I had gone to this mountain to gather medicinal herbs so many times since coming to
Zoltan that it was practically my backyard—I just came and went as I pleased. But this
time, I headed to the settlement at the foot of the mountain first.
There were lodges there for adventurers, but the place was primarily used by loggers
who supplied Zoltan with lumber, a crucial resource for a region smack in the middle
of wetlands. With no time to spare, I passed out some quarter payril to the people who
were gathered there to get some information—whether they had seen the drake, and
where it had gone.
"It flew off that way," said a boy who'd be off to fell trees himself in a year or so. The
direction he pointed was not toward the mountain. Instead, he indicated that the
dragon had gone toward the forest at the foot of the peak.
"Thank you," I replied.
I slipped a silver into his hand and took off. According to Tisse, Ruti had left the airship
in those woods.
The vessel had been locked so that no one other than Tisse would be able to pilot it,
but the machine was still largely an unknown. It was possible the drake was part of an
expedition sent out by the demon lord's forces to release the lock and steal the vehicle.
"The airship is dark-continent technology anyway, so it would make sense for them to
know more about it than Tisse."
Now I had a choice to make. Was it best to get Ruti first or head to the forest? I was a
little bit unsure but quickly decided that my first priority needed to be Ruti. Dealing
with her issue was more important to me than the fate of any flying machine.
I set out for the ancient elf ruins on the mountain where the chimeras gathered.
"What do you think, Danan? With this fantastic airship, we can travel to the dark
continent without any concern for the demon lord's blockade. Victory is that much
nearer now," Ares boasted to Danan.
"It's a wondrous find, but it doesn't look like Ruti is around," the well-built man replied.
"True. Still, the airship is a significant boon. I'll raise a barrier that only we can
approach. It would be a problem if this vessel was stolen. And with this, I'll know if
Ruti approaches it."
Ares immediately set to preparing his spell. Despite being exhausted from continually
using his magic for days on end, he had summoned a spirit drake and was now
constructing a barrier large enough to encompass the entire airship.
Shisandan was genuinely impressed on that point. As expected of the Sage who'd
traveled with the Hero, his magic power was beyond what even high-tier demons
could muster.
But blessings don't grant knowledge or wise judgment. That is the true tragedy of this
man, mused the disguised Shisandan.
Despite arriving at the mountain before Red, Ares's choice to stop for the airship
meant he would reach the ruins second. That selection would prove decisive in what
followed.
Heading up the peak, I entered the chimera territory. As usual, the monsters merely
watched me from a distance while making a point of not getting in my way. I didn't run
into anyone else who had gotten mixed up with the chimeras like that rookie
adventurer from last time, so I pushed on to the ruins.
Nature had reclaimed many of the half-destroyed structures, wrapping them in vines,
roots, and moss. The buildings were made of an unknown smooth, hard substance that
wasn't iron or stone. I'd only ever seen it in ancient elf ruins. I'd investigated this site
briefly before. Its defenses were still active, so I hadn't ventured too deep into the
place, but something told me it was far more heavily protected than the ruins in
Central.
During my studies, I had read a large amount of literature regarding the ancient elves.
The consensus among researchers was that the many ruins each had their own
distinct purposes. In a certain sense, it was an obvious point.
I had seen it for myself in the structures near the capital, where the proof of the Hero
had been sealed. I doubt either Ares or Ruti had noticed it then, but that hadn't been
a seal at all. The ruins had manufactured the proof of the Hero. The item that Ruti had
left those ruins with had not been the one used by the Hero before her, nor was it an
object from a forgotten era. It was an entirely new item that had been fabricated
precisely where we'd found it, just like the one used by the Hero before Ruti had been.
There was no sign of the chimeras who typically wandered this area. Undoubtedly,
Ruti had culled several of them, and they now gave this place a wide berth. Pressing
onward, I came upon a door with a large hole blasted in it.
"If you had just operated the system properly, it would have opened…," I muttered.
Ruti had punched her way in. From her perspective, that was probably the most
efficient strategy. Still, I couldn't help but chuckle at that sort of unsubtle method.
My little sister was by no means stupid. If she had seriously examined the door's
mechanism, she would have deduced how to work it. Sadly, she had a few lazy habits.
Past the new entrance the Hero had made, there was a dark shaft. An elevator should
have been there waiting for me, but…
"There really isn't anything here."
Just as Tisse had said, Ruti had destroyed it. There was no choice but to jump down.
"All right… Acrobatics mastery: Slow Fall."
I connected with my blessing and activated a skill. With it, so long as there was a wall
within limb's reach, I could use it to ease my descent and safely drop from any height.
I'd used the same ability to escape Bighawk's mansion.
No matter how hard I squinted, I saw only darkness below. I fished a light stick out of
the pouch at my belt. The tool was a narrow, brass rod about thirty centimeters long.
When I tapped the tip against the floor, there was a soft hum, and then the metal
started to burn without any heat. It glowed as surely as any torch, illuminating the
surroundings.
Light sticks were a cheap magic item that cost two payril and had a special spell cast
on them. They were disposable illumination sources that shone for about ten hours
after being ignited. Cheap as they were, though, they still cost about a hundred times
more than a torch. The cost was worth it, however, as they were easy to light, wind and
water couldn't extinguish them, and they wouldn't catch anything afire. Experienced
adventurers kept a few of them around at all times.
I kicked the wall over and over to keep my descent slow. The glow of my light stick
didn't even come close to reaching the bottom of the shaft. It's radius capped out at
twenty meters. Beyond that, everything was dark.
Although I kept my fall slow and manageable, dropping into the shadows was still a
nerve-racking maneuver. It felt like I had already descended several hundred meters.
Finally, I caught sight of the elevator's wreckage. Picking out a place where I could
land, I kicked the wall to maneuver toward my targeted spot.
"Phew."
Even with Slow Fall, leaping down from that high proved a little bit tiring. I had
Resistance to Exhaustion, but things that wore at my nerves were still draining.
However, there would be time for rest later.
Light fixtures here and there around the underground structure still functioned, but
for the most part, things were fairly dim. I slipped the light stick into my belt and
pressed onward.
Here, the vines and other vegetation that covered the walls up above were nowhere
to be found. Occasionally, I stumbled across the scattered wreckage of the ancient elf
defenses that Ruti had presumably destroyed. Just carrying those back to the surface
would earn more than I could make running my shop for a couple of centuries. There
was no place in Zoltan that could afford to purchase such valuable items, though.
"From what Tisse said, they were producing the Devil's Blessing in the living quarters
in the southwest section."
If Ruti was here, that would be the place. I pulled out a compass and checked my
bearing before proceeding deeper into the ruins.
One had to wonder why the ancient elves had made such a giant building so deep
underground.
As I walked, I noticed something that stood out from the various antiquities—a clay
plaque on one wall.
"This isn't ancient elf script. What is it? Wood elf?"
The previous demon lord had destroyed the wood elves. Gonz and other half-elves
were said to be their descendants, having bred with humans to propagate. With their
survival came the endurance of their culture. The wood elf language was still
understood today.
"Hero Administration Bureau?"
What was that supposed to mean? That wood elves had gone into ancient elf ruins was
a puzzle in its own right, but there being a clay sign with those words on it was a
downright mystery.
"And this leads to the lodging quarters, right?"
Tisse had stated that there were beds in each room, which would mean that they were
where the ancient elves had laid their heads at night. That's what I assumed anyway.
It should just be living quarters in this direction. So what was the point of going out of
the way to put up that sign?
"…Later. Nothing's going to come from thinking about it now."
It was more important to meet up with Ruti first. I ignored the suspicion and curiosity
welling up in the back of my mind and hurried onward.
All I had to go on about where Godwin was making the medicine was a verbal
description from Tisse. Finding the place amid the uniform rows of chambers was
going to be difficult.
"Is it this one?"
It had taken a little bit of time. Rit and Tisse were probably already starting to head
up the mountain. I slid open the oddly heavy door that was so common in ancient elf
ruins.
"Whoa there."
A glass bottle came flying at me from inside. I leaped forward to dodge it. A second
later, the object exploded with a plop. A green, adhesive goop splattered all around,
but by that point, I was already pressing my sword to the Alchemist's neck.
"Y-you're that damn apothecary! Did you come to take me in?!"
"No, I didn't come here to fight."
"That's rich comin' from the guy holding a blade to my throat!"
"You threw a bomb at me. If I came here looking to fight, your head would already be
rolling."
Godwin was gripping another sticky bomb. After a short staring match, he slowly
lowered his hands. Matching his movements, I carefully drew my sword away from his
neck.
"Where is the woman who's holding you here?"
"What, you've got business with her now? Just leave it be. You're obviously a capable
fighter, but you've got no chance against her."
"I think you misunderstand. I'm an acquaintance of hers."
Godwin looked surprised.
"Connections with Rit and with her, too? Who the hell are you?"
"I'm just an apothecary. So where is she?"
"Like I'd know. Probably skulking around the ruins somewhere."
Having to search for Ruti somewhere in these ruins would be a burdensome task in its
own right.
"…"
I could have just shouted her name, but I wanted to avoid that if possible. Ruti
undoubtedly wasn't expecting me to show up here. If she realized that I knew about
the Devil's Blessing and her breaking Godwin out of prison, she would likely be
despondent. There was a chance she'd run, too. Handling this face-to-face was best.
That way, I'd have the opportunity to explain myself and make it clear I wasn't angry.
"Hey, Godwin."
"What?"
"Call out for her."
"M-me?"
"If you shout, she should be able to hear you with the skills she has."
"Do it yourself. I damn sure don't trust you. If you're some Assassin and she thinks I
betrayed her, what do you think happens to me?"
"Then just say I threatened to kill you if you didn't do it."
"Not happening. I don't think you understand how terrifying that girl is."
What a pain.
"Nothing I can do to convince you?" I pressed.
"Not a one."
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance, then." I grabbed Godwin's left hand, the one
holding the other bomb. It was dangerous, so I wrested it away and set it gently on the
floor.
"Wh-what are you doing…?"
Godwin looked nervous as he tried to pull his hand free, but I wasn't letting go.
"Don't worry, this won't cause permanent damage."
"Wh-what do you mean…? Hey! Stop it!"
Realizing my intent, Godwin started frantically trying to pull away.
"Also, my Rit had a rough time because of you."
"Th-that's water under the bridge. We're even after you damn near cut me in half!"
"No, that was remittance for Al."
Rit had gotten into a dangerous spot with a bunch of stalker demons because of one
of Godwin's sticky bombs. This was just a little bit of payback for that.
"There." I locked the joints on Godwin's left arm and then pulled his arm just slightly
in a direction it wasn't supposed to bend.
"Gnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!" Unable to endure the pain, a scream welled up in the
Alchemist's throat and echoed around the ruins.
"Dammit…"
Godwin was sitting down, rubbing his arm. He stared hateful daggers at me, but I paid
that no mind. I sharpened my focus, listening for the presence that was surely
approaching.
Godwin was crucial for producing Devil's Blessing. Ruti needed him. So if she'd heard
that shout, then…
The door went flying through the air. A girl raced like lightning past it. Her sword
thrust out from the blur—aimed straight for my neck. It was similar to the move I had
pulled with Godwin before, but the speed and sharpness were of a wholly different
level.
Thankfully, Ruti's weapon stopped before it met my throat.
"Big Brother?!"
The emotion that crossed her face at that moment was something that my sister, the
Hero, should never have been able to feel—fear. At least, that's how it appeared to me.
Ruti and I moved to another room.
Godwin was agape, unable to believe his own ears. Still, his fear of Ruti remained
strong. He just did as bade when she said he could rest for a little while.
"Big Brother… why are you here?"
The chamber we were in was apparently the one she was using as her bedroom. It was
a slightly larger space about two corridors away from where I'd found Godwin.
While ancient elf craftsmen were far superior to present-day ones, the room's furniture
was already terribly disheveled. Ruti and Godwin had moved the trash out of their
chambers and into another and were sleeping on simple folding cots. Godwin's
quarters had also been stocked with alchemical tools, food, and water. Enough to be
able to get by.
I had no clue about the principle behind how it worked, but the aqueducts in these
ruins still functioned. Drinking water from an unknown source was cause for
hesitation, but it could still be used for bathing. Outside each of their rooms was a
laundry line. The simplicity of such a thing really struck a stark contrast with the
ancient elves' highly sophisticated culture.
"Brother?" Ruti asked, cocking her head to one side.
"Ah, sorry. It's just been a while since I last saw a place like this. I'm still taking it all in,
I guess," I replied.
"I see."
Clearly, I would have to be the one to broach the subject. "I heard the story from Tisse,"
I began.
Ruti's shoulders twitched. She looked down like she was trying to figure out how best
to reply.
No doubt she assumed I was upset with her. Taking Devil's Blessing and breaking a
criminal out of prison were things that the Ruti who had lived as the Hero all her life
would never have done. It was a complete and absolute rejection of the holy church's
teachings that one should live a life befitting their blessing.
"I'm sorry I was unable to help you for so long," I said, lowering my head.
"Eh?"
"I never told anyone else, but I'd been researching a way to suppress your blessing's
impulses for a while." I pulled a vial out of the pouch at my waist. It was the secret wild
elf medicine that I had given to Ademi during the incident with Bighawk.
"This substance can quell a blessing's urges, too. It temporarily lowers your level when
imbibed. Sadly, it's classified as a poison, so I don't think it will work in your case."
"Why?" Ruti asked, bewildered. "Why were you always trying to save the world? You
were always striving to get stronger even when we were little. After joining the
knights, you helped so many people. Then you joined me on my journey to defeat the
demon lord. That hopeless quest, constantly fighting the demon lord's armies,
traveling all over with only a handful of people. It's not like you were driven to help
people like I was, but you still fought."
"…Yeah, I never did fully explain myself to you."
Ruti's chosen quest—vanquishing the demon lord.
I had been there at the outset, when a raiding force attacked our hometown, and Ruti
had tried to stand against all those orcs by herself. From there, many people had joined
her group for a time, but from the very beginning up until the battle with Desmond of
the Earth, I had always been at her side.
Through it all, I had been conflicted about whether to explain how I felt. And in the
end, I never had. Even if my intentions were good, I couldn't risk hurting Ruti. I was
afraid that if Ruti knew my reason for fighting, she might feel responsible for my
choices.
"Why did you want to defeat the demon lord, Big Brother?" She was looking straight
at me, her pretty eyes filled with anxiety.
"I just wanted to protect you."
Ruti's eyes widened ever so slightly. Her gaze twitched faintly.
"That's why you battled monsters when we were little?"
"I joined the Bahamut Knights for the same purpose. I wanted the strength to be able
to protect you when you set out on your journey."
"Why? Because I'm the Hero?"
"Don't be silly. It's because you're important to me, Ruti. You were bound to leave home
eventually. I wanted to prepare myself for whenever that day arrived. If you decide to
quit being the Hero, I won't mind, and I won't blame you."
Honestly, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little unsure. As someone who had traveled
together with the Hero for so long, I had an intimate familiarity with the war's
progression.
Without Ruti, the demon lord's forces would wreak significantly more havoc. It was
entirely possible that Avalon would be destroyed. Such was the price of allowing Ruti
to forgo her duty. Yet even if it came to that, I would remain her ally. That was the
decision I had made.
"Are… Are you sure? I left all my comrades behind. I broke Godwin out of prison… I'm
trying to quit being the Hero. After all that, you're still going to forgive me?"
"Of course."
"Can I be selfish? Is it really all right for me to do what I want to do instead of what the
world or my blessing demands?"
Enjoying a slow life removed from the demands of the world was a luxury the Hero
could never rightly be allowed. However, I would not cast aside Ruti's right to choose.
"Live how you like. That's what I do."
Ruti slowly placed her hands on my cheeks. She stared into my eyes for a long moment
and then pressed her forehead to my chest.
"I'm so selfish, Big Brother. I'm a failure as the Hero." I couldn't see Ruti's face, but I
could feel the warmth from her hands on my cheeks. "Please… Please don't hate me."
I put my hands on top of hers. "You're my little sister, Ruti. I will always love you."
"Thank you. I love you, too," she responded softly.
The moment took me back to that storm that had hit our village when we were kids.
My name is Tisse. I'm Ruti the Hero's friend. Rit and I finally reached the entrance to
the ruins after Red had gone ahead of us.
"…I don't like this…"
Just as we were about to enter, an intense look crossed Rit's face.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I can sense someone on the mountain."
"You can?"
Rit had the Spirit Scout blessing, so her perception was better in more natural
environments. However, this was also a place where adventurers came to gather
medicinal herbs and where people from the nearby settlement came to log or hunt.
"Normal folk wouldn't venture this deep into the wilderness," Rit stated.
"You're saying this presence is close?"
I spun around. Two chimeras were lying where we had finished them off just a minute
ago. If someone else was around, they would certainly have to be quite skilled.
"Probably. I can't say for sure, though," admitted Rit.
"I suppose it's whoever summoned that spirit drake," I replied.
"Yeah. What about footprints?"
Out in nature, Rit's Spirit Scout blessing allowed her to sense something as vague as
another's whereabouts far off in the distance, but my Assassin blessing specialized in
tracking skills. I was capable of recognizing characteristic footprints on stone
pavement and picking people out of a crowd.
"There's evidence of three going into the ruins: Ms. Ruti, Godwin, and then Red. The
only new prints since the last time I was here are Ms. Ruti's and Red's. Previously, there
were two sets from about a month earlier—Red's and one other's."
"Someone else?" Rit inquired.
"Whoever it was appeared to have explored the upper level of the ruins once. They
didn't return after that single pass."
As for Red's first trip, it seemed he'd only taken a quick look around to gather what he
could. The interior of the ruins was the correct dampness for mushrooms and moss to
grow in abundance. Mister Crawly Wawly seemed to enjoy the humidity, too, because
his jewellike black eyes were glimmering as he peeked out of my bag.
"So another adventurer in Zoltan was investigating this place," deduced Rit. As we
made our way into the ruins, she seemed to be pondering who that unknown other
could have been.
When we reached Godwin's room, he shrank back in fear at the sight of Rit.
"Don't worry. I don't hold a grudge against you, and I'm not here to get revenge or
anything," she assured.
"S-sorry 'bout that."
Rit smirked a little bit at seeing Godwin tremble. She made a point of drawing her
sword to relish his reaction. She could be a bit childish at times.
"Where is Ms. Ruhr?"
When in Godwin's presence, I went by the alias Tifa, and Ms. Ruti went by Ruhr. My
real name was not particularly problematic, but the moniker Ruti the Hero was known
to just about everyone.
"She went off somewhere with that apothecary," Godwin hastily explained.
"Is that so?"
If so, then following Red's footsteps was the fastest way to find the two. Fortunately,
their tracks were still fresh. Though without a high-level Tracking skill, it would be
impossible to judge any tracks left on the strange material ancient elves made their
floors from.
Rit turned around as we started to leave the room.
"What is it?" I asked.
She opened the item box at her waist and, after reciting the command word, pulled
out a magic knife that emanated darkness, a chain mail tunic interwoven with sounddampening fabric, a thunderstone that unleashed a flash of light when used, and a
smoke wand that released a cloud of thick vapor when broken. She set them all on the
floor.
"Rit?!" I exclaimed.
"I don't have any particular attachment to your life, Godwin, but apparently, you're a
bit of a crucial person. There is a possibility that someone is going to break into these
ruins. Someone who is at least as strong as I am. Maybe even more so. I doubt you can
win against whoever it is, so use these to protect yourself if you need to."
"A-against someone better than you?! Are you kidding?! Take me with you!"
"We've got our hands full with another matter. If it looks like we can come back for you,
we will." Then she took out a potion bottle—one that contained the spell Invisibility.
"I'm leaving this here for you, too, but don't get your hopes up. This almost certainly
won't work on whoever is nearby."
Godwin was muttering complaints as he picked up the items she had placed on the
floor. "I'm beggin' ya here, don't go dragging me into a fight between a bunch of damn
heroes."
"It's better than getting executed at least, right?" Rit said with a shrug.
Godwin slumped in surrender at that, sitting on the floor. Seeing him like that was so
pitiful I felt just a little bit of sympathy for him. Mister Crawly Wawly raised his right
leg, too, urging the Alchemist to cheer up.
Had Ares not gone off to the airship, he would have discovered Red and been able to
follow after him. Instead, he had been forced to rely on his magic to search around the
mountain.
"It should be around here." He was scratching at his arm in frustration, muttering to
himself.
Ares's spell used Albert's blood like a compass that pointed toward Ruti. When poured
on the disk he was holding, the red liquid would react to the magic of Albert's contract
and be pulled in Ruti's direction. Unfortunately, the container was a flat surface, not a
sphere. It could not point up or down.
Ruti was in the archaic compound that spread out deep beneath the mountain.
"Why?! Why can't I find her?!" Ares cried, paying no heed to the blood flowing from
his arm.
Shisandan was pondering what to do as he watched the Sage's reaction. His impression
of Danan, the man whose form the Asura demon was borrowing, was that he was not
a particularly bright man. Shisandan had not been able to steal Danan's memories, but
when he had infiltrated Loggervia in the guise of Gaius, he had spoken with Danan
several times. Ares hadn't discovered him yet, so he had to be doing a convincing
enough job of playing the part.
Shisandan suspected that Ruti had already entered the ancient elf ruins. The reason
they could not find her was because she was underground. However, that wasn't
something an idiot like Danan would suggest.
Ares was a man with his back to the wall. It would even be fair to say he was unable to
think clearly at present. At a fundamental level, Asura demons had entirely different
values and philosophies from humans, elves, and even other demons. Shisandan had
eaten many humans before and observed their memories, but even still, he could not
comprehend humans' thought processes.
When he hid himself among them, he would plumb the memories of whoever he was
imitating, choose situations that seemed the most similar, and act based on those
recollections. Unfortunately, he had not gained any memories from Danan this time.
As such, he hadn't spoken more than absolutely necessary, choosing to merely follow
after Ares.
But at this rate, we won't get anywhere.
Among the memories Shisandan had consumed, there was one from a man who had
been desperate, like Ares was now. Shisandan decided he would use that as his model.
"Hey, I just remembered, but apparently, there were ancient elf ruins on this
mountain."
"And what of it?! Please spare me your prattle and just search for Ruti!" snapped Ares.
"No, I mean from what I heard, those ruins are underground."
"…Why didn't you say so sooner?!"
"Sorry, it totally slipped my mind."
"Kh, this is why I can't stand incompetents. Where is the site you speak of?!"
Did that go okay? I think I managed to fool him by acting like I thought that important
tidbit was too trivial to bring up sooner.
Sensing no suspicion from Ares, Shisandan indulged in a bit of silent self-praise. It had
been worth the wait to stand around first before bringing it up.
This one seems useful. I may not even need to deceive him for much longer. I might be
able to draw him to my side.
If Shisandan revealed himself then and there, there was no chance he would be able
to convince Ares to ally with him. After a rejection from the Hero and having his dream
crushed, however? When all were to seem lost to Ares, and he discovered a way he
might still achieve his aspirations, he'd surely take it. At that point, it wouldn't matter
that it involved dirtying his hands a bit, right?
It's just a question of timing. As I am right now, I probably have no chance of winning
against him.
For all Ares's faults, his magical power was the real deal. If at all possible, Shisandan
would prefer to put things into motion after acquiring the artifacts that lay sleeping
somewhere in the ancient elf ruins.
Shisandan was walking out in front as he plotted how to approach the task. Pondering
how best to trap his target was one of his favorite pastimes. In that regard, the time he
had tricked Rit in Loggervia had been extraordinarily gratifying.
While careful not to let Ares see, Shisandan cracked a sinister grin as he silently laid
out his moves.
At about the same time, Danan was still sprinting along the path, his face red from the
exertion. While he was far swifter than the average person due to his skills, he was still
only halfway to the mountain.
"Dammit! At this rate, it'll all be over by the time I catch up!" he shouted as his legs
pounded against the ground.
The merchants and other travelers he passed on the road ran screaming in the other
direction, thinking he was a highway robber.
"Nrrrrrrrgggggh!!!" Danan psyched himself up, but no matter how much he tried,
there was no dramatic increase in his speed. Just when he was starting to regret not
having gotten a mount, he felt an oppressive presence above.
"What?! Another spirit drake?!"
It was a giant one, catching the wind in its wings as it flew through the air above him.
It looked different from the first drake.
"Huh, that looks like Theodora's summons."
Every part of the creature's body, save its red wings, was covered in armor. Danan
recalled that the spirit beasts Theodora summoned with her clerical arts had all
sported the same sort of protective covering.
The Martial Artist knew next to nothing about magic, so he didn't comprehend that
the difference between this creature and the one he'd seen earlier was that this one
had been conjured from clerical arts, while Ares's mystical arts had summoned the
other.
Theodora's powers borrowed strength from the domain of Victy, guardian of martyrs,
one of Almighty Demis's three disciples. This limited Theodora in a way. She was only
able to call upon spirit beasts whose attributes existed within Victy's domain. Those
creatures she did summon manifested under the influence of Victy.
Ares could use clerical arts as well, but they relied on borrowing power from Larael,
the guardian of hope, another of the three disciples. Invocations made through Larael
had the same restriction on attributes, so Ares generally used mystical arts to avoid
those restrictions.
The clerical arts largely drew power from one of the three disciples, but those inclined
toward evil could source it from Sannou, a legendary demon overlord said to have
rebelled against Demis.
The spirit drake circled slowly over Danan's head. After seemingly spotting him, it
immediately began a descent.
"Huh?"
Danan started clenching his fist and stopped running, getting excited as he wondered
whether it might attack or not. While he understood that it was a bad habit of his to
forget everything going on around him whenever he sensed a strong enemy, that was
just how he was.
Ares had snidely chided him for it many times. It had caused problems once or twice
when Danan had first joined up with the Hero. Very soon after, however, it miraculously
seemed to stop creating trouble. Thinking back on it now, Danan understood that it
had been because Gideon had a full grasp on all his party members' quirks and had
worked to design the best deployments so that they could all fight at their best.
Things might have been different if he had just explained as much. No point thinking
about that now, I guess. I've got a spirit drake right in front of me to deal with first.
When the drake was low enough that it's head was clearly visible, it spread its wings
wide and slowed its glide.
"Danan! It's me!" an armored woman shouted as she leaned out from the drake's back.
"Theodora?!"
As far as Danan knew, she should have been far away.
"This sure is convenient."
This was the second time in Danan's life that he had ridden on a spirit drake. The first
had been when they had traveled to Gandor of the Wind's hideout. They had been
working together with the lightning dragons to break through Gandor's wyvern
knights, but Ares had insisted he fly a spirit drake so he could do as he pleased, and
Danan had gone along to keep him safe.
Back then, there hadn't been any time to comment about how nice riding was between
all his complaints whenever Ares's questionable steering got them into a dangerous
situation.
"Why didn't you use one of these fellas more often?" Danan asked Theodora, who was
sitting in front of him with the drake's reins in her hands.
"It stands out too much. There aren't that many mages capable of summoning a spirit
drake, and if the demon lord's forces saw one, they would surely be on their guard."
"Makes sense," Danan accepted. Spotting such an unusual beast from the ground
wasn't too difficult. Gideon had run off precisely because he'd seen that spirit drake
earlier.
"So who's he?" With a finger, Danan indicated the man sitting behind him.
"My name is Albert, sir. It's an honor to meet you. I've heard tales of your victories
against the demon lord's army, even way out in Zoltan. It's a rather long story, but I'm
an adventurer who is currently accompanying Theodora." Albert introduced himself
with a respectful bow.
Danan nodded before quickly losing interest. "Anyway, that was great timing. Now I
can get to the mountain in no time."
"Are you seriously not going to ask why I'm here? The timing doesn't seem odd to you
at all?" inquired Theodora.
"Not like I'd figure anything out even if I did think about things like that. The Hero's
somewhere on the mountain, and she needs us. That's enough for me."
"…You really are a simple man," Theodora replied with a wry smile.
There was a trace of envy in her expression, but Danan was not the sort who'd notice
that.
"I picked you up because I want you to be there for it, whatever result might come of
the choices we make," stated Theodora.
"?"
"It's fine if you don't get what I mean. Do as you please. I'll act how I see fit, too."
"Roger. I'm not sure I get it, but isn't that obvious? We'll both do what we want. That's
how it should be," Danan responded with a hearty laugh.
Albert was dumbfounded. This was another entirely different sort of hero from Ares
or Theodora.
Once Ruti had calmed down, we headed back out into the corridor.
"Red!"
No sooner had we stepped out than we saw Rit and Tisse running toward us.
"That was fast," I remarked.
"We were in a bit of a hurry," Rit said with a smile.
Ruti looked expressionless, but her cheeks were turning ever so slightly redder. It was
what she did when she was feeling happy.
"Thank you," Ruti murmured.
The four of us returned to Godwin's room to get what information we could about
Devil's Blessing.
From what the contract demon had said, the principle behind the substance was that
it used its core ingredient, an ax demon's heart, to create a demon blessing that
suppressed the user's natural one. However…
"That was how the contract demon explained it to me, too," Ruti added, before tilting
her head. "But the Hero's blessing treats the effects of a demon's heart as a curse,
eliminating it. So when I drank it, I did not develop an ax demon blessing."
"Then how is your innate blessing being suppressed?" I inquired.
Ruti tilted her head. "The blessing I developed is one without a name."
"Nameless?" I repeated, at a loss.
"Yes. When I connect with it, there aren't any skills or impulses. It's just there."
What could that be? I'd done lots of research on blessings, so I felt confident that I
knew more than most on the subject, but I'd never heard of this before. Was it really a
blessing?
"My levels are definitely shifting to that nameless blessing, and the Hero's urges are
weakening."
"If there aren't any impulses, and if that blessing's level gets higher than your natural
one's, does that mean there won't be any murderous fits?" Rit asked, hopefulness
apparent in her voice.
Ax demon blessings had caused the brutal attacks that had plagued Zoltan a while
back. If this nameless thing in Ruti really didn't have any compulsions, then there was
no danger.
"A blessing with no name… On top of being a complete unknown, it's like no other
blessing in existence. Not knowing what it might be capable of is ominous in its own
way," I said.
Every blessing had a role. Regardless of how powerful or weak a Divine Blessing was,
its name, urges, and skills were a means for the bearer to interpret their assigned lot
in life and gain the abilities necessary to fulfill that role.
So then, what could one divine from a blessing with no identifiable qualities?
"There's a lot that's still in the dark. I'd like to ask Godwin, since he's an actual
Alchemist," I stated.
We continued to discuss it as we made our way back to Godwin's room. As Ruti had
blown the door off the wall, we could see the man before entering. He twitched when
he heard our approach.
"D-don't scare me like that." Godwin breathed a sigh of relief after realizing we weren't
the enemy Rit had warned him of earlier.
"I know this is sudden, but I want to know everything you know about Devil's
Blessing," I said.
Unraveling all this was doubtlessly going to be difficult, but we had to face the mystery
of this demonic medicine head-on.
"Basically, Devil's Blessing was created as a kind of stopper meant to limit the effects
of its base—the substance that creates that nameless blessing. It achieves this by
causing a demon blessing to develop instead of the nameless one and by transferring
levels to it. With the unaltered, original drug, your innate blessing's level won't go down.
Even if you didn't have an immunity to curses, Devil's Blessing was unnecessary."
This was the hypothesis that Godwin presented to us when pressed for details about
Devil's Blessing. He had used one of his skills to analyze the medicine.
"So is the part about limiting urges something added later, too? Or was it part of the
original compound?" I questioned.
"Hard to say. There's a possibility the nameless blessing might limit the impulses of
your natural one without decreasing its level. Still, the drug's original purpose was to
create that nameless blessing."
"So then the part about it weakening your innate blessing to increase the efficiency of
leveling that the demon told Ruhr about was not its original usage?" I queried.
"Yeah, and that bit about the levels in the new blessing returning after a week wasn't
an original part of how the substance worked, either."
Things were just getting more and more baffling. The demons' alterations seemed
designed to destroy the original drug's effects.
"What about the dependency and narcotic effects?" Ruti asked.
She was the one actually taking the medicine, so that was a critical point. While she
could nullify adverse effects with her immunities, if her blessing level kept shifting, it
was possible that she could lose such impunity.
"That's just a problem with the ingredients. It uses dwarven blackfire peppers, which
are quite addictive. They are banned here in Zoltan, so acquiring them actually proved
to be the most challenging part of the whole process. There's still a lot of them left in
Bighawk's hidden stockroom for now, though."
"Is there any substitute for them?" I inquired.
"I'm just a washed-up Alchemist who wound up with the Thieves Guild. Don't go askin'
me to figure out any modifications to the recipe."
Godwin had been a key member of the Thieves Guild under Bighawk, but he was by
no means exceptionally knowledgeable when it came to alchemy.
I glanced down at the notes the man had written from his analysis and considered the
problem. Still, there just wasn't enough there for me to make a definitive statement
one way or the other about replacements for the dwarven blackfire peppers.
With Ruti's Healing Hands, she could completely cure any addiction or overdose. And
there were high-level healers in most large cities capable of magics that could heal the
medicine's damage. Such services demanded payment, of course, but such prices were
little more than pocket change to someone of Ruti's means.
I suppose we can ignore the dwarven blackfire peppers for now… though I'd like to
remove them from the equation at some point.
"The murderous impulses started occurring when the demon's blessing surpassed the
innate blessing in level. What do you think will happen when this nameless blessing
surpasses Ruhr's innate blessing?" I asked.
"I can't say for sure, but those violent urges came from the ax demon's blessing. If a
blessing that doesn't have any impulses surpasses her innate one, then I'd assume
nothing in particular would happen," concluded Godwin.
He's got the same assumption I have, I thought.
"So in sum, what are we looking at?" Tisse asked.
"Hmm. For the time being, it looks like the risk is minimal. We have to be careful about
Ruhr's level getting too low. Still, I don't think we'll have to worry about her getting
violent."
Ruti's eyes widened a bit at that. She had probably been fretting over whether we
would tell her not to take the substance anymore.
"From what I can tell, demons added all the dangerous parts after the fact. I want to
investigate the recipe in more detail myself, but for the moment, I think it is okay to
use it to suppress urges until we find another way," I decided.
Never would I have guessed that my knowledge of medicine would wind up being such
a boon for Ruti. I felt a small surge of pride when I saw that she seemed happy.
"As for other issues, there's the problem of Zoltan being viewed as problematic after
the incident with Devil's Blessing. Forget dwarven blackfire peppers, just trying to get
our hands on the other special ingredients will draw the attention of Zoltan's
authorities."
"What about just growing the things we need here on the mountain?" Rit proposed.
"That's easy enough in theory, but it's pretty difficult to raise plants brought in from
another climate. Though there's no reason not to try, either," I replied.
"Oh."
"And I'll look into the possibility of substituting some of the ingredients. It's possible
that the demons intentionally used certain additives to produce a more addictive
medicine."
Ruti had made it clear that the contract demon had been devout in its faith in Demis.
While that seemed contrary to expectation, it made sense that demons who strictly
adhered to what their blessings wanted would be faithful believers of Demis, too. Yet
those loyalists had preserved the method of producing a medicine that created a new
blessing, something that was unquestionably an act of rebellion against God.
The reason they had done so was likely because, in the form of Devil's Blessing, the drug
was a way to develop one's innate blessing even further. Still, the demons recognized
that this incredible medicine could also be used to resist Demis's designs.
Perhaps that was why the altered recipe called for such rare and addictive ingredients—
to prevent any unintended spread. Overdoses and addiction were a lethal problem for
the average person.
"It's still difficult to reconcile demons being such ardent believers…," I muttered to
myself.
When I found some time with Ruti, I wanted to discuss that point in more detail. Back
then, in the Hero's party, Ruti and I had spent many sleepless nights debating all sorts
of things about the nature of the world. I looked forward to doing that again when we
were back home in Zoltan.
That would be nice.
"What is it, Big Brother?" Noticing my gaze, Ruti tilted her head. I just smiled to let her
know it was nothing problematic. "Okay," she responded with a nod. It looked like her
cheeks had reddened slightly.
"Something's coming," Tisse suddenly whispered so that only those in the room would
hear.
Save for Godwin, we all quickly drew our weapons and focused. Godwin scurried
behind us when I gave the signal.
"I-I'm sure it will be fine with you guys here…," he muttered nervously.
Ruti was not paying any attention to him as she slowly approached the doorway out
to the corridor.
Using the Enhanced Detection skill that the Hero blessing provided, every one of Ruti's
senses became as perceptive as her vision, allowing her to discern the slightest
vibrations, changes in heat, smells, and such. Tisse's Assassin ability to sense presences
covered a wider range, but Ruti's skill was superior in close quarters since it allowed
her to see through walls.
"It's an iron snake," Ruti whispered.
A small object flew out from the shadows at the entrance. But the moment it appeared,
Ruti's sword was already bearing down on it, splitting the iron snake before it had any
chance to test its fangs.
"An iron snake? What's one of those doing here?" Rit's face was clouded.
Iron snakes were a type of golem created from a combination of magic and alchemy.
The serpent-shaped metal constructs were about thirty centimeters long. While they
weren't very powerful, they were stealthy and able to slip into all sorts of openings,
making the things quite versatile. On top of that, they had a mapping capability and
the power to display what they observed to their controller. Iron snakes were perfectly
suited to matters of espionage.
"It's an entirely different kind of golem from the clockwork ones typically found in
places like this. There's no record of iron snakes in ancient elf ruins anywhere else," I
said.
"Someone else must be here. They're concealing themself with magic, but I can just
barely detect a faint presence when I focus on it," Tisse stated. Mister Crawly Wawly
popped his head out of her bag to try to convey something to her. "According to Mister
Crawly Wawly, two humans have trod on the threads he laid out." Her spider nodded,
confirming what she said.
In the time he had been together with Tisse, Mister Crawly Wawly had raised his level,
and apparently, he could discern the general size and shape of creatures who touched
his silk from the vibrations transmitted through it.
"Two people, huh?" I whispered.
The one who'd summoned the spirit drake and some ally, maybe? It was hard to say
whether they had spotted us below on the mountain path. Regardless, they were
aware of the iron snake's destruction.
"…Is it Shisandan?" Rit wondered quietly. Her expression was filled with a mix of
unease and a dark anticipation.
"Hey, wouldn't it be better if Ms. Ruhr was the one protecting me?" Godwin whined
pitifully.
"You're stuck with me, so just suck it up."
Ruti and Rit stood at the head of the group with Tisse behind them, Godwin behind
her, and I brought up the rear to protect the Alchemist if we were assailed from behind.
"But you're the least reliable one of them."
"Ever tactful, I see."
"This is a life-or-death situation!"
Godwin was a high-level Alchemist—by Zoltan standard anyway. However, he couldn't
hold a candle to the class of opponents the Hero regularly engaged with, and he
understood that as well as anyone else here. That was why we had taken this
formation.
Ruti twitched in reaction to something behind us. I immediately drew one of the
throwing knives I had borrowed from Rit and let it fly. The weapon caught another
iron snake that had been sneaking toward us and destroyed it.
My sister and I did not need words to communicate. I was confident in my ability to
act how she intended from a single glance alone. Countless battles together had forged
our sibling bond into a kind of second-nature response.
It wouldn't be hyperbole to say that the moment she noticed something with her
extremely heightened perception, it was also shared with me.
"I know they aren't exactly built to last, but still, one-shotting an iron golem with a
throwing knife? Why the hell are you an apothecary? Did you screw something up and
have to go into hiding or something?" Godwin quietly asked in awe when he saw the
little golem's shattered head.
Tisse used a skill, standing still and focusing as she searched for any more unwelcome
guests. "The iron snakes have left this level," she declared after a moment.
We had come across a total of four iron snakes and destroyed all of them. However,
Tisse had sensed at least seven of the little things earlier. That meant at least three of
them had been pulled away from this floor.
"What about the people?" I questioned.
"They're still using a spell to hide, so I can't pin down their locations, but I think one
of them has moved below the surface," the Assassin replied.
"Splitting up?" Rit seemed surprised. If this pair was hostile, them parting was a
decision in our favor. "They must know we broke the iron snakes, right? Even if we
assume these two are entirely unrelated to Shisandan or Devil's Blessing stuff, they
must recognize by now that there is a threat down here. So why split up?"
"It's certainly odd. They may be using magic or a martial art that can throw off my
perception, but…" Tisse trailed off.
The girl was one of the best Assassins around. Only a few could hope to disguise
themselves from her senses. Was there anyone truly capable of disrupting her
perception so thoroughly?
"Stay on guard. Be ready to react in case they somehow did manage to trick Tisse's
reading, but for now, let's assume she's correct," I stated.
"Understood." Ruti nodded at my proposal. No sooner had she done so than her mouth
curved ever so slightly into a smile.
"Something up?" I inquired.
"The situation is what it is, but… I'm happy. It's been so long since you've fired off
directions like that…" Ruti was looking me straight in the eyes as she said that, but she
quickly reverted to a serious expression and faced forward again.
Everyone, even Godwin, noticed the change.
"Something's coming!" Rit called out sharply.
"Mister Crawly Wawly's webs have all been torn apart! It's a swarm of things no bigger
than fingernails!"
"Ruti! Rit! Use Levitate!"
Ruti and Rit, the two who could use the spell, quickly cast it on everyone. Suddenly, we
were all hovering slightly above the ground, waiting for the horde that had suddenly
appeared.
"Is it spiders? Ants? It can't be parasitic grubs, right?" Godwin listed the sorts of
swarms adventurers often encountered. Disregarding such threats simply because
they were insects or arachnids was foolhardy. You couldn't defeat a horde of bugs with
conventional weapons. Magic or fire were typically the best options. They could be
truly dangerous, easily capable of taking down the unprepared. However, the little
things that came skittering into sight weren't ants or spiders.
"Eeeep!" Godwin screamed reflexively at the sight of them filling the floor. Rit gasped
and shuddered, too.
"Plague Eyes…," I muttered.
They were crying human eyes. Red, tentacle-like blood vessels extended from the
backs of the things, and they used those to crawl along the floor. That alone would
have been repulsive, but after moving around for a bit, the eyeballs would start to
bubble and split apart. The frothing liquid from inside spawned more of their kind.
"It's a high-level mystic art, a combination of summoning magic and necromancy that
uses the eyes of dead humans who bore intense grudges as a medium. The conjured
things continue to create more of themselves," I explained. The crying eyes filling the
floor looked up at us, floating in the air. It was a scene that made even my hair stand
on end. "They can't be controlled and will keep increasing until the magic that first
made them runs out. It's meant to overrun anyone on the ground. That said, they're
still the result of a summoning spell, so whoever cast it will be aware if any eyes are
killed. I've heard stories about some using that method to locate an enemy."
"Attacking them will alert their master to us?" Tisse asked.
"Pretty much. Plague Eyes cover a wide area. No one would bother using them if they
knew where their quarry was already. It's fortunate that Levitate allows us to evade
them," I replied.
Conjuring such disgusting things was no small feat, but the method was not without
its weaknesses. All we needed to do was keep floating in the air until its effect ran out.
"…Weren't they trying to locate us using those iron snakes?" Rit asked.
"Perhaps the two of them are unable to share information for some reason?" proposed
Tisse.
There was no denying that using Plague Eyes here was odd. But while I was grappling
with the implications of that decision, Ruti just furrowed her brow impatiently.
"We're not going to figure it out by guessing. We should just ask directly."
"Huh?" I managed before Ruti signed something arcane with her left hand.
"Judgment Lightning."
"Wha—?!"
An intense bolt struck the eyeball-flooded floor and raced through the corridor.
The spells afforded by the Divine Blessing of the Hero were cost inefficient but rivaled
Archmage and Sage blessings in terms of immediate output. They wielded a power
that made a mockery of all the magic swordsman-type blessings that struggled to
balance bladework with spells.
Ruti's temple twitched. "Someone blocked it," she muttered, dropping to the ground
with her sword drawn. She started running.
"Wait! Don't go off alone! Rit, Tisse! Keep Godwin safe, but try to catch up as soon as
you can!" I took off after Ruti without waiting for them to respond.
She hadn't ever gone off on her own like this while I had been in the party.
Is this how she's been fighting since I left?
"Ruti!" I called.
"Around that corner."
Though I'd caught up to her, I didn't even have time to get a warning out before she
turned at an intersection. Naturally, I followed after, but seeing the figure standing
there made me forget myself for a moment.
"Ruti! I finally found you!"
"Ares?!"
Standing there was Ares the Sage, the man who had driven me from my sister's side.
In his present state, he looked nothing like the man I had once known.
Ares's handsome features had made him popular with women back in Central, but
now his hair was a wild mess, and his cheeks were sunken. Formerly calm and
discerning eyes were now wide and bloodshot, resembling the dead little things fading
away in bubbling foam on the floor.
"Let's go defeat the demon lord, Ruti. The Hero is the only one who can save the world.
And I must be there at your side. The Hero and the Sage. We've nothing to fear from
any demon lord with such Divine Blessings at our disposal."
"A-Ares, what happened to you…?" I asked.
Keeping up appearances had been paramount to him. Even when we were on the road,
he'd always taken care to maintain himself. It made how he looked now all the more
shocking.
"Come, Ruti. Take my hand. You realized we don't need anyone else, right? That's why
you left? I agree. Danan, Theodora, Yarandrala, Tisse, Gideon… They were all just
getting in our way. Useless scoundrels who could do nothing more than complain. But
we can defeat the demon lord together, just the two of us. A glorious future awaits."
Ares did not respond to my words. His cheeks were twitching in a spastic smile as he
extended his hand to Ruti.
"Ares." Ruti's voice was soft, and she was gazing at him almost piteously.
"Ruti…"
"I'm not going to travel with you anymore."
"Huh?"
"I don't know what comes next, but my journey with you has reached its end. My time
as the Hero is over. Now I'm only Ruti."
What Ares needed, what he required, wasn't Ruti. It was the Hero. That was why Ruti
closed the book on her quest with Ares. It was a parting, but in her own way, my little
sister was also drawing a line of sorts with a man she had known for very long.
Ares looked down, smile still pasted across his face. "You're too kind. You feel a need
to help a hopeless cause like Gideon. That's why you're choosing a man with a worthless
blessing over me. Because you can't bear to cast aside that hindrance, right?"
"You've got it wrong, Ares, Ruti is—"
"Silence!"
Ares moved his hand in a practiced motion.
"Ares?! What are yo—? Gh!!!" The next thing I knew, his Force Shot spell had sent me
flying. I slammed into the wall behind me with a loud crash. The impact knocked the
air from my lungs, and I couldn't breathe for a moment. Unable to hold on, I dropped
to one knee.
"There! Now it's all fine, Ruti! Let us be off to vanquish the demon lord!" Ares faced Ruti
with arms wide open, almost like he was sure that she would jump into his embrace.
Ruti did leap forward, but not in the way Ares had hoped.
"Even now, you still don't see me."
"Huh?" Shocked, Ares looked down and discovered Ruti's sword sticking out of his
stomach. "Agh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!"
Disbelief was plain on Ares's face. His wide eyes looked down to gaze at the blood
flowing from his gut. Ruti retracted her blade without any hesitation.
"I'm not kind at all."
"Ugwahhhhhhhhhh! Wh-why? This is a misunderstanding! I'm Ares the Sage! Why did
you stab me…?"
"I avoided piercing anything vital. Healing yourself with magic shouldn't be too much
trouble. This is my answer. I don't feel conflicted about running you through for
hurting someone important to me. If Big Brother had been seriously wounded, I would
have killed you," Ruti stated matter-of-factly. Then she turned her back on him and
walked over to me. "Are you okay, Big Brother? Wait just a second, and I'll heal you."
"Ah, yeah, please."
Thankfully, my injury wasn't anything grievous. Force Shot was a spell better suited to
knocking targets away than destroying them. With my high blessing level, it amounted
to a few bruises and scrapes.
"R-Ruti… my wound is more serious… Healing… please…," Ares pleaded as he clutched
at his stomach. Yet Ruti did not even turn back to look at him.
"I'm not the Hero. And I'm never going to help you again."
She left no room at all for misinterpretation, rejecting Ares altogether.