Back to the Order

Every living thing on the ground froze solid, exactly where it stood.

Not because of any natural disaster — but because of a single person's rage.

"Shit... She said she was going to meet the Saintess. Never once did I hear anything about meeting her own guide to the afterlife."

Albatross, eldest member of the Hero party, wiped a cold sweat from his brow and stole a glance at the Hero slumped over his shoulder.

"I'm not just being dramatic here — she really did black out cold, didn't she? Even going all out, I wouldn't stand a chance against her."

The half-elf Kali lowered her bow at the sight of the Sword Saint — a man who had felled countless opponents stronger than himself — looking so utterly weak.

"Let's just hope Yuka can manage to say something sensible."

"Yeah. What in the world did this stone-faced Hero brat even say to her?"

With all three members of the Hero party and dozens of onlookers watching, Yuka spoke with deliberate calm.

"We are aware that Your Holiness takes a profound interest in hunting down the remnants of the Red Cult."

"So you found some. Survivors are still out there?"

"That was the commission our party just completed. In the course of rooting out the Cult's remnants, we captured one of their executives."

Yuka studied Paula's eyes. The smoldering rage that had blanketed them was gradually subsiding, replaced by something that looked almost like urgency.

Having confirmed that flicker of emotion, Yuka drove the wedge in with her next words.

"Under interrogation, he revealed that the Colossus is calling its faithful at the ruined heart of the Red Cult's headquarters."

"You're going down under that ruin?"

"Yes. Our Hero party intends to conduct the investigation. However... we will require the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aid of a powerful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cleric."

Paula glared at the Hero party for a long moment. Across her eyes flickered an ancient resentment too vast for words to capture — and then, deeper still, a longing that overshadowed even that.

"We are prepared to meet whatever conditions Your Holiness desires. For instance... the exclusive right to claim anything found within. If the authority of the Saintess were joined with the voice of the Hero party, something of that nature would certainly be within reach."

Sensing her wavering, Yuka hammered the point home.

"Compile the details and send them to me later. I'll read them over and decide then."

Paula ultimately set forth terms that amounted, for all practical purposes, to consent.

The raucous street gradually quieted, and the shopkeeper who had been wailing over his suddenly demolished store was soothed into silence with a handful of gold coins. It was a tranquil night.

I lay on my bed at the inn and tipped another bottle back.

"Lady Antares..."

The bracelet she had pressed into my hands at the very last moment.

A magic tool capable of summoning Antares's weapons — and the vessel in which the children she had raised as her own were sealed.

Even knowing they were nothing more than remnants of those children, Antares had sent this bracelet out of the Colossus's clutches.

Antares's final words echoed in my head without pause. She had always cherished others above herself.

Did you have no wishes of your own?

My past life suddenly surfaced in my mind.

A life in which my sense of self had grown faint, where I had simply drifted along with whatever came. What meaning was there in a life without a single desire?

Having been granted a second chance and looked back on that life, I now understand just how agonizing a wishless existence truly is.

"If we meet again... what should I tell you to live for?"

It was a question far too difficult to answer alone.

Moving an army has never been easy, in any age.

Unifying multiple command structures, securing provisions, and hoping for a stretch of suitable weather — all of it had to align.

This was precisely why one-man armies like the Hero party or the Saintess were held in such high regard. They could do the work of thousands without any of the logistical headaches described above.

But today, even they had joined the ranks of a full-scale army.

"First Army! Advance!"

"Second Army! Advance!"

"Holy Knights! Flank formation on the sides. Maintain the column!"

Trailing behind the Hero marched a thousand-strong royal army — and, at the Saintess's request, the Holy See's Order of Holy Knights besides.

With that, the greatest force the kingdom could muster had assembled in one place.

"Whew~ Quite the spectacle. At this rate, whatever's left of the Cult will bolt with its tail between its legs."

Even amid the tension hanging heavy in the air, Albatross lounged with a cigarette between his lips, grinning lazily.

"Mister! You reek, so put that out! You can barely even speak as it is!"

"Half-elf and their damned sensitive noses... Hah. Can't light it anyway — no fire to be had!"

Albatross grumbled and tucked the cigarette away into his breast pocket.

"Speaking of which. Is the Saintess coming along all right?"

"Don't ask. Moving separately from us was one of her conditions."

"No, seriously — what on earth did you do to her? Did you sexually harass her or something?"

"I did NOT!"

The Hero cried out in a voice dripping with wounded innocence. The physical wounds from that day had healed easily enough, but the wound to his heart clearly lingered — his voice even wavered on the verge of tears.

"Strange, though. I've never met a woman who turned the Hero down."

"There's always the possibility she suffered something terrible at a man's hands."

At the Druid Yuka's words, Albatross tilted his head.

"But the Saintess's power only works if she maintains her maidenhood, no? So that can't be it, can it?"

"We won't know until we ask her directly. Perhaps she's only managed to keep the maidenhood itself intact."

"Even moving separately, we may end up fighting back to back on the battlefield... Her flames could reach us too."

"Albatross! Why do you insist on pulling the dragon's eyelid?!"

By the time Kali moved to stop him, Albatross had already spurred his horse forward and was heading straight for the Saintess.

...Why is that man coming over here?

I had agreed to cooperate with the investigation. But I would move separately from the Hero party.

That was the agreement, plain and simple. Had he forgotten? Or had he seen the state the Hero was in and still failed to come to his senses?

Still, unlike the Hero or the other members, I bore no particular grudge against the Sword Saint.

He had died before me — before the Demon King's head was ever severed.

"Forgive the intrusion, Your Holiness. Might I have a word?"

"...Don't use honorifics with me."

Besides, he was the one who had occasionally taught me swordsmanship in my past life.

I couldn't bring myself to be harsh with this man.

"Ah, well then, I suppose I'll keep it as usual. Just call me Albatross. I'd rather not get tangled up with you if I can help it, but a battlefield never goes the way we expect, does it? Am I right?"

"And your point?"

"I hear you're formidable at large-scale annihilation with fire, and we've got a Druid in our party. A woman who attacks with plant roots, and a woman who fights with flame — the two of us together could spell trouble, you see..."

He wasn't wrong. If I invoked a miracle for mass slaughter, the fire could spread to their side without my even realizing it.

On a battlefield, that was exactly the kind of thing that could get in each other's way.

"You want us to confirm the range of each other's abilities, then?"

"Eh, that's the gist."

"A reasonable precaution, but there's no need to worry. In this battle, I'll be using Holy Fire alone."

With those words, I kindled a small tongue of Holy Fire atop the horse's reins. When I withdrew it a moment later, the reins retained their original color and shape, as if fire had never once touched them.

"Wh-what the... So it can't burn anything else?"

"Holy Fire merely resembles flame. It is a miracle that burns away evil. Unless your Druid has been tainted by wickedness, there is nothing for her to fear."

Albatross flashed an awkward smile.

"Well, that's a relief."

"That's not the face of a relieved man. You."

"...Fine. I left my tobacco behind, and I was thinking I'd beg a light off you while I was at it. Two birds, one stone."

Ah. Right. This man was a hopeless chain-smoker.

He'd been the only smoker in the party, and he caught no end of grief for it.

When the other party members nagged him, he never quit — but the moment his wife got on his case, he kicked the habit in a single day.

The audacity of the man.

"Hand your cigarettes over here. I'll light one for you."

"Eh? Wait, didn't you just say you can't start a fire with Holy Fire?"

In place of an answer, I drew a cigarette from my breast pocket and held it against a small flame kindled above my fingertip.

"I said I can't start a fire with Holy Fire. I never said I couldn't make a real one."

Albatross hurriedly thrust his own cigarette toward my finger. The tip caught with a sizzling crackle, and a rich, acrid aroma bloomed into the air.

Side by side, Albatross and I rode on, exhaling smoke.

"Pwaahhhh..."

Gray smoke unfurled into the air like drifting blossoms.

So that none of it would drift back to the knights following behind, I had already purified the air around us.

"Considerate, aren't you. The Saintess truly is a cut above."

"If it were her, that's exactly what she would have told me to do."

"Her?"

"...That's a secret."

Me, smoking. Me, drinking. If Lady Antares saw me now, she would surely scold me.

...Honestly, I'd welcome a scolding from her, at this point.

A sudden flush of shame washed over me, and I tucked the bracelet away deep into my pocket as I finished the cigarette.

Two years ago, a landslide had brought the rocky mountain down to half its original height.

The woman who had once fled to this place alone now stood here surrounded by countless others.

"...Are you still yourself?"

I was afraid. Because I had no idea what fate awaited me down below.

Even with my power grown, what if I proved no match for the freed Colossus — what if I was made to kneel before it?

There could be no better conditions than these. The Holy Knights, the royal army, even the Hero have all joined us. And yet...

The thing I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠feared most was you.

If you no longer remember me — if every memory we shared has been erased — if you have even forgotten these children...

My fingers toyed with the bracelet on my wrist.

If all that remained was a being who had forgotten those she had poured everything into protecting, could that person still be called Antares?

If she had changed — if killing her was the only way left to save her — could I truly bring myself to do it?

No. Nothing will have changed. Antares remembers me. And if she has forgotten, then I will simply make her remember.

Clutching a hope that bordered on delusion, I steeled my resolve.

Just then, the mage battalion at the rear began to move.

"All units! We will assist Lady Yuka in clearing the debris. You supply mana and nothing more — the flow belongs to Lady Yuka alone. Do not forget it!"

"Yes, sir!"

Fifty mages stepped onto the magic circle, lending their mana — and three senior mages stood over them, regulating the flow.

All of that power streamed into Yuka, the most powerful Druid alive.

"I leave it to you, Lady Paula."

"Of course."

Pouring the mana of fifty people into a single vessel was a dangerously delicate operation.

Even for the strongest of Druids.

Here, my miracle dispersed the strain that Yuka's working placed upon her body. Whatever burden her flesh suffered, my miracle healed it the instant it appeared.

And so Yuka, her power extended into the very realm of impossibility, called upon the concept of Nature itself.

Positive mana — quite literally enough to shake a mountain — swept across the ground.

Before long, Yuka converged the swirling torrent of magic into a single point.

"Fan-gio!"

With that word of the ancient tongue, every drop of mana was absorbed into the earth — and the great land itself answered.

KUGUGUGUGUGU—!!

The ground began to move of its own accord.

Rock, gravel, sand, soil — everything that made up the earth clumped together regardless of size. And soon, the land had fashioned a hand vast enough to push aside an entire mountain.

"So this is Grand Magic. Quite the sight."

The hand that Mother Nature extended swept away the wreckage of the collapsed mountain.

Just as the dust clouds threatened to billow in every direction, a long, soaking rain fell with exquisite timing from the sky, pressing the dust back down to the ground.

"Thank you... for your hard work."

"Can you still move?"

"I can move again after a short rest. Thank you for your concern. The rest now... I leave to you."

Yuka managed a weary smile.

Leaving Yuka behind to be escorted to the rear by the soldiers' supporting arms, I made my way toward the Holy Knights.

"Lady Paula! The entire Order of Holy Knights is ready to deploy."

The Holy Knight Commander, already mounted, delivered his report.

Having come this far, there was no room left for hesitation.

"The Hero party and the royal army will have already begun their descent. We will advance while guarding their rear."

"Order of Holy Knights! Maintain one hundred meters' distance from the main force! Forward!"

"To judgment!"

The Holy Knights began their march. Ahead, I could see the Hero party and the elite troops preparing to enter the passage leading into the depths.

All the remaining soldiers would stay behind here, ready to respond to any surprise attack from the Red Cult.

"...Commander."

"Yes, Lady Paula."

"The royal army's numbers. It was one thousand, yes?"

"It was. Six hundred are to be stationed at the forward outpost at the entrance."

"Six hundred... So roughly thirty more have slipped in."

The Commander paused for the briefest of moments before speaking again.

"It would seem someone among the royal family or the nobility has been colluding with the Red Cult."

"Yes. We will clean house before we go in."

"Order of Holy Knights! Right flank, turn! Disperse!"

The Holy Knight Commander concocted a suitable pretext and maneuvered the Order out of my sight.

Thanks to that, the radiance of their divinity faded, and the shadows lurking in every corner of the formation stood out more sharply against the dark.

"...Ah, damn it all."

But the moment the Holy Knights drew away from me, as if they had been waiting for precisely that instant, a murderous intent came hurtling down from directly above my head.

"Kehahaha!! Blood! Blood!"

From the heavens, a massive executioner's scythe came swinging down toward my neck.

I twisted my body in haste — but mounted on horseback, my movement was limited. One arm failed to slip free of the scythe's arc.

"Damn it."

Bracing myself for the crushing impact to come, I had only just squared into a counter stance when—

"Kehek?!"

KUDANGTANG—!

The wielder of the scythe — Acrab — vomited blood and went tumbling across the ground alone.

"Wh-what is this... Why has my connection to the Colossus been severed?"

Bewildered, Acrab scrambled backward in a panicked retreat.

The bond between god and worshipper, severed. As a cleric myself, I knew all too well how grave a thing that was.

The god growing too weakened to intervene in the physical world — in other words, the death of a god.

"Don't tell me — Antares, that wretch, did something to the Colossus...?! That damned woman, even to the very end!"

"Lady Antares... is alive?"

My vision sharpened. My thoughts raced. My body burned hot.

Lady Antares lives.

I didn't know what circumstances she was in. I couldn't begin to fathom how much agony she must have endured. But she was alive.

From the hand where hope had taken root, a flame blazed up — fiercer than it had ever burned before.