(Now… I need to find some monsters.)
Ayaka stood up and began walking.
Her current outfit wasn't her school uniform.
It resembled the fantastical attire of inhabitants from movies or novels set in fantasy worlds.
The design was ornate and felt a bit too deliberately feminine.
"The clothing that strongly emphasizes 'femininity' toward the opposite sex is said to make the flow of magic essence richer~ That's why we put so much effort into the appearance and design as well. Especially for S-Rank heroes' equipment—we spare no expense!"
That was the goddess's explanation.
Is that really true?
Yesterday, Ayaka had taken it upon herself to drape extra cloth over parts of it to reduce the exposure.
(Even so, it's still a little embarrassing…)
Ayaka had always disliked showing skin.
That's why she wore black tights even with her school uniform.
Still, it was true that a school uniform offered far too little protection.
This outfit apparently carried some kind of magical (?) blessing from the goddess.
Right now, survival came first.
She had no choice but to endure it for the time being.
With a sense of resignation, she started walking.
(…Hero, huh.)
The word had become something she disliked.
It felt almost as if she were being forced to be courageous.
Stand up with courage and face evil.
A magical name that blocked any escape route.
The expectations and desires for courage being thrust upon her by the masses.
Hero.
Now it even felt like a cursed word.
"—!?"
A presence.
Ayaka readied her spear.
"Haa, haa… Ah! S-Sogou-san!"
"…Kashima-san?"
If she remembered correctly, the other girl was part of Asagi Ikusaba's group.
Nowadays, the heroes had naturally split into factions.
Just like back in the classroom—nothing had changed.
"What's wrong?"
"I-I was told to let you know…!"
"First, catch your breath. I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm sorry… Th-thank you…"
Koharu Kashima.
In class, she gave the impression of being relatively quiet and reserved.
But the fact that she was here meant—
(She passed the goddess's first trial…)
Since Ayaka had been asleep, she hadn't witnessed the trial itself.
Still, she had thought Koharu seemed like the type who couldn't even kill a bug.
Or perhaps,
(Ikusaba-san might have pulled some kind of trick…)
Asagi Ikusaba struck her as someone clever in underhanded ways.
Maybe she had arranged something to get Koharu "passed."
Koharu's breathing finally steadied.
"Um… Apparently, due to a mistake by the castle staff, a really strong monster called a koguki got mixed in… It's supposed to be like a small cow-human monster… So, um… I thought maybe you should head back to the rendezvous point right away…"
"You ran all the way here just to tell me that?"
Ayaka had the impression that Koharu wasn't very athletic.
She also didn't seem particularly strong-willed.
"Y-Yeah… Because Sogou-san is someone who has to survive…!"
The phrasing felt slightly off.
It almost sounded like she herself would be fine even if she died—
"Kashima-san?"
Ayaka noticed something strange.
Koharu's expression had frozen.
She pointed behind Ayaka.
"Th-That…"
Ayaka turned around.
"Bummooooorrrrr! B-Goooooooh—!"
A human body with a cow's head.
Its frame was on the smaller side.
Yet—it carried an overwhelming, spine-chilling intimidation.
A golden-eyed monster.
"Bumoooooh—!"
It charged.
"Kashima-san, get behind me! As far back as you can! I'll handle it!"
"B-But—"
"It's okay! Leave it to me!"
"Y-Yes!"
Ayaka took her stance.
(Can I do this?)
Suuuuu…
She regulated her breathing.
She stilled the trembling in her heart.
She firmly fixed her eyes on the opponent.
She recalled her grandmother's words.
"This technique depends on timing and a calm mind."
The koguki drew near.
Contact—
Smack!
"——————"
Thud, Gaaaaan!
The koguki slammed violently into the ground on its back.
"Ge, go, i…! G-Bo…!?"
Blood foam bubbled from the monster's mouth.
The impact had left the koguki unable to move.
"Kiso-ryu—"
Ayaka Sogou loomed over the koguki demon.
"Ten-sou: Horaku Juji…"
During practice, her grandmother had taught her to speak the technique name aloud when using it.
To engrave it into her consciousness, she had said.
The old habit still hadn't faded.
(I did it…)
A technique that utilized the opponent's force and momentum.
Perhaps similar in principle to aikido.
First, hook the spear around the opponent's side.
Disrupt the "axis" supporting the opponent's body.
Immediately afterward, quickly twist your own body into the opponent's guard.
While using the opponent's momentum, entangle their body around the spear as the fulcrum.
This completes the cross shape before the final phase.
Then rotate the cross to slam the opponent into the ground.
Kiso-ryu—"Ten-sou: Horaku Juji."
With a fierce, almost demonic expression, she looked down at the monster.
The position was almost like mounting.
Ayaka reversed her grip on the spear and pointed the tip at the monster.
(I have to kill it… I have to kill it…)
To become stronger.
She poured strength into her arms.
In that instant,
"Get out of the waaaaay, Sogouuuuuu—!"
"Huh?"
Thump!
Her body was shoved aside.
"Kyaa!?"
Ayaka fell onto her backside.
The spot where she had just been looking down at the koguki.
Now occupied by Takuto Kirihara.
Kirihara thrust his arm toward the immobile monster.
"[Golden Dragon Roar Wave]aaaaaaaa—!"
A thick, aggressive beam of golden light obliterated the koguki.
Breathing heavily, Kirihara spoke.
"With this—level 18…!"
Ayaka stared dumbfounded at the scene before her.
Koharu's trembling voice.
"Sogou-san… just now…"
Kirihara steadied his breathing.
After a moment, he let out a thin exhale.
He turned toward Ayaka.
With his usual cool expression.
"Good job with the support."
"Huh?"
(Sup… port…?)
Kirihara sighed wearily.
"That was dan・ger・ous. Don't let your guard down, Sogou."
As if nothing had happened, Kirihara turned his back.
He walked away just like that.
"What was that…?"
Koharu stood in a daze.
She seemed unable to process the confusion.
"Trash."
The sudden voice made Ayaka flinch.
Koharu also let out a startled "Eh!?"
Sei Takao had appeared nearby at some point.
"He's trash."
Ayaka finally calmed down enough to understand what had just happened.
In short—it was experience point stealing.
"…You really say things straight, Sei-san."
"Sogou-san, are you really okay with that?"
"Right now, I don't want to stir up any more trouble in the class… I think Kirihara-kun still hasn't sorted out his feelings either. That's why he did something like that—"
"That's naive. If you keep thinking that sweetly, you'll die someday."
"…Maybe."
"I don't particularly like that naive side of yours."
"…Yeah."
"Well—"
Sei turned on her heel.
"It's not to the point where I have zero room for goodwill, though."
Leaving behind words whose meaning was hard to interpret, Sei departed.
Ayaka also headed toward the rendezvous point together with Koharu, a little behind.
On the way, she noticed dark clouds gathering in the distant sky.
(From now on, classmates might start fighting over golden-eyed monsters… I hope it doesn't lead to conflict…)
In Ayaka Sogou's heart as well, a gloomy overcast sky—like dark clouds—was beginning to spread.
□
That day, a single report reached Alion.
The army of the Great Demon Emperor, based at the northernmost tip of the continent, had begun its first full-scale southward advance.
Due to this advance, the great fortress of the Kingdom of Magnal—known as the key to the north, commonly called "Night Wall"—had fallen.
After the fall of Night Wall, the Great Demon Emperor's army halted its southward progress.
Thereafter, no further signs of invasion appeared.
However, this ominous news spread across the entire continent in an instant, forcing every nation to hurriedly implement countermeasures.
Ayaka Sogou would come to learn of this report three days after finishing her training in the forest zone.