“Heh heh, that’s her type then, eh?”
“I hear she came out of his room last night!”
“Hah~! ♪ She found the Dragon-Eye Cup and found a good time!”
“Look at that miserable-looking guy! Oh man, what I wouldn’t give… ♪”
Seras’s spoon froze on the way to her mouth. She looked furious, and her free hand tightened into a fist.
“Humiliating me is one thing, but I cannot allow them to insult you, Sir Hati. You saved me!” she said.
“They can say whatever they want about me,” I said carelessly, continuing to eat. “What good’s it gonna do if I glare at everyone who says something bad about me? It’s not like they’re coming over here or anything.”
There’s no point starting a fight in a place like this.
Seras slowly unclenched her fist.
“You’re quite mature, aren’t you, Sir Hati?” she said, almost to herself.
“I’m used to being around bad people.”
Used to it, or…it’s more like I just don’t bother with them anymore. Compared to Kirihara’s group and that foul Goddess, those guys over there are nothing. It’s easier to just ignore them.
“Thanks for not making a scene. To change the subject—have you ever heard of forbidden magic?” I had shown her the scrolls once, but I’d never brought the topic up directly before.
“I have, yes.”
Really? I’m impressed…
“You know everything, Mist.”
“Please, don’t misunderstand. I’ve always enjoyed going through old scrolls and books, that’s all,” said Seras, sounding dreamy. “Reading has always helped me calm down—it’s just me and the book in our own little world together.”
I have no idea how she feels. For me, reading is just getting information. Well, I suppose I’ve been moved by a story on occasion.
“Hmm…maybe I need a hobby, one that helps me relax the same way reading does for you. Anyway, you were telling me about forbidden magic?”
“Ah, yes. The term refers to a number of specific kinds of ancient magic.”
“Do you know why they’re forbidden?”
“I believe the Goddess Vicius declared them so.”
“Huh.”
“Sir Hati?”
“Just…what is that Goddess, anyway?”
“She’s said to be a descendant of the Gods, a bringer of joy and salvation descended from heaven. The God-dess from Alion owns this continent and everything upon it. When great evil appears, she uses her summoning magic to call forth heroes from another world to defeat it.”
“Then forbidden magic is just stuff she doesn’t want us to use?”
“Yes. Although scholars aren’t certain it even exists.”
This is important information. If the Goddess doesn’t want anybody using this magic, there’s probably a reason—like if it could harm her. It’d explain why the Great Sage brought those scrolls into the Ruins of Disposal with him in the first place, and that makes it that much more important for me to meet this Forbidden Witch, too… I have to find someone who can read these scrolls.
“I’m sorry that I can’t be of more help…that is all the general knowledge I have of ancient magic.”
“No, thank you. You’ve been a real help,” I said sin-cerely.
Seras put her hands on her lap and her shoulders sank.
“I-I’m happy to be of assistance…”
“You don’t need to be so formal all the time.”
“I think that might be the first time you’ve ever thanked me so directly, Sir Hati… I felt a little embarrassed, that’s all.”
Oh, I get it. A little kindness goes a long way with this one.
“So now what? I’d like to leave Mils today if we can.”
“I see. After this, I need to—”
Seras explained her plans to me.
“I’ll be back from my meeting with the Baron by one o’clock at the latest—I told him that I would be busy in the afternoon.”
Exchanging that blue dragonstone for coin might be difficult…I guess she’d rather have the Dragon-Eye Cup reward on hand in easily spendable currency.
“I’ll meet you in front of the inn around then.”
“Understood. See you then, Sir Hati.”
Seras left the food hall and set off toward the Baron’s mansion, and I returned to my room. I had watched Piggymaru for changes before going to sleep but only noticed a little extra shininess—nothing had really changed about its appearance.
Well, the book didn’t tell me to expect any. What the enhancement solution changed wasn’t its outward appearance, but something else. Might as well do some tests with Piggymaru while we wait for Seras to come back.
I wanted to try out Piggymaru’s new abilities in a wide area, somewhere with cover on all sides to keep anybody from seeing what I was doing. I went in search of somewhere away from prying eyes and settled on an alleyway the innkeeper had mentioned. It was a wide, tall area with lots of room to maneuver, but it was overgrown with shrubs and small trees, and the buildings around me seemed abandoned.
Just like the innkeeper said—these buildings used to be an inn, until the whole operation moved to the place where I’m staying now. This whole area is empty.
“Perfect. All right, Piggymaru, here we go!”
“Squee—!”
I tested Piggymaru’s abilities until around noon. When I finished, I returned to the inn for lunch, then went back outside to wait for Seras.
As I came downstairs with my things, I saw the innkeeper. “Thanks for all the help,” I said.
“Oh, Mr. Hati! Please, if you ever find yourself in Mils again, we’d love to have you back!”
“Of course, I’d be happy to.”
Give this guy a big enough tip and he’ll look the other way—convenient for me.
I said my thanks and walked outside.
No Seras yet.
I tucked Piggymaru into my robes and settled in to wait.
“…”
After almost an hour, Seras was still nowhere to be seen.
Chapter 4:
Until We Meet Again…
I WAITED A LITTLE LONGER, expecting her to walk around the corner at any moment, but it didn’t happen. My pocket watch said it was just past two.
She said she’d be back by one at the latest, didn’t she? Yesterday when she came to my room, she arrived right on time—she’s more punctual than this.
“What do you think we should do?” I said quietly to Piggymaru, tucked away underneath my robes.
“Sq… Squee.” It was a faint, miserable-sounding cry.
“You think she already broke her promise and ran?”
“Squee.”
The single tentacle I could see flushed red. No. There was no squeak to follow it up, though—Piggymaru wasn’t a hundred percent sure either. Now that I’d gotten so close to Piggymaru, I could practically feel its shock.
“Maybe I misjudged her. Or maybe…” I frowned. “Something happened to Seras.”
We should go find out what. Find out if I’m a good judge of character, too—two birds with one stone.
“You think she ran?”
Piggymaru squeaked softly, and the tentacle turned red again.
“Just to be sure—squeak twice for yes, once for no.”
“Squeak.” Piggymaru went silent after one.
“Well, I guess we can’t bet who’s right when we agree, huh?”
I stood up and started walking, thinking everything over while I walked through the city.
Running now wouldn’t make sense for her—what would be the point? If she didn’t want to come with us, she could’ve just turned down the bodyguard job. Is she worried because I know her true identity?
No. If that were it, she would’ve disappeared this morning before breakfast. She would’ve wanted to get away from Mils before I had a chance to tell anyone—if she planned on letting me live, that is. Was she biding her time so she could get
her reward? That doesn’t line up either. I gave her a blue dragonstone last night and she said they weren’t available on the public market. That implies she knows of a black market where she could sell it.
If she wanted to leave Mils in a hurry to protect her identity, yesterday night or sometime in the early morning would make more sense. Maybe the money she had on hand couldn’t get her all the way to Yonato, but surely it would get her far enough to find a safe place to sell the dragonstone.
“If she’s been deceiving us from the start, she’s going about it all wrong.”
Either way, I need to figure out what happened.
First I needed to figure out where the Baron’s mansion was. “I need a more detailed map of this area…” I headed toward the main street to buy myself one.
“Hey! Didya hear about the girl who found the Dragon-Eye Cup?!”
The man wasn’t talking to me, but I stopped anyway and looked back to see people gathering in the square. They looked excited, like he had big news.
“I heard it, yeah! She’s the runaway Princess Knight!”
No way… What happened? How do they know?
I moved in to listen to the overlapping voices talking excitedly about the news.
Sharing this kind of gossip is fun for people—I guess human psychology works like that in every world.
“Listen to this! That Seras Ashrain went to the Baron’s mansion to get her reward, and there just happened to be a famous wizard with illusion-breaking magic there on the same day! He took her disguise right off!”
“And once her disguise was gone, wouldya believe it? She looked just like the poster that’s been going around of that former holy knight!”
“What?! Elves can disguise their faces?!”
“Whaddya know! The rumors were true, then!”
I recognized some of the mercenaries from clearing the ruins.
“Word has it she fled south into the Dark Forest!”
“Wh-wh-whaa?! There’s gonna be a heck of a bounty on that one!”
“All right, let’s go! Holy knight hunting time!”
“Enough!” boomed another mercenary from the edge of the crowd. The others turned to look at him.
“Huh?! What the heck do you want? She took our Dragon-Eye Cup! I’m taking that bounty off her dead body!”
“I said enough! Word’s already out, and the Baron’s men are moving in!”
“Huh?! He wants her for himself?! Tch! Who cares! I’m gonna get to her first and take the freakin’ bounty!”
“The White Walkers went after her too, you know—they almost caught her just outside the city. Almost. You got that?! She isn’t an enemy you want to fight! You couldn’t beat her if you wanted to!”
“What, you think I can’t take her?! Who do you think’s gonna beat her, if not us?! Yeah? Spit it out!”
“I—”
Wind beat down against the square, and I felt a sudden dark pressure overhead.
“Grraaaaaaaah!”
A high-pitched, blood-curdling shriek cut through the air like a knife.
All eyes turned to the sky.
Black dragons.
Their cries echoed through the town as the ferocious dragons and their human riders came into view, one by one, black shadows blotting out the sky. They passed over us in a second, heading toward the Dark Forest. The mercenaries who had been pumping themselves up to hunt for Seras immediately fell silent, their faces pale.
“Th…”
Finally, one of them managed to speak their name.
“The Black Dragon Knights…”
Seras Ashrain
THE HIGH ELF RAN through the Dark Forest.
I never expected I’d be back here as a runaway.
She bit her lip.
I didn’t expect anyone from the Wizards’ Guild, either. There are so few on the continent who have the power to break illusions…what terrible luck!
No, it’s karma, I suppose—balancing out all the good that has come to me of late.
Too-ka Mimori’s face came to mind, and Seras felt a twinge in her chest. He wouldn’t understand. Perhaps he’d think that she took the blue dragonstone and ran, or escaped to hide her identity—that she was fickle and treacherous.
She spun around, slipping a little on the wet undergrowth as she raised her sword to confront her enemy.
I can’t outrun them!
She had expected the Baron’s personal soldiers and the mercenary guild, but never in her worst nightmares…
“Graah! Graaaah!”
A thundering dragon cry echoed through the Dark Forest.
The Black Dragon Knights.
She had traded blows with several of them already—they truly were the strongest knights in the world, as the rumors had promised.
If the rank-and-file members are that strong, what will I do against the elites?
The Black Dragon Knights were known for their Elite Five, but two of them were even stronger than the rest. The famous Heroic Blood Slayer, and the only person even stronger than him, the Strongest Man in the World.
He’s the real reason the Black Dragon Knights are considered the strongest warriors on the continent. Not a god come down from another realm, not a descendent of heroic blood nor a hero from another world…simply the strongest that humanity has to offer, a self-made man. I’ve heard he has the fighting strength of an entire country all by himself!
A wyvern and its rider came rushing out of the line of trees in front of her and charged at her headfirst. Seras wrenched herself to the side, falling backward to avoid being hit. The dragon’s fangs closed on thin air with a menacing snap. One more moment and she would’ve been dragon food.
They aren’t trying to capture me—they want to kill me!
Drool dripped from the beast’s fangs onto Seras’s white cheeks as it pulled back, looking down at her with murder in its red eyes.
In an instant, she spun with the spirits of the wind, using the force to spring to her feet as she drove her sword into the creature’s throat. It let out an indescribable scream and crashed to the ground with a thud. Its rider jumped off as his mount went down, swiftly drawing his sword and moving in to attack. Seras was faster, though, closing in with a flash and slicing the rider’s throat through a gap at the neck of his armor with her ice sword. There was always a weak point there, no matter how thick the armor was.
“Kh… Ah…”
The knight fell, spewing bloody foam from his mouth.
“Ghaaaa—!”
Another dragon knight had already appeared, bursting into the clearing in a shower of branches and leaves.
No fire-types so far…at least I don’t have to worry about them burning the whole forest down.
Seras fought endlessly, cutting down each Black Dragon Knight as they came.
What do I do now? How do I escape? That illusion breaker confused the spirit of light… I can’t disguise myself again until it calms down. I just have to buy myself some time.
“Lie down and die, Seras Ashrain!”
A dance of swords ensued, Seras swinging in wide curves to draw her opponent in. After several more strokes, the dragon knight reeled back in shock. Checkmate.
“N—!”
Slash!
It was already too late. The dragon knight screamed his last as Seras’s ice sword opened his throat, sending blood and gore gushing from his neck. Without missing a beat, she jumped at his dragon mount and gave it the same ending as its master.
She wiped the sweat from her face. I can’t let my guard down.
Seras parried the great black spear in midair as it thrust toward her.
“—?!”
Another one. Behind me.
She spun around—and hesitated. Too-ka… He used a similar trick, sending me off into the forest in the wrong direction. The real enemy isn’t behind me—it’s in front of me!
Seras spun back with the speed of the spirit of wind and dashed into the thicket to take cover.
“You
saw through my plan!”
A man stood a few meters in front of her with his sword held aloft. Something about him was different from the other dragon knights—his armor more elaborate, his sword gleaming. Even his aura seemed more menacing.
“My name is Gizun!” he announced. “I serve as vice-chief to Sir Orban, one of the Elite Five, and I’m here to kill you, Seras Ashrain! Nothing personal!”
I can’t use the spirit of light right now, Seras thought frantically, meaning I also can’t call on my spirit armor, since it requires all three. I have no choice but to defeat him with the tools available to me, such as they are.
Their swords collided.
Nh?! He’s so much faster than I anticipated!
The sound of their fight filled the clearing, the swords clashing with blow after blow.
“I expected Bakoss to try to take me alive. You’ve been ordered to execute me, it seems!”
“Hmph, never intended to take you alive anyway! Ha, guess I can tell you before I kill you. We’re on a special mission, see?”
They broke apart, and Gizun lowered his gaze to Seras’s chest and licked his lips.
“That beautiful face! That flesh just calling out to my baser instincts! Taking you alive and keeping you like a bird in a cage would be my right as your conqueror. But no, somebody wants you dead!”
Gizun thrust wildly at her.
“Nh…?!”
He’s stronger than the other dragon knights. High elves are weaker than humans to begin with, and I can’t concentrate with those dragons at my back. I need my spirit armor, or…
“No!”
Seras lost her footing and landed on her back in the mud. The black dragon behind her stretched out its wings menacingly.
“Gshaaaaaah !”
Gizun brought the flat of his sword down, catching Seras hard on the wrist.
“—?!”
She winced at the pain, and her sword fell to the ground.
“You seem tired, Seras Ashrain! You ain’t at full strength, I see! Those days on the run taking their toll on you?!”
“Nh… Oh!”
She reached blindly for her sword, but Gizun kicked it away before she reached it. In the next instant, he was on top of her, holding her down.
“I-if you’re going to kill me…do it quick,” she said, looking away.
Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells (Light Novel) Vol. 2 Page 11
