CHAPTER 25

Ritual of the Holy Sword

“…!”

Elulu freezes. Even Mash is at a loss for words.

I look to the Great Mother of Dragons, doubting my ears.

“Um… Wh-what was that?”

“Hmm? This girl, Elulu, is destined to become Igzasion.”

“Wh-what the hell does that even mean?! I-isn’t Igzasion supposed to be a weapon?!”

“It is. Igzasion is a holy sword with unparalleled powers to defeat the Demon Lord. It is born in the form of a human and will only truly manifest in this world through the sacrifice of a dragonkin girl.”

The queen’s voice is bereft of concern as she relays this horrifying fact as if talking about the weather.

“By spending over a decade in the human world, Elulu has bathed in vital energies, becoming a perfect vessel for Igzasion. I truly envy you, Elulu. You shall become the key to saving this world. You shall live on forever as the holy sword Igzasion. You are the pride of our people.”

The queen and all the attendants behind her smile, showing their small fangs.

“Now, I shall start preparing for the ritual of the holy sword. The ritual shall take place tonight after the last supper. Elulu, spend as much time as you can with your friends until then.”

After that, we leave the sanctuary as if our souls have been stolen. Nobody says a word. We just wander around Dragon Village in a daze. After some time goes by, Mash finally speaks as if having made up his mind.

“Elulu… What are we going to do?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean?! I’m talking about you dying and becoming Igzasion! Are you seriously okay with that?!”

Elulu looks slightly troubled, then says:

“…If that’s my destiny, then that’s my destiny.”

“You can’t be serious!”

Elulu giggles.

“But you know what? I’ve always wanted to do something for you all! I want to be useful! That’s why I’m actually kind of happy my wish is coming true! Plus, I get to live forever as a sword, and I can even save the world!”

“Elulu…”

As Mash lowers his gaze, Elulu looks at me.

“This is right, isn’t it?! I’m doing the right thing, right, Ristie?!”

“Y-yeah…”

I offer reluctant reassurance.

…I came to Gaeabrande as a goddess to save it. So if one of our party members needs to give their life for the cause, shouldn’t I willingly accept? Elulu herself says she’s prepared to die. But…

…Is this… Is this really okay?

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t find any answers—only frustration.

Despite being a goddess, I turn to Seiya—a human—for advice.

“H-hey, Seiya… How about saying som—? Huh…?”

When I look in Seiya’s direction, I find myself at a loss for words. He’s chatting with a dragonewt selling items down the street.

“Sir, feast your eyes on this! It’s called a speed seed! You eat it, and it’ll increase your speed for ten minutes! You won’t find these in any human town!”

“Can you really eat these?”

“You can eat as many as you want!”

“You better not be lying to me. I’ll sue you.”

“Well, aren’t you a skeptic! But I swear to the god of my village, you’ll be fine!”

“I guess I’ll take some, then.”

“S-Seiya! What do you think you’re doing, shopping at a time like this?!”

I start chewing him out, but he isn’t listening. He takes a few gold coins out of his pouch, then pays for the items before finally turning around and acknowledging my existence.

“What?”

“Don’t give me that! Don’t you have something to say to Elulu?”

Thereupon, Seiya turns his sharp, piercing gaze on Elulu.

“She already knows what she needs to do. She doesn’t need me telling her.”

Mm…

It’s as if he has no qualms about the situation at all, just like the Great Mother, but even then, I can’t believe how easily he comes to a decision.

There’s a hint of sorrow in Elulu’s smile.

“Y-yeah, he’s right. It goes without saying, doesn’t it?! Ha-ha! Yeah, Seiya’s right!”

…I get it. It must be done to save the world. And most of all, if Elulu herself is prepared to do it…

Before I even realize, it starts getting dark, and a group of armored dragonewts drop to one knee in front of us.

“The last supper has been prepared. Allow us to guide you to the Dragon Gorge. This way, please.”

As the sun disappears over the horizon, we traverse the steep mountain slope until we reach an area near the valley illuminated by torches. There are numerous wooden tables and chairs lined up. On the tables are plates of steaming hot food and expensive-looking grape wine. A few dozen dragonewts are pleasantly chatting at the tables. The queen is sitting at an even more luxurious table and enjoying her own glass of wine. Noticing our arrival, she motions us over.

“Come, come, have a seat. Goddess, Hero, Mash—this way.”

When Elulu tries to join us, an armored dragonewt blocks her path.

“Lady Elulu, we’ve prepared a change of clothes for you over here. This way, please.”

“E-Elulu…!”

Mash extends an arm but can’t reach her. She worriedly glances back at Mash while the dragonewt takes her away. Then, all of a sudden, the Great Mother powerfully claps her hands together with a bang.

“Now let us feast until Elulu has finished changing.”

The dragonewt guards push Mash and me by the shoulders, forcing us into our seats.

“Our villagers put their hearts and souls into the preparation of this food. I hope you enjoy it.”

“Th-thanks…”

I’m not the least bit hungry, so I reach out for light foods such as soup and salad. From the look on his face, Mash begins sipping his soup out of politeness. However, Seiya doesn’t touch his food, drinking only the water he brought himself. Young dragonewts swarm him with plates of food.

“Hey, we made cookies! Try one!”

The three children are much more adorable than their adult counterparts, and seeing them makes me feel slightly at ease. I smile as I take a cookie.

“Mister, you too! Try one! We worked really hard to bake them!”

Seiya reluctantly picks up a cookie. Then, as if he noticed I was glaring at him to make sure he wouldn’t say anything awful to these innocent children, he munches on it in silence.

While eating the cookie, I timidly try talking to the queen as she drinks her wine.

“H-hey, uh… Does Elulu have to become the sword?”

“Of course. There is no other way to save the world. If she doesn’t, then the Demon Lord will destroy everything.”

“O-oh… Yeah… Of course…”

“Now, you need to focus on enjoying this banquet. This is for Elulu’s sake, after all.”

“O-okay…”

Dragonewts dance around the tables to the beat of the drums and flute. When the dance ends, the torches that lit up the area all go out at once, and complete darkness takes over. However, within seconds, torches reignite to demarcate a single path to the valley. Escorted by a dragonewt and dressed in a gorgeous light-crimson dress, Elulu slowly walks between the torches. Her red hair is neatly worn up, accenting her makeup. Around her neck hangs a lavish pendant given to her by the Great Mother of Dragons. Elulu has a dignified beauty to her, akin to that of a noblewoman.

The queen rises from her seat.

“Now, let the holy sword ritual begin.”

She points to the valley, the end of Elulu’s path.

“At the bottom of the valley, in the Abyss, lies a magic circle created by the Yellow Dragon Emperor long ago. Once the destined child, Elulu, leaps into it, her flesh and blood will be absorbed, and she will transform into the radiant holy sword Igzasion.”

Every dragonewt in attendance gives a round of applause and cheers. Bathing in their thunderous applause, Elulu walks to the Abyss. When she is finally only steps from the valley, Mash and I are unable to stay quiet any longer.

“Elulu!”

“E-Elulu! Wait!!”

Elulu looks back and smiles with tears in her eyes.

“G-good-bye, Mash. Good-bye, Ristie! Bye, Seiya! M-make sure you treat me well after I become a sword! Ha-ha… M-make sure you polish me sometimes so I don’t get rusty!”

The Great Mother yells out.

“The time has come, Elulu! Throw yourself into the Abyss!”

The cheers get even louder. Mash trembles by my side.

“Th-this isn’t right…! This isn’t right!”

“M-Mash?”

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!”

Mash makes a dash for Elulu, but the armored guards grab him as if they were expecting this to happen.

“Lord Mash, control yourself!”

“You mustn’t interrupt the ritual!”

He curses while being held down by the armored guards…

“D-dammit!”

Then Mash screams to me.

“Rista! Don’t tell me you’re okay with this! Do you really think this is right…?!”

“…!”

I’m at a loss for words.

O-of course I don’t want to see Elulu die! But this world will perish without Igzasion! Wh-what should I do?!

At a complete loss, I look over at Elulu…

“M-Mash…! Rista…! I—I…! I…!”

She’s scared. Tears are welling up in her eyes. Her resolution is wavering. The queen looks at Elulu with a dubious glare.

“Oh dear. It appears that their cries weakened your resolve. This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. Could somebody give Elulu some help?”

A dragonewt a great deal larger than all the rest approaches Elulu.

The Great Mother of Dragons turns her cold reptilian eyes toward her.

“Now throw her into the Abyss.”

“Wh-what?! Wait! This is no different from murder now!”

But my words are drowned out by the dragonewts’ feverish excitement.

“Oh, what a wonderful day!”

“Fall into the Abyss!”

“Die and become Igzasion!”

“This is your destiny, Lady Elulu!”

“This is for the sake of the world!”

Their madness and excitement fill the air. In the midst of the insanity is when I realize—it’s too late to save Elulu. Blocked by dragonewts, I helplessly watch Elulu trembling in fright. A brawny hand reaches out to push her into the Abyss from behind.

However…

“Gwaaah?!”

Before the dragonewt’s hand can even touch Elulu, he is knocked back a few dozen meters and comes crashing through the queen’s table.

“Wh-what’s going on?!”

The Great Mother shrieks in surprise. Absolute silence reigns over the banquet. Everyone’s eyes are on the Hero, slowly lowering his extended leg from the air.

Mash, Elulu, and I stare at him in blank amazement. Then Elulu opens her quivering mouth and asks:

“S-Seiya? Why…?”

“Do I have to repeat myself? You don’t need me to tell you… Tsk. Are you really that dense?”

After uttering a sigh, Seiya casually says, “Your job is to carry my stuff. How are you supposed to do that if you’re a sword?”