Chapter 62 - Outside Story (3)

I had never seen an SS rank, either while playing the game or after obtaining the Scouter. Not on anyone.

I could only chalk this up to a protagonist buff.

A stat only the protagonist could achieve. A wall he could surmount because he was the protagonist.

Beyond S rank.

Three years remained until Laward graduated. I had given myself a long time to achieve my goal, knowing it would take those three years, but now I was one step closer—no, two.

It was only his [Divinity] for now, but that bought me more time to invest in his other stats.

"I mean, this is great, but..."

Couldn't you have given him even one rank in [Intelligence]...?

With his [Divinity] at SS rank, the paladin-exclusive skills he had demonstrated today would have grown another level stronger. If he fought Hakan again right now, the difference would be obvious.

"Still..."

I turned my head slightly toward Laward. He was basking in the praise of the academy's students and teachers with a broad, goofy grin. Somehow, he looked even stupider.

"Still, I can't just leave him like that forever..."

BA-BA-BAAAM!

As the awards ceremony drew to a close, the military academy's cheering band began to play. The students turned toward them in surprise, and Principal Ximena emerged from their midst, carrying a rectangular case across both arms.

The additional reward. She had brought the box containing the cursed sword.

The music and performance were originally meant for Hakan, the military academy's handpicked winner. Instead, Ximena walked straight toward Laward.

The drums sounded with each step she took, making my heart pound along. I couldn't know exactly how Ximena felt right now, but in her shoes, I would really... hate this.

She then held out the case to Laward, who stood on the highest step of the podium.

"This is the prize for the winner of the Peach Garden Festival."

With that brief remark, Ximena thrust it into his hands.

Bewildered, Laward accepted the box before he quite knew what was happening. His arms sank a little under its weight.

Ximena had been making no secret of her displeasure for some time now, but the music played on all the same.

Anyway, what excuse could I use to take that cursed sword?

Laward wouldn't object if I asked for it, but I didn't like the idea of looking as though I was taking his prize away.

Would it be all right to tell him he wasn't ready to use it and that I'd give it back when he graduated?

That didn't feel right either. It wasn't like this was his New Year's gift money...

"Thank you!" Laward said heartily.

"Yes, you should be grateful. This is the military academy's treas—"

"Thank you, esteemed mentor!"

"Pardon?"

Huh?

Ximena and I reacted in surprise at almost the same instant. Laward, meanwhile, stepped straight down from the podium and came over to me.

"Thanks to you, esteemed mentor, I've actually won a prize for once in my life. I dedicate this honor... to you, the mentor who raised me."

Ah. Of course.

The reward for winning was a rank-up, but Laward couldn't see that. The only thing he could see was the case Ximena had just handed him.

Laward had never wanted to acquire anything for himself in the first place.

But did he really have to do this right now?

The students, the cheering band, and naturally, Ximena too, all stared blankly at me.

"... Right."

And so the Peach Garden Festival ended with me looking like I'd used innocent children to steal the military academy's treasure.

CLUNK

As soon as I returned to the luxury inn in the marquisate, I checked inside the case.

It lay quietly within, looking exactly as it had when I'd seen it at the military academy: a longsword that was red all over. A cursed sword with an absurdly long crossguard that could not be drawn from its scabbard.

The difference, of course, was that the barrier surrounding it was gone. I could reach out and touch it.

Now that the red sword was in front of me, all sorts of thoughts came to mind.

In my previous life, Hakan would have obtained it just as Ximena planned. Yet a few years later, the Sword Saint had been wielding it.

It had changed owners at least once. Whether Hakan had abandoned it, died along the way, or run away, I didn't know, but the cursed sword had passed to someone else.

Even the Sword Saint had begun speaking and behaving subtly differently after taking up this sword.

To put it simply, she had been going mad.

Had she wielded it knowing it was a cursed sword? Or had she never realized it was cursed?

I would have to ask her. But in this life, I didn't know where the Sword Saint was, or even whether she was alive.

So I had no choice but to ask the person who remained in my memories.

I slowly closed my eyes.

Just a little. Just the tiniest bit.

Let me revisit those old memories.

062

The day I last saw the Sword Saint.

The first thing that came to mind was a piano melody. I gently lifted my fingers from the keys.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP

The Sword Saint applauded from where she crouched atop a pile of rubble.

["It's incredible every time I hear it."]

Once I finished playing, she jumped down from the rubble with a short cry of effort. Her hair swayed, shining all on its own even amid a war that had turned the whole world gray.

Pure white, with a drop of blue mixed in.

She approached, blinking her sky-blue eyes. With each blink, snowy lashes brushed across them, like clouds covering a clear sky.

["It's nothing special."]

["I know, I know. It would sound better if the piano were intact. You've told me a hundred times already."]

THUNK

She gave the half-wrecked grand piano a light tap.

Had moss spread over it, it might at least have had some atmosphere, but only ash had gathered on the old piano. Somehow, despite being half-collapsed, it still made music, though only in the lower register.

A gloomy, heavy sound. A sound that harmonized with the war.

["Not a hundred times."]

["Where did you learn?"]

["Private lessons, school... all sorts of places, ever since I was little."]

["When you were little, huh... I can't remember my childhood at all. Amazing that you still remember how to play."]

["Well, that happens."]

I looked around the ruined chapel as I spoke.

["You seem to be in a bad mood, Daywin. You're awfully snappish today."]

["How could I be in a good mood? On a day like this."]

["Isn't it a good day?"]

She leaned against the piano and gazed steadily into my eyes.

["Today's the day you become commander of a knightly order."]

I'd been a backup even among the benchwarmers, slated to become a free agent next season. Now, never mind making the starting lineup, I'd become captain.

There was no way I could simply enjoy it.

["Come to think of it, is it all right for you to be here with me? Don't tell me you ran away."]

["Something like that. They'll find me soon enough."]

["If you're going to run, you could at least go far away. But all you did was hide in the chapel next door. That's just like you, though."]

She smiled playfully, teasing me.

["... Want to run away for real?"]

Then her expression turned quite serious.

["What?"]

["Not like this. Really far away. Somewhere no one can find us."]

["Where's this coming from?"]

["Someone will stop the end of the world. Maybe the real hero is someone else. Maybe we're nobody at all."]

["How can you say something so irresponsible...?"]

["I'm serious. Daywin, let's go far away together."]

—!

Just then, a series of high notes sounded from somewhere. I reflexively turned to the piano.

["Did you just press something?"]

["Hm? No?"]

She moved away from the piano with an exaggerated motion.

["Right. Of course."]

To put it simply, I'd heard a chime. The sound of a key in the seventh octave, at the far right.

Even though this broken piano had no seventh octave.

["That's impossible."]

I put it aside, telling myself I was hearing things from stress.

["So, what's your answer?"]

["..."]

["Forget it. If you don't want to go, don't. I'll go alone. You see, I got a letter recently from a man who used to adore me. I was very popular when I was young, you know. Is he suddenly going to propose or something?"]

["What are you talking about?"]

["Why? Jealous?"]

["No, that's not it."]

I stared hard at the red sword hanging from her back.

["Didn't you just say you couldn't remember your childhood?"]

["Hmm, did I?"]

["You've been acting strange lately. Ever since you brought that thing back."]

["However strange I am, I can't be as strange as you."]

["... It gives me a bad feeling. Get rid of it."]

["When I find a better sword."]

Her firm response left me no choice but to look away again. She watched me for a moment, then smiled mischievously once more.

["Oh, poor someone. A woman this pretty asks him to elope with her, but he'd rather stay behind and trade blows with corpses. He'll regret it for the rest of his liiife."]

["Do you know who's killed the most paladins?"]

["Who knows? The Death God's cult's Number Five, maybe? That man in the helmet?"]

["Wrong."]

["Then the fox with nine tails?"]

["Wrong."]

["Is there even a right answer?"]

["He's right in front of you."]

Before the Sword Saint could say anything, her clear eyes wide, I continued.

["I've killed the most."]

["Get a hold of yourself. Those paladins you're talking about weren't your brothers. They were undead. Nothing more, nothing less."]

["I killed Blash. Was he undead too?"]

["... Daywin."]

Just then, Chris threw open the chapel's half-remaining door and entered. The sun passing over the gaping roof shone on him like a spotlight.

["So this is where you were. Come along, please."]

Chris carried an outer coat bearing the commander's insignia, neatly folded over one arm. With my back to him, I spoke to her.

My final words to her.

["If becoming commander of the order is my atonement, then that's what I have to do."]

Chris unfolded the coat and held it up behind me. I let out a long breath and slipped both arms into the fluttering sleeves.

["I'll pretend I never heard what you said earlier. I don't care if I regret it for the rest of my life. I don't think I'll live much longer anyway. A few years at most."]

I followed Chris.

["That much regret, I'll gladly bear."]

It wasn't long after that when I heard the Sword Saint had died.

* * *

I blinked, then blinked again.

Opening my eyes after losing myself in the past, I almost seemed to see her white hair shimmering before me.

It had definitely been this sword.

There had been other things, too: she would suddenly start in surprise, or talk about things that had never happened, behaving as though her mind were all jumbled up.

Her sudden death was probably also a result of this sword muddling her mind.

At least there was one saving grace: items that had appeared in the game automatically displayed their descriptions.

In my previous life, no amount of looking would tell me anything. But now, just like when I'd first obtained the [Ring of Disguise], all I had to do was look.

[Madame Anne]

- A sword-shaped blunt weapon said to have been used by the hero of a hundred years ago.

- Increases the user's attack power by 100%.

And I could tell.

A 100% increase. That meant simply possessing the sword doubled your attack power.

I thought I understood why the Sword Saint in my previous life had refused to give it up even as she went mad.

But it wouldn't be a cursed sword without a risk.

- Enchanted.

- Deletes magic learned by the user (permanent).

- The user cannot learn magic (permanent).

A cursed sword that doubled attack power in exchange for stripping away all knowledge of magic.

For a so-called magic blade, it wasn't friendly toward magic at all. Quite the opposite.

It meant that once you obtained it, you could only use physical attacks. I was very glad I'd already killed the elder twin.

That would have been an outright counter.

Now, what should I do with this sword?

Laward and I were putting holy magic to excellent use, so we were out. Esther couldn't use it for the same reason.

Veronica was a mage. Out.

Amelia used magic too. Out.

That left Lucia. And Rebecca, who wasn't a swordswoman but wanted to become the Sword Saint more than anyone.

But Lucia might learn magic someday, even if only something simple. The risk of being unable to learn magic bothered me.

Lucia was still young. I needed to leave her possibilities open.

Unable to learn magic in the future, and forgetting magic learned in the past. Cut off from magic completely.

Huh.

Wait...

I shouldn't be focusing on the inability to learn magic in the future.

It permanently deleted magic already learned.

Made you forget.

Wasn't it already clear who needed this more than anyone?

Someone who was forgetting herself because the mage tower had forcibly crammed all sorts of magic into her head.

In fact, it had to be her.

There was only one person who could turn the drawback of forgetting magic and being unable to learn it into an advantage.

The brightest heroine, and at the same time, the darkest.

Rebecca.