Ellen checked her wounded abdomen. The bleeding had stopped, and the pain had eased a bit.
Her trained body and accumulated mana diligently healed her.
With a bit of leeway, she watched the battle of Frondier.
‘I should let him escape…’
Why is Frondier helping? He doesn’t know me.
Even if he did, there’s no reason to risk his life.
She had heard a bit about Frondier from her younger brother, Aster.
He said that Frondier was much more diligent and decent than his reputation as a ‘human sloth’.
After all, Aster felt indebted to Frondier because of the Mistilteinn incident.
However, she knew nothing about his combat ability.
If the rumors that he sleeps through classes and tries to skip practical and field lessons are true, he doesn’t seem like he’d be good in combat.
Even now, Frondier’s movements against the golem lacked organization.
But, why.
‘How is he blocking it?’
Frondier is empty-handed. Yet, every time he swings his hands, the golem’s spear is deflected, and the golem’s head reels.
At first, I thought of ‘invisibility’—hiding one’s weapon with magic. It’s certainly a difficult technique, but worth it.
‘…But then, how did he save me?’
He threw ‘something’ to fend off the spear thrust at her.
I’m not sure what it was, but presumably, a throwing dagger?
And he keeps throwing them incessantly, as if there’s no limit to the number.
Even as she thought this, this time he seemed to be clutching something in both hands, swinging it around. He uses it to block the golem’s spear.
And sometimes, he inflicts wounds on the golem’s waist or legs from a very close distance.
Dagger? Spear? Greatsword?
It’s frustrating enough not being able to see it, but its length is also incomprehensible.
“…What a pity.”
Yet, Ellen anticipated Frondier’s defeat.
It might seem like Frondier is aggressively attacking, but all those attacks are meaningless to the golem.
If such actions were repeated hundreds of thousands of times, maybe the golem would fall. However, Frondier’s stamina would run out first.
‘If only he had mastered the “Aura,” he might have had a chance to defeat the golem.’
“…Sigh.”
Ellen took a deep breath. Thankfully, Frondier was buying time.
She needed to recover quickly to create an opportunity for Frondier to escape, herself included if possible.
It didn’t seem like Frondier would suddenly be in trouble from the looks of it.
“…That spear technique.”
Just then, she heard Frondier’s muttering.
Feeling a sense of ominousness in his voice, Ellen looked up at the golem.
The golem stopped its blind offensive and assumed a stance.
It slowly swung its spear from that stance.
Though it seemed slow at first glance, every movement was powerful, tracing a cunning trajectory that was difficult for the opponent to easily pierce through.
“…The spear technique of Azier.”
Ellen bit her lip.
As expected, the golem was mimicking the spear technique of Azier.
Frondier’s hand moved again. An invisible throwing weapon.
Clang, but this time it was blocked by the golem’s spear.
The golem didn’t see and block Frondier’s weapon. The moving spear’s trajectory simply didn’t allow the dagger to penetrate.
Targeting between those trajectories might allow for an attack, but stopping the golem now was impossible.
“Frondier! Just die quietly!”
Edwin’s shout could be heard.
Ellen took a slow breath in and slowly exhaled.
With that one breath, she collected a piece of her stamina.
***
Edwin’s murderous intent toward me is definitely real.
It’s strange. Everything else seems to have been a mistake, but the only thing directed at me is murderous intent.
Does my conduct provoke that level of anger?
‘Moreover.’
Since a while ago, Edwin’s ‘corruption’ miasma has seemed off.
I couldn’t see it through the game, or perhaps it was because it was a game that I couldn’t see it.
That purple miasma seemed to have some kind of form.
Almost like a human. Like something resembling a human.
I felt as if there was someone behind Edwin’s back.
Swish!
I narrowly dodged the tip of the spear and retreated.
I would have died here if I had been even a bit slower.
This golem is imitating Azier’s spearmanship, but it’s still rough around the edges. To put it in gaming terms, the coding is incomplete. It uses techniques depending on the conditions, but those conditions are still simple.
“Frondier!!”
I hear Edwin’s voice.
It’s still filled with fury.
“I’ve already killed someone! Since I’ve already killed once, what difference does it make if I add one more to the tally!”
His voice is like a desperate confession.
Meanwhile, the golem continues to swing its spear toward me.
If he plans to distract me with his voice, it’s really a great combo.
“If you came here with the half-baked resolve that I wouldn’t kill you…!”
Ugh, shut up. I’m busy enough as it is.
“You’re annoying! No one’s dead!!”
Clang!
I shouted and swung my claymore.
It’s starting to take some effort to deflect the golem’s spear. It’s also dangerous to continue depleting my mana like this.
“W-what?”
Edwin seemed rather flustered by my shouts and stuttered his words.
“You confirmed that?”
“I don’t need to confirm something like that!”
What incident happened? Or what exactly is it that’s caused Ellen and Edwin to fight? Why does Edwin think he’s killed someone?
I don’t know any of that.
But.
“There’s no way you could have killed someone!”
I know Edwin von Behetorio.
The purple miasma is proof of corruption.
Nothing can be done if you’re corrupted.
On the contrary, that miasma only started emerging just now, so that means Edwin was not corrupted up until then.
The uncorrupted Edwin wouldn’t have killed anyone.
“Yes, what do you know…!”
What do I know, you ask?
How should I explain it?
My days as Aster, challenging Etius with you countless times.
The times I protected you countless times.
Would you understand if I explained all of that?
It doesn’t matter how you used the golem,
Or if you were manipulated by the golem, who moves as it pleases,
My opinion remains the same.
Edwin could never have the heart to kill someone, not even for a ‘fleeting’ moment.
That excessively gentle disposition of his; that weakness has tormented Edwin up until now,
But it’s also the very elegance of Edwin himself which shall one day cause the Behterioga to shine brilliantly.
“Ah… No! I! I’m a coward who ran away without even checking to see if those people died…!”
Edwin seemed to be confused. In contrast, the golem’s attacks were growing more intense.
That dichotomous appearance would probably start to feel strange not only to me, but to Ellen as well.
I can see it. The purple miasma clinging to Edwin is gradually transferring to the golem.
Now I finally understand the true nature of this ‘corruption’.
I’ve witnessed a god before.
That small boy with black wings who tried to kill me by making it look like a suicide.
Thanatos.
I sense the exact same aura from that ‘corruption’ right now.
Whoever it is—
There’s a ‘god’ behind Edwin’s back.