by Aneko Yusagi
Just when I was wondering what they were concentrating on, they formed a giant ball of fire in the air and hurled it directly at me.
It looked like the sort of attack I could send back at them if I got the timing right.
“Hya!”
I readied my shield, waited for the right moment, and used it to hit the ball of flame back at the genius.
“What?! Nooo!”
The ball of flame flew across the room and slammed into the genius, setting him aflame. He fell to the floor and rolled around, trying to put out the flames, which were burning ferociously.
“Gyaaaaa!”
Everyone started screaming. In all the chaos, I couldn’t make out the genius’s name.
“I’m not finished with you...” the charred genius said, climbing to his feet.
He was pretty tough.
He drew a sword from a scabbard at his waist and flew at me.
I raised my shield just in time to stop it.
“You fool. You blocked my attack without knowing how high my level is. I can slice right through this shield of...”
A loud clang echoed through the room, and I felt an odd shock run through the shield.
This guy... Just how high was his attack power? Sorry to break it to you mister, but it isn’t high enough to get through my defenses.
“It’s great that you’re so confident, but it looks like I can stop your attacks without any trouble!” I shouted, pushing him back with all my strength. There was a momentary pause before the impact sent him flying backwards.
I looked over at Kizuna. The soldiers had nearly cornered her. They nearly had her surrounded, and were inching closer.
“Air Strike Shield! Second Shield! Dritte Shield!”
I sent the series of shields flying across the room and positioned them like steps so that Kizuna could jump on them to get over the soldiers.
“Thanks, Naofumi!” she winked back at me as she bounded up and over the shields.
She was right in front of the dragon hourglass.
“Stop right there!” the genius shouted, dashing across the room to stop her.
I didn’t know what he was planning, but I knew I had to stop him.
“Form One: Pitfall!”
Kizuna didn’t need me. She summoned a hole in the ground to stop the genius in his tracks. He tumbled into the waist-deep hole, lost his footing, and crumpled to the ground.
“Ugh! Damn it! That won’t stop me!”
“You! Stay out of my way!”
He tried to jump out of the whole, but it was too late.
His women compatriots were running after Kizuna, blood in their eyes.
But before they could reach her, Kizuna reached out and touched the dragon hourglass. She looked back to find me.
“Let’s go! Return Dragon Vein!”
A soft light, completely unlike the feeling I got when I used Portal Shield, filled the room and enveloped my field of vision.
“No! You won’t get away with this!”
The genius shouted after us, his voice rattling with fury.
“Too bad. We don’t have time to waste on people like you.”
He glared at me with so much anger in his eyes that I wondered if it was the first time he’d ever lost a battle.
I guess I could understand how he felt, but we had our own goals we had to accomplish. We couldn’t just hang out in his country forever. And I couldn’t think of a reason to obey the laws of an enemy country that had thrown Kizuna and I in prison.
“I won’t forget this! I’ll make you pay!”
It sounded like we’d made a new enemy for ourselves. Oh well. I was going back to the world I came from once we finished what we had to do in this world. I’d probably never see the guy again.
Before the genius and his women could reach us, Kizuna’s teleport skill activated, and the scenery around us changed in an instant. It was like... It was like we’d fallen back in to that hole of light we’d passed through on our way between worlds, but it was somehow... softer
Before I could comment on it, the scenery changed again, and we were standing before a desk staffed by people wearing western-styled clothing. It looked like we were in another city hall, but it was very different from the one we’d just left.
So... the escape was a success?
Everyone in the room turned to look at us.
“Ah...”
They all ignored me and stared at Kizuna.
“Kizuna-sama!”
“I’m back!”
“Welcome back!”
I looked around at our new surroundings.
An official-looking bureaucrat-type excitedly shook her hand, a huge smile plastered over his face. It certainly seemed like we’d reached a safe place.
“Do you think they’ll follow us here?”
“Not if they are using Return Dragon Vein. It can only teleport you to a dragon hourglass you’ve already visited.
That meant they couldn’t follow us. Perfect.
I kept looking around to make sure it wasn’t some kind of trick, but it still seemed safe.
“Looks good to me,” I said, and let out the breath I’d been holding.
Chapter Seven: The Legend of the Waves
The new country we found ourselves was much more western, not like the Japanese style of the previous country. It reminded me a bit of the world I’d come from before this one.
It suddenly struck me as strange that I’d come to feel nostalgic for stone castles that looked like they’d come from the European Middle Ages. Still, even if this country seemed like it was in the same time period, it also felt like a different country. If the Melromarc I was used to was like England in the Middle Ages, then this new country was like Germany in the Middle Ages, or something like that.
Everyone looked very happy to see Kizuna. They were kind to us because we had arrived with her. An important-looking person, maybe even the king, walked over to greet us.
“Kizuna-sama, I’m so pleased that you’ve made it back safely. Those in my service say that you were captured and imprisoned in the inescapable labyrinth. It seems they were not mistaken. Something will have to be done about this injustice.”
We were led into the throne room along with Kizuna and had a lot of questions addressed to us as well. It was a bit annoying. But Kizuna assured us that they would help us search for Raphtalia.
“That’s right. Thanks to the efforts of Naofumi, this holy hero from another world, we were able to escape from the labyrinth that is said to be inescapable.”
The second that she mentioned I was a holy hero from another world, everyone started looking around suspiciously.
“Um...”
“Is there a problem? There is absolutely no question that he sacrificed much to help me. I suggest you treat him with respect,” Kizuna barked, annoyed by the sudden air of suspicion in the room.
If I had announced something similar back in Melromarc, I don’t think anyone would have believed me. What would happen here?
“You’re absolutely correct! Forgive us!”
“Fine. But are you going to explain why you acted that way?” Kizuna asked. The official looked uncomfortable. She said nothing more but walked closer to him, looking pretty menacing. She was pretty good at this interrogation stuff. “So? Are you going to explain?”
“Y... Yes, of course. This is information known to our holders of the vassal weapons. So of course, it should be shared with you, Kizuna-sama, as you are a holy hero as well.” The man who looked like a king cleared his throat and continued to speak. “The first thing you must understand is that the four holy heroes have a more fundamental role, a deeper responsibility, than simply protecting the people of the world in times of crisis.”
“I’ve never heard anything about it.”
“It is only touched on briefly in the legends.”
Back in the world I’d come from, Fitoria had mentioned something similar.
She’d said that the waves would gro
w stronger if any of the heroes were missing before the waves came.
“A phenomenon known as ‘the waves’ visit this world. Kizuna-sama, I realize that you are familiar with these.”
“Yeah, there’s always a countdown until the next one running in my field of vision. That’s for the waves, yes? But what exactly are the waves?”
“Ancient texts say that the waves are a phenomenon that occurs when different worlds momentarily fuse with one another.”
Hm... I’d also suspected that might be the case, but now that I’d seen Glass’s world with my own eyes, I knew it was true.
But that’s not what I wanted to know.
“Next question. Why are Glass and L’Arc trying to kill Naofumi?”
Exactly. While we were on the road, I told Kizuna all about our fights with Glass.
“Because there is a legend that says that if the worlds are allowed to fuse any further, then the worlds themselves will be destroyed.”
“What? Why would that happen?”
“I do not know. The legends do not say.”
“Hm... Okay. So why try to kill Naofumi?”
“The four holy heroes are the keystone, or the fulcrum, of the worlds they represent. When the waves occur and the worlds begin to fuse, the heroes must survive the battle. If all the heroes of a world are lost, then their world will be destroyed while the lifespan of the other world will increase.”
“Hmmm...” Kizuna murmured coldly.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. A hero could extend the life of his own world by killing all the heroes of the opposing world during a wave event? I’d never heard such a thing—but it would explain why Glass and her friends were trying to kill me. That was how they could save their world—how they could extend the life of their world.
I suddenly remembered L’Arc saying something to a similar effect.
He said that we’d have to die for the sake of his world... Actually, come to think of it, Kyo had said something like that, too. When he was controlling the Spirit Tortoise, he’d said that our world was going to be destroyed, anyway, so he might as well make use of it. That must have been what he meant.
I wondered if that was what Keichi, the ancient hero, had been trying to say in the writings we found on the wall of the temple on the back of the Spirit Tortoise.
It was unbelievable. This information changed everything. Even if that was all we ended up learning, coming to this new world was worth it.
“Naofumi, this isn’t good for us, is it?” Kizuna asked.
“No, it’s not. But if you and I got in a fight, I don’t know how either of us would defeat the other.”
“That’s not what I meant!” she shouted.
I immediately raised my shield to protect Rishia. Based on all the time we’d spent together, I didn’t think she would attack us. But that didn’t mean that we were on the same team.
Did Kizuna understand what I was thinking? She turned to the kingly character and shouted, “So we have to survive by sacrificing another world? Is there no other way? Did you even try?”
“W... Well...”
The man trailed off and turned his eyes away from Kizuna’s piercing gaze.
“Oh jeez... So that’s how it is. Did you think I would approve of this?”
“No...”
“Do you really believe everything written down in the legends? Are you really that stupid? Could you at least do some real research on the waves first?”
Wow, she was coming off as really self-righteous. It felt like a cold breeze blew through the room.
“Destroying another world should be a last resort, don’t you think? It’s not the sort of thing you should throw yourself into on a hunch! Besides, you know I can’t attack other people, don’t you?”
“Yes, but... you see, the four holy heroes exist to defend the world. Killing the heroes of other worlds is a task that falls to those who wield the vassal weapons.”
Hm... That would explain why the portal between the worlds normally wouldn’t let holy heroes pass through. I was only able to be here because of special circumstances.
If that was the case, then fighting on the front lines in all these battles had been very reckless. Had any of us heroes been killed, everything would have come crashing down. Sure, books and manga were more interesting when the protagonist fights in all the major battles, but reality wasn’t so sentimental.
I recalled that Glass and her friends had mentioned that they used vassal weapons. That was the last piece of the puzzle: now everything made sense.
“It doesn’t really matter either way. Neither Naofumi nor I have many options when it comes to attacking other people, anyway.”
“It’s true. And neither of us can really fight on our own very well.”
It wasn’t that I couldn’t fight against other people at all. It was just that I had strong defenses, so I would guard the battle line and protect everyone else while they defeated the enemies. Kizuna must have figured that out, too.
Considering the circumstances, it meant that Kizuna was actually in a tougher situation than I was.
There are online games that include player versus player elements, but the hunter-type characters normally dedicated themselves to fighting monsters. They were very skilled at defeating monsters but not very useful when it came to fighting people. There were a lot of those kind of players in the game I used to play, but they never showed up for guild battles.
And that’s exactly the sort of hero that Kizuna was.
Assuming that the seven star heroes used the vassal weapons in the world I came from, I couldn’t think of a way that Kizuna would be able to survive an encounter with them. Even if she were able to fight other people, how would she feel about killing the otherworldly assassins that came after her?
If this were all a game, then both Kizuna and I were in a rough spot.
She had access to other weapons, similar to the Shield of Wrath for me. But that wasn’t the sort of thing you wanted to rely on.
“Anyway, I think it’s a little early to decide to destroy an entire world for the sake of your own. You don’t know all the facts. I’ll tell Glass and the others, so if you know where they are, you should tell me.”
“Yes, well... Glass-sama found a revolutionary way to become much stronger than she was. When the last wave occurred, she took the boy and went to another world...”
Boy? Who was that?
I’m guessing L’Arc? If I was right, then I’d have to make a point of calling him that since he always called me Kiddo.
“Matching that up with what Naofumi told me, that would mean that they met up with Naofumi and his friends in the other world and then all came back here... right? Regardless, we’ll have to find Glass before we can do anything else.”
“Understood. But, Kizuna-sama, I would prefer if you were able to stay in a safe place while this search is conducted. There is the chance that this other world’s hero may pose a threat to you.”
“Naofumi wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Maybe I can get back to Japan if I kill you.”
“Feh! What are you saying?!” Rishia shrieked.
She was so annoying. If I didn’t show some steel from time to time, no one would take us seriously. Kizuna had been a very nice tour guide up until now, but who knew what secrets she might have?
“You wouldn’t dare. I swear, you’re so bad with people...”
“Think whatever you want.”
“Regardless, I’ll take care of convincing Glass and others. You take the time to rest up. We can’t let the vassal weapon holders of this world just do what they want, even if Glass cooperated with them. It’s barbarism.”
“Sure. I don’t have the time to sit around arguing with you people, anyway.”
“Right? What’s better than having a lot of allies?”
I had my own things to take care of, and yet... I couldn’t ignore the serious problem posed by the information we just learned. Kizuna must have felt the s
ame way. That was why she didn’t want to buy into this whole story of heroes from other worlds being forced to kill each other.
“Fine. I get it. So what do you want to do?”
Honestly, my highest priority at the moment was finding Raphtalia and the others. We weren’t going to get far without them.
“Let’s focus on finding my other party members first. Then we’ll need to go have a word with the country that’s harboring the person who wields the book of the vassal weapons.”
“That’s all? Aren’t you a little more angry than that?”
“No need to make it complicated. Anyway, we’ll enlist the citizens to help search the countryside.”
“You think they might be on the run, like we were?”
Had they ended up in a country where they couldn’t use Return Transcript, then it would be really difficult to escape from that country’s borders. I knew that from experience.
But if there were inescapable labyrinths like the one that we’d been lost in, there was also the chance that Raphtalia and Glass were stuck in one, too. And if that were the case, we’d have to save them.
“Remember when I said I knew someone that was good at looking for people? I’m going to get them on it, okay? Call for Ethnobalt!” Kizuna said, telling the kingly man to call for someone.
Did that mean it was all settled now?
“Great. Thanks,” I said.
“I believe Ethnobalt will be here by tomorrow.”
“Hear that, Naofumi? So what do you want to do until then?”
“If you think this person can help us find Raphtalia and Glass, then I guess we’ll just have to wait,” I said, nodding at Kizuna. “We should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.”
“You have to take a break every once and a while, you know? But I’m all for being prepared, though.”
Well, at least we had someone to guide us around this world—that alone made it better than the one I came from. Still, there was so much I didn’t understand that it was starting to drive me crazy. Not that I’m the type to be intimidated by new cities or countries...
