â So, you be his strength.
The holy sword still remembered that voice.
The one who created it had seen the future and prepared for it. And she told the holy sword that it would be good to be his strength.
Following that order, the holy sword had slumbered within the ruins. It wasnât lonely. All it had left was its mission. So it waited, and waited, for an eternity.
For the prophesied day. But as time passed, it couldnât help but feel a sense of loneliness.
âI wish I had been created as a tool without emotions,â it thought.
But the wait eventually ended.
The hero who broke through the trials of the ruins and reached it finally appeared. Their first impression wasnât good, to say the least.
Putting aside his appearance, the power he possessed didnât seem that strong. It was a shame to call him a mere nouveau riche, but his power fell short of a true hero. That was the holy swordâs first impression.
[You seem weak. But the fact you made it this far means youâre something special, right?]
â...â
[Hey! Are you even listening to me?]
The holy swordâs reaction was natural.
Only those worthy could hear its voice. In other words, the weak couldnât hear it. But could someone who passed the trials of the ruins not hear its voice?
Those trials were designed to filter out the weaklings. He had passed those trials, so even though he looked weak on the outside, he must have hidden strength.
The holy sword believed that.
But he didnât answer. The holy sword kept trying to talk to him, but he remained silent.
Soon, doubt turned into suspicion...
[Huh?]
The holy sword came to its senses, lying on the ground. As if it were worthless trash.
What is this? it thought. And then, it saw it. Hansâs rage.
âHow unpleasant. Who chooses whom?â
The cold, icy voice echoed in the holy swordâs ears.
It finally realized.
The man hadnât been unable to hear its voice.
He had deliberately ignored it.
[No, why?! How could you?! I... I...!!]
âI donât need a weapon that tries to control its master.â
[...!!!]
A weapon that tries to control its master.
Those words pierced the holy swordâs heart like an arrow.
Had it been too excited to meet him after all these years? Or had it deluded itself into thinking it had to lead him?
It had forgotten the most important thing for a sword. A sword was merely a tool. And how to use that tool was entirely up to the master.
Even a humble, old kitchen knife could become a legendary blade capable of cutting anything if wielded by a master. Conversely, even a legendary blade would become trash if wielded by someone worthless. RÌ
âOne cannot become stronger by relying on a weapon.â
And that man understood that truth very well.
Yes, even though his power might be weak, he was like a sharp sword, honed to perfection through relentless self-discipline.
The holy sword was already moving. After eons, it had finally met a master worthy of the name. It didnât want to part with him. That was why it clung to him like a leech.
But naturally, from Hansâs perspective, who couldnât hear the holy swordâs voice, it was a nuisance. It was fine when he held it in his hand, but it fiercely resisted any other form of contact.
Dezra, the Rusty Tyrant, even tried to touch it, only to have his entire arm scorched as if struck by lightning. In the end, Hans had no choice but to take possession of the holy sword.
[Beastmen. They like them best.]
[...]
âThose bastards are dangerous.â
Eating beastmen was the same as cannibalism. That meant they could easily eat humans too. He wanted to cut ties with them immediately, but he couldnât ignore their strength.
After all, it was the orcs who were protecting them from the monsters swarming from the north.
Of course, it was typical of the orcs that they were doing it because they wanted to, not because anyone asked them to.
There was nothing to be gained from being friendly with them. But for the sake of his goal, he had to...
Hans tilted his head.
It happened again. His thoughts were suddenly cut off.
âThis feeling... itâs similar to the Comprachico incident...!!â
His memories were unnaturally fragmented.
Hans gritted his teeth.
What was going on?
âI donât know... my head hurts. I canât think anymore.â
Hans slowly moved his body.
âTeacher?â
â...Helia?â
âIs something wrong...?â
â?! Helia!!â
It was natural for Helia to notice that Hans wasnât well. But at the same time, Heliaâs body slowly collapsed.
Hans was startled and rushed to her side.
Helia was lying unconscious. Hans stared at her silently, then looked up. A chilling coldness... it didnât need to speak. It was announcing its presence.
It was similar to the chill he had felt before. The presence of the monster he had spoken to through a door. Then, a girl with brilliant blonde hair appeared before him.
She smiled sweetly and said,
âI was wondering why a man like you was under hypnosis. So thatâs what happened.â
â...Vampire Lord.â
âWell, it doesnât matter. This is also a form of entertainment.â
She had thought something was strange the moment she saw him.
The Commander of the Royal Knights, under hypnosis?
She even wondered if he was a puppet, but after meeting him, she knew he wasnât.
That child called him Teacher. That meant he had let his guard down and been caught by her.
Lucy, the Vampire Lord, smiled and reached out her hand.
She hadnât planned on getting involved.
But now that there was an opportunity...
Arenât you curious?
How will the Commander react to them when the hypnosis is lifted?
[T/N: Lol fourth wall break kinda funny cuz true yeah we wanna know broooo]
[Translator Notes]
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