Chapter 43 - Was This the Kind of Line That Made Villains and Heroes Awaken?

DRIP, DRIP—

Blood dripped from my blood-soaked gauntlets.

I caught my breath as I looked down at the man who had finally collapsed, his face hideously caved in. I nudged him with my foot a couple of times, but he didn't stir.

He was already dead.

Every joint in my body ached from being forced to move like that. I stretched and tried shaking out my arms. My whole body still hurt, so I dismissed all my armor and moved around.

Someone doing jumping jacks in a bathrobe in front of a corpse.

That someone was me.

As I continued stretching, something suddenly occurred to me.

What had sliced through the window earlier? The younger twin had seemed to notice something. What had she seen that made her jump down?

I had to kill that woman, Lucy, too if I wanted the 2,000 coins anyway. Whatever the case, I'd have to go find her.

Stepping on the elder twin's cold corpse, I jumped up and grabbed the broken ceiling with both hands. I pulled myself up as though doing a pull-up, hooked a leg over the edge, and struggled back onto the third floor.

Honestly, even I had to admit it wasn't a flattering sight.

I returned to my room to change, but that damned spear had wrecked the place, taking the wardrobe down with it. Every piece of clothing inside was covered in dust and dirt. Nothing was wearable.

"Damn it."

I'd have to use the ring again.

I threw away the bloodstained bathrobe and activated the Ring of Disguise.

WHOOSH—

After changing my appearance to how I'd looked before returning to my lodgings, I went after the younger twin.

Finding her wasn't particularly difficult.

CLANG! CLANG!

Metal clashing against metal.

Following the sound while heading in the opposite direction from the fleeing crowd led me right to her.

Lucy was fighting a swordsman. It was strange enough that she was fighting someone other than me, her target, but that "someone else" was stranger still.

Not only was he wearing a boxy helmet, he also had a scarf beneath it that looked suited to the desert. Summer was over, but it wasn't chilly yet. Just looking at him made me feel hot.

And despite having that helmet firmly on his head, his top and trousers were utterly ordinary everyday clothes, which made the combination look jarring. It was as odd as wearing a motorcycle racing helmet with a hoodie—a fashion choice that might mark him as some grizzled veteran of the biking scene.

Yes, the helmet.

A man forced to wear one, unable to take it off at will. The older brother Amelia had told me about. The fourth prince. The royal family's strongest swordsman.

It was Chiron.

CLANG!

Chiron's worn sword struck Lucy's neck, but it wouldn't cut through. She was immune to physical attacks, after all.

"..."

Just then, Chiron whipped his head around.

"... Sir, please... help me."

A voice that sounded on the verge of tears escaped through the gaps in his helmet.

043

"You... what?"

Lucy whipped her head around too.

"What about my brother...? How are you..."

"Ask him in the afterlife. And have him tell you about my amazing plays."

"You... fucking bastard!"

Lucy's eyes rolled wildly.

Oops.

Was this the kind of line that made villains and heroes alike awaken to new power?

I seemed to have boosted her stats for no good reason.

"Die...!"

Lucy ignored Chiron and charged at me.

But then—

THUD—

Chiron hooked her leg and tripped her.

"Gah!"

He tossed aside his worn sword and lunged on top of her.

Wasn't he supposed to be the royal family's strongest swordsman...?

"Ugh, argh! Let go!"

Chiron grabbed Lucy's leg and tried to twist her ankle.

Right, of course. If blows and swords didn't work, use a joint lock.

Like that armored giant.

But that thought came to nothing. No matter how hard Chiron strained, Lucy's ankle wouldn't bend. Instead, she flung him aside and rushed me.

"Answer me! How... how are you still alive...?!"

"I simply wasn't weak enough for your brother to kill me."

"Grrr...!"

Lucy hurled curses at me, her eyes bloodshot.

But then—

THUD!

Chiron tackled her again. This time, he came from behind and put her in a rear naked choke.

Covered from head to toe in dirt, he rolled through the mud with Lucy.

Was that how royalty fought?

"Just... piss off... I said piss off...!"

"..."

While Lucy vented her frustrated rage, Chiron merely tightened his arms in silence.

"You... can't hurt me...!"

Lucy slammed her elbow into Chiron's stomach and broke out of the choke. He still hadn't managed to overcome her incredible defense.

"Keh, khh..."

He must have impeded her breathing, at least. She caught her breath as she looked down at him, then kicked him as though swatting away a nuisance.

THWACK!

He raised his guard in time to block, but all that did was reduce the impact. Chiron went flying into the distance.

"So fucking annoying..."

The words came out like a sigh. Her eyes were still fixed on me with murderous intent.

Lucy staggered toward me.

Was this the third time?

That third time would be the last.

"Hey. Duck."

"Why? You think I have any reason to bow to you?"

"You'd better lower your head."

Behind Lucy, I caught a glimpse of Chiron taking a stance. He'd been thrown so far away that he was out of focus.

As I concentrated on him, my focus shifted from Lucy and settled into place. I began to see clearly.

At some point, he'd retrieved his sword. Now I could distinctly see him preparing a sword-drawing strike in his distinctive stance.

That was fear etched into me.

When I'd seen Chiron's helmet, I'd merely thought it looked familiar. He was a formidable opponent who had clashed with the paladin order time and again in my previous life.

But what his stance evoked went far beyond familiarity.

It wasn't an impression. It was an emotion.

Well? How many of your brothers died to this?

How did Blash die?

His movements seemed to ask those questions. That stance brought back the emotions I'd felt then.

The reason I instinctively ducked was probably that very feeling.

It was learned fear.

SHRIEEEK—!

The sword aura traced a smooth line, like a falling meteor. Shining brilliantly and scattering glittering dust, it streaked straight toward Lucy's neck.

It was already too late to dodge. Even if she did, it was so intense that merely being near it would melt her.

... Wait.

That couldn't happen.

I had to land the last hit.

RUMBLE!

Armor, spirits, buffs, acceleration.

I performed the sequence and sprang forward.

Don't die yet, Lucy!

BOOOM—

I took Chiron's sword aura with my whole body in Lucy's place.

I stopped it, but it sent me tumbling more times than I could count.

"Urgh..."

As soon as I regained my senses, I felt myself over with both hands. Thankfully, nothing seemed to have been severed.

Grateful to be alive, I gingerly got up. My armor, riddled with cracks like a shattered car window, fell away in pieces.

Then it struck me.

In my previous life, I'd been too busy fleeing Chiron's sword aura to do anything else. Now I'd willingly plunged into it like a moth into a flame.

Had that deeply ingrained fear never amounted to much?

Or had I changed?

I brushed the nearly pulverized pieces of armor off my body with a couple of pats and walked over to Lucy.

"Why did you suddenly... save me...?"

What was she talking about?

Sure, I'd saved her in the end, but that was because I needed the coins.

Chiron's sword aura must have terrified Lucy so badly that she seemed to forget I'd killed her brother. She sidled up to me.

Well, that made sense. She'd been Chiron's target, so the terror must have been even more intense for her.

It must have felt like watching an arrowhead through a camera mounted in the bull's-eye.

"P-please, let me live. If you get me out of here, I'll do anything..."

"Five young women are enough."

A spirit fluttered its wings gracefully in front of Lucy's face.

As always, it ended with—

BOOM!

An explosion of mana.

* * *

Chiron came straight over and stared blankly at me.

Strictly speaking, I couldn't make out his eyes inside the helmet, but I somehow felt him watching me.

"Why..."

Why had I saved her?

Obviously, I couldn't tell him I'd needed the last hit to earn 2,000 coins.

Hmm.

I'd just give him a line that sounded appropriate for the situation.

"She tried to take my life. Isn't it only natural that I repay her with my own hands?"

"... Oh."

Chiron nodded as though that made perfect sense. His helmet rattled.

In that case, I had a why of my own to ask.

"Why were you fighting this woman? Actually, before that, why are you here?"

I sighed and looked straight at him.

"Prince Chiron."

I let him know I recognized him.

"I wasn't... here."

That had been my triumphant declaration that I knew his identity, but he seemed more caught up in a different question.

"Where were you, then?"

"At... Billy Hospital."

Billy Hospital was... about four hundred meters from my lodgings.

Was he saying he'd seen the twins break into my room from there? What kind of eyesight did he have?

And that slice through my window had probably been Chiron's doing too.

"You sent a sword aura from there?"

Chiron nodded again.

He'd not only spotted the twins from that distance, but launched a sword aura too. It had been a little late, but it had certainly reached its destination.

"Sir Daywin... Amelia... thank you..."

Chiron shuffled awkwardly, then made a movement resembling a bow.

I couldn't tell whether this was his first time politely greeting someone or whether he was simply shy. Either way, his feelings came through.

After all, he'd sent me a letter saying he would visit specifically to tell me that.

Of course, the bold tone on the envelope and the man fidgeting in front of me now seemed like two entirely different people.

Achievement Complete!

[Kill the Death God's cult's twin brother and sister]

-2,000 coins

A notification arrived in the meantime.

All right.

Throwing myself into Chiron's attack had been worth it.

While Chiron cleaned his sword, I opened the shop window and purchased the [Royal Ring].

My precious 1,500 coins vanished in an instant.

Coins remaining: 1,000.

TAP—

A small, gleaming gold ring dropped into my hand. Its center had been fashioned into a flat circle, with numerous fine lines engraved across it to represent the sun.

It looked just the right size for Amelia's finger.

Her middle finger in particular.

Since Chiron happened to be here, I intended to discuss the election with him.

"Prince Chiron, could we speak for a moment? I have something important to tell you."

I spoke while staring at the spot behind his helmet where I assumed his eyes were. He nodded silently.

I took him to the teahouse Amelia frequented, and we sat on the terrace.

Perhaps blood really did tell, because Chiron ordered milk tea.

How was he going to drink it with his helmet on?

I was privately getting excited, watching carefully for the answer to that question, but he simply produced a straw...

"As you know, I'm helping Amelia."

Once again, Chiron answered with a nod rather than words.

"Not just with her life at the academy, but with her future as well."

I slowly brought out the ring and showed it to him.

"I intend to help her with that too."

CLATTER.

His helmet shifted as he flinched.

"Please don't ask how I obtained it. What matters is that Amelia can regain her eligibility."

I placed the little ring on the table.

But if that were all, I wouldn't have brought the subject up in the first place.

"I'd like to stay by her side and help her all the time, but Amelia isn't my only responsibility. I have matters to resolve in the marquisate, and other students to look after. Until I have the time, I'd like you to help Amelia in my place."

"But I..."

"Yes, you can't intervene. I don't know the reason, but the royal family despises you. Your involvement would only hamper Amelia's campaign."

Then I placed a second ring on the table.

It was the Ring of Disguise I'd been wearing on my finger.

"So take my appearance and run wild to your heart's content."