The Plunderer
Flash! In a burst of intense light, his figure vanished.
Hestia waved slowly at the fading trail of radiance and whispered in a gentle voice, "...Please take care."
She had no way of knowing whether he had heard her, yet she smiled softly to herself at the simple fact that she had at least offered a proper farewell.
Having seen off her most precious friend, Hestia quietly drew her Holy Sword. The hero's symbol emerged in all its elegant beauty, radiating a blinding glow.
The light that blazed from the blade was far stronger than when she had faced the Myers family alongside Elisha at the Academy.
"...I do not know who you are, but please reveal yourselves now."
She leveled the light-laden Holy Sword at the empty air. The world sank into absolute stillness. Then the flow of the entire area froze, and space itself began to tear open.
"I thought I had hidden perfectly... How did you notice?"
"Instinct."
"...How absurd."
Two men stepped out from the rift, staring at her with expressions of utter disbelief.
Thump.
Her heartbeat steadied as a powerful aura surged across the area. Hestia realized it instantly. Transcendents. She identified their nature at a glance, yet she did not so much as blink, only tightening her grip on the Holy Sword.
The colossal Transcendent raised both hands in a calming gesture when he saw her entire body tense with power.
"Easy there, Hero. We did not come to fight."
"Then you should not have spied on us. Do you have any idea how repulsive it feels to have your time with a friend ruined?"
"...Hey, I think our first impression is already shot, don't you?"
Hestia's Holy Sword sharpened with lethal intent. Sensing the dangerous shift in mood, the larger man nudged his companion. The other let out a heavy sigh and addressed her.
"I apologize for the brief surveillance. However, we truly are not here to fight. On the contrary, we have come seeking your assistance."
"......"
Despite his calm explanation, Hestia did not lower her blade. She kept it trained on them in silence.
"Hah?"
Their pride as Transcendents stirred despite their own misconduct. He slowly released the aura he had been suppressing.
"No matter that you are the Hero, you have not yet escaped the limits of a mortal body... Where does such confidence come from? Do you truly believe in fate?"
The Transcendent smiled mockingly. His words were a sneer aimed at those who relied on the so-called 'fated ascension' granted to Heroes and Saintesses, yet Hestia remained unmoved. Instead, she honed her Holy Sword even sharper, matching the pressure rolling off him.
"What kind of output is this...?"
The two Transcendents' faces filled with shock at an aura no mortal could possibly produce. Hestia declared boldly, as though issuing a formal challenge.
"Even if I cannot achieve victory... I can at least render one of you incapacitated for quite some time."
Her golden eyes blazed. The Hero's unique magical power enveloped her entire being. It was a mighty aura comparable to the Saintess who had nearly reached Transcendence, her true strength awakened through the 'star' someone had once shown her, though Hestia herself remained unaware of its origin.
Right before the clash between one Transcendent and one mortal wrapped in overwhelming power...!
"Enough, enough... What are you, children? Stop this pointless posturing."
The massive Transcendent stepped between the two raging storms of magic. The tempest was fierce enough to shred an ordinary mortal to pieces, yet his body remained completely unharmed. Turning his back on his irritated companion, he stood before Hestia and introduced himself.
"Name's Barkan. I hold one of the seats among the Great Pioneers. Gotta say, you're one tough Hero!"
Someone in the past had sneered that it was shameless to call themselves great, yet it was precisely for that reason they claimed the title so boldly. As if desperately trying to deny the very accusation.
"...Great Pioneers...?"
Hestia tilted her head at the unexpected name. She had naturally heard of them before, and she knew they belonged to the same group as the Transcendent who had recently shaken the Academy.
"...I was under the impression that Paern had already concluded his discussion with the headmaster. What is the meaning of this?"
"Like I keep saying, we're not here to fight... Sorry. This guy has a bit of a temper."
The giant who had introduced himself as Barkan nudged his companion with a meaningful glance. The other finally sighed and dispersed the aura cloaking his body.
"...I am Crebin. A fellow member of the Great Pioneers."
"......"
"Please lower your Holy Sword. As my colleague said, we are not here to fight."
After a brief moment of consideration, Hestia sheathed her blade. She had spoken confidently about incapacitating one of them, but the instant she heard their names she understood it was nearly impossible. No matter how talented the Hero might be, enduring two Transcendents long enough to wound them was an arduous task. Against the Great Pioneers who had obtained near-mystical authorities within the Tomb, it was virtually impossible.
Swallowing her lingering anger, Hestia spoke to the two Transcendents.
"...I will listen to what you have to say."
She still felt displeased that they had interrupted her precious time, but they had not yet caused any real harm, so she could at least hear them out.
'If we fought seriously in a place like this... the citizens would not survive.'
She swept her gaze across the people frozen in the middle of their daily lives. The scene resembled a still photograph, as if time itself had stopped, yet Hestia could sense they were all still alive. The entire area had simply fallen under the Transcendents' control. Without their permission, ordinary citizens could not even breathe freely. She once again felt the immense height of the wall called Transcendence.
"No need to change locations, I suppose?"
"We will speak and leave immediately, so it does not matter."
Barkan and Crebin conferred briefly. Once they finished, Crebin tossed a transparent shard of glass to Hestia. Catching it, she tilted her head.
"What is this?"
"It is history extracted and given physical form. Break it and you can easily absorb the information within."
"...How can I trust your words?"
"I swear it on my honor as a member of the Great Pioneers. There were no tricks involved with the object I just gave you."
"......"
It was an oath staked on their honor as Transcendents. Even though their first impression had been poor, Hestia found she could trust this statement at least a little. Seeing her still weighing how far to believe them, Crebin added an explanation.
"At present we are requesting aid from many Transcendents. The information inside will be used during negotiations."
"I am not a Transcendent."
"You are at a level where ascension would not be strange at any moment. We need every available hand."
"...What information does it contain?"
Their expressions crumpled instantly. The unexpected reaction to a purely curious question left Hestia flustered. Soon, however, they regained their composure and answered.
"...It contains information related to the most incomprehensible existence in this world."
"......?!"
"It seems you have noticed."
Crebin spoke with a bitter expression.
"Everything we have gathered while pursuing that bastard is contained within."
"Don't tell me the help you seek is..."
"Correct. We intend to capture him soon."
Information regarding 'him' was extremely scarce, and his very existence was so alien that it held great value even to Transcendents. The Great Pioneers had offered all the data they had collected about that being to other Transcendents in exchange for assistance. With such valuable information, and the possible chance to place the Great Pioneers in their debt, there was no way the Transcendents would let the opportunity slip.
Hestia's golden eyes trembled. Under normal circumstances the offer would not have tempted her, but to her in this moment it was incredibly appealing.
Perhaps... it could help him reach Transcendence.
Even as she recalled her promise to her friend, she considered the entity she would have to confront if she accepted the deal.
An existence that claimed no epithet for itself. For that reason, the world had given him a simple name for easy distinction.
Plunderer