The First Clash of Amons
Amons was the first time I'd heard the term.
From what I could guess, it seemed like the monsters were ranked separately like Behemoth-class or Leviathan-class monsters...
...The soldiers behind us were all stunned. It gave me a rough idea. So how dangerous was this monster?
Amons-class Monster
High-risk monster ranked third among high-threat entities. Wielded by elite forces.
“I understand.”
“Please head to the royal palace gate as soon as you're ready!”
The soldier gave a crisp salute and left.
But the gate? Was he talking about the one I knew?
For now, I should ask one by one. This monster encyclopedia would explain everything.
“Saintess, what is an Amons-class monster?”
“...It is a monster ranked third among the highest-risk ones.”
“...So it was a rating system based on danger level?”
“Yes, that's right. You've certainly memorized it well with that weak brain of yours~♡”
...Then this is really dangerous, isn't it? And there was one more thing that didn't make sense.
“Earlier the soldier said a Mother is coming with them. Don't Mothers stay in their nests?”
“Usually they do. But sometimes Mothers move.”
“Why?”
“When they have to relocate their nest. That's the most vulnerable time for a Mother, so they bring all the monsters they've given birth to when moving. But coming this way means...”
“They're planning to establish a nest within the territory of the Vesta Kingdom.”
The last line was Elfride's. The Saint nodded at Elfride and spoke to me.
“A national emergency. We have to postpone our cafe trip for a while.”
“Yeah, no choice.”
“First, prepare. Then head to the gate as instructed by the soldier.”
“What is a gate?”
“Really~♡ What exactly do you not know, you idiot♡ You're lacking in common sense~♡”
...You want to be reincarnated into a novel where you know nothing? Damn, where do you even know anything?
I already had a rough guess about the gate, but I asked to confirm. Me, who reads web novels, not knowing what a gate is?
“The gate is one of humanity's greatest inventions. More precisely, it's a collection of magical techniques created by mages. Even mages are human, after all.”
“Yes.”
“The gate is a collection of magical rituals that transport you to another location. Because the structure is so complex, it takes a lot of time and money to install, and once installed, you can't move the location either.”
“Ah... I see.”
So this is the gate I know.
“That's convenient.”
“Still, there are things you need to watch out for. The gate is one-way.”
“Oh, really?”
“Even if we use the gate to go somewhere, if there's no gate installed in that place, we can't return here. We'll have to use carriages or other means of transport. You understand my words, right~♡”
“...I get it.”
If I didn't understand this, I'd be an idiot.
“Then I'll prepare. Please wait outside for the hero for now~♡”
“Is there more preparation here?”
“Yes. Could it be that the hero has finally revealed his dark desires~? Kyaa♡”
“...Just go out.”
...This is really getting on my nerves. I'll deal with Elfride later.
I left the room after closing the door with a thud. Estelle opened her mouth.
“...Are we really going to fight Amons-class monsters with our hero?”
“It's a request from the kingdom. We can't avoid participating.”
Elfride knew exactly why Estelle was saying that. Abel had only been a hero for over three months. Asking a hero who had just become one to fight an Amons-class monster was unreasonable.
“Probably the kingdom isn't expecting Abel to defeat Amons-class monsters either. We can stop the monster wave, can't we?”
“...Haa, of course we can. But that's not the problem...”
When I compared Estelle's way of growing me to climbing stairs, it was slow but sure and solid.
But in a battle this huge, Estelle had no choice but to cast powerful blessings on me. If I fought while receiving blessings, my eyes might suddenly get too high. That could cause a gap where my eyes read the opponent's level but my body didn't keep up.
Estelle had also done this to keep me from receiving blessings, but the situation had turned out this way. The kingdom's request was beyond what Estelle could handle.
“...No choice. Instead, we won't let you fight Amons-class monsters.”
“Yes, let's do that. We'll handle the monsters with Levius and me. In a pinch...”
Elfride trailed off while looking at Estelle. Estelle sighed at her gaze.
“I'll stay out of it as much as possible.”
“What?”
“If I get involved, our hero and the heroes will lose the chance to grow. But as I said, if the two heroes fail... then I'll step in.”
“...Understood. That's enough. It's only right for the Saintess to take on the role the hero should do.”
Only Celine wasn't following their conversation. She understood the first part, but Estelle's words about stepping in and Elfride passing the role to the Saintess didn't make sense to her.
“...W-what does it mean that the Saintess is stepping in?”
“...Are you not understanding what the Saintess is saying?”
“Ah, right. I haven't said it.”
Celine tilted her head, but Estelle smiled faintly at her and answered.
“You don't have to worry about it. You'll probably understand it on your own soon.”
“...?”
Celine was even more confused.
Estelle's gentle smile carried an unspoken weight — the kind only those close to her could feel.
After finishing preparations, the Saintess, Celine, and Elfride came outside. Elfride had put on her armor again, and the Saintess and Celine...
“Hero♡”
“Yes?”
“Don't you look different somewhere~?”
At the Saintess's question, I immediately shook my head. I didn't know.
Then the Saintess blew lightly on my cheek. Why was she doing that cute thing that didn't suit her?
“...Your interest in me seems to have dropped lately.”
“...I was only interested to this degree originally.”
“Liar! You said you'd only look at me back then!”
When was that?
“...What kind of joke is this all of a sudden?”
The Saintess laughed lightly and answered.
“I was trying to loosen you up in case you were nervous~♡ But your reaction is too flat♡”
...If I had jumped at that, the others would misunderstand.
“So where exactly did it change?”
“Nothing changed.”
...Is she crazy?
“Abel, I'll go with Cynthia to the gate. You go ahead.”
“Ah, yes. See you later.”
Elfride went to get the Saintess of Lunaria, and I headed to the gate with the two of them. Celine, who knew the way, led the way and we followed.
“Hero~♡”
“Yes?”
“You can't fight Amons-class monsters~♡ With that scrub skill, you'll end up separated from this world♡”
“...I know. After fighting the other monsters like in Habsburg City, right?”
“The idiot hero remembers that! The Solaria Goddess is going to appear from the west~♡”
...Damn. You're hopeless.
“Saintess.”
“Yes~?”
I lightly raised my hand. Before the Saintess could react, I placed it on her forehead...
Thud!
“Whoa?!”
I smacked her forehead.
“...Hero?”
Celine turned around at the sound, startled.
“Ah, it's nothing. I just gave you a light smack.”
“...Hwaa...it hurts.....”
“Who told you to keep teasing me?”
The Saintess rubbed her forehead.
Hm? Her forehead looks a bit red.
Celine looked at me with narrowed eyes.
...Why are you looking at me like that?
“I should have smacked you with full force. The Saintess's body is that of an ordinary woman, so it would be hard for the hero's trained strength to endure.”
“Uhm...?”
Thinking about it, I had been training and building up my strength for the past three months. The Saintess didn't have to do that, so she was the same.
Looking closely, tears glistened in the corners of the Saintess's eyes.
“...S-Saintess, are you okay!?”
“It hurts...
“S-sorry. I didn't think.”
The Saintess's forehead was swelling red. What do I do? Damn, maybe I'm really an idiot.
I was at a loss, but Celine looked at the pained Saintess with the same gaze and said.
“...Saintess, please bear it a little and I'll heal you. We need to get to the gate quickly.”
“...Tsk.”
...Tsk?
The Saintess placed her hand on her forehead and poured divine power into it. The swollen forehead from the smack disappeared cleanly in less than a minute.
“...Saintess!!”
I worried for nothing, you damn woman!
“Why~?”
“I could have healed it right away! Why make me worry...”
“...It really hurt, separate from the healing.”
“...I-I see. Sorry.”
...Pain from a smack and healing are different things.
“By the way, your power seems much stronger than when I smacked you last time. It seems the training is paying off~♡”
“Eh... thank you?”
“Next time, please be a little gentler~♡ I was in pain too.”
“...Yes.”
...Isn't it enough not to smack the forehead? It's weird.
By now, we had reached the location of the gate. In front of the gate installed inside the royal palace stood someone I didn't want to meet.
...Yeah, he's also a hero.
A man with short red hair — Levius. The women beside him, Natalie and Sonia?
“Hero Abel, you certainly arrive quickly. Being a hero, you seem too relaxed in a crisis.”
“...Elfride hasn't come yet either. Is that comment aimed at Elfride?”
Since I used casual speech, even the involved Levius and the Saintess and Celine next to him looked at me in surprise.
Why, that bastard started it.
“A commoner like you dares...”
Levius, as expected, was angry, but suddenly stopped talking. He coughed once or twice and turned his head away abruptly.
...Why was that?
“Sorry. I was a little late.”
After we arrived, Elfride and the Saintess of Lunaria also arrived.
“We arrived just a little while ago too.”
“I see.”
...Still the great divine power pocket today.
“Hero.”
“...Yes?”
“...Why are you looking there all the time.”
...She's a mind reader or something. How does she know every time I look at the Saintess of Lunaria?
“...I wasn't looking at anything.”
“...Hmph.”
...Why?
Permission to engage Amons-class entities granted under national emergency protocol.
Personnel: Abel, Elfride, Levius, Saintess Estelle, Saintess Celine.
“The hero is great. You seem so at ease in a crisis now that you're a hero.”
“...Elfride hasn't arrived yet. Is that comment aimed at Elfride?”
When I used casual speech, even Levius and the Saintess and Celine looked at me in surprise.
Why, that bastard started it.
“A commoner like you dares...”
Levius, as expected, was angry, but suddenly stopped talking. He coughed once or twice and turned his head away abruptly.
...Why was that?
“Sorry. I was a little late.”
After we arrived, Elfride and the Saintess of Lunaria also arrived.
“We arrived just a little while ago too.”
“I see.”
...Still the great divine power pocket today.
“Hero.”
“...Yes?”
“...Why are you looking there all the time.”
...She's a mind reader or something. How does she know every time I look at the Saintess of Lunaria?
“...I wasn't looking at anything.”
“...Hmph.”
...Why?
Permission to engage Amons-class entities granted under national emergency protocol.
Personnel: Abel, Elfride, Levius, Saintess Estelle, Saintess Celine.