Chapter 4: Bandit Extermination and a Chance Encounter

Inside the carriage—

Furado, his companions, and the special envoy were traveling toward Belkrant together in the same carriage—

Belkrant was a country neighboring the Kingdom of Drachma, located less than a two-week carriage ride from the royal capital.

"I truly cannot thank you enough, Lord Focus. Even amidst the recovery efforts following the war with the Byzantine Empire, you graciously accepted Belkrant's invitation. Words fail to express my gratitude."

Ceres bowed her head deeply.

"Not at all. This was entirely His Majesty's decision, so if you wish to offer thanks, please direct them to him rather than me," Furado replied politely, though his mind screamed otherwise. So if I end up screwing up, make sure you hold the king responsible, not me!

"Fufu, I had heard rumors that Lord Focus is a peerless patriot of Drachma, and it seems those rumors were true," Ceres giggled softly.

"No, no, that's far too much praise..." Furado demurred before shifting the subject. "By the way, are you sure it was fine for Dee to come along with us?"

Furado cast a quick glance over at Dee.

"Of course," Ceres answered smoothly. "All things in this world were created by Saku-sha—the sky, the earth, mankind, and Demonic Beasts alike. Before God, all life is equally precious. Furthermore, Dee-sama bears the Feature of the Goddess, just like Her Holiness the current Pope. Rather than being looked down upon, he is an object of reverence. If anyone were to harbor contempt for him, they would be nothing short of a heretic or an apostate."

The "Feature of the Goddess" referred to those who possessed snow-white skin and hair alongside ruby-red eyes, mirroring the appearance of the Pure White Goddess.

"Since there are many Pure White Believers in Belkrant, Dee-sama—who possesses the Feature of the Goddess and can speak human speech—will surely be revered as a Divine Beast."

【I am not particularly fond of being treated like a side-show spectacle, but...】 Dee grumbled.

Those who worshipped the Pure White Goddess and her apostles—the 【Golden Retainer】 and the 【Jade Close Friend】—were known as 【Pure White Believers】. Just as the name of the nation Belkrant was derived from the holy land where the Pure White Goddess was said to have been raised, the Pure White Believers and the followers of the Saku-sha Faith shared the same underlying religion, with no contradiction between them.

"You need not worry," Ceres reassured him. "As Lord Focus's familiar, Dee-sama will receive full state guest treatment alongside Lord Focus. Naturally, that applies to Edna-sama as well."

【Hmph. Very well, then.】

"For a mere attendant such as myself to be treated as a state guest of Belkrant... it is almost too overwhelming," Edna remarked quietly.

"Not at all," Ceres insisted. "Anyone precious to Lord Focus is equally precious to Belkrant. So if anyone dares to treat you with disrespect, please inform me immediately. A very stern lecture will be waiting for them."

"...Fufu, thank you very much," Edna murmured, a faint smile in response to Ceres's completely genuine tone.

"If I recall correctly, Envoy Morgana... you are the Chief Maid in service to Her Holiness the Pope, yes?" Furado asked.

"Indeed, Lord Focus. But please, simply call me Ceres."

Furado gave a polite nod at her request.

"...In that case, Ceres-dono, out of pure curiosity, why was someone of your standing—the Chief Maid to Her Holiness—sent on this mission? Surely Belkrant has no shortage of seasoned diplomats..."

"Yes," Ceres replied directly. "It was to demonstrate just how serious our nation is regarding this matter."

"To show you're serious?"

"Indeed. Belkrant takes the recent Oracle with absolute gravity. Even now, our theologians are racking their brains over its exact interpretation. Without hyperbole or exaggeration, the consensus in Belkrant is that Lord Focus will become our savior—or at the very least, a figure extraordinarily close to one."

"Th-That is... quite..."

Furado was left completely speechless, overwhelmed by the crushing weight of the expectation thrust upon him.

"Therefore, sending a mere diplomat to welcome our savior would have been considered disrespectful. There was fierce debate over whether Her Holiness should come in person or if a Cardinal Archbishop second only to her should be dispatched instead. In the end—though it feels strange saying it myself—I, as Chief Maid possessing Her Holiness's deep trust, was chosen as her personal proxy."

"I see... So that's how it happened..." Furado managed to murmur, though inwardly he was spiraling into panic. Whoa, hold on... isn't this way too heavy a burden for me...? High expectations like that are just gonna bring me grief...

Furado, who had no intention of saving Belkrant—let alone playing the part of a saintly savior—virtually clutched his head in despair.

"However... I am really not the grand figure you expect me to be, you know?" he confessed anxiously. "To be completely honest, I am just a coward terrified of failing to live up to everyone's grand expectations."

Ceres merely offered a warm, reassuring smile at his confession.

"Lord Focus, a person capable of revealing such genuine vulnerability without false modesty is truly strong," Ceres said gently. "Please rest assured. The Oracle has been handed down. Whether you desire it or not, you will save Belkrant. That is the divine proclamation of God. So please, do not overburden yourself. You are perfectly fine just as you are."

"R-Right...?"

So if the Oracle—the word of God—held true, he was destined to save Belkrant whether he possessed the motivation or not. Furado understood her words logically, but he couldn't bring himself to accept them, leaving him able to manage only a vague, noncommittal nod.

(Furado-sama certainly has it rough...)

(It seems my master's responsibilities are far heavier than I thought...)

As Edna and Dee silently looked on with those thoughts in mind, the carriage suddenly lurched to a stop.

The carriage carrying Furado and his company was heavily guarded, flanked in front and behind by carriages carrying Belkrant guards.

"What happened?" Ceres called out.

"Report! A carriage carrying pilgrims appears to have been attacked by bandits!"

Leaning out of the carriage window, Ceres received the report from a royal guard.

"I see... Are the victims safe?"

"Mam! Several women appear to have been abducted!"

"...Do you know when this occurred?"

"Just moments ago, Lady Ceres! It couldn't have been more than an hour ago at most!"

Ceres let out a deep exhale.

"Hey, wasn't this in the prophetic dream...?" Furado whispered softly.

Edna and Dee gave silent nods at Furado's words.

"Yes. Last time, Ceres-san decided to leave it entirely to the guards while we stayed put..." Edna murmured back.

【Could it be that Master's actions are altering the future?】 Dee chimed in telepathically.

"Seriously? Well, if we can save them, let's do it. Who knows how things will turn out, but abandoning them would leave a terrible taste in my mouth..."

"If that's what you want, Furado-sama, I think it's a fine idea."

【Indeed. Better to act and regret than regret doing nothing.】

"Lord Focus, I am terribly sorry. It seems an unforeseen situation has arisen," Ceres said, turning back into the carriage.

"So it seems," Furado agreed and gave a resolute nod.

"With my magic, I may be able to pinpoint the location of the abducted pilgrims. However, doing so would cause a significant delay to our original schedule..."

Before Ceres could finish speaking, Furado interjected without hesitation.

(Yep, events are definitely diverging from the dream!) "Rescuing the victims takes top priority!" Furado declared passionately. "A schedule? That's just a rough plan anyway! Ceres-dono, please put the safety of those captured pilgrims first. And if you need our strength, don't hesitate to ask—we'll lend you whatever assistance we can!"

In the dream, Ceres had handed the entire matter over to the guards without consulting him, but just as Dee had said, the future was changing. If we can save them, then save them we will! Furado affirmed to himself with a firm nod.

"Lord Focus...!"

Ceres stared at him, deeply moved by his selfless declaration.

"Then I shall humbly accept your generous offer...!"

Stepping down from the carriage alongside Furado and the others, Ceres knelt down and touched a bloodstain left at the site of the ambush.

"...With this, I can track them down!"

"How will you do that?"

Ceres answered his question directly.

"My magic allows me to liquify my body. At the same time, as long as there are fresh, un-dried traces like bloodstains or bodily fluids, I can track them directly to their source."

No sooner had she explained than Ceres began her incantation.

"O God... restore this body to its primordial form... The highest virtue is like water... under the aspect of eternity—"

Enveloped in mana, Ceres's entire body dissolved into liquid, leaving behind only her priestess vestments. The fluid splashed onto the ground, forming a puddle for a brief second before evaporating into thin air.

"Huh? What just happened...?"

"She is likely pursuing the bloodstain trail underground to locate the bandits' hideout!"

"Ah, I see!"

The guard's explanation instantly cleared things up for Furado.

Moments later, a puddle pooled together right at Furado's feet.

【I have returned, Lord Focus. However... I would appreciate it if you could turn your eyes away for a moment...】

"? Sure, understood," Furado complied without hesitation.

Heeding Ceres's request resonating from the water, Furado turned his back.

Once Furado and the guards looked away, Ceres reformed from the liquid, emerging in her completely naked form.

Her porcelain skin, shapely firm bust, voluptuous hips, slender waist, and supple thighs were laid bare for a fleeting moment.

"Ooh..."

【Well, well, well...】

A priestess on standby quickly draped a cloak over Ceres's shoulders.

"So... did you find the bandits?"

Furado wondered why Ceres was suddenly wrapped in a cloak with her clothes missing, but he wisely read the room and ignored it.

"Yes... Four pilgrim women were being held captive. The bandits number around twenty men."

"Likely a raiding party, but twenty is still a formidable number..."

"Agreed."

Ceres concurred with the guard's assessment.

"What should we do? If we move in with our heavy armor, they will surely notice us coming..."

【It cannot be helped. Master and I shall handle this.】

"Wha?!"

Ceres, the guards, and especially Furado stared at Dee in absolute shock at the proposal.

"B-But even for Lord Focus and Dee-sama... facing twenty foes with just the two of you is reckless...!"

【Master and I will crush the bandits. A mere twenty men pose no threat.】

In reality, twenty bandits were easy pickings for Dee alone, but he wanted to give Furado a chance to shine—a master-and-familiar gesture of goodwill on his part.

"No, if anything were to happen to Lord Focus...!"

【Is this not all part of God's divine plan? If Master were fated to perish in a place like this, his name would never have appeared in the Oracle. Am I wrong?】

"Th-That...! That may be true, but...!"

【Fear not. My master is the man who overwhelmingly defeated Prince Volmark of the Byzantine Empire—a warrior lauded as a match for a thousand—in single combat.】

Furado hurriedly cut in as the conversation progressed entirely without his input.

"Hey, Dee, that's insane!! I can't actually fight like that?!"

【Rest easy, Master. You heard about 《Survival Instinct》, didn't you? You will manage just fine.】

"No I won't! I still don't even properly understand how it works?!"

Though he had received an explanation about 《Survival Instinct》 after his duel with Volmark, Furado still hadn't fully wrapped his head around it.

After all, he lost all consciousness and memory while it was active, leaving him skeptical. Do I really even have an ability like that? he wondered.

"Do your best, Furado-sama," Edna encouraged calmly. "To overcome the prophetic dream."

"Not you too, Edna?!"

Resigning himself to his fate, Furado steeled his resolve and rushed toward the bandit camp alongside Dee, guided by Ceres.

"Uohhhhh!!" "Who the hell is this girl?!" "Surround her!!"

"Hahaha! Come at me without hesitation!!"

A battle was already underway. A ponytail-bound young girl clad in Ashihara-style attire brandished a tachi blade, single-handedly holding her ground against the horde of bandits.

Ashihara was the name of a continent to the far east. Possessing vastly different customs, culture, and architecture—aside from their shared religious language—it was commonly referred to as the Orient.

"What is going on here...? Ceres-dono?"

"I... she was not here when I scouted the area earlier..."

【That girl looks capable of handling them alone, but shall we step in to assist?】

Nearly five corpses already lay sprawled at the feet of the ponytail-bound girl.

"You gotta be kidding me..."

Despite his reluctance, Furado gave Dee a nod.

【Here is the plan: I shall charge head-on to support the girl. Master, I leave any stragglers who flee in your direction to you.】

"...Do you even need me for this plan?"

Dee completely ignored Furado's skepticism.

【Ceres, stay back and hold position.】

"Understood."

"Are you sure you're fine on your own, Dee..."

【Here I go—!! GROAAARGH—!!!!】

Transforming into his massive true form, Dee burst onto the battlefield, sending waves of terror through the bandits.

"W-What the hell is that?!" "A Demonic Beast?!" "What do we do?!"

"Ooh! A mononoke of the mainland! Magnificent!!"

While the bandits panicked in chaos at Dee's arrival, the young swordswoman's eyes sparkled with excitement.

【Swordswoman! I am no enemy! I came to rescue the captives! Though with your skills you likely need no help, I shall lend you a hand!】

"! I see! You have my thanks!"

Side-by-side with the girl, Dee laid waste to the bandits in the blink of an eye.

"Screw this, run for it!!" "What about the hostages?!" "Who cares about them, our lives matter more!!"

Panicking, a trio of bandits sprinted together in a desperate bid to escape—heading straight toward the position where Furado stood.

"Whoa! They're coming right at me!"

Furado freaked out in terror.

"There's someone over there?!" "Kill him!!" "Use him as bait for that monster so we can get away!!"

"Hieee?!"

Targeted by the bloodthirsty bandits, Furado squealed in sheer terror. However, the intent to kill directed at him served as the precise trigger for his Unique Magic, 《Survival Instinct》—

"────"

His eyes shifting instantaneously from emerald green to deep crimson, Furado executed a flawless high arc kick. The tip of his right foot slammed with pinpoint accuracy straight into the jaw of the knife-wielding bandit, dropping the man instantly without even a sound.

"Gah?!"

Silent and expressionless, Furado drove a fluid elbow strike right into the solar plexus of the stunned one-handed sword wielder. The impact sent the bandit flying backward, wheezing all the air from his lungs before slumping unconscious—

"Hiee?!"

The final bandit raised his hatchet high to strike, but Furado spun cleanly on the spot, landing a perfect rolling back-kick directly to his chin. The bandit went stiff, knocked out cold on his feet before crumpling to the dirt.

"Wh-What...?"

"Such incredible strength...! Truly magnificent, Lord Focus!"

With all enemies neutralized, 《Survival Instinct》 deactivated and Furado regained his senses, offering Ceres nothing more than a strained, awkward chuckle. "Haha..."

And so, in less than ten minutes, every bandit had been bound and subdued, and all the hostages safely rescued.

"Thank you so much!" "We will never forget your kindness!" "Ah, praise God...!"

The freed women embraced each other tightly, weeping tears of relief.

"Yeah... I'm glad you're safe," Furado offered warmly, though internally he was baffled. (Not that I have the slightest memory of actually doing anything...) "Please, don't thank me—it was all thanks to that young lady over there. You should offer your gratitude to her."

Furado gestured toward the ponytail-bound girl.

"Nay, I merely cut down scoundrels who deserved to be cut down. There is no reason to thank me!"

"Even so, it remains a fact that you saved their lives. Please, allow them to express their gratitude."

The ponytail-bound girl shook her head in refusal at Ceres's words.

"Then at least tell us your name..."

"Fufu, I am nobody worthy of introducing myself. Ah... my accent slipped out a bit there... Priestess-dono, Beast-dono, and Master-dono—should fate align, we may cross paths again. I shall give my name then—"

With those parting words, the ponytail-bound girl turned her back and vanished into the distance.

"Just who was she, anyway...?"

【Master, that girl is remarkably skilled. She may very well be even stronger than Volmark.】

"Seriously?!"

As Furado gaped in astonishment, Ceres and the guards stepped forward before him.

"On behalf of Belkrant, allow me to offer my deepest gratitude as well, Lord Focus. Thanks to you, the abducted pilgrims were saved without a single guard coming to harm."

"We offer our sincerest gratitude!!"

Ceres and all the guards bowed deeply in unison.

"No, no, it was all thanks to that young girl, Dee here, and divine protection. Please, raise your heads. Regardless, I am just glad everyone is safe."

Ceres and the Belkrant guards were deeply moved by Furado's genuine humility—standing before an opportunity to easily score political favors, yet showing not even the slightest hint of doing so.

ToC