5
“Icebrand Arts!!!”
The moment she said it, she got a good grip on the object that formed in the palms of her hands and swung hard. A longsword made of ice had appeared, and it was far sharper than any ordinary blade.
Emilia had only just begun training with it, but moving her body was her forte. Swinging the blade as an extension of herself, she blocked off her opponent’s escape and tried to land a lethal blow.
However…
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! Not bad! But that’s not enough. Not even close enough to reach us!”
“Grrr.”
Her earnest attack was evaded by her opponent, who slid along the ground as his long hair fluttered.
The one staring at her with bared canines was the Archbishop of Gluttony who called himself Lye Batenkaitos.
Hearing the title Archbishop, Emilia felt a hazy dislike swell in her chest.
That was because she had clashed with a bunch of Archbishops in Pristella. Some of those fights had been settled for good while some were just beginning. Put simply, there was a lot of serious stuff involved.
So many sad and painful things had happened there.
They still had not resolved everything that started in Pristella, which was why everyone was working so hard.
“Why are you like that…?!”
“Why? Why? Why indeed? Why do you say? Why is it? Why, why, why, why, why, why?!”
The words he was saying had no trace of seriousness. He wasn’t someone who intended to give a proper answer.
Sensing that, Emilia hardened her expression. It would be best if he could be reasoned with. But if he wasn’t interested in talking, then there was no need to hesitate anymore.
“Icicle Line.”
“Whoa.”
In time with her incantation, there was a sound of the air crackling behind her readied ice blade. It was the sound of dozens of ice stakes with sharp points forming, and a signal that they were ready to be unleashed.
Lye still looked untroubled, but Emilia paid him no mind. She simply trusted in her icy resolve and unleashed her attack.
In an instant, almost a hundred ice stakes were unleashed.
The stone passageway was filled with shards of ice from the ceiling to the floor, as if the air itself was joining her attack.
But…
“Sorry, miss. We’re tired of seeing that…is maybe overstating it, but we’ve seen this one already. We’re a genius, you see, so once we’ve seen an attack, it won’t ever hit us!”
Swinging the short swords fastened to both his arms, Lye endured the terrific ice barrage with a sneer.
Emilia gasped at his skill and at the fact that he really did manage to endure it without a scratch. But if he withstood it once, then she would do it a second time, and a third, and even more, if that wasn’t enough.
“You think you will win if you do it a hundred times? Even a thousand wouldn’t be enough.”
“Then I’ll do it ten thousand times! I won’t let you reach the others!”
“Ah-ha-ha, that’s a crazy proposition! Talk about outrageous!”
Lye put a hand to his forehead, a gesture that was equal parts annoyance and exasperation. Watching him, she quietly inhaled and prepared to make good on her word.
She had said it in the heat of the moment, but she just had to do it.
One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand. She just had to do what the others couldn’t.
So she prepared to embark on that task—
“Lye Batenkaitos!!!”
Behind her, a voice that was neither hers nor Lye’s rang out, stopping Emilia in her tracks. Drawn by the voice, she spun around, seeing him turn the corner down the hall.
A boy with black hair and a bit of a mean look in his eyes had appeared. He was rushing onto the battlefield with a valiant look on his face after spotting her and Lye battling there in the hall.
“Ah…”
Immediately she thought, Oh no.
She had to say something, but for a brief moment, her mind went blank. Too many emotions welled up in her when she saw him.
But before any confusion could appear in his eyes, she quickly said what had to be said.
“It’s dangerous, so wait! Ummm, I’m, well, you probably don’t know me, but that guy’s the enemy! Leave this place to me! Even though you probably don’t remember me!”
Leave this place to me. And please don’t think about me too much.
For right now, in this moment, if she thought about anything other than fighting, she might cry. She didn’t want to cause anyone more trouble by letting that weakness show.
And yet…
“It’s okay, Emilia-tan.”
The boy racing toward her called her name.
That was all it took to blow away the unease and sadness that she had just barely managed to keep bottled up inside.
Because…
“I’m your knight, Natsuki Subaru!”
…because something set Emilia’s chest aflame.
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