The story of how
Several days ago.
Two women appeared at the gates of the magic city Sharia.
A woman of the beast race, with grey hair.
A woman of the human race, with lavish red hair.
The beast-tribe woman stood a full head taller.
Both wore similar jackets draped over their shoulders and carried similar swords at their hips.
Eris Greyrat and Ghislaine Dedoldia.
The two had finally reached their destination after a long journey.
That journey had been anything but easy.
In their haste to reach
After getting lost, they blundered into a monster's nest and ended up in a massive brawl.
Somehow making it through the forest and arriving at the nearest town, they picked a fight with some delinquents, which led to yet another brawl.
That, in turn, attracted the attention of numerous enemies, resulting in more brawls.
Which then delayed their departure, leading to still more brawls.
Essentially, they had spent their time repeating one fight after another—mostly of their own making—which was why it had taken so long to reach Sharia.
That said, the two of them had lived as adventurers for a time, so they gradually recovered their instincts along the way. Once they entered the kingdom of
Once inside Sharia, their movements were equally smooth. When they gathered information at the Adventurers' Guild, they found that many people knew the location of Rudeus's residence. Apparently, almost no one in this city didn't know the name Rudeus Greyrat. They even received the advice that they could spot it quickly by looking for the rare magical beast he had supposedly brought from the Begaritt Continent, or the suspicious-looking treants he grew on the Demon Continent.
They found their destination in no time.
Rudeus's residence was a far cry from Eris's family estate, but it was big enough to pass for an inn. The garden was spacious as well—it could work nicely as a training ground. While discussing this with Ghislaine, Eris did something rare for her: she hesitated at the gate.
She stood frozen before the gate, and silence descended over the scene.
Eris simply stood there, rooted to the spot.
She tilted her chin upward, gazing up at the house in silence.
As though if she simply waited like that, Rudeus would notice and come out to her.
What filled Eris's mind at that moment were the rumors about Rudeus she had heard throughout her journey.
Rudeus Greyrat of the "Laplace" epithet.
A magician who had slain the
His strength defied description, and every time Eris heard about it, she felt as happy as if it were about herself.
But what caught her attention most in those rumors was not the part about his strength.
It was the comical parts.
For instance: "Rudeus is a devoted family man who goes shopping with his wife after school."
"He got scolded for groping his wife's backside while shopping."
"He married a woman who's childish."
"Taking two wives—what an insult to the Millis faith."
In short, the rumors were about the woman—or women—who had married Rudeus.
Every time she recalled this, Eris's brow furrowed, deep creases forming between her eyebrows.
Once they entered the kingdom of Ranoa, she learned the names of those two wives.
When the time came to face those two, Eris didn't know what to do.
She had learned of their existence through a letter, heard rumors along the way, and spent the journey thinking about it on and off—but she had no idea what to say to make things work out the way she wanted.
Standing frozen before the gate, Eris was eventually addressed by a maid—
When Eris first appeared at the gate, Aisha had wondered, "Is that Eris? That's Eris, isn't it?"
She had been asking herself this while simultaneously preparing so that she would be ready to respond the moment Eris knocked.
However, after about an hour of waiting, Eris still hadn't moved, so Aisha took the initiative herself.
Eris was one of Aisha's benefactors. While she didn't revere her as much as her brother Rudeus, Eris had unquestionably been among those who saved her in the Shirone Kingdom.
Her mother had taught her to repay kindness tenfold, and when she heard the story of the "third woman," Aisha had secretly resolved to support Eris if Eris did indeed have feelings for her brother.
Thanks to Aisha's guidance, Eris made it inside without incident. She was warmly welcomed by Aisha and Lillia, and while Aisha went to fetch Sylphie and Roxy from school, Lillia filled Eris in on Rudeus's current situation.
There was his child—a girl named Lucy.
Upon hearing this, Eris wore a complicated expression, but she noticed that she didn't actually feel particularly bad about it.
If she wanted a child, she could have one too. A boy, ideally.
The fact that she had this much composure was probably because the ones who met her first were Aisha and Lillia.
Even after Sylphie, Roxy, and
Norn didn't exactly look happy about it, but since it had already been debated, she didn't openly object. Both wives knew that Rudeus intended to accept Eris, and they respected his wishes. Moreover, the way Eris spoke about Rudeus—the sheer magnitude of her affection and respect for him—was genuinely pleasant to hear, enough to draw a wry smile. Anyone would be happy to hear someone praise the person they loved.
But that amiable atmosphere only lasted at first.
Things turned sour when Eris asked, "So, where's Rudeus?"
He had gone off to fight Orsted.
When she heard this, Eris turned on the two of them: "Why did you let him go alone? Are you trying to get Rudeus killed?"
If she was with Rudeus, she should have fought alongside him—so she insisted.
Sylphie tearfully countered: "That's what I wanted to do, but I'd just be in the way, and he told me not to follow."
Eris flinched at those tears, but then she remembered—she had been training precisely so she wouldn't become dead weight. And the person who had been helping Rudeus in her absence, the one mentioned in the letters she'd received—that was the very woman standing before her now. A twinge of jealousy, along with a sense of superiority, stirred within her.
I won't be a burden. I can help Rudeus.
Declaring this loudly, Eris set off after Rudeus, bringing Sylphie, Roxy, and Ghislaine with her.
--- And so, Eris was here.
She had hurried toward her destination, overshot it slightly, seen the massive explosion and doubled back, heard the sounds of battle, searched and searched with desperate eyes— Found Rudeus on the brink of death, and dove in.
Straight before Orsted.
--- Eris took her stance, raising one of the Sword God's Seven Swords—the Hōga Ryūken—in a high guard, and faced Orsted.
"Ghislaine! I'm counting on you to watch my back!"
Orsted had not taken a stance.
He merely regarded Eris with a puzzled expression.
No—behind her.
He had the fallen Rudeus and the two women rushing to his side reflected in his eyes.
Eris studied those eyes as she carefully observed Orsted.
His upper body was bare, with blood seeping from wounds all over. Blood trickled from his head as well, and he overall looked lethargic. The tips of his hair were singed, and there were bruises around his shoulders.
Damage had accumulated.
He was also holding a curved sword in his right hand.
Eris had never seen Orsted's sword before, and she didn't think she had any particular eye for blades. But she could tell that this was no ordinary weapon.
It held far greater power than the sword in her own possession—the Jimōzō.
When they had faced each other previously, he hadn't carried anything like it. He had dismissed weapons as unnecessary, subduing her completely with his bare hands.
The fact that Rudeus had inflicted enough damage to make Orsted draw his sword stirred an indescribable excitement in her.
(I want to be like Rudeus too… But I can't rush this. First, I need to buy time…)
Eris told herself this.
She couldn't defeat Orsted.
She had realized this the instant they faced each other.
And she accepted it naturally.
Once upon a time, the gap had been too vast for her to comprehend. She had looked up at a tower a hundred times her height and thought only that it was tall. She had believed she could climb to the top.
But now things were different.
She had grown taller, and she could gauge the heights of others. Eris had risen.
And yet it was still so high—impossibly high.
Orsted stood at a dizzying altitude, far beyond anything Eris could hope to reach.
"Eris Boreas Greyrat, is it… Rudeus values you that much? More than Luke?"
"…Luke?"
"The man who was destined to become your husband."
"I don't know anything about that."
Eris let Orsted's words pass through her. She didn't know who this Luke was. But the only person she treasured was Rudeus.
Rudeus, and only him.
She needed no one else.
"I suppose so."
Orsted did not take a stance. He watched calmly as Rudeus was healed.
His posture looked full of openings.
Eris could tell. He was, in fact, leaving himself wide open.
On purpose.
Waiting for Eris to strike.
"…"
The Sword God's final words came to Eris's mind.
--- The Sword God Gal Farion had invited Eris into his room and laid out three swords before her.
"Which one will you take?"
Eris picked up each one and examined it.
The sword she had received on the Demon Continent was more than sufficient, she wanted to say. But she had grown taller, and it no longer fit her body as well as it used to. She had been thinking she wanted something a little longer.
Besides, this sword most likely wouldn't work against Orsted.
Those of the Sword Saint lineage would say that relying on a weapon showed a lack of pride as a swordsman.
But Eris knew.
Screw pride.
"This one."
The sword Eris chose had the simplest design of the three—a thin-bladed, slightly curved single-edged sword. It gave off no sense of menace whatsoever; if anything, it felt refreshing.
"The Hōga Ryūken."
This was the legendary Hōga Ryūken, bestowed upon the first Sword God by the peerless master smith known as the Ryūkō—the Dragon King.
A sword made for the Sword God, designed to bring the Sword God Style's techniques to their fullest potential.
"Good choice."
"…I'd like to hear your reasoning."
"This sword is a demon sword. At first glance it seems to have no special ability, but the mana meticulously refined into the blade can essentially negate an opponent's defenses formed by battle spirit. Even the Dragon God's borderline-cheating battle spirit defenses—well, 'negate' might be overstating it, but it can reduce them."
Defense bypass.
That was the ability of the Hōga Ryūken.
"It didn't suit me, but I imagine you can handle it."
Only three of the Seven Swords were currently in circulation: one held by the Sword God, one each by the two Sword Emperors, and one by Ghislaine, who was the Sword King.
The remaining two would likely be passed down once the two young Sword Saints matured a bit more.
"Now, let's get to the main topic. First, how to fight Orsted…"
The Sword God prefaced his words with this: "Never—under any circumstances—make the first move."
He didn't ask why. Eris knew the reason.
"His Water God Style has reached the divine realm. He'll kill you with a counter."
What came to mind was her former self—the bitter memory of being swatted aside in a single blow.
"That is the first stage."
--- The Sword God Style always seized the initiative.
And Orsted's method was to turn that attack back on them.
The Sword God had told her that this simple strategy was Orsted's surefire approach.
Therefore, Eris did not attack.
Against the Water God Style lying in wait, she would never strike first.
An aggressive Sword God versus a defensive Water God—terrible matchup for her.
The Water God Style's counters never failed. Without a certain level of power advantage, the Water God Style would win. Eris knew this from firsthand experience—through her training with Water King Isolte.
So Eris would never take the initiative. For someone who had been called a mad dog and had always struck first, this was an agonizing position.
"Hmm…? You're not coming?"
Orsted looked at Eris with puzzlement as she held her stance without making any move to attack.
The Sword God Style was an art that always attacked first. That was its nature.
"All I have to do is wait. Then, once Rudeus is ready, we attack together," Eris said calmly.
"…I'm surprised. Eris Boreas Greyrat, fighting alongside allies. Is this part of your madness too? I did think that if Eris Boreas Greyrat had a bit more sense and found a proper master she might improve, but… so this is how it turns out."
"I'm no longer Boreas. I'm Eris Greyrat."
"So you're a different person from the Eris I knew…"
While saying this, Orsted slowly took a stance. His left hand hung loosely at his side while his right rose gradually, the tip of his sword pointing at Eris.
"Then, allow me to go first."
With neither making a move, the battle moved to the second stage.
--- Eris once again recalled the Sword God's words.
"He can launch the Light Blade with a bare-hand chop.
But you've practiced countering the Light Blade against Nina in mock fights countless times, haven't you? You know this—target the wrist before it reaches maximum speed. Sever it.
However, you won't know whether he'll use his right or left hand. If he raises both hands, pick a side and gamble. You won't know if it comes from above or below either—so take either a high or low guard.
That is the second stage."
The Sword God had indeed said this.
Eris grimaced.
Orsted had drawn his sword.
Not a bare-hand chop—a perfect Light Blade was coming.
Could she handle it? Eris asked herself.
She could, she answered.
Orsted was not at full strength. His breathing was somewhat ragged, and his body was covered in wounds. Blood ran from his sword arm as well.
Furthermore, Orsted had taken a right-handed stance. Just as she'd hoped—coming from below. Injured, yet using only one hand.
(He's underestimating me…)
Normally, Eris might have flown into a rage at this—but strangely, she was calm. She herself never thought there would come a day when she'd be glad to be underestimated.
"Sword God Style secret technique—Light Blade."
Orsted's hand shot forward with terrifying speed.
At the same instant: "Sword God Style secret technique—Light Return."
Eris's sword descended in a slash.
A kata she had repeated thousands of times—the countermeasure against the Light Blade.
Matching speed at the point where maximum velocity had not yet been reached, then cleaving through.
Orsted's sword and wrist spun through the air.
(I got him!)
Eris thought.
But in the very next moment, Orsted did something astonishing.
He caught the severed wrist in his left hand and reattached it to his arm instantly.
Almost simultaneously, using the momentum of his raised upper body, he launched a roundhouse kick.
However, Eris evaded the kick. The Sword God had warned her this was a possibility.
"…!"
She dodged by stepping half a pace back, then knocked aside the follow-up hand chop with her return blade.
Neither had used the Light Blade. Because of this, Eris's slash failed to wound Orsted.
With a sharp clang, the hand chop was deflected, and Orsted stood before her unscathed.
A moment later, Orsted's sword landed in the ground behind him with a soft thud.
Looking at Orsted, the wrist she had severed had already been fully restored. Likewise, the damage from Rudeus's attacks had vanished completely.
Healing magic. In that brief exchange, Orsted had used healing magic. And with that single cast, he had healed everything.
(What a monster…)
Eris thought quietly.
Her recent slash, while not the Light Blade, had still carried considerable speed and power. Yet it had been deflected.
Without the Light Blade, there was no way to break through Orsted's Dragon God's Dragon Sacred Battle Spirit.
Not even with the Hōga Ryūken.
"This fighting style. The Sword God's coaching, is it? You must have made quite an impression, Eris Greyrat."
Eris brought her sword back to a high guard. She sharpened her focus and maintained her composure.
The next words Orsted spoke were loud—deliberately loud.
"Did Gal Farion regale you with tales of his exploits in his bedroom?"
He was addressing the three behind her.
No—he was making sure Rudeus could hear.
Words that could be easily misconstrued.
Words that, in ordinary circumstances, Eris would never have tolerated as an insult.
She deeply respected the Sword God. For the past several years, Gal Farion had trained her with everything he had. He had entrusted his dreams to her. There had been nothing romantic between them—only master and pupil. A mentor and student whose interests aligned.
But.
But.
Her master had told her: "If things go well, Orsted might try to provoke you at some point. Don't let yourself be baited, you hear?"
The Sword God had anticipated the provocation.
So Eris would not flinch. There was nothing to be angry about. Right now, Orsted was in the palm of the Sword God Gal Farion's hand.
"Hmph."
"…So that's how it is. You truly have grown stronger."
Orsted murmured those words alone, sounding almost wistful.
He raised both hands in a bare-hand fighting stance.
Eris saw this and recalled the Sword God's final piece of advice.
"For some reason, the bastard can't go all out.
He can use both swordsmanship and magic, but he tries to get by with just battle spirit and martial arts as much as possible.
Especially when facing a style he knows well.
He combines battle spirit, martial arts, and if that's not enough, magic—using the most efficient actions to bring you down.
But when he doesn't know the technique…"
"He has a habit of trying to observe techniques he's seeing for the first time. That might be his weakness."
In Eris's mind, she replayed Orsted's first fight with Rudeus.
His immature movements—like a cat toying with a half-dead mouse. Rather than finishing Rudeus off, he had slowly toyed with him.
"Grgh…"
Eris gritted her teeth and moved the left hand resting on the Hōga Ryūken to her left hip—to the nameless sword she had received in the Migurd village.
The Hōga Ryūken held high in her right hand only, and the nameless blade still sheathed at her side.
An unorthodox two-sword stance.
But the Sword God Style had no two-sword technique. Two-sword combat was a form of the North God Style.
Moreover—no matter how powerful the demon sword Hōga Ryūken might be— A Light Blade could not be launched one-handed.
A drawing technique existed, yes, but a reverse-grip Iai slash was impossible.
A pointless stance. A pointless movement. Not the stance befitting a Sword King who had received the Sword God Style's full mastery.
"…!"
And that was precisely why Orsted's movement stopped.
He stood with his hands raised, watching Eris.
His eyes did not show Rudeus—the one who was presumably being healed right now.
He was watching only her.
But there was no time to waste. If she didn't act, Orsted would attack. For precisely that moment, Eris had drilled one technique through sheer repetition.
A North God Style technique learned from North Emperor Aubert.
A move she had seen only once, long ago.
She had practiced it from a sheathed position, one-handed, at maximum speed.
It was imperfect, but it could certainly take a life.
"The North God Style, when cornered, throws its sword."
Eris's left hand made a movement that could be called sloppy—but it was straight and true. Hooking a finger on the crossguard, she drew the blade in a single fluid motion and hurled the nameless sword directly at Orsted.
The nameless blade that had shared Eris's joys and sorrows for so long flew true, its tip aimed straight at Orsted.
Her left hand, without wasting the momentum of the throw, moved up to join the Hōga Ryūken.
With the fastest motion she was capable of, her left hand reached the Hōga Ryūken.
The instant it arrived, she held the sword with both hands.
Without even a moment's delay, the Light Blade was launched.
"!"
The Light Blade, carrying every ounce of her strength, overtook the nameless sword hurtling through the air.
And it plunged toward Orsted's crown along the shortest possible path at maximum speed.
A sharp, metallic ring.
"…Tch."
Still holding the posture of the Light Blade she had launched, Eris clicked her tongue.
Her sword had been caught by Orsted.
A bare-handed sword catch.
The nameless blade struck Orsted's body but was repelled by his Dragon Sacred Battle Spirit, flying far behind Eris.
"You've exceeded my expectations. But is that the end of it?"
"No."
Where the nameless blade had fallen.
Where Eris turned to look.
Rudeus was standing there.
Having completed his healing.
"…This is only the beginning!"
What filled Eris's vision as she turned— It was Rudeus.
Undeniably Rudeus.
Dark circles under his eyes, bright brown hair turned white, legs trembling uncontrollably, face deathly pale with lips tinged purple—propped up by Sylphie and Roxy, he stood as though he could die at any moment.
"…………"
"What do you mean, 'only the beginning'?"
Rudeus was, to put it charitably, in no condition to fight. His mana was depleted, his strength was gone, and even his willpower seemed spent.
A perfect image of the words "ravaged by wounds."
"…It's only the beginning. That's all."
Looking at him, Eris steeled her resolve.
--- "Get Rudeus out of here!"
Eris screamed.
"I'll hold Orsted off, even if it costs me my life…!"
Sylphie felt that resolve clearly.
She had seen the same determination before—back when she had traveled with Ariel. The same resolve as her companions from that time.
A resolve to die.
"I—I'll fight too!"
Sylphie cried out. Her legs were trembling. Facing Orsted for the first time—the embodiment of fear itself—she had steeled herself to die.
It wasn't difficult to decide to do this to protect Rudeus. She was haunted by guilt—she had sent the person she loved toward this enemy. Eris's words in Sharia still echoed in her ears: "Are you trying to get Rudeus killed?" She hadn't meant that at all. Rudeus had been troubled but had seemed to return to his usual self, so she had thought it would be all right. Rudeus always came back, and he possessed strength beyond imagination. Even his battle armor had been incredibly powerful. She had thought nothing could defeat him.
If that was a mistake, then Sylphie wouldn't hesitate.
"…!"
Eris looked at Sylphie, met her eyes, and nodded.
"…Then I'm counting on you for rear support! Ghislaine—take Rudeus and Roxy and get out of here!"
"Eris! My job is to protect you!"
The one who objected was the beast-tribe Sword King. She had watched Eris fight. She had watched her grow. That was why she had stood by without intervening—she had wanted to let Eris prove herself. This was, she believed, her duty and repayment to Sauros and Philip, Eris's late grandfather, to whom she owed an enormous debt.
"Are you not going to listen to me?! I'm telling you to protect what matters most to me!"
"…I refuse! If you die, I won't be able to face Lord Sauros or Lord Philip in the afterlife!"
But if Eris was heading into certain death, Ghislaine could not allow that. She couldn't let her die in vain.
…Well, Ghislaine hadn't actually thought that far ahead. In any case, her refusal was reflexive.
"…We should run, now!"
Roxy knew that fighting, in her pregnant state, would be far too much for her to handle. She had come this far, but she knew with certainty that she would only be a liability in battle. She was already planning to drag Rudeus to the horses waiting outside the forest and flee at top speed.
Even if it meant a miscarriage, she intended to make sure Rudeus escaped. She hadn't thought past that—only that they needed to flee now and regroup.
Watching Eris and Ghislaine argue, watching Sylphie and Roxy steel themselves— "…Hah."
Orsted let out a deep sigh.
At that sigh, everyone except Rudeus tensed.
Orsted ignored the stares fixed upon him.
And then, in a booming voice, he declared: "Rudeus Greyrat!"
Rudeus shuddered.
"As long as you side with the Hitogami, I will not let you escape! Even if I must slaughter every person in this city, I will corner you and kill you!"
Rudeus's trembling intensified. His legs shook, and his gaze dropped to the ground.
"I don't trust the Hitogami's words… but if that creature truly spoke the words you claim, then after I kill you, I will take your child!"
At those words, Rudeus's trembling stopped. Light returned to his eyes. He slammed his left fist against his shaking right leg, reaching for Roxy's staff with his right hand—only to realize he no longer had either hand, nearly losing his balance. Roxy hurried to steady him as he glared at Orsted.
What burned in those eyes was killing intent.
"However—your armor, modeled after the Fighting God, your mana carrying the Laplace factor, and your constitution, which renders my curse ineffective—all of these have use value!"
"…?"
Orsted's words caused Rudeus's killing intent to waver slightly.
Rudeus looked confused, and Orsted continued: "Betray the Hitogami and join me!"
Two people reacted immediately.
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Rudy, you can't!"
Eris and Sylphie were certain Orsted was lying. They had no proof—but they were certain.
Ghislaine and Roxy kept their silence, but they too suspected Orsted had ulterior motives—that there was more to his words than met the eye.
"Do that, and I'll let bygones be bygones regarding your ambush—and I'll heal your arms!"
"…"
But Rudeus was different.
He had noticed something in Orsted's voice. A tremor deep in his throat.
He had noticed.
"With my— with the Dragon God's blessing, even the Hitogami would think twice about making a move against you."
Rudeus's eyes held doubt and uncertainty.
"This conversation—the Hitogami won't be able to hear it!"
"…"
"If you've been reluctantly following the Hitogami all along, this is no bad deal!"
"…………"
"Choose, Rudeus Greyrat!
Follow the Hitogami, and lose everything at my hands!
Or follow me, and together we fight the Hitogami!
You—only you, whose constitution makes you immune to my curse—should be able to choose of your own free will!"
Rudeus and Orsted locked eyes.
Rudeus slowly exhaled. He stared at Orsted's face, as if trying to verify something—searching for the truth behind that expression.
Naturally, nothing of the sort was visible to him. Several seconds passed.
"Rudy?"
Rudeus let go of Roxy's hand, swaying. On the verge of collapse, he stumbled forward—gripping Ghislaine's shoulder, lurching into Sylphie's embrace, squeezing past Eris— And crumpled at Orsted's feet.
On both knees, he looked up at Orsted.
"Is there really… a way to protect my family from the Hitogami?"
"There is! That creature possesses powerful foresight, but it doesn't see everything. It is not omniscient."
"Is that method absolutely, absolutely safe?"
"…I won't claim it's absolute. I don't know the full extent of its power either."
Orsted did not make guarantees. He did not tell Rudeus to rest easy.
Rudeus looked at him with eyes that begged for salvation.
What thoughts lay behind the tears gathering at the corners of Rudeus's eyes?
In the end, Rudeus made his decision.
"…I will serve under the Dragon God. Please—help me."
That day.
Rudeus Greyrat became a subordinate of the Dragon God.