Chapter 237: It Was Winter (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: It Was Winter (5)
I’d said it before, half-joking.
The idea of Daisy losing was something I simply couldn't imagine.
That was why, even though she hadn't returned, I just thought, Wow, the line for the ladies' room must be really long.
Or, Is she taking a massive dump? The kind of thought that would have earned me a ten-hit combo if I’d said it to her face.
I never even dreamed that she might have been kidnapped like some fragile RoFan male lead.
I mean, seriously. Daisy being kidnapped like one of those delicate (?) RoFan boys was beyond the realm of imagination.
And so...
"She's really not there?"
—She’s not!
Until the very last second, I couldn't accept Daisy’s disappearance.
"...Did that damn Demon King resurrect early or something?"
Unless that level of original plot progression was happening, how could Daisy possibly get kidnapped?
—What exactly do you think of Daisy?
"The ultimate human weapon against the Great Dark Mage."
—...I’m sorry, Daisy!
Violet apologized to Daisy on behalf of the undeniable fact she couldn't refute, but that wasn't what mattered right now.
"Someone like Daisy got kidnapped? Honestly, I still don't believe it."
Wouldn't it be more rational to think she just ditched me to get revenge for everything I've put her through?
—First of all, you’re making two huge mistakes in your logic!
"Like what?"
—One, half of the image you have of Daisy comes from that Magic Sword. But you’re the one holding it now.
"Ah."
That was true.
The biggest part of my mental image of Daisy was, of course, the shock and awe of seeing her use the Demon King’s Magic Sword for the first time.
I wondered if the protagonist who shared a name with our shitty Prince felt that same shock and awe when he first saw the Colossal Titan.
But just as that Titan’s power eventually passed to the protagonist’s side...
Daisy’s Magic Sword had ended up in my hands.
Furthermore...
—And the other half, her Divine Power... like you said, it’s a decisive weapon against Dark Mages.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
—Exactly what it sounds like. Divine Power is a lethal poison to Dark Mages and the Demon Tribe. It allows her to counter opponents who are one—no, several—tiers above her. But... it’s a power that only has meaning against 'unclean' beings who use the power of the Evil God.
"......"
In other words, if the opponent was a normal human, it wasn't impossible to suppress a swordless Daisy.
—Daisy isn't a Sword Master. She’s not an Archmage either. She has the talent for it, sure, but she’s only been learning the sword for a year.
Her growth over that year was nonsensical, but it didn't mean she’d become the strongest being in the world in just twelve months.
If anything, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Ellen, who had become a Sword Master in that time, or the Magic Spammers who had escaped the Curse of RoFan, had grown even more.
Therefore...
"So, this was actually a diversion too?"
—...Probably?
The kidnapping of an Imperial Prince and a RoFan heroine—something even Dark Mages and the Demon Tribe couldn't pull off.
The ones who succeeded were none other than humans.
Daisy - I Will Never Forgive You.
Daisy had been kidnapped.
However, it wasn't by brute force as others might have expected.
"To be honest, I’d heard the rumors about the Saintess, but I didn't realize it would be to this extent."
The man leading the entire operation looked at Daisy.
The man known in the underworld as the "Professor" began to speak, wiping cold sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
"I heard the rumors that the Saintess split the sky, but I naturally assumed it was a metaphor. I heard you could tear a bear apart with your bare hands, but I thought those were just rumors fabricated by the Holy Kingdom to protect their Saintess."
"......?"
No, I’ve never torn a bear apart with my bare hands!
Daisy wanted to say that, but she couldn't speak.
The Voice-Sealing Necklace.
It was an artifact the Professor had forced her to wear to prevent her prayers; the wearer could not utter a single word.
In other words, Daisy was unable to offer a single rebuttal to the blatant slander happening right in front of her!
"But seeing twenty elite mercenaries fall before my eyes... I have no choice but to accept that you really do tear bears apart with your bare hands."
I didn't tear them!
Daisy screamed internally as she watched the Professor nod to himself, but it was truly a silent scream. It didn't reach the Professor or the other terrorists.
Thus, the best she could do was glare at him with eyes full of resentment.
"Truly, the hope of humanity. The one who made the fallen Holy Kingdom great again. Ah, you might misunderstand this as sarcasm given the circumstances, but I am sincere. We are all believers who follow the Goddess, after all."
"......"
"Please don't look at me like that. It’s terrifying."
She felt like the misunderstandings were only piling up.
"We didn't intend to treat the Saintess this way. If the operation on the other side had succeeded, we wouldn't have committed such a rudeness... but it turned out to be a trap by the wicked Empire."
Our goal is the Empire.
Watching the Professor make his claim, Daisy thought:
I’m an Imperial noble too...
"That is why we had no choice but to use this method."
He claimed he had no intention of being hostile toward the Saintess and that he only did this to fight the Empire.
Despite his claims, Daisy had no intention of forgiving them.
She might have forgiven them if they had only kidnapped her.
But they were the ones who had targeted her friend, Esid, in the first place.
And more importantly...
"So, if you just stay still, no harm will come to your parents."
They had touched her precious family, of all people.
There was no way Daisy was going to believe a single word coming out of that despicable man's mouth.
Professor - The Saintess Rips Apart Demons.
The Professor wiped the sweat pouring down his face with a handkerchief that was already soaking wet.
The handkerchief had long since lost its ability to absorb liquid, making it a pointless gesture, but the Professor couldn't even think that far.
It was a sight unbecoming of a criminal consultant famous for being the "brain" of the underworld, but he couldn't help it.
Because...
I’m terrified.
Anyone would feel the same if they saw the look in the Saintess's eyes.
Is this the Saintess who rips bears apart with her bare hands, splits the sky with a sword, and melts the Demon Tribe with light?
Daisy had felt wronged hearing the Professor's earlier remarks, but in truth, the words coming out of his mouth were a sanitized version he’d used to avoid provoking her further.
The rumors about Daisy circulating in the underworld were far worse.
To be honest, they were full of ridiculous claims, but no one doubted them.
After all, even the Dark Mages, who were feared in the underworld, trembled at the name of Saintess Daisy.
"I’m telling you, that demon just melted after getting hit by her glowing sword!"
"You think I’m lying? You should have seen the Saintess's sword. That massive, majestic blade... even I, who isn't a swordsman, felt a surge of faith in the Goddess and the sword just looking at it."
These were the testimonies of those who had been unknowingly deployed in the Dark Mages' operations and managed to flee.
Those who had seen the Saintess fight firsthand refused any missions related to the Academy. Some left the Empire entirely, and some even left the industry altogether to start new lives.
He had no choice but to believe.
No one entered the underworld without a story, and most of those who knew the Professor were either deeply resentful or "moths to a flame" who couldn't quit the easy money.
It was impossible to make such people "wash their hands" of the life even with death threats.
And the Saintess before him had accomplished that difficult feat.
Not even intentionally, but simply by showing them how she fought!
And I saw it myself.
Though he hadn't seen her full power, the Professor had watched the Saintess fold people like laundry with practiced ease. He had quickly announced that he had hostages, but in that short time, the number of people she’d "folded" was nearly twenty. The Saintess had more than proven her reputation (?).
That was why every word he spoke was sincere.
He had only kidnapped the Saintess to facilitate the kidnapping of the Prince.
Once the Prince appeared at the negotiation site, he intended to release the Saintess and the hostages as promised.
However, there was one massive variable in the Professor's plan.
"Gah!"
"What’s happening?!"
As a criminal consultant, the Professor had devised and successfully executed countless criminal plans.
But those were strictly stories from outside the Academy, where common sense applied.
"It’s the Dark Mages!"
"What?! Why the hell are those bastards here?!"
"There are demons too!"
"Why are mythological beings showing up?!"
"They even outnumber us!"
"Does that even make sense?!"
The place he had stepped into was a magical den called the Academy.
A RoFan world where common sense did not apply.
In a world where even Violet, a reincarnated person with knowledge of the original work—the "future"—was left speechless, it was difficult for someone trying to plan based on mere common sense to survive.
However...
"Untie the Saintess first!"
As if proving that his survival in the underworld hadn't been a fluke, he was able to make a quick judgment.
"Saintess, please save us!"
"If we die, we can't tell you where your parents are!"
"......"
"Hey! Take that necklace off her first!"
Now a free woman, Daisy looked at the Professor with an expression of utter disbelief.
She had so much she wanted to say.
"Is this... for real?"
It was a question that compressed many thoughts, but the Professor nodded vigorously and spoke.
"To be honest, I’m just a man hired for money. I have no interest in achieving some 'great cause.'"
"...Then what about those people?"
"We have to stay alive to achieve a great cause or whatever."
"Wouldn't it be unfair to be murdered by Dark Mages before we can even topple the Empire?"
"......"
Daisy was speechless at their sheer shamelessness, but unfortunately, her parents were in their hands.
"First, the hostages."
"I’ll send word to release them right now!"
"Actually, we’ve been treating them with the utmost care!"
"Just please save us!"
Sighing at their audacity, Daisy accepted the sword they handed her.
She looked at the enemies before her and thought:
Can I win this?
She had never faced this many demons alone before.
She was about to channel as much Divine Power as possible into the tip of her blade and swing the brilliantly glowing sword when...
"Whoa! Found her!"
She turned her head at the familiar voice and saw Violet.
"See? I told you there was no way she was kidnapped."
"Adam?"
She turned her head toward another familiar voice and saw Adam Smith, wearing an "I knew it" expression.
"Wait, before that, I was actually kidnapped, okay?"
Daisy protested her grievance, but Adam Smith just tilted his head, his face full of doubt.
Even Violet beside him had the same look. Daisy bit her lip and looked around in frustration, but...
"......"
The kidnappers were kneeling, trembling in fear.
And she was standing in the middle of them, holding a sword.
"No, wait..."
To anyone watching, she looked more like the kidnapper than the victim...
"Let's just kill the demons first!"
Realizing it would take a very long time to clear her name, Daisy raised her sword with a tearful face.