45 – …or give me death!

It should have been a simple outcome.

Zeltoble was the country of mercenaries. Money flowed, and those who honed their skills for coin were all over.

So, when an upstart young man and a group of beauties and kids appeared, it should have been obvious what the result would be: the young man's death and the other sold into slavery.

But...

"What... is this pressure...?"

"My stats?! They're halved?!"

"Wh-Who are you...?!"

"That shield... I-Is it the Shield Devil?! Was the Church of Three Heroes right?!"

...Instead it was a desperate struggle.

The bravest... or perhaps most foolish mercenaries ran forward to meet that black-haired young man.

Arrows, magic, swords, and spears rushed forward to pierce that man's body. But...

"You all must be used to fighting monsters."

...Wielding just a shield, he expertly parried every attack and countered with a fatal blow.

Punches to the neck, gouging out eyes, breaking knees as he moved forward...

It was impossible.

The Status Magic System was infallible.

Various mercenaries and adventurers used magic and enchanted items alike to confirm that black-haired young man's status.

And it was clear: he was level 1.

But...

"What's wrong?" The young man crushed the skull of a gladiator who had enjoyed sending young demi-humans into the coliseum. "Are you not entertained?"

An invisible pressure. An ominous aura that said, despite what their eyes told them, approaching would be death.

Even so, there were people who didn't listen to their instincts.

"It's just one man and a group of women with children!"

"Cut them down already, dammit!"

"Use magic or ranged weapons! He can't deflect everything!"

S'yne, a teenaged girl with short silver hair and matching eyes, watched the chaos unfold from inside a tavern, keeping out of sight.

'...That isn't a legendary hero. But...?'

S'yne instinctively clutched a small sewing set with a purple gem embedded inside it.

A faint pulse. Tha Vassal Sewing Set couldn't speak, but S'yne had a vague sense that it was telling her to get that man's help.

Still...

"What's wrong?" The black-haired young man swept out his arms, letting the various arrows and magic strike him. A crimson haze erupted as it did, but while his clothes were tattered, his flesh remained unbroken. "Is that all you deviants have? Then, it's my turn now, right? Kneel for me. <Condense>." He lowered his arms and then the muscular and powerful adventurers... the ones that S'yne had been concerned about fighting in the coliseum.

They all screamed in horror and pain, crashing into the ground.

A wicked laugh echoed and then a woman with crimson hair and emerald eyes walked next to the young man. Twirling an ornate staff in her hands, she said, "Master Naofumi... Are you sure you are not a villain?"

"Mein, please. Villains lose. I don't. So I'm just a consequence."

The young man... that 'Naofumi' looked around and said, "Zeltoble... a country that treats lives as currency. A place like this doesn't deserve to remain standing, right? Since you create glass ceilings to keep people in line."

A raccoon demi-human with orange hair and crimson eyes let out a dark smile as she stepped forward. "Is it time for us to fight now, Goshujin-sama?"

A fox demi-human with snowy white hair and violet eyes stepped forward as well, left hand held over the rapier sheathed on her right side. "...Do we purge them, Master?"

Naofumi swept his dark brown eyes over the surroundings and said, "Mm. Well, let's do one final thing." He ran a hand through his black hair, slicking it back. Then he smiled and said, "Tell me, citizens of Zeltoble. When your slaves return after I have healed them... when they come back as free men and women. Armed with equal if not greater strength than you..." He grinned. "Do you think they'll give you mercy? Or judgment?"

S'yne felt her breath stop when she heard his words.

...Yes.

That man was not a hero.

But he was not a villain either.

Before she realized it, she was standing and making her way outside.

A young woman with light green hair standing behind Naofumi noticed S'yne and pointed her out to Naofumi.

Because of that, Naofumi tilted his head to look at S'yne.

S'yne froze. But not because of Naofumi.

Instead, it was because of the pair of girls that floated over Naofumi's shoulders. Girls who had been hidden until now behind him.

Skywings, just like her. Children too.

But, unlike S'yne, their wings were whole. Complete.

Questions welled up in her chest, but more than that, a clear intuition.

If it was this man, this Naofumi, she would be able to restore her Vassal weapon and get revenge on the ones who destroyed her world.

So S'yne opened her mouth to speak, praying that her voice would work properly for once.

But before she could even say one word, a blue flash rushed towards Naofumi.

===

> An enemy has initiated combat!

> Status Magic System has been deemed as a conceptual weapon and neutralized!

> Warning! The enemy is beyond human limits!

> Ominous Aura cuts the enemy's abilities in half!

My eyes widened as a harpoon rushed towards my neck.

It was fast. Faster than anything I'd seen until now in this world.

...But it wasn't faster than a few of the monsters I'd had to dodge before.

I dove to the right and smashed my shield against the glinting steel.

Shattered Veil... ironically, shattered, leaving me apparently defenseless.

But I didn't care about that.

This was just a show, after all. I hadn't used any proper trump cards yet.

...Though I'd need to confirm the durability of that shield later.

"Goshujin-sama!" Lia reacted first, dashing in to intercept whoever it was that attacked me first.

But I didn't have time to keep track of that.

"He's off guard!"

"Get him!"

"Take the women as hostages!"

"Target the children!"

I stood up and brushed myself off. At the same time, I used some shortcuts I made ahead of time to repair my outfit, restoring my black hoodie and jeans.

...Which I forgot I was wearing.

Huh, definitely gave away the part of me being from another world.

Meh, didn't matter too much.

But what did was...

I looked at the one who said to target the children.

Surprisingly... or maybe, unsurprisingly, it was a man who looked like Beloukas.

I smiled at him and said, "Target the children, you said?"

He flinched. But he stood his ground and pointed at me, gesturing towards a pair of armored knights beside him. "Go! They'll be worth a fortune if you can capture them! I'll pay you fifty percent!"

Nina floated towards me, hugging my right arm. "Father? Fight?"

Mina floated towards me too, hugging my left arm. "Papa... scared..."

But as for the last of the 'children' with me...

Bahamut landed on the ground and walked in front of me. Smiling, he held up his left hand.

And after that...

"I am the lord of dragons who has come to judge this world. Oh, sinners, be purged. Megaflare."

My eyes widened and I quickly said, "I declare everyone neutral in this conflict as my ally! Transfer!"

A single second.

The people who had stayed back to observe flickered and warped behind me.

The others who had hostile intent remained.

And in the next second, a blue and white flame erupted across Zeltoble.

===

Lia noticed the surge of mana and heat from behind her. But she didn't pay attention to it, too busy clashing against the one who had attacked Goshujin-sama.

A woman with long black hair and blue eyes, wielding a two-pronged trident.

Lia had a vague sense the woman was familiar... but she didn't care.

This woman had tried to kill Goshujin-sama. The same Goshujin-sama who saved her. The one who had deliberately remained in Melromarc and endured all of that shame and defamation just to ensure that he could save her.

A faint haze erupted around Lia as her mana responded to her will causing her figure to blur. Illusion magic, used to hide her attacks and disrupt her opponent's senses.

...But the black-haired woman wasn't fooled.

Steel clashed against steel as Lia's blade swept towards lethal targets only to be parried at the last second by the woman's trident.

Even so.

"You can't block forever." Lia declared those words and continued to advance, her sword continuously lashing out.

Because it was true.

Goshujin-sama had personally trained both Lia and Sylvia.

And while Goshujin-sama had still not told them exactly what sort of world he was from, Lia could tell.

Goshujin-sama was a man who was used to death and destruction. To ending fights as quickly as possible while finding the smallest gaps in an opponent's defense. Who would give up an arm if it meant the opponent died.

That lethal edge...

Whether intentionally passed on or not, Lia had learned it.

Because Goshujin-sama had said it himself.

He could not protect them all the time.

Only they could protect themselves.

And now... Lia was strong.

Strong enough to tell that the woman she was fighting was hesitating for some reason.

Right now, the woman's experience was letting her keep pace against Lia's attacks.

But once.

Just once.

Lia just needed one opening and-

*CLANG*

A heavy blow to force an opening.

The woman swung her trident to clear the space between her and Lia.

Lia deliberately moved with the force to step back. Then, when she landed, she used that force to coil like a spring and then to pounced forward for a fatal counterattack. A blinding thrust to take out the woman's heart.

But then a voice called out. One that was nostalgic.

"...Raphtalia-chan? Is that you?"

Lia stopped, the point of her blade just breaking the skin of her opponent. She trembled and then slowly looked up at the woman's face, taking in her features properly.

...Right. That face was familiar.

Lia had thought so from the start.

But now that she was looking at it...

A beautiful face. Blue eyes the color of the sea. A sad smile and a face etched with heartbreak.

"...Sadeena onee-san?"

The woman, Sadeena, dropped her trident and held her arms out to hug Lia.

But Lia didn't allow it. Instead, she pressed her blade further against Sadeena's chest.

Sadeena froze. "R-Raphtalia-"

"You weren't there."

Lia's crimson eyes burned with a dark light. "...Because you weren't there, Keel, Rifana, me... Daddy and Mommy... Everyone." She stepped forward, pressing her blade against Sadeena's chest.

Sadeena stepped back, her eyes wide with shock. "That's... Raphtalia-chan, I know that-"

"Rifana died in my arms. Keel... I don't know where Keel is. And I... The only reason I'm alive is because Goshujin-sama found me. Looked for me. And made sure he got to me before anything bad happened. Before I suffered like Sylvia had."

Lia let out a bright smile, but her crimson eyes flashed with a hint of madness. "...It's your fault."

Sadeena froze. Then her blue eyes softened in understanding and sorrow. "...Oh, Raphtalia-chan... Your heart broke."

Lia stomped the ground to finish the stab.

But before she could, a delicate hand grabbed her wrist. Sylvia's.

"Lia. No."

Lia froze. Then she slowly turned to look at Sylvia. "...Why not? If Sadeena Onee-san had been there... If she was there...!"

Sylvia stepped forward and hugged Lia. "I know. But didn't Master say it? This world doesn't have what ifs. And she isn't the enemy. Master doesn't want us hurting anyone who isn't a bad person, remember?"

Lia trembled, glaring at Sadeena.

She remembered how she, Rifana, and Keel had screamed for her to help.

She remembered how her father had used his magic and body to buy time for them to run.

She remembered how it had all been pointless when those knights appeared and took them to become slaves.

...But then she remembered Goshujin-sama.

How he had been betrayed by Melromarc and Mein, but set it aside and even allowed Mein to join because she was useful.

How Goshujin-sama had spoken to Beloukas when he bought- No, freed Lia and Sylvia.

Malice with malice, kindness with kindness.

And right now, Sadeena hadn't really shown malice. Just misunderstanding.

"...Fine."

Sylvia smiled and pulled her hand back.

Lia slammed her sword back into her sheath and immediately spun on her heel. "Goshujin-sama needs us anyway."

Sylvia nodded. "That's right. There are still bad guys to take care of. Master separated the ones who didn't care from the ones who actually hurt people. So, everyone left here..." Her violet eyes flashed. "...They're people who hurt others. Like the ones who hurt us."

Lia smiled, but her eyes were cold. "...So we should turn them into experience. Right?"

Sylvia giggled.

Lia laughed.

And then the two sprinted off, hunting down the adventurers and people still remaining in Zeltoble. The ones who had abused or used humans and demi-human like cattle or worse.

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