Ilya's Cheat Acquaintances

The five who had departed Lunéville for the tyrant spider subjugation walked along the road.

Chris, Selena, and Eric were in front, with Lula following after them and York at the back. Rather than calling their current formation a subjugation party's marching order, it looked more like tourists out for a stroll.

Still walking, Chris turned back to face the two trailing behind.

"The name's Chris. Leader of [Stars of the Eternal Night]."

Lula and York couldn't quite react to his abrupt introduction. Seeing them, Selena sighed and shot Chris a cold look.

"Hey, that's way too sudden."

"But really, there're all sorts of problems with not knowing their names!"

Chris smiled broadly. Selena sighed again, and Eric smiled wryly.

"That's right. I'm Eric. We're part of the team called [Stars of the Eternal Night] in the mercenary guild."

"Similarly, I am Selena. Pleased to meet you."

The three from the mercenary guild seemed sociable enough. Lula and York glanced at each other, expressions barely shifting.

"… Lula. Not affiliated with anything in particular. My regards."

At her businesslike manner, a complete shift from her demeanor before, the three members of [Stars of the Eternal Night] blinked.

York, meanwhile, was unsurprised by Lula's attitude and remained calm.

"I am York. Please treat me well."

"Ah, y-yeah. Treat me well…"

"M… my regards."

York smiled wryly at the three, who couldn't hide their bewilderment.

"Don't mind this idiot. She's usually like this whenever she isn't near Ilya-sama."

Even being called an idiot, Lula didn't react at all. She looked as though she genuinely didn't care, from the bottom of her heart.

"I've heard the name [Stars of the Eternal Night]. In particular, even the magic guild was talking about how you exterminated a demon."

Though he was clearly praising them, the three exchanged wry smiles. Seeing York's questioning expression, Chris answered.

"We did defeat a demon, sure, but it wasn't just us. Ilya was with us."

"So calling it our achievement alone is a bit…"

Understanding their pained expressions, York smiled slightly.

"Ilya-sama told you to keep it a secret, didn't she?"

"Yeah! Even though without Ilya's support I have nooo clue how it would've turned out!"

"She has no interest in fame or wealth, after all."

"Right, right! Even though we got so many rewards from the country and the association, she'd just disappear whenever I tried to give her any!"

Although it sounded like she was simply grumbling, in truth she was doing nothing but heaping on praise.

Once the topic settled down, Selena spoke to Lula.

"Lula-san, would you like to join in?"

"… Not really. When it comes to anything other than Ilya, I truly have no interest at all."

Yet for all that she said, she would try to say something at every opportunity, only to swallow her words each time.

On top of that, although they weren't as long as a beastkin's, Lula's long ears kept twitching, plain proof that her interest had been piqued. Even so, no one would intentionally point it out.

York, in particular, paid Lula's state no mind and posed a request to the other three.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me what it was like when Ilya-sama traveled with you all?"

"Of course."

At her immediate reply, the five of them livened up over a common topic: Ilya.

 

*

 

The group, having recovered their stamina by camping next to the forest, decided to wait until the sky brightened before starting their subjugation strategy.

First was confirming their route in.

"—Oh soldiers who have exchanged blood with Eric Bridge, show your forms, lend me your strength."

A shining pattern of geometric lines spread out beneath Eric's feet.

Once the design had finished forming along the flat ground, it rose vertically toward the sky.

First came legs.

As the pattern rose to outline multiple silhouettes, tails appeared next, followed by torsos, then wings and arms, and finally heads. Three wyverns had appeared.

"… Wonderful."

York said in admiration as he watched the wyverns lower their heads to Eric.

Wyverns were merely a subspecies of flying dragon, but even if they were weaker, they were still dragons.

Compared to flying dragons, part of their wings had assimilated into their forelegs. They had fewer means of attack, but their flying capability was excellent.

Wyverns made for splendid mounts, but you normally couldn't contract them; you had to train them.

Yet Eric had just shown himself summoning them. In other words, rather than training them, he had contracted them.

A summoning contract required magical power equal to or greater than the target's, as well as unyielding strength of will.

Only those two, but if you failed the contract, your magical power would be devoured, and you would be killed without being able to mount any decent resistance.

Furthermore, summoning three simultaneously required at least enough magical power for all three of them, to say nothing of the willpower needed to manage them.

Even Lula let out a voice of admiration at the sight.

"We'll go in groups of two. Pairs, that is."

"Split into vanguards and rear guards. That way it'll be easier to coordinate."

Chris picked up where Eric left off.

His tone was no different from usual, but you could feel the self-confidence and persuasiveness of his accumulated experience in it.

"Next is… what kind of tactics, then?"

"Ilya also said to keep the area from being damaged, so we'll go with a quick attack!"

Ilya's words. Two people reacted.

"Then I'll stop its movement first."

"I'll shatter the tyrant's outer layer with a swift attack."

"After that, the vanguards will finish it off."

Chris wrapped up York and Lula's proposals.

It was a very rough strategy, yet not a single person felt uneasy about it.

As for the pairings mounted on the wyverns, Chris and Selena were the vanguards, while York and Eric were the rear guards. That left Lula to take one by herself.

There were monsters in the air nearby that could fly, but none of them could match the wyverns' speed. The group quickly soared up above the forest canopy and into the open air.

Here and there were places where the tyrant spider's huge body had mowed down the trees, and clusters of living things lay scattered about, likely creatures caught in its thread.

Standing in the center of it all was a spider so enormous that it threw off the group's sense of distance.

The moment the group spotted it, the tyrant spider, having spotted them as well, moved with startling speed. It launched thread from its abdomen at an arrow's velocity.

They dodged it easily, and magical power suddenly began to surge.

"Undine."

A giant spirit appeared with its hands raised to the sky, not behind York, but directly above the giant spider.

In that moment, water spouted from the ground like an erupting geyser. The tyrant spider staggered under the force of the impact.

"—Ice Lock."

The magic York invoked in that instant was meant to freeze its joints.

The surface of the frozen water held no ripples. At that smoothly flowing combination of magic, Eric exhaled in baffled admiration.

Then, in the very next instant, five gigantic boulders appeared high in the sky above the great spirit.

Glancing at them with a slight smile, Undine melted into the sky.

"—Strike… Nova!"

As the chant finished, the boulders descended at a velocity that made them seem to vanish.

The giant spider, its joints frozen, couldn't properly defend itself.

It took the direct impact of those massive masses.

Then, amid the shattering boulders, the tyrant spider, freed from its icy restraints, stirred.

Its vitality was admirable, but the exoskeleton that had been its strong point had cracked under the meteoric impacts, and its flesh was crushed and torn as well.

Even so, perhaps out of pride as a strong creature that had hunted countless prey, its mouth kept moving restlessly as if to express its rage, its compound eyes fixed on its hateful enemies.

However—

"Descending Light—"

A sword of light came soaring down.

"—Ascending Flash!"

Scorched by the light, it couldn't recover.

They could feel the heat from their enemy nearby.

But the tyrant, its eyes already done in and now ruled by the unknown world of darkness, panicked and moved its legs to put distance between itself and the foreign enemy. Without realizing that this was the first fear it had ever felt.

"Forceful Magic—"

It hadn't realized that it was stepping further into hell.

"—Colliding Waves, Break!!"

Something touched its legs.

The instant it felt that, the magical power around it raged, its flesh burst, and its exoskeleton was blown apart.

They weren't so arrogant as to overlook the tyrant losing its balance from the abnormality wracking its body.

"Forceful Waves!"

"Gleaming Blaze!"

"" Melting Ground, Scorched Earth!! ""

It was swallowed by the abruptly collapsing earth, but before it knew it, the earth that should have only crumbled was bearing heat, and its surroundings transformed into a sticky prison of molten magma.

The tyrant couldn't comprehend it.

Until just a moment ago, it had been standing at the top of the world.

Other creatures were nothing but prey to it, fleeing at the mere sight of it. Even when some occasionally fought back, it never suffered so much as a single wound. It sated its hunger by toying with the weak.

Rampaging wasn't enough. It wanted more prey, more flesh to chew.

That was all it desired.

But then an overwhelming power had appeared.

It hadn't expected anything like this.

Still, it only wanted to lash out.

And so the tyrant, who had been harm itself—

"Transcending Excellence! Transcendent Saint Sword Striiiiiike!"

—was burned away in full by the overwhelming heat of what looked like a pillar of light from Chris, killing it.

The group watched their comrade (Chris) wearing a satisfied "job well done" look as the torrent of enormous power coursed through him.

And what was in their hearts—

"… That's a weird name."

—Lula's mutter spoke for them.

And so the five of them, still mounted on the wyverns, set off back toward Lunéville.

While there were people surprised at how soon they had returned, Ilya, who came out to meet them, processed their commission's completion in a calm manner.

"I have validated the commission's completion. As for the raw materials…"

""" … … … """

They didn't have any.

"Then your reward will be four million gils per person. Would you like it in cash, or transferred to your account?"

""" Account. """

They had only been asked as a formality, of course. No one expected to be paid in cash for something like this.

To begin with, there was no way the branch would have the absurd sum of twenty million on hand.

"Thank you very much. We look forward to your next visit."

And with that, the tyrant uproar was concluded… or so it should have been.

(… Now for this.)

These five hadn't come here only for the subjugation.

"Ilya, please come with us!"

"Let's travel together again! It'll surely be more fun than before!"

There had been an invisible wall somewhere in their previous travels. Yet compared to that journey that had been cut short midway, this time would surely be far more enjoyable.

But Ilya hadn't agreed, and Chris' expression tightened.

"… Besides, they say a demon has appeared on the Southern Continent."

"We're all going to go defeat it. We're hoping you'll help us."

Ilya knew the demon that had appeared on the Southern Continent wasn't the one they were truly after.

More than that, she knew there was no point in stopping them, and even if they went, winning wouldn't be a problem with their strength.

(Hmm? Wait a moment?)

At the words "Southern Continent", Ilya recalled a certain person.

She reconsidered the current situation in that light, and smiled at the three of them.

"It's alright. All of you can win."

"We're not just talking about strength!"

"Even so, it's alright. Because you'll gain a new comrade."

Not understanding what she meant, the three tilted their heads in unison.

Realizing it couldn't be helped, Ilya gave them another hint.

"Go to Lant Volcano. I think you'll have a wonderful encounter there."

Once she had said it, Ilya felt thoroughly embarrassed.

(Eh, what's with this? Am I some kind of mastermind, pulling strings from the shadows?)

While she was inwardly mortified, York, who had sensed something, started to open his mouth.

But before he could grasp anything, the others silenced him with a "Shh!" gesture.

"… Got it. If Ilya says so, it'll somehow work out."

"Still, we're friends."

"We'll definitely meet again."

"Cyaaa!"

Leaving behind those startlingly sincere words, the boys and girls left.

If they encountered the great spirit salamander that lived in Lant Volcano, Selena, who had a strong affinity for the fire attribute, would be able to form a contract with it.

Back when Ilya had been traveling with her, the girl had always been afraid of being a burden to everyone else.

From the other two's and Ilya's perspective, it was nothing but baseless worry, but without the right opportunity, it couldn't be dispelled.

(With this, her self-confidence should improve a little.)

After watching the three's retreating backs, Ilya looked out the window.

She wasn't really looking at anything, but her consciousness turned toward the great spirit in Lant Volcano.

(… If it leaves so much as a single burn on Selena, I'll beat that lizard to death.)

Far away, the salamander lying dormant in Lant Volcano leapt up at the bloodlust it felt and tumbled into the crater; Ilya, in that moment, had no way of knowing.

When Ilya looked back at the branch's dining hall, Lula was standing in front of her with a smile stretched across her entire face.

"So then Ilya, marry me!"

"Impossible."

('So then'? What do you mean by 'so then'?)

Lula collapsed and sobbed softly at Ilya's instant response. Compared to when Ilya had first met her, she had grown much more expressive.

"Failed again～"

"Please, stop worrying about other people and broaden your own possibilities. Studying magic is fine, but it's also important to move your body… Right. I think something like spearmanship would be fun."

"That's…"

"Please think about it yourself. You like that, don't you?"

Ilya had been about to add "solving problems", but—

"Un! I love Ilya!"

"Wai—nnn…"

Caught in an embrace, her lips were sealed for her.

"See you next time!"

"Uu… that kiss demon…"

It wasn't that she did this to anyone and everyone; she only pressed kisses on Ilya the moment she saw an opening.

With Ilya's true physical ability, dodging even surprise attacks should have been easy. But if she refused, Lula might feel as if she had been rejected. The moment Ilya thought of that, her body unconsciously stiffened, and she couldn't dodge.

(I was happy, dammit! But if I weren't originally a man, I'd be crying!)

The woman herself, however, hadn't noticed any of this.

(Hurry up and snatch that magic spear from the demon and raise your [Spearmanship] skill.)

Ilya thought as she watched her leave. However, there was someone whose gaze carried even more wicked thoughts than Lula's.

"That dark elf…!"

(Ah, this guy was still here.)

York took a deep breath and turned to face Ilya. He dropped to his knees, placed both hands on the floor, and looked up at her.

"Ilya-sama. I will not ask you to take me as your pupil. However, somehow… somehow, please meet with the eldest…"

Saying that, he lowered his head into a full dogeza.

Seeing him do that—

(Uwaah… he full-on dogeza'd…)

He had done it in earnest.

Elves prized their pride above all else. Performing a dogeza in public would probably be enough to make one go bald.

(Such a waste, on an ikemen too.)

Shaking off her inconsequential thoughts, Ilya answered York.

"Rejected."

"Wha—"

Her rejection was final.

"That old man told you to call for me, right? Tell him to come himself if he wants to meet. That much is the bare minimum of courtesy."

"… Yes."

And so York took his leave, looking exhausted.

The elder Ilya knew was an obstinate, stubborn man; he wouldn't even leave the village, let alone travel to a human one. In other words, her response was an indirect way of severing ties.

Since she knew he would be caught up in her turmoil with the elder, she considered sending him some hair tonic as compensation for his anxiety. While Ilya was genuinely troubled over it, a great vortex of power rose up.

[Could you not give that child some advice?]

Queen Undine of Water. At her purely feminine form, which suited Ilya's preferences (since Ilya disliked men), Ilya shook her head.

By using her [Translation] skill, she could understand and converse even in the spirit's language.

[He is walking the path best suited for him. It would be best if you supported him.]

[I am glad to hear you say that… Still, since the others received something, he may sulk and stray from his path.]

Ilya answered the great spirit's laugh with a wry smile.

[Then it can't be helped.]

She handed Undine an earring that happened to be in her apron pocket.

[What is this?]

[An earring said to be crafted from a water dragon's horn. If you exchange words with him, he may come to grasp something.]

[That child doesn't listen to others, does he.]

Their thoughts in agreement, the two exchanged a chuckle.

Perhaps due to the arrogance of being a genius, York had a strong tendency to look down on others.

However, the reason he had accepted this subjugation without trouble was that he had felt the power of the famed [Stars of the Eternal Night] members up close, and rationally acknowledged Lula's true strength.

His personality being what it was, Undine couldn't help but find him endearing.

[Excuse me, but I must take my leave. Farewell, child of god.]

In the next instant, Undine was standing beside York. After being handed the earring, York tried to run back toward the branch and tripped.

His feet being frozen in place was, for York, an unfortunate accident. A bizarre phenomenon then unfolded, the unconscious man being dragged along as if by an invisible force, but Ilya decided to ignore it.

It was finally over.

Although everyone in the dining hall had been overwhelmed by the famous visitors, the atmosphere returned to normal as they settled down one by one. After a few minutes, the dining hall was filled with its usual chatter again.

 

*

 

"Ilya, was that alright?"

"Eh?"

When she turned toward the dining hall, Ria was standing beside her before she'd even realized it.

"I mean, those people are amazing, aren't they? They all seemed to think Ilya was indispensable…"

"Un. I'm very glad of that, I love them too… however."

Everyone's chosen path was their own. There was no place for an imposter to step in; that was what Ilya believed.

And so she too had walked the path she had chosen for herself.

It wasn't for anyone else's sake; it was for her own way of life.

"This town, and everyone in it… I love them."

That was why, for now, she believed she was fine.

Until the day their roads crossed once more—

 

 

—Gently and happily, she would live.