A Lamb Far Too Large
Limia tilted her head, staring at the massive figure before her. A lamb? That thing?
“Mmm… mmmmmmm.”
Right now, Limia was standing in the training grounds of the Ofrel family estate in the capital, deep in thought. Was it because of the marriage talks her father had pushed forward without asking her? Of course that bothered her quite a bit, but what occupied her mind at this moment was something else entirely.
Should I meet him?
What had her so conflicted was none other than the barbarian who had shown up at their door carrying a recommendation letter from Gilbert. He was a warrior who had been exiled from his tribe—one who had once been a candidate for Great Warrior. A Great Warrior… wasn’t that the strongest position in the tribe, second only to the shamans? Someone that powerful…
To be honest, I really want to meet him.
She wanted to see that strength with her own eyes. But…
What if I end up causing trouble for that guy?
She had heard that the barbarian’s goal was to meet Jenkinson. What if she accidentally let something slip? She didn’t want to cause any trouble for him. That was what she kept telling herself, yet…
“Could you not make all the worrying I did suddenly seem stupid?”
Limia grumbled in dissatisfaction toward Jenkinson, who answered so casually through the two-way communication device. The device she had secretly slipped into his spatial pouch that night along with the instructions was a prototype. What Rumel was truly interested in lately wasn’t simple two-way communication, but a magical tool that could connect to anyone, anywhere, simply by entering a communication code.
“Right? I think we could sell it like this… I just can’t understand how geniuses think.”
Limia agreed completely. A magical tool that could connect no matter where the other person was. Of course, it wasn’t the version Rumel ultimately wanted—one where simply inputting a code would let anyone with the device communicate freely—but even so, having a tool that allowed the two of them to talk anytime, anywhere, felt incredibly impressive.
Yet Rumel still called it a failure and stubbornly refused to commercialize it.
Jenkinson spoke in a calm tone. The Church’s situation these days was far from peaceful. They had been in constant talks with the Empire. It was almost as if… they were preparing for another religious war. The northern barbarians were the same. They had killed the pacifist faction and impaled their heads on spears in front of the Empire’s proud fortress, constantly making threatening moves. Lately, she had even heard that cannons and guns that appeared to be from the East were starting to flow in. They, too, were preparing for war.
In other words…
It will be war.
If it were a war involving only the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, that would be fortunate. But since it carried the name of religion, it could very well engulf the entire continent. The northern barbarians were outstanding warriors, but they were outnumbered. In the end, they would lose. However… they would resist desperately, and because they were such exceptional warriors, many would die in the process. Was that truly the will of the gods?
Jenkinson was skeptical.
I don’t want to doubt Her Holiness, but…
Was this war truly… the Goddess’s will? Jenkinson was growing increasingly uncertain.
“Hm?”
Jenkinson spoke lightly to Limia.
“Huh? You’re going to meet him?”
Limia was surprised. It sounded like it would be a hassle, so she found it strange that he would agree so readily.
Yet Jenkinson spoke lightly. Being exiled probably meant he had doubted the gods of his tribe. No shepherd could ignore a lost lamb wandering without its god.
“…A lamb. Right?”
Click.
Limia, who had been dumbfounded by those words, abruptly ended the communication and turned to look at the giant man who had somehow already entered the training grounds.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a man as tall as me.”
That was supposed to be a lamb? It was far too big to be called a lamb. The man was even a finger’s length taller than Jenkinson. That would put him well over 190 centimeters. Looking at the man whose height was not much different from her own, Limia spoke.
“Anyway, the person himself said he wants to know, so what do you think?”
“…I want to know.”
This woman…
The man—no, Alkai—felt every muscle in his body tense the moment he saw the woman before him. She was an incredibly powerful warrior. More than that, he had never imagined there could be a human taller than himself, and a woman at that. When Gilbert had first introduced him to a single woman, he had wondered if he was being insulted, but at this level, the story was completely different.
“Let me see your skill first.”
He wanted to confirm it. The strength of the overwhelmingly powerful being standing before him.
“Heh heh.”
Limia laughed at those words. Of course. That was exactly how a warrior should respond.
“I won’t take responsibility if you die, okay?”
Schwing.
When warriors met, they should clash first. She found that part rather likable. Limia smiled like that as she drew her sword. From the beginning, that was exactly why she had called him here.
“This is a training ground. Feel free to use your full strength.”
“…I appreciate the consideration.”
As Alkai spoke, he took out the hand axe he carried on his back. Just how skilled was this former Great Warrior candidate? The northern barbarian warriors were said to be worth a hundred men each. Just how strong would someone who stood out even among such warriors be?
With that thought in mind, Limia released electricity from her entire body. It was… sheer overwhelming violence. Alkai’s face grew tense as he infused his sword with mana.
Tzzzzzzzzz!
Watching that, Limia let out a small gasp of admiration.
Is that the barbarians’ secret technique—sword aura?
It was a fascinating power. Limia was astonished as she watched the mana swirling around his blade. Their way of handling mana was similar to that of the East. That sword aura could slice through steel like paper, which was why it could cut even armor in two. Before guns were invented, it was precisely that sword aura that had made the barbarian tribes untouchable.
This is interesting.
If she took a hit from that, could she endure it with mana reinforcement? Her heart was pounding. Limia thought she had found a truly fun opponent.
Of course…
Crackle!
“!”
“If you just stand there, I’ll go first!”
She had no intention of losing. Limia’s sword, brimming with electricity, shot forward like lightning.
Kaang!
What incredible weight!
Alkai’s expression hardened as he blocked the thrust with the blade of his axe. This was not the strength of a woman. Well, given that size, it made sense. Creeeeak!
“…Between you and Jenkinson, who is stronger?”
“Hm?”
When Alkai, pushed far back by the force he couldn’t withstand, asked with a serious face, Limia tilted her head. Who was stronger? Well…
“Why don’t you beat me first and find out?”
Telling him right away would ruin the fun, wouldn’t it? Limia spoke with that implication, and Alkai seemed to agree.
“…You’re right.”
At that moment, Alkai’s eyes grew serious. The mana emanating from him began to change.
Yes, this is how it should be. Now it’s fun.
Limia thought as she took her stance again. In the end, her true nature… was to enjoy clashing with powerful warriors like this. She didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
“Whoa… So you’re in contact with the Giant of Yura. And you even have a magical tool like that.”
Asa made a fuss, but I paid her no mind. I was curious what kind of reaction this rigid Holy Knight would show if I told her we had done more than just communicate—we had even mingled our bodies—but… I decided to stop with the mischievous teasing.
I recalled what Drina had said while tightly holding both my hands and smiled faintly.
You must! Come visit us again someday!
Well, if I ever had business there, I would, but… that was something only time would tell.
“More importantly, isn’t Sabron an incredibly depraved city? You’ll have a lot of work to do.”
“That’s true. So stay on your guard. It would be a problem if a Holy Knight were to fall into corruption.”
It was a city famous for gambling and drugs. When I gave her that warning, Asa answered firmly.
“There is no chance I will fall into corruption.”
Hearing that, Jenkinson gave a small chuckle and replied.
“Hmm, in your case, it seems growth is more necessary than worrying about corruption.”
“I-I’m growing too, you know!”
Asa protested, but…
“Sir Yusuba is already active in the Pope’s personal Holy Knight Order.”
At those words, Asa flinched and hurriedly made excuses.
“T-that guy is growing in his own way, and I’m growing in mine. Besides…”
Asa spoke with a face full of confidence.
“Working as Sir Priest’s Holy Knight might be more promising than the Pope’s personal order.”
“…Where does that confidence come from?”
Jenkinson chuckled at her answer and closed his eyes. Saying it might be better to work under him than under the Pope?
“I just need to gain more experience here and surpass them!”
“Well… when you put it that way, it’s not entirely wrong.”
In the end, that was something she would have to accomplish herself. If she continued growing at her current pace, the gap between her and Yusuba over there would only widen further.
“Anyway, I’m going to take a nap.”
I closed the scripture I had been reading and put on an eye mask as I spoke. There was still a long way to go until Sabron. So… now was the time to let my body rest properly.
“Yes! Sleep well!”
Seeing her answer so brightly made me a little anxious, but… well, as long as I wrapped myself in strong mana reinforcement, there shouldn’t be any major problems. With that thought, I circulated powerful mana through my body and drifted off to sleep.
The city of pleasure, Sabron. Once we arrived there… things were probably going to get extremely busy.
The time was still 3 p.m. The train heading to Sabron continued to run smoothly.