Second Report On Toudou’s Party’s Increasing Battle Prowess Although easily describable as “golems,” there are many different categories therein. For example, the golem that I defeated earlier to test my mettle was a rock golem. They have four long limbs, enabling them to complete intricate processes, and they’re quite quick. There are golems that are purely defense-oriented, with supremely hard armored bodies, and there are types that spew fire to attack. Their progenitors, the mother golems, develop these creatures in accordance with their environments. Without exception, they are powerful weapons of war that should be feared at all costs. One reason why it’s so difficult to come up with a battle plan for this region is due to the sheer variety of golems present. Another is the area’s renown as a training ground. Toudou and his party must know this. Far below me, the four of them walk along the cliffs looking anxious. Their formation is as follows: Toudou in the lead; then Aria, furrowing her brow; Limis, who has recovered; and Glacia bringing up the rear, looking sullen. The only thing different than usual is the massive metal hammer strapped to Glacia’s back. It seems she negotiated well and got them to purchase a weapon for her, just in case she needs it. At any rate, it’s good to see her caring for a change. “Oof… The wind sure is strong up here…” I am observing Toudou’s party from a cliff ten meters above the path they’re traversing. I’m keeping a firm grip on Stey, the dead weight, while following Toudou’s movements. I refocus my senses. Although I keep a close watch on Toudou, the path we’re traveling isn’t safe by any means, either. Golems are different from demons. They will attack even if their opponent clearly outmatches them in prowess. And above all else— “Oh, I know! Do you wanna play a word game?” As I pull her along by the hand, Stey proposes an idea with unnecessary cheer. Amelia proposed a similar idea in the Great Tomb… Are word games making a comeback or something?! Hell no, I don’t want to play a word game! “That’s a shame.” “You’re a shame, Stey.” I can’t be sure of what she actually feels in her heart of hearts, but she giggles all the same. “I get that a lot.” “No surprise there!” I’m trailing Toudou’s party, keeping an eye out for monsters and keeping the other eye on Stey. I can’t let up for even a second on all three, and it’s a serious burden. Stey comes closer to me while I hold her hand. She looks up at me and says, as if consoling me, “Let’s do our very best, okay? Okay, Ares? Right?” “…I’m trying.” There’s no way…absolutely no way I can let go of her for even a second. I carve this mantra afresh in my mind as I look down on Stey, who is quickly becoming overly clingy with me. Sylvester Veronide. There isn’t likely a single person in the entire Kingdom of Ruxe who doesn’t know his name. He’s a native of the Kingdom, a merchant who converted to the priesthood of the Church of Ahz Gried and rose through the ranks to become a top executive member—one of the Church’s five cardinals. Of course, I know his name, too. I just didn’t connect it with Stey at first. He’s supposedly the least qualified cardinal in history, yet the Church very much depends on him. My superior, Cardinal Creio, oversees the Church’s military power, and similarly, Sylvester manages its treasury. Well before I became a priest, Sylvester was a preeminent merchant within the Kingdom, and when he converted to the faith, he distinguished himself as invaluable among the inner Church members who had a paltry understanding of economic concepts. He claims he’s a priest, but without money, his faith would dissipate. Everything costs money—his robe, his mace, his scripture book. Sylvester managed to instill a mercantile aspect within the faith-based Church and completely overhauled its financial affairs, which were previously in a state of disarray. He is not well liked within the Church, but his influence is undeniably massive. How could a man of such great stature and an untrained sister possibly be related? Yet, that seems to be the truth. They’re father and daughter. Sylvester should be an old man by now. I feel like their ages are too far apart to be parent and child, and both Amelia and Creio should have told me about them from the beginning. Furthermore, Stey ought to mention such pertinent details when she introduces herself. In most instances, this would be unfathomable. The daughter of a cardinal has more value than Aria or Limis. There’s no way Stey should be allowed to participate in a quest to vanquish the Demon Lord, especially considering she has more than a few screws loose. I called Creio to enter a formal complaint, but his response was simply another thorn in my side. —“Ares, Stey is just a pitiful little girl. Sylvester has given up on her entirely.” Creio spoke with such compassion, and it made everything crystal clear for me. It’s simple: Everyone’s thrown in the towel when it comes to handling Stey, and now that towel has flown my way, into my hand—that’s all there is to it. —“Anyway, she has redeeming qualities. Even Sylvester knows this. Ares, I’m confident that you’ll be able to…handle her well.” Creio’s kind words looped in my mind over and over—to the point that I haven’t been able to sleep since yesterday. But I can’t just ignore Stey. In the end, I decided to take her along myself, just as was planned initially. Thankfully, even though she might seem hopeless, walking along while holding her hand isn’t a problem at all. “Ummm… Ares? You can let go of my hand now, okay? I’ll be careful.” “No chance.” I’m sure Stey’s intentions are pure, but she truly doesn’t know her own place, and I bluntly refuse her request before continuing to track Toudou. I hold Stey’s hand with my left and swing my mace with my right, obliterating the monsters that sporadically appear. “You really are a worrywart, Ares!” “Shut up.” The path that Toudou and his party are traversing is vastly different from ours. It’s one taken by the majority of mercenaries who leave town. They haven’t run into many monsters thus far, but just now, a few golems appear in their way. There are three of them, each about the size of a human head. At a glance, they look like small spheres with limbs, just as their name indicates: ball golems. Their shape emphasizes speed over resistance or power, and the claws on their arms and legs allow them to climb cliffs with ease. They generally travel in packs of five to fifteen. Toudou and his party notice the ball golems approaching a few seconds after I do. Toudou takes out his fractured shield and draws his sword. Aria takes a step forward and lines up with him. Limis grabs Glacia by the arm and drags her to the rear. It looks like they’re not letting Glacia get in on the action just yet. And the battle begins. Ball golems are particularly mobile, but in terms of strength, they’re some of the lowest-ranking monsters in this area. Their bodies are made from ore and relatively hard, but it won’t be a challenge for the holy sword Ex to pierce their armored shells. A ball golem flies at Toudou in a flurry, and he blocks it with his shield. He’s knocked slightly off his feet from the attack but quickly stands strong again. He brings his sword down on the ball golem, but a second before impact, it uses his shield as scaffolding, clambering up and flipping backward off it. Toudou’s holy sword whiffs through the air. In the ensuing gap, another ball golem flies in to attack, but Aria stands in its way. Her magical sword Lightning Howl slashes through the air like a streak of lightning and hits the golem head-on. The piercing shrill of metal against the golem’s body rips through the valley. “Get ’em ! Get ’em!” The ball golem is smashed and bounces off the ground. Aria’s blade made a direct hit on the golem, but its armored shell has only been damaged—it’s not dead. However, it launches itself off the path to the cliffs below. Life force can’t be absorbed from it now. “Get ’em! Get ’em!” The third golem hurls itself at the golem that had used Toudou’s shield as scaffolding. When it connects, it turns the golem itself into a springboard and rapidly gains speed. The golem unpredictably stops on a dime, and Aria steps in to slash at it from the side. The golem smashes against the cliff wall, but its cohort still remains. It refuses to leave an opening and hurls itself against Aria, now open on her flank. Aria is completely unprepared for the lunge attack and is knocked off her feet. She stifles a scream as she smashes into the cliff. She isn’t heavily damaged, but depending on the direction of the lunge attack, she could have easily fallen to the cliffs below. “Go, go, go!” Toudou screams Aria’s name and unleashes a slash attack on the ball golem, already preparing for another lunge attack. Because it is preoccupied, it has no chance to escape. The holy sword Ex screams with fury as it cleaves the ball golem in half. Toudou doesn’t even stop to watch it fall to bits and runs to Aria’s side. She is groaning in pain. However, there is still a monster in their midst. The ball golem that was smashed against the cliff wall by Aria’s slash attack now rushes toward Toudou, who has his back turned. The moment before it smashes into Toudou’s back, a flame is unleashed from behind, engulfing the ball golem. It’s burned to a crisp and falls to the ground. Toudou reacts far too late and turns around quickly. Limis shrugs her shoulders, skeptical, and holds up her staff. Stey, who has been supporting the party with her lackluster cheering, now gives a shout of joy. “Wow! They did it. The Holy Warrior is the real deal.” “Stey, get in touch with Amelia. It’s time for plan B.” “…Huh?” Are you completely blind? You might think Toudou’s the real deal, but that was obviously a close call. Ball golems are a drop in the bucket. Plus, there were only three of them—quite smaller than the packs they usually form. If that low number is already causing them damage, then there’s no way they’ll survive Golem Valley. Toudou and his party are far less accomplished than I thought. Compared to the undead foes of the Great Tomb, Golem Valley is old-school hard knocks. There aren’t that many bothersome powers at work here—just pure brute strength. However, they still came out on top. The reason the battle was tough is simply due to their lack of experience. After engaging a number of golems in combat, Toudou and his party return to town with exhaustion on their faces. Most of their battles went the same way as the first—clearly an indication of Toudou’s present capabilities. I’ll need to ask for the madam’s involvement after all. I’m glad I spoke to her beforehand. “This doesn’t look very good, does it?” “No, it’s not as bad as you think.” Stey—easily the most annoying, helpless person on earth—puts her finger to her lips and cocks her head to the side. Because she falls down so easily, I ended up holding her hand the entire damn time we were out. I explain to her, a bit dejectedly, “Toudou’s level is still low. That’s why he’s having a hard time. If his level goes up and he learns some new techniques, he’ll iron out the kinks.” Toudou is still in his beginnings as the Holy Warrior. He has potential. With training, his growth will be exponential. There’s no turning back now. “…Training?” Aria asks Toudou, blinking. They have just finished eating dinner and are mulling over how difficult today’s battles were. Golems are far more difficult than they expected—on a completely different level than anything they’ve fought thus far. The footing of the valley’s cliffs is horrendous, and the fierce, cold wind pierces their spirits. Myriad varieties of golems encroach at all times. The biggest difference between these battles and past ones is that Aria can’t slay any of the golems in a single fell swoop. Until now, both Toudou and Aria were able to slaughter nearly every enemy they encountered with a single blow. Aria’s sword, Lightning Howl, is one of the most powerful blades in the entire Kingdom, a magical sword imbued with the power of lightning. In theory, even a golem’s robust armored shell should not be able to withstand a single blow from it. Part of the reason she cannot cleave golems in half with a single blow lies in her lack of experience, something Aria herself knows all too well. As someone who doesn’t use a shield, being able to slay her enemies with a single slash is a point of deep pride for her. She needs to enhance her swordsmanship skills. Toudou is just barely able to slay the golems with one blow, and they have sidestepped her attacks a number of times. She remains committed to becoming stronger. Limis, who is dead tired from today’s march along the bluffs, rolls around on her bed. Toudou looks to her and begins to discuss a message she received from the inn’s proprietor earlier. It had to do with the town headman they’d met upon their arrival. “Yeah… There was a message from the town headman. It appears there’s a training ground nearby for those who aren’t used to the monsters in Golem Valley yet… He said they provide lectures on how to fight golems.” “…I see. I didn’t know they had such a thing…” “Hey, why don’t we take them up on it? Though I doubt it’ll be much use for me, personally,” adds Limis. “…Yes, I suppose so.” Aria stares at her hands. They still sting from attacking the rock-hard golems over and over. She’s felt it before, in training, but never from wielding the magical sword Lightning Howl. Aria lifts her head up and looks right into Toudou’s dark eyes. “Let’s ask for training right away… Raising our levels is foremost, but the golems here are far stronger than any undead. We will have to reconfigure the battle plan we used in the Great Tomb.” —He’s huge. Next to the town headman stands a massive man two heads taller and shaped like a boulder—no, more like a mountain. He’s clothed in a gray priest’s robe and has the mark of a priest hanging from his ear, but Toudou simply can’t imagine him as one. Aria and Limis are also flabbergasted. The only one unfazed is Glacia, the tiniest of them all. The hard-faced town headman next to the statuesque man nods in a boastful manner. “This is Wurtz, a former mercenary who now works for the Church as a priest. Although he’s quite busy with regular duties, he’s made time for the Holy Warrior’s training today.” The man named Wurtz nods placidly in response. Behind Toudou, Limis mutters quietly, “Is he a gigas?” The town headman groans. He slaps his forehead in exaggerated fashion and shakes his head from side to side. “No, no, no, Lady Friedia. He is a courageous warrior with giant’s blood running through his veins. Wurtz, sir, please pay her no mind. She means no ill will… She’s simply a bit sheltered.” Limis is miffed, but before she can speak, Wurtz nods deeply and comes to the front of the group. A single step shakes their entire environs. Wurtz approaches Toudou and extends his arm toward her slowly. He’s wearing white gloves on his massive hands. “Wurtz Beld. It is a true honor to meet you, Holy Warrior.” “Ah… Y-yeah…” Wurtz’s voice is so unexpectedly gentle that Toudou’s eyes go wide as saucers. Aria’s and Limis’s do the same. Toudou reaches out timidly and shakes Wurtz’s hand lightly. He nods deeply and turns to Limis. “Gigas are a type of monster. They resemble humans, but they are different. Though they are highly intelligent beings, their fighting instincts and savage nature are far more prominent. My ancestors were the most formidable type of monster on this planet.” “And they’re different now?” “No… They’re still that way.” Wurtz’s brown eyes are ablaze at Toudou’s question. They are the eyes of a predator set apart from humankind.
Chapter 20
14 min read