I left the crying old mess on the floor and hurried up the stairs. I headed out as soon as I reached the first floor, ready to head to the capital.
I know no one cares, but boy do I hate walking while wearing a skirt!
I was the saint—well, in name—so wearing these clothes was par for the course. To be honest, though, I really wished I could wear comfy outfits instead. Like...sweatpants. Not to mention I was a dude. I really couldn't get used to dresses, no matter how many times I wore them.
I started picturing my male body in a dress...and struggled to stop myself from laughing. Actually, I would've preferred seeing that compared to the body I had now—at least I could've pretended I was wearing it as a joke that way. If I got people to laugh, I wouldn't even mind twirling around a bit!
Not to brag, but in this body, dresses suited me way too well. I couldn't just laugh it off.
Well, whatever. Not that any of this truly mattered anyway.
Moving on to more important issues—I'd estimated the time it'd take me to reach the capital of the Bilberry Kingdom. Only forty kilometers or so separated my castle from the capital, so it really wasn't all that far away. If I gave it my all...it'd probably only take a few minutes.
That's not even a marathon! It's basically in the neighborhood!
The stealthy birds could cover this distance in around an hour despite their small stature, and it'd take a decent marathoner back on earth a little over two hours. As for me, I could easily reach three hundred kilometers per hour while flying, so I probably didn't need more than eight minutes.
Speaking of which, I always made sure to use a bit of light magic so no one could look up my skirt when I was flying. It wasn't like I was embarrassed about people seeing my panties—I didn't care about that. It was the thought of gross men getting excited about it that gave me goose bumps.
All righty! Let's get going and solve this whole mess real quick!
"Wait! Lady Ellize! Could you take me with you?" Verner, our very own main character, asked as he ran after me.
Take you with me? What's even the point? You won't be any use, you know? I feel kinda bad for you, so I don't wanna say it outright, but you'd be more of a burden, or...hmm...a hindrance? Maybe the word "nuisance" would fit the situation better? I'm not sure...
That being said, Verner was the protagonist. He most likely had some sort of plot armor, so he might've been able to achieve things he shouldn't normally have been capable of. That, and...it was a good chance for him to level up. Maybe taking him along would be for the best.
"Wait! Why are you trying to look cool all on your own?" random dude shouted.
"He's right! We're coming too!" Eterna added.
The two of them, along with the rest of their little group—including Four-Eyed Pervert—hurried to their side, raring to go.
Excuse me? Why're you all assuming that I'll bring you along?
To be honest, I knew they'd only end up in my way. I really wanted them to be good and stay put, but...
I can't say that now, can I?
On top of that, Layla—who usually hovered around me at all times—hadn't approached. Instead, she was stealing glances at me from a distance. I wouldn't have minded if she'd insisted on coming along as well, but if she didn't intend to, the least she could do was go off and do something else instead of standing there looking all gloomy.
She looks like an abandoned puppy!
Occasionally, she'd open her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but stopped every single time.
She looked—jeez, how would I describe it?—just like a kid who'd missed her chance to make friends at the start of the school year. It was like she was mustering the courage to speak to a group of kids having fun together, but failing miserably.
Boy, does she ever look pitiful.
In all seriousness, though, I was a bit worried that she'd run off and try to hurt herself if I left her alone now.
"Layla," I called for her.
We don't have time, so stop being nervous and move it already!
She looked just like a puppy who'd been caught acting naughty. I really didn't have any time to waste, so I decided to pick the fastest option—I'd order her to come with me.
"Please fight alongside me," I said.
Here we go, now you don't have a choice anymore.
As long as I gave her a direct order, Layla had to listen to me.
She timidly started walking toward me.
For god's sake, Scotterbrain! We're in a hurry, here! Can't you just walk at your usual speed?!
"I... I'm not worthy of fighting by your side..." she said.
I'd never heard her sound so weak. She clearly hadn't gotten over the whole betrayal thing.
Frankly, I didn't care, and neither should she. The result would've been the very same regardless of what she'd chosen to do. I didn't want to sound mean, but she wouldn't have been able to stop Aiz either way. If anything, she might've gotten seriously injured if she'd tried something. If you looked at things that way, her decision not to resist arrest had been smart. She could've been killed if she'd insisted on staying loyal to me.
Even putting aside her personal security, Layla was a noblewoman. The royals had all agreed to confine me, which meant nobles had no room for negotiations. Had she refused to obey their orders, her entire house could've been destroyed.
Layla had been turned into a hostage to force me into submission, but at the same time, her entire family were hostages too. It sure is hard, living in a feudal society.
"Everyone makes mistakes, Miss Layla," Verner said. "What's important is what someone chooses to do afterward. Will you live in shame, or will you fight to make up for what you've done?"
"What I choose to do..."
"If you run away, you'll never atone. If you've hurt someone with your actions, take out your sword and protect them until your debt is paid! I know you can do this!"
Talk about a good speech! As expected of the main character!
Verner had no way of knowing, but the words he'd just said appeared in the game. He was supposed to say that to Layla after she'd betrayed Ellize and joined their side.
In the original story, Layla had indirectly hurt many people by agreeing to do Ellize's bidding. In particular, she felt guilty about Aina's death, as she'd been the one to uncover her assassination attempt and she'd turned the other girl into a criminal. After she and Verner had gotten rid of the original Ellize, she'd decided to commit suicide to atone. That was when Verner stopped her and said those words.
Layla closed her eyes. "My future...huh?"
She opened her eyes again and looked down at her sword.
I had no idea what she was thinking about, but I had a feeling we were about to go off course again.
She raised her head and looked at me. "Lady Ellize... What I did can't be forgiven. Even so, as long as you still need me...please let me be your shield."
Scotterbrain... My little Scotterbrain... Why in the world did you reach this conclusion?
Her sense of responsibility was way too strong. There was definitely a lot to unpack in what she'd just said, but to put it bluntly, she totally intended to die, didn't she?
Okay, but what do I do? If I bring her along, she's deeeeefinitely going to jump in front of me to "protect me" when I don't need it at all and get herself killed. Scotterbrain! Take a look at Verner, he looks just as exasperated as me!
She'd been told to think about what she could do in the future, and her first reaction had been to look for a way to die.
Guess I have no choice. Someone needs to give her a stern talking-to at some point.
"If you intend to become my shield, I'm afraid I can't bring you with me. I'm looking for someone to help me part the dark clouds. I need you to be my sword, not my shield. That's the punishment I've decided upon, so I won't ask for your opinion," I said.
"Y-Yes!" Layla's voice was a bit nasal, but she answered enthusiastically enough.
That should do the trick.
I decided to leave the preaching for another day. We had to hurry to the royal capital—there was no time to waste.
Time to leave...or so I thought. Right as I was getting ready to depart, all of the random traitorous knights came running out of the castle and kneeled in front of me.
What now? I'm in a hurry here!
"Lady Ellize... Please allow us to fight to protect the capital as well."
Apparently, these guys were eager to come too. I didn't particularly mind, but what they were really asking was, "could you please carry us too," right?
I mean...I could take you guys too, but you do realize there's no point, right?
Regardless of who accompanied me, I'd just cast a wide-range magic spell and call it a day. If I told them I didn't need them and left, though, I was worried they'd come running after me.
"I will allow it. However, make sure to protect the city, the people, and above all, yourselves. Do not attempt to give your lives for my sake. Do I make myself clear?" I stated, just in case.
I had a feeling that without my warning, they would've jumped in the way of the enemies' attacks unprompted.
I'm super-duper good at defensive magic, and I most definitely don't need meat shields on top of it, thank you very much!
I'd get annoyed if I saw people getting hurt trying to block attacks that wouldn't even have landed a scratch on me regardless. Besides, these guys were meant to serve the saint—Eterna, that is. I couldn't let them die and have my poor Eterna deal with the aftermath.
"Lady Ellize, you're so merciful..."
My knights seemed moved, but I ignored them and started gathering mana. I had a way to transport a large group of people at once.
Actually, I'd been so free during my NEET confinement days that I'd created a spell to deal with the witch's teleportation. It wasn't as fast as the witch's spell, but I could transport several people along with me. I'd made it so I could follow the witch if she teleported, but...I only realized after the fact that I needed to know where she was going to follow her.
I'd basically created a private jet I could fly from Japan to the United States at any time to follow the witch if she decided to go to the United States. The thing was, when the witch disappeared before my very eyes, I wouldn't know whether she'd gone to the United States or somewhere else entirely—which meant it was virtually useless.
Anyway, I had the perfect adage for the occasion. As always, I couldn't think of a good name for my new technique, so I went for a cool foreign saying.
"Festina lente."
"Make haste slowly." Take your time, guys!
Upon my words, a pillar of light arose around us, and I started feeling like I was floating. The others probably had no idea what was going on, but we were currently rising into the sky while inside of the pillar—it's basically an elevator.
After we reached a certain altitude, the pillar changed shape. It turned into a bird and carried us away. In fact, the light wasn't what was moving us—that was nothing but a barrier. We were about to move fast—very fast—so I needed something to help with air resistance and all that.
As for how the wings picked up speed... Well, this was all applied mana circulation. I sucked the surrounding mana into the wings before ejecting it all toward the back at once. Immediately, the barrier—and the people in it—were propelled forward at great speed. Although some of the details were different, I'd basically made an airplane—only with magic. The fuel was mana, and since mana was pretty much a boundless bullshit energy, I could make the barrier fly even faster than a plane.
Obviously, I did a hundred other things at the same time to balance it all out, but it'd be a pain in the ass to explain everything in detail.
"Wh-What's going on?!"
"Are we...moving?"
The knights were starting to ask questions, but thanks to the light barrier obstructing their view, they weren't panicking too much. I was certain there would've been a huge commotion if they'd been able to see we were flying in the sky.
We only traveled for a few dozen seconds before arriving at our destination. I turned the bird into a pillar once more, bringing us back to the surface.
From the outside, it must've looked as if a pillar of light had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
Hello, we're here to bother you guys a little!
◇
A gruesome fight had already started in front of the capital of the Bilberry Kingdom. The few knights and soldiers who'd remained in the capital were facing an army of monsters so large that it covered their entire field of view.
Everyone wondered where in the world so many monsters had been hiding. They'd most likely been lurking in the areas that had yet to be reclaimed by humans.
Monsters were merely animals who'd been given power by the witch. As such, they didn't have the intellect to band together and create an army. It was only natural—why would a bear and a tiger suddenly join paws? If anything, it was perfectly normal to witness monsters fighting one another. In fact, carnivorous beasts hunted herbivorous ones on a regular basis.
That didn't mean monsters were always found alone. Stray dogs formed packs, and so did dog monsters. However, they wouldn't welcome cats or pigs into their ranks.
There was one exception, though. When a commander appeared—that is to say, when the witch or an archmonster was in the vicinity—monsters would flock to them and serve under their command.
Needless to say, this time too, an archmonster was behind the attack.
Ever since the saint Ellize had appeared, the monster population had been greatly reduced. By now, less than a tenth of their number during the witch's heyday remained. Moreover, the witch—who should've been there to guide them—was in hiding. The monsters didn't know how to retaliate, and they'd been pushed back continuously by the humans. That was, until a particularly bright monster thought to itself, If this keeps up, we'll be annihilated.
That monster used to be a crow—a species known for its intellect. It thought long and hard and reached the conclusion that to defeat the saint—the biggest obstacle to the monsters' dominion—they'd have to unite and attack at the same time. Since the witch wasn't doing anything, they had to rise to the occasion.
First, it shared its conclusions with its fellow crows...and they started fighting to the death. To evolve to the next stage, monsters had to kill each other. Somehow, the crows understood that instinctively.
Eventually, the crow murdered all the others and emerged victorious. It immediately proceeded to attack a different species, killing more and more of its fellow monsters, until, eventually, it turned into an archmonster. It could now put its plan into action: it called upon the monsters that had gone into hiding here and there and united the greatest monster army the world had ever seen.
The witch hadn't created new monsters in a while, nor had she led them into battle. They had no choice but to overcome the humans with their current assets.
While the monsters had controlled over seventy percent of the land a few years prior, Ellize had pushed them back so far that their sphere of influence barely covered ten percent of the land now. If they continued to hide, Ellize wouldn't even need to lift a finger anymore—the human knights could hunt them down one by one until not even a single beast was left.
The small-crow-turned-archmonster understood that this was their last chance. They had to come out on top if they wanted to survive.
"Damn! How are we supposed to protect the capital?!"
"How long until the reinforcements arrive?!"
"Why did that idiot king take all the saint's guard with him?! He's so out of touch with reality! He has no business making decisions!"
"Careful what you say! That's lese majesty!"
"Lese majesty? Great! Who cares?! The kingdom will fall today!"
The knights and the soldiers were hanging on, fighting with everything they had to make up for the absence of the saint's guard. Unfortunately, the monsters had the advantage. Bilberry had knights and naturally fared much better than Lutein had, but that wasn't enough. The monsters were too fierce. They were desperate too, after all. If they lost here, there'd be no second chance. They needed to get rid of as many knights as they could before they went after their real target—Ellize.
They'd elected the royal capital as their target. It was a large city, which meant that Ellize would need to fight while protecting thousands of burdens. If they got rid of the knights and entered the city, the citizens would be in their grasp. Ellize would obviously have no choice but to rush to the rescue. If enough citizens were hurt, she'd be forced to use her energy to heal them. If they buried people alive, she'd tire herself digging them out of the ground. The crow understood how this particular war had to be played. They needed to use the helpless citizens to tie Ellize down. That was the only way they could defeat the invincible saint.
Even if everything worked according to its plan, though, the crow still wasn't sure they'd manage to take Ellize down. To be fully honest, it doubted that they would. It knew how strong Ellize was. Still, it had no choice but to try. This was a fight to the death, a fight for survival—one they couldn't give up.
"CAW CAW CAW!"
The "crow"—as the humans had very straightforwardly nicknamed it—flew over the battlefield, flapping its wings. The motion was enough to create strong winds that sent rubble, discarded swords, and even corpses flying at the Bilberrian army.
The dead soldiers were still wearing their heavy armor, and they ended up crushing some of their former comrades to death, while flying swords stabbed into others.
The gigantic crow—which had a wingspan of over eight meters—coldly studied the battlefield from the sky. Some knights tried to shoot it down with magic spells, but it easily dodged by speeding up and down to throw off their aim.
Fighting a flying opponent was incredibly tough. Naturally, the knights had plenty of ways to attack enemies from a distance. However, hitting a flying target was much harder than hitting a moving target on land. On land, you could only dodge to the sides—after all, if a projectile was hurled at you, moving forward or backward would hardly protect you. On the other hand, a flying monster could not only dodge to the sides, but also adjust its speed and its altitude at will. Besides, shooting an arrow toward the sky meant you also had to take gravity into consideration—even a static target could be difficult to hit.
Since the crow was constantly switching up its flying patterns, even a skilled knight would struggle to hit it. Its ability to control the wind also rendered arrows useless—it could repel them with a well-timed gust of wind. Left with no other choice, the knights attacked it with magic, but the flying corpses and debris kept getting in their way.
The crow, however, could attack them to its heart's content. A flap of its wings was enough to hurl hundreds of projectiles onto its enemies. It could also send them flying.
How could knights and soldiers armed with armor and swords hope to do anything against a tornado? It was obviously hopeless. Anyone in their right mind would have known that running away was the only way to survive, and yet, they didn't. Rather, they couldn't—not with the capital and its people behind them.
And so, they carried on with their laughable, oh-so-pathetic attempts at fighting a tornado.
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