Towards a Glory Not Worth Taking

by Ao Jyumonji

  If Haruhiro was to be perfectly blunt, he thought it was best not to follow Akira-san’s party. The way things were now, they were standing on the straight line between the hydra and Akira-san’s party, and they didn’t want to be there. It might be best for them to change course and act independently.

  I’d feel guilty about doing it, though. Besides, it’s not absolutely certain Akira-san and the others are its target. What if they aren’t? If it turns and follows us when we break off from Akira-san and the others, it’d be a total disaster. Akira-san and his party wouldn’t be able to help, and, well, that’d be the end of us.

  That said, I’m pretty sure the hydra has got to be going after Akira-san and his party.

  Do we take that gamble?

  It doesn’t feel like a bad bet, but I can’t quite commit to it. I should decide sooner rather than later, though. I’m so indecisive. I hate it.

  In the end, won’t Akira-san and his party handle things somehow? Is that what I’m thinking? I can’t say that’s not at least part of it. That’s just leaving my problems to someone else, isn’t it? I think there’s something wrong with that. Is that okay? I can’t say that it is, can I?

  Even in his indecision, he was continuing to diligently pump his legs when he ran past something going the other direction.

  “Huh?” Haruhiro realized. The other... direction?

  Yes. There was no doubt about it. Something had raced towards him, then ran right past Haruhiro.

  Haruhiro turned back and looked.

  That something was clad in black armor.

  It was tight-fitting, looked light, and it was black where it was black, but what was with that orange-colored light that came out of it here and there? How did that work? There was a short, curved sword, or rather a katana, on one of the figure’s hips, and a rather long katana over their back. The person reached back and put one hand on the hilt of his katana as he kept running. Dashing straight towards the hydra.

  “Soma...” Haruhiro accidentally said his name without an honorific.

  He stood there in a daze.

  Soma.

  It was Soma.

  The hydra was rushing towards them, and Soma was running in the opposite direction from them, so the two were guaranteed to collide.

  Was he... going to be okay?

  It would be a lie to say he wasn’t worried, but for some reason, Haruhiro couldn’t imagine Soma possibly getting killed.

  The hydra lifted up its massive body with its tentacles, then sprung at Soma.

  Soma didn’t stop, didn’t even slow his pace.

  He drew his katana.

  Haruhiro was able to see everything up until that point. But what did he do after that?

  Haruhiro’s eyes had been wide open and he watched closely, but still, he couldn’t tell.

  He only knew that two of the hydra’s tentacles were lopped off and soared through the air.

  The hydra landed with an earth-rattling thud—but what about Soma?

  Haruhiro was finally gripped by uncertainty. Had Soma been crushed?

  The hydra’s tentacles twisted and coiled as the creature tried to make an about-face. Did that mean that was where Soma was? Had he slipped under the hydra? Or something like that?

  While Haruhiro was still in suspense, unable to be sure what had happened, the hydra jumped to the left.

  There.

  That’s Soma.

  He was swinging a katana. It’s long, that katana. Why does it look so much longer than when he had it slung over his back?

  Whatever the case, Soma’s slashes were making the hydra hesitate. He was taking on that massive creature in one-on-one close-quarters combat, and he was the one pushing it back.

  It’s weird. That’s just not right. What’s going on?

  “Now, see, when you use the word ‘genius.’” The next thing he noticed, Gogh was next to him, still being carried on Taro’s back. “That’s the kind of guy you’re talking about. He’s only been active for one-fifth of the time we have. Yet, still, he can do that. Talent is a cruel and terrifying thing.”

  Incredible, thought Haruhiro. The rumors about him weren’t all talk. Soma had saved their lives before, too. He wasn’t called the strongest for nothing.

  Haruhiro knew that. Or he had thought he had. But he must not have truly understood what that meant.

  That katana might have been special somehow. His armor seemed to hide some secret power that transcended human knowledge. Even so, Soma himself was a flesh and blood human. He had to be.

  Was he really human, the same as all of them? It was hard to believe.

  Soma was driving the hydra back with a single katana. How was he cutting through those tentacles that were over two meters thick? Haruhiro had no idea. It was clearly impossible. But Soma was doing it.

  Haruhiro probably wasn’t hallucinating, so this was reality. It was a reality that transcended Haruhiro’s understanding and imagination. Or rather, there was no way he could have imagined something like that.

  Like, if he were to say, Someday, I’m gonna swing around a katana and take down a monster the size of a two-story building, people would be guaranteed to laugh at him. Haruhiro would do the same, of course. If anyone around him said something like that, he would think, What an idiot.

  Were people like Soma, who made those ridiculous-sounding dreams a reality, the true geniuses?

  Gogh was right—it was cruel. There was no closing this gap, and no jumping over it. It was like the difference between the moon and a turtle. Sure, both were round, but even trying to compare the two was pointless. They were just too different.

  Even the things that came to mind when he thought about it were so ordinary that he just wanted to disappear. Haruhiro had always known he was ordinary, so he wasn’t frustrated by it at all, but it still made him feel empty. If he had thought he had the potential to be someone, and he’d been aiming for the top, the shock might well have left him unable to recover.

  He was glad that he and everyone else recognized his mediocrity. Thanks to that, he only had to suffer from this feeling of powerlessness.

  “Soma!” shouted a creature of inhuman beauty and elegance as she raced past Haruhiro.

  It was only natural she seemed inhuman. She wasn’t human at all.

  She’s an elf. Well, Taro’s an unusually pretty boy, too. Maybe the elven race only has beautiful people? Either way, her beauty stands out. That fair skin of hers ought to be against the rules. She’s got silver hair, too. The way her eyes sparkle, they look exactly like gemstones. When it comes to her figure, I guess you could say, or her physique and musculature, they aren’t even human. Like, her head is soooooo tiny. The way she runs is different, too. Her steps are much lighter than a human’s. It’s less like she’s kicking off the ground, and more like she’s sliding along it.

  “You’re running off on your own again!” Lilia drew a thin sword which suited her well, and charged straight towards the hydra.

  She was a sword dancer. It was truly like she was dancing. Lilia spun circles around the tentacles, making her sword dance. Rather than cutting them with her sword, it was like she was cutting them with the motion of her sword and body. Even if she couldn’t cut them off like Soma had, Lilia was definitely injuring the tentacles she attacked. Naturally, they couldn’t touch her. She never let anything get near her.

  While Haruhiro was holding his breath and watching the elf’s magnificent and sublime sword techniques intently, he heard someone let out a sigh that sounded like a yawn. When he looked over, the big man with the dreadlocks passed by Haruhiro with relaxed, but incredibly large steps.

  Kemuri was a paladin just like Akira-san, Tokimune, or Kuzaku. Naturally, that meant he had a shield on his back, but the very long sword he was wearing diagonally over his back caught Haruhiro’s attention first.

  Slowly drawing that sword with both hands, Kemuri approached the hydra.

  No matter how good he is, isn’t that being a little too careless?r />
  One of the tentacles took aim at Kemuri. From up above and to the side, it swung down diagonally at him.

  “Heave—” Kemuri didn’t dodge. He met the tentacle with his sword. “—ho!”

  When it collided with the sword, the tentacle was torn in two. How did that even work? He’d just won a contest of brute strength against a tentacle that was over two meters thick.

  “If he does stuff like that, I’m amazed his back doesn’t hurt.” Akira-san was stroking his chin, having switched into spectator mode.

  Is that the problem here?

  “You have back pains, after all.” Miho rubbed Akira-san’s back.

  “Hmph! I could do that, too...” Branken had shouldered his ax and looked like he was taking a break, too.

  “I’ll pass, thanks.” Kayo walked over to Gogh, snatching up her hubby and carrying him in her arms like he was a princess. “That was some good work you did. You must be tired from using all that magic, aren’t you, honey?”

  “...Not that tired, so stop carrying me like this.”

  “At your age, what do you have to be embarrassed about?” Kayo asked.

  “It’s precisely my age that makes this so embarrassing. Let me down!”

  “I don’t wanna.”

  “Dammit!”

  While watching that husband and wife who were so close it made everyone who saw it embarrassed for them, their elven son wore a truly contented smile.

  “Oh, my. It’s Shima-chan,” said Miho. Looking over in the same direction as she was, Haruhiro saw the sexy older girl walking gracefully in their direction.

  “Hey,” Shima said with a bow of her head. “What’s the situation here?”

  “It’s tougher than we thought.” Akira-san tilted his head to the side a little. “It looks like we won’t be able to just hit its weak spot and finish it quickly like that. We’ll need to wear it down. Where’s Pingo-kun?”

  “He’s sticking close to the giant god. Zenmai, too. He’s been with Pingo since he came back when he couldn’t lead the hydra around anymore.”

  “Do you think Lala and Nono fled?” Akira-san asked.

  “I wonder,” Shima said. “There’s no predicting those two.”

  “I guess we’ll have to sort out the hydra first.”

  “If anything happens, I’ll heal you,” Shima said. “Not that I think it will.”

  “No, I’ll be counting on you. I mean, I’m getting on in years, after all. I could always slip up.”

  “Surely you jest.”

  “I’m serious. —Branken, Kayo, time to get back to work.”

  “Very well.” Branken stroked his beard, a fire burning in his eyes.

  “Honey, wait for me, okay?” Kayo set Gogh down, then spun her arms in circles to warm up.

  “I’ll help, too!” Taro readied his bow.

  Oh. They’re actually doing it. Well, yeah, I guess they would, huh? I mean, it’s looking like Soma, Lilia, and Kemuri could take it out by themselves, thought Haruhiro. There was nothing for him and the others to do, so they were probably good to stay here in spectator mode and watch the fight to the end. Or rather, they couldn’t do anything more than that.

  Tada spoke up. “We’re gonna steal their thunder, Tokimune.”

  “Let’s do it, Tada!”

  Tada and Tokimune were raring to go, and Iron Knuckle, the Berserkers, and Orion all looked like they saw this as the time to turn things around, but Haruhiro had no intent of getting dragged into it.

  Despite that, Ranta said, “O-O-O-O-Okay, me too!” with a quiver in his voice. He was hopeless.

  “Yeah, you go right ahead,” said Haruhiro.

  “—Wait, you’re not stopping me?! Damn you and your sleepy eyes!”

  “My eyes have nothing to do with this...”

  “They so do, you dolt!” screamed Ranta. “It creeps me out, that look in your eyes!”

  “Akira-san and the others are leaving without you, you know,” said Haruhiro.

  “Whoa, you’re right! I missed my chance! Maaaan, I’m too late. What a shame, huh. Can’t go now. It’s all your fault, Parupiro.”

  “My fault, huh...”

  While thinking, Man, how about you just go charge at the hydra, Haruhiro looked around. There was no way he could fight the hydra, but there could still be cultists or white giants coming. If necessary, they could handle a number of those.

  That’s right. I’ve got to keep it together. We ordinary people need to do ordinary people things. That’s fine, or rather, it’s all we can do. Even if we’re mediocre, we won’t let out skills rot, you know? I mean, if we let them rot, we’d be even worse than mediocre.

  “...Wait? Is that—Huh...? Hold on... Yume?”

  “Meow?” Yume asked.

  “Hey, over there...” Haruhiro pointed off to the south. “I mean, it could be my imagination, but...”

  “Huh? Whewie. There’s somethin’ there,” Yume agreed. “Not sure ’bout this, but maybe it’s a hydra?”

  “Yeah, I thought so. That’s what I thought it lo—” Haruhiro panicked and looked again. “I-It does look like one, doesn’t it?! It looks like a h-h-hydra, right?! Yeah?!”

  “Another one?!” Merry cringed.

  “No way...” Shihoru was trembling.

  “Huh? Isn’t that bad?” Maybe because of exhaustion, Kuzaku’s posture was even worse than usual.

  “You joking...” While still tucked under Mimorin’s arm, Anna-san shaded her eyes with one hand and looked off into the distance. “—What the fuck?! No way!”

  “Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!” Ranta pointed the tip of his Thunder Sword Dolphin at Haruhiro. “This is all your fault, bud! I blame you!”

  “What the heck?” Mimorin said in a monotone voice and whacked Ranta in the back of the head with her staff.

  “Urgh...” Ranta squatted down in pain.

  “Maaaan!” Kikkawa tried to joke around for some reason. “It’s like, doesn’t that just beat all? Even I’ve got to cry uncle after seeing this! Wait, have I even got an uncle?!”

  “Hm...” Gogh seemed to be thinking about it.

  “Well, that’s a quandary.” Miho’s tone didn’t sound quite serious enough given the gravity of the situation.

  Is it because she’s too beautiful? wondered Haruhiro, Or does that have nothing to do with it?

  “There were others, huh.” The way Shima said that with a furrowed brow seemed, in a word, seductive.

  Hold on, why are these people acting so undaunted? Is it experience? This kind of crisis is nothing to them? Maybe they think they’ll just be able to get out of it in the end anyway?

  “A-A-Akira-san!” Haruhiro raced over.

  Akira-san was about to throw himself at the hydra. Even so, he noticed Haruhiro and turned to face him.

  “What is it, Haruhiro-kun?”

  “Th-Th-This is bad! There’s a hydra!” Haruhiro looked once more to the south, then cast his eyes to the east and west.

  He almost fell speechless.

  No, I can’t afford to get tongue-tied. Not now.

  It wasn’t just the south. It was a good thing he’d looked to the east and west, too. Was it good? He couldn’t say. But the facts were the facts.

  “Th-Th-Th-Th-There are more coming! I see one, two—three or four?! Around that many!”

  “What did you say?” Even Akira-san was surprised by this news, but apparently not to the point where he was shocked by it. He took a quick look around the area, then lifted his sword up high. “Miho, Gogh, keep me apprised of the situation. To any volunteer soldiers sure of your skills! Follow me and Soma! Don’t fall behind! Victory will belong to those who pluck it for themselves!”

  With the legendary man firing them up, the volunteer soldiers roared as one.

  Huh? Haruhiro thought, stunned. Is that okay...?

  This time, Haruhiro really did fall speechless, and he stood there in dumb shock.

  No, well... If that’s what Akira-san says... it’s th
e right answer—I guess. Probably.

  The original hydra had been pushed to the brink by Soma and the others, leaving it with only three tentacles left completely intact. It was using those tentacles to jump and run around. Once the remaining tentacles were chopped up, it wouldn’t even be able to do that.

  That hydra would be taken down soon. Even if the new hydras came, it wouldn’t change that. They could just take them down one at a time. Akira-san must be confident about that. If he had Soma and the others, they could kill them. He must have made his decision having accounted for that.

  Haruhiro used the back of his hand to wipe the area around his mouth and looked around.

  Hydras.

  There was one to the south, one to the east, and one to the southwest. That was three that he could see. But he couldn’t say for certain that there wouldn’t be more coming after them. Besides, as he had expected, there were more than just the hydras. He saw white giants, too. And cultists. Some portion of those would come swarming to attack the volunteer soldiers, no doubt.

  Are they planning on using them? The thought suddenly occurred to Haruhiro.

  Between Soma, Akira-san, and their parties, they could defeat the hydras. They didn’t need the other volunteer soldiers’ strength. Despite that, Akira-san had egged them on and convinced them to stay. If the lesser enemies got involved in their fight, it would complicate things. Were they planning to use them to deal with the small fry?

  No, no, Akira-san wasn’t that kind of guy. That was the sense that Haruhiro got. Akira-san was a great man, and a good person. He wouldn’t use others as disposable pawns. He was so accepting and considerate of others, he was completely perfect—

  Was he really?

  He used to be a coward. That’s what Miho had said. Even though he didn’t look like it at all.

  Akira-san seemed so kind. He was strong, reliable, and if anything happened, it felt like he would protect them, like a father—but would he really?

  Akira-san wasn’t the genius type. There had been those more talented than him, but they had all died. Akira-san had survived to grow stronger. That was what Gogh had said.