三十四話
「......にしても壮観だな。〝ミナウラ〟はフィオレ・アイルバークの庭とはよく言ったもんだ」
領民ゼロ
の為に大地に魔物の屍骸を埋め、己の手駒を潜ませておく。同時に使役出来る数は百を超えるとは聞いちゃいたが、誇張じゃなかったとは恐れ入る」
そう言って、地中から現れいでた魔物共に向かって感嘆めいた言葉をシヴァは投げ掛けていた。
ただ、一つ疑問に思う。
眼前に広がる光景を前に、感心するシヴァからはどうしてか、目の前の巨大な生命体——〝ジャバウォック〟へ今すぐに攻撃を仕掛ける気配が感じられなかったのだ。
......いや、戦意は確かにあるのだと思う。
しかし、八方塞がりの状況にでも陥っているのか。警戒心を向けるだけでアクションを起こそうとはしていない。
「ところで、早い者勝ちって言ってたけど、仕掛ける気がないんならアレ俺が貰っちゃうけど?」
そんな悠長な事をしてると俺が奪ってしまうぞと。
けれど、その言葉に対して反論がやってくる事はなかった。
うるさいだとか。黙っとけ、だとか。そんな威勢の良い言葉は一切聞こえてこない。
そして、俺の予想とは裏腹にシヴァは苦し気に静かに口を歪めていた。
直後。発言を遮るように、俺がそう口走った。
きっとナニカがあるのだろう。
シヴァが躊躇してしまう程のナニカが。
だから恐らくシヴァはアドバイスか何かでもくれようとしていたのかもしれない。でも、その答えを聞くより先に俺は彼から視線を外した。
情報は大事だ。
戦闘において、それは一、二を争う程のものだと俺も思ってる。ただ、俺が得るアドバンテージは、〝
「何が立ち塞がろうが関係ない。何もかもを斬り裂くから、〝星斬り〟なんだよ」
己が身を弁えない大口。
面白おかしそうにシヴァは笑っていた。
「なにせ俺は、〝星斬り〟だからね」
とんでもなく現実離れした偉業を成すのだとほざくような阿呆の発言は、これまた尋常とは程遠いと相場が決まってる。
そう、胸中にて己を納得させて破顔した。
涯なき渇望はどこまでも心を焦がす。
俺の頭の中に存在する〝星斬り〟の男の技術は紛れもなく最強である。一片の揺らぎすらなく頂点に位置している。誰が何と言おうと、至上であると俺が認識している。
————俺がそう思うのだから、きっとそうなのだ。
理屈らしい理屈もないのに、どうしてかその感情はどこまでも信が置けた。
「そういえば、そうだったな」
「うん。そういう事」
俺のすぐ側にいるシヴァの力量は知っている。
賊との戦い。〝ミナウラ〟から飛び出そうとした魔物の対処。それらを見てきた俺だからこそ、俺の力量はシヴァを凌駕出来ていないと言い切る事が出来た。そして、それが揺るぎない現実。
だけど、それが何と俺は黙殺する。
絶対的な厳然たる差があろうが。壁があろうが。障害が立ち塞がろうが————〝星斬り〟ならば、その常識を悉く斬り裂いて先へ進むまで。
俺の中で、いつまでも燦然と煌めく記憶。その本来の持ち主たる男は、そうやって道を切り開いていた。憧れへと、手を伸ばし続けていた。
故に答えは既に、己の中に。
気が付けば、全身の血液が沸騰したような感覚に見舞われていた。
同時、何かが囁いてくる。
斬れ斬れ斬れ斬れ。真正面から斬り伏せ、あのデカブツをさっさと倒してしまえ。
普段ならば訝しむところであるが、今の俺は微塵も疑問に覚える事なく、それに従うように腰に下げていた剣を抜いて————
どこか不気味に黒く変色した土塊を後方へと蹴り上げ、肉薄を始めた。
一呼吸。二呼吸。
〟と呼ばれていた数多の魔物だったものに気を取られかけるも、自制。
そして丁度、〝ジャバウォック〟は俺でなく、先の攻撃を邪魔した原因へ敵意を向けた後————尾を振るおうとしていた。
そう判断するや否や、ミシリと音を立てた事に目もくれず、より一層思い切り柄に力を込める。
図体がどでかい分、完全には避けられまいと判断して頰が裂けたような笑みを俺は浮かべた。
〝ジャバウォック〟との距離は既にあと十数メートルといったところ。
だから、脳天目掛けて撃ち放て————。
「......あ?」
そのせいで踏ん張り切れず、踏み外す。
たたらを踏み、どうにか立ち直そうと試みたところで漸く感覚が元に戻る。
————なん、だ......? 今の感覚......。
先の不思議な感覚に対し、黙考。
しかし。
「おいユリウスッ!!! 余所見してんじゃねぇよ!!!」
直後にやって来た頭に響く怒声のお陰で我に返る。気付けば、すぐ側にまで標的を俺へと変えていた〝ジャバウォック〟の尾がすぐ側にまで迫って来ていた。
そしてふわりと大地につけていた足がそこから離れる。軽々と、俺の体躯が浮き上がっていた。
「チィ......————ッ!!」
助かったと言葉を向けようと一瞬、視線を向けた先————シヴァは舌を打ち鳴らし、天に向かって手を掲げていた。
連動するように動き始める浮遊する漆黒の得物の数々。恐らくは助けようとしてくれているのだろう。だけれど、今はまだ、
胸中でそう言葉を並べ立てる。
そして、先程強引に中断させられた技を、震える手でもう一度行使せんと試みる。
剣を中途半端に振り上げ、己を襲う攻撃をやっとの思いで耐え忍んでいる状態。
足は地面に付いておらず、踏ん張ることすら不可能。どう足掻こうが、宙に浮いてしまった時点でなされるがまま、突き飛ばされる未来しか待ってはいない。
己に出来る最大の抵抗を見せる。
「なめる、なあああぁああぁぁぁッ!!!」
そして程なく、ぐぐぐと常識を度外視して押しやられる速度が目に見えて激減。
劣化模倣の更に劣化。
故に、その技の名を口にする事すらおこがましく、とてもじゃないが言葉に出来なかった。
だから、人知れず胸中だけで。
己に牙を剥く鋼鉄のような尾に向けて一言。
————〝流れ星〟————
直後、めきりと剣越しに何がが壊れる感触が、強引にそう呟きながら振り抜いてみせた俺の下に届いた。
Chapter 34
"...This is a huge spectacle, if I do say so myself. It's often said that Minaura is Fiole Islebark's garden after all.
Two young sisters... ruled over a desolate, barren land with zero inhabitants.
"You bury the corpses of the monsters in the earth and keep them as your pawns for this occasion. And I heard that the number of monsters you can control at the same time easily exceeds more than a hundred, but it seems that's not really a baseless exaggeration."
Saying this, Siva threw words of awe at the monsters that had emerged from the ground.
But one problem struck my mind.
For some reason, Siva, who was impressed by the scene spread out before him, did not show any signs or intention of attacking the giant life form in front of him-- the Jabberwock.
...No, I think he had all the desire to fight, seeing his jet-black sword magic, 'The Gladiator', floating around warily in the air.
Seeing that he wasn't trying to take any action and was only on his guard, I couldn't help but wonder if he was in a dire situation.
"I may have told you that the first who came would be the first served, but if you really don't plan on attacking that thing or anything, I will."
He'll snatch the kill away from us if we take too long, he said.
However, there was no response to his words.
I didn't hear any brash words coming from Fiole like telling him to shut up, let alone telling him anything.
And contrary to my expectations, Siva was left in a pained silence.
Immediately after. I interrupted them and said so.
There must be something.
Something that would make Siva hesitate about what he was doing right now.
And that was precisely the reason why Siva was trying to give me some advice of some sort, but before I heard what it was, I already took my eyes off of him.
Information was crucial.
I, myself, considered it to be the ABCs of combat.
"I don't care what stands my way. I will slay everything, so that I will be able to Slay the Stars."
A big mouth that didn't know its place.
Siva laughed at me strangely.
"I'm a Star Slayer, after all."
A fool's speech was always far from the ordinary, as he always insinuated that he was going to accomplish some unbelievable and unrealistic feat.
So I convinced myself with a huge smile on my face.
The unending thirst burns my heart to the core.
The technique of the Star-Slaying swordsman that exists in my mind is undeniably the strongest.
--And because I believed so, it must be so.
There was no logic to it, but for some reason, I could just trust that feeling.
"Come to think of it, you really are."
"Of course."
I know how strong and competent Siva is, right next to me.
Fending for himself against bandits, dealing with the monsters that tried to escape Minaura, everything, I'd seen it all.
But I was just going to ignore them, nevertheless.
No matter the absolute stark differences, no matter the walls and obstacles that I needed to overcome-- my dream would cut through all the common sense and norms that this world decided and move forward.
The man who was the original owner of such memories, which would always shine brilliantly in my mind, was carving out a path in this way, as he continued to reach out to his longing.
And so, the answer was long already within me.
I found myself with a sensation as if my blood was boiling all over.
At the same time, something came whispering to me.
Hurry up and slay that giant thing before you, it said.
Normally, I would have been skeptical about it, but I didn't question it in the slightest and pulled out the sword resting at my waist to comply with those very whispers.
I kicked the somewhat eerily blackened clod of earth backward and began to close in.
I let out one or two breaths as the slight pause in time occurred, and the view in my field of vision started to change over time.
I was about to be drawn to Fiole's magic, 'Corpse Puppet: Parade,' but I restrained myself.
Right at that moment, the Jabberwock was about to swing its tail in hostility-- not at me, but at the cause of the earlier attack that had interfered with it.
Soon after I made the judgment, I put greater force into the hilt of my sword, not paying attention to the loud creaking sound it made.
I smiled as if my cheeks were ripped open, knowing that I would not be able to completely avoid him due to his large size.
The distance between me and the Jabberwock was already just a few dozen meters.
So I needed to unleash an attack to the top of its head, and without any hesitation:
"...Huh?"
It caused me to lose my footing, and so, I retreated.
After stumbling on my steps somehow trying to get back on my feet, my senses finally returned to normal.
--What... was that feeling just now...?
In response to the earlier strange sensation, I silently pondered.
However...
"HEY JULIUS!!! DON'T LOOK AWAY!!!"
I realized that the tail of the Jabberwock, which had changed its target to me, was now right in front of my face.
And then, softly, my feet left the ground, and lightly, my body began to float up.
"TCH----!!!"
I looked at him for a moment intending to thank him, but Siva just clucked his tongue and held his hands up to the heavens.
A number of floating jet-black weapons began to move in unison.
I put these words together in my mind.
Then, with trembling hands, I attempted once again to use the technique that had been forcibly interrupted moments ago.
Holding up my sword in a half-hearted manner, I was barely able to withstand the attacks that were coming my way.
My feet were not on the ground, so it was impossible for me to even stand firm.
I would show the greatest possible resistance I could muster.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE MEEE!!!"
And soon after, the speed and impact at which I was being pushed drastically decreased beyond what normally would say "normal."
A further inferior version of an inferior imitation.
It was unthinkable to even mention the name of the technique, and it was beyond my ability to put it into words.
Therefore, I kept it to myself, unbeknownst to others.
I could only say these two words to the steel-like tail that turned on me...
--{ Shooting Star } --
Immediately after, I felt something breaking through the sword, reaching me as I swung it through the air, forcefully muttering to myself.
Star-Slaying Swordsman
星斬りの剣士
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/star-slaying-swordsman/
Action Fantasy Martial Arts Mature Psychological Shounen
Adapted to Manga Dark Fantasy World Male Protagonist Mature Protagonist Medieval Philosophical Romantic Subplot Sudden Strength Gain Sword And Magic Sword Wielder Transplanted Memories
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7336gg/
アルト／遥月