Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 133 - 성검의 시험()
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Trial of the Holy Sword(?)
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"..."
The young knight's eyes gleamed with awe as he surveyed his surroundings.
It was dazzling enough to make his eyes hurt, as if he were squeezed in among a cluster of shining stars.
The young knight knew the names of every single one of those stars.
How could he not? Each and every one was a noble swordsman and great hero, an idol to the masses.
Figures whose monumental achievements weren't fleeting rumors but were immortalized in the annals of history.
Those who slayed great evils to sweep away the shadows of the world, or safeguarded the dignity of countless souls.
Such paragons were gathered here.
To prove they were truly great and noble heroes.
By being chosen by the Holy Sword, that hero's legacy.
When they first arrived here, their faces brimmed with absolute confidence.
They were utterly convinced they would become the master of the Holy Sword.
But as time wore on, that confidence gave way to other emotions.
A joyful humility and respect.
With their accomplishments and gravitas, it wouldn't be strange for any one of them to claim the Holy Sword.
Yet.
Now that the Holy Sword had chosen its master, an uncomfortable silence blanketed the hall.
They had indeed thought it wouldn't be odd no matter who became the Holy Sword's master.
They believed they could graciously accept it even if someone other than themselves was chosen.
But there was one thing that defied their expectations.
"Who is that guy?"
A squire of one grizzled knight muttered.
The man chosen by the Holy Sword.
He was far too young amid these veteran heroes.
He had no notable achievements, no fame, no gravitas.
Unable to comprehend the Holy Sword's choice, they watched the rite of succession with quiet discontent.
"Preparations are complete."
And so, the moment arrived when the man was reborn as the Holy Sword's master.
The Holy Sword blazed with light.
A vivid radiance that illuminated the faces clouded by doubt and dissatisfaction.
It was also a noble light.
The expressions of those swayed by it slowly transformed, and they began kneeling toward the glow, one knee to the ground.
The light faded swiftly, but it had been more than enough.
Everyone had already knelt and paid homage.
The birth of a new hero.
-Wait, Zallak! How long—...!
Elisicia finally couldn't hold back and cried out.
The blinding flash that had swallowed the room showed no sign of fading, no matter how long they waited.
At this point, it had gone beyond astonishing straight into the realm of absurdity.
Naturally, questions arose in its wake.
This Zallak guy.
Was he throwing a tantrum just to impress Rishir?
-Damn it, Rishir! What the hell did you do!!! My body...!!!
But Zallak's panicked voice dispelled all suspicions.
By the sound alone, he was the most flustered one in the room right now.
"What!? Is this my fault!? Oh no, I'm sorry! How do I turn this off!?"
Rishir's response only flustered them further.
Turn it off.
As if the Holy Sword were some mana lantern.
"Should I try letting go of the sword first!?"
-No. You couldn't let go even if you tried, in that state.
"Pardon?"
-Right now, Zallak's energy is resonating with yours. Until you fully adapt to Zallak's energy, you won't be able to separate from him.
Elisicia answered promptly.
"Pardon? Ah! You mean we're still connected even if physically separated—that letting go here changes nothing?"
-No, I mean literally, in that state, you two can't separate from each other. Not mentally, nor physically.
"Physically too?"
-You've heard the tales of how the Holy Sword chooses its master? That's not just empty legend. Ordinary humans can't handle the Holy Sword's energy. That's why there's a tendency toward mental and physical subjugation to the sword. Your resistance to Zallak's energy is low right now, so that tendency is at its extreme.
"Uh... Ah! Like one of those demonic swords that dominates humans?"
What a awful comparison.
The most vertigo-inducing metaphor a Holy Sword could hear left Elisicia's mind in a fog for a moment.
-...If I have to compare, think of it as shaking hands with someone stronger than you. You're not the one gripping—the other side is.
"Ah, that's a good one."
-Of course your fingers won't budge, so no need to panic. And you'd better get used to the sensation. Until your energy fully adapts to Zallak's, you'll be more or less dragged along by his energy.
Jane, listening in, let out a quiet chuckle from the side.
"Speaking as a senior, even after fully adapting, it doesn't change much. I've been with Elisicia for over two years now, and I still get pulled around by her sometimes? Especially in battle—half the time, I can't tell if I'm swinging Elisicia or if she's swinging me."
-Can't be helped. Jane's still awfully immature.
"See? Treating me like a child. You know what her benchmark for 'immature' is? You'd die of injustice if you heard."
-I've told you a million times—I'm not the weird one. You're all just too weak.
A tone brimming with sincere grievance.
Like a master swordsman saddled with a subpar blade. Jane burst out laughing again.
"Anyway. Don't freak out too much—just relax and go with the sensation. It's not a demonic sword; it's a Holy Sword. From my experience, when you're dragged around by one, good things happen more often than not. Bad stuff? Not really."
"Oh... I see."
Rishir listened raptly to the fascinating account, trying to check on Zallak's condition.
But with the flash devouring the room, he couldn't see a thing.
So Rishir relied on his hands instead of his eyes.
Wiggle wiggle.
His fingers moved, probing Zallak.
-Uwaaah!!! No! Rishir!!! Don't let go now!!!
Zallak freaked out and yelled.
-What!? You let go!? How—... No, that's not it! Rishir! Stop!!!
"Pardon? I haven't let go. I was just—
-Th-that!!! The finger wiggling!!! Please stop!!! I don't know what you're doing, but it feels weird!!!
-Finger... wiggling...? Right now? While adapting to Zallak's energy...?
"Ah, was that off-limits too?"
-It's not exactly off-limits... no, it is, but not that kind of—
Your fingers can't move, obviously—so stay calm and let your body go with it.
Elisicia's calm explanation to soothe Rishir just moments ago rang utterly hollow now.
And this was a situation beyond even her comprehension.
-Rishir...? By chance, do you not feel like you've lost control of your body...?
Shaking hands with someone stronger.
Elisicia hesitantly reiterated her metaphor.
"Hmm. For now, nothing feels that different from usual."
-Uwaaah!!! Stop wiggling!!! Elisicia!!! Quit egging Rishir on!!!
-Ah! R-Rishir!? Calm down first!!!
"I think I am calm. Anyone hearing you two would think I've got a blade to Zallak's throat. On the sword itself."
Heh heh.
Rishir chuckled, clearly pleased with his own quip.
As he said, no one could look more composed.
If anyone needed calming, it was Zallak and Elisicia.
-Zallak, what are you doing! Control Rishir's energy properly!!! What if he gets hurt!
-I can't!!!
-What!?
-I can't control my own energy right now!!!
-What do you—
In truth.
The two Holy Swords had already vaguely grasped the root cause.
Yet they floundered anyway.
Because that cause utterly defied their common sense and experience.
'The Holy Sword's energy... overwhelmed by a mere human!?'
Some folks say it.
The pinnacle swordsmen: Sword Masters.
Aren't they the perfect fit to wield the Holy Sword?
Then why has no Sword Master ever been chosen as its master?
The reason's simple.
To Sword Masters, who control blades with perfect precision, the Holy Sword's overwhelming energy was nothing but a hindrance.
For instance—not even Sword Masters could fully master that immense power.
History's littered with attempts... and failures.
Some of those involved Elisicia and Zallak.
That was why the two Holy Swords were in such extreme panic.
What was happening to Rishir right now? It was the domain Sword Masters had strained every fiber to reach—but never touched.
No. Perhaps beyond even that.
They had sought to control the Holy Sword's energy. None had dared strip away its very ego.
Rishir had.
The sword that wielded its master had been reduced, in his grasp, to little more than a tool to be swung.
How does it feel, grasped in a human hand—used entirely at their whim?
For a Holy Sword, it was unimaginable. Unthinkable.
-Zallak! Rishir! Hold on!!! I'll find a way to sever the resonance soon!!!
Zallak was surely enduring something horrific right now.
Considering his plight, Elisicia shouted.
-Ah, no!!! It's okay!!!
-This isn't the time to hold back!
-I'm not holding back...!
Elisicia realized too late.
Zallak's panicked voice carried a hint of... satisfaction?
-This feeling of powerlessness... It's disorienting, sure. But stabilizing too! Not half bad!!!
-What...
Satisfaction from being gripped powerless in a human hand?
Elisicia was floored by Zallak's breezy abandonment of Holy Sword dignity.
'He's always been a weirdo, but not to this degree...!?'
Zallak. Had he ever acted this way even before the founding hero?
Elisicia's confusion only deepened.
"Haha, things are getting fun? Rishir. You're more absurd the longer I watch."
Jane burst into laughter amid the chaos.
"Wh-What's going on... The Holy Sword... can't control itself...?"
The elf struggling to keep up with events—
"Ah. I wanna go lie down."
And the plain exhausted scholar.
All of it unfolding within the impenetrable flash(?).
"Rishir! You alright!?"
Then.
A frantic knock sounded from the door, followed by Tuah's voice.
The light spilling from the windows had put on quite the show, plunging the entire Goose manor into chaos.
Worried something had gone wrong with Rishir, Tuah and Mangnus had rushed over.
"Coming in!"
They kicked the door open.
"Ugh!"
"Urk!"
Exposed defenseless to the blaze, Tuah and Mangnus groaned.
Mangnus nearly bellowed, "Argh!!! My eyes!!!"
"That voice—Sir Tuah!? Sir Mangnus!? Are you two alright!?"
"Forget us—are you alright!?"
"Yes! I'm fine!"
"Then explain what's going on here!?"
"Zallak—the Holy Sword—seems to have lost control over itself!!!"
"What!? The Holy Sword!? How does something this absurd even happen!?"
"No idea! The instant it tried resonating with me, this started!"
"That explains it! Got it!"
"?"
No.
I said I don't know why.
What do you "got"?
Rishir felt deeply wronged by Tuah's reaction.
"What's all this racket... Eek!"
Fienne arrived next.
"Rishir! What's all this racket!?"
She lit straight into him.
"Don't people usually worry first in situations like this, before scolding!?"
"Worry? About you!? Whatever—just explain what happened! Everyone from the manor is crowding outside this building right now!"
"I don't know! The Holy Sword tried resonating with me, and—"
"Knew it!"
"???"
No.
She wasn't even hearing him out.
Rishir felt wronged.
"Jane! What do we do in a situation like this!?"
Tuah consulted the senior hero's party.
"You tell me!"
"What!?"
Jane replied in the cheerfullest tone imaginable.
"Beats me! First time for me too—Elisicia says even her Holy Sword's never seen anything like this?"
"Even a Holy Sword encountering this for the first time..."
Tuah. Mangnus. Fienne.
The three plunged into shock.
"...Well, makes sense."
It didn't last.
They quickly nodded along, as if it all clicked.
-What... the hell are these humans...?
Just as the confusion deepened for Elisicia and Jane's party—
"Ah!"
Finally.
The flash's intensity began to ebb.
The eyes they'd squeezed shut slowly blinked open.
"Ugh, blinding."
Rishir muttered in exasperation.
The intensity had weakened, true—but only relative to before.
Zallak's radiance remained too fierce to stare into directly.
"What's up, Zallak? Isn't this over? Still got more light to spill?"
-Don't speak of a Holy Sword's sacred light like it's trash.
"What sacred light? Can't you see the huge nuisance we're causing everyone?"
-Kuh... Such shame...!
Rishir averted his gaze from Zallak and looked around.
'All addled from the glare(?).'
Hands shielding eyes, or looking away entirely.
Zallak's glow still commanded a commanding presence.
'Carrying this around would go beyond nuisance—practically a threat.'
Feeling awkward, Rishir addressed Zallak.
"Zallak. This light—still can't control it?"
-Yeah... Until my energy fully adapts to yours... I can't do a thing!
"And I can't let go until then?"
-Please!
"My lord."
Rishir, abruptly a walking lighthouse.
He grimaced and turned to Fienne.
"Fienne, just to check—think I can attend tomorrow's conferment like this?"
-R-Rishir...!? In this state, rest is best for both of us...!?
"...You're worrying about the conferment ceremony right now?"
Fienne eyed him in disbelief.
"Obviously. After all you've been through for it."
"Ah."
That the reason?
Fienne's expression softened; she nodded, pleased.
"Plus, I was kinda looking forward to it. Becoming 'Sir Rishir'."
"If that's why, no worries. Your title's already yours."
"What?"
"Conferment ceremony's just a name—it's basically a brag-fest. For the recipient to flaunt 'Look how awesome I am~' to everyone. With attendees there to clap and congratulate. Classic noble face-saving. Nothing more, nothing less."
"So skipping it proper means getting dissed?"
"In most cases, yeah? But you're safe from that."
Fienne gestured at the glowing Holy Sword.
"Couldn't do the conferment 'cause you were busy with the Holy Sword mastery rite. Better brag material than that? Way punchier than stacking the guest list with nobles."
Everyone nodded at Fienne's words.
"Then..."
"Yes. Like the Holy Sword said, best to rest till the rite finishes."
"Well, if Fienne says so."
That utter trust stunned everyone into staring at Fienne.
"..."
Ah. Annoying.
Shouldn't get smug over stuff like this.
The corner of Fienne's mouth twitched, despite her poised tilt.
-Just in case, stick with us till the rite's done. We might help if something unexpected pops up.
Rishir took Jane's party up on it and headed to their lodgings.
A full mansion lent by one of countless hoping to curry favor with the hero.
First thing Rishir did upon arrival: bandage the hand gripping Zallak.
To hasten Zallak's adaptation to his energy.
-Kuh... To inconvenience my master like this... Such shame...!!!
And so began Rishir's cohabitation with the Holy Sword.
"Dinner? Can't let go... Something simple like sandwiches?"
-Kuh... Sorry...!
"Bath? With my hand like this, skipping tonight."
-Kuh... Because of me...!
"Bed? Comfy enough... but this bright? Not sure I can sleep..."
-Kuh... Shameful...!
That day.
Spending time with the Holy Sword, Rishir thought.
'What is this, a cursed sword?'
Rishir had claimed the Holy Sword.
His quality of life took a temporary nosedive.
The next day.
Waking first thing, Rishir checked Zallak's status.
"Oh."
The flash's intensity had clearly dimmed.
"Perfect for jazzing up dinner vibes."
-Rishir! A Holy Sword isn't for—... Kuh—no. Fine. If it helps you somehow...!
"Zallak. Adapted to my energy at all yet?"
-Yeah... Won't be inconveniencing you much longer...!!!
At this rate, he could sheath the Holy Sword by tomorrow?
Satisfied, Rishir left his bedroom.
He set out to update the hero's party on progress—but
'Where'd they all go?'
That's when.
Sensing unusual clamor outside, Rishir stepped out to the manor's garden.
Jane's whole party was there.
Facing off with some man.
"Hm? Oh, that guy's the one? The new Holy Sword master?"
The man approached Rishir.
Rishir's eyes drifted to the man's waist.
An extraordinary aura and presence.
'That's... a Holy Sword?'
The man's gaze fixed on Rishir's hand too.
On Zallak, gripped there and leaking light.
"..."
The man alternated looks between Zallak and Rishir, a subtle smirk forming.
"What. Trial ended yesterday, right? Still not adapted to the energy?"
Then his own sword piped up.
-A full day gone and still struggling like this... Zallak, you really okay?
Holy Sword energy was notoriously tough to tame, sure.
But this was a hero candidate chosen by one.
They couldn't hide their mockery and concern at the new master's fumbling display.
"Aw, go easy. Friend here's trying his best."
"?"
-?
The man's head cocked at Rishir's vibe—like he was talking about someone else.
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