We left Shirone Kingdom and traveled far, far westward. Our
destination was the Asura Kingdom. The road leading to said country was flat
and the weather just warm enough to make you drowsy. On either side of the
highway were fields of grass as far as the eye could see, and directly ahead
was the faint outline of the Red Wyrm Mountains. Above them, you could
see slowly circling shadows. It was tranquil.
On occasion, bandits who totally couldn't read the situation would
approach and demand we drop our coin and leave. Eris would kindly grant
them their wish by offering her iron fist, sending them scuttling off into the
distance. Ruijerd wanted to slaughter them all at first, but once we heard how
they were simply hurting for food, he decided to let them go for now. But just
this once.
Even though this was the Central Continent, the highway around these
parts wasn't particularly safe. I wished they would take notes from the
Demon Continent. Bandits never went out there, although in exchange,
monsters showed up in ten times the number.
The fact that people could do as they pleased here was proof of how
peaceful this region was. If we traveled just a bit farther to the north, there
was a jumble of small countries duking it out. In fact, that conflict was
probably the root cause for the rising number of bandits here.
Now let me explain the geographical features around these parts for a
bit. The Red Wyrm Mountains were a huge mountain range that stretched
across the Central Continent, splitting it in three parts, with Red Wyrms
residing within them. Red Wyrms were said to be the strongest monsters on
the Central Continent. Their strength was fearsome enough one-on-one, but
they typically gathered in hordes of several hundred.
Of special note was their detection ability. They never missed anything
that encroached on their territory, even animals as small as a dog. And it didn't matter how fierce the opponent was—the wyrms would swarm
together and devour it, bones and all. If you trespassed on their turf, you died.
That was common knowledge in this world.
There were a number of different dragon species in this world. Every
single one of them was A-ranked or higher. Among them, the Red Wyrm was
the most ferocious and dangerous. A single one was a low S-rank, but they
always came in groups and they always held vast territories. And since the
mountain range was the place these creatures called home, it came to be
known as the Red Wyrm Mountains: an impassable mountain range that was
a symbol of death.
The Red Wyrms were dangerous beasts, but they actually had one
weakness. They had excellent combat abilities, but were terrible fliers, and
couldn't take flight from flat terrain. To fly, they needed to leap off tall cliffs
or run down a long slope. Although the Central Continent had tall mountains,
the land was mostly occupied by rolling plains and forests. Therefore, it was
rare for those living on the plains to be attacked by a Red Wyrm.
Granted, there was the occasional idiot amongst the horde that would
get caught by a turbulent wind or something and fall to the plains. The high
king that falls from the heavens loses its power…or so the saying went, but
these guys didn't lose their power. Those that fell close to a human village
wrecked havoc, bringing devastation to the area. When this happened, the
villagers would call in soldiers or adventurers to deal with the disturbance.
Even though these extermination requests were S-ranked, parties of about ten
people were formed to lure the creature into a trap, making them relatively
easy to hunt. As it stood, dragon meat and bones were top-quality materials to
make armor with, and their skin was highly valued as a work of art. Of
course, it wasn't just those parts which had value. The entire body of a wyrm
could be utilized for something or other.
Although the prize money was distributed among teams of ten for
taking down one of these creatures, it was still enough money for each of
them to live lavishly for a year. To be more precise, one dragon was worth
about one hundred gold pieces. Even though they couldn't accept the mission
directly, there were apparently a lot of C-ranked newbies who would
impulsively take on the challenge just for the lucrative materials they could
harvest from a wyrm's body. Of course, most of them were barbecued alive
and then devoured. There were two points of passage through these mountains in which
vast numbers of Red Wyrms dwelled. These were gorges sandwiched
between two sheer precipices, known respectively as the Red Wyrm's Lower
Jaw and the Red Wyrm's Upper Jaw. These ravines had existed since the
time of the Second Human-Demon War and were the only paths at the time
that were wide enough for soldiers to pass through. Anticipating that, Laplace
had taken the opportunity to unleash Red Wyrms on the armies that tried.
Ruijerd confirmed that story, so there was no doubt about its veracity.
Our carriage was moving toward the Red Wyrm's Lower Jaw, which
connected the southern and western regions of the Central Continent. Once
we made it through there, we would be in the Asura Kingdom. However, we
were taking a roundabout route to detour around the mountains, and there
was a young miss amongst us who detested indirect paths.
"We don't need to detour around this thing. We have Ruijerd with us;
we could cut right through those mountains!" Eris said, being completely
unreasonable as she looked at the Red Wyrms cutting slow circles in the sky
above the mountain range.
"Don't be ridiculous," Ruijerd answered with a bitter laugh.
I had considered that we might be able to cross the mountains with
Ruijerd in our party, but even he found that idea impossible. In that case, I
didn't stand a chance. After all, I couldn't defeat Ruijerd.
"But Rudeus could definitely do it!" Eris huffed.
"No, there's no way. What are you talking about?"
"Ghislaine said that she slew a Red Wyrm straggler before!"
"She did?" I'd never heard that conversation. Maybe it wasn't one of
the stories from her time as an adventurer. If it had been, Paul would have
surely boasted about it.
"From what I heard, she battled one before she became a Sword
Saint!"
"Oh? All by herself?"
"Uh, well, there were about five others who were Advanced-tier
swordfighters with her, she said."
"And how many of them died?" I pressed on.
"Two," Eris replied.
You moron, I thought. That meant their group took a 40% loss. What in
the world made her think I could defeat one of those creatures?
"Besides," I said, "there's a difference in strength between stragglers
and the ones here in these mountains. After all, these ones are in the air, you
know?"
Flight gave wyrms at a huge advantage against humans. This wasn't a
video game where having a flying trait made you weak to bows and arrows.
Plus, they moved in swarms. It was one thing to face off against the King
Dragons, whose groups consisted of only a few wyrms, or the Black Wyrms,
which didn't form flocks at all. With the way Red Wyrms swarmed in the
hundreds, there was no way you could hope to pick them off one by one.
"Am I right, Mister Ruijerd?"
"Yes. You don't have a hope of standing against a Red Wyrm horde. If
there was anyone that could, they would be the mightiest champion amongst
the Seven Great Powers. Even the North God and Sword God would likely
turn back halfway through."
"You really think so?" Wow. I thought the Seven Great Powers could
easily dispatch dragons, but it seemed I was wrong.
"Yeah, their stamina would most likely wear out halfway through. Not
like you could sleep with dragons around."
That made sense. You'd have several hundred of them attacking you
restlessly, even at night. Combat strength aside, they'd overwhelm you with
sheer numbers.
"That said, Laplace subjugated the King of the Red Wyrms, so those
ranked at the top of the Seven Great Powers could probably pass through
without issue. Though if we're speaking of the Seven Great Powers of old,
even the God in last place could have passed through the Red Wyrm's
territory undisturbed, I'm sure."
"But I'd still like to hunt one of them someday…" Once again, Eris
was voicing her usual dangerous ideas. I was sure I'd be enlisted to help her
when that "someday" came.
***
Another tranquil day. Just a few more and we'd arrive at the Red
Wyrm's Lower Jaw.
I was thinking about the Man-God while I prepped a meal for the party.
More specifically, about what happened in the Shirone Kingdom a few days
ago. To be perfectly honest, it felt like things were going a little too well for
me. Perhaps the Man-God, his premonition notwithstanding, also had the
power to change the future.
No. Even if I hadn't been carrying that figurine with me, I had a feeling
Ginger would have lured Zanoba into meeting me anyway. And he would
still have brought his Roxy figurine, still have given the same speech, and I
would have still pointed out the mole he'd removed.
What if I had actually used my real name with Aisha? Alone at an inn
with her perverted brother… If I were her, I'd have feared for my chastity.
Aisha was a clever girl. She was trying to get a letter sent, so she might have
stolen my money and made a run for it.
I was sure I would've searched for her if that had happened. As soon as
I knew she was missing, I would lose all composure and, without any thought
for the consequences, blast my magic into the air to make contact with
Ruijerd. I'd tell him that I'd found my sister but she ran away, and he'd help
me search for her. He was kind to children. I was sure she'd trust him.
The more I considered it, the more I started to think that the Man-
God's advice was meant to ensure things turned out more or less the same
way no matter what I did. It was probably happening right now. Even if we
hadn't decided to accept Ruijerd's help, he would somehow have ended up
traveling with us, anyway. No matter which eye I selected from Kishirika's
arsenal when I met her, I would've still been captured by the Doldia tribe in
the Great Forest.
The Man-God was taking a lot into consideration as he gave me
advice. Perhaps I could trust him. However, just as before, I couldn't fathom
his motives. If I could just figure out what he wanted, then I could be more
honest with him.
As I mulled over my conversations with the Man-God, Eris and Ruijerd were sparring together as usual. Lately, Eris had gotten so strong it
was a real eye-opener. Just a year ago, I could've beaten her easily by using
my demon eye. I might even have been able to pull her panties down in the
midst of combat. Now, that was impossible. I would probably still come out
on top if I used my demon eye and all of my mana, but even then, it would be
close. I'd certainly win if we started the battle with some distance between
us, but a long-distance battle would rob me of the possibility of physical
contact during the heat of battle, so you couldn't really call that a victory.
Back to the conversation about talent. I thought I worked pretty hard,
but Eris went above and beyond. The quality and quantity of her hard work
put mine to shame. My body just couldn't keep up. My stamina was pretty
average by Japanese standards, but by the standards of this world, I was
mediocre.
As I was preoccupied with those thoughts, the day's training came to
an end. "We're done."
"Haa, haa… yeah…"
Lately Ruijerd had stopped asking Eris if she understood their training
or not. It didn't need to be said anymore. Eris was naturally soaking it up.
"Eris," Ruijerd suddenly said, as she came over to where I was
standing.
"What?" Eris took the wet rag I'd wrung out and handed to her. She
slipped it inside her clothes, wiping away at the sweat. She used to strip down
to just her bra and wipe it off, but I got too turned on by that, so now she kept
her clothes on, even though it probably felt gross having all that sweat on her
body. Sorry, I apologized internally.
"From this day on, you can call yourself a warrior," Ruijerd said as he
sat himself down.
A warrior, huh? Not a swordfighter, but a warrior? Why was he…? Ah.
I finally understood what he meant.
Eris slipped her hand under her armpit to wipe away the sweat, then
stopped. "Does that mean…?"
"You're an adult now," Ruijerd said quietly.
Eris' movements went jerky as she tossed the rag back to me. I used water magic to rinse it, then twisted it tight and smacked it in the air to wring
it out. Eris took a seat beside me. I'd seen this expression on her face before.
It was the kind where she was so happy that a big grin was threatening to
spread across her face, but she was trying to hold it back, thinking she needed
to act more reserved. "B-but, Ruijerd, I still haven't defeated you at all!"
"That's not a problem. You already have a sufficient amount of
strength as a warrior." Perhaps this was his way of giving Eris his approval.
Just as Ghislaine had when she permitted Eris to use the title of Advanced
swordswoman, Ruijerd was now doing the same by telling Eris she could call
herself a warrior.
"Congratulations, Eris," I said.
Her eyes darted to me in surprise. "R-Rudeus, this isn't a dream, is it?
Could you pinch me?"
"You won't punch me if I do?"
"I won't punch you."
Since I had her word, I reached out and pinched her nipple between my
fingers. Gently, of course. Or maybe sexily is more the word in this case?
Eris' fist, on the other hand, was not gentle. "Where the hell are you
pinching?!"
"Sorry…but it's not a dream. If it was, this wouldn't hurt so bad," I
said, face turning pale as I clutched my jaw. In contrast, Eris' face was bright
red as she covered her chest with her arms.
"That's right, a warrior…" She looked down at the palm of her hand as
if she could finally feel the power that was held there.
"But don't get a big head. That means I'm not going to treat you like a
child anymore. Got it?" Ruijerd sounded more like a parent warning their
child.
"Yeah!" Eris wore a meek look as she responded, although her cheeks
were twitching, threatening to give away her grin.
Our meal today looked even more delicious than usual.
That night, just as Eris was settling down to sleep, something was bothering me. I called to Ruijerd, who was on lookout with his eyes closed.
"Why did you say that to Eris?"
He cracked his eyes open slightly and looked at me. "Because no
matter how much time passes, you keep treating her like she's a child."
…Okay, let's think about this. Was Eris a child or not? She was twenty
years younger than I'd been when I died in my previous life. I'd also been her
incredibly patient tutor since she was little, even as she'd used me as her
personal punching bag. What was wrong with me seeing her as a child?
Sure, Eris had grown more and more mature of late, and not just in
terms of how her body had developed. Slowly but surely, she had started to
learn right from wrong. She rarely ever went on a rampage without thought
for the consequences anymore. Her wild instincts hadn't completely gone
away, but the frequency of her outbursts had decreased. You could say she
was in the process of going from a child to adult. Or so I liked to think, as if I
were better than her, not that you could call me a shining example of an adult,
even as a form of flattery.
"Hmm…"
Ruijerd quietly shut his eyes. "Ah well, it's all right if you don't
understand."
For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this. This felt an awful lot
like the kinds of final conversations characters on TV had before they got
killed off.
"Mister Ruijerd."
"What?"
"Please put this gold coin in your breast pocket," I said, slipping one
out of my own to toss toward him.
He looked bewildered. He didn't have a pocket in his vest, after all.
Still, he managed to successfully tuck it into a seam close to his breast. "All
right, and what's this for?"
"A good luck charm."
Satisfied, I went to sleep.
***
A few days later, we finally reached the entrance to the Asura
Kingdom: the Red Wyrm's Lower Jaw. Four months had passed since we set
out from the Shirone Kingdom.
When things happened, they happened quickly. Specifically, bad things
happened when you least expected them. In my old life, my parents had died
suddenly. My siblings coming at me had been sudden, too. Paul had shipped
me off to be a tutor without warning. Being transported to the Demon
Continent had also been abrupt.
There was something else I had yet to realize, and it was how harsh
this world really was. How easily people died. No matter who a person was,
death could come in an instant. There were no exceptions to that.
It would take me a long time, but eventually, I would come to
understand death as a phenomenon that abruptly robbed me of those closest
to me. If I'd known this back then, I wouldn't need to lament so deeply now.
If only I'd been more serious about getting stronger—strong enough that I
wouldn't be defeated by anyone. After what happened, I couldn't but be
consumed by regrets, wishing I'd walked a slightly different path.
There was one thing I could say, though.
Eris never failed to impress me.