Chapter: 146
Puhuh. Hahahaha. Ah, I was super tense before coming in here, but hearing Phoebe’s words made it all fly away.
So you’re a sloppy apostle of the evil god? That’s not something the saintess should say. Phoebe.
I lifted my shield, shaking off the impact of the landing. The eyes of the two people looking at me were in contrast.
Phoebe’s gaze slowly rising up like she was looking at a savior, and Nakrad’s expression gradually crumpling.
I shouldn’t act too relaxed; if I draw Phoebe’s aggro, it could get messy. Should I provoke first?
“Hello♡ Sloppy Braggart♡ Still think you’re cool?♡ When are you gonna grow out of your puberty?♡ Pathetic♡ Sloppy♡”
Nakrad’s eyes burned at my teasing laughter. Seeing him brought back memories, and my heart raced with tension.
If it weren’t for the Mesugaki Skill forcing my actions, would my wavering heart have shown?
It’s okay. No problem. After all, I’m not the one fighting that guy.
“You don’t remember what it’s like to have a body, do you?”
Turning to the voice from the side, I saw an old man with bright white hair standing there.
The wrinkles on his face told the tale of the years he’d lived, but his body was different.
Despite his age, he looked as strong as Benedict, showing just how insane this old man was.
The old man clad in immaculate white armor created a sturdy shield of divine power on his left arm and turned his gaze toward me.
“I’ve never seen you like this before, Young Lady.”
Ruel. The soul that resided in my mace and once saved the world as a great holy knight.
I didn’t realize how much of a monster he was when he was nagging me inside the mace. Just seeing him, the pressure is no joke.
Now I understand why the sloppy fox spoke with such confidence.
Before entering the mindscape of Phoebe, the sloppy fox said this:
“In the mindscape, your physical body has no meaning. What matters is the soul.”
“Understand? The one in the mace is connected to you by soul. If you enter the mindscape, that guy will naturally follow.”
The old man stroked his mustache, smiling as he伸 it toward me.
“So, what do you think? This grandpa here? Am I reliable?”
“Of course!”
“Oh, is there a desired answer? This senile grandpa? But what to do? I really don’t want to say that.”
“Heh. Hearing those words spill out is kind of annoying.”
Knowing the full story, I handed the mace to the old man, who grasped it with hands that could have been three times my size.
As a result, the mace naturally enlarged. The old man swung the mace like a twig, its size comparable to my head.
“It’s been a while since I fought directly, so I’m not sure how it’ll go.”
“Grandpa?”
“What? Sloppy grandpa. After boasting, are you feeling unsure? You’re a washed-up old man.”
“…Young Lady. I’m sorry, but could you please keep quiet for a moment? I might end up attacking you.”
What kind of legendary holy knight would lose it like this? Grandpa, just brush it off and act like it’s nothing.
“You are.”
“Ah, my bad. It’s been a while since I got a body, so I’m just a bit excited. Nice to meet you, Apostle of Evil God. This old man is Ruel, a member of the hero party that sealed the evil god. From your perspective, it’s certainly a target of hatred.”
As the grandpa stepped forward, Nakrad took a step back. His gaze was wavering, unsure of where to focus.
He was flustered.
For me, Nakrad is strong, but in the context of the entire continent, he still has a long way to go.
Unless the evil god fully resurrects, for now, he’s lacking. Just look at how a single knight from the Allen Family, Karl, can throw him around.
But our grandpa here is a monster who wouldn’t guarantee victory even if the evil god resurrected and Nakrad gained full power.
The title of holy knight of the hero party isn’t just for show.
“Liar.”
“Do you think I’m lying? Either way, it doesn’t matter. Saying that won’t make you disappear.”
“Don’t threaten me with bravado!”
Nakrad cast a black orb hovering around him. Each one had the power to incapacitate me with its attack.
However, the grandpa showed no fear at all. Instead, he leisurely swung his mace.
The way the grandpa wielded the mace was fascinating to me.
If I had never held a weapon before, it might have been different. But now, I practice every day to wield the mace better.
So, I couldn’t help but know how incredible the grandpa’s technique was.
The grip. The distribution of power when swinging. Moving magic power. The precise moments of explosion.
Having witnessed that, I knew one thing for certain. That right there is the completed form. The most efficient and powerful way to wield a mace is just like that.
“Do you still think it’s all bravado?”
Seeing Nakrad tighten his mouth, the grandpa took a step forward and said:
“In a sense, this is fortuitous. It’s been frustrating always having to give advice with words; now I can show you how to fight directly.”
Learn and observe. The grandpa rushed forward as he finished speaking.
*
From the day Ruel woke up, he was always by Lucy’s side.
When she practiced.
When she dueled with other knights.
Even when she face-planted on the desk reading a book.
When the blessing of the lord made her blurt out something rude and she got flustered.
Even in moments when she muttered about how annoying his nagging was.
When she got hurt inside for being avoided by those around her.
Naturally, even when she rose from the brink of death, he was always there.
At first, Ruel thought if helping this Young Lady was the will of God, he’d do it.
But now it’s different. Having spent so much time with Lucy, learning just how principled and good-hearted she is, Ruel now regarded her as his granddaughter.
And the person in front of him now was the damn man who had tried to kill his granddaughter in the past.
There was not a single reason for mercy. None at all.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?”
As Nakrad tried to hide in the shadows, Ruel stomped down on that shadow with his own foot.
He was the one who had sealed the evil god with his own hands. Naturally, he also had experience in facing and defeating the dark evil god. He knew how to fight it.
Having caught the fleeing guy, he kicked Nakrad away with his foot.
“Not yet. Get up.”
“B-bastard!”
Where was he trying to fall to already?
When Lucy was tormented by you, she endured even greater pain and stood in your way. She grabbed your ankles.
A person who tormented others should prepare to face their karma. As an apostle of the evil god, was this your resolve?
“There’s still so much to show Lucy. A teaching material.”
“Die!”
As Nakrad shouted, a spike made of darkness emerged from the shadow spread around him.
However, as Ruel pressed down with divine power on his foot, it shattered before it could form.
“Divine power is not merely a material to use divine magic. Depending on its application, it can achieve infinite results.”
It might be a difficult thing for Lucy, who is just starting on the path of a holy knight, but someday, you’ll reach this level.
I’ll be right by your side. So, take a good look.
“Die, I say!”
Even with his intent crushed, Nakrad didn’t give up. He charged at Ruel, attempting a fistfight.
The combination of magic made of darkness and skilled martial arts was indeed threatening, but faced with Ruel, it was powerless.
He blocked all Nakrad’s attacks with his shield and steadily accumulated shock with the mace whenever an opening appeared.
Look, Lucy. This is how a shield-bearer fights. Moving selfishly and cowardly to make your opponent lose their reason is exactly what a shield-bearer should do.
This was always what I meant when I said to fight like a crocodile.
As Nakrad, who was gradually worn down, was getting pushed down again, he barely managed to rise to his feet, but his legs were trembling.
Although a deadly blow had yet to exist, every strike of the mace filled with intent to kill had packed the pain and crushed bones, leading to significant accumulated damage.
“Not yet.”
Ruel tightened his grip on the mace and moved his foot.
Not yet.
Lucy endured a longer time facing you, the disaster. So, you should endure more than this.
“Don’t come any closer! I said don’t come closer!”
This time Nakrad summoned numerous creatures from within his shadow.
Each of the dark beings bore ominous magic. In other words, they were infinitely weak before the divine.
Ruel looked around at the creatures surrounding him and lifted his mace high.
“Look, Young Lady. This is the level you will reach someday.”
Then, the divine power began to gather above Ruel’s raised mace.
In the past, when the world was engulfed in darkness, the holy knight standing on the front line against it wielded divine power like a sun.
The black mists that tinged the sky retreated,
The creatures surrounding him hid back into the shadows, and
The apostle of the evil god, responsible for this spectacle, could do nothing but scream in front of him.
As it all ended, Ruel walked toward the sprawled Nakrad, bathed in the descending light.
Terrified, Nakrad crawled desperately, trying to escape, but he couldn’t escape Ruel’s steps.
Standing before Nakrad, Ruel lifted his mace high.
“I will have my revenge! I will repay this humiliation to the apostle of Armadi!”
“Go ahead. At that time, you will be kneeling beneath the Young Lady.”
The mace descended down under the force of gravity.
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WAY TO GO GRANDPA