Hard Carried by My Sword-Chapter 134

Elahan, aboard the airship, let out a cry of wonder.

“Wow! There really are ships that fly through the sky!”

A few days after she had registered with the Guild under a false identity, Leon and his party found an airship bound for the western border of Jugend and boarded it. They had ridden one before, traveling from Area 13 to Area 1, but the usefulness of airships was still truly remarkable.

It was a means of travel that ignored terrain altogether while maintaining a constant speed. Jugend, with its land covered in mines and uneven ground, was notorious for being difficult to traverse. Even well-shod hooves couldn’t endure the terrain. Traveling long distances on horseback or by carriage was not only inefficient but also dangerous.

Trains with steam engines were somewhat better, but rail construction was impossible in places with steep changes in elevation, which made destinations extremely limited. Airships, however, needed only clear skies.

Though she herself had only flown once, Karen sidled up next to Elahan with a smug look.

“Heh, so even the Saintess has never flown in an airship before, huh?”

Elahan simply beamed and nodded, replying, “Yes. Normally, I just run since I’m faster.”

Karen stared at her in disbelief.

“Wait... So, when you were looking for Mr. Hero...”

“Mhm. From the Church’s headquarters, I went down to the Kingdom of Artium, then veered off toward the Titan Mountains. After that, I ran all the way to Jugend. It was pretty far.”

“H-how long did that take?”

“Let’s see... about a month? I did get sidetracked a couple of times, so it took longer than I thought.”

The Crown of the Star, where the Holy Church was headquartered, was in the far north of the continent. In contrast, the Kingdom of Artium lay to the southeast of the central region. She had crossed all that, then detoured through the Titan Mountains before running to Jugend—an almost terrifying feat.

That was a journey that should have taken months, even half a year. To her, however, it was just a single month. Her speed and endurance were both beyond belief.

No wonder the Saintess was famed as the pinnacle of human weapons... So, when they say the Holy Iron Inquisitors will chase you to the ends of the earth, that’s probably because of Saintesses like her...

Karen wiped the cold sweat from her brow. No wonder her instincts as an assassin always screamed whenever she looked at Elahan. Fighting this terrifying Saintess head-on was the last thing she should ever attempt. Not even an Aura Blade would work against her.

While the two talked about airships, Leon stood a little apart, speaking with Irexana.

“Thank you for all your consideration, Your Eminence.”

Irexana answered with his usual gentle smile, “Not at all. Compared to the devotion and valor you’ve shown, it’s hardly enough. Were it up to me, I would have assigned you several Holy Iron Inquisitors, but...”

Leon finished Irexana’s sentence for him, “That would only draw the attention of the Evil Order...”

At Leon’s reply, Irexana gave a wry smile and said, “Exactly. But I have already conveyed your intentions to the Church. That you would rather act as a guerrilla force, using the fact that Evil has not realized the Holy Sword has returned.”

“In Blaine, in Rubena as well—it seemed far more effective than trying to sweep them aside in one stroke like Holy King Rodrick.”

“A valid point,” Irexana agreed at once.

Having clashed with the Evil Order many times, he knew well their menace. Their exolaw was dangerous enough, but the real threat was their perfect concealment. Even when the Holy Iron Inquisitors scoured the land with bloodshot eyes, perhaps two or three out of ten plots could be stopped in advance—if that.

“If anything, this case was confirmation. If the expedition to the Great Vein had been delayed by even a few weeks—or days—disaster would have struck. It was only thanks to you, the Hero, that it was prevented.”

“That was the Holy Sword’s ability, really.”

Leon sighed, tapping the hilt.

If only I could have shared that map with everyone...

When he first discovered El-Cid’s ability, his immediate thought had been to share it like a quest map. Regardless of its solvability, simply alerting the Church would have delayed or thwarted the Evil Order’s schemes.

El-Cid, however, cut him off instantly.

—No.

Why not? We could save countless lives.

Though Leon’s reasoning was sound, El-Cid had his own.

—The Holy Sword’s power is given only within the narrow limits of causality. If only you and your companions use it, that balance holds. But if the Church shares it, then thousands, tens of thousands, would all be borrowing the Goddess’ ‘eyes.’

Even when Leon used the North Star Cross through El-Cid back in Blaine, causality had locked the sword immediately afterward, after just one use. If such limits were imposed even on a being of such an old past, what punishment would fall if the goddess’s sight were shared with tens of thousands?

El-Cid estimated grimly.

—If causality were interrupted on that scale, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters would ravage the continent for ten years straight, and dimensional walls would rip open. If they connected to normal realms, perhaps fine, but we both know we’re not that lucky. It would mean certain annihilation.

So I absolutely shouldn’t share.

—Nope. Even if I came back to life, I wouldn’t be able to fix that.

Just imagining the backlash erased the thought from Leon’s mind.

Whether he knew Leon’s inner conflict or not, Irexana spoke in a relieved tone.

“Still, it eases my mind that the Saintess is with you.”

Unlike Karen, who had yet to surpass the threshold of Master, Irexana was a true Master and skilled in both spirit arts and Holy Law. He, more than anyone, understood Elahan’s power and knew she was far beyond her years.

They said the Eighth Saintess was the greatest in history, and indeed she is, Irexana thought.

Her innate strength aside, she also carried the Church’s two strongest sacred tools: the Holy Iron Breaker and the Holy Barrier.

Even Irexana would not dare claim more than a fifty-fifty chance against her in a life-or-death duel. And she was not even fully matured yet. In a few years, she would become a force beyond imagination.

With a satisfied expression, Irexana exchanged a few more words of advice with Leon, and then, together with the others, they finished a light meal to prepare for their entry into the desert.

***

A few hours later, the airship carrying the three of them glided smoothly through the skies and arrived at its destination just as the sun hung at its zenith. The airship slowed outside the walls of Area 12, reaching the western border of the Kingdom of Jugend.

With a heavy drone, the vessel descended closer to the ground. Leon’s party leapt from several dozen meters up, sparing the crew the trouble of landing and taking off again.

They landed without difficulty, and the airship, still descending, began to climb back into the distant sky. From the still-open hatch, a hand waved—a final farewell from Irexana, who had seen Leon off to the last.

Come to think of it, the people of the Church are full of warmth.

Even the Holy Iron Inquisitors, infamous throughout the world for their ruthlessness, were the same. Caesare made a habit of tending to the poor. Demian and Angela never lost their smiles when speaking with anyone. Perhaps that was why the goddess favored her clergy so deeply.

“Hero Leon!”

As Leon gazed after the retreating airship, his sleeve was tugged. Turning, he found Elahan pointing at the horizon, calling for him with her eyes sparkling.

For all her refined appearance, she looked like an excited child as she exclaimed, “It’s the desert! The desert! I’ve seen it in picture books, but this is my first time seeing one with my own eyes.”

“You wanted to see the desert that much?”

“Yes! At the Grand Church, there were always blizzards. Even when I went out for missions or training, I never came as far as the desert. It’s amazing that there’s a land covered entirely in sand.”

Elahan carefully stretched out a foot, pressing down into the soft sand. Her ankle sank in at once, and she giggled in delight, her face glowing with joy.

Seeing this innocent side of the Saintess, Leon and Karen smiled faintly and followed her. The moment their feet touched the dunes, the ground gave way.

If I don’t keep my focus on balance, even walking will be difficult.

Leon pulled his foot free, then spread his weight with his Footwork and planted both feet firmly on the sand. It was different from the rocky desert beyond Artium’s borders.

Here, the sand was fine and soft—without broad-footed camels, sinking was inevitable. For the three of them, of course, it was no obstacle.

“Full speed is out of the question. But a light run won’t be a problem,” Karen pointed out.

“I’ll be fine too,” Elahan agreed.

Before they set out, Elahan stopped them, raising an empty hand. With a flash of light, a massive hammer, the Holy Iron Breaker, showed itself.

The Church’s strongest sacred tool, and the Saintess’ personal weapon. Its sheer presence made Leon and Karen instinctively take a step back. One blow from that thing looked like it would drive a head into the waist.

“O Goddess, please guide our path.”

Planting the weapon in the sand, Elahan clasped her hands in prayer. The hammer toppled over with a heavy thud in a single direction. And that was all they needed.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Unlike her cheerful tone, the other two wore dubious expressions.

“That’s really a ‘revelation’...?” Leon asked.

“Yes. It’s the merciful guidance of the Goddess.”

“Looks more like you’re just leaving it to luck...” Karen muttered.

“Karen, that’s blasphemy!”

Pouting at Karen’s blunt remark, Elahan repeated the ritual again and again. Each time, the hammer never toppled until after her prayer, and it always fell in the same direction. Eventually, the two had no choice but to believe that this slapdash divination really was the Goddess’s power.

“Am I the only one who’s a bit disappointed...?” Leon muttered.

“You too, Mr. Hero? I feel the same...”

They hadn’t expected anything grandiose, but this seemed little better than tossing a coin. Still, they followed the triumphant Elahan and began running across the desert, faster than horses yet slower than the airship, as conversation naturally quickly died away between them.

As expected, running is far harder than walking. One mistake and I’ll tumble headfirst.

Even with his well-honed Footwork, Leon found it difficult. At full speed, he would have no room for stray thoughts at all.

On top of that, the sands were not uniform. Some places were fine and deep, others coarse and rough. The ground shifted differently depending on the pressure and angle of the step. Naturally, foot placement became far more complex.

On a hunch, Leon stomped down. With a reverberation, Aura rippled outward in a circle and then distorted before reaching half its range.

Knew it.

His Wave-Reverberation technique lost more than half its range and accuracy. On solid rock, the technique had been reliable, but on shifting sands, it became almost useless.

The principle of the skill was simple: deliver shock evenly, then use the echoes to read the surroundings. However, on sand, the impact scattered too chaotically to be of much use.

He had practically lost a technique, but there was no trace of frustration on Leon’s face. Actually, he even looked almost pleased.

If I can learn to use Wave-Reverberation on sand, I’ll be able to wield it in any environment.

They said the order of importance went as follows: the Eye, the Foot, the Heart, the Force. The importance of Footwork could not be overstated.

His Vision had been greatly strengthened with the Stigma of the Observer, but Footwork still needed challenges to train against. The desert would provide valuable practice to fill that gap.

El-Cid suddenly cut in.

—Wait. Hold on. Are you serious? You’re really planning to practice Footwork right now?

Huh? Is there a reason I shouldn’t?

—You’re serious... Unbelievable...

Reading Leon’s thoughts, El-Cid groaned, —I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! My strict training methods have completely ruined my student’s values!

What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?!

—Traveling with two pretty girls, and the only thing on your mind is training? I raised you into a lunatic! Curse this harsh world and your terrible master! Who would’ve thought the Hero would be a eunuch?!

Shut up!

Thrown off by El-Cid’s outrageous words, Leon stumbled before regaining his balance. It wasn’t that he was indifferent to such matters. He was twenty, after all—his youth burning hot.

Unfortunately, he had far too much on his mind to act on his blood running hot. And that became even more true after Elahan had joined them.

Running alongside them, Karen flashed a grin.

“Hey, Mr. Hero. Saintess. From here on, I’ll show you what a veteran adventurer knows about surviving the desert!”