Neighborhood Boss (Part Completion)
High Holy Knight Rohad.
In all his life, he had never once felt outclassed by anyone. Handsome face, exceptional talent, a temperament that was, at the very least, respectable.
Still in his mid-twenties, he had been praised as a sky-blessed prodigy, and today had become the most astonishing day of his life. Twice, in fact.
The first was the instant he felt the gulf between himself and Agatha Sermilt, a knight of similar age, so keenly that he couldn’t even follow her speed with his eyes. The second was...
How on earth can a person die like this?
He stared in shock at the corpse—nothing left but the arms, legs, and face, wearing an expression that suggested even it had no idea how it had died. The victim’s organs, ribs, and everything else had been blown apart and scattered into the air without leaving the slightest trace behind.
Whether this man was a royal traitor wearing a bandit’s mask or not was beside the point; this was a phenomenon that exceeded the force of any human being.
Perhaps because Hilde’s house stood a little farther from the village entrance, it had escaped mostly unharmed, with only signs of intrusion left behind. The fact that all the food had disappeared was, compared with the houses that had burned to the ground, almost a blessing.
Rohad and Agatha sat down on the sofa and talked.
“Then you really are returning to the Order, Agatha Sermilt?”
Agatha nodded. She had wanted to live quietly with Hilde, but if things continued like this, Hilde would end up living an even harsher life.
“Is it because of that child? You truly do think of her as your daughter, don’t you.”
Something about the way he said it sounded almost mocking, and Agatha narrowed her eyes and glared at Rohad. The mood turned cold in an instant, and he hurriedly added an excuse.
“Ah—no, I only meant that you two are very close. If I offended you, I apologize.”
Agatha glared at him a moment longer before easing her expression with a sigh. Rohad realized he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Hilde is... a lovable child. Not only her appearance, but even the condition for Absolute Divine Power was something she naturally fulfilled. Though I doubt she knew it herself.”
“A remarkable child, then. I’ve only ever heard of her in legends.”
Rohad had never truly believed in the holy stigma of Absolute Divine Power. According to legend, when the Demon King, armed with overwhelming mana, was on the verge of ruling the world in ancient times, a saint with Absolute Divine Power appeared and sealed him away.
It sounded like a fairy tale, but the actual conditions had been quietly passed down as well. Yet deliberately gaining that stigma was impossible.
Never intentionally harm another living being. Never harbor impure thoughts. And it doesn’t count even if someone tells you the conditions in advance and you follow them...
What human being went through life without ever having a complaint? Hilde had been such a well-behaved child that, even as an infant, she never disturbed Agatha’s sleep at night. In truth, it was absurd.
If one maintained that state until the age of fifteen, the gods themselves would choose that person as a saint and make them their proxy. It was written in one of the oldest surviving ancient documents.
“But... from what I’ve heard, it sounds as though the one who killed the traitor, Rodhan, was your daughter, Sir Sermilt. That would mean she harbored an impure thought, if only for a moment.”
The villagers had hesitated at first, but in the end they all told what they had seen. They were more afraid of Agatha’s concern for her daughter than of any noble pressure.
“I’d need to ask my daughter herself, but taking her to the temple and having her train there would certainly help Hilde navigate the world.”
Agatha regretted the complacent thought that she could keep Hilde safe and happy for her entire life. If a bird remained trapped in a narrow cage forever, it would eventually fail to spread its wings and crumble away. She had only recently learned that Hilde possessed the aptitude for Absolute Divine Power, and yet she had still failed to protect that gift, leaving her exposed to danger.
“Still, I can guarantee that your choice will be of great help to the world. You killed that troublesome traitor Rodhan in a single blow, after all.”
Rodhan’s stigma was Equipment Destroyer. Anything that touched his polearm would be shattered in one strike unless protected by aura, making him more than a match for ordinary knights.
“Hilde’s ability is probably a stigma that places a heavy burden on the body. There’s no great power that comes without a price.”
Agatha let out a weary sigh, her worry growing deeper by the second.
---
An unfamiliar ceiling.
In truth, it wasn’t very unfamiliar at all. Thanks to the memories of her former life remaining intact, it was the ceiling of the second-floor room she had always slept in.
She had seen this line so often in comics about this kind of world that it had popped into her head all at once.
Hearing the birds chirping outside, she guessed it was morning. She was strangely hungry, so she went downstairs. Her mother always had soup ready early in the morning, so she meant to eat it by herself if she had to.
Led by the savory smell, she headed for the kitchen, where Agatha lowered herself to Hilde’s level and looked at her with concern.
“Are you all right? Is anything bothering you?”
Agatha spoke while gazing worriedly into those clear blue eyes like a summer sky and gently stroked Hilde’s hair. When she had heard that Hilde had suffered terribly while she was absent and even shed tears of blood, it had felt as though her heart were being torn apart. Hilde waved her arms up and down brightly.
“Strangely enough, I feel fine after sleeping for a day. And you always protect me, Mother. I love you.”
Hilde hugged the deeply worried Agatha and said something embarrassingly sweet. But she could tell that if she didn’t do this, her mother would spend the whole day fretting.
Agatha hesitated, then spoke.
“Not a day... you didn’t wake for three whole days.”
Hilde was stunned. How could anyone sleep for three days straight? That was a personal record for her. But seeing Agatha’s worried face, she couldn’t help but laugh softly. In the end, she felt grateful that she had escaped danger and could remain here with the mother she loved.
“Mother. I’m hungry.”
“All right, then sit at the table. The soup turned out especially well today.”
Hilde sat down, glad that the happy day she had always wanted could continue a little longer, and her legs swung back and forth on their own. Perhaps because it was her first meal in three days, it tasted even better than usual.
---
“The next village chief is Victor! A pity, but let’s welcome him with a big round of applause!”
Smith’s voice rang out loudly. The children gathered in the open space clapped and cheered. A few people had scrapes and scars, but none looked seriously injured or disabled. If anything, they seemed proud—proud to have defeated the bandits as hunters and defended the village.
Even though he had been comically defeated in the first duel, Victor had overwhelmingly won the hunt and handed the magical herb to the village chief for the sake of rebuilding the village. There was no doubt at all that he was fit to be the next chief.
Victor was standing atop the dueling ground, where fine sand had been spread out, ready to give his thoughts on becoming the next chief. If the bandits had never appeared, there might have been other kids who’d have coveted the position. But Victor’s tale of taking on the bandit leader, who was frightening enough just to look at, had turned him into a hero among the children.
Victor cleared his throat and looked uncharacteristically bashful.
“Thanks, everyone, for welcoming me like this. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d end up as the next chief either. I was confident when it came to hunting, but I was useless at everything else. Especially... duels, haha.”
Victor rubbed his nose awkwardly, and the children burst into laughter. But there was no sign of mockery. Victor was, without question, the bravest man here. He went on.
“Actually, I’m really grateful to Hilde. Even at such a young age, she was so spirited, and she helped find the magical herb too. If Hilde hadn’t been here, our village wouldn’t have survived. Now then—give Hilde a hand!”
With a roar of “Waaaah!” an endless barrage of applause suddenly poured over Hilde. Such pointless nonsense. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment all at once. Victor beckoned her forward, telling her to say a few words, and led her up onto the dueling ground. Somehow, it felt as though the number of children who liked Hilde had just gone up. In every sense—whether out of affection or admiration.
Hilde was dizzy from the sudden attention, but she spoke in a small yet clear voice.
“Not just me, but my sisters and brothers helped us pull through this crisis too. I was happy to be born in this village. It’s a hometown I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. The adults here are all wonderful people too.”
She looked at Victor standing beside her.
“I believe the next neighborhood boss... no, the next village chief will lead this village well. He’s a very reliable big brother.”
Damn it... that’s embarrassing.
For some reason, the word brother just wouldn’t come out easily. She looked at the children, who were all attached to her, and continued.
“Next week, I’m moving to the Holy City of Senium with my mother. But I’ll come back to visit often.”
The children, especially the boys, looked very disappointed, but none of them could tell her not to go. The majesty Agatha had shown that day was not something anyone could dare to oppose. The power to slaughter an entire bandit group of adults in an instant was beyond ordinary comprehension.
“What are you going to do in Senium? Are you going to the church? Will you train there too?”
Bridget asked with shining eyes. Hilde repeated what her mother had told her: that she would receive knighting and training directly from the church.
Bridget immediately begged to go with her too, saying she wanted to become a knight beside Hilde.
---
“Isn’t that the older sister our daughter likes best? It would be nice if she came along.”
Somehow, her mother’s approval came quickly and cheerfully.