The Green Demi-Humans

AFTER OUR MEAL, Myne and I headed toward the south gate, our

next stop between town and wherever I was supposed to pay back the debt I

owed. The path was filled with shops of various kinds, from foodstuffs to

accessories. Streams of money passed through this town, so it was only

natural that the shopping district was full of all manner of adventuring gear.

The first thing on my supply list for hunting in Galia was food. I

stopped by a stall to pick up my usual stock of jerky and dried fruit, and to

my surprise, I found Myne doing exactly the same thing. That was quite out

of the ordinary; usually, she simply took what she needed from my supplies.

"What's up?" I asked. "This isn't like you at all."

"A pity, but you're wrong. I know the importance of preparing for a

trip into Galia. It's a completely different world over there. You can't

restock whenever you like."

A completely different world… If someone as strong as Myne

thought so, then it had to be true. That left me with a predicament: I felt as

if I ought to buy more food than usual, but I knew that if I bought too much,

my supplies would get in the way while I fought. I decided to wait and see

how much Myne purchased. She was the experienced one here, after all.

"Wow, you're buying quite a lot," I said.

"Galia is a vast country," Myne replied, "and supplies are not easy to

come by. You have to stock up. If it comes down to it, you leave your

supplies somewhere while you fight."

"You just leave them? On the ground? They won't get stolen or eaten

by monsters?"

"You kill them before they get the chance."

"That plan is just so very…you."

There was a hint of swagger in the smile Myne returned. I realized

that she actually loved these little compliments. I liked the way her

expression subtly shifted with each word of praise.

I would have kept it up, but I was distracted by a stall next to us,

lined with precious stones. Ruby, citrine, emerald, sapphire—there were

various gemstones, but my eyes caught on a particular blue jewel that stood

out. Its hue would always have special meaning to me, because it was the

same color as the jewel I had given to Lady Roxy to thank her for all her

help back at Seifort.

I lifted the jewel and examined it more closely. Was Lady Roxy still

wearing that jewel around her neck in the pendant she'd made? I hoped so.

What are you doing now, Lady Roxy? I wondered. I'd asked around

town earlier and learned that we'd arrived before her. Since the holy knight

army was still a ways out, I couldn't get information on her troops or their

current status.

Still, I trusted that she was steadily approaching Galia. Lady Roxy

was strong-willed and steadfast. There was nothing for me to worry about

on her behalf. Instead, I needed to focus on my own task: growing stronger.

That was the most I could do for her right now. I returned the blue jewel to

its place in the stall and moved on.

Once we finished shopping for supplies, Myne and I left through the

town gate and headed directly south.

"Exactly where are we going, anyway?" I asked.

The rugged landscape stretched on without a break, far into the

horizon. If we continued in this direction, we'd cross the border into Galia.

I had a bad feeling about that, which was why I prodded Myne for more

information. She characteristically ignored me and continued walking in

silence.

Eventually, the sun began to set, stretching evening shadows across

the land. Myne's feet marched ever onward. When I looked east, I saw

yellow lights in the distance. Those must have come from the sentinel city

—the front line of the constant battle between the invasive flood of

monsters from Galia and the people who attempted to stop them. The same

place Lady Roxy would be stationed for the next three years.

The sentinel city was where I wanted to be, not here, marching into

the unknown. As my thoughts drifted toward it, Myne's elbow jabbed my

side and brought me straight back to reality.

"No more distractions," she said. "Focus."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Myne pointed into the distance. "The Galian region starts there.

Prepare yourself."

There was no clear line or border marking in the direction Myne

pointed. However, I made out the entrance to Galia by the signs of battle.

Great cracks ran along the earth, and sections of land had crumbled or

caved in completely. I followed Myne, and in that way, I took my first step

into Galia.

Huh?! Did…did the air just change?!

My skin went cold, and the scent of blood and death drifted toward

me on the wind. Was it possible for the world to change so drastically with

just a single step?! I stepped backward into the clean air, inhaled deeply,

and then took another step forward. As before, the atmosphere itself

changed.

Something separated Galia from the Kingdom of Seifort. Something

invisible to the human eye, but nonetheless, a schism that cleaved the two

countries into different worlds.

"Come on, Fate. Let's go." A hint of impatience flickered in Myne's

voice as she goaded me on.

I called out to assure her that I was on my way and hurried to catch

up. My stomach growled. Damn it, why would Gluttony bother me so

quickly? I'm working so hard to keep it under control—and now, all of a

sudden, this?

"Look to the southern skies, Fate. Far off in the distance," said

Greed. "That's what your Gluttony is responding to."

"Is that…is that what I think it is?"

"It is. The Heavenly Calamity."

Bathing in the light of the setting sun, a white dragon soared

majestically through the sky, so gigantic in form that it could have been

mistaken for a cloud. The Divine Dragon of Galia. The reason Lady Roxy

had been called.

The sheer size of it…it's insane. The overwhelming sense of scope

made me dizzy, and I fell to my knees as I stared at the dragon from afar.

For the Heavenly Calamity to give off the impression of immensity it did

from this distance meant that, up close, compared to that creature, I would

be no larger than a grain of wheat. I was desperate to use Identify on it, but

that was impossible from so far away.

"Are you okay?" Myne asked, reaching a hand out to steady me.

"I…I feel better now."

As the Heavenly Calamity disappeared over the horizon, the hungry

pulsing of my Gluttony began to subside. I had never imagined it would

respond so aggressively to the Divine Dragon. But as Gluttony grew in

strength, so too did its appetite for new meals. This…was going to be

trouble.

"You're a long way from facing down a monster of that class," Myne

warned. "I saw your hunger."

I laughed, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Yeah, you're not

wrong."

The Heavenly Calamity was even greater than the legends I'd heard.

It appeared unbelievably powerful, which meant its name was no mere

exaggeration. I knew deep in my heart that, at some point, I'd have to face

it. How far could I get in a battle like that? I couldn't even begin to imagine.

On impulse, I took stock of my current stats with Identify.

Fate Graphite, Lv 1

Vitality: 12,256,101

Strength: 11,234,601

Magic: 12,312,201

Spirit: 11,284,401

Agility: 13,378,001

Skills: Gluttony, Identify, Telepathy, Conceal, Night Vision, Brawl,

Marksmanship, Holy Sword Technique, One-Handed Sword Technique,

Two-Handed Sword Technique, Bow Technique, Fireball (Spell),

Sandstorm (Spell), Hallucination (Spell), Strength Boost (Low), Strength

Boost (Medium), Strength Boost (High), Vitality Boost (Low), Vitality

Boost (Medium), Magic Boost (High), Spirit Boost (Medium), Spirit Boost

(High), Agility Boost (Low), Agility Boost (Medium), Health Regen, Fire

Resistance

These were the sum of my stats and skills, and even combined, I

didn't dream that they could scratch the might of the Heavenly Calamity. I

could not fathom the strength I would need. I watched in awe as the Divine

Dragon vanished over the horizon.

"Fate, the first place you should aim for is the Domain of E."

Myne's words caught me off guard. "The Domain of E?"

"Why'd she have to go and bring that up?" said Greed, annoyed.

"You're not ready for that."

"I don't understand, Greed. What do you mean?"

"The mighty Greed cares not for such mundanities."

With that, Greed dropped into another sullen silence. I took my hand

off the black sword's hilt and sighed. I desperately wanted to know, so why

wouldn't he just tell me?!

Fortunately, Myne was still talking. "The Domain of E is the area in

which the Heavenly Calamity resides. With Gluttony, it's possible for you

to reach its level in a matter of days. But as you are now, Gluttony would

consume you entirely in the process."

"You mean, I'd lose control before I fought the Divine Dragon?"

"That's right."

Myne said it lightly, but Greed's response earlier revealed enough:

she was telling the truth. As it stood, I couldn't reach whatever the Domain

of E was, not as myself. And if I couldn't do that, I couldn't even think of

facing the Heavenly Calamity.

"You said 'as you are now.' Does that mean, with time, I can reach

the Domain of E and retain myself?" I asked.

"Hm…you could probably get there in ten years."

Ten years was longer than I'd expected. I didn't have ten whole years

to work with. I had no idea when the Heavenly Calamity would cross the

border again, this time wreaking havoc on Lady Roxy and her troops. When

that happened, I had to be prepared to go to a place within myself from

which I might never return.

"One more thing," Myne continued. "It's better not to kill the

Heavenly Calamity at all. Better for Seifort, I mean. The divine dragon

plays an important role in controlling monster populations. If it should die,

an endless horde would descend upon the lands of the kingdom. That's why

I've never laid a hand on it."

"But…"

Even if I reached the Domain of E, I couldn't kill the Heavenly

Calamity? What was I supposed to do, then?! It was like my hands were

tied. I gripped the handle of the black sword as I thought.

"Worrying about it right now won't do you any good," said Greed.

"Now that you're here, you have one task. When it comes time to see this

other task through, you will have my help."

"Greed…"

"But first things first: Myne. Let's focus on taking care of her

business."

"You're right."

It was no use getting lost in worrying about questions that did not yet

have answers.

In silence, we continued into Galia.

***

Myne and I walked deeper and deeper into the rugged wasteland.

Night blanketed the sky, and the stars glimmered between passing clouds

above.

I took a piece of jerky from my bag, chewing as I followed behind

Myne. Just how far were we going?

Myne strolled onward, her heavy black axe resting casually on her

shoulders. Despite her easy gait, there was no hint of weakness in her

posture. Now that I had learned the basics of battle from Aaron, I saw that

Myne was ready to battle at a moment's notice. She was constantly on edge;

combat-ready was simply her natural state. She always held perfect form.

While I studied her, Myne suddenly stopped in place and took her

black axe in both hands. "Monsters are here, Fate. A small-scale stampede."

"Huh? Where?"

Myne pointed southeast. She'd picked up their movements from afar,

but even with my Night Vision, I couldn't see anything. She must have

sensed the monsters' energy.

After a minute of squinting at the horizon, I saw the monsters, along

with the rolling clouds of dust their charge kicked up. There must have been

about two hundred—green monsters that stood on two legs, with snarling,

pig-like faces. They were much brawnier and bulkier than goblins, and they

were about half again my height.

I'd have to wait until they came into range before I used Identify.

"Myne, is there any way to avoid the stampede?"

"No. The place we need to go is directly past them. I don't want

anything getting in our way while we're there, so we'll kill them before we

move on."

I unsheathed Greed. "Okay. I was getting kind of hungry anyway."

"Those ugly pigs are the most common monster here in Galia.

They're called orcs. They attack with weapons they craft themselves from

rocks. They're clever, so fight them like you would a person."

"You mean, they'll work together to attack us?"

"Right. As long as you haven't already forgotten what Aaron taught

you, I expect you'll have no trouble."

If these two hundred orcs belonged to an army, they'd be a whole

squadron. As they approached, I saw that not all their weapons were the

same. They'd crafted a variety, from shields, swords, and spears to bows

and wands. Each orc seemed to have its own weapon preferences. Although

my stats towered above theirs, they'd overwhelm me if I wasn't mindful of

their strategies, and I'd be a goner. I understood now why Myne said to

treat them like human opponents.

The orc squadron became aware of our presence and stopped a short

distance from us. The blue orcs at the back of the squadron raised their

voices, issuing commands. In the next instant, the orcs unleashed a hail of

arrows and magic upon us.

"Huh?!"

I hurriedly transformed Greed into the black scythe and dodged the

falling arrows, cutting down the raining flame. The orcs must have been

using Fireball spells. I had the Fire Resistance skill, but when possible, I

still didn't want to get hit.

The orcs' arrows and fireballs hurtled down without pause. I was

trapped simply defending myself. I couldn't move, so I couldn't get close to

the orcs. Did they plan to continue this attack and wait until we tired so they

could finish us off? If so, that was bad news. There were a lot more of them

than of us. I couldn't let them pull us into a battle of attrition.

The orcs had taken command of the pace of battle. They had me

stuck in place. I heard a sigh.

"A simple squadron of orcs, and you get yourself pinned down," said

Myne. "This does not inspire much confidence for the battle ahead, Fate."

"Oh, yeah? Well, do you have any bright ideas?"

Myne wasn't any different from me: she was on the defensive,

dodging projectiles. I was just about to point that out when she suddenly

gouged an enormous chunk from the earth in front of her with the black

axe.

"Whoa!"

A huge dust cloud formed in the air from the massive stone Myne

had carved from the ground, clouding our vision completely. What the hell

was she doing?! We couldn't see the arrows or fireballs anymore. One

wrong move, and we'd be scorched toast. What if the orcs attacked from the

dust cloud?!

Out of the dust, however, Myne grabbed my hand. She pulled me

along as she darted to the side.

"If you keep standing there like an idiot, we'll lose the tactical

advantage I created. Circle around and attack them from the flank! Try to be

useful."

"I see!" I said. I wanted to pay attention to Myne's tactics, like Aaron

had. "There's no place to hide, so you just made one. That's so you!"

Myne released my hand and looked a little embarrassed. "It was…it

was nothing special, really…"

Now, it was my turn to show off a little. I transformed Greed into the

black sword and cut a rift into the earth, kicking up my own pillar of dust.

Next to me, Myne once again did the same. Between our efforts, the orcs

soon lost sight of us, and I heard their restless growls within the dust storm.

It was time for our counterattack.