Former Hero, Now-Unemployed Liam (1)
"Where might this place be?"
Logan put on a deliberately bewildered voice.
"Don't ask me."
Clitia slapped that cold back in protest.
"You said you could follow the trail."
"I have come to realize that pride is an emotion one must always be wary of."
The rough plains of the Wasteland Stretch stretched out around them, empty in every direction — the kind of country where losing one's way was almost inevitable.
"This is your fault, so take responsibility and figure something out."
"If we search at our leisure, we are bound to arrive eventually."
"You crazy bastard."
Vulgar swearing. Logan generally disliked both hearing such language and the sort of person who used it — but Clitia was the exception. If anything, it fascinated her. Speech habits were the sort of thing a convent usually stamped out. In truth, Clitia's very temperament set her apart from other nuns. From first to last, the former Saintess was anything but ordinary, and that alone was more than enough to stir one's curiosity.
Her activities after the excommunication were equally intriguing. Why had she gone around attacking people? And what was the source of a faith that endured even after the Goddess herself had turned away?
"My apologies. Think of it as a journey, and put your mind at ease."
Was that why? Without quite meaning to, Logan pretended to lose track of the earth spirit that had been leading the way. The result was an environment well suited to a great deal of conversation.
You are such a pervert.
Karita, from within, denounced her out of nowhere.
I merely wish to know my companion better.
Sure you do.
Karita clearly did not believe a word. It was frustrating, but this was not an opponent worth arguing with — the landlord who could evict Logan from this body at any moment. As a tenant, one had to stay in her good graces.
"Shall we catch up on some overdue chatter as we walk?"
"Forget it. Just find the way properly."
"Have no fear, and place your trust in me alone. It shan't take even a day."
Logan strode forward with complete confidence.
And it was only after six full days that they finally drew near a village.
"I'm never trusting you again."
"My apologies…"
She wanted to die of embarrassment. Though, technically, she was already dead.
"Finally."
Familiar chunks of stone lay scattered here and there. At last, we were close to the Crimson Bandits' hideout. Just how long had we been wandering? Logan, so sure of herself at the start, had only grown more flustered with each passing day.
"Are we there?"
And now she was being carried on my back — or more precisely, Karita was, the body's true owner.
"When is Logan coming out?"
"Dunno. She says she's embarrassed."
A childish way of speaking that didn't match the old-fashioned tone at all. Now, at least, it suited the appearance.
"Tell her not to get cocky next time."
"She's listening right now."
"Say it again anyway. So she gets it through her head."
All this suffering because someone had let that mole spirit get away for no good reason. If I weren't the type who didn't need to eat, I'd probably be at death's door by now.
"It's hot here. Let's go already."
"Alright."
I walked at a brisk pace, then suddenly realized something odd. The whole reason I'd envied spirit arts was that they could serve as a means of transportation — and yet here I was, carrying a spirit on my back.
"Karita, turn into a tiger."
"Why."
"Give me a ride."
"No. You're not my contractor."
Karita shook her head in chilly refusal.
"We made a contract last time."
"I just squeezed you in a little between me and Logan."
So that was why she'd called it a loophole.
"Then what am I to you?"
"The person who carries me."
"……"
In other words: I won't help, but take care of me. Thanks to someone, I'd ended up babysitting.
"I'm bored. Hurry up."
"Fine."
Protesting would only wear out my mouth. I just kept walking in silence. Before long, a village came into view in the distance.
"Huh?"
It looked nothing like the place I remembered.
Something's quite strange, isn't it?
"Yeah."
This wasn't a simple change. It was a complete overhaul. The entire village had been painted pink.
"It's the same color as your hair."
I blankly accepted the little hand that playfully tugged and twisted at my hair.
"This can't be a coincidence."
Surely not.
Someone had caused an incident connected to me. Given the circumstances, there was no other possibility.
Could the other world's Liam be the culprit, perhaps?
A highly persuasive theory. Who else but that guy would orchestrate this kind of pink visual assault?
"Don't just stand there."
Karita fussed, so I picked up the pace. Then I spotted the Blackstone Horse lingering at the village entrance. As I drew near, it snorted and came toward me. I'd thought it only followed Eluke, but it seemed to have grown attached to me as well — it was even being affectionate.
"Where's your master?"
I gave it a light stroke as I asked, and its long black mane whipped around. I followed its gaze.
…What might that be?
There was a building I'd never seen before. It looked like a log cabin, but the material was actually earth — a finely crafted house built with magic from the surrounding environment. Probably Brenny's handiwork. It resembled the place we'd briefly stayed in the West, so that had to be it.
But there was an extremely irritating decoration: a round signboard painted with Liam's face and mine. You could tell it had been done by hand with painstaking care, not by magic.
That would be the other world's Clitia, I would imagine.
"It had better be."
My suspicions only grew. What on earth had happened while I was gone? I approached the suspicious earthen house first.
"You've got to be kidding me."
I stopped mid-step and immediately backed away.
"What's that sound?"
"You don't need to know."
I was freshly reminded of the difference between Eluke and me.
The two of you must have missed each other terribly while you were apart.
"There's missing someone and then there's that."
I wondered if this was how she'd felt whenever I wanted to lose. A version of "me" generous enough to even grant me some self-reflection. I had no choice but to wait near the house. Walking into a pink village alone was somehow intimidating. I needed Eluke's calm explanation of the situation — though after she finished what she was doing, she'd probably look rather disheveled.
Just then, the Blackstone Horse came over and lay down beside me, as if telling me to lean on it comfortably.
"You're better than people."
I sat back against its hard spine and stretched out my legs, then set Karita on top of me.
"Why are we doing this?"
"There's a reason."
How long did we wait? After quite a long time, the door opened and Eluke came out, her face flushed a deep red. I hadn't known my face was even capable of making that expression. Then our eyes met.
"Hey."
"Ah."
A variety of meanings, exchanged in a single syllable each. Silence briefly took over the atmosphere.
"What are you doing out here?"
Then a perfectly intact Liam also stepped out — and froze, wearing nothing but a pair of loose trousers.
"……"
I looked at the two of them quietly, then opened my mouth.
"Banned. For the time being."
The two of them meekly accepted their punishment.
"It's nicer than I expected."
The interior of the earthen house was ordinary — an unremarkable, inoffensive layout. The only distinctive feature was Brenny's gold, showing through here and there. The furniture consisted of nothing more than a table, chairs, and a bed. Not exactly luxurious, but it had a reasonably cozy atmosphere.
"Please, do have some."
I took a sip of the Forest Labyrinth that Eluke, seated across the table, had offered. A flavor like wandering lost through a woodland maze danced across my tongue.
"Is that tasty?"
"It'd melt your body if you drank it."
"I'm a Highest Spirit."
"Still no."
I ignored the short arms waving for a taste and kept sipping.
"But what is that spirit, if I may ask?"
"Tell her yourself."
I gave the crystal-bright hair a light stroke. Karita pulled the hand down and crossed her arms.
"A pleasure. The Clitia of another world is rather well-behaved, I see."
Eluke's eyes widened slightly.
"Surely you aren't…"
"I am Logan. I have walked a different fate from the friend you knew, however."
"You were alive?"
Eluke blinked rapidly, as if she couldn't believe it. Even I still worried this might be a dream, so it was only natural.
"I thought Clitia's eyes had looked different, somehow."
"Did they?"
"Just a little, but they have grown brighter."
How had I looked before, exactly? I never thought anything of it when I looked in a mirror, so I couldn't understand.
"Did the me of your world not possess this technique?"
"Liam had grown so powerful there was no need to develop it."
"Well. I used it because I was anxious, you see."
Eluke exchanged a few more words with Logan, then looked at me and smiled gently.
"You must be glad?"
I was, of course — but I felt contrary for no good reason.
"Not as glad as you, I'm sure."
"……"
That always-composed face flushed red.
"I apologize."
"You know perfectly well what I've been through, so why do you keep doing this?"
Especially that love they'd shared on the second floor last time — that had crossed a line.
"Once Liam starts using his hands, I simply cannot…"
"Enough. Stop talking."
I covered her mouth. Any more and I'd get dizzy.
"That fellow is trouble wherever one goes."
"Tell me about it."
The other world's Liam was outside right now. I'd barred him from coming in because I couldn't stand the sight of him, for any number of reasons.
"Liam caused other incidents too, didn't he?"
"Yes. First, I must confess that I found it rather difficult to stop him."
She even bowed her head deeply, looking apologetic.
"Summarize and explain."
"Understood."
Eluke began her explanation obediently.
"While I looked away for a moment, Liam concealed his identity and approached the Hero's party."
"Why?"
"You know his personality, do you not?"
To show off his skills, or because of Selen's looks. Either way, a very Liam-like motive.
"But in the process of getting close to the Hero's party, he seems to have exaggerated your accomplishments."
"How would he know about those?"
"I gave him a rough account of what you had been through."
A sigh escaped on its own. I could already picture the scene in my head.
"The Hero's party kids went along with it, and a weird atmosphere developed, I bet."
"Precisely. In particular, Liam actively put the Guardian up to it — and this is the result."
Eluke pulled a garment out from under the earthen bed. It was a nun's habit — also pink.
"Liam designed it, and the Sage produced it."
A cross with a fist driven through it, drawn across the chest, commanded attention. A bizarre image if there ever was one. The text written underneath was even worse.
"…What is this."
"They say they will cease bandit activities and become a volunteer organization."
My head throbbed. It was a mess from start to finish.
"That's blasphemy. Why didn't you stop them?"
"Liam simply pushed it through, saying the Sun Goddess is a merciful being."
The Goddess would probably let it slide — but that didn't mean you were allowed to commit sins.
"And why did they put my name on it?"
"Liam named it. He was so enthusiastic that no one could oppose him."
"……"
Why was he doing this to me? Memories surfaced of all the sweat I'd poured into cleaning up Liam's countless incidents back in the Hero party days.
"What's the goal?"
"You will be angry."
"I'm already angry, so spit it out."
"He wishes to make you synonymous with the 'Benevolent Saintess.'"
My not-particularly-deep well of patience reached its limit.
"Are you quite all right?"
"Sorry. Let me apologize in advance."
"Pardon?"
I walked past Logan, who was nodding as if to cheer me on, and opened the front door.
"Get over here."
The other world's Liam, who'd been standing around staring at the sky, approached.
"You called?"
"Closer."
He came right up in front of me.
"What's going on?"
"You're going to take it for our Liam's share too."
"What?"
I wrapped Aura around my fist and smashed him in the jaw.
I felt considerably more at peace.