Cartia (3)
Click-clack. Click-clack.
The sound of Rubia’s heels—different from usual—echoed down the streets of Cartia.
Click-clack. Click-clack.
“Things like this are necessary, you know.”
“R-really...?”
“Of course. A woman’s high heels are her pride.”
“I seeee...”
Pride...
Just as Rubia said, her pride was currently elevated by a full ten centimeters.
But pride was one thing...
Click-clack. Click-clack.
“B-but... um... why do you have divine power spread out around your body...?”
“A proper sense of dignity is necessary as well.”
“Your divine power is... all sparkly, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Bright enough that it’s hard to even look at.”
“W-wow...”
Two hours earlier... we had passed through the checkpoint and entered the city.
Getting past Cartia’s checkpoint had been remarkably simple.
Just like in Urusphier, the moment people spotted Rubia’s sudden appearance, they cleared the way for her.
Seeing that, Rubia had smiled with satisfaction and, with every step she took, let slip remarks that somehow sounded impressively profound.
I hadn’t understood a word of them...
Well... anyway.
We left the carriage with the checkpoint staff, and Rubia headed straight for a clothing shop.
She walked into the largest, most expensive-looking boutique and finished her shopping with a single sentence.
“The most expensive clothes and shoes. Three sets of each, please.”
And so... I ended up changing clothes as well.
The clothes that had become too big after my body shrank were left for alterations, and I was dressed in ridiculously expensive outfits that fit my current frame perfectly...
The skirt was even shorter now.
They claimed it had been treated with magic so it wouldn’t flutter or ride up in the wind and expose my underwear...
But it was still far too short.
I was so embarrassed I felt like I might cry.
Anyway... after all that, here we were.
Click-clack. Click-clack.
Rubia drew every eye with the clear, refreshing sound of her heels.
People at work, people strolling the streets, even couples out on dates—
the moment anyone laid eyes on Rubia, they dropped to their knees and cried out, “Ahhh! We greet Lady Rubiaaaa!”
Fanatics... the reaction was so intense the word “fanatics” sprang to mind...
What on earth had she done in this city to get a reception like this...?
And why were they praising Rubia herself instead of Erden...?
“R-Rubia, you must be incredibly famous in Cartia...”
“Mm, I suppose so?”
“W-why...?”
The haughty expression Rubia had been maintaining softened into a bitter smile as she looked at me.
“There was a terrible plague once. I helped them through it, so that must be why.”
“A plague...?”
“Yes. Nine-tenths of this city’s population had contracted a fatal disease. It feels a bit boastful to say, but if I hadn’t been there... things would have been dire.”
“Hah...”
But even if Rubia had saved them, wouldn’t people normally praise Erden the way they did in other towns?
Was there another reason...? Hmm...
While I was turning the question over and over in my mind, the woman who had been secretly following us all this time suddenly closed the distance to Rubia and reached out a hand.
A sharp jolt—I focused every scrap of my Qi Sensing on her alone.
Instinctively I drew my greatsword and pulled Rubia behind me.
At the same time, the mana that rose around me began to thrash violently.
Strong.
This person was definitely strong.
Just from the sheer presence, she felt similar to Kalt.
There were a lot of people nearby.
If a fight broke out here, could I protect them while fighting?
And if I did fight, could I actually beat her?
The wildly surging mana was absorbed into my body.
My muscles grew supple and hard.
My blood vessels toughened.
My blood began to race faster, heating my entire body.
The mana that had been sleeping deep inside me flowed into the greatsword.
Carpeng’s Fragment pulsed.
I will win. No matter what.
“No...ah...? Why all of a sudden—”
The woman who had been reaching out lowered her hand and looked down at me with a startled expression.
“Oh? Lady Bishur?”
“Yes. Greetings, Lady Rubia. It has been some time.”
What.
They know each other...?
“How long have you been here? You were trying to surprise me again, weren’t you!”
A bright, full smile bloomed across Rubia’s face.
“Haha... yes. I was attempting a little prank, but it failed... So this is Lady Noah.”
“Yes, that’s right. Noah, this is Lady Bishur, the chief of Cartia’s Adventurer’s Guild.”
“...Yeees...?”
The chief...? Ah...
I fully lowered the greatsword I had been holding awkwardly and hung it at my waist.
I stirred the mana swirling around my body and dispersed it with a few waves of my hand, then gave Carpeng’s Fragment a couple of firm knuckle-raps to calm it down.
“My apologies, Lady Noah. The prank went too far.”
While I was settling the energies that had risen around me, Bishur bowed deeply at the waist toward me.
The people nearby began to murmur.
“Eh...? Ah, n-no... um... I-I’m sorry t—”
“No. Please do not apologize. Lady Noah merely did what was only natural.”
Bishur shook her head and straightened; a faint smile rested on her face.
“Umm... yeees.”
“Then allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Bishur, chief of the Cartia Adventurer’s Guild. It is an honor to meet you.”
Bishur extended her hand.
“Hello... I’m Adventurer Shin Noah.”
I didn’t recite the introduction I always practiced in my head.
I simply offered a light greeting and clasped her hand.
Definitely strong.
Similar to Kalt? No—perhaps even stronger.
Still wearing that faint smile, Bishur nodded, released my hand, and turned to Rubia.
“The clothes suit you wonderfully. You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”
“Ahaha... You’re embarrassing me with talk like that... Still, thank you.”
Rubia kept her bright smile and bashfully lowered her head.
Hmm...
“Have you eaten? If not, how about the restaurant the two of us visited last time?”
“Ah... that would be nice, but we were planning to head into Cartia first and eat afterward.”
“Ah, Cartia. In that case, would it be all right if I guided you?”
“We would be so grateful if you did. But aren’t you busy? I feel like we might be taking up your time...”
“Not at all. On the contrary, I would make time to guide you even if I had none.”
The faint smile on Bishur’s face widened into a radiant one as she answered.
I could sense no pretense in either of their voices.
No subtle shifts in expression, no tells in their gestures.
Both of them were speaking from the heart, not lying.
Hmm...
“Then we’ll leave it to you. Hehe.”
“It would be my honor.”
With a posture full of dignity, Bishur bowed at the waist once more, then took out a crystal orb and murmured something quietly into it.
Something about Lady Rubia heading into Cartia and to give her the most lavish reception possible.
Just what had happened for them to treat Rubia like this...
No... the way Bishur herself was acting toward her was...
Uggghhh...
“Shall we go, Noah?”
“...Yes.”
I gripped the hilt of my greatsword tightly and followed after Bishur.
Scrape-thud. Scraaape-thud.
Today of all days, the sound of the greatsword grated on my nerves.
“It’s just the same as ever. I’m glad it’s still the same.”
“I’m glad it still pleases you. And how do you find it, Lady Noah?”
Following Bishur’s guidance, we entered the real Cartia.
Strangely enough, the true Cartia was hidden behind yet another wall inside the city itself.
Along the way, and even at the entrance into Cartia, every single person praised Rubia.
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
“Mm... it’s nice...”
There was something... off about the whole atmosphere that left me feeling sour.
But Cartia itself was definitely good.
Not so much that it looked good... more like...
How to put it? The land itself had good energy...?
With every breath, the mana inside me seemed to dance with delight.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
That faint smile again.
“Do you like it too, Noah? Other people say it feels the same as anywhere else, but for me it’s a little different. How should I put it... like my divine power is being put in order?”
“Ah... yeah. Breathing feels easier, so it’s... nice somehow.”
“Hehe... Same as me, then. Well then, shall we look around?”
Rubia gently held out her hand.
I took it a little more firmly than usual.
“Lady Rubia and Lady Noah seem to get along very well.”
“Oh my, do we?”
A deep smile and clear laughter.
“Noah, she says we look close. Isn’t that nice?”
“Yes.”
Click-clack. Click-clack.
“Still, thanks to Lady Bishur guiding us, we got in so easily. Originally I was planning to force our way through. Well... that might have been fun in its own way.”
Scraaape-thud. Scraaape-thud.
“You’re being mischievous. Even in another city no one could stop Lady Rubia, and in Cartia it would be even more impossible...”
Click-clack. Click-clack.
“Hehehe, but you never know what might happen. Something could have changed while I was away... policies, or whatever.”
Scrape-scrape-thud. Scrape-scrape-thud.
“That will never happen. Just as Lady Noah is the hero of Urusphier, Lady Rubia is the hero of Cartia. And that will surely be passed down to the generations after the next.”
“If that’s the case... then I’m glad. But it’s a little embarrassing...”
Rubia stopped in her tracks.
Bishur looked at her with a deep smile.
Then that same Bishur turned her head toward me.
Again, the faint smile.
“And so, I have a request for you as well, Lady Noah.”
“...What is it?”
“I earnestly ask that you protect Lady Rubia—our hero of Cartia—no matter what.”
Ha.
From the very beginning, over and over.
She kept needling me.
I unleashed the mana thrashing violently inside me.
Even the mana sleeping in the deepest parts of my body—all of it.
“Even if the Empire, even if Erden—no, even if this entire world itself tries to kill her.”
The mana that burst forth made my hair whip about.
Dust around us scattered far and wide.
Carpeng’s Fragment pulsed.
Shock registered on Bishur’s face.
“‘My’ Rubia will live, no matter what. So stop crossing the line.”
I gripped the hilt of my greatsword hard enough to snap it, and made up my mind.
I needed to settle this ambiguous relationship quickly and make it something certain.
And then—
I would create a token that would let anyone who saw it know exactly what we were to each other.