Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Discipline (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
◆
“...No.”
The first words that spilled out were those.
Gray stared at Carlyle, her blue eyes blazing fiercely.
She seemed utterly furious at those words from moments ago. A pressure nearly matching her battle aura poured from her entire body.
Of course, it was the hero's pressure. Just facing it burdened the whole body. Vespa, standing right beside him, was already on the verge of breaking down from it alone.
“Why should I apologize?”
But if you slipped just beneath that aura.
[...She's throwing a tantrum.]
'Yeah.'
Beneath it was a child sulking because she hated losing.
'Feels kinda nostalgic.'
[What does?]
'The hero always acted just like this when I talked her down.'
[...Shut up.]
Whenever Carlyle calmly explained why Gray's unreasonable actions wouldn't fly and got her to see reason, this was always the reaction that came back.
In that sense, Gray wasn't all that bad. He'd already proven it once by successfully reforming her.
The very fact that she was throwing a tantrum over 'hating to lose' meant she knew she was in the wrong.
[Same as always, then. Simple.]
The Holy Sword grumbled curtly.
[Do what you first taught me.]
The most crucial first step in reforming a hero was this.
Don't carelessly dismiss others.
Teach her the lesson that doing so could bite her hard.
“Why should I apologize to some nobody like that! No way!”
So, right here.
“Vespa isn't a nobody.”
Carlyle stood firm, locking eyes with Gray.
This wasn't a place to yield.
“...What?”
“I can prove it. What do you say?”
If anything, he could push back a little harder.
◆
-System Message
▶ ‘Quest: Discipline’ has begun.
▶ Reward: Target ‘Gray’s’ ‘Arrogance’ level will improve significantly.
▶ Reward: A new ability will unlock for target ‘Vespa.’
▶ Hidden rewards may exist depending on quest results!
◆
“...How did it come to this?”
Vespa muttered, her pupils vibrating rapidly.
A girl who'd devoted herself solely to housework had no reason to ever set foot in a place like a sparring ground.
Especially not against the hero standing across from her.
“Well, didn't I say it'd be good to fight once?”
“Uh, I-I've never fought even once...!”
“Vespa.”
“I did start learning magic recently, but I've barely scratched the basics...!”
“Vespa. Calm down.”
Carlyle gripped the rambling Vespa's shoulders firmly and pressed them down.
“Do you know why magic has such a high barrier to entry?”
“Uh, what do you mean...?”
Vespa blinked blankly at Carlyle's abrupt words.
“They say magic is the 'art of putting your words into the world's will.'”
“Uh, that's a little different from what the professors said...? They explained it with all these complicated formulas.”
“That'll work for you.”
“...Pardon?”
“No clue about others, but that'll work for you. Trust me.”
Because.
-...Hmm- When it comes to magic, it does have that vibe, right?
This was straight from Vespa herself in the previous timeline, explained directly to him.
Magic was akin to conversing with the laws that formed the world and 'requesting' what you desired.
Sensing mana properties or feeling mana flow—all of it was just the process to make that conversation smooth.
In that light, her claim of having 'learned the basics' meant she'd met the bare minimum to pull it off.
And if Carlyle's hunch was right.
'That should be plenty.'
Hero-vetted as she was, Vespa's talent was at the 'beloved by the world' tier.
What were the odds the world would refuse a request from someone it adored?
So.
“One time's enough.”
Just nail it once, properly.
That would land even on Gray.
“Just say what you want to say, right.”
“...Pardon?”
“Put all those words you've bottled up about the Lady into your magic. Just try.”
“...”
Vespa blinked vacantly.
“And.”
Truth be told, it was something he'd always wanted to say even before the regression.
“Vespa, I can't help you with everything.”
“...Y-Yes...?”
“You have to claim what you want for yourself.”
“...”
“You can't possibly like being treated that way by the Lady. But not speaking up is your fault too, Vespa.”
When he thought about what could be 'tamed' in her.
Zero confidence. Zero self-esteem. Zero honesty.
Kind-hearted or not, she'd never once protested the mistreatment she endured or straight-up asked for it to stop.
That was something Carlyle couldn't fix for her directly. She had to stand up for herself.
“Someone who doesn't cherish themselves won't be cherished by others.”
“...”
“Complaint, request, whatever. Spill it all this time.”
But.
What he could do was create the chance for her to voice it.
Plus.
It was now or never.
Post-regression, the rift between them had long since deepened too far, hardened beyond any fix.
Vespa's lips pressed tight.
Her eyes widened round.
“...I've never thought of it like that.”
Carlyle didn't reply with words. He just smiled faintly and gripped the Holy Sword.
He turned to face Gray straight across the sparring ground.
“Strategy meeting over?”
A flat response came back.
“You're the one who wanted this. I never said fight. You ready?”
“Yes. So don't worry if I get a little banged up.”
Gray's expression darkened further.
Stubborn, selfish, and arrogant as she was.
She'd never once taken lightly anything tied to her hero role. Especially not combat, its very foundation.
So there was no way she'd half-ass someone who'd picked a fight with the hero first.
“Keep it simple.”
She slung her sword fully behind her back and said as she readied herself.
“I'll use one hand.”
She held up one hand to show.
“Impress me, somehow.”
“...”
...She wasn't just ruling out victory—it was like she didn't even see a fight happening.
But she wasn't wrong.
She was the Holy Sword's wielder, after all. She had to worry about accidentally killing them with poor strength control.
“Going in, then?”
And from the scene that followed, it was clear she meant to live up to those words.
He blinked—and Gray was already in his face, fist flying.
Insane speed, like the motion held only start and impact.
“...!”
Before he could even activate Mind's Eye, Carlyle panicked and raised the Holy Sword to block Gray's fist.
The motion alone split the air. The clash erupted in an ear-shattering boom.
And.
'Ah, arm's broken.'
At Carlyle's detached thought, an incredulous voice rose from the Holy Sword.
[...Why say it so calmly? Doesn't it hurt?]
'If there's a world pain-tolerance contest, I'd be a top pick, no doubt.'
Mostly thanks to you.
Harboring that thought, Carlyle took one step back.
Truth be told, Gray had probably pulled that punch. In real combat, it'd have been lights out.
The follow-up punches carried that same sense of restraint.
“...Not gonna fight?”
“How could I lay a hand on the Lady?”
“Then I won't hold back?”
“Wasn't planning to beg for mercy.”
She was holding back plenty even now, words aside.
Of course, 'holding back' or not, it was still a problem.
A demigod swinging at a human. No matter how well he coped, the pain piling up was brutal.
'Ah, rib cracked—'
[No, spend that brainpower on proper defense—!]
'I am?'
An angry voice rang from the sword, but this was Carlyle's best shot.
Even perfect blocks shattered bone.
He channeled the hero's mana through the sword, activated Mind's Eye, took real-time advice—still, every strike chipped away damage.
'...This human's insane.'
What he held was a Holy Sword forged of divine iron. National treasure-grade gear, lowballing it.
And she was casually thwacking it barehanded—yet despite his precise, perfect timing defenses, his body was falling apart.
She hadn't tapped even a fingernail's worth of her full power, and he was already like this.
“So what're you gonna do? You started this fight and got nothing?”
Disappointment dripped from Gray's voice, naturally.
She had no idea what he was banking on to pull this stunt.
“How could I beat the Lady?”
“...You joking?”
“But.”
Carlyle smirked as he spoke.
“I never said 'I' would beat the Lady.”
From the start, he was just the sandbag. He'd known that coming in.
The one meant to land a hit on Gray was obviously someone else.
No sooner had the words left his mouth.
“La-Lady—”
A voice called out.
Gray flinched instantly.
Worthy of humanity's strongest.
She'd clocked the 'anomaly' laced into that voice right away.
“—You shouldn't hit other people—!”
Those words followed.
“...Whoa, insane.”
Something terrifying spilled from Carlyle's lips unbidden.
It streaked in like a meteor and slammed dead-on into Gray.
◆
-System Message
▶ Target ‘Vespa’ has unlocked ‘Unique Ability: Word of Command’ due to your influence.
▶ Unique Abilities are skills possessed solely by the target in the entire world.
▶ Unlocked far earlier than scheduled. The future has changed!
▶ Compensation for altering the future: additional rewards.
▶ ‘Obedience’ stat added to target Vespa.
▶ The target will consider anything you say as correct.
▶ The target will do anything you say!
[ ♥ Obedience 0% → 5% ]