Chapter 160 - Why So Strong? (4)

Alon had anticipated that Elivan might be stronger than expected. After all, when Ultultus first appeared in the north, he had met Elivan years ahead of schedule and supplied him with various items to help him grow without difficulty. So many of those items were hard to come by that it was only natural for his growth to exceed the average.

But—

'... No matter how I look at it, he doesn't seem to be level ten.'

He had never imagined that Elivan's strength would so far surpass his expectations.

He glanced down at the crumpled living armors in front of Elivan. While mages and priests might fare differently, living armors were rather troublesome monsters for warriors to fight. A few dents in their armor wouldn't stop them moving; the armor that formed their bodies had to be completely destroyed.

That was why most players who built Elivan as a warrior cleared the Ironblood Citadel by leaving the fighting to Yan while their other characters tanked the damage. That was certainly how this battle should have played out. Instead, Elivan had smashed all those living armors by himself.

"Ah."

Elivan let out a quiet exclamation, seemingly realizing something belatedly. Alon naturally began estimating his level.

'... Level thirty? No, if he can wipe out at least hundreds in one blow, forty? ... Given Elivan's talent in the lore and the blessing he received, he'd probably need to be around that level. He likely hasn't become a Swordmaster yet, so reaching level fifty... would be difficult.'

While Alon pondered, Elivan, who had darted off like an arrow, returned with his characteristic "Ahaha" laugh.

"Um, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"That's a relief."

"... You're strong. At this level—did you really need my support at all?"

Alon pointed at the shattered living armors as he asked, and Elivan scratched his head.

"Still, I was told it would be dangerous."

"... To prepare for the unexpected, then?"

"Yes, yes, exactly. Ahem—let's keep moving for now...!"

Without giving him time to say anything more, Elivan immediately pushed his way through the living armors.

"... Hmm."

Alon's expression turned peculiar. Something didn't quite add up.

'... If he's that strong, he shouldn't have been so anxious.'

It would have been different if Elivan were the sort to put safety first and test even a stone bridge before crossing it, but he had never shown any particular sign of that so far. After considering it briefly, Alon decided to follow him for now. He had business in the Ironblood Citadel regardless.

Then he suddenly noticed that Elivan's companions were rooted to the spot and turned to look.

"?"

Once again, he couldn't help being puzzled. Every one of them—

'... They look very surprised, don't they?'

—had their mouth hanging open as though their jaw might fall off.

####

There was plenty to obtain inside a Monster Gate. The lore merely explained that they appeared together because of their connection to the Five Great Sins, but in the game, Monster Gates supplied weapons and artifacts to the player—or rather, Elivan's party. The Ironblood Citadel they were currently exploring offered a particularly large number of items for an Elivan who started as a warrior, though obtaining them involved a fair amount of grinding.

Unless the player went straight to Lartania to grind levels after starting the game, the protagonist would reach the Ironblood Citadel at level ten. At that level, living armors weren't easy to defeat. The only choice was to patiently lure the living armors roaming the citadel into rooms one at a time and kill them.

... Of course, there was no need for that now.

"Hmm..."

Alon surveyed the corridor of the Ironblood Citadel, which they had already been exploring for hours. Things that used to be living armors lay scattered throughout it. Their remains were so mangled that they looked less like they had been cut with a sword than smashed with a hammer.

After silently taking in the scene, Alon turned his gaze to Elivan. Once again, the man gave an awkward "Ahaha" laugh. Evan, standing beside Alon, whispered quietly.

"My lord."

"Go ahead."

"... Honestly, doesn't it look like he doesn't need any help at all?"

"I think so too."

Alon had accompanied Elivan because he had asked for help, but he hadn't cast a single spell since entering the Ironblood Citadel. Or rather, he had tried. Yet every time he attempted to cast—

["My lord! Are you all right?"]

["My lord! Are you hurt anywhere?!"]

["My lord!"]

—Elivan rushed out and smashed all the living armors, as though fussing over a small child left beside the water.

"..."

Naturally, this put Alon in something of a bind. Since there were items he wanted from the Ironblood Citadel, he needed to contribute to the party to some extent. Elivan's companions were already part of his group, so their situation was different, but Alon would feel awkward asking for an artifact later unless he did something to help.

'... Is he doing this because he wants everything for himself?'

The suspicion briefly crossed his mind, but he soon shook his head. Neither his characterization in the lore nor his actual behavior suggested that sort of personality. If anything, he was a classic heroic protagonist, ill-suited to a dark fantasy.

"My lord, are you all right?"

Elivan had approached Alon again before he knew it. Alon put his thoughts aside and answered.

"... You needn't worry so much. As you can see, I haven't suffered any harm."

"That's true."

"Besides, you don't have to handle everything yourself. I have the strength to deal with enemies of that caliber too."

"Ah, yes. Understood. It's—something of a habit, so it's hard to hold myself back."

"A habit?"

"Yes. I get a little worried."

Only then did the situation begin to make sense.

'He can't bear to see his companions get hurt, or something along those lines?'

Given Elivan's personality, that seemed plausible. Alon began nodding—then a sudden thought left him puzzled.

"For all that, your companions seemed surprised watching you."

Very surprised, at that.

Elivan seemed to consider his answer for a moment, then scratched his cheek with an embarrassed look.

"Actually—I've been deliberately pretending to be a little weaker."

"... Pretending to be weaker?"

"Yes. The goddess advised me that my companions needed to grow too."

"Ah."

"So they were probably a little surprised. This is the first time I've really shown my strength."

"I see."

"Yes. This time, because of that army at the beginning, I ended up showing more than—"

"A little too much of your strength?"

"Yes, exactly."

Alon nodded again. Now he understood why Elivan's companions had been so surprised earlier.

"That's why I'm always grateful to you, my lord. I was able to become this strong because you looked after me back then."

"I'm glad it helped."

Seeing that Elivan had grown even more than he had anticipated made Alon feel rather proud of him.

"But you can relax a little more. I don't need quite so much protection."

"I'll keep that in mind!"

The answer was spirited.

'... Well, the boss is the only monster left anyway.'

They had already reached the final stretch of the fighting. And against the remaining boss monster—

'I should at least be able to try casting a spell.'

With that hope in mind, Alon began walking through the citadel's interior, softly tinted by the violet sky. Before long, the party reached its end. There, they encountered—

RUMBLE!

—an ink-black knight. Unlike the other living armors, which consisted only of floating armor, pauldrons, and swords, its entire body was encased in jet-black armor. It rose from its seat as though welcoming the intruders—

WHOOSH!

—and swept its visibly heavy greatsword in a wide arc. Its ink-black coat fluttered with the motion.

'Konkan of the Ironblood Seat.'

Alon formed a seal the instant he saw it. True to the nature of living armors, it began charging furiously toward the first person to attempt an attack. At that urgent moment—

"My lord—!"

CRUNCH!

Elivan shot forward like an arrow and smashed its head apart.

"Ah."

"Ah."

A quiet exclamation escaped both Alon, who had been robbed(?) of his chance, and Elivan, who seemed to realize his mistake immediately.

####

In Pildagrin, the kingdom established in the elven land of Greinif, a report reached its ruler, Queen Magrina.

"... You're saying more and more of those things are coming up from the roots?"

"Yes. Their recent activity is troubling."

"Are their numbers too great for Pagade to hold back?"

"No, not to that extent."

Concern shadowed the face of the knight delivering the report, a member of the secret organization Pagade.

"But as you know, something that remained unchanged for nearly a thousand years has changed. We're managing for now, but we don't know what might happen in the future."

A brief silence followed.

"Understood. For now, please continue monitoring the situation."

"As you command."

"I commend your efforts."

After dismissing the knight, Magrina was deep in thought when visitors arrived.

"Your Majesty. Perion and Pilde have arrived."

"... Show them in."

She set her concerns aside for the moment and received her guests.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"... Welcome, Pilde, Perion. But you look unwell. Has something happened?"

Had something happened at Marquis Pallatio's estate? Pilde's complexion was far from healthy.

"I'm all right, Your Majesty. More importantly, there is something I must tell you."

"... Have you been to investigate Marquis Pallatio?"

"Yes."

"What did you find?"

Magrina herself seemed unaware of it, but Pilde noticed her hand curling into a fist.

"..."

After remaining silent for a while, Pilde slowly spoke.

"There is something I must make clear first."

"What is it?"

"Much of what I'm about to tell you is based purely on conjecture. I did not actually speak with Marquis Pallatio."

"... So he wasn't the primordial elf after all."

Her voice seemed tinged with disappointment.

But Pilde firmly shook their head.

"No."

"... Pardon?"

"Yes, I believe Marquis Pallatio is the primordial elf. In other words—"

Like Magrina, Pilde clenched a fist tightly.

"I believe there is a strong possibility that he is your older brother, Your Majesty."

"What did you say?"

At that utterly serious declaration, the queen's eyes widened enormously.