First Kiss (5)
A boar's face, massive tusks jutting from its snout.
A monster larger than two grown men put together. Thick legs held up its bloated bulk, and in its heavy hands it gripped weapons — an iron club in one, a long iron chain in the other.
"Could it be a forest guardian?"
"Absolutely not, in my opinion."
Lowen was no expert on monsters, but there was no mistaking what stood before them. And the danger he felt instinctively put it somewhere between a four and a four-point-five. Several times more dangerous than the ones that had attacked the cathedral last time — a high-threat specimen, no question.
"Saintess, might I ask you to do as you did before?"
"As I did before?"
Ariel tilted her head.
"The Purification Blessing."
A large-scale divine miracle that, among all living Saintesses, only a Grand Saintess could properly wield. Ariel had used it once — last time — and even then it had been incomplete. But given the power it had displayed, it would make short work of this creature.
"About that… I'm sorry."
Ariel bowed her head, apologetic for being of no help.
"I used it unconsciously then… I don't remember how."
She had only learned afterward, when someone told her she had cast the Purification Blessing. Had no one mentioned it, she would never have known. Her mind had gone blank, her eyes rolled back — there was simply no memory of it. She had shown the latent potential to use the Purification Blessing, nothing more. Freely commanding it the way a Grand Saintess could was another matter entirely.
"We'll have no choice but to hide until it moves on, then."
Lowen could fight it, in theory. But monsters were far hardier than people, so bare fists the way he had handled those mercenaries would not cut it. If he had even a single sword, he could sever the creature's tendons and escape cleanly. As it stood, the only thing in their possession that might serve as a weapon was a travel bag. And unnecessary combat was best avoided. The enemy had not noticed them yet — the time to run was now, while they still could. They had neither the duty nor the reason to kill this monster.
"I can't manage the Purification Blessing… but other divine magic, I can use."
Lowen had been ready to choose flight. Ariel was not. A monster like that roaming the forest could cause untold harm. Even if they escaped unharmed now, who could say what would become of the next person to enter these woods? It might even make its way to a village and slaughter everyone there.
"Just trust me."
Ever since the attack, Ariel had taken an active stance on monster subjugation. She no longer talked about persuading them with words. Monsters were living things, yes — but if protecting other lives required it, they had to be dealt with.
"I'm a Saintess too."
Had any other Saintess said those words, they might have been reassuring. Coming from Ariel, they filled him with unease.
"Saintess, I believe it would be better to go to the village and fetch the knights."
"You don't trust me?"
"I do. But if possible, fleeing seems the wiser course right now."
Ariel shook her head firmly.
"If I run, and afterward someone is eaten by that monster… I would never be able to forgive myself."
This stubbornness would not be easily broken. Very well — better to encourage her than to keep holding her back. Wrapping someone in cotton under the name of protection was a sure path to failed guardianship.
"Understood."
Lowen peered past the boulder at the monster. It was snuffling around, nose working as if searching for something, lumbering aimlessly. Not attacking. Not defending. Its neck was completely exposed, the iron chain dragging behind it — a perfect opening for a strike at any moment. In an assassination, this would be the golden opportunity. Nothing guarding the target, the target itself off guard — drive the blade home.
"You must finish it in a single blow."
"Leave it to me."
Ariel gripped her rosary and closed her eyes. Divine magic was cast by constructing a magic circle through prayer, then activating it — much the same way mages chanted before casting a spell.
"I beseech the Lord of Light. Grant me the power of radiance…"
She began to pray. And the moment she did, Lowen realized they should have fled after all.
—Sniff!
The monster that had been wandering about swung its head toward the boulder where Lowen and Ariel were hiding, as if it had caught a scent. Then it hurled its club straight at the rock.
"Damn—!"
Lowen pulled Ariel into his arms and flattened them both against the ground.
—CRASH!
The boulder shattered into a thousand pieces, fragments raining down over Lowen's head.
—GROOOOAR! GRRRH!
Snorting hard, the monster charged. Every time its massive feet struck the earth, a deep thud-thud echoed through the forest.
"Saintess! Quickly!"
To use divine magic, she would have to start the prayer from the beginning. When the boulder broke, Ariel's concentration had shattered with it. The magic circle she had been constructing was a complete mess, and her divine power would have to be reconnected from scratch.
"Th-there's not enough time…!"
Had he said that wrapping someone in cotton was a sure path to failed guardianship? He revised that. Sometimes, you simply had to wrap them up and run.
"Damn it…!"
Lowen scooped Ariel into his arms and ran. The pounding footsteps hammered at the back of his skull, but he ignored them. He gauged the distance by sound alone and kept his eyes forward — leaping over tree roots, sliding past rocks.
"Saintess — use this opening…!"
"Y-yes…!"
Ariel poured every scrap of her concentration into prayer. The sound was getting closer. Focus. The monster's roar slammed against her eardrums. Focus. A chilling dread washed over her. Ariel opened her eyes and glanced sideways at the creature. The monster had reclaimed its club and was already winding up to throw it again.
"Bishop Lowen! You have to dodge!"
At Ariel's urgent cry, Lowen threw himself into a sliding dive, flat on the ground. The moment his back hit the damp earth, the black club whistled through the exact space where his head had been.
"Hah… hah…"
A fraction of a second later and his skull would have been crushed. No — like the shattered boulder at the start, his head would have exploded, fragments scattering in every direction.
We've gotten ourselves into one hell of a mess.
Wasn't it common sense that something that big should move slowly? This monster was the size of a small mountain and still filthy fast. Judging by the speed and destructive force of those thrown clubs, its raw strength was monstrous too. Lowen could toy with ten grown men bare-handed — but facing something like this without a weapon was still beyond him. Strong as he was, he was not invincible. Shaking the monster off alone might be doable. Shaking it off while protecting Ariel was another matter. Carrying her as he ran was its own problem — of course his speed dropped, as if he had been hit with a slow debuff.
Think. Think. Think.
Lowen rose with Ariel still in his arms and started running again. She clung to his neck, watching the pursuing monster. She needed to pray, but she also had to watch their rear — there was no telling what attack might come next.
—GROAR! GROAAAAH!
Frustrated at failing to catch its prey, the monster's roar grew fiercer. Its hooves — shaped like a cow's — smashed into the ground, then it shoved the air behind it and charged.
—BOOM!
The sudden burst of power cracked like an explosion. The boar-like monster barreled forward, shouldering through trees, shattering rock with its tusks, closing the distance.
"I-it's coming!"
Lowen, who had been running full tilt, slammed to a stop as if hitting the brakes and twisted his body sideways. Just before inertia could pitch him forward, he switched his footing in the new direction and ran again.
—CRASH!!
The monster that had launched itself at Lowen smashed through a thick tree trunk, kicking up a cloud of dust.
This was a first. Lowen, who had always been the one aiming for other people's throats, now had his own throat in the crosshairs.
Unpleasant.
Unpleasant — but he felt no guilt. For Lowen, killing had been a method of survival. He had chosen that path so he could live one more day.
"Tsk."
This was no time for thoughts like that. If there was a price to pay, he would pay it in hell soon enough. Right now, he needed to run.
"Another one coming!"
The words had barely left Ariel's mouth before Lowen vaulted a rock and flattened himself over her, shielding her with his body.
—WHOOSH!
The club did not strike the rock they were hiding behind. It sailed wide, past the side of the boulder.
—CRASH!
The sound of the flying club demolishing trees. Trunks toppled; leaves slapped the forest floor. While the falling foliage formed a great green curtain, Lowen slipped them away in a different direction.
"Hah… hah… hff…"
Catching his ragged breath, he thought it through. That last attack had gone significantly wide. The first club throw had targeted the exact boulder where he and Ariel were hiding. The second had aimed precisely at where his head had been. This time, though, the trajectory had not been aimed at him at all — as if the creature had misjudged. Had it been aimed correctly, that rock would have been pulverized too.
He ran the conditions through his mind at speed, hunting for the difference. What was the variable?
Two perfect hits out of three — luck was not a factor. He and Ariel had been together both times. The background was the same forest. The difference between those situations and this one…
There it was.
First: when the monster had initially located them. Second: when it had aimed precisely at his body. Both times, Ariel had been praying, preparing divine magic.
That snuffling, searching behavior. He could not be certain, but the creature could detect divine power by scent.
"Saintess, I'm going to run again — prepare your prayer."
"Y-yes…!"
Ariel nodded, forcing down the tremor in her voice. It was a method that put their lives on the line — but it was the most accurate test available.
Lowen ran. Ariel gripped her rosary and began to pray.
—GRRRH! Sniff!
The monster that had been searching for its lost prey locked onto their position the instant Ariel started praying. Once again it threw its club — and once again it aimed dead-on at Lowen, who was holding the praying Ariel in his arms.
Confirmed.
He dodged the incoming club by a hair's breadth and verified that his guess had been correct.
"Saintess — that monster can sense divine power."
Lowen and Ariel crouched behind a large tree, catching their breath.
—THUD! CRASH-BOOM! CRACK! BANG!
Having lost its prey yet again, the monster flew into a rage, swinging its club wildly and smashing everything in sight.
"Th-then… if I try to use divine magic, it'll find us?"
"Yes."
"Th-then what do we do? I need divine magic to purify it."
The moment he confirmed the creature's sensitivity to divine power, the solution had already settled into place.
"I'll be the bait."
"What?"
Right now, they could hold their breath, crawl away on their bellies, and escape. But Lowen had decided to kill this monster. Ariel's desire to take it down was one reason — but the deeper one was that it was unpleasant. The feeling of a hunter turned into prey. Even with blood washed from his hands, something in his chest clenched like a knot behind the sternum, and his body rejected the situation outright.
Tear that insolent bastard's throat out! Show it clearly who is the hunter and who is the prey!
Instinct was screaming it.
"No. Absolutely not."
Ariel shook her head hard.
"To kill that monster, I have to be the bait."
"H-how are you going to fight something like that…?"
"Did you not just watch me dodge every one of its attacks?"
She had. From very close range, she had seen every movement — vaulting trees, sliding over rocks. She knew. She knew what Lowen had been before he became a bishop. When Seria had stayed at the cathedral, her Holy Knights had mentioned him — that he had once been an escort knight. That he had fought in monster subjugations and protected Seria. Anyone who had served as a Saintess's escort knight would not go down easily.
—RUMBLE! CRASH!
The sound of a falling tree. Ariel flinched, then met Lowen's eyes. They were more serious than she had ever seen them.
"If you're offering to be bait… that means you have a good plan, doesn't it?"
Ariel looked straight into his eyes.
"Yes."
Lowen nodded.
"And if that good plan happens to be… making me run away, then I — I refuse. I would rather die than leave Bishop Lowen behind and run."
She bit her lower lip, looking up at him. Honestly, the monster terrified her. From its destructive attacks to its grotesque appearance, every survival instinct she had was shrieking, Run! Run, damn you! But abandoning someone precious and fleeing alone was no longer something she could accept.
Lowen looked down at her wavering eyes and smiled faintly.
"That's a relief."
"Huh?"
"I can't take that monster down alone."
His firm hand closed around Ariel's small one.
"We take it down together."
Ariel blinked, as if that answer had never crossed her mind. The daze lasted only a moment — then she nodded firmly.
"Yes…!"
Lowen began sketching a web-like diagram in the dirt, explaining the plan.