Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Niceta (3)
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“N-no—!”
The lord, who had been crawling on the floor begging for mercy, had his head pierced by Niceta’s sword and died, spewing dark demonic energy.
It was a truly pathetic end. It was infuriating to think that scum like them had lived in luxury, sucking the lifeblood out of the people.
For them, this place might have been the best choice for extracting demonic energy, but for the people who made their homes here, it was the worst.
“Where should we go next?”
“Nowhere. We just need to get out of here.”
While Niceta was dealing with the inside of the lord's castle, I had cleanly destroyed the communication facilities.
At this rate, even if someone survived, it would take them a long time to clean up this mess and contact anyone.
Though I doubted anyone survived in the first place.
Sejanus's mansion, burning in the center of the city.
And the lord's castle, from which smoke billowed and screams had endlessly echoed.
The people, who had shut their doors and were simply waiting for the commotion to pass, felt an inexplicable sense of pleasure and relief at the sight of Sejanus's collapsing, burning mansion.
A relief that they no longer had to worry about their neighbors being kidnapped. A pleasure that those bastards were finally getting their divine punishment.
To the people living in Libria, Sejanus and the lord were one and the same.
Papers fluttered through the sky. Papers bearing Lupin's mark. This should be enough to confuse them for a while.
***
“Thank you.”
After safely escaping Libria and running for a good while, the two of them stopped in the middle of a forest. In any case, we had created the exact situation we wanted. Sejanus and the lord were dead, and all communication devices were destroyed.
Having scattered Lupin's calling cards, things would be chaotic for a while.
The news wouldn't spread while we were on our way to Rzhev. No, there had to be people left to spread the news in the first place. I had killed almost all the high-ranking officials, after all.
But that was that. Causing trouble during a mission was another matter entirely.
“If you're going to act like that, please withdraw from the mission.”
“What?”
“I cannot carry out a mission with someone who can't even control their own emotions.”
It wasn't a matter of skill. It was a matter of controlling the situation. Similar incidents would continue to happen as we carried out future missions.
We didn't come here just to clean up Niceta's messes. This time, I had to make it clear that she couldn't pull any more stunts.
If not, I'd really have to reconsider the mission.
And it wasn't an easy mission where we could afford to clean up messes along the way.
“I... I'm sorry.”
“Anyone can say they're sorry. What's important is not creating a situation to be sorry for. It's not that hard to hold back, is it?”
“How can you expect me to stand by and watch evil right before my eyes! The demonic must be eradicated from this world!”
“Isn't the matter in Rzhev our priority? If you focus on crushing a small evil in front of you only to let a greater evil escape, resulting in immense damage, could you truly ignore that damage? Libria was a problem we could have dealt with on our way back.”
With every word that came out of Kratos's mouth, Niceta's face grew redder.
“How could I ignore the suffering of the faithful right before me! Who knows how many more people might have died!”
“So! What if we fail the mission because of that? What if the Raelian Church is officially incorporated into the Holy Kingdom, and the Holy Kingdom is branded as a puppet of demons? What if a war breaks out and tens, hundreds of thousands of people die? Are you going to smooth it all over with another 'I'm sorry' then?”
This was bound to happen sooner or later. I put all my weapons into my inventory.
What was the point of arguing back and forth? You can only have a difference of opinion with someone who's willing to listen.
“Come at me.”
“What?”
“If words don't work, we'll settle this with our fists. We can't fight with blades, so let's use our fists. If I win, you will follow my orders until this mission is over. If I lose, I'll do as you say, Priestess Niceta. We'll beat down every demon-tainted bastard we see.”
Ah, for the record, based on what I saw of her fighting in Libria, not only was her skill still unrefined, but there was no way I'd lose even if she used a weapon.
Unless that holy sword of hers had some ridiculously overpowered ability, that is.
“That's…”
“Scared? You were running wild like an unbridled colt back in Libria. So, is this just selective rage? Only against those you think are weaker than you?”
*Grit—*
She gritted her teeth in anger. A little more provocation and she'll snap, won't she?
“Then think of it as a sparring match. I'll go easy on you. I'll even let you have the first move.”
At the sight of his mocking smirk, Niceta plunged her sword into the ground, enveloped her fists in holy power, and charged.
“Don't regret this.”
Niceta's attacks were certainly fierce. The holy power lingering at her fingertips was menacing, and each blow was packed with force.
But.
That was all there was to it.
*Whoosh—*
I easily dodged the punch with a weave. I felt a sharpness from the fist as it grazed past my ear, but a punch that doesn't land is meaningless, isn't it?
There was no need to focus and use that state of selflessness.
“Your movements are too wide. You're not swinging a greatsword. Why would your punches have such large motions?”
I drove my fist into Niceta's side.
“Kuh—”
“You rampaged like that with this level of skill? If you keep that up, you'll just cause a ton of collateral damage before you finally get yourself killed.”
“It's not like that!”
She took a step back, but I tilted my head slightly, parried her fist with my hand, and slammed my own into her jaw.
The impact must have been severe, as Niceta’s body staggered violently.
“What if a Sword Master had been there? We would have all died a dog's death on the spot.”
“But there wasn't one!”
“The world doesn't revolve around results alone. Does a good outcome justify ignoring the entire process? There might be situations like that, but this isn't one of them.”
There her eyes went again, getting that crazed look. Niceta's weakness was that she got too easily agitated in situations involving demonic energy or evil deeds.
Of course, it's easy to get worked up. But she has to take responsibility for the consequences.
“Don't think everyone will praise your actions. I don't know how it was in the Holy Kingdom, but it's different here.”
“Eek—!!”
Niceta began swinging her fists wildly, as if her only goal now was to land a single hit, but only an idiot would get hit by punches like those. They were painfully obvious.
“Priestess Niceta, if you were the leader, it might be a different story. But you're not, so you need to follow orders. A mission is not something you can do as you please. Are you not aware that you're causing trouble for others?”
I had a good idea why Provino had Niceta join us. There must be something he wanted her to learn.
Normally, adding such a risk to a mission like this isn't an easy decision. It's the kind of decision a madman like Provino would make.
Either that, or he had another plan in place, or he entrusted this to me, believing in my own crazy tendencies as Prometheus's disciple.
If not that, then Niceta's potential must be insane. The kind of potential that has to be nurtured, even if it means taking such a risk.
Hah, really. If it weren't for what Peri Batoni said… If I hadn't heard about his deeds and actions after my death, I wouldn't be helping Niceta.
“I'm not telling you to turn a blind eye to evil. I'm just saying you should at least consider your priorities. Tsk. And your movements are too wide. Who would get hit by a punch like that? Don't they teach you how to throw a punch in the Holy Kingdom these days?”
“Agh! Just—get hit already!”
“You have too many openings. Getting worked up in a fight is poison. It's not like you're a berserker.”
She wasn't improving at all. No, beyond that, why did she get so worked up in the first place?
“But let me ask you one thing. Why do you despise demonic energy so much?”
I was genuinely curious. Sure, as someone from the Holy Kingdom, she had a reason to be angry. Demonic energy was an incompatible existence. But there was something deeper to Niceta's actions.
Of course, it wasn't like she would suddenly confess it all.
“Mind…! Your own business!”
“*Sigh…*”
My fist, clad in spiritual power, slammed into Niceta's wide-open abdomen. Not at full power, of course. What would I do if I punched a hole through her stomach?
“Gah—!”
Her body convulsed as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. In terms of skill and position, she was definitely a valuable asset.
If only she could fix that damn frustrating personality of hers, I'd gladly give her a spot in my party. Maybe it's because she's young and inexperienced. But you can't be like that on a mission.
“*Sigh*. So damn frustrating. At least she's not a complete lost cause.”
I slung Niceta over my shoulder. I couldn't wait for her to wake up. We'd already wasted enough time.
We were already several hours behind the others, so we had to hurry up and catch them.
***
“Don't worry. He'll definitely come.”
Half a day had passed since they left Libria, yet there was still no sign of Kratos. As Seamus kept glancing back, Reinhardt, sitting in the driver's seat, muttered while looking at the sky.
When he had first met him, Kratos had seemed simple-minded and brutish, but his actions often held a surprising amount of thought. Well, whenever he fought, it was still hard to believe such a person existed, but…
He couldn't help but trust his skill. Besides, there was nothing more certain than what he'd seen with his own eyes.
He didn't think Kratos would have made such a decision without any thought. He was sure that both Priestess Niceta and Kratos would return safely.
“He's coming! He's coming! Stop!”
And as someone came running at high speed from a distance, kicking up a cloud of dust, Seamus hammered on Reinhardt's shoulder, bringing the carriage to a halt.
“Ugh, I'm beat.”
Reaching the stopped carriage, Kratos tossed Niceta, whom he was carrying on his shoulder, into the back like a sack of luggage.
“Hey, what the—!”
“She'll listen well from now on.”
Her reddened jaw was considerably swollen, a testament to how hard he must have hit her.
“You did this to her!”
“It was a fair duel. The loser follows the winner's orders.”
Thinking of Kratos's monstrous strength, Seamus chided him.
“It wasn't a fair fight in the first place! You're a man who can punch a hole through someone's stomach!”
“Don't worry. I didn't punch a hole through her stomach.”
“That's not what I meant! Is she even alive?”
“Of course. If she were dead, I would've buried her some—”
“Hey—!”
“It's a joke. A joke.”
Reinhardt felt like he might have been mistaken. To think he'd solve it with his fists instead of talking it out. Against a promising priestess of the Holy Kingdom, no less.
And on top of that, a slender woman. Though she did swing a greatsword around with ease.
“Well, I couldn't just fight her with a weapon and cut her down, could I? I just thought fists were a better solution than an axe or a hammer.”
“Ugh! You brute—! Still, who carries a person around like a sack of luggage!”
Hopping onto the carriage, Kratos shrugged.
“We ride for Rzhev without stopping. Now that it's come to this, we have to get to Rzhev as fast as possible. Once we're there, we'll have to start the mission immediately, without a break.”
“Start immediately?”
“Immediately. We'll probably be in Rzhev for less than a day. As soon as we arrive, organize your gear. Travel as light as possible. I'll put any heavy luggage in my subspace pouch.”
What little leeway we had was gone; now it was a race against time, like a time attack. Especially considering their collusive relationship.
We have to make a quick stop in Rzhev and then move on to the Demonic Realm.
To that Demonic Realm, where we have no idea what awaits.