The Demon Sword Surtr (3)
The Demon Sword Surtr (3)
My head spun. I had no idea how much time had passed.
I turned to look at my cold shoulder. Whatever had been behind me was gone. The warmth I had felt had also completely vanished.
That must have been 'Ra.'
"...Hah."
I pulled myself up. In the dim light, I could hear the demon sword cursing.
【You dare...use me as a stepping stone!】
Not completely clueless, then.
I glanced down at my limbs. My skin was a little scraped up, but that was all. No other abnormalities. No strange energy inside my body...no bad signs either...
I staggered to my feet and checked my Status Window.
[Zahard Balton] [Level: 6]
[Race: Human] [Class: Apostle of the Sun God]
[Class Unique Skills]
-Sun God's Love: Sun-God-related skills you possess grow rapidly.
-Sun God's Grace: Your Sacred Power recovers rapidly.
-Sun God's Blessing: You can handle the Sun God's Sacred Relics without risk.
-Sun God's Prayer: You are immune to mental corruption.
[Possessed Skills]
-Sacred Mark (D): Grants a certain degree of resistance to all Demonic Force.
-Divinity (D): Can draw upon the Sun God's divinity to a certain extent.
-Healing (F): Slowly heals minor scratches.
-Blessing (F): Mood improves slightly.
-Ember (F): Produces a warm flame on contact.
-Prayer of Fire (D): Praying warms the body to a certain extent. Physical abilities increase slightly.
-Crown of Ash (EX): Offering tribute greatly increases the effectiveness of Sun-God-related skills.
Look at this!
My level went up by 5, and my Sacred Mark and Divinity skill grades are now D! On top of that, Prayer of Fire, which I hadn't even aimed for, reached D rank too!
Something a normal priest would need years to achieve, accomplished in just a few minutes!
"At least I won't go somewhere and get beaten to death..."
【You insignificant human! How dare you ignore me!】
"Calm down. I'm listening properly."
How long had it been?
I climbed all the way up the stairs. The secret entrance was completely blocked. Thanks to that, no one else would have spotted me.
I couldn't tell when I should leave. I could open the secret entrance from inside, but there might be people outside. If a kid who'd arrived a few days ago suddenly learned the location of the demon sword's seal...
Hm.
Even I would be suspicious.
I pulled my hand away from the secret entrance. It seemed better to take care of what I could do first.
I approached Demon Sword Surtr. The red sphere flinched and trembled.
【Wh-what's with that wicked look?!】
"That hurts my feelings."
【What are you trying to do, you bastard?! If you're a priest, then look at me with some kindness!】
"What's a demon sword whining about?"
I raised my hand. Ember flared up with a whoosh and settled in my palm.
Warm. But this too was a mass of Sacred Power. Divine power was a natural enemy of a demon sword.
Surtr naturally bared its edge. The Demonic Force that had been creeping out beyond the barrier surged up all at once.
【Put that filthy thing away this instant!】
"Whoa, whoa, calm down. Don't worry..."
The stronger the opponent you use a skill on, the faster you gain experience. It's the same as a warrior who walks the line between life and death growing stronger.
You learned the most when you trained against an opponent you could never beat.
Surtr was an EX-grade item. There was no way I could handle her at my current level, and her danger rating alone easily exceeded S rank.
But so what!
The thing can't move! If it can't move, it's no different from the ultimate training dummy!
For a priest class, the best experience-farming spot there is!
"It won't hurt..."
【L-leave me alone!】
"Weren't you begging me to free you earlier?"
【N-no! I said no! Don't do this! Put that disgusting thing away!】
"Your tone changed."
I licked my lips.
"That's even more my type."
【Eeeeeek!】
. . .
【Hn... waaaah...】
I shook the Sacred Power from my hands. I'd been pouring it in for nearly half a day. Whenever I got tired, I rested and started again, repeatedly dousing the barrier around her with Ember.
Even though she was sealed by a Sacred Barrier, her sharp senses could feel what was beyond the barrier. It must have felt exactly like having filth splattered on her body.
She fought back from inside the barrier. She threatened me, demanding that I stop, and even used Demonic Force to shove me away. But that was exactly what I wanted.
Amid the sticky, clinging Ember and Blessing, the Demon Sword Surtr resisted for a long time before finally bursting into tears. Only after her defiance vanished completely did I withdraw my power.
The red sphere melted into a limp puddle.
【I-I don't want it anymoooore...】
"Satisfying."
I flicked open my Status Window.
[Zahard Balton] [Level: 7]
[Race: Human] [Class: Apostle of the Sun God]
[Class Unique Skills]
-Sun God's Love: Sun-God-related skills you possess grow rapidly.
-Sun God's Grace: Your Sacred Power recovers rapidly.
-Sun God's Blessing: You can handle the Sun God's Sacred Relics without risk.
-Sun God's Prayer: You are immune to mental corruption.
[Possessed Skills]
-Sacred Mark (D): Grants a certain degree of resistance to all Demonic Force.
-Divinity (D): Can draw upon the Sun God's divinity to a certain extent.
-Healing (F): Slowly heals minor scratches.
-Blessing (E): Mood improves noticeably.
-Ember (E): Produces a stinging flame on contact.
-Prayer of Fire (D): Praying warms the body to a certain extent. Physical abilities increase slightly.
-Crown of Ash (EX): Offering tribute greatly increases the effectiveness of Sun-God-related skills.
The skill ranks of Blessing and Ember had risen. Since they were low-tier Holy Arts, their limit would only be C rank, but if they rose that far, they'd clearly be useful in real combat. Two skill ranks in a single day, though.
The growth rate was absurdly fast. I shuddered. Blessing was nice, but I liked Ember even more.
Now it wasn't just a 'warm' flame but a 'stinging' one!
"Ahh...cheaters are terrifying..."
Come to think of it, 'Ra' had said something.
A world line heading for destruction...or something like that...
Well, let's set that aside for now. It didn't seem urgent.
"Surtr."
【G-go away! I said go away!】
"Stay put. I'll come back for you."
【Don't come back!!!】
"I can't just leave a thing like you alone...I'll manage you in Ra's name...thoroughly and moistly..."
【Waaaaah!】
It was an object with power completely opposite to Sacred Power, but it was an EX-grade item. There was no reason not to take it.
But that was a matter for later. Right now I had no way to take it, and I lacked the strength. Leaving it here was best for now.
I was hungry. I climbed the spiral staircase. I pressed my ear to the entrance and listened to the sounds outside.
No sign of anyone. It seemed like I could just slip out quickly...
Please don't let me get caught.
"Hup!"
I held my breath and triggered the mechanism. With the sound of the statue turning, the secret entrance clanked open.
I darted outside. Breathless, I shoved the key back into the keyhole and locked the entrance.
The statue turned back again. It was nighttime. Faint moonlight shone through the stained glass. There was no one around, and it was very quiet.
So I hadn't been caught after all.
Thud, thud.
Creak.
"...Who's there...?"
I jerked my head around. The statue had slid back into place just in time, and I saw Mierkant emerge from the inner door of the now-silent prayer room.
"...Zahard?"
Mierkant's expression changed by the second: relief, then a sigh, then worry.
He strode over, crouched in front of me, and looked me over for injuries.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Does anything feel wrong?"
"Uh, no."
"Thank goodness. Thank goodness."
He cupped my face.
"...I thought you were dead. Where have you been for three days?"
Three days?
I'd been down there that long?
"Ah, well...I got lost, so..."
"You got lost?"
Mierkant straightened up. He studied my face from different angles.
"...You came from outside, so that could happen. Next time you want to go out, follow the children. They'll guide you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Aren't you hungry? I have some bread saved. It'll be good enough to fill your stomach."
Mierkant stood. I looked up at him, unable to believe he was accepting such a flimsy excuse.
"...You're not going to ask more?"
It was just something I blurted out of curiosity. Even I regretted it the moment it left my mouth.
But Mierkant said nothing in particular. He just rummaged around the room and took out the bread he'd hidden away.
"Eat slowly."
He smiled softly.
"If you eat too fast, you'll get indigestion."
...Hm.
He's too kind. Way too kind.
. . .
I stretched. Day broke, and another day began.
I'd settled into the routine here. The three days had flown by so quickly they felt like one, and even the broom felt familiar in my hand.
And so, swaying lightly.
I yawned and swept the yard. The church was practically a condemned building, but there was plenty worth cleaning.
Like the crumbling walls.
Like the half-broken statue painted with strange paint.
Like the path made of cracked marble.
Like the iron bars dented on one side that wouldn't close properly...well, things like that.
...Honestly, this place felt more like a cemetery than a church. There was just too much to do. How was I supposed to handle all of this alone?
"...I need to become independent soon, or make some money."
I had no intention of living in a place like this. If I was going to live, I should live properly. How could anyone call a life of putting nothing but dried-out bread in your mouth a life?
For now, my goal was clear. First, go live at the headquarters of the Church of Ra. Second, become an ordained priest and get my foot in the door of that illegal thing or whatever it was.
As long as I knew where to draw the line, even a bad law was still law. Yep. Absolutely.
To do that, I needed to make a good impression on the ordained priests from headquarters who stopped by the branch...
"Hey."
The broom I'd been sweeping with came to a sudden stop against a foot that appeared out of nowhere. A boy I'd seen before stood there smirking, with other orphans in tow.
"Heard you came crawling back because you had nowhere else to go?"
"Hm. The little shit's here."
"You fucking bastard."
Hector. Right. His name was Hector, wasn't it.
I gave him a once-over. He was much bigger than kids his age, and there was no Sacred Mark on his hands. With his brown hair and masculine face, he looked closer to a mercenary than an ordinary person.
Hector. I thought about it again, but nothing came to mind. I'd never heard of him in the game.
Judging by the fact that I didn't remember him, he was an extra. Probably died pulling thug shit in some back alley.
I leaned on the broom. I stared up at him blankly.
"What do you want to say?"
"I was locked in the punishment room for a whole week because of you. You know that?"
"They call it a punishment room, but it's really a private room, isn't it? It's warm, they bring you food on time. If it were me, I'd walk in on my own two feet. No work all day, how great is that?"
"You fucking bastard!"
"All you've done is curse. Is that all you know how to do?"
Hector kicked the broom away. He shoved his face in front of mine and snarled.
"And it looks like the only thing you have to brag about is your mouth."
"Still better than a mutt who can't even do that right and can only curse. Isn't that right? Woof woof."
"...You're acting tough because you've got that old fossil backing you...but you don't know he left the church early this morning, do you?"
"You think an apprentice priest wouldn't know that much?"
Hector's gang burst out laughing.
"What's he so confident about?"
"Hey! Hector! Beat his ass!"
"Let's just bury him on the hill out back!"
Look at these little demons. I casually counted the number of Hector's gang beside him. Two girls and two boys.
Including him, that made five.
"You sure run in a big pack."
"Why? Scared?"
"Scared, my ass. Scared dogs bark in packs."
I cracked my neck. This was a boy's body. I'd set the physical age to around 15, hadn't I.
A fight seemed unavoidable, so I decided to accept it. But before that, there was something I wanted to ask.
"Why are you so desperate to get at me?"
"...Because you look like shit."
"I look like shit? Well... I still look better than—"
My eyes met one of Hector's gang. A fairly pretty girl smiled at me. The one who'd said, 'What's he so confident about?'
...Aha. This little shit was a guy.
So he tried to put me in my place, got humiliated in front of a girl, and now wanted to settle the score? And because that girl seemed a little interested in me, he was jealous on top of it?
"Fine. Let's throw down."
I stepped back slightly. I glanced around. No one to help, and no one around to witness it.
"But wait. I need two conditions."
"Are you fucking..."
"If you accept my conditions, I won't tattle to the priest either. We're both stuck here with nowhere to go, right? Since it's come to this, let's settle it man to man."
"What kind of bullshit..."
"What happens here stays between us. And the loser never challenges the winner again."
"......"
Hector ground his teeth.
"...Fine. But you're dying here."
"I'll take that as agreement."
"I'll kill y—"
"Wait!"
"Now what?!"
"I may not look it, but I'm an apprentice priest. A priest who serves the Sun God Ra."
I clasped my hands together. I bowed my head slightly.
"Before a fight, I must hear Ra's voice. Give me time to pray."
"You're really fucking crazy."
I heard him click his tongue. Fine. Click it all you want.
I was going to kick him in the balls plenty.
[Prayer of Fire activates.]
[Your body becomes warm.]
[Physical abilities increase slightly.]
"I heard it. Ra has spoken."
"...What?"
"All of you."
I raised my hand and drew it across my throat.
"Beat them half to death."
['Ra' denies it, saying she never said any such thing.]