Editing Kenkoku no Jungfrau:Volume 1 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 3===

After leaving home, he naturally stepped into the forest. Along the highway he took to get to the barracks, this forest widely spread along. So this was a natural thing for him to do.

It was the forest where he had met Estelle last night. He was still wondering if it was all a dream but the sense of intimidation he got from the Dragon was too vivid.

---Well, there’s no way they would still be there…

He noticed that he wasn’t carrying his lunch. He had prepared some baked biscuits but because he dashed out like that, he had forgotten to bring it with him.

---Going back to fetch it is kind of embarrassing at this point…

Though he still had some time left, if he returned now he was sure that a “Please think a bit more about yourself too” like scolding was waiting for him.

After looking up at the densely packed surrounding forest, Heath turned around to return to the barracks. It happened at that moment.

A rustling sound resounded in the background.

“Estelle?”

Though the feeling of fear was supposed to be stronger, he let out a delightful voice and turned around…But then, Heath came to realize the thing called reality.

A single monster stood there.

Not a beast, but a monster.

Blood coloured eyeballs on its slime like epithelium. Long limbs had expanded in its body following the snake like head and the neck. It resembled a lizard but it was far larger then Heath’s stature.

--A Saika…!

This time, the monster was indeed a Saika.

“Why is it in a place like this…!”

In the history of the last 1000 years, the number of times the king’s capital had been attacked by the Saika was so little that it could even be counted. The very fact that one would show itself in the surroundings was also rare. It wasn’t something that would appear near the forest where people lived.

Maybe it was wounded, there was cut marks here and there, and water stone like crystals were growing from there.  Therefore, it might be in an irritable state. It was a situation where it would consume anything if there were prey.
Fixing its gaze on Heath, the Saika crooked its mouth as if it was laughing.

---I’m going to be killed…!

It was when he stepped back in order to escape.

“Onii-chaaan, you forgot your lunchbox.”

She might have chased after him when she noticed the lunchbox. Mana had come running.

She had come near enough to be able of see the Saika. Mana turned pale and stiffened.

---If it’s both of us, then I can’t run away.

He resolved himself fast.

Unexpectedly, the spear set up straight did not tremble.

Behind him was his sister.

Even if it wasn’t so, it was still this early in the morning. The number of residents who were sleeping weren’t small. Even though it numbered only one, if they were attacked by the likes of a Saika, then there is no telling how many casualties there would be.

He was a soldier; in his hands was a weapon. And he had also learned how to use it.

There were plenty of reasons to fight it.

“Mana, run to the barracks. Bring back re-enforcements.” 

“Bu-but…”

“Hurry up!”

Hearing Heath shout, Mana’s body trembled, and she started running away a moment later.

---It’s ok like this.

At the same time, the Saika turned its limbs and changed the direction of its body. He realized that the gaze wasn’t turned towards himself but his sister. The Saika might’ve thought that rather than the flesh of a young man, on top of that a hardened soldier, the tender flesh of a girl such as Mana was more delicious.

Just by sweeping its long tail, it could blow away a human. It knew that humans were a frail existence.

“-I won’t let you!”

Heath was observing the Saika, which took a leaping stance aiming at Mana’s back with a strange calmness.

What Heath was looking at was the Saika’s red eyeballs.

If he could seize the core of its body, then he could deal some damage with absolute certainty. But even if he could quietly pull it off, it wasn’t enough to bring it down. Heath’s spear was nothing but a low priced mass produced item that even normal people could get their hands on. It would be quite difficult to pierce through the Saika’s strong skin and pry into its flesh.

But if he could pierce its eyeballs then that would take away a big part of its freedom. To sum it up, it would divert its hatred towards Heath, and Mana won’t be targeted anymore.

The shaking head that was attached on the tip of the neck was like a snake. It would be very difficult to pierce its eyeballs point on with the spear by normal means. It was throbbing with a more lively motion then that of humans. And besides, it might even be an impossible feat to accomplish from the start.

--- It will not hit the mark even if I aim spot on. Aim straight. The target is that one dot in the distance.

The spear is a point. Having the tip of a blade, it is a tool to pierce the target.

To be able to set up a mark on top of a small dot was not an easy thing to do. But, do be able to draw a line on top of that dot was something even a child could do.

Connecting the apex of the spear with the target, furthermore a small point; if one could actually make a waypoint towards the virtual target, it was possible to make the tip pass through even a small hole opened up on a board.

“Fu-“

Remembering what he had learnt from his master, Heath let out a sharp breath and threw the spear.

「Swish」

It aimed, and did not miss. Fresh blood sprayed out from the Saika’s red pupil. 

The spouted blood instantaneously hardened, it turned into a subtle gemstone like crystal, and fell to the ground.
 
This was a Saika’s blood. The reason behind it was not known but for some reason, when their blood came in contact with the atmosphere, it crystalized.

“Graaaaaaaagh”

The Saika writhed after letting out a shriek of anguish.

However, Heath didn’t have the leisure to change his expression.

---It broke!

The tip of the spear broke off from the base. It couldn’t withstand the impact with the now wriggling Saika.

The Saika which lay on the ground looked at Heath with an eye filled with hatred before long. An opponent who was no different from a mere weed had taken one eye from it. It wasn’t sure if they had the thing called ‘Self-respect’, much less talking about a sense of disgrace.

With the spear which had become just a wooden stick after losing its bladed tip, how far could he fight against it?

“---!“

「Swish」

It swung down its snake like head like a mallet.

Heath who was already on guard was somehow able to avoid that direct attack.

“Ugh…!”

Even so, he let out a groan. Because that strike smashed the ground, some debris flew off hitting him and knocking him way.

---This isn’t the power of a living thing…!

The thing that continued that ballistic attack was supposed to be its own head.

In spite of that, when the Saika once again raised up its head as if it was nothing, it became seized with confusion.

Sweat was rapidly running along the tip of his chin from his cheeks.


---The next one, I can’t dodge it…

He was able to fully dodge the attack just now because he was already anticipating it. But the shockwave remaining from that single attack just now spread a pain through Heath’s body. He tumbled on the ground and no longer had the time to stand up. 

---Still, I have to hold out till Mana manages to get away.

Even though he was about to be killed, he would try to buy more time until he would die.

But it was when he finally resolved himself to death.

“Get down---“

After hearing that sudden pressing voice, Heath reflexively bent his body down.

Immediately after, a giant sword flew through overhead.

The sword that had come flying deeply pierced the Saika’s shoulder.

---That still isn’t a mortal wound!

It was writhing on the ground.

“Stand back, I will take care of the rest.”

She had the fragrance of a flower that was not suitable on a battleground.

The one who had jumped in was a single girl. Shaking her long raven hair, she touched Heath’s face.

“Wait here.”

The girl was not holding a weapon. The sword that had come flying was most likely her’s. Facing a Saika empty handed wasn’t any different from committing suicide.

Without listening to Heath’s warnings, the girl charged towards the Saika. She thrust out her right hand as if gripping something.

“Come forth, <Knight of the White Hand>”

Along with her voice which seemed as if she were singing, her right hand started glowing with a purple resonance, and then instantly she weaved up a sword.  

—A sword, she summoned it…?

It was a rapier. It could slice, but the swords speciality was piercing.

“-Ha—“

The girl fires and thrust her sword keenly but the Saika lifted up its unhurt forefoot.

「Zassu-」

Blood sprayed up, and once again it crystalized before long, but that’s as far as it went.

---It’s no use, it won’t fall!

The rapier stabbed into the Saika’s foot but it wasn’t possible to pull it out after it had penetrated to the core.

Between the two cylindrical legs, one was stabbed, and the one was cut down from its shoulder. If the opponent were a human or a beast, they would have become completely helpless at this.

But the opponent was a Saika. It would not fall helpless at only this degree.

After opening its snake like giant mouth, it raised its head targeting the girl. Breaking the ground, it was an attack strong enough to stop Heath’s movement just with its remaining shockwaves.

The girl, who was at that point black range because her rapier was fixed there, didn’t have any mean to dodge it.

“Return - <Knight of the Lake>!”

At her sharp cry, something sharply came flying through the wind.

Another new sword was grasped on the girl’s left hand. Even if she was an {{furigana|<Omen Talker>|Tenkoku Tsukai}} , she should have had the time to use magic.

While Heath kept on looking, the Saika’s movement had stopped.

And then, with the pull of gravity its neck severed and naturally, it fell to the ground.

---It was cut off…But when? No, it came back.

Heath realized that the girl’s sword was the sword she had thrown at the beginning. It seems like the sword weaved by magic had the power to soar through space by itself. It came flying from the rear and sliced the Saika’s neck. 

Scattering the red crystallized body, the corpse fell over. After confirming that the Saika could no longer move, the girl finally turned around.

“Are you injured?”

Long glossy black hair and violet coloured pupils. She was not wearing armour but rather, her clothes were that of a student. On the rings inserted on her arms and her ten fingers, <Omen> was carved and the back of her hands were covered with gloves.

She was an <Omen Talker>.

Even for the great <Omen Talkers>, it was said that they could own 6 to 8 <Omens> at once. But she was possessing over 10 of those <Omens>. The fact that the girl was the possessor of extraordinary power was obvious even in the eyes of Heath, who was just a normal person.

“Y-you are…”

Heath had seen her face somewhere. It was a place even more disconnected from the highway than here but, he had witnessed her subjugate a Saika. Her figure which overwhelmed a Saika in a school uniform was still vivid.

The girl observed Heath, whose mouth was half open, from head to toe.

“You don’t seem to have any injuries. Nonetheless, I just happened to save your life, at the least show some gratitude.”

After hearing that, Heath had realized that he still hadn’t said his thanks.

Correcting his confused attitude, he bowed.

“Thanks for sending reinforcements! I was just about to be that monsters meal!”

As he said that, the girl started giggling.

“You really don’t need to be that humble…Ara, you, seems like you’re quite young.”

But the girl who had just said that was about the same age as Heath.

After that once again she looked at Heath, but this time with a curious gaze.

“You, are you a soldier? At such an age?”

Even in a situation like this, Heath gave a bitter smile at the girl who had said that despite of her own age.

“Even if you say that, aren’t you about the same age as I? Even if you are an <Omen Talker>, do you not think it is weird, just one student fighting a Saika in a school uniform?
After a reply like that, the girl’s eyes widened as if she were surprised from the bottom of her heart.

After that she checked her own clothes, and nodded as if she understood him.

“Speaking of which, it was like that, wasn’t it? I haven’t been called like that recently, so I had forgotten about it.”

“I wonder if it’s something one could forget…”

After leaking that shocked voice, Heath realized that he still hadn’t acquired the girl’s name.

“I am called Heath. You, that was amazing. Please tell me your name. I didn’t think there was a person like you of my own age.”

“I’m Lu-…”

“Lu?”

[[Image:Kenkoku no YungFrau V1 p53.jpg|thumb]]

For some reason, the girl had stopped speaking. Following that, she started staring at the empty space, and suddenly, she said this as if she had just remembered it.

“Luna.”

“You definitely thought of that just now.”

Last night was a full moon. The moon was still visible in the early morning sky.

“But that's all right, isn't it?…Eh?”

The girl suddenly turned her face around and leaked an astonished voice.

In her line of sight was the Saika’s head. It was what the girl had just cut down.

“This, did you do it?”

There was a broken spear tip in one of the Saika’s eye sockets.

“Ah, well…”

That was all he had said.

Claiming something like that in front of the girl who had just brought it down without receiving a single injury was somewhat embarrassing.
“How many times have you fought a Saika till now?”

“There’s no way something like that could be possible.”

Though, if it was about witnessing it then he had done so before.
 
Rather, the girl in front of him had defeated that Saika. The only thing Heath had done then was just about throwing a few rocks. It was miserable even thinking back now. Though it was rather questioning, he could not claim that he had defeated it.

The girl leaked a breath as if saying she could not believe it, and then faced Heath.

“You––“

As she opened her mouth to say something, a voice calling from the distance could be heard. He seemed to be the girl’s companion. He seemed to be a knight or a high ranked soldier who was wearing high grade armour very different than the one’s a low ranked soldier like Heath was wearing.

He could not catch what was said but the girl tone and complexion changed.

“Please leave now. If you remain here any longer than it might become troublesome.”

“Eh, but…”

Though he had objections, it certainly did seem like the Saika was being chased by something. It was probably the girl and that fellow. And the fact that it came as close as the main road was not something they wanted to be known.

Before running off, Heath spoke to the girl just once.

“Will you tell me your real name the next time we meet?”

“I shall consider it.”

The smile the girl had shown before he left seemed somewhat lonely, but Heath started running towards his barracks.