Chapter 185 : Chapter 185
Chapter 185: Shield of Steel (4)
Miki recovered to some extent after overcoming the urgent crisis thanks to Lily's literally blood-spilling effort, but he was still in a state where he needed to rest as much as possible.
This was the same for Johannes.
Therefore, the two brothers decided to take Johannes and return to the wall immediately.
“…Are you really, going to the Demon King’s Castle?”
“Yes, Father.”
And we, as planned, head to the Demon King’s Castle.
“…I see.”
In fact, it was no different from saying we were walking into a death trap ourselves.
Naturally, as a father, he had no choice but to be worried.
Moreover, didn't he do such things hoping Miki would be safe?
However, in the end, Johannes didn't stop him.
“Please take care of yourself.”
Saying that now, he would follow your decision.
Instead of forcing his will.
“…If it's you all who so easily defeated that person against whom I had no way to deal with, I do not doubt that you will surely be able to stop the Demon King.”
Then Johannes looked back at Miki's companions, us, and spoke.
“Please take good care of Michael.”
Bowing politely at the waist.
Then Lily flinched in surprise and immediately bowed 90 degrees just the same, and Toric, although not to that extent, bowed politely as well to greet him.
“Don't worry.”
I replied with a grin, revealing confidence.
“Miki will become a hero who prevented the war and return proudly.”
You might wonder what kind of confidence that is, but if we fail to do that anyway, it means we are already dead long ago, so there was no reason to care about the consequences of that confidence.
“To do that, we need your help.”
Of course, there were sufficient grounds for that confidence too.
“Tell me anything.”
Since I conveyed the ‘request’ too, now it was time for the three Irons to return to the wall.
Miki tried not to show it, but it seemed he was quite sad about parting with his family whom he met after a really long time.
“Thank you, Miki.”
Gabriel, noticing this, immediately approached Miki and said.
“Thanks to you and your companions, we could rescue Father safely.”
Considering Miki who still had wounds although he became able to stand up, he placed his hand on one of his shoulders very carefully.
“You must return safely too.”
“When you return, we should have a drink together.”
Raphael, who approached next, also smiled nonchalantly and said.
“Come to think of it, I haven't had a drink with Miki yet.”
“Because when Miki became an adult, he left home not long after.”
“Ah…”
Miki flinched for a moment as if the memory of that time came to mind, but it was only for a moment.
“Of course, brothers.”
Miki soon laughed refreshingly as if shaking off that memory and said.
As if now that he received recognition from his two older brothers as well as Johannes, it's all in the past.
“When I return, let's definitely have a drink together.”
At such appearance of Miki, the two brothers smiled without anyone being first.
“…Hey.”
At that time, Ibi suddenly approached my side slightly and whispered in my ear.
“By any chance, do Halflings become adults early?”
Even for Ibi, asking directly in such an atmosphere right now must have felt awkward.
“That guy Miki, he was an adult…?”
At this question, I barely held back laughter that almost burst out unknowingly, but it seemed I couldn't hold it back completely.
“…What, why are you giggling like that again.”
I say this repeatedly, but she is younger than Miki.
Though the person herself seems to not even have the possibility of that being the case in her head at all.
“Well, wouldn't you know if you ask Miki directly later?”
Recalling what kind of expression she would make when she learns the fact that Miki, whom she treated as a boy all along, is actually older than her, I couldn't help but laugh.
“Father, this shield is…”
At that time, Miki held out the [Shield of Irons] he was holding in one hand to Johannes.
And that shield looked quite intact.
No, it was just intact without even a scratch.
Even [Wall Break] which turned the surrounding forest into ruins couldn't leave a scratch on that shield.
Although Miki who held the shield suffered heavy injuries, that was closer to the recoil of trying to withstand energy that originally even a wall wouldn't have withstood with a mere human body.
Actually, most of it was internal injury rather than external injury.
If not for that shield, even if it were Miki, he would never have been able to withstand it in the first place.
And the reason that was possible was because that shield wasn't simply physically sturdy, but a kind of magic tool, an artifact influenced by the user's ‘spirit’.
So the shield could be intact.
Because Miki's spirit to protect Johannes didn't break.
In short.
“──The strongest Irons must use this shield.”
This saying meant.
“This doesn't simply mean an Irons with strong ‘martial power’ should use this shield.”
If this shield is used by a person with strong mental power, this shield would become an invincible shield without even a scratch proportional to it like now.
“What protected me was your steel-like will. As long as that will of yours doesn't waver, this shield will become the strongest shield capable of blocking any attack.”
So, the one who can use this shield best is you.
Johannes said.
“The owner of this shield is now you.”
Clasping Miki's hand so he would grip the shield he held out as if to return it tighter.
“Michael Irons. O strongest Irons.”
“…!”
For a moment, Miki swallowed his breath.
Although he heard a sincere apology from Johannes, hearing these words directly from the mouth of the father he admired so much like this, he must have choked up.
Gabriel and Raphael looked at such Miki smiling quietly as if they had no objection to Johannes’s words either.
“Become a knight and…… No, it's not for me to say.”
Johannes, who tried to say a word to Miki who looked like he would burst into tears right away, soon recalled what kind of action he had done a few hours ago and smiled bitterly in a somewhat awkward tone.
“I, I will return as a hero whom Father and brothers will be proud of…!”
“You are already my hero, Michael.”
Then Johannes placed his hand gently on Miki's head and said.
“I have always been proud of you.”
At those words, when Miki eventually couldn't hold back and started shedding tears, this time Johannes carefully hugged such Miki and started patting him.
Anyone could see they were father and son.
The appearance of the two patting each other was certainly a resemblance.
***
Although Miki recovered to some extent, he needed sufficient rest at least for today.
So we left the battle area which became a desolate ruin and set up camp in a place where the form of the forest remained a bit.
Since the place was what it was, there was a risk of being attacked by monsters, but we could sufficiently deal with that much.
If we forced a march a little more, we could have completely escaped the forest, but Miki wasn't the only one who needed to rest; others tired from continuous battles were the same.
Especially.
“……Lord Bin.”
Lily, who quietly visited my tent right now, was like that.
“Welcome, Lily.”
She was in a situation where she desperately needed rest right now.
Perhaps more than Miki.
The reason Miki, who suffered injuries that looked absolutely impossible to survive just by looking at the outside, became able to walk properly on his own two feet in just one day, no, virtually in a few hours—of course, even though not in perfect condition—was precisely because Lily shared her ‘vitality’.
Literally, shared.
Just like mages' circles, priests also had a limit to the amount of ‘divinity’ they could use in a day.
Although that amount increases through innate talent or cultivation, it could never become infinite.
Because it is borrowing the power of a god.
Unless one is the god themselves, using that power infinitely was impossible.
Of course, unlike circles, since the source of power is the god not oneself, one can continue to use divine magic.
Instead of ‘divinity’ that allows safe use of god's power, at the cost of one's own vitality── ‘HP’.
And at the point of blocking [Wall Break], Lily's divinity was already in a situation where it hit the bottom.
Because she virtually cast [Miracle of Protection], which broke several times, anew each time to block it.
In such a situation, she started dedicating herself to Miki's treatment immediately.
“You really worked hard today.”
In other words, treating Miki was effectively injecting Lily's vitality, to use a metaphor, it was like giving a blood transfusion.
“Thanks to you, Miki could recover, and we could all be safe.”
“N-no. That is all I can do for you all.”
Both literally as seen and metaphorically, it was truly a blood-spilling effort.
“Today, you shed a lot of blood, right?”
So the current Lily was in a situation where she was extremely short of that ‘blood’.
“That…… yes.”
Fortunately, due to my constitution, I could sufficiently provide blood to her.
“Then, shall we start right away?”
So when I was about to obediently lower my upper garment and offer my nape for ‘blood donation’ as usual.
“…….”
Lily, who used to approach me smacking her lips immediately while being outwardly shy even in situations much more leisurely(?) than now.
“……Huh?”
For some reason today, she couldn't approach easily and started hesitating in place.
As if, like when she first drank my blood.
She showed hesitation, unable to keep her clasped hands still and fidgeting.
“…What's wrong, Lily?”
When I, finding this strange, asked.
“T-that is…”
Lily seemed to hesitate mumbling as expected, then soon carefully opened her mouth.
“A-actually in Tiaria… back then, the words I heard at the Temple of Arhat weighed on my mind all along… Why I absorb vitality only in such an inefficient way…”
“Uh……”
Such words… certainly, I think I heard them passing by…?
Did I gloss over it before talking in more detail?
Certainly, they weren't… wrong words.
Not bothering to find and drink vitality in blood, but absorbing vitality directly… does exist.
Compared to that, it was undeniable that it was certainly an inefficient method.
But that ‘efficient method’ side, I had never considered even once for various reasons until now.
“So… since that day, I studied a bit…. If I handle the Succubus's power better, I thought maybe I could be more helpful to you all than now…”
Until now.
“After returning from Krom last time, I visited the temple alone once more to listen to stories… or looked for related books in the library…”
“Li, Lily, that is──”
Step.
Lily, taking a step closer, came and sat down to me who was looking up at her blankly dazed.
“S-so, if it's okay with you…”
Showing an expression as if she made a resolution, just like when she first tried to drink my blood.
“T-today, that… I want to try, the other method, for once… would it, not be allowed……?”
“……Wh, what?”