The moment when we were about to be swept up by the strike…
(──[Heaven Fly].)
"!"
Something white suddenly interrupted the distance between us and the arrow, which was thrusting forward while wrapping around the surroundings. It stooped down to the ground threshold and jumped up at once at the moment of collision with the arrow.
And then, using its momentum, the white something… surprisingly kicked the arrow away. The kicked arrow shattered into pieces of wood, and its remnants scattered around. That scattered object alone spread the impact to change the surrounding terrain, but we were strangely unaffected by it.
As I watched the scene with Night in a daze, the white something that suddenly appeared turned its gaze towards us.
(I'm sorry I'm late.)
"M-master Usagi!"
What a surprise, it was Master Usagi who saved us from our predicament! Master Usagi narrowed his eyes in amusement when he noticed that lightning was clinging to our bodies.
(Hou… That's a pretty interesting idea. That kind of idea is a good stimulus for me, who hasn't mastered magic yet. I'll take a look at it for reference, okay?)
"A-as you wish… I mean, it's not the time for that now!"
I couldn't help but reply straightforwardly, but that's not the case right now. I mean, if the current [Magic Attire] could be used by Master Usagi too, wouldn't the distance between us be even further?
While simultaneously realizing the current situation and sad reality, Master Usagi turned his gaze to the mysterious girl.
(Now, we've met again──Yuti.)
"Eh?"
"Huh? How, my name…"
Master Usagi's words startled me. Could it be that… she's Master Usagi's acquaintance? If so, why did I get attacked?
Then Master Usagi snorted.
(Hmph. After you attacked me, I was just curious, so I looked into you. But thanks to that, I'm convinced. …You're the successor of the "Bow Saint," right?)
"Huh?"
"….."
The girl called Yuti was silent in response to Master Usagi's question. But it looks to me as if she's saying that's the answer. I mean, did master just say that she is the successor of the "Bow Saint"? Does that mean that the girl in front of me has a master of existence who bears the same "Holy" title as me?
But that makes it even more confusing. The existence of the "Holy" is to protect the world from the "Evil" and all the other negative emotions in this world, right? So what does that have to do with me? Eh, am I that "Evil" or something? Is it because I'm from a different world? But then, I should have already been beaten up when I met Master Usagi.
Ignoring me, who was already confused for no reason, master continued.
(I haven't seen that fellow for a long time now, but… I never thought that she would have been killed.)
"Huh!"
At master's words, Yuti glared at master fiercely and then turned his hateful gaze on me as well.
"…I will avenge my master. So, I will take revenge on this world."
(Do you really think that's what she wants?)
"Shut up. What do you know about any of it? You're do nothing until the "Evil" appears."
Then she uttered her fury as if her previous attitude were a lie, and continued.
"No. Master is not like you. She has always protected humans. And yet… and yet. Betrayal. You, humans, have betrayed her. You have forgotten about the master. And you killed her."
I couldn't hide my surprise at the girl's words. I don't know the details of the situation from the current conversation, but at least her master… was probably the one who was crowned "Holy." A mere mortal killed such a great person.
But unlike me, who was surprised, Master Usagi had a somewhat sad expression on his face.
(…That fellow wouldn't have resisted. Even if she was deemed unnecessary by the people she was protecting, she would have accepted it as good and took it without a word.)
"….."
(But even if that's the case, we "Holy" must protect the world from "Evil." That's our mission, our contract with this world. We are not allowed to break that and use that technique to destroy the world in the same way as the "Evil.")
"So what? I inherited my skills from my master's. But I didn't inherit the "Bow Saint." That's why I don't know about that "Holy" contract."
(That's not going to solve anything.)
"You don't know. Then you can stop. But that's not possible. ──Because you're going to die here."
(Hah! Oy, stop freaking out! She's coming!)
"E-eeh! I mean, we have no idea what's going on here!"
(Do you really look like I can explain this situation to you?)
"I-I know that!"
However, if an attack like the one earlier is unleashed, there's nothing I can do about it. However, perhaps sensing my feelings, Master Usagi said simply.
(I'll block the big attack. So you guys should do something about that girl.)
"That's unreasonable!"
(You must do it even if it's unreasonable. You couldn't fight the "Evil" if you like that.)
"No, I don't even want to fight!"
Of course, in order to live safely in this world, it would be good if I had enough power to resist that "Evil," but it's not that easy. Or rather, if possible, I just hope that I don't encounter such a dangerous existence.
However, Master Usagi doesn't seem to have any intention of changing what he once said, and he keeps rushing in more and more by himself.
"Aah, geez! We will go too!"
"Woof!"
We immediately applied our [Magic Attire] and ran at full speed to get to Yuti, and a large number of arrows attacked us to keep us away from her. When will she run out of arrows?
There is no end in sight to her attacks, as much as I would like to complain about it, but anyway, we managed to slip into Yuti's bosom, dodging the storm of incoming arrows and having Master Usagi block the attacks that we sometimes don't seem to be able to block due to our delayed reaction.
"Haah!"
"Kuh!"
I don't know if she knows the effect of the [Omni-Sword] I have, but Yuti is successfully repelling my attacks while using her silver bow to defend against the attacks from Night.
(Hey, that's not exactly the way you train! Use your legs!)
"Are we still training in this situation?"
(Isn't it obvious?)
I don't know what's obvious anymore, but if I didn't use my legs as the main focus here, the rest would be scary, so I'd have to deal with it quietly and only with my foot technique.
Even so, after the situation remained tense for a while, Yuti suddenly jumped backward as hard as she could, as if taking a considerable distance. Simultaneously, she began to draw her bow to the extreme again, like the arrow she fired just before Master Usagi arrived.
"Oh, no!"
I moved quickly to stop her at the sight of that, but for some reason, even though she shouldn't have fired an arrow yet, wooden arrows suddenly flew in from around her.
"How come!?"
(Hmph. In the last attack, she had probably sent several arrows flying around the area to blend in. Those arrows flew in advance are just attacking at the exact time she calculated.)
"J-just as she calculated, you said… so how can she aim at me like this!"
(Who knows, I can only say it's because the "Bow Saint" was doing the same thing.)
"It's absurd!"
I really don't see the point of letting an arrow go beforehand and then attacking with it! In response to my unintentional shouting, Master Usagi, who was running along with me, aiming at Yuti, said something even more outrageous.
(Well, Yuya.)
"Yes?"
(You saw what I did before, right?)
"Huh?"
I wonder if he means the move he did before…? Is it the one that made that ridiculous arrow leap up from the ground threshold and turn that ridiculous arrow into a piece of wood?
As I tilted my head, unable to understand the flow of the conversation, Master Usagi grinned.
(For now, you use that technique to stop the arrow. I'll stop the little girl's movements while I have the opportunity to do so.)
"Eh, no, no, no! That's impossible!"
(Just do it. Night, follow me. …Let's go!)
"Wait, eeeeehhhhh!?"
This is a very sudden request. Without the time to complain, Master Usagi ran through at a speed that even I, who was wearing [Magic Attire], couldn't catch up with. Or rather, even with [Magic Armor], I still can't catch up in the end, huh!
Then, as soon as Master Usagi sped up, the girl released the arrow she'd been pulling out! That arrow, just as before, chopped up the surrounding trees and rammed into me in a kind of tornado form while gouging out the ground.
I didn't have time to avoid or defend against it when it came to this point, and as a result, I was forced to move as Master Usagi had said.
"Aah, geez! I have to do it!"
I desperately remembered Master Usagi's move earlier. As I recall, he had stooped down to the ground thresholds once, but that was to release his power all at once, right?
Thinking that, I didn't stoop down like Master Usagi, but instead, I twisted my body and concentrated my power to make my body as compact as possible. And the moment the arrow and I made contact; the concentrated power exploded at once.
"Haaaaaaah!"
I jumped up at once, twisting my body into a spiral, and slammed a kick into the arrowhead while letting my body go with the flow. Then, with the addition of the rotation, my kick successfully shattered the arrowhead.
…It's a bit of a rush, but I was conscious of the spiral that was written in various martial arts books that I got at the secondhand bookstore when I first opened the door to another world. Even the spear books said to be conscious of the spiral, and the spiral concept may be one of the quintessential martial arts concepts. Some of the books I bought said that a spiral represents the whole universe.
However, I didn't think I could really do it, so I land safely today, thinking that I have many things to try out in the real world all of a sudden.
"Huh!? That's ridiculous!"
(───Now, it's over.)
"Shh───."
The girl's eyes were wide open when I smashed the arrow, but master didn't miss the momentary opening and went into the bosom and hit the girl with a kick that was more powerful than the kick I did before. Wow, it's hard to get over that easily.
The girl who was kicked off is pushing forward while bending several trees, and after a while, she finally hit a tree and slid down. That was a terrifyingly powerful kick, but is she okay? I don't think I'd be able to survive if I took that kick…
While being alert, I headed down to the girl who had fallen to the ground with Master Usagi. The girl was still conscious despite being tattered. A-amazing…
"Ugh… ah…"
(…Now, let's get you to speak quietly, shall we?)
"Hmm?"
I tilt my head at Master Usagi's abrupt words. He's going to make her talk it seems… what is it about?
"…Ooh! It certainly seemed like she had a connection to the Dark Guild in the royal capital, and you'd like to hear about her connections there. huh."
(No, I don't mean that.)
"Eh?"
That's not what it's about… well, maybe that's not the point from Master Usagi's point of view, but it's pretty important from our point of view. But from the expression on Master Usagi's face, it seemed that Yuti was hiding something more significant than that.
And──.
(You──Where did you get the power of the "Evil"?)
"Heh!?"
I widened my eyes at Master Usagi's words.
"You… it has nothing to do with you…! "
(How could it not matter? I'm the "Kicking Saint" and also the "Ear Saint." In order to protect this world, I have to fight against the "Evil".)
"Shut up…! Why? What is the value of those who killed my master? They continue to pollute the earth, growing in vain, and continue their unsightly conflicts. The answer. Worthless."
(You are not the one who decides their value. Of course, it's not me either.)
Master Usagi said coldly, but I couldn't say anything to Yuti's words. Her master was undoubtedly killed by us humans, I guess. And that too, by the existence she was supposed to have been protecting. If I were in a similar position… that wouldn't be very forgiving.
Yuti, despite being dizzy, struggled to get up to the spot, still carrying intense emotions, and stared at us.
"You people decide what they are worth. Then I will destroy the value…!"
"Whoa!"
(Kuh? As I thought…!)
Suddenly, a tremendous sense of intimidation was released from Yuti. Then things like a black haze kept pouring out of Yuti's body.
"M-master! Something that looks bad is overflowing…!"
(…Remember that carefully. That's a part of the "Evil" presence.)
"Is that it? Moreover, just a part of it?"
(That's right. That girl is already like a kind of deity, with the power of evil in her hands.)
"D-deity, you said…"
(It's like an evil god.)
I'm already exposed to an intimidating feeling that makes it painful just to stand there, but master says that this is only part of the "Evil" presence. No way, right?
The nearby Night also shuddered at the presence of it, his tail hanging down.
"Ahhhhhh!"
The girl wailed in lament and charged at us while wearing the black haze!
"Gah!"
I quickly took out my [Omni-Sword] and took a defensive stance, but amazingly, with a powerful attack that penetrated even that defense, blood was spat out of my mouth.
(Yuuya!)
"──You, too, will be erased…!"
(Kuh!)
Her beautiful gray eyes when we first met turned bright red, and she approached master with a movement like a beast without reason and struck him as hard as she could. Master quickly blocked that attack, but the shockwave from the collision reaches me, where I was blown away.
"I-it hurts…"
"Woof, woof!"
As Night hurriedly rushed over to me, I patted him to reassure him and quickly took out the [Complete Recovery Herbal Juice] from my item box and drank it down. Then I hurried back to master and was appalled to see the sight of the girl in an evenly matched close combat with master, who is a "Kicking Saint."
"Hey, hey… that girl's master is called "Bow Saint," right? So isn't she good with a bow? She was using a bow before! How is that possible to go head to head with master…!"
I was only stunned by the scene that was so far from reality, but I quickly came to my senses and shouted to master.
"M-master! What should I do now?"
(Don't ask me! I'm in trouble too! But I do know one thing… This girl is not officially "Evil"!)
"Huh?"
What does he mean when she has the power of "Evil," but she's not officially an "Evil"? Explain it to me in a simple way, please…!
Then, although he may not have read my mind, master told me while fighting.
(This girl… somehow has the power of the "Evil" but not the "Evil" itself! So someday I'm sure that the power she's using now will run out… but I can't tell when that will be…!)
"N-no way…"
(Even so, if I can manage this girl's "Evil" power now, I should be able to restrain it at least! So I have no choice but to keep fighting until this girl's strength is exhausted. Well, that is if I can hold it until then…!)
How ominous it sounds! If master can't stop her, there's nothing we can do about either! But when I see that even now she's fighting evenly with master, I can see that she's really in trouble. Even if Night and I want to help, we can't go in poorly and interfere with master.
That's when I thought… I'd have to just watch in silence just like that.
"Fugo."
"Heh? A-Akatsuki!"
Then Akatsuki, who had been hiding under the cloak of disguise, suddenly came towards us.
"Hey, Akatsuki! It's not safe here; you need to hide somewhere like before!"
"Woof, woof!"
Night and I say that desperately, but for some reason, Akatsuki shakes his head.
"Buhi. Buhibuhi."
"Eh?"
Akatsuki had a serious look on his face towards Yuti, who was fighting with master.
And then──.
"Buhii…!"
"Wa? T-this is…!"
Then a blue-white light emanated from Akatsuki's body and permeated the surroundings. Furthermore, an equally blue-white light came down from the air like snow.
This is… Akatsuki's [Sanctuary] skill! It's just more divine than the usual [Sanctuary].
For a moment, I thought it would heal me and master's wounds, but… right after Akatsuki used the skill, I realized that wasn't the case as Yuti's movements suddenly became worse.
"Wha… I-I can't get any power…!"
Amazingly, the black haze that had erupted from Yuti's body dissipated the moment it touched the light of Akatsuki's [Sanctuary] skill. Master, who was fighting Yuti, also sensed this and even looked at Akatsuki with a surprised expression.
(Don't tell me… you're not just a normal pig!)
"Buhi!? Buhi Buhi!"
Akatsuki stomped on the ground on the spot as if to say that master's words were something he didn't want to hear. Sorry, I thought so for a moment too. However, it seemed that master's reaction was different from my surprise. It was because he had some insight into Akatsuki's race. What exactly is that?
Well, there are a lot of things I want to ask about from Akatsuki and master, but right now the girl in front of us is first, so master sneaked into Yuti's bosom, who was not moving fast enough.
"Ugh!"
(──Just sleep now!)
"Guh!"
After getting struck once more, Yuti fell straight to the ground, and this time she lost consciousness.
(Phew… It gave me a cold sweat.)
Once he was sure that Yuti was completely unconscious, master finally took a breath. Then he turned his gaze to Akatsuki, who was immediately blown out of Yuti's black haze.
(…I didn't realize it myself, but I didn't expect you to have that power…)
"Uhm… master. Does master know anything about Akatsuki's power?"
(Of course. Didn't I explain to you before why "Evil" is born and why we "Holy" are born?)
"Y-yes. As I recall, "Evil" is the crystallization of the negative aspects of this world's creatures, and "Holy" is like a self-purification action to eliminate that harmful "Evil" presence…"
(That's right. And although I didn't tell you at the time, there are several other beings in this world that play a self-purifying role besides us "Holy." One of them is this pig.)
"Eh!?"
"Buhii!"
I couldn't help but look at Akatsuki, and he proudly puffed out his chest in response to my gaze. C-cute. …It's not the time for that now!
When I had Akatsuki use the [Sanctuary] skill for the first time, not only did I feel like my body was recovering, but there was definitely a sensation that my surroundings were being purified. I didn't expect that it was a skill to purify the presence of "Evil"…
"Um… Are there quite a few beings like Akatsuki?"
(No, these beings are still shrouded in many mysteries… After all, they are different from us "Holy" in the first place. We have mastered our own techniques, and as a result, we are recognized as powerful enough to oppose the "Evil" and are given a title by the world. On the other hand, this pig is an existence that can resist "Evil" from birth. In other words, while we are artificial, this one is natural.)
"I-I see…"
Apparently, Akatsuki was even more amazing than I imagined. Well, he had never been able to fight directly until now. Still, his recovery from the [Sanctuary] skill has been of great help. It's a great help when there's no time to drink [Complete Recovery Herbal Juice] or when there are many injured people.
His even greater power has been revealed here…
So this was the original use of the [Sanctuary], huh?
(But… it makes me more and more confused about this guy's race. When I think about it again, I've never seen a pig like this before…)
"Buhi."
(And Night, too. There are a few races that come to mind if I just look at his color alone, but none of them would be able to reach this level of combat power.)
Master looks at Night and Akatsuki with wonderment. Come to think of it; I've never explained about their races.
"Let's see… From what I've read, Akatsuki's race is called Mouju, and Night's race is called Black Fenrir."
(────)
The moment he heard the name of their species, Master Usagi froze in place.
(…What did you just say?)
"Eh? So it's Mouju and Black Fenrir."
(......)
Master Usagi fell silent again. Did I say something wrong?
(I've never heard of Akatsuki's race before, but… I didn't expect to meet a legendary being here… I see, a child wolf and that ability. I wonder what will happen when he becomes an adult… That's terrifying.)
"Um, master…?"
(…It's nothing. You guys have grown up more than I expected. I was just thinking of a new training program.)
"Eh."
(Rejoice. It's going to get tougher from now on.)
"S-seriouslyyyyy…"
The training of Master Usagi's one-on-one and actual battle style is already hard. How could it be when it gets even harder…
When I was already frustrated with the training that would become even more severe from now on, Master Usagi turned his attention to the unconscious Yuti.
(Now, about this girl's treatment…)
And after saying that much, for some reason, he turns his gaze towards me.
(Alright, I've left it up to you.)
"Huh?"
After Master Usagi said just that, he turned his back to us.
(I'm tired today. I'm going home.)
"H-hey… eeh!? Isn't master going to take care of this girl? Moreover, this girl is an "Evil" one, isn't she?!"
(It's okay. She doesn't have that kind of power anymore.)
"No, but isn't he related to master?"
(Hmph. Rather than me taking care of her, you seem to be better at handling women.)
"That won't be true!"
(Bye-bye.)
"Ah, master! Masteeeerrrrr!"
Master Usagi ignored my restraint and leaped straight up into the air and flew somewhere else at a tremendous speed, using the air as a foothold just like before.
"….."
The three of us stared at the scene with blank eyes and eventually looked at each other. Then we looked at the unconscious Yuti again.
"…What should we really do about this girl…?"
"Woof…"
"Buhi~."
──In the end, I couldn't leave her alone, and I had to carry Yuti on my back and take her into the house.