God's Love
A few days later, Bireon came to find Elbridge and said,
“Good. Everything is proceeding exactly as planned.”
“As planned?”
“Yes. The current situation is…”
Bireon began his explanation.
Elbridge still found the names of the southern religious orders a bit confusing, but the situation itself was easy enough to understand.
The Coiling Blade Order had no idea that Bireon was the one who had stolen their priests and holy knights and fled.
Instead, they had developed a grudge against the wrong order and decided to drag yet another order into the conflict to strike at their unintended target.
A perfect case of reaping the rewards of someone else’s misunderstanding.
Bireon seemed immensely pleased with how things had turned out; his face was practically glowing with satisfaction.
“While the three orders are tangled up fighting each other, it looks like we’ll be able to profit from this once more.”
“Profit, huh.”
“This time I’m thinking of a pincer operation. One group will target the empty castle again, while the other observes the battlefield and seizes whatever advantage presents itself. If this battle goes well, we should be able to seize the momentum.”
There is one universal truth in war: the sooner it ends, the better.
Bireon had seen that possibility.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“We don’t need many skilled fighters to take an empty castle. Dicha, Rombel, and Marcus should be more than enough to lead the apostles and carry out the mission. Elbridge, you will come with me to the battlefield.”
Elbridge frowned slightly.
“I’m not sure. In the middle of hundreds of people clashing, I doubt the two of us will be able to accomplish anything spectacular.”
“If it seems hopeless, we can simply withdraw. And Elbridge, you’re underestimating yourself. At the same time, you’re underestimating me as well.”
A subtle spark of competitive spirit rose in Bireon’s expression.
Elbridge could already guess what Bireon was about to say.
“Elbridge. Spar with me.”
“We’ve already done this several times.”
The cunning Bireon frequently challenged Elbridge to spar simply to show off to his subordinates.
Watching skilled fighters duel was an excellent way to improve one’s own abilities, after all.
However, the outcome of every spar between Elbridge and Bireon had never changed.
In weapon-based combat, Elbridge held the advantage. In bare-handed fighting, Bireon prevailed. His claim that he was more confident in unarmed combat than weapon techniques was no bluff.
Talent aside, Bireon’s physical condition was simply outstanding. His long, supple, and elastic body was more agile and threatening than most demonic beasts.
“This time will be different. Let’s fight using our divine powers as well.”
“Divine powers?”
Generally, holy knights did not use their gods’ powers during sparring matches.
It had been the same during the Grand Festival, and the same in all their previous spars.
“This isn’t a simple spar. Before we head to the battlefield, I need to gauge your capabilities more precisely. Likewise, you should know my strength as well.”
But Elbridge shook his head.
“The Rusty Shield Order’s divine power is not suited for one-on-one combat.”
“Then I’ll show you only the powers I can wield. I’ll prove that I can defeat you with weapon techniques alone.”
A provocative statement.
Privately, Elbridge was curious about the Silver Harpoon Order’s divine powers, so he did not refuse the request.
He also found sparring with Bireon genuinely enjoyable.
As the two of them took up positions at a suitable distance, the apostles of the Silver Harpoon Apostles gathered as if they had been waiting for this.
I feel like I’ve become a sideshow attraction.
Still, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Elbridge slowly steadied his breathing.
In Elbridge’s hand was a sword still in its sheath. In Bireon’s hands were a curved blade and a harpoon attached to a line.
The biggest difference between a harpoon and a short spear lay in the shape of the blade.
A short spear’s blade was simple—merely sharp and pointed. But a harpoon’s blade curved backward like a fishhook so that once it embedded itself, it could not be pulled out easily.
“Here I come.”
As the two slowly closed the distance, Bireon hurled his harpoon with powerful force.
Shweeeek—
Elbridge watched the incoming harpoon and thought,
He seems to have something he wants to show me… I might as well watch.
The most common response in this situation would be to dodge. Elbridge casually stepped to the side.
But when Bireon gave the line a strange twist, the harpoon’s trajectory curved slightly and grazed past Elbridge.
Then Bireon yanked the line back.
Tap.
The harpoon that had flown out returned, aiming for Elbridge’s back.
Elbridge raised his sheathed sword, intending to knock the returning harpoon away.
But at that exact moment, Elbridge’s body began to be pulled toward Bireon.
“…!”
It was slightly different from simply being dragged.
Even though both feet were planted firmly on the ground, he felt no friction at all beneath his soles.
A bizarre phenomenon that defied common sense. It had to be a divine power granted by the god of the Silver Harpoon.
Moreover, the speed at which Elbridge was being pulled was as fast as an ordinary person sprinting at full speed.
…This power seems to be channeled through the harpoon.
When Elbridge flicked his sheathed sword and knocked the harpoon aside, the strange force vanished as expected.
But the distance had already been greatly shortened. Bireon charged at Elbridge and swung his curved blade.
You cannot repel a running opponent by retreating. Instead of backing away, Elbridge advanced toward Bireon and swung his own weapon.
Clack, clack, clack!
Elbridge’s sheathed sword and Bireon’s curved blade clashed rapidly four or five times.
Bireon’s skill with a blade was quite excellent. But it was not enough to overcome Elbridge.
In the end, Bireon leaped sideways and threw his harpoon once more.
The harpoon’s trajectory aimed at Elbridge’s thigh or knee.
It was a rather threatening line of attack. After all, defending the lower body was generally far more difficult than defending the upper body.
Instead of blocking the harpoon, Elbridge kicked off the ground briefly and shifted sideways.
Thud!
The harpoon that missed its target embedded itself in the dirt.
But evasion was not the end. Elbridge immediately swung his sword and severed the rope attached to the harpoon.
Without the rope, he won’t be able to control the harpoon.
After glancing at the harpoon for the briefest moment, Elbridge’s gaze returned to the front—toward where Bireon should have been.
But Bireon was not there.
What?
It wasn’t that he had lost track of Bireon’s movement.
The time Elbridge had spent looking at the harpoon stuck in the ground had been extremely short. No matter how fast Bireon was, he could not have moved outside Elbridge’s field of vision in that instant.
From Elbridge’s experience, any situation he could not understand always threatened his life.
Simply because Bireon had disappeared from sight, Elbridge’s mind and senses expanded to their absolute limit in a single instant.
Whoosh—
Elbridge felt as if the entire world was rushing in to engulf him.
He simultaneously perceived every sensation he had previously taken for granted—every subtle feeling that would normally require conscious attention to notice.
The slight movement of organs inside his body. The sound of his heartbeat. The texture of the ground beneath his soles. The touch of fabric against his skin. The taste on his palate. The scent of air brushing against the mucous membranes in his nose. And the faint flow of air touching his skin.
Elbridge sensed an unnatural movement of air behind him.
It was not a naturally blowing wind. It was a current created by something twisting and pushing through the air.
As always in moments of absolute crisis, Elbridge’s body read the situation faster than his mind.
His sheathed sword swung behind him without the slightest hesitation.
Crack!
He felt the impact reverberate through his grip.
Until now, instinct had guided Elbridge. Only now did his reason catch up to the situation.
Behind me?
Elbridge turned around. Bireon had dropped his sword and was clutching his wrist.
“…!”
The expression on Bireon’s face was one Elbridge had never seen before.
The ever-composed Bireon now wore a look of pure shock.
The apostles of the Silver Harpoon who had been watching the spar wore nearly identical expressions. Faces that looked as if they had witnessed something impossible.
Bireon’s pupils trembled violently as he stared at Elbridge.
“…Is that the power of your goddess?”
Elbridge shook his head.
“I told you. The Rusty Shield Order’s divine power is not suited for one-on-one combat.”
“Elbridge. Have you ever seen our order’s power used anywhere else?”
“No.”
“Then how did you react to it?”
Elbridge thought for a moment before answering.
“Just… that’s how it turned out after living long enough.”
Turning to Bireon, who still looked dazed, Elbridge asked a question of his own.
“The first power you showed me pulled in an opponent entangled with the harpoon, right?”
“Yes.”
“What was the second one?”
“…Leap. It is our order’s most powerful divine ability.”
Bireon looked considerably shaken by the unexpected defeat. But he had not forgotten the purpose of this spar.
Pulling his harpoon free from where it had embedded itself in the wrong spot, Bireon said,
“I’ll show you again.”
Shweeeek— Thunk.
Bireon threw the harpoon, lodging it into a nearby tree.
And in the very next instant, Bireon’s figure vanished as if by magic.
The Bireon who had disappeared was now standing beside the tree.
“…Leap is a power that swaps my position with the harpoon. It has many restrictions, but it is a powerful ability.”
Elbridge evaluated it.
“A strange power. It seems far more effective in combat against people than against demonic beasts or demons.”
“It is also one of the reasons our order, which lacks numbers, has been able to survive in the south.”
That made sense.
If a fighter of Bireon’s caliber used such an ability to strike at an opening, who could possibly survive?
After finishing his explanation, Bireon made a miserable face, then asked Elbridge,
“…Elbridge. That thing you said when we first met. Was it true?”
“When we first met?”
“That you are the weakest holy knight in your order…”
It had not been a lie.
But if he answered yes here, Bireon looked like he would fall into serious despair.
“Actually, it’s not quite that bad.”
“Then?”
“I’m exactly average.”
At those words, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield burst into laughter.
The strongest, the weakest, and precisely the average holy knight—Elbridge. A splendid performance.
Elbridge whispered softly.
“Thank you, Goddess.”
*
Two days later, the time for battle arrived.
Elbridge patted Rombel on the back and said,
“Don’t screw it up, Rombel.”
“What are you on about? If anyone screws up, it’ll be you. Just worry about yourself.”
Elbridge looked at Marcus with a solemn expression.
“Marcus, your mission is of great importance. Rombel tends to cause trouble in the strangest places…”
Marcus chuckled.
“Have a safe trip.”
Yesterday, Marcus had told Bireon that he wanted to accompany Elbridge and Bireon.
But Bireon had flatly refused, saying Marcus lacked the skill to join this mission.
It was a statement that could have sounded quite rude, yet the rejected Marcus had looked rather delighted.
Marcus and Rombel departed together with the apostles of the Silver Harpoon.
Now it was time for Elbridge and Bireon to move.
“Let’s go.”
The two of them ran for a long time, cutting across the Great Forest.
Since their plan was to observe the flow of battle and look for opportunities rather than jump straight into the fighting, both Bireon and Elbridge were lightly armed.
They wore only breastplates and thigh guards, just like the apostles of the Silver Harpoon.
While running, Elbridge asked Bireon,
“Bireon. What will you do if the Flowing Water Order doesn’t stay by the Silver Harpoon Apostles’ side?”
“That won’t happen. Didn’t you see how bright the faces of the Flowing Water Order priests were?”
“You can never truly know what people are thinking.”
“The priests and holy knights of the Flowing Water Order are not fools. They’ll realize that staying put and claiming they had no choice is far more realistic than risking their lives to stage another desperate escape.”
“Cunning indeed.”
After running and walking for quite some time, the sound of people shouting finally reached Elbridge’s ears.
Bireon must have heard it too; he slowed his steps and said,
“They’re fighting hard. From here on, let’s approach carefully.”
As they crept closer, the sight of people fighting along the castle walls became visible through the trees.
The ones attacking the castle are the Coiling Blade Order and the Stump Order. The ones defending from inside are the Sunken Shadow Assembly.
However, the way they fought was different from what Elbridge had imagined.
The clashes between orders that Elbridge had witnessed in the past had been fought with cold weapons—swords, spears, and the like.
But this was difficult to even call a battle between holy knights.
The Coiling Blade Order at least fought with swords, but the other two orders were the problem.
First, the Stump Order. When their priests invoked their divine power, the massive trees of the Great Forest moved slowly like giant turtles, lumbering toward the castle walls.
It was slow, but an ability with no means of defense.
The ones defending against the attack were the Sunken Shadow Assembly.
They wielded spears and swords like ordinary holy knights. A few even shot arrows with considerable skill.
However, their divine power was even more alien than that of the Stump Order.
Whenever a dangerous moment arose, the holy knights of the Sunken Shadow Assembly would dissolve their entire bodies into smoke, only to reappear a short distance away.
To Elbridge, their fighting style looked more like that of demons and demonic beasts.
“…The southern orders are certainly strange. I’ve never seen powers like these before.”
“There are orders that would seem ordinary even to you. But in the south, these irregular powers are more effective. In the end, the strong create the largest forces.”
As they spoke, a massive tree toppled onto the castle wall.
Kuuuung—
The enormous tree slightly collapsed part of the wall and became a bridge leading onto the ramparts.
Holy knights from the Stump Order and the Coiling Blade Order raced up the tree and climbed onto the wall.
Bireon clicked his tongue.
“It’s going to end sooner than I thought. At this rate, we won’t be able to lure the Flowing Water Order away and escape… Should we have come earlier?”
The holy knights of the Sunken Shadow Assembly continued to dissolve into smoke and reappear as they fought, but the problem was that the invaders outnumbered them nearly two to one.
Whether their god-granted powers had been exhausted or not, the holy knights of the Sunken Shadow Assembly began falling one by one.
Just as the battle seemed about to end in a complete rout—
One of the Sunken Shadow Assembly’s holy knights, covered in blood, screamed from atop the wall.
“You bastards! Did you really think the Sunken Shadow Assembly would disappear quietly?!”
The holy knights attacking the castle laughed at him.
“Haha! That’s for us to decide.”
Then the holy knight of the Sunken Shadow Assembly pulled out something that did not belong on a battlefield.
It was an animal slightly larger than a dog. But its appearance was unmistakably that of a wild boar.
It looked rather cute, yet the way the holy knight handled the young boar was anything but adorable.
The holy knight roughly grabbed the piglet with both hands.
Screeeee—
The young boar let out a piercing scream.
The piglet’s cry was so clear and loud that it was hard to believe it came from such a small body.
It was an extremely bizarre situation, but Elbridge thought he understood what the action was meant to accomplish.
…No way.
He was not the only one who had realized the intent; the attackers’ faces turned deathly pale.
“You crazy bastard! Are you trying to kill your entire clan?!”
But the holy knight of the Sunken Shadow Assembly burst into a maddened laugh.
“Haha, hahahahaha! My clan would rather die together than survive alongside our enemies!”
The holy knight finally tore the small boar apart, scattering its blood everywhere, and squeezed out the words,
“So let us all disappear into the shadows together, you bastards.”