Setting Out
Weller looked ready to unleash a torrent of venomous questions, but after darting wary glances at Cecilia and Arpe, her lips curled into a chilling smile instead.
"If you don't tell me what this is all about, there is no way in hell I'm letting Vivian go on this trip. Mother shares the exact same opinion, so consider yourself warned."
The proud second daughter of the ducal house was utterly uncompromising.
"What's this? Are you speaking on Mother's behalf now?"
"Essentially, yes. So out with it. What foolish excuse do you have for running off on a journey this time?"
"Well..."
I lit a cigarette and cast a sidelong glance toward Arpe and Nemeth.
Given the gravity of the situation, neither of them looked capable of reaching a hasty decision; their brows remained knit in troubled contemplation.
"...I don't think we can talk about it just yet," I said.
"Ha! Then give up on taking Vivian."
"To be completely honest, I'm fine with that."
"What?" Weller arched an eyebrow, taken aback.
"Unlike our last outing, both the destination and whatever we'll be doing once we arrive are genuinely dangerous. Leaving her behind actually suits me just fine."
"Dangerous? You're calling it dangerous—the man who treated that damned dungeon like an afternoon stroll? Just what the hell are you planning to do?"
As she pressed me with an increasingly grave expression, I simply shrugged and took a pull from my glass.
"Hmm... So you have no intention of talking, is that it?" After a moment of deliberation, she stood up with resolute finality. "Fine. Then there's nothing more to discuss. That settles it."
"W-Wait! Sister!"
Weller was about to walk out when the door burst open, and Vivian appeared, forcing her to halt mid-stride.
"Vivian. I'm sorry, but I cannot give you permission to leave."
"Just wait a second! Look at this!"
Shring!
Drawing her sword without a single word of preamble, Vivian bit her lower lip and focused her mind.
Huuuum—!
In that very instant, tangible aura coalesced along the length of her steel blade.
"...What?"
"Hooh."
"Mmh..."
Not only Weller, but seasoned masters like Nemeth and Muriel let slip low murmurs of genuine admiration.
"...Whoa."
Naturally, my jaw dropped as well.
How long had it been since Vivian began taking formal swordsmanship lessons under Urtega? Barely a month? At that stage, merely releasing raw mana would have been considered extraordinary, but refining mana into a tangible coat of aura already?
"You can already wield aura, Vivian?"
"Yes! I only managed to do it a few days ago! How about it, Sister? Isn't this enough to acknowledge my strength?"
"...It certainly is astonishing." Even Weller, whose own genius was second to none, looked deeply impressed by the sheer depth of her sister's potential.
"Right?!"
"However, that is entirely beside the point."
"Wh-Whaaat?!"
Vivian froze as if struck by lightning, her pupils quivering violently. She seemed to have truly believed that displaying aura would settle everything. Naive little thing. She viewed the world far too simply.
"Even if you were already a Sword Master, I could not in good conscience allow a child your age to wander into unknown perils."
"U-Uuuugh...! Then what on earth do I have to do to get your permission?!"
"Tell me where you are going, and why. Only then will I assess the risk and decide whether you may accompany them."
"Th-That's...!" Her trembling gaze swung toward me, looking as though she were trying to weather an earthquake entirely on her own.
Unable to hold back a smirk, I stubbed out my cigarette and beckoned her over.
"Yes...? What is it, Orabeoni...?"
She hurried over like a small bird. I gently patted her head and met her eyes.
"Come to think of it, Vivian, I forgot to ask. Why are you so desperate to tag along? It's going to be nothing but dangerous and thoroughly unpleasant."
"Because that's the whole point!"
"Huh...?"
Her eyes ignited like lanterns, sparkling with an enthusiasm that felt almost oppressive.
"Adventures! Hardships! Trials! Those are the essential virtues of an adventurer!"
"An adventurer, is it..."
At a loss for words, I scratched the back of my head. So she had developed a romantic yearning for the adventuring life. But wait—hadn't she caught a stark glimpse of what adventuring actually entailed during our last excursion? And she was still yearning for it? Just how much sunshine and rainbows did she have floating around inside that skull?
"Then you definitely can't go. Stay home and guard the house."
"Whaaat?!" She stared at me, utterly flabbergasted, as though she had never dreamed those words would come from my mouth.
"...U-Uuuugh...!"
For a long moment, she searched my face to see if I was joking. When my expression didn't budge in the slightest, heavy tears began to spill from her eyes. Her small fists clenched her skirt so hard her knuckles turned white, her whole body shook, and her face scrunched up into an ugly, pitiful mask of sheer sorrow that would make anyone feel wretched just looking at her.
"Hey! Why are you making Vivian cry?! Do you want to die?!"
"Excuse me? Those tears are at least half your fault, Sister!"
Flustered, I rushed forward alongside a panicking Weller to soothe the little girl.
"I-I worked so hard...!"
"Y-Yes, of course you did! We all know our little Vivian is a hard worker! Your big sister knows better than anyone!"
"And yet you keep saying no...!"
"Th-That's...! No, Vivian, no matter how much you cry, I cannot allow this. I cannot expose you to—"
"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
At last, the peculiar, high-pitched wail Vivian had been stockpiling exploded across the room, rattling the windowpanes.
"Sister, why do you keep egging her on? Now look what you did; she's really balling!"
"Sh-Shut up! Vivian! Hush, now! Stop crying! The others are watching!"
"WAAAAHHH! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Weller threw everything she had into calming her down, but the torrent showed no sign of abating anytime soon.
"Man... she really makes an ugly face when she cries."
Staring at her crumpled features, I reached out and rapidly patted my palm against her open mouth, just like I used to do.
"Wah-ba-ba-ba-ba! Wah-be-be-be-be! Ugh! Orabeoni! Stoooop doing that!!"
"Whoa."
Furious, Vivian lashed out her arm at me. The problem was, she was still gripping her drawn sword. In her childish outrage, she had likely forgotten she was even holding it.
Claaang!
"...Your muscles have developed considerably. The speed and weight of your swing are not what they used to be."
Having cleanly deflected the steel mere millimeters before it kissed the skin of my neck, Muriel offered her calm critique while casually flicking her dagger back into position.
"Yikes. It's gotten too dangerous to even stand near her..." Breaking into a cold sweat over my brush with death, I carefully put some distance between Vivian and myself.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The wails reached a pitch that threatened to pierce our eardrums, only subsiding when Weller, completely out of her depth, finally broke.
"A-All right! Fine! I give you permission! You can go, all right?!"
"Sniff... hic! Really?"
"Haaah... Yes. On the condition that I come with you. Oh, and one personal guard, too. Hey, Alzen. That works, doesn't it?"
"It really doesn't, but..."
Glancing at Arpe and Nemeth, I saw both women offer bitter smiles and give faint, resigned nods.
"Looks like it's fine now. All right, I'll fill you in on the details later, so just finish comforting Vivian first."
"Sigh... Dammit. Look at the mess you've dragged me into..."
Hoisting Vivian into her arms, Weller rubbed her sniffling sister's back and hastily made for the exit.
"Vivian, do you want a snack? Is there anything you'd like? Just name it."
"Mmh... cake..."
"You want cake? All right. Let's try every single variety they have."
Watching Weller walk off without even bothering to close the door behind her, I let out a dry chuckle.
"She really has a soft spot for Vivian... Must take after Mother."
"Fufu. Still, it is a heartwarming sight. Vivian truly is adorable." Arpe smiled warmly and popped another pastry into her mouth.
Watching her chew so casually, a sudden sense of incongruity struck me. No, a premonition of dread would be a more accurate description.
"......"
Cecilia had only barely secured permission by practically using the Goddess as a divine shield. Vivian, the youngest child of a ducal house, had essentially bypassed permission through a sheer temper tantrum. Yet how in the world had Arpe, the Third Imperial Princess whose circumstances were leagues more complicated, obtained permission to run off into danger?
"...Hey, Arpe."
"Yes?"
"You didn't go and pull some absurd stunt behind our backs, did you?"
"......"
She clamped her mouth shut and averted her eyes.
"...I'm terrified to even ask."
I decided not to pry. Whatever catastrophe she had orchestrated, future-me would just have to deal with it. Probably. Though, of course, I fully intended to make Arpe pay for every bit of trouble she caused.
Though Weller threw a massive fit once she learned the full truth of our objective, it was a minor squabble in the grand scheme of things, so let us skip past it.
At any rate, once all preparations were finalized, our departure date was set in short order. The matter was hardly something we could afford to take our time with, and by my calculations, our schedule was going to be extraordinarily tight.
More than anything, however, the terrifying silent pressure radiating from Nazareth Nemeth forced my hand.
"Good grief, a man can't even stand still in peace. What is this, an assassination attempt waiting to happen by a Master-class killer?"
"...Ahem. My apologies. It is simply that... my anxiety got the better of me."
Embarrassed by my sarcasm, Nemeth coughed lightly and continued loading baggage onto the carriage.
"I understand the feeling, but business is business. If you're truly sorry, you'll accept your punishment like a good girl, right?"
"...Pardon?"
Seeing her stare blankly, having clearly not anticipated that turn, I wore a wicked smirk.
"Nemeth, Arpe has been feeding you all your meals, hasn't she?"
"That is correct, but... wait, surely you don't mean...?"
"From now on, I'll be the one spoon-feeding you."
"That is..."
"Got a complaint?"
"Kh...!"
She couldn't bring herself to refuse. Even setting aside my petty teasing, I held all the cards in this relationship. With nothing less than the fate of her entire race and the World Tree resting upon my shoulders, she had no choice but to bow her head.
"Heheheh. Nothing beats the feeling of bending a Master to your will, does it?"
"Haaah... Lord Alzen, please keep your teasing within reason." Having finished her own preparations, Arpe strolled over and pulled out a map with a mildly disgruntled expression. Drawn across its parchment were numerous markings, all sketched by my own hand. "Still, Lord Alzen... are we truly sticking to this route? Moving this way will delay our arrival considerably..."
"If rushing there could solve the problem, we would have just used teleportation circles. Do you think a High Demon is some kind of pushover?"
"Even so, our combat strength is hardly lacking, is it?"
"It's not overwhelming enough to let our guard down. Enhancing our capabilities with relics and artifacts along the way is the bare minimum foundation, and it's all to protect everyone, including you and the younger girls. I won't entertain any complaints."
"Mmh... Very well. If it comes from you, of all people, I suppose I must trust it."
Tucking the map away, Arpe climbed aboard the carriage.
From the outside, it appeared nearly identical to the ordinary freight wagon we had used on our previous journey, but its interior had been slathered in layers of spatial and luxury enchantments, rendering it vastly more spacious and opulent than it looked. Even the draft horses were not living beasts, but sophisticated horse-shaped golems. Heaven only knew how much gold had been poured into the contraption.
"I look forward to traveling with you, Lord Alzen."
"Hm? Ah, right. Lira. Good to see you again."
Lira, who had accompanied us on our previous dungeon expedition, greeted me warmly, and I returned the gesture in kind.
"I have been informed that this journey will be far more hazardous than the last."
"That's true. People might actually die. You still want to come along?"
"That is quite a cruel question..." Smiling wryly, she gave a firm, resolute shake of her head. "I am Lady Weller's and Lady Vivian's sworn guard. Even if it costs my life, I will protect those two at all costs."
"A textbook answer. But I like it."
"I am glad to hear it."
Grinning with the rustic warmth of a freckled country maid, she cast a furtive glance around before letting out a soft, awkward cough.
"Ahem! Th-That is... Lord Alzen."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Well... I heard rumors that with mere words, you triggered awakenings in the knights of House Stanasila. And that you personally groomed an attendant you favored into a Sword Master... Would such a thing perhaps be possible for me as well? Ah! I am by no means asking for charity! Even if I must offer every single coin of my life's savings...!"
"Kekeke. Knights really are all the same, aren't they?" I patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Sure, why not. If there's breathing room along the way, I'll help you reach Sword Master."
"R-Really?! Thank you so very much!"
"Though wouldn't it feel far more rewarding to carve your own path to that realm instead of borrowing someone else's power?"
"Well... logically, that is the ideal path, but..."
Seeing her awkward, strained smile, I shook my head amusedly. Even someone who appeared as unpretentious and free of greed as Lira couldn't suppress her yearning for a higher realm of martial prowess.
"Orabeoni! Everything is ready!"
"All right, coming!"
Answering Vivian's loud, impatient shout, I stepped toward the carriage.
Myself, Muriel, Rebecca, Cacciola, Nazareth Nemeth, Arpe, Vivian, Cecilia, Wendy, Stanashila Weller, and Lira.
Before I knew it, we had assembled an enormous party of eleven.
"Then let's goooo!!"
With Vivian's cheerful cheer echoing across the courtyard, the golem steeds began to push against the earth, slowly rolling our carriage forward.