༺ Resolve ༻
The unprecedented incident where both the Chancellor and Lady Tristan fainted at the same time ended with surprisingly little repercussions, considering the severity of the case.
“Damn it, shit, FUCKKKKK-!”
“…”
Of course it was Atalante who dragged both of them to the infirmary, wearing an expression that was similar to that of an evil ghost, all while screaming inhuman-sounding screeches.
Please don’t blame her for that though. Our Dear Headmistress was always the first one to get swept up whenever such an incident occurred, after all. Also, she always dealt with the aftermath personally.
Fortunately, thanks to Iliya’s delicate touch, none of them showed any signs of external injuries. They were just unconscious for God knows why.
The fact that the victims themselves didn’t know who to blame or what to blame for was a considerable stroke of luck.
Prior to this, Atalante, with a stiff expression, told me that the two of them didn’t have any intention to directly clash with each other for now.
“The Petronus Household and the Tristan Duchy have never been on good terms, but they are aware that it won’t be good for either of them if the conflict escalates even more than this.”
Of course…
“But that’s only because you aren’t involved this time, Dowd. There’s no guarantee that such conflicts won’t happen in the future.”
There was an obvious caveat like this.
I nodded at Atalante’s words with a bitter smile.
“…I’ll have to find a solution quickly.”
I responded with a sigh.
Things wouldn’t be limited to those two clashing against each other.
The conflicts between Devils would only intensify from now on. This was just the beginning.
It was especially the case if the number of Devils involved with me kept increasing; The likelihood of such incidents happening would increase exponentially.
Iliya might have acquired the ability to directly hit a Devil’s Fragment, but I couldn’t rely on it consistently.
Although the method might work ‘before’ a Devil went berserk, there were already some cases in the past that rendered it useless, like back when Eleanor actually unleashed her Authority.
“Do you have something in mind?”
“…”
Well, I do.
You see, it was inevitable that such incidents would occur. That was why the best course of action was to prepare the means to manage the aftermath.
And when it came to ‘mediating’ fights that were on the scale of Devils, there was only one being that was capable of doing so.
A Hero wielding the Holy Sword.
After growing to their fullest potential, they would be the strongest human in the world.
They were among the top two in combat power, towering above the rest, along with the Grey Devil.
“Judging from your expresion, it seems you are not too keen on that method, though.”
She was right.
Because both the burden and the danger of the method was far too high.
Not for me, but for Iliya, who would get caught up in this event.
“…But, it isn’t like I have any other choice.”
Saying that, I summoned a window in front of my eyes.
System Log
[ The starting point of 〖 Chapter 4 – Crimson Night 〗 has changed! ]
Originally, Chapter 4 would only start a few months from now.
But, as always, due to the twisted scenario, the date was brought forward considerably.
‘…It’s such a stupid fucking bullshit, imagine if— no, I don’t even want to imagine the possibility if she can’t wield the Holy Sword.’
The Hero wielding the Holy sword was as important as the Grey Devil being designated as the ‘Final Boss’ in the scenario’s progression.
Everything else could be worked on, but this part must not go wrong. The moment it did, the entire world would just crumble.
For example, the ‘False God’ and ‘Stigma of Ill Omen’ in the latter parts of the scenario worked on the basis that Iliya was the bearer of the Holy Sword. Without that, there was nothing we could do to defeat those guys and clear the chapter.
However….
‘The risk is too high.’
To begin with, trying to get the Holy Sword to recognize Iliya was easier said and done. The slightest mistake could send her head flying on the spot.
She passed the test with flying colors in the game, but…
“…”
Most of the ordeals she was supposed to face in the game were dealt by me instead.
So, the key question here was whether her ‘growth meter’ filled up according to the original game or not.
Her successfully gaining the broken ability to hit a Devil’s Fragment directly was great and all, but that was a whole different thing to being acknowledged by the Holy Sword.
Also…
“When does the Hero Selection start, Headmistress?”
“I heard it’ll start in a few days. They’re gathering candidates from the academies of each country. The Holy Sword doesn’t allow humans older than a certain age to wield it, after all.”
I nodded while listening to Atalante’s words.
Just like always, there wasn’t much time.
If it was gonna happen in a few days, it meant the main event would probably hit me without leaving me any time to prepare.
Which meant…
There was only one option left.
“…Can you do me a favor, Headmistress?”
“What is it?”
“There are about two things. First, I need the contact information of the Senior Professor of the Theology School, as well as the right to meet them.”
Atalante narrowed her eyes before glaring at me.
“It isn’t a difficult favor, so I won’t ask you why you need that, but you do know that person is a little peculiar, right?”
“…I do know.”
Honestly, if that person wasn’t the Senior Professor, I wouldn’t want to be involved with them.
‘Peculiar’ was a polite way to describe that person.
Because that person was a little bit of a lunatic.
“Second…”
That aside…
I sighed and continued.
“Please let me participate in the Hero Selection Ceremony.”
“…”
Atalante looked at me with a stiff expression.
“…Elfante can only nominate one student.”
“I know.”
In the first place, if you wanted to be nominated in the selection, you’d have to be recognized as a ‘Hero Candidate’ first.
However…
“I won’t ask to participate as a candidate, but as part of the ‘entourage’ to support her. The other countries would send something similar to accompany their candidates, right?”
“If that’s the case, I can help with that, but it’ll be nearly impossible to influence the selection process with that alone. You know that, right?”
Atalante replied with a sour face.
That was indeed the case.
In the game, during the Hero Selection Event, the candidates had to overcome the ‘ordeals’ that were presented to them. A supporting attendant or an entourage could only coach them, not helping them directly.
However…
“It’s nearly impossible, but not entirely impossible, right?”
“…Excuse me?”
“The things I’ve accomplished so far… Could they even be categorized as something that was possible to do?”
This was just the same old pattern again.
I just needed to do what I had always done.
Since the butterfly effect was caused by me, I had to take responsibility for it.
That was why…
Ultimately, it would be that girl’s problem to gain the Holy Sword’s recognition, but…
“I will turn her into a Hero, Headmistress. No matter what it takes.”
Paving the ‘path’ for her…
Was something I needed to do.
“…”
‘I survived another day.’
As soon as I returned to my dorm room, I rubbed my face tiredly.
With such thoughts, I glanced at the small bracelet wrapped around the top of the amulet.
It was an item Iliya had bought from the Tribal Alliance as a gift for me.
In my mind, the conversation I had with Iliya was being replayed.
-The Hero Selection? I’ll do it!
-…
Because of her overly cheerful response, I barely managed to say my next words.
-…Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into?
-Hm, judging from the way you’re speaking, it must be something dangerous, huh?
-Yeah, you punk. If you’re not careful, you could die. So please think about this carefully and—
-But it will help you, right Teach?
-…
Once again, her words left me speechless, but I kept my mouth shut this time.
When I did so, she let out a wide smile and replied without hesitating even a little.
-Then I’ll do it.
-…Hey.
-And most importantly…
As if to say that reason alone wasn’t her only goal, she added with a bitter smile.
-If I become the Hero, maybe I can find Oppa.
In the tone of her voice when uttering such a sentence…
Lied an unshakeable resolve.
Thinking about it, even though she always disliked being labeled as a ‘Hero Candidate’ or whatever, she had still embraced such a title. It was all for the sake of finding her brother who had gone missing.
“Caliban.”
[…]
“I know you’re awake. Let’s talk for a minute.”
Since the moment he has been stuck with me, this was the first time that he ever went this quiet.
Right as I was thinking this, Caliban spoke in a low, subdued voice.
[…You brat, you’ve been playing dumb the entire time, haven’t you?]
“What?”
[You knew that my little sister would have been thrown into such a place. It’s only a matter of time. So, why didn’t you tell me about this beforehand?]
“…”
He was right.
Eventually, he was bound to find out about it.
[…She’s the only family I have left. The only person who carries my bloodline.]
His tone was forceful, as if he was spitting those words out.
[If anything were to happen to her—]
“Caliban.”
I slapped Soul Linker.
This wouldn’t harm him in any way, but it should make him pay attention to me and clear up the murky atmosphere a little.
“The reason I told you this in the first place is because I’m certain nothing will happen to her.”
Seriously, did he think I was an idiot?
I didn’t let him hear it when the Chancellor was speaking about it, but let him do it when the Headmistress did for a reason, not because I was a helpless fucking idiot.
[…]
A dumbfounded pause came from within Soul Linker.
[…So what you’re saying is…]
Caliban hesitantly continued.
[There is a foolproof way to get recognized by the Holy Sword?]
“There’s always a way, of course.”
[…What way are you talking about? Getting recognized by the Holy Sword is one thing, but in the first place, even getting through the selection process seems impossib-]
“Nahhhh, that part is easy.”
With that, I summoned a window in front of me.
System Log
[ The ‘Sidekick of Survival’ Rule is activated! ]
[ Target ‘Iliya’ reacts sensitively to your moment of danger. ]
[ The target’s stats increase dramatically! ]
[ The target opens the ‘Eye of Truth’! ]
This was the window that popped up when Iliya knocked out both Eleanor and Sullivan.
Putting aside all else, there were just two things to pay attention to here.
Iliya’s sensitive reaction to ‘my moment of danger’ and the resulting effect where her ‘stats increases dramatically’ were critical points.
‘…No matter how much she increased her specs while training under the Fist Saint…’
The notion of her knocking out two Devil’s Vessels without them even realizing it was impossible.
Moreover, it was especially the case when one of the Vessels was Eleanor, someone who was gradually approaching Margrave Kendride’s level.
That was why…
It was safe to assume that the buff Illiya received when I was in danger was fucking crazy.
And that would be the key for her to secure a superior position in the selection.
“Caliban.”
I took a deep breath before continuing.
“Iliya won’t be passing the selection alone.”
And, as obvious as it sounds…
“We will do it together.”
[…What?]
“It’s a little hard to explain, but you see, if I get into life-threatening situations, her power will increase…”
[…]
This might sound a bit ridiculous…
To constantly let her get that stat boost, I needed to be continuously exposed to situations like where I got sandwiched between two or more Devil’s Vessels on the verge of going berserk.
“It won’t be hard to get into that kind of situation, don’t you think?”
The Hero Selection was an event where the governing body of each country, their selected Heros, and their formidable entourage would all show up together.
Even if it wasn’t Devil-level threats, it wouldn’t be hard to create life-threatening situations for me.
[…So, what you’re saying is that…]
Caliban responded with a tone of utter disbelief.
[In a gathering where the strongest from the entire continent are present…]
“Yes.”
[You’d be taking actions that are akin to suicide attempts?]
“Yes.”
[…And how do you plan on doing that? Are you going to start picking fights with every single person there?]
“Of course not.”
[As expected, even you wouldn’t—]
“I need to make everyone there get so mad at me that they’d try to kill me for just being there. Picking fights with them won’t be enough.”
[…]
In my opinion…
In order for Iliya to safely pass the selection and be acknowledged as the Master of the Holy Sword, that was the level I had to aim for. Just to be safe.
I had to become Public Enemy No. 1 of everyone present there.
And to do that, I had to do what I did best.
My specialty that everyone acknowledged I was an expert at.
“I will become a piece of shit, Caliban. A complete and utter trash.”
[…]
“Hell, I will redefine the meaning of trash itself. I’ll show them a whole new realm of how shitty a human being can be, and I’ll display it for all the world to see.”
I’ll leave the clean, upright, and pure image to Iliya.
As for me, I’d be scraping the very bottom of humanity’s barrel.
[You’re telling me you’re going to do that against the powerhouses whose strength are at the continental level.]
“Yes.”
[…]
After a long silence, Caliban finally continued to speak.
[…Right. I had almost forgotten because I’ve seen you being tossed around so much by others lately.]
“Huh?”
[You really are the best and craziest motherfucker I’ve ever seen in my life.]
“…”
Guess I’ll take that as a compliment.
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