Lying on the ground, I tried to check on those inside the carriage, but then...
"Do you happen to be Crow, the one credited with the greatest achievement in discovering the Hero?" a voice said.
Only the armored legs of the Saintly Sword user were visible as I lay face down on the ground. As I looked up, the figure in black armor stood towering over me.
"Indeed. There's a Heavenly Horse Sword among the Saintly Swords, and you're its chosen wielder," the figure mused.
"Who are you...?" I managed to ask.
"There's no need for me to introduce myself to you, but as a parting gift before your death, I shall. My name is Amaranth."
"Why... do you have both the Demon Sword and the Rakshasa Sword?"
"Ah, so you even know the names of the Saintly Swords I wield? I must admit, I'm impressed."
Silently, I cursed inwardly. This man, Amaranth, was foolish for revealing his name and even admitting to having a master. As an assassin, he was the worst, being too honest.
However, this also meant he was honest in a way.
Despite his intent to kill without hesitation, he answered my questions honestly and even revealed information I hadn't asked for.
That meant...
"Why are you trying to kill the king?"
"The king matters little to us. We perceived him as the biggest obstacle to the established regime since he was moving towards a bureaucratic system. Thus, by assassinating the current king, we aim to eradicate the forces trying to shift from a hereditary to a bureaucratic system."
"And your reason for killing me?"
"You might be attempting to use the Hero to seize power for yourself. Although your allegiance remains unclear, it's too dangerous to leave you alive, we concluded."
Really, how foolish can this man be?"Why do you so politely answer my questions?"
"I'm willing to kill you, but the Hero will be angered by this, right?"
"That's not a problem. The Hero himself is also a target that must eventually be eliminated."
"What!? What are you talking about!"
In disbelief and forgetting that I was about to be killed, I staggered to my feet.
"Kill the Hero? If you do that, who will defeat the Demon King?"
"I will."
"What?"
"I will defeat the Demon King. Therefore, the Hero is unnecessary."
"Wait... But only the Hero can defeat the Demon King..."
"That’s nonsense. I can defeat the Demon King."
"On what basis are you claiming that?"
"My master says so. Therefore, I can defeat the Demon King."
This was beyond my imagination. Foolish beyond belief.
I had guessed he was foolish, but his level of foolishness far exceeded my expectations. He completely failed to understand the use and limits of his power and blindly followed the words of his master.
"You’re being deceived by your master! Only the Hero can defeat the Demon King, no one else can!"
"My master does not lie. It’s you who’s lying."
"Why do you believe in your master so much?"
"I don’t need a reason or basis to believe in my master. I just believe and serve."
"Don’t be ridiculous! It doesn’t matter what you do to me, but don’t you dare lay a hand on the Hero!"
"I refuse. My master said the Hero is a target to be eliminated. Therefore, I will kill him."
"If you do that, the world will be destroyed!"
"It won't be. I will protect it."
"But! That's impossible!"
"It's not for you to decide. It's up to my master. Whatever my master says I can do, I will surely be able to do."
"You...! If the Hero dies and we can't defeat the Demon King, you and your master will die too, right!?"
"That won't happen. Because I will always protect my master."
What a situation.
Can someone really have such blind faith in another person?
And yet, I feel a strong sense of déjà vu.
His formal way of speaking aside, his thought process and the content of his statements, as well as his overwhelming talent and the exactness with which he entrusts the usage of his power to someone else..."It's Shion."
Shion, as if she had grown into an adult just like her present self.
"What is it? If you have nothing more to say, I will kill you now."
"Hey, you..."
"What?"
"You're a woman, aren't you?"
"Why would you...?"
"I can tell by your voice!"
"Tch! It's because you kept questioning me. You've trapped me!"
It's hopeless. Talking to her is giving me a headache.
But since she's so honest in answering people's questions,
"Your name was Amaranth, right?"
"Why do you know my name!?"
"You told me yourself!"
"Damn...! You used leading questions! I was told by my master not to reveal my name... a lapse in judgment!"
This is hopeless. I thought I could gain useful information and buy some time by talking, but she's not only foolish beyond belief, she's also dangerously delushional.
She even forgot that she introduced herself just five minutes ago.
And she's sworn loyalty to a specific individual, which makes no sense.
"Who is your master?"
"I will never reveal my master's name. I cannot afford to provide you with any more information. Let's end this idle talk and kill you."
This is bad.
I was hoping to buy time by engaging in conversation, expecting that Amaranth's attack, which brought down the carriage, might allow Iris and Saffron inside to recover and find an opportunity to counterattack. But they've shown no sign of movement since the crash.
Surely they couldn't have died from the same lightning strike I managed to withstand, but they seem to be unconscious.
How could those in the carriage be knocked unconscious by the same lightning strike I survived, yet I am still able to stand?
Is it because Holly is possessing me?
"Holly... Holly!"
Holly doesn't respond.
She's been invisible since the carriage crash, and I assumed she was possessing me like before, but she's gone.
Nowhere to be found.
"Could it be...!"
Did she go to call Shion from the royal capital, about five kilometers away from here?That meant Sleyplnir, even at its fastest, would take a few minutes to go back and forth to the place.
It would take about an hour on foot.
I couldn't tell how fast Holly, being a spirit, could reach Shion, but even if Shion knew the situation and rushed out, there was no way she could make it in time.
"Damn... this is bad...!"
I looked at Amaranth in front of me and felt like giving up, simply accepting my fate.
There seemed to be no way out of this situation.
No matter what I had accomplished – finding the hero Shion, making Saffron an ally, rescuing Iris and Catreya – I had gotten carried away.
Nothing had changed the fact that I was powerless.
Confronted with a truly strong opponent like this, I had no choice but to silently accept death.
"Farewell, Crow. I will remember your name."
As Amaranth said these words, which didn't comfort me at all, she raised the Ghost Sword and swung it down at me without hesitation.
A woman as forgetful as her, who couldn't even remember a conversation from five minutes ago, would never remember someone like me.
I wanted to retort with something bitter, but then...
"…?"
For some reason, Amaranth was swinging the Ghost Sword down slowly.
I didn't understand why, but I dodged the slowly descending blade.
"Hmm?"
Amaranth, surprised that her blow missed, repeatedly swung her sword at me. However, her movements were extremely sluggish.
"What is this, Crow? Such movements! Is this the power of the Skyhorse Sword?"
"Huh?"
"Being able to dodge all my slashes!"
"…"
She didn't seem to be joking. She was genuinely astonished that I could dodge such slow attacks.
What could possibly explain this...
"Guha!"
At that moment, I suddenly realized that my heart was pounding as if it was about to burst, and intense pain was coursing through every muscle in my body.
It hurt.
Intense pain struck my muscles and joints.
No, it wasn't that Amaranth's movements were slow. My movements were just as slow as hers.
Previously, when Holly possessed me, she enhanced my abilities by several levels.
"Ugh... ah!"
I continued to dodge Amaranth's slashes, again and again.From the outside, my movements must have looked like those of an expert.