Chapter 75:
The Brilliance of Life
“Wh-what?!”
Before the guard leader could stop her, Mavis took a few steps forward. She brandished her sword, concentrating her spirit as the guards looked on. Thus far, Mavis’s behavior was not strange. It was perfectly normal for a swordfighter to use all of her mental focus in battle.
Well, it would have been perfectly normal if she did not also appear to be muttering something to herself…
“Swirl, o spirit of mine. Go beyond my body, beyond my limits! Swirl around me and relay all movements to me!”
And then, she slowly closed her eyes.
To close her eyes in the company of numerous enemies, she must have been absolutely out of her mind.
“Are you crazy?” screamed one of the enemies. They suddenly stopped, freezing in their formation and looking utterly spooked by Mavis’s strange confidence.
The day that Mavis had found herself at a stalemate in her matches with the other disciples, she had recalled all of the things that Mile had ever said to her, mulled them over, and thought her hardest to see whether she could devise a solution. The result of all this thinking was a revival of Mile’s “art of the power of spirit.”
One could not achieve drastic advances in sword speed or power overnight. It took hard work day in and day out, diligent study and concentrated effort over many years. Mavis’s Godspeed Blade, for example…if anyone could catch up to that overnight, she would probably want to die.
So then, how could one achieve victory in a battle against numerous first-rate swordsmen?
How could one possibly win—or at least, not lose?
How could one avoid losing?
It was best not to take hits from the enemies’ blades, right?
So then, how could you make it so that you avoided all of the enemy’s attacks, while making sure that all of yours landed—without a sudden, marked increase in speed and power?
What she finally hit upon was Mile’s so-called search magic. A shortcut, or trick, which allowed one to discover the position and condition of enemies from a distance. With magic like that, surprise attacks were nothing to fear.
What if she were to emulate such a thing at point-blank range? If she could attain information about anything and everything around her—the status of enemies, hidden foes, and the location of her allies…
Mile had said it herself.
“In my country, we have a concept of something called ‘boundaries.’ There are two kinds. The first is a defensive boundary that repels all enemies and enemy attacks. That’s the kind of barrier I taught Reina to erect.
“The other kind is a more conceptual boundary, where the enemy’s attacks become transparent. It’s a perfect comprehension of one’s own space, in which one perfectly grasps all the enemies’ movements. This is called having ‘mastery of the air.’”
If she were to cultivate Mile’s search magic at high density and close range… But how could Mavis, who could not use magic, use a skill like that?
If Mile could release a wave of magic and pick up the rebound…well then, Mavis, without any magic, could just use her “spirit” power!
Mavis then began a process of trial and error.
She transformed her own intention into spiritual energy, channeled it into her sword, and using her sword, she released that power into the environment.
However, just releasing her power did not give her a sense of anything. So what if she let it spin around her? Like drawing a circle?
Or—what if, instead, she were to create a band? What if she were to scan her environs over and over again with something shaped like a belt—something that rotated and flew about her, collecting information about everything within that range and returning it to her in a wave? Then, she could reconstruct a model of her surroundings inside her head, in all directions, spanning 360 degrees…
Simply having the band spin in a circle would be ineffective. She needed a more complex motion. However, it would take all of her powers of concentration to control a motion like that, which would require taking her focus away from her sword. Somehow, she had to cultivate some kind of unconscious control…
“If you take a long and thin strip of paper like this, and rotate it a half-turn, then fix both ends together—you see? The front and back are connected. It creates a mysterious ring with no inside or out. As for the name of this ring—”
Once again, Mile’s words floated through her head.
What a useful person Mile was…
This technique had been perfected thanks to her time with the master swordsman and senior pupils, and now it could make its grand debut. Mavis closed her eyes, and the movements of both friend and foe within the several-meter radius of her concentration appeared like silhouettes in the back of her mind.
There was no way that Mavis, who had a flair for the dramatic, could resist showing off a bit. In this way, Mile’s influence on the other three members of the Crimson Vow—and particularly Mavis and Reina—was striking. However, borrowing the phrase of a famous blind swordsman from one of Mile’s tales felt out of place, so she gave her own twist to the quote.
“Just what might you all be? Do you come with the intent to slay me? I would urge you to consider a change of plans.”
Mavis was a little disappointed to realize it did not sound quite as cool as the original.
“Tch! This uppity little wench… Oy, let’s go! Don’t hurt the girl, but you can kill the rest of them.”
Naturally, “the girl” referred not to Mavis, but to the young miss who had been injured. They had previously given her a near fatal wound, but there appeared to have been a change of plans. Of course, even if they were not interested in killing her now, that did not mean that they did not intend to do so in the future. They might kill her after their employer had confirmed that she was the genuine article, or they might slaughter her after having their way with her, subjecting her to all other kinds of unspeakable indignities. The terrifying possibilities were endless. It was enough to make a girl think that she might be better off being killed on the spot. As a result, the words “Don’t hurt her,” did not offer anyone very much solace.
Three of the attackers turned toward the guards and the girl by the trees, while the other three turned toward Mavis.
If all six of the attackers turned their attention to the three tightly huddled guards, they would have ended up in too-close quarters, unable to swing their swords. Plus, doing so would leave them open to an attack from Mavis at their rear. As things stood, half their group simply had to keep the guards restrained, while the other three wiped Mavis out. After that, all six of them could cut the guards down at their leisure. This method was the safest, and the most certain—a fairly solid call to make.
Just then, as the enemy commander moved to give the order to attack, Mavis uttered her stock phrase.
“I advise you to cease your foolish plans. If you die here, your deeds will never come to full bloom.”
As it turned out, she could not create an appropriately intimidating atmosphere without the right turn of phrase. Unfortunately, coming from someone as young as herself, the words only sounded comical. Poor Mavis was unable to bear the shame…
“Shut up! Get her!”
At the commander’s order, Mavis’s eyes burst open. Naturally, she had no intention of fighting with her eyes closed.
It was clear to the men that this girl was only a D or C-rank rookie hunter. Even fighting one-on-one would be out of the question, yet here she was, hoping to take on three of them. The most she would be able to manage was a bandit or two.
And yet, just as they were thinking these thoughts, Mavis was picturing a thin strip of paper…
“Mav-ius Strip!”
Ka-shnk, smack, thwump!
“True Godspeed Blade!”
There was a gasp of surprise from everyone present.
Even with her True Godspeed Blade, Mavis could not be entirely without fear in the face of a skilled, well-trained soldier…and yet, she had defeated all three of her attackers without pause.
Whoosh!
She slashed from behind at one of the men approaching the guards.
It’s important to clarify that this was by no means cowardly. Striking whenever an opponent leaves an opening is normal in an open combat. It wasn’t a game or a mock duel, after all. When one’s life, earnings, status, or future were on the line, there was no time for hesitation. And so…
Crack, thwump!
“It’s hopeless. I have no blind spots!”
The attackers crumbled beneath Mavis’s onslaught.
“Impossible! This is impossible!!!” one of the remaining men screamed, but already four of them, including their commander, had been felled, and now the battle was two against four, with the attackers at a disadvantage. Furthermore, one of the four was a monster who had massacred four of their companions in an instant! There was no way they could win.
Now that their enemies had been reduced to just two, there was no need for the guards to focus their energy on protecting their charge. The pair of remaining attackers were focused wholly on Mavis, so they were stunned as the three guards leapt forward, unceremoniously bringing the battle to a close.
When it was over, three fearful faces turned to Mavis, while a fourth, shimmering gaze came her way, sparkles practically hanging in the air between them…
***
The five proceeded once more down the highway.
Three were silent, while one was quite garrulous, and the last appeared rather uncomfortable.
“Lady Mavis, just what kind of technique was that?”
“Lady Mavis, you have older brothers in your family who can assume inheritance, don’t you? So then, are you free to do whatever you please?”
“Lady Mavis, if you’re still a knight hopeful, that means you aren’t yet in official service anywhere, right? In that case—”
Save me…
Mavis tried to send a plea to the guards using only her eyes. However…
We’re so sorry…
They quickly averted their gazes.
After the battle, they had done their six fallen enemies the favor of applying first aid to staunch their bleeding, bandaging them up just enough so that they would not die, binding them, and rolling them out onto the side of the road. The ones who had not been as gravely injured had their arms and legs broken in order to ensure they stayed out of commission for a good long time. This would tax the enemy’s forces even more than killing the men, as they would have to spare a few extra sets of hands to carry their injured comrades into town. Indeed, leaving an enemy injured but alive was nearly always a greater burden on one’s opponents.
Furthermore, these men had only been following their master’s orders, which did not necessarily mean that they were heinous criminals themselves. They wouldn’t hesitate to fell them in order to protect themselves, but now that the battle was over, there was no reason to needlessly snuff out the men’s lives in spite. As Mavis, the girl, and the guards agreed on this course of action, the bound men appeared to be impressed, silently hanging their heads in shame. Perhaps now they realized that the duty they had been asked to fulfill was not a commendable one.
Of course, those same enemies were then rather taken aback at Mavis’s further insistence that they break the limbs of those who had only been mildly injured, but even this could be considered a kindness to show to someone who had tried to kill them. The men tearfully accepted their fate—or rather, they protested violently, but were assaulted nonetheless. Their bones were broken in a series of quick snaps.
Thankfully, the three guards had been the ones to do the bone breaking. While it had been Mavis’s idea, she hesitated to perform the act herself. She was not yet ready to shed all of her softness. At any rate, if they made it back to town and paid a hefty sum to a skilled healing mage, their attackers would be right as rain, since the guards had been so kind as to break the bones cleanly.
“Even bandits are unlikely to needlessly abandon their allies. If they’re honorable soldiers, they won’t leave their injured companions behind, and that will reduce the enemy number by a few more.”
With these words, Mavis unhooked her canteen, leaving her own water behind for their enemies. Observing this, the young girl’s eyes began to glimmer, and the guards, who knew the girl’s general disposition, began to feel a bit uneasy…
Yep. Here we go, thought one.
Ah, so it’s come to this, thought another.
Mm, yep, I figured… thought the third.
They had anticipated just such an outcome. Apparently, this sort of thing had happened before.
“Y-you’ve got the wrong idea! I’m just attracted to brave heroes and knights on white horses! But I’m not into girls or anything!!!” the young maiden protested, red in the face. She had thought it peculiar that Mavis was so clearly avoiding her, and when she questioned her about it, she found that Mavis had made a bit of a mistake. “It’s just that the brave hero who saved my life, whom I’ve fallen in love with, happens to be a woman!”
“That does not put me at ease one bit!!!”
Mavis’s cries rang out in vain.
Later, when the conversation returned to talk of swordsmanship between Mavis and the guards, the girl thrust herself into the exchange, kicking up a fuss and obstinately insisting that if Mavis was aiming to be a knight, she should come and be employed in the service of their household—a notion that only troubled Mavis further. However, seeing her remain stoic, the guards could only shrug their shoulders in resignation.
***
Two days later, they had made camp twice by now, proceeding toward town largely without incident.
“Our apologies, Lady Mavis. Originally, you would have arrived in town well before yesterday evening and have already met up with your friends.”
Even though Mavis’s healing measures had more or less sealed the girl’s wound, she had lost a fair bit of blood and still suffered the side effects of her internal injuries. While it would have been possible for one of the guards to carry the girl, it would not have had much impact on their pace, and more importantly, it might have exacerbated the girl’s injuries. If luck was not on their side, the gash itself might even reopen, and she could bleed out, so they had no choice but to have her walk on her own two feet, no matter how slowly.
There was no point in bearing a grudge against the merchants who would not let them ride upon their wagons. They would just have to hold out for another half day. If they proceeded at the same rate, they should be able to arrive before nightfall.
Should I have tried to send a note to Mile on one of the wagons passing by? I’m sure they would have taken it if I told them that I would pay them five silver and that the recipient would pay them another five.
No. This is a job that I accepted of my own volition, regardless of the profit in it. I can’t get the others involved in this—and make them retrace their steps, no less.
It would be possible to accept a new request to escort them beyond the border as the Crimson Vow, though, once we arrive in town. A proper, direct request through the Guild, priced at market value…
It was just as Mavis was thinking this over that they arrived.
Their enemies had likely been waiting in the position they felt was most suitable for their attack, awaiting the return of the search parties they had sent out in both directions.
There were roughly thirty of them.
Just like the last time, when they confirmed that there were enemies up ahead, Mavis’s group moved into a defensive formation with a large tree at their backs. As predicted, their attackers appeared from behind them and from the grass on both sides of the road, moving into encircling formation. Looking them over, Mavis calmly assessed their numbers.
“Hmm, I suppose that would be a platoon of forty, minus six, and two more to escort the injured, with another one sent into town to hire a carriage, which leaves thirty-one—is that right?”
“Are you the swordswoman who defeated the six men of our reconnaissance party? You are young but incredibly skilled. Despite all of our expectations, you let my subordinates go, sparing them their lives. For that, I must thank you,” began an elderly soldier, bowing his head. He was likely the platoon’s commander. “However, then is then, and now is now. My apologies, but we must execute our duty. I hope you can accept that.”
Mavis silently nodded. Then a voice came from behind.
“Hunter—er, Lady Mavis. We met by chance, and we hired you on as our lady’s healer, but your duty ends here. I formally declare this the end of your contract. Leave here now, and continue your journey.”
No matter how skilled an individual might be, there was no hope of winning against such enormous numbers. A coordinated team of five soldiers, fighting in tandem, were not the same as one soldier of five times their skill, but perhaps a soldier of ten, or even twenty times their abilities. And if there were thirty such people…
The guard leader’s words indicated that he had determined that this was the place that they were fated to die. By insinuating that Mavis was nothing more than a hired hunter, he hoped to persuade her to run away without getting involved.
The enemy commander, meanwhile, awaited Mavis’s reply. He thought, perhaps, that there was no way he could possibly sentence a promising young swordswoman, who originally had nothing to do with the situation at hand, to certain death.
“Very well. My contract as your escort ends here.”
“Thank you for everything. Now, may you go in good health—”
Cutting off the guard leader’s words, Mavis continued, “And now, I, Mavis von Austien, having come across a young girl in peril of being assailed by enemies, shall come to her aid in accordance with my code of honor!”
“Wh-what the hell are you saying?!?!”
The enemies’ voices joined as one.
“Wh-why…?” the guard leader asked in a trembling voice.
Mavis replied calmly. “The answer is simple. I am Mavis von Austien, a lady who aims to be a knight, as well as a member of the hunting party known as the Crimson Vow. It is the duty of a hero to rescue a princess, is it not? And furthermore…”
“Furthermore?” asked the leader.
Mavis puffed out her chest and replied:
“It’s super cool!!!”
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