Side Story - Side Braver, Three
It has been two days since we left the royal capital.
We safely arrived at the temple where the Holy Sword is kept.
Standing in front of the temple gate, I couldn't help but feel nervous.
The Brave must obtain the Holy Sword in this temple and defeat the Demon King. Once the mission is complete, the Brave will return the Holy Sword to this place and pass it on to the next generation of Braves.
I am now joining this long-standing tradition as the new Brave.
During our journey, the soldiers from the country accompanied us and provided protection. They swiftly dealt with any monsters that appeared along the way.
However, only I and the royal family are allowed to enter the temple.
So, from now on, it's just the two of us.
"Brave-sama, what's the matter?"
"Oh, it's nothing... I'm just a little nervous."
The voice that called out to me in front of the gate belonged to another person who was about to step into the temple── the princess.
When I first met her as we left the royal capital── the royal castle, she was as beautiful as the rumors made her out to be, almost like a goddess. While it's not right to compare women, I had never seen a woman as beautiful as her.
After a brief introduction, we quickly got on the carriage and set off.
She often looked out the window with a melancholic expression, her hand resting on her chest. As I continued to gaze at her mysterious profile in the cramped space of the carriage, my heart began to beat faster.
But the girl sitting next to me now had a dignified expression, not the sorrowful face she had earlier.
In the princess's hand was a staff that was almost as tall as her. At the tip, there was a gem the size of a fist embedded in it.
It wasn't just a decoration, it was a weapon with which she fought.
"...Are you really going to come with me, Aina-sama?"
"There are many mechanisms inside the temple that can only be solved by those of royal blood. I should have explained this to Brave-sama in advance."
The princess──Aina-sama answered resolutely. There was no room for anxiety to enter, and powerful words came back.
However, I kept adding to it.
"But...taking a girl with me is a bit..."
"Not only me, but the king has made my brothers and sisters learn not only academics but also martial arts. I will never let myself become a hindrance."
There was no sign of her being arrogant, her tone was as if she were simply stating the facts. On the contrary, I flinch.
"Well then, please don't appear in front of me as much as possible. I don't really want to see a woman get hurt."
"Don't worry. I can protect myself. Brave-sama, just focus on what's in front of you first."
When I talk to Aina-sama, I start feeling a bit strange.
You see, every woman I've interacted with before this, for some reason, would either become shy or suddenly blush and look down when I speak. Our conversations would often be interrupted and disjointed.
That's why Aina-sama's reaction felt really refreshing to me.
"Brave-sama, are you ready? There are monsters roaming inside the temple."
"I have heard about it beforehand. The 'enemies' in this temple were prepared by the people who built it in ancient times to test the qualities of the Brave."
I placed my hand on the hilt of the sword hanging from my waist. It was provided to me by the king, far superior to the sword I used in the village. I was also given a chest plate and gauntlets to protect different parts of my body.
Moreover, it seems that the 'enemies' that appear in the temple are not very strong. Their purpose is not to eliminate intruders, but rather to assess the qualities of the Brave.
There is definitely some anxiety. However, this is the necessary first step for me to become a true Brave. There is no time to hesitate.
"...It's okay. Let's go, Aina-sama."
"Understood. Then, Brave-sama, put your right hand forward."
With a sense of mission as a Brave in my heart, I put my right hand forward as Aina instructed. Then, the Stigma engraved on the back of my hand became hot along with the light. In response to the light of the mark, the patterns engraved on the temple door began to shine, and slowly the doors opened to both sides.
Only the Brave and the royal family could set foot in this temple, but to be precise, only the Brave could open the temple door. In other words, this temple is only opened when the Demon King's resurrection approaches, the Brave obtains the Holy Sword, and returns it.
However, the interior of the temple, built long ago, was kept clean.
"When this temple was built, records show that a much more advanced civilization existed than it does now. We don't know exactly what kind of technology it was, but it was probably thanks to that technology."
It must have been because I was looking around the inside with curiosity, but she talk so. As we walked through the temple's corridors, Aina-sama explained,
"...Please don't let your attention wander. Brave-sama's trial has already begun."
"Sorry. It was just such a strange place."
Aina-sama scolded me, and I apologized with a wry smile.
Then, finally, the enemy── monsters appeared.
In short, they were armor with nothing inside. It seemed like the different parts of the armor were connected by invisible threads, as if the armor was floating in the air in the shape of a person. There were three of them, each carrying swords and spears.
I've been eliminating monsters in my hometown village for a while now, but their appearance didn't resemble any monster I had ever seen before.
I was shocked when a monster appeared right before I regained my composure. I tried to draw my sword in an instant, but my body wouldn't listen.
"This is a living armor that moves. It appears in abandoned castles and forts."
While I was frozen in surprise by the appearance of the mysterious armor, Aina-sama remained calm. She raised her staff and pointed it at the mysterious armor.
"Flare!"
The gem embedded at the tip of the staff glowed, and flames erupted from it.
At that moment, I witnessed for the first time the mystical technique called 'magic'. I was familiar with its existence, but this was the first time I had seen it with my own eyes.
Before the living armor had a chance to swing the sword it held in its hand (or more accurately, gauntlet), it was engulfed in the flames unleashed by Aina-sama. When the flames disappeared, all that remained was the charred armor. And soon after, it collapsed as if the strings of a puppet had been cut, and the armor parts fell apart and became immobile due to the impact.
"Brave-sama! The next ones are coming!"
"────!"
Aina-sama's voice, almost like a scolding, made my body react. I drew my sword from its sheath and dashed towards the remaining two moving armors.
At first, their strange appearance surprised me, but when I dealt with them calmly, the moving armors were not strong enemies. They weren't very fast, and their movements with weapons were clumsy.
Maybe they didn't have enough strength to support their bodies and weapons because they didn't have a physical form.
Soon, I was able to defeat the remaining two. Even though I couldn't destroy the armor, I could make certain parts stop moving or detach from the main body by striking the joints.
And when I attacked their "heart" or "head," they stopped moving and fell apart, crumbling to the ground.
"Good work, Brave-sama."
"...Oh, thank you."
I have fought and defeated the monster that looked like an animal many times before, but this was the first time I faced a monster that looked like a person (sort of). Even though it was weak, my heart was still racing after I defeated it.
In contrast, Aina-sama remained calm and composed as she looked at the unmoving armor.
"...Aina-sama, you're very calm."
"I should have explained before entering the temple. I've been trained by my father since I was young. I've had many opportunities to actually fight monsters."
──How experienced Aina-sama is in battle compared to me, Brave, who is feeling a bit down.
Aina-sama added to my slight feeling of disappointment.
"The living armor usually has the grudges of the deceased attached to it, animating a temporary body, but... perhaps this temple is somehow powering it. I didn't sense the ominous magic akin to evil spirits, led by the living armor."
"So, it means that the people who made the temple prepared the enemies."
"In the future, similar monsters will likely appear one after another. This is the real deal. Brave-sama, please stay strong."
"O-Okay, I understand."
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