Chapter 184

〈 Chapter 185: Operation Meeting (1) 〉

*

Woosh

A strange sound echoed from somewhere.

Is this really okay?

‘It should be fine, right?’

If worse comes to worst, I could just have Luel heal me.

If someone were to ask how this happened, I’d honestly say it was from wrestling.

‘By the way, Yusera, or rather, Sara…’

She was still sound asleep.

Well, she must have been exhausted from keeping watch by my side yesterday, especially with all the chaos that night.

‘I hope this girl is okay.’

I had almost forgotten.

What her reaction was when she showed me her wrestling skills last time.

And that was clearly evident last night as well.

‘Isn’t her taste a bit too unique?’

Twisting, pinning down.

At first, I wasn’t sure if this was right, but as I got sucked into her strange reactions, I eventually found myself comfortably twisting her joints.

‘It should be fine, right? After all, she is a hero.’

A hero’s body has a basic toughness unlike that of an ordinary person.

That doesn’t mean they feel less pain, though.

‘It just means this girl is a bit of a weirdo.’

It was a different kind of trouble compared to Elsie, who charged at me as if she wanted to eat me alive.

‘So…’

Let’s think about what to do today.

Operation meeting.

Training in Blood Magic.

Conversation with Schurz.

Of course, I had no idea what else might pop up during all this.

But one thing was crystal clear.

‘Schurz.’

I wasn’t sure why he sought me out.

However, as he had been quiet all this time, I couldn’t help but think that his reason for coming to me was anything but trivial.

I carefully slipped out of bed so as not to wake Sara.

Then, as I pulled out a spare shirt from my inventory and got dressed, I thought,

‘How do I boost my stamina…’

*

‘This is it.’

I had memorized the library’s layout while wandering around.

And among the rooms where Lucy, Luel, and Sara weren’t using, this was the only one where I sensed some presence.

‘Then…’

I knocked on the door and said,

“It’s Allen. I came since you called for me.”

Then I heard Schurz’s voice from inside.

“Come in.”

I opened the door and stepped inside.

‘The room…’

There was no furniture in the room.

Only Schurz was seated cross-legged in the middle.

“Sorry for not having a place to sit.”

“It’s fine.”

I also settled down on the floor in front of him.

“So, what brought you here yesterday?”

“I had something to tell you. I also have an apology to make.”

“An apology?”

That was quite perplexing.

I couldn’t think of anything he should apologize to me for.

“Yeah, I’ve been hiding out in fear until now.”

There was a certain determination in his expression as he said that.

“But if you’re really thinking of challenging the High Priest without giving up…”

Those words made me sense a flicker of hope.

He would definitely be a valuable ally for me.

However, what followed was somewhat unexpected.

“We’ll kill the High Priest for you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Killing the High Priest is too risky. We’ve already lost comrades to her, so we’ll handle that dangerous business ourselves. You guys don’t need to take that on.”

That was, in a way, his consideration.

But at the same time, it was also arrogance.

“No, we’ll help. Right now, we need to maximize our chances, even a little.”

“…Do you really think you’ll be of any help?”

“Certainly a bit…”

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, a chill swirled around him.

At the same time, something fell in front of me.

It was a few strands of my hair.

‘What the…’

As I panicked, Schurz casually said,

“I could have severed your neck just now.”

A chill ran down my spine at his words.

“Don’t get it twisted. When I called myself a has-been, it was not in terms of your standards, but against the Church.”

That was something I could confirm from his earlier threat.

Moreover, given that he was the second-ranked Hero, it was only natural that he possessed this kind of strength.

But there was still one reason why I couldn’t back down.

“There’s definitely a reason I must follow.”

“A reason to follow?”

“Yes, because I have to ask the High Priest something.”

His expression hardened at that.

“Something to ask? What is it?”

Perhaps the High Priest knew something about the foretold destruction.

So instead of carelessly killing her, I wanted to extract information from her somehow.

‘For now, I can’t tell him that it’s about the foretold destruction.’

The foretold destruction was dangerous knowledge, as Luel pointed out.

“Is it something you can’t share? Well, I don’t really care.”

Schurz spoke resolutely, as I kept silent.

“We don’t have the luxury to ask her anything. If there’s even the slightest chance, we’ll have to cut her throat immediately.”

It seemed persuading him that I had something to ask the High Priest would be quite difficult.

‘Then I have no choice but to use the last method.’

That method was something I was planning to propose to him anyway, regardless of whether he approached me first or not.

“Then we’ll have to be the ones who can help you.”

“Have you forgotten already? You guys…”

“The Royal Sword. Perhaps you’re underestimating its existence.”

Elsie wielding the Royal Sword was definitely strong.

If her proficiency were to increase even a bit more, she could definitely challenge the Saint-level.

“But one person is not enough.”

“Then we’ll include the Rose Sword.”

Finally, his expression changed.

“We’ll initiate the operation to rescue Gwen Reedval by next week at the latest. If we succeed in that operation, we’ll boost our strength through the Rose Sword while proving my skills as well.”

“So you’re saying to wait just one week?”

“Yes. Regardless of whether you accept or not, I intend to participate in your battles.”

He stared into my eyes for a while before saying,

“This is ridiculous. But…”

He wore a distinct unsettling smile.

“I like it. If you were the Demon King, I would have wanted to kill you by all means.”

That was probably a compliment.

I’d take it as one.

“Then are you accepting my proposal?”

“Whether I accept or not, you’ll follow.”

“That’s true.”

Then he laughed as if he couldn’t believe it and closed his eyes.

And as the chill enveloped him, he said,

“Then get lost. Go rescue your comrades first and come back.”

“Of course.”

I got up from my spot.

As he said, I didn’t have time to waste right now.

The next time we’d talk further would probably be after rescuing Gwen.

*

Arriving at the cafeteria after meeting Schurz.

Sara happened to be there.

“Allen?”

Her face turned red upon seeing me.

“Looks like you slept well.”

I casually greeted her, and she nodded vigorously, still blushing, and asked,

“So where did you go?”

“I just met Schurz.”

“Already?”

“Already, you say?”

She seemed to ponder for a moment before stating,

“I once owed him a favor.”

Oh.

Now that I think about it, that was true.

He had defeated all the Chaos Beasts when her shop was attacked by them.

“Did you want to thank him?”

“Yeah, but it was so long ago, he probably wouldn’t even remember…”

A simple thank-you shouldn’t be a problem.

“Anyway, if this operation succeeds, we’ve agreed to partake together. With Schurz and his companions like Stella.”

Sara looked surprised.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

It seemed Luel, too, was listening to the conversation.

“You really do things that are beyond imagination every time.”

She said while moving her food around.

“I never thought you’d be able to convince that old coot in the back.”

To be precise, it wasn’t convincing.

It was an unilaterally declared statement.

“But…”

Just then, Lucy, who was munching on food from across the table, spoke up.

“Sara sis, you look really good.”

“Look good?”

Sara wore a puzzled expression.

To that, Lucy responded with a cheeky smile.

“Last night must have been quite good, huh?”

At that, Sara’s face turned so red it was almost comical.

“Oh, I, I didn’t do anything last night…”

With her malfunctioning response, I called out to Lucy.

“Lucy.”

As I glared at her, Lucy turned her head as if she had no choice.

“Tch.”

She had already figured out my capability when we had a bout before, and recognized me as a rival.

Furthermore, it seemed Luel had also joined in on attacking her sister at that moment.

“By the way, isn’t there any guy for you, sis? You must have met quite a few wandering around.”

This time it was Lucy who turned red.

“Luel, you! Do you think I wander around just to meet guys? And I wouldn’t meet any little brat with the stench of Chaos Beasts!”

“But you’re an adult now, sis. Isn’t it about time you meet someone?”

“I just turned twenty! It’s completely natural not to have someone! Besides, I’m married to adventure, so I’m good without any men!”

Those two seemed to be bickering, but considering they hadn’t even done that before, it felt like they had become quite close.

‘Good thing I gave them some time.’

However, the atmosphere began to grow a bit tense.

“Really? But wasn’t it true that you didn’t like adventures that much originally?”

“Well, that’s true, but… you’re an adult now too. Aren’t you supposed to meet someone?”

“That’s me? I…”

Luel’s cheeks flushed.

It was the first time I’d seen her embarrassed.

Even Lucy seemed taken aback by Luel’s reaction.

“Luel? What’s wrong with you?”

Just then, Albert’s voice broke in.

­Master, this isn’t looking good at all.

‘What’s not looking good?’

­Personally, I’m not fond of mindless harems…

Albert suddenly started spouting off nonsensical remarks.

But I could sort of understand what he meant.

‘No way?’

That can’t be it.

­Don’t deny reality.

‘Then what should I do?’

­For now, firmly reject them.

But there was one problem with that solution.

‘What if our assumption is wrong?’

­No, I’m quite certain of it…

Just when Albert was about to say that, he suddenly sighed.

­Ah, it can’t be helped. Just follow my lead.

Just like Albert.

There always seems to be a solution.

­I actually…

“I actually…”

­Am a gay…

“G-gay…”

I pulled Albert out of the inventory.

­Master? But this is the only way…

‘I need to draw the line somewhere.’

And just like that, I casually triggered an overload.

­Gah!

Albert began to scream, and everyone else seemed taken aback by my sudden action.

“Allen? What are you doing at the table all of a sudden?”

Lucy shouted in irritation.

“Is it an ambush?”

Luel began to look around warily.

“How powerful must the enemy be to overload Albert to this extent…?”

Sara also began scanning the surroundings, shocked at what just happened.

The cafeteria quickly became a chaotic scene.

Meanwhile, Albert started making strange noises.

­Ugh! The espada is getting sensitive! At this rate, I’ll break just by touching!

I wasn’t sure if he was reflecting on his actions or not.

But since I didn’t want to hear those obnoxious noises, I decided to cancel the overload.

­Hah.

I tossed the one making bizarre sounds back into the inventory.

And then I apologized to everyone who was now standing.

“Sorry for the disturbance. It was just a brief commotion.”

Anyway, I was relieved that the awkward topic had passed.

It’d be good to think a bit more about the problem regarding Luel.

Most importantly, I still only had my suspicions about Albert.

Now was the time to focus on something far more important.

“Then let’s start discussing the operation to rescue Miss Gwen in earnest.”

*