Chapter 190 : The blade of courage and the parental love of fate
“U-Umm… D-Dad…?” Misa asked, as if trying to catch a glimpse of Shin’s face.
“It-It’s not what you think. I was just feeling a little too shy to go all out, so Lay-san helped me relax. It’s not like we weren’t taking this class seriously or any—” (Misa)
“Misa.” Shin said in an indifferent tone.
“We are in the middle of a class. I am not here as your father. I do not appreciate you mixing public and personal affairs.” (Shin)
“I… I’m sorry.” (Misa)
Misa turned her face down in apology.
Shin stepped back to move away from Lay.
“Speaking of which, Lay Grandsley. Where were you and what were you doing three nights ago?” (Shin)
“…What do you mean?” Lay asked back without dropping his smile.
“Nothing. There is no particular meaning to my question. It is simply that…” (Shin)
Shin paused and turned his face to Lay.
“Three nights ago, my daughter came home later than usual.” (Shin)
His eyes were filled with chillingly cold murderous intent.
“I will therefore ask you once again. Where were and what were you doing three nights ago?” (Shin)
Shin channeled his magic power into his left hand, causing the Pillage Blade to glow mysteriously.
He was clearly mixing public and private business.
“D-Dad! I told you I was late that time because I was at Ellen’s house! And she told you the same, didn’t she?!” (Misa)
Shin immediately replied to Misa’s justification.
“That day, she had a rehearsal with the rest of the Demon King’s Choir. Her schedule was to last until sunset. However, My Lord was on official business that same day until late at night.” (Shin)
“…Umm… And what is your point…?” (Misa)
“From my perspective, the choir girls, especially Ellen, wish to set their own loyalty as an example. It is inconceivable to me that a loyal subject of Ellen’s caliber would leave the castle before My Lord.” (Shin)
It took one loyal subject to recognize another.
Shin could probably tell the extent of their loyalty from watching the Fan Union girls working for the Demon King as his choir girls on a daily basis.
In other words, what he was thinking was that Ellen must’ve lied to cover for Misa and gone along with her excuse.
“E… Even she can slip up once in a while…” (Misa)
Misa smiled nervously, as if she were in trouble.
To Shin, that was a lousy excuse.
“Misa, you are not the one I am interrogating right now. This is going to be dangerous, so stand back.” (Shin)
“B-But Dad, um, please don’t do anything horrible to Lay-sa—” (Misa)
“Do not address me as your father here.” (Shin)
“…Yes, Sir.” (Misa)
Misa looked troubled, but reluctantly complied.
When she looked at Lay with concern, he responded with a refreshing smile.
As if to tell her not to worry.
“How about you answer my question now, Lay Grandsley?” (Shin)
“Talk is cheap.” (Lay)
Lay drew a magic circle with one hand.
A divine light gathered there, then he summoned and grabbed the Sword of Three Races with his right hand.
“I will answer your question with this sword.” (Lay)
“I shall take you up on it. However, if I detect even a hint of wickedness in your swordsmanship, I will immediately chop you to pieces.” (Shin)
Lay and Shin faced each other.
Misa watched the two of them with discomfort.
“…U-Umm, Lay-san…? Erm… That sword… is the Sword of Three Races, right? Isn’t that the sword meant to destroy the Demon King? And you too, Dad. What are you planning to steal from him with the Pillage Blade? Umm… Are you sure… you two don’t need to calm down?” (Misa)
However, they both remained silent as each of them was now focused on the other’s sword and their own.
“Ah… Ahaha… W… What should I do now…?” (Misa)
“Nothing. There’s no need to worry.” (Anos)
Misa turned around, startled.
She looked surprised to see me there without noticing.
“No need? What do you mean, Anosh-kun?” (Misa)
“Shin was a man devoid of love. But now that he has you as his daughter, he was able to develop something called parental love for the first time. And because he never knew what love was, he doesn’t know how to suppress this new feeling either.” (Anos)
Misa looked as if she didn’t understand a thing of what I just said.
“Simply put, he doesn’t know how to stop being a doting father. I never thought Shin, who never knew love, would turn out like this. This is most amusing.” (Anos)
“U-Umm… But the swords they are holding right now are nothing amusing at all, though…” (Misa)
“This is a path every parent with a daughter has to take. Lay must challenge him with all his sincerity, and earn the right to be with you. That being said, Shin is an awkward man. Words alone aren’t enough for them to understand each other. Since Lay realizes that, he’s trying to have a conversation with him through swords.” (Anos)
“…A conversation… through swords?” (Misa)
“When you’re as talented as those two, it’s easy to imagine how they can assess each other’s feelings by crossing swords.” (Anos)
“Is that how it is…?” (Misa)
Misa glanced at both of them, as if she was still skeptical about it.
The other students noticed that Lay and Shin were about to begin their sparring match, and turned their attention to them.
“H-Hey… That demon sword Shin-sensei is holding, I think it might be crazy dangerous… and I feel like it has an unusual magic power in it…” (Student boy A)
“And look at what Lay-kun pulled out, it’s the Sword of Three Races! Isn’t that the holy sword that was crafted to destroy the Demon King?!” (Student girl A)
“Hold on… Hold on… Does this mean that… this is gonna be a one-on-one battle between the Hero Kanon and the Demon King’s right hand Shin Reglia?!” (Student boy A)
“Maybe they still have a score to settle from two thousand years ago. And Shin-sensei is using this class as an excuse to purge Lay…” (Student boy B)
“If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have pulled out that awesome-looking sword, and Lau wouldn’t have brought out Evansmana, right?” (Student boy C)
The students gulped as they carefully moved away from the two swordsmen.
They didn’t want to be caught in their conflict and become collateral damage.
[Khahaha! Hey everyone, forget the training and look at these two! Looks like Shin-sensei will now put into practice what he first mentioned. This oughta be more instructive than doing warmups.” (Eldmed)
“What he first mentioned…? Are you referring to what he said about dying?” (Student boy A)
“Exactly. Death was commonplace two thousand years ago, and overcoming it was also a regular thing. Which means, you can’t reach that state of mind unless you experience death yourselves! How much does it take for you to die? Whether you know this or not can make a world of difference!” (Eldmed)
Eldmed hit the ground with his cane.
“Also, there’s another benefit to experiencing death. And that’s <Resurrection Ingall>. It’s the sort of spell that operates at the source. By becoming conscious of your death, you detach yourself from your physical body and can perceive your own source. And then, you’ll be able to feel firsthand the effect of the <Resurrection Ingall> spell formula!” (Eldmed)
Eldmed cackled with a hoarse voice.
“Now that’s Shin Reglia for you. Making you experience death promptly so you can become conscious of your own sources to teach the most basic of the basics in battle… Such a rough yet subtle teaching method! He’s not the Demon King’s right-hand man for nothing!” (Eldmed)
The Conflagration King pointed his cane at them two, and spoke in a low voice.
“Look, they’re starting.” (Eldmed)
Lay kicked off the ground.
But Shin was already closing in on him, as if he had foreseen his move.
“Hmph…!” (Lay)
The Sword of Three Races and the Pillage Blade collided straight away.
The aftershock of their magic power hit their surroundings, with the wind pressure ruffling the students’ hair and uniforms.
The Sword of Three Races possessed the greater magic power, but Shin’s skill was slightly superior.
The two of them were locked in a fierce duel, and they glared at each other.
“We do this in three rounds?” (Lay)
“Very well.” (Shin)
When Shin replied, a faint light covered their surroundings.
This was the <Sanctuary Aske> spell.
However, this wasn’t for converting feelings into magic power.
This was to make it easier for them to communicate their feelings to the other through their swords.
