There is no choice from the start. I shouldn't even think about it. I am a novice and Beatrice is both knowledgeable and master in this magic. Consider the events yesterday. It will be better to join up with Beatrice.
Before I shake hands with her. Something came into my mind. I want to ask this. If you want to defeat the opponent then you should know your opponent more than you knew your parents as my older brother said. Only his advice doesn't betray my feelings.
"Can you tell me.....or do you have any idea who that girl was that we met yesterday?"
"Oh her? I don't know her name but I know her family"
"Family?"
"Yes. She belongs to the house of Illyrios"
"Illyrios?"
"Yes. Her family origin traces back from the land of Greece. Greek bloodline. Illyrios are descendents of Cadmus. They are cursed family"
Cadmus. Cursed family. I know many things about Greek mythology but I never heard about someone named Cadmus among the famous heroes and Twelve Olympian gods. Beatrice knew this subject very well for sure as she is an Italian. Her bloodline belongs to Roman blood who took over Greece and its tradition. They share a similar religion back in the past. Now, most of the Italians are Abrahamic religion followers.
"Who is Cadmus?"
She sighed at me. Does she expect me to know everything about mythology stories which are not real? But.....she said that girl came from this mythology character.
"Do you know how Europe got its name?"
"Hmm. Is it related to that story where Zeus turned himself into a bull and kidnapped a little girl?"
She nodded her head.
"So, you know somewhat but it's enough even though it was not kidnapping but western world especially Americans believe that stronzate(bullshit). But yes. Zeus took the girl named Europa and established Europe. Europe had a brother named Cadmus. The father of Europa sent Cadmus to find her and never come without her. Then the gods enlightened him that his sister had gained title among the heavens. But Cadmus had promised to his father that he will not come back to his kingdom until he found his sister"
"So, what happened next?"
"Do you know the city of Thebes?"
"Which one? Ancient Egypt or Greece?"
"Greek one. People said that Thebes was founded by Cadmus and some consider him to be the founder of the city. Do you know Dionysos, who Roman people call him as Bacchos?"
"Oh yeah! He is the god of wine, right? Son of Zeus"
"Yes. In fact, he is also the grandson of Cadmus as his daughter Semele was the mistress of Zeus"
Wait a second! She said that her family is cursed. In which way this family is cursed? I know that every hero suffered the worst ending in Greek stories. Whose fate is that much worse that it extended to his descendents?
"I don't see how this family is cursed. From what you told me, it looks like she belongs to a noble family"
"I didn't tell you the main part of the story. Cadmus slayed the dragon before creating that city. Dragon was sacred to the god of war, Ares; this act angered the heavens. In order to solve the matters, Zeus sent the hand of Harmonia in marriage"
"How did the Harry Potter series merge into Greek stories? What was Emma Watson doing in the stories?"
"Not the books! Different names. This is why you Japanese suck in English. Back to the story, Ares cannot let this crime go unpunished in his eyes. So, he cursed the necklace of Harmonia which was gifted to her as a wedding gift by the gods of Olympus. The necklace brings misfortune and illness to the entire bloodline of Cadmus. This is why his family suffered the fate worse than death"
The girl who is the same age is mine. The girl who belongs to the family of the cursed hero. She can transform into a monster.
"....."
In Beatrice's mind and same goes for that girl, they all want to win the war. In this war, nobody knows who is the foe or ally. An enemy must be defeated. But——I don't need her help for my victory. It is my victory. It is my right to earn my own victories rather than relying on someone else.
"Kazuya senpai? I hope this is not the case, but don't tell me that you are approving this matter in a different perspective"
She glares at me.
"——"
She is sharp. There is no hesitation on my face.
"——I am sorry, Beatrice. I am glad you are worried about me, but I cannot give the answer. This is a serious matter, you know? Give me a reason why should I believe you"
"....."
There was no response. Did I shut her down? It is like rejecting a proposal from the most beautiful girl in the world. I cannot trust her because she helped me. In the end, who knows who is using who. Without knowing the full details, I cannot take any step.
"Tell me how you survived that explosion. I didn't see you in the battle. I thought that you were killed but you are okay. So, how? Answer this question and I will pledge my loyalty to you"
"It is my trump card.....you are not ready for this stage. Sorry. This knowledge is beyond your limit. I cannot reveal this secret"
I looked directly at her.
Beatrice narrows her eyes a bit and nods her head with no expression.
"So, forming the alliance failed. Well, you have a point too. The only way to win this war is by trusting no one"
Giving a nod of understanding, Beatrice turned away.
She strides to the door, her hair fluttering behind. But just before leaving, the girl who could be my clinging temporary survival key gives me a sad look.
"Goodbye. We will be seeing each other next time in a battlefield and this time as enemy"
She leaves with a cold line.
This is not a hentai where a guy will team up with a girl in the magical fantasy war and each night he will blow his load inside her.
"Well——"
I take a breath and analyze the situation. I have not had time to think about the situation after I was crushed by the building from the battle of my brother against that monster. I can't absorb the fact that I was dragged into a killing war where whoever survived to the end became the god of this universe. It is musical chairs.....to the death!
"....."
I cast off all hesitation.
Come to think of it, I don't want to be god. But, what does being a god feel like? Ruling over not only this planet but this endless universe.
"Hahaha! It can't be. I don't want to become a god"
There is no need to hesitate. There is nothing wrong with my wish to win all my battles. This is simple human psychology. Victory means life and defeat means death. This is the law of this world. I will not harm anyone as long as they don't attack me first.
"Umm.....that girl. I need to talk to her"
I totally forgot about her existence because Beatrice was here. No, I consciously avoided thinking about her. The divine sword.
"I am a coward! I have been avoiding a girl who is the main reason why I am still alive and in one piece"
I look through the house. I look everywhere, but I can't find her.
"That's strange.....where did she go? Even though she is calling me master, I don't know anything about her"
I don't know who she is or what she is. It is just that she got a different perspective. Weird gentleman language. Knighthood and chivalry inside of a girl. Who is she?
"There is only one place that I haven't checked yet. It is the above floor room"
Yes. This house has two floors. One is below one where we mostly eat, bathe and all types of necessary environments exist but above the room. The floor above this is my brother's personal area. It is his area. I never invaded his territory. For now, I have to search the room in order to find that girl. Divine sword.
I took the stairs. I reached the end of the stairs which were leading me to the top floor. My brother's room. The door was not made in a Japanese style sliding door but it was made in western style. For a person who is not from Japan, this door is an ordinary door. I grabbed the handle to open the door. It didn't open. It is locked.
"I am an idiot to assume that she would had come to this room"
I was about to turn around but I stopped myself. She is inside this room. I can feel this energy. I can sense her. She is close to me. She is there. I know somehow.
I took out the key to this room. I insert the key in the door lock. My brother told me that in order to unlock the room, I have to rotate the key three times inside the keyhole. I rotate it. I grab the handle and open the door.
"—–Oh"
A wooden floored room with so many girl pictures in different angles. They are so poor that they don't have money to buy clothes for themselves. Asian, Latina, American, European, African and several varieties of pictures were all over the room like a showcase. It is a collection of pictures.
"There....."
She is sitting there naturally without being bothered by the pictures of several girls.
Despite having the appearance of a foreigner, she is sitting in Japanese style. She is sitting on a tatami mat in a cross-legged position. The girl who is my savior. She is the reason why I am alive today. A girl who can transform into a sword. Main important question is, is human face her real form or is sword structure her real form? She is the girl who holds the greatest mystery. She is my key in this war.
I continue to stare at her. She is truly a divine ruler. A perfect blend between holy and royalty. She is a natural born princess by her presence.
"Excuse me"
I called out.
She slowly opened her eyes and returned my gaze.
"Are you okay, master?"
A calm voice.
"I am fine. What are you doing here? How were you able to get into this room without having the key to unlock this room?"
"I am a sword. It is a common thing. I am not mortal. I am something you cannot understand, master. My body works differently compare to the humans"
She looks at me as she speaks. Well, I feel tension. Her presence is overwhelming for me. She is different from Beatrice. Beatrice is an experienced magician but she doesn't hold this presence.
She is beautiful.
"Master"
I tensed up the moment our eyes met. I can't stay quiet.
"All right. So, divine sword? Right? Is there any other name which I can use to refer to you?"
"Sraosha. If you want to address the servant of yours by its name then my name is Sraosha"
Looking away from the girl who is Sraosha, the divine sword. I calm my feelings.
I made up my mind to talk to her.
"Master. There is something I would like to address regarding the last night"
"All right. What is it?"
"It is about last night. Master, this is not a solution to the problem of waging a war to the death. Master, you could be dead by overworking yourself with your new powers"
"W-what do you mean?! I would had lost the battle if I had not done it
"It would be a defeat. It is not serious, master. Your life is more important. I am not advising you to run away like a coward but your life is very important for me"
"Wha—–don't be stupid! What is the point of a battle if I run away?"
I react without thinking.
Maybe she was surprised at being yelled at but she gave me a little unexpected smile on her serious face. Like she is saying that I am stupid. She is staring at me with new eyes. This is not an H-game series.
"Uh.....a-anyways, thanks for being my sword and helped me through the battle"
I thanked her for helping. She was my sword. A literal sword.
"You are welcome. It was my duty as a servant to protect my master, but I am happy to be thanked. You are a great person from heart, master"
"I am just being normal. Sraosha, call me Kazuya"
"Why? You are my master. I am a slave of yours. I am your sword. I shall follow your orders, assist you in defeating your enemies and protect you at any cost"
She says without hesitation. There is no room for arguments.
"Sraosha.....what is my purpose in this war? Why did I get dragged into this war? Also, what is this golden warrior thing? This is somewhat different for me"
"Of course. After all, I chose you as the golden warrior of this era"
"Huh?"
"This is a long history. You know the relics you guys are using?"
"Yetzirah(Formation)?"
"I am not familiar with this name as it looks like this word given by the modern era magicians. You already have an idea of how relics are created, right?"
"Yeah. I had the explanation last night"
Well, I remember most of the stuff, but I still don't have a proper idea of the situation.
This is strange, now that I think about it. Even though I decided to participate in this chaotic war, the only enemies I am aware of are—–Beatrice and the cursed girl. I don't know how many types of candidates exist here and what type of weapons and skills they possess.
"I cannot reveal so much yet but in short, I was the first holy relic forged by the divine power"
What?! I wasn't able to speak but from inside, I was just lost in thoughts. The first relic. Who was the owner of this sword?
"Huh? So, how does this explain this golden warrior role?"
"It was the rule which was established by my first owner. I was created during the era when humanity was growing but the first time someone wield me and I took a human form, this event happened after a long time"
"Your first wielder?"
"My first wielder was Warahram who later became known to the world by the title of his Verethragna which means the one who achieved victory over the obstacles. He was a righteous man. He wants to help everyone. He vows to eradicate evil from the face of Earth. But, in the end, he was mortal after all even if humans worship him as god. He doesn't want to throw away his dream to end evil. He established a vow with me"
"A vow?"
"Yes. The vow was simple. It is like an exchange trade. You gain one thing and I gain one thing"
"What did you lose?"
I was holding my breath. Then——
"Master. Can you close your eyes?"
She speaks with a serious expression.
"Close my eyes? Why?"
"To show you that I cannot tell you the vow"
"Huh?"
I close my eyes.....
I feel a pressure on my head.
"——Sraosha! Hold on! What are you doing?!"
"Close your eyes and breath normally"
I try to calm myself but my brain is seeing different things. My head is going berserk! Wind, warrior, kid, bull with golden horn, white horse with ears and golden muzzle, bird, camel, boar, ram and goat. I saw weird images in my head! It is like it is exploding!
"Stop!!"
What is it? I open my eyes.
"What was that?"
"My memories. You would have died if I didn't stop sharing my memories"
How old is she?