I should have brought the Holy Sword. It was one of the regrets churning through my mind. With the Holy Sword, I would have stood a chance no matter how strong the Hero became. The reason I hadn't brought the Holy Sword to this dungeon was simple: the sword itself was dangerous just to carry, and I had never considered the possibility of fighting the Hero here.
If I fought with the Holy Sword coated in poison and accidentally scratched the Hero, it would be a major incident. I didn't know the antidote for this poison, and if the Hero died, it would be game over.
"Sir Priest, what wish do you want to have granted?"
The only silver lining was that AA hadn't heard my wish. It seemed my inner voice was only audible to the spirits and me, as AA was looking back and forth between us with a clueless expression. A slight anxiety was present in her eyes. The goodwill the spirits had shown before hearing my inner voice was enough to discourage her.
"It's a secret."
If she hadn't heard, there was no need to tell her. At my answer, the spirits frowned slightly but soon sighed and nodded. Then, they glanced at AA and cleared their throats. AA spoke.
"Then... uh, um, what did you decide?"
"I, Alio Festa, support the Hero, AA."
The spirit who had been teasing my ancestor declared his support for AA in a solemn tone. As if that sound were a signal flare, dozens of spirits all flocked to AA. I could only click my tongue as I watched AA's stats rise in real time.
Name: AA
Class: Hero
Level: 55
Stats
*Receiving the Blessing of the Spirits.
Strength: 392
Agility: 336
Intelligence: 210
Luck: 240
Traits
Hero's Will
Upon being in an incapacitated state, there is an 80% probability of negating the effect.
Indomitable Will
Can rise again only once even after all vitality is exhausted.
Evil Be Cut Down
Inflicts triple damage upon counterattack.
Gender Change
Gender has been changed due to a certain side effect.
Blessing of the Spirits
Stats increase by an additional 4% for each spirit granting a blessing.
Number of spirits currently bestowing blessings: 25
"Fuck..."
I readjusted my grip on the mace. AA, her face bright as if feeling power surge through her body, looked around at the surrounding spirits and spoke.
"I-I think I've gotten stronger!"
The bearded elf spirit chimed in with a very energetic expression.
"Oh! Yes, we have decided to support your dream. Love is a very noble value! It's been said since ancient times that nothing can defeat a person in love! O Hero! Defeat Peta Lusius and seize your love!"
You say it like I'm the villain. I clicked my tongue, my foul mood showing plainly on my face. Not a single spirit remained by my side. The spirits slyly avoided my gaze and encouraged AA.
"Yes! I see potential in you! You will surely become a fine man!"
"Your muscles will be ripped and your 'thingamajig' will be as thick as my forearm! Become a man!"
"That's right! That's right! You are a fine man, even if others don't acknowledge it!"
My ancestor, in particular, was passionately cheering for AA. He was shouting, his face filled with tears, even grabbing AA's hand.
"AA! Please, teach that bastard a lesson! Do you understand?"
"But, just what kind of wish did Sir Priest make...?"
Puzzled by the ancestors' sudden change in attitude, AA asked that question. And that question became the detonator for silence. The ancestors, who just moments ago were showering AA with a chaotic mess of support like relatives meddling in college admissions, all shut their mouths at once. They despised my shameful wish, but it seemed they couldn't bring themselves to say it out loud.
"Uh... um. What does another's wish matter? The fact that you trust Peta Lusius as a comrade. Is that not enough?"
The solemn spirit persuaded AA with a troubled expression.
"Yes! Sir Priest is my wonderful comrade."
AA replied with a bright expression. My heart ached a little at that answer, but my feeling of being moved was nothing compared to the ancestors' screams. My ancestor's wailing, in particular, was reaching the pinnacle of grief, as if I had created some incestuous, messed-up family tree.
"Waaaaah! Waaaaaaaaah!"
I decided to give up on understanding my ancestor. The other spirits were patting my ancestor's back with pitiful expressions. It seemed they had stopped teasing my ancestor. Isn't there a saying? Teasing a handsome person is just teasing, but teasing an ugly person for being ugly makes you a truly bad person. Telling a truly pathetic descendant that he was pathetic was clearly a taboo that must not be broken among the spirits.
AA swung her sword through the empty air a few times before cautiously looking at Mimir and asking.
"D-Do we have to fight with weapons? I could probably endure a hit or two from the mace, but I think you'll get seriously hurt if you're hit by a bladed weapon..."
To be honest, that worried me too. Me beating up AA was a problem I could fix later with a Heal, but if AA lopped off my head, I couldn't even be resurrected. Depending on the situation, I was considering surrendering right away.
Mimir spoke in an indifferent tone of voice.
"This place is my domain. No one can die here."
Mimir pointed a finger at me. Before I could even react, a flash of light shot out from the fingertip, and my arm was severed and sent flying.
"Huh?"
"H-Huh?"
AA, even more flustered than I was, stared at Mimir. My hand, still gripping the mace tightly, flew into the empty air, and I collapsed, clutching my arm before I could even feel the pain. But when I looked down, feeling something strange as I touched my arm, my arm was perfectly attached.
"What the."
"This place is my domain. No one dies here. Therefore, you will fight until one side surrenders. This is Mimir's will."
In short, it meant this was a battle of willpower. I grimaced at the throbbing pain that belatedly came to my arm. AA pointed her blade at me, showing a slight hesitation.
"W-Will it really be okay?"
"Of course it's okay! Go on! Cut him down!"
"Cut him down! A bastard like that needs to have his limbs chopped off!"
Whenever AA hesitated, the surrounding spirits urged her to inflict pain on me. Were these bastards actually not ancestors, but evil spirits trying to lead the Hero down a dark path? There was no need to stall anymore. There was no risk of dying, and no risk of losing by some stroke of bad luck. I readjusted my grip on the mace and spoke.
"Sir Hero. Let's begin."
"Ah, yes."
AA nodded and raised her sword. I, too, lifted my mace and glared at AA. She took a small step back and corrected her stance.
"Then, I'm coming."
"Yes. Come."
And that was it. The next moment, a bladed weapon was resting on the scruff of my neck, and AA's eyes were wide, as if surprised by her own excessive speed. The spirits cheered as she held the sword to my neck.
"Well done! The Hero is so strong!"
"Yes! Slit it just like that! Give him pain, pain!"
"Teach him a lesson!"
AA gritted her teeth and spoke.
"P-Please surrender. I'd rather not cut you."
AA was not the kind of person who could cut down a comrade for her own profit. But I was the kind of person who could bash AA's head in with a mace anytime. I ignored AA's proposal and turned my body to the side, dodging the blade.
Whack!
"Ugh!"
No, I tried to turn. The moment I moved, AA had slammed her free hand into my side. As her fist dug into my side, I heard the sound of a bone breaking. I clutched my side and collapsed. AA dusted off her hands and spoke.
"I don't like cutting, but I can hit you as much as you want."
AA clenched her fist and made her proposal to me once more.
"You'll surrender, right?"
Of course, I couldn't surrender. If I surrendered here, AA would become a man. I would then become a fucking gay bastard who had fucked a man. Even if I got beaten so badly I lost my mind, I had to prevent that situation from happening. I shook my head and stood up again.
"No."
AA frowned at my words. She mumbled, her lips twitching, and asked. Her eyes distorted, and her expression was tinged with resentment.
"A-Are you that against me becoming a man?"
"It's not that I'm against you becoming a man. It's that I, too, am a person with a dream, so I cannot back down."
At my words, the spirits looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. My ancestor was now covering his mouth, collapsed on the floor and sobbing his eyes out. AA asked.
"A dream?"
"Yes. Everyone has a dream. I, too, am fighting for my dream. I didn't want to fight you, Sir Hero, but on the other hand, I also wanted to try fighting you. Don't you feel the same, Sir Hero?"
Wanting to fight at least once was genuine. AA was one of the few humans in this worldview who could go head-to-head with me. It was a shame a special buff like the Blessing of the Spirits had interfered, but I was still quite satisfied that a duel had come to pass like this. AA was lost in thought for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right, Sir Priest. I was being shortsighted."
AA created distance again and gripped her sword. A ghastly murderous intent radiated from the blade. She bent her knees slightly, held the sword at an angle, and gripped it with both hands. I readjusted my grip on my mace, dusted myself off, and stood up. I could still feel the pain of a broken bone in my side, but there was no wound.
"From now on, we just need to do it properly, right?"
AA nodded and took a step forward. Gripping my mace, I cast Bless on myself. I wouldn't be able to overcome the Blessing of the Spirits with a stat buff, but it was right to do everything I could.
Let's do my best. Because I have a dream, too. Because my beloved wives are waiting for my success. Because my ancestors are watching over me too. I thrust my mace forward and let out a fighting spirit yell.
"Uwaaaaaaaah!"
And once again, my body was sliced at a speed I couldn't even see. Writhing from the searing pain in my chest, I pondered. Fuck. Should I surrender?