Chapter 63
＊ Guard: Lelenoa ＊
The halfling was becoming increasingly prominent as an apothecary, but when it came to physical strength, her petite build meant she was hardly formidable.
A woman who was skilled at fighting was rarer still.
Lelenoa was that rarity. Born into a distant branch of House Ebenyu in the Holy Kingdom of Kurvan, she grew up with no connection to the life of nobility. There were many apothecaries in the halfling villages of the countryside, and children born there were trained as apothecaries as well. It had long been customary for about half of them to remain in the village, while the rest went out into the world.
But Lelenoa was different.
Her magical ability was exceptionally high—high enough that she could use 【Flower Magic】 and 【Earth Magic】 even without being granted Skill Orbs.
Lelenoa chose the path of magic rather than that of an apothecary. She caught the eye of House Ebenyu and was summoned to the main house—and eventually came to work as a knight of House Ebenyu.
She was given rare, three-star Skill Orbs—【Flower Magic★★★】 and 【Earth Magic★★★】—honing her magical talent further. She was also drilled relentlessly so that she would not lose to other races even in physical strength.
Exactly. So she could fight even in places where Skills could not be used, like the venue of the "New Sprout and New Moon Banquet."
(What in the world was that...!?)
Lelenoa was astonished.
At first, she had wondered, "Why is a child's guard in a place like this...?" House Slyries was an unquestioned pillar of the central government, and its head was even called the "Cold-Blooded Lord," a rather ominous name. He had many enemies, and she had heard that he had recently come close to being assassinated.
And yet the guard assigned to his daughter Eva was a child?
If the guard had been a halfling, hobbit, dwarf, or some other short-statured race, she could have understood. But there was no doubt that the guard was human. His face still retained a childish innocence—Lelenoa estimated that he was in his early teens.
He did not seem like a master swordsman, nor did he resemble a cold-blooded soldier. He looked more like Eva's actual friend.
(I see. She prioritized psychological "protection" so that Eva would not feel anxious.)
That was the conclusion Lelenoa reached. In other words, Eva's guard would be of no use in an emergency.
Why had she been forced to think that far ahead? Because the Holy Prince was attending this gathering, and, with everyone's nerves already on edge, the Holy King had attended as well.
If anything happened, the entire country would be shaken. Even if protecting her own lord was her top priority, Etan would probably order her, if she had the leeway, to protect His Majesty the Holy King.
A guard had to anticipate every possible situation and establish priorities in advance.
And then that "in case" happened.
In the darkness, Lelenoa first located Etan, then planted herself bodily on the line between him and the attackers.
"Lelenoa."
"Please remain calm. It is dangerous to flee in the dark. Once the light returns, we will identify an escape route."
Etan smoothly held out the treasured sword he was carrying. Lelenoa shook her head.
"Please use this to protect yourself, Etan-sama."
The Holy Prince and the Holy King were both faintly silhouetted in the darkness—making them perfect targets for the attackers.
But in the very next moment, something happened that shocked Lelenoa.
Five flames suddenly appeared in the air.
The one who had created them was the boy Lelenoa had judged "useless." There was no doubt about it, with flames floating around him.
(No way...!? He activated five 【Fire Magic】 spells instantly, in a situation where Skills cannot be used!?)
Even Lelenoa, who had been blessed with magical talent from childhood, would probably be limited to three simultaneous activations of 【Flower Magic】 and 【Earth Magic】. In fact, it was precisely because she could deploy three at once—an ability clearly superior to that of other knights—that she had been selected to guard Etan.
(A genius with 【Fire Magic】—)
Lelenoa understood. Such prodigies were exceedingly rare, but they were born as mutations. He looked like a boy and did not seem to have been trained, but it was precisely because he was this kind of person that the "Cold-Blooded Lord" had assigned him as his daughter's guard. That was what Lelenoa concluded.
(Then he must be an amateur at combat. Once we secure sufficient light, this is our job!)
With that judgment, Lelenoa turned her gaze toward Arthur of the Holy King Knights. He, too, had reached the position of knight-captain partly through his parents' backing, but it was not a position one could attain through connections alone. He at least knew what to do in an emergency—and he had probably reached the same conclusion as Lelenoa, because he was looking their way as well.
The two of them nodded to each other,
"Etan-sama, please wait here."
"Be careful."
They were just about to run toward the attackers—
when Eva gave her guard an order.
"Reiji, protect everyone!"
Immediately afterward, the guard Lelenoa had been watching—vanished.
＊ Reiji ＊
Skill Orbs grant people Skills.
This is common knowledge in this world, but I had long believed that many people misunderstood one thing.
Even without Skills, it is possible to exert "power equal to a Skill."
Just as it is possible to use magic without a Skill, it is possible to become a swordmaster without a Skill.
Skills are merely a way to skip all the intervening steps and reach mastery.
(Three sounds of combat. The other three are heading straight toward me.)
At each table, one guard seemed to be fighting one attacker. The people fighting back were guards, I think. Some children had fallen from their chairs with their legs giving out, while others were screaming at the top of their lungs.
I left the lights I had lit with 【Fire Magic】 where they were, lowered my body, and dashed off using 【Sprinting】. The attackers seemed to have been watching me, and 【All Creation】 told me that their breathing had become agitated. Naturally. To them, it must have looked as though I had suddenly disappeared.
The three attackers coming straight across the wide central space moved slowly, perhaps because they had no Skills. I ran in a wide arc and closed in beside them.
"!"
They seemed to notice me in the dim light, but it was already too late. I was right in front of them.
Using the 【Fist Technique】 I had learned in Holy Knight training, I drove a hook into an attacker's side.
"Gah!"
The black-clad attacker expelled all the air from his lungs in an instant. That brief opening was enough. My next punch struck his chin. The tip of the chin is a vulnerable spot known as the "chin" in boxing, and a blow there makes you lose consciousness.
Perhaps they noticed their companion go down, because the other two attackers switched their targets to me. They drew the short swords at their waists, and the black-painted blades were difficult to see as they melted into the dim light.
(Ahh, my hand hurts...)
It seemed they had been wearing chain mail under their black clothes, and my fist was crying out. Using mana-saving mode, I activated 【Recovery Magic】 and healed my fist.
Now there were two left.
"—Hss."
The one nearest me thrust at me.
The speed was vastly faster than an ordinary person's, but compared to me, who had watched the Holy King Knights train with Skills countless times, it was... incredibly slow.
But something about the thrust felt wrong.
(Wait... Isn't that thrust exactly a "form" of the Holy King Knights?)