ALL NOVEL Chapter 13
Lucius is a hunter.
What he learned from the protector who picked him up was to hunt beasts, and sometimes he also learned to deal with magical beasts.
When facing magical beasts, one must be quiet, swift, and fast.
Never move loudly.
When he asked why, the old man replied:
– Because humans are weaker than magical beasts.
So, what if a person is incredibly strong?
When he asked that, the old man chuckled and said:
– Then just kill them all. What’s there to worry about with such great strength?
“Uwaaa!!”
Power is overflowing.
The golden wind becomes one with him and tears the goblin apart.
Kiiih!!
A goblin charged in from the side, swinging a club.
It was an attack aimed exactly at Lucius’ arm joint, but it was utterly useless.
Ka—ang!
Lucius instead smashed the goblin’s club with his elbow.
The faint golden light shimmering at the tip of his elbow was as solid as a spear, and the goblin’s wooden club shattered against Lucius’ elbow.
“Kiiih!!”
The goblin swung its remaining club to threaten Lucius.
But Lucius easily dodged the club and, in the same pose, swung his sword widely.
Boooom!
As he swung his sword as if his whole body was falling to the ground, a golden whirlwind began to swirl around him.
The goblins, who tried to ambush Lucius from all directions, were torn apart by the blade wind, and thanks to the power of the Holy Sword, Lucius could safely land after spinning in mid-air just from the pressure of his sword swing.
“Hah, hah.”
His breath is heavy.
Not because he was out of breath, but due to the excitement of chopping up goblins without mercy.
Pleasure.
Achievement.
While intoxicated with overwhelming strength, Lucius learned to gradually conserve his power.
‘Don’t get cocky, Arthur.’
Lucius reminded himself.
‘The Master is watching.’
While everyone else couldn’t keep up with Lucius, only the witch gazed at him from afar with sharp accuracy.
Despite the village chief and the suspicious villagers who were about to catch the witch nearby, the witch only looked at Lucius…
Smiling.
Like she was proud, every time he took down a goblin with the power of the Holy Sword, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
She seemed worried about Lucius using his power wildly, relieved that he was gradually learning to use it more efficiently, and also impressed by Lucius’ performance.
“K-Kekek…! Enough! I’ll back off! Enough!!”
The green goblin, having fallen on its backside, waved its hands pleadingly.
“I’ll offer magic stones! I’ve got some saved up! Kekek! Just spare my life, please!!”
For a moment, Lucius’ sword hesitated at the desperate expression of the goblin, but he steadied his mind.
“If I kill you, won’t magic stones appear?”
“I-I’ll give you magic stones if you need them! Here, take this!”
The green goblin thrust out some magic stones.
The leather pouch held a considerable amount of magic stones, and Lucius used the blade of the Holy Sword to collect the leather pouch.
“……What should I do now?”
Lucius’ gaze turned to the witch.
Soon, the witch began to walk towards Lucius, and the villagers gulped and started moving aside.
“…I need at least one person to deliver a message. Hmm, good.”
The witch clenched the magic stones in her pocket and aimed a stick at the green goblin.
“Go tell the Demon King. I, the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus, have awakened from my long slumber to seal you again.”
“The-Demon King…?”
“Get lost.”
Whoosh!
The moment a tiny spark jumped out, the green goblin panicked and turned away.
“Am I not going to be killed?”
“Why? Are you scared of leaving potential trouble behind?”
“I’m not scared. It’s just….”
“You’re fine. With the Hero of the Holy Sword here, even if a stronger demon race comes from there, it won’t matter.”
The witch lightly patted Lucius’ back.
“I trust you, Lucius. My hero and my disciple.”
“…Yes, Master!”
The witch, with a beaming smile, was sending infinite trust towards Lucius.
So thought Lucius.
*
After the battle ended.
I instructed Lucius to retrieve the magic stones from the goblin corpses, then distanced myself from the village chief for a private talk again.
“You have two sins. One is not believing what I, the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus, say.”
You tried to kill me, who came to break the seal of the Holy Sword.
“And….”
“…….”
A sin that couldn’t be spoken before others, which would shatter the village chief’s reputation.
The illicit ‘sin of lust’ for secretly planning to abduct me at night.
“I forgive your sins.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“What did you hear? I said I forgive your sins.”
“T-That…?”
The village chief began to look confused.
Am I someone like Lucius, letting go of the crimes he was about to commit?
“Humans can make mistakes. Thank you. Because of you, I realized I need to be careful when introducing myself. I’ll consider someone like you as the average, and I, the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus, will embark on a journey to seal the Demon King.”
“Th-That’s….”
“Well, think of it as a reward for showing me how the world views me. I forgive your original sin. But there will be no more mercy.”
I showed a finger while simultaneously granting forgiveness.
The elder knelt down, shedding tears.
“Ugh…! Thank you so much! T-thank you, Nero-Tian!! I sincerely appreciate the generous consideration of the sorceress!!”
“I could care less about your name.”
I waved my hand nonchalantly and stepped back.
In truth, I forgave him because I wanted to leave this village quickly.
‘If I linger, I’ll attract flies.’
The master of the Holy Sword had appeared, with only seven such swords in the continent.
Those seeking the Holy Sword—humans, celestials, and demons alike—would gather here.
‘But you better deal with the hassle.’
While I stay here praising the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus, I hope you deal with the demons appearing for revenge on the goblins or holy knights arriving from the church.
That’s the reason I’m letting those wretched beings live.
‘Even killing them seems wasteful of mana.’
Either way, they’d die within a month anyway.
“So we’ll leave right after cleaning up the goblins. You handle the rest.”
“Thank you!!”
If there happens to be some foolish woman wanting to follow the master of the Holy Sword…
“Lucius!!”
There is.
“Are you really… leaving?”
The village girl, who looked like she had nothing to boast about other than her ample breasts, wagged her tail at Lucius as he was collecting the magic stones.
‘That girl?’
Trying to lure my fool with her body.
“Are you really just going to leave?”
“Stop.”
“…….”
As I squeezed between the two, the girl instantly changed her expression.
With an angle invisible to Lucius, she was glaring at me.
‘Women are something else.’
Having entered a woman’s body, I seem to be more sensitive to female hostility.
Especially a woman’s ‘jealousy’ seems worse.
“Don’t block the path of the hero, woman.”
“W-woman…?”
“Master.”
Lucius called out to me from behind.
Though his gaze didn’t sit well with me, I obediently stepped aside.
“Goodbye. Thank you.”
“How…!”
Lucius was trying to part ways in a decent manner.
However, that woman was fixated on trying to appeal to Lucius.
‘Damn, I need to retrieve magic stones from the goblin corpses, don’t I?’
While Lucius was captured by that woman, naturally he couldn’t recover the magic stones from the goblin corpses.
Should I embarrass myself digging through goblin corpses?
Absolutely not.
“…….”
I quietly crossed my arms and glared at Lucius.
Hurry up and shake off the girl and collect the magic stones from the goblin corpses, I kept giving him signals with my fierce gaze and intention.
Hooowaaah!!
The girl left, sobbing sorrowfully.
Her glances at me as she cried must surely have been fake tears.
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“…Be careful of women.”
“Yes?”
“There are really many women in this world. Some of them will surely try to use you. For sure….”
Ah.
Could this come off as if I’m talking about myself now?
“…Cough. To clarify before you misunderstand, I’m not trying to use you.”
“It’s alright, Master.”
Lucius placed his hand on the hilt of the Holy Sword.
“Please, use me as much as you want.”
“What?”
“I am your sword, Master.”
Soon, the Holy Sword disappeared with the wind, and the golden wind began to settle on his fourth finger.
“Thanks to you, I’ve become a hero. I wouldn’t betray you for possessing the power of the Holy Sword or look at anyone else.”
“…….”
Though it felt a bit awkward, there was sincerity in Lucius’ gaze.
‘What kind of conversation is he having with his eyes? Is there an eye exchange fetish?’
Getting chills from Lucius, whose eyes seemed oddly determined to express his will, still, I decided not to dismiss the thought that he might betray me too carelessly.
“…Yeah, right. Never betray me.”
“Of course, Master. Ah, but….”
Lucius glanced at the village and asked me.
“Are we going on this journey alone?”
“Why?”
“…Huh?”
“You and I. Two of us should be enough.”
With the Holy Sword you possess being the sword that ripped the heart of the Great Demon Lord Bel Phegor into four pieces, just you alone should be plenty.
“…With just your strength, every obstacle can be overcome.”
I swallowed the words that almost slipped out to my throat.
If I mention Bel Phegor here, someone might react violently like the village chief.
“Or what? Do you think I’ll be adding more people to my party?”
“…Weren’t you trying to gather the Heroes of the Holy Sword?”
“Yeah?”
“There are seven Holy Swords, right?”
“That is true.”
Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, Darkness, and Twilight.
“Should we go looking for those Holy Swords?”
“…Other Holy Swords all have their owners.”
“Oh, really?”
That’s quite news.
“Then while those guys are busy chasing them, we can act on our own.”
“…Are we really going together, just the two of us?”
“Why? Do you need a male companion who can talk—”
“No.”
For the first time, I heard Lucius’ serious voice.
“There’s no need for the Hero of the Holy Sword to have a male companion.”
Historically, it has been like that.
“Heh, this guy, so you are a man after all?”
Trying to fill his party with a harem.
Truly, a Hero of the Holy Sword.
“Enough of the jokes, while I’m looking at the map, go retrieve the magic stones from the goblins. I’ll be waiting.”
“Yes!!”
Lucius grinned and left to gather the remaining corpses.
“That guy, he seems to really like harems.”
Already grinning at the thought of dating several women.
“The qualities of a hero are clear.”