Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Assault (2)
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[I figured they'd show up right around now.]
The Holy Sword continued in that vein.
Well, it was this one who tipped me off about running into Devil Worshippers, after all.
"...What's their target? They're not the type to just pop out and disrupt a class."
[The mock battle facility is a bit removed from the academy's center. Perfect spot for some mischief.]
"What kind of mischief? Going after the imperial family?"
[No. Me.]
"Pardon?"
[To see how far this generation's Holy Sword Hero can fight. To probe for weaknesses. They've probably got all sorts of things prepared inside that cave.]
...Ah.
So, separate from the imperial family, they're targeting the Hero being out here alone.
"Then why tell me now, something that dangerous?"
[It's not dangerous.]
"Pardon?"
[If it were truly dangerous, I'd have told you to stop it. Would I have stayed silent until things blew up?]
"..."
[The dean, Shea, already sniffed out the suspicious movements in the academy. Cardinal Felix being here must be because she was informed of it too.]
"You're saying there are safety measures in place?"
[Of course. And I guarantee you, the Devil Worshippers didn't think they could pull this off undetected either.]
In short.
The dean, Shea, and Cardinal Felix accompanying us both know some mischief is afoot from the Devil Worshippers right here. Even the perpetrators themselves didn't expect to get away with it unnoticed.
"..."
What a mess.
[It's a battle with those lurking in the shadows. How could your head not spin?]
"Then why is Cardinal Felix here?"
[To see firsthand if I handle sudden situations well.]
"..."
That made sense too.
-The Hero isn't perfect from the start.
...No wonder Dean Shea seemed like he knew something.
He must have anticipated this from the beginning.
"So, what needs doing here?"
[You still have that command authority or whatever?]
"...? Yeah."
I'd received it ages ago as a quest reward.
An item that could 'force' Gray into certain actions.
'The range is pretty limited, though.'
I'd tried using it a few times to correct her behavior, but it wouldn't work on actions that caused too much emotional swing.
Still, it'd come in handy somewhere.
[Time to use it. Make sure I fight properly.]
"What kind of proper?"
[...I fought poorly last time.]
Carlyle glared at the Holy Sword with narrowed eyes.
Fought poorly.
Gray did.
"Don't bullshit me."
[...That's why I didn't want to say it.]
The Holy Sword grumbled on.
[It's not fear. Nor shock at the brutality.]
Both were far too familiar to this era's Hero.
But.
[...They hit a weak spot.]
"What weak spot?"
[A psychological one.]
"...You have one of those? Never saw it through all those regressions."
[I never would have told you. Not even you.]
"..."
Even Carlyle, who prided himself on knowing Gray inside out after countless regressions, would never know.
The Holy Sword said it with utter certainty.
[At some point, I buried it myself. Erased it from my mind.]
Its tone carried.
[...Having such a weakness made me feel weaker.]
A hint of bitterness.
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"...Why isn't that guy here yet?"
Gray muttered irritably from inside the cave.
She'd gone ahead as told, leading the princess deep into the mock battlefield, but Carlyle still hadn't shown.
Princess Ilia, glancing nervously at her side, spoke up.
"...Um."
"What."
Ilia flinched at Gray's harsh tone.
Powerless or not, she was imperial. She wouldn't often encounter someone this rude.
"That person just now... when will he be back?"
"..."
Gray shot Ilia an openly annoyed look.
She knew the girl was only seven. Even so.
"Why do you ask?"
It irked her that his stock was rising with others too.
"...Ah, no, uh, ugh..."
Faced with Gray's anger, she deflated like a punctured balloon.
"...Lady Chasefield, aren't you being too harsh to Her Highness the Princess?"
Even Felix, who'd been silently trailing behind, stepped in to shield Ilia amid the hostile air.
"Having received the Holy Sword, you have a duty to protect dignitaries and key figures from various nations. Wouldn't it be wise to temper such attitudes?"
"..."
It was sound advice.
A Holy Sword bearer fundamentally had a duty to protect others.
No matter that Gray's personality made volunteering for this absurd—she'd been dragged out precisely because of it.
Whatever the case, if requested, she had to show up and protect.
"...Isn't it kinda funny that it's 'only' dignitaries?"
A Hero meant to protect 'humanity,' yet only a tiny elite could summon her.
Gray sniped bitterly at the point.
But.
"Hm? What's the issue there?"
Cardinal Felix cut her off casually.
"I recall you accepted the Holy Sword yourself. Didn't you know from the start the Hero role is irrational?"
"..."
"Frankly, your opinion doesn't matter."
Cardinal Felix's gaze swept the surroundings.
"Just do your job."
With that, a holy barrier unfolded around the princess.
...No need to ask why.
"Hmph."
Gray drew the Holy Sword with a snort.
Suspicious presences kept prickling around them.
As if lying in wait for them to enter.
Suddenly, from empty spots, auras surged.
To Gray, veteran of real battles, these were distinctly identifiable.
Not human. Beasts.
She eyed the staggering figures emerging from the dark.
"...What are these people...?"
Ilia blinked innocently.
Meanwhile, the cardinal smiled kindly, covering her eyes.
"...Cardinal?"
"Your Highness, could you count to 100 in your head for a moment?"
Then he blocked her ears too.
Necessary, no doubt.
Too brutal for a child to see.
"...-"
The figures' limbs twisted grotesquely.
Soon, their skin ripped—flesh splitting with blades erupting from within.
"----!"
Beastly roars—not human—burst from their mouths.
Ghouls. Among beasts, one of the vilest.
Beasts crafted from human 'corpses.'
Imperial law meant instant execution for creators. Impossible without Devil Worship.
"Cheap, cheap—! Everything discounted—!"
"Take my heart—!"
"This time I'll win for sure—!"
Amid their meaningless babble.
Gray sighed, readying the Holy Sword.
Holy metal countered all demons best. Perfect against these twisted corpse abominations.
What followed was less battle, more one-sided slaughter.
Her swings so listless, one couldn't tell if she wielded a sword or a farmer scythed wheat.
Ghouls ranked high in trickiness among beasts. Dismissing them this easily.
'Impressive.'
Undeniably, humanity's strongest.
Worth her coming to witness personally.
Cardinal Felix watched Gray's combat with a faint smile.
"..."
The smile soon faded.
Felix observed her quietly.
Her blade tip had halted.
As if she couldn't bring herself to cut something.
"My—daughter—"
Gray knew it was meaningless word salad.
Ghouls spat random phrases from the corpse's pre-death mind, devoid of sense.
But.
"I'll—save you—"
Why those words.
Why now.
"..."
A female ghoul, shedding tears.
Body warped beyond recognition, yet her face—mockingly—retained its human form.
Seeing 'that' say such things.
-Gray, my daughter.
-I'll definitely save you.
Her sword froze mid-air.
"-Gray?"
"..."
"What are you doing?"
Even Cardinal Felix's question didn't move her blade.
Felix's expression grew blanker.
Gray stood rigid, unmoving.
The mood chilled.
Growing grave.
"Hah—there."
...A man's casual intrusion shattered it, cleaving the ghoul before Gray with a light flick—had he not, it'd have been fine.
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