Тспо

「We’ll take you to the Olga Fortress! 」

The soldiers cheered as they moved towards their horses that were waiting in the vicinity.

「I don’t need that. 」

Seiya stopped as he looked at me.

「It’s an emergency. Open the portal. Let’s use a shortcut to arrive at the Fortress. 」

「I told you that we can’t! I don’t know the exact location of the Olga Fortress! Besides, without the permission of the Great Goddess Isister, I can’t cross a portal to a place I’ve never been!」

Seiya stared at me as if he was using a Japanese Noh Mask.

What’s up with him! He is probably thinking that I’m “useless” again, isn’t he? That’s written all over his face!

Yet, the words that came from Seiya’s mouth were far beyond my imagination.

「A broken light bulb…an empty plastic bottle…dust under the desk…Lista, that’s what I feel when I have to describe you. 」

「Huh!? Don’t treat me like trash!! 」

Anyways, it seemed that Seiya gave up on the portal idea and asked the soldiers.

「You said that the Fortress was located in the northeast. How distant is it? 」

「If we ride with our horses in a hurry, then, we might arrive in half an hour.」

「It’s not far from here. Let’s fly. 」

Soon, Seiya’s body started to float in the air. The soldiers cheered aloud when they witnessed Seiya’s “Flight” ability.

「Unbelievable! The brave hero can fly in the sky! 」

「Its outstanding how a human being can float in mid-air! As expected of this brave hero! 」

「He will be able to defeat Bell Bubu! 」

「…Bell Bubu? What’s that? 」

The soldiers gritted their teeth with a uniformly frustrating face when Mash asked that question.

「It’s a demon in the form of a fly! A swarm of flies led by Bell Bubu attacked the Olga Fortress! There were many casualties on our side! 」

「…It means that it will be an air battle. 」

Seiya was thinking carefully about it as he floated in mid-air.

「Anyway, let’s inspect the enemy for now. Mash, you will come with me. Lista, take Elle with you. 」

「Understood. 」

I received permission from the Great Goddess Isister to reveal my white wings and, afterwards, I grabbed Elle’s hands. Seiya also held Mash’s hands.

「Master!! Is this okay!? 」

「It can’t be helped. Don’t let go of my hands. 」

「Whoa!! I’ll fly with my Master on the sky!! Somehow, I’m getting so excited!!」

Seiya took a blissful Mash and I took Elle with me. We headed to the Olga Fortress ahead of the soldiers.

…

…It’s been fifteen minutes since we’ve flown from the Dragon Cave. I was trying to catch up with Seiya and Mash, whom flew at a tremendous speed. Suddenly, Elle raised her voice.

「Listen, Lisutan! What’s over there? 」

When I looked closely at the distance, I’ll could see a black mass in the sky.

「Rain clouds, perhaps? 」

That’s what I thought at first. However, as we approached that black mass, the whole picture gradually became clearer to me. That mass was composed of many black objects gathered together on one spot.

「It’s…It’s not rain clouds…! That’s…the enemy…! It’s a huge swarm of flies…! 」

There were hundreds of black flies the size of human beings hovering in the air as they vibrated their transparent wings. I got an unpleasant feeling, as more and more of their horde arrived to their position, increasing the size of the black cloud.

「\*looks flabbergasted\* That’s disgusting! I have a very bad feeling about this…!」

Elle’s hand was trembling with fear.

Seiya looked at us.

「Lista. Let’s get down here. 」

「Ye…Yes! 」

Seiya descended to the forest below us. I followed him too.

After arriving in the forest, Seiya tried to hide himself within the branches of the trees. He looked at the black mass in the sky from afar. His eyes changed colors as he looked at the swarm of flies. It seemed that he activated his clairvoyance ability.

「…Each fly is over Level 30. There are at least three…no, four hundred flies. I think they will be more troublesome than the army of ten thousand undead.」

Seiya’s analysis was correct. Hundreds of high-level enemies who can fly freely in the sky can be more difficult to defeat than defeating the slow-moving army of the undead.

「For the time being, let’s watch the situation from this place. 」

「Okay. 」

As Seiya and I looked meticulously at the sky, something happened right next to us.

\*excruciating sound\*

Mash leaned at the trees while he vomited continually as if he had ate something rotten. Elle touched Mash’s back.

「Mash, are you okay? 」

「Yeah…! I felt disgusted…! \*keeps vomiting\* 」

Apparently, it looked like he became like that after flying aggressively with Seiya. I also got in a horrible state when I flew with Seiya in the sky. I painfully understood Mash’s feelings.

However, he refuted my reasoning.

「Yeah. That flies are truly repulsive. 」

I mistakenly misunderstood Mash’s words.

「It was because of their grotesque appearance that you became sick! It can’t be helped though… 」

Everyone thought the same thing about the hideous flies. Yet, Seiya kept looking at that big horde with a serious face as if he was unaffected.

Suddenly, we heard a loud voice roar in the sky.

「Kneel, humans! You can’t beat the overwhelming force of our “Fly Assault”!」

I traced the sound with my eyes and saw the Lord of Flies hovering in the sky. He looked different from the other flies. I saw that he was like a humanoid monster floating in the sky. His face looked like an insect, but he stood upright with two legs. His hands were sharp like a pair of scissors while his anthropoid red corneas were large compound eyes. It was clear that this strange monster was leading that army of flies.

I tried to measure the enemy’s status with my clairvoyance ability just like Seiya.

Bell Bubu

Level – 76

HP – 18963

MP – 8751

Attack – 7877

Defense – 5969

Agility – 487562

Magic – 883

Resistance – Fire, Water, Ice, Lightening, Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Condition Abnormality

Special skills – Attack Avoidance (Lv MAX), Flight (Lv MAX)

Skills – Acid Spit, Rolling Dodge

Personality – Ruthless

His status are not that high. At first I thought that this opponent was not one of the four generals of the Demon King…However; I had to see Bell Bubu’s agility stats twice as I doubted my eyes. My eyesight was not mistaken.

「Wha…What’s up with that agility!? That magnitude is ridiculous!! 」

「That’s a tough fella… 」

Seiya was breathing unusually.

「How the hell can he speak a word with a face like that? What kind of speech organs does that insect have? 」

「No, that’s not the problem right now!! Look at his agility stats!! His agility!!」

「Listen! Lisutan! Mister Seiya! Look over there! It looks like the people from Rosgard are going to attack on this precise moment! 」

Elle pointed at the ground in the distance and not towards the sky. The soldiers were standing on a distant plain with bows and arrows ready to attack the enemy in the sky.

It seemed that Bell Bubu also noticed the upcoming attack. Rather than running away, he ordered the hordes of flies to lower their altitude.

「Look! Look! Did you notice that we came to a position that’s feasible for you to aim your bows and arrows? Make sure you aim well, ‘kay? 」

Bell Bubu looked sarcastically amused as he licked his anthropoid-ish mouth. Loads of arrows were shot at the swarm of flies as if it was raining storm. It was a spectacular scene. However, there was no disturbance in the enemy’s formation line. From the distance, it seemed that the attacks from the soldiers didn’t weaken the enemy’s strength.

Seiya muttered.

「Besides Bell Bubu, the other flies also possess the ability to avoid attacks instantaneously. Those arrows won’t be able to hit any of them. 」

After the volley of arrow ended, the hordes of flies came down flying from the sky, attacking the foot soldiers. They grabbed dozens of soldiers with their six legs like preys and flew with them in the sky, gaining altitude once again.

They flew approximately fifty meters above the ground. The flies who caught the soldiers stopped in mid-air. Abruptly, Bell Bubu screamed aloud.

「Okay! Let’s do the Reverse Fireworks today!! 」

Re…Reverse…!? It can’t be…!!

I felt an ominous anticipation. At the command of Bell Bubu, the giant flies released the bodies of the soldiers they had caught simultaneously. Per the law of gravity, the soldiers were smashed in the ground with a tremendous force.

Elle turned her eyes away while Mash angrily gritted his teeth. Meanwhile, Bell Bubu spoke with a joyful voice.

「Whoa! Such a magnificent view one can see from being above in the sky…Oh my, I can no longer see any of fallen humans! The ground is filled with blood, guts and brains everywhere! This marvelous outcome is the result of my beautiful fireworks! 」

Bell Bubu screamed louder after that atrocious show.

「The hero who appeared on this continent has not come here yet!! Hurry up and bring that hero to me!! Until he shows up, the slaughter won’t stop!! 」

Seiya whispered with tranquilly next to me.

「I was thinking about why that fly didn’t destroy the Fortress completely even though he is powerful enough to do so…So, that was the reason after all.」

「Everything was a setup to lure us in… 」

「Master!! I can’t stand it anymore!! I’ll fight that thing!! 」

Seiya grabbed the shoulder of a defying Mash as he held his sword.

「Don’t be impatient, Mash. You better don’t underestimate the flies. Those insects can move faster than humans in a blink of an eye. Moreover, when it comes to defeating monsters on this world, it is highly possible that most of them will be able to move at an unimaginable speed. There are three groups of Automatic Phoenixes scouting and getting close to them as we speak. 」

「That…That powerful fire bird!? 」

「Precisely. That fly knows that I defeated two of the four demonic generals and, yet, he is inviting me to fight with him. In other words, he has absolute confidence in fighting in the air. It won’t be easy to approach him in the sky if he finds out about our location. You have to understand that surveying is the best option for now. 」

Bell Bubu was immensely satisfied by his human fireworks. Bell Bubu flew away from the northern sky accompanied by his army of flies as he laughed exuberantly…

We left the forest after the enemy was gone. We walked slowly towards a fortification that we could see in the distance. It was the Olga Fortress. The exterior was robust and built of heavy bricks. However, some parts of the fortification were visibly damaged by the enemy’s attacks.

There was a horrifying scene when I looked at the plains surrounding the Fortress.

「Elle. Come behind my back. 」

「Okay… 」

I was concerned about Elle. It would be too cruel for a young girl to see the amount of decaying corpses scattered around this place. The corpses were the bodies of soldiers, who had smashed severely on the ground from a few tens of meters above the sky. There was blood everywhere and their remains no longer resembled those of human beings. There was other bodies who melted by the toxic acid produced by the flies.

I had to turn my eyes away from this unspeakable scenario even though I’m a goddess…There was one soldier kneeling down and praying for fallen.

The soldier noticed our presence as we approached him. The soldier in a golden armor widely opened his eyes when he saw the white wings on my back.

「You…finally came…! 」

Когда солдат снял шлем, я увидел его длинные синие волосы. Под всеми этими волосами скрывалась очень красивая женщина с ободряющим выражением лица.

........

「Everyone!! The saviors of this world the hero and the goddess have finally arrived!! 」

The woman warrior shook her sword and yelled at the soldiers who were exhausted from the fierce battle.

「Stand up now!! We’re going to invade their hive!! 」

However, she was the only one who was bloodthirsty. A senior soldier with a white beard spoke as he approached her slowly.

「Lady Rosalie! Please calm down! They’ve just arrived in the Fortress! They need time to prepare themselves! 」

「How dare you! Time is crucial! Now is the moment to avenge the soldiers who lost their lives on the battle! 」

「Look around you! All the remaining soldiers are exhausted! They are not in a good condition to put up a fight! 」

She looked at the wounded soldiers around her. The woman warrior called Rosalie groaned low and became silent for a while.

「I am well aware of the soldier’s condition. But I feel distressed about losing all of the other soldier’s lives, Carlo. However, since the hero had finally arrived, I thought it would be disrespectful to those lost souls if I didn’t bring the hero to avenge them immediately… 」

Rosalie gazed at Seiya and I. She had very distinct and powerful eyes as opposed to Seiya’s. Eventually, Rosalie calmed down and nodded subtly.

「You’re right, Carlo. Let’s return to the Fortress for now. Let’s think of a flying strategy along with the hero. 」

The senior soldier had a relieved expression on his face. Still, soon after, Rosalie declared boldly.

「After the strategical meeting, we’ll head into the enemy’s territory!! Today!! Do you understand!? 」

Rosalie turned away and walked alone back into the Fortress.

I spoke with the senior soldier Carlo who stayed behind.

「Excuse me. That person…Rosalie…What kind of person is she? 」

「She’s the defensive leader of Olga Fortress. 」

Elle smiled brightly.

「A defensive leader! Even though she’s a woman! She’s amazing! Her blue hair is stunning and she’s quite tall herself! She’s a beauty! 」

Just as Elle said, Rosalie had a very appealing charm.

「She’s truly beautiful indeed. Her appearance is one thing but there is a strange aura surrounding her… 」

As we were talking to Carlo, behind us the soldiers were starting to walk slowly; we heard a screaming voice ahead.

「What are you doing!! Time is being wasted!! Hurry up!! 」

Rosalie was at the Fortress’ gate. She was yelling as if she was threatening us. Everyone stopped talking and immediately fastened the pace and hurried to the Fortress.

Mash spoke with a huge admiration tone as we entered inside the fort from the gate in the outer wall.

「This is a very huge stronghold…! 」

Olga Fortress was like a big castle. I spotted a large watchtower and a storage shed for food. Everything appeared well prepared for a long-term battle.

Carlo showed us a smile.

「Originally, the Olga Fortress was a key point of the Empire’s northern border. In addition to the strong outer wall, the bow and arrow soldier units are placed in the upper part of the fortification. We also have several huts where the rest of the soldiers can wait for their turn.」

The senior soldier spoke confidently with us. Even so, Seiya sighed as if he was not impressed.

「I saw that the enemy easily defeated you on your previous offensive raid. 」

「Ye…Yes. That’s certainly true. There’s no way for us to attack the enemy forces in the sky led by Bell Bubu. 」

「Mister Carlo. Wouldn’t the Empire be in danger if the flies were to cross the border? 」

「No. Their aim is to lure the hero out. So, they won’t go beyond this Fortress. But if they were to make their way beyond here, they would face a strong thunder wizard called Flasika whose task is to protect the Rosgard Empire. He uses powerful lightening spells that could be effective to enemies flying in the sky. 」

「Ah, I see. So, you do have a powerful wizard protecting the Empire. Then, why don’t you call him here? 」

「Flasika is the only one in the Empire Capital able of performing lightening magic. If Flasika were to come to the Fortress, the Capital would be defenseless against attacks from the sky. That’s why Flasika can’t leave the Capital at this moment. 」

Seiya asked the following after hearing Carlo’s words.

「No matter how good your wizard is. If the demonic forces become serious enough, won’t your empire likely fall? 」

Whoa…That was a bold way to ask such a question…

Well, I can’t deny that his words were true in a way. This was certainly a very worrying situation when I recalled the enormous strength that two of the four generals of the Demon King had.

However, Carlo responded with a tranquil voice.

「The Empire will never fall. 」

「Why? 」

「Because Rosgard has a “warlord”. 」

「Warlord? 」

Suddenly, Mash intervened.

「I’ve heard about it! The warlord is the Emperor of Rosgard! He is the strongest warrior in Geabrande! People say that his sword is able to tear the heavens apart and break the earth!」

「That’s absurd. If that’s true, why doesn’t he save this world instead of me? His strong façade is probably a rumor. No, actually they might have started this rumor to deceive its people into believing that their world will be always safe. 」

Carlo lightly shook his head as he heard Seiya’s analysis.

「You’re wrong. The Emperor is definitely the strongest person on this earth except for the hero. The Rosgard Empire will never waver as long as it has the Emperor. 」

He has a great confidence…! This warlord Emperor might be indeed strong enough…!

「However, there is a good reason why the Emperor can’t leave the Imperial Capital just like Flasika. 」

I wanted to ask him the reason why, but Carlo entered the central structure in the Fortress.

「This is the meeting place for strategizing. Lady Rosalie is waiting for you inside. 」

I could hear loud voices of men and women’s intense quarrel when the senior soldier opened the front door.

「Lady Rosalie!! I told you to stop going to the front lines!! You are the next successor to the throne!! 」

「That doesn’t mean I have to wait and watch just because I’m the heiress! A true warrior is not a coward! I’ll go to fight alongside my men as many times as possible! I need to inspire morale as their leader! 」

「If so, then the next time you go out, you’ll need to take Bato with you!! If something bad happens to you, how can we report that to our Emperor!? 」

Everything made sense to me when I heard that fierce quarrel between some of the more experienced soldiers and Rosalie. That quarreling would explain Rosalie’s rough and dominant behavior.

Rosalie was the daughter of the warlord, the Emperor of Rosgard. After the Emperor dies, she’ll be the chosen one to be the Empress of the Empire. That would explain her unreasonable aura. I wonder if she looked up greatly to her father, because she grew up to become a beautiful but tomboy princess.

When Carlo coughed near the door, Rosalie and all of the other people sitting around the round table turned their eyes back to him.

「Everyone. The hero and his group has arrived. 」

Carlo deeply lowered his head.

「I will leave you in her care. 」

「Thank you, Mister Carlo! 」

Carlo smiled and closed the door as Elle and I thanked him.

When I turned around…

「Whoa…! This is the hero’s party that it will save this world…! 」

「That’s the hero…! Oh my goodness…! 」

All the people in the room were staring at us as if they were deeply impressed.

Seiya’s strong aura was not defeated by Rosalie’s aura. Everyone could see the hero’s powerful features and overwhelming height.

I was guided to a vacant seat in the round table. I sat on a chair side by side with Seiya, Elle and Mash.

I looked at the faces that were awaiting us. There was only high-ranking members of the strategic committee meeting. I could see a muscular warrior named Bato who was arguing with Rosalie a moment ago. Next to him, sat a mage wearing a robe with the emblem of the Empire. There was also an elderly person with a cane. Rosalie sat at the middle of the round table. Since she was the heiress to the Imperial Throne, everyone who was highly important had gathered in Olga Fortress.

The mage next to Rosalie was a slender woman covered in a robe. She spoke with a loud voice.

「Since the hero has joined us now; we’ll start the strategical meeting in order to find a solution to defeat the flying enemy! 」

However, on that precisely moment, the hero professed the following words.

「Wait. Before that, I’d like to secure my safety first. 」

「…What did you say? 」

「This place is dangerous. 」

In a second…!

Everybody was speechless by Seiya’s remarks, including Rosalie. That’s because all of the soldiers were sent inside the fortification and it seemed to be safe for the moment. The elderly man with a beard asked Seiya.

「Mister hero…what does that mean? 」

「There is a possibility that the subordinates of the Demon King have disguised themselves and mixed between your people. 」

「Re…Really? 」

Everyone sitting around the table started to fuss when they heard Seiya’s words. Still…

「Well…I said it was just a “possibility”. 」

「Oh lord…So, it was just a “possibility” and not a real fact… 」

Every one of them was relieved when Seiya said that. I touched Seiya’s arm.

「Hey, Seiya. I don’t feel the monster’s presence in here. It’s okay. 」

「Is that so? Then, none of them is from the devil army. But… 」

Seiya spoke with a troubled face.

「There might be explosives in this room. 」

「Re…Really? 」

They were relieved only for a brief moment only. Everyone was startled again and the room became noisily high. However…

「Well…I said it “might be”. 」

Everyone was reassured by Seiya’s words. Yet, Seiya looked up at the corner of the room with sharps eyes.

「Those two were just my speculations. The truth is…Up there. Someone is probably listening to this strategical meeting at this moment. 」

「Re…Really? 」

Rosalie’s expression changed dramatically for the third time.

「Hurry! I need somebody to check the ceiling! 」

Dozens of soldiers headed to the ceiling per Rosalie’s orders.

…a moment later.

「Report!! Our twenty-three soldiers kept looking all over the ceiling and the surroundings; however, they’ve found nothing. There was absolutely nothing, not even dust!!」

The soldiers went out of the room. Rosalie, including her subordinates, were holding their breath, as they looked distrustful at Seiya.

「Well…I said it was just “probably”. 」

\*knocking sound\*

Rosalie severely hit the round table.

「No, that’s enough!! “Possibility”, “Probably”, I was worried for nothing!! If I were to take your words seriously, none of us will be able to even sleep at night!!」

Instead of me, Rosalie was making a ferocious red face at Seiya.

…Yes. She looked like a little girl. This child tried her hardest to keep a low voice. But she was about to burst from her uncontrollable emotions. I was not actually sure, but she might be around twenty years old.

I was looking at Rosalie with a small smile on my face as she started giving orders.

「I knew that this strategical meeting would be unnecessary! The hero and I will lead the way to the enemy’s hive! That’s all! 」

「Please don’t, Lady Rosalie! That’s too risky… 」

Everyone was opposed to that strategy. In the end, there was a domineering opinion against the invasion of the enemy’s hive. However, Seiya nodded in agreement with her.

「I agree. 」

Rosalie was surprised as she looked attentively at Seiya.

「The hero agrees with me! Okay! Let’s attack them immediately! 」

「Don’t misunderstand. I agreed with the part that this “strategical meeting would be unnecessary”. The actions I should take were already decided long ago.」

「What…What do you mean? 」

The meeting was quiet. They took a deep breath as they awaited for the hero’s decisive words.

Afterwards, Seiya clearly told Rosalie.

「I’m leaving. 」

\*loud voices\* 「What? 」

「I will return to the heavenly world. I need to practice a special skill that will be able to compete against the enemy. That’s it. 」

Seiya’s behavior no longer shocked me, Mash and Elle. We were getting familiar with his pattern.

\*everybody screamed aggressively\*

Розали и ее подчиненные кричали с такой силой, что их глаза стали кровожадными.

........

The warrior named Bato smiled bitterly at Seiya.

「He’s…He’s joking!! 」

「It’s not a joke. When I say, “I’m leaving”, I’ll really leave. 」

The woman mage wearing a robe shouted.

「It can’t be!! Are you going to forsake us!? 」

「Anyways, I’m leaving. That’s decided. 」

No one will be able to change Seiya’s mind. He’s a very stubborn person. Everyone had a mixed expression of surprise and sorrow.

…We can’t leave on this confusion! But, I’m sure that Seiya’s training will take days!

I raised my voice in order to clear the misunderstanding.

「Everyone, please calm down! His practice will only take a few days at most!」

「Yeah. Just three days. 」

 The high-ranked officials shouted after hearing Seiya’s words.

「You’re going to be away for three days!? 」

「Isn’t three days too long!? 」

「The Fortress will be destroyed if you take that long!! 」

Everybody thought that three days would be irrational. They kept making a succession of comments against Seiya’s decision. Many were angry, while others were in despair.

I spoke with them.

「You know what; three days in the God’s realm are less than an hour in the earthly world…」

「One hour…? Re…Really…? 」

「 I see. If it’s only one hour, then… 」

I managed to convince them for now. Rosalie was silent during this conversation. She abruptly opened her mouth afterwards.

「 Is it really necessary to practice in the first place? I saw that the goddess possess white wings on her back! The goddess can fly! It means that we have a way to fight against the flies.」

Eh!! M…Me!? Just what is this child trying to imply!?

I was extremely startled by the sudden demand. However, Seiya refuted it immediately.

「 I refuse. The goddess has a secondary role. She can’t fight. 」

Se…Seiya! Thank you for supporting me!

「 In other words, she’s useless. The fight would be pointless. She just floats in mid-air. It’s the same as a floating balloon…or even less usable. 」

「 What the hell are you talking about!? Aren’t you going too far to criticize me!? 」

I was so angry to be called “less usable than a balloon”. Yet, Seiya ignored me as he always does.

「 I can fly because I have the “Flight” skill. 」

Everybody raised their voices at Seiya saying, 「Whoa! Then, that means…!」

「Nevertheless, there is no chance of winning this. I would be a fool to start an air fight with an enemy that specializes on flight abilities. That’s what the enemy wants.」

「Mister hero. Isn’t your method too cowardly? Why can you say such a thing when you never faced the enemy before? 」

「That’s because I carefully observed the opponent not too long ago. Their agility is erratically strong.」

Rosalie lifted her eyebrows when she heard Seiya’s casual speech.

「Hey…wait a moment. What did you just say? You observed the opponent? Don’t tell me that you were watching Bell Bubu slaughter my soldiers from a distance? Yet, you did not move?」

Rosalie was staring fiercely at Seiya with a devilish face. I stood immediately between Seiya and Rosalie when I sensed a very bad atmosphere.

「No, you’re mistaken! Even if we wanted to help them, it was already too late…!」

\*cracking sound\*

I was shocked when Rosalie aggressively beat on the round table.

「It’s never too late to save other people! That hero witnessed that horrible scene and, yet, he didn’t do anything to help those soldiers! 」

Seiya remained calm even when Rosalie was tremendously irritated.

「You keep saying unreasonable things. Then, what did you want us to do? None of them could be saved anyways.」

「People died! That demon slaughtered them! Didn’t your heart moved a little when you saw that horrifying scene unfold in front of your eyes? 」

「What would happen if my heart moved a little? One needs to be calm and act cautiously during crucial times. We can’t let the surroundings cloud our judgements. It is necessary to remain calm and act accordingly to the situation.」

It was like fire and ice. I was standing between two people with opposite characters who would never compromise their ideals.

Before long, Rosalie turned her disdainful eyes away from Seiya and declared as if she was condemning him.

「This man is of no use! He uses a hero’s name to fool other people! 」

「Lady Rosalie! The hero might have his own reasons! 」

「No! Heroes are known for their braveness! That means that this man is not a hero! He’s just a coward!」

I understood why Rosalie was furious. However, I was also a bit upset about her continuous rude behavior towards us.

She gets easily angry when someone goes against her opinions! Even if Seiya is annoying sometimes, he usually thinks carefully about overcoming impeding challenges.

Honestly, I thought like Rosalie in the past and I got angry quite often. However, I do know now that Seiya’s cautiousness can be characterized as a different trait rather than cowardice.

「Listen, Lady Rosalie! I know that Seiya is not the ordinary hero! But I was able to get away from tough situations countless of times thanks to his cautiousness!」

I gathered my courage as I spoke directly to the people standing in the strategical meeting room.

「I give you my word as a goddess! When this hero finishes his training and all of his preparations are complete, he’ll be able to destroy the flies and Bell Bubu’s “Fly Assault”!」

The room got silent. I asked Rosalie.

「Therefore…Can you wait for one hour until he finishes his practice? Please, Lady Rosalie…」

I thought that she’ll say 「It can’t be helped. I understand. 」However, I was wrong.

「…As if I’ll believe you. 」

Rosalie’s stubbornness was beyond my imagination.

「Bell Bubu killed more than one hundred men so far. Do you know how that feels? 」

「I…I do understand! Of course, it will be painful and sad. 」

「No. There is no way you can truly understand the preciousness of a human life when yours transcends our existence. I heard that gods live an eternal time. Am I right? 」

「Well, that’s right…Even so…! 」

「In other words. Infinity will not understand limitation. 」

\*feeling frustrated\*

I gritted my teeth while Seiya muttered like a superior.

「…You are not qualified to judge other people’s lives. 」

「What did you say? 」

Rosalie asked with a low voice as if she despised him. Yet, Seiya returned his ferocious hawk eyes back at Rosalie.

「The enemy did not kill your soldiers. You killed them yourself. 」

「What do you mean? 」

「Thanks to your bad planning, you build a mountain of dead bodies. 」

「You bastard…!! Revoke what you just said!! 」

Rosalie walked in Seiya’s direction.

「La…Lady Rosalie!? 」

The high-end officials, including myself, grew impatient.

「Revoke! Revoke your words immediately…! 」

Rosalie was getting aggressive as she lifted her right hand without stopping.

Whoa!! Seiya is going to get beaten by a girl!?

I thought that Rosalie’s right hand was going to slap Seiya’s cheek. On that moment, Seiya grabbed Rosalie’s arm without blinking his eyes.

Nonetheless…I couldn’t believe what was about to happen next.

After Seiya stopped Rosalie’s hit, he stood up from his seat and slapped Rosalie’s cheek with his left hand.

\*slapping sound\*

The high sound echoed throughout the strategical meeting room.

「Whoa…Wha…What!? 」

Rosalie yelled with a very strange voice that didn’t resemble hers.

「How dare you!! \*screams continually\* 」

I moved between them as I tried to excuse Seiya’s actions.

「Lady Rosalie, you’re misinterpreting!! He was about to be beaten, so he hit back!! It’s like a conditioned reflex as a warrior!! Seiya doesn’t mean you any harm!! 」

I immediately turned back to scold Seiya.

「You can’t use violence against girls no matter what happens!! 」

「I was going to be beaten. It was a legitimate defense. 」

I tried to stop this tension. However, Rosalie was so furious that I couldn’t do anything anymore.

「How dare you! Bastard! 」

She pushed me aggressively to the side and tried to slap Seiya with her right hand.

Yet, everything was repeated once again.

\*slapping sound\*

「It hurts!! 」

Rosalie spoke as if she felt an excruciating pain. After that…

「Imbecile! 」

\*slapping sound\*

「Damn you!! 」

I heard her lowered voice.

「I…I won’t forgive you! 」

\*slapping sound\*

「Ah!! 」

Her exhausted voice was heard in the room.

…I tried to explain Seiya’s behavior by saying “conditioned reflex as a warrior”. However, it was no longer a conditioned reflex if I thought carefully about it. This situation became uncontrollable. Seiya kept slapping Rosalie’s cheek with his bare hands.

When Rosalie tried to slap Seiya’s right cheek, Seiya slapped Rosalie’s right cheek before she had a chance to hit him. Then, Rosalie tried to slap Seiya’s left cheek, but Seiya slapped Rosalie’s left cheek before she even had a chance.

Rosalie became fanatical as a result. Her cheeks were swollen red like apples.

Everyone in the meeting was quiet. I swallowed hard.

…Oh my, that girl was beaten too many times!! How…How can he call himself a man!! Does he belong to the early Showa era!? Don’t tell me that he really came from the early Showa era!?

After Rosalie fought with a brutal hero who had no compassion for the female sex, Rosalie stepped back with overflowing tears and a runny nose.

「Sla…Slash!! I’m…I’m going to slash you…!! 」

「Lady…Lady Rosalie!! Calm down!! 」

「Don’t you dare try to stop me…I won’t…lose…against…that…damn hero…!! 」

「Se…Seiya!! Apologize!! Look at her!! That child is crying!! 」

「I’m not crying…\*cries\* I’m not!! \*continues to cry\* 」

「Seiya!! Please, apologize!! 」

「I won’t apologize. I didn’t do anything wrong. 」

「Apologize even if you didn’t do anything wrong!! She’ll keep crying like that!! 」

「I said…that I’m not…crying…!! Not even one tear…nothing…I’m not crying!! 」

「I will never apologize. I absolutely didn’t do anything wrong. 」

「Are you two small children!? Either way, just apologize!! 」

Neither of them will apologize to each other. Eventually, Rosalie spoke with tears.

「I’ve…had enough!! I don’t…need…the hero and his group!! I only need myself…I’m going to…attack their hive…!! 」

Seiya glared attentively at a crying Rosalie. No…He was not merely looking at her. He activated his clairvoyance ability.

I also activated mine to have a look at Rosalie’s stats just for reference.

Rosalie

Level – 23

HP – 6780

MP – 0

Attack – 4120

Defense – 3655

Agility – 3987

Magic – 0

Potential rate – 48

Resistance – Fire, Water, Darkness, Poison, Paralysis

Special skills – Light Protection (Lv 3)

Skills – Knocking Sword

Personality – Passionate

She has an amazing status when compared to regular human beings. Nevertheless, if she plans to fight against enemies who will fly in mid-air…it would be complicated.

Seiya spoke with a superior voice.

「I thought that her abilities would be far better than they are because she is the daughter of the warlord Emperor…Oh my, her stats are fragile like a flower. Her death is certain. 」

 On that moment…

\*agonizing sounds\*

Rosalie groaned fiercely as her face turned bright red. Her blue hair became disturbed and a big amount of tears fell to the floor. She grasped her hands as she trembled incessantly.

「…Oh my lord!! Just how angry can she become!? 」

Elle screamed right beside me.

「This…This is creepy! Why is Lady Rosalie groaning like a dog!? 」

「Elle. Don’t approach her. If you get any closer, you’ll be bitten. 」

\*screams heavily\*

Rosalie kept roaring like a mad woman. Mash grabbed Seiya’s arms.

「Ma…Master…! Wouldn’t it be better if you apologized to her…? 」

「I will never apologize even if I die. Anyway, I’m leaving. Lista, get the portal out.」

「Ah…Okay… 」

This situation was unlikely to settle down anytime soon. Therefore, I opened the portal exactly as I was told to.

I felt Rosalie behind me…

\*screams heavily, repeatedly and furiously\*

She kept groaning…!! She really resembled a dog…!!

I held Rosalie’s hands and I tried to calm her down by saying “okay, okay”.

「Anyways, we will come back after an hour!! Everyone, please wait until then!! Okay!? Please, Lady Rosalie, you too!! Don’t venture outside this Fortress!!」

We left an increasingly anxious Rosalie behind as we went to the God’s realm…

......

「You know. You didn’t have to beat her like that. That’s not how a hero…no, that’s not how a person should behave in the first place. I know that she was wrong, but even so… 」

I spoke to Seiya when we arrived in the God’s realm. Although we were in a sacred place, I still brought up a sensitive subject…

「I was scared when Mister Seiya beat her like that… 」

「Yeah…They were big slaps… 」

Mash and Elle were both overwhelmed by what happened. Meanwhile, Seiya looked quietly at his hands. He clenched his teeth with a bitter face.

「I realized when I slapped her. I got irritable just by looking at her. 」

「…Seiya? 」

I was a little surprised. Seiya’s mouth was insensitive as always, but he usually won’t show any kind of emotions on public. Yet, he felt upset.

「I was angry with her way of thinking. Even though she had no chance of winning against me, she still moved forward without hesitating. She didn’t even ponder about the consequences.」

He’s right. Rosalie’s reckless personality was the opposite of Seiya’s cautious personality. That’s why he was visibly upset.

「Anyways, let’s take a break for the time being. 」

I thought it would be a bad idea to start training with this kind of tension. I was concerned about Seiya’s mental health, however…

「No. I don’t need a break. I want to practice immediately. 」

 Seiya was having a troubled face a minute ago. Suddenly, his face turned calm as always. It was as if nothing happened at all.

Whoa, he switched his feelings extremely fast!!

「But Mister Seiya sure has a kind soul after all! 」

Seiya asked Elle who was smiling strangely.

「Why you say that? 」

「You are kind because you’re going to practice in order to help Lady Rosalie! 」

「I’m not going to practice because of that woman. I’ve been called to save your world, so it’s natural for me to have more training. 」

Yes. We have been facing terrible challenges throughout our journey in that world. However, I couldn’t tell if he avoided talking about his personal feelings or if his sense of responsibility was that strong.

Seiya touched his glossy black hair.

「We’re talking about exterminating a flying enemy… Therefore, I have already decided which kind of god I want to train with. 」

「Eh, is that so? I could introduce you to that god if it’s a deity I know! Who is it? 」

「Give me the Patriot God. 」

「Patriot…no, we don’t have that kind of god!! 」

「Then, God of Guns would be fine. 」

「God of Guns…There might be one…But, it’s impossible because Geabrande is a world without the usage of guns… 」

「I don’t care about the world’s rules as long as I defeat the enemy. 」

「I said it’s impossible! It will be useless even if you end up having a gun skill! Geabrande is a world where guns don’t exist! Even if you get guns in the God’s realm, you won’t be allowed to take them to Geabrande! 」

Seiya spitted a bored sigh. It can’t be helped! That’s one of the rules of the Almighty!

「Hey Master. How about a god who specializes in thunder magic? Didn’t the old man in the fortress say that it was effective against enemies in the sky? How about asking a thunder or lightening god for practice… 」

「I saw that Bell Bubu’s status mentioned a resistance against lightening. It may work on the horde of flies but lightening magic won’t be effective against the main opponent. 」

「Yeah. I see… 」

Seiya looked in mid-air as he talked with Mash.

「Patriot, guns and thunder are useless…What’s left is bow and arrow. Lista, is there someone who specializes on that? 」

「I know the Goddess of Bow. I’ve seen her in the “heavenly green forest” located a little bit away from the temple. 」

「Let’s meet that goddess for now. Take me to her. 」

We walked for about ten minutes away from the temple. The scenery surrounding us began to change. We were now walking down a narrow path between dense trees.

The clear air tickled my nose. Little animals like squirrels sniffed us when they noticed our presence. This forest was preserved and untouched by external factors. This was the “heavenly green forest” of the God’s realm.

「Have you come to this place regularly? 」

「Yes. I occasionally come with Aria for a picnic. We would sit here and eat sandwiches. 」

「Picnic you say. Don’t you have some work to do? That means you’re a NEET\* goddess. 」

「Who…Who’s a NEET goddess!! I am working properly now!! Besides, it’s okay to have picnics once in a while!!」

The trail was gone, and only trees stood in front of me.

「Mithis, the Goddess of Bow, is quietly practicing her bow at the opened area of the forest. It’s better not to disturb her, so let’s head the other way. 」

Aria used to say that to me. This was the place where I came with Aria before. However, I never set foot beyond this point in the forest. The only time I’ve ever seen Mithis was when I was passing by the pathway.

「…Let’s go. 」

We headed to the bushes without any sort of trail in sight. After a while, the dense trees became sparse.

In the middle of the “heavenly green forest”, there seemed to be a vastly opened space. There were very few trees on this particularly area. However, those few trees were very large and tall trees. I saw Mithis in the center of the opened space. She drew her bow with an arrow towards the sky in a very picturesque beauty. She had a silky and pure white hair to the length of her waist. Her narrowly eyes gave an impression of an intellectual character. “Goddess with a neat beauty”, that was the impression I received when I saw Mithis.

When Mithis let go of her hand, the sound of the wind was heard as the arrow disappeared into the forest. I waited for the right timing to speak to her.

「Lady Mithis, I’m sorry for disturbing your practice. 」

「Good heavens. It is Miss Listarte. I am utterly delighted to see you here. 」

She sounded polite, or rather; this goddess had a very strange way of talking.

Firstly, I wanted to start a conversation by praising the skill of her bow, 「Great shot! You’re very good 」, however, the only place where Mithis shot her arrow was at a line of trees.

I was lost in words. Yet, Mithis smiled graciously at me.

「The target is located far away from those trees. 」

「Ye…Yes…Is that so… 」

I looked at the direction she was pointing at, but there were only rows of unobstructed trees. I usually have a good eyesight, and still, I couldn’t see the target at all.

「Ah yes, Lady Mithis! I would like you to teach your bow and arrow skills to this hero… 」

While I was talking, Seiya stretched out one hand and interrupted my words.

「Seiya? 」

「Before that, show me your ability first. Look up. 」

I looked up in the sky and there were three huge firebirds flying in the air. Seiya created the Automatic Phoenix with magic.

「I can shoot moving objects in the sky. However, I want to know if you can shoot high-speed moving objects from this distance. If you can’t do that, then I won’t need you. 」

「Se…Seiya! Your way of saying is rude! 」

Mithis smiled gently.

「I just need to shoot those flying firebirds, am I right? I understand… 」

Mithis lowered down her bow and arrow.

「This is a bow and arrow for practice. I will use a magic bow for the actual fighting. 」

After she spoke, she stretched her left arm straight as it started to shine.

「Shining Arrow… 」

In a second, Mithis’ left hand was holding a light bow. At the same time, she held on her right hand an arrow that looked like a ray of light. She connected the arrow on a string of thin light.

She aimed her light arrow towards the sky; however, the firebirds were circling at tremendous speed. At that time, I thought that Mithis was looking troubled as her eyes were widely open. She fired her arrow like a shining ray to the sky. In a second, my earlobes quivered repeatedly because a big explosion erupted in the sky!

…I didn’t know what happened. Nevertheless, when sky was cleared from the smoke, I didn’t see any of the Phoenixes flying around.

What!? I’m sure that Mithis only fired one arrow!! Then, why did the three Phoenixes disappear all at once!?

I heard Seiya’s explanation right next to me.

「She aimed the arrow when the Phoenixes’ circling in the sky overlapped with each other. That’s why the three of them were killed simultaneously. 」

Un…Unbelievable!! She was able to determine the moment when the Phoenixes overlapped!? Even though, they were flying at a furiously speed!? That was god level!! Ah, well, she’s a goddess after all!!

Seiya nodded as if he was satisfied with the result.

「Okay. With this, it will be possible to kill Bell Bubu as well. Acceptable. I’ll let you train me.」

Mithis showed her distrust as if she didn’t approve Seiya immediately.

「There is only one condition for me. Hero, what type is your main magic?  」

「Fire magic.  」

「Then, an arrow engulfed in flames will be suitable…No, more specifically…Have you mastered the Fire Arrow?  」

「Well. I don’t remember.  」

「Is that so. Okay then, before starting your training, you need to remember the Fire Arrow. It won’t be possible to teach you my skills if you don’t master that ability yourself.  」

What Mithis said was obvious. If he can’t make a magic bow out of his main magical type, the Goddess of Bow won’t be able to train him significantly.

Mithis narrowed her eyes as she laughed.

「If you are not able to perform the Fire Arrow, then, are you willing to practice with me in a different way? 」

Different practice? Was that Mithis’ sarcasm?

However, Seiya shook his head sideways.

「No, there’s no point in being taught with other methods unless it’s bow and arrow. 」

Seiya spoke to Elle who was behind his back.

「If I remember correctly, you can perform Fire Arrow, am I right? 」

「Ye…Yes! 」

「Tell me now how to do it. 」

「Now!? No matter how powerful Mister Seiya is, it will be impossible to learn it in one go!! It took me about a year to learn this skill!! 」

「Just tell me. Time is being wasted. 」

「Okay. First, you have to stretch your left hand out…Then, you have to imagine the bow in your head and, afterwards, invoke your fire magic using that picture in mind… 」

Elle laughed confidently while she was teaching Seiya how to perform that skill.

「It will be natural if you can’t evoke the arrow in your first try. But if you practice hundreds or thousands of times without giving up, I’m sure that you’ll master it eventually. 」

「Is that so? 」

 However, I could see that Seiya’s left hand had already evoked the fire bow.

「Eh… 」

Elle’s eyes became wide open.

「Bu…But! The next step will be extremely difficult! Next, you need to imagine an arrow on your right hand… What? You already evoked the arrow!? 」

In Seiya’s right hand, there was an arrow of fire, and it looked like it was attached to the string of fire in the bow.

「Ho…Ho…However, the real challenge starts now!! At first, you won’t be able to throw the arrow more than one meter, but if you practice patiently, you’ll… 」

Seiya released his fire arrow to the sky and disappeared in the heavenly horizon.

「It…It…It…It really…really is extremely hard to aim at a target accurately, even now, I haven’t mastered that part of the skill completely… 」

The next arrow shot by Seiya hit a thin tree standing in a few tens of meters ahead and it burned the tree entirely.

「Okay. It’s simple to use this skill after all. 」

Seiya looked back at Mithis.

「Is this fine? 」

「Hero, I see that you’re surprisingly quick to absorb information. 」

Although Mithis had an astonishing expression at first, she eventually opened her mouth as if she was utterly amused.

「That’s why you’re called the chosen one. Why not? Let’s practice immediately… 」

…

We left Seiya in the forest while I came back to the temple with Mash and Elle. Of course, I thought of encouraging Elle because she was looking depressed as we walked by.

「Whoa…! Somehow, I feel so frustrated with myself because he surpassed my ability that quickly…! 」

「Elle, don’t let it bother you! That hero is too abnormal! 」

Mash touched my shoulder.

「Hey, Lista. What are Elle and I going to do in the meantime? 」

「Let’s see. What did Seiya tell you? 」

「Before we left the forest, Master told me “Let’s see. You should go to the cafeteria and eat some sweets”… 」

「That’s awful…Too convenient for him I guess… 」

「Yeah. No matter what my Master says, I won’t eat sweet for three whole days. We want to be stronger. Lista. Could you introduce a god who is willing to train us? 」

「I understand. Let’s see…Mash, you were taught by Celseus last time, why don’t you try training with Lady Adenela? What do you think about following Seiya’s footsteps? 」

「Following Master’s footsteps! That would be great! I’ll do it! 」

「Elle, what do you have in mind? 」

「I’m…I’m not motivated today…So, I’ll eat some sweets instead… 」

「I see! Let’s go then! I’ll eat some macarons together with you! 」

For the time being, I searched for Adenela in order to train Mash. I’ll think about Elle’s training tomorrow. However, the room of Adenela in the basement of the temple was locked. There was no signs of her inside the room after I knocked on the door.

I wandered around the temple searching for her when I saw Celseus, the Daruma\*\* of muscles.

「Hey, Mister Celseus! 」

「Hello, Celseus. Listen, have you seen Lady Adenela? 」

While Mash and I greeted Celseus with a smile, his face changed to a troubled expression.

「If you two are here, then that means that the hero also came back!? 」

「Yes. But, he is training in the “heavenly green forest” right now…Why you ask for Seiya? 」

「Don’t give me a “why you ask”! That Lady Adenela is serious trouble! There was a time I was sick because of Seiya, and now, I’m sick almost every single day! 」

…I had completely forgotten. The last time we were in the God’s realm, Adenela was shedding tears of blood because Seiya coldly rejected her. I remember that there was rampage in the temple’s courtyard.

「So…So, how is Lady Adenela feeling right now? 」

「“Se…Sei…Seiy…Seiya…I…won’t…for…forgive…you…I’ll…Ki…Kill you.” When I first heard her words, I thought that she was rapping. 」

「Is…Is the situation that bad…!? 」

「Yeah. Be careful. She’s not joking around. She might suddenly appear behind us…If she does, I won’t know what to do. 」

Celseus was shivering in fear as he advised me with a serious face.

This was not the right time to be worried about Mash’s training! I have to make sure that we won’t come face to face with Adenela!

I was reminded of her madness. On that moment, I pictured Adenela sharpening her sword as she sounded weirdly like a mad woman…Soon I trembled in fear just like Celseus.