Chapter 21:
Panting and Promise
NO LONGER was this peaceful meadow troubled by grim shadows. The remnant of the giant stone arrow was buried in the ground, its shards scattered. The aftermath of the blazing Fire spells and the fierce battle between golems had devastated large swathes of the earth.
As I stood in the remains of the battlefield, I stared at my axe and pondered. I was still mulling over the safe use of my friend the axe, sure; but more importantly, what exactly was with that crossbow golem’s outrageous sniping ability?
That stupidly huge arrow had whizzed toward us from a staggering distance, one that defied the description of crossbow golems in the illustrated guide. Our enemy was indeed remarkable. But as a word, “remarkable” didn’t really explain anything.
I understood a golem’s relative efficiency could depend quite a bit on their creator’s abilities, so perhaps my answer lay in the wielder. It still felt strange, like the golem had been too powerful.
Still, I wasn’t exactly familiar with fighting norms in this world. I did know that long-ranged attacks were limited here, which meant that crossbow golem’s massive long-distance attack gave it an unbelievable edge—so great that it might as well be thought of as a weapon from a whole other dimension. If such an attack were considered normal, it would have appeared in the illustrated guide.
At the same time, unusually powerful golems did exist, like my Gol. Yet I couldn’t help being bothered by this.
Nah, but then again…
I was about to be swallowed in a tornado of thoughts when I noticed Mr. Chotos’s eyes were glued to my battle-axe.
Gah, this is bad! Damn, did he notice my sorcery?! Although I strove to keep my expression calm, my flustered heart was in a panic.
By contrast, Mr. Chotos gave me a puzzled look. “Nemaki, could that black axe be an ancient mana tool…and a mana weapon to boot?”
“Eh…? Ah, yeah. Of course. Exactly that.” I decided to play along. I could read the room!
“I know I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, since you’re like that, but… To think you’re a mana weapon wielder, too…” Mr. Chotos droned on, muttering as he stared at the axe. “But do mana weapons fly so wildly through the air like that?”
This damn barcode nonchalantly called me “that” again!
However, it seemed he wasn’t under the impression I had used sorcery. So there was a mana tool that resembled my axe…? Frankly, I was relieved. All the blood had rushed to my head when I decided to use sorcery to let my Earth Battle-Axe fly. I had been too afraid my friends would die, and damn the consequences.
However, now that I had collected myself, I obviously didn’t want to be arrested. Moreover, if there was any truth to the contents of Luvel Zairein’s stone-book testament, numerous past Sorcerer Kings had been killed. Presumably, they had been eradicated by responsible citizens, or even arrested and given the death penalty.
In other words, if I were arrested, I wouldn’t get away with a small mark on my personal record. My life would be in danger. I had no reason to assume the Sorcerer King would be afforded human rights and a fair trial. I trembled in fear at the thought of that which exceeded a witch trial—the trial of a Sorcerer King.
While I tensed, the old driver grinned as he gazed at the pile of defeated spellcasters. “Ah, I’m blown away. You really are as amazing as the rumors say.”
He smiled as brightly as the sun. It suited him. I really had to apologize for dragging this grandpa into our personal problems.
“Mr. Nemaki!” Teru suddenly jumped on me.
“Oh, be careful.” I pointed the axe in my right hand behind me and made sure to gently catch the innocent young girl with my left.
“Yay! Mr. Nemaki is amazing!” Teru’s radiant smile was blinding.
That’s right. I was able to protect this five-year-old’s smile. As an adult and role model, I’m just relieved I could ensure a safe future for her.
I crouched down to Teru’s eye level, patted her head—it’s an adult’s responsibility to lower themselves so as not to intimidate the young—and smiled back. “Well, there’s no reason to let evil flourish in this world. If normal adults like your papa and I were to get a little serious, we could beat all the bad guys.”
Mind you, that was a lie. Truthfully, just like Mr. Chotos, I had been pretty much prepared to die. However, this was less a “lie” than one of those bluffs adults must uphold for the good of young folks.
Teru’s face was quite close to mine now. From this proximity, I could see the sparkles glittering in her young eyes. Suddenly, she planted a kiss on my cheek. Her lips were warm, soft, and small like a flower bud.
“You really are precious, aren’t you?” I sighed as I ran my hand through her fluffy, chestnut hair. Her youthful cheeks were dyed a rosy red.
I supposed she was around that age where girls practice kissing with their stuffed teddy bears. I was sure it must have been hard for Mr. Chotos to wash whatever toy she was presently doting on.
Besides, Teru, you probably don’t understand this yet, but you can’t just casually give away your kisses. After all, one of your kindergarten friends might misunderstand, and he’ll stagger off down a woeful path. A girl your age needs to be responsible with her affections.
Ugh, wait, now that I think about it, isn’t this the scene where the protagonist gets kissed by the heroine after defeating a formidable foe and begins his bittersweet journey to the throne? So then why? Why am I being kissed by a five-year-old?
Ah, this was bad. I was going to cry. Not to mention, if Teru hugged me any more tightly, Mr. Chotos might snap at me again. Plus, Gol would surely want to monopolize her, so—
“Huh? Gol?” I suddenly realized Gol wasn’t next to me. Normally, this was the point at which she always kidnapped Teru. Where had my partner gone?
I scanned the field. She wasn’t near Ginem Bari; he was flat on the ground over yonder, on account of how Gol had punched him. When I looked to the forest, I saw a white figure standing among the newly pruned trees. Found her.
Gol stood with her arms on her hips in front of the large one-armed golem, which had fallen into a sitting position. The mist had at last fully dissipated, exposing the golem’s shape. It was short, stout, and tan. So that was a crossbow golem. Heavy-class golems really were tough. While its torso was broad, its arms and legs were also incredibly thick, and not only was it tall, it was wide. All in all, it gave off a completely different impression from a light-class golem. Then again, some of the size came from the armor, so it might not have been all that different from a light-class golem after all.
Several meters to the side of the crossbow golem, among the fallen trees, was the unconscious body of the golem wielder I had caught in the collateral damage of my axe attack. He was young, and he wore an eye patch. He was also bleeding from his head and twitching a bit. I studied his bloodied face, the white of his visible eye showing, when I thought: Huh? Where have I seen this face before?
Then I remembered. “Ah! He’s that handsome eye-patched fellow who was staring at me in the lobby of the Paisley Company.”