Ep.5 - A Full-Fledged Party Formation!
Ep.5 - A Full-Fledged Party Formation!
A strange current flowed between the women.
The skills and power each had wielded in their own tense standoff,
that balance, shattered in a single moment.
"..."
Neva swallowed hard, subtly shielding her younger sister and Delin behind her. Chichi, too, carefully drew closer to Neva's side, joining the camp sworn to protect Delin.
"Ka-Kaede-ssi. Well done. Now that it's been settled quickly, let us make haste and depart."
Neva spoke first, her voice strung taut, gauging Kaede's mood. Ready to strike back at once if the woman so much as twitched out of line... carefully gripping her sword...
"..."
But Kaede merely stood bolt upright, staring fixedly at the women and Delin.
The only thing that moved was her tail. At first bristling stiff as if seized rigid, then gradually beginning to sway — that long, fluffy, divinely fluffy tail.
"(Delin, get on first. Hurry!)"
Chichi turned her head back and urged Delin in a small voice. They had to prepare for Kaede's chilling presence, which she and the knight together did not seem capable of holding off.
But fortunately, the fight between the women did not escalate further into catastrophe.
Between Kaede, drenched in blood,
and the party keeping her in check,
the Archbishop, who had been holding a cigar in her teeth, interjected once more and brought an end to the tension that had been swelling strangely.
"Now, everyone, do calm yourselves. The fight is over — is there any need to prolong the conflict?"
The Archbishop walked unhurriedly toward Kaede, whose tail alone had been lashing while her body stood rigidly on edge, and said this:
"I shall wipe the blood away. Conflict arises inevitably between people... but what matters is ending it well and not repeating it."
She took out a pristine white handkerchief that had been reverently tucked away in the pocket of her black nun's habit, and with it, slowly wiped the blood from Kaede's arm.
The white handkerchief was soon dyed crimson, steeped in the reek of blood...
"You over there, please don't be overly fearful — come this way as well, will you? If we are to journey together, keeping each other at arm's length will surely bring trouble later..."
Except for the collapsed thief, who was retching and coughing up blood, everyone's gaze was drawn to Helen's gentle touch.
Like a mother washing a child, like a fairy tending a harp, she wiped Kaede's hand clean,
and then she went to the fallen thief teetering on the brink of death and laid her hand upon their head...
"God's mercy."
The gaping hole that neither Chichi's healing magic nor Philmark's purple liquid had been able to resolve began to mend.
It was wondrous divine power.
She had not seemed a particularly sturdy woman, yet the holy touch wrought by her hand was such that the word [miracle] was almost fitting.
The thief's internal organs and flesh, completely pulverized, all came back,
and as if it had been so from the start, the thief's body regained its function in an instant.
"...fuck."
Though the face, wrecked by the aftermath of agony, remained the same,
the thief was granted continued life through the Archbishop's miraculous prayer.
"There now, I trust you'll all believe I truly am the Archbishop."
The Archbishop slowly rose to her feet and looked at everyone.
The aftermath of the fight,
the ominous sensation,
the powder-keg, hair-trigger atmosphere ready to blow at any moment...
----------------------------
Amid the grim atmosphere, the seven beings began preparations to set out together. (One of them was still unconscious, so calling it six beings would be fair, really.)
Each suspecting the other,
each checking the other,
each wary of the other,
they drew up their journey together while still nursing every lingering attachment, doubt, and anxiety.
"From now on, everyone will follow my lead!"
And the one riding high on conceit, commanding the atmosphere, was Kaede.
Intoxicated by her own divine martial prowess, grown even mightier, Kaede stepped forward to declare herself leader of the group.
"Uh, um... I get that, but, could you please put me down now...?"
Like valuable spoils won in battle, Delin was held fast in Kaede's grip. He forced the words out, struggling to push away her swaying tail,
but the fluffy tail, now even more unbridled than before, would not leave Delin's side for a single moment.
"From now on, I shall personally step forward, take the lead, and guide you all. It is a self-evident truth that the strong become the leader, so I trust there will be no complaints!"
The deferential expression "this lowly one" had long since vanished from the wolf's mouth.
Kaede clenched her fist, steering the group toward forming a cohesive bond.
There was no longer any woman present who could recklessly challenge her.
"First, Philmark. You will lift that unsavory curse you've hung around Delin-nim's ankle."
Philmark was deeply enraged by Kaede's attitude, as if she were looking down on her from far above,
but for now she pushed the emotion down inside and acted as Kaede commanded.
'It's not because of that bastard. I'm removing it because there's no need to keep it cursed anymore. That son of a bitch...!'
Her face had long since gone bright red from the vengeance and humiliation boiling up inside her.
But in stark contrast to the thief's crimson face, the black markings around Delin's ankle had been erased, revealing his fair skin just as it was.
"Good, that's settled! I'm not one to hold grudges, so I'll entrust you with an important role as well, Philmark! From now on, you will be in charge of meal duty — making sure everyone is well fed!"
"What?"
The words "meal duty" brought her heart to a furious boil.
She thought about just picking up her dagger again and ramming it into the back of that neck,
but she had to hold it in for now, remembering the fight she'd experienced moments ago. Wait for an opening, then slit that throat or clear her out with poison...!
"Next, Neva-yang. I appoint you as escort knight! However, take care to look after your daughter properly and see that you cause the group no nuisance!"
"Daughter... is not it, she's my younger sister! What on earth are you talking about?"
Huh?
That tiny woman, who could practically pass for a daughter, is a younger sister?
"Hm. Ahem. Well. Regardless. See that you manage her well. From here on out, do not bring trouble upon the group like this again!"
Apparently still deeply wounded at having been left out of the operation, Kaede shot a glare at Neva and Eva, then turned her eyes elsewhere.
It was Neva whom she had unconsciously begun to think of as possessing dragon features as outstanding as her own divine self,
so Kaede seemed to regard her as a thoroughly disagreeable presence.
"Lastly, Chichi! I appoint you as our party's strategist!"
"Strategist...?"
Chichi let out a laugh as if it were absurd. Watching her assign roles to each member of the party was like watching a five-year-old child play soldiers.
"Precisely. Put that sharp mind to work and devote yourself to our party from here on out!"
"Well, fine..."
Kaede was particularly mindful of Chichi.
'Poor thing, tsk tsk...'
It was because Chichi was so very small, and thus would surely suffer greatly ahead.
Our Kaede, feeling compassion — or rather, a desire to look after her — was the very picture of a true leader who properly cared even for the frail, marginalized small ones in the group.
"Right, then everyone, pick up your baggage and let's dep...!"
"In that case, what would you have me do?"
Ah, oh no!
Kaede whipped her head toward where the voice had come from.
She had thought she'd assigned roles to everyone, but one person was still left!
"Aah! Worry not. I was just about to say it. Then finally, Hilari, you..."
"It's Helen."
"Right you are, Helen! You shall... hmm... just stay by and pray! You look frail as well, so don't stray too far and remain within the group."
"I shall follow the Captain's orders."
The sound of "Captain" put Kaede in a very fine mood once more.
Born a woman, wasn't this exactly how you were supposed to do it — be called "Captain" and leave behind splendid achievements?
"Ahem! In any case, everyone, truly depart now!"
"Ugh... the tail, please, I'm begging you..."
Brimming with divine energy and her tail fluttering divinely, Kaede issued the advance order to the entire party!
At last, their adventure was to begin...
"Wait. But where are we going? Have we decided on a destination?"
...was what was about to happen, when the sharp-minded, flat-chested witch threw out a final question in a worried voice.
"Ahem? What kind of question is that, Chichi! Did we not say we are heading toward the Demon Continent? Really, the party strategist being so forgetful — will that do...?"
"No, I mean, how do we cross over to the Demon Continent? Do you know a way? Exchanges have been completely cut off since the Second Great War, so there's no proper way to cross. Even if you try, the Calis Strait has been infested with monstrous creatures ever since the Second Great War."
Kaede, who had been striding energetically with Delin on her back, stopped in her tracks.
"C-could we not simply swim across?"
"How on earth would you swim it! Do you have any idea how far apart the two continents are?! And on the way, the strait monsters would harry us until we all die!"
The Dragon Hero Party, run aground on their very first obstacle.
How were they to overcome it?
"That old lady over there should be the one to tell us how to cross. She's the one who brought up going over there in the first place."
Philmark demanded the solution from Helen, who had been the one to insist on the voyage to the Demon Continent.
"If you're going to send us to the Demon Continent, isn't it only natural you take responsibility and tell us how?"
The women's gazes converged once more on Helen.
What sort of solution would come from the Archbishop's mouth?
"...We shall have to wander about, seeking help here and there. So that we may cross to the Demon Continent."
"From whom?"
Helen smiled.
A cheerful answer burst forth alongside that strange smile.
"I don't know either. So let us depart now to find out."