CHAPTER 14

Breakdown

“Hey! How long do you plan on staring at us, weirdo?!”

Standing before the church ruins, Mash screams at Seiya. After finally averting his gaze, Seiya bitterly frowns before saying:

“Yeah… No thanks.”

“…Huh? What did you just say?”

“I said no thanks. I don’t need you two. Your attributes are too low. You’re useless to me.”

“E-excuse me?! I dare you to say that again, you bastard!”

Ever the strong-willed youngster, Mash flies into a rage, but Elulu manages to put on a smile.

“Ah…ah-ha-ha-ha! W-well, we’re still developing, after all! So we’d really appreciate it if you could think of things in the long term. Okay?”

However, Seiya just glares back at the redheaded girl.

“By the way, your fire magic is just a weaker version of mine. It’s completely useless.”

“Completely useless?! H-how mean!”

“And you’re ‘still developing’? I have to wonder just how useful two kids, who didn’t even notice that the priest they were hanging out with was undead, will grow up to become.”

Frustrated, they clench their teeth, unable to argue. I can’t not say something after all that.

“C-can you blame them, though? That priest completely blended in so no humans would notice. It’s only natural that they didn’t—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m saying that their ability to sense danger is low. Being with them would put me at risk. To put it bluntly, they’d just get in the way.”

As if unable to take any more, Mash spits on the ground.

“Hey, Hero, don’t get carried away and start looking down on people just ’cause you’re a little tough.”

He gets in Seiya’s face and scowls.

“Don’t you dare judge me based on my attributes alone! You wanna throw down?! Wanna see what I’m really made of?! I don’t care if you’re some god’s chosen Hero or whatever! They didn’t call me the Hero Mash at Nakashi village for nothing!”

“Very well. It should only take me a second to show you the difference in our abilities.”

In an attempt to calm the explosive situation, I stand in between Mash and Seiya.

“G-guys, relax! Especially you, Seiya! You’ve been extremely rude to Mash! Apologize!”

“Why? I have no reason to apologize.”

Seiya looks at Mash like one would regard a pebble by the roadside.

“I’ll say it one last time. I don’t need you. Now go back to Namaste village.”

“‘Namaste’…? N-no, it’s Nakashi—! Ugh! You ass! That’s the last straw!”

Elulu latches onto Mash before he can hurl himself at Seiya.

“Mash, no! Fighting isn’t the answer!”

“Shut up! Get off me!”

I whisper to Seiya, leaving Mash to Elulu for the moment.

“H-hey, Seiya, listen. According to Great Goddess Ishtar, there are sealed places we can’t get to without the dragon crests on their hands. What I’m trying to say is, we’re not going to be able to save Gaeabrande without them.”

“So you’re telling me I should bring them along as keys instead of allies?”

“Well, I guess you could think of it that way for now…”

A desperate measure for a desperate situation—I needed to somehow convince him to take them with us. However, there is one thing I didn’t notice: Mash had broken away from Elulu’s grip and was listening to our conversation behind us.

“Keys?! So now we’re just items to you?! Is that it?!”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant!”

Oh no, oh no, oh no! I just poured oil onto the fire! H-how am I going to fix this now?!

I start panicking, until…

“Mm…!”

I turn in the direction of the suppressed voice to find huge teardrops running down Elulu’s cheeks. Then, like a dam bursting open, the very next moment, she wails hysterically.

“Waaaaah! ‘Useless’? ‘Keys’? Enough alreadyyy! I’ve been training really hard since the day I was born! Why do you have to be so meeeeeean?!”

“Y-yeah, I know…! I know how you feel, so please don’t cry, Elulu!”

“Hmph. What is this, a day care? Ridiculous.”

“Seiya, shut the hell up for one second!”

A Hero who looks the other way, a crying young girl, a boy gnashing his teeth…

Ahhhhhh! When did everything get so messed up?! This is the worst! W-wait! I’m a goddess! It’s my duty to fix this!

I look around, trying to find a solution, until I eventually see a group equipped with heavy armor approaching us. I point.

“O-oh?! What’s this?! Guys, look! Someone’s coming this way! I wonder why!”

Perfect! We can finally change the mood……or so I thought. My joy is brief. Five knights stop before us with solemn expressions. They each speak up in turn.

“They told us there was some sort of trouble at the church, but…what happened here?! It’s completely burned down!”

“Look over there! Nun down!”

“Hey, you there! Explain yourselves! What happened here?! Depending on how you answer, we might have to take you back with us!”

Uuugh! Why me?! Things are even worse now!

“Oh, this? Ah-ha… Well, you see, it’s actually a funny story—”

Right as I’m trying to concoct an excuse, the nun wakes up.

Oh, come on!!! Things can’t possibly get any worse than this! If they find out that Seiya was the one who destroyed the church, we’re all going to jail!

But contrary to my expectations, the nun backs us up.

“Oh, knights… To tell you the truth, an undead disguised itself as a priest. If it wasn’t for these people, I would have been killed.”

“S-so the reason the church was destroyed was because…?”

“Yes… My head is still a little fuzzy, so I can’t quite remember all the details…but…I’m sure the undead set fire to the church and destroyed it.”

She stammers with a serious expression, as if trying to remember what happened. It doesn’t seem like she’s lying on our behalf. Perhaps she convinced herself that the undead burned down the church, unable to believe that a Hero would commit such heresy.

“However, there is one thing I clearly remember. The undead priest said that an army of ten thousand undead will be arriving at this city by tomorrow morning.”

“Wh-what?!”

“T-ten thousand…?! Impossible!”

“I heard the undead army that destroyed Krain Castle is moving south…but I had no idea it was so huge!”

The knights are taken aback by the nun’s report. However, the nun smiles.

“There is nothing to fear. God has not abandoned us. These people are proof of that: a goddess who descended from heaven to save Gaeabrande, a Hero who has received divine revelation, and two child descendants of the dragonkin—the legendary race that has been protecting Gaeabrande since ancient times.”

The knights’ eyes light up when they hear our introductions, and there is a stir among them. The old knight with a goatee bows to us.

“Please accept my humblest apologies! We are the Roseguard Imperial Knights! We were dispatched as an advance team to Seimul, territory of the empire, to protect the town from the undead! Please forgive us for our rude behavior earlier!”

The five knights all bow to us in unison.

“Oh, Hero! Please…! I beg you! Save us from the undead army!”

Unusually, Seiya steps forward and talks to the oldest knight.

“How much will you give me if I destroy that undead army?”

“Excuse me…? G-give you…what?”

“Money. What else would I be talking about?”

“Seiya?! Is now really the time to be asking about money?! You’re a Hero, not a mercenary!”

“I learned a new skill recently, but I need a decent amount of money to practice it.”

What…? A new skill? What kind of skill requires money?

“O-of course, you will be graciously rewarded by the empire once your task is complete. You should expect a few thousand gold pieces at the very least…”

“Is that so? Then I’ll need that in writing. I’m going to make sure you pay the amount I deserve.”

With a smile, the knight offers reassuring words after signing the contract Seiya forces on him.

“The rest of the knights should be arriving shortly! While not much, two hundred imperial knights will be fighting by your side!”

However…

“Yeah…that won’t be necessary.”

“Whaaat?! You don’t want our help?!”

The knights are baffled by his sudden reply.

“B-but…”

“I don’t need your help. There are still many people who haven’t left town, correct? Stay behind and protect them.”

Seiya turns his gaze away from the puzzled knights and looks at Mash.

“Hey, you. Mushroom from Namaste village.”

“You can’t be serious… It’s Mash! From Nakashi village! Get it right, asshole!”

“Shut up and answer me. Can you do anything about this situation?”

“Wh-what does that even mean?”

“I’m asking what you can do against ten thousand undead soldiers.”

“I—I…”

He pauses and the dragonkin duo exchanges glances. Seiya then gives it to him straight.

“Listen and listen well. There isn’t a single thing either of you can do that will help in this situation, but it won’t be a problem for me. Now return to Namaste village.”

“Stop calling it Namaste village! And we’re not going back!”

“Then stay with the knights and protect the town. You can at least do that, right?”

Flustered, Elulu checks in with Mash.

“M-Mash, what should we do? Want to protect the town?”

“Shut up! Like hell I’m taking orders from that guy!”

Mash then turns on his heel.

“I’ve had enough of this! We’re gonna take matters into our own hands!”

“M-Mash! Wait!”

“H-hey…! Mash?! Elulu?!”

But Mash ignores me and continues walking away. Elulu then gives me an apologetic bow before chasing after him.

After parting ways with the knights, Seiya and I wait on the outskirts of town together.

“Hey, Seiya… You don’t think Elulu and Mash are going to try to fight the undead army alone, right?”

“They’re not that stupid. Besides, I’m going to destroy that entire army before they have a chance to do anything. There is nothing for you to worry about.”

I shoot him a reproachful glare.

“You’re going to ‘destroy’ them? There’s nothing they can do to help, but it won’t be a problem for you? Listen, you’re extremely strong. You even became a better swordsman by sparring with the Divine Blade Cerceus, right? But things are different this time around. You’re outnumbered. There are ten thousand undead coming. Ten thousand. You should understand this more than anyone. Seiya, it’s not too late. Let’s go ask the knights and Mash and Elulu for help.”

“I don’t need them.”

“Ugh! Seiya! What happened to the old you—the abnormally cautious you?! I thought you’d be relieved to have even one ally!”

“Having an extra hundred or two allies against ten thousand undead won’t make a difference. Besides, those dragon kids and the knights aren’t immortal deities like you. They don’t need to die meaningless deaths.”

Wh-what…? I feel like I just heard something…unusual. Is Seiya worried about those kids in his own way?

I stare at Seiya in wonder…and am immediately met with a surprise. Seiya begins floating in the air. I-is this the ability Flight?!

“S-Seiya?!”

He glances down at me from above.

“By the way, I don’t need you, either.”

“…Excuse me?!”

“They said the undead were moving south, so I’m going to go north. Wait for me at the town’s inn.”

And just like that, Seiya soars off, leaving me alone on the outskirts of town.

“Th-this can’t be happening… He even said he didn’t need me—a goddess? A-am I dreaming…?”

After standing there in shock for a few moments, I explode with rage.

Th-that selfish, arrogant little…! I’m not going to let him get away with this! Seiyaaaaaa!

I scream into the air:

“Order!”

Then I offer a prayer to Ishtar in the unified spirit world.

“Please grant me the ability Flight.”

Deities’ powers are greatly limited when we descend to the human world in human form—for we are bound by the law that we’re not allowed to help humans too much, even if it’s to save their world. However, there are exceptions. During emergencies, the restrictions can be eased for the sake of supporting the Hero. That’s what Order is: an emergency measure in the spirit world for unlocking the goddess’s true powers. Of course, to do this, we need permission from Ishtar. However, I am requesting only the ability Flight this time to catch up with Seiya, so I should be able to get permission pretty quickly…

As expected, as if I have a fever, I feel my back begin warming while radiant white wings suddenly appear.

Hee-hee. It’s been a while since I’ve had these! What beautiful wings, if I do say so myself! That Seiya, I bet he thought I couldn’t fly. Well, just you wait! Once I find you, I’m going… I’m just going to wing it! Heh.

“Rista Wiiing!”

I spread out my wings like a swan and take to the skies, heading after Seiya as he slowly shrinks into the distance.

“Don’t you dare underestimate a goddess!!”