Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: 16. Burning Brightly. (5)
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# 156
#10 Their Circumstances: A Certain Old Man's Circumstances
“Ugh…… This won’t work either… Nor this one… Hmm…… I just can’t come up with a good idea.”
He crumpled up the paper he’d been scribbling his plans on and tossed it away.
No matter how much he thought about it, there was no way to challenge Melrn and win.
“But he’s a former Sword Saint……”
Was this the difference between a current and former titleholder?
No, it couldn’t be.
Back in his Sword Saint days, he had demonstrated strength beyond anyone else.
With nothing but a tree branch, he’d defeated countless swordsmen, and among enthusiasts, he was hailed as the only one who could be both Sword Saint and Sword Emperor.
No matter how many decades had passed, no one deserved to be treated like this!
“It must be that Melrn guy who’s the weirdo.”
That guy was the problem.
He should have realized it from the moment he saw that bizarre magic sword.
That guy wasn’t normal.
“No, wait… the one who’s not normal… is it me?”
Let’s rephrase that a bit.
A former Sword Saint challenging an ordinary farmer to a duel. That was pretty weird too.
But at the same time, it was something he couldn’t give up on.
“Sigh…… No helping it.”
He placed a fresh sheet of white paper on the desk and began to write again.
“‘The benevolent season in which the Goddess of Gracious Autumn bestows her mercy has arrived. To you farmers…’ No, that’s not it!”
He screamed and crumpled up the paper, throwing it away again.
What he was writing now was a duel challenge!
It had to be something that, the moment Melrn read it, would stir his earnest plea and heroic spirit, compelling him to settle things as swordsmen!
“To think it would be this difficult……”
He’d never realized before.
He’d always been on the receiving end of duel challenges.
He had no idea how hard it was to write one.
It was so tough that he regretted not fighting more swordsmen back in his Sword Saint days just to avoid ever having to write one.
“Asking a farmer busy with the harvest to pick up a sword……”
He scratched his head and pulled out another sheet of paper—that was the moment.
“Killing intent.”
Along with a surge of mana, a sinister killing intent poured out.
High-level experts.
And not just one.
Four of them, able to conceal their mana so well even he couldn’t detect them until now.
“Ellis!”
And they were targeting a house with only a fragile little girl and her pet inside—not him!
He grabbed his Omenblade and charged outside.
What he saw was three robed figures and a one-armed man with a severed left arm, all glaring at a golden-haired young man.
At the same time, the young man was positioned to protect Ellis behind him.
“Who the hell are you?”
The moment the enemies turned at his voice, he drew and swung his Omenblade.
Even suspicious intruders deserved to hear him out first.
But the moment he saw the face of the one-armed man as he turned, he swung without hesitation.
“Demons, all the way out here!”
The body was humanlike, but the head was that of a dog.
Unlike beastkin, it had long horns protruding from both sides of its head.
Those horns symbolized one thing: demon.
Boom!
“Urk……”
The robed man in front groaned as he took the Omenblade’s strike.
‘Strong.’
It was a surprise attack.
The instant he recognized it as a demon, he infused his sword with sword energy and swung, but the foe blocked it effortlessly.
The groan wasn’t even from the attack’s pain—it was because the robe caught fire from the flames infused in the Omenblade.
“Damn it…… You’re a real pain.”
He spat a short curse and tossed off his robe.
“Lizardman?”
A lizard in human form, covered head to toe in red scales.
He knew of such monsters.
But,
“Don’t compare me, a great dragonkin, to such lowly vermin, human.”
Reptilian eyes glared at him with murderous intent.
“I am the chieftain of the dragonkin, inheritors of dragon blood, and one of Lord Agreat’s Four Heavenly Kings: Garsa!”
At the same time, the heat pouring from his entire body was a fierce blaze that rivaled the Omenblade’s power.
“The guy who kept telling us to hold back until now……”
“Succubus is found anyway. No need to hide our power here.”
The ones behind him began shedding their robes one by one.
“I am likewise the chieftain of the wolfkin tribe and one of Lord Agreat’s Four Heavenly Kings: Relks.”
“Same here—a subordinate, the chieftain of the snake tribe and one of Lord Agreat’s Four Heavenly Kings: Selkarel.”
Monsters with wolf and snake heads.
Their auras were just a touch below the flame-spewer’s but on the same level.
“My name is Steon. Former… nah, just the grandpa next door to that kid.”
He drew his Omenblade and focused his mana.
A prolonged fight meant certain defeat.
He had to quickly reduce their numbers for any chance of victory.
“Formless Swordsmanship.”
“Kill him!”
White flames ignited along his sword with the sword aura.
At Garsa’s shout upon seeing it, the other two demons charged.
“Thousand Strikes!”
Incredible speed from such a greatsword.
Only possible because it was the dwarven-forged magic sword Omenblade, light as it was, unleashing a barrage that left the two demons flustered.
“Grah! This much is nothing!”
“Poison Mist.”
But that was it.
The wolf-headed demon blocked the sword aura and white flames with a punch gathered in aura, while the snake-headed one exhaled green poisonous fog from its mouth.
“Fire Dragon’s Breath.”
“Urk!”
He withdrew his sword to dodge the poison mist, only for blue flames to come flying.
“Demons use their heads as weapons, huh!”
He blocked the blue flames with Omenblade and charged straight in.
“Urk, you’ll regret ignoring me.”
“One-armed bastard!”
Even the last one, the one-armed dog-headed demon, joined the fray.
This was bad.
He’d been called Sword Saint and fought countless warriors.
Not just humans— he’d faced challenges from elf and dwarf warriors too.
Even so, this was his first time fighting demons.
Fighting foes who spewed flames or poison fog from their heads was an entirely new experience, even for a former Sword Saint like him.
“Strong human. Retreat now and you might just—damn it!”
The dragon-headed demon spoke, but he attacked first.
Demons were the enemy. As a warrior, as a fighter, they deserved no mercy!
‘…Why does that voice in my head sound like Melrn’s!’
He moved his body to the whisper echoing in his mind.
Something felt off, but right now, protecting that child came first.
Who knew?
Maybe as thanks for saving his daughter, the guy would grant a rematch with that silver magic sword!
“Grah, cowardly human!”
“Shut up while ganging up four against one, demons!”
Repeating the voice in his head verbatim enraged the demons as they lunged.
The dog-headed and wolf-headed demons attacked with hands, feet, claws, and fangs.
The dragon-headed one spewed flames from the middle, casting magic, providing support, and directing the others.
Finally, the snake-headed one hurled black orbs that seemed like poison and curses.
One-on-one, he’d have a shot, but their combined assault was steadily wearing him down.
‘Good thing.’
Yet he felt relief for one reason alone.
If not for the Omenblade he’d received from the Red Hammer Clan after losing to Melrn’s magic sword, he wouldn’t have even held this long.
‘Sure enough, the truth is in the weapon!’
The melee demons couldn’t easily close in due to the flames rising from his sword.
Only the dragon-headed one could ignore them.
Especially the white flames that even burned away the snake-headed demon’s poison fog—that’s why he wasn’t losing ground despite the four-on-one.
“Urk, no time! Charge in even if it costs us!”
But that didn’t last.
At the dragon-headed demon’s shout, the dog- and wolf-headed ones pressed on, ignoring their burning bodies.
And moreover.
“No!”
The dragon-headed demon wasn’t coming for him—it bolted toward Ellis, who was fleeing toward the house.
“Crack up! Our target’s just this brat. No need to fight you!”
“Urk!”
“Misha!”
The golden-haired youth who lunged to block the charging dragon-headed demon screamed and flew through the air.
“Keh heh heh. He acts the meekest, but that one’s a fire dragon descendant.”
“Strongest among demons at handling flames.”
Sneering, the dog- and wolf-headed demons pressed him harder.
No time left.
He couldn’t let that cute, delicate child fall into the vile demons’ hands.
“Won’t back down!”
But even with his legendary magic sword Omenblade, he couldn’t break free of these two’s combined attack.
And shortly after.
Melrn’s peaceful millet fields, symbols of tranquility, began to burn.
In a development he truly hadn’t foreseen.
#11 Their Circumstances: A Certain Daughter’s Circumstances
In that instant, a golden light flashed, Misha vanished, and a young big brother popped out.
But I knew right away.
It’s not big brother. That’s Misha!
Proving it, Misha declared himself Misha.
“My name is… Misha. The big brother of your benefactor… the one you’re trying to take!”
N-No, not big brother!
After that, the neighbor grandpa arrived and started fighting these monster-like uncles.
“Benefactor, we have to run.”
Misha, with his shining golden hair and golden eyes, looked at me with a serious face.
I nodded with the exact same expression and said,
“Yeah, but… Misha!”
“Yeah?”
“I-I’m the big sister!”
This was non-negotiable.
No matter how suddenly he’d grown, I was still Misha’s big sister.
That fact wouldn’t change even if Misha’s appearance did!
“Um, benefactor, I’ve always wanted to say this, but… I’m a guy?”
“Yeah?”
“Even if we’re family, guy and girl—we can’t have a big sister.”
“Ku-gong!”
Now I finally understood why big sister sometimes said “Ku-gong!” to Daddy.
I couldn’t endure this shock without yelling it out.
But before I could recover, Misha stood me up from where I’d collapsed and said,
“Benefactor! This isn’t the time to lounge around! We have to run now!”
“Y-Yeah!”
Whether to call Misha big brother from now on, or tell Misha to call me big brother instead of big sister—that could wait.
Right now, like Misha said, it was time to escape those scary uncles.
I grabbed Misha’s hand, stood, and looked around.
The millet fields dyed golden, and long cornfields caught my eye first.
“Where to run? Ah!”
This morning, Daddy said,
If anything happens, run to the secret space in the basement!
Daddy really did know everything!
“Basement!”
“Basement?”
“Daddy said if we ever need to run, go to the basement.”
“So that guy did know something……”
Misha frowned a bit but soon nodded.
“Alright. Let’s head underground.”
“Let’s go, Kkoko.”
“Mommy……”
Kkoko trembled at the scary uncles’ aura.
“It’s okay, Mommy will protect you!”
“N-No! I’ll protect Mommy!”
My legs were shaking too, but Kkoko spread his wings, vowing to protect me despite his fear.
I must be a happy mommy!
“Yeah. Mommy protects Kkoko, and Kkoko protects Mommy.”
“Yeah!”
I worried about Grandpa, but Grandpa was spewing flames and driving back the monsters instead.
Daddy said in situations like this, running away fast actually helps more.
Daddy’s always right.
So I, who couldn’t help, had to run.
“Let’s go, kids!”
I hugged Kkoko and followed behind Misha.
“Where do you think you’re running!”
But soon a scary-faced monster charged at us,
“Keep running, benefactor!”
And Misha ran to block it.
“Where’d a half-breed neither beast nor human come from!”
“Urk!”
“Misha!”
But Misha spat blood and flew through the air from the flame-spewing monster’s attack.
“Come here, brat!”
The moment I shut my eyes tight as the monster’s hand reached for me.
“I’ll protect Mommy!”
Kkoko’s cry, filled with fear yet brimming with resolve.
“Ah……”
I collapsed to the ground in deep despair.