“Still, it’s quite an unusual spirit.”
From a distance, the spirit appeared to take the form of a small boy. But up close, in the boy’s face, I couldn’t help but see someone familiar.
Silver hair, silver eyes, and even the scar at the corner of the eye—it was impossible not to notice how identical it was in appearance.
“This is totally me.”
“Uwaak! Waak!”
Adelle let out an odd sound and hastily covered the spirit with both hands. Of course, doing that didn’t erase the memory I had just seen.
Watching her, Arin smirked and explained to me.
“Spirits usually take the form of whoever the contractor feels most familiar with—uh!”
She quickly clapped her hand over Arin’s mouth, but it was already too late. In the original story, there were no revealed settings about the spirits, so I hadn’t known about this.
So, it seems that I am the most familiar presence to Adelle.
That realization gave me a peculiar feeling. It also meant that she trusted me quite a bit, which kind of made me happy.
Of course, I wasn’t inexperienced enough to let that emotion show on my face.
“Do I have some kind of attachment to Adelle now?”
Back in the day, I wouldn’t have cared at all how she thought of me. Recently, though, I’ve developed a little interest in how she perceives me.
“Ah, Abel? Don’t listen to what Arin says. I mean—”
“Looks like Adelle really likes me more than I thought.”
“That’s not it!”
“Don’t worry. I also find you quite appealing.”
“…What?”
Adelle, caught completely off guard, blinked at me. Her cheeks, slightly red earlier, were now as bright as a persimmon.
It was unexpectedly fun teasing her this much. I suppressed my grin from breaking out, as laughing would definitely give me away.
Even as I took a step closer, Adelle instinctively took a step back. When I moved forward again, she retreated once more.
Watching her reaction, I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
“Th… That…”
Adelle covered her reddened face with both hands, unable to find any words. I started feeling a bit bad for teasing her too much, so I decided to speak up.
“Well, that’s enough of the joke.”
“You… Bastard…”
Adelle glared at me with slightly pursed lips, her face still flushed. It somehow made her look quite adorable.
That’s why people say first impressions matter when someone’s attractive, huh?
Though honestly, I wasn’t suddenly interested in her looks now—it just wasn’t the case.
“Arin, you must know about the upcoming Purge Campaign, right?”
“Yes.”
Purge Campaign.
The Liman Mountain Range, located in the northwest of the Hardenberg family’s territory, borders directly with the Castle State of Numen. The region has always been infested with monsters, mainly because the Interdimensional Rift opens there periodically.
The rift represents the boundary between dimensions, from which not only our world’s monsters, but intruders from other worlds spill through regularly.
The Castle State of Numen couldn’t afford to leave this unchecked either. They dispatch the Holy Knights to close the rift.
The campaign involves working alongside the Holy Knights from the Castle State of Numen to exterminate the interdimensional monsters and seal the rift.
Some of the creatures from the rift are tough to handle without sacred power, making cooperation with the Knights almost mandatory.
The Emperor, too, maintains an official alliance with the Numen Castle State for this reason.
“Sounds dangerous. This Purge Campaign.”
“Right. It’s different from the Hunting Festival.”
Back then, monster hunting was nothing more than a formality. It was really just an ancient event, nothing more.
To be honest, it was just an occasion to show the military strength of Arias Empire to neighboring nations. The monsters in the Perpetual Snow Range were impossible to fully eradicate anyway.
Though the first emperor reportedly did it, back then the snow range wasn’t as vast as it is today.
But the Interdimensional Rift in Liman Mountain Range was different. If left alone, the number of monsters would multiply quickly, wiping out entire populations within minutes.
“Will you be going, Abel?”
“Yes. This time, I plan to directly participate.”
In previous years, while I attended, I avoided direct combat to keep my magical skills hidden. That’s changed now.
After showcasing my powers during the Hunting Festival, it would be politically advantageous to display my strength during the Purge Campaign too.
“Castle State of Numen…”
“Dangerous, isn’t it? This Purging.”
“True. It’s nothing like the Hunting Festival.”
The Hunting Festival’s monster-hunting is almost ceremonial. While it’s celebrated, it’s ultimately just a formality.
Primarily, it is a display of military power for the neighboring countries.
As for the monsters dwelling in the Perpetual Snow Range, it’s not physically feasible to eliminate all of them.
Even the first emperor who supposedly did it was dealing with a smaller snow range back then.
But the Interdimensional Rift in Liman Mountain Range is different. If left unchecked, it could cause the rapid growth of monsters leading to the annihilation of people.
“Are you joining us?”
“Huh? Me? Shouldn’t I?”
Shaking my head, I replied. The campaign was exactly that—a campaign to exterminate interdimensional monsters and close the rift.
She, as my fiancée, didn’t have any necessary reason to attend such a dangerous place.
“It is much more dangerous than the Hunting Festival.”
Monsters that emerge from interdimensional zones are incredibly strong. The fact that they survive the dimensional crossing and appear already speaks to their resilience.
It’s not far from a repeat of the Calamity-level monsters we encountered during the festival.
While it’s not as if my knights wouldn’t be able to protect her, the risks associated with the Purge Campaign are undeniably higher.
“I see…”
Adelle crossed her arms and closed her eyes, deep in thought. After a brief moment, she reopened her eyes and looked determined.
“I want to come with you.”
“…Do you mean that?”
She nodded firmly upon my inquiry.
“Yes. I want to grow stronger.”
Her resolve from earlier in the study was genuine, then. Even though this mission could be far more dangerous than the Hunting Festival, her desire to grow stronger was already clear through her words.
“Fine. But I’ll set one condition.”
“Hm?”
Adelle looked at me with a hint of curiosity.
Just because she wanted to grow stronger didn’t mean I could just bring her along. As mentioned, it’s common to encounter Calamity-level monsters during this campaign. To grow stronger in such a place, she would need to have the basic skills necessary for survival.
“I’ll take you if you defeat me in sparring, one month from now.”
“…So you’re saying you’re not going to take me?”
Her tilted head made me stifle a chuckle.
“Of course, there will be penalties.”
First, no magic allowed.
Second, no use of aura either.
With these two constraints in place, this should be a fair enough challenge. As expected, Adelle seemed to think so as well, with a slight grin forming.
“Sounds good.”
It’s a challenge, but not necessarily simple. A chess grandmaster can still easily beat a novice even when a rook or a bishop is taken out of the game.
“Arin.”
“Yes, Duke.”
“If Adelle beats me this time, I’ll grant any one request of yours.”
“Really?!”
Her tone rose in excitement.
Personally, I hoped she would be able to participate in the campaign this time. After all, I wanted her to grow stronger.
§
“Arin, do you think I can beat Abel?”
“Right now… it’s impossible.”
Arin calmly replied as if stating an obvious truth.
Of course, this was anticipated. Even without using magic or aura, Abel was already at the level of a Great Mage.
In fact, if I were to tell her she could win right now, it’d be a deception. The question was whether I could defeat him in one month.
“Can I if I get stronger in a month?”
[It seems unlikely.]
Sibley sighed heavily as he muttered next to me. Arin nodded in agreement.
“I think so too.”
“Truly?”
..Perhaps this was inevitable.
Before becoming a Great Mage, Abel was already a knight of considerable strength. His physical abilities would remain high even without magic or aura.
“There’s one way.”
“What is it?”
[Is there?]
When both Sibley and I asked at the same time, Arin averted her gaze slightly. After a brief moment of hesitation, she let out a deep sigh.
“Would you be okay if it gets tiring?”
“Yes. I’m prepared.”
Hearing my determined reply, Arin turned resolutely toward me and headed to the training ground, where an arsenal of wooden weapons was mounted.
She picked up a wooden sword and pointed it at me. Both I and Sibley were caught by surprise by her sudden action.
[What? What is this?]
“I’m going to mimic my lord’s fighting style from now on.”
“So you mean—”
“Yes. Exactly. You’ll learn by being struck.”
This sounded like a rather brutish method.
But probably, it’s the only way to pass his trial in a month. Sibley on the sidelines looked disapproving, but I didn’t mind.
“I’ll do it.”
[What? What about the injuries?]
“We have plenty of potions. Adequate rest will also be provided.”
[But what about the pain?]
“I’ll be fine.”
With that, I cut off Sibley’s concern, who sighed deeply.
Though he glared at me discontentedly, he eventually nodded.
[..Fine, do as you wish.]
I appreciated his worry, but this wasn’t the time for such concerns. To me, a bit of pain wasn’t a big issue anymore.
