Speed Bump
Cassian staggered backward like he'd tripped over a speed bump. I watched him and summoned Astra, gripping it tightly. A heavy silence settled over the audience chamber. Every tense gaze snapped toward me at once. Their expressions made it painfully obvious—they were all worried I was about to cause some kind of incident.
…What? Seriously? Did they really think I'd act like a complete savage even in a place like this?
While I was scanning the room, my eyes accidentally met Bartholomew's. The old man was trembling, his gaze darting back and forth between me and the shattered floor. I quickly looked away. Guess I'd be getting an earful later. Still, if I beat the crap out of Cassian, maybe it'd make the old man feel a little better? After all, I'd be disciplining a rude little punk.
“You want to test the Saintess's strength against mine? Did I hear that right?”
Cassian seemed to have regained his senses. His tone was cocky as he spoke.
“Yeah, you heard right, you absolute moron.” The insult nearly slipped out at the end, but I barely swallowed it. This was an official setting, after all. I had to hold back.
“Come on, no matter what, how could I possibly spar with the Saintess?”
“Hey, you son of a—”
My paper-thin patience was about to snap when Leonid quickly wedged himself between Cassian and me.
“Alright, alright, that's enough from both of you. We need someone to verify this Hero Candidate's strength anyway, don't we? If his opponent is Nuna… whoa.”
Leonid flinched mid-sentence under Bartholomew's murderous glare.
“If it's the Saintess, no one will object. Isn't that right?” He hastily corrected himself and finished.
Most of the people nodded in agreement with Leonid's question. Bartholomew didn't seem convinced, but after exchanging a look with the Pope, he let out a deep sigh and nodded reluctantly. Then he turned those desperate eyes on me.
Please, for the love of the Goddess, don't cause a scene, Saintess.
That was exactly what his gaze was saying.
Sorry, old man… but I'm definitely causing a scene. In return, I'll sit quietly through your lectures afterward and behave myself from now on, so don't get too mad. Okay?
“...?”
Bartholomew tilted his head at my look, then his expression turned even more anxious.
Good. Looks like my intentions got through.
Satisfied, I gave a small nod and turned my attention to Cassian standing before me.
“Hey, Mr. Red-Haired Holy Knight over there. Are you seriously telling me to fight some frail little woman who looks like she couldn't even lift a stick?”
The sheer audacity made me want to stab him with Astra right then and there. But Leonid reached back and grabbed my wrist, stopping me. A silent battle of strength broke out between us.
Damn it, this bastard's stupidly strong.
I whispered so only Leonid could hear, “Hey, you wanna die? Let go.” He whispered back, “Please calm down just a little. I'll let go then.”
In the end, I relaxed my arm. After all, we were about to start the official strength test. If I attacked first out of anger, I'd just be giving him an excuse.
“Who are you calling frail? Have you already forgotten who dragged your face across the floor all the way to the middle of the audience chamber?”
“That was only because I let my guard down. Besides, I'd rather do something else with the Saintess instead of a strength test.”
“Wow. It's almost admirable how shameless you are. Just remember that the person standing in front of you is the White Silver Holy Spear. Keep running that vulgar mouth and you might end up in a world of pain.”
“The White Silver Holy Spear? Isn't that just some exaggerated rumor the temple made up?”
At Cassian's words, neither Leonid nor I said anything. We both knew exactly what had happened to the last idiot who spouted that kind of nonsense.
If he was trying to provoke me, it was a spectacular success—I'd give him that. If he genuinely didn't know my strength and was just talking out of his ass, then he was pathetic enough to laugh at. Either way, I was starting to get a rough idea. I'd know for sure once we fought.
“Mind letting go of my wrist?”
“Ah, yes. Both of you, please prepare for the spar. I'd like you to take about ten steps back first.”
Leonid finally released me. I shook my head and retreated a few steps.
“The match ends when one side is rendered unable to fight or verbally surrenders. Lethal force is strictly prohibited. Strictly.”
Leonid moved to a suitable position and looked at me as he spoke. Cassian reluctantly took a few steps back and drew his sword. I settled into my stance as well.
“I'll drop my hand to signal the start.”
Leonid raised his hand toward the ceiling and slowly began counting.
“Three… two… one… begin!”
The signal came, but neither of us moved. Were we sizing each other up with probing moves? No. I simply didn't see the need to move first, and the guy across from me… just didn't feel like it, apparently.
“Maybe you should reconsider? I really don't want to hurt a beautiful woman like the Saintess.”
Cassian lowered the tip of his sword to the floor.
“Hey.”
“How about we settle this somewhere else instead? If you come find me tonight wearing that killer outfit you're in right now, I'll be more than motivated.”
“Ha. This fucking bastard. Look at him running his mouth like he owns the place just because I haven't shut him up yet.”
“...?”
Cassian's face hardened at the raw profanity. In the distance, I caught a glimpse of Bartholomew clutching his forehead.
“If you don't raise that sword in the next three seconds, you're dead.”
“What are you—”
“Three seconds are up.”
I thrust my spear. The air split with a sharp bang! The tip of Astra grazed Cassian's cheek, leaving a long cut that immediately welled with bright red blood.
“...Huh? What?”
Cassian reflexively touched the blood on his cheek, his face blank with confusion. Had he simply failed to react? Or had he realized I wasn't aiming for his head and chosen not to move? Whatever. No need to overthink it. I'd just test him again.
“Next one goes straight through your skull. Got it?”
“Y-you crazy—!”
Only then did Cassian lift his sword from the floor. Clang! Sparks flew as his blade spun wildly through the air.
“A swordsman who drops his sword? Pathetic.”
This time I really aimed for his head. He hadn't seen the attack coming, but thanks to my warning right before I struck, he'd reflexively raised his sword to block. I understood now. This guy wasn't hiding his strength—he was genuinely trash. He had some talent, sure, but he was the type who relied on it without putting in any effort. Exactly the kind of person I hated most.
“Blocking isn't a bad choice, but if you can't read the power behind the attack, it's the worst possible decision.”
Why didn't you just back off? You'd have been forced onto the defensive, unable to counter my momentum, but at least you wouldn't have lost the sword that's practically a knight's lifeline.
“Strength test failed. Calling a pathetic excuse like you a Hero Candidate is an insult. I'd rather pick any random holy knight from our order and call him the Hero instead.”
I didn't need to see any more. I spoke coldly and turned away.
“Hey, it's not over yet. Let's go again.”
Cassian's voice stopped me as I tried to leave. I clicked my tongue and turned back around.
“The result will be the same.”
“That was a surprise attack. And I haven't surrendered or been incapacitated yet.”
“If attacking after the duel has officially started counts as a surprise attack… sure, whatever. But do you really think you can win if we fight properly?”
“Of course.”
“Tsk.”
He couldn't even gauge the difference in our strength. On top of that, he looked even more dazed than before, like he'd taken a serious blow to his ego.
“Fine. Let's do it one more time. Now that I think about it, I want to see exactly what's at the bottom of that pathetic well of yours.”
I dismissed Astra, letting it vanish, then rolled my shoulders to loosen up.
“...What are you doing?”
“Oh, this?”
He seemed surprised that I'd put away my spear.
“Using Astra on trash like you would be a waste.”
Cassian ground his teeth, then immediately snatched up his sword and charged at me. His speed wasn't bad, his grip on the sword was wild, and his movements were completely unrefined. Pathetic.
I twisted my body slightly to dodge the downward slash, then backhanded the flat of his blade. With a sharp clang!, the sword snapped cleanly in two.
“...What?!”
Shocked by his broken sword, Cassian's movements froze.
“Spacing out in the middle of a fight? Really?”
I drove my knee straight into his stomach.
“Ugh…!”
The hit landed clean. But Cassian swallowed a gasp and swung the broken sword at me anyway. He had more tenacity than I expected. Still, his response was garbage. I grabbed his wrist, flipped him over my shoulder, and slammed him into the floor.
“Gah…!”
His full weight crashed against the marble. His brain must have been thoroughly rattled—he wouldn't be moving for a while. The spar was clearly over.
But I wasn't done.
The bastard I'd feared and stayed vigilant against for over ten years turned out to be this pathetic? The disappointment went beyond anticlimactic and straight into pure irritation. Not to mention the disgusting way he'd leered at my body earlier. That just made me even angrier.
“You need to get hit a little more.”
“W-wait, I surren—”
I poured holy power into my fist and drove it into his face before he could finish.
Crack!
“Guh…!”
With a sound like his eardrums were bursting, Cassian's head sank halfway into the marble floor of the audience chamber.
Oh? Tougher than he looks. Guess he really is a Hero Candidate. I'd hit him with enough force to shatter a normal person's skull.
Shhhhh—
Black mist rose from his crushed face. I frowned at the sight. This was… definitely demonic energy. So this is what's at the bottom of you, Cassian?
“Demonic energy? Are you a servant of the demons?”
He didn't answer. His consciousness was already gone. Only his limbs twitched weakly like a dying insect.
I grabbed him by the collar, lifted him slightly, and punched him again. Once more, black energy rose from his body like smoke.
“Wow, impressive. The way demonic energy keeps pouring out every time I hit you… did you make a deal with a demon or something?”
Crack!
I punched his face again. Cassian's head sank even deeper into the floor. The black mist kept rising.
“At this point, I'm starting to think you're not just in league with a demon—you might actually be one. Huh?”
I pressed holy power directly into his chest. Holy power was the force of breaking evil and revealing truth. It was the complete opposite of demonic energy, so simply injecting it burned and expelled the corruption.
“Kuh… kuaaaagh…!”
As the holy power entered his body, Cassian convulsed wildly. Thick black smoke billowed from him, accompanied by a sizzling sound as the demonic energy burned away.
“Man, this is ridiculous. Just how much demonic energy was inside you? Don't worry, I'll kindly pull it all out for you.”
I raised my fist and slammed it down on his head again. Thud. Crack. Crunch. One, two, three times. Each brutal impact echoed through the audience chamber. By now, Cassian's head was completely buried in the floor, invisible. But I had no intention of stopping. I had to keep beating him until the demonic energy stopped coming out, right?
Thud—BOOM!
“Oh, it's not coming out anymore? Well, doesn't matter. Take a few more hits anyway.”
I raised my hand once more when—
“S-Saintess, please stop! You're really going to kill him!”
Leonid grabbed my wrist, preventing the punch from landing.
“Didn't you see the demonic energy? This guy's not a Hero Candidate—he's a demon collaborator. Executing someone who's in league with demons on the spot is perfectly justified.”
“Please calm down. This guy has records of frequently entering and exiting the Demon Realm. It's not strange for someone who's been there to accumulate demonic energy in their body. Though… I admit the amount is a bit excessive.”
“Hey, you…”
“If you kill him here like this, Nuna will be in a lot of trouble,” Leonid whispered.
He wasn't wrong. If I kept punching and actually killed him, it would cause a mountain of annoying problems. No matter what, he held the position of Hero Candidate. If rumors spread that the Saintess had beaten a Hero Candidate to death, it wouldn't do our church any favors.
“Tch…”
In the end, I stopped hitting him. I wiped the blood off my fist onto his clothes and stood up.
“Anyway, this guy fails. Calling someone with skills this pathetic a Hero Candidate would make a passing dog laugh. Thoroughly investigate whether he was really in league with the demons. If he was, cut off his head and hang it on the castle wall. If not, give him a few coins and dump him in a back-alley trash bin.”
“...Looking at him, he seems pretty much dead already.”
“Then why didn't you stop me sooner?”
“It was so satisfying to watch him get beaten that I missed the timing.”
“......”
I stared at Leonid in disbelief. He just shrugged. I turned to look at the Pope.
“It doesn't seem like we can continue the verification process. My body isn't feeling well, so I'll take my leave first. Is that alright?”
The Pope nodded. I gave a light bow, opened the door to the audience chamber, and stepped outside.
“This fucking sucks.”
It should have felt refreshing. I now knew that Cassian posed no threat, so I should have felt relieved. But instead, I mostly just felt empty.
Still, I couldn't stop here. I have to prevent the Empire from being destroyed by the demons. That was my ultimate goal. Overcoming the massive obstacle called Cassian was just one step in that process.
Ah, but he wasn't a massive obstacle at all. Let's revise that to a speed bump.
“Wow, the weather's really nice.”
I stared blankly up at the sky and muttered to myself.