The Blade of the Unworthy
For the sake of smooth story progression, manual level scaling was applied to the magic sword. In the game, it was listed as an item called the Sword of the Dishonored. True to its name, Eres, who wielded this blade, left nothing behind. No matter how many powerful enemies she fought, risking her life, or how many suffering people she saved, all that awaited her in the end was a cold reaction. Not only did the people she saved forget her, but the very fact that she had ever been with them was erased from this world.
Did that make the magic sword nothing more than a sorrowful blade? There could be many debates on the matter, but the game had already provided its answer. Just as an evil law is still a law, dishonor could also be a form of honor. Eres lost the memories of becoming friends with Arte, but the sin of killing Foelta and his companions vanished along with them. It was a magic sword forged by a god, one that allowed the powerless Eres to slay even the Demon King in a short period of time.
Then what if, instead of Eres struggling to save someone, the one who obtained the magic sword was someone intent on destroying others? This world would face an ending far more horrific than the original. That was why the magic sword had to be secured at all costs.
“Mel. Starting today, I’m going to train Foelta.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Who? Me? Or your sister?”
“……”
Foelta, you bastard!! I have to make him beat up Eres and Arte to spur them into action!!! Even if he’s just a thug, he can’t be allowed to get tongue-tied by a single girl…… though, to be fair.
“It would’ve been more normal to settle things with a fistfight.”
“You’re saying that after sending him to the infirmary? And after waiting outside all nervous that day.”
“When did I ever— And it’s because you came out late.”
It was fortunate that his injuries were shallower than they looked. Thanks to Melina quickly bringing Eres, he had been fully healed with medicine and magic. If it had been serious, Foelta would have died by my hand.
“I didn’t come out late because I wanted to. My sister kept holding onto me and asking questions, so I had no choice.”
“She got to you too?”
“Well…… She let me go after I answered her honestly.”
“You’re her little sister, so there was no need to torment you like that. But what did she ask?”
“Whether I’ve been doing well so far, and whether my master has been treating me badly.”
Good. If she knew just how terrible and inhumane my treatment of Melina had been, her motivation would burn even hotter.
“……Aren’t you curious about what we talked about?”
“Do I really need to be?”
“……You’ll see later.”
“That sounds promising. You must have talked quite a lot, then?”
It seemed she had pushed Eres’s anger to its peak. With Melina’s sharp tongue, that was believable. The problem was Foelta. Judging by the look of that guy, he wouldn’t even be able to threaten Eres, let alone Arte. If things stayed like this, Arte wouldn’t even bother searching the dungeon, and we’d never find the magic sword.
……Honestly, if I could just find the magic sword in advance, Episode 2 could’ve ended right here.
“First, let’s invite Foelta over.”
“Yes, by kidnapping Lord Foelta Alais first.”
“Then I’ll use my know-how to make him stronger.”
“By beating him half to death over and over.”
“That’ll give Arte and Eres a sense of crisis.”
“You could’ve just done it yourself instead of borrowing someone else’s hands.”
“Why do you have to phrase it like that?”
“Am I wrong?”
“You wouldn’t get in the way if you just stayed quiet.”
“Now you’re blaming me for this.”
Who was the one who isolated me from the very first day and said weird things in front of her sister? When she clung to me while saying strange things in front of Eres, I nearly lost my mind. The bad ending kept flashing before my eyes.
Hmm…… Now that I think about it, something feels off. It was already wrong to begin with, but now there’s something newly wrong about it. What could it be?
**
“Foelta? Where are you?”
Eres was wandering around looking for Foelta again today. That idiot had gone all the way to the dorm yesterday only to run away again. If he’d made it that far, he should’ve just finished the job.
“Mel, where’s Foelta?”
“He skipped class and is hiding in the changing room at Training Ground 2.”
“Tsk. What an irresponsible bastard.”
“You’re no different, Master.”
“Well, whatever. If the time’s going to be wasted anyway, I might as well make good use of it.”
“Please live a meaningful life, Master. You had a management class today.”
It was a relief that Eres knew not to enter men’s restrooms or changing rooms. Though, was it really something to be grateful for that an adult woman only knew something so basic? Her hometown of Respia probably didn’t even have public restrooms.
“Don’t come…… Don’t come near me……!”
“Foelta Alais.”
“Aaaagh! Leave me alone!!!”
He started convulsing just from hearing his name. His mind was completely broken. If left alone, he might never be able to return to society. What on earth had she asked him to make him like this?
“Get a hold of yourself, you fool.”
“Hiiik! I, I……! ……C-Count Colwen……? Is this another dream……?”
“It’s reality. How pathetic that the heir of Alais can’t even handle one woman.”
“O-One woman……? S-She’s not just any woman…… She’s a monster…… An alien!”
A noble actually believing in conspiracy theories. As if aliens even existed. When I was young, I used to call anything shiny flying through the sky a UFO and even played Jenga with the aliens that came into our house, but I learned through physical therapy in elementary school that none of it was real—it was all hallucinations.
Still, this state might actually be preferable.
“Get a hold of yourself, fool. I came to help you.”
“Huff…… Huff…… H-Help me?”
“Yeah. Don’t you want to get away from Eres?”
Before I could even finish speaking, Foelta lunged at me the moment he heard the word “get away,” clinging desperately.
“Please! Get rid of that crazy woman for me!”
“……Get rid of her? Are you giving me an order right now?”
“Huh? Y-You just said……”
And of course, I didn’t like this bastard who had recklessly swung a sword at Eres. I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, lifted him up, and watched as the madness in his expression gradually faded, replaced by pure terror. Not toward Eres, but toward me.
“You do it, fool.”
I shoved him into an empty locker in the changing room, clothes and all.
“B-But…… You said you’d help me just now……”
“You fool. What reason do you have for not being able to do it?”
“T-That’s……”
“You already caused an incident. What excuse do you have for not finishing it? Are you afraid of the Ripelreus twins? Or the noble society’s disapproval? Whatever it is, you’re trying to push something you can’t do onto me?”
“N…… No—”
“Listen carefully, fool. That’s the privilege of the strong. Do you think you’re above me?”
Foelta was overwhelmed. The display of power that crossed his line. The disadvantages that would follow. But if he didn’t act, the current situation wouldn’t be resolved. He was a clever one. Unlike Tarle, who openly wielded violence, he stayed behind the line to some extent while testing the waters. The type who left the actual execution to other violent thugs while he slipped away at the right moment, reaping benefits from both sides. If he hadn’t been like that, he would’ve dragged Eres away and tried to subdue her with violence long ago…… and died by my hand.
“The ones who can keep you in check. Are you afraid of them?”
“O-Of course I am! There were even Alto and Fria in that dorm……”
“Is that something to brag about? Then you need to make it so they can’t keep you in check.”
But that wasn’t my concern. Staying behind the line and testing the waters? If it were me, I’d have pushed that line far beyond what anyone could imagine instead of wasting time worrying about it.
“I’ll give you a chance. The same chance Eres rejected.”
“A chance? That crazy bitch rejected it……?”
“Yeah. I’ll make you strong. If you follow through to the end, you might even be able to take on Alto and Fria at the same time.”
“Those two at the same time……?!”
The current Foelta was weak. Weak, but strong. He had no unique magic, and his level was lower than the twins’, but he was still among the top of his peers. Unlike Eres or I, who had started with nothing in our childhood.
“Master, that’s……”
“Be quiet.”
Of course, whether I could raise someone who already had a foundation using my methods was uncertain. This was an experiment to confirm that. If he couldn’t make it, then it would simply be a pity. He was someone I wouldn’t need to deal with once this episode ended anyway.
“I’ll do it…… I will! I’ll do it!”
“Your eyes are alive now. Not bad.”
“Yes!! I’ll become a powerhouse no one can ignore…… and make both Eres…… and Arte crawl beneath my feet!!”
Hmm. Once I secured the magic sword, I’d have to get rid of him. Maybe I should mention it to Layla in advance. If I just checked a few details from the original story, I could probably send him off.
“Those bitches…… Where should I go? I’ll head there right after class today!”
“Head there? What nonsense. From now on, you’re going to train nonstop for a month. You don’t have time to waste on classes.”
One month. In the game, Foelta attacked Eres and Arte before the midterms, and the two of them grew stronger because of it. There wasn’t nearly enough time to match that. I had no choice but to train him relentlessly from now on. I’d already prepared recovery potions and ingredients for that purpose—
“Huh? You’re saying I shouldn’t attend class. That’s a problem.”
“……What?”
“I mean…… I have to attend class, don’t I? I know I’m running away right now, but…… Urgh!”
“How absurd. Classes, at a time like this? I’m offering to make you grow for certain, and you’re still worried about something as trivial as classes?”
“But…… The academy doesn’t only teach how to fight……”
.
.
.
“Master. You have nothing to say, do you?”
“……”
“It was a management class today.”
“Huh? Weren’t you here to study, Count Colwen?”
“……”
“You’re saying you didn’t come here to study? You’re already a count, so you didn’t have to come, right?”
“……”
“Master. If you have a mouth, try using it.”
……Damn bastards. Who teaches mercenary tactics and estate management in a fantasy game academy? Ha…… This was annoying.
“Count Colwen?”
“…………What?”
“Aaaaaagh!!!”
Alright. Time to take him away.
**
Foelta’s level was 6. Stronger than a veteran soldier who had survived countless battles. He had been among the best even among his companions, and he had possessed the talent to overwhelm adult soldiers since childhood. He had been overflowing with confidence. Until he saw a wider world.
Starting with the Ripelreus twins, who were the same age as him, there were elites who had higher levels than him and even possessed unique magic. Knowing he could never defeat such people, he had focused on tormenting those weaker than himself. Because only then could he truly feel his own strength.
Arte. She was someone who made him feel his strength especially clearly. And now, that very person—
“I can’t let her slip away……”
“Get a hold of yourself. We’re starting.”
“Ugh…… Huh? Count Colwen?”
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room with Count Colwen and his maid.
“Where…… is this?”
“It’s a secret training ground in the academy. It’s no longer in use.”
“How do you know about a place like this? I’ve never even heard of it……”
“Do I need to explain that to you?”
“No, sir!”
The academy’s secret locations had already been confirmed through the information network he possessed. There was no way there could be a place he didn’t know about. Just what was this place, and how did he know about it?
“Don’t just stand there blankly. You’ll die if you do.”
“Die? What kind of training is this……”
“It’s real combat, of course.”
Luke pulled out a document from his coat and tossed it to Foelta.
“A single Level 10 can fight a hundred soldiers and return alive. You know that, right?”
“Yes, but…… this is……”
“In other words, one Level 10 can handle over a hundred soldiers.”
Foelta examined the document he had received. It was a certificate measuring Luke Colwen’s level. Written there was—
“Facing one Level 10 is the same as facing over a hundred enemies.”
“How can a level like this even……!”
“Then how many do you think I’m worth?”
17. From this point onward, the boundary between those with unique magic and those without was said to blur. Someone who had accumulated that much experience and survived would already possess the means to bridge that gap.
“I’ll make you experience war. If you can survive to the end, you’ll become stronger.”
“H-Hiiik……!”
“One rule before we start. If you don’t want to die, don’t make any weak sounds—screams, groans, anything like that.”