SAAE 34

Chapter 34

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment as I looked at the holy sword.

For some reason, the blade seemed to carry a faint reddish tint…
Hmm, maybe it was just my imagination?

“That’s ominous.”

“Huh?”

“I should use a different weapon from now on.”

After saying that, Isael sheathed the sword.

Startled by how decisive he was, I asked in confusion,

“You’re saying you won’t use the holy sword?”

Isael nodded.

“It asked for blood. A sword that demands something like that can’t be a holy sword.”

His voice was calm, as if he had already assessed the situation.

“There’s no guarantee this is really the sword the hero used either. There’s no need to take a risk by using it.”

…That was true.

But there’s no doubt that it really is the holy sword.

I had already confirmed it with the eldest.

It was indeed the weapon of the hero who sealed the Demon King—the holy sword Exolid.

If I remembered correctly, in the original story Exolid awakened in response to Leonard’s desperate desire to protect his companions.

And it accepted Leonard as its master because of that sincere heart.

But it asked for blood?

That really did seem ominous.

Maybe Exolid’s feelings had changed somehow because it ended up in Isael’s hands instead of Leonard’s…

Just then, Isael suddenly undid the scabbard at his waist.

Then he threw it straight onto the floor.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Now that I think about it, even carrying this around feels ominous.”

…You’re just going to throw it away like that?

Panicking, I snapped out of it and hurriedly picked up the sword.

Isael frowned.

“What are you doing?”

“No, you don’t have to throw it away.”

“There’s no reason to keep carrying it.”

As if he were about to discard it again, Isael tried to snatch the sword from me.

I clenched the scabbard tightly and resisted.

“Wait! Wait a second!”

“It’s dangerous. Hand it over.”

“No, seriously, wait! I have something to say!”

Why is he so strong?

“Calm down and listen to me for a moment, okay?”

“That’s what I should be saying.”

Isael shot back, tugging on the scabbard.

“I’m perfectly calm. You’re the one who should calm down and let go.”

As I desperately clung to it, Isael gritted his teeth and added,

“Let go.”

I shouted urgently,

“If we can use the holy sword’s power properly, it’ll definitely help us escape this tower!”

It was, after all, a sword once wielded by the hero.

“It could defeat monsters or demons—anything.”

“Even without this sword, we can do that with other weapons.”

Isael was firm.

“Then what if the Demon King appears? Huh? Are you sure there’s no Demon King here?”

“The Demon King was sealed 300 years ago.”

“Don’t you think 300 years is long enough for the seal to start weakening?”

“You make it sound like you’re hoping for that.”

“No, that’s not what I mean!”

He really wouldn’t yield even a single word.

“Just like you said, it’s strange that the holy sword was found in this tower. If the holy sword showed up, who’s to say the Demon King won’t show up too?”

“……”

“Why would the hero’s weapon—used to fight the Demon King—be here? Why, of all places, in this tower?”

At last, Isael fell silent.

After taking a breath, I continued,

“I get why this makes you uneasy. I feel it too, a little. But… still, there’s no doubt this is the holy sword.”

Even if its behavior felt more like a cursed blade, it was still a holy sword.

It was far too valuable a weapon to just throw away here.

“Isael, I want you to awaken the holy sword and use it properly.”

“Ha…”

Letting out a sigh, Isael looked at me as if wondering what to do with me.

I went on, unfazed.

“You say it was a coincidence, but I don’t think it was just coincidence that you found this sword.”

“……”

“You’re the holy sword’s master.”

Isael seemed to gather his thoughts before speaking again.

“…No matter how I think about it, a sword that demands blood can’t be a holy sword.”

“M-Maybe the sword was just joking?”

Isael gave me an icy look.

“Are you serious?”

“Sorry…”

After a small sigh, Isael spoke again.

“You’re telling me to use a sword when we don’t know how it might change?”

“……”

“Even if I’m fine, you could get dragged into danger too. I don’t want to take that kind of risk.”

Isael’s resolve was still firm, despite all my persuasion.

Honestly, he’s so stubborn.

And overly suspicious, too.

I understood why he was reacting like this—but I had no intention of backing down.

“A weapon depends on how its user wields it.”

“……”

“Even if it really is dangerous, couldn’t you just use it in a way that isn’t?”

Right now, I wasn’t just trying to persuade Isael so we could escape the tower more easily.

If he became the holy sword’s master, Isael’s future might change.

Instead of becoming the final hidden villain slain by the protagonist, he could become a great emperor.

If possible, I wanted that for him.

I wanted him to live happily, not die at Leonard’s hands.

After staring at me for quite a while with a strange look, Isael slowly opened his mouth.

“…Do you trust me?”

“Yeah! I do!”

I answered immediately.

“I believe you’ll use it well. I believe you’ll use it for the right things.”

“……”

“So you should trust me too.”

We promised, didn’t we?

“We promised to trust each other.”

I spoke calmly as I tried to persuade him.

“I’m not telling you to make a contract right now. Just… don’t throw it away. Don’t discard it—just take some time to think about it. Thinking things over isn’t that hard, right?”

Isael, who had been staring at me quietly, finally nodded.

“Give it to me.”

“Please!”

“I said I won’t throw it away. Just give it to me.”

“…Really?”

Clutching the sword tightly, I looked up at Isael.

“You really won’t throw it away?”

With a sigh, Isael nodded.

“Yeah. I won’t. Give it to me.”

Still suspicious, I cautiously handed the sword over.

He glanced at me, then reattached the scabbard to his waist.

“As for the contract… like you said, I’ll think about it and decide later.”

That was welcome news.

“Okay, let’s do that!”

It was a bit disappointing, but this was good enough for now. At least he wasn’t throwing it away.

“Thanks for listening to me, Isael.”

“…It’s nothing.”

After that, we picked up a few weapons from the armory and, held in the arms of the second, flew around the entire imperial palace once.

But for some reason, there was no one there.

The palace was sunk in a strange silence, as if we were the only ones left.

We returned to the Glory Hall for the time being.

“Where on earth did they all go?”

We had secured the key, but to move between spaces we still needed the pendant necklace.

And that necklace was in the possession of the fake Beatrice.

“…Is this a trap?”

There was no way the fakes had completely vanished from this space.

They still hadn’t fully figured out the spirits.

There was no way they’d just leave me alone like this.

“I wonder how they plan to toy with us this time.”

At Isael’s murmur, I nodded.

This feels unsettling.

The silence began to feel like the eye of a storm.

Or like the fragile calm before a tempest—an imperfect peace about to shatter.

“Should we sweep through the palace one more time?”

“Whatever it is, I’ll follow your judgment.”

Well, it was better than just wasting time here, right?

I should ask the eldest for help this time.

Just as I made up my mind—

“Wait.”

“Hm?”

“I hear something.”

Isael muttered.

“Footsteps… not just one.”

Does being the main figure of this world come with extraordinary hearing too?

His ears are really sharp.

Just like when he heard Felix’s groan before.

“It sounds like they’re coming in a group.”

“What?”

A group?

This was no time to be admiring Isael’s hearing.

I could now hear the footsteps of many people too.

I gasped and turned around.

“What is this…?”

People were flooding into the Glory Hall where we stood.

“What are all those things?”

Like a horde of zombies.

They advanced while staring only at us.