Seirei Gensouki ~Konna Sekai de Deaeta Kimi ni~ (LN) - Volume 18 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: On the Journey

Nearly one hour had passed since Rio began pursuing Saint Erica. In that time, the saint had mounted a griffin and taken off from the road to continue her journey by air.

“They’ve begun their descent. There doesn’t appear to be any city or village nearby,” Rio said, pointing at the griffin the saint’s escort was riding.

The longest distance Rio and Aishia could remain in telepathic contact with each other was slightly over one kilometer, but they were maintaining double that distance right now just to be cautious. Rio only moved within contact range to communicate when necessary.

“I see...” Aria mumbled after a beat.

A human with an enhanced physical body was able to see clearly two kilometers into the distance, so she could confirm the griffins’ descent as well. However, what the saint was seeing two kilometers ahead was different to what they could see from their position, hidden out of her line of sight. It should have been impossible for Rio and Aria to identify whether there was a town or village near the saint. Until now, there had been numerous times where Erica was completely out of sight, yet Rio spoke as though she were right before him, which Aria found strange.

“It seems like they’re going to stop by a small spring in the forest. Perhaps they’re taking a break. We should land at a farther distance to them.” Rio started lowering his altitude, moving within a one-kilometer range of Aishia.

He says there’s a spring in the forest, but there’s no way to see past the trees from here. Before we left the castle, he said there was no way he’d lose track of her within a one-kilometer range, so he must have some way of obtaining information without the use of sight...

Aria took in a breath while forming her hypothesis. There was something about Rio that she couldn’t read—his many layers and extensive knowledge were reassuring as an ally, but imagining him as an enemy made a chill run down her back.

At any rate, they had almost reached the ground. While the saint and her company had landed in the forest beside the spring, Rio and Aria descended outside the forest.

“Here you go.” Rio set Aria down on the ground.

“Thanks.” Aria stepped on firm soil for the first time in a while.

He wasn’t holding his sword while we moved, so his flying can’t be explained as an effect of his enchanted sword anymore. How did he do it? Flying for a whole hour should consume quite a large amount of magic essence as well...

She was curious, but didn’t want to ask any prying questions. As a warrior, it was impolite to ask questions about other people’s tactics.

“They’re resting the griffins after all. It doesn’t seem like they’re joining up with anyone, so they’ll probably depart in another half hour or so.”

There was no way of seeing one kilometer into the forest, yet Rio spoke as though he could see and hear their conversation.

“I see...”

Did he have no intention of hiding his abilities? Aria paused awkwardly.

“You must be wondering how I can see or hear them,” Rio commented.

“There’s no need to force yourself to tell me. There are many enchanted swords with absolute abilities, so it’s only natural to keep it secret. As an ally, just knowing you are capable of such abilities is enough. There’s no need to explain any further—in fact, it’s more than enough information as is.”

Powerful enchanted swords were special. There were very few of them in existence, and they contained ancient sorcery that could grant a single soldier the power of an entire army. For some kingdoms, having their enchanted swords stolen meant their power was halved.

Thus, be it for an individual, nobility, or a nation, the management of enchanted swords was vital. The weapon’s abilities would be wasted in the wrong hands, and whoever wielded it had to be both compatible with the weapon and trustworthy as a person. Some people changed when given the increased influential power of an enchanted sword, and at worst, they could betray the kingdom and run off with the sword, which was why there were many swords that remained untouched in treasuries.

Besides, as Aria had said, it was an ironclad rule to keep one’s enchanted sword’s abilities a secret. Knowledge of abilities meant the preparation of countermeasures—for a fight between two enchanted sword wielders, the side that knew more was at an absolute advantage. There were no strategists who revealed all their cards, after all.

“You’re a trusted confidant of Liselotte’s, as well as an important friend of Celia’s. I believe you’re not the type to speak thoughtlessly, so I’ll explain some of the details. I’m not using my enchanted sword to track their positions,” Rio said, expressing his trust in Aria to reveal his secret.

“Then is it some kind of magic artifact?”

“It’s actually Aishia who’s helping me track them. We have a way of contacting each other within one kilometer’s range without using long-distance transmission artifacts like the kingdom. She’s the one who’s telling me what’s happening by the spring.”

“So that’s how you did it...”

The transmission artifacts used by the kingdom were only capable of sending one hundred characters of text at once, and it was clear Rio hadn’t used such a tool on the way. Aria had already realized he was gaining information through another method.

“In addition, while the range is a little shorter than an artifact, there’s no risk of any interception. We’re not sending each other messages, but talking to each other through our minds.”

“That sounds extremely convenient... It seems useful despite the short range.”

Aria understood the importance of communication speed in business and politics through her work for Liselotte. Whoever had the information first was able to respond earlier, and having someone who could provide live updates during a negotiation allowed for better handling of orders. She could think of many other situations where such a thing would be useful. There were also ways of abusing such an ability. If the other side had no awareness of such a communication form, bets could be easily manipulated in one’s favor.

“I actually asked Aishia to track the saint from the moment she left the castle. Aishia is capable of flying just like me.”

“I see... It’s truly reassuring to have Lady Aishia’s assistance.” Aria was surprised to hear Aishia could fly too, but was more pleased to hear about the unexpected reinforcements.

“In terms of tracking, even I can’t rival Aishia. It’s impossible for anyone to detect her presence, so she’s able to see and hear things even at this moment. Apparently, Erica is heading for her home country.”

The saint had shown alertness for any pursuers numerous times along the way, but she was yet to notice Rio and Aria following her—there was no way she’d detect Aishia in her spirit form like that. Humans couldn’t detect spirits in their spirit form. Just like how spirits couldn’t interfere with reality in their spirit forms, reality couldn’t interfere with them in reverse.

Their magic essence flowed out in spirit form, but that essence blended in with the magic of the natural world. An experienced spirit art user would only think there was more essence in the area, while a reading from a magic-measuring artifact would be dismissed as a malfunction.

“She’s been moving northwest ever since she left the capital. That is in alignment with the direction of the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica.”

“Then it’s almost certain that they sent Liselotte back to their country ahead of themselves. They haven’t referred to her whereabouts even once until now, and they haven’t mentioned stopping anywhere for a detour.”

Holding a hostage outside of one’s area of control was taxing on the mind. It’d be one thing if they could retrieve them in a day, but it was otherwise easier to just send the hostage back to their country first.

“I see...” Aria cast her eyes downwards and clenched her fists.

“It would be ideal if we could ambush the saint while her guard is lowered during her break, forcing her to speak. It’d be three against two—I doubt we’d lose with you and Lady Aishia on our side,” Aria said, suppressing her rising emotions and suggesting the option of an ambush.

“Indeed, this would be the perfect timing for an ambush. However, I’m worried about the saint’s claims that Liselotte will be executed if she doesn’t return by a certain date. I can’t imagine she’d treat a hostage so recklessly, so it’s most likely a bluff, but...”

“As long as we don’t have concrete proof, we shouldn’t ambush them. If we act, it should be after confirming my master’s location. I apologize for presenting such a thoughtless suggestion,” Aria said as though to convince herself, biting her lip and bowing her head in apology.

The detestable enemy who had abducted her master was cheerfully resting a short distance away in the forest. It was only natural for her to feel the urge to do something about it. The fact she was able to control herself was proof she was still calm and composed. She hadn’t made the suggestion because she seriously thought a surprise attack was for the best.

“It’s fine. There are things we might not notice just by thinking by ourselves. Even if it’s obvious, voicing your opinion is a vital part of determining validity. I considered making a surprise attack for a brief moment as well, so let’s keep telling each other whatever comes to our minds.” Rio seemed to read Aria’s strained emotions and spoke gently to soothe her. His consideration for her feelings seemed to reach her, and Aria bit her lip.

“Right. Thank you.”

This won’t do... I shouldn’t act like this around someone younger...

She reflected on her lack of composure. For some reason, he felt oddly mature compared to her. It wasn’t just his politeness—she actually felt like she was interacting with an older man when she was near him. Celia must have been drawn to that part of him as well. Aria was having the same experience right now.

“There’s still some time until they depart... Dissolvo.”

Rio poured his magic essence into the ground through his feet, leveling the dirt before using the Time-Space Cache to set down the stone house.

“Wha... What is that?”

Aria looked up at the stone house in shock. She wasn’t normally the type to show expressions on her face, but her reactions were rather vivid today.

“I explained the Time-Space Cache to Liselotte in front of you before, right? This is how I carry around my portable house. It’s made to look like a boulder for camouflage.”

There were also special barriers that prevented it from being perceived by others, but those spells were disabled while it was stored away.

“Indeed, you did. But...a portable house?”

According to Aria’s common sense, a house wasn’t portable. It was definitely not something that could be carried around. Especially not a house—no, a rock of this size.

“Please, come inside. It’ll serve as our accommodation on our journey, so I’ll give you a tour during our break.”

Rio had grown accustomed to the reactions of people seeing the stone house for the first time, so he merely smiled faintly before walking to the front door. He briefly introduced the main rooms to Aria before they took their break, then resumed their pursuit of the saint.

◇ ◇ ◇

Several hours later, after two more breaks for the saint and her company, the group continued northbound towards the belt of small kingdoms.

“It’s almost sunset. They should be stopping at the nearby city for the night,” Rio said, looking at the western sky as he flew.

Griffins had great night vision, so they were capable of flying even through the night. However, their human riders having limited sight in the dark made it more difficult to secure a resting point; it was better to move in the daylight, when the ground below wasn’t a black abyss.

It was likely that they didn’t feel an urgent need to return as quickly as possible. Erica’s party was going to refrain from moving at night, according to the information Aishia provided during the earlier break.

A few mere minutes later, Erica and her company started descending on their griffins.

“They’ve begun their descent. It seems like they’re going to stay the night in the city over there. We should descend as well.” Rio also lowered his altitude, moving within contact range of Aishia.

Aishia, let me know once the saint finds an inn. I’ll enter the city in the meantime. Let me know if anything abnormal occurs.

Understood.

With just the necessary messages exchanged between them, he landed in a rocky area off the road.

“I’m going to set the stone house up here. Would you happen to know what crest is on the flag of that city over there, Aria?” Rio asked, hoping to confirm their location.

“That’s the family crest of Margrave Baudrier. He’s a noble of the Galarc Kingdom. From the size of the city, this is unlikely to be the capital of his territory, so it’s probably ruled by a governor...” Aria’s reply was immediate, having memorized every noble family crest in the kingdom.

“Thanks, that’s a great help. I’ll go speak to the governor and ask if we can use the transmission artifact to contact the castle. You wait here in the house.”

“I understand. Thank you for taking care of that.”

Aria didn’t seem too content about waiting alone in the house, but the risk of running into the saint in such a small city was too great. It was better for only one person to move on their behalf, and Rio was better positioned to negotiate with a representative using his noble status. Aria wasn’t so incompetent that she would let her eagerness get in his way—and so she nodded obediently.

“The magic artifacts inside the house can be used as I explained earlier. You can eat whatever you find in the kitchen, and help yourself to the bath. Please rest up in preparation for the upcoming days of pursuit.”

“I appreciate your consideration.”

Aria bowed gratefully. With that, Rio started off towards the city.

◇ ◇ ◇

Around the same time Rio entered the city and arrived at the governor’s building...

The saint’s found an inn, and he has entered what seems to be the governor’s estate. Since the head attendant is waiting alone outside the city, they probably don’t plan on making a move here. That means Liselotte Cretia isn’t located in this city. I guess he’s gone to ask to contact the royal castle, hmm?

Reiss observed the city from the sky, tracking the movements of his targets within the city walls. He made accurate assumptions about their respective motives just from their positions and actions.

If they continue at this pace without any detours, they’ll reach the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica within a few days... I’ll need to make the necessary orders by tonight.

Reiss placed a hand against his mouth as he decided how to move forward. He’d have to look away for a few hours to go and give his orders, but it was better to have as much preparation time as possible. The later he delayed his orders, the less time those receiving them would have to prepare.

Troublesome Rio and Aishia had their attention focused on the equally troublesome Saint—there was no way he could pass up this opportunity where their forces were divided. Thus, it was important he gave orders for one of his pawns to move. And if he were to go with the plan that had the highest chance of success...

Considering where his attention will be directed, it would be best to have the Heavenly Lions move this time. It’s about time they worked to avenge their commander.

Reiss decided to mobilize Lucius’s subordinates.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I’ve returned, Aria,” Rio said, returning to the stone house outside the city one hour later.

Hmm...?

A mouthwatering scent greeted him as soon as he opened the door.

“Welcome back, Sir Amakawa.” Aria appeared in the living room past the entryway, bowing courteously. She was wearing clothes out of Aishia’s wardrobe with Aishia’s permission—Aishia usually wore her self-materialized clothes in her physical form, so her store-bought clothes rarely saw the light of day. Right now, Aria was wearing an apron.

“I’m back...”

“I used your ingredients to prepare dinner.” Being the beautiful girl that she was, Aria looked good wearing anything, but the impression she gave in an apron was completely different to that of her attendant clothes.

“Thank you. It smells delicious,” Rio said, slightly surprised.

“Everything is ready to be served immediately. Will you eat first or bathe first?”

“Err, I’ll eat first. But let me wash my hands before I do that.”

The exchange with Aria, one that resembled typical newlyweds, was a refreshing feeling for Rio, who nodded with a gentle smile before heading towards the washroom. After cleaning up, he returned to the living room.

“Have a seat at the table,” Aria prompted from the kitchen. Rio was about to offer to help set out dinner, but she’d beaten him to the punch, so he sat down. Soon after, the food was brought out to the dining table.

“They’re all simple dishes, so they might not compare with your cooking...”

Aria set down a golden-brown asparagus and mushroom quiche, a pot-au-feu with plenty of bacon and bite-sized vegetables, a salad, and a creamy pasta dish.

“Not at all. It looks so good.” It was his first time eating Aria’s home cooking, but she had to be an experienced cook to prepare so many complicated dishes in less than an hour.

“Thank you. Please, dig in.” Aria bowed in gratitude and encouraged Rio to begin eating. She then poured him a drink and stood beside the table like an attendant.

“Umm, are you not going to eat too? You haven’t eaten already, have you?” Rio looked confused at the lack of Aria’s share on the table.

“I am merely an attendant. After forcing my way into accompanying you on this journey, I cannot possibly join you at the table.”

The relationship between Rio and Aria was that of an honorary knight and the attendant of another noblewoman. Aria fully understood that she didn’t have the status to eat with him and drew a clear line to show it. It was completely normal for nobles to eat under the watch of multiple servants, but...

“Umm, I’m not really used to noble customs, so I can’t really relax under such stiff circumstances. Can we eat together? Preferable while we talk casually,” Rio suggested awkwardly. He knew there were situations where it was more appropriate to behave according to his social status, but having to keep up the noble act when he was with others just felt suffocating.

“Of course... If that is what you wish.”

Thus, Aria joined him for the meal. Once plates for two were set down on the table, they began to eat.

“Let’s dig in.”

“Yes.”

Rio started with the pot-au-feu. The steaming hot vegetables had been boiled in the broth until the flavor had seeped through, melting in his mouth.

“It’s delicious...”

There was no way it wouldn’t be. Aria was the head attendant serving Liselotte. While Liselotte probably had personal chefs that made her meals, it wouldn’t be odd for Aria to prepare meals when the situation called for it. Her cooking skills were inevitably top-notch.

“That’s great.”

Aria smiled in relief and sliced the quiche with her knife and fork elegantly, carrying it to her mouth.

“That aside, I was able to contact the castle without any issues. I informed them that we’ll be leaving the kingdom, so our return will be delayed. The message should reach His Majesty by tomorrow. Transmission artifacts bear a risk of information leaks, so I didn’t mention Liselotte or the saint by name,” Rio said, reporting on his outing.

Magic artifacts used for communication could be viewed by anyone with a receiver within transmission range, so the messages sent tended to be rather abstract to avoid those risks. Rio had only specified their arrival near Margrave Baudrier’s territory, their intent to leave the kingdom, and that their return would take at least a week.

“Thank you for handling everything.”

“It’s no problem at all. I should thank you for this delicious meal.” Rio took a bite of the quiche, savoring it in delight.

“...” Aria paused in handling her cutlery and stared at his face.

Rio looked back curiously. “Is something the matter?”

“No, but how should I put this... I’m just so glad you’re here, Sir Amakawa. I think I understand why you’re adored by Celia and so many others now. I can’t put it into words, but there’s a mysterious charm about you,” Aria said with a gentle look.

Rio looked bashful, but confused. “What’s up all of a sudden? Your compliments on me are wasted.”

“When I think about how Lady Liselotte was kidnapped, I feel my anger rising at the Saint and my own powerlessness. But when I look at you, all that pointless anger dissipates, calming me down. Thanks to that, I’m able to forge ahead with my mind and body in the best possible condition.”

Aria’s determination could be glimpsed in her expression, tensing fiercely. It wasn’t as though her will to rescue Liselotte had relaxed—if anything, it had intensified. But being impatient wouldn’t help, and that was what Rio had taught her. She could only do what she could. Just like Rio, who had silently done the same until now.

“When you asked to accompany me back at the castle, you had a tormented look on your face. While I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, I prefer the look on your face right now. I don’t recall doing anything special, but if my actions have had a good effect on you, then I’m glad,” Rio said, smiling gently.

“It must be that part of you...”

Rio steadily pushed forward with his own values when it mattered the most. But he never forced his own views onto other people. Of course, he would explain his thoughts when asked, but he first showed them through his actions.

That’s why he made her think. By watching him move forward silently, she was made to consider her own actions and what she wanted. It was probably that part of him that attracted others. The realization made Aria’s lips break into a soft smile.

Rio tilted his head, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Aria shook her head abruptly. “It’s nothing. More importantly, Lady Aishia has been continuously watching the saint until now. She must need relief from her shift soon—if it’s something I can do, I’d like to take the night shift.”

Of course, it depended on how Rio was communicating with Aishia, but she hoped to lessen the burden if it was a method she could use as well.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that... I also offered to take the night shift, but I was rejected as it was unnecessary. Aishia is able to work without the need for food, water, or sleep breaks.”

Aishia was a spirit, after all. She enjoyed eating and could immediately convert what she ate into magic essence for replenishment, but they were all unnecessary things to a spirit. She slept a lot, but that was because she enjoyed sleeping—if she wanted to, she was able to continue working without any sleep.

However, Aria was still unaware that Aishia was a spirit, so Rio was unsure of how to go about explaining that.

“Huh...?”

As he feared, Aria had a questioning look of confusion. That was only natural, since he had just said she didn’t need what were essential factors of human survival.

“It’d be easiest for you to see for yourself, but I can only explain it verbally for now. Which works out just as well, since I can explain some other things at the same time. For example, that my flying isn’t an effect of my enchanted sword.”

Of course, it was possible to fly using a sword as a catalyst to produce wind, but that wasn’t what Rio had used on the way here. His sword had been in its scabbard—he hadn’t even held it in his hand.

Rio’s sword was capable of refining magic essence for assistance in spirit arts, and amplifying the power of spirit arts by wrapping it around the blade, but it wasn’t always a necessity to activate the arts from the sword as an origin.

Since arts were activated from the sword, which was separate to Rio’s body, it wasn’t suited for casting any art that directly affected the caster. Its sword shape also had limits, such as needing to be held by the handle of the sword.

In other words, it was easy to activate and control spirit arts that centered on the sword, such as wrapping the blade and slashing, launching something by thrusting, or stabbing the sword into something. But using the sword as an origin point meant there was an extra process involved, so there were cases when the activation speed dropped or had a negative influence.

For example, suppose he activated a spirit art on his sword, then had to change the target of that art to another target. If he was going to cast an art on someone else, there was no need to use his sword in the first place. If Rio wanted to fly in the air, using his sword to activate the art would offer no benefit and merely take more time.

“I’m sure it isn’t something you should be spreading indiscriminately, so are you sure about this? I assume it’s a secret on par with a powerful enchanted sword.” Aria was curious, but had enough honor not to ask for an explanation right away.

“It’s as I said earlier—you’re Liselotte’s trusted confidant, and Celia’s important friend. That’s why I believe you’re not the type of person to go around spreading rumors. In order to rescue Liselotte, I’ll end up doing things that can’t be explained by an enchanted sword. I do not wish to lower our chances of a successful rescue by hiding my abilities,” Rio said, listing the reasons for informing her.

“In that case, allow me to explain my enchanted sword’s effect first. It wouldn’t be balanced otherwise... Although it still isn’t balanced like this. But please allow me to do so as a sign of my trust in you, Sir Amakawa,” Aria offered decisively.

“Are you sure you don’t need Liselotte’s permission?”

The enchanted sword belonged to her, after all.

“I will get retroactive permission from her. There’s no doubt she’ll approve of this. If she doesn’t, I will take responsibility for it.”

“But even so...”

“The hesitation you’re feeling is the same as what I feel towards you disclosing your secret,” Aria protested as soon as Rio expressed uncertainty.

“I understand... We can both reveal our abilities,” Rio nodded with a strained smile, deciding to listen to Aria talk about her enchanted sword.

After that, Aria revealed her enchanted sword’s ability and combat style based on it to Rio. The enchanted sword she possessed was called Lethal Bringer, which could enhance the slicing strength of the blade and slow the healing of any wounds it caused.

On the other hand, Rio told Aria about spirit arts and the fact Aishia was a spirit. Since it was an extensive topic, he only gave her a general summary of things, but Aria was still made to listen to a much longer explanation than she had given.

“I feel like that wasn’t something I should have listened to after all... The information I offered really can’t compare,” Aria said after they’d finished their explanations of each other’s situations. Her expression stiffened at the clear difference in their information value. She was surprised to hear about spirit arts, but she was especially shocked by the fact Aishia was a spirit.

“It was necessary in order to raise our chance of rescuing Liselotte. Now Aishia and I can use the full extent of our powers.” Rio shrugged in a joking manner, trying to brush off Aria’s worries. In reality, his actions would be limited if he had to hide his strength from her. Instead of having to worry about how to explain each and every move, it was much easier to give her the information beforehand and loop her in on the facts.

“However... I still feel like I’ve become an excess burden on you,” Aria said gloomily.

“That’s definitely not the case. There’s no knowing what will happen at our destination. Since the enemy’s strength is unknown, it’s very reassuring to have someone of your abilities come along. Most importantly, Liselotte will also feel safer with the person she trusts the most there for her,” Rio said clearly, without hesitation. He wasn’t trying to be considerate—he merely believed that from the bottom of his heart.

I wasn’t able to protect my master, who trusted me so much, though...

A guilty look flashed across Aria’s face. However, she couldn’t afford to keep looking at the past. She had to rescue Liselotte—she yearned to. In order to do that, she would do whatever she could. Her gaze met Rio’s, who stared straight at her from across the table, and she found fresh determination within herself.

“I truly cannot thank you enough, Sir Amakawa.”

With a fleeting smile, Aria gave Rio a look of deep impression.