Heretic (3)
"You might have missed me too. Isn't that right, Miss Noah?"
"Uweh... Uh, ah..."
"You can speak comfortably, you know."
"Y-yes...? B-but just now..."
"Miss Noah, don't tell me you didn't miss me? Was I the only one who missed you? Have you forgotten all the time we spent together?"
"Y-yes...? T-time we spent together...? No, I mean... that's..."
I stood awkwardly between the crystal ball on the table and Rubia, then took one step toward the table—
"Noah. I'm really fine."
—before I could finish taking it, I walked one step back toward Rubia instead.
"She says she's fine. How long has it been since we last met? Won't you even give us a little time to talk? The priestess I know isn't so petty or lacking in understanding. Come closer."
"I-is that... so?"
One step toward the table.
"That's right. Noah. We are always stuck together, aren't we? From the moment I close my eyes at night until I open them in the morning—even when I go to the bathroom, we're practically attached. So chatting a little with Lady Hermila, whom we only meet very occasionally—truly only occasionally—is perfectly fine."
One step toward Rubia.
"I overheard a bit earlier, but... it seems you two aren't exactly ordinary friends?"
Hermila's voice grew even softer, almost silky.
"Of course not. Do you have any idea how sticky our relationship is?"
"Uh, ah... Ru-Rubia...!"
"Is that so? But when Lady Rubia first saw Miss Noah, she didn't seem particularly pleased."
"...Surely not."
"Oh my, was I mistaken? Her expression was clearly unpleasant at the time. I kept explaining that our Noah... had only been active as an adventurer for a short while and asking for her understanding, and she just sighed heavily and nodded along."
"...Did I? Well, I don't know... I don't really remember."
Rubia's breathing began to tremble.
"Well, after everything you've been through, it's only natural to forget. Besides, those kinds of things tend to linger longer in the victim's memory than the perpetrator's... No, no. Hehe, it's been so long since we last met that I got a little too excited. I'm sorry."
"Not at all. Over something like that. Hehehe."
And then, silence.
What... what on earth is this...?
Weren't we just having an incredibly important conversation, steeling our resolve?
My heart was pounding so hard I wanted to kiss Rubia right then and there.
But this bloodcurdling atmosphere is... uh...
They're clearly both smiling... so why is this so terrifying...?
In the silence that followed, I clutched my trembling body and made my way toward the chair beside Rubia.
And then—
"Ah, right. Come to think of it, Noah."
A single word from Rubia shattered the unbearably heavy silence.
"Last night, on the bed—the place I accidentally bit a little too hard. Is it any better? You could barely even put on your underwear."
"...Hahk."
"...Ahaha."
"Shall I put some ointment on it for you?"
"Hic—"
At words that nearly short-circuited my brain, I started hiccupping.
Leaving Rubia's deep smile and the sigh drifting from beyond the crystal behind me, I turned and slowly, carefully climbed up onto Rubia's lap.
The dark shadow that had been hanging over Rubia's face lifted, and a warm smile took its place.
"Ahem... Well... I'm glad you're doing well."
"Yes. It seems you're doing well yourself, Lady Hermila."
"Oh, me? Same as always. Well... I've been a bit busy lately. Hehe."
"I see."
Rubia, who had been stroking my stomach with her left hand and my thigh with her right, stopped and spoke in a slightly more serious tone.
"So then—what is going on here, Lady Hermila?"
Right.
I was curious about that too.
Wasn't Hermila... just a guild receptionist in a small village?
So how is someone like her exchanging messages with Sirin—and looking so close with her?
"Hmm... It's complicated. I'm not sure where to begin explaining."
Hermila answered in that same gentle voice as always, then paused for a moment before continuing.
"First of all—you're aware of the existence of Challengers, correct?"
Her voice carried a bit more weight now.
"Among them, you've met Yuria."
And then—
"And Luci as well, who became a new Challenger."
"...Yes."
"How was he?"
I instinctively understood who the question was directed at, and what it was asking.
Gripping Rubia's hand tightly, I slowly opened my mouth.
"He smiled. Brightly... smiling, he scolded me... And he was incredibly strong."
Honestly, if the me of now were to fight the Luci of back then... I could never win.
The Luci before he died... the Luci who had cut through the world itself...
He was strong beyond anything I could dare to reach.
"I see."
Hermila's voice came with a small sigh.
"You've been through a lot. And thank you, Miss Noah."
"Y-yes..."
"Hoo... Right. We don't have much time, so I'll explain the details when we meet. Let's get straight to the point. To put the main point first—we wish to help all of you. More precisely, you can consider the groundwork already complete."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"A subjugation force that Erden knows nothing about has been assembled. In Urusphier and Cartia. Their numbers are small, but every one of them is thoroughly capable."
"Since when... No, the information Sirin wrote down was only discovered two days ago... How?"
As if she'd expected that exact question, Hermila answered with a laugh.
"You met Lady Jure in Roholan before, didn't you?"
"Lady Jure... Ah."
"We borrowed her ability. In preparation for situations like this, we stationed people in every major city. Thanks to that, we were able to prepare quickly."
"Ahh... Then, is evacuating the residents impossible after all?"
"Yes. Evacuation is impossible, but we can raise a barrier to protect them. So for Urusphier, we've brought in a renowned mage. As for Cartia, Lady Rubia is there, so we didn't make separate arrangements."
"Right... Haha... You've even assessed my abilities thoroughly. Your work is remarkably clean."
"Hehe, this is just the kind of work I always do."
Hermila.
An ordinary receptionist... she's not, is she?
She's incredibly competent...?
"Haa... Really... I'm so relieved."
Having mulled over every word of Hermila's, Rubia let out a sigh of relief and slumped back in her chair.
Feeling her body against mine, I set my greatsword aside with a happy smile, shifted my position, and tightly embraced her limp form.
The sigh of relief that had just left her lips felt so good.
That brief exhale made me feel, deep in my bones, just how enormous a decision Rubia had made.
It made me realize once again that I alone was more precious to her than all those heavy worries.
And yet the arms that held me and refused to let go were so lovable that I couldn't bear to show my face.
I didn't want her to hear the sound of my heart about to burst, or catch my trembling breath.
"Hehe..."
"Is Lady Jure doing well?"
Rubia gently stroked my head as she continued the conversation.
"Of course. She's doing very well. Habron's reconstruction is also progressing nicely. Last time, she was so worried when the connection with Lady Rubia was cut off. Still, it was fortunate that Princess Charlotte was nearby. Well... Princess Charlotte's connection was cut off eventually too."
"Ah, right. Hehehe. It must have been severed during the battle with the Master. Everyone nearly died, after all."
"Yes. Including that, I've heard all sorts of news. Do you have any idea how my heart drops every time word of Miss Noah reaches me?"
"Y-yes...?"
"That pure, naive little kid—no, Miss Noah. She killed thousands of magic beasts, subjugated Carpeng, killed a Master, and then on top of everything else, she cut through an avalanche and subjugated the Tyrant... Can you imagine how shocked I was? And now she's a heretic—a heretic. Good grief..."
Hermila's sigh sounded genuinely worried.
"Uung... Th-thank you for worrying about me..."
"Yes. Thank you for surviving, Miss Noah. And Lady Rubia, for protecting Noah... thank you as well."
After quietly steadying her breath for a moment, Rubia sat up again and straightened her posture.
"Noah is the one who protected me... There we go. Then can we leave Urusphier in your hands with confidence?"
"Yes. If a Beast of the End doesn't appear in Cartia, the people stationed there will come over immediately as well. Lady Rubia and Noah—and Lady Ser will come too, I assume?"
"Of course."
"Then that settles it. They're people who can easily hold out for about five days. So rest easy during the week remaining until the plan. We've also prepared a way for you to enter Cartia in secret, so don't worry. Noah's heretic judgment will be more or less buried once the Beast of the End is subjugated. And Lady Rubia won't just sit still either, will she? You may not be able to escape your heretic status, but at least the residents won't turn hostile."
Now wearing a hollow laugh of sheer disbelief, Rubia shook her head.
"You really are a mastermind. I feel like I'm getting dumber by the second. Hehehe..."
"Oh my, a mastermind? We're not such bad people as that."
"People... people. The support that came down to Noah from the Central Guild—was all of that handled by you as well, Lady Hermila?"
"Who knows? Hehe, even I don't really know about that. At the very least, it wasn't something I did?"
"It's clear it was the work of your side, though."
Rubia exhaled briefly, then spoke in a slightly harder tone.
"Forgive the impertinence, but I have a few questions. Are you people hostile toward Erden?"
"Yes."
The answer came without a moment's hesitation.
"What is the goal of you Challengers?"
"The salvation of the world."
"Do you believe it's possible?"
"As things stand now, I would have to say no. But looking toward the future... I believe it is possible."
"...Will you achieve your goal no matter what it takes?"
"Yes. We will achieve it without fail. Even if I have to sell my soul to do it."
At Hermila's answer, which seemed to carry a hint of madness, Rubia carefully chose her words before slowly speaking again.
"Did you intentionally discover Noah?"
"...Y-yes...? Rubia, what are you..."
"...No. That was not intentional. It was a coincidence."
"I see... Then, one last question, Lady Hermila. What exactly are you?"
"I am the adventurer guild receptionist of Alrba Village."
"...Please stop joking and answer me properly."
"Hmm... Well. I'm not sure how best to explain it."
Tap— tap—
"The moniker those who follow me have given me is—"
The sound of fingers drumming on a table came from beyond the crystal as Hermila spoke.
"The First Challenger."