La Tarajue, La Saqat, Because It Is the Hero (4)
'Help me. You're the only one I can ask.'
'Seriously, asking a demon for help? Does she have a brain or not?'
Probably not. Not just in this situation, but Emilia had never been the type to think things through deeply from the start. That was Mona's assessment of the woman named Emilia.
Of course, it didn't mean Emilia was stupid. Her cognitive abilities weren't lacking either. But living alone for so long without bearing any real responsibilities, and solving everything easily with the Hero's Blessing, had shaped her into who she was now. You could call it a lack of life experience. Setting aside Mona's perspective after living for centuries, even from an ordinary human's viewpoint, Emilia was still a green rookie.
Right now, Mona was flying swiftly through the gardens in front of the Imperial Palace. Along the way, she'd already spotted the group of knights slaughtered by that black knight, collected all their swords turned into gruesome corpses, and stored them in the shadows. The swords, tucked into shadows, could be transmitted anytime through the linked shadow of Emilia.
Even now, as Emilia fought the black knight and her swords shattered one after another, Mona was pulling them out in real time for her. But the stockpile of swords gathered from beside the knights' corpses was starting to run low.
'What a mess this is.'
'Master's gonna chew me out.'
In the end, Mona had agreed to Emilia's request. Please, just let her fight that black knight. It probably wasn't Emilia's own will so much as the blessing engraved into her very soul pushing her forward. It was beyond what Mona's spells could suppress—if she'd tried to crush it with magic, the spells on Emilia might have all shattered and unraveled instead.
'That would've been the worst. I'd probably get sliced before that dumb Death Knight.'
With no real choice, Mona had no option but to grant Emilia's request. On top of that, she couldn't just let Emilia die, so she'd provide maximum support.
'But it's not all bad.'
'The Death Knight just broke free from its seal, so its performance won't even reach half its prime.'
'I went through the same thing.'
Mona had been bound by a completely different kind of seal, but after breaking free from centuries of restraint, her abilities had plummeted excessively for a while. Replenishing the mana drained empty by the seal took considerable effort and time too.
Emilia was young and inexperienced, but as an active hero, she might just hold her own. Yes, if only she had a proper weapon.
A weapon that could fully withstand Emilia's power in a proper clash with the enemy—then she'd have a real chance. And that's why Mona was flying so nimbly now: to procure weapons for Emilia.
'A request to a demon race, of all things.'
'We're a race of contracts. Ask for something, and we'll demand an equivalent price.'
This rampage of Emilia's wasn't entirely bad for that very reason. By granting her selfish wish, Mona could demand compensation from her. As payment, Mona's spells dominating Emilia would grow even stronger. Her control, and all other influences.
This incident had made her realize anew just how dangerous the Hero's Blessing was. With that blessing's power, Emilia might have been able to shake off Mona's spells at any time. But if the spells' dominance strengthened from this, and settled deeper into Emilia's flesh and soul over time, the blessing would no longer be a threat.
Either way, she'd need to keep a close watch.
'……'
"…As expected, that blessing."
Muttering low to herself as she flew over the forest and through the sky toward her target via the shortest path, Mona thought of Emilia's 【Blessing】. It definitely held the power and will to shrug off even Mona's spells. Yet when Emilia was actually under Mona's control, it hadn't helped at all.
As if it didn't care either way, the blessing had been useless, letting her tumble and roll as a plaything. And now, with the emergence of a dangerous ancient noble-class Death Knight, it was starting to show its effects. Above all, it had ignited an abnormal battle spirit in Emilia.
Not for herself, but for others. Not for her own sake, but for strangers. It forcibly fanned those feelings.
It felt almost like a curse.
"……I see it."
Hiding her form with illusion magic, she slipped past the sentries standing guard and entered. Luckily, the space she sought had no special locks right now.
Mona had arrived at the castle armory. Suspending herself in midair, she stopped in the neatly organized space packed with swords, spears, axes, maces, shields, and all sorts of armor.
A couple of soldiers were inside, but she put them straight to sleep with a sleep-inducing spell. Now nothing stood in her way.
"You have to survive first and foremost, Lia."
"Setting everything else aside, I really want Lia to live, no matter what."
Mona descended to the floor. The shadow at her feet writhed like a living creature, expanding in an instant to blanket the armory.
She wasn't sending everything. Mediocre weapons were worse than none. Deeper in, the more precious ones. Weapons for special missions, given to elite knights—she engulfed them in shadow and transmitted them wholesale to Emilia.
"You know, Lia, I really like you♪"
In the quiet depths of the armory, with no one to stop her, Mona murmured playfully as she quietly pilfered the weapons. That bewitching smile was perfectly demonic—brimming with wickedness and innocence alike.
* * *
A bizarre shadow spread wide across the banquet hall. Pulsing faintly with strange mana, it trembled as all sorts of armaments slowly rose from it: swords, spears, axes, massive morningstars with flails attached.
Those emerging from the shadow gleamed with an otherworldly luster and carried an eerie aura, far from ordinary iron blades.
Emilia grabbed one sword that had surfaced nearby, drawing it into her hand.
Schwing— The blade cut the air with a crisp ring.
She gripped the hilt repeatedly, gauging the sword's weight, then held it two-handed and charged the black knight.
The shadow flooding the floor receded and vanished swiftly. But the armaments that had sprouted from it remained standing in place, as if awaiting their wielder.
"―――――――!"
Shiiing! Silver light and gleaming gold roared through the banquet hall.
A speed and momentum no ordinary person could even perceive, yet the black knight raised its greatsword from the floor without missing a beat.
But—
A weight and shock utterly unlike before—
The black knight's feet cracked the floor as it was pushed back.
――What?
――The weight of that strike… it's completely different…?
Kagagagagak…!
Emilia's sword and the black knight's clashed, locked in a test of strength.
Until now, Emilia's style had been light, swift footwork for hit-and-away tactics. When forced into close quarters, she'd parry and deflect with all her power. Given the size difference, and her clear disadvantage in raw strength, it made sense.
――But… why…?
Why charge head-on like this now? Even locked blade-to-blade, Emilia was still being pushed back. Her strength was undeniably inferior. So why clash directly now?
As the black knight puzzled over it, the pressured Emilia wore a solemn expression, utterly unconcerned, and chanted a familiar incantation.
"【Roar】."
⟨ Roar ⟩
A simple, curt phrase. Barely qualifying as a spell—more like casual encouragement.
But the result was extraordinary.
『……!!!!』
Bwooooong—!
The blade, glowing silver from Emilia's aura, became entwined with a colorless storm defying description.
A small storm. Nothing else could describe it. Barely enough to envelop the blade, yet the ferocious whirlwind raging within that tiny space was impossible to ignore.
Anything caught in its currents would be shredded to pieces—no living thing spared.
Kik, kik, kik, kik!
The black knight's greatsword slipped from the clash, wobbling unstably. No more contest of strength. What pressed and tore at it now wasn't Emilia alone, but the storm she commanded—!
"Ha…."
"Haaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
A mithril longsword, superior in durability and mana conductivity to plain iron. Infused with her full mana, whipping up that storm, Emilia finally overwhelmed the black knight, shoving its blade back.