[21st Round] Above Your Head!
My son Chris was undoubtedly born from the womb of the Sword Princess, who attracted the attention of the sweet three-year-old emperor.
But after that?
My son became an entirely independent, complete soul that no longer needed to be mothered.
Further details remained a mystery to me, however.
I waited for the developer to give an explanation.
“Life born from the union of divided souls is like a sandcastle. It can’t sustain itself. However, when a complete soul is involved, like the Hero’s, the results become different. Scientifically speaking, a complete soul is born if the sperm or egg is from another complete soul as well.”
“That’s not what I want to know.”
“What is it, then?”
“I’m wondering if the Sword Princess is still Chris’s birth mother.”
“Don’t worry about that. Chris is still her biological son. She often has dreams about you impregnating her, too.”
“I see.”
After getting ahead of the intruder and reaching my destination, Duke Q’s estate, I began to descend.
They were one of the few noble families on the Northern Continent whose magic developed and flourished through swordsmanship.
Duke Q’s family wielded something similar to a magic of mass destruction; they were like wizards that honed magic through a sword rather than a staff or wand.
Instead of graceful swordsmanship, they used cataclysmic sword energy to wipe out their enemies.
Before the appearance of the God of War’s Golden Golem, Duke Q’s family was the strongest on the Northern Continent.
Even in the 5th curriculum, that fact hadn’t changed.
Their peaceful estate was located amid a forest where finding even just one goblin would prove difficult.
But that didn’t mean that monsters didn’t live here.
“Hargh!”
“Goorgh?”
“Grrr!”
“Plip!”
Warriors wandered like guards throughout their land, wishing to become knights.
They leveled up by hunting whatever monster they could find, but there were too many of them competing for the chance to slay the few monsters left in the area.
In the end…
“This orc is mine!”
“Nonsense! I found it first!”
“Ha! Mine!”
“Grrr?!”
Monsters being slain as soon as they emerged from the womb of nature was a rare sight since it only happened within Duke Q’s territory on the Northern Continent.
That was due to the policy of the local Swordsmanship Academy, where all who had talent and desire for the skill were trained and appointed knights, no matter if they were nobles, commoners, or slaves.
Of course, it was possible to find other estates where students were recruited into knights.
However, few individuals could teach as well as the people of Duke Q.
Rumors gradually spread, ultimately making the academy famous enough for people from faraway lands and even other continents to come here to study.
As a consequence…
“Get out of here!”
“Let me pass!”
“The prince is coming!”
“Get out, servants!”
There were many strange personalities here, most of them bachelors from high-ranking noble and royal families.
But they didn’t visit to become knights of Duke Q.
There was another reason why this place became well-known.
Swordsmanship tournaments.
“Nothing’s changed.”
The training hall of the Swordsmanship Academy, built next to Duke Q’s castle, was full of spectators, most of whom were wealthy bachelors.
They all came to spar with swords.
With whom?
“Ha!”
“Kh?!”
The young man screamed desperately as he rolled across the dirt floor of the training ground.
His expensive metal armor was dented, and his coat of arms had turned into tattered rags.
He was by no means a weakling.
It was just that the woman he fought was far stronger.
Sword Princess.
She drew attention to herself by announcing that she would only marry the man who could defeat her in a sword fight.
However, no one could defeat her on the Northern Continent because she was a master of mid-range combat. The aura emitted from the tip of her sword increased the radius of her attack.
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 999+
▷ Job: Knight (Devotion → Fortitude ↑)
▷ Skills: Sword Aura ZZ, Fortitude ZZ, Charm Z…
▷ Status: Bored
Sword Mastery, the most basic skill for all swordsmen and knights, wasn’t even in her top five skills.
However, she was extremely powerful.
After all, none of the swordsmen and knights could break through her aura; doing so would’ve given them a chance to defeat her with the power of their swordsmanship.
Sword God Alex and the Mercenary King might stand a chance against her, but ordinary people didn’t stand a chance.
However, unbeknownst to all…
“She’s shameless.”
She was already a married woman and had a MAX-rank son. She was merely pretending to be an innocent maiden.
“I can’t do this today. My back’s hurting.”
“Um, I’m not in my best condition right now…”
“Perhaps I’ll just return next year.”
“Ah! I forgot! I have an urgent appointment!”
One by one, the bachelors, aiming for the Sword Princess’s pelvis, began to scatter the moment they witnessed how she turned one of their stronger competitions into a crumpled tin can.
Sheathing her weapon, she turned around.
The Sword Princess looked a little over twenty, but it should never be forgotten that she was the mother to a person that no longer looked like a child.
“Sir Chris!”
“I love you, Chris!”
“I’m willing to give you all of me!”
“Please notice me!
“Kya! Chriiiis!”
Her son, surrounded by fans and watching the battle from afar, held out a towel to the Sword Princess when she reached him.
“Thank you, Chris.”
“You’re welcome.”
If one weren’t aware of their relationship, they would probably think they were siblings, and the only reason the two wouldn’t be mistaken for lovers was that they looked too alike.
Regardless, he definitely inherited my spine since his bones were also strong and healthy.
“What are you planning on doing, cowardly hubby?”
“I need to protect them. If they die or are captured, the situation will become more complicated.”
I snapped my finger.
I could secretly protect them from a distance, but in this situation, it was impossible to predict when the intruder would show up and what they would do.
It would be best for me to use a reliable method.
Clap! Clap!
A dark space formed under the feet of the two.
“H-huh?!”
“Ah?!”
To their surprise, they both fell into my Demon Vault.
It was safe there.
“Have you confused protection and imprisonment?”
“Have I? Do you want me to protect you too? You’ll be safe in Captain Fantasy’s mouth.”
“Oh no! Hohoho! You did everything just right!”
“Get it together. They’re here.”
I could now feel their presence without Ssosia’s assistance since not many living beings could move through space at such a high speed.
Spreading the wings of the righteous hero like a cloak, I took off, forming the perfect Holy Sword in my hand.
It was time to check their spine.
The intruder had a strange presence accompanying them. Though I couldn’t grasp it at first, my eyes soon dawned upon it as I heard a loud sound similar to a rocket engine, dumbfounding me. The person was standing on a black aircraft that looked like an electric stingray.
What was that?
“It’s a space horse,” My cowardly wife said, still in my arms.
“Space horse?”
“Yes. Space horses are slow here because of the planet’s air resistance, but they’re really fast in space. Additionally, since they’re creatures born from the power of God, they’re also extremely powerful. I know you’re strong, hubby, but it would be best for you to aim at its rider right away instead.”
“I think so too.”
I tried to keep it from moving, but the stingray pierced through my attempt as easy as tearing a piece of paper, proving itself to be an adversary that couldn’t be easily defeated by the power of a divided Demon Lord.
If so…
Fshuh!
I abandoned the plan to contain the enemy’s steed and rushed towards the rider instead, narrowing the space between us.
“Demon Lord?”
“Hero.”
I could freely change my job between Hero and Demon Lord, depending on the situation.
Right now, I was the Perfect Hero.
I wasn’t a big fan of this profession, but it was perfect for punishing evil.
“This does not correspond to the information I received…”
“Who gave you that information?”
“You don’t need to know that.
“Lanuvel?”
“I hate talkative men.”
“…”
The MAX-Class Righteous and Perfect Hero’s eyebrows trembled from the childish provocation of the intruder!
“Oh? Finally silent?”
“I was distracted by your cowardly pelvis.”
“What?!”
The intruder, falling for my provocation as well, looked insulted.
I tried to close the distance to punish their pelvis, but, unfortunately, the stingray didn’t take its eyes off me.
They immediately flew away.
“This isn’t going to be easy. The space horse’s mobility is outstanding. In space, It can fly at the speed of light, completely avoiding the microscopic dust of the universe… Kyaaaa—!”
To punish the villain, I held back my tears and threw a heavy Ssosia into the air.
“Drug Hero! I’m much lighter than my niece!”
“I’m not that heavy either, auntie! This cowardly—”
“Don’t make excuses, niece!”
“But I’m telling the truth!”
The Perfect Hero picked up speed by sacrificing his cowardly wife.
I examined the intruder on the space horse from head to toe.
She was a beautiful woman in her thirties, showing off her lustful nature.
Her silver hair that went down to her thighs and her golden eyes contrasted her dark skin perfectly.
“Hey, intruder, are you a hero too?”
“No.”
“Why is your outfit like that, then?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“If you don’t understand, that’s okay.”
She wore steel armor, revealing strong thighs, forearms, a narrow waist, and a large chest.
Did she wear it for protection or beauty?
With the level of protection it provided her with, it would be better not to wear armor at all.
Additionally…
▷ Race: Arch-Human
▷ Level: 1
▷ Job: Unemployed (110% experience)
▷ Skills: Interpretation A, Riding C
▷ Status: Good
The intruder’s stats were almost a blank slate.
Aside from the base configuration, she only had Riding C, which I assumed appeared because she was riding a stingray.
Her power wasn’t reflected in her stats at all.
She looked like an ordinary earthling who had never been abducted by Fantasy.
However, as soon as she saw me, she immediately called me “Demon Lord.” That alone told me she wasn’t just an ordinary innocent and oblivious maiden.
FSHUK!
I raised the perfect Holy Sword in front of me, deciding to save my questions for later. I’d interrogate her once I had neutralized her spine.
“What an ugly weapon.”
“This is the Holy Sword!”
“Hearing such stupidity already makes me want to laugh, but its divine power seems real, so…” The intruder, who was trying to keep her distance from me, sharply raised her hands.
Ku-gu-gu-gu!
At the same moment, a dark thundercloud formed amid the clear sky.
It wasn’t magic.
[Lightning]
It was the power of God.
I wondered how she planned to defeat the Sword Princess and my son at level 1, but I understood now.
Flash!
Lightning struck my head.
[Darkness]
In return, she was swallowed up by darkness.
The lightning struck so quickly that I couldn’t escape it, but it couldn’t harm me.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
“Of course not.”
Click.
An iron mechanism appeared in the hands of the unarmed malefactor. It resembled a machine gun.
That was quite a useful weapon in Fantasy!
Almost instinctively, I shouted. “Ssosia!”
Tra-ta-ta-ta-ta!
She opened fire almost at the same time as I shouted my cowardly wife’s name.
Ignoring her bullets, I closed the distance.
“Ha!”
“What?”
Even her stingray, a master of evasion, found it difficult to escape since its rider stood motionless, focusing on raining down bullets upon me.
Bam!
I thrust my left fist into the muzzle of the machine gun, and with my right hand, grabbed the rider by the neck.
“Khhhhhh…”
Her surprise became evident in her expression.
She couldn’t seem to understand why I rushed into her line of fire instead of blocking her shots.
Did she really not know?
Selflessness was the main quality of true heroes.
Standing astride the space horse, I gently stroked the intruder’s lumbar region between her 4th and 5th vertebrae with my left hand, which had broken the machine gun.
Having lost her fighting spirit, she, in turn, trembled like an aspen tree.
“Who are you…”
“I hate talkative women.”
“Bastard…”
Crunch—
I arched her back.
At that moment…
“Husband! Above!”
[Lightning].
Babakh!
A bolt of electricity, which I had neglected, pierced my space and fell right on my head.
“What’s up there?”
I was a conductive Hero!
“Nothing… Hmm. You can continue your love affair.”
“Niece~”
“Don’t misunderstand, your niece. As his good wife, I simply warned him of danger. However, since my husband isn’t only cowardly but also tough, he remains perfectly fine…”
“You know I’m not talking about that~”
“I don’t!”
“Heeheehee!”
The MAX-Class Righteous Hero had caught the chatty villain!
“… Or not?”
It seemed that the foreign-made electric rug under my feet exploded along with its owner due to a short circuit.
“You shouldn’t have ignored the power of electrical voltage, madam!”
