Book 4: Chapter 12

The Grand Altlis Temple worshiped the God of Life Philia.

Reina and Ria were made to wait in the Head Priest’s room that was deep within that white walled building.

「As usual, this is a room with poor taste.」

「……Have you come here before?」

「Yes, I have. I suppose it was when the Head Priest here was still a newcomer. Maybe because I saved him when I had carelessly got dragged into a power struggle, he had become quite attached to me. Since he was too persistent, there was a time where I blew him away and escaped.」

Being able to imagine that scene very easily, Ria made a wry smile.

Reina had not decided on the master she would serve.

According to Reina, there didn’t seem to be a master appropriate for her to serve though.

There seemed to have been a time where she had meddled in troublesome matter of her own free will, and became famous as the legendary Maid Knight in every country.

Right now, she seemed to be avoiding getting involved with troublesome matters, but even in just the several years that Ria spent together with her, there were several people that came with requests and relied on Reina.

「Sorry to keep you waiting. The Head Priest has arrived.」

Hearing the sound of the door opening, an elderly man and……a young man wearing some sort of strange clothing had entered the room.

That man who wore awfully extravagant clothes and had an “I am indeed important” feel to him, Reina looked at him with an uninterested face.

「Just as I imagined, you became a boring person.」

「……I have no words to overturn that.」

「So, does the business this time have something to do with that strange child of yours?」

「Yes.」

While listening to the quickly advancing conversation between Reina and the Head Priest, Ria looked at the young man who was branded as a strange child.

He was clearly not in priest clothing, but in black clothes that had golden buttons.

He had black hair that was rare in this vicinity, and black eyes.

It was certainly as Reina said, he was a young man that couldn’t be described as anything but strange.

Although he was called a young man, in terms of the age of his body, he looked like he was about the same age as Ria.

Seeing his state of looking around curiously at this and that while saying things like “hoー” and “hehー”, she was reminded of a child that couldn’t calm down.

「……You are aware of Demon King Shuklous, correct?」

Demon King Shuklous was the king of the Mazoku said to be somewhere in the Shutaia Continent.

The strife between mankind and the Mazoku has continued on for a long time, and the Mazoku menace was spreading throughout the continent even now.

After Shuklous’s appearance, the cross-national strife in the Shutaia Continent vanished.

It was because they learned that it was foolish to have strife between fellow members of mankind.

Right now, a pact called the Anti-Shuklous Alliance had been formed between the many nations, and all of mankind has become one.

「The truth is, there was an oracle from the Goddess Philia-sama.」

「So he’s the Hero, is he.」

Reina knitted her brow at the term she wasn’t used to hearing.

Ria also did the same, but even if she was told the word “Hero”, she only thought “what is that supposed to be……”.

「The one who possesses the strength and destiny to defeat the Demon King……or so it seems. That is who Hero Ryuuya-dono here is.」

「Ah, hello. I’m Ryuuya. I am working as the Hero. By the way, Maid Onee-sama, please marry me.」

「I am Reina. Also, I will have to decline in regards to the marriage.」

The Head Priest and Ria looked at Ryuuya, who was treated coldly by Reina and muttered “so it’s no good”, with exasperated faces.

After massaging his brow as if trying to soothe a headache, the Head Priest breathed a sigh and continued talking.

「Ahー, currently, Hero-dono is fighting together with a young Sylphid lady for the sake of subjugating the Demon King……but by all means, we would like to borrow your strength, Reina-dono.」

「Nn, it is no good. He is not qualified.」

As she made an X with the index fingers of both of her hands, Reina shook her head sideways.

「I have no motivation to serve that child you call a Hero. I believe you understand this, but imperial commands are useless on me after all, okay?」

「Guh……I know that, very well.」

Maybe because he remembered something, the Head Priest started shedding bullets of sweat.

He probably tried to forcibly get Reina to obey in the past with an imperial command, and had some sort of retaliation done against him.

After the Head Chief cleared his throat with a *kohon*, he turned his gaze to Ria.

「……Come to think of it, who is that.」

「My apprentice Ria. She is a promising child.」

「W, well then. Would it be possible to borrow strength from Ria-dono……」

Being told that, Ria looked at Reina’s face.

Seeing Ria’s gaze that said “what should I do”, Reina replied with a nod.

「Of course, that is not something for me to decide. It is something for Ria to decide.」

「Re, Reina……」

「Ria.」

Reina brought her lips close to Ria’s ear and quietly whispered.

「You decide. That child called Ryuuya, he possesses a fair amount of strength. Putting aside how he is now, he will surely become considerably strong in the future……Even defeating the Demon King might not be a dream, you know?」

「Defeating the Demon King……Shuklous……」

「Well, it is not like I know about that fellow called Shuklous though. I am sure that this is unmistakably a crossroad of fate.」

Ria thought about it.

This is a crossroad of fate.

The possibility that she would die in a place that would become a large revolutionary point again somewhere was high.

Ria stared at the young man called the Hero.

If it was this young man, would he be able to change her fate?

Certainly, she felt that he kept substantial strength within him.

He looked flippant, but she also felt that he was somehow strong of will.

The sole law to a Maid Knight was to serve a master suitable for them.

How would Hero Ryuuya be as her own master?

「Hero……Ryuuya-dono.」

「Un? What?」

「What is fate to you?」

「Something to destroy.」

Ryuuya made an immediate reply to Ria’s question.

He did not have a speck of hesitation.

「The thing is. I hate it when people say that fate goes like this or like that. I absolutely won’t accept something like that.」

「……Then. Let us say that there is a person that is toyed with by fate in front of you. What would you do if that it was by a large power that they can’t do anything about it?」

「I would crush that power. That is what a Hero is, right?」

It was neither a lie, nor him acting cool.

Ryuuya genuinely believed that.

Ria narrowed her eyes as if she were looking at something dazzling.

This way of things, it was similar to how Ria was when she defeat her own fate in the past.

「Then……Hero-dono. When I am someday about to be crushed by fate……would you, save me?」

「Yeah, I’ll save you. I absolutely will.」

Hearing those words, Ria nodded.

「In that case, Hero Ryuuya-sama. I, Ria the Maid Knight, will serve you. The path that you will go down, I shall walk down it together with you.」

「Yeah, best regards, Ria.」

One more time……I will try going against fate one more time, is what Ria thought.

If it’s together with him, who was similar to how she once was, she might be able to walk down a different fate this time.

Ryuuya had something that made her feel that way.

「……Well then, this is where we part, isn’t it. Ria.」

「Yes, Reina. I really have been in your care up until now.」

「No, I enjoyed it as well. By all means, please don’t lose.」

「Yes, I won’t lose. This time, for certain.」

Reina, after hearing those words and nodding, stood up from her seat.

「I pray for your happiness, Ria.」

「Yes. I also pray for your happiness, Reina.」

Seeing Reina off on her departure, Ria then turned back to Ryuuya.

「Well then, Ryuuya-sama. May I hear your plans from now on?」

「Nn, let’s see. Head Priest-san, we can go already, right?」

「Y, yeah. May Philia-sama’s divine protection be with you, Hero-dono.」

Seeing Ryuuya quickly get up from his seat and leave the room, Ria followed after him.

While making clicking footsteps in the temple’s stone-build corridor, Ryuuya talked to Ria as if he were just gossiping with her.

「So the thing about Heroes, we can use a magic called Status Confirm.」

「Status Confirm……you say?」

「Yup. Well, it’s something like the 『Reveal Crystal』, I guess? Though it seems that there are parts that I can’t see depending on the person. And, so. I used it and made a quick peek earlier, actually.」

Saying “I got noticed by Reina-san, and pretty much didn’t see any of her abilities though”, Ryuuya made a wry smile.

「And, so. I also saw your Status, Ria.」

It was there that Ryuuya stopped walking, turned around, and gazed at Ria with a serious face.

「Ria, in your Status, there was a technical skill that not even I could read. It isn’t on the level of being resistant against magic. The technical skill itself was hiding its own identity, that is how it felt.」

Ria accurately understood what Ryuuya was saying.

It was probably about that technical skill called 「???」 that not even Reina’s 『Reveal Crystal』 could read.

「That is probably related to that talk about fate or whatever that you were talking about earlier, isn’t it?」

「……That is right.」

Hearing Ria’s reply, Ryuuya started walking once again.

「From now on, we’ll have to go and meet with the Gods that are here and there around the continent, see.」

「Yes.」

「Among them, I am sure there will be a God that is able to solve your problem, Ria. Let’s first aim towards that.」

「……Yes, Ryuuya-sama.」

「Ah, Ryuuya! You’re late. Did that Head Priest push some unreasonable demand on you or something?」

When they arrived at the entrance to the temple, a young Sylphid lady that was waiting there rushed over, and started talking to Ryuuya with amazing vigor.

She seemed to be an Archer going by how she carried a bow on her back, but there was also a wand hanging on her waist.

She was probably a long range battle expert that could make free use of both the bow and magic.

When that young lady noticed Ria, she expressed a smile and called out to her.

「Ah, could it be that you’re the person that is going to be our new companion? I am Luuty Ligas. A Sylphid Archer. Nice to meet you!」

「I am Ria. A, Human Maid Knight. It is a pleasure to meet you.」

「A Maid Knight? A real one? This, is my first time seeing one……」

While saying “Hoehー”, Luuty surveyed Ria’s entire body.

She is quite dynamic despite her intellectual appearance……That was Ria’s first impression of the Syphid called Luuty.

「Osh, well then, now that the introductions have been safely completed. Why don’t we first go on a date!」

「Hold on, don’t we first have to register Ria into our party? Ah, Ria, have you registered as an Adventurer?」

「Yes. This is my Guild Card.」

Ria took her Guild Card out from her breast pocket and showed it to Ryuuya and Luuty.

Name: Ria

Race: Human

Rank: B

Level: 47

Occupation: Maid Knight

Equipment: Maid Knight Sword

Maid Knight Shield

Maid Knight Armor

Technical Skill: Perfection S

Perfect Maid C

「……Geh, level 47!? That’s way higher than me……」

「No wonder the Head Priest recommended her. With this, wouldn’t Ryuuya end up being discarded?」

「Don’t say something so unpleasant, jeez……Come on, come on, let’s get going already. And so with that, it’s a date to deepen our friendship!」

With their hands being pulled by Ryuuya, Luuty and Ria started running.

With Luuty making a wry smile and Ria breathing a small sigh, they followed after Ryuuya.

Like this, the adventure of the three of them started.

That’s right, this is the tale of the Hero Ryuuya.

And then, the tale of the Maid Knight that accompanied him……the tale of Ria.

The final tale, of this cycle of rebirth.