Episode 7. The Night the Storm Descended
Surging waves crashed in from all directions. It was the magic of the black mages that Asha had warned them about beforehand.
She'd explained it was a spell that plunged people into the illusions they secretly desired. She'd said she'd use it if they ever got surrounded with no escape—and this was exactly that situation.
"Priests, raise the barriers!!"
The paladin captain shouted as he casually brushed off my sword, and the priests immediately began chanting.
But.
"Too late."
Just as Asha murmured while clutching the orb tightly, the waves hit faster than the barriers could form. The mana waves roared like real ocean surges, engulfing the priests and paladins.
Swept up in the violet currents, they thrashed as if drowning. They clamped hands over their noses and mouths, struggling to break free, but it wasn't water—it was mana, impossible to escape.
A strange fragrance seeped into their blocked noses, and remnants of mana slipped past their hands into their mouths. One by one, the weaker ones collapsed with a soft thud, smiling faintly as they fell into slumber.
Clunk, clatter, clang—scriptures and swords hit the ground. The area, once filled with shouts and battle cries, fell silent in an instant.
Of course.
"Hah, daring to harm holy knights and priests. An unforgivable grave crime."
Unfortunately, quite a few had endured Asha's spell. Right in front of me, the paladin captain and several knights gleamed with radiant auras, while the priests who'd quickly cast their barriers still glared at us.
Asha, still hugging the orb, looked at them and spoke.
"No one died. They're just sleeping."
"Shut your mouth, gray witch. We don't believe the words of sinners."
But those burning with fanatic zeal to smite evil wouldn't hear it.
"..., They'll all wake up once time passes. Innocent people... shouldn't be harmed."
"We don't believe you. We trust only in Brahm's divine protection, and under it, we purge evil to better the world."
With those final words, she leaned against the carriage, exhaling and inhaling deeply. Unlike usual, even a single spell seemed to exhaust her. Perhaps the holy aura surrounding everything made it hard for her to act properly.
I glanced at her and, unable to help it, approached and whispered softly.
"Asha, you okay?"
"I-I'm f-fine..., ugh. Actually..., not really. Hoo..., breathing's hard, Ain."
Even as she answered, she kept taking deep breaths, her face pale. Maintaining the spell alone seemed overwhelming.
In short, holy power and gray magic had worse compatibility than expected. I'd always relied on her unbelievable strength and competence, but this time, I couldn't expect more help.
"You don't have to do anything. Just lean on the carriage and rest, Asha."
"B-but..."
So, I gripped my sword tighter.
"I'll handle it."
"..."
"I can do it. Trust me, Asha."
I'd steeled myself long ago. I'd swung my sword every single day without fail, honing myself—I could do this.
'Ain, I don't know what crazy shit you're thinking, but I won't tolerate my disciple coming back after getting his ass kicked.'
'Don't go getting beat up out there—learn well and use it. Whatever it is, if you're gonna fight, win no matter what, even if it means being ready to die.'
Beks from the swordsmanship hall and Captain Yosep from Crepen had drilled that advice into me repeatedly. I could pull it off.
And.
Asha stared into my eyes, then smiled softly.
"Of course I trust you."
"Good, then rest—urk...?"
Suddenly, she reached out, grabbed my collar, pulled my face close, and lightly kissed my cheek.
"I've... never doubted you, not for a single moment since we were kids, Ain."
"..., Asha?"
Her eyes curved like a fox's sly smile. Her trembling lips, from exhaustion, looked almost pitiful.
"Then I'm counting on you. I'll rest a bit..."
But that strange moment ended as she slumped to the ground beside the carriage, barely holding herself up.
Anyway.
I nodded and turned back to face the paladins. While I'd talked with Asha, Horn had kept the knights at bay with his axe, but now it was time to step up properly.
"Horn, can you handle the other charging paladins?"
"You planning to take on that captain alone? No way you can manage by yourself."
"Gotta try to know."
"No..., you can tell without trying, can't you?"
Horn was right—it was obvious even without trying. The captain's glowing aura was on another level; clashing swords felt like it'd kill me on impact.
They hated and despised Asha but didn't underestimate her, sending needlessly strong foes.
Still, I could do it. I had to.
"I can."
"Haa..., fine. I'll block the others, so handle it however you can."
I nodded to Horn, then called out to our comrades near the rear carriage.
"Eileen, Yaki, Tori—barrier spells still holding?"
"Y-yeah...! Still good...!"
""Still okay!""
"Keep blocking the priests' attacks then."
They'd used it several times already; the memorized spells in their two staves would run out soon. We had to end this before then.
"Th-then what should I, uh, do...?"
"Aberly, throw explosive reagents to keep them from approaching, and prep the carriage to bolt at the first opening."
"G-got it."
I assigned roles to everyone, then stepped toward the paladin who'd been glaring impassively.
"Done with your useless chatter, sinner? Then meet your end as one."
"..."
He lifted his massive greatsword effortlessly and took a step forward.
"Paladin of the Brahm Holy Kingdom, Criseo Mateus. I commence the execution of sinners."
A holy kingdom paladin. These bastards weren't just some regular paladin captain.
Paladins from the kingdom were near-immortal monsters unless their throat or heart was pierced. They were elite forces that guarded the pope or ventured into demon lands to aid the hero.
I had no idea what report they got from Versio Ruins about Asha to send a paladin on a gray witch subjugation squad.
At least it was fortunate—he was tough enough that I wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
With that thought, I kicked off and charged the paladin. My boots pounded the dirt with a thud-thud-crunch, closing in on his face.
His enormous greatsword swung like a thin rapier. Holy-enhanced flesh let him wield such a behemoth freely.
So, dodge and deflect the attacks.
'Don't clash head-on with a strong swordsman and waste your strength.'
I ducked the horizontal slash, aiming my sword at his exposed side.
But.
"Die, sinner."
Mana and holy power's unfairness hit hard here. The horizontal swing inhumanely halted, plummeting vertically at my head.
An ordinary strike for him, but each one spelled death for me. Desperately, I angled my sword to parry.
Metal screeched with a grrrrind, and the unimaginable weight buckled my knee to the ground.
And again. The downward blade, locked against my slanted sword, whipped horizontally, hurling me back.
"F-fuck...!"
I slammed into a tree with a boom—I'd never seen a person shatter a tree on impact before.
At least the mana-infused armor absorbed most of the shock.
I sprang up and charged again. If I didn't, he'd go straight for Asha. Even while fighting me, his eyes stayed fixed on her, only flicking to me when twisting his blade grotesquely.
"You persist?"
"If I don't, I'm dead—obvious... ghk!"
Deflect, don't block. Or my sword might hold, but my body would shatter.
Scraaaape—but that works against normal strong foes.
"Pathetic."
"Urk...!"
Not against a paladin casually unleashing inhuman attacks like meals. He wasn't even focusing on me fully, yet the gap was this wide.
Honestly, doubts crept in—could I really do this?
I couldn't deflect properly despite trying. Dodges failed as the greatsword twisted to strike. I sought openings, but only exposed my own.
My mana-infused sword swung, but my body was ordinary flesh, unenhanced. The sword's mana alone couldn't repel his blade.
That was humanity's limit. Against a regular paladin captain, maybe—but not this.
At my limit, excuses bubbled up. Kneeling on my trembling knee, I scanned around.
Horn bellowed, parrying paladins' swords. Eileen and the kids shrieked but held the barrier around Asha. Aberly firebombed and exploded reagents to guard the rear.
And.
Asha watched only me.
"You'll all die, sinners."
"..."
In a way that made "since when?" meaningless—she stared piercingly at me alone.
"Give up. You can't survive."
"..."
Her trembling hand rose to her ear, and her voice echoed in my head.
'Ain.'
'I like you.'
Her words continued.
'I like you, Ain.'
Ah.
'I adore only you.'
Really.
'Since childhood, I've adored and yearned for you alone, loved and cherished you.'
Her whispering face flushed red long ago; now she could barely meet my eyes.
'So don't die, Ain. Protect me like you did when we were kids. Always protect me from now on, Ain.'
Asha.
'Ain, I love you. I love only you. I'll love you forever.'
Sorry, but I'm not some bullshit protagonist who awakens from a childhood friend's sudden confession.
No talent, just a flailing extra—what the hell did she expect?
But.
Even so, I ground my teeth with a grind and charged again. My sword still glowed blue. Mana cycled madly in my boots, crunching my legs, but I thrust at the paladin with all I had.
"What... ghk..!"
A boom too massive for sword-on-sword—not even a full step, but he staggered back.
Veins burst on my forehead; joints creaked in agony. Dust settled, revealing the unscathed paladin.
"Hoo..., fight like that and you'll self-destruct."
"..., Not dying."
If this was how it'd end, I wouldn't have started.
The fear gnawing at me earlier vanished. Compared to ancient mages exploding limbs in seconds, what was scary about these?
So thinking, I regripped my sword and breathed deep. Blue mana rose from sword, armor, boots, and gauntlets.
'The best thing about mana-infused gear is you can freely use that mana for its purpose.'
'Defense-focused? Pure defense. Attack? Pure offense. That's why even mana-users covet them.'
I wouldn't half-ass defense and attack.
'But remember, Ain—your body isn't enhanced. Always.'
'A swordsman must swing even if muscles tear. Trust your choice then.'
To escape here, I had to choose—as always.