Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Human Sword Genova (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crack, craaaack.
The sound of the barrier Riya had created shattering echoed in my ears.
People's gazes turned toward the green smoke seeping through the cracks in the broken barrier.
"Isn't that dangerous?"
Kwachacha!
Like an eggshell breaking apart, the barrier Riya had made crumbled away.
Whooooosh!
The green smoke began swirling like a vortex, gathering in one spot. It was the unmistakable form of a disaster, one that inspired terror in anyone who saw it.
'My God. What the hell is that?'
Gloria stared in stunned disbelief at the scene unfolding before her.
The finals were no longer important.
'What is that smoke? Is it some kind of monster too? If so...'
Who could stop it?
Not even a Sword Master could slice through smoke.
Even the princess with the power of a dragon could only hold it back briefly.
Kwaaaaa!
Green smoke erupted from the vortex, surging toward the stands.
But it was blocked by a transparent veil covering the entire audience.
'The princess?'
Gloria thought so at first, but seeing the princess furrow her brow, it didn't seem like her doing. That left only one possibility.
'Gideon Asktalin!'
One of the Continental Seven Heroes.
It made sense that he, counted among the Seven Heroes and the continent's strongest mage, could erect a barrier like this.
Only then did the chaotic stands begin to calm down.
'Father.'
Riya glared at the emperor who had stolen her role, her face full of displeasure.
Gideon, who had risen from his ornate throne to deploy the barrier, noticed her stare and flashed a grin. Riya hated that smile.
'Pretending not to notice until now, and then taking credit...'
Gideon had clearly known everything. Everything happening in the empire reached his ears.
Yet he had done nothing, simply watching to see what Clay would do.
He must have known about the sword in Clay's hand all along.
The divine oracle was always passed down to the emperor of the empire, after all.
'...Thanks to him, the panicked audience has calmed down, so I'll let it slide.'
Even the strongest mage couldn't hold a Plague Disaster for long.
But that was enough. Enough to draw the audience's eyes away.
Step by step.
Clay Banheart advanced toward the center of the smoke, gripping the flickering sword.
* * *
"Edward Williams."
I didn't know why he had become a disaster. Probably never would.
No, I had never cared in the slightest.
To me, he was just a murderer who had tried to kill countless people.
'And to Monet...'
The rage I'd been suppressing boiled over.
Monet was family to me.
Even when the family fell into ruin, Monet and her family stayed at the estate with me. Their help had allowed me to keep managing the territory.
Just as Monet was like a sibling to Fabian, she was the same to me.
Clank.
I slowly raised the sword upward.
So everyone in the Colosseum could see it.
"Human strength cannot kill me."
The air trembled as Edward's voice rang out.
The polite tone from before was long gone.
What stood here now wasn't the 'doctor' Edward, but the 'Plague Disaster' Edward.
"I don't know why you lured me here, but you've made a grave mistake."
The smoke, swirling like rising flames, spread out in an instant.
"Do you think that barrier can hold me forever?"
It filled the arena in a flash and enveloped me.
I wouldn't catch any disease from it, but the smoke had mass, pressing down on my body like a weight.
"Ten minutes? No, not even five now!"
From within the crushing smoke, Edward's mad shout echoed.
"You'll be the first. Then everyone here. I'll destroy this rotten empire and wipe out humanity itself!"
"You've got big dreams."
"......!"
When I spoke calmly from within the smoke, it rippled violently in surprise.
"Come to think of it, it happened before too... Why won't my power affect you?"
"No need to know."
I gripped Genova with both hands and stared into the smoke.
"You're dying here."
Shwaaa!
A golden sword light flashed, slicing through the green smoke.
"Gaaah! W-Why does it hurt!? Why?!"
Edward's scream rang out as the smoke churned.
The writhing smoke clearly showed how flustered he was.
'Sorry, Fabian.'
I silently apologized to the protagonist in my mind.
This glory should have been his.
'I'll make good use of the hero's seat.'
Vrrrr!
Genova's blade began to vibrate, drawing in immense power.
Then its form shifted, a golden blaze wrapping around the blade.
"Urk...!"
Edward must have sensed it instinctively.
This slash wouldn't end with mere pain like before.
"I won't end like this. Not until I've repaid everything done to me!"
Like a scream, Edward poured out all the disaster's power.
But it was useless. Against anyone else, maybe, but disease and poison did nothing to me.
"Farewell, Edward Williams."
With Insight Eye active, I could see it.
Amid the smoke flowing with countless colors, one clear thread stood out.
That was Edward's true body.
The core of the disaster.
An ordinary sword couldn't cut it no matter how many times you tried, but in my hand was Genova.
A sword that could cut anything if I willed it.
Vrrr!
Gripping the vibrating sword, I slowly brought it down vertically.
"...Mother."
As Edward's murmur reached my ear, the golden flash rent the world.
* * *
"Did you hear about that incident? About the princess!"
"If it's the one from this Imperial Martial Tournament, don't even start. My ears are callused from hearing it."
The Founding Festival had ended in some uproar at the end, but it wrapped up cleanly without major issues.
There were quarantined areas due to the spread of disease, but the empire's swift response had contained it before it could expand greatly.
Of course, it wasn't perfectly resolved, but this was a huge achievement.
Thanks to that, evaluations of Princess Riya, who had led the response, soared.
"It's a good thing the princess was there... Otherwise, it would've been a nightmare."
"I don't get why the successor isn't her. Ahem, pretend you didn't hear that."
The man realized his voice was too loud and glanced around.
"There was some damage, but they're reorganizing the slums because of this."
"I'm worried the demi-humans will pour out."
"Hey now! Didn't you hear? The princess is stepping up big time against persecution and discrimination of demi-humans! You'll get scolded for saying that."
"Demi-humans? Why?"
The man praising the princess looked puzzled, unaware of that part.
"You know the imperial family carries dragon blood too. So Her Highness asked to care for demi-humans like herself without such discrimination."
"How could she say that... The imperial family can't be the same as demi-humans."
"Truly a merciful princess. Anyway, they're gathering the demi-humans in the old slum area and refurbishing it. Her Highness knows it won't be solved in a day or two."
The slums had suffered the worst in this plague incident. It was where Edward had first unleashed the disease.
Thanks to that, Riya's new policy was hugely welcomed by the demi-humans, and while the empire's subjects found it odd, most just praised the merciful princess.
Of course, Riya had hidden cheerleaders in the crowds, subtly steering opinions against discriminating demi-humans.
"Anyway, I'm really glad I saw the Imperial Martial Tournament with my own eyes."
"Yeah. The princess aside, still..."
The princess wasn't the only hot topic of this Founding Festival.
No, there was one person who generated far more buzz than her.
The man who revealed the true meaning of the Founding Festival and claimed a legend.
"Count Clay Banheart."
Those who had watched his fight in the Colosseum called him that.
The Golden Hero.
And now, the Golden Hero was attending the banquet marking the festival's close.
* * *
"Golden Hero, my ass."
[First Invincible Iron Fist, now Golden Hero... Things weren't like this in my time. Has your naming sense regressed over hundreds of years?]
That's what I wanted to ask.
No, if you're going to give me a title, pick a better one.
'The Continental Seven Heroes all had cool epithets.'
I'm not asking for much.
Something fitting like Ribina Count's 'Crimson Lion' would do.
[I think it's all the same.]
'What? There's a huge difference. Huge.'
As Gransesia and I bantered, a few people approached me hesitantly.
'How many times is this now?'
I could really feel I'd become the star of this Founding Festival.
Not just foreign nobles, but imperial ones too were dying to talk to me.
'Worlds apart from last time.'
I could still picture the sneers back then.
Without Riya, it would've been a real ordeal.
"Um... Hello, Count Banheart. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Charles, eldest son of the Lexington Marquis family of the empire."
"Ah, yes. Hello..."
As I gave my usual polite response, I caught his face and slowly closed my mouth.
"Count, is something wrong?"
"No, aren't we acquainted?"
"Pardon? No way."
Charles seemed genuinely clueless about what I meant.
But I remembered clearly.
Though some time had passed, the man before me was definitely a noble I'd met long ago at the empire's New Year's festival.
"Surely we met at the New Year's festival five years ago? Don't you remember? You said Talua Kingdom nobles had no manners."
"......!"
At that, Charles paled as something clicked.
"Th-That...! No, it was..."
Flailing his hands in panic and backing away, he bumped into someone behind him and twisted his face.
"Who's behind—Gasp!"
"Yes, what's going on? Ah, you two have history from way back, don't you?"
There stood Riya, covering her mouth and laughing hoho.
Some guys just can't catch a break, no matter what.