Chapter 20: Starry Sky 2

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Several seconds had passed since the suddenly appearing Hero took Finn away.

She had been shaken and frozen by the “I love you” declaration and the suggestive conversation, but Marianne recovered within a few seconds. After all, as a Saint under a Cardinal’s command who participated in the continent-scale Great Game, she was accustomed to wearing a mask.

“Excuse me.”

What entered her sight as her consciousness fully returned was something that embodied “otherness” itself. Dark skin and well-refined beauty.

The silver hair looked like that of a goddess from mythology, making her think that this must be what the war goddess described in the holy scriptures was like. And above all else, what stood out the most were her ears. Long and sharply pointed, possessing a beauty that didn’t even feel human. They were the same as those of the forest folk, those who had come to be called elves.

A dark elf. And the suddenly appearing Hero. Given those two facts, there was only one person who fit.

“……The Heavenly Saint……”

“Oh? You know who I am? To be known even by the Saint of Holy Smite, I’m not doing too badly, huh.”

The bewitching smile sent a chill up Marianne’s spine. Platinum-rank adventurers were not human. Not literally, but in the sense that their appearance and their inner nature were fundamentally mismatched. Even gold-rank adventurers were already far beyond normal humanity, but platinum-rank adventurers were on a completely different level. If gold-rank adventurers could fight a nation alone, then platinum-rank adventurers were monsters capable of destroying an entire continent single-handedly.

Otherwise, there would be no way to stand against lawless monsters that could wage wars all by themselves.

“You know of me?”

“Of course. The anti-magic, annihilation-type Saint who single-handedly boosted Cardinal Hector’s power. You’re even called the party closest to platinum rank. There’s no way I wouldn’t know you.”

The Heavenly Saint, Vasily Valvaroi. The first guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild and the strongest adventurer. Her strength was unquestioned. It was even said that if platinum-rank adventurers were forced into a death match, Vasily would always be the one who came out on top. And more than anything, due to her position as a Saint, Marianne knew of Vasily.

She stood behind the shadows of history. Nearly every nation, organization, great figure, legend, and folktale in this world was said to have her involvement. There were even rumors that she once indirectly ruled the entire continent by wielding her political prowess.

Some said that all the ruins and labyrinths scattered across the world had actually been conquered by her. Others claimed that the war with the so-called Demon Lord Army was a farce, and that she was plotting to rule humanity once again. The upper echelons of nations entertained such absurd theories simply because of the sheer scale of her influence.

Even the religious order, which now possessed absolute power, strictly educated its members with the command: “Know this one and never be rude to her.” She was that exceptional of an individual.

“I’m honored. My name is Marianne Highrendine.”

“Mm. Vasily Valvaroi. Nice to meet you.”

After exchanging a firm handshake, they took their seats, as there was business to discuss regarding the request. Marcus, who had tried to run away, was forcibly seated by Vasily, and Alicia also sat down, watching him with exasperation.

“Now then, let’s talk about the designated request I issued to your party.”

As she said this, Vasily fiddled with her chest area and pulled out several documents along with several seals. They were stamps used as proof of a party-wide contract, but Marianne doubted her own eyes at the sight. There was no way that amount could have come from her chest—especially from between her ample breasts—and the way they had been stored was physically impossible.

“……? ……??”

“Ah… Yeah, that’s the reaction I’d expect…”

The papers pulled from her chest were proportioned according to the silver ratio, and the material quality itself was clearly different from standard circulating paper. What material were they even made from? More importantly, how had they been stored? How had they been taken out? Marianne, who sometimes stood in the middle of political power struggles as a Saint, couldn’t comprehend the phenomenon, and it showed plainly on her face.

The one who gave a wry smile at her was Alicia, seated beside Vasily.

“This person does stuff like that all the time. If you worry about it, you’ll never get anywhere.”

“Hehe. An item box is a reincarnator’s basic skill. I couldn’t create a four-dimensional space, but I could interpret it. In other words, inside my clothes exists something like a universe.”

“? ……?? …I see…”

The words “What is this person even saying?” nearly slipped out, but the other party was an individual treated as a living legend. It felt oddly convincing to simply accept that not understanding her was normal.

“Anyway, let’s put aside my four-dimensional pocket. This is the request.”

“! Y-yes, let me take a look.”

She hurriedly picked up the papers placed on the table and reviewed their contents. The format matched that of official guild documents. There was no scam-like wording, and it aligned with what the Hero had said earlier. The duration was unspecified, and the daily reward increased over time. If considered as escort duty for a VIP sightseeing in the royal capital, it was an exceptionally generous contract.

“…I understand. However, I do have several questions.”

“I figured you would.”

“Why Finn? The favorable conditions make sense if you’re hiring gold-rank adventurers, but I don’t understand why he was specifically chosen.”

Yes. Ultimately, that was the core issue. Platinum-rank adventurers were literal human weapons. They were feared on a different level entirely compared to gold-rank adventurers. Because they normally couldn’t stay in places where humanity was involved and were never nearby, they were treated like legends but they were unmistakably stronger than gold-rank adventurers.

They didn’t need escorts. A single rampage by one of them could easily disrupt the world’s order. That was what platinum-rank adventurers were. So this request didn’t make sense. If she was an acquaintance, she could have simply visited or summoned him. That should have been easy. Why go out of her way to call him through a formal request? Marianne wanted to know the true intent.

Even if Finn wasn’t in danger, the appearance of a beautiful girl who openly said she loved him inevitably stirred a sense of crisis. That was also part of her reasoning. Despite being a question slightly colored by personal feelings, Vasily accepted it without hesitation.

“Well… There are various reasons, but I wanted to know the ‘flow.’”

“The flow…?”

“Yes. The ‘flow’ that started with Finn has already twisted 【Prophecy】 and collapsed the originally predetermined path. If I had the ability to see the original path, that would’ve been nice, but all I have is knowledge. So I needed to confirm whether everything had truly changed.”

Prophecy…?

“There was quite a gap between my knowledge and reality during the war against the Demon Lord Army. But that wasn’t a bad thing. Rather, it led to a good outcome. I was supposed to die, after all, but as you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“—What?”

The casually dropped bombshell froze Marianne’s thoughts. Vasily—the greatest, most terrifying, yet most reliable figure in human history—dying. She’d said it lightly, but if that had truly happened, humanity would have already been destroyed. What on earth had occurred?

Before Marianne could question her, Vasily spoke again.

“What matters is that Finn and Aria go on a date in the royal capital.”

“A d-da-da-date is important? What do you mean—”

“I don’t know either. My knowledge contains things like ‘a CG that triggers when you get hit on in the royal capital during a date with your childhood friend,’ but… Well, judging from past patterns, it’s never anything good.”

Then she continued.

“Finn overturns 【Prophecy】. Just like he did to you and just like he did to me. So this time too, I’m sure he will make my knowledge useless.”

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Aria dragged me out, and we came to the bustling shopping district. The street was lined with food stalls every day and packed with tourists. I’d recommended that if you came to the royal capital, you’d be missing out if you didn’t experience this, so we split up to grab whatever looked good. I returned with noodles from the eastern regions and skewered grilled meat, but…

“Welcome back! What did you get?”

“Ramen and skewered meat. …Who are you guys?”

“Umm, they said it’s their first time in the city. I told them to go to the information desk, but they just wouldn’t leave.”

I see. So this guy was trying to hit on her. The guy shot me a glare for a moment, then his expression turned to shock.

“Huh? …W-wait!! F-Finn Debyura!?”

“That’s right.”

“……Could you pretend nothing happened? Please?”

“I wasn’t bothered by you though. What about you, Aria?”

“Huh? Umm… Yeah, I guess it’s fine!”

The pickup guy (?) bowed repeatedly and disappeared into the crowd. What was that about?

“Ehehe~ Finn really is reliable!”

“No, you could’ve handled that yourself…”

“I could, but I liked being protected!”

Is that how it works?

I had no idea. I was usually the one getting beaten up by monsters under the name of ‘protection.’ My companions were always worrying about me.

“Here! Juice!”

“Thanks. Here, skewered meat.”

“…Isn’t that not really something you give a girl?”

“Do you hate it?”

“I like it, but…”

Then it’s fine. Honestly, I’m a virgin. Don’t expect me to understand incomprehensible things like a woman’s heart. If I could do that, I’d already be drowning in women at dawn, forming a harem with Lily Garden and the rest. And satisfying my fetishes at a brothel. But I can’t!

I’m still!! A virgin!!!

“Mmm… Finn really hasn’t changed.”

Well, I only became a hardcore masochist because of you. No matter how much I trained after getting beaten up by my master, you’d surpass me in an instant. When my week of effort got overtaken by your one hour, I genuinely wanted to die.

“You haven’t changed either, Aria. You’re the same as back then.”

“Eeh~? I’ve grown, haven’t I? In lots of ways.”

Saying that, Aria moved in place as if to show off her body.

Whoa…

……

Sorry, I’m used to seeing way more explosive types on a daily basis… 

But still, holy hell. That was insanely hot. Was it really okay to see something like this for free!? Even the girls at certain establishments couldn’t match a body like hers…!

Hah!! N-no, bad. She’s my childhood friend. If I look at her like that, she’ll get mad! My master will scold me too!

…But wait, maybe that’s good too? Looking at her lewdly while waiting to be scolded… Is that an option?

“…Hehe. You really haven’t changed.”

Saying that, Aria narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

“That scar. You never healed it…”

“Hm… Ah. This one?”

The scar on my left cheek. It had been etched long ago and was now fully set into my skin. I got it protecting Aria and honestly, that felt good too…

“I never had time to heal it. But hey, it’s like a medal. Don’t worry about it.”

~*~*~*~

“I never had time to heal it. But hey, it’s like a medal. Don’t worry about it.”

Finn had a scar on his cheek. To me, it was a symbol of the sin I couldn’t protect. Before we set out, there was a monster attack carried out with me as the target. I was the Hero, yet I couldn’t do anything. That scar was a shameful stain to the foolish me. And at the same time, it was the bittersweet memory of when I was just a girl who fell in love with the childhood friend who protected her.

Arianrod Mona was in love. With the childhood friend who roared that he would be the only one to protect her, the girl who had shown brilliance since childhood.

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