Don't Take What's Mine! (3)
Don't take what's mine! After a week of rest, the Continental Academy had reopened its doors. Sure, there'd been the tragedy of several students sacrificed to demons. And yes, the entire administrative faculty grounds had been scorched to ash.
But giving in to despair and quitting now was exactly what the demons wanted! Armed with that impeccable logic, the entire alliance had thrown itself into rebuilding the academy.
For some reason they seemed even more passionate about it than actually fighting the demons. Wilhelm had offered his own dry personal take on the alliance's behavior, but whatever. The academy was quickly finding its footing again.
On top of that, the news that other races would be enrolling had everyone in high spirits. The other races had always maintained their independence even while technically part of the alliance. Their shared history made the relationship incredibly awkward and tense.
When the academy was first proposed, the alliance had basically told them to figure it out themselves. Now even they had changed their minds and decided to enroll. What better way to prove the academy's true significance?
"—That's what everyone's saying, Brother."
"Well, damn."
They really knew how to dress up their bullshit in fresh new clothes. Or maybe it couldn't be helped? In a story bound by predetermined fate, the academy had to appear no matter what.
This was the moment when they needed at least some "reasonable" justification to preserve plausibility. And so they'd rolled out this landmark symbolizing the alliance's harmony.
Protecting and maintaining this place was the alliance's duty! Burning it down and destroying it was the demons' inevitable mission! Let's all cherish the academy and keep it running for generations! We must defend it from the demons at all costs!!
Yeah. I get it, kid. I can understand the logic. I can understand it.
The reason they kept maintaining the academy even though demons kept targeting it. The reason they couldn't give up despite the astronomical damage. Because this is where the heroine and her love interests have their romance scenes! They just couldn't say that out loud.
"Um, Brother?"
"What?"
"I'm really sorry to ask, but... how much longer do I have to stay like this?"
Sion, who had been holding a perfect horse stance for a full hour, finally spoke up. Sweat poured down his face like rain. His legs trembled violently. If he'd used mana he might have lasted longer, but Cain had specifically ordered him to maintain the position using only pure physical strength.
"Is it hard?"
"Eh? N-no! It's not hard at all! I was just curious..."
"If it's not hard, add another hour."
"It is hard! It's very hard!!"
"What are you complaining about? Want to die?"
"Huh?"
"Just kidding."
The human body was fundamentally designed for movement. Just like how sitting still hurt your back more than walking. "How bad is it?"
"V-very bad, sir."
"Very bad, huh. Alright then, Sion. Picture Estelle's face."
"What?"
"Hurry up."
Why suddenly bring up Estelle at a time like this? For what possible reason? Suspicion flickered in Sion's mind, but the moment he saw Cain's right hand clench into a fist, his body moved on pure instinct.
"Got it?"
"Y-yeah. I pictured her."
"So? Feeling any different? Getting stronger?"
"Well... uh..."
Strangely enough, thinking of Estelle really did give him a little boost. The violent trembling in his legs that had threatened to collapse at any moment began to ease.
"O-oh! Brother Cain! It's true! I'm actually getting stronger!"
"Really?"
"Yes! At this rate I can hold it much longer—!"
THUD!
Sion shot into the air like a rocket before slamming face-first into the ground with a heavy crash. His tongue lolled out as he lost consciousness on the spot.
Cain crouched down and checked his breathing. Okay. Still alive. He pulled out a small notebook from his coat and jotted something down.
Thinking of Estelle alone creates a buff effect.
He closed the notebook and crossed his arms, sinking deep into thought.
"As expected from a romance fantasy. The heroine's the heroine, and the male leads are exactly what they are."
There always came a moment when they couldn't overcome a trial on their own. And in that moment, thinking of the female protagonist gave them the strength to push through.
This was a world where the power of love could overcome even the trials of world-ending catastrophe. A forced buff like this was practically inevitable.
The problem is that once the male leads realize this, they cling to her even harder.
Just thinking about her was enough to make them go "Hell yeah!" and fight harder. What if they could keep her by their side forever? It wouldn't be surprising if one of them went full dark mode, joined hands with the demons, and tried to kidnap her. How should he handle this?
Cain looked down at the unconscious Sion and ran the calculations. Even the hero, whom he'd been carefully and painstakingly reforming, was like this. Arhen, who hadn't been beaten quite as much as Sion, was still wavering back and forth.
To the male leads, Estelle was like an addictive drug they couldn't quit. The comparison was a bit weird, but nothing else fit quite as well. And unfortunately, every single one of them had already gotten at least one dose.
Saying they'd been "blinded by love" didn't even begin to cover it.
"...There's only one solution after all."
Thankfully, Cain knew exactly how to break through this particular problem. Beat them. Beat them until they listened. If they still wouldn't listen, beat them some more. The hero male lead was progressing smoothly. The imperial prince male lead was still under consideration.
For the ones in awkward positions with different nationalities like Liberio or Prinz? There might not be an opportunity right now, but one would definitely come eventually. He'd just beat them all at once when the time came. It would at least serve as effective shock therapy.
Then there was the border count Evan, who had the potential to betray them. What to do about him?
"Whatever. I'll deal with it when it happens."
In other novels, the protagonist would try to persuade the person to prevent a rebellion, using their future knowledge as justification. But Cain didn't care. Not even a little bit. In romance fantasies, if it involved the heroine, the male leads would inevitably do it anyway.
Whether it was clinging, obsession, or going dark. Stopping all of that would be too much of a hassle. If he left them alone and they eventually turned to the demons after going dark?
I know.
Then he'd just see them on the battlefield instead of in the same party. Who knows? Maybe a powerful demon would show up during the process.
"Ugh..."
Sion, who had been unconscious, twitched and slowly pushed himself up. As expected of the hero. Even after taking such a solid hit, he still managed to stand. Cain liked that. It meant he wouldn't break no matter how much he beat him.
"Huh?"
Sion scratched his head, then looked at Cain and asked, "Brother, did something happen just now?"
"You looked tired, so I let you rest your eyes for a bit."
"Ah! I see! No wonder I was lying down."
He trailed off, touching his chin and tilting his head. "That's strange. My jaw hurts a lot."
"You probably fell face-first when you collapsed from exhaustion."
"Ah! That makes sense! ...But it's still weird. It hurts so much it feels like it might be dislocated."
"Want me to fix it?"
The moment Cain raised his fist, Sion snapped to perfect attention.
"No thank you, Brother."
Now that he was awake, it was time for the next test.
"Sion."
"Yes, Brother!"
"Draw your sword."
"Huh?"
"Draw it and attack me."
"...Brother?"
This is a real sword! What if you get hurt?! Such questions never left Sion's mouth. He'd been about to ask about his fate as a male lead in a romance fantasy, but his survival instincts had clamped down hard and stopped him.
"Brother, why are you suddenly—"
"Want to get hit first and then draw it, or draw it and then get hit?"
Sring—
Instead of saying anything else, Sion quickly drew his sword. He wasn't stupid enough to add unnecessary comments. The titles Demon Slayer and Executioner didn't matter. He just needed to take one hit. Then he'd understand immediately.
Ah! So the soul that the Holy Kingdom talks about really does exist! This is what it feels like to have pain carved into your soul! It hurts so much!!
"Haaap!"
He completely abandoned any worries about the monster before him. What if I accidentally kill him? He stopped thinking such pointless thoughts. Since he'd been told to draw his sword and attack, he'd give it everything he had.
CLANG!
"Gah!"
It was the holy sword bestowed by the Holy Kingdom, so it didn't break. Instead, the full force of the impact traveled through the blade and slammed into Sion.
"Again."
Cain lightly shook out his hand and beckoned him forward. Sion bit his lip. He'd only attacked once. Yet his entire body was ringing. His grip felt like it was about to tear apart.
He'd been certain the sword wouldn't reach, but this was beyond that. Shouldn't a person's fist get cut when it clashes with a sword? How could the sword be the one sliding backward?
"Uraaaah!!"
CLANG!
"Kgh!!"
Once again unable to dissipate the shock, Sion staggered. Having swung harder than before, the recoil was even stronger. He stumbled backward and fell hard on his backside.
"Again."
"B-Brother! Wait a second. This is impossible! There's nothing I can do about it!"
"Fine. Then we'll change the method."
"Even if you change the method, this is still—"
Yes. It would be impossible. Except for one case.
"Estelle is standing behind you."
"Estelle?"
Sion whipped his head around.
THUD!
"Guh!!"
"Why are you turning your whole body when I said behind you? If you're going to turn, just turn your head."
"You said Estelle was behind me...!"
"I meant for you to imagine it that way."
The test results were already obvious without even needing to run it. Even after all that mental reformation, he still reacted to the heroine like a knife's edge. Fate really was something else. Good. Time to beat him even more.
"Estelle is standing behind you, and I'm trying to kill her."
"You are? Why?!"
"I said imagine it. If you nitpick one more time, you get hit."
"I'm sorry!"
Sion gripped his sword again. Cain attacked at the same level as before. A straight punch to the front. If he dodged, the back would be exposed. If he couldn't block it, the person behind him would die. There was no one there, but in Sion's mind, Estelle was standing right behind him.
"Hoooo..."
It was coming. An overwhelming presence. An enormous power beyond description. It charged forward violently, as if it would crush everything in its path. His instincts screamed at him to dodge immediately. That he'd really die if he didn't. He couldn't block that. He couldn't counter it. Enduring it would be suicide.
But why... why don't I want to move?
Because he wanted to prove he was a hero? Or was there something else? Whatever the reason, this was the limit. He absolutely couldn't block it. He'd die. He'd really die. He was going to die! Dodge! Dodge it!!
"Kgh...!"
Even so, Sion widened his eyes and held his ground. Just the single thought that Estelle was behind him was enough!
THUD!
With a massive boom, Sion shot into the air once again. He flew high before crashing back down onto the ground.
He wasn't dead. At the last moment, Cain had altered the trajectory.
"Hmm."
He'd wondered about this one. But in the end, it was the same result? Cain roughly laid the unconscious Sion in a more comfortable position and took out his notebook again.
Even when death was right in front of him, Estelle made him forget even that. She was more addictive than any drug. Did that even make sense?
No wonder the demons are losing their minds and swarming here.
Demons. Demons. Come to think of it, something he'd put off for later came to mind.
Kiara. The character who gradually became twisted while opposing the protagonist Estelle. At first she'd simply been a cold realist. But as she felt increasing inferiority toward Estelle, she transformed into a villainess. In the end, her jealousy summoned the Seven Deadly Sins.
That was the setting his little sister had shown him.
There's definitely more to this.
Did it make any sense that a mere human's jealousy could summon the Seven Deadly Sins? When Cain had asked, his sister had said there was a reason.
The most annoying thing about possession stories. The hidden backstory. He had to uncover it properly to summon the Seven Deadly Sins. Only then could he fight the seven ultimate demons to his heart's content!
Tap tap. As Cain prodded Kiara's name in his notebook with his finger, using every bit of his experience as a web novel PD, he slightly turned his head.
"You've arrived?"
"...You knew?"
The voice was startled. The expression of utter disbelief was a bonus.
"Since when?"
"From the beginning."
Sion hadn't noticed Kiara's approach at all. The distance had been considerable, and he'd been completely focused on dealing with Cain. Those were reasonable excuses, but they meant nothing to Cain. Since he hadn't noticed, it was decided—he'd be getting more training later.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine now."
"I see. That's a relief, Lady Kiara."
Whew. What a relief. Cain smiled softly. Whether she was the villainess of a romance fantasy or whatever else didn't matter one bit. To Cain, Kiara was the key to summoning the Seven Deadly Sins. She was far more important than Estelle. That alone was more than enough reason to treat her with respect.
"Whoa."
Wait. What? So this man could smile like that? A bright smile from someone as hard as steel.
"...It suits you."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing."
Kiara quickly pushed down the brief flutter in her chest. If she stayed any longer, she felt like she might fall completely.