Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Fall - 3
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Lepia said,
[Adwin called me. Seems like a crisis, so greetings can wait.]
‘Ah, got it.’
[Right side!]
At Lepia’s sudden shout, I twisted my body.
Kaild Wake’s sword soon grazed past that spot.
I could see his face hardening more and more.
[Don’t just rely on instinct to dodge. Watch Kaild’s hand movements carefully. You can predict his space sword from that.]
‘Easier said than done...’
[I’ll help you. Dodge like that a few more times, and you’ll definitely find the stance to use that new technique of yours.]
She was right.
I focused on Kaild’s hand.
Annoyed by my constant evasion, he was now unleashing dozens of sword strikes at once.
Left, left. Below.
Above. Right. Above.
[No. The fourth one’s a mid-level strike.]
Thanks to Lepia’s guidance, I had to dart around Agril in every direction.
What kind of moonlit gymnastics is this?
But I was definitely getting the hang of it.
Whenever I missed a strike, Lepia unfailingly pointed it out.
[Last three. After those, we’ll have some time.]
‘Understood. That’s our chance.’
[By the way, Maide. Want to learn proper swordsmanship from me later? You’d be a joy to teach.]
‘If I have the time!’
Lepia’s predicted three attacks came flying.
I dodged them all perfectly and landed on the deck.
Kaild’s expression twisted.
“The more we go on, the more leeway you’re gaining. I don’t like it.”
“......”
“No more playing around. Let’s end this.”
He assumed a different stance from before.
Ah, I know that one.
His prized swift sword.
Even if the blade itself doesn’t hit, the wind pressure alone would shred your entire body.
‘I’ve always wondered how my technique would stack up against that one.’
Perfect stage for it.
I bit down hard on the Withering Jewel and poured all my energy into my arm.
‘Here goes.’
[Got a name for the technique?]
‘Of course. Sword Throw.’
[......Pardon?]
Trail cried out desperately.
[Do you understand my pain! Lepia!]
[Who’s that?]
Before my regression, on one commission, I had to deal with rebels who’d seized a hilltop barricade, clad head to toe in plate armor.
With a river in between, advancing troops blindly would mean heavy casualties.
Their archers couldn’t reach that distance. How to take out their armored captain?
So I came up with it.
Just throw a sword?
An unstoppable sword that pierces and shatters everything.
The fastest sword throw in the world.
I channeled all my energy into my sword.
Crunch crunch.
In that moment, Kaild activated his technique.
“Swift Sword!”
“I don’t shout technique names! You idiot.”
A massive gale. As if the wind itself had turned into razor-sharp blades hurtling toward me.
Could my ‘Sword Throw’ pierce that wind pressure and reach him?
Time to resolve that pre-regression curiosity!
[The sword wind is immense, but there’s definitely a gap. From your view, two centimeters to Kaild’s right!]
‘Sharp eye.’
[Aim there. Anywhere else, and the power halves.]
Wise words, Sword Incarnate.
‘Sword Throw!’
Crackle! Crunch.
Like a salmon battling upstream, my sword tore through the wind pressure and flew straight at Kaild.
His technique was formidable, but it couldn’t overcome my move, bolstered by the Withering Jewel and Lepia’s advice.
Stab.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
When I came to, my sword was buried deep in his gut.
Kaild stared blankly down at his abdomen.
“Cough.”
“......”
“Why... how?”
He grabbed the sword in his abdomen.
Like I’d let him pull it out.
I charged at him like lightning.
Thwack.
His head snapped to the left.
“Die already. Wait, not literally.”
“Maide Mohan.”
“Fall!”
I arched my body back fully, then kicked the sword embedded in his gut.
It tore straight through his body.
Kaild staggered from the impact, then plummeted beyond Agril.
As he fell, he bellowed.
“Serein! Risel! Offense!”
“......!”
“Follow me down right now!”
A command, as if it were the most natural thing.
As we’d planned beforehand, Offense leaped after Kaild first.
“Huh? Old man! Hey!”
“You don’t have to go?”
“Ugh. I don’t wanna.”
“Then join us, Serein.”
Jenia withdrew her holy power and said that.
She was breathing a bit heavily.
Serein, on the other hand, looked fine, like she’d just done light warm-ups.
‘Holy power’s no contest—Serein wins.’
Serein pondered for a long while, then grinned.
“No. I think that side would help more.”
“Help?”
“I can’t just eat dirt forever. Kindness given deserves kindness returned.”
I smirked and said,
“Tell me what you want, and I’ll help too.”
“Nah. Too late for that. Risel, let’s go.”
Serein grabbed Risel’s hand and jumped.
Risel flailed with a “Wha wha,” but...
“Up you go.”
Jenia swiftly caught Risel.
“We’ll borrow this one for a bit.”
“Waaah. Kaild’s gonna chew me out.”
Serein’s voice faded into the distance.
As if in response, Risel shouted.
“Serein! Kaild!”
“Offense doesn’t get a call in all that.”
“......Offense!”
“Too late.”
“D-Dangerous. At this height, you could die.”
If that were true, would I have jumped?
That’s when it happened.
“Flying.”
Neril cast magic on the falling group.
Serein and Offense’s descent slowed dramatically, eventually floating down like feathers.
“You plan to recruit them later. Consider this a service for then.”
“Hm.”
“Note: skipped Kaild.”
“Well done.”
“More importantly, check your wounds.”
“Just blood. Handled it with potions mid-fight...”
“Jenia! Forget him. Check Maide’s wounds.”
Jenia still had Risel wriggling in her arms.
“Looks perfectly fine.”
“There’s always a chance.”
“This is the second time, you know? Up.”
Whoosh.
Jenia hoisted Risel onto Agril’s back.
Then she approached to check my wounds.
I waved her off.
“I’m fine. Let’s move fast. Kaild could attack from this height.”
“True, after taking that dagger from you.”
She shouted loudly.
“Agril! Full speed to Tetra Territory!”
Boom.
Kaild didn’t bother with a proper landing form.
He crashed into the ground, kicking up a crater of dirt.
Offense and Serein, who landed lightly thanks to Neril’s belated magic, approached him.
“Hanging Flying on enemies we were just fighting? Generous.”
“Uh, Offense. Not the time for that.”
Serein pointed at Kaild, excluded from that generosity.
Kaild lay there, staring up at the sky.
“Why didn’t Risel come?”
“W-Well, about that...”
“Whatever. Maide succeeded in the kidnapping, then.”
He dusted himself off and stood.
A fall from hundreds of meters hadn’t left a single scratch on him.
But that was just physical.
Though he spoke calmly, something was boiling inside Kaild.
Serein shrank back unnecessarily.
“Sorry. I tried to grab him and jump together, but that holy knight caught Risel.”
“Hm. Holy power aside, she outdid us in quick thinking. It’s fine.”
He rolled his shoulders with a crack.
Only then did he realize.
His abdomen, pierced by Maide’s sword earlier, was still gaping open.
Serein jumped in surprise and placed her hand on the wound.
“Heavenly god, extend your merciful touch here.”
In just five seconds, the wound and organs began to heal.
The injury mended, but his trembling emotions only intensified.
Kaild struggled to stay composed.
‘Completely outdone in every way.’
He looked up at the status window.
[Emergency Quest. Stop the earthquake in Tetra Territory.]
Even after stopping the first quake and gaining ample fame, the quest hadn’t vanished.
That’s when he realized.
A second earthquake was coming.
Kaild had pondered.
What would I do if I were Maide?
Maide would predict the second one. So he’d let me have the first easily.
‘That’s why I thought he’d kidnap Risel to threaten and stop the quake.’
That much was spot on.
Even luring him into handing over Agril played into it perfectly.
But the crucial part.
‘Outmatched in skill.’
Tch.
The emotions simmering since earlier were about to burst out.
No.
Can’t let Offense or Serein see this.
He gritted his teeth and suppressed them.
Once Serein finished healing, she asked,
“We heading back first? To Tetra Territory.”
“Yeah. Can’t help them stopping the second quake via Risel, but we need her back.”
“Let’s hurry. Even running full tilt takes days.”
“Hm.”
That’s when it happened.
Crackle. Fizzle.
A line slashed through the emergency quest text that had been floating.
[Emergency Quest Failed. Generating new quest.]
‘Damn it.’
He spat blood-mixed saliva.
Then rolled his eyes side to side.
Flip.
The status window turned a page.
He checked the ‘second page.’
The first page updated periodically with mandatory quests.
The second page was...
[Optional Quest. Execute the spy in your party.]
[Info. The spy is relaying your future plans to Maide Mohan.]
[Note. Information relayed so far is harmless to your path to becoming the hero.]
[Warning. Depending on party bonds at execution, the party may disintegrate. Decide carefully!]
It was the first optional quest that appeared when he got the fake hero’s sword from Padania’s Tomb.
He knew immediately who the spy was.
‘Held off due to party collapse risk.’
Can’t overlook it anymore.
Not to vent this boiling rage, of course.
Kaild muttered that to himself.
He was about to speak to Offense.
That’s when it happened.
Crackle. Fizzle.
The status window glowed suddenly.
From experience, a new quest.
Puzzled, Kaild flipped it back to the front.
The new quest horrified him.
[Emergency Quest 1. Retrieve Risel Vaint.]
[Emergency Quest 2. Heal Lord Dronoer.]
[Maide Mohan’s fame is about to surpass yours.]
[Heal Lord Dronoer to catch up to Maide’s fame.]
[Note. The Fake Hero’s Sword is destined to fall into Maide Mohan’s hands.]
......
What’s that last line?
The Fake Hero’s Sword going to Maide? What does that mean?
He instinctively touched his waist.
The hero’s sword should be right...
‘Gone?’
Lightning struck his mind.
He hurriedly flipped to the back page.
※Failed List.
[Optional Quest. Execute the spy in your party.]
Tremble.
Kaild’s fists shook.
Serein asked cautiously.
“W-Why? Aren’t we going?”
“Where’s Offense?”
“Huh? What do you mean? He’s been here since...”
She looked around wildly.
Gone. Nowhere in sight.
Vanished.
Like a ghost?
‘No, wait. Assassin, so that makes sense? Come to think of it, assassins are ghost-like. Ghosts and assassins... match well. That’s why so many assassin aliases involve ghosts?’
Serein panicked, her thoughts veering off.
But unlike her, Kaild pieced it all together.
“Ugh. Maide. Even this, you’re one step ahead!”
“Ghost, assassin...”
“Snap out of it and hand over what’s there.”
“Ah. Y-Yes? Oh, there’s a note left.”
Serein, still clueless, picked up the paper from where Offense had been.
But reading it made even her understand.
“Kaild. Maybe don’t read this one.”
“Give it.”
Snatch.
Kaild grabbed it.
It read:
-Seeking a better boss. Consider the hero’s sword payment for back wages.
That sentence finally burst his pent-up emotions.
“Grrrr. Maide, you bastard!”
He’d beaten him in martial prowess.
In intellect too.
And now, even in winning hearts.
Long ago, Kaild had lived with these exact feelings.
The misery of feeling smaller and smaller.
The emotions always evoked by ‘that guy.’
Forgetting Serein staring beside him, Kaild roared at the sky.
“I won’t forgive you. You, I’ll kill for sure!”
Step.
Serein took a step back.
With her sharp mind, she guessed why.
‘Feeling inferior, huh.’