''Warrior, I'm coming in!''
Apis shouted, his tone even more brusque than usual, as if to clear his mind of the heavy thoughts that had been weighing on his heart.
Palang palang.
The door swung open, and a flurry of white papers fluttered out, cluttering Apis's vision as if they were beakless pigeons.
The elfin's golden eyes, sharp enough to distinguish and recognize the exact object he wished to target among the thousands of wyverns, picked out the target with ease, unperturbed by the distraction.
A beautiful sword.
If one were to define the woman before him in a single sentence, it could not be more accurate, for she was a servant of Apis.
Her graceful blond hair, woven into a loom from the sunlight that peeked through the bushes, and her pearly white skin, free of even the most common of blemishes, let alone scars, despite the unfathomable odds she had faced.
A perfect being, a conglomeration of fanciful elements, perhaps the most tangible proof of the legitimacy of the being that the people call God.
The Warrior. Traana Abigail.
Without a word of praise, without awe, just a straightforward description of his impressions of her, Apis's work somehow always ended in praise of her.
It was such a significant part of her beauty that when Apis first met her, he had wondered if she had stepped out of a fairy tale book, as he had spent most of his adventuring fortune collecting old tales of the people, especially when it came to the tales of warriors.
''----what are you doing.''
Apis spoke in a tone that was a far cry from the awe-inspiring tone she had been using up to this point, a tone that suggested she was being ridiculous.
It was because he had been so taken aback by the sight of a great man, a man who had been hailed as a hero by all the people of the system, who stood reverently handstand on the parquet floor in a manner reminiscent of a glorious sword that had once been seen in a folk tale of his people, lying on the ground, waiting for its master to come and draw it out.
''Oh, Apis, what are you doing at this time of night!''
The voice was so booming and boisterous that it made me forget it was the middle of the night, when the sun was still catching its breath.
Apis, well aware that this was the product of his own diligent efforts to keep his temper in check, managed to bite back a grumbling retort from his lips.
''What the hell are you doing up at this time of night----.''
The urge to deliver a scathing rebuke to his companion's moonlit exploits was irresistible.
''He was injecting blood into his head!''
''----what?''
''I was struggling with an unfamiliar document, and suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind: if I could channel the blood circulating throughout my body into my head, like drawing magic power to a specific area, and concentrate it all together, it would make this task, which is currently feeling as daunting as a top-tier golem with an attack resistance that rivals that of a top-tier golem, a little easier!''
''----Does that make it easier?''
''Not at all, it just makes my head feel dizzy!''
''Then, why don't you quit?''
''You're right, I should!''
Apis thought to herself as she watched the warrior spin once in the air and straighten his stance once more.
''I see you're still your usual self today.
When had it become possible to feel familiar, rather than embarrassed, with such a quirky side to her that was so at odds with her self-proclaimed mysterious exterior, spewing out words like concepts from another dimension whenever she opened her mouth.
Call it innocence. Call it silly.
Honest and upstanding is probably the best way to describe her.
He was optimistic, like someone who sees only the bright side of the world, but not so optimistic that he overlooks the evil that lurks in the darkness and the people who suffer from it.
She took great pride in her words and deeds, but she also listened thoughtfully to opinions that conflicted with her own, and she was wary of arrogance, which can be a disease of the blessed.
Such was she.
Apis was able to convincingly recognize her as a warrior, as the one most worthy to bear the holy name, even though she was so far removed from the image he had always admired.
''I was hoping it would be you----. Were you still hanging on to that stupid letter of apology----. ''I had already concluded then that it was the fault of the soldiers who did a shitty job of maintaining the carriage wheels and the little halfling brats who wanted to die, so there was no need for you to apologize----.''
''No, it's my fault! I was so distracted by the cheers of the citizens that I didn't prevent the child from falling in front of the carriage beforehand! If you're negligent, you have to take responsibility for it, and if I neglect that responsibility, I have no right to call myself a warrior!''
''Of course----. Of course----. No, but that doesn't mean you're going to beat up a statue that you've only just made----.''
''It was necessary, because if I hadn't been there to destroy the statue, there's no telling who else would have been responsible for defacing it!''
''----''
''But that statue. You made it because you were looking for 'him'.
Apis couldn't get the words out of her mouth.
She had no desire for elemental water, and was always cautious and wary of the political repercussions of her words.
It was extremely rare for a warrior to make demands of the crown outside of matters related to the slaying of demons, and it was the first time since she had been granted the title of warrior that such demands had been made from her own self-interest.
So when it came out of her mouth that she wanted a statue of herself, the entire party, including Apis, was stunned.
Several high-ranking royal officials smirked at the opportunity to honor the warrior, while a few conspiracy theorists were busy undermining her behind her back, claiming that she had become obsessed with honor.
It was only when the warrior herself named the town where the statue was to be erected that Apis realized the sincerity of her request.
Rydin Village.
An unremarkable town, neither large nor small, with no notable geographical features, no memorable specialties, only a passing mention amongst colleagues.
A place name that had sunk to the bottom of the ocean of memory, blurred beyond recognition until it came directly from the mouth of a warrior.
The hometown of 'the one'.
I can still vividly recall the warrior's hesitant demeanor when he asked for the statue to be made.
It was as if he was looking at an ignorant child who had never been in a herd before and didn't even know how to be stubborn.
'Li, there is a village in Lidin----. I want you to make a statue of me, I want you to make a statue of me, I want you to make a statue of mea----.'
It was the first time I realized that the warrior, who had always spoken eloquently and proudly, could speak in such a low voice, looking at the ground instead of the sky.
He offered a lame excuse, with a rare look of embarrassment on his face, that he just wanted to see something that looked so much like him not breathing.
Knowing all too well how much the warrior cared about him, Aphis could not help but fall for the cute little lie.
That he was here. That he is here, unchanged, waiting for you to the end.
It was a clumsy message, one that she knew was flawed in her own expression.
The day of the parade. The desperate look of a girl frantically searching for something amidst the frenzied cheers that greeted her could be superimposed on the image of a slender girl waiting for an answer to a question.
But the message was to be shattered.
And by her own hand, for reasons that can only be explained.
Apis does not know the expression on the warrior's face when she shattered the statue with her own hands.
A warrior is supposed to extinguish the unrest of the world, and she always insisted on smiling in public.
She must have been smiling. She was smiling. I'm sure she was smiling.
She's a trooper.
But that night, Apis was acutely aware of the tears that someone had secretly buried in her pillow. She couldn't fake it this time. She couldn't allow herself to be so pathetically deceived, even by her own heart.
Therefore.
''Hey. Warrior.''
''Huh? What's wrong, Apis, with such a serious face! Hmph, no way, what's wrong with you, you coward ----.''
''You get out of this party.''
* * * *