Chapter 2: The Name of the Swordsman②
In short, the fact that the girl assigned as a bodyguard was hired by Sophia was a compromise made by Papa Gore. By providing a capable and trustworthy protector, he hoped to ensure that his spirited daughter wouldn’t run amok. Even if she did, at least a minimum level of safety would be secured—this was a second-best strategy from Papa Gore, who had half given up on stopping his daughter’s reckless behavior.
Now, the issue at hand was the girl’s abilities as a bodyguard. If her skills were subpar, it would be pointless. In fact, even if she was somewhat competent, it would be utterly insufficient to protect two super VIPs. So, what were her true capabilities?
“It’s fine to go to the foot of Hidden Mountain, but…”
As the girl turned to face the two behind her after leaving the town, she continued, “You absolutely must not stray from my side. Can you promise me that? If you can’t promise here, I won’t take you with me.”
“Of course, we’ll be fine. Right, Laura?”
“Absolutely!”
At the girl’s insistence, the intelligent, bespectacled beauty, Sophia, nodded gracefully, while Laura, who looked every bit the 100% natural young lady, snapped her fingers. A wave of unease washed over me. After all, young ladies don’t snap their fingers when agreeing to something. Laura’s behavior was enough to make me wonder if she would grow up to live freely like her sister, as I had heard.
“Listen, my promises aren’t light. If you break it, the bodyguard contract ends right there. Keep that in mind.”
““Understood!””
The girl frowned slightly.
A little further from the foot of the mountain, there was a small building constructed by the Guild. This place served as a residence for various parties that regularly stayed there to hunt down monsters descending from the mountain. The high-purity magic stones and materials obtained from the powerful monsters unique to Hidden Mountain were valuable, making it a job that any clan or party would eagerly want to take on.
However, if a party with mediocre skills were to take on such a task, not only would they suffer losses, but the damage would also spread wherever the monsters descended. To prevent complaints of favoritism or unfairness from capable Seekers, the Guild had implemented a rotation system to assign jobs for a certain period.
And so, they parked their carriage just beyond that building, at the base of the so-called mountain entrance, to discuss their next steps.
“It’s a bit late to ask now that we’re here, but is it really true that the person you’re looking for lives in Hidden Mountain?”
“Before hiring you, I had my subordinates follow him a few times. They reported that he entered Hidden Mountain after leaving the town.”
Sophia prepared tea inside the carriage while answering the girl’s question, exuding elegance.
“If he’s not in the town, does that mean we might meet him if we wait here?”
However, searching for someone was no easy task. Would it really go that smoothly? I was feeling quite anxious about it all.
“Here he comes.”
““Huh!?””
At the girl’s alert, the two of them lit up with excitement.
“No, it’s a monster that’s coming.”
As the disappointment was visibly etched on their faces, the girl commanded, “Stay inside and wait.”
She took off running.
The creature was a Mist-Calling Horned Rabbit (Large Mirage Almirage). It was a massive horned rabbit, about half the height of a person, classified as an A-rank monster.
They appeared in groups, creating mist to conceal their presence and launching high-speed attacks from blind spots to assassinate their targets. If one were to fall into their trap, even an experienced party would face certain annihilation.
“Three of them… I’ll finish this quickly.”
Thick fog enveloped the area. But that was no problem. As long as she could read their movements, there was nothing to worry about.
The girl smoothly drew her swords from their sheaths at her hips.
She dodged one charging at her with a high-speed tackle, bending her body to the limit.
“《弓（ボーイング）》”
From that position, she swung her sword upward like a whip.
“First one down.”
As she whispered that, the first rabbit was cleaved in half and rolled to the ground.
“《必傷剣（スリッター）》”
Next, she lightly swung her twin swords as a parting gift. As the two remaining rabbits leaped at her from their hidden positions, their legs were severed by the blades, leaving them unable to resist. She swiftly decapitated one that had given up, and the last one, despite its injuries, lunged at her with a fierce determination.
“《鋏（アクベンス）》”
The twin swords, resembling crab claws, sliced through the monster’s body before it could even resist, cleaving it in two. She had dispatched the vicious creatures without breaking a sweat, all in a matter of moments.
As the mist cleared, the two emerged from the carriage, peeking out. “Are you alright?” Sophia asked.
“Of course. Who do you think I am?”
The bodyguard girl—Orphelia Verite—returned her twin swords to their sheaths and declared confidently.