Spear Saint Asel (3)
I couldn't fathom why I sensed magi from the Cardinal, but an explanation regarding the necklace was still in order. It was a treasure of the Church, after all—they would never sit idle while it remained in an outsider's hands.
No. More precisely, they needed a justification to leave it be.
If the Cardinal insisted that the Origin of the Star must be returned, the Church would surely move to reclaim it. Such was the weight of a Cardinal's authority.
This was unexpected. I hadn't thought he would make his move so soon—yet the moment the Hero left her seat, he acted.
"I asked you about the guest's name, did I not?"
"...Argal Briten."
"Very well. Then why is a treasure of the Church in your possession?"
I needed to answer carefully. If I lost the Origin of the Star here, or found myself detained by the Cardinal, it would be a genuine disaster.
I could always just hand the Origin of the Star over to him, I supposed. My greatest strength was black magic, after all. Surrendering something I could use without any significant risk would be a considerable loss—but not one I couldn't endure.
I'd go with the official story first. The Origin of the Star was something the Bishop had given me. Whatever else, the ownership belonged to me.
"Bishop Revega gave it to me."
"Is that so? However, when I entrusted the Origin of the Star to Bishop Revega, it was for the Bishop's own use—not to be presented as a gift to an outsider."
"And so?"
"I shall have to reclaim it."
"And if I refuse?"
At that, the Cardinal wore a peculiar smile. As if the decision rested entirely with him—a smile brimming with the certainty that he held my leash.
"Remain in this room for a while. Should the Bishop awaken and confirm that he gave it to you, I may reconsider."
"...If someone who cannot wake must wake, that would be a contradiction."
The Cardinal didn't even pretend to hear me.
"Holy Knights, see that no one leaves this room."
"It shall be done, Your Eminence."
So this was how they bound my feet? Even so, the Cardinal didn't yet intend to kill me. He meant to keep us confined first, then decide later. He still seemed to be watching the Hero's reaction. Had that not been the case, wouldn't he have tried to kill us already? A man of a Cardinal's standing could easily brand someone a heretic and have them put to death.
"What should I do..."
The magi I had sensed was no illusion. That would make the Cardinal a spy planted within the Church—yet a power in which magi and Holy Power coexisted. I had never heard of such an authority. It was bound to be troublesome.
The rank of Cardinal was a position one could only attain after decades of devotion and contribution to the Church, plus the political acumen to match. No one would believe such a man was a spy. And he possessed Holy Power itself—the very proof of piety. Claiming the Cardinal was a spy would carry no weight at all.
There was no good method at hand. Should I simply stay put? Should I leave everything to the Hero and the others? I was still turning it over when the Spear Saint spoke up.
"...What are you brooding over now?"
"How to get out of this church."
I looked at her and considered. She had nothing to do with the Origin of the Star, so she might have grounds to leave on her own. But the Cardinal was no fool. Would he really let the Spear Saint go? They'd even used an elixir to heal her, and it would all be for nothing.
"...Do you even need to think about it?"
"You have a method in mind?"
"Ugh, a method... yeah, I've got one."
As if my gaze were too much to bear, the Spear Saint drew her spear and turned her head away. The spear she hadn't had reason to take out since she'd been laid up with the flu now tasted the open air.
"We break through."
"...That's very you."
It was classic Spear Saint. The same temperament that had her punching through the Demon King's army lines every time. But she shook her head.
"...That's the method you always used, Argal."
"When did I ever."
"...Weren't you the one who always charged in like an idiot, staking your life on a forced breakthrough to get things done?"
I had no real rebuttal.
"Well? Think we can pull it off?"
"...Honestly."
I allowed myself a small smile. Reckless. No looking back. That single quality of charging straight in—the Spear Saint and I were alike in that.
The Hero could handle the aftermath. Once the Bishop woke, we could even turn the Church upside down together with the Hero. The Bishop, with a mind approaching that of a Transcendent, would have been gathering evidence of the Cardinal's corruption.
We didn't necessarily need to expose the Cardinal as a spy within the Church. Stripping him of his position would be enough. And for that, we needed to catch the Black Tower Master who had cursed the Bishop. Which meant we had to get out of the Church, even if it took a forced breakthrough. This was also a chance to peel away the Church's rot.
"I like that method."
The Bishop's words about taking care of my body had boxed me in, if only for a moment. Ordinarily I wouldn't have hesitated even a second. I would have decided to smash the Church apart if that's what it took to get out. The Spear Saint had pointed me back in that direction.
I took up my dagger. The mana hanging from my neck amplified without end. Pain swept through my entire body. The Spear Saint's muscles shifted. Veins stood out along the forearm gripping her spear. It had been a long time since I'd poured mana reinforcement through my body. I didn't know how well a body that had taken an elixir would hold up. But both of us were humans specialized in driving our bodies to the extreme. Even as our entire frames screamed, we both wore deep smiles.
"...Because of the flu, it's been a while since I felt like this."
"Don't you dare collapse mid-fight."
"You either."
We both pretended to worry about the other collapsing. It was a meaningless worry.
The Spear Saint moved first. She drew her spear back—and smashed through the door, bursting out into the church corridor.
KWAANG—!
"Th-they're escaping the room!"
"All Holy Knights, seize them!"
Shring— shring—
The Holy Knights stationed along the corridor drew their swords in alarm. There were a lot of them. Whether a frontal breakthrough was even possible was genuinely in question. The two of us, picking a fight with the Church. Anyone who would think such a thing—and then actually do it—was well and truly insane.
The Spear Saint didn't even hesitate before speaking.
"The window."
"That works."
I looked outside. The church building, being the Capital branch, was remarkably tall. At least fifteen stories. But neither of us harbored any thought that falling from here would kill us. I wouldn't die even if I died. And she didn't fear death.
Kang—! Kagak—!
The Holy Knights charged. They came from both sides, so we put our backs to each other and met the attacks pouring in from either direction. Spear and dagger deflected swords, sending vibrations shuddering through our bodies. The Spear Saint muttered as she parried a blade.
"...Can I kill them?"
"Hold back on that."
Even so, making a complete enemy of the Church wasn't something to do lightly. The problem wasn't the Church as a whole—it was the Cardinal who had infiltrated as a spy. Dealing with him later would be what mattered.
We held against the Holy Knight horde for a moment. Unable to gain the upper hand against the Spear Saint and me raging at the center, the Holy Knights couldn't contain their impatience and immediately flooded their bodies with Holy Power.
"Everyone, use your Holy Power!"
"Yes, sir!"
This would be harder to win. I couldn't afford to take Holy Knights lightly, no matter what. They were a force capable of bringing down multiple high-ranking demonkin. Without Holy Power it might have been different, but once they brought that into play, we couldn't win. Not unless I was prepared to use magi.
KWAGAGAGAK!
The Spear Saint endured a Holy Knight's slash and spoke to me.
"Nngh! We need to jump now."
"Don't die hitting the ground, Spear Saint."
"I've learned enough breakfall techniques, thank you."
What exactly had she been doing with her free time that she'd learned a breakfall good enough for a fifteen-story drop? She was just that kind of person. I'd take it as such.
Buung—!
The Spear Saint swept her spear in a wide horizontal arc, forcing the Holy Knights back. I seized the opening, smashed the window with my dagger, and threw myself outside. Shards of shattered glass scattered in every direction, grazing my cheek.
—Crash!
"They're trying to escape outside!"
"Seize them!"
The Holy Knights tried everything to catch us, but they couldn't stop me already falling outward, nor the Spear Saint with her swift movements.
For a moment I hung in empty air. No—I was falling. A fierce wind tore past, and just as quickly the hair that had streamed upward settled back against my skull. The ground that had been a distant blur rushed up to fill my vision.
I activated the magic I had prepared in advance.
⟨ Float ⟩
My body, which had been plunging toward the ground, began to descend slowly. The power of magic was immensely useful at times like this. I checked on the Spear Saint falling behind me.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
...She'd said she learned breakfall techniques. Why was she screaming so desperately? She must have been terrified—her expression was genuinely pitiful. On top of that, I'd used up all my mana, so I couldn't even cast a spell to protect her. There wasn't enough time to cast anything for the Spear Saint, who had thrown herself out right after I jumped.
But her claim of having learned breakfall techniques wasn't a lie. She thrust the spear in her hand straight out. I watched, curious what technique she'd show—and she displayed a truly exquisite feat.
KWAGAGAGAGAK!!
She drove her spear into the building's wall and scraped it down. It was enough to slow her falling speed.
...That was not a breakfall. Still, I could give her credit for the idea. The cost of the building damage didn't look like pocket change—but I wasn't the one paying.
"Hah, hngh, huff!"
"You actually made it down without a scratch?"
"Argal, y-you should've cast Float on me too! I thought I was actually going to die!"
"How is that my fault? You said you knew breakfall techniques."
There was no such thing as a breakfall that would leave you unharmed from fifteen stories, but she had survived either way. The Spear Saint hadn't taken a single injury and was already blaming someone else. And she wasn't the least bit afraid of the Holy Knights' swords, yet she was this terrified of falling a mere fifteen stories?
"It's not over yet. Get your head on straight and move."
"Nngh, m-my arms hurt."
"Well, you did scrape a building with a spear."
She should have just asked me to cast the spell from the start. I would have distributed the magic appropriately so she could fall safely too.
"Are you attempting to steal Church property and flee?"
I turned my head and looked up at the towering church building. There, the Cardinal had appeared as if from nowhere. Had he come running at the commotion? He got here fast.
"Your Eminence, I have urgent business I must attend to. I ask that you let us go."
"Haha, I cannot do that. Holy Knights, priests—stop them."
"Yes, Your Eminence."
It would have been nice if the Cardinal had read the room and let us go. That didn't appear to be happening.
The priests simultaneously created a barrier of Holy Power. So much Holy Power had been mobilized that it was a powerful ward I couldn't possibly break through with my strength alone. But no one here was despairing. The Spear Saint silently raised her spear.
"Argal, if I collapse, can you still drag me along?"
"Can you pierce the barrier?"
"Of course I can."
Single-Point Thrust. The Spear Saint's finishing move—the same strike that could punch through even the black armor that had been a masterpiece of the Demon King's army. I had seen her resolve, so I answered.
"Then I'll trust you."
Her spear moved. Far faster than before. Without a trace of killing intent. The spear rode a clean trajectory and stabbed the barrier.
Single-Point Thrust
Crrrk!
At first a circular hole punched through—then the whole thing shattered into pieces.
Crash!
I caught the Spear Saint as she collapsed after smashing through the barrier. I poured the mana amplified by the Origin of the Star through every inch of my body. Just like that time, a powerful sensation of buoyancy lifted through me.