#035 Faith
#035 Faith
At that moment.
Wind surged from every direction.
The wind, which should have flowed according to nature's course, now carried unmistakable will as it began pressing in on Lucius from all sides.
Front, back, left, right.
The tips of the sharp attacks flying at him from four directions were aimed at Lucius's limbs.
Should he use the Holy Sword?
His hand momentarily moved toward the ring, but Lucius bit his lower lip and kicked off the ground.
Fwoosh!
Just by planting one foot and springing up from where he stood, Lucius leaped higher than his own height.
The four wind arrows that had been aimed at where he'd stood each lost their target and scattered once more, and Lucius landed on the ground and picked up the sword that had fallen there.
'Here it comes.'
The wind arrows flew at him again.
Lucius swung the sword he'd grabbed forward to knock away the arrow that had come closest, then immediately turned his body to the side.
SWISH!
An attack stabbing toward Lucius's face.
It was Rosemas's hand reaching toward Lucius's face.
"!!"
He'd anticipated the wind arrows' approach, but Lucius had not anticipated Rosemas's approach.
Lucius hurriedly tried to pull the sword back and swing it, but Rosemas was already moving faster than that.
Rustle.
Lucius, leaning backward, froze in the very posture of trying to swing the sword.
Rosemas pressed close behind Lucius, supporting him so he wouldn't fall, and at the same time reached a hand toward Lucius's throat.
"You're dead, Arthur."
"...You're strong, Rosemas. I lost."
Lucius accepted defeat readily.
And he tried to return to his original posture, but Rosemas did not let him go easily.
"Rosemas?"
"......No. Sorry. I was thinking for a moment."
Rosemas released Lucius and stepped back.
With a face that seemed somehow regretful, yet somehow satisfied, she smiled softly.
"You held out well this time, at least."
"I'm still lacking. What you did, Master... I have to do it too."
"...That isn't ordinary, Arthur."
Rosemas puffed out her cheeks and pouted.
"By adventurer standards, that's something only B Rank spearmasters—no, people above that level—could pull off. And yet...."
"Master is a special person. There's nothing strange about it."
Lucius's voice, defending the witch, was full of conviction.
"She is the Crimson Mage who fought a Demon King whose name must not be spoken. She's from five hundred years ago, so she holds somewhat old-fashioned views, but considering the era she fought in, there's nothing strange about it."
"Well, that's true."
"She's like someone who just returned from the battlefield. What we've seen of Master's skill so far might be nothing more than the tip of the iceberg."
"Is she really that strong?"
All Rosemas had seen was her using fire, and that her spear skills were remarkable.
"Can she use anything else?"
"...I don't know."
"Huh?"
"I can't say for certain. I didn't even know there was someone called the Crimson Mage, and when I looked into it at the Adventurers' Guild, everyone said they'd never heard the name. And as for Master going all out...."
GRIND.
Lucius shut his mouth.
Because his master had revealed the state of her body only to Lucius, and to no one else.
No matter how much Rosemas had become a companion approved by his master, revealing that was his master's place, not something Lucius should go around mentioning carelessly.
However.
"I did bring it up in passing. I asked how strong Master was. When I asked that...."
"When you asked?"
"She said that if she went all out, she could burn away half the continent."
"Pfft!"
Rosemas was genuinely dumbfounded.
"That's Great Demon King level from five hundred years ago!"
"That's exactly my point."
"...So she's Great Demon King level?"
"According to Master's own words."
"Ha, really, that's absurd. Arthur, do you believe that?"
"Are you saying Master lied?"
Lucius sharpened his tone and snapped at Rosemas.
"Master is not the kind of person to make groundless boasts. Perhaps...."
"Perhaps what?"
"......No, never mind."
He would need to think about it more, but watching Bel use spear techniques had left Lucius with one question.
A mage who appeared after five hundred years.
Someone who knew the 'Trigger Word'—in his master's words—that allowed anyone to use a Holy Sword naturally.
If she was not only a mage but also a highly skilled close-combat fighter?
Perhaps, five hundred years ago, the owner of the Holy Sword was...?
"Arthur?"
"...Sorry. I was thinking for a moment. About how hard it must be for Master to exert that much power."
"......Well, for now, I'll admit that person is strong."
Rosemas brushed the dirt off Lucius's shoulder in a curt voice.
"But you, who wields a Holy Sword, are stronger, aren't you?"
"......What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying you're just as strong as she is. Don't misunderstand."
Rosemas's voice quickened.
For a moment, Lucius's expression hardened coldly, so Rosemas couldn't easily part her lips.
"Did you think I was trying to seduce you with words like that, saying you were being used?"
"......."
"I'm not that kind of person."
"...Sorry. I had a friend like that around me once."
"A friend?"
Perk.
Rosemas's ears shot upward.
"Who?"
"A childhood friend."
"A girl?"
"A girl."
"...Hmm."
Rosemas rolled her eyes left and right, as if lost in thought.
"She's dead now, though."
"Ah. I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."
"It's fine. ...However."
Lucius drew his sword again.
"Since we've rested, please continue sparring with me until Master arrives. Rosemas."
"Couldn't we rest a little more...?"
"No. I've rested enough."
Lucius gripped the sword firmly again.
"I want to become stronger."
* * *
Morning came.
I headed with the party to the guild where Morgen would be waiting.
Murmur, murmur.
"There are a lot of people today."
"Right. Why are there so many?"
"Shall I go find out?"
"No, it's fine. Some famous adventurer must have shown up, and that's why they've gathered like that."
That was probably it.
Judging by the crowd, the way people were dressed, and what they were saying, they were all expressing curiosity about and praise for a particular person.
"...Mercenary King?"
Rosemas, who had sharp ears, seemed to have figured out who had come.
"They say it's the Mercenary King?"
"Mercenary King?"
"Yes. They say he's the strongest among mercenaries."
"Hmm, the strongest in the industry, then."
In terms of rank, he'd be S Rank; in terms of swordsmanship, he'd be at least Grand Sword Master level.
Still, since he carried the title of 'King,' an ordinary human would—
"...Wait."
I stopped the group, sensing an aura from inside.
"Lucius."
"Yes."
"Hide the ring."
"...Huh?"
"Take off the ring, put it back on, then put on gloves. Right now."
At my urgent instruction, Lucius hid the ring.
"Master, why...?"
"If we get caught, it could be troublesome."
"Huh???"
"That guy is a 'bearer.'"
"......??"
Lucius still didn't understand what I meant.
I felt a slight surge of frustration, but I grabbed Lucius's hand, pressed down on his ring, and pointed inside with my chin.
"I said he's another ring owner. Do you understand now?"
"......Ah."
"Ugh. Please understand me the first time when I talk around something. Got it?"
"Yes, Master."
Fortunately, Lucius immediately grinned and eased the tense atmosphere.
I was anxious that some resonance might occur between Holy Sword wielders and give us away—that the Holy Sword wielder inside, the Mercenary King, might detect Lucius's Holy Sword—but there was no avoiding going inside.
'I have to confirm it.'
If the sensation I felt was right, the Holy Sword inside was definitely....
"Good. So you were outside after all?"
"Huh?"
A familiar voice reached me.
When I turned around, there was....
"No, why is your outfit like that?"
"Why? This is my standard outfit."
A beret on her head.
Tights that exposed her underbust and a short-sleeved jacket—the hem of the jacket even came down to about her ribs.
And hot pants that made it impossible to tell whether they were clothes or underwear.
I couldn't tell whether she was going on an adventure or stripping down to go play in the sea, but at the very least, it was clear that this woman had genuinely come wearing that.
"Arthur. Rosemas. And Witch. We're about to head to a dungeon for the D Rank adventurer examination. That's fine, right?"
"Yes, understood."
"No, wait. Doesn't it bother you to wear that?"
"No. Not particularly?"
"Is that not normal?"
"......."
Was I the one in the wrong?
Or was the world in the wrong?
"Before we depart, I should mention that I went ahead and handled the procedures inside on my own without telling you beforehand. In case you couldn't get in...."
"That's fine, but your clothes...."
"My clothes? There's nothing particularly problematic about them. Hmm, Witch. You'll be quite surprised when you see the Mercenary King inside."
"...What?"
At that moment.
The people gathered outside the guild parted to the left and right all at once.
And cutting through the crowd, a 'woman' radiating intense heat revealed herself.
Quite tall.
Snow-white skin.
Glossy red hair.
A chest as large as her head and a well-curved pelvis were enough to make my mouth water.
However....
"The Mercenary King is a wielder of the Fire Holy Sword."
"...No."
I had sensed the Holy Sword.
I knew she wielded a Holy Sword, but was a Holy Sword Hero really walking around dressed like that?
"Is that... clothing?"
"From what I've heard, because of the Fire Holy Sword, her body runs hot...."
"......."
Underwear that covered only the essential parts.
And over it, wearing only a sheer white—no, black—translucent one-piece dress, a being appeared before me.
The Fire Hero, Bareness.
"Isn't she just an exhibitionist?"
"...What??"
She—
"Are you now directly refuting the doctrines of the Church of the Azure Moon Goddess?"
—was a devout believer of the Church of the Azure Moon Goddess.
"You irreverent wretch who knows not the goddess's grace!!"