Chapter 10: Sword Saint ①
It had been a year since Ange went to Ryuguin.
During this year, I had conquered four more Labyrinths, mostly solo. I felt like I was on a rampage. According to the reports from the Royal Castle, there were six Labyrinths remaining.
If I could continue at this pace without any issues, calculations suggested that my wish to return could be fulfilled in at least a year and a half.
Several things had changed over the past year. The most significant change was the further alteration of the party composition.
Here was the current party setup for our expeditions:
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Frontline: Me
Midline: None
Backline: None
Heroic Support: Ryuguin, Mika (the Hero’s dedicated healer and barrier master), Angelica (the Hero’s dedicated barrier master)
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“What does ‘Heroic Support’ mean?”
When I saw this plan, I couldn’t help but ask out of pure curiosity. I thought it was perfectly reasonable. For those of you who think it’s ridiculous, you’re right. It’s just that someone with a skewed sense of reality is by my side.
“It’s a position exclusively for the Hero. We’re stationed far behind the backline, within the double barriers we’ve set up.”
What the heck?! How can you say something so nonsensical with a straight face? I won’t even delve into the fact that I’m the only combat power here.
“That’s way too far back!”
No midline, no backline.
“We can’t always lend you a hand, you know? Isn’t it rare for everything to be perfectly in place? Sometimes you just have to dive in and try, or nothing will ever start, and things won’t go well. Well, that’s just something I learned from my favorite CEO-type YouTuber.”
That was the sage advice from Ryuguin and the others. Honestly, it only fueled my frustration. As I gritted my teeth and endured,
“As expected of the Hero-sama!”
“Indeed, the Hero-sama possesses profound insight.”
The sight of Mika, the Heroic Robot, and Angelica, the Tarlite, exchanging compliments beside me was oddly melancholic.
They were strange. A normal person wouldn’t propose something like this.
Yet, they had written this party composition down on paper and handed it to me with utmost seriousness.
I didn’t mind the composition itself. I would dive into the Labyrinth and defeat monsters. What I had to do was always simple.
It was just wordplay about a party composition that had already fallen apart.
However, my heart was strangely unsettled. I couldn’t feel the warmth of Mika’s compassion or the radiant strength of Angelica’s will from them now. That fact gnawed at my heart.
It was around the time I aimed to conquer the seventh dungeon that I arrived at a new town. By then, we no longer shared meals as a party, and I had rented a room in a different place from them.
I was more than capable of handling things on my own. That’s why my encounter with her, someone who didn’t seek strength, was purely coincidental.
While I was browsing for a slightly delayed lunch at a stall,
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I was called from behind. That was the moment I met her—Elise Gladius.
The moment I laid eyes on her, I felt she was out of place. The space around her seemed unusually clear. Pure. Noble. It felt like those words didn’t do her justice.
“Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
With straight golden hair that reached her waist and ice-blue eyes, she was a beautiful girl clad in a battle dress and circlet, both imbued with some kind of magic.
I was taken aback by her beauty, and she frowned slightly, looking troubled.
“No, I’m fine. More importantly, did you call out to me?”
“Yes. Could it be that you are the Hero-sama?”
“You’ve got the wrong person.”
“Then, what about the sword at your waist…?”
At my waist hung the Holy Sword. It had become mine after I snagged it from Ryuguin.
“No, this is a gift. I’m Yamada the Holy Knight. I’m technically a member of the Hero Party—at least that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
“So you’re that Yamada Ichiro…!!”
She hesitated for a moment and then said,
“I apologize for my rudeness, but I have a request.”
She bowed her head.
“Would you allow me to cross swords with you just once?”
It was said that she was expected to become a master of the Holy Sword.
From a young age, she had forsaken childish games, choosing only to train and discipline herself to become stronger.
All of it was to become a Sword Saint. All of it was to be worthy of the Holy Sword.
That was Elise Gladius.
I recognized the name Gladius; she was the daughter of the Knight Commander who had trained at the Arcana Royal Castle. Apparently, Elise had heard stories about me from her father.
He described me as a warrior who had endured hellish trials.
He said she had grown so strong that she could defeat the Knight Commander, the strongest swordsman, in just a month, despite starting as a complete novice.
He also mentioned that she was a savior who had conquered the infamous Mirror Labyrinth.
It seemed the Knight Commander had boasted about me to his daughter, and her eyes sparkled with respect and admiration for me.
However, aside from that respect and admiration, she harbored complex feelings of her own. After dedicating her entire life to finally being recognized as a Sword Saint and worthy of the Holy Sword, she had seen a hero, someone who had never trained and had never even held a sword, snatch it away from her.
Pure. Honest. Sincere.
It was easy to imagine that she felt conflicted despite her principles.
I understood her feelings.
She challenged me to a duel to give up on the Holy Sword.
“Give up.”
That was a word that didn’t suit Elise’s dignified demeanor. That’s why, to repay the Knight Commander’s kindness and to support her, I decided to accept her offer.
“Alright, let’s do it.”