MYHLF Vol. 1 Mission 2 Part 4

After leaving the mansion, Philz slowly circulated mana through his body. Doing so increased his muscle strength and allowed him to run faster. He sprinted through town in that state and dashed out through the gate. The adventurers should have been riding on horseback. The knights had apparently already left town as well.

After he had continued running like that for a while, he heard a horse neigh from the direction of the forest.

Neighhh.

It was a blue-black horse. However, two horns grew out from that horse’s head. It was a magic beast known as a Bicorn, said to be a subspecies of a Unicorn. The Bicorn ran alongside Philz. Looking closely, its ears and horns were adorned with ornaments, and its legs were fitted with beautiful horseshoes and golden anklets. Those were things Philz had put on it.

“Biz. We’re in a hurry. We’re going by air. Is that all right?”

《Brrr.》

At the same time as he gave consent, the Bicorn called Biz activated the magic device attached to his horns. It was the same kind as Philz’s 【Equipment Conversion】 magic device. With that, a splendid set of tack appeared. Since Biz was usually kept free-range, Philz stored his tack inside it.

A subspecies of magic beast was an individual that had received a Blessing and gained divine protection, much like a person and were extremely intelligent. Perhaps because of that, they were also feared by magic beasts of the same species and tended to become isolated. At the same time, however, they could communicate with people who were likely to receive the same Blessing. Philz had not received a Blessing at the time, but perhaps because he existed as a beloved child of God, he had gotten along well with Biz. For about two years now, Biz had stayed with Philz as his good partner.

“Thank you. I’m counting on you.”

《Neighhh!》

When Philz leapt onto his back, Biz increased his speed. Next, his two horns began emitting a pale blue light. Then, in the next instant, blue glowing wings sprouted from his back. This was Biz’s unique magic. After two great beats of his wings, he floated gently upward and began galloping through the sky.

“Can you tell the place from the Ogres’ presence?”

《Ngh.》

“Yeah. It’s that way. Let’s go.”

《Neighhh!》

On the way, they overtook the carriage carrying the priests, as well as the knights and adventurers, and reached the location first. But what they found there were people who had given up on living.

From above, it was obvious at a glance.

“So it’s them…”

The knights were wounded, and some looked slightly unsteady.

To the Ogres, they must have been eyesores but not threats, so they probably did not care about such weakened people. For the moment, the knights were not being attacked. The Ogres were engrossed in devouring villagers who had failed to escape in time, along with the livestock.

If they quietly retreated as they were, they would probably survive. And yet, they carelessly approached the Ogres and raised their swords again. But Philz could tell that it was a mere performance.

“Are they trying to die…?”

He had heard about the Third Prince from intelligence agents before. His mother, the Third Queen, was of Marquis blood. She had always been a selfish and problematic person, but after giving birth to a prince, that apparently escalated even further. It seemed they had wanted her to give birth to a princess. Envious of the Second Queen, who had given birth to both a boy and a girl, it was whispered quite plausibly in the royal palace that she might have had a hand in the Second Queen’s death.

Because of all that, the Third Queen and Third Prince were especially loathed even within the royal palace. The Third Queen’s only value was that she had given birth to a prince. Therefore, if the prince were to disappear, her power would be weakened as well.

“The Third Prince… wants to die…?”

The Third Prince was rumored to be dull-witted. And yet, Philz had heard almost nothing about him causing trouble the way his mother did. That was why Philz, as well as some intelligence agents and information dealers, had vaguely thought the same thing. Perhaps he was properly looking at matters objectively and had some sort of plan of his own.

『With a poisonous woman like that beside him, yet without being poisoned by her, he’s either extremely sharp or a complete coward. But either way, he’s someone who can wait for his time.』

『When someone like that is nearby, maybe a child ends up becoming calm instead.』

The people of the royal palace probably had no idea such evaluations of the Third Prince existed. Sometimes, those watching from the outside could see more clearly than the nobles trapped within.

“Was he ordered by the King… or was this his own decision? It would make you sick of everything…”

If Philz’s mother, Clarus, had been like that too. If Philz himself had been trapped in an even more helpless situation, perhaps he might have fallen into the same kind of despair.

Once a person was given tutors, they were indoctrinated from childhood on what a noble was and how a noble ought to live. Even Philz had been educated to think properly about his duties as a noble.

The Third Prince should have been taught by even more distinguished tutors. Even if both he and his mother were despised, it would shame the royal family if a prince grew up foolish. They would have had to bring in highly regarded teachers, even by force.

And precisely because he had received such advanced education, the Third Prince must have ultimately thought this through on his own. For the sake of the country, as a prince, he would become the sacrifice needed to remove the Third Queen.

“…How absurd.”

In Philz’s opinion, the first ones who had to take responsibility were not the children, but their parents.

“So children are the ones who get the short end of the stick without understanding why… No wonder the world is declining…”

As he muttered that and confirmed the positions and numbers of the Ogres from above, Ryula, the Goddess of Life and Second God, appeared beside him.

“That is exactly right.”

Following Ryula’s gaze, he understood why she had manifested.

“Do they have your divine protection, Ryula?”

He thought so because the prince and his companions were badly injured, yet still able to move. Ryula nodded.

“Yes. They do. Dear, pitiful children…”

“…Should I let them die?”

Ryula was the Goddess of Life, but also presided over death. As long as souls were properly cycled, that was enough. However, her divine protection worked most strongly on those who tried to live. That was because living was much more difficult than dying. Ryula gave strength to those who faced that hardship.

In this case, Philz thought that perhaps letting them die might be their salvation. But Ryula shook her head.

“Even if those children die here, nothing will change. No meaning will be born from their lives. That is very… sad…”

“…”

Ryula never said aloud that she wanted him to save them. She left the answer to Philz, who happened to be here. Ryula smiled at him.

“You understand how those children feel, don’t you?”

“You want me to do something about them?”

Certainly, this was a problem that felt close to home for Philz as well. He understood their feelings better than anyone.

“Whether those children’s lives become meaningful or not… this is the turning point.”

“…Isn’t it cowardly to make me choose?”

“Hehehe. We believe in you because you are our beloved child. With this, perhaps you can cut into one more of this world’s problems.”

“…It really is cowardly…”

“Ufufufufu. Fil… I leave those children to you.”

After saying only that, Ryula vanished.

“She just said what she wanted and disappeared… Did I agree to do too much way too easily…?”

Now, Philz slightly regretted accepting the Gods’ request.

“Nothing for it…”

《Brrr.》

“You think so too, huh… Fine. Biz, you can rampage as you please too.”

《Brrr!》

Biz kicked his hind legs in the air with a clack, clack. He was raring to go.

“Then let’s go.”

《Neighhh!》

At that moment, Philz saw an Ogre approaching the knights. It must have become impossible to hide the smell of blood. To an Ogre, they were already food. In such a critical situation, he saw them clearly relax their shoulders.

“Tch!”

Frustrated by that sight, Philz leapt down from Biz. Then, after sprinting in a single burst, he kicked away the knight who was about to be torn apart by the Ogre.

“You damn fool!”

“!”

Philz shouted without thinking. He had not realized that the one he had sent rolling was the prince. Even if he had, he would not have cared, so there was no problem. After confirming that the other knights had headed over to him, Philz paid them no mind and kicked the Ogre with all his strength, his foot infused with mana, sending it flying. Then he drew his sword in midair.

The instant he landed, he stepped in and severed the Ogre’s head.

“““…Eh…?”””

He heard dazed voices from behind him, but Philz did not look back. He dashed toward the next Ogre approaching him, sliced off the arm extended toward him, kicked off the ground, and sprang upward before lightly severing the head positioned high above. Because he moved at once and changed position, Philz was not even splashed with blood.

“…Amazing…”

At the same time as an awed voice reached his ears, the sounds of the adventurers and the ducal domain’s knights arriving rang out.

“Aaahhh, it really is Fil! He beat us here!”

“See? I told you that savage-looking horse, whether it’s a Pegasus or a Bicorn, belongs to Fil!”

They had been racing along on horses and in carriages when they sensed an abnormal presence up ahead and looked up at Biz, whom Philz was riding.

Biz had been spotted countless times in the forest near that town, and the adventurers had been thoroughly warned that he was something they must never approach. Ever since the time an adventurer picked a fight with him and was repelled, it had also become known that Biz was a magic beast with a Blessing from God.

Thus, especially over the past few years, proper information had circulated, and no one challenged him anymore.

“Being able to control that subspecies… That’s just wrong…”

“And he comes flying in through the sky too. He really is amazing. Just what you’d expect from our rising star!”

“He’s twelve, right? That’s cheating… Wait, why is he lopping off their heads so easily with those little swings!? That’s absolutely wrong!”

It seemed they had a great many things they wanted to say.

Around the village were not only Ogres, but also magic beasts drawn in by the smell of blood. The adventurers had finally arrived while defeating those creatures along the way. The fact that the knights had managed to catch up with the adventurers who left ahead of them was proof that dealing with those enemies on the outskirts had been a nuisance.

“Hey, is that sword a magic sword or something? To me, it looks like a cheap, ordinary sword you’d find sold around anywhere…”

“It’s the same as mine… The kind you can buy for five large silver coins. I asked, so there’s no mistake… I bought the same one.”

“Eh! Seriously? You can buy that thing for five large silvers!? I’m getting one too.”

They were getting excited. But that was only some of them.

“Hey, look at this!”

An adventurer hunting Ogres with a sword that unmistakably looked like a magic sword tearfully made his case. His skills were genuine. His cuts were magnificent too. And yet, he pointed at the Ogre he had defeated and cried.

“My sword cost ten large gold coins! And it gets the same… the same result as that! How is that fair!?”

“““Ah…”””

Not only the adventurers, but even the knights looked at that adventurer with the same eyes one used for something pitiful. There were no words.

“Hahaha. That is the difference in skill.”

Villans, the knight commander, was roaring with laughter.

“Hey, Sir Villans, that’s cruel!”

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. Come on, you lot. Hunt even one more than Fil if you can. At this rate, you’re all useless. It makes me want to cry too. Right, Luiri?”

The one Villans called Luiri was the Guildmaster. He was slicing apart the magic beasts charging at him with a grim look on his face.

“Instead of running your mouths, try doing enough work to earn at least five large silver coins.”

“Eh, five large silvers? Then I can buy that sword! I’ll work hard.”

“Me too, me too!”

“…No, you need skill too…”

“The weapon shop is going to make money.”

Neither the adventurers nor the knights had any sense of tragedy about them. There was no element that could lead to defeat. For the adventurers, this was an enjoyable hunt, and for the knights, it was a valuable opportunity for real battle. It was as if they were being led by absolute powerhouses. Their spirits were reaching an absolute high.

“Whoa! Ah, that Bicorn is fighting too!”

“Ah, ah, that one’s bad news. Don’t get close to it.”

“““““We are absolutely not getting close!”””””

The adventurers decided to keep their distance from the area where Biz was rampaging to his heart’s content.

“You lot shouldn’t get close to that either.”

Villans warned the knights, but the knights had never intended to approach in the first place.

“““““We wouldn’t even if you ordered us to!”””””

“That’s when you’re supposed to go!”

“““““Impossible!”””””

“You lot…”

They refused outright. It was a decisiveness one would hardly expect from knights. With the Third Prince and his knight order behind them, they were defeating the small magic beasts drawn in by the smell of blood from the surrounding area. Since the stronger enemies were being taken down first by the adventurers, it was a safe position.

“I mean, you can tell it’s dangerous just by looking.”

“And if there aren’t any human casualties, there’s no need to charge in, right?”

“You’re the one who said if we die, we can’t protect anyone, Commander.”

“Exactly. If someone dies, you can’t honestly be happy even if you win.”

“Young Master Fil said getting hurt but surviving is the right choice as a person.”

“So that really is Young Master Fil fighting over there.”

“How many faces that beautiful do you think there are?”

The knights had now correctly recognized Philz as the second son of the ducal family. They could accept his strength because they knew their beloved commander had praised his skill.

They had not known that Philz was active as an adventurer, but since only his hair and eye color were different, anyone who had seen Philz as the duke’s son could tell they were the same person.

“Mm, mm. Young Master Fil is such a wonderful adult. The young master is beautiful, so even when he says something barbaric, I accept it before I can get irritated!”

“I know Young Master Fil once said, ‘Die for the country…? Knights are idiots.’ His eyes were so cold it gave me shivers! I want to see that again!”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“Same here.”

“Ah! Young Master Fil just…”

“““““…Nice…”””””

Philz, having heard the knights’ conversation, turned toward them with eyes of contempt, as though he were looking at perverts. The knights became embarassed.

“You lot! Hey! Why do you all look happy about that!? You damn perverts! Work!”

Villans shouted at his disappointing subordinates. But the knights were not discouraged.

“““““We are working!”””””

“Tch.”

Since they were still protecting the Third Prince and his knights, Villans could not complain any further.

“Ah, so what were we talking about again?”

“That even with one arm, the Commander is strong, and as long as you’re alive, you can manage somehow, right?”

These words were being spoken for the Third Prince and his companions, who were sitting there in a daze, frozen in place. The knights were trying to lighten the atmosphere, even just a little.

“““““So if anyone is going to charge in, Commander, please go alone!”””””

“As if I would, idiots!”

The ducal domain’s knight order was a gathering of people like this. They were by no means spoiled by peace. However, people who tended to narrow their point of view with thoughts like orders from above were absolute, or they had to die for the country, or this was what a knight ought to be, stopped being that way once they joined this order.

The knight commander, Villans, and the Adventurers’ Guildmaster, Luiri, were close friends, and they made no attempt to hide that relationship, instead putting it openly to the public. Knights leaned toward nobles. Adventurers leaned toward commoners. Therefore, common sense dictated that their relationship was extremely poor. Yet when an unconventional knight commander and a Guildmaster respected by many adventurers became close friends, that perspective changed.

Then, at some point, people began to wonder why they were so hostile in the first place, and in the end, they understood that their roles and domains were simply different, and there was no need to be hostile towards one another.

Once that happened, both sides were people who honed their martial skill. Naturally, they found things to talk about. Those who became knights were noble sons and illegitimate children who had failed to inherit their houses. They knew the unpleasant parts of nobility down to their bones. Adventurers also had their own thoughts about nobles, and in the end, both sides realized that they were not so different after all, and began forming friendships.

“I’ll throw it off balance. You finish it.”

A nimble adventurer told a knight who was his drinking buddy.

“You! That’s dangerous. If you charge in too much, I can’t handle everything!”

Without hesitation, the adventurer charged straight at an Ogre and slashed at it several times. The knight, angered by that reckless behavior, still headed in with him. The adventurer snickered and said yes, yes, then forced the Ogre to one knee.

“That’s what practical training is for. Here, now.”

“Honestly. Seiya!”

The knight slashed upward from below, cutting into the Ogre’s lowered neck as he passed by it. However, he only managed to cut halfway through. He had not reached the point of severing it off completely. Since the Ogre had been defeated in the end, there was no problem, but seeing that, the adventurer sounded dissatisfied.

“Cut it off.”

“Like I can! Don’t lump me in with Young Master Fil and those people!”

The knight pointed at Philz, Villans, and Luiri, who were still severing heads with light leaps.

“Well, yeah, they’re… I can’t do that either.”

“See!”

“Yes, yes. Come on, next one.”

“Hey, wait! If I keep going along with you, my body won’t hold!”

“I’ll tell Sir Villans you don’t do enough running.”

“Don’t!”

Even as he screamed, the knight went along with the adventurer and continued achieving results.

Scenes like that could be seen here and there. The Third Prince and his companions, who could do nothing but watch, simply stared in awe.