Chapter 29 — I Need the Hero's Holy Sword
'Monsters.'
It was my fifth day in this world, and I still hadn't seen a monster with my own eyes. According to Valeri, it was because the Raking Territory where we'd been staying was an unusual place. The north, where the Royal Capital stood, and the west, home to the desert, both had vast plains stretching between them and their destinations, so monster habitats were scarce there. And in the east, the coastline gave way almost immediately to sheer cliffs dropping into the sea, so monsters rarely appeared there either.
The southern forest, however, was a different story. The sprawling woodland that included the elves' giant tree forest was home to all kinds of monsters. The reason those monsters had never pushed up into Raking Territory was that the Elf Village acted as a kind of defensive barrier. As monsters approached the northern edge of the forest, they naturally endangered the elves as well, so the elves periodically culled their numbers — and that shape of things was the result.
The monster hunt Fresia was supposed to take on today was exactly that culling. Valeri and I asked to come along. I knew it was dangerous, but I'd come all the way to another world — I wanted to see a monster with my own eyes.
"Originally, only Fresia was meant to join my hunting party... but if the Hero wishes to come, I have no objection whatsoever."
"Me too! Honestly, I'd rather have the Hero along anyway!"
With Histira's blessing, Fresia — cheeks stuffed full of meat — gave her approval as well.
"But I do worry the Hero might be in danger."
Valeri spoke with cautious care.
Well... she's right. There's really no role I can play. I do have the sword that was the Holy Sword's base material, but... it's exhausting just to carry, and I still don't even know the conditions for unlocking the Holy Sword's power.
"If that is the concern, then might I suggest this? We know the hunting methods well, so leave the front to us, and you two take up the rear. Lady Valeri, I imagine you would rest easier staying at the Hero's side, no?"
At Histira's words, Valeri's face brightened. I felt safer with Valeri by my side too, so I readily agreed.
Once the meal was finished, we set about preparing for the hunt. I layered my usual protective gear over my clothes, and the other three changed back into their regular outfits.
Joining the hunting party led by Histira, we left the Elf Village and headed south, and before long the species of trees changed. We followed a path where sunlight filtered down in scattered patches between short, stunted trees.
The monsters we were after were called Horn Wolves — wolves with horns growing from their heads, vicious creatures that traveled in packs and attacked other races without mercy. Recently they had apparently been expanding their territory into this area, drawing ever closer to the Elf Village.
"Finally a chance to show off my skills!" "Fresia...! You are being too loud."
Fresia, clutching her beloved crossbows in both hands, simply couldn't contain her excitement.
"Hero. Please stay right beside me."
Valeri looked down at me with a dependable expression.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Believe me, I'd love to heroically slay a monster myself, but with this weak little body of mine... right now I'm more worried about whether I can even swing this sword properly with both hands.
At Histira's signal we advanced in silence, and before long she brought us to a halt. Between the trees and underbrush, a pack of wolves came gradually into view ahead of us. They were too far away to make out fully, but even I could see the horns rising from the heads of those moving shapes.
"That tree should serve nicely."
Histira and a few of the hunters quietly surveyed the surrounding trees and selected the ones they could use. 'Trees they could use' meant trees they could climb. Under Histira's direction, we split into small groups, and ropes for climbing were rigged up the trunks.
"Hero~ I'll help y—" "I will assist you, Hero."
Fresia sidled up to me, wiggling her fingers with a mischievous glint in her eyes, but Valeri was faster, stepping in and spreading her arms wide.
"Fresia...! Your tree is over this way...!" "Aw... fine, fine. Coming~"
Under Histira's sharp glare from her own tree beside ours, Fresia reluctantly trudged off to her post. I watched her back for a moment, then turned my gaze back to Valeri.
"Now then, leave yourself to me...!"
For some reason, Valeri's eyes burned with more passion than usual. When I stepped closer, she wrapped one arm around me and pinned me against her body.
"Oof."
My face and upper torso pressed flush against her hard armor. Holding me with a single arm, Valeri gripped the rope with her free hand and climbed the tree with practiced ease.
When we reached a thick branch, she carefully set me down on a neighboring one.
"Are you all right, Hero?"
"Ah — yes."
"If the height frightens you, cling to me whenever you like!"
Why is Valeri so passionate today, of all days? Did something happen?
While I was still flustered, the hunting preparations were complete. The method was simple. From our divided positions in the trees, we would strike the Horn Wolves with bows and crossbows, and any that got close enough to try climbing would be dealt with by the sword. Which meant Valeri and I were the sword detail.
"Lady Histira says Horn Wolves are poor climbers, so please don't worry."
Valeri said this as she drew her sword. I nodded and followed her lead in getting ready. Gripping my sword with tense, stiff fingers, I waited — and then, at last, the ready bows and sacred bows loosed their arrows forward.
Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwack!
A dense volley of arrows cut through leaves and wind, streaming toward the distant Horn Wolves.
Yipe! Awoooo! Bark-bark!
A few pained cries told us the arrows had found their marks, and then came a great howling and a frenzy of barking. Almost immediately, accompanied by the crash of underbrush, several Horn Wolves came charging straight toward us.
"Yes! Now I've got a clear shot!"
Fresia called out cheerfully from her tree beside us, loaded up toward the Horn Wolves, and fired her twin crossbows in sequence.
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang-bang!
Despite having already fired, Fresia's crossbows kept spitting arrows with no visible reloading — like automatic pistols. The swarm of bolts punched into the charging Horn Wolves again and again, peppering their bodies from every angle.
"No way...!" "That must be the magic the Queen cast upon her...!"
Watching Fresia pour out arrows like a machine gun, Valeri and I couldn't help but marvel.
"Incoming!"
At an elf's shout from our own tree, every gaze that had been fixed on Fresia swung downward. Most of the Horn Wolves had been cut down mid-charge by the arrows of Fresia and the other elves, but a few had managed to reach the trees — and two of them were now trying to climb the one Valeri and I occupied.
"They're climbing! Hero!" "Right!"
One Horn Wolf hauled itself up into the branches between where Valeri and I stood. And in the same instant, we both thrust our swords at the snout lunging toward our faces. My awkward, downward-swung blade scraped across the creature's eye and slid off sideways. It was far from enough to stop the Horn Wolf — but Valeri's blade stabbed through its throat, and the beast froze midair, motionless.
The other one?
The moment I thought that, a second Horn Wolf — hidden until now beneath the dead one's huge body — came climbing up the trunk. Far more nimble than the first, the two-horned beast shoved its dead companion aside and closed in on me fast.
"Hero!" "Damn it!"
The first wolf's corpse was blocking Valeri's line of attack; she had no room to strike. Just as I moved to fend the second beast off with even my clumsy swing—
Bang-bang-bang!
Arrows came screaming in, climbing up the wolf's back and burying themselves clear into its skull. The beast, claws already reaching for me, finally dropped away to the ground below.
"Hero, are you okay?!"
The one who'd fired was Fresia. She was waving her arm at me, shouting.
"Thank you!"
My whole body rigid with tension, I choked down the tremor in my voice and yelled back at the top of my lungs. Just now — I'd nearly died. The thought sent a shiver crawling up my spine.
"Mnngh...!"
"Valeri?"
At her voice, I turned to look at her — and found her wearing an expression of sheer torment.
"Are you all right?"
"Huh...? Yes! Of course! Thank goodness you're safe, Hero."
Hearing my voice, Valeri smoothed her expression and answered in a hurried tone.
"Retreat! We are retreating now!!"
Histira's command rang out. With the Horn Wolves' numbers thinned, we leapt from tree to tree in retreat. I sheathed my sword, and Valeri — carrying even my sword slung over her back — held me against her as we fell back.
We kept moving through the treetops until Histira finally called a stop, and that was only after we had entered the giant tree forest.
Back on the ground, Valeri set me down, and Fresia came hurrying over on quick little steps.
"You two all right?"
"Yeah, we're fine."
"Thank you for the support just now, Fresia."
"Aw, that was nothing~ I'm just glad you're both okay!"
"Ha ha... truly... impressive."
Unlike Fresia's bright mood, Valeri seemed oddly gloomy. And it wasn't just Valeri's atmosphere that had darkened. Histira was deep in grave conversation with her subordinates.
"Huh? Sis~ what's wrong?"
At Fresia's question, Histira came over to the three of us. Her face had hardened, radiating an intensely serious air.
"The hunt is suspended."
"Huh? Well, there were a lot of them, I guess."
"That is not the reason. Among them... there was an intelligent individual with two horns."
Come to think of it... the one that attacked me did have two horns, unlike the others.
"We confirmed that much during scouting... but what is grave is that moments ago, we spotted goblins. If two species are acting together... then this is no longer a matter of wild monsters."
Worse even than Histira's gravity, the faces of the elves whispering anxiously behind her were grim.
"I-is it dangerous, Sis?"
"We may... have to muster every last soldier we elves have... but with no proper grasp of the situation, there is no telling how great our losses could be."
If they're not wild, that means those monsters have already organized into a force, doesn't it? If they're part of the Demon King's army...!
"Hey, it'll be fine!"
Just then, one of the whispering elf hunters raised his voice.
"We have the legendary Hero with us, don't we?!"
"Th-that's right! He'll settle it with the Holy Sword!"
Wait, hold on! I haven't solved the whole Holy Sword problem yet!
"Help us, Hero!" "You really are the Hero! We believe in you!"
The elf hunters were already worked up into a frenzy, shouting at me.
"Um... well, you see...!"
I mean... I *am* the Hero, but...
"ALL of you, SILENCE YOUR MOUTHS!! How dare you push our own troubles onto an outsider!!"
As I stood there frozen, Histira rounded on the hunters with a furious shout, glaring them down. Her anger was sharper than it had even been when Fresia pounced on me, and her subordinates' mouths snapped shut.
"Fresia... escort the Hero and Lady Valeri back."
"Huh? Uh — yeah, okay..."
Fresia obediently looked to us, and at her gesture we quietly followed behind her. After walking a while, I glanced back — I couldn't hear anything, but Histira was sternly scolding her subordinates. The words of the elf hunters being chewed out there kept circling in my head.
I'm... the Hero, but when I think about it, I'm not much of a Hero at all, am I...? I haven't completed the Holy Sword, and during the hunt I was barely any help...
Carrying that gloomy weight, I found myself back at our room before I knew it. Leaving behind Valeri and Fresia, who tried in their own ways to comfort me, I slipped inside alone.
Everyone thinks I'm the Hero... everyone thinks I'm carrying the Holy Sword... and yet there's nothing I can actually do...
"What am I supposed to do?"
I crouched in front of the closed door for a long while, muttering to myself. At some point, the light coming through the window had begun to dim.
"If only I could actually use the Holy Sword's power..."
"A fair point."
A dignified, composed voice came from outside the door. The instant I moved to respond, the door swung open, shoved me backward, and I toppled forward.
"Whoa—!"
"My apologies. I didn't realize anyone was crouched by the door."
"Queen Anaris...?"
Looking up from where I'd fallen, I found the Queen of the Elves standing over me.
"What brings you here..."
"I heard the situation on my way. The monster problem is serious, I'm told? Hearing you mutter to yourself just now, it seems my timing was perfect."
"Huh?"
"The next experiment regarding the Holy Sword's power. Since you are in immediate need of that power, it's rather convenient, no?"
"I... see..."
Watching her state the plain truth, I pushed myself up off the floor and sat where I'd fallen.
"Then allow me to introduce your collaborator for this experiment."
"Collaborator...?"
Queen Anaris cast a glance toward the side of the door. At that, a figure stepped into view.
"H-Hero. It's me..."
It was Valeri, wearing the same pure-white silk dress from dinner. She emerged shyly, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Valeri?"
"I have already briefed this knight. It took some time to make her understand... but in any case, my hypothesis is that the flaw in our last experiment was me."
"The last experiment... then that means...!"
"Beginning now, the two of you will commence sexual intercourse."