◆ Avangarde Royal Capital, Uzei Religion Temple, Dojo ◆
The moment I laid eyes on my grandfather’s severed head, I froze. I had defeated countless monsters up until now, so I thought I would be desensitized to such horrors. But it was different. This was something unfathomable. It wasn’t just about killing; I couldn’t grasp why this was happening. What was the purpose of bringing a severed head here? I had no idea. Not a single clue.
“How terrible… Why would they do something like this…?”
Kurinka’s voice, barely above a whisper, made my heart ache. I couldn’t comprehend it either—why? How could anyone be so cruel?
“What is the meaning of this…?”
“Like I’ve said many times before, the upper echelons of Negesta, the Five Masters, are as you see.”
“Bad taste aside, there are things you can and cannot do!”
Ryoho, the instructor of the Uzei Religion, who always maintained a calm and natural demeanor, finally lost his temper. He seemed to be grasping the situation, but he still couldn’t bring himself to accept that the severed head was real. Following Ryoho, the other Hyonhaku also voiced their condemnation, but the five in question merely responded with cold indifference.
“Your composure is slipping, Ryoho. We were already fed up with the Uzei Religion. We were forced into a life akin to grueling penance under the guise of teachings, and before we knew it, we began to believe it was the right way. Do you know what that is? It’s brainwashing.”
One of the five spoke with a heavy dose of sarcasm, dismissing Ryoho coldly. Brainwashing—it was a harsh term, but perhaps it was true. Ryoho and the others were forcefully imposing their beliefs on everyone, convinced that they were right. Those people hadn’t joined the Uzei Religion of their own volition. I didn’t know the details, but they had been coerced into training. They harbored dissatisfaction with their daily lives, which ultimately led to this atrocity. The Phantom, the two adventurers who had attacked us before, the flower shop owner, that soldier—could it be that they were all connected to the Phantom?
“Answer my question. Did you really kill the Masters? Was it you?”
“You’re asking us to answer when we have evidence right here? That’s a foolish question.”
“Did you turn your dissatisfaction with the current situation into murderous intent?! Do you even understand what you’ve done?! Answer me!”
“Don’t misunderstand. We did not kill the Masters.”
“That’s right! They aren’t to blame! Ahaha!”
I hadn’t noticed her presence until now. A girl leaned against the corner of the dojo, her translucent green hair cascading down to her waist like a broom. She wore a cool green outfit that exposed her shoulders, and beneath a short skirt, she had tight black shorts. Her brown boots, reaching up to her knees, left marks on the dojo floor as she stepped forward, cutting through the stunned onlookers. With every step, her broom-like hair swayed, and the red ribbon holding it together flickered into view.
Her striking green eyes and lively smile were either a provocation or a serious challenge; I couldn’t tell. But the most distinctive feature was her elongated, pointed ears. Those horn-like ears were unusual to anyone’s eyes, and it seemed everyone was fixated on that aspect of her.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Elmera, the leader of the Phantom. We’re planning to become famous, so nice to meet you!”
“Phantom… I don’t know what kind of group you are, but if it’s true that you killed the Masters, that is unforgivable.”
“Oh, no, no, no! We didn’t kill them! It was… what was it again? The ones with a name like ‘Waterway.'”
“…Huh?”
“For now, it’s more like an alliance, I guess?”
Elmera, the leader of the Phantom, shrouded in mystery, was the one who had aimed for my life. The fact that such a girl was in charge raised countless questions in my mind. There was so much I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t find the words. Even if I did, would she answer seriously?
Elmera smiled down at Ryoho and the others, who were panting heavily. It was clear she was not human. Beyond just her ears, there was something fundamentally different about her. Her milk-white skin, perfectly proportioned body, and healthy, well-defined thighs contrasted with her overall slenderness. What was she? I wanted to ask that, separate from Ryoho’s question.
“Kinji, bring the Masters here.”
“Sure, there’s no point in holding onto this.”
The five of them handed boxes to Ryoho and the others. As Ryoho touched the severed head’s cheek and skull, he realized it was real, and tears began to flow. He forgot his anger towards the person before him and simply stood there in silence.
“I can’t forgive this… Why would you do something like this…?”
“You mentioned the Phantom! Don’t think you can get away with this!”
“No, I told you. It was the Waterway who did it. We didn’t ask them to go that far, really.”
Whether she was teasing or just oblivious, Elmera waved her hand in front of her face, dismissing the gravity of the situation. The Hyonhaku surrounding her radiated an intense killing intent. Ryoho’s earlier words about anger disrupting one’s composure seemed completely forgotten.
“This is your final warning. Repent for your sins here and now. The Uzei Religion will cleanse your sins; if you are willing to walk together, we can let this slide for now.”
“Ugh, the Uzei Religion, huh? I was planning to crush you the moment we got serious.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I know your little history. But tell me, where do the souls of those killed by your founder go? Ahahaha!”
Elmera’s mocking laughter froze Ryoho and the others in place. They understood, but they had chosen to ignore it until now, and now they were being confronted with it.
“A merchant who worked hard for his family was killed along the way, along with his guards. And of course, in the case of a girl, she was thoroughly violated. You take the lives of innocent people and then talk about cleansing sins? How do you cleanse a tainted soul? Tell me!”
“That is…”
“What is it?”
“Under the deity revered by the Uzei Religion, those souls are cleansed and move on to the next life.”
“Huh?!”
With a sharp crack, Elmera’s fist struck Ryoho’s cheek. Like a stick being knocked down, Elmera’s punch sent Ryoho crashing to the dojo floor. After a brief moment of shock, the Hyonhaku rushed to Ryoho’s side, comparing his expression to Elmera’s, which radiated fury.
“Ryoho, are you okay?”
“Ugh… Don’t worry about me…”
“To think she could land a blow on Ryoho so easily…”
“Enough already. This is pointless. How about you try getting killed here? You can be cleansed and head off to the next life!”
Her voice dropped slightly, but the anger was palpable. It was a presence so overwhelming that it made everyone, including Ryoho, shrink back in fear. Those who had passionately spoken about the Uzei Religion were rendered speechless in a matter of moments.
“You humans are always like this. You make excuses for your actions while easily belittling and persecuting other races, harvesting resources beyond necessity. Do you understand? There are no souls that find peace; there is never salvation for the lives taken. You’ve never considered the feelings of the oppressed, have you?”
No one could challenge the beautiful girl with her white skin and striking features as she unleashed her tirade. I was also at a loss, unable to act against the girl who claimed to be the leader of the Phantom. What should I do? Should I defeat her? Would that solve everything? I had no answers.
“If you all discarded your ridiculous ideology right now, you wouldn’t be targeted.”
“By what authority do you say such things?”
“Oh, well, here’s the doctrine of the Phantom Cult. First, all ideological activities are prohibited. Second… Hmm, what should I add? Well, I might add more if I feel like it.”
“Enough with the nonsense.”
Ryoho and the others charged at Elmera almost simultaneously. I couldn’t tell if they were maintaining their Tenryu-ken composure. But it didn’t matter. Elmera’s boot connected with Oudo’s face, and in a fluid motion, her heel smashed into Hyonhaku’s jaw. The force of her spin was relentless, driving into Chinku’s side with enough power to nearly sever him.
For the final touch, she kicked Ryoho’s chin with her right foot, sending him soaring as if he were looking up at the ceiling, helplessly falling back down. This all happened in less than a second. No one, except for me, could comprehend what had just transpired. The four who had attacked her were now all crumpled on the floor.
“What just happened to those four?”
“I thought they were going to approach that girl, and then they just collapsed…”
The ordinary spectators were completely oblivious to the battle that had just unfolded. However, Seigel and Gantetsu were different; they stood there, utterly speechless, their expressions twisted in disbelief as they witnessed the overwhelming spectacle before them. They were fixated on the outcome of the girl’s fierce combat, the term “superhuman” feeling far too mild to describe what they were seeing.
“People think elves are just a bunch of magic-obsessed fools, but honestly, that’s pretty accurate. Sometimes I envy the Beastkin and the Giant Race. Oh, of course, this is the part where I should feel down, right? So come on, feel sorry for me! Hahaha!”
Elmera laughed heartily at the four who were still unable to stand. Elves… where had I heard that before?
“Elves…?”
“Oh, it’s the Flash Strike Girl!”
“Wha?! Y-You know me?!”
Just when I thought she was mocking Ryoho and the others, Elmera waved at me as if she had found a friend. Without a hint of caution, she leaned in close to my face, invading my personal space.
“Hmm, so this is the Flash Strike Girl. People often say you don’t look very strong, right?”
“I-I guess they might say that…”
“Isn’t that great? The weaklings will let their guard down around you, which is actually a strength!”
“Really? But why do you know about me?”
“Well, you’re quite famous. It seems you’re regarded with a fair amount of caution among the waterways. Of course, we’d prefer to avoid you if we can.”
“Then why did you try to take my life?”
“Huh?”
She tilted her head side to side like a little child, her finger pressed to her lips. Despite being around the same age as us, her childish gestures felt incredibly immature. As someone who had nearly been killed, I couldn’t help but feel anger bubbling inside me. The leader of Phantom must have given her that order.
“Ah! No, no! That was different! It wasn’t me!”
“That’s exactly what I mean by ‘huh?!'”
“That was something she did on her own! Besides, it was before we even joined forces, so there’s no way I could have been involved! Hahaha!”
“I don’t understand!”
“Well, I got to see the face of the Flash Strike Girl today, so consider it a greeting. Just know that we’ll be making our move here soon, so prepare yourself however you see fit.”
Just as I was about to say “wait,” Elmera vanished without a trace. It wasn’t that she disappeared at incredible speed; if that were the case, I would have noticed. This could only mean it was some kind of magic. She must have used a spell to slip in here without us noticing.
After the noise-making girl left, an eerie silence fell over the dojo, leaving everyone in a state of shock. The five elderly men from the Nation of Negesta who had been killed, Ryoho and the others still groaning on the ground, bent over like broken dolls. I shivered at the brutality brought upon us by the sudden appearance of Phantom.
“Kurinka, what should I do?”
Kurinka remained silent. Even if we wanted to act, we needed time. I needed time, and so did Kurinka. We had to understand the true nature of Phantom and their motives. In moments like this, I wished Lord Hast were here.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Rua was horrified at the sight of the old man’s decapitated head.
An unfathomable, incomprehensible evil.
At just fifteen, Rua had encountered such a terrifying evil.
It was a quiet malevolence, different from the destructive evil of the Demon Army.
Evil has no reason; trying to understand it is futile.
It’s easy for adults like Shin to grasp, but for a child like Rua, it seemed too soon.
Huh? Did that kid just say “elf”?!
Elf?! Why?! E-Elf?!
No way!
I can’t take any more of this excitement; I can’t write anymore!