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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Journey
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Did he not like that I drew my sword?
The unidentified man immediately pushed off the ground, swinging his sword at me with lightning speed.
"Whoa, wait a second..."
Bending backward, I narrowly dodged the man's sword, and I was more than a little flustered.
Because his movements were so swift and precise that even I, who rarely got surprised, was taken aback.
'What the hell is this guy?'
That question naturally arose, but there was no time for deep thought. A sword, heavily imbued with demonic energy, was hurtling towards my head.
To avoid the sword, I pivoted on my feet and shifted sideways. The black, demonic-energy-laden sword then plunged into the floor.
-CRASH!
With a deafening roar, fragments of shattered marble scattered everywhere.
"Huh..."
The destructive sight made an exclamation of awe escape my lips.
I could confidently say that among everyone I'd ever met, only my master could wield a sword with such destructive power.
"..."
While I was astonished, the unidentified man seemed displeased that his sword had shattered the floor instead of my head, as his eyes, visible through the mask, narrowed.
Be that as it may. I immediately leaped, bringing the sword in my right hand down towards the man's shoulder.
-CLANG!
I had focused more on speed than power, aiming for an opening.
Yet the man, who had seemed off-balance, already had his sword raised, blocking mine.
-SPARK, SPARK!
Sword met sword. Mana and demonic energy clashed, sending sparks flying.
"..."
As soon as his eyes met mine, the man pulled his sword back.
My sword, interlocked with his, was drawn towards him as if sucked in, and my body naturally lurched forward.
"Who said you could?"
Muttering that, I forcefully pushed off with my feet and spun my body.
At the same time, I swung the sword in my left hand. The blade arced, aiming to cut across the man's neck.
-SWISH!
But there was no sensation at the sword's tip, and all I heard was the sound of the blade slicing through the air.
My gaze immediately snapped back, and I saw a faint white line etched across the man's mask.
The man's sword was raised, and it shot straight towards me.
Thinking this wouldn't do, I struck the man's sword with all my might, imbuing my blade with starlight.
-CLANG!
As sword met sword, sparks and brilliant white starlight embroidered the air.
"Starlight...?"
The man, pushed back about five steps by the impact, tilted his head, uttering in a chilling voice.
For some reason, the man seemed confused.
"Hold on a second."
Confirming that the demonic energy on the man's sword had faded, I let out a sigh of relief and called out to him.
"Let me ask you one thing."
"..."
"Who are you, and why are you suddenly swinging a sword at me? I haven't done anything wrong."
"..."
"Is it perhaps because of this?"
When I pulled out a purple orb from my pocket and showed it to him, the man's pupils began to tremble violently.
A brief silence followed.
I used that moment to deceive the scales to their maximum, layering on as much acceleration magic and body-enhancing magic as I could.
"Let me ask you. If I hand this over willingly, will you spare my life?"
"..."
Had he sealed his mouth shut? Despite my repeated questions, the man gave me no answer.
He merely re-imbued his sword, which had turned pitch black, with demonic energy.
"Ha, hold on a second."
Seeing this, I sighed and pulled out a flask containing a yellow liquid from my pocket.
The man, perhaps finding my actions strange, paused his movements.
"Just wait a bit. I'm thirsty, you see."
He couldn't answer, but he could grant a request, huh?
Thinking that, I gulped down the Dragon's Blood.
It was a waste that brought tears to my eyes, but there was no other choice.
Because, after clashing swords with that man a few times, one thing had naturally become clear to me.
'That bastard, he was Mort!'
At first, I had my doubts. But it was only after seeing the occasional blue starlight erupting from his sword that I could be certain.
His true identity was the fallen hero, Mort, who was rumored to have disappeared.
'I don't know why that man wants this, but...'
There's only one thing I need to think about right now.
I have to defeat this man, who possesses power comparable to the Seven Deadly Sins.
That's why I drank the Dragon's Blood. Mort was not someone you could ever defeat by half-assing it.
"...Interesting."
Mort, who had been watching me, muttered as he raised his sword, heavily imbued with pitch-black demonic energy.
"So you're not mute after all."
Saying that, I took my stance, gripping both swords.
Was it because I drank the Dragon's Blood? Vitality surged through my entire body, and I began to feel as light as a feather.
"Godly Sword Style, First Form."
As I murmured and prepared to swing my sword, Mort's blade also immediately began to move, tracing an arc.
"Soul Rend."
A white line, heavily imbued with brilliant starlight, was about to cut across Mort.
Mort's black trajectory began to meet the white line.
"..."
I saw Mort's utterly cold eyes fill with surprise.
I saw the black trajectory Mort had drawn rapidly change direction.
-BOOM! CRACKLE!
With a tumultuous roar, masses of white light and black light began to erupt.
'Insane.'
Even amidst that dazzling spectacle, seeing Mort's sword moving gracefully, I cursed inwardly.
It was understandable. Mort had only been momentarily surprised; he had deflected the Soul Rend I unleashed with little difficulty.
"...My apologies."
Had he thought he had seized victory? Mort, having blocked all my attacks, muttered as he prepared to push off, and to him, I murmured quietly.
"It's not over yet."
"..."
Mort, who had been rushing towards me, spun his body around the moment he heard my voice, and began to swing his sword.
"Godly Sword Style, Fifth Form."
Seeing this, I sheathed the sword in my right hand. The sword in my left hand I gripped in a reverse grip, tilting it back behind my waist.
I tilted my body sideways, deceiving the scales countless times.
I bent my knees, concentrating mana in the soles of my feet.
I spread infinite starlight through both swords and their scabbards.
"Spatial Draw."
I murmured as I drew my swords. The starlight within the scabbards and the starlight within the blades created friction.
Both swords were swung, and the air began to warp.
****
As the young lady of a viscount's house, I watched as expensive wines and dishes, things I'd never even seen before, were continuously placed on the table.
Maids and butlers played their respective instruments, livening the atmosphere.
Perhaps that's why the members of the travel club were completely engrossed in the party's atmosphere, which Jeky had supposedly prepared with great care.
"Such an extravagant party for academy students... there's definitely something going on."
The only ones not caught up in the atmosphere were Daisy, who was talking to me, myself, and Fran, who stood with a serious expression far away.
"So, whatever's going on, pull yourself together. It wouldn't be strange for something to happen any moment now."
"...Okay."
I answered Daisy's seemingly angry voice like that, but...
In truth, it was hard to maintain my composure. To be honest, I felt anxious and uneasy.
The reason was clear: because of the man with indigo hair who was mingling with the club members in the distance.
-"Please try this. I just had a feeling you'd like it."
Among all the members, that man had brought a chocolate parfait only to me.
-"I heard a rumor, you see. There was a very wicked count and a wizard who tried to prey on a child."
He had even brought up a memory I could never forget, no matter how hard I tried.
It definitely shouldn't be him.
Yet, whenever I looked at that man, the demon who had tried to ruin my life strangely kept coming to mind.
-"Though I promised to protect you."
Just then, a sudden hallucination echoed in my ears.
My mind snapped wide awake.
My gaze turned. A man I'd never seen before today was entering the party hall.
Dressed in luxurious clothes, the man smiled broadly, greeting the travel club members.
The man, who had somehow reached the center of the party hall, pulled out a familiar-looking box from his pocket.
Jeky, who had been trailing beside the man, directed his gaze towards me. His eyes curved like crescent moons, and the corners of his lips began to rise.
The man, after watching that for a moment, also looked towards me and smiled, just like the butler.
The lid of the box opened. A pendant with a red jewel embedded in it became visible.
A faint light began to emanate from the red jewel.
"Daisy, open it!"
"Huh?"
Saying that, I immediately placed my hand on the artifact I had received as a birthday gift from Camel and poured mana into it.
As I saw Daisy open a sub-space and Fran draw her sword...
From the pendant I was wearing, a dazzling mass of light began to erupt.