Arifureta Zero: Volume 1

by Ryo Shirakome

  Oscar swung his umbrella over his shoulder and adjusted his glasses. Whether it was on purpose or just a coincidence, he struck quite a theatrical pose as well.

  The templar knights finally returned to their senses.

  “L-Lord Bishoooooop!”

  “Agares-samaaaaaaaaa!”

  “We need a healer! Quick, bring a healer over to the bishop!”

  A detachment of knights ran over to where Agares fell. Most of them expected to find him dead.

  Oscar ran a finger over the temple of his glasses and nodded to himself. He had wanted to make sure.

  “Miledi, you broke his neck. He’s definitely dead.”

  “Can you really see that well in the darkness?”

  “These glasses have night vision too.”

  Just how many features did you put inside those glasses...

  “Wh-Who on earth are you guys!? And what have you done!? Accursed heretics, prepare to face Ehit’s wrath!” One of the priests pointed a finger at the two of them and started yelling.

  Killing a bishop of the Holy Church was one of the worst crimes imaginable. Harming a member of the clergy was the equivalent of besmirching Ehit’s name. It was the equivalent of declaring the entire human world your enemy.

  However, Miledi didn’t seem the least bit worried.

  “Good grief,” she said and shook her head sadly. Then, she pointed at Susha and Yunfa and shouted.

  “Clean out your ears and listen up, all of you! You see these two girls over here! See how cute they are!? That right there is the truth of this world! Cute is justice! Screw your god!”

  “I’m not sure I like this world order any more than Ehit’s.”

  Miledi ignored Oscar.

  The priest, shocked by how blatant Miledi’s blasphemy was, could only sputter in shock.

  “Sue-chan’s right, any god that would dare hurt a pretty girl like her is totally wrong!”

  “U-Umm, that wasn’t exactly what I meant.” Susha was the kind of person who could articulate her opinion regardless of the circumstances. Even now, she managed to say that through her tears.

  “O-Oscar-san, Miledi-san. Do you realize what—”

  “Oh yeah, don’t worry. We’re prepared for the consequences.”

  Yunfa and Susha looked worriedly up at their saviors. But Oscar gently patted their heads and reassured them.

  What do they mean, they’re prepared for the consequences? Susha thought to herself.

  Oscar saw the question in her eyes.

  “We’re here precisely to fight against people like this. We’re here to liberate those oppressed by madness, by malice, and by this unreasonable world.”

  “To liberate people?”

  Oscar smiled at Susha. Before he could explain further, however, Miledi called out to him.

  “O-kun, let’s go!”

  “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, I’m ready whenever.”

  Suddenly, the templar knights charging at Miledi were thrown into the sky. Almost as if they were falling upward.

  She’d used the gravity spell Inverse Square. It reversed the gravitational pull of anyone she targeted.

  Far off in the distance, the sun’s last rays shot across the night sky. They illuminated the dozens of knights that were now falling upward. Miledi manipulated the direction of their fall so that when they finally came back to earth the knights landed outside the village. She wanted to move the battlefield to avoid getting the townspeople caught up in the fight. Both her and Oscar remembered all too well how Forneus had blown himself up at the end.

  Miledi and Oscar leaped over to where she’d deposited the knights.

  The villagers slumped to their knees, defeated. A few of them glared at Susha and Yunfa. They probably blamed the two girls for sowing the seeds of their doom. The villagers were too scared of pointing fingers at Miledi or Oscar, so they vented their frustration on the helpless girls who couldn’t fight back.

  Susha and Yunfa ignored them though. They exchanged glances.

  “Sue-nee.”

  “Yep.”

  They were satisfied with how things had turned out.

  With the villagers’ angry glares at their back, they dashed out of the village.

  “Impossible... How are you...” One of the knights groaned, his body sunk into the ground.

  He was the last to have been defeated. He’d watched as Oscar and Miledi tore through the squad of templar knights like they were nothing.

  Most of the knights were skilled magicians so they’d been able to soften their landing enough to avoid injury. The priests hadn’t been so lucky. The only reason they hadn’t died outright was because the sand cushioned their falls.

  Perhaps it would have been luckier if they had died. The slaughter that followed was merciless.

  None of the knights had been able to mount any kind of resistance. They’d been mowed down.

  “Why? You’re God’s Apostles as well, aren’t you!? Why do you oppose us!?”

  “Actually we’re god’s enemies~”

  Despite being one of the most dangerous things you could say in this world, Miledi said it lightly.

  The knight was stunned. He couldn’t believe anyone out there could blaspheme so casually. Once he recovered, he spat, “Heretics!” Those were his final words before Oscar crushed him to death.

  “Always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I kill people from the Holy Church.”

  “Is there any kind of killing that doesn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth?”

  Miledi sighed as she surveyed the destruction they had wrought.

  She smiled sadly and chose not to answer Oscar’s question.

  “Now then, what are we going to do about Liv? Even if they tell the Holy Church they had nothing to do with us...”

  “I’m sure if the townspeople cooperate, the Holy Church won’t just kill them out of hand. Unlike Naiz, we’re not even from here. They have no reason to protect us. If you’re worried, we can hide out at a nearby oasis after this and see what happens.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. We can totally do that. Do you think we should tell Nacchan too? Though it feels kind of awkward to go back right after we said we’d leave. He probably won’t like it either.”

  “W-Well, you’re not wrong there. But I think we should still tell him.”

  This is something that affects him directly. He’ll probably find out on his own eventually, but the sooner he knows the better.

  “Anyway, what about Sue-chan and Yun-chan?”

  “They sure went off on that bishop. The whole town heard them, too.”

  Oscar doubted they’d be able to continue living in this village. The next time a bishop comes to interrogate the town... Chances were, they’d be taken.

  “I want them to join the Liberators.”

  “They certainly have the courage for it. The real question is whether or not they’ll want to leave the desert so long as Naiz is still here.”

  Oscar and Miledi looked at each other.

  Just then, they heard a voice behind them. They turned to see Susha and Yunfa heading their way. The two of them were riding an irak they’d stolen from the knights. They waved to grab Oscar and Miledi’s attention.

  “And now they’ve stolen the Holy Church’s irak... They’ve got guts, and the ability to manipulate information on a large scale. I’d say they’re a pretty valuable asset to have.”

  “I bet Nacchan would have been caught ages ago if it wasn’t for them.”

  The two girls gulped as the sixty dead knights came into view.

  But they quickly recovered and turned back to Miledi and Oscar.

  “Thank goodness we made it in time... I was worried you two might leave before we got here.”

  “Thank you so much for saving us, Onee-chan, Onii-chan!”

  Yunfa hopped off the irak and skipped over to the two of them. Susha slipped off the irak as well, and bowed.

  Then, with a look of determination, she said, “Miledi-san, Oscar-san. I
know this is an unreasonable request, but please take us with you on your journey!”

  “Please!”

  Yunfa bowed her head as well.

  Miledi and Oscar exchanged another look.

  “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to convince Naiz to join us. If you come with us, you won’t get to see him.”

  “I see. Even so, we’d like to come with you. I may just be a burden when it comes to fights, but I’m sure I’ll be able to help in other ways. I’ll do my best to be useful!”

  “I’ll try hard too! So please let us come!”

  Neither Oscar nor Miledi missed the few seconds they spent gazing longingly at the Red Dragon’s Mountain.

  They really were clever. With just the limited information Oscar had given them, the two had figured out roughly where Naiz lived.

  Despite that, they still chose to go with Miledi instead of trying to meet him.

  Harsh though it may be, they were facing reality. Even if they went to see Naiz, they knew there was no guarantee he’d really meet with them. Furthermore, as long as they stayed here their lives were in danger. If they wanted to survive, their best option was to go with Miledi and Oscar, who had already declared themselves heretics.

  Their unbending will and tenacity to stay alive was impressive. Miledi and Oscar respected them for it. The two girls swallowed their complaints and their dissatisfaction, and continued struggling desperately to survive. Their determination was dazzling.

  “Umm, it’s true that we’re here because we can’t go back home anymore, but that’s not all.”

  “Huh?”

  “Hm?”

  Miledi and Oscar were both surprised that Susha had guessed what they were thinking, and curious what else could be motivating the two girls. Yunfa sighed. She’d just explained this a few minutes ago.

  “When someone saves your life, you’re supposed to thank them. That’s the right thing to do.” And so the Liberators were lectured on morality by an eight-year-old girl.

  “O-kun, I never realized I’d turned into such a calculating person.”

  “Don’t say it, Miledi. That just makes me feel even worse about it.”

  “U-Umm! We were also thinking that if we went with you the chances of us meeting Naiz-sama would be higher than if we left on our own. So we’re calculating too!”

  Susha’s attempt at cheering them up only made them more depressed.

  That reminds me, even though Susha’s in love with Naiz, the main reason she was looking for him was to give him her thanks. That was why she’d started spreading false rumors, even though she couldn’t meet him.

  It seemed what drove them even more than a desire to survive was a desire to repay their debts.

  “Okay, okay, we got it. But it’ll be too dangerous for you to come with us, so—” -So we’ll take you to our headquarters and you can help our organization from there. However, Miledi wasn’t able to get the second half of her sentence out.

  Susha and Yunfa looked curiously at Miledi, wondering why she cut off halfway. Their eyes widened in shock as they saw Miledi break out in a cold sweat.

  “O-Oscar-san, Miledi-san’s—” Susha didn’t finish her sentence either. Because Oscar looked just as surprised as Miledi. He gulped.

  The two of them started panting.

  They both turned around, their necks creaking like badly oiled machines. Susha and Yunfa followed their gaze, wondering what it was that had the two of them so terrified.

  “To think you would notice me despite my attempts to erase my presence...” They heard a voice from above. It was a beautiful voice, one that rang out like a bell. At the same time though, it was completely devoid of emotion.

  The sun dipped below the horizon, and darkness fell.

  Floating in the night sky above them was a beautiful woman.

  She was wreathed in silver light, and looked like a miniature incarnation of the moon.

  Even in a shapeless nun’s habit, her stunning figure was clearly visible. Her clear blue eyes and silver hair looked like they’d come out of a painting. From her back sprouted a pair of glowing silver wings.

  Her beauty was beyond that of mere mortals.

  “Hiii!”

  “Uwaaah!”

  Susha and Yunfa squealed in terror as they slumped to the ground.

  Though the woman soaring above them looked like a divine creature, She was utterly and unbelievably terrifying.

  Those eyes that stared down at them were inhuman.

  Because the sisters were wise beyond their years, they understood at once how dangerous she was.

  However, the presence of Miledi and Oscar bolstered their courage.

  “Miledi!”

  “Got it!”

  The woman vanished the same instant Oscar deployed his umbrella’s barrier.

  A second later, there was a thunderous boom and a shockwave spread out from his umbrella.

  “Ngh!?” Oscar grunted and fell to his knees. He’d managed to block the woman’s radiant sword with his Hallowed Ground.

  But it had been a near thing. The woman’s vertical slash had left deep cracks in his barrier. In a single attack, she’d done more damage to his Hallowed Ground than a barrage of spells from a squad of templar knights.

  Still, Oscar had managed to buy the time they needed.

  Miledi had successfully sent Yunfa and Susha flying back to the village. Or rather, unceremoniously flung them to safety. It was a pretty bumpy ride, but she didn’t have time to give them a controlled landing. The best she could do was throw them in the relative direction of the oasis so the water would at least cushion their fall.

  She was not a moment too soon, either.

  “Gah!?” There was another boom. When Miledi turned around, Oscar was nowhere in sight.

  The strange woman held her twin swords aloft, prepared for any counterattack Miledi might mount.

  A second later something slammed into the dunes a good distance away.

  Putting the pieces together, it was obvious that the woman had sent Oscar flying. But Miledi couldn’t spare the time to worry about him. Because she had her hands full dealing with the woman’s next attack.

  “Ah!?” Miledi barely dodged the diagonal slash by “falling” backwards.

  The woman’s longsword grazed her hair as it swung past. Had she spent even a half-second longer on the spell that had sent Susha and Yunfa flying away, Miledi’s head would be rolling on the ground right now.

  Cold sweat poured down Miledi’s back as she realized how close of a shave that had been.

  She continued falling backward, parallel to the ground, but the woman chased after her with a speed that surpassed Miledi’s own.

  “So annoying!”

  “Your struggle is futile.”

  This time Miledi dodged by falling into the sky.

  With one flap of her wings though, the woman was able to catch up. This time, there was no escape.

  Miledi paled as she saw the sword close in on her. Even if she tried to counter with a spell, she knew at this distance it would avail her nothing.

  Five small daggers came out of nowhere, deflecting the woman’s death blow.

  They’d come from such an angle that even the slightest change in trajectory would have resulted in them hitting Miledi instead. Oscar had enchanted all of his blades with gravity magic as well, though, which allowed him to freely control their flight in mid-air.

  The woman faltered. It should have been impossible for throwing daggers to come at her with such speed and such accuracy. She then noticed that one of the daggers was glowing red-hot, while another was emitting sparks. These daggers are enchanted.

  The woman struck down the burning and electric daggers with her sword, while she swatted the rest away with her wings. One emitted a powerful gale as it spun away while another spewed petrifying smoke. The last froze the air as it flew off.

  The woman was easily able to defend against all three with a barrier of light, but that gave Miledi enough
time to get away.

  “Nice save, O-kun!” —Heavensfall! Miledi summoned a massive black sphere and crushed the woman to the ground.

  At the same time Miledi flew over to where Oscar was waiting.

  “Sorry. I nearly hit you with those.”

  “It’s all good. It’s only thanks to you that I’m still alive.”

  The two kept a watchful eye on the cloud of smoke in front of them and took a moment to exchange information.

  “What on earth is that?”

  “Remember what I told you?”

  A silver-haired nun. Oscar remembered now. Miledi had mentioned meeting her after destroying her family. According to Miledi, she’d barely escaped that encounter with her life.

  “It’s not a person, whatever it is. It has no future, no destiny. And it’s quite a handful.”

  “Told you.”

  Though their voices were playful, their expressions were grim.

  They watched as a massive pillar of silver light rose up to the sky. It spiraled away into the heavens, and blew away the dust cloud surrounding her. The night sky blazed with its light.

  “The ability to manipulate gravity... So that is your special, no, your ancient magic. I remember you. You escaped from me once before.” The sky quaked. The earth trembled. The very heavens cowered in the face of her might. The woman unleashed a wave of pressure so potent it was palpable. Oscar found he could hardly breathe. If his focused slipped even a little, the woman’s aura alone would knock him unconscious.

  “To think my opponents would be humans who have inherited a fragment of my lord’s powers. I suppose it is only proper to introduce myself then. I will be using my full strength against someone of your caliber.” The sand surrounding the woman was blown away. Her nun’s habit vanished, replaced by a white battle uniform. She now wore a helmet, gauntlets, greaves, and a waist plate.

  She flapped her wings once, and swung her swords in front of her. A declaration of war.

  “I am one of God’s Apostles— Hearst. My duty is to rid my lord’s game board of undesirable pieces.” Why’s a “God’s Apostle” or whatever here?

  By undesirable pieces, does she mean us? Has she been chasing after us this whole time? But if she only just remembered she fought Miledi before, then she couldn’t have been chasing her. Does that mean she came here to eliminate someone else? There was only one other person she could have come for. That foolish, kind man who’d consigned himself to a lifetime of repentance.