“This is bad.”

　Said Dotta Luzlas with a grave face.

“This is seriously bad. I might be totally finished.”

　’Again huh’, I thought.

　Well, with Dotta,there’s something “seriously bad” once every three days. Happens often.

　It’s the fault of his all too bad habits with his hands.

　To say exactly how bad, bad enough that he was sentenced to the Hero Punishment for “high treason against the state”.

　Until his arrest and incarceration by the Holy Knights, it’s been said that he’d committed over a thousand cases of theft.

　He deserves to be known as the most extraordinary thief in the history of this world. 

　Dotta Luzlas really steals just about anything and everything.

　I burst into laughter when I heard the story of him stealing a dragon owned by the Royal Family, but my face straightened after he continued that got his left arm bitten off. He’s really not right in the head. 

　Although, that includes everyone in this group known as Heroes. 

“Hey, Zyro. What should I do, I–“

“This conversation.”

　I brushed aside Dotta’s approaching face and try to silence him. 

“Can’t you save it for tomorrow? Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we’re about to die with how busy we are.”

　I don’t mean dying as a metaphor or anything. 

　We’re staking our lives on this battlefield. 

　The northern end of the United Kingdom, the current limit of humanity’s inhabitable territories. Deep snowy woods where cold winds pierce through skin. 

　Known as Kuvenji Forest. A region soon to be lost by humans.

　Due to various circumstances, Dotta and I have been on standby since morning, waiting with bated breaths. 

　The sun is about to set, and it’s almost time for the beginning of what looks like a shitty cold night. 

　Soon, it won’t be long until the battle with the Demon King Phenomenon unfolds, and as we also wait for “Operation: Desperate Measures”.

　It was at this point that Dotta came back from recon and exclaimed “this is seriously bad”.

　My head hurts and I want to tell him to shut it.

“Dotta, you know what we’re waiting for?”

“Well… more or less.”

“Try telling me.”

“Fighting the Demon King.”

　Dotta, with a pale face, takes out a small flask from inside his military coat. I think it’s a pretty high quality wine from the Eastern Islands. Made from beans. 

　No matter how you cut it, this must have been either stolen from the storage room of the Holy Knights, or the cellars of the Verkle Pioneer Public Corporation. 

“That’s right.”

　I snatched the flask from Dotta’s hands and take a small sip.

　A feeling of something like my throat burning – that’s it. I don’t really know how to appreciate the differences in taste between good and bad wine.

“Even for a Demon King Phenomenon, the scale is massive, five thousand have been turned into Fae. I want to cry.”

　For the time being, that’s their strength, according to the information we were briefed on.

　Or maybe a bit fewer — depending on the efforts of the great Holy Knights from our United Kingdom. 

　’I’m probably hoping too much from them’, I thought. 

　In the first place, there’s not much meaning in them reducing the enemy numbers by one or two thousand.

　Because–

“Those Fae, we gotta stop them with just the two of us.”

　I thrust the liquor flask back at Dotta.

“yes……”

　Dotta looked down with a pale face.

“I know. We’re Heroes, no helping it.”

　In other words, that’s how it is. 

　We are sinners serving the sentence known as the Hero Punishment, and we cannot defy orders. 

　Even death will not grant us forgiveness.  

　If we die, we will be revived and made to fight again — might sound good when I put it that way, but of course, even the Gods cannot completely bring the dead back to life.

　When you’re brought back to life, your memory, humanity, things like that are lost. 

　There’s a guy who’s completely lost his ego, becoming like a moving corpse. 

　We have no choice.

　We can’t do anything other than fulfil our mission.

　This time, we received one that sounded fairly simple when put in words.

　Namely, “cover the retreat”.

　Support the routing Holy Knights, let them escape from this forest. 

　The guys pushing in —  Fae borne by the Demon King Phenomenon, the enemy ‘troops’ are approximately five thousand strong. 

　No reinforcements or support units. Must be achieved only by the 9004th Penitent Heroes Corps. 

　And the current available forces of the 9004th Penitent Heroes Corps are myself Zyro, and Dotta — and also that good-for-nothing ‘Commander’. 

　I can’t expect anyone else because one is in the middle of recovering from a blown off arm and neck, and the other is already engaged in another mission.

　To put it lightly, this is bloody ridiculous. I want to beat the guy who thought of this to death. 

　Although, this was already better than the original mission.

　At first, a slightly more ridiculous mission had been planned — to defeat the Demon King at the core of this Demon King Phenomenon. 

　What we have now is the result of negotiations by our ‘Commander’.

　The guy’s a useless coward who can’t command troops, but as a former scammer charged for political crimes, he’s highly skilled in tricking people. 

　His personality is the worst, but I can concede that this is the one good thing about him.

“Well, it’ll work out somehow… right?”

　Dotta peered at me and swigged from his liquor flask again.

“This time there’s Zyro in charge of the violence, and we’re also Heroes. At worst, even if we become minced meat, we’ll just be revived again–“

“You don’t get it.”

　I felt the need to impress reality onto Dotta.

“How well revival works is based on the condition of the corpse. If the corpse becomes minced meat, or to begin with can’t be recovered, then major side effects will definitely happen after revival.”

　I also see no hopes of the Holy Knights later recovering our corpses buried in this snow. This forest will soon be corrupted by the Demon King Phenomenon. 

　If that happens, even if the Sacred Seal of Resurrection is used, it would surely have serious effects on our memory and ego. 

　The result, Heroes no more than walking corpses. 

　To this, Dotta looked shocked from the bottom of his heart.

“Eh, really?”

“What’s the point of lying?”

“I didn’t know. Zyro, you know a lot.”

　I don’t answer.

　Perhaps such information wasn’t publicised.

“That’s why we need to better handle things here. Haven’t got the time to listen to you.”

“No, but.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Listen! This might be seriously bad. This, what do you think?”

　Dotta pointed to the ground beside him.

　The thing I was trying not to look at, a big object. 

“……what’s that.”

　’A casket’, I had first thought. 

　It’s a long box, big enough for a small person to fit..

　The surface is somewhat intricately decorated, and as a casket, it looks suitable for someone high ranking.

　Once again, I doubt Dotta’s sanity.

“Dotta… why did you steal a casket?”

“I don’t know… ‘it’s a fancy box, I can steal it’, I thought, and before I realised.”

　I don’t respond.

　I don’t plan to say anything about Dotta’s stealing habits at this point. This guy’s compulsive stealing can’t be cured even if he dies. 

　He really steals anything, and it’s almost like the more meaningless the thing is, the more eager he is to steal it.

　What I’m interested in this time, is something else entirely. 

“Hey, Dotta. About this casket.”

　I put my hand on the lid.

“Maybe… someone’s inside?”

“You’re right.”

　Dotta had the balls to reply with the answer I was expecting. Something’s wrong with him. 

“When I was carrying it, ‘it’s really heavy’, I thought, but I just checked–“

“Check before you steal it. Why did you steal a corpse? I don’t get you.”

“I told you I didn’t know! When I noticed I’d already stolen it!”

“Why does it feel like you’re getting angry at me? Don’t make me kill you once before the Fae will.”

　I pretty much got why Dotta said “this is seriously bad”.

　Contained in such a luxurious casket, the corpse must belong to royalty, or a high ranking aristocrat. 

　Possibly served in the Holy Knights, an extremely important person who died and was put in this casket. 

　For sure, if stolen, it will become a big fuss. 

　Now that we’d come to this, I could give only one piece of advice. 

“Return it now, idiot.”

　While saying that, I opened the lid to check the corpse.

　I’m also not too sure why I opened it.

　Maybe my bad habit of being curious. 

　If it was royalty or an aristocrat, there was a possibility of it being someone I knew, and they might also be on the list of people I want to beat to death. 

　I was holding insidious expectations that this could be one of them. 

　It was simply because I thought ‘why not’.

　I’m just that kind of careless guy, that was all.

　There was no need to open it.

　Rather, it definitely shouldn’t have been opened.

“Shit.”

　I opened it and regretted it.

　It certainly looked human — a girl.

　A scarily beautiful girl.

　White military uniform of the Holy Knights. Smooth gold hair and snow-white skin that makes you think she’s from the north. A face that looks artificial–

　But above all, what catches my eye is the ‘Seal’ carved from her left cheek to her neck. This pattern should probably reach her chest, all the way to her heart. That I knew. 

　It’s called a Sacred Seal.

　Looks a bit like what’s on our necks, but it’s definitely different. Not a Curse, a Sacred Seal of Blessing.

“Dotta, this is bad.”

“You’re telling me. This is some royal kid, right?”

“Wrong– In the first place, this isn’t a human.”

　A corner of my head is attacked by the phantom pain of stinging.

“[Goddess], this kid.”

“Eh. What?”

“Not what. A [Goddess].”

　One of the hopes of humankind. A revolutionary life form created from the wisdom of the ancients. 

　Or so such grandiose phrases are used to describe them as propaganda.  

　However, I know — these expressions are apt. [Goddesses] are without a doubt, the greatest and most powerful force that humanity has against the Demon Kings. 

　The Holy Knights are an organisation that guard such [Goddesses] and operate them as weapons.

　The currently living [Goddesses] number no more than twelve in this world — no, it’s become eleven.

　To steal one from among those eleven, this guy named Dotta is ridiculous. 

　If it weren’t for his situation, he would have left his name as one of the greatest thieves in history. 

“Hurry up and return it now. This is never before known levels of bad. You know about [Goddesses] right!”

“Eh? No, well, I have seen… is it really?”

　Dotta’s face showed he can’t understand.

　I see. You can’t normally tell a [Goddess] from appearance alone.

“Do they really have the shape of a girl like this? You know, the ‘Goddesses’ I saw before were much bigger, looked something like a whale, or a lump of metal–”

“It’s difficult to explain, but well, there are some like that too.”

　[Goddesses] are super weapons created in ancient times, and until now, have yet to be fully understood.

　Among them, there are some who take forms humans can’t comprehend, and some who do. For convenience, they are called [Goddess], but they aren’t necessarily women.

“Dotta, listen up. This guy–“

　It’s a hassle, but I was about to try and explain a little.

　However, before that, my ears heard a violent sound breaking through the dusk.

　Horns.

　And the echoing of drums.

“What. They’re already here?”

　Instinctively, I clench my hands and open them. 

　Palm. Wrist. From there to the elbow — and to the shoulder joint. The entire skin is carved in Sacred Seals.

　A Sacred Seal for battle.

　Originally something only granted to the Holy Knights of the United Kingdom, known by the shitty long name of the Belkuu-Type Mobile Shock Seal Series and is highly multipurpose.  

　It was only this that wasn’t stripped from me when I was sentenced to the Hero Punishment. 

　Now, my only remaining ‘personal property’.

“A herd of Fae. You see it, Dotta?”

“Yeah.”

　Dotta opens his eyes and peers into the depths of the dim dusk. Previously trained as a professional thief, this guy’s eyes are special. 

“…There. Already moving.”

“Then, it’s our turn.”

“W, wait up. My heart isn’t ready, yet.”

“You’ve got time for that? Ask that Sacred Seal on your neck.”

　My neck stings. ‘Fight now’, says the Sacred Seal.

“It’s time for battle.”

“–Ba, battle?”

　I inadvertently heard, I shuddered at the question. 

　Not Dotta.

　A faltering voice, but it sounded like thin steel being struck. 

　Then I noticed.

　From inside the casket, the [Goddess] is raising her upper body. To make matters worse, her eyes are open — those eyes glowing with the colour of flames, looking at me. 

“A battle…. I see.”

　The [Goddess] murmured like she was groaning and calmly stood. 

“You, are, my, Knight.”

　Word by word.

　Golden hair flutters in the wind while releasing sparks. The flame-colored eyes look over me from head to toe.

　Then, she slightly furrows her eyebrows and nods after a few seconds.

“This is fine.”

　Her speech gradually becomes smoother. 

“I will confer on you a passing score.”

“What did you say?”

“The battle will soon begin, will it not? As a [Goddess], I promise you victory. Consequently–”

The [Goddess] brushed her golden hair. Bright sparks scattered

“After you have annihilated your enemies, praise me and pat my head.”

　I knew about that.

　Yes — [Goddesses]. They exist in various forms. They have individual personalities.

　But all [Goddesses] have one thing in common. High pride in things related to battle, and the strong desire for approval. 

　I know all too well. This is because I’d once handled a [Goddess].

“…Dotta”

　I put my arm around the neck of the little boy beside me. And squeeze.

“This time, just as you said. We might be totally finished.”

“Eh. After all?”

“That’s right.”

　While putting all my strength into my arm, I realised my voice was like I was on the verge of crying.

“This is a real [Goddess]. And what’s more — probably unactivated. The thirteenth [Goddess].”

　When I said that, the dim light between the trees moved.

　I can see several strange shapes. Many. I want to complain to Dotta, but there doesn’t seem to be time for that.  

　The Demon King Phenomenon has come attacking.

–

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