by Aneko Yusagi
A counter skill?! How obnoxious was he?!
“But you can’t stop us!”
“Can’t I?”
Then his weapon turned into a bow and he jumped backwards.
“Don’t let him escape! Filo!”
“Yup! Haikuikku!”
She was on him in a flash, kicking.
But the high priest vanished the second her kick connected.
He couldn’t get away. He had to die.
Where… Where was he? The minute I started to wonder, a large number of high priests suddenly appeared!
What now? All the disciples had suddenly switched form. They looked just like the high priest!
“Mirage Arrow?!”
Itsuki shouted.
“That skill forms illusions and confuses the enemy! Be careful!”
Damn… how were we supposed to find the real high priest?
The field was filled with high priests, and there seemed to be more and more by the second.
“Heh, heh, heh… That was interesting, but it’s time we ended this.”
All of the high priests raised their bows and pulled back the string. He was ready to use a skill.
“This is the most powerful single skill. Shield Demon, I hope you enjoy it.”
The bows were shining. Shit! I could probably survive it, but how would we get a counter attack in?
“I am the queen and the source of all power. Hear my words and heed them. Restrain them in a cage of ice!”
“All Drifa Icicle Prison!”
All of the high priests suddenly realized that their legs were encased in ice.
Then, one by one, the fake high priests all reverted to the original forms.
“Now.”
Who was that? No, I didn’t have time to worry about that now. I had to focus on defeating him. I had to take down the only real enemy.
Blood Sacrifice!
The moment I thought of it, the necessary words appeared in my vision. I spoke them.
“Let this foolish criminal be punished as I see fit. The sacrificial shout to heaven! Let his fool’s scream piece the sky! May dragon jaws born from my flesh erase him from this world!”
“Blood Sacrifice…. Ugh!”
Wh… Wha?!
The second I finished summoning the skill, blood bubbled out of my mouth and pumped from my pores, my flesh ripped, and my bones screamed out in agony.
Was it a suicidal skill?!
The high priest saw me howl in pain and smiled.
But a second later… a large, bear trap-like set of rusty claws appeared directly beneath the high priest’s feet.
No… I should call it a dragon’s jaw made from metal.
Unlike a normal bear trap, this had rows upon rows of sharp metal prongs… It really looked like a dragon had opened its mouth from underground, and like a shark, it had many rows of teeth.
“Wh…”
A loud, metallic snap echoed over the field, and the jaws sprung shut on the high priest.
“UGAHHHH!”
His screams filled the air.
There was a flash, a spray of red blood, and a dark shadow.
“What is this?!”
The jaws snapped shut, but all they did was heavily damage the high priest, who quickly summoned a skill to break the jaws. However, his attacks were not effective.
The jaws snapped shut twice, three times, and the replica legendary weapon was covered in cracks. The jaws snapped again, and with them came the sound of metal clattering and breaking. Again and again, like they were smiling, the jaws snapped shut.
It was… gruesome.
“Ugh… I… bl… God…”
Finally, the high priest was little more than a bloody clump. The jaw snapped shut a final time and sunk down into the earth—vanishing.
“…”
We all watched on in silence.
All the skills that came from the Curse Series were gory things. It was a soul-eating Shield, after all.
After watching that, I could agree with Fitoria’s warnings.
I realized, and agreed, that it was not the sort of thing to use normally.
The remaining disciples were whispering to each other in desperation.
“…And that’s the end of you all.”
The support troops charged into the crowd of disciples and began to restrain and then tie them up.
So I guess we won.
I was watching the support troops, but then I slumped forward and fell off of Filo.
The Shield of Wrath had unlocked a new skill, Blood Sacrifice.
It was very powerful, but asked for so much…
“Master?!”
Filo was covered in my blood. She was holding me, and she looked worried.
My shield had reverted back to the Chimera Viper Shield.
“You’re badly hurt! Someone! Someone help!”
A woman officer came running when Filo shouted.
“Mother?!”
Melty shouted when she saw the woman.
That was right… The officer who’d been leading the support troops… She looked exactly like the queen’s doppelgänger.
Her mouth was hidden with a folding fan, but I was pretty sure.
“Your performance was very impressive, Shield Hero.”
She must have been the one who’d shouted and stopped the high priest in his tracks.
“Everyone! Treating the Shield Hero’s wounds is our highest priority! That’s a royal order. Whatever happens, the Shield Hero must live!”
“Yes!”
The medical team from the support troops ran over to where I lay and began to cast spells over me.
“Drifa Heal.”
I was surrounded by light, but my pain didn’t go away at all.
“This… This is a curse. But I’ve never seen one so powerful.”
The medics exchanged shocked glances. They began casting anti-curse magic. They sprinkled me with holy water. But nothing was working.
“We must investigate this further! Everyone please hurry! Yes, you too!”
The queen gave Filo and the medics orders, and they all ran off.
“Uh…”
My entire body was screaming in pain. But I couldn’t lose consciousness… not here.
Because I still didn’t know if the queen was a friend or an enemy.
“Y… You’re the queen?”
“Yes, I am the Queen of Melromarc, Mirellia Q. Melromarc. I apologize that it took us so long to get here.”
“Yeah… that was really… slow.”
Slow, slow to do anything and everything. Did she have power, or not? Did she run the country, or not?
Didn’t she have a grasp of everything that had happened?
I had so much I wanted to say to her.
I wanted to tell her just how terrible her daughter and husband were… I had so much resentment.
“It’s true… All of this was my fault.”
“Mother…”
“Mama, why are you apologizing to the likes of him?!”
Bitch was pointing at me and screaming hysterically. Veins were standing out on her forehead.
“Malty… There are things we must discuss when we get back to the castle. I suggest you prepare yourself.”
The whole scene seemed to rumble and shake.
No one was mad at me, but I still felt my nerves tense up and my blood run cold.
The queen snapped her fingers, and two shadows appeared behind Bitch. They tied her up.
“But, Mama!”
“Shut that fool up.”
“Ha!”
They stuffed a gag in her mouth and led her off.
“What are you doing to Myne?!”
Motoyasu was standing there, unable to believe his eyes.
“I am Myne… Malty’s mother. I have simply exercised my authority to have her transported back to the castle. Now then, Heroes, the battle is over. Let us return to the castle in peace.”
The queen had a powerful aura tha
t shut Motoyasu and the others up immediately.
As for myself, I didn’t have the energy left to complain. It had been a hard battle.
“As for you, Shield Hero, or should I say Mr. Naofumi Iwatani? The treatment of your wounds is my highest priority, so please try to get some rest. I will make all the necessary preparations.”
Medics appeared with a variety of medicines, tools, and holy waters.
It felt a lot like being in an ambulance back in my own world.
“But… But I…”
What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the country to the southwest? I had so many questions.
“I understand. Why have I been away this whole time? Why didn’t I help you? If I was supposed to be in another country, why am I here, leading an army? There is so much for us to talk about, but for now please just focus on getting better.”
“Mr. Naofumi!”
Raphtalia looked very worried. She was crying as she walked up to my side.
“I thought my heart had stopped! Please tell me you’re all right!”
“Well… I…”
I really did feel like I was seriously injured. Everything pulsed with pain, and I was exhausted.
Filo seemed to understand that everything was going to be okay. She transformed into human form, and she and Melty came over to the carriage they were loading me into.
“Your wounds are serious. Hurry, this way.”
Filo was also hurt. Her limbs were all burned black with cursed flames. The medics called to her.
“No! I have to stay with Master!”
Maybe she was just too concerned with my wounds? I could only guess why, but she refused to go with them.
“Filo, it will be okay. All these people are here to heal your Naofumi.”
Melty was very worried. She held Filo and ran her fingers through her hair.
“But Master…”
“You know that Naofumi would want you to have your own wounds treated. He wouldn’t want to see you like this, would he?”
Perhaps wondering if that were true or not, Filo cocked her head and looked at me.
I swear. She was so selfish all the time, but now she was worried?
“It’s fine. Go get treatment.”
My words came out almost as a whisper. Then Filo nodded, and she went over to receive treatment from medics. They began to chant spells that were supposed to be effective against curses.
“This curse is very powerful…”
The medics were whispering to each other. I guess it really was a powerful curse.
The Curse Series suddenly seemed aptly named.
The shield was powerful, so I’d been careful to only use it when I really needed to. Still though, this Blood Sacrifice was an entirely new matter altogether. It asked of so much from me, just as Fitoria had said. It invited my own destruction.
“Hurry with the ‘Sanctuary’ preparations!”
Was that the magic that had nullified my self curse burning?
The people gathered around were not only from the Church of the Three Heroes…. but they seemed to be part of some other religion… but what? Maybe it was the Church of the Shield? That seemed like something I could get behind…
I was thinking it all over when my eyes began to feel very heavy.
“Mr. Naofumi!”
“Naofumi!”
Raphtalia and Melty shook me awake.
“Huh? What?”
“You have to stay awake.”
“What are you talking about? You’re acting like I’m dying or something. But I’m not. I’m fine.”
Though I couldn’t fault them for thinking that. I really could have died.
I certainly wasn’t going to die in a place like that… but I was very tired.
I wanted to sleep… even if only a little.
But I couldn’t yet. I wasn’t safe yet. We weren’t in a safe place yet, but I couldn’t even move.
And so…
“Raphtalia, if anything seems strange, you take Melty, jump on Filo, and run.”
“All right. But if it comes to that, I’m taking you with us.”
“Sorry. I don’t think I can make breakfast for you tomorrow. I need to… rest.”
As I spoke, I felt my vision fading. A moment later, and I was in a deep sleep.
“Mr. Naofumi! You can’t sleep. You can’t! Mr. Naofumi—”
Chapter Eleven: The Queen
Two days passed.
“Ugh… I’m so tired.”
“Snore… Snore…”
“Munya… Master!”
“I… ca… Fi….lo?”
When I finally got my eyes opened I realized that I was in a giant bed with Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty.
“What the hell?! Get off me!”
I threw them all off the bed and proceeded to berate them. The three of them stood there, strangely smiling.
I’d been carried off in the medical cart and was being treated in a town near the castle.
The Blood Sacrifice curse was very powerful, and they’d taken me to a specialized treatment facility—but not even they had been able to completely get rid of it.
I asked what I could do to heal it, but apparently it was the sort of curse that couldn’t be removed with medicines or magic. I had to treat it like a wound, and it would slowly heal over time… or so they said.
The actual wounds and burns had been healed. I had the majority of my strength back, but they said that I would probably continue to feel sluggish for a while.
I checked my status magic, and all of my stats aside from defense had fallen by about thirty percent.
Apparently the Blood Sacrifice curse would lower my stats until it was completely healed.
It had been effective enough to warrant its use, but I had to admit that it came with a heavy price tag.
“How long will it take to heal?”
“Our best guess is that it will take about a month.”
A month… That was a pretty long time. That would mean I’d be back on my feet just in time for the next wave.
“And how are you feeling?”
The whole world was in the middle of an absurd crisis, but the queen came to speak with me before my treatment.
She seemed to be expressing concern for my well-being.
“…”
I still didn’t know if I could trust her. Besides, she’d given the medics orders the whole time I’d been unconscious.
The queen turned to a doctor, and they discussed my condition.
“Really? Then he’ll be able to accompany us?
“Where are you going?
“Back to the castle, of course.”
She covered her mouth with her folding fan, but a vein was popping out from her forehead. She had a strange, oppressive sense of authority about her.
“Mother is very angry…”
Melty was shaking and hiding behind me.
She did seem to be a little on edge, but I guess that’s what her anger looked like.
“I hope you’re not planning on executing me or something like that.”
“I would never do something so foolish. But I would very much like you to be there when... my plans are enacted, Mr. Iwatani.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll just have to wait until we arrive at the castle. And I have so many questions I’d like to ask you. We’ll have the opportunity to talk soon.”
The damn queen was making it impossible for me to refuse. Would she say anything to get me to the castle?
Sure, I suppose I could refuse—but that wouldn’t help me. My highest priority was to prove my innocence, and I was going to need her to make that happen.
Melty had said so before.
The queen was apparently furious with Trash and Bitch. She said that the queen had been ripping up their portraits, that she’d been setting them on fire.
It made me wonder what she was thinking… Could it be?
Regardless, I didn’t h
ave a good reason to refuse her.
Although, in time, I could imagine that the fact that she was Trash’s wife and Bitch’s mother might drive a wedge of sorts between us.
“Hm…”
Melty was still standing behind me.
“Oh come on… I guess I have to take you with us?”
“Mr. Naofumi?”
Raphtalia sounded very worried.
“I don’t think I can refuse, so what choice do I have but to go? They’ve been taking care of me this whole time, so I doubt that we have anything to worry about.”
“Yes, indeed, I would like it if you would come as well.”
I could see what she was getting at. She was waiting to see how closely our interests aligned.
I didn’t know what her plan was. But no matter—if she were going to hand me off to the enemy, then I would just have to use the Shield of Wrath again.
“We’re taking care of the bird god’s carriage too. Let’s return it along with its luggage.”
“Really?”
Filo jumped forward when the queen mentioned the carriage.
“Yes. It’s parked in front of the hospital. You can go see it yourselves.”
“Okay! Yay! Mel, let’s go!”
“Okay!”
Filo and Melty went running out of the room.
That girl really liked carriages. After they left, I turned back to the queen.
“Something bothers me.”
I didn’t know what she wanted, but I got the impression that there was something else she wasn’t telling me, something behind her supposed good intentions.
If there was a good reason for her to not only defy the Church but treat the shield demon nicely, then I wanted to know what it was.
And I wouldn’t accept any pretentious explanations like, “for the good of the world,” either. In trying to figure out her true intentions, I began to look at her face carefully. When I did, her hand started shaking. The fan was swaying in her hand. What was happening?
“Aultcray… Malty… This isn’t the end…”
There was no doubt about it… She was furious.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared. He was holding portraits of Trash and Bitch, and he quickly pasted them up on the wall.
In a flash, the queen summoned magical icicles. She threw them at the portraits, pinning them to the wall before summoning flames to burn them to ash.
“That’s not enough… not enough. I want to see their faces twisted in fear.”