Chapter 36: Heavenly Saint, Vasily Valvaroi 7

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Five years had passed since Vasily found Finn and Aria.

According to <Knowledge>, a vanguard force of the Demon Lord’s Army would soon attack the village. The village would suffer devastating losses, the few survivors would flee in order to live on, and Aria—left utterly alone in the world—would set out on the path of an adventurer… That was the expected flow of events.

First of all, the village would not be destroyed. The reason was simple: Vasily was there. If an enemy capable of killing Vasily appeared, the world would already be over at that point, so there was no need to consider it. At the very least, although the Demon Lord’s Army would expand its power as if swallowing up the western lands, monsters that were overwhelmingly strong would not appear at this stage.

Five years from now. That’s all the time I have left.

By the time she had reached this point, Vasily’s mind was stable. She would die, but she had done what needed to be done. From here on, the world would surely be handled by Aria. And if there were still five years left until her death, then she could convey everything to Aria during that time. Though she was still a young and fragile girl, if she continued to grow as a hero, she should surely be able to accept it all and turn it into nourishment for herself.

“Fiiiinnnn~~”

“What is it?”

“Nothing~~”

Just a little—yes, just a little—the sense of distance Aria had toward Finn had become slightly strange, but considering their age, Vasily felt reassured. They had grown close enough that Vasily wondered whether letting them live under the same roof was dangerous, but fortunately, Finn was still oblivious to such matters, so no mistakes occurred.

Even after she stopped trembling before fate, she still felt resistance toward violating common sense. Amid such days, there was something she needed to decide soon. That was what to do about Finn. Vasily wanted to let him accompany them on the journey. There was no doubt he would have a positive influence on Aria, and she even felt that with him there, perhaps fate itself could be twisted.

However, no matter how far one went, Finn was an ordinary person. He could not endure the battles described in <Knowledge>. Aria had the abilities of a hero and the Holy Sword. She might even catch up to Vasily and surpass her, but Finn had none of that. After five full years of intense training, he still fell short of even bronze rank by adventurer standards. With that level of strength, there was no way she could bring him along on a harsh journey across the world. If that were the case, it would be better to bring along an unaffiliated gold-rank adventurer instead.

If I take him with us, Finn will just die. I want to avoid that.

Of course, Vasily had no intention of letting him die within reach of her power. But did that truly have any meaning? Was it really the right thing to drag along a boy who grew slowly and would never catch up, simply to stabilize Aria’s mental state, all while protecting him?

Only five years out of three thousand. Even though it was such a short time, Vasily cherished Finn deeply. She agonized over it. As her disciple, she wanted to bring him along with Aria. But was choosing that truly the right thing to do? This was a journey to save the world. Not everything written in Johan’s journal was necessarily correct, but it would not deviate greatly.

Could Finn endure it? No. Vasily understood that better than anyone. Finn had grown. He had undoubtedly become stronger. Someday, becoming a silver-rank adventurer was not a dream. But it was not enough. Still not enough. Aria had already risen to a level where she could touch Vasily.

In the next five years, growing through travel, she would unquestionably awaken as a hero in both name and reality, surpassing her master. With her current strength, she could challenge even the latter-half ruins and labyrinths recorded in <Knowledge>. She could get ahead of events and crush the flags before they triggered. She could not bring Finn on such a journey.

“…Finn. May I have a moment?”

“What is it, Master, sounding so formal?”

“This year, Aria and I are setting out on a journey. At that time, I can’t take you with us.”

She chose the moment when training had ended and Aria was on dinner duty, leaving the two of them alone, to bring it up. There was no need for unnecessarily roundabout phrasing. She could do it, but she rarely did so with Finn. Because she wanted this straightforward boy to grow up straight. Finn, confronted so directly, furrowed his brow slightly, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke.

“…Am I useless?”

“…Yes. You can’t keep up. You’d only die.”

“I see. Then it can’t be helped.”

Finn accepted it plainly. Seeing that only made her feel it was an even greater waste.

Why… Why isn’t this child special?

Johan’s journal was nothing more and nothing less than that. There was something called an original story, and aside from those written there as special, there were no noteworthy individuals. Even those whose names appeared were not necessarily special. When the Demon Lord’s Army first appeared, more than thirty adventurers, including silver-rank ones, were wiped out.

The details were unclear, but the damage was said to be considerable. Even talent from the Elves, the eastern nations, and the Church would die. And the scene itself was utterly gruesome.

『When this CG appeared right at the start, I thought this game was seriously messed up』—if Johan thought that, then it must have been so. Even recruiting the named Saint or Sword Saint did not significantly change the future, so the influence of Finn alone was negligible. The one exception was that he had greatly healed Aria’s heart.

“…I’m sorry. After you went through so much to follow us, I’m leaving you behind.”

“If I were strong, you would have taken me. Then it’s my fault for being weak.”

He wore an expression that said it was only natural. That mental fortitude alone was Finn’s greatest strength, surpassing anyone else. He might even be more resilient than Vasily herself. Vasily, who panicked before death, and Finn, who never broke no matter how many times he faced death. How many times had she wished he also possessed physical strength?

“Hey, Master.”

“What is it?”

“Was I in the way?”

“…What?”

“Was it good for me to be here?”

Vasily sharply inhaled. She had not told Finn the detailed circumstances. She had chosen not to, believing it would only cause unnecessary worry. He had never pried, and she thought that was fine. He knew only that Aria was the hero needed to save the world, that the Holy Sword was her weapon, and that she was special. And that Vasily had been acting for that sake. She had never imagined he had realized that she had been using Finn to raise Aria.

“…You were never in the way. You were never a burden. Finn, having you here truly made me—”

Their eyes met. His eyes looked apologetic. He bit his lip as if regretting something, his fists clenched. Finn was strong of heart. She had thought that was because he was extraordinarily mentally mature. His parents’ upbringing surely played a part, but he was undoubtedly a straightforward, pleasant boy, and that had never changed.

But… Was that a misunderstanding? He was mentally strong. That was true. But that did not mean he could accept everything, or that he felt nothing. Finn had devoted half his life to Aria.

Saying things like, “Just because she’s specially chosen doesn’t mean no one should follow her,” and “She’d be lonely if at least one person didn’t stay by her side,” he endured and trained and endured and trained, endlessly. Even knowing it would be in vain, he did it. Hadn’t he always wondered? Whether his existence had any meaning at all.

Had I ever even once told Finn…?

Vasily had always believed in Finn. Aria did too. She believed in him. But had they ever told him that?

──No.

At the very least, Vasily had never put it into words.

“Ah… no… that’s not it. That’s not it, Finn. We—no, I—am glad you were here. There’s no doubt how difficult it would have been without you. Because you were here, Finn, we made it this far!”

“……”

“I’m—sorry! I’m sorry, Finn…!”

She embraced him. Finn was already fourteen. He had grown taller, reaching Vasily’s height or even surpassing it, and he would likely continue growing. His face was still youthful, but he was already on the verge of becoming a young man. He was a child. Still a child. No matter how strong his heart was, Finn was a child, just like Aria.

I—I…! I made the same kind of mistake again…!

“I’m sorry…! Finn! You are my disciple! Always, always, from now on and forever! No matter what happens, you are my precious disciple! And to Aria, you were a precious childhood friend! Without a doubt!”

“…Then… that’s good.”

“Yes! I swear it! Finn, you were irreplaceable! No one else can replace you! You are my special disciple!”

What, then, was Finn thinking? The head she held did not move. That only made it more painful, and she continued to hold him tightly.

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There was an incident in which Finn was gravely injured during the attack recorded in <Knowledge>, but Vasily rushed in and resolved it safely. Before departing, Aria also talked a great deal with Finn, and by the time they set out on their journey, she had matured mentally. They left the village amid the villagers’ farewells. Finn was among them. He was not treated specially, but Vasily felt that it came across how irreplaceable Finn was to the two of them.

The journey of the two was lonely, yet progressed smoothly. After registering as adventurers and Aria quickly becoming gold rank, they traveled across the land, conquering ruins and labyrinths, crushing the story’s “flags” one by one.

After one year, they visited the Elven village and met the Great Elder Astrogonoff, recruiting Alicia as a companion earlier than the prophecy foretold. She was somewhat surprised, but when Vasily explained she was there to overturn the prophecy, she accepted it.

They became platinum-rank adventurers. The subjugation of creatures that had flown in from “space.” The conquest of the Golden Tower at the far edge of the eastern nations. The fierce battle in the Abyss that had opened in the west… Vasily carefully dealt with each of the events left behind in Johan’s journal. They were defeating the enemies that appeared before the Demon Lord’s Army invasion. Everything was going well. So well that Vasily even began to think they might truly overturn fate.

However, trouble always arose at the worst possible time. Three months after finishing the fierce battle in the Abyss, the three returned to human lands and sensed an unusual commotion.

“…What is it? Has word of us already spread?”

“No. Nothing should have leaked anywhere yet.”

“…Master. At this point… Isn’t it about time for that to happen?”

At Aria’s words, the three fell silent. Two years had already passed since they set out. According to <Knowledge>, many adventurers would be killed in the Northern Mountain Range and suffer horrific fates. There was no way to know exactly when it would happen, so they could do nothing but prepare. If it had occurred while they were delving, they would not have made it in time. They had been prepared for that.

“That’s possible. Let’s confirm.”

The three went to the Adventurers’ Guild and, despite drawing attention, went to speak with the guildmaster. Even a regional guildmaster maintained proper reporting, communication, and consultation. Johan had told her to at least keep that in order, and to do something about corruption as well, so Vasily had implemented measures. Her method was brute-force, conducting regular audits herself, but since it worked, there was little room for complaint.

“Guildmaster. What happened?”

“Valvaroi-sama. In truth… Monsters calling themselves the Demon Lord’s Army have appeared in the Northern Mountain Range.”

As I thought… I couldn’t stop it.

Not everything went perfectly. Vasily, having learned that over three thousand years, accepted it.

“I see. How many casualties?”

“More than twenty silver-rank adventurers. However, it seems the monster that named itself was defeated by one party.”

“That’s a devastating amou—huh? Defeated?”

“Yes. That’s what we’ve heard.”

Aria and Alicia, waiting alongside her, were also surprised. <Knowledge> was rarely wrong, and it rarely changed significantly. Therefore, Vasily had believed that this event would not change unless she intervened. She had prepared herself to mourn the losses and act faster to prevent further casualties, and yet….

“…Are you certain?”

“The report came from headquarters.”

“I see… Just to be sure, I’d like to see the list of survivors and the deceased.”

“We have that ready.”

Saying so, the guildmaster briefly left his seat and quickly returned. He held a single sheet of paper.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you.”

She took it and read.

<Report: On the Mass Death of Adventurers in the Northern Mountain Range

During a joint quest involving more than thirty silver-rank adventurers, monsters claiming to be the Demon Lord’s Army launched a surprise attack. Over twenty were killed, and several rendered combat-incapable. One shield-bearer bought time alone, allowing a counterattack by an Elven mage and a priest to succeed. The shield-bearer had all four limbs torn off and internal organs gouged out, and remains in a critical, near-death state. Revival efforts are currently ongoing.

The name of the shield-bearer is Finn Debyura. Furthermore, under authority of the Guild Headquarters Director, dissemination of this individual’s name is prohibited. As the individual still wavers between life and death, no uncertain information is to be leaked.

List of Survivors

Astrea la Aeras

Carla Tsukamoto

Marianne Highrendine

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List of the Deceased

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… >

“…………Eh?”

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