The Banished Black Swordsman Wants a Peaceful Life with the White Saint in the Frontier ~Huh? You Want Him to Come Back with the Saint? It’s Already Too Late~ - 52

Chapter 52: Extra: The First Clue

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Elena and Fran went from house to house, filling in the blank spaces on their map as they walked through a farming region about half a day’s distance from where Lloyd had been expelled.

At that time, Lloyd had had his belongings and money taken by Julius. If that was the case, then it made sense to think he might be staying somewhere not too far from that location. However—whether at the well, the watchtower, or in the shadows of tool sheds, no matter where they asked, no one reacted to the name “Lloyd.”

Of course, the only information they had about him beyond his name was that he was “a swordsman with slightly long black hair who wore black clothing,” so the search itself was difficult. Fran clasped her arms behind her head and muttered,

“Lloyd’s not here, huh~. Maybe he went to a bigger town?”

“A town, huh… I don’t really get that impression from him.”

What came to Elena’s mind was the back of a man who always seemed to stand half a step away from the clamor of the world. Someone like him seemed more likely to live quietly, avoiding attention and leaving no trace behind. Still, in terms of available work, a town did make more sense. It wasn’t impossible that he had stayed in a village at first, then moved on to a town once things settled.

Just past noon, they found a small farming village beyond a three-way fork where the thick scent of hay hung in the air. When they asked if they might be given some food and water, the villagers exchanged troubled looks.

“Sorry about this, but we’ve got ourselves a bit of a problem right now.”

“A problem?”

“Well, you’ll understand once you see…”

They were led to the edge of the fields, where three deep hoofprints lay side by side. Unharvested stalks had been torn out by the roots, and clumps of earth were scattered everywhere. According to the villagers, three orcs had set up camp nearby a few days earlier, trampling the fields before disappearing back into the forest just before dawn. There were also fist-sized dents in the wooden doors of the livestock shed.

Like goblins, orcs had no females of their own and were the type of monster that abducted women of other races to use as breeding stock. For now, the damage hadn’t spread beyond the fields, but the village had young women. It wouldn’t be strange if someone were taken at any time.

That reminds me of some sperm-brained piece-of-shit warrior from somewhere.

Garo’s face rose in her mind, and a wave of disgust and revulsion washed over her. If humans alone could be that terrifying, then monsters that couldn’t communicate through words or common sense inspired an even deeper fear and loathing. She couldn’t leave this alone.

“Around here, all the strong young men are off working elsewhere right now. With just us, we can barely manage to chase them off. Somehow—”

Before the old man’s hoarse voice could finish his plea, Fran lightly tightened her grip on the handle of her war hammer.

“Hey, Elena. Should we just take care of them ourselves?”

“…Yes. It’s too dangerous for the villagers to fight them alone.”

Elena nodded and firmly grasped her staff. Creatures that raped women to reproduce were utterly unforgivable. Just knowing they were breathing the same air was revolting. If they were within reach, she wanted them dead.

“Oh! Then…!”

“Yeah, leave it to us! We’re actually really strong, you know?”

Fran answered confidently, placing a hand on her small chest. Exasperated by the healer’s upbeat attitude, Elena knelt at the edge of the field and brushed the soil with her fingers. The moisture, the firmness of the earth, the age of the overlapping footprints. The sensation of dark soil clinging beneath her nails told the story of their movements from last night into today.

A trampled path stretched toward the forest downwind.

“That way. Let’s finish this before nightfall.”

“Right! Orcs are nocturnal, after all. They might be taking a nap right now.”

The two followed the tracks, slipped through a thicket of shrubs, and entered the dim forest floor. A faint stench—a mix of beast and rancid fat—lingered on the bark of stripped tree trunks.

“Wait, Fran.”

Elena stopped Fran, who was about to keep pushing forward without hesitation.

“What?”

“Charging in blindly and letting them spot us first is dangerous. Let’s proceed carefully.”

Right now, they had no front-line fighter. With only rear-line roles, they would have to face monsters whose raw strength exceeded that of humans. And although the villagers said there were three, it wasn’t certain there were only three. If more orcs were hiding nearby, the two of them alone would be hard-pressed.

“Root of all things, all-pervading power… Reveal the flame of life.”

Elena chanted briefly and activated ⟨Detection⟩. ⟨Detection⟩ was a spell that sensed nearby lifeforms, extremely useful for scouting like this. Life signatures surfaced in Elena’s mind.

“…There they are. Over there.”

The two advanced toward where Elena pointed, keeping low. Soon, they spotted three orcs lurking behind a massive rock half-buried in mud. They wore crude pelts, their snouts resembling a mix of pig and boar. One especially large individual lay sprawled on the ground, snorting as it slept, while the remaining two clutched spears and kept watch.

It seemed the information about there being three was accurate. ⟨Detection⟩ hadn’t picked up any other large lifeforms either. Elena canceled the spell and let out a small breath.

“What do we do? Should we take them out right away?”

Hidden behind shrubs as tall as themselves, Fran whispered using only her lips. Elena replied,

“…Yes. There’s no point talking about fair tactics against monsters.”

“Then let’s take out those sentries first, fast. I want to focus on the leader-looking one.”

“Agreed.”

They had no front-liner. If the enemy closed the distance, the situation would turn against them instantly. There was no reason to reject a surprise attack. Elena gathered mana at her fingertips, while Fran formed a small sign with her hands. The air dried slightly, and particles of light shimmered within the grassy stench. Their signal was a single crossing of gazes.

“Root of all things, all-pervading power… Bind my enemy.”

At the same time as Elena’s short chant, the ground beneath one sentry hardened instantly, and ⟨Restraint Circle⟩ erupted. Stone shackles clamped from ankle to knee, and the sentry stumbled.

“O Mother who governs the earth… Strike the enemy!”

Fran’s ⟨Holy Smash⟩ hit directly. The first orc died instantly. The remaining one noticed them and turned around.

“Root of all things, all-pervading power… ⟨Lightning⟩!”

A bolt of lightning shot from Elena’s palm and pierced its throat in a blue-white flash. Both massive bodies collapsed at once, the ground shaking with a dull thud.

The boss orc jolted awake, coughing in the dust, and glared at them with bloodshot eyes. Muscles rippled, and the club in its grip growled through the air. If they let it get even half a step closer, their bones would be pulverized. Fran glanced sideways at Elena and tucked in her chin.

“Let’s finish this in one go.”

“Yeah.”

As they nodded to each other, they layered their mana together deep in their throats. Fran’s speed enhancement and mana boost were bound together into one. A pulse burst in their chests, and pale light surged from their bodies.

““⟨Resonance: Twin Flash⟩!””

The light converged into one point, then exploded into a dazzling flash that engulfed them.

Mana raced through Fran’s body like a gale, igniting every strand of muscle fiber. At the same time, Elena’s mana expanded in waves, a massive heat she normally couldn’t handle roaring in her throat. The air trembled, the ground stirred, and an invisible vortex of power surged around them. This wasn’t just overlapping enhancement magic. Their heartbeats, breathing, and wills themselves had aligned, amplifying each other exponentially.

⟨Resonance Skill⟩—a human-developed finishing technique that multiplied power severalfold, fundamentally different from ordinary amplification magic. The orc boss sensed it too, fear flashing across its pig-like face.

“You know this already, but I’m not that great at close combat either. So let’s keep it quick, okay?”

Fran said shortly, resetting her grip on the war hammer.

“Yes, I know.”

At Elena’s reply, Fran kicked off the ground. Her movement was too sharp to follow with the eyes, and the flat of the hammer slammed into the belly of the club with a dull crash, knocking its trajectory slightly off. Fran spun past its shoulder, grazing its knee with a second strike. A thin veil of light covered her entire body, deflecting the club’s glancing blow.

Keeping Fran’s back in the corner of her vision, Elena scooped up the flow of mana from the ground. She condensed the heat into a single point, sending sparks through dry branches and leaves. The air scorched, and the stench of burning fat stabbed her nose.

“Fran, fall back!”

At Elena’s shout, Fran landed one last blow to the orc’s leg, then kicked its face hard. She leapt high backward, retreating. As expected of a former hero party companion, their coordination was flawless.

“Root of all things, all-pervading power… Flame, devour everything. ⟨Firestorm⟩!”

On the final beat of the chant, the world flipped red. Pillars of flame surged up from behind the rocks, swirling as they engulfed the orc’s entire body. Fur exploded, flesh burned, and its scream was torn apart by the wind. When the vortex of fire unraveled, charred remains crumbled to the ground. Slowly, the forest’s rustling returned. Elena unclasped her hands before her chest and let the remaining embers scatter on the wind. She deliberately ended the ⟨Resonance Skill⟩ as well.

“Phew… Nice. That went pretty well.”

Fran slung her hammer over her shoulder and wiped off her sweat.

“Yes, perfectly done. Any injuries?”

“Nope, none at all. Totally unharmed. Maybe I actually have a knack for fighting.”

“Then I’ll leave the front line to you from now on. I’m not good at it.”

“No way.”

Trading such light banter, they removed the metal fittings from the boss’s club as proof. The two sentries wore bone tags as makeshift necklaces. After placing everything into a bag, they left the forest and returned to the village.

The villagers gathered at the ridge gasped as soon as they saw them. The explosion and the smell of burning must have reached them first. Cheers erupted as they welcomed the two back.

“That’s from those orcs…!”

“You mean two women took down orcs?”

“Don’t tell me you really beat them!?”

“You ladies are incredible!”

The village elder clasped his hands together, his eyes moist.

“Ahh, we’re truly grateful… There’s no ‘handyman’ around here, you see.”

“‘Handymans’?”

At Elena’s unfamiliar question, the elder nodded and continued,

“Apparently there’s a pair in the town of Gluteridge who do that kind of work. They handle monster extermination, and even gather rare items. A fellow who went there for work once said they solve any problem the town has.”

“A pair, huh…”

“Doesn’t sound like Lloyd.”

For a moment Elena thought it might be Lloyd, but she immediately dismissed the idea. Lloyd teaming up with someone—let alone putting up a sign and working openly in a town—was hard to imagine. He seemed like the type who could do anything alone. But then the elder clapped his hands.

“Oh! That’s right!”

“Huh? What is it?”

“That Lloyd name of yours. I believe the swordsman is named Lloyd. Looks young, but he’s strangely composed, and very skilled with a sword. The other one’s a nun, apparently, though she keeps her name hidden. They say she’s really beautiful.”

“A swordsman named Lloyd!?”

Elena’s voice rose sharply. It was rare for the details to line up this closely. But Fran pursed her lips and frowned.

“Still, would he really travel with a woman? I mean, this is Lloyd we’re talking about.”

“That’s true too…”

Their expectation quickly turned into a sigh. Common sense won out. It was hard to imagine Lloyd working alongside a woman. And yet, somewhere in her heart, Elena hoped it was him. Besides, this was the first lead bearing the name “Lloyd” they had found on their journey so far. They couldn’t simply ignore it.

After that, they received a modest reward in the village square and were given baskets filled with bread and cheese. The sun began to sink, and the shadows along the well stretched long. The two walked to the edge of the village and returned their boots to the roughly paved road.

“Gluteridge isn’t that far from here, right?”

“Probably just a few days on foot?”

“…Should we go?”

“Yeah, let’s try. We don’t have any other leads anyway.”

It seemed Fran was thinking the same way. Once the decision was made, the weight on their backs felt a little lighter. The wind passed over the waves of the fields, and the stubble of harvested wheat glinted dully in the evening sun. Elena pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and narrowed her eyes toward the distant horizon.

It felt like a single clear line—the path they should follow—had finally been drawn. They adjusted their packs and set off toward Gluteridge, walking side by side at the same pace. The sound of their soles pressing into the dirt slowly overlapped, carving a straight line of fresh footprints into the pale crimson road.

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