Public Enemy: The Nightmare of the West (2)

At the foot of Mount Ellepub, mages in violet robes stood in orderly ranks.

Some important guest must have been coming. Unlike their usual selves — unwashed, disheveled, and utterly consumed by magical research — every last one of them had cleaned up for the occasion.

The head of the column belonged, of course, to the Tower Master, dressed with immaculate care. Beside her stood a blonde girl, adorned more splendidly than anyone else present.

"Breny, are you sleepy?"

Riella gently brushed aside the bangs of the child leaning against her.

"Yeah. I'm so tired."

Her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyelids fluttered in a vacant blink. She looked ready to slip under at any second.

"Just a little longer."

An important meeting lay ahead. Riella had no choice but to keep her awake.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm a hero, so I have to endure it!"

Faced with that pure-hearted declaration, a smile rose of its own accord. This was the child who had given her back a real laugh — not the painted-on kind, but the genuine article. By now, Breny was as good as family.

She had appeared out of nowhere, planted herself square in the middle of Riella's life, and become someone she could no longer imagine doing without. A meeting that had turned into a turning point.

Talking with Breny never failed to restore her spirits, no matter how exhausted she was. And yet, every so often, she would catch herself overlaying the girl's face with Erin's — the sister she had lost — and measuring one against the other.

That sunny disposition. That extraordinary talent. A Sage, so terribly young. They shared so much that the resemblance itself felt like a crime. Had she simply been looking for someone to take Erin's place?

"I have something I want to ask."

Riella pulled herself out of her thoughts and focused on the small voice.

"What is it?"

"Is it going to be hard to see Clitia from now on?"

The question drew a bitter smile. So they even shared that — the way Breny adored Clitia.

"Why did she leave in such a hurry?"

"I don't know either."

Her expression had gone hard all of a sudden, and then she had simply gone. Riella had never seen her look so grave. She hadn't even managed to ask what was wrong.

"I already miss her."

"You'll see her again."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Honestly, she couldn't be sure. If Clitia kept living the way she did — chasing defeat — there was no telling when she might die.

"Then I'll train extra hard at magic until we meet again!"

Better a lie than the truth, if the truth would only make her sad. Breny's brightened face confirmed it had been the right call.

"They're here."

The Vice Tower Master, who had been waiting at a distance, announced the arrival of their long-awaited guests.

At last. Riella straightened her posture and practiced her expression.

A short while later, one human and one orc arrived at the foot of Mount Ellepub.

"Welcome to our Magic Tower."

Riella greeted them with a bright smile, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sneaking a glance at the Hero as she did.

Long hair the color of fresh blood, and eyes of platinum. Seeing her in the flesh, Riella could more or less understand why everyone who'd laid eyes on the Hero had made such a fuss.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tower Master. I am Selen, the Hero."

Even her voice was crisp and clear. It wasn't merely pretty — a firm will ran through it. This was no ordinary person. Only after realizing that did Riella feel the upright strength the girl's beauty had been concealing.

A trained body, mana, holy power, the scent of nature. Every element was present in even, harmonious measure.

Thank goodness.

Unlike her predecessor, this one was the real thing. A Hero she could trust with Breny.

"It's nice to meet you. And the gentleman beside you is...?"

"An adventurer traveling with her for the time being. Name's Giph."

Riella kept her face neutral, but inwardly she was impressed. Giph — that was the S-class adventurer famous under the alias Gale Winter Wolf.

"I'm embarrassed to admit I'm still clumsy with Aura, so I've been receiving instruction from Master Giph."

"I see."

Clitia would have loved this. Without quite meaning to, Riella found herself scanning for someone who might actually be able to beat her friend.

"Breny, go on and say hello."

"Who's that?"

Breny looked bewildered, but ducked her head in a little bow all the same.

"Don't tell me — is this...?"

"Yes. This child is the Sage."

Curiosity lit Selen's eyes. She didn't hesitate. She strode right up.

The first meeting of Hero and Sage was about to begin.

"Sage, I look forward to working with you."

"..."

A hand marked with the traces of hard training was extended. But the one who was supposed to take it had already vanished behind Riella's back.

Typical. Breny was painfully shy with strangers; there was no way she'd warm up on a first meeting. They would need time to grow close.

"I'll show you to the Tower for now."

A snap of her fingers. A massive magic circle bloomed in midair and flared with brilliant light. The next instant, everyone nearby found themselves standing in a spacious, comfortably appointed room.

"This is our Tower's lounge. Please, talk among yourselves."

"Understood."

Selen, who had been looking around with open wonder, nodded firmly.

"Breny, stay with this unni, all right?"

"Okay..."

She looked so downcast it was hard not to worry. Still, the Hero seemed like a kind person. Breny would open up soon enough.

Riella pushed the anxiety aside as best she could and ushered everyone but the Hero and the Sage out of the room.

"All of you, back to your work."

The mages returned to their laboratories, leaving only Riella and Giph behind.

"Feels like I've set down a heavy load."

"I'm still nervous, personally."

Their moods were different, but their positions ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were much the same.

"Now we just watch and let them figure it out, don't we?"

"I suppose we do."

A companion had joined the Hero. With that, the Hero's party had been officially formed — even if it was only two people for now.

They were not to interfere with a journey undertaken in the sun's stead. From here on, all they could do was cheer them on.

"I could use some rest."

"Would you like a tour of the Tower first? I'll show you around."

"I won't refuse."

Riella moved off with Giph, falling into easy conversation.

"How did you come to be teaching the Hero?"

"A friend asked me to."

"They must be a good person."

"Personality's a disaster, but they're not a bad friend. Doesn't look it, but they're more devout than anyone I know."

The description had a strangely familiar ring.

"I have a friend like that too. She said she'd help the Sage grow — and then tried to fight her herself."

"..."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The same thought had struck them both at once.

"Don't tell me. Clitia?"

"You mean that odd girl who announced she was going to put the entire Hero's party through mental training?"

"The former Saintess with a taste for fighting just so she can lose."

They had found a shared interest they could talk about all day. Both of them huffed a quiet laugh.

The western reaches of the continent were land the Empire and every other nation had given up on. To the left of the great mountain range that held Mount Ellepub and the Purple Magic Tower, trade was difficult and the ground unfit for living — effectively abandoned.

That was the human view of it, anyway. In truth, all manner of plants, animals, and monsters lived there just fine. An unpolluted ecosystem. A little rough around the edges, but the natural world had been left exactly as it was. People even moved here on purpose, more often than you'd think.

Elves and fairies, mostly. Races that ached to watch humanity tear up the landscape. A vast country of those who loved nature, with no nation to speak of — only countless small communities formed by people who understood one another.

Which was probably how the Corpse Locust swarms had been able to grow so large. The region was so enormous that word barely traveled, and the damage had only gotten worse because of it.

"Keep going straight."

I moved in silence, following Sun-bask's navigation. Grass grew to my knees, and the ground was a slog of wet mud. Unpleasant walking. We weren't making good time.

Why this route, of all things? Sun-bask's guidance wouldn't be wrong, so I swallowed the complaint.

"Lady Clitia."

"What."

"Do you really think it's that person?"

"Beats me."

The owner of the miasma that had been searching for me so desperately. The same one who'd spouted that garbage about dragging the Goddess down from her throne. I'd been startled enough to come running west, but I still wasn't sold.

"A Corpse Locust's host is just a corpse."

"That's right."

"So there's no way any ego would still be in there."

The miasma had come from the swarm's leader. Meaning that thing was the author of those hideous love letters.

"It's too weird."

"It really is."

How would a lowly insect monster even know who I was, let alone come looking for me? The conclusion that followed was absurd. Reasonable inference couldn't stretch that far. I needed to grow the theory in a different direction.

"I'll know whatever there is to know once I meet it."

Just run into it head-on. No amount of clever guessing was going to beat an answer I went out and got myself.

"We good to go?"

"They're nearby. You may begin at once."

I dropped low and gathered my mana. Aura erupted upward as if it were burning crimson. I loaded it with fighting spirit strong enough to feel from a long way off.

Before long, presences closed in from every direction — and with them, a stench that punched straight up the nose.

"Come on, then."

Walking corpses stepped into view. My field of vision filled end to end with rotting bodies.

A quiet atmosphere. For all their numbers, there was no sound. They just stared me down, pressing in with a silence thick enough to choke on.

Dogs. Horned monsters. Elves. Each one showing off a different kind of charm. Maybe Corpse Locusts were monsters more devoted to individuality than to trends.

"Quit staring."

I wrapped the Aura I'd been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pouring upward around my whole body.

"I'm here to exterminate some pests."

As if the words were a signal flare, they charged all at once.

A laughable offensive. I shattered the first corpse to reach me with a kick and leapt into the air. I had no intention of dragging this out. Picking them off one by one would have been a pain.

I compressed Aura into both feet and landed on the dirt. A violent crimson wave surged up. Aura rolled out in every direction along with the mud, and the whole stretch of ground was swept clean.

Plenty of corpses farther out still hadn't fallen, though. Ordinary monsters would have panicked and run. These things seemed to think numbers were all that mattered, and they came at me again.

The same thing happened over. Waves of red Aura kept sweeping through in every direction.

One last time.

The horde crumbled away until only a single corpse was left standing.

"Hey. Tell your boss."

I pinned a Corpse Locust occupying a dead elf's body with Aura as I spoke.

"Clitia's here."

A frontal assault. Taking the long way around didn't suit my temperament. If something was looking for me, I wouldn't be satisfied until I'd shoved my head right in its face.

"..."

Black smoke leaked from the crushed corpse. Visualized miasma — proof that its viciousness ran far past the ordinary.

"The leader is sending its will again."

"Translate."

The sheer nonsense of it left me speechless.

"Just get ready to get hit."

I finished the messenger and started moving again.

"Head northwest this time."

"Got it."

Hit and run. An effective tactic against an overwhelmingly larger enemy.

I kept moving, following Sun-bask's guidance. A meeting that would be anything but pleasant was waiting for me.