Chapter 8: Guild Master Emma ①

—One hour later… in a forest just outside of town—

“Th-This is… what in the world…”

Guild Master Emma couldn’t believe the scene before her.

Once, as an adventurer, Emma had been a name known throughout the entire kingdom.

The fact that she was an adventurer despite being the noble lady of a prominent family,

And the fact that she possessed a rare beauty that made everyone turn to look,

In every respect, Emma was a figure who drew the attention of the masses.

But all of this was merely window dressing; it was not the essence of the woman herself.

Her true essence… was that Emma was a warrior possessing a rare power said to appear only once in several decades.

“Frenzied War Princess.”

That is what the adventurers who had once witnessed her fight countless magical beasts called her, their words laced with respect and awe.

And yet, even she was only human.

Which meant that she had her limits as a species…

Staring at the divine beast standing before her, Emma was forced to confront this fact more painfully than she ever wanted.

Yes… before Emma’s eyes was the divine beast, Fenrir, its silver fur shimmering.

It wasn’t that Emma was ever arrogant about her own strength.

Those with a middling amount of power… second-rate fighters tend to overestimate their own abilities.

But Emma had surpassed that level long ago.

A first-rate warrior is one who can accurately gauge the relative strength between themself and their opponent.

It was for this very reason, however, that upon seeing the divine beast appear before her, Emma instantly lost all will to fight.

The difference in power was just that vast.

This massive beast, cloaked in a coat of fur that shone so brightly it was almost holy, was truly worthy of the name “divine beast.”

It possessed just that sort of overwhelming presence.

A human cannot kill a god.

The moment the divine beast’s colossal body slowly turned toward her, Emma prepared for her own death.

An image of her precious family… her only daughter… Mira, flashed through her mind.

She was the reason Emma had quit being an adventurer.

At first, she was just an orphan girl she’d taken in out of pity.

But now, Mira was an irreplaceable part of Emma’s life; even without a blood connection, she was, without a doubt, her daughter.

In a way, it was only natural that her daughter’s face would fill her mind at the moment of her death.

And yet, another person… no, another man’s face also surfaced in Emma’s thoughts.

The man named Mikami Shuzou…

That man was not her family; he was a complete stranger.

And yet, for the past ten years, he was a man who had continued to violently torment her heart.

Perhaps even more than her own daughter…

Maybe I have to admit it.

In the end, I might have been more of a woman than a mother…

I wasn’t a very good mother, was I…

I’m so sorry…

But… if Shuzou-san is there, even if I’m not… Mira will… surely be fine…

Memories swirled through Emma’s mind like a revolving lantern.

Just then, the Fenrir looked at Emma and let out a roar.

Emma quietly closed her eyes.

Emma was a former A-Rank adventurer.

That meant she had stared death in the face time and time again.

In short, she had confronted death many times and had come to accept it.

Therefore, she would not lose her composure in the face of her end.

She simply, silently, waited for the final moment—the moment the Fenrir would slaughter her—.

…And yet, that moment never came.

Eventually, Emma timidly opened her eyes.

Before her stood the Fenrir.

That much hadn’t changed.

But something was clearly wrong with the Fenrir’s state.

The divine beast… Fenrir, lay with its massive body collapsed on the ground, the light gone from its eyes.

Yes, the Fenrir was now drawing its last breaths.

No… it was probably like this from the start.

Faced with the extraordinary situation of a divine beast’s appearance, even someone like Emma had been unable to remain calm.

That’s why she had overlooked such an obvious fact.

But… even so.

And with that… Emma’s thoughts were once again thrown into violent confusion.

That divine beast… Fenrir, which even the heroes of the Age of Gods could not hope to match, why is it suffering from a mortal wound…?

Even in her confused state, the keen eye for observation that Emma had honed as a first-rate adventurer began to work unconsciously.

Emma quickly observed the Fenrir.

The cause was immediately obvious.

An abnormality mixed in with its beautifully shining coat of fur…

Yes… on the Fenrir’s abdomen was a dark, blackish wound.

And its shape, however unbelievable it seemed… was clearly that of a human fist.

This was, in all likelihood, what had dealt the fatal blow to the Fenrir.

The wound was so extraordinary that it was easy to believe as much.

That meant the divine beast Fenrir had been slaughtered by human hands—bare-handed.

Who in the entire world could possibly be capable of such an insane feat…?

Could such a human even exist on this continent… no, in this world?

Wait… I’ve heard that a Fenrir’s hide rivals the scales of a dragon.

There are legends that even legendary-grade weapons have shattered against it…

To wound such a Fenrir with bare hands… no, to inflict a fatal wound, was, by any common-sense standard, impossible.

No… wait… could it be… that he…

That man’s face once again appeared in Emma’s mind.

Mikami Shuzou.