Chapter 8: A Clever Way to Take Down a Cheat-Powered Woman 2

The sun had completely set, and the room was dark.

Aileen lay on her bed, perfectly still.

Her eyes, redder than the fresh blood that might flow from a wound, were not fixed on the ceiling above her, but on a single boy.

“Shion Harukaze.”

She was staring intently at the Shion in her memories.

Until today, her evaluation of the boy named Shion Harukaze had been that he was an “interesting person.”

He had caught her eye with his self-introduction and yesterday’s “alarm clock” incident; it was no exaggeration to say he was the one she was most interested in in their class.

But she had never expected him to do something that would pique her interest even further.

“Fascinating.”

First of all, she had never thought he would actually visit her at home.

She knew he lived nearby since they’d gone to the same junior high, but it was too sudden.

Before the question of Why? could even form, her body was already moving toward the entrance, and then—

“Eyes.”

Shion’s eyes were colored with great determination and desperation—and she was captivated.

It didn’t take her long to realize that she was the target of those emotions.

An “invitation to a meal.” If that had been all, there would have been no issue.

But the words that followed made Aileen understand.

“‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'”

In this country, you respect your elders, even if they’re in the same grade. Your mother’s family is descended from nobility.

When he put it like that, she couldn’t help but realize.

That boy knew what she held hidden in her heart.

“Shock.”

Yes, it was shock.

Aileen, who was naturally reserved and not good with people, had never once spoken about herself to anyone outside her family.

So, of course, he shouldn’t have known.

But somehow he had found out, and had seen through the admiration she harbored in her heart.

It was something she had never spoken of, but to the girl named Aileen Hearn, it was the most important thing of all.

“The Red Branch, the Hound of Culann.”

Cú Chulainn. That was the name she admired.

Though not well-known in Japan, to her, an Irish girl, he was the ultimate hero.

His outstanding bravery from a young age, his integrity in slaying the country’s greatest guard dog—albeit out of necessity—and then declaring he would serve as the guard dog himself until he had raised its pup to take its place.

Cú Chulainn, a tragic hero adorned with such brilliant legends, who still met an untimely end.

Aileen respected him from the bottom of her heart.

“…A reenactment of the legend.”

The distant cause of Cú Chulainn’s death was the scheme of a villainess named Medb.

Geas—a word meaning a taboo or sworn oath.

In the Ulster Cycle, it is a duty or vow imposed upon a person.

It is said that if you strictly observe your geas, you will receive the blessings of the gods, but if you break it, you will suffer a terrible backlash.

Cú Chulainn, too, was forced to break his geas and met a tragic death.

“He would not eat the flesh of a dog.”

Because he had killed the guard dog in his youth, Cú Chulainn vowed never to eat dog meat.

“He would not refuse an invitation to a meal from one of his inferiors.”

His mother was the king’s sister, and he himself was of noble blood.

At the same time, his martial prowess was so immense that there were few who could be considered his superiors.

Medb forced Cú Chulainn to break this geas, along with several others, to weaken him.

As a result, he was saddled with the fatal handicap of being paralyzed in half his body and was pierced by his own beloved spear, Gáe Bulg, which had been taken by the enemy, and lost his life.

At that moment, perhaps as a final act of pride, it is said that he washed his spilled entrails with water, returned them to his abdomen, and tied himself to a stone pillar, never falling to the very end.

“A spectacular way to live.”

To people living in the modern era, a geas might seem like a foolish thing.

The risks are too great, even if you gain powerful boons.

And that’s true. No one in their right mind would impose a geas on themselves.

And yet—the girl named Aileen Hearn was utterly captivated by his way of life.

She loved it, including his tragic end. The story of Cú Chulainn.

“My heart is burning.”

Shion Harukaze was trying to reenact the legend.

That’s why he had come to see Aileen today.

He had desperately formulated a plan to defeat his powerful self and had courageously set foot in enemy territory.

Respect for that courage, but even more than that—gratitude.

“Unexpected.”

Until now, Aileen had admired him, but she had never thought of surpassing him.

But Shion had said—Do you have the spirit to surpass a hero?

To her, it was a shock like being struck by lightning in the heart.

“‘To win, and to ensure that even in defeat, a worthy victor is born.'”

Her heart pounded harder every time she traced Shion’s words.

To win—that was a given.

To ensure that even in defeat, a worthy victor is born—I see.

That’s right. If she was going to lose, if she was going to stumble, she wanted it to be against a great obstacle.

She, too, lived with the pride of being a warrior.

That’s why she understood Shion’s wish so painfully well.

“‘I will show the wickedness of a villainess of the Triskelion.'”

A declaration that he would become Medb herself in order to win.

Aileen was not so foolish as to not understand what that meant.

Nine times out of ten, he would mix poison into the meal. There was a chance it would be worse than partial paralysis.

He might even use a lethal poison.

After all, while she admired Cú Chulainn and had made the same geas, unlike the legendary hero, Aileen’s geas was “just words.”

Conversely, that meant “there’s no problem in breaking it.”

In other words, she had the option of not going along with Shion’s plan, but…

“Out of the question.”

It was out of the question—at least for Aileen.

Would the Cú Chulainn she revered turn his back and run from something like this?

That’s what it came down to.

Besides, if she ran, she would pick up a single victory and suffer a defeat she could never erase for the rest of her life.

To be forced to break an unyielding principle in order to obtain a single, trivial victory—how miserable would that be?

By running away, Aileen would hand Shion and his team a heavy victory in exchange for a trivial defeat.

Who would be the loser? If asked, she would declare herself the loser.

She couldn’t do that. She would rather die.

And was she supposed to ignore an opponent who had wracked his brains and was coming at her, a superior being, with all his might?

“That is not the way of a warrior.”

To lose one’s courtesy is also painful, which means there is only one choice.

Besides, if she wins, she can reach the end of her admiration.

There isn’t a warrior anywhere who wouldn’t be stirred by this.

Right now, her heart was filled with immeasurable gratitude.

“Gratitude.”

For giving his all for her sake.

“Gratitude.”

For showing her the path that lay beyond her admiration.

“Shion Harukaze. I thank you.”

What did you gain by enrolling in the adventurer school?

If she were ever asked that, Aileen would surely answer this way:

That she had met a wonderful, weak, yet strong hero—Shion Harukaze.

Some might curse the plan Shion was trying to execute as cowardly.

But no, that wasn’t it.

The Shion of the Shoelace was just single-minded, straightforward, and earnest.

He had come at her core because he truly acknowledged her and was facing her with all his might.

That meant he acknowledged her more than anyone else.

“Joy, pure joy.”

And so, Aileen’s spirits were just soaring, but…

—Naturally, Shion had no such intentions at all.

He was just coming to crush her with all his might because he didn’t want to get hurt.

He hadn’t even considered anything about the “end of admiration.”

This was his only option, and he was executing the plan because he thought Aileen was an idiot.

She just didn’t notice because it was all hidden behind an iron mask and pretty words.

In a way, that was probably the true “power” of the man named Shion Harukaze.

If he could have sensed what was in Aileen’s heart, Shion would have burst out laughing.

She totally fell for it. Isn’t she an idiot? he’d think.

His true thoughts would probably never be known to anyone. Was that fortunate, or unfortunate?

That’s something for bored people to think about.

“My blood is hot.”

In any case, the successfully deceived Aileen was overflowing with motivation.

“My blood is hot.” Just a few words, but for her, they were filled with a thousand emotions.

Her red eyes, glowing brightly in the darkness, were eagerly awaiting the coming battle with her worthy rival.

Tomorrow’s—the semi-finals, so to speak—were not even in her sights.

There was only the battle with Shion Harukaze and those he led.

“Come to think of it…”

She suddenly remembered.

Shion had said it wouldn’t be a one-on-one duel.

But would the members of her own party forgive her—what objectively looked like an act of folly?

She thought that far and then laughed off the meaningless thought.

“Serious.”

Since he was coming at her seriously, there was no doubt he was already making moves to eliminate her party members.

She wasn’t entirely without the desire to stop him.

Because if he was coming at her seriously, she wanted to meet him seriously.

And yet, Aileen didn’t know where the other members were.

In fact, she was such an elite loner that she hadn’t even exchanged contact information with them—even though they were in the same party.

“Strange.”

Should she say her poor communication skills had brought disaster, or that she was lucky to be spared any interference?

In any case, for Aileen, it was a good turn of events.

That’s probably why a smile naturally escaped her lips, and even a small desire began to sprout.

“…”

Regardless of the outcome, if the battle ended without either of them dying…

“My first friend.”

She wanted to be friends.

She wanted to exchange contact information and go out and have fun together.

The dream of the elite loner Aileen… it’s so sad it could make you cry.

“A bride.”

She whispered shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

First friends, then lovers, and eventually a bride. As a woman, it was only natural for her to have that dream.

It seemed the elite loner was surprisingly easy, and as a result of a misunderstanding, she had developed feelings for Shion.

True, he was decent-looking, and from Aileen’s perspective, he had a wonderful spirit, but…

In a word, one would have to say she had bad taste in men.

“…For now, nine a.m. the day after tomorrow.”

Shion had told her the meal would begin at nine in the morning, before the start of the battle.

There was no point in poisoning her the day before, only to have her detoxify it.

Therefore, he intended to use a fast-acting poison right before.

Aileen had no intention of taking countermeasures—or rather, she couldn’t.

She had no idea what kind of poison he would use.

Since there’s no such thing as a universal antidote in this world, she had no choice but to take the poison, and she herself was fine with that.

“Everything starts from there.”

She smiled brightly, and closed her eyes, which had been open for so long they had become dry.

And just like that, holding her sweet wish dear, she fell into a deep sleep.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

(Lunch was great, but dinner is amazing too… Rich people really do eat well.)

The time was 11:30 p.m., and Shion was still at the Daigo residence.

His work was already done, but he couldn’t go home until Rudolph and the others reported back.

Well, thanks to that, he’d gotten a delicious dinner out of it, so it was a perk of the job.

(Hey, don’t you think so too, you piece of crap snake?)

“I agree, but if that’s the case, you should spend some money on food yourself.”

(You idiot. As if I’d eat fancy stuff unless it was on someone else’s dime.)

Still, this environment was comfortable.

Fancy meals just appeared without him having to say a word.

His jealousy of the rich remained unchanged, but Shion was in a good mood nonetheless.

“Harukaze-sama, do you still have room for more?”

“Yes, but… I can’t be too much of a bother. (That’s just for show, old man!)”

“Hahaha, don’t worry about it. Shiori-sama’s feelings—ahem, you are her schoolmate, after all.”

“I’m so sorry, again. Even though I haven’t been much help. (This is also for show! I’m working super hard.)”

He had certainly put in the effort by trapping Aileen, so one could say he had worked hard.

But to be proclaiming it so loudly, even if only in his own mind, was questionable.

“Not at all. Are you not leading Shiori-sama and your companions splendidly?”

“…Thank you. It makes me happy, even though I know I’m not cut out for it.”

Needless to say, he wasn’t actually happy.

It was nice to be able to eat delicious food like this, but personally, he didn’t want to get involved with Shiori, Rudolph, or Tenma.

The only one who was even remotely tolerable was Mai, but she was talented too, so he didn’t really like her either—in fact, he disliked her.

What a selfish man.

“Hehe, you’re too modest. Well, setting that aside, how about some hot pot next?”

“Hot pot? (Isn’t it out of season?)”

“Yes, we’ve gotten some fine salmon, so I was thinking of making an Ishikari hot pot.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Everyone should be back shortly, so I’ll bring it out then.”

This was a gesture of consideration, to deepen their unity by sharing a meal around a single pot, but…

(Ugh… just let me eat alone… I was planning on going home after hearing the report.)

Sadly, it seemed the old gentleman Kurahashi’s sentiment wasn’t getting through.

“By the way, Harukaze-sama.”

“What is it?”

“What exactly were you speaking about with Aileen Hearn-sama?”

It seemed he was interested in the plan Shion had devised.

It wasn’t something that needed to be kept secret, so there was no problem in telling him.

“Pride. I just took advantage of that thing everyone has. (That woman fell for it hook, line, and sinker. It’s hilarious. Seriously!)”

Incidentally, Shion didn’t have a shred of it.

“Oh… and what might that be?”

“That is—”

Just as he was about to spin a good tale, right on cue,

“Ah, I’m starving. The date’s about to change.”

“How was it on your end, Tenma? Did your opponent put up a fight?”

“Nah, not at all. The one who got a tough one was probably Shiori-chan, right?”

“Well, she was certainly quite a formidable opponent. How about you, Mai-san?”

“Well, y’know, I did mine all quick and sneaky.”

Everyone had returned.

They were a little dirty, but no one had any major injuries.

It was a relief that they had managed to avoid exhaustion, at least.

“Welcome back, Young Miss, and everyone.”

“Yes, I apologize. It seems we’ve kept Shion-san waiting for quite a while.”

“No, not at all.”

That’s a lie. You’re thinking, “You kept me waiting,” aren’t you?

“More importantly, good work. I’m glad to see it went well for everyone.”

“Well, yeah. We beat them half to death and threw them all in the parlor prison in the basement of this house.”

(Parlor prison?! You have something like that? Rich people are scary…)

It was no wonder he was scared.

In what world does someone install a dungeon in the basement of their own house?

“Well, I suppose we’ve met your expectations with this?”

“Yeah. You really did a great job. (That smug look on your face is kind of pissing me off, though.)”

“Ehehe, you’re makin’ me blush. Anyway, Shion-kun, you’re gonna tell us, right?”

“You did say you would explain the plan if everything went well on our end.”

“I know. For now, everyone sit down.”

At Shion’s words, they all took a seat.

He noticed that cushions had been placed where everyone was sitting. Had Kurahashi done this?

“I will bring your meal. Please enjoy your conversation while you eat.”

“Thank you. Oh, but could we get some drinks first?”

“Certainly. Do you have any requests?”

“I already have tea, so I’m fine.”

“I’ll have chocolate milk.”

“I will have black tea.”

“Sports drink for me.”

“I’ll have green tea, please.”

They were all ordering whatever they wanted, but Kurahashi didn’t complain, simply bowing.

One would have to say he was well-trained.

“Now then, the reason I visited Aileen this afternoon was—”

“Not for a surprise attack… right? It was the afternoon.”

“Besides, Shion-kun’s a rear-guard, so an ambush would be reckless.”

“…Of course not. It was to set a trap. Is everyone familiar with the Ulster Cycle?”

Only Rudolph nodded at those words.

The other three were Japanese, so it was no surprise they didn’t know about Celtic mythology.

“The Ulster Cycle. It is a story centered around the exploits of the hero Cú Chulainn, is it not?”

“That’s right. As her name suggests, Aileen is Irish, and apparently she often read the Ulster Cycle.”

“Oh… the same as me. Though in my case, it is a different mythological system.”

“Then what about Cú Chulainn?”

“I only know that he was a master of the spear.”

In that case, it might be better to explain from the beginning, he thought, and searched his memory.

“Cú Chulainn, whose childhood name was Sétanta. He was valiant from a young age. Out of necessity, he beat to death the greatest guard dog in the country. But he wasn’t just valiant; he was also dutiful. He said this to the dog’s master: ‘I will serve as the guard dog’s replacement, and I will raise the slain dog’s pup into a fine guard dog myself.'”

Hearing that, the dog’s master, Culann, was said to have forgiven him with a generous heart, saying he couldn’t let a hero like Cú Chulainn do such a thing.

If it had been Shion, he would have demanded an apology and compensation, and then made Cú Chulainn work for free.

“That incident earned him the nickname ‘The Hound of Culann,’ and at the same time, he imposed a geas upon himself.”

“What’s a ‘gesh’?”

“A restriction. A pact that says if you abide by it, you will receive the blessings of the gods, but if you break it, disaster will befall you.”

“Well now, that’s interesting.”

A challenge run, to put it in modern terms.

Imposing a handicap on oneself wasn’t a bad spice for the kind of games Tenma enjoyed.

“Right? There’s another episode that symbolizes him as the Hound of Culann, let me share one.”

Rudolph and Tenma seemed excited about the tale of Cú Chulainn, but the two girls weren’t as interested, looking neutral.

“One day, he heard a priest say, ‘He who becomes a knight today will become a hero whose name is long remembered in Erin, but his life will be short.’ Upon hearing this, he immediately went to the king and declared his intention to become a knight. When the king advised him that it was still too early, Cú Chulainn destroyed all the spears, swords, and chariots in the castle to display his valor.”

As a result, he was able to become a knight.

Hearing this, Shiori and Mai’s expressions changed slightly.

They were probably wondering whether Cú Chulainn’s actions were those of a fool hungry for fame, or a hero.

“But just as the prophecy foretold, his life would be a short one. In addition to the geas I mentioned earlier, he had also made vows such as, ‘Never refuse an invitation to a meal from an inferior,’ and ‘Never go against the words of a poet.’ As a result, you could say he was driven to his death by that very geas.”

Tenma’s lips curled up, as he was probably starting to get the picture.

“A penalty for breaking this ‘gesh’ thing?”

“Yeah. He was forced to break his geas by the trickery of a woman named Medb from a country they were at war with at the time.”

As a result, he lost his beloved spear and the freedom of half his body.

Just as the prophecy foretold, he met the end of his short life.

“As punishment, half his body was paralyzed, and he lost the spear he loved. How could he possibly defeat an enemy in that state? In the end, he was pierced by his stolen spear and died. But on the verge of death, he washed his spilled entrails with water, returned them to his abdomen, and tied himself to a stone pillar. He never fell. He must have upheld his pride as a warrior to the very end.”

Whether you take that as foolish or noble is up to the individual.

But the four of them were nodding as if they were impressed.

It seemed everyone but Shion was moved by Cú Chulainn’s way of life.

“The pride of a true hero.”

“As a warrior, that is how I wish to be.”

“He was a strong person, wasn’t he?”

“To wish for a short but brilliant life over a long and boring one… that’s cool.”

(Are you serious? The story of that dog-man is just about an idiot doing idiotic things and dying an idiot.)

The distance between their hearts only grew. The fault likely lay with Shion, who made no effort to bridge it.

“Now then, there is a girl who admires this Cú Chulainn from the bottom of her heart. So much so that she borrowed books about him over and over again from her elementary and junior high libraries, and the city library. I bet on that. I visited her this afternoon—to invite Aileen to a meal.”

Everyone’s expression changed.

No one here was so slow on the uptake that they wouldn’t understand after being told this much.

“…She accepted, did she not?”

(Yeah, foolishly enough.) “Yes. I am her inferior. She can’t refuse the invitation.”

“But, a geas doesn’t actually matter in reality, right? Which means…”

Tenma, smiling cheerfully, seemed to have already guessed what Shion was about to do.

“That’s right—I’m going to poison her. With every poison I can think of. (Aren’t you even going to question the fact that she went along with the plan?)”

“How vi-cious~♪ Seriously, I’m surprised you’d go that far.”

Though he said that, Tenma’s face was filled with excitement.

He was certain that no matter how much poison they used, Aileen would endure it and come at them.

And when she did, she would be as strong as a demon god.

“If she admires him from the bottom of her heart and had made a similar vow, there’s no way she could refuse.”

“The moment she refuses, she gains a single, trivial victory in exchange for a defeat she can never erase for the rest of her life.”

“…So in other words, she’s kinda screwed either way.”

The emotions in everyone’s eyes as they looked at Shion were varied.

Admiration for coming up with such a ruthless plan, and awe that he could actually go through with it.

What they all had in common was the conviction, along with those feelings, that Shion was the right choice for a leader after all.

They respected his attitude of going for the win with everything he had.

(An uneradicable defeat? What are you talking about?) “The time is nine in the morning, the day after tomorrow. Before the battle begins.”

Of course, Shion couldn’t understand.

He himself would refuse the meal without hesitation, and no matter how much he admired someone, it wouldn’t be important enough to risk his life for.

That said, if Shion had held the same admiration as Aileen, he probably would have complied just to save face.

And yet he could still call Aileen an idiot. It was unbelievable.

They say you put things on a shelf in your mind, but one had to wonder how many shelves Shion had stacked up.

“Ah, so that’s why you asked about the chef this afternoon. I understand completely.”

Shiori smiled, her face tense but moderately relaxed.

“In that case, shall I procure the poison? I’ll get you something nasty.”

Tenma grinned, looking like he couldn’t be more excited.

“Then I’ll go with ya. I’m not a healer for nothin’, I know a thing or two about medicine.”

Mai, though somewhat nervous, followed Tenma’s lead.

“Then I, Shion, shall prepare formal wear for you. You will be dining with a respectable adversary, after all.”

Rudolph proposed with a serious face.

(…It’s good that they’re on board so quickly, but I’m starting to get a little worried.)

Because he was a coward, anxiety began to creep in as he watched the others, who seemed to lack any sense of tension.

He thought the match would be pretty much decided the moment they poisoned her, but he had a bad feeling about it.

“It might not be necessary, but I’ll say it just in case—don’t let your guard down. Even if she’s afflicted by a potent poison, Aileen will fight. (Can she… fight?) This is her chance to surpass her idol. Aileen Hearn is strong, that’s all I can say. It wouldn’t be a laughing matter if the price for a single moment of carelessness was your heart, would it?”

It’ll be fine, right? You get it? Seriously, I’m counting on you.

Not having the slightest clue that his words came from such cowardice, everyone smiled fearlessly.

“Yes, we know. That is precisely what makes her worth surpassing.”

“We will see to it that we successfully follow the path to victory that you have laid out, Shion-san.”

“This battle, win or lose—I’m sure there’s somethin’ to be gained from it.”

“It really gets you goin’… right in the gut.”

(I can’t take these guys anymore. My chest is filled with anxiety…)

As they were talking, the hot pot was brought in and placed in the center of their circle.

“Oh, this looks delicious. What is this food called?”

“It’s Ishikari nabe, a hot pot made with salmon. It’s out of season, but… oh well.”

“My my, if I eat all this, I’m gonna get sleepy.”

The pot was quite large, enough that it was questionable whether all five of them could finish it.

It was likely a consideration for their hunger after the battle.

“Hehe, in that case, I’ll have rooms prepared for everyone, so please stay the night.”

“Really?! Then it’s a sleepover!”

“Pillow fight!”

“Rudolph-kun, you sure know a lot of weird cultural things, don’t you?”

The decision to have a sleepover was made in a friendly atmosphere, but…

(Huh? I was planning on going home after I ate?)

Shion made no effort to blend in with the mood. This was Shion Harukaze at his finest.