17. Goddess Aria – 04
Unlike the scenery seen from the outside, the inside of the barrier of the Great Forest was in the middle of maintaining a rather mild temperature. Contrary to the initial expectation that it must have already become a public tax hell even if it looks fine on the outside, this place just looked like an ordinary forest. Except for the fact that no matter where you look, there are piles of delicious fruits hanging around, and various kinds of plants are in full bloom.
Yes, as if arguing that the strong wind raging outside was just a way to prevent uninvited guests from entering.
But this place is just as small. Even if the atmosphere is different from what you expected, you must not be careless. No, rather, Bianca glances back at me with a hardened expression on her face.
“…Cain, did you notice?”
“okay. At this point, I thought something was going to get in the way. Strangely enough, I don’t feel any presence.”
Somehow 10 minutes had passed since Bianca and I took our steps towards the depths of the Great Forest. However, nothing stood in our way. No, in the first place, the signs of life itself were not felt.
It must be clear that this is the place where the World Tree is located, and at the same time, the home of the elves. It is a well-known story that elven sentinels with mighty armies eliminate fools who try to sneak into the Great Forest. But to put that story to shame, no one stood in the way of me and Bianca.
This implies two things. The first is that the sentinels are not in a situation where they can spot us and intercept us, so we are left unattended. And one other thing is-
“…Kyrie.”
Because the Executioner already existed near us to exclude intruders.
About 20 meters ahead of us. There, Kirie, who looked a bit unmotivated and was wearing a murder suit, was waiting for us.
“It’s a rather leisurely arrival than I thought. There shouldn’t have been any obstacles to reach here, but I’m so late. Don’t you think that prudence is too much?”
The figure of Kyrie, who is facing us, is somewhat blurry. It’s as if it’s because she’s projecting her image somewhere else, not here, right in front of our eyes. Then she is now.
“It’s not something I want to hear from the mouth of a woman who sent out an illusion because she didn’t have the courage to reveal herself in front of us. Wouldn’t it be more strange to be someone who doesn’t pay attention to a sinister woman like you, and even those things floating around in the sky?”
Bianca’s voice as she retaliates against Kyrie seems somewhat barbed. It’s strange, but it reminded me once again that she wasn’t very close with Kyrie. No, thinking about it again, in the first place, it seems that Bianca never had a woman she was personally close with.
“Well, that is unavoidable. Bianca If only you were my opponent, then again, you have Cain by your side right now, right? My combat policy is to snipe from a distance, not to defeat the opponent from close range with a sword. Even if it were me, it would be difficult to win against a swordsman who has reached the level of a master twice.”
Her mouth trembled, but there was not a single hint of tension in Kyrie’s voice. I can say for sure. That she now had the confidence that even if she were to face me and Bianca at the same time, she would have a good chance of winning.
…And Kyrie knew very well that it wasn’t conceit, nor was it bluff. No matter how much I didn’t have a sword in my hand, it was just a few days ago that I was beaten without even extending a hand or foot to Kyrie.
“Kyrie, the reason you appeared before us was to block us? No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look like he showed up to chat with us.”
“Well, yes. I also have my own circumstances. First of all, if I allow you access any longer, there’s a chance I won’t be able to fulfill my ‘wish’.”
“…wish?”
“Yes. As you well know, I am a diabolical kidnapper who kidnapped Arya and has kidnapped her until now, right? And for criminals, there must always be a motive for committing a crime. In my case, I kidnapped her and brought the situation to this point in order to fulfill my long-cherished wish.”
“Then, was Arya’s awakening as a goddess part of some kind of way to make your wish come true?”
Kirie narrowed her gaze at my question.
“You seem to have found out quite a bit. No matter how many hints I gave you, you seem to have studied hard enough?”
“I heard that from you, but I’m not so stupid as to follow you all the way here without knowing anything.”
Despite my somewhat sullen answer, Kirie didn’t disturb the smile on her face.
“Then the story is simple. Yes, that’s right. The fact that she awakened from a mere remnant of a goddess into a complete goddess, and seduced Ariel to accompany me, brought the winter storm that once froze everything in the world to a state on the verge of being released. Everything I did was an act I committed to make my wish come true. To sum it up, I was the dark side of it all.”
“okay? Having said that, there is one thing I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“What is the wish you pursued while turning your back on everything, including me?”
For a moment, I did not miss Kyrie’s face hardened very slightly.
“…Well, it’s not such a big wish that I proudly reveal it to others. Moreover, women are more attractive when they have a few hidden secrets. If you really want to know, let’s try to find out at least once. Of course, as long as that is possible.”
In an instant, something leaking out of Kyrie’s body began to swell greatly. Its true nature was no different, it must have been a killing spree stemming from a promise to defeat us with all our might.
“Now that the socialization between the two of us seems to be over, let me give you and Bianca a piece of advice. My current role is none other than a gatekeeper. If you calmly go back the way you came, I won’t lay a hand on you, but if you dare to go forward, then I will intercept you. To put it bluntly, like this.”
At that moment, the vision of Kyrie, who was located in front of us, disappeared as if it had been washed away. and-
“Bianca, get down!”
The first person to notice it was none other than me. Bianca didn’t react to it at all. An arrow that flew silently at a speed slightly exceeding the speed of sound. No matter how powerful magic and knowledge she possesses, Bianca’s body is just an ordinary woman. Even if she spreads a warning magic around herself out of fear of a surprise attack, the arrows flying towards her boast a speed that is incomparable to her reaction speed!
Quaang!
He instantly drew his sword and deflected a sniping shot from somewhere. Even though he put an aura on his sword and lowered the power and speed of the arrow as much as possible through the flowing stars, the moment the sword and arrow collided, there was a huge explosion that shook everything around. The snipe that had been fired at us just now contained that much power.
“…Me, sniper…? Where the hell…?”
Bianca staring at the arrow blocked by my sword in a bewildered voice. In her eyes, there was only astonishment that she couldn’t believe the situation.
“The arrow was shot northeast of here, at least 1km away, judging by the power contained in the arrow. Can you detect where the sniper is located?”
At my urgent words, Bianca hurriedly looked in that direction, and then shook her head from side to side with a bluish complexion.
“…It’s impossible. I just searched everything within a 3km radius, but I couldn’t detect any reaction from life. That means…”
…In other words, does it mean that it was a long-range sniping shot from a place far beyond 3km at best?
“Then, how to detect the enemy’s location far beyond 3 km?”
“I need time. At least 30 seconds.”
…Considering that Kyrie’s arrow from earlier had a speed that slightly exceeded the speed of sound, the time it took for the arrow to fly to this place would be around 10 seconds. If so, that means I have to block at least three arrows from unknowingly attacking me just like before.
“…..”
Even at this moment, as we manage to raise our trembling hands and look out for our surroundings, a voice whose origin cannot be guessed echoes throughout the space where we are standing.
“If you run away now, I won’t pursue you. My role is to guard against intruders going inside, not to hunt those who retreat in terror.”
In Kyrie’s voice, there was no longer any hesitation. She now clearly perceives us as ‘enemies’. Presumably, if she doesn’t accept that offer as if she’d patronize it, she’ll shoot at us again.
“…Don’t be ridiculous, Kyrie.”
But I flatly reject her offer. Because I had to do something even turning her into an enemy.
No, come to think of it, we were already enemies. Whatever the reason, she is currently blocking my path and preventing me from rescuing Arya. If so, there is only one thing I can do at this moment.
“That’s what I’m talking about on my side. This time, I’ll give you a shot, tie you up so that you won’t do anything like this again, and take me to the Estelle duchy. If you don’t want to be hit by me, get out of your tail right now and run away.”
To engrave deep in my heart the fact that a woman named Kyrie El Denaris is my enemy.
“…is that so. It looks like you’ve made up your mind. The determination to face me with sincerity.”
Kyrie’s voice echoed. If I think that there is a ray of joy in her voice, is it a simple illusion on my part?
“Cain, from now on, I will start searching for the location where that woman is standing. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you for the time being because I have to concentrate. So, I will entrust my life to you as well.”
Saying that, Bianca sat down on the floor and closed her eyes. Just like she said, she must be concentrating her mind as much as possible to find Kyrie’s location.
“like. Then this must be a game. It’s about whether Bianca can locate me first, or whether I can subdue you first-”
At the end of those words, Kyrie’s voice left around here completely disappeared.
I stare at the northeast direction from where the arrow flew earlier. Although there was no way I could ever see it, I definitely recognized the figure of Kyrie pulling a bowstring toward us from somewhere beyond this distance, and exchanged glances with her once.
Today, I will defeat Kyrie and overcome the path she is blocking to save Arya without fail.