#194
White Giant (1)
In truth, even as I followed Jioseu all the way to this rural fief, I had steeled myself for the possibility that the trip might turn out to be a waste.
The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
Adjusting the party’s schedule was no trouble at all, so I had been willing to invest the time. But wasn’t it lacking in evidence to be certain the other party was an Earthling based solely on a single statement from Jioseu?
I had thought it would be more than enough if he really was an Awakened, and I would be satisfied if I could obtain even a little information, but…
‘The harvest was far greater than I expected.’
Not only had I met Chehai, a true settler from Earth, but he had even readily provided high-level information that would not be easy to obtain.
On top of that, I had received separate instruction from him and even developed my unique skill—what more needed to be said?
‘Thanks to that, we ended up staying longer than expected.’
However, the Hero’s party, including Heinrich, could not remain holed up in a remote countryside forever.
In fact, taking this much time out was already quite exceptional.
“See you next time, Uncle Jioseu!”
“Big sister! Take care!”
“Byeeeee~!”
It had only been a few days since the group had begun going back and forth between the villa on the hill and Chehai’s orphanage, yet the children must have grown quite attached in that time, for they all rushed out to the front door in a crowd to bid them farewell.
To be honest, with the exception of Jioseu, if they parted like this now, there was no telling when they might ever meet again. It was nothing more than an extremely brief connection, but…
Though there was sadness on the faces of the children waving their hands with brave voices, their expressions were bright and unclouded.
‘They’re all strong. …Stronger than me.’
He could not even dare to guess how many wounds were hidden behind the smiles of these children, who had survived in this harsh world that even adults could hardly endure.
Perhaps they could show such faces because there were a few adults who had embraced those wounds with love, and friends who had always stayed by their side.
The group finished their short goodbyes with the children and left the orphanage.
Then, while they were moving on, Chehai, who had accompanied them for a while to see them off, approached Heinrich.
“I did work hard to help in my own way, but… I’m not sure whether it was of any use. I worry I may have pointlessly wasted the time of busy people.”
“What are you saying? It was truly a great help. Please leave the rest to us, Chehai, and continue protecting this place as you have been. Are children not the future of the world?”
“Hohoho, you are absolutely right. That is precisely what I am most confident in doing.”
The two exchanged warm words and shook hands with smiles.
Afterward, Chehai shared a few brief words with the others as well, then headed toward the last person remaining.
“Jioseu.”
At his quiet call, Jioseu silently looked at him.
While he had seemed a little better during their time at the orphanage, his expression after leaving it was already filled once again with gloom.
“How about letting yourself be at ease now? Nothing will ever begin if you remain bound to the past forever.”
“I do not want to begin again. On that day, my world already ended.”
“…Anna and Nia would not want to see you like this either.”
“Who knows. Perhaps that’s true.”
But since he could no longer see them ever again, such assumptions were all meaningless.
As if he did not care what anyone around him said, he merely stared into empty space with his usual hollow gaze.
“Haa—.”
Chehai, who had been looking at him with concern, ultimately had no choice but to let out a sigh.
In truth, if he himself had been in a similar situation to Jioseu’s, it was obvious he would have acted the same way. Even as he spoke, he felt that his words held no persuasive power.
After a brief while passed like that.
They finally arrived at the mansion on the hill, a suitable place to prepare for spatial transfer, and immediately set up a magic circle in the backyard.
“I’ve used this magic circle so often lately that I feel like I could draw it with my eyes closed now. My main specialty was elemental magic… and among that, ice magic. At this rate, I may have to change my major to spatial magic.”
“Doesn’t that just mean you’re that versatile, Master? While you’re at it, how about mastering all the other systems too? As it happens, there’s a school I’m interested in, so perhaps together…”
“Hmmm…”
When Isea grumbled while setting up the magic circle with materials taken from her subspace magic tool, Hesperon, who was beside her, immediately began filling her head with empty flattery.
No matter how much help he could receive from Hans, if he could put his head together with her while learning other systems as well, wouldn’t the efficiency increase even further?
‘By the way, she really is amazing.’
These days, it had become so routine that it looked easy, but in truth, spatial transfer was a high-level magic that could not even be attempted without considerable skill and preparation.
Even at a Magic Tower, it was something they could only barely attempt with the aid of large-scale facilities, vast quantities of materials, and the cooperation of multiple mages. That alone said everything.
That meant Isea, who could perform it alone, was an extraordinary existence.
Hans, being none other than the Immortal King, was of course an exception.
And when the preparations for spatial transfer were nearly complete.
“I will prepare thoroughly and always keep everything in perfect condition, so that the head of the house may return and rest here at any time. Please remember that.”
Oliver, the mansion’s administrator, who had brought some packed snacks, bowed politely to Jioseu.
He, too, was worried like Chehai, but as someone employed by him, he did not dare overstep his bounds and could only express himself indirectly like this.
That when things became truly difficult, he could always return here… to “home.”
“…Yes. I’ll leave it to you.”
Of course, Jioseu merely gave the same dry answer as before.
“The preparations are complete. Everyone, gather over here.”
Now that they had finished everything they needed to do in this village, there was no longer any reason to remain.
After giving their final farewells to Chehai and Oliver, the group gathered around Isea and waited for the transfer.
“Then I’ll begin. Everyone already knows this well, but adjust your magic resistance so you don’t resist the spell…”
However.
Before she could even activate the magic.
Bzzzzzzzt—!
A strange sound, one that most people would be hard-pressed to hear even once in their lifetime.
A bizarre noise like space being torn apart echoed in every direction.
“Mm…?”
“…!”
At that ominous phenomenon, the nerves of everyone present sharpened to the utmost.
This was not a phenomenon caused by Isea’s spatial transfer magic.
The heads of the companions gathered around her, as well as Chehai who had been seeing them off, snapped to the side.
Toward the village they had already passed through.
“Wait…!”
“Don’t tell me that’s?!”
And at the outskirts of the village where their gazes were directed.
Along with a gigantic rift that had appeared in midair, a pure-white “hand” protruding from within was slowly forcing the gap wider.
As though trying to pry its way out through a closed door.
If there were a few problems, they were that the being emerging outside was truly enormous, befitting the size of the rift…
“No!”
And that Chehai’s orphanage was near the place where that rift had opened.
***
The being was white not only in its hands, but over its entire body, as though it had been drenched in paint.
At last, it tore open the rift with both hands and stretched one leg out, taking its first step outside.
Koooom—!
With that single step, a roar like an exploding bomb rang out and the ground trembled, leaving a deep footprint engraved in the earth with five toes stamped into it.
And finally, after drawing not only both feet but its entire body out of the rift, the being straightened its back and raised its head.
Immediately afterward—
[———!]
A suppressed, strange cry that spread from the being shook the surroundings.
Within that heavy resonance, like the cry of a whale, there was a dense “joy” that could be clearly felt despite it not being language.
If that thing had possessed even a little more consideration, it was such a distinct emotion that perhaps they might genuinely have congratulated it.
Rumble—!
But the circumstances of the listeners were not good enough for them to join in that joy.
The destructive energy pouring thoughtlessly from that overwhelming giant body had naturally been carried even into the sound waves, roughly sweeping through the surroundings.
The roots of swaying trees were ripped out and toppled, stones shot madly in every direction, and all kinds of structures collapsed.
If the damage to objects was to that extent, it was obvious what would happen if a living being were directly struck by those waves.
And the village right nearby was…
“Ugh, my ears… What is this all of a sudden…”
“Waaah—! Mom!”
“Hiiik? Wh-what is that monster!”
Fortunately, aside from the commotion and damage to property caused by the thunderous noise, there did not seem to be any significant casualties for the moment.
“Haa, haa… That was close…”
Isea breathed roughly and gripped tightly the staff she had recently received as a gift from the Imperial Family.
At some point, a blue light had covered the entire village, swaying here and there as it blocked the torrent of vicious energy.
Because she had happened to be preparing for teleportation, her response had been slightly delayed, but she was, after all, an archmage who had reached the pinnacle of magic.
From the instant she sensed the abnormality, it had taken only a dozen or so seconds to grasp the exact situation, cancel the spell she had been preparing, and construct and activate a new one at the same time.
However, covering the entire village in such a short time—especially a place located quite some distance from where she stood—could only be extremely burdensome even for her.
At least it was possible because the other party had not deliberately unleashed an attack, and it was merely an unintended aftermath.
“By the way, what on earth is that…?”
While repairing the hastily improvised barrier that kept shaking, Isea fixed a steady glare on the enormous white being that seemed to ignore all sense of perspective.
A typical humanoid giant over thirty meters tall.
If there was anything unusual about it, it was that all seven openings on its face—its eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth—had been sewn shut with something black.
[———!]
At that moment, the giant once again let out a strange resonance from its throat.
This time, however, unlike before, it was brimming not with joy but irritation.
Well, that was only natural.
The Hero Heinrich, the barbarian warrior Harley, and the spear knight Jioseu.
The three vanguard members of the Hero’s party, who had arrived in front of the giant before anyone knew it, were continuously pouring attacks on it in order to draw its attention away from the village.
‘Chehai… headed straight to the orphanage.’
Almost at the same time Isea reacted, the others had also immediately found what they had to do and moved.
“…For the sake of my magic’s efficiency, I should get a little closer too.”
“Yes, ma’am! I’ll escort you, Master! Just trust me!”
Except for Hesperon, who was still useless.
***
Divine power mixed with sacred sword aura flowed through Heinrich’s body, trained to its limits.
Creak—
His flesh, which had already been strengthened by 「Great Blessing: Knight of Light」 and 「Blessing: Steel Body」 even normally, once again surpassed its limits and filled him with superhuman strength.
In that state, he dashed like the wind, stepping on the giant’s foot, knee, and thigh before leaping high into the air.
「Blessing: Light Sword」, influenced by 「Blessing: Weight Increase」, blazed even more fiercely, and that power was poured directly into 「Blessing: Holy Sword」 as it pierced the giant’s heart.
Guided by 「Logia Holy Combat Art」 and 「Path of Martial Arts」, it traced an extremely lethal trajectory.
Slash—!
[———?!]
White blood burst from the giant’s split body.
However, the creature’s frame was so enormous and its body so tough that he could not properly destroy its heart.
Contrary to its appearance, it was also quite agile, so the attack had gone slightly off course.
Writhle, writhle—
‘…And it even regenerates on top of that.’
Heinrich’s brows twitched as he landed lightly on the ground.
The creature’s gaping wound wriggled continuously, sealing itself slowly but steadily.
Suppressing regenerative power was one of the sacred sword’s basic abilities, as it had hunted all manner of bizarre monsters.
Yet if it possessed that level of regeneration even after being struck by such a sword, it meant it surpassed even the 「Super Regeneration」 possessed by Heinz II or Harley…
In many ways, it was a monster that defied common sense.
‘What is this? What is this monster? That rift it came out of must undoubtedly be a Scar of the Abyss.’
Though this giant was a naked humanoid, it showed no characteristics whatsoever, including reproductive organs, that could identify its sex.
A human figure devoid of even a single strand of hair, as if crudely molded from white paper clay.
Because it was white from head to toe, the black wires that seemed to stitch shut the seven orifices of its face stood out all the more, emphasizing its grotesqueness.
‘Is this one also something that was drifting along the boundary of the Abyss, like the undying army?’
But if that were the case, it was hard to accept that it had remained quiet until now only to suddenly appear.
And above all...
‘The concentration of madness dwelling in its body is considerable. At this level... it seems about the same as Heratos, who was a Mad Dragon.’
If it was a being that had burst out of the Abyssal Scar with thick madness within its body—
‘...A monster that crawled up from the Abyss.’
Heinrich furrowed his brow.
Likewise, the giant also twisted its face and looked toward Heinrich.
As if it could see him, now exuding a fury that went beyond mere irritation.
“Saint! If we keep fighting here, it’ll be dangerous! There’s an orphanage nearby! I think we’ve drawn its attention enough now, so lure it toward the back...!”
Just then, Gios, who had been repeatedly thrusting his spearpoint to draw the creature’s gaze, shouted sharply.
I Se-a, who had approached the area, was moving busily—helping to keep the giant in check while also maintaining the protective barrier and even assisting the residents’ evacuation with magic—but—
The physical force that came from an overwhelming body at least thirty meters tall was a calamity in and of itself.
Even now, after fighting while drawing its attention as much as possible, the village had been turned into a shambles, and there had even been casualties they had failed to prevent...
‘To put it bluntly, even that thing slipping and falling would be a fatal attack for us.’
That was why even knocking it down had to be done carefully now.
If they could cut off its breath in one blow so it couldn’t resist, they might be able to find some way, but—
“Understood! It just so happens that it seems angry at me, so I’ll slowly retreat like this and draw it out of the village...!”
Heinrich, who had been answering Gios, suddenly stopped speaking at the chill that crawled up his spine.
Because of the strange action the giant had shown.
‘No, wait. Don’t tell me...!’
The giant, which had been grimacing with a face full of rage, seemed to tilt its head for a moment.
Then it twisted its lips and formed a distorted smile.
It only looked grotesque because of the black wires stitching its face shut, but—
No matter how one looked at it, it was a broad grin brimming with anticipation for something.
‘It has intelligence...!’
And then.
The white giant’s head.
‘It understood our conversation?!’
Turned toward the orphanage they had been desperately trying to protect.