Chapter 143: Handicap

The pillars of light that had struck the ground in a grid pattern as if to block ones advance had already disappeared.

The carriages filled with adventurers ran away at full speed through the highway. As I saw them off as they disappeared, I finally relaxed, yet at the same time I also felt a bit lonely.

But, now’s not the time to get all emotional.

At the cost of letting those adventurers run away, I, no, we are supposed to face the 8th Apostle in a battle.

“nn mou, don’t glare at me like that. Look, we are just having a duel after all, let’s have fun alright?”

The Apostle known as Ai seems to like talking a lot unlike Sariel.

Although she talks in a ridiculous manner, it seems she has an interest in me and Lily.

She probably hasn’t considered Fiona in her thoughts because probably she hasn’t seen her full strength.

“I let them run away right? Try to believe in me a bit!”(Ai)

“……I see.”

Is what I say, but I have no intention to believe her unconditionally.

Her wish is to fight us. If we faced her without running away, she said that she would not attack and pursue the adventurers as well as the refugees.

Disregarding the danger to our lives, it’s a really incredible condition which would help us in finishing this emergency quest.

But still, there’s no proof that she would keep her promise. She could easily break her promise just on a whim and we don’t even have the strength to go find fault with her for that.

Yes, the moment the existence called an Apostle appeared, there was no scope for negotiations at all. If we don’t play along with her whims and wishes, we would be annihilated here anyway.

“Kurono! We’ll be fine if we are all together!”

The child Lily claimed that strongly as she pulled on my robe.

“Yes, it seems the opponent only wants to have a test of strength. There’s chance that we won’t be killed even if we fight her.”(Fiona)

Fiona gave her surprisingly slightly negative opinion.

“……yeah, well we can’t step away from it anyway. Might as well do as much as we can.”

The ones who will face the Apostle are me, Lily and Fiona, basically the members of [Element Master].

According to this adventurer wannabe Apostle,

“If you’re in a party then you must fight together!”(Ai)

Said something like that and wished to face our party together. Of course, I had no reason to refuse her, not that I could have anyway.

Rather than thinking that I ended up dragging Lily and Fiona with me as well, since we are in a party, our lives are already supposed to be one, I should have already resolved for this.

That’s why, I will not do something like apologising to those two.

“Say, say, Devil-san,”(Ai)

A nonchalant came to us as if ignoring our tension completely.

By devil, she must be talking to me.

During the battle at Alsace, the Crusaders did call me a Devil or something so I realized that I had been apparently given such a dishonourable nickname.

“What is it?”(kurono)

“Devil-san and the Witch-san over there seem to be quite tired. Haven’t you used up more than half of your magical energy?”

Maybe she had a skill that could discern the amount of magical energy possessed by someone else, she spoke that with much confidence.

A handicap/disadvantage for one’s enemy is not something one should say out loud normally but I guess things like that don’t hold any meaning towards Apostles.

“And, what about it?”(kurono)

“That’s troublesome for me, so—“(Ai)

She rummaged through the pouch on her waist and,

“—–quickly restore yourselves completely, ‘kay?”(Ai)

Saying that, she threw a small bottle towards us which I reflexively caught with my hands.

The 10cm big container was filled with a water like transparent liquid but some light particles were shining inside that liquid.

It’s probably some kind of a potion, I think but,

“It’s an Elixir.”(Fiona)

Fiona gave me the answer from the side.

“Elixir? It has quite the exaggerated name but is it amazing?”(kurono)

“It’s the greatest potion in existence, at least on the Arc continent.”(Fiona)

“Show it to Lily, Show it to Lily as well!”(lily)

It’s apparently amazing but how amazing is it exactly?

At least it’s not some kind of explosive so I gave it to Lily.

As Lily took the shining bottle and inspected it with a serious gaze, I asked Ai.

“Do you want us to drink this?”(kurono)

“Yup.”(Ai)

Ai nodded with a smile. Well I didn’t think there would have been any other reason for giving us that.

“Okay.”(kurono)

“Oh, you don’t doubt that it’s a poison or something?”(Ai)

“There’s no meaning to do something like that. Also, weren’t you the one who asked us to believe in you?”(Kurono)

“fufuu, I see, yup yup, I really like honest and good kids like you. Well, that Elixir is my treat to you so drink it all!”

While looking at Ai, who was smiling happily, with a cool gaze, I turned to Fiona and Lily.

“Let’s divide it in three.”(kurono)

The order of level of magical energy exhaustion was Me>Fiona>Lily, but it wasn’t like Lily wasn’t tired at all. If we were going recover, we all need to do so.

“I think a single sip would have enough effect. It won’t be much trouble to split this much in three parts.”(Fiona)

“Then, Lily can go fir—–“

“Here Kurono!”

Interrupting my words, Lily handed back the potion back to me.

“n, oh right I should still first check for poison just in case.”

There’s no proof that this liquid was actually an Elixir. I can’t have Lily drink something suspicious like that.

Rethinking again, I came to the conclusion that this was also the job of the leader and opened the bottle and gulped the Elixir.

“—–!? This is………what incredible recovery power!”

Even though I had barely 10% of my magical energy remaining; I could feel my black magical energy steadily filling back like petrol being filled in the petrol tank.

Compared to other potions and healing magics, my magical energy regenerated with an extreme speed and even my fatigue was blown away.

My wounds, magical energy, stamina, all recovered almost instantly. It really has an incredible recovery power.

“So it’s the real thing it seems.”(Fiona)

“Yeah. Well, even if this wasn’t actually an Elixir, it doesn’t change the fact that its power is the real thing. Then next is—-”

I began to give it to Fiona who was the second most tired among us but,

“No! Next will be Lily!!”(lily)

Once again, I was interrupted by Lily.

Somehow she’s being unusually wilful today. What made her suddenly attracted to this? Could it be that she’s affected by the fact that this elixir had higher efficiency than her miracle drug?

“Only drink half of it, alright?”(kurono)

“Un!”

Lily took the bottle with a happy smile.

Holding the bottle firmly with her two hands, she licked the rim with her small mouth as if tasting it and then after she was satisfied, finally gulped down the Elixir.

“—puhaa.”

After drinking exactly half of it,

“My turn.”

Lily, who seemed to have no interest in it any longer, gave it to Fiona

But her face looked somewhat satisfied as if she had just completed some hard work.

“n, this feeling, it really is an Elixir.”

Fiona gave such an impression after drinking while I was unaware.

“It didn’t really have a taste, but can you tell?”(kurono)

“The feeling on drinking it is somewhat different from normal water. It feels somewhat like Sake though it might be difficult for you to understand that since you haven’t drunk this before.”(Fiona)

Well, now that she said it, I did feel it gently melt away-like sensation when I put it inside my mouth.

I did hear a same impression when my parents had drunk a high class wine a long time ago.

Does this Elixir have alcohol content in it as well?

“Anyway, with this, we have fully recovered. Whether we’ll be able to win against an Apostle or not even then is different matter altogether though.”(Fiona)

“Don’t say such things.”(kurono)

We can win if we fight hard with all we’ve got! But it’s really bitter that I can’t really say that out loud.

But, I and Lily have experience of fighting against Sariel and Fiona is originally from the Republic as well so she should be well aware of an Apostle’s strength.

None of us could easily say that ‘We’ll defeat the Apostle!’ unfortunately.

“But still, we must make plans with the intent to kill her…..”(kurono)

I once again turned back towards Ai.

“*yawn* ~”

This bitch, yawning like that! Even though she was the one who came and attacked us, does she even have the will to fight us?

“aa~aa, say, you did drink the Elixir right? Then take a rest now. You’’l probably recover to your max strength in one hour.”(Ai)

“You’ll wait that long for us? You really are a patient person.”(kurono)

“Well it’s not like the Elixir recovers someone absolutely instantly after all. I have no choice but to wait for you. Also, don’t you need some time to make some plans as well, right?”(Ai)

“If you’re really going to give us that, then I’ll gladly take you up on the offer.”(kurono)

It seems she really want us to fight at full strength. She is being thorough enough to not let us be in any kind of disadvantage.

“Oh right, my weapon is just this bow and I won’t use my armament scriptures so no need to worry over that.”(Ai)

She said that as she swung her worn out long bow that seemed on the verge of breaking.

The Armament scriptures were I think the amazing weapons made for the personal and exclusive use for the Apostles. Fiona did talk about that as well.

This Ai as well as that Sariel, it seems Apostles really like to hold back when fighting.

It really is extremely irritating. Even though we are fighting with our lives on the line, she just went and intervened just to play around.

“….Got it.”(kurono)

“nfufu, to not get angry even though I am clearly giving a handicap, you really are a honest and good kid Devil-san.”(Ai)

Unfortunately, I am neither a proud warrior nor a noble knight. I’m just a simple adventurer. If you’re giving me an opening I can take advantage of, I’ll be glad to use it to the fullest.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll actually thank you for it though.

I turned my back to Ai once again and went and sat down with my back towards one of the trees on the side of the highway.

The two of them also sat down on the soft grass near me.

“*Yaa~wnn……”

Ai sat down on the other side along with her pet or maybe her familiar black cat.

While sitting in that lazy posture, she closed her eyes and soon the sound of her sleeping came.

Completely defenceless, without any caution, she’s completely looking down on us but considering her ability and strength, I can’t be rash and just attack her madly.

Rather than getting irritated, I should be happy that at least she won’t just rush in to attack us in a weird way out of nowhere.

“Now then, we need to think of a way to defeat that ridiculous Apostle in this one hour. Got any ideas?”