Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: 13. Other People's Stories (4)
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# 127
#8 Their Circumstances: (Former) Student Council President's Circumstances.
[We will definitely find you. And we will definitely kill you.
- Aris Lil Retia]
“Hm? What letter is that?”
At Ari's question, I carefully folded the letter I was reading and tucked it into my pocket.
I couldn't show a letter like this to her innocent self.
“Yeah. It's a letter from Yuglasia Academy. The semester's about to start, after all.”
“Oh, right... You said the education at Yuglasia is really tough. Are they doing okay?”
“Yeah. Feels about the same as usual.”
Meaning it's hell, but no need to tell her that.
“Sigh... Really? Then Arsia Academy's in for a rough year again.”
Watching Ari sigh and worry about her old academy, I wanted to tell her that the Imperial Tournament grind was actually better than the usual hell, but I held back.
Life at Yuglasia couldn't be summed up with just "it's tough."
“They'll be fine.”
“You're too much... Even if you were Yuglasia's student council president, Arsia has Rinea and Tinya this year too. Aren't you worried?”
“Hahaha...”
Hearing my girlfriends' names brought an awkward laugh.
Especially Tinya—marquis family or not, the daughter of border counts called the empire's guardians. No matter that she was the youngest.
I'd desperately tried to dissuade her from going to Yuglasia to get stronger, all to keep her alive!
Knowing her personality of achieving whatever she set her mind to, I'd fought tooth and nail for her sake and barely got her to enroll at Arsia instead.
Sure, I'd spent a while soothing her sulky phase after, but it stung that no one knew why.
“Sigh... Nerkia, you never talk much about Yuglasia.”
“Can't really put it into words.”
“You got mad about it even at the Imperial Tournament... and wrecked our academy all by yourself.”
Her pouty lips as she grumbled were adorable.
Who called this cute girl the Steel Flower? Arsia's students must all have eye problems.
Mwah.
“Ah, w-wait! What are you doing!”
“Hm? Didn't sticking your lips out like that mean you wanted a kiss?”
“N-no!”
I gave her flustered, blushing lips another quick peck.
My time back home with the family was winding down anyway.
Originally, I'd planned to help with my father's work and learn the ropes, but one letter changed everything.
“Not much time left here now.”
“Yeah...”
Ari's sulky look was so cute I hugged her without thinking.
She didn't seem to mind, leaning into me slightly with a sigh.
“Summoned to the palace right after graduation—the princess's palace, no less. My boyfriend's rising too fast...”
“Well, your dad approved of us, thanks to it.”
“Approved... more like... something happened...”
Her father had frowned, grumbled like he had something to say, but ultimately okayed our relationship.
And surprisingly, around the same time, I got the same from the other families.
“Was it the Imperial Tournament?”
“Who knows... Me and... big sis Iana are basically officially acknowledged, so...”
“Well, good's good.”
Official letters of approval had arrived from the families.
All that was left was to build a solid foundation so I wouldn't embarrass myself as their man!
“With big sis in the capital, ask her for help if anything comes up.”
“Iana's reliable.”
“I'll... I'll come to the capital too... so wait for me?”
“Yeah. Don't worry.”
“Cheat and... you're in trouble?”
“Haha, no chance.”
Kissing her slightly angry forehead softened her face into a grin.
What is this cute creature?
“Uwaaaah, I don't wanna leave Ari for the palace!”
“Eek! N-Nerkia~”
Feeling her scream yet cling tighter, I started wondering if I should turn down serving the princess everyone in the empire wanted.
And about a month later.
I realized I should've just refused right then without agonizing.
“...is your goal.”
“Huh?”
“That's your mission, as I've explained.”
The one speaking with an annoyed look was the empire's—no, continent's—strongest, the captain of the magic artillery corps who first unleashed the famed Imperial Bombardment Magic.
Being called by such a legend on day one shocked me, but what came next dwarfed it.
“So... Professor Niserwin and that legendary Ast are the same person... and you're telling me to catch the professor—no, Ast?”
“Yeah, that's right. Not expecting you to do it solo, though. Think you could nab someone who bashed twelve Swordmasters with an iron pipe?”
“Huh?”
Bashed twelve Swordmasters solo? Was that even possible?
Even the Sword Emperor and Sword Saint teaming up might not manage it.
“Well, the goal's force expansion. He's dodged Her Highness's full assaults twice already...”
The princess's unit was the continent's acknowledged strongest.
They held an undefeated record even in the Great War against continent-spanning foes—yet one man evaded their total onslaughts?
'As expected of the Apostle of the Evil God...'
Professor Niserwin really wasn't human!
“C-can't I just go home?”
“Think that'll fly?”
Something was wrong.
I realized it, but I'd already learned too much.
“Here, a letter from Her Highness.”
[Return home, and it's treason.]
Short and brutal, mismatched with the elegant handwriting.
And below, a postscript longer than the main text...
[P.S. I'm the one who pressured your girlfriends' families, btw? You run, you know what happens?]
“...Her Highness wrote this herself?”
“Yup. Guys with princess fantasies struggle to adapt... but I trust you'll manage. Because...”
Wiping away his annoyed expression, he grinned wickedly.
“Her Highness's personality matches Professor Niserwin's more than anyone's in this world.”
“N-no way...”
“Too late.”
“Yeah, way too late.”
The voice beside my despairing self was one I'd heard often last year—very familiar.
“Risens? Karen!”
The two vice presidents who'd been my right and left hands in the student council grabbed my arms, their wicked smiles clashing with their hollow eyes, and said:
“Welcome to hell, President.”
“Nooooo!”
One year after graduating Yuglasia.
Hell had come knocking again.
#9 Their Circumstances: The Birth of a Hero.
“Gahhh!”
“Damn it, rear guard—attack while falling back! That's how the front can retreat!”
Screams and wails erupted everywhere.
We'd barely held off the orcs, and now ogres?!
“Heal, can you recover them?”
“Ugh... Too many wounded. It's tough. And the ogre victims are all critically injured—!”
The priest Hill, treating the rear wounded, made me bite my lip hard as I pulled everyone but me back.
Only me and three local knights could land proper hits on ogres now.
The other knights couldn't even use sword auras, looking overwhelmed just handling surviving orcs.
“Lord Swin, you can't do it alone!”
“But you—your left arm's out.”
“Urk...”
“Help the other knights.”
At my order, one aura-using knight retreated with a frustrated look.
“Live and meet again, Lord Swin.”
“Worry about yourself.”
Reassuring him, I sent back the last knight, who'd burned all his mana.
“Three ogres...”
Honestly, overwhelming.
I'd already cut down a hundred orcs.
And faced three orc warriors—chosen by the orc hero, top among battle-mad orcs.
They didn't wield sword auras like orc heroes, but their prowess outstripped regular orcs dismissed as mere beasts.
“Even from the start, it'd be rough?”
Tough hides resisting sword auras, strength to hoist grown orcs one-handed.
Impossible.
The knight who'd blocked an ogre blow with aura to save an injured comrade lost his left arm—yet the ogre was unscathed?
“Impossible... but not entirely...”
Commotion from behind.
Knights and soldiers not yet escaped, villagers defending their homes—their noise rooted my feet.
-Idiot.
A sudden hallucination.
The instructor's voice from years ago, from an unforgettable "experience" that made me who I am today, wanted or not.
"I'm a bit of an idiot."
What he'd taught said to abandon them and flee solo here.
But these were villagers who'd fed and sheltered me when mercenary funds ran dry.
Food, no less. I couldn't abandon my benefactors who'd shared meals!
“Hah!”
My fierce sword aura scored the ogre's hand.
Enough to cleave an orc clean—but just a scratch on the ogre.
“Groooarrrgh!”
Dodging its enraged swing, I slashed again.
Clang!
“What's it made of?”
Aura-clad blade, but after a few strikes, it snapped in half.
“Any spare swords... nah, of course not.”
Glancing back while dodging, everyone was busy fending orcs with their own weapons.
Orcs were even turning to flee the ogres' arrival.
No one had the luxury to toss a spare sword amid life-or-death struggles between humans and orcs.
"Gonna die for real?"
As I debated sneaking away now—
“Ugh... Lord Swin! Here!”
Hill's shout—and a flying white sword.
“Hey, Hill! If you had this, you should've given it sooner!”
Snatching the impressive-looking blade, I drew it.
"Nice. Die, you bastards!"
“That sword's our church's holy sword! Sorry, but only Heroes can draw it. Just use it for defense...?”
Hill's shout from behind faded as I charged.
Deal with these first, ask later.
“Die, ogres!”
“Groooaaar!”
For some reason, the sword aura blazed brighter than usual, severing an ogre's wrist clean.
“Golden?”
Maybe this golden-glowing aura?
Damn, nice sword. Even enchants auras.
“Alright then...”
Secure attack power, and ogres aren't impossible.
And thirty minutes later.
“Whew... Done.”
Wiping sweat from my brow after beheading the last ogre, I dragged my exhausted body to return the sword to Hill...
“Hero!”
Hill, tears streaming, grabbed me.
Wait, more importantly.
“Hero?”
“We found you at last, Hero! Hero!”
“Ooh! Hero! Hero!”
“Hero!”
“It's the Hero!”
One by one, they surrounded me, chanting "Hero!"
“Someone explain!”
My hollow shout went unheard as I became the Hero.
#10 Their Circumstances: Some Villain's Circumstances.
“Cold...”
I hurried through the mountain in pouring rain.
Rain's perfect for escapes.
Running water erases tracks; dark clouds limit visibility even by day.
But even summer rain chills—and this was fall, deep in mountains.
“Freezing to death...”
-Still, foreign land—maybe rest? Hit a cave?
“Monsters might nest there, risky... but better than hypothermia.”
Dying cold beats capture.
But...
“Why no caves?!”
I dashed around cave-like spots, but none appeared.
Am I dying here?!
-There! Cave!
“Ooh!”
Hope! Dry wood ideal, but I swiped some oil from the village—should manage.
“Your turn, Iron Pipe.”
“Master needs me!”
Borrowing Iron Pipe's power, I infused mana into the small mana lamp.
Dwarf-made emergency light I carry, but needs mana to activate—always her job.
“Thank the goddess's light, aaagh! Ghost?!”
“Obviously a corpse. Goddess types shouldn't fear ghosts anyway.”
Iron Pipe lit up, revealing a fallen child in the cave.
Bad luck—died here.
“Eek~ Poor kid dying in a place like thiiiis... wait, not dead?”
“Huh?”
Mid-mountain of the massive Great Range.
Even adult me needs two days' hike to nearest village—yet this kid's alive?
“Trouble.”
“Master's the creepy lolicon! Die, perv!”
Taking Iron Pipe's hit, I stripped the kid's clothes.
“Perv! Master's hopeless perv confirmed!”
“Shut it! Quit calling me lolicon.”
“Human stripping a fallen... girl's clothes talks big!”
Hm... girl, huh.
“Kid girl here. Normally?”
“Lost child?”
“Yeah. But normal's never been my life. High odds she's a hunted noble—or demonkin!”
“Feels like something Master'd attract!”
Right. Ordinary kid wouldn't collapse in this cave—or meet me.
Check head: no horns.
Butt: no tail.
Pockets: no crests, valuables, mystery scraps.
No hidden stitched fabrics in clothes.
“Just a normal girl?”
“Unh...”
My shocked yell drew a faint groan.
“Hm... Burning up, so fire first... clothes dry, redress after.”
“What now? Looks bad...”
“Well, treat her.”
“Grabbed meds on the run?”
“Got some. Super effective.”
Iron Pipe followed my finger to the meds, nodded, approached the kid, raised both hands high.
“Ar Hands are healing hands☆”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
Thus, the little girl's cries echoed through the small cave.