Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 15 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Berserker Sword King vs. Dragon God

SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE these events, two women had appeared at the gates of the Magic City of Sharia. One was a grey-haired Beastfolk with impressive muscles. The other was a human with a magnificent mane of crimson hair. The Beastfolk woman was a head taller than her companion, but the two of them wore identical coats, and they both carried swords at their waists.

Eris Greyrat and Ghislaine Dedoldia had finally reached their destination, after a lengthy journey from the Sword Sanctum.

The trip had not been an easy one, to say the least. Eris had been in such a great hurry to see Rudeus again that she’d chosen a shortcut through a forest, where they’d quickly gotten lost, ultimately blundering into a nest of monsters, which took some time to slay. And when they finally made it out of the forest and reached the nearest town, a group of local thugs unwisely provoked Eris, leading to a major scuffle, which made them a host of enemies, which led to another major scuffle, which led to problems at the border, which they solved with violence once again. It was largely Eris’ own fault, in all honesty, but they’d ended up taking quite some time to reach Sharia.

Still, both Ghislaine and Eris had spent some time as adventurers. In the course of their journey, they’d eventually gotten back into the swing of things, and after entering the Kingdom of Ranoa their progress to the city had been relatively smooth.

Once in Sharia itself, their actions were also quite efficient. It helped that plenty of people at the local Adventurers’ Guild knew exactly where Rudeus Greyrat’s residence was. From the sound of things, everyone in this town knew Rudeus’ name. One helpful local even explained that they could pick out his house by looking for an unusual, scaly creature from Begaritt in the yard—or for its companion, a peculiar-looking Treant supposedly cultivated on the Demon Continent.

In fact, the place did prove easy to find.

Rudeus’ residence couldn’t hold a candle to the massive mansion Eris had lived in as a child, of course, but it was large enough that it could easily have passed for some sort of inn. The yard was also spacious, and looked like could serve nicely as a training ground.

While she discussed her impressions with Ghislaine for a while, Eris—rather uncharacteristically—was hesitant to step through the gate itself. Instead, she stood directly in front of it with her arms folded.

For a time, everything was quiet. Ghislaine said nothing, and neither did Eris. Her chin high in the air, she simply stared up at the building before her. From all appearances, she was convinced that Rudeus would somehow sense her presence and emerge from within at any moment.

The thoughts running through her mind concerned the many rumors she’d heard regarding Rudeus in the course of their journey.

Rudeus “Quagmire” Greyrat was said to have slain a stray dragon and defeated a Demon King. As the most powerful mage in the Ranoa University of Magic, he inspired much fear and awe; but despite his arrogance and audacity, he was a friend to the weak, and there were many comical stories about his odd behavior. In other words, he was a relatively popular figure.

Those who’d seen him at work struggled to describe the extent of his powers. Hearing their praise always made Eris smile, almost as if they were complimenting her. But among the many rumors she’d heard so far, it was some of the ‘comical’ anecdotes that had really stuck with her.

For example: The guy’s crazy about his wife. You always see them shopping together on their way back from the University.

Or: I saw him grab his wife’s butt in the market. She flipped out on him!

Or: He married this woman who looks like a kid, I swear.

Or: He has two wives already, and who knows how many he’ll end up with. Not much of a pious guy, that’s for sure.

They were the rumors involving his wives, in other words. Every time she recalled these stories, Eris frowned deeply.

Soon after crossing the border into Ranoa, she’d learned their names: Sylphiette Greyrat and Roxy M. Greyrat. Eris couldn’t figure out what she was supposed to say when she actually met them. She’d learned of them from Rudeus’ letter, heard rumors about them on her journey, and spent plenty of time thinking about them… but at the end of the day, she just didn’t know how to get the results she wanted.

And so, she stood like a statue in front of the gate.

Fortunately, the stalemate was eventually broken by a thoughtful young maid.

The moment Eris appeared at the gate, Aisha had asked herself Is that Eris? It must be, right? and set about preparing things. She wanted to be ready to show Eris perfect hospitality the moment she knocked at the door.

After nearly an hour of waiting, however, she finally decided to take the initiative herself.

Aisha felt that she owed a great debt to Eris personally. While she didn’t respect her quite as deeply as her brother, it was a fact that she had played a major part in saving Aisha from her captivity in Shirone. Lilia had always taught Aisha to repay her debts twofold. So, when she’d heard about the possibility that Rudeus might take Eris as his third wife, she’d silently decided to help make it happen—assuming Eris actually loved her brother, of course.

Thanks to the little maid’s helping hand, Eris finally managed to enter the house itself. Once inside, she was warmly welcomed by both Aisha and Lilia. While Aisha ran off to the University to get Sylphie and Roxy, Lilia filled her in on the current situation in more detail.

Eris’ introduction to Lucie came as something of a surprise to her. But while her smile was a little awkward, she found that her feelings weren’t particularly negative. She could always have a baby of her own, after all—and hers might be a boy. 

Given how uncertain she’d been at first, this was a surprisingly self-assured attitude. Aisha and Lilia’s friendly greeting had gone a long way toward soothing her nerves. Even when Sylphie, Roxy, and Norn arrived, the conversation stayed calm and peaceful. Rudeus’ two wives were perhaps a bit unsettled at the sight of Eris’ more shapely body, but they were far from hostile toward her.

It helped, of course, that Aisha and Lilia had already set the tone on their own initiative. But more importantly, Sylphie and Roxy had already talked the issue through on their own over the course of several private conversations.

Unsurprisingly, Norn’s expression suggested she was less than overjoyed at the situation. But since the matter had essentially been settled, she didn’t offer any open opposition. She knew Sylphie, Roxy, and Rudeus were all willing to accept Eris, and she was trying to be considerate of that fact. On top of that, it was obvious within minutes that Eris was passionately in love with Rudeus, and also respected him deeply. It was a little embarrassing just listening to her. And everyone likes hearing someone they’re fond of complimented profusely.

This peaceful mood didn’t last for long, however. Eris finally got around to asking where Rudeus was at the moment, and things took a turn for the turbulent. When she heard he’d gone off to fight Orsted, Eris snapped angrily at his wives. As far as she was concerned, it was their responsibility to accompany him into battle. “Why did you let him go alone?! Are you trying to get him killed?!”

“We tried to go with him, but he told us to stay behind! He said we’d just get in the way!” Sylphie protested tearfully.

Startled by this reaction, Eris paused for a moment—long enough to remember that she’d trained for years on end so that she could fight beside Rudeus as an equal. It occurred to her that these women had been there for him while she was absent. According to his letter, they’d helped him many times over the years. She ended up feeling both a little jealous and a slight sense of superiority.

She wouldn’t be a burden. She could help Rudeus against Orsted.

With these loud, confident words, she convinced Roxy, Sylphie, and Ghislaine to accompany her as she chased after Rudeus.

And so Eris arrived in the nick of time.

The group had hurried to the general area of the ambush, but ended up going a bit too far. Startled by a great explosion behind them, they’d rushed back to the sounds of combat; Eris had sprinted through the woods, searching desperately, her eyes straining to find Rudeus.

Finally, she’d spotted him on the verge of death, and leapt in to defend him.

Just like that, she was face-to-face with Orsted.

***

Eris fixed her eyes on Orsted, and raised her weapon high above her head. This was no ordinary sword. Its name was the Phoenix Dragon Sword, and it was one of the Seven Sword God Blades.

“Ghislaine! Watch my back!”

Orsted, in contrast, assumed no stance whatsoever. He simply stared at Eris with a suspicious expression on his face. No—it wasn’t just her that had his attention. He was watching the fallen Rudeus as well. And the two women who’d rushed up to tend to him.

Eris, in turn, began to study Orsted carefully.

He was naked from the waist up, and bleeding from a hundred wounds. Blood trickled from his head as well, and he looked generally lethargic. His hair was charred at the ends, and there was a large bruise near his shoulder. He’d taken significant damage.

However, there was also a long, curved sword in his right hand.

Eris had never seen Orsted’s blade before, and she didn’t pretend to be an expert at evaluating weapons. But she could tell that it was something very special. Her own sword was a treasure of the Sword God Style, but even its power couldn’t compare to whatever was hidden in that thing.

The last time they’d faced each other, Orsted hadn’t wielded anything of the sort. It hadn’t been necessary, of course. He’d overwhelmed them all with his bare hands. Rudeus had not only hurt the Dragon God significantly, he’d forced the man to draw his sword. That fact sent a thrill through Eris’ entire body.

Now it’s my turn to show what I can do… But I can’t get impatient. Gotta buy some time first…

With effort, Eris managed to suppress her excitement. She couldn’t defeat Orsted. She’d realized that instinctively the very moment she jumped in to face him, and she’d accepted it quite easily.

As a child, the gap between them had been so massive that she hadn’t even been able to perceive it accurately. It was a bit like looking up at a tower hundreds of times taller than you: all you can really tell is that thing’s really tall. Eris had believed she could climb all the way up that tower.

But things were different now. She’d grown taller herself, and she could see Orsted’s height for what it really was. Eris had grown much taller than she once was. But Orsted was taller still. Far taller. Looking at him was almost dizzying.

It wasn’t a height that she could hope to climb.

“Eris Boreas Greyrat… is Rudeus so precious to you? What of Luke?”

“…Luke?”

“The man who was destined to become your husband.”

“That’s news to me.”

Eris dismissed Orsted’s words easily enough. She didn’t know who this Luke was, but the only man who was ‘precious’ to her was Rudeus. She didn’t want anyone else, and she never would.

“I suppose it would be.”

Orsted still had not assumed a stance. He was simply watching as the others healed the injured Rudeus. To all appearances, he’d completely let his guard down. But Eris knew that he was deliberately projecting that impression. He was leaving himself open, waiting for Eris to jump in and attack.

“…”

Her mind flashed back to her final meeting with the Sword God.

***

After showing Eris into his room, the Sword God Gall Falion laid three swords in front of her and asked a simple question.

“What’ll it be?”

Eris took the swords in her hands and examined them one by one.

A part of her wanted to say that the sword she’d received on the Demon Continent long ago was all she needed. But as she grew taller, it had started to feel a bit too small for her. She’d honestly been wanting something a bit longer. Also, she had a suspicion its blade wasn’t capable of harming Orsted.

The average Sword Saint might have objected that leaning on the power of your weapon betrayed a lack of a pride in your own skills. But Eris knew that pride wasn’t worth shit in a fight to the death.

“This one.”

The sword Eris had chosen was the simplest of the three. Its blade was thin and only slightly curved. There was nothing ominous or intimidating about it; in fact, its clean, polished surface was very pleasant to the eye.

“The Phoenix Dragon Sword it is.”

The weapon she’d chosen had been a gift to the first Sword God from the legendary craftsman known as the Dragon Emperor. It was a sword made for Sword Gods, designed to maximize the potential of their offensive Style.

“Nice choice, kid.”

“…Mind telling me why?”

“This here’s a Magic Sword. Doesn’t look like it has any special abilities at a glance, but there’s tiny channels of mana running all throughout the blade. They basically neutralize your opponent’s Battle Aura. The Dragon God’s Aura is insanely strong, so the sword won’t counteract it entirely… but it will soften him up a bit.”

In other words, it might be possible to pierce his defenses with this.

“I never warmed up to that one myself, but I bet you’ll use it well.”

Incidentally, the reason that he’d only shown Eris three of the Seven Sword God Blades was that the other four were in use. He carried one himself, as did the two Sword Emperors and the Sword King Ghislaine. The other two would no doubt end up in the hands of the Style’s two promising young Sword Saints, once they had progressed a bit further in their training.

“Now then, let’s get down to business. First rule of fighting Orsted…”

The Sword God paused for emphasis, staring Eris in the eyes. 

“Never make the first move.”

Eris didn’t ask why. She knew the answer all too well herself.

“The man’s Water God Style is divine level. He’ll kill you in a single counterstroke.”

A bitter memory flashed through Eris’ mind: a memory of being knocked flying with a single strike.

“Make him come to you. That’s step one.”

***

Practitioners of the Sword God Style always sought to land the first strike. To defeat them, you needed only to wait and counter it. According to the Sword God, this simple strategy was the essence of Orsted’s peerless technique. 

So Eris didn’t move. She couldn’t risk striking first against a master practitioner of the Water God Style. The Sword God Style was inherently aggressive, and the Water God Style defensive. That put her at a major disadvantage. The Water God Style’s counterattacks did not fail. Unless the student of the Sword God Style was superior to a certain degree, the Water God Style would be victorious.

Eris had learned that lesson all too well, thanks to her training with the Water King Isolde. And therefore, she wasn’t going to make the mistake of attacking first.

Naturally, just standing around wasn’t easy for the notoriously aggressive “Mad Dog.” But she was going to do it anyway.

“Hmm…? You’re not coming?”

As Eris stood there, simply holding her stance, Orsted narrowed his eyes in puzzlement. The Sword God Style always sought to take the initiative. It was the foundation of all their techniques. And yet, she was doing nothing whatsoever.

“All I need to do is wait,” Eris replied quietly. “When Rudeus recovers, we can attack you together.” 

“…Well, this is a surprise. Eris Boreas Greyrat speaks of fighting alongside allies? Another change, it seems. I did think it possible she might turn out differently, if she learned to cool her head and trained under the right master… perhaps I was right.”

“I’m not a Boreas anymore. It’s just Eris Greyrat.”

“A different woman than the Eris I know, then…”

Moving slowly and deliberately, Orsted finally assumed a stance of sorts.

His left hand still dangling loosely at his side, he raised his right arm to point the tip of his blade straight at Eris.

“Very well. I’ll come to you, then.”

Neither of them had done anything as yet. But the battle was now entering its second stage.

***

Again, Eris thought back to her conversation with the Sword God.

Orsted can use the Sword of Light with his bare hand for a blade. But after all your practice with Nina, I think you know how to deal with that move. Just cut through his wrist before it reaches maximum velocity.

That said, there’s no telling if he’ll use his right hand or his left. If he raises both of ’em, you’re gonna have to guess. He might swing from above or below, too. Pick left or right, high or low—that’s step two.

Those had been Gall Falion’s exact words.

Eris couldn’t help but grimace slightly. Orsted had already drawn his sword. He would be using the true Sword of Light, not an approximation of it with his hand. The question was if she was capable of countering it.

The answer, she decided, was yes. Orsted wasn’t invincible. He was breathing somewhat roughly, and he was covered in wounds. Even now, blood dripped from the arm that held his sword.

Also… he was only holding out his right arm, and his sword was low, just as she’d hoped. Despite his injuries, he was still holding his weapon in a single hand.

He really thinks I’m nothing to worry about…

Normally, this fact might have thrown Eris into a rage, but this time she processed it quite calmly. It felt strange to her, considering all those angry years she’d spent demanding the world’s respect and fear—but today, she was pleased to be underestimated.

“Sword God Style—Sword of Light.”

Orsted’s hand flicked through the air with fearsome speed. But simultaneously—

“Sword God Style—Reflection Blade.”

Eris swung her own sword down as well.

It was a movement she had practiced thousands upon thousands of times. It was also the best way to counteract the Sword of Light. With your sword at maximum velocity, you targeted the slower-moving wrist of your opponent and cut through it before they could complete their swing.

Orsted’s sword spun into the air—along with his right hand.

I got him!

For a moment, Eris believed it was over. 

But before she could follow up, Orsted executed an astonishing response. Reaching upward, he caught his severed hand, pressed it to his wrist, and instantly reattached it. In the same moment, he took advantage of his upward movement to fire off a spinning kick.

Eris managed to dodge this bizarre attack with a half-step backward, but only because the Sword God had warned her there was a possibility he might try something of the kind.

“…!”

Orsted immediately followed up with a slicing bare hand strike, but Eris struck it down with her sword.

Neither of these hasty strikes had been a Sword of Light. As a result, Eris’ attack had not injured Orsted. Her blade had struck home with a clang, successfully redirecting his hand, but it hadn’t left a scratch on his skin.

A moment later, Orsted’s sword thumped blade-first into the ground behind him.

At a glance, it appeared that the man’s right hand was as good as new. And the injuries Rudeus had inflicted him had also been healed. In the blink of an eye, he’d restored himself completely with some incredibly powerful variety of Healing magic. 

What a monster, Eris thought calmly to herself.

Her last attack may not have been a Sword of Light, but its speed and power had been considerable. Yet it had bounced right off the man. The Sword of Light was her only means of cutting through his Holy Dragon Aura, even with the Phoenix Dragon Sword.

“I see the Sword God’s cunning in your tactics. You must have been a highly favored student, Eris Greyrat.”

Eris had returned her sword to its position over her head. Her mind was clear, and her emotions steady.

But instead of swinging his own blade, Orsted now unleashed a different kind of attack.

“Did Gall Falion tell you stories of his exploits as you lay in his bed?”

When all was said and done, Eris respected the Sword God deeply. Over the last few years, Gall Falion had thrown himself into the task of training her, and entrusted her with his dream. Their relationship had been a purely platonic one. He was simply her master, and she was simply his student. He had trained her because their interests were aligned.

Ordinarily, Eris would have been infuriated at Orsted’s crude suggestion to the contrary… especially since he’d spoken so that the other three women, and Rudeus, could hear. But her master had given her a clear warning: If things start goin’ well, Orsted might try to needle you. Don’t you go and fall for it, you hear me?

The Sword God had anticipated Orsted’s attempt at provocation in advance. And so, it had no effect on Eris whatsoever. She had no reason to be angry. Orsted was just proving that Gall Falion had his number.

“Hmph.”

“…I see. You truly have grown stronger.”

As Eris brushed off his taunt with a snort, Orsted murmured these words in an almost melancholy tone… and slowly raised both of his hands.

At the sight of this, Eris recalled the last piece of advice the Sword God had given her.

For whatever reason, the man can’t go all-out. He’s a master with magic and the sword, but he’ll try to settle things with just his Aura and his martial arts… especially when he’s fightin’ someone with a style he’s real familiar with. He starts off with the kicks and punches, then goes to magic if he really has to. But when he’s up against something new… For some reason, he tends to sit back and study techniques he’s seeing for the first time. That just might be the chink in his armor.

Right now, Orsted wasn’t going in for the kill. He seemed to be slowly toying with her, like a cat batting cruelly at an exhausted mouse.

Eris ground her teeth audibly, took her left hand from the Phoenix Dragon Sword and reached for the unmarked blade she’d received at the Migurd village.

Her right hand held the Phoenix Dragon Sword above her head. But her left was now gripping the nameless sword, still sheathed behind her waist.

It was a strange stance. All the more because the Sword God Style had no concept of dual wielding. Using two swords at once was a technique of the North God Style.

More importantly—while the sword Eris held above her head was a deadly magic weapon, she wasn’t capable of using the Sword of Light with a single hand. And while there were techniques that involved drawing a sword directly into a strike, her reverse grip on the unmarked sword made the best of them impossible.

Her stance, in other words, was irrational. It made no sense at all. It wasn’t the sort of blunder that a Sword King, and a master of the Sword God Style, was supposed to make. Under any circumstances.

“Hm…?”

For that very reason, Orsted stopped moving. 

With his hands still poised in the air, he studied Eris carefully. His eyes were entirely focused on her—to the exclusion of Rudeus, who was currently being healed behind her.

She had his complete attention for the moment. But she couldn’t just stay passive now. Unless she took some action, Orsted would step forward to attack.

Fortunately, Eris had improvised a certain move for this very moment. It was based on a technique she’d picked up from the North Emperor Auber… although she’d only seen it once. She had trained herself to execute this move with a single hand, at maximum velocity, in the very same instant that she drew her sword. It was an imperfect technique, but it was highly lethal nonetheless.

When their back’s against the wall, a student of the North God Style will throw their sword.

Eris’ left hand moved roughly, but with confidence.

Her fingers caught on the sword’s hilt, pulling it free, and in the same motion, as her arm whipped forward, she hurled it at Orsted. The unmarked sword that had accompanied her through so many trials and tribulations cut cleanly through the air, its point aimed straight at her foe.

The momentum of the throw carried Eris’ left hand upward—to the sword she still held aloft. As swiftly as she possibly could, she grabbed the Phoenix Dragon Sword. And without a moment’s hesitation, she swung it down with both hands, executing a flawless Sword of Light.

“…!”

Her fearsome attack flew right past the airborne sword, slicing toward the top of Orsted’s head along the shortest possible trajectory, at the greatest possible speed.

There was a sharp clang.

“…Tch.”

Holding her sword in its follow-through position, Eris clicked her tongue in irritation. 

Orsted had caught its blade between his hands. And the unnamed sword had struck his body solidly, only to deflect off his Holy Dragon Aura and fly back behind her.

“You’ve exceeded my expectations. But I suppose it’s over now.”

“Nope!”

Her blade still frozen in Orsted’s hands, Eris shouted her reply as she turned toward where the unmarked sword had fallen.

Rudeus was standing there. The others had finished healing him.

“We’re just getting started!”

It took Eris an instant to process what her eyes were seeing. It was Rudeus, of course. And he was standing. But there were dark circles under his eyes, and his light brown hair had gone white. His legs were trembling weakly, his face was deathly pale, and his lips were purple. Roxy and Sylphie were supporting him on either side.

“…”

“Getting started… with what, exactly?”

Rudeus was in no condition to fight, to say the least. His mana was exhausted, his strength was gone, and even his willpower had failed him. He was battered and bruised both physically and emotionally.

“…You’ll see soon enough.”

The sight of him was enough to steel Eris’ resolve.

Three times, she inhaled deeply and exhaled. As air flooded into her lungs, she gripped her sword more tightly, conscious of every bead of sweat on her palms. Clenching her back teeth tightly for an instant, she licked at her lips. Finally, she tensed her stomach muscles—and roared as loudly as she could.

“You three, get Rudeus out of here! Right now!”

Eris’ voice thundered through the air.

“I’ll hold Orsted here, even if it kills me!”

She meant that quite literally. 

Sylphie felt the strength of Eris’ determination. She’d sensed the same thing from her companions on the desperate journey to Ranoa with Princess Ariel. Eris was prepared to die.

“W-Wait! I’ll fight too!”

Sylphie’s legs were trembling, but she shouted the words nonetheless. 

Orsted was terrifying beyond measure. This was their first meeting, but she knew that to stand against him would mean death.

Still, the choice wasn’t a difficult one. Not with Rudeus’ life on the line. If anything, she was full of regret that she’d ever let the man she loved go off alone to fight a monster such as this. The words Are you trying to get him killed?! still rang in her ears. 

That had never been her intention. She’d seen Rudeus regain his usual energy and focus, despite his fears, and she’d assumed it would all work out fine. After all, he was an incredibly powerful mage, and he always made it back to her in the end. Also, the Magic Armor had seemed overwhelming. She’d convinced herself that nothing, and no one, could defeat that thing.

It was only her confidence in Rudeus that had held her back.

Eris stared silently into Sylphie’s eyes for just a moment, and then nodded. “All right. You take the back line! Ghislaine, get Rudeus and Roxy out of here!”

“Eris! My job is to protect you!”

Now it was the Beastfolk Sword King’s turn to protest.

Ghislaine had watched Eris fight her way through life. She’d watched her train with single-minded focus. And for that reason, she’d stood back and watched this battle unfold, without interfering or objecting. She’d seen that as her way of repaying Eris’ deceased grandfather, Sauros, to whom she’d owed so much.

“What, you’re not going to listen to me?! I’m telling you to protect the people I care about!”

“…I won’t do it! I could never face Lord Sauros or Philip if I let you die here!”

But now the girl was planning to take a path that ended in certain death, and Ghislaine couldn’t allow that. Her refusal was reflexive rather than reasoned. She wasn’t very good at thinking, and avoided it when possible.

“Stop it! We all need to run!”

Given her pregnancy, Roxy was aware she wouldn’t be much use in combat. She’d come here knowing that she would only be a burden if it came to that. Her plan had been to drag Rudeus to the horses waiting outside the forest, and then flee as quickly as possible. There was a chance such strenuous movement might cause a miscarriage, but helping Rudeus escape was her first priority. In all honesty, she hadn’t given much thought to what would come after that. For now, she believed they simply had to run and regroup in safety.

Eris and Ghislaine argued; Sylphie and Roxy braced themselves to act. And as he took all of this in out of the corner of his eyes, Orsted let out a long, loud sigh.

Everyone except Rudeus went on guard. Four sets of eyes glared fiercely at Orsted. Indifferent to their gazes, the Dragon God raised his voice to a bellow.

“Rudeus Greyrat!”

Rudeus flinched visibly at the sound of his name.

“So long as you serve the Man-God, I will not allow you to escape. Even if it means killing everyone here, and all the others waiting for you in the city, I will hunt you down and take your life!”

Rudeus was trembling now, more obviously than before. His knees shaking uncontrollably, he stared down at the ground in front of him.

“While I place no trust in the Man-God’s words…given what he told you, I will also abduct your children once you’re dead!”

At these words, the trembling stopped.

The fire had flickered back into Rudeus’ eyes. Punching at his quaking legs with his left hand, he reached out with his right to grab his staff from Roxy—forgetting that he’d lost that hand not long ago. Thrown off-balance, he might have fallen to the ground if Roxy hadn’t quickly caught him. But even as he leaned against her, his eyes were glaring fiercely at Orsted. There was murder in his gaze.

“However, your imitation of the Fighting God Armor, the bountiful mana bestowed upon you by the Laplace Aspect, and your immunity to my curse may yet prove useful!”

“…?”

At these words, the rage in Rudeus’ eyes faltered slightly. And as he looked on with a dubious, wary expression, the Dragon God continued to speak.

“Betray the Man-God! Join me instead!”

Two people reacted instantly to these words.

“You’ve got to be joking!”

“Rudy, don’t listen to him!”

Eris and Sylphie were both convinced that Orsted was lying. They had no clear reason to believe this, but they did. Ghislaine and Roxy held their silence, but they too felt that Orsted was up to something—that some trap lay hidden in his words.

“Should you accept my offer, I will overlook this unprovoked ambush, and restore your injured arm to its original condition!”

“…”

But Rudeus was an exception.

He had noticed something about the tone of Orsted’s voice. He had realized that the man’s throat was trembling slightly. And that fact was nagging at him.

“I am the Dragon God. Once you are under my protection, the Man-God will not find it so easy to meddle with you!”

Doubt and temptation mingled in Rudeus’ eyes.

“Rest assured, he cannot hear what we speak of at this very moment!”

“…”

“If your allegiance to the Man-God was unwilling, I would think this a most enticing offer!”

“…”

“Choose now, Rudeus Greyrat! Will you side with the Man-God, and lose everything at my hands? Or will you join me and fight against him?! You are unaffected by my curse! This is a choice you are capable of making!”

Rudeus’ gaze met Orsted’s.

First, he exhaled slowly. And then, he studied the face of the Dragon God, as if searching for an answer in it. He was trying to see what was hidden behind the man’s stony expression. But of course, his eyes could tell him nothing of the kind.

The silence stretched for several seconds.

“Rudy?”

Finally, Rudeus staggered out of Roxy’s arms and began to walk slowly forward. With every step, he ran the risk of falling on his face. He lurched to the side and steadied himself on Ghislaine’s shoulder. When he lost his balance, he grabbed hold of Sylphie, who’d rushed up to catch him. Eventually, he made his way past Eris.

And then, he fell to his knees at Orsted’s feet.

He made no move to rise. Instead, he looked up at the man before him and spoke.

“Is there really…a way to protect my family from the Man-God…?”

“There is! He possesses great knowledge of the future, but he is not all-seeing, much less all-powerful!”

“Is it… absolutely reliable…?”

“…Not absolutely, no. I would not pretend to know the full breadth of his powers.”

Orsted made no definite promise. He didn’t even offer soothing words of reassurance. Nonetheless, Rudeus looked up at him with the eyes of a man seeking salvation. There were tears in the corners of those eyes, although it was hard to say what had inspired them.

One way or the other, he had made his decision.

“…I’ll serve you. Help me. Please.”

And so, on this day, Rudeus Greyrat entered the service of the Dragon God.