Hero Party: Selen and Breny (1)
Mana flowed through a fairy's body.
At their core, they were closer to nature than to living creatures. They played the occasional dangerous prank, but never out of malice. They were a race like children, with pure white spirit-worlds for minds.
Perhaps for that reason, they were a poor fit for battle. And quite apart from temperament, they had one serious problem.
The innate limit of a body made of mana.
The moment Aura touched them, they were absorbed or annihilated outright. Not a trace remained—like a droplet vanishing into a river. Mana was their closest kin, and also their most fatal weakness.
So fairies lived lives far removed from the battlefield.
Ordinarily, that was how it went.
This is a bit of a problem.
"Then come up with a plan."
I was currently locked in a standoff with the Great Warrior of the Hero party—a fairy.
Unfocused teal eyes. A soft, boyish face. A multicolored pastel halo. He looked every bit the classic fairy, but his behavior was nothing of the kind. Brainwashed, it seemed; he came at me like a doll and attacked without pause.
Here he comes again!
A tiny fist flew in and landed. Surprisingly solid for its size. It hurt, but nowhere near enough to put me down.
I couldn't subdue him easily either. Use Aura and he dies, so I couldn't even defend properly. Bare fists did nothing—the fairy-tale halo always shining at his back nullified physical impact.
In other words, the situation lined up against me with exquisite precision. Maybe that was why Liam had sent the Great Warrior out. A thoroughly annoying little stunt.
Dodging the endless stream of tiny fists, I forced my brain to work.
"Must be a mutant Corpse Locust that did this to him."
Probably.
Talk of joining forces, and all along he'd meant to take control of me however he liked. I'd nearly fallen for that slimy little scheme.
I had to knock the fairy out cleanly and dig the Corpse Locust out of his body. Whether that was even realistic was another question. Moments like this made me bitterly regret not being able to use Holy Power. This Aura of mine had limits that were far too clear-cut.
Then the Great Warrior dropped from the sky on a sharp diagonal. Judging by the angle, he was aiming for my waist. I twisted slightly, and his small body slammed into the ground.
My chance.
I gathered the surrounding dirt with Aura and buried him under it—packed firm enough to pass for a grave. Fairies weren't a race that died of suffocation anyway. I'd bought time; now I could think of a way out.
"I'll have to ask a mage."
The solution that came to me was, in the end, magic—the same as a cheat key.
Perfect timing. The Hero party is on their way to link up with the Great Warrior!
"Exactly."
Breny ought to be able to pull just the Corpse Locust out. Leave a childlike race to a child—that was the way of things.
"I'll rest until they get here."
As always, my body was fine. My mind was steeped in exhaustion. Liam back from the dead. The Goddess's true intent. My head ached as if something were stabbing through the confusion. The past few days of stench turned out to have been minor hardship by comparison.
I needed rest. Time to step away from reality and cool my head—just until the Hero party arrived. Even briefly, I wanted to forget everything and sleep.
They'd said they were leaving the Magic Tower in three days, so it would take longer than that in practice. For now, I decided to find a decent place to wait.
First I used Aura to wrap the dirt burying the Great Warrior into a sphere—a kind of natural isolation chamber for a fairy. Sorry, but he was staying locked up for a while.
"Find me somewhere as quiet as you can."
A little later, Sun-bask pointed the way. Eager to lie down, I cradled the dirt sphere and hurried off.
It's a fair walk. Could you tell me a story on the way?
"What kind of story?"
What happened to you after the excommunication?
A rather sudden question.
"Why do you want to know?"
Because I'm curious! I woke up and you were fighting with your fists—and you're ridiculously strong. Just now you one-shot that terrifyingly changed Hero, even if I did help a little!
Maybe the tension had finally eased. Sun-bask was chattering more than she had in ages.
Just a tiny hint!
"All right, all right. Calm down."
You'll tell me?
"Ask one thing at a time."
We might as well talk on the way. Sun-bask was going to stay with me; this much was fine.
Then how did you learn to use Aura?
"I was taught, obviously. Remember that reclusive elf I met a while back?"
…That person?
Sun-bask's reaction was openly reluctant.
So that's why Lady Clitia got rougher than before. You drank it in!
"I haven't changed."
We kept talking as we headed for the resting place. Her constant prattle was noisy, but at least I wasn't bored.
"We'll be back."
"See you later!"
Giph watched the Hero and the Sage recede toward the west, then glanced sideways.
"You all right?"
"…No. I'm worried."
Riella couldn't tear her eyes from the Sage skipping cheerfully away—like a parent fretting over a child to an almost absurd degree.
Fair enough.
After losing her little sister, of course she was anxious. Time itself was a problem she admitted she couldn't easily fix.
"Vice Tower Master."
"You called for me."
But Riella was the master of the Purple Magic Tower. She was not the sort to wring her hands and stamp her feet in helpless worry.
"I'm counting on you."
"Leave it to me."
Only after the Vice Tower Master set out after the Hero party did Riella's face ease.
"Is this really all right?"
Now that the Hero party had been formally formed, overprotection had to be set aside. They needed room to grow on their own.
"The Vice Tower Master is going out to survey the western situation."
"…Understood."
It wasn't being done with ill intent, so calling her on it felt awkward. As long as she didn't cross the line too far, it would probably be fine. Giph nodded and spoke.
"Then I'll be on my way as well."
"Already?"
"Thanks to traveling with the Hero, I couldn't take commissions for a while and lost my adventurer credentials. I need to get them restored."
A nuisance, but he didn't regret it. Teaching the Hero and helping her grow had been worthwhile service.
"Then I'll see you there."
"I'd appreciate it."
The two of them crossed from the western side of the Great Mountain Range to the east. Ordinarily it would have meant a long detour or a climb, but for Riella it was a flick of the fingers.
"Ah—there's a message I'd like you to pass to Clitia."
Giph spoke up just before leaving.
"Tell her that on the way to the Magic Tower, I ran into a mutant elf."
"A mutant?"
"That's right."
She was going to be delighted. Somehow, he had that feeling.
"So I won't get to see Riella anymore?"
"That isn't true."
Selen calmly soothed the tearful Breny. Breny had left the Magic Tower so bravely that Selen had thought she was fine. Inside, though, she clearly hadn't wanted to part; tears welled at the corners of her eyes.
"We'll be returning to the Magic Tower before long anyway."
The western continent was ringed by sea. Aside from the north, which was occupied by the Demon King's forces, it was sealed off with nowhere else to go. Once they joined the Great Warrior, the plan was to head back to the Purple Magic Tower.
"Even so, we'll have to leave again. I want to stay with Riella…"
There was no sign of her calming down. Selen decided to use the measure she'd prepared for just this moment.
"Please don't cry. A hero must always be bright."
Advice she'd heard from Riella. It seemed to work; Breny wiped her eyes.
"I wasn't crying."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Because I'm a true hero!"
Her sunny mood bounced right back. Selen smiled warmly.
Thank goodness.
For now she felt less like a comrade and more like an adorable little sister. Still a fledgling Sage. In appearance they were only a few years apart, but Breny seemed a bit younger in truth. Maybe she'd adjusted her looks with magic so she wouldn't be dismissed for being a child. With the Tower Master's skill, that would have been easy enough.
"Come on, let's go!"
The dejected look was gone; Breny was already in high spirits. It was nice to see, but a warning was still in order.
"Please be careful. This is territory held by dangerous monsters. You mustn't wander freely."
The west had become the domain of the Corpse Locusts. If they didn't move with the utmost caution, the Hero party's journey would end right here.
"Oh, right. You said there were lots of bugs?"
"You can think of it that way."
"Got it. I'll make a spell to burn them."
Breny stopped abruptly and closed her eyes. Before long she opened them again and started walking.
"What did you just do?"
"I made a spell."
"…Just now?"
"Yep. One that breathes fire."
A different league entirely. Selen was overwhelmed by a gap in talent so wide comparison felt embarrassing.
"Sage, please teach me magic whenever you have the chance."
She didn't lose heart. If anything, she took it as a chance to learn and grow—a model Hero.
"Okay. I'll teach you."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Riella said a Sage should get along with the Hero."
Selen smiled faintly and drew her sword.
"From here on, please stay focused. And prepare yourselves for combat."
The Hero party's first mission. Giving orders still sat on her like clothes that didn't quite fit.
"Got it, Hero!"
Even so, Breny followed with eager energy—the kind of attitude that lent courage.
"Then we'll move out."
The Great Warrior's location rose naturally in her mind. Selen advanced slowly with Breny, toward the direction where their new comrade waited.
And so several days passed.
Amazingly, not a single battle broke out.
"Why aren't any enemies showing up?"
"I don't know either."
Something was wrong. The Corpse Locusts that were supposed to swarm the place were nowhere to be seen. Corpses, though—those were everywhere, slumped in every direction. Nothing living moved. Only the stench refused to stay still, billowing thick and foul.
What happened here?
They must have abandoned their hosts and fled. Every last one. Or the leader specimen might be dead. Without the head of the swarm, they had a habit of self-destructing.
It was still too early to be sure of total annihilation. Even so, this was enough to form a preliminary judgment.
I should report to Lady Riella.
Clearing this many corpses would require the Purple Magic Tower's help. Even then, it would take a long time to resolve.
"Selen, this place is weird…"
"We should hurry to the Great Warrior."
They weren't far now. Meet him, ask what had happened—that should do it.
As they pressed on, a rather fine wooden house came into view. No corpses nearby, only trees and grass. No stench either—just the smell of earth and fresh air. A choice spot.
"Is that it?"
"It is."
What did the Great Warrior look like? What kind of person was he? Curiosity in hand, they started forward—and the door opened. A woman stepped out.
Someone Selen knew.
"Why is she here…"
The Banished Saintess. The Public Enemy who had taught her and left had shown herself again.
She had to warn Breny. By the time that thought turned her around, Breny was already running straight at Clitia.
"You mustn't! That woman is a notorious—"
"Clitia!"
Selen stopped mid-sentence, eyes wide.
"You took off all of a sudden—what are you doing out here?"
"I had something to do."
They were talking like old friends. Breny had even run up and thrown her arms around her. Selen couldn't make sense of any of it.
"Hero."
Clitia spoke to Selen, who stood frozen with her mouth open.
"I've got the Great Warrior with me."
It was the sudden confession of a kidnapper.