I flew above Aries and "pet" her huge head. As a result, Aries's head slammed into the ground, and the momentum was even enough for her to bounce back up.
Next, I turned my attention to her jaw and placed my hand there, causing Aries to fly upwards. After that, I grabbed onto Aries and turned us around, petting her stomach.
Well, I say pet, but with enough power to cause Aries to slam into the ground back-first, cracking the earth.
"Now, how about it? Do you still not believe us, Aries?" I asked Aries after she picked herself up.
She replied in a low groan. "U-uuuu-urgh…"
Maybe I need to play with her some more? I thought, but that was when I was hit with a surprise attack.
Unexpectedly, Aries suddenly became a tiny person and jumped into my chest.
"WWAAAAAAHHHHHH! I'm so sorryyyyyy, Lady Harukaaaaa!" Aries(?) grabbed onto me, crying, while I was stiff with surprise.
She was much shorter than me, most likely around 155-160cm tall. She has olive eyes and short and messy swept styled hair, and it was colored… What the hell? The color changes depending on where I'm looking from. Is that a thing? She also has sheep ears with a small hoop earring on her left ear and a small bell earring on her right ear. Aries's limbs were thin, and her body was covered in a white robe.
No, actually, I get the feeling that when Aries transformed into a human she was naked for a second, but Naruko instantly teleported behind Aries and put a robe on her?
I tried looking over at Naruko, but she was just giving me a thumbs up with a satisfied look on her face.
You… Are you actually faster than the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians? And also… Hasn't Aries's personality changed way too much? Just where was all the pressure from before? Or is this how she is normally, and all that before was the strange part?
For now, let's peel Aries off and…! Agh! I've got snot all over me?!
"Ahh, geez. Don't cry, don't cry. So, you're still a crybaby even after one thousand years."
"Buh-but, but… U-ugghu… EEEEeeeehhhhhh!"
"Aahhhhhhh! Okay, okay! Sorry for making you worry!"
In the end, I had to continue to comfort Aries to the best of my ability for over twenty minutes until she stopped crying.
By the way, Naruko got bored after about five minutes and disappeared somewhere. And you call yourself my little sister?
After several tens of minutes, Aries finally stopped crying. She was still sniffling, but as she was we could probably actually have a conversation.
For now, Aries was safely returned to my possession and wasn't wild anymore, so I could see her stats. That meant the first thing to do was to check.
[Twelve Zodiac's Guardians: Aries of the Ram Constellation]
[Level]: 800
[Race]: Rainbow Sheep
[Element]: Fire
[HP]: 75000
[SP]: 7600
[STR (Strength)]: 4100
[DEX (Dexterity)]: 4000
[VIT (Vitality)]: 4050
[INT (Intelligence)]: 4300
[AGI (Agility)]: 4170
[MND (Mind)]: 4294
[LUK (Luck)]: 4180
Hm… her stats are slightly higher than what I remember? If I remember right, Aries should have had 68000 HP, but that's clearly grown. So that means she's been doing her best in her own way these one thousand years.
Still, what even stats.
Well, her stats were so low in the first place, so I was the one that raised them like a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.
By the way, her stats have been boosted a lot. Without items, all her stats would have been around 1000-1500, since she's originally a monster for production, not battle. Frankly, the correct way to use her was to not have her participate in battle at all, but keep her in the back to produce wool. I was the weird one for forcing her to fight.
"Now, have you calmed down, Aries?"
"Y-Yes."
The way she looked up at me with her red nose and teary eyes was really adorable, and stirred my big sister instincts to life.
"We are not good at explaining minor details, so We will keep this brief. We are currently on a journey to return all of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians to our fold, and you are the first. Say nothing, and come. We will not allow any objections."
"Yes! Happily!"
At first, I was going to gather them all and return them to the Heart tower, but it really was a long way from here. Or rather, if I sent this girl out alone to go there I'd be scared that she'd get lost. She's a really great supporter, and it'll probably be much better to have her come with me. With that in mind, I gave her the command to follow me.
Well, Aries seemed happy, so in the end, it seemed to be the correct choice.
"Let's do our best together again, Lady Haruka! You, too… the red haired girl I don't know! Nice to meet you!"
"—?!" Naruko, who came back at some point, froze stiff in what seemed to be shock.
Ahh, yeah. Of course that'd happen if you just got called that by someone you knew.
I also went, "Who're you?" once, and Aries seems the same way.
Naruko immediately restarted her systems and brought her eyes level with Aries's before talking with a smile. No, if I looked closely I could see a vein twitching on her forehead.
"Miss Aries? Do you really not remember me? Really? I've been in the tower the whole time, you know?"
"What? You were?"
"Come on, try to remember, please. I've been by Big Sister Haruka's side the entire time in the tower, haven't I?" Naruko said, and Aries got a far off look in her eye like she was remembering something long past.
After a while of that, she raised her voice. "Ah!"
"Could it be, that one girl with no presence, who always blended into the background?"
"Wh-What cruel words to say…" Naruko suffered another shock before turning to me, looking like she was about to cry.
No, uhh, yeah. It can't be helped, Naruko. I mean, you really were background in a literal sense. You had no lines, no role, and no abilities. And if you acted the same way in this world, of course no one would remember you.
"That's surprising! So you managed to move from there!"
"Am I some sort of piece of furniture?!"
"Actually, I'm surprised you can talk!"
"Big Sis! She's saying such mean things even though she's got such a cute face?!"
Sorry, Naruko. If you were this capable and noisy one thousand years ago, this wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Actually, why did she turn into part of the background in the first place?
Could it be that she just used to be a calm sort of person who didn't show off her own identity? If that's the case, that would make her another person who changed in these one thousand years… It might be a little too much for just a "change" though.
For now, I really do feel sorry for her, so I guess I should throw her a bone.
"Aries. Naruko has supported us with all her might ever since We came back to this world until now. Don't tease her so."
"Huh? No, I wasn't doing anything of the sort…! I was just saying what I thought…"
"That's even worse!"
Ahh, I see. Aries is honest, for good or bad. Looks like Naruko will be feeling some pain for a while.
"So, We have safely retrieved Aries. On the way, there was some woman… Mizuki? She said she was a Seven Grimms of Destruction or something and was really annoying, so We killed her. Be at ease."
"… Just what was all our effort these past several years for…"
After retrieving Aries, I once again visited the Nobles district to see Juvia.
I was wondering how I should convince the guards, but it seemed that when we came through before Juvia told them to let me through, so we were allowed in on a "face pass." (I didn't reveal my face, though.) It was a happy accident.
As for Aries, in her original form and her human form, her impression was way too different from that monster sheep, so she was let in without any questions whatsoever. I mean, who would even imagine that over-100-meter class giant sheep could be a girl that looked this cute?
She currently wearing an olive green sleeveless coat with dark brown lapels. A green long-sleeved shirt with a white orange trimmed breastplate over it. An orange belt, which holds her coat tightly around her waist. Dark brown pants tucked into gray under the knee boots with the tops folded over revealing the white lining. The soles and toes of the boots are a darker gray. To complete her outfit she also wore dark fingerless gloves accompanied by white and gray forearm leather armored pads with the left arm covering up to her upper arm whilst the right only partially covers her forearm.
"What happened to the monsters?"
"We have added them all to our forces. We have given them the order to not attack people without reason, so as long as your side does not provoke them you should see no troubles."
"There should have been over one thousand monsters in that castle, but… I guess even after one thousand years the Black Empress' leadership ability hasn't declined. How scary."
Ah, sorry. It's probably actually declined greatly. I mean, my insides are completely different. As if I could say that, so for now I just smiled confidently.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"Of course, We will return all the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians to our side. Next is…"
Next is… Where should I go? I'm not familiar at all with this era's geography. I'd be able to decide if all the cities were the same as the game, but unfortunately, since my country Zodiac got destroyed and all the Seven Princesses of Midgar started their own, I had no idea where anything was. And so, I looked over at Naruko, trying to draw an explanation out of him.
"Our next destination is the 'Grave of the Black Empress'. It's around 500 km away from here. It's being guarded by one of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, Libra of the Scale constellation".
"… From the name, it sounds like our grave."
"Not sounds, it actually is your grave, Big Sis. It was completed 900 years ago. It's a giant pyramid that is also the world's largest building, at 1000 floors total. All the people that were close to you, Big Sis, took a hundred years to build it. At the top floor, all the equipment, weapons, and treasures you used and hoarded while you were alive are stored, and it's been guarded by Libra, one of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, without rest all this time."
"Oh? That maid?"
One of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, Libra the Goddess' Scale. She was most likely the single most powerful golem in all of Xgate Online. For her materials base, I used an item that dropped off an official event boss, one that had no duplicate in the world, the "Scales of Selection." Furthermore, I had Jenny, whose Alchemist level was 200 (she paid for it), build her instead of me to raise her level.
I've said before that a golem's max level depends on the materials used to build it, and the max level for the Scales of Selectionbwas 1000. And, with Jenny's 200 Alchemist levels, the formula for the golem's level went:
[1000/2 + 200]. In other words, we managed to create a level 700 golem. (Golems are treated as objects, so their ownership is transferable). On top of that, we used a rare item of limited number, "Orichalcum" (a paid item). Its effect was to, at its creation, raise a golem's final level by 10-30% at random. Luckily, we got +30% and raised the golem's level by 210.
In other words, Libra had a vaunted level of 910 even as a golem, and through the combined efforts of Jenny and I, was something that should truly be called a "super golem".
Well, she's still under the "can't be stronger than its owner" rule, so if I were to give Libra to a weak player she'd still get downgraded. It wasn't a problem with me and my 1000 levels, though.
Also, in terms of attacks, Libra is most likely the strongest out of all the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians… In fact, if I mess up she could be even stronger than me. And that's because she straight-up inherited a boss' unique skill. That boss being the "Goddess' Scale" who dropped the "Scales of Selection" in the first place.
Said "Goddess' Scale" was the guardian of the divine territory that the Goddess Lunaru occupied (that was the lore setting of the super-difficult dungeon), so it required a corresponding amount of strength from all the players that challenged it. It was a fearful guardian that blew away all weaklings without question. And the name of its deadly skill was "Brachium." Its effect was to apply a set amount of damage, 99999 to be exact, through all defensive skills and at perfect accuracy.
Of course, any normally raised character wouldn't be able to live after taking this attack. Even the flugels or vampires, with their relatively high stats, would only reach around 70000 HP at level 1000, normally. In other words, it was a broken skill that assumed that all opponents were using stat-boosting items, meaning it mercilessly killed all but high level players. It even killed Juvia, who was a specialized backliner and thus had low HP.
It was a fiendish boss, as if its very existence was saying, "If you can't overcome this, you don't deserve to see the Goddess." If I'm remembering right, the basics of the event were to defeat the fiendish guardian, overcome the crazily difficult dungeon, and meet the Goddess for a reward.
So, even as a golem, that fiendish skill was alive and well. Though as one might expect, it got weaker. Unlike the boss, who would shoot it off over and over from the start of the battle, Libra was limited to only once every 24 hours. And even then, it was a fearsome threat. I vividly remember the chills I got, even as a friendly, after seeing Libra kill everyone in the first move by using the "Preemptive Strike" skill at the start of the battle to shoot it off right away.
The only problem was… The CPU's thinking must have been bad, since Libra would use it even against small-fry if it was available. Thanks to that, there'd been trouble more than once since she was unable to use it when it was most important.
Well, the skill clearly broke game balance, and people had complained a lot to the devs about their balancing mistake, so… I mean, I agreed with their opinion, too. I figured it would get fixed with the next update patch, but in the end, the final battle happened before that, and I ended up here.
So she's the guardian, huh…?
I'm not sure if there'd be any grave robbers, but if there were, I can only offer them my condolences. As it is, in this entire world probably only Levia could break past that skill.
"I've heard the rumors about Libra, too. It seems she's turned into a killing machine that massacres anyone that approaches the top floor. Apparently there were people that tried talking, but I hear it was like talking to a wall," Juvia said, looking troubled as she heaved a sigh.
Personally, I think she's better since she isn't on a rampage like Aries was, but I guess Juvia thinks differently.
"Then, would it not be fine to leave her? Is there a reason you want to rob our grave so badly?"
"There is; that's why it's a problem. People aren't the only ones that have degraded over these one thousand years. Tools and weapons, and even Alchemists, have all been decaying in quality. In particular, almost all the legendary class magical weapons and armors were destroyed in the battle with the Grimm King, and the only ones left are all in your grave."
Legendary class weapons probably meant all the weapons made by players or rare-drop weapons. Particularly, items and weapons from official events were especially valuable since they couldn't be obtained again.
"Right now, as we're being cornered by the grimmfolk, those weapons are valuable enough for people to give up an arm and a leg for. I'm not justifying grave robbing, but even so, all the weapons you have stored there could hold the key to a reversal of humanity's fortunes.… But, thanks to that golem no one can lay hands on them."
Well, of course, thanks to that stupid skill that does 99999 set defense-piercing damage.
It does have a sort of weakness in that it can't be used repeatedly, but in this age, one probably already had to risk their own life just to get up there. I seriously doubt anyone would truly be willing to deal with an attack that deals instant-death levels of damage on top of that.
"Hmmm… We can't really bring ourselves to blame Libra on this. It's true that humanity is in trouble, but from our perspective she has simply been loyally protecting our property until our return. It should be praiseworthy, not something to condemn her over."
"I know. But if you can, I'd like it if, after you've retrieved Libra, you'd leave just what you don't think you'll use behind in your grave. I know this is a completely absurd request, though."
"… Well, We don't mind a request of that level."
It's funny, the owner of a grave who's currently alive is allowing people to rob it.
Well, for now, my next destination is set. I need to go and commend Libra for working 900 years without rest.
I tied up my hair into a ponytail and put on some glasses. Even doing that much changed my impression considerably.
As for clothes, I changed out the black dress I'd been using up until now for a black tunic and black slacks and wore my usual golden cloak on top. However, unlike before, I simply wore it, instead of using it to cover my entire body.
Lastly, Naruko wrapped my black wings in some bandages to hide them. When she did, the wings themselves mysteriously disappeared from sight, and it was no longer obvious that I was even a flugel. The bandages were something Juvia had prepared, a camouflage item that she created with Alchemy. Apparently, it was imbued with "Stealth" magic, and anything wrapped in it would blend into the surroundings.
"It'd be hard to keep moving around looking as you have been, right?" Juvia said before generously gifting me some new clothes and the aforementioned bandages. I was really grateful.
"Hm… What do you think, Juvia? Does it suit us?"
"Yeah. Anything you wear suits you, Haruka."
Thanks to Juvia I didn't have to do this self-binding play anymore. It was an escape that I couldn't wish for more.
Man, honestly I didn't think she'd go this far for me. To her, I'm a swornenemy from the past that just suddenly revived, so being enemies should have been normal. But instead, she's supporting me like this. It's so nice I'm actually starting to wonder if it's a trap.
"Say, Haruka."
"Yes?"
"Do you… Not resent us? Back then, you were unmistakably within arm's reach of your dreams. You were just about to achieve the future you wanted. And we were the ones who betrayed you and ruined it all… Don't you… think that's detestable?"
I sunk into thought for a small while at Juvia's question. I didn't feel any of that hatred or resentment or whatever. Of course I wouldn't. To me, that fight was just a game, and I wasn't the one that actually experienced it. So instead of answering the question, I decided to reply in my own way.
"If the people rose in rebellion, that only meant that We were not fit to be king. If you rose to action because you were unsatisfied with us, then that just meant that We were not worthy of kingship, as We drove you to that. There is not a single reason to resent you all."
I checked myself in the mirror, striking several poses from many angles. Yeah, this is pretty nice, isn't it? It's easy to move in, and more than anything, it doesn't make me look haughty or arrogant. As always, I wouldn't be able to avoid attention given my ridiculously good looks, but it's ten times better than being a suspicious person fully covered in a golden mantle.
Man, I shouldn't be saying this about myself, but it's unfair how good I look without even any makeup… I make an idol after being photoshopped look plain.
"So stop blaming yourself. Honestly, it hurts to even watch you."
Haruka Heartfilia was an invader, and she was one of the heroes that defeated her. That was all that mattered one thousand years ago, and that's probably how it should be.
The victors always decide everything. So the moment I lost, I lost the right to say anything, and I don't want to either. So seeing the winning side all suffering like this is like putting the cart before the horse.
"You are a hero to the people of this country. Be proud. Like you were one thousand years ago."
"I'll take your advice to heart… Thanks." A slight smile returned to Juvia's face.
That way too serious side of her will probably have her worrying even more in the future, but I'd like to think I just made it a little better. In fact, our side is the one that needs to apologize, especially a certain sheep that's like a walking jailbait and is currently curled up in a corner…
But Aries threw a fit, saying, "I don't want to apologize to anybody who betrayed Mistress!" And as of now, she still hasn't uttered a single word of apology.
"Now then, it is about time for us to set off. Levia, who Aries weakened, should be fine now."
"You have my thanks. As I am now, I can't bring back the HP that was lost."
It seemed that as long as there was water, the max HP that Levia lost due to Aries's attack could be recovered. However, even though Juvia could repair Levia, she wasn't able to alchemize more material to completely recover the lost HP, so I had to do that part.
Still, being able to recover with just water is really simply convenient. For now, all the problems with Levia should be solved.
"Haruka."
"Hm?"
"… Nice travels."
"Of course."
Having been encouraged by Juvia, I couldn't help but smile. And, waving goodbye, we left Juvia's residence.
We went straight out of the Nobles district towards the Trade district. On the way, I noticed Teuchi's unique, viking helmet, so I approached in order to say goodbye.
"Teuchi!"
"Wha-oh? Huh? Woah! A super hottie?! H-Hey miss, what do you need?"
"Now now, there's no need for that kind of speech. Look, it's us. Ruka. You took care of us when We just arrived, remember?" I said, turning Teuchi speechless. Then, the next moment, he started screaming. "… Huh? Wha-WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Oh yeah, I never showed Teuchi how I looked. I started to think, This might have been a mistake. But I immediately corrected that, since we'd be leaving anyway, so it didn't really matter.
"R-Ruka? The super suspicious-looking one in the golden mantle?! You were this hot?!"
"Hahhahhah, stop! Don't flatter us like that. We simply came to say our goodbyes. We are leaving the country now."
"You've taken good care of us, Mr. Teuchi. We're returning to our travels now."
I laughed, seeing Teuchi so surprised, and Naruko also said her goodbyes. Aries was… She must have been feeling guilty, since she hid behind me and didn't even try to show her face. She's totally turned into some sort of small animal, hasn't she?
"O-Oh, I see. You're leaving already? You two take care. That goes for the cute little lady behind you, too."
"Yeah. Let's meet again, if the fates will it, Teuchi!"
"Y-Yeah… Ruka… No, never mind. Be well! And be careful, too!" After saying our goodbyes, we left Svel.
At the end, it seemed like Teuchi wanted to ask me something, but he never ended up saying anything. Most likely he wanted to ask about me kicking Aries back in that fight, but he probably figured we had our own problems, so he decided not to. Or, he might actually have instinctively noticed my identity.
In any case, he was a nice guy. It'd be great if he lives a long time.
"So, Naruko. You said that our destination is 500km away, so what do we do? We do not mind walking."
"Yes, I have an idea! What about creating a golem for us to ride?!"
"What, you don't like walking?"
"I don't! It's tiring!"
After leaving Svel, we were currently on a plain so big I couldn't tell where it ended. At the very least, there was something resembling a road made, and thinking that I'd have to walk down it was killing my motivation.
Although, I wasn't even sure how long I'd have to walk to even start to feel tired, so it was still kind of fun in a certain way.
More than that though, isn't there a sense of romance in journeys like these?
But Naruko seemed to hate the idea, and asked that I make a vehicle golem. This was something I learned after coming here to this world, but in here, golems weren't nearly as dumb and actually had some ability to adapt. For example, in the game, golems would charge in as they pleased and use whatever attacks they liked, but here, golems are pretty smart. For example, Levia properly listened to Juvia's orders. There were also no limits to the shape golems could take. So in other words, if I made one shaped like a car I'd get a self-driving car.
So, if I were to classify Naruko's request as possible or impossible, it would easily be possible.
"Hm, then We will try making one."
"If you're going to be at it anyway, make one with, like, a bed and bath and stuff inside so we don't have to camp out in the open." Naruko just smoothly upgraded her request with no hesitation.
I was going to just make some sort of open topped car, but I guess now I'll have to make a motorhome.
I looked over at Aries, and although she wasn't making any requests herself, she was looking at me with eyes full of expectations. So I guess that means she's looking forward to whatever I make?
"Well, it's worth a try…"
First, for the iron that would make up most of the car, I just used whatever ore I could find lying around.
I can probably figure out furniture later. For the bath, I can just make a room for it for now and make a Goemon bath or something later. Actually, the baths in this world are all normally Goemon baths. There's no way convenient, modern baths would exist, and I don't know how those are made, either, so I can't recreate them.
For the bed… I can use a random tree for a frame, but the problem is what to put on top. That's the only part I can't make out of trees or rocks or any of the materials for concrete that are just lying around. Things would change if I had some cotton or feathers, or maybe even wool…
"… Ah."
"…? What's the matter, Lady Haruka? Is there something on my face…?"
I had them right by me, the materials. Great. I can just have Aries turn back into a sheep later and take some wool off her.
I wouldn't say we have enough materials, but we do have the bare minimum. With this, I'll be able to make a fairly comfortable ride.
"Transmute!"
First, turn some ore into iron.
Changing material into something else that can also be used as material was one of the basics of being an Alchemist. However, the range of things a player could create depended on their class level, and there were a lot of transmutations that were unavailable to a starting Alchemist.
Alchemists at level 200, like Jenny, could get legendary class metals out of a random rock on the ground. It's truly scary. I stopped at level 100, so I can't go that far myself, though.
I transmuted the iron I just made again and made a motorhome. Well, I'm not well versed on how cars are made either, so it's really just a car-shaped lump of iron. The movement would rely entirely on the golem's ability to move itself. There wasn't even a driver's seat.
Next, I transmuted glass from sand that was nearby to make windows. I placed several walls inside, and in one of the rooms, I put in a huge pot to serve as a Goemon bath.
While I'm at it I might as well make a kitchen, too. I can't make something nice like an electric stove, though. Instead, I made a kitchen that would fit in a bygone era, one that conformed to the level of this world's culture.
"Next is… Aries, go back to being a sheep."
"Huh?"
"We need your wool."
Given Aries's size as a sheep, I can just cut a little bit of it off, and it'll grow back later, anyway.
I jumped on top of Aries, who followed my order and turned back into a sheep, and used chops with my hand to cut off a good amount of wool. This time I'd be using it as material for a futon. Given the level of this world, it'd be a surprisingly fluffy and luxurious bed. While I was at it, I put in some wooden chairs, too, and I also used Aries's wool to make cushions for those.
"Okay. For now, this should be fine."
There was a lot it was lacking, but it'll be fine if we just buy what we need in some city later. All it needs to do right now is move.
Let's see, I might as well check this car's stats, too. Oh, I need to give it a name, also.
Golems could be named at the moment of their creation, and in the game I'd seen several golems around the place that had some familiar names. Like Gundam or Getter. Stuff like that.
Right then, what should I do about this thing's name? It shouldn't be too pretentious, but also not too easy to forget…
… Oh it's not worth it. Honda's fine.
[ Honda ]
[Level]: 200
[Race]: Artificial Life Form
[STR (Strength)]: 555
[DEX (Dexterity)]: 120
[VIT (Vitality)]: 658
[INT (Intelligence)]: 9
[AGI (Agility)]: 1020
[MND (Mind)]: 75
[LUK (Luck)]: 100
Apparently the form affects a golem's stats a little. This was something that'd be impossible in the game.
Its speed was really high, probably because I made it car-shaped. Still, AGI as a stat represents the speed of one's actions in combat, or "Agility," rather than movement speed, so the number doesn't necessarily mean that something is fast, no matter how high it is.
At any rate, if I were to race with it I'd still have the confidence to win, anyway.
"Wow! This is amazing, Big Sis! With this, the journey would be easy." Naruko, who was complaining until just now out of self-interest, stopped on a dime and switched to complimenting me.
Aries was nodding quickly in agreement with her, but in her case it looked like honest praise, so I decided to accept it graciously. But still, you need to go back to your human form. Nodding this quickly with your size is causing some serious wind.
After we all got inside, I ordered the motorhome to "Head north." When I did, it must have understood me, because it started moving in the right direction. Now it should be smooth sailing until we get where we're going.
"Ah, right. Then I'll be procuring the furniture we'll need. I'll go teleport off for a bit and buy it, so please wait," Naruko said, before disappearing in a golden flash without even waiting for my reply.
It's as convenient as always, that teleportation magic. I'm so jealous. Actually, this might be a bit late, but if Naruko could teleport why did we have to ride a carriage all the way to Svel? I could have just flown there.
Even if I left her behind, she'd just catch up with teleportation, anyway. Well, it's too late now, and Aries is here, too, so that option is no longer on the table.
Oh man, why did it take me so long to realize? I'm really dropping the ball, aren't I?
Well, whatever. For now let's keep messing with this interior.
"Hahhh!… Hahhh…!"
At the foot of the Gheil Volcano.
There, a woman was forcing her body to move, crawling along on the ground while leaving behind a trail of blood.
It was just one hit-as if swatting away an annoying bug-the woman only took one hit like that.
Even so, she was left unable to even stand up. Like a bug, she crawled along, desperately and embarrassingly, trying to run away from an opponent who was already long gone.
"H-Haruka Heartfilia is… The only Grimm King ever feared, is back… She, she's a nightmare… This, this is…"
She was lucky to be level 300. Either that, or she was only alive because Haruka honestly didn't care about her and only bothered to use a minimum amount of power. Haruka didn't even recognize her as a proper enemy. That was certainly humiliating. But it was also undoubtedly good luck. Thanks to that, right now she was still alive.
Although that luck wouldn't be continuing for long.
"So you were still alive Mizuki?"
She heard a voice, condescending and so cold it chilled deep into her bones.
Mizuki used all her remaining might to turn her malfunctioning body towards the owner of the voice and saw a blonde haired girl standing before her. Thanks to the sun behind her, she couldn't see her face properly, but somehow the modest, black robe she was wearing seemed much finer than it looked at first glance.
Maybe it was thanks to her elegance? Or maybe it should be called the sheer weight of her presence?
At any rate, there was something mysterious about the blonde girl that couldn't be fully explained in words.
However, her face—no, the ends of her mouth were drawn up in a semicircle like a half moon. Her expression was filled with joy.
"No no, that's no good at all. Actors whose parts are over need to leave the stage cleanly. No one benefits from a piece that should have been defeated coming back later to try to earn points. Once your role is done, you should leave. Those are the rules of the game."
"Y-You are… ! Just what are…"
With a cold laughter, the blonde girl ridiculed the poor clown who lost her place on the stage. She had no words to waste on answering her questions.
There was the idea of "a present for the afterlife," but unfortunately, she didn't have that sort of troublesome spirit of customer service.
Simply, quickly, and beautifully. As if plucking weeds, she made the idiot who failed to even die disappear.
The only disposition the blonde girl had was of cruelty. "Goodbye, Mizuki. You pitiful NPC."
Several seconds later, there was no Mizuki there. All traces of her were gone, as if she had never existed in the first place. There wasn't even a strand of hair left. And the blonde girl who made that happen was also, similarly, no longer there.
Extra: A Wild Horse Appeared!
I know this is out of nowhere, but you know red tea-or perhaps you know it as black tea?
When you hear "red tea", you probably imagine that deep-red liquid you see everywhere. I doubt anyone pictures it as blue. We call it red tea because it's, well… red. It's named for how it looks—it's that simple.
Then you've got green tea. It's darn bitter, but darn tasty too. I like green tea. Probably prefer it to red. Now, you might be wondering what someone in this fantasy getup is prattling on about this stuff for, but this is a big deal for me.
Okay, so, green tea, as the name suggests, is green. I doubt anyone would picture a purple liquid on hearing the words "green tea." But when red tea takes the form of lemon tea, it isn't red anymore, is it? It's yellow. You might think that this drink would be called yellow tea, but it's not—it's still just red tea. Even if you buy bottled lemon tea, you can see "red tea drink" written right there on the label.
And so orange tea is still red tea, as is peach tea. Heck, even tea with milk is known as red tea. What I'm trying to get across is that something's name is only really an indicator as to what it really is. Red tea is red tea even when it isn't red, and I'm pretty sure the same would apply to green tea.
Anyway, they say you should quit while you're ahead, and I think you get my point, so...
"Looking for a carriage, are we? Then may I recommend this one, traveler? This is our most popular cart horse, Powerful Nocerous. She's a rare breed of horse that has a horn."
Naruko and I were in Ydalir, on the hunt for a carriage to take us to Svel. As the stable master was giving us the rundown on this horse, I couldn't help thinking that this thing just… wasn't a horse. It had stone-gray skin, a placid expression on its face, and a magnificent horn protruding from the tip of its nose. Whichever way you slice it, these things are called rhinos on Earth.
"Hey, that's no horse."
"Um, we'll see what else you have, please."
I'd never heard of a rhino-drawn carriage before. Maybe you could find a record of one if you looked in enough history books, but it was new to me at least.
The stable master forced a smile at our rejection, then, undiscouraged, showed us the next horse.
"How about this one, then? Jumbo Sarcosuchus. This versatile horse will see you safely over land and water." The creature he presented us with was stupidly big, green, and covered with scales—some kind of crocodile if I've ever seen one. It bore no resemblance to a horse, but looked like it could swallow a man whole if it wanted to.
"Next"
"Hmmm... Aren't you a tricky customer?" The stable master's face hardened at my refusal of the croc. It wasn't like I was making a strange request. All I wanted was a regular old horse and cart. I wished this guy would stop acting like I was some kind of unreasonable diva.
"Well, I've saved the best till last. Here he is—Super Box Horse. From the establishment of my guild to this very day, not once has he made it to his destination without tiring out on the way."
If this pitch wasn't enough to convince me this horse was hopeless, its appearance definitely was. It looked... Well, at least it was horse-shaped, unlike the last two. But whichever way I looked at it, a real horse this was not. It gave off the distinct impression of being a horse handmade out of cardboard, and the legs poking out of the bottom looked suspiciously human. Basically, it was nothing more than two guys wearing a box decorated to look like a horse. I feel like there was once a horse race in Japan where one of these things showed up...
"We would hate to think you're making light of Us?"
If this stable master was messing with me, he'd taken it too far now. I gave him a slight glare, and he fell back on the floor with a shriek. Super Box Horse was also knocked over in fright, revealing the people inside.
"Big Sis, Pressure! It's your Pressure!" "Mmm."
Apparently my Pressure skill had activated a bit. It was a pain, really—I wasn't even particularly mad, but just getting a little ticked off could set it off automatically. The previous night, it had even been triggered by a mosquito of all things, because it was buzzing around my ear and keeping me up. This new body of mine was off the charts in terms of its capabilities, but I got the feeling that it was taking matters into its own hands since I still wasn't used to it.
"It's... You see... The thing is, there's a monster called the Horse Eater that's started appearing nearby. As you can probably guess, it's partial to horsemeat, meaning we can't send out any horse-drawn carriages."
Who thought a monster that specifically annoying was a good idea? But at least now I could see there was a good reason for all of this. Giving us a horse would mean sending out one of his beloved steeds to its certain doom, so he could only offer animals of the non-equine variety. That still didn't explain why he thought a rhinoceros and a crocodile were the best alternatives, though.
"Um, have you tried hiring adventurers or asking some knights or something?" asked Naruko.
"The blasted beast doesn't show itself unless there's a horse around, and even then, it flees the moment it snags its prey. Adventurers have failed to catch it three times now, and all three times they lost the horses they used as bait."
A formidable foe indeed. And with there being no human victims, none of the knightly orders would be in a rush to come help—not because they wouldn't take the problem seriously, but because they probably had plenty else to deal with. It was only natural that a horse-eating monster would be low on their list of priorities when there were other monsters and grimmfolk out there targeting people, not to mention the fact that other animals could be used as substitutes.
"Hmmm... Then let us fix this mess-on the condition that if we succeed, you give us your best horse and carriage at a very competitive rate."
"Hey, Naruko! You didn't consult with Us first!"
Naruko had taken on a pest-control job for the both of us, but I didn't even think we'd be able to find this darn Horse Eater. Going toe-to-toe with it would have been no problem, but we had no hope if it only appeared when a horse was present. I mean, it wasn't like this guy would have lent these two random travelers one of his horses to use as a decoy, anyway. In other words, strong as I might have been, I couldn't defeat an opponent that wasn't there.
However, it seemed Naruko knew exactly what my doubts were. She threw a grin brimming with confidence my way.
"Don't worry. I have a good idea, Big Sis."
"... So, this is your good idea?"
The two of us were now aimlessly wandering the outskirts of Ydalir, our aim naturally to entice out Horse Eater. But doing nothing but walking around was hardly going to make it show up, so we were both under Super Box Horse, who had been lent to us by the stable master.
"Yes, it is. The monster only emerges for a horse, which leaves us with one option: become a horse ourselves."
Uh… no. Man or beast, nothing would be so utterly stupid to think that this thing, which was so obviously not a horse, was, in fact, a horse.
"Gwaaaarrrgh!"
On second thought, something would be that stupid. Against all my expectations, nonchalantly appearing before us was a monster with a dinosaur-like silhouette. It must have been eight meters tall and had enormous claws. Imagine an alligator walking on its hind legs holding out abnormally elongated arms, and you'd have some idea of what this bizarre creature looked like.
"Hey, there it is, Big Sis."
"Can't it tell the difference by our scent or something?"
I was still in shock, but I decided to change my outlook. It had been kind enough to fall for our trap, and that's all that counted. Still wearing the box, I leapt up to the thing's face and gently kicked. But Naruko's jump was late, which impaired my own and caused me, unbelievably, to hit nothing but air. While the gust generated from my kick sent Horse Eater flying, it failed to finish the job.
"Big Sis, please tell me when you're going to jump!"
"Right, sorry."
"Gw... Gwooorgh?!"
Horse Eater must have gotten the willies after my attack knocked him to the ground, because when he got up he started to run for it. There was no way I was letting him get away now! Naruko and I went after him, the box still over our heads.
We totally outclassed him in the speed department. Even with me going slow to compensate for Naruko, we were still faster. He tried to shake us off by suddenly changing direction just before a tree, but we stayed right on his tail. The awkward shape of the box hindered us, though, and we fell over as we turned, breaking it. "Argh! We don't need this thing anymore, anyway," I said, throwing the box aside and catching up to Horse Eater in a single step. I proceeded to give him an almighty kick—making sure I connected this time—and sent him flying way past the horizon. That should be the last anyone 'round here sees of that guy, I thought.
As promised, we were then given a horse and cart at a discounted price and set off for Svel. As for the box I broke, I simply crafted a new one using alchemy, and all was well. As the last one fell apart when faced with a sharp turn, I gave this one a drum-can body that could handle cornering better. I hoped they would continue to put it to good use. When I said as much, a complicated look spread across the stable master's face.