C39: A Maiden’s Murmur

My name is Momoko Akisaka.
I’m your typical high school girl… Or so I was.
One day, I was suddenly teleported to a different world.

I know it sounds like something from a manga or a video game, but there’s no doubt it’s real.
This world is in a pinch fighting against the demon race, so they desire stronger military strength by summoning heroes from a different world.

Heroes summoned from a different world are endowed with skills by the gods.

The skill I was endowed with is named Goddess’s Scythe +2.
Derived from the Goddess of War, Athena, it’s said to be a superior skill.
As a result, I can take down any enemy, even immortal beings, regardless of their quirks or affinities.

On one condition: the user’s level must be higher than its target for it to work.
That means the skill is ineffective against enemies who are higher in level than me.

However, my Goddess Scythe is enhanced to +2. Thanks to this enhancement, I can still take down higher-ranking enemies to a certain degree. They say a +1 enhancement is common, but a +2 is rare.

Because of the skill I possess, I was treated better.
Everyone who met the king for the first time praised me greatly as their hero.

That’s why I thought of giving it my all, fighting in this world, saving it, and one day going back to my original world.

I began fighting with that in mind. However, life in a different world was harsher than I thought.
That’s because the civilization here is more primitive than mine.

And I’m not just talking about one-dimensional cliches like not having electricity or smartphones. Even the food, bedding, and clothing are shabby beyond my imagination.

The staple food of commoners here is bread.
Bread so bland and hard that your teeth can fall off just from taking a bite. It’s totally different from the bread I know of.

Not that there’s anything I can do about it, so I make do by soaking the bread in water that comes with it.
Fancy beverages like tea or coffee don’t exist, either.

An unsanitary bed with fleas flying above it.
The lingerie I had with me before I came here has worn out and turned into garbage. In exchange, I wear clothes of this world with fabric so coarse it can easily be mistaken for a jute bag and stings whenever it touches my bare skin.

In such a harsh environment, most otherworlders couldn’t adapt, soon became weak, and dwindled in number.
When I was summoned to this world, it seemed there were ten or so other people with me, but I wonder how many of them are still alive?

After we were brought here, we were designated to different places according to our skills, and we haven’t met each other since.

Come to think of it, someone was deemed skillless. I wonder what happened to him after that? Maybe he’s dead?

Being deemed necessary by the kings for possessing a superior skill, I must always remember that I’m in a reasonably limited environment in terms of prestige.

For the sake of the people in this world, I will keep on fighting to the bitter end.
Since I am a hero chosen by the gods who entrusted me with a skill!!!

---

Alas, a devastating event crushed me.

Thanks to the skill Goddess’s Scythe +2, I, authorized by the kingdom as a first-class hero, went to the frontlines of war to fulfill my duty.

I keep slaying the monsters sent by the enemy race left and right.
But no matter how many foes I slay with my skill, there seems to be no end to them; a chaotic battlefield that only goes on forever.

However, the fight suddenly came to a standstill.
It’s as if the minds and souls of the humans, demons, and monsters were taken away by the creature that came flying above out of nowhere—everyone forgot how to breathe.

A dragon.

I was told by the people of this world countless times that it’s one of the World’s Two Greatest Calamities.
They even go as far as saying that witnessing it alone means absolute death; a monster among monsters.

But why is it here?

It may be because of the intimidating aura it emanates, but both factions are petrified.
No one dares escape, let alone fight.
Is this the power of the dragon, the strongest creature in this world?

A hero like me can tell just from looking that even the Goddess’s Scythe is no match for a beast like that.
The difference in our strengths is just too big.
Its +2 enhancement that lets you close the level gap between your enemies aside, trying to defeat that dragon even at +100 is utterly impossible.

And here I thought I could become the world’s strongest using the skill gifted to me by the gods.
Does that mean the level of the strong beings of this world goes far beyond what I can imagine?

“…I’m here to announce something to all the inferior races present on this battlefield.”

?!
Is this the dragon’s voice?!
It can actually speak?!

“I am the Great King Geyser Dragon’s daughter, Grinzel Dragon Veil. At present, I serve Kidan the Saint.”

A Dragon King’s daughter?!
Serving a saint?!
Is she saying that there’s a being far superior to her, and not just one, but two?! What’s the meaning of this?!

“Today, I have come here to bring back this insolent fellow who rebelled against my master. He took pity in her, so she’s still alive.”

Upon saying that, the dragon tosses three people to the ground.
Are they from the demon race?

“I say this to all lowly races – human, demon, it matters not. My master is a benevolent being who easily forgives others, but I am different. An insult towards my master is also an insult towards me.”

The dragon then breathes fire, not toward the ground but the sky. However, its flames spread far and wide, almost covering the entire sky, and the aftermath of the hot wind sent hundreds of soldiers from both factions flying.

Things may have simply ended there because it was directed skyward, but had it directly hit the ground, it would’ve been more than enough to wipe out all of us.

“If you behave rudely to my master ever again, I will not hesitate to direct my flames toward your cities. My master’s name is Saint Kidan! Engrave that name in your hearts well because the saint’s enemy will also be an enemy of Grinzel Dragon Veil!!!”

After uttering those words, the dragon leaves the battlefield, triggering a tornado-like windstorm by flapping its wings.

I was still for a while even after the dragon left, and so were the tens of thousands of soldiers.

I was arrogant. Just because I received a somewhat decent skill from the gods, I began to think I could be the strongest person.

There’s a tall wall I can never overcome in this world. And on the other side of it lies that dragon.

Just who is this saint the dragon serves?

Saint Kidan.
Since then, I’ve never forgotten that name.