Chapter 147

Wun….

“We’ve arrived.”

At Shia’s request to be taken to where the territorial war was unfolding, Sodin, despite her busy schedule, teleported her out to the Tabtimo Plains. She then lightly tapped the arm of Shia, who was currently being piggybacked by Scala.

“Mm. You’ve worked hard.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Indeed. Make absolutely sure you do not tell Sword God that I came here. I would prefer to avoid getting a lecture if at all possible.”

“So even someone like you finds Sword God terrifying, I see.”

“Of course. The only things in this world that I fear are Sword God and trials.”

“Trials?”

“No. Just talking to myself.”

“Anyway… since I’ve fulfilled your request, you remember our agreement regarding my end, right?”

“Mm. Do not fret. I shall seize an opportunity to neatly arrange some time for the two of you to be alone together.”

“Heheh.”

“Hmph….”

The two exchanged a handshake, thoroughly satisfied with their transaction.

Then, Sodin suddenly found herself staring blankly at Shia’s snow-white hand, which was still resting against her own.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“It might be strange to ask in a situation like this… but what exactly are you?”

“You are spouting truly bizarre words. I am myself. Or perhaps you simply wish to hear a completely obvious self-introduction, like how I am the ultimate beautiful girl throughout the heavens and the earth?”

“I know for a fact that you are no ordinary entity. To be perfectly honest, I even have a rough idea of your identity. You are actually….”

At her words, Shia offered a soft smile and countered with a question of her own.

“Actually?”

“…Never mind. If a confirmation that my wild imagination is correct actually spilled from your mouth… I wouldn’t even have the slightest clue how to process it.”

“Well, if you are curious, feel free to ask at any time. Sword God is constantly on edge worrying that my true identity will be exposed, but U have no particular intention of keeping it a secret.”

“Then… may I ask something else instead?”

“Something else?”

“Um… do you happen to lack the emotion of jealousy?”

“Ah. I suppose it seems peculiar to you that I agreed to your request so easily.”

“Well… yes, it does. I fully expected you to reject my plea.”

“Hmm… I actually exchanged a very similar conversation with Sword God not too long ago. To borrow a fraction of my response from back then, my emotions are a bit different from the kind of love you mortals would literally die for. No, to be precise, a tiny fraction of that sentiment is likely included. However, its proportion is nowhere near significant.”

At that response, Sodin swallowed hard.

“Then… you are saying it is perfectly fine if I become his lover…?”

Shia nodded her head smoothly at her query.

“If you are capable of it, by all means. I shall gladly cheer you on. However, it will not be an easy feat. He is an exceptionally peculiar fellow, after all.”

“Are you… truly okay with that?”

“Hmm…? Ah, of course. To me, Sword God is family, a companion, and a guardian, not an object of romantic affection. And even if I were to harbor a fierce romantic attachment toward him, I would never stoop so low as to use crude tricks to interfere with your heart or anyone else’s.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the exact moment I truly resolve myself to claim him, it will be all over. Do you honestly believe creatures like you could ever hope to match me?”

“……!!!”

In an instant, the girl’s blue hair, shimmering brilliantly under the moonlight, whipped furiously in the wind. Sodin found herself entirely overwhelmed by that radiant, transcendent beauty, catching her breath in sheer awe.

“And… how long do you mortals even live anyway? Compared to the days remaining for Sword God and me, a century or two is nothing more than a passing breeze.”

“…….”

“Though, well, who knows? If you or someone else manages to touch upon transcendence… perhaps I might actually feel inclined to treat you as a serious rival at that point.”

Biting her lower lip tightly, Sodin managed to squeeze a voice out with great difficulty.

“You truly are incredibly arrogant….”

“Arrogant, is it? I doubt I could ever compare to that fellow you like so much. Well, do your best. My words of encouragement are entirely sincere, without a single shred of deceit.”

Shia watched Sodin walk away with a somewhat dazed expression, then took a deep breath as she gazed at the old temple of the Earth Mother located a short distance away.

“Mm… this scent of discord and absolute chaos… as expected, coming here was the right choice.”

At that, Scala, who was standing beside her, questioned her.

“I don’t smell anything except for grass and dirt though.”

Shia shrugged her shoulders arrogantly, putting on airs.

“This isn’t a scent that just anyone can catch.”

“Ah, I see! As expected of my master!”

“Unlike Sword God, I don’t hand out compliments just because you flatter me, you know.”

At Shia’s response, Scala’s body vibrated faintly. It was her typical reaction whenever a reward setting was activated.

“Wait, I didn’t even compliment you though?”

“W-Well… you said it was flattery. Which means my words sounded pleasant to your ears, Miss Shia, right? So, isn’t that effectively a compliment telling me I did a good job?”

“Good grief, what kind of self-serving logic is this? I only set the reward parameter a bit tightly to ensure absolute obedience, but the child warped in a thoroughly bizarre direction, didn’t she?”

Scala twisted her body once more, letting out a soft hum.

“What is it this time?”

“Well… saying that you set the parameters tightly to ensure obedience effectively means that as long as the rewards are faithfully delivered, I am a good girl who listens to my master’s words, right? Th-Then that is definitely a compliment.”

“Honestly, I can’t even say a word around you.”

“Mmm, hmmm….”

Ultimately, thoroughly repulsed, Shia kicked her in the shin.

“Did I not tell you to stop that!”

“Tsk… it took me quite a long time to practice this style though….”

“I am warning you, cease this immediately before I turn you into a literal wooden doll that simply moves exactly as commanded without a single shred of thought.”

“…Yes, Master.”

Shia shook her head and let out a sigh, then pulled out the teleport scroll she had extorted from Sodin.

“Let’s see… since it’s a five-person scroll… there’s me, you, the Shadow Saintess… Kate, and for the final slot… who should I choose? Should I go with that impure birdkin mage, Hyacinth? Or would the Vice Guildmaster be better?”

“Huh? You’re only planning to rescue exactly five people?”

“In a worst-case scenario, that is exactly what I must do.”

To Shia, the survival of the rest of the humans wasn’t actually a matter of high importance.

If they could be saved, she would save them, but even if every single one of them died, it would evoke nothing more than a faint sense of pity along the lines of, ‘Ah, how unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped.’ She wasn’t carrying a former Demon King title and a Chaotic Neutral alignment for nothing.

Therefore, her priorities were set squarely on the Shadow Saintess whom the Sword God required as the first tier, and the individuals she possessed personal acquaintances with as the second tier.

“You looked at the map before we came, right? Where is the Evas encampment and where is the Harpun encampment?”

“Using that Moonlight Wings treatment facility as our central reference point, that way, toward the northwest, is Evas, and toward the southeast is Harpun.”

“And the distance?”

“For both sides, it is roughly a forty-minute ride at a trot.”

“Hmm. About seven kilometers, then.”

She glanced back and forth between the two directions, measuring something in her mind, before ultimately turning her body toward the treatment facility.

“Let’s head over to where the guild members are stationed first.”

“Yes, Master.”

The guild members—especially the Vice Guildmaster, Hyacinth, and Kate (who was filled in later)—who already knew through Hyacinth’s familiar that Sword God’s strength was well beyond the Master class, came rushing out in sheer astonishment upon seeing Shia’s sudden appearance.

“M-Miss Shia, is that you?”

“Miss Shia… did you perhaps happen to hear something from Mr. Sword God before coming here?”

Shia put on a flat, thoroughly sullen face at their overly dramatic reactions.

“Why on earth are you all acting so ridiculously jittery? It’s completely unlike you.”

At those words, Uslarn, the Vice Guildmaster, broke into a heavy cold sweat.

“A-A-Acting jittery? What are you talking about?”

Right behind him, Hyacinth also waved both hands frantically, her face pale.

“Th-That’s right, dear. Jittery…? More importantly… y-you really didn’t hear a-anything from Mr. Sword God before coming here?”

“…Sword God doesn’t even know I’m here though?”

“A-A-Ah… I see.”

As Shia eyed the two suspiciously, Kate, unable to watch the awkwardness any longer, stepped forward.

“Putting that aside, why are you really here?”

“Ah, I just came to hang out because I was bored.”

At that, the Vice Guildmaster hardened his expression and solemnly scolded Shia.

“Because you were bored? No matter how you look at it, this isn’t a place for a mere child to wander into just because they’re bor—ack!”

Hyacinth grabbed the Vice Guildmaster’s ear and yanked him into a far corner.

‘Hey! This is a mutiny against your superior!’

‘Mutiny my ass among adventurers. More importantly, have you completely lost your mind?’

‘Lost my mind? Me?’

‘She’s the kid who sticks by Mr. Sword God’s side all day long!’

‘Okay, and? What about it?’

‘Just think how close they must be for that to happen! We have to get on her good side!’

‘G-Get on her good side?’

‘Let’s say our lives are hanging by a thread because we got caught spying on him.’

‘C-Come on, would he really try to kill us over just that? He likes to show off a bit, but his personality didn’t seem that rotten….’

‘Seriously, how can a Blaster be this utterly clueless?! We didn’t just casually spy on him; we witnessed him having a full-blown battle against a Master-class Steel Body user! Ultimate secret arts were flying all over the place, and we even recorded an artifact replay of it! Do you honestly think he’d just laugh it off!?’

‘Well, you’re the one who spied, and you’re the one who recorded it….’

‘Wow, you utter piece of trash. I only spied because you told me to, and now you’re cutting your losses?’

‘No, that’s not what I meant… but the recording was entirely your own doing….’

‘Fine, should I delete the recording then? I’ll delete it right now, yeah?’

‘…N-No, wait, don’t do that.’

‘Then shut up. Anyway, when our lives are on the line, just imagine how massive of a help it would be if Miss Shia chimes in with just a single line, like, “Those people are actually good people~”!’

‘Ah… th-that’s certainly true.’

‘And even setting that aside, he’s Master-class. Master-class! Imagine having a person like that firmly backing our guild. Who on earth would ever dare mess with us? Besides, if Mr. Sword God lends us his word, next year’s Guildmaster position is basically practically as good as yours, sir.’

‘U-Uh, mmm….’

‘So shut your mouth and surrender your liver, your gallstone, and whatever else it takes. Put your life on the line and treat her right!’

‘I-I got it. I got it.’

Shia scratched her head, looking at the mountain of snacks piled up in front of her.

“The… hospitality is a bit excessive, isn’t it?”

At that, Hyacinth covered her mouth and let out a laugh, mimicking a wealthy, noble young lady with blonde ringlets from somewhere.

“Hohohot. Think nothing of it, Miss Shia. Please, eat without restraint.”

“You say that… but looking at this wildly inconsistent selection, no matter how I look at it, it seems like you scraped together food by emptying the pockets of every single person here.”

This time, the Vice Guildmaster stepped forward.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll just throw them an extra point or two during their next performance evaluation. They’ll probably cry tears of sheer joy.”

“…Well, understood. If you insist….”

“…….”

“…….”

“Honestly, is this your first time seeing a person eat snacks? Why are you all staring so intensely? It’s quite burdensome. I feel like I’m going to get indigestion.”

Ultimately, Kate, who was standing nearby, used her scabbard to whack the heads of the two, who were smiling as awkwardly as if they were wearing masks.

Thwack! Crack!

“Ack!”

“Krah! You unfilial daughter…!”

“That’s enough, stop making fools of yourselves and get out! I’m dying of pure embarrassment….”

“Hey, what did I even do!?”

However, it was right at that exact moment.

The door to the room specially prepared to entertain Shia—the very room where the monitoring knights had been taken out—burst wide open, and a guild member rushed inside.

“W-We have an emergency!”

At that, the Vice Guildmaster, who had been on the verge of a full-scale sword duel with the unfilial daughter who cracked his skull, turned his head toward the door, his hand still gripping his sword.

“An emergency? What’s wrong?”

“Knights are closing in!”

“Knights? What knights? How am I supposed to understand if you just say it like that? Speak properly.”

“Ah, well… it’s the knights from Count Evas’s domain. A commotion suddenly broke out near their encampment a short while ago, and now three whole knight orders are riding out toward us fully armed at full speed.”

At those words, the group exchanged glances and immediately leaped up onto the roof of the temple.

“Hyacinth. Farsight.”

“I’m already using it. …It’s true. Three knight orders are heading this way, fully armed.”

“The distance?”

“They’re running at a trot right now, so… maybe seven to eight minutes?”

Hyacinth immediately projected what she was seeing into the empty air. At the sight, the Vice Guildmaster and several guild members let out low groans.

“Th-There’s no absolute guarantee that they’re coming to strike us. Maybe… they’re just heading toward the Count of Harpun’s encampment….”

“In the dead of night? And completely abandoning all their foot soldiers? With absolutely nothing but the knight orders?”

“W-Well….”

“Besides, anyone can see they’re steering directly toward us. If they were just coming to have a friendly chat, why on earth would they arm themselves to the teeth like that before marching over?”

Hyacinth clicked her tongue and spoke.

“At least Carmen Sonya Evas shouldn’t be with them. We confirmed her entering Count Evas’s castle, after all.”

“…What difference does that even make in this situation? Even without her, three knight orders from Count Evas’s domain can sweep a group like us away in a heartbeat.”

But at that exact moment, a low, giggling sound echoed from somewhere.

“Heh, hehehehet, uhehehehehet.”

The group turned their heads with expressions that asked what kind of madness this was….

“I smelled the scent of a chaotic disruption earlier… and sure enough, my senses never fail me.”

Standing there was Shia, handing a freshly used communication tool back to Scala.

“Miss Shia?”

“Listen up, everyone. As of this moment, this place is under my command.”

“…Um, what?”

“This lady happens to have an idea. We have no time, so shut your mouths and follow my lead.”

“Hey, in a critical situation like this, what kind of prank are you—mmph!!”

The Vice Guildmaster muffled the mouth of a guild member who was about to snap at Shia with a hand as large as a pot lid, before staring at her with a thoroughly serious expression.

“Let’s hear it first.”

Then, as they spent about a minute listening to Shia’s explanation, the expressions of everyone present turned thoroughly bizarre.

“…The, the method actually seems decent.”

“It’s a bizarre stratagem, but… I feel like it might actually work?”

“However… will those bastards truly fall for it?”

Faced with the murmurs rippling through the crowd, Shia hopped lightly onto a table. Then, flashing a wide grin, she unfurled a curtain that had two ‘eyeholes’ cleanly cut into it.

“This lady shall teach you a vital truth. As a rule, if you tell the truth like it’s a bluff, it becomes a bluff, and if you spin a bluff like it’s the absolute truth, it becomes the truth.”

“U-Uh, mmm….”

“Well, what are you all waiting for! We have no time. Quickly make enough of these for every single person here! As of right now, this is our literal lifeline!!”