Chapter 132. The Ten Strongest (2)
Berdia.
A noble woman whom everyone believed to be a formidable warrior without a doubt.
'O Valkarian, Goddess of War. I beseech thee, please hear my confession.'
But the public did not know.
That even now, though she was called one of the Ten Greats, Berdia no longer considered herself worthy of that title.
'I am but a single human.'
A mere knight, only slightly stronger than others.
A priestess whose hours spent in prayer were just a little longer than most.......
Every single moment, she could not help but doubt whether someone as inadequate as herself truly deserved to shoulder such a noble cause.
'Even bearing the weight of the sword in my hand is a struggle, yet I am a weak being who does nothing but bluff before others.'
Even though such a mismatched responsibility weighed heavily upon her, Berdia never abandoned the duty she was given.
It was not simply for the greater good. It was not even born from a self-sacrificing thought that if someone had to carry it, it must be her.
At its very beginning, it was a modest desire to support just one person, rather than the whole world.
For it all had stemmed from compassion toward a girl far smaller than herself, and infinitely more naive.
'But what I fear more than my true self being exposed, is the fact that the small existence who once comforted me must soon uphold the burden of this world.'
Yes, no matter how great a cause she bears, at her core she is nothing but a small, vulnerable girl.
Without someone to guide her, she cannot even make her own decisions, and when she falls into danger, she can only burst into tears, hoping for the enemy's pity or waiting for someone to come and protect her.
Yet this world is merciless, and the future where one day everyone must rely on that naive, weak girl would never change.......
'I fear that the child may not be able to bear that weight and run away.... Nay, it would be better if she truly ran. If, by some slim chance, the child fails to walk toward her calling, and collapses, unable to bear the weight........'
The more she imagined the girl's future, the more she felt an emotion she could only call fear well up inside her heart.
She remembered her own self, grieving the death of a comrade and shedding tears.
She was utterly terrified that the girl who had comforted her with such pure innocence would one day despair at her own future.......
'Even so, if no one can take the destiny that child must walk in her stead....... Then please, grant but this one humble prayer of mine, who has come to know that child.'
Left with no choice but to pray such a future never came to pass, she would always offer a prayer to the heavens whenever she was alone.
That if truly no one could carry the burden meant for that girl, she herself—who had been comforted by the girl—wished to become her strength.
'I pray thee, grant me the strength to support just one person.'
To a self who did not possess the power to bear the world.
At the very least, she wished for the power to guide the girl who must bear such a destiny in her place.
***
"...I am grateful to this world."
The woman who had devoted herself with only that one calling in her heart now sought, in this moment, to prove the realm she had achieved to a certain man.
"I am grateful for this world's transparency, which gives us the opportunity to turn our hearts into power."
To the man who, though stronger than her, had chosen to abandon his responsibilities, placing only his own selfishness first.
She sought to prove in this moment, to his face, her own effort—which had become a wall even he could not surpass—by bearing the very responsibility he had cast away.
"I do not know why the Demon King exists in this world, nor why that small girl was born with the fate to oppose the Demon King, but if that is the Natural Order, I shall simply abide by it....... However, that is not a resignation to this cruel world, but a resolve to confront such a future."
Even if she could not shoulder the burden for everyone.
Because she was determined to support the girl who must bear the burden for everyone. She had desperately hoped that in doing so, her efforts would lead to a path that supported the entire world.
"...This sword in my hand was forged from that very heart."
Even its weight was something that transcended what one person could hope to bear.......
Anyone facing it would realize it viscerally.
That this woman, who never shirked her responsibilities and constantly forged herself, had attained a strength surpassing that of any human only through such effort.
And yet, not satisfied with even that, she would demonstrate the resolve to push her limits ever further.
"Can you withstand it? The weight this sword carries."
The blade, composed of the radiance born from such a life, now aimed directly at the man confronting her.
The sword, straightened as resolutely as her heart, pointed at him without a single hint of hesitation.
"If you cannot withstand it, surrender. If you do, I shall spare your life."
Even in such steadfastness, there existed something akin to mercy within her sword.
However, if he chose to shamefully try to flee this place while armed, she would now face him not as a warrior, but as an executioner treating him as a criminal condemned to die.
"......Hoo."
Upon hearing that sentence, Bardos let out a deep sigh, spitting out even the cigarette that had been emitting blue smoke from his mouth.
Deep enough that all the air remaining in his lungs escaped. As if signaling how his will to fight had been lost.
"Mind if I pop to the bathroom real quick?"
"......Are you trying to run?"
"No, that's not it."
The immediate reply made Berdia furrow her brow.
No sooner had he spoken than Bardos waved both hands in denial, then began to scratch the back of his head as if feeling a bit embarrassed.
The atmosphere was so utterly light, in stark contrast to the shock she had felt before.
As she felt a sense of disparity, Bardos soon pointed to his lower body and continued.
"It's a bit embarrassing to say it outright, but you see, I've got a hard-on right now."
"...What?"
"I said I've got an erection. I'd like to take care of it, so how about it?"
"......."
Without a word, Berdia's gaze simply followed his finger downward.
Although his pants were still intact since he had only taken off his top, her eyes caught the area between his legs, oddly bulging outward.
It was visibly sized to a considerable degree at a single glance.
"...What."
How much time had passed since she laid eyes on it?
"Wha, wha, what......."
Soon her agape mouth began to tremble, and Berdia's face flushed crimson as her eyes widened enormously.
"Y-Y-You bastard! What the hell are you saying right now!!"
Yes, it was a sight more than enough to fluster her.
So much so that even the dignity she had maintained until now was thoroughly shaken.
"T-To utter such vulgar words in a situation like this...! D-Don't tell me you're trying to confuse me and seize an opening!?"
Berdia recoiled, displaying enough momentum to swing her sword at any moment. Yet even so, her gaze remained fixed on Bardos's lower half.
Unconsciously, even when she tried not to be aware of it.
When she could no longer bear it and finally hid her face with her hands, Bardos, surprised by this unexpected reaction, began to snicker.
"Pfft, what's with that look? I thought you just swung your sword around stubbornly, but you've got a pretty cute side to you."
"...Bardos, you scoundrel."
"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to.... I ended up ruining the serious mood unintentionally."
The tension built up from her failing attack dissipated in an instant.
With such a relaxed expression, Bardos wiped the corner of his mouth, from which faint smoke still trailed, and shrugged his shoulders.
"Of course, even that blunt, charmless young lady changes with time. I don't particularly dislike that human side of you. But... did you get yourself a boyfriend or something?"
"S-Shut up. Shut your mouth! We are standing on the brink of a life-or-death battle right now!"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop here. I'd love to see more of you being embarrassed, but it'd be troublesome if I provoked you any further and my head went flying."
Berdia displayed the momentum of a woman ready to swing her sword at a moment's notice.
Sensing the danger, Bardos took a step back and quietly slipped his hand into his pouch.
In order to prepare to use the 'secret tool' lying dormant within.
"But you're misunderstanding one thing. The words I just spoke weren't a joke."
The words he uttered as he clutched it inside the pouch were deeply serious in color.
"What are......."
"It's because, even after descending to the underworld, this body of mine hasn't had a proper taste of excitement."
He wasn't joking.
Though he had sought his freedom by abandoning everything and descending to the underworld, nothing he experienced there ever truly satisfied him.
No matter how potent the liquor, no matter how charming the woman he held in his arms.
Even those brief moments of pleasure seemed to build up a tolerance, leaving only a void to stir his heart.
"But maybe it's because this is a situation where I'd genuinely die if I let my guard down. The little guy down there—hasn't stood up in ages—is suddenly standing vividly at attention, you know?"
So profound was that void that his current arousal could not be overlooked.
Enthralled by a sensation that even felt nostalgic in a sense, Bardos soon placed the tobacco he'd taken from his pouch between his lips and aimed a finger at its tip.
"Of course, thrills are something only small fry who live in constant danger get to feel."
-Fwoosh.
A spark flared up with the friction of his fingers. What seeped out from the tobacco ignited by it was smoke of a color completely opposite to the one he had burned before.
"It's Red Tobacco. It's a drug several times stronger than the blue one I used earlier."
Having sucked in the smoke, Bardos's body gradually swelled, and the veins in his sharply slit eyes began to stand out.
"The aftereffects are severe, but still, it won't be boring against you."
His condition was evidently and markedly different from before.
Even so, his voice alone remained utterly composed.
Even though there was still no guarantee he could defeat the being standing before him, he seemed completely prepared to bear any and all consequences that would come at the end of it.
"......You have no intention of fleeing?"
"Flee? Why would I flee now that I've finally found something that can stimulate me?"
Yes, victory or defeat did not matter.
Rather, the very primal instinct felt when thrust into this perilous predicament, where this moment might very well be the last of his life—that was exactly what he wished for.
"Of course, it's only natural you can't find this kind of stimulus even in the underworld. It's filled with bastards who only have their own damn bodies to protect. How could you find someone there who strives to become strong enough to support the world?"
He grinned.
The moment a smile deeper than ever before was drawn across his lips.
"At least for today, allow me to express my gratitude, Berdia. Thank you for growing into such a stunning woman that you can excite Bardos himself like this."
"......There's a proper way to phrase things."
Even this greatest of praise that followed sounded unpleasant to her ears, but that was simply because their dispositions differed. She had no intention of ignoring his sincerity.
Bardos the Turncoat.
Though he had thrown away the responsibilities that accompanied his power and fallen into villainy, if he neither fled this place nor surrendered, she ought to regard him as a true warrior.
"I ask you one last time. Do you truly have no intention of surrendering?"
"Yeah, even if my life ends here, there will be no such thing as surrender."
Having his sincerity confirmed once more, Bardos began to slowly aim the hidden weapon in his hand at her.
Preparing to concentrate all of the fighting spirit burning brightly even in this moment purely into the weapon he held, and release it.
"Come at me, Shrine Maiden of the God of War."
The moment a voice as sharp as the sword aura condensed at its edge rang out.
Tensing her nerves once more, Berdia raised her sword and spoke in a low voice.
"...I gladly accept that courage. Bardos the Fixer."
Their conversation ended there.
Immediately after, the weapons aimed at each other transformed into flashes of light.
-KABOOOOOM!!
Soon, at the spot where their powers collided, a massive shockwave resounded loudly enough to shake the entire city.
It was the beginning of a battle with an obvious outcome.
But whatever the result, neither of them would have any regrets.
***
...Meanwhile.
"So, the one who took Serika is the person who rented out this entire mansion?"
"Y-Yes, that's right... ngh, h-hic!"
After informing the three of them about Bardos's existence and remaining at the scene alone, I tracked the traces left behind and finally arrived at the entrance of this mansion. There, I was taking my time to have my way with a mercenary standing guard.
The reason was simple.
Since I couldn't know what awaited me at the scene ahead, it was better to gather even just a bit of information before moving in.