The Daughter of Viscount Dickens
Sonia.
Elbridge’s sword moved like a gliding shadow, slipping through the gaps in the knight’s sturdy armor.
But that was all. There was no sensation of the blade catching on chainmail, no feeling of it sinking into flesh.
Elbridge immediately understood why.
‘A spirit body.’
An existence that had transcended the material realm.
Scholars and priests had a natural fondness for dividing and defining things. That was why they classified non-material beings according to countless criteria and gave them all sorts of names.
But those who fought on the battlefield had no such hobby, so they simply lumped them all together and called them spirit bodies.
And every spirit body shared one common trait: they could not be subdued by simple physical force alone.
To deal meaningful damage to a spirit body, one needed either divine authority, a mage’s enchantment, or a special weapon.
The conclusion was clear. Elbridge’s response had been inadequate.
The ghost knight paid no heed to Elbridge’s attack. Without slowing its charge, it rushed straight at him.
Goooo—
Yet the assault did not feel like the powerful charge of a mounted knight. It was closer to the sight of a wave crashing over a rock, or smoke enveloping something. The ghost knight’s form existed somewhere between solid and gas.
Elbridge tried to raise the shield on his left arm. Leonhardt’s shield would surely protect him from the ghost knight’s attack.
But his reaction was too slow.
‘…It really has been too long since I faced a spirit body.’
At this rate, he would be swallowed by the ghost knight’s charge.
Even so, Elbridge was not overly worried. He had a seasoned comrade at his side.
Rombel swung his axe.
“Heave-ho!”
Dwarves had better night vision than humans.
That was why Rombel had identified the ghost knight’s true nature a little faster than Elbridge and had predicted the misfortune about to befall him.
However, his strike was not meant to cut the ghost knight down. Using the flat of his axe, Rombel fanned the space between Elbridge and the ghost knight as if sweeping it away.
Rombel’s axe, which had been blessed many times and soaked in the blood of countless demons and demonic beasts, was perfectly suited to dealing with spirit bodies.
The smoke-like form of the ghost knight that had been about to engulf Elbridge was pushed back, and—
Boom!
The flat of the axe slammed into the ghost knight’s armor.
Elbridge did not miss the brief opening. He thrust his sword forward once more.
Unlike before, his blade now glowed with a faint light. Even before he asked, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield had already bestowed her authority upon him.
Scraaaape—
Elbridge’s sword scraped across the ghost knight’s armor and dug into its interior.
He felt something catch faintly at the tip of the blade.
Elbridge instinctively knew.
‘It worked.’
Oooong—
The ghost knight left behind only a sound like wind blowing and was pulled away into the empty air as if drawn by something unseen.
Because the black shape had moved through the dark night, those with poor night vision could not clearly tell what had just happened.
Walter asked, “What just appeared? What happened?”
Rombel slung his axe back over his shoulder and answered, “A spirit body showed up. We drove it off. Didn’t manage to finish it, though.”
That was the end of the conversation.
Spirit bodies had a way of stirring up primal fear in people.
Not only Heinz, but even Marcus—who had seen quite a few demonic beasts—remained silent, clearly tense.
However, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield sent down an oracle and proudly boasted.
Elbridge. There is clearly a reason your goddess stayed up late with her eyes wide open, watching over you.
It was like a cow taking a step backward and accidentally catching a mouse.
But Elbridge was not foolish enough to point that out.
“Though I have served you for a long time, I am still constantly amazed by your wisdom, Goddess.”
I feel the same way, Elbridge. Just where does the greatness of a goddess like me end…?
Elbridge still followed the Goddess of the Rusty Shield with genuine devotion, but lately he felt his respect for her fading little by little. It was probably because oracles and prayers had been exchanged far too frequently.
While giving appropriately agreeable responses, Elbridge removed the gauntlet from his right arm.
He held it up to the faint moonlight.
‘No wonder it was stinging.’
The skin on his right arm had turned pitch black and necrotic.
It was the result of his right arm being enveloped by the spirit body during his first attack.
Even so, Elbridge was not overly concerned.
Just wait a little. I will heal you right away…
With that oracle, the goddess’s presence vanished. She had clearly gone to wake the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.
As Elbridge examined his stinging right arm, he sensed someone cautiously approaching.
It was the woman who had fled the moment the ghost knight appeared.
“What? You really drove off the ghost knight just now?”
“More or less.”
“You must be quite skilled… Huh? You’re hurt, aren’t you?”
The woman seemed to have good night vision. She strode over and inspected Elbridge’s forearm.
Then she rummaged through her pocket, pulled out a dirty bundle of cloth, and held it out to him.
When Elbridge reflexively took the cloth, the woman drew a small dagger.
“What are you doing?”
“Bite down on the cloth. I have to cut it off.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I’m telling you in advance—if you don’t cut it out in time, you’ll die. The black stain will spread across your whole body and you’ll die in agony…”
Even though there were many people around, the woman paid them no mind.
Whether she had something to rely on or nerves of steel, it was hard to say.
“Hurry up and bite it. If you keep dawdling, I’ll have to cut up to the shoulder. Don’t worry about my skill.”
But the argument did not last long.
A gentle light began to swirl around Elbridge’s arm, and his wound started to heal.
When the black stain covering his forearm faded, the most surprised person was Heinz.
“Did the Goddess of the Rusty Shield possess healing authority as well?”
“Yes. She possesses a similar authority.”
“I have read many records about the Rusty Shield Order recently… This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“…It is not a widely known authority.”
It was not only little known, but an authority that should not be known.
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield herself, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
Before long, every trace of the stain on his arm had disappeared.
The woman, who had been watching with her mouth agape, let out a sigh of admiration.
“That’s amazing. You’ll be pretty useful.”
Marcus snorted.
“Who’s saying they’ll be useful to whom?”
“Me to you. And you to me.”
“Hmm. I don’t see how you’d be particularly useful.”
“No. I definitely will be.”
The woman smiled with absolute confidence.
Even in the faint moonlight, her white smile stood out clearly.
“My name is Sonia Dickens.”
“Dickens?”
“That’s right. Viscount Dickens is my father. Doesn’t that make you want to hear the story?”
*
Sonia led Elbridge’s group to a field a short distance from the city.
There stood about a dozen fairly sturdy-looking huts.
He could sense many presences. Elbridge walked with his hand ready to draw his sword at any moment.
Sonia explained the origin of the huts.
“This used to be where settlers lived. People who cleared the surrounding land were exempt from taxes. But now it’s a nest for crows.”
“Crows?”
“People who prey on the belongings of territories without owners.”
Elbridge, Rombel, Marcus, Heinz, Walter, and Sonia—six people moving together—drew reactions from all around.
“Sonia! Who are those people?”
“Skilled newcomers. They drove off the ghost knight. Amazing, right?”
“Haha! Have you already started lying at your age?”
Sonia roughly brushed off the people’s comments.
A short while later, her steps stopped in front of one of the huts.
Sonia opened the door, and the six people entered.
She then covered the windows tightly and clapped her hands. Clap, clap.
Whoosh—
The candle on the table lit by itself.
“So you’re a mage.”
“That’s right. You can call me the beautiful mage Sonia if you like.”
The cheap candle gave off a foul smell and occasionally spat sparks. But thanks to its light, the group and Sonia could see each other’s faces clearly.
Sonia appeared to be a woman of about twenty years old, perhaps a little more.
Her clothes could be called simple at best, or honestly quite dirty. Her abundant black hair was oily rather than glossy. Her features were large and distinct, yet… because of her appearance, she did not look like the daughter of a viscount.
Marcus stroked his chin and asked, “Are you really the daughter of a viscount?”
“Of course I am. Can’t you see the noble aura radiating from me?”
Seeing her answer such a potentially offensive question with a joke without hesitation, it seemed she did not have a difficult personality.
“For a noble lady, you spoke to the others without any formality at all.”
“With the territory in this state, I can’t even go inside. How pathetic would it be if I still tried to act like a noble young miss?”
“A wise young lady indeed.”
Rombel laughed. The dwarf preferred personalities like Sonia’s over those who put on airs.
“Right. So, Sonia. How did things end up like this?”
Sonia picked the burrs clinging to her hem and tossed them into the corner of the hut as she answered.
“Around this time last year, I was in Middlemarch. Do you know where that is?”
Marcus answered smugly, “Of course I do. Central Middlemarch. The city where all roads meet. I’ve been there. I’ve even been to the top of the Central Magic Tower.”
Sonia let out a small laugh.
“Such boasting… Anyway, I was studying abroad in Middlemarch. Naturally, my living expenses were sent from home. But starting last spring, the money stopped coming. At first I thought something must have happened and held on, but even by summer there was still no money.”
“And then?”
Sonia shrugged.
“I borrowed money from people I knew and ran.”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll pay it back once I have the money.”
In the minds of the group, Sonia’s evaluation dropped a notch.
“I needed travel money to get back home, didn’t I? Anyway, when I returned to my hometown, the territory was in this state. At a glance, I knew there was no future in relying on my family, so I decided to salvage whatever I could and find my own way to survive. Understand?”
If nothing else, it was clear that Sonia was no ordinary person.
A typical noble daughter—for example, Abelin, the daughter of the Marquis of Soleneon—would never have come up with such a realistic response to a ruined territory.
“But because of those ghost knights, I can’t even enter the territory. So I joined up with the people who came to loot it. I need their help, and they need my information.”
“…Those people gathered to loot your territory. Is it really okay to cooperate with them?”
At Elbridge’s question, Sonia pouted.
“I can’t even get inside. How is it still my territory? Right now it belongs to those ghost knights… Anyway, I’m treating them as good business partners for now.”
“So, what is your goal?”
“To get into the lord’s castle and take every last valuable item.”
Marcus asked, “Aren’t you aiming for something else?”
“I roughly know where the treasures in the lord’s castle are. Why would I aim for anything else when the real valuables are right there?”
“These days the Central Magic Tower is busy researching demons. You wouldn’t happen to be interested in the demons of your own territory, would you?”
It was the first time since the conversation began that Sonia lost her composure.
Her mouth fell open and her pupils trembled. It was almost comical.
“…How did you know?”
“How? You said you’d been to Middlemarch. Didn’t you believe me?”
“Then the part about going to the top of the Magic Tower…?”
“The view looking down from above the clouds was spectacular. The Tower Master told me to drop by anytime.”
“That was too much.”
When Sonia pointed it out firmly, Marcus made a strange gesture.
He clenched his fist, extended his thumb and pinky, then brought his thumb to his mouth and his pinky to his forehead.
Sonia exclaimed in admiration.
“So it really was true.”
Only Marcus and Sonia understood the gesture.
“Marcus. What was that just now?”
At Elbridge’s question, Marcus hesitated.
“That… is an oath to speak only the truth.”
“With just that hand sign?”
“Swearing to the gods too often is disrespectful… So this is an alternative created for such situations.”
Elbridge, Rombel, Heinz, and Walter all nodded and imitated Marcus’s hand sign.
They looked as if they had learned something good today.
Marcus hurriedly steered the conversation back to the main topic.
“Anyway, Sonia. Be honest. What is your real purpose?”
Since she had already reacted, there was no point in denying it.
Sonia put on the most serious expression she could manage.
“Let me say this first. I had nothing to do with the territory ending up like this.”
“I understand. Just tell us.”
Sonia hesitated a little longer before speaking.
“My father had a hobby of collecting glass beads.”
“Glass beads?”
“…Strange beads with smoke-like shapes wriggling inside them.”
Elbridge and Rombel knew exactly what those beads were. They were seals containing demonic cores.
There were many types of seals… but mages liked making them look like glass beads the most. Something about spheres being stable.
“I only learned what those beads really were after I went to the Magic Tower, so please don’t misunderstand…”
However, everyone except Elbridge and Rombel seemed unable to grasp what the beads were.
Marcus asked, “Why are we suddenly talking about beads?”
“That’s…”
Sonia could not easily answer.
But once she answered this question, the next one would be even harder to answer.
That was why Elbridge cut in between the two and asked the most important question.
“Sonia. You said Viscount Dickens collected those beads.”
“That’s right.”
Collecting meant gathering similar items.
In other words, if someone only had one, it would not be called a collection.
“How many of those beads did your father possess?”
Sonia answered awkwardly.
“Quite… a lot?”
After awakening from his seal, Elbridge counted the demons he had encountered so far.
The Black Giant. The flower demon beneath the Central Magic Tower. The God of the Flowing Water.
‘Even setting the God of the Flowing Water aside… it seems we must assume a great demon was also released from its seal.’
The Black Giant. The flower demon. And a great demon.
Elbridge asked, “Sonia.”
“Yes?”
“By your standards, would three be considered a large number?”
“…No.”
It was the same as saying there was a bomb in Dickens Territory. And a very large one at that.
The world before Elbridge and Rombel’s eyes went dark.