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165 [Altora] Those Who Sink Their Teeth In, Those Who Cannot

 

「Heinz from the liquor store, Walter the barrel repairman… even the regulars from our bar and the folks from the neighborhood…？」

The people who had gathered were all familiar faces, people he knew from Fancy Mina. Clad in mismatched equipment—some clearly snatched from Narshe soldiers, others dug out of storage—the men were rallying around Mina with loud enthusiasm.

「Retired soldiers, porters, carpenters, lumberjacks! I went and rounded up every musclehead in the slums I could find!」

「We can’t fight monsters head-on, but we’ll handle anything you guys miss! So go wild!」

「One monster down equals one tab wiped clean, how’s that for a deal?!」

A pitifully under-equipped and unreliable reinforcement force.

And yet, it was somehow reassuring beyond words. Altora nearly voiced his thanks, but instead raised his thumb—then turned it downward.

「That last part’s a no-go! Tabs still stand! Debts get paid—no, whatever, I’m not giving a single damn discount!!」

「You damn miser!」「You good-for-nothing jerk with nothing going for you but your face!」「Quit living under the same roof as Mina-chan and drop dead!」「You got Eria-chan hurt, you bastard, go die!」「Guard the town, then bleed out from every hole and then die!!」

「…Are you guys here to help or just insult me? Make up your minds.」

Even Altora winced under the barrage of insults hurled without restraint, but this, too, was the way of the backstreets. With renewed determination, he turned to face the monsters, gripping his sword tight.

The torrent Eria had summoned had lost much of its force, and the monsters were advancing once more. But Gordon stepped forward as if the unease had vanished.

「Altora, if Mina’s this close, then the situation’s changed.」

「Affirmative. The combat doctrine of the Divine Silver Sword was constructed on the premise that Tina, the healer, would be present on the frontlines. Up to now, we’ve been fighting under a handicap without a healer, but we can finally display our full combat potential.」

「…No choice, then. Time for round two.」

A soft white glow enveloped Altora and the others as they entered battle mode. The angelic power mended their wounds and fatigue, reviving their strength to fight.

「Onee-chan! You’d better make yourself useful for once! Healing unique skill, [Angel’s White Wings]—activate!」

The monsters were powerful. There was no end in sight. No matter how long they held out, there was no guarantee of victory.

Even so, Altora ran his hand through his hair and readied his blade.

「Listen up. Whether Marge wins or loses doesn’t matter anymore. All we need to remember is that no matter what, we don’t fold first—even if it kills us. Let’s go, Gordon, Eria, Mina, and all you regulars.」

The thunderclouds blanketing the mountain range were swirling ever more violently. The final showdown was drawing near.

With a savage grin that said ‘whoever’s laughing at the end wins,’ Altora bared his teeth.

「This is Divine Silver Sword’s last, greatest trial by fire!」

◇

—Western Fathie.

News of the abnormality in the mountain range—and of the failed monster incursion aimed at the east side of Fathie—had reached the Narshe forces as well.

「Report from the scouts! All soldiers and knights dispatched to the east side have been annihilated!」

The man behind all the scheming merely glanced coldly at the soldier who had come to report after speaking to the officer.

「……」

「Also, the monster assault yielded almost no results, and Fathie remains unscathed—」

「Silence. Do you not understand that we are past the point where that information matters?」

「M-my apologies! But I must still deliver my report! According to the scouts, the ones defending Fathie east side are the former S-Rank adventurer Altora Carmancy and the former members of his party, the Divine Silver Sword! That is all!」

「Altora…?」

The man considered this.

Altora no longer had the strength to fight monsters. High-level monsters required skills to face, and Altora had lost all of his in the battle with Marge. His body couldn’t even learn new ones.

If he was still managing to hold off monsters, there was only one possible explanation.

「So you’re alive, Marge… you really did it.」

「Marge Siu? But didn’t we receive a report that he was dead?」

「There are some men who don’t die even when you kill them. And by the time you realize it, the clock’s run out.」

「Clock’s… run out?」

「Look at the black clouds hanging over the mountains. Clouds don’t form like that naturally. That is a death shroud formed from dense mana, which means a being powerful enough to generate it is beneath them. From this point on, everything that happens will depend on that being’s whims.」

「So what does that mean, exactly…?」

「It means we no longer have the ability to control this situation. In other words, we’ve lost. We lost. Lost, lost, lost.」

「Th-that can’t be…」

「So this is how it ends for a dying old soldier. Heh…」

The man muttered as if reflecting on the chill of defeat.

He had survived disease out of sheer stubbornness, drowned himself in painkillers when he could no longer endure the agony, and sold out even his former pupil to chase one final dream. It was a fitting curtain call for such a disgrace of an old man.

「Losers get stripped bare. Stray dogs deserve to be bled dry. You always hated that kind of thinking, didn’t you? That’s why I’ll give it all to you. Everything I borrowed, I’ll give all of it back, Marge.」

With those final words, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The soldier beside him gave him a puzzled shake.

「Uh, excuse me? Why are you napping at a time like this… wait, y-you’re dead!?」

Realizing the man was already gone, the soldier jumped back in a panic.

Still, he was a soldier. He’d seen death before, and his thoughts quickly moved on.

「Oh, come on! I was brown-nosing you to get scraps off your table and now this?! Don’t do this to me! Wake up! Wake up, you damn doublecrosser! Shit, if I stay here I’ll get dragged into this mess too!」

The soldier bolted from the tent in a frenzy. Left behind was the corpse of an old man who had lost everything.

Until the war ended, not a single soul came to visit that place again.