Chapter: 129
A man with a black hood pulled over his head concealed his appearance as much as possible. But the ragged state of that black hood suggested he didn’t look like a normal human.
As soon as I caught sight of this man, I could roughly guess his identity.
“Dragon’s Priestess… you really haven’t changed. So, are you the hero?”
“That’s right, but… who are you?”
However, the hero, who was busy slicing fruit with a small dagger, didn’t recognize the man’s identity.
Well, it’s only natural. In the decades-long life of the hero, this man only crossed paths with him for a single day, and that day disappeared in a flash.
It would be more surprising if the hero remembered him.
Without a word, the man drew the sword hanging from his waist.
The sword had a metallic, reddish hue. Definitely not an ordinary sword.
Seeing the man holding such a sword and aiming it at the hero, the hero grumbled softly.
“Why are young ones so ill-mannered nowadays? They just pull their swords without a word… Tsk.”
The hero sounded like an old man complaining. Ignoring his words, the man charged at the hero with his sword.
“It’s been a long time since I retired, but why are there so many people thirsty for the title of hero? It’s honestly annoying. Are you planning to appoint a new hero soon?”
“As long as you’re alive, that won’t happen.”
“I wasn’t particularly worried about it, though…”
Calmly continuing the conversation, the hero effortlessly dodged the man’s sword.
“The speed is pretty fast. Quite threatening.”
Although his body was aging, the hero’s swordsmanship hadn’t faltered, elevating to a level closer to art from mere technique.
Using the fruit knife, the hero pushed aside the reddish sword as if evaluating the man’s attack.
“But the trajectory is extremely simple. Thanks to that, it’s not hard to dodge. Against an opponent of similar speed, it’s not really a big threat.”
“Y-You’re annoying!”
The man attempted to overwhelm the hero with a flurry of attacks. But the hero simply poked his fruit knife at the core of the man’s sword, completely warping its trajectory.
With a tiny amount of force, this display of nullifying a powerful attack was like witnessing the pinnacle of a sword master.
The man kept trying to press an attack, yet the hero deftly handled the fruit knife, neutralizing every strike.
After dozens of exchanges, the hero finally declared, “Alright, let’s call it quits. Among the recent foes, you were the strongest.”
“Ugh…”
The man dropped the sword after his wrist was cut by the hero’s knife.
“Your swordsmanship doesn’t seem to stem from formal training; are you a mercenary? It’s more like a survival technique honed in. But there’s something oddly calm about the fundamentals… Hmm. Did you learn just the basics properly?”
The hero shook off the knife and wiped it clean with his sleeve.
“Oh no. I was scolded for using this for fighting, and now I’m going to get another lecture. Sister, can you keep this a secret?”
“You need a bit more scolding.”
Honestly, these days, the hero rarely bothered with his sword outside of training. Even while being too powerful for opponents to handle, a hero who doesn’t wield his own sword feels quite strange, doesn’t it?
And then—
The man, groaning softly from his cut wrist, suddenly caused the tip of his reddish blade to morph and shoot toward the hero.
It looked like liquid metal… resembling crimson mercury.
Is that really what it is?
The transformed thin blade aimed at the hero’s back.
“Oh wow.”
The hero slightly sidestepped and swung the knife, perfectly deflecting the surprise attack from behind.
“Using something fascinating, huh? The world is genuinely vast.”
“Y-You monster…!”
“Monster? It’s just hard work paying off.”
An average person wouldn’t be able to block a blade coming from behind with a fruit knife, but after honed senses sharpened to an almost superhuman degree, that was the hero.
“I’ve traveled around and done many things, but I’ve never threatened a human life.”
If he received praise, he deserved it, but he’d never been a threat to anyone.
However, with this guy, it’s a different story.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
I stepped toward the man with the black hood.
His wrist cut had already healed, showcasing an inhuman recovery speed.
And the tracking marker responded as well.
“It’s been a while.”
I pulled back the hood, revealing the face hidden beneath.
“You pathetic prince who toppled a nation.”
His face was now a mess, covered in beard, a far cry from decades before.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I looked down at the sorrowful man and said,
“Now I’m curious about why you dared to come here, once the second prince of the Arcad Empire.”
“……”
But he didn’t respond.
If he was looking to beg for forgiveness, I’d have told him to head to the Temple of Life and sincerely repent. Why come to the hero and start slicing with a sword?
The hero, who’s already been complaining about a sore back, has me worried for various reasons. Sigh.
Plus, he’s holding such a peculiar sword. How on earth did he create that?
I picked up the sword that had fallen at my feet.
The sword looked ordinary, but there was something unusual about the blade.
I initially thought it had a reddish tint, but it had something coating the blade, causing that crimson glow.
“Hmmm. Looks like you’ve mastered something interesting there.”
The membrane covering the blade was none other than blood. Blood that was being perfectly controlled through life force.
I knew he had gone through various hardships given his ragged look, but… to create something this unique, that’s pretty wild.
“Ugh… kill me…!”
Those kinds of lines belong to a beautiful captive knight, not some ragged, sloppy guy.
After examining the sword from various angles, I tossed it back to the man and said,
“My question wasn’t about that. You had no reason to come here in the first place.”
I glanced down at the man sitting on the ground. His body had already healed, but he didn’t move an inch.
“…kill…”
The man muttered in a voice thick with resentment.
“Kill me…”
“Kill you? Why?”
“Yeah… If it’s you, the one standing in for the goddess who cursed me, then you could end it for me…”
The man raised his head and glared at me.
His bloodshot eyes were leaking tears of blood, as if his veins had burst.
“I don’t want to live anymore. Kill me. End this torture called life…”
Towards that man, I simply replied,
“Why should I?”
“Ugh…! Why won’t you just do it?! I’m begging you to kill me!!! I can’t stand this pain anymore! I don’t want to live a life where I can only watch others die!!! Give me the peace of death!!!”
Hmm, the peace of death, huh.
Well, sure, his life must have been tormenting under the influence of various gods, leading him to find death more favorable.
Thanks to his past actions spreading among other gods, he probably ended up with concentrated curses turning his life into a mess.
If it weren’t for the immortality curse, he would’ve been through life hundreds or thousands of times over.
However,
“Without sincerely atoning and asking for forgiveness, that peace won’t come to you.”
I’d already laid out all the methods to lift the curse, so why is this idiot still here sulking?
If he had just gone and prayed earnestly at the Temple of Life, I would’ve lifted it ages ago.
“No matter what happens?”
“No matter what happens.”
So go to the Temple of Life! It’s the fastest solution!
Hmm. Could it be he’s forgotten or is simply not remembering that solution?
Nah, can’t be. I’ve been saying it from the start unless he’s just ignored everything I’ve told him.
“Even now?”
The man picked up the sword lying in front of him and aimed it at my neck.
The life force coating the crimson blade. To use it to take a life? How strange.
“Lift my curse this instant, or I’ll kill you.”
“Oh?”
Now he’s resorting to threats? He’s really gone off the deep end now!
Does he think I’ll just lift it because he says so? No way! Yikes! I don’t deal with underhanded tactics outside the official resolution!
“If you think you can, give it a shot.”
“Sister!”
The hero exclaimed in surprise. Why’s he reacting like that? It’s just a little sword!
If you know my identity, you shouldn’t be worried, should you?
“Over there! My daughter is coming with her useless husband and their child! Hurry up and wrap this up!”
Well, figured as much. You worrying about me makes no sense.
I can’t let him create trouble for the hero’s daughter and her family, either.
“Kneel.”
I said in a low voice.
“Gah!”
The man immediately crumbled to the ground.
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