Chapter 76:
The Brilliance of Life, Part 2
“Wh-wh-wha…?” The guard leader was lost for words.
The enemies froze in place as well.
Mavis turned to the guards and said, “When I die, contact my allies. They’ll get word to my family. And if you can, please let them know that I fought bravely…”
Naturally, she had already informed them that they would be able to contact her allies if they sent word to the guild in the next town—and that, if they sent a direct request for the Crimson Vow, the party would be able to help them get to the border.
She continued: “I’m going to take down half of the enemies and injure the other half to make them less combat-worthy. After I’m done, please take the princess and escape. One of you needs to stay with her until the end. The other two of you will be sacrificial pawns. Slow them down as much as you can!”
“What a load of hot air! This one young woman really thinks she can put the hurt on all thirty-one of us?!” shouted the enemy commander. There was no hint of malice in his voice. Perhaps he believed that even Mavis, already prepared to die, had made this declaration simply to pump herself up.
But Mavis herself was determined and serious.
“Lord Aylemain, could you spare us a bit of your time?” called the guard leader.
It seemed he was acquainted with the enemy commander. Given that Mavis had already referred to the girl as “princess,” it was clear to all that the jig was up. Still, not knowing his opponents’ intentions, the commander gave neither affirmation nor denial in response.
Taking this as tacit agreement, the guard leader turned to Mavis. “Could I ask you to be our vanguard and accept temporary commendation?”
“Huh?”
Temporary commendation. This was when a soldier was appointed a knight on the battlefield for the purposes of that battle alone. It typically occurred when one side had taken great losses and was lacking in knights—and when the individual taking on the duty in question could not expect to make it home alive to receive this recognition. Even under these circumstances, the candidate had to be endorsed by three present high-ranking knights, with a noble of baron-rank or higher present to bear witness.
Should the individual complete their duty and make it out alive, the commendation would be nullified on the spot—but even then, their position was often formally ratified at a later date. And if they should perish… Well, in those cases, they had still died as a knight and would continue to be considered one posthumously. Truly, this was the greatest honor one could bestow upon someone who was about to die in battle.
“I…”
It was not an honor that was invoked lightly. At the very least, it was not the sort of thing that was conferred upon a passing hunter, whose background they did not even know.
Lost for words at this extraordinary proposal, Mavis could only stammer, “B-but there’s no witness here…”
At this, the guard leader bowed his head to the enemy commander with just a hint of desperation. “Baron Aylemain, I request that you please serve as our witness.”
He was asking an opponent—an enemy who would soon be staking his life on this battle—to serve as witness for a temporary commendation? It was beyond absurd. No person living would ever agree to such a thing.
“Very well,” said the baron.
“Whaaat?!” Mavis cried out, flabbergasted. Strangely, neither her allied guards nor any of the enemies showed the slightest bit of surprise. Everyone—the guard leader and Baron Aylemain included—looked as though it were only a matter of course that the Baron accept this outrageous request.
The guard leader then bowed his head, and Baron Aylemain nodded lightly in reply.
“Given the circumstances, you must please forgive us in hesitating to tie our names to this act. We three knights of rank do hereby endorse Lady Mavis for a temporary commendation, in this place of battle. Are there any objections?”
No one said a word.
“Baron Aylemain, if you would…”
“My, what a hurried ceremony! However, I suppose this will satisfy the minimum requirements. I, Garlott von Aylemain, baron and lord of the Aylemain lands, do hereby formally witness this temporary commendation! Until she should make it through this alive, I now decree that this woman is a knight!”
The faces of the guards seemed to relax a little at the baron’s forceful declaration, despite the fact that they were all about to die—and despite the fact that a promising young noblewoman, who had no part in their conflict, would soon go to her death as a result of becoming embroiled in all this. Perhaps they were joyful that, regardless of being on the opposing side, Baron Aylemain had allowed them to grant this position of knighthood as a parting gift to a brave young woman.
Knighthood.
The thing that she had so yearned for, so strived for all this time.
She would get to die as a knight.
A smile spread wide across Mavis’s face. And then…
“I mean, I really am happy! I’m so incredibly grateful! But I’m going to become a knight because of my own accomplishments!! I will gladly savor the feeling of knighthood, even if it’s only for a few moments…”
Though she had spoken as if she were prepared for death moments ago, she truly had no intention of dying. She knew her chances of survival were slim, but Mavis was not the kind to give up any hope of winning a battle.
She took three of the four remaining Micros capsules from her pocket.
Even if she were to use her still-fledgling “Mav-ius Strip,” these were neither the sort of enemies she could handle with her Godspeed Blade nor numbers she could truly manage. Even with those tricks up her sleeve, the likelihood of victory was hopelessly low. But so long as she didn’t give up, it was still greater than zero.
Mile often said to her, “Mavis, if you give up, the battle ends there.”
And so, Mavis popped open the three Micros and chugged them all down.
“I’m counting on you, Micros!”
With the Micros in her system, she was now guaranteed to suffer grave side effects, even if she was never once nicked by an enemy’s blade.
“I have no intention of dying, but I just might end up going ahead of you all. I’m sorry Reina, Pauline…and Mile!” she uttered in a low voice and then gathered her energies, releasing them through her blade to form the Mav-ius Strip, as she turned to the enemy and shouted, “Mavis von Austien, entering the battle! Witness the brilliance of my life! ! ”
Shing! Shunk!
Bam, ka-clang, slash!
“Gwah!”
“Sh-she’s fast…”
“What are you doing? Hold her back! Everyone at once! Take her down head-on!”
Cling! Kashunk!
“Impossible! She’s just one little girl…”
Several of the soldiers made for the guards and the princess, but they were struck from behind by Mavis’s sword. “Gyaaah!!”
To turn your back on one enemy in order to go after another was practically suicide…
As the enemies turned back to Mavis in a panic, the guards leapt out just long enough to slash at the men from behind before returning to their original positions.
“Damn it, don’t bother with them! Just keep an eye out to make sure they don’t get away! First we gotta deal with this… Gwah ! ”
A man, who appeared to be some kind of squad leader, fell to the ground in the midst of issuing orders to his subordinates. Mavis ran rampant across the battlefield, swiftly crippling many of the men… However, she could only continue like this for a short time.
“Hff, hff, hff…”
No matter how much the Micros had bolstered her speed, there was no way she could make it through this experience unscathed, especially when faced with so many trained soldiers. Even if her armor absorbed the blows she could not
avoid, she still took the impact of those blows. On top of all this, thanks to her recklessness, the recoil from the Micros was causing her bones to fracture, tendons to snap, and muscles to shred.
Before she knew it, she had ceased to move, at which point the enemies surrounding her halted as well.
“Looks like this is the end. You surprised us all by summoning such power, but in the end, you still have the body of a little girl. Your flesh simply could not keep up…”
Mavis bit her lip painfully, looking up at the enemy troops.
“Though we may be enemies, that was a splendid battle. You took on the thirty-one men of the first imperial platoon and rendered nearly half of us unfit to battle… And yet, to not strike that fatal blow, even after coming this far… Had we met under different circumstances, I might have begged you to be my son’s bride. You cannot move. So, will you surrender? You’ve already more than fulfilled your duty.”
Mavis silently shook her head.
“All I wish is to be a beacon of justice, stay true to my own convictions, and harness the brilliance of this life!” she said without a hint of doubt.
“I see. Well, this shouldn’t take more than one blow… Would you give us your name once more? I wish to impart to my children, my grandchildren, and all my men the name of this brilliant swordswoman.”
This was the greatest compliment one could pay a swordfighter. Mavis gave her reply clearly.
“Mavis von Austien—no!”
She shook her head and started over.
“Mavis the Swordswoman, of the hunting party the Crimson Vow!”
“Oh? The name you gave us at the very end is not that of a noble but the name of a lone swordswoman—a lone hunter?! That’s truly a pity, little Mavis! However, I shall remember your name. And I shall tell that name to my family and to my men. I will inform your household of your splendid death. So, be at ease, and go with pride into…”
“ That won’t be necessary! ”
“Who’s that?!”
The commander and his men looked all around them, but there was no sign of anyone.
Just then…
Sliiice!
The air about two meters to Mavis’s right parted in two. From the split in the air, a single leg stomped out.
“Of the hunting party the Crimson Vow…”
A head and torso wormed their way through.
“…Mile!”
On the opposite side of Mavis, about two meters to her left, a whirlpool formed horizontally about a meter and a half up in the air. Slowly, it lowered to the ground, and there appeared a figure with red hair, sharp features, and a…modest chest.
“Reina, likewise!”
To the red-haired girl’s side, a rent in the air opened all at once, and a buxom girl came into view.
“Pauline, also likewise!”
The three of them turned to face Mavis. Mavis, their beloved friend, who was now ragged and stained with gashes from blades, blood dripping from her mouth, her left arm and right leg hanging limply…
“Oh ho!” came three voices at once.
Though the men were veteran soldiers, for some reason, they all felt chills run down their spines.
“Oh ho…” said the three girls again.
“I seeeee…” Though Mile wore a wide grin across her face, her eyes were not smiling in the slightest.
“Is that so?” Reina was smiling with neither her mouth nor her eyes.
“Is that how it is?” Pauline wore a seemingly genuine smile, but something about her aura sent another round of shivers down the men’s spines.
“Wha—is this some kind of concealment magic?! But if you all went to the trouble of hiding yourselves, you should have simply launched a surprise attack! You truly must be some bottom-of-the-barrel hunters…”
“Huh? Oh, well, it’s just—you aren’t the sort of enemies we need to bother with a surprise attack for. We didn’t feel it was necessary,” Pauline replied nonchalantly.
“Wha—?!” Baron Aylemain’s eyes went wide. “Hmph! If you were all as skilled as Lady Mavis, perhaps, but without her abilities, a hundred hunters could appear and it wouldn’t change a thing! Step aside now. You can mourn Lady Mavis later.”
The baron apparently held Mavis in such high regard that he still honored her as a “Lady,” despite their being on opposing sides. Indeed, his esteem was such that he was even attempting to avoid the pointless death of these unrelated parties, offering to deliver Mavis’s remains into their hands rather than leave her to rot by the side of the highway.
However…
“ Ha! …Huh-uhuh-huhuhuhuhuh… Aah ha ha! Wa ha ha ha ha ha!”
Crazed laughter exploded from Mavis.
“I could probably be called the least impressive of the Crimson Vow. Truly, I am the weakest of the Four Sages! In fact, that girl there, Mile, was my instructor and has taught me all sorts of techniques of the blade!”
“Wha…?”
A stunned murmur rose from the enemy soldiers.
“N-no way… For there to be three more of these monsters…”
Ignoring their flabbergasted enemies, Mavis looked to Mile and asked, “Mile, could I get some healing?”
Normally, the healing was left to Pauline, but in circumstances like these, where there were ruptured tendons, joints, and internal organs to be tended to, Mile was the more reliable party. Even Pauline was aware of this, so the request did not offend her.
“Oh, but don’t bother with the surface wounds. Leave those as they are,” Mavis requested. “After all…”
“…that way is cooler!” she and Mile chimed in in unison.
“Organs, bones, sinew, veins, nerves, and everything else—cells multiply, join, and mend! As a stopgap for the stuff that’ll take longer, form a synthetic filler, like a ceramic plate or something. Synthesize blood and replenish her fluids. However, leave the superficial stuff as it is. Leave her looking this way exactly. Giga Heal! ”
Though she was by no means in top form, thanks to Mile’s mysterious incantation, Mavis was now well enough to move. She turned and asked, “Hey, Reina and Pauline? Could I leave the task of guarding the princess and her escorts to you? I hate to leave you two out, but I want this to be a battle without magic—just me, Mile, and our swords.”
Though they had been looking forward to letting loose a bit, Reina and Pauline nodded silently and walked towards the guards. Seeing this, the enemy soldiers went pale.
“Th-they’re…bluffing…right?”
If this party had two mages, then they ought to be laying on the combat magic. That alone would be enough to wreak confusion and injury to the enemy, which would give them a huge advantage. And yet, they had discarded that measure so casually, as if they didn’t even need it… All for the sake of a little petty pride?
Such were the obstinate actions of someone who did not doubt their chances of victory even one bit.
“All troops! Attaaaaaaack!! ! ” Instincts prickling at these signs of danger, the commander, Baron Aylemain, sounded an alarm at full volume.
Mavis, who had already taken the last Micros capsule from her pocket during the lull in conversation, downed it. At this, Mile raised her eyebrows in a brief show of surprise, but she said nothing.
“EX True Godspeed Blade! And my brand-new power, invented for the sake of my friends, the greatest secret of the Mavis school of breathing techniques: Mav-ius Strip! Witness the brilliance of my life!!!”
“…And Mile’s Godshock Blade!” Hearing how cool Mavis sounded as she named her techniques, Mile quickly improvised. This sword technique, which would shock even the gods…somehow reeked of plagiarism.
“Time for an assault!”
“Roger that!”
Mavis and Mile would normally be positioned to protect their squishier allies, the mages, by running around, throwing the enemy off balance, and prioritizing the greatest threats. However, Pauline, Reina, and the three guards were already shored up in protective formation with a large tree at their backs. There was no need to worry about them. Plus, Mavis’s body was not yet back to normal. And although Mile’s powers were hardly exhausted, repeatedly subjecting her to powerful instantaneous healing would take a toll on Mavis’s body. Thus, they had chosen this strategy.
At any rate, there was no way that the enemy would be able to ignore Mile and Mavis and head straight for the guards. That would put the most fearsome enemies at their backs and divide their forces. It would be as good as saying, “Yes, please annihilate every single one of us!”
And of course, the most important reason they’d chosen this strategy was…
“Break their spirits!”
They had to shatter their enemies’ resolve so badly that it would not even occur to them to dare pull together their remaining forces and pursue the group again.
“Gyeeeeh!!!”
Though Mile was short, her blade came down on the top of a soldier’s head with its full force. It was a one-sided attack, utilizing their difference in height.
Crack!
“Whuh…”
When Mile’s unbreakable sword did not budge even a fraction of an inch, there was nowhere for the energy to disperse—akin to a blade striking a boulder. The only possible results were for the swordsman to let his own weapon crack or drop his precious weapon. As the soldier reflexively leapt out of the way, one of the injured men who had been rolling on the ground offered up his own sword to his ally. The soldier accepted it with a simple word of thanks.
Then, in sequence—or perhaps simultaneously—Mile’s blade came down again, and the outthrust sword was pushed aside, brushed away easily.
“You really are another monster!”
She was but a little girl in appearance, with a body that looked not to have an inch of muscle… She carried herself with the gait of an amateur who had never studied a jot of technique…and yet her blows were heavy and fast.
“We cannot retreat! It matters not if the enemy has demons lurking behind them or the Goddess on their side—we will not surrender! ”
Mile was sorely tempted to make a joke of transforming and proclaiming, “A goddess? …Would she look something like this ?” But even she wasn’t that dense when it came to reading a crowd.
Still, Mile wore a cheeky grin. The three guards and the princess were stunned speechless. Reina and Pauline looked practically bored.
Before them, thirty of the soldiers now writhed upon the ground.
Mavis and Baron Aylemain stood face to face.
“Looks like you’re the only one left. Could you please surrender?” asked Mavis.
The baron shook his head. “No matter how slim the chance of victory, I could never abandon a battle or give up a fight! For the sake of my loyalty to my liege, my pride, and my will as a knight…and for my fallen men! Lady Mavis, may I request the honor of a one-on-one match?”
There was truly no reason for Mavis to agree to this. The man was very clearly the leader of a group that had assailed a young girl, and though he was likely quite skilled, victory was certain if both she and Mile were to take him on together right now.
Mavis had no reason to even lend an ear to such foolishness. And yet…
“I humbly accept.”
Silence.
Naturally, there was not a single soul present who had thought that Mavis would ever decline.
“Commander of the First Imperial Platoon, Garlott von Aylemain, entering the battle!”
“Leader of the Crimson Vow, Mavis the Swordswoman, entering the battle!”
They readied their swords, slowly approaching one another.
And then suddenly, Baron Aylemain was kicking at the ground—in order to stir up dirt and obscure his opponent’s vision. This wasn’t a playful exhibition match. This was a battle on which he was staking his loyalties, his love for his fallen comrades, and his own determination. There was no place here for clean and tidy technique. All there was for them as to come at one another with everything they had.
“Win!”
Mavis released her spirit energy from her sword with a short cry, an abbreviation of her Wind Edge technique. This time, she did not swing her sword, so rather than a sharp blade of air, a larger current of air came crashing from the blade like a wall or a tidal wave. Of course, this was a crude, improvised thing, so the wall was a bit sluggish, without the strength to fend off any blade or arrow.
However, it was enough to block any dust or sand, which was all she needed here.
To omit the incantation of a spell and fire it off by the name alone was typically known as silent casting. Mavis, unaware of Mile’s brand of silent casting—which was nothing like how the mages of this world conceptualized it—had abbreviated the concept even further, believing it to be part of her spirit arts.
“Uh…”
The other three members of the Crimson Vow were speechless, mouths agape.
And meanwhile…
“Silent casting?! Not only do you have that sword skill, you can use magic as well?!” Baron Aylemain was awestruck. “But even so—even so, I will not lose to you! Witness the final fist of the Aylemain family—Demon-Destroyer Blade!!!”
Thirty-one soldiers now writhed on the ground.
Mile, Reina, Pauline, and the three guards stood stock-still, watching Mavis, “Please save me!” written all over her panicked face as the lovely maiden clung to her.
“Help…”
Mavis was strong when it came to enemies but weak when it came to girls…
Never mind that she, herself, was also a “girl.”
***
“…And that’s about the sum of it.”
Now that the Crimson Vow had gotten this involved, they were owed some sort of explanation. Or so the guard leader seemed to feel.
They were at an inn in town. After the battle, the group had made the swift decision to leave the soldiers writhing on the ground and continue on to the next town, as planned, to take a room at an inn while it was still light. Before moving, Mile and Pauline gave Mavis and the young lady more precise healing, taking care to smooth out even the most minute of external wounds.
Of course, it would take some time for the cells to multiply enough to mend the internal wounds, but the setting of bones and rejoining of tendons could at least temporarily be bolstered by manmade—or rather, nanomachine-made means—enough so as not to be a hindrance in battle. The rest would be aided by expedited cellular reproduction, overseen by the nanomachines, who would systematically withdraw, finally bringing everything back to normal.
“I see. So, your lord and his children were all taken by an epidemic, leaving his next youngest brother’s daughter as the successor, which is when the second younger brother butted his head in?” Pauline summarized.
Naturally, the guard leader had explained this in the context of “a certain family,” but there was really no point in dissembling at this point. If the family in question were regular nobles, they could have stolen away to another fief and sought help there in order to get to the capital. They certainly would not be heading for the border, hell-bent on fleeing the country entirely.
Furthermore, while operating within one’s own territory was one thing, no soldiers would ever flagrantly engage in battle on another lord’s lands. Which meant…
In truth, it went without saying.
The enemy commander had already so much as admitted it when he spoke the words, “We of the First Imperial Platoon.”
Still, maidenly prudence made her withhold any comment on the subject.
“Two gold pieces a day,” Pauline said suddenly.
“Huh?”
For a moment, the guard leader did not understand her meaning.
“That’s our guard fee. It’s an independent request rather than a guild job, so we won’t get any contribution points—and there’s a high likelihood we’ll be attacked by enemies who are properly trained soldiers, not bandits. Five half-gold a day for each of us, which makes two gold per day. And we’ll throw in free healing if anyone is seriously injured. Given the circumstances, that’s practically a bargain…”
“You’re hired!” The leader produced his coin purse from his breast pocket without a second thought, pulling a single coin out of the bulging bag and handing it to Pauline.
“Wh…?” Pauline, who had reflexively taken the coin, now stared fixedly at it, prompting Mile to peek in over her shoulder.
“An orichalcum piece?”
Sure enough, it was an orichalcum piece, worth ten gold pieces.
That coin purse might hold heaps more orichalcum pieces. Furthermore, there was no way that a single leader would be in possession of the full bulk of the group’s escape funds. The money would be split up between all of the guards, just in case. Which meant…
“I messed up! I messed up!!! I assumed that you didn’t have any money with you and gave you a cheaper rate! I’m an idiot! A great big idiot!! ! ”
An orichalcum piece was roughly the same volume and weight as the gold pieces commonly circulated in this world, which were comparable to a quarter-ounce gold coin on Earth, thus making them slightly heavier than a Japanese 500-yen coin. For those coins to be causing that purse to bulge so noticeably and for that amount to be divided among the three guards…
Pauline had made a grave lapse of judgment.
The guard leader, not wishing to lose these valuable allies, preemptively pushed some more money on them before anyone could raise an objection. However, Pauline was already busy writhing with regret, certain that it was already too late to change her rate.
“Th-that aside…” Mavis quickly changed the subject to make up for the chaos caused by Pauline, who was practically ripping out her hair. “How did you all know I was in trouble? The magic you used when you all appeared…”
Their timing was impeccable, and their method of arrival quite unusual. Had they acquired some new, far superior magic while Mavis had been so desperately working on her own new technique? Magic that would allow them to travel from a faraway place in an instant?
At the thought, Mavis felt the world going dark around her.
“Th-that was just concealment magic—my regular invisibility field,” said Mile. “We coordinated our reveals ahead of time, and each had our own methods. After all…”
“ It’s cooler that way! ” she and Mavis finished in unison.
“Of course, it’s not like I was actually using magic that can transport us long distances instantaneously. If I did, there would have been no way you could have heard our voices before we appeared—and no way for us to know anything about the situation before arriving. Plus, there’s no way we could appear at exactly the right place without knowing accurately where you currently were…”
“N-now that you put it that way, I guess that’s true. That’s a relief.”
Just how is that a relief? thought the non-members of the Crimson Vow present. And why did she only say that she “didn’t” use any magic like that, not that she “couldn’t”?
The guardsmen’s eyes were hollow, but the young girl’s sparkled as Mile continued.
“Since you didn’t show up yesterday evening, we went asking around at the guild and the taverns, talking to hunters who had been guarding merchants. We asked them if they had seen any golden-haired female hunters equipped with a sword along their way. They made mention of seeing you walking along with three men, who seemed to be soldiers from their gait and movements, and a young girl. They said you had asked the merchants to let the girl ride on their carts but that the merchants thought it would be too much a bother and refused…
“Then we heard that there were some other real soldier-looking types on the move, that there were several more soldiers spotted writhing on the side of the highway, and all sorts of other fascinating tidbits… So, we vacated our inn right away and walked all night with our Sonic Move!”
“Th-thanks, guys…”
What Mile was saying was not a lie, but there was one other reason that she had convinced the rest of the party to immediately retrace their steps: she had received a report from the nanomachines that they had picked up on one of the Micros capsules being used. The nanomachines had previously told her that their network could not be utilized in order to gain an unfair advantage—which meant that this was likely them doing her a favor, as much as they could without breaching their directives.
“And anyway, there’s no question of us ever not rushing over to help you, Mavis!”
“Huh?” Mavis tilted her head.
“Why would you even imagine that we wouldn’t show up when our friend is in danger? It could be the middle of the battlefield or the pits of hell—if there’s a call, we’re there in a flash! Because we are four allies, bound at the soul…”
“The Crimson Vow!”
Their four voices joined as one, though they couldn’t let off their smoke bombs inside the inn.
Meanwhile, the young princess’s eyes wouldn’t stop sparkling…
***
The next morning, they headed straight to the town stables. Before partaking of a leisurely breakfast, they had sent one of the guards out to hire them a wagon. This guard would be condemned to nibbling jerky in the cart later, so Mile kindly thought to provide him with some sandwiches from her inventory.
“Two horses, huh? That’s a pretty nice cart,” said Reina. It looked nimble and could probably travel quicker than a normal cart. The horses themselves had glossy manes and looked well cared for. The guards had likely spared no expense in securing the fastest horse and carriage they could find.
“Grnnh…”
Sensing again just how ample their employers’ resources were, Pauline gritted her teeth. Still, she wasn’t shameless enough to hike up a rate she had set herself just because she had learned her clients were loaded. Such an act would besmirch her pride as a merchant.
With that, the group—consisting of the Crimson Vow, the maiden, her guard, and a single driver—set out in their two-horse cart.
It was doubtful that their pursuers would still be on the chase, but even if they were, there was no way the pace of a group of soldiers on foot, fully laden with gear, water, and rations, could ever match that of their party. Even if they were to hire carts themselves, the weight of those sturdy armed men would slow them down.
Besides, it was impossible, even with the help of a healing mage, to get that many injured men back to full health so quickly. It was deeply unlikely that there were any mages in the world—besides Mile and Pauline—who could return broken bones to battle-readiness in an instant. And finally, summoning up reinforcements meant extra time spent waiting for contact, preparation, and relocation, so there was no way that the enemy could catch up before they had made it over the border, at the very least. In other words…
“I think we’ll be able to make a clean getaway.”
For a group of imperial soldiers to cross the border of another country would be a declaration of war in and of itself. Naturally, this was an impractical course of action.
“If we can make it across the border, we’ve arranged to have soldiers from the neighboring kingdom serve as our guard. We just need to make it there.”
The princess and her guards were seeking sanctuary in a foreign land. This plan had both massive drawbacks and great benefits. On the plus side, failing something like infiltration by an assassin, the princess’s personal safety would be assured. And when it came time to launch a counter assault, they might have their host country’s soldiers on their side.
On the flip side, however, this put the Crown deeply in that host country’s debt. Even if they were successful in seizing back the throne, owing their very survival to an allied land could mean a long-term diplomatic commitment of the most acute degree. This might simply be a matter of monetary costs, but less favorable scenarios included having a political marriage forced upon the royal line, the inequitable termination of treaties, or some other unfavorable outcome.
“A government in exile, huh?” Mile murmured. Her word elicited no particular reaction. Though the guards were still concealing their true identities as a matter of course, they were already aware that they had been found out, and the members of the Crimson Vow, too, knew that their new clients were aware of this.
“Come to think of it, with that invasion into Marlane…” said Mile.
“Yeah, you’re probably right about that…” said Mavis, nodding.
“Right about what ?!” fumed Reina, not seeming to grasp the point.
Mavis explained: “Well, I mean, there was that sudden, aggressive invasion. I’m wondering if the two things aren’t related. If you tried to usurp a throne, you’d have a lot of people cursing your name, folks mounting an opposition, or whatever. The easiest and most convenient thing to do in a case like that is…”
“Start a war?” Pauline seemed to be catching on.
“Exactly,” said Mavis. “If you conjure up an external threat, then there’s no time for in-fighting within the country. There’s even a portion of the population that would welcome a war, such as the upper brass in the military, big name merchants, and influential nobles. Even though it’s really the foot soldiers, small-time merchants, and common folk that’ll bear the burden…”
“The people the usurper would be hoping to court are all on the side who welcome war,” Mile elaborated.
“That’s right. And then you dispatch your opposition to the most hazardous locations. Best case scenario, they die in battle, but if they somehow wind up getting killed by ally soldiers in all the confusion, that works just as well. Even if they should happen to survive and win some glory, you can cover them in medals, sending the message that the fair-minded new king rewards the efforts of even those who opposed him and erasing the ill will of those receiving the awards.”
“I see,” said Pauline. “Except Mile shut that down, so now they’re panicking and trying to tie up loose ends…”
“Huh?”
The maiden and her guards’ eyes went wide.
“U-uuuuhm, just what are you…?” the young woman began to ask.
A look flashed across Pauline’s face that said nothing less than, Oh no! Alas, it was already too late. Seeing this, Mile stepped in to toss her a lifeline.
“We just asked some acquaintances of ours to halt the invasion into Marlane…”
The guards replied in unison: “What kind of acquaintances are those?!?!”
In the end, Mile was able to explain her way out of the whole thing by saying that they had received some “strong—er, very strong—backup” from “some friends of theirs.”
But the life had already faded from the guardsmen’s eyes.
“So you’re saying,” the maiden began, “the reason that killers suddenly came for me, despite my already being under house arrest—the fact that we had to rapidly accelerate our escape plans and so were unable to make adequate preparations, were recognized too soon and pursued, facing danger after danger, was all because…”
Gulp.
Sweat.
The members of the Crimson Vow looked a bit queasy.
“It was all your fault!” the three guards shrieked.
***
“…I mean, we don’t actually blame you, of course,” said the guard leader, after enough time had passed for his temper to cool. “It was really just an issue of timing. The pri— our lady had been under house arrest for a while, perhaps because they thought they should avoid killing her too soon. However, if they got the royals, nobles, and military under their thumb, our lady would lose her value as a bargaining chip, and likely meet a violent end to assuage their anxieties. If they failed to bring those factions under their control, and consequently feared the people mounting an insurrection with our lady on their banner, the end result would be the same.”
None of this changed the fact that the maiden was facing greater danger than they’d imagined—all thanks to the Crimson Vow’s actions. Also, given what he was telling them, there was really no point in his conspicuously correcting his reference to the girl as “our lady.”
“Assuming we do manage to get away, it really is better that we were able to enlist the help of the Crimson Vow in this manner. Yes, this is really a preferable outcome. I suppose the outcome is really what’s important, isn’t it?”
As calmly as the guard leader was speaking, the members of the Crimson Vow all knew the truth: He’s angry! He’s controlling himself, but inside, he’s definitely angry!!!
The guards only calmed down after a gentle mention from the young lady that, “In light of the fact that they managed to avert a war with our neighbors, my life is hardly worth mentioning.”
***
From there, their journey continued without incident. The moment they crossed the border, which was merely marked by pillars on the sides of the highway, some soldiers, who seemed to have set up camp in the fields beside the road, approached.
“We’ve been awaiting you, your H—”
The guard leader waved his hands frantically as the other two clapped their hands over their mouths. Seeing this, the man who appeared to be the commander of the soldiers cut his own words short.
When it came to hiring hunters, it was a violation to falsify the contents of a job, but there was nothing wrong with requesting that the hunters not inquire about the identity of certain players…so long as no one withheld such vital information as the numbers or capabilities of the people who were pursuing them. Hunters were more than free to turn down a job which held back information, but a client was just as free to go seek out a hunter who would accept the job on their terms.
Given that the guard leader had immediately reacted to the soldiers’ appearance, and that the soldiers’ commander had called out to them at once, it was likely that the two men were already acquainted. Besides, Mile, who was positioned at an angle in front of the maiden just in case, could fend off enemy blades or easily erect a lattice barrier.
“Captain!”
Another individual, who was dressed differently from the other men but appeared to be a soldier of some sort, came running up from behind the commander.
“Krywen, you’ve completed your task splendidly. Thank you for bringing these forces to our aid!” The guard leader offered words of thanks to the man. It seemed he had been dispatched ahead of time as a messenger.
“Where are the others? Were you separated in the fray?”
The three guards were silent and hung their heads until the leader spoke, his hand placed over his heart. “They’re right here. They will be with us, always and forever!”
Hearing this, the soldiers then all drew their swords as one and held them vertically in front of their bodies. A prayer, to send brave warriors who fell in battle off to Valhalla…
“Well then, I guess this is it…”
The Crimson Vow had fulfilled their duty. At this point, the young lady’s safety was more or less assured—so long as no one in this country got it in their minds to use her as a political pawn and hand her back over to her homeland.
“We can’t thank you enough for all the help you’ve given us. We will be sure to return the favor someday. Our lady will be left in the care of her aunt, who married a man from this country to become the que—qweh-hm, kwah-hah, kwee-heehee…”
It seemed he was attempting to forcibly correct himself, but no suitable substitute for the word “queen” had come to mind.
Tch! Not everyone can walk the road of the pun master that easily! Mile thought smugly, looking down from her metaphorical throne.
Finally, after more fumbling, the guard leader gave up hope of dissembling. The “young lady’s” aunt was the queen, so indeed, it seemed that the chances of her being sold back to her homeland were slim.
“Now then, all of you, be well!”
“U-um…”
Mavis, who had given their parting words as the group’s representative, was halted by the young lady.
“What is it?” Mavis asked, stopping and looking back with a smile.
“U-um, uh…”
The maiden’s lips could not seem to form the words she wished to say. It would be one thing if only her own guards were present, but there were soldiers from this land here with them as well.
“M-my name. It’s Eltreya. But the next time we meet, please call me El.”
Mavis nodded silently in reply.
“Well then, may God be with you, my lady…” she said, extending her pointer finger and poking the maiden in the tip of her nose.
The maiden gasped in surprise, her cheeks going red, as the Crimson Vow turned and left her and her guards behind them.
And then, the Crimson Vow traveled on. To a new kingdom. In search of a new adventure…
“So, Lady Mavis! You are not currently betrothed, yes? In that case, you could come to our country, and…”
Naturally, there was nowhere for the maiden and her former guards to go but the capital. Realizing that they had a shared destination, it went without saying that the maiden had immediately urged the carriages provided for her and her men to catch up with the Crimson Vow.
Of course, Mavis did not have it in her to ignore the pleading eyes of the guards as the maiden said to the members of the Vow, “Won’t you ride along with us? Truly, you can’t say no…” It was those eyes that told them that if the Crimson Vow did not ride alongside, the guards’ lives would be a living hell. Even if they were to refuse the girl’s offer, she would undoubtedly have her retinue match their pace and stick with them all the way to the capital, regardless. Compared to that, just riding along seemed preferable.
Or so they thought…
“Lady Mavis, I think I feel a bit of a pain in my chest. Might I implore you to use that secret technique of yours again?”
Save me… Mavis begged with her eyes, but Reina pretended not to notice, Pauline just watched over them with a fond smile, and Mile did not seem inclined to interview. Instead, her eyes sparkled strangely as she muttered a peculiar observation, “It’s like Hoshigumi! There’s Tsure-chan!!”
***
“You suck! You guys are the worst!” When they stopped for a break, Mavis groused at her companions, while the maiden excused herself to “pick some flowers.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“I haven’t any idea, either.”
“He he he! Thanks for the meal!”
Reina and Pauline refused to acknowledge Mavis’ complaints, while Mile’s mind appeared to be somewhere else entirely.
“You’re the one that girl is pining for. What are we supposed to do about it? Or rather, what are you expecting us to do about it?”
“Er…”
Perhaps feeling a bit of pity for Mavis, who looked so thoroughly lost, Pauline offered some words of comfort.
“Just hang in there a little longer. She can’t officially reveal her status right now, but once we get to the capital, it’ll be over. I can’t imagine them taking us with them to the palace—and a princess who might be assassinated at any moment isn’t going to get to stroll around town. The hopes of countless people, and the lives of so many others who gave up everything in service of those hopes, rest on that girl’s shoulders. I’m sure she’s aware she can’t frivolously expose herself to danger just for the sake of her own desires…”
A gloomy expression came over Pauline, Mavis, and Reina’s faces, but Mile just cocked her head to the side.
I get the feeling that girl and I would have something to commiserate about…
The other three would all have laughed with disbelief if they could have heard the voice inside Mile’s heart.
Mile always chose the reckless path if there was the slightest chance it would be more fun, and she spared no effort for the sake of a punchline.
Indeed, that was just the sort of person Mile was…
When the maiden returned, the carriages began to move again.
“By the way, Mile, how’d things go with the magic tutor?” Mavis asked the others, having somehow escaped the maiden’s assaults. She wasn’t making small talk; Mavis was genuinely concerned. All the time she’d spent working so hard to cultivate a new technique would be wasted if everyone else had progressed even farther than she had in the meantime.
Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. As they leveled up as individuals, the party grew exponentially stronger as a whole. The growth of her friends should be a wonderful, welcome thing… Still, Mavis wanted to close the gap between them. What could she do if they had moved even farther beyond her?
Mile, who had no way of knowing this, assumed that Mavis was hoping to hear about how her friends had grown. And so, it was a with a solemn expression that she replied, “W-well, you see…”
“It was worse than a waste of time!” Reina cut in.
“Yes, worse! It was almost a waste of money!” Pauline chimed.
Mile’s face had fallen, Reina was fuming, and Pauline looked thoroughly irritated. Apparently, things had not gone as they expected.
“He advertised himself as a former court magician, so that’s what we were expecting, but… See, I’m mostly self-taught—I only got a little bit of classroom training at the academy and the prep school, so I thought, just once, it would be nice to get some proper rigorous training from a first-rate mage, but…”
“No good, then?”
“No… I mean, they let us observe, and then they showed us some sample exercises and gave us a few pointers, but…”
“All their silent casting was slower than ours, all the attack spells they cast were weaker than ours, and their defense-piercing spells couldn’t even shake our barriers, let alone get through them!” Reina interjected.
Pauline continued: “In the end they just screamed at us, all, ‘What are you, some kind of secret agents?! Get out of here!’ They threw sand at us! If you’re trying to banish something, aren’t you supposed to use salt?! They’re so cheap they couldn’t even use salt ! Have they no shame at all?!”
Pauline seemed to have gotten hung up on a truly odd detail. Perhaps she found this unforgivable that they’d been cheated of the chance to acquire an everyday household good? Ironically, she wouldn’t have hesitated to use a substitute if she were in their place, saying, ‘It’s fine, we’re just doing this for form’s sake!’ anyway…
Phew! It doesn’t seem like they picked up any new spells, at least… Hang on, what the heck am I saying?! Mavis hunched over, cradling her head as she became aware of the patently unknightly thoughts floating through it. Just then, however, another thought occurred to her.
Huh? Wait! So that means that those three were so far above a former court magician that they had nothing to learn from him? Which…would mean…
It would be the same as her surpassing her former teacher, Ladimarl.
Impossible.
She was so utterly stunned that one of Mile’s favorite nonsensical phrases floated through her head: She was amazed. She was amaz-eggs and bacon.
Seeing Mavis worry, the maiden called to her. “Um, Lady Mavis? That former court magician who opened the school up in that town—would he be a man by the name of Gilarrick?”
“Ah, yes. Why do you ask?” Mile replied, as Mavis was still in no shape to do so. Not that Mavis could have answered the question in the first place, having known nothing about the magic school.
“Huh…?”
There was a sound of collective surprise from the maiden and her three guards, plus the fourth, their ally who had gone ahead. Though they were riding in the same carriage, the men had been quiet as mice so far, but now they couldn’t restrain themselves.
“Stronger…than Sir Gillarick? You’re joking… No, wait, you aren’t joking…”
I want to go home . With this unified thought running through their minds, the four guards adopted the same hunched pose as Mavis.
That night, they set up camp.
No one present was stupid enough to suggest that they book a room at a luxury inn in town just because the lady was with them. Her escape was still a matter of utmost secrecy until there was some official decree from the Crown or the lady herself declared it. The soldiers’ movements would be relatively restricted at an inn, making them more vulnerable to assassins. And, by this point in their flight, their lady had already spent countless nights in far harsher circumstances. This was nothing by now.
Finally, a lady of noble birth wouldn’t think twice of peasants seeing her sleeping or unclothed. It was akin to how a lady of any breeding would not mind if a dog or a monkey were to see her…
“That is not true! I would mind! I absolutely would mind!” the lady raged, having heard Mile posit the above. The degree of her anger with Mile, to whom she had previously been so thankful, proved beyond a doubt that the assertion had truly offended the girl’s sensibilities. “Honestly, what sort of…”
In order to soothe the maiden’s frayed nerves, Mile quickly produced the tent from her inventory.
“Wh…?”
As usual, the soldiers’ eyes went wide in amazement. Three of the guards, however, only looked on in resignation. There had been plenty of nights spent in the outdoors between that night at the inn and their arrival at the border. There was no way that Mile would have been so remiss as to not furnish the tent and some provisions for the lady…at Pauline’s inflated additional fee, of course.
“Guh… Uwuh… Gh…”
The captain and the soldiers who’d joined them at the border were aware of hunters’ basic taboos. Therefore, they nobly squelched all of their burning questions, the things they wished so desperately to interject, all the words they screamed inside their hearts, burying it all down deep with everything they had…
Bam! Bam! Bam!!!
“Orc steak, one silver each. Rock lizard steak, three silver. Meat and veggie stew, eight half-silver!”
“What the heck is thaaaaat?!”
Seeing the stove and the mountain of ingredients Mile had produced, the soldiers could no longer hold their questions back. Furthermore, why must Pauline drive such a hard bargain? With this few people, their profits would be scant compared to that time with the imperial soldiers. Perhaps she was still bitter about losing out so terribly on their previous escort fees?
“That’s not it!” Pauline screamed, veins bulging in her forehead at Mile’s blank-faced suggestion. “Providing free service without a good reason to do so would be blasphemy against the gods of commerce! The only times we give freebies will be when it ultimately benefits our bottom line or as a special thanks to someone!”
“Ah, I see!” Mile said sincerely.
However, something seemed strange about the soldiers.
“Why is no one buying anything?!”
Reina, who had been working on meal prep, used her fire magic to light the stove. The meat was pre-cut and had been slathered with seasonings, so the first slabs were already going on the grill. The soup only needed to be warmed, and once Reina slowly plunged a fireball into it, it came quickly to a boil. (They had decided against using Pauline’s molecular oscillation heating magic in order to keep that particular power concealed.)
And yet, the soldiers had not bought a single item. It wasn’t that they seemed uninterested in purchasing—they were fidgeting, staring at the sizzling meat and the pot of soup. It was highly unlikely that a small unit like theirs, mid-mission, would have sufficient rations on hand.
So then, why…?
“Ah… Sorry, little miss. We’re at level three mission status right now. That means we’re not allowed to eat anything except the rations we brought ourselves, lest we end up getting food poisoning and spilling our guts. Really, we wish we could eat that stuff, but we just can’t.”
“Wh…?” Pauline froze in place before collapsing on the spot.
***
“…Dang it! Dang it, dang it, dang it!”
Pauline sat down on her cot inside the tent, punching her pillow repeatedly, an aura of dissatisfaction billowing from her whole body. She seemed quite bitter about how poorly all of her schemes were panning out these past few days. Doing business meant encountering both good days and bad. When you were down on your luck, it was best to put on a happy face and look on the bright side, but Pauline was not yet possessed of such discipline.
“Oh, that reminds me. You made such amazing progress, Mavis! Was that a new technique you learned? That was really cool!”
Ignoring Pauline’s condition, Mile turned the conversation to Mavis…though it was a bit shocking that the topic hadn’t already come up in the days since their battle. Everyone besides Mile probably thought it bad form to strike up such a conversation anywhere that outsiders were present. Mavis had been thoroughly exhausted on the day of the battle. After they had arrived at the inn and parted from the maiden’s party, they had chatted for a bit, and she had as good as collapsed into bed. Since then, the young lady had been spending her nights alongside the members of the Crimson Vow, sleeping on a cot in their tent. In truth, they had not been able to broach the topic, and everyone besides Mile had forgotten all about it.
Neither Reina nor Mavis were surprised that Mile would bring this up now, despite Eltreya being present.
Maybe this can do something about that scary aura coming off of Pauline… Reina thought.
Mavis silently agreed. I suppose it’s fine if Lady Eltreya hears this… It was a technique that she had acquired under the tutelage of a former palace knight; not something she needed to hide. It fell well within the realm of normal combat.
And so, Mavis began the tale of her training and her brand-new technique…
“Whaaaaaat?!?!”
There was a cry of shock from Reina, Mile, Eltreya, and even Pauline.
“H-h-hooow could you learn a technique like that in such a short amount of time?! Even a normal mage couldn’t do something like that!”
“That kind of return on your investment is ridiculous—15 half-gold well spent!”
“Lady Mavis, that’s amazing! Not only were you able to study under Ladimarl, a veteran former imperial knight, but that killer technique you were able to master… That’s a feat worthy of a hero !”
Apparently, the man Mavis had studied under was a fighter of relative renown. Though it was debatable whether this could be called a “killer” technique, given that it could not directly fell any opponents…
Mile, meanwhile, was stunned.
Whaaa?! H-how could she come up with something like that all on her own?!?! My search magic relies on the nanomachines I send out bringing back reports for me, but this is different. This is a completely novel application! And the fact that she could send out nanomachines from her own body and inject them directly into someone else’s… That’s basically healing magic, isn’t it?!
She can’t release magic out into the world, but she came up with this technique independently and succeeded in implementing it on the first go…
If only Mavis were of the predisposition to be able to use magic normally. With that creative intuition of hers, her sincere and earnest heart, and her dogged determination…why, she could become a magic user surpassing Reina or Pauline—perhaps even a magic knight!
Wait, that’s not true! She’s already an amazing magic knight! Still, if this goes wrong, and she keeps sharpening her spirit (a.k.a. magic) power into something surpassing a normal mage’s powers…
A twisted feeling passed through Mile—a mix of joy at Mavis’s success and fear for the future…
Afterward, as per the norm, Mile launched into one of her Japanese folktales.
“‘Th-there, j-just now…’ said the customer breathlessly, to which the shop girl replied, turning back, ‘Was her chest something like thiiis ?’
“‘Eeeek! Th-there! There’s nothing there! Nothing at all! It’s the ‘bustless ghoooost!!!’
“‘And so, the man ran with all his might, far away from the girl and her terrifying bosom…’ W-wait, that’s so rude!!!”
Mile halted her story midway and crawled under her covers. Reina and Lady Eltreya, meanwhile, just stared listlessly, no life or light in their eyes…
The next morning, as they partook of breakfast, Mile suddenly shouted, “A bust is just a decoration! Perverts will never understand that!”
“But isn’t having some decoration better than not?” Mile’s protests were swiftly beaten back by this utterly innocent question from Mavis.
“Guh! Sh-shut up!”
Of course, both the story from the previous night and the conversation over breakfast were Mile’s doing, so truly, she was merely reaping what she sowed. This should have been the perfect place for a self-deprecating joke—but despite being an author of comedy, Mile couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. And so she gently dabbed away her tears, while Reina and Eltreya, struck by her stray bullets, collapsed upon the table…
***
Several days later…
“Well then, this is us.”
The group had successfully arrived at the capital of the neighboring country. Shortly before the gate that served as the entrance to the walled city—or rather, the gate leading through the outer ramparts—the members of the Crimson Vow gave their words of parting to the maiden’s party.
Were the party to enter the city along with Eltreya’s group and the local soldiers, they would likely be mistaken for associates of theirs. Pauline had said that she suspected sticking with the young lady’s group would be bad for their earnings, but in truth, she simply did not want to go sticking her neck into a dispute involving the royal family. The Crimson Vow was nothing more than a group of rookie C-rank hunters, after all…
Hearing Mile say this, the three guards muttered, “Nothing more than…” and “C-rank hunters…”, all the life gone from their eyes.
The Crimson Vow headed for the normal entrants’ queue as Eltreya’s party proceeded through the gates meant for nobles, soldiers, and other official parties. Eltreya leaned out of the window of her carriage, appearing to try to shout something to Mavis, before she was dragged back in by her guards and the window shut behind her.
“It’s finally over…” uttered Mavis with an earnest look, her feelings on the matter clear.
“Well,” said Pauline, “I don’t think she’ll be fleeing the country again anytime soon, and I’m sure she’ll be laying low a while. She certainly won’t be walking around town, so I doubt that we’ll ever cross her path or have anything to do with her again.”
To this, Mavis nodded fervently and joyfully.
***
“What kind of mighty First Imperial Platoon are you all supposed to be?! Are you expecting me to believe that my strongest men could be beat up by two little girls with swords?! Such childish, transparent untruths… This is as good as shouting to the kingdom—nay, to every kingdom on this continent—that the imperial guards do not recognize the current king’s sovereignty!” the king raged, as the prime minister looked on coolly. “I am fully aware that there are still many who have not acknowledged me as their king! That’s why we must eliminate Eltreya! Keeping her on house arrest clearly backfired. Damnation! We should have at least tortured the spirit out of her…”
Though only the prime minister was currently present, it was still astonishing that the king would say such a thing aloud.
“Between Eltreya and that goddess… What was her name again? I’m pretty sure the commander said it was…”
“The Goddess El, I believe,” said the prime minister.
“R-right, that was it!”
The prime minister’s face tightened as he said the goddess’s name, though the king showed no marked reaction. The prime minister schooled his face into an equally blank expression, but deep down, he couldn’t stop grinning.
The king always referred to his niece by her full name, Eltreya—as did the people around him, when in conversation with the king. However, amongst themselves, they all referred to the girl by a different, abbreviated name.
Lady El.
Meanwhile, rumors from soldiers and mercenaries were spreading swiftly throughout the capital.
“The goddess El stomped a whole horde of monsters on her own!”
“The goddess El singlehandedly defeated an entire battalion of soldiers without killing them and rebuked them for committing an act of aggression against another country!”
“The goddess El is going to save our land!”
As the stories were embellished, the legend grew. This was extraordinarily useful to a certain group of people. It was as if a goddess herself had extended a hand to them.
It could not possibly be thanks to the actions of a certain pun-loving little girl…
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