Chapter 61

A night so deeply silent it felt as though his ears were blocked.
The embers of a campfire scattered in the wind, eerily lighting the dark forest.

The firelight flickered in the lifeless eyes of the man sitting there alone.
Those eyes, no longer able to hold anything, lost their will and darkened.

How much time had passed?
From not far away, the sound of footsteps came through the fallen leaves.
A light gait.
Steps that were deliberately not hidden.

The man did not turn his gaze.
He merely moved his fingertips quietly and grasped the hilt of the massive greatsword placed behind him.

“Calm down. We did not come here to fight.”

The voice carried on the wind was unexpectedly soft.
When he turned his eyes to look, a woman was approaching.

A woman approaching with calm steps.
When the faint moonlight shone on her, her figure was softly revealed.

A pure white outfit in a style he had never seen before.
It looked like clothing worn by religious figures, and also like a dress worn by nobles.
The sleeves were wide and flowed softly, and the cloth knot tightening her waist made her presence stand out even more.
But what captured the eye was the woman herself.

Her eyes were long and narrow, but not sharp at all.
Rather, they felt wistful, as if sorrow lingered somewhere at the edge of her golden eyes.
Her skin was white and clear like an early dawn after snow had fallen.
Rather than reflecting light, it seemed closer to holding it.
Moreover, her cheeks were pale as if flower petals had been soaked, and her jawline flowed softly like ripples.
Looking at her crimson lips, it somehow felt as though time was flowing more slowly.

“You are Lord Lucas Liberator, correct?”

A gentle voice.
Lucas silently blinked, then moved his gaze to the one walking beside the woman.

“…….”

A feeling completely opposite to the woman.
Rough clothing, as if painted over with earth and darkness, concealed everything from head to toe.
The clothes were so worn that they fluttered raggedly in the wind, adding to the ominous feeling.
He wore a pitch-black gat¹ on his head, but Lucas did not know what it was.

His outward appearance clearly had a human form.
But Lucas could not be certain that what lay inside was human as well.
Whenever the being moved, a sound like something being pressed seeped through the air.
It was neither a footstep nor a presence.
It was simply the sound of its very existence pressing down on the scenery.

‘That thing……. It has no presence at all.’

Lucas’s eyes narrowed.

If it hadn’t shown itself, he might not have been able to tell whether it existed, let alone determine its location.
Aside from the ominousness it gave off, there was almost no way to perceive it.

Steps that left not even a trace, let alone a sound.
When it stepped forward, the blades of grass around it bowed their heads.
At that sight, Lucas became certain.

‘It is not human.’

The two beings approached slowly, yet at the same time with steps that held no hesitation.

“I am merely an insignificant wanderer.”

At Lucas’s answer, the woman smiled softly as if amused.

“Insignificant, you say. How modest of the Sword Saint who represents a nation.”
“……So you came knowing everything.”
“We know most things, to some extent.”

Lucas sighed and rose from his seat.
When he turned his back to the campfire, his eyes completely lost their light.

“You seem to know one thing and not the next. I no longer represent Oratio.”
“Huhu, I suppose that is so.”

The woman’s gaze turned to Lucas’s hand.
His rough hand, gripping the greatsword, was ready to cut through the darkness.

“Calm down. We came to talk.”
“I have no conversation to share with monsters.”

Pat.

A swift leap.
Lucas swung his sword with the intention of taking off her head.

Clang!

A metallic clash tore through the silence.
The one that blocked the attack was the dagger of the being behind her.

Its blade was slightly longer than a forearm, making it questionable whether it should be called a dagger,
but it was certainly shorter than an ordinary blade.

“Mister Shini. I told you not to react.”
“…….”
“I can easily block an attack of this level too, you know?”
“…….”
“How many times have I told you that you must not use such harsh words toward a lady? It hurts my feelings.”

Lucas took one step back and narrowed his eyes.

Was it magic?
The being called ‘Shini’ made no sound, nor did it show any sign of conversing.
But the woman was clearly communicating with him.

“I’ve been rude. I will introduce us first. I am Miho, a magician of Han, and this is Shini, a warrior of Han.”
“……Han?”
“Huhu, it is normal that you have never heard of it. We are not people of this place.”

Not people of this place.
Did that simply mean they were not from this region,
or that they were not from this world? He couldn’t tell.

Lucas answered in a cold tone.

“A presence closer to a monster than a human. That alone is reason enough to be hostile toward you.”

Miho looked at her companion.
She was smiling, but the emotion she expressed was not gentle.

“Mister Shini, I said I would come alone, didn’t I? You are delaying things!”
“…….”
“The captain permitted it! You’re the only one who finds me unreliable!”

‘A captain.’

Lucas briefly organized his thoughts.
Then he lowered the tip of his greatsword.

“You have become willing to talk!”

If what the woman named Miho said was true, avoiding a fight as much as possible was the wise response.

The woman was an archmage.
The man was at the level of a Sword Master.
The proof was that they were not intimidated at all by the killing intent he gave off, and the vast aura he felt from them.
And yet there was a separate captain who commanded them?

If he fought with all his strength, he didn’t think he would lose.
But it was clear that he would also have to endure tremendous damage.

He didn’t care if he lost his life in the aftermath of battle.
At this point, he had no lingering attachment to living.

But if they fought, this entire area would be devastated.
Their current location was a forest straddling the border between the Oratio and Calor Empires.
A major clash here could cause discord between the empires, and that discord could lead to war.
An unavoidable war against monsters could not be helped, but he did not want civilians to suffer from a war against another race.

“……What are you people?”

According to them, both of them were members of a group called ‘Han.’
The moment he dealt with those two, it was obvious that the matter would grow larger.

“As I said, we belong to Han. We fight the Akma in a place other than the three empires you know so well, Lord Lucas.”
“Another place? Speak so I can understand.”
“There is no need to be so tense. As I keep saying, we only came here to talk.”

Miho slowly raised her hand and pointed to her chest.
Her collarbone was barely visible.
The blue jewel of a pendant resting there gleamed faintly.

She undid the pendant and threw it to Lucas.
Lucas caught it easily, and his gaze moved to the pendant, then back to Miho.

“You felt it, did you not? That jewel is called a Purification Stone. It contains the power to negate monsters themselves. If I were a monster or an Akma, I would not have been able to possess the pendant, let alone wear it around my neck.”

Lucas checked the pendant once more.
He felt a wave he had felt once before.

‘Was it a holy relic?’

Several years ago.
There had been a tool used on a battlefield in a moment of crisis.
A magic tool in which various kinds of magic were mixed.
By using that tool, they had been able to turn the tide of battle in an instant.
Because it had been incomplete and overused, it had been damaged and could no longer be used, but…….

‘Its performance, at least, could not be denied.’

The power to negate monsters themselves.
That was the exact expression.
Because within the space where the holy relic activated, monsters could not even produce half of their original power.

“……Continue.”

Lucas threw the pendant to Shini.
Shini lightly snatched the pendant and handed it to Miho.

“Very well. Before that, shall we make a contract for each other’s sake?”
“……I refuse.”
“Ah, it is absolutely nothing strange.”
“People generally say that when making a strange contract.”

Miho smiled brightly.

“In truth, we already did. The moment you accepted the pendant, the contract was concluded.”
“……?”
“Do not worry. It is not anything strange. I merely cast magic that makes us speak only the truth to one another.”

A moment of silence.
Lucas shook his head and raised his greatsword again.

“Do you think I will believe that?”
“Did you not confirm it with the pendant? That I did not speak a lie.”
“I suppose I did. But I cannot believe that the same applies to you.”

Miho frowned.
Before long, she quietly regulated her breath and smoothed her expression,
then bowed her head deeply.
It was a surprisingly careful movement.

“I am a monster.”

The moment she spoke, blood gushed from Miho’s mouth like a fountain.
Lucas’s eyebrow twitched, and Miho wiped her mouth with a bitter smile.

“If one speaks a lie, it takes a toll on the body like this.”
“…….”

Lucas glanced at Shini.
That one bothered him more than the woman, but…….

“I am a monster.”

It would be best to first determine whether the woman’s words were true.

Drip.

Lucas momentarily felt pain as if his abdomen had been pierced by a spear.
Blood leaked from his closed lips,
and he turned his head, spat it out, then wiped his mouth.

“Lord Lucas Liberator.”

Her voice became lower and firmer.

“In truth, we need your Aura.”
“My Aura?”
“As I said earlier, we are beings who stand against the Akma. We are not lacking in individual ability, but it is true that our small numbers make it difficult to deal with them. And if the problem had stopped there, we would not have come to ask for help.”

Before he knew it, the campfire had lost its strength.
His eyes adapted to the darkening forest.
But he could not see their faces. Only their silhouettes were visible.

“It seems the Akma we have not been able to face are plotting something. Their target is the beings of this world. It seems they are eyeing this land, which is full of those suitable to become sacrifices.”

Lucas chose to listen without answering.

It flowed too naturally to call it a lie,
and was far too absurd to call it the truth.

Well, whichever it was, if he judged it a threat, he only had to raise his sword.
During his life as a wanderer, he had seen a few smooth-talking swindlers.

“If they cross over to this place, you will never again be able to feel a night’s silence like this. We cannot stand by and watch such a thing happen. So will you not help us?”

In the darkness, Miho’s eyes held a small light.
It was because moonlight had entered through a gap in the trees made by the wind.

“What exactly are these Akma you say you are facing? I have killed countless monsters, but I have never heard of Akma.”

Lucas opened his mouth.
It was not a question meant to dig for a flaw in particular.

“If monsters are beasts, then the Akma are something like their masters. It is not an exact expression, but it will be easier for you to understand it that way.”
“……I see.”

It was simply pure curiosity.

“Then why are you trying to borrow my Aura? Aura is an individual’s unique conviction. As I understand it, even someone with the same will cannot use it if they are another person.”
“No one is trying to use it. It will be used for a barrier to stop the Akma from crossing over to this place.”
“……A barrier.”

Lucas slung his sword onto his back.
It was a sign that he wouldn’t attack.

“Therefore, I ask for your Aura. For this world, and for us.”
“It is true that there are still unresolved questions in what you have said.”

The wind blew.
The hems of the three beings’ clothes fluttered.

“However, I will allow you to borrow my Aura.”

Fsssh.

The Aura that had been pressed down throughout Lucas’s body slowly flowed out.
The black power that emerged was quickly absorbed into the transparent sphere formed in Miho’s hand.

Miho bowed her head with a bright smile.
Shini beside her also moved his head in a slight, almost perfunctory nod.

“When you absolutely must use Aura, the Aura you gave me will respond to that will and return to you.”
“Respond to my will, you say.”
“Because of that, unless it is something extraordinary, I would like you to refrain from using Aura as much as possible, but…….”

Whoosh!

The sphere floating over Miho’s hand rapidly lost its form.
Lucas’s Aura, like black smoke, returned to its owner’s embrace.

“It seems it was not a lie.”
“……There is no particular need for me to tell a lie.”

Miho showed a gentle smile, as if she had expected this.

“To add a little more, Lord Lucas, your Aura returning to you is the same as saying the barrier we will install will collapse. So I would like you to avoid using it if at all possible.”
“……I will keep that in mind.”

Fsssh.

The black Aura once again left Lucas.
The sphere formed this time was three or four times larger than before.

“If I see even a sign that you are doing something foolish.”

Killing intent spread subtly through the air.

“You will have to face me before you ever face the Akma.”

Handing over all his Aura was close to a wrong decision.
Because strangers he had never seen before were more likely to speak lies than truth.
Even so, there was only one reason he handed it over.
Because he had to.

Even with just those two, aside from himself, there was no one on this continent who could face them.
Of course, if there were only the two of them, he could likely deal with them,
but it was clear that they also had companions.
And among those two, there was not even that ‘captain.’

If they had tried to take his power by force, they would not have attempted a conversation.
If the power was going to be handed over anyway, it was right to invest in the possibility that their words were true.

The thirty percent he had first handed over was a test he could not avoid.
Since the chance of it being true had risen by even one percent,
would it not be right to hand it over peacefully, even if it felt unpleasant?
That was what he thought.

“That will not happen.”

Miho could also feel it through the power in her grasp.
The power he had first sent was only about thirty percent.
It was true that she had been disappointed without realizing that,
but now that she had obtained it all, the martial power held by one being was simply worthy of respect.

‘Since I didn’t realize he had only handed over thirty percent, he is clearly someone too strong for us to handle alone. The captain was right.’

Miho took one step back.

“We should be going now. I offer you my thanks once again.”

When the bodies of the two beings were half-hidden in the deep darkness,
Lucas asked.

“I will ask one last thing. Why are you trying to protect the beings of this place from the Akma?”

In the darkness, Miho’s eyes caught the moonlight and glittered.
Perhaps because of that, the smile in her eyes felt even more bewitching.

“It seems you have misunderstood. We are not trying to protect the beings of this place. We are merely trying to stop the Akma.”