Le Petit Prince (2)

The meeting began.

“Tch…”

Línea was sulking.

There was a small problem, but given the gravity of the situation, I couldn’t spare the energy to worry about it.

This involved three trials working together.

One misstep, and we’d all die in droves.

Facing an overwhelmingly powerful opponent unlike any we’ve encountered before.

They could withstand our full-force attacks repeatedly, while even a brush from theirs would be fatal.

To defeat such monsters, what’s crucial is, as always, a barrier constructed from heavy armor.

“Claire, you’re the key.”

“I’d rather just die.”

“Then die on the battlefield.”

“……”

The crawling dragon Nidhogg would be handled by Hecate, so we need to take down one of the two flying in the sky.

And for humans who need to breathe, Vedrfolnir would be an extremely tricky opponent.

That one would inevitably be handled by Pinocchio, who doesn’t need to breathe.

Which means our opponent is Hraesvelgr.

I suppose bad karma exists after all.

Well, the opponent has been decided.

First, we need to bring that monster down to the ground, and only Claire can do that.

The weight of Vitege’s Armor and Claire’s own strength. With these, she’ll drag the opponent down.

“And the crucial point here is that we need to land a successful attack when we manage to drag the monster down.”

“Can’t we just intercept it in the air? We can do that, right?”

“The only one capable of that is me, and my power is only effective against demons, not particularly useful against monsters like these.”

“So useless!”

“If you’re referring to yourself from six months ago, you’re not wrong.”

In other words, the protagonist of this attack has to be Titan.

His tremendous strength and spirit magic.

Wasn’t that why we came to Alfheim in the first place?

If he could use spirit magic freely, dealing with the monster would be much easier.

“So Claire, your job is to drag the monster down. Titan and I will handle keeping it immobilized.”

Spirit magic that moves the earth.

And chains made of holy power.

The key is to use these to their fullest extent to bind the opponent to the ground.

“What about me?”

“Want to be a cheerleader?”

“…I’ll try my best at that, then.”

“I was joking.”

Unfortunately, Línea doesn’t have much to do. But that doesn’t mean she should be excluded from the battlefield.

Her abilities could be useful in any situation.

“Línea, you’ll identify Hraesvelgr’s weaknesses in real-time and relay that information to us. No matter how skilled we might be, most of our attacks will likely be neutralized, so this is crucial.”

“Yes! Leave it to me.”

For some reason, as the now-healthy Claire became more lethargic, Línea seemed to grow increasingly energetic.

Well, at least it’s better than that arrogant little brat Claire being energetic.

So, I’ve formulated a plan, but what’s truly important is something else.

We need to meet with Pinocchio and Hecate to discuss the plan directly, but the most crucial thing is a prerequisite.

“Titan.”

“……”

“You’re banned from participating in battle until you resolve your inner conflict.”

“That’s a harsh condition.”

“You know I’m that kind of person.”

“True enough.”

As we were having a serious conversation, Claire, sprawled out on the sofa, impudently chimed in.

Normally, I’d have given her a flick on the forehead, but this time her words seemed reasonable, so I let it slide.

“You did the same to me, didn’t you? You threatened me saying, ‘If you don’t make a decision before we leave the next domain, I’ll leave you at headquarters!’ right?”

“That’s how it is. We don’t have time to wait patiently. The same applies here. Titan, no matter how strong a warrior you are, I have no intention of putting a youngster who hasn’t resolved his inner turmoil on the battlefield.”

“Heh… hehehehehe.”

Suddenly, Titan started laughing uneasily, clutching his forehead.

Is this bastard going to swing his hammer at me?

Was I too harsh?

“A youngster… Right. That’s correct. I’m just a youngster. So I’ll follow your words. Lost, I don’t deserve to stand on the battlefield.”

“Y-Yeah. As long as you understand.”

“You just got scared, didn’t you?”

I promptly gave Claire, who was snickering beside me, a flick on the forehead.

“If you’re not satisfied, go ahead and try doing these things yourselves. I’m saying all this for your own good.”

“Wow, you’re really insufferable.”

“Truth often grates on the ears. You understand how much truth I’m speaking to you, right?”

If it bothers you, then do it yourselves.

If you can, that is.

I’m the one making plans, and I’m the one guiding everyone’s growth.

And I’m growing well on my own, exploring various methods to do so.

No one has the right to criticize me.

“By the way, Lost, about that 1,000 gold I lent you. Should we set a deadline?”

“……”

“Just kidding. Heheheh.”

Línea, who made a joke that momentarily took my breath away, was as fox-like as ever today.

I feel like Línea is becoming more and more relaxed.

In contrast, I seem to be losing my composure. Is this okay?

Well, thinking about it now won’t provide any answers. It should be fine.

Anyway, the plan is sorted out. If things could proceed smoothly from here, that would be ideal, but…

“Remember what I said. I still have some things to investigate.”

Life is never that easy.

While preparing for the plan, I had other tasks to handle.

I need to find the variables.

*     *      *

The first order of business was to get my weapons checked by Geppetto.

Honestly, Claire’s sniper rifle hadn’t been used much lately, but considering our opponent flies in the sky, it could be quite useful.

“It hasn’t been maintained.”

“I don’t know anything about that. Lost handled all the weapon maintenance.”

“The barrel is bent, and the inside is rusted. Did you hang it out to dry with laundry? This isn’t maintenance; it’s neglect. Tsk…”

“…I really don’t know anything about it.”

Unable to withstand Geppetto’s cold gaze? Claire was busy filling her mouth with lies and excuses.

Me? I’m confident. It’s been quite a while since I used it as my main weapon, and I’ve been checking it regularly.

“Do you perhaps believe in the superstition of dipping it in blood before firing?”

“…No, not that.”

“Then do you bash people’s heads with the revolver handle?”

“…Not that either.”

“Then why is it in this condition? This is a complete mess.”

No, this is truly unfair.

I’ve genuinely treated this weapon like my own body and cared for it diligently.

“Lost tends to abuse his own body, so…”

“Línea, be quiet.”

“Yes! I’ll be quiet.”

I quickly silenced Línea, but Geppetto’s gaze remained unchanged. I feel like I’m being accused of a crime.

“I, I did try to maintain it…”

“Save your excuses.”

“No, it’s not an excuse. I have a condition where I often bleed from my palms when fighting, so the handle gets stained with blood…”

“Sure, sure.”

“……”

It took some time for Geppetto’s misunderstanding to clear up.

Thinking it would be faster to show him, I revealed my stigmata, but he looked at me like I was crazy, as if I’d done something extreme. I had no choice.

Come to think of it, Geppetto didn’t know I had become an apostle of the gods.

Well, by the time I proclaimed my existence in Coinur, Geppetto was already in Alfheim, so his suspicion was natural.

“Ahem! Alright, I’ll just change the handle material for you.”

“…Thank you, Geppetto.”

I managed to defend my honor, but I felt gloomy, as if I’d lost something precious yet intangible…

“It’s okay, Lost. I understand. I know how hard you’ve been trying.”

“Yeah…”

But Línea’s comforting words made me feel better. I feel like I’m becoming increasingly domesticated by her, but it should be fine.

While I was recovering my spirits, Geppetto agreed to look at Titan’s weapon.

Though he hadn’t made anything specifically for Titan, he was still a master craftsman.

Titan’s weapon had a critical issue at the moment.

“It’s impossible to fix this.”

“Is that so.”

Titan’s hammer.

One corner of that hammer, with its absurd weight and strength, had been sliced off by Master’s sword.

It might not seem like a significant difference to others, but for the one wielding it, it matters.

It’s already a heavy weapon. I know what it means for such a weapon’s center of gravity to be thrown off, even if just slightly.

“It might be better to remove a similar piece from the other corner and attach it to the damaged side. If you want to preserve its power without significantly reducing the overall weight, that’s the best option.”

“Hmm, please do that.”

“Yes, this will be an interesting project. It’s been a while since I’ve worked with a pure metal piece like this.”

Well, both Claire and I had only requested firearms.

For a dwarf who considers hammering metal his true calling, it might have lacked the fun of creation.

“I’ll start working on it now. Let me know when Pinocchio wakes up.”

Geppetto dragged Titan’s hammer away, grinning from ear to ear.

It struck me anew that the old man’s strength was no ordinary matter.

Well, he’s been crafting weapons his whole life. He must have some special abilities beyond the ordinary.

Now, what remains is this matter.

-Claire! Claire! What happened to the shepherd’s staff I gave you?

“That thing? I broke it and used it as firewood. It burned quite well.”

-Hoeeeeee!

That wailing ghost, I mean.

I’m not sure why she secretly followed us here to play tricks again.

You’d expect nothing less from the master of the ghost city, popping up unexpectedly everywhere.

“What brings you here today?”

-You’re asking the obvious. I came to play!

“……”

-Well, I also wanted to check on Claire. Believe it or not, I worry about people.

“That excuse sounds much better.”

-Hoeeeeee!

I know Hecate means no harm. Still, how should I put this… there’s something about her that drains people’s energy.

Is it because she’s a ghost? It might be better to just exorcise her.

-Oh my! Claire resembles me in my younger days; she’ll surely become a splendid ghost.

“Is that an insult?”

-It’s a compliment!

“I knew it! I knew you’d say that!”

The two pale figures giggling away.

Ah, now I understand why I dislike Hecate.

It’s because she gets along so well with Claire, whom I dislike.

Seeing the girl beloved by the brightest light in the world and the ghost bearing the darkest death get along so well, it seems true that opposites attract.

“Yaaawn… Dad? Where’s Dad? Hey, everyone! Do you know where Dad went?”

-Hah! The little one is awake.

“I’m not little!”

As the ghost and the child giggled together, and Titan was lost in despair in a corner, even the previously sleeping Pinocchio woke up.

Just as I was becoming dazed by the chaos, I suddenly remembered the tasks I needed to complete.

“…Línea, I’ll leave this to you.”

“Lost, don’t abandon me. What am I supposed to do if you leave?”

“I trust you.”

“This burden is too heavy for me.”

“But you can handle it, right? Línea, you can do it. The Línea I trust and like can definitely do it!”

“Ah, you’re so cruel…”

Even if you wipe your tears with a handkerchief like a tragic heroine, it won’t work.

Línea is the one who needs to manage this situation, and I need to do what I must.

Yes, that’s how it’s been decided.

“You’ll… come back soon, right?”

“Yes, I’ll be back soon. So please take care of things until I return!”

Of course, I’m planning to stay out all night.

*     *      *

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

I really did have something to do.

It was about my original purpose: strengthening myself.

“Hmm.”

The Saintess of Earth, Nina, who became an apostle long before me. The original plan was to compare her abilities with mine and fill in the gaps.

There was definitely something perceptible since we both use holy power.

The Saintess of Earth, Nina’s symbol as an apostle was roots that seemed to connect from her waist to the earth.

And they actually functioned like roots; with her gestures, holy magic would sprout from the ground like vegetation.

This is quite challenging.

It’s naturally harder to react to something surging from the ground beneath your feet than falling from the sky.

Was this how Allen Wise felt when facing Titan’s spirit magic?

Nina was strong. The holy power she had accumulated throughout her life was far greater than mine, and she wielded it as freely as her own limbs.

But for some reason, what I felt from her wasn’t a sense of my own inadequacy, but a different kind of question.

“Vicarious Saint.”

“…Yes.”

“How exactly did you do that?”

It seems I know how to do more things than Nina does.