The next day, something unusual happened. I couldn’t see Acella in the morning.
Instead, the Head Maid delivered her words to me.
“The Royal Princess has decided to skip the morning consultation.”
“Is that alright? If any problems arise, it could be a big deal.”
“There’s no health issue. If something comes up, I’ll call you immediately.”
With that reply, I had no choice but to move on to my tasks.
Before heading to the Inner Palace, I first gathered with the team of doctors in the meeting room to share insights.
Without a doubt, the hot topic right now was about Lishe.
“Ah, Teacher.”
Before long, Lishe arrived at the meeting room, escorted by knights.
“Are you okay? How’s your health?”
“Of course.”
She timidly bowed her head in front of me.
“Um, about yesterday…”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ve analyzed the cause as to what the Hero said.”
“Still, I’m sorry for causing trouble…”
Lishe trailed off. Yet, she looked anxious as she clutched her collar and swallowed hard.
Could my sanctification buff be that unbearable?
That’s not a good sign.
“What should I do?”
Lishe seemed lost like a child without a destination.
Though she might struggle a bit now, I know Lishe will become a proper Hero. As Tanya said, it takes time.
‘To control the dual personality, Lishe must learn to wield the Holy Sword well.’
If Lishe from the future emerges, [Holy Sword Destruction] will activate, and if her current self is clumsy, [Unbinding] will occur.
It’s a dilemma but the direction is set.
Lishe has shown a will to fight by herself. I think supporting her calmly is the right choice for me as well.
“Shall we try using the Holy Sword again?”
“T-the Holy Sword? What if I end up causing trouble again like last time?”
“That time, we were facing demons, and it was an unforeseen situation. This time, we have knights with us, so it should be fine. Above all…”
I nodded vigorously.
“I believe in you, Hero.”
“You… believe in me?”
Lishe seemed a bit choked up, holding her breath and pursing her lips.
She soon steeled herself and made a decision.
“If you say so, Teacher, I’ll give it a shot.”
Lishe had a tenacious personality that wouldn’t give up even in despair, like a bouncing ball.
Seeing her reaction, I knew it was the Lishe I knew.
“Good. Commander.”
“Yes.”
Tanya asked the Commander of the Knights to bring out the box that was prepared outside.
Unlocking it carefully revealed the Holy Sword, modest yet shining white, proudly showcasing its presence.
“Huff.”
Upon seeing the blade, Lishe started to sweat nervously as a bad sensation resurfaced.
“Feeling really uneasy?”
“Yes. If I get too close to that…”
Yet Lishe didn’t run away. Rather, she took a step closer to the Holy Sword.
“Um, Teacher. Sorry, but I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Could you stay near me when I hold the sword?”
Lishe pleaded with me, almost begging.
Having sanctification would definitely help.
“I’ll be with you. I can respond in case of an emergency.”
With Tanya backing me up, there was no reason to refuse. I stood beside Lishe.
Lishe slowly reached for the hilt of the Holy Sword.
“Ugh.”
Her thin fingers trembled as they gripped firmly, transforming with her solid determination.
As Lishe raised the Holy Sword to her chest, the knights tensed up.
“Whoa.”
But the anticipated scenario did not unfold.
There was no unfortunate incident where Lishe’s personality changed.
[No. 010: Holy Sword Destruction 68%]
[No. 014: Unbinding 61%]
The ending probabilities remained the same.
This meant Lishe hadn’t resonated with the Holy Sword, and her future persona didn’t emerge.
“How is it? Nothing troublesome, right?”
“It seems so.”
“You don’t have to be too scared. It’s a Holy Sword, but in the end, it’s just a hunk of iron, right?”
I lightly tapped Lishe’s shoulder.
“Right now, there are no health issues for the Hero. The only thing needed is the mental fortitude to accept the Holy Sword’s mystery.”
“Mental fortitude, huh.”
Explaining it in detail might get complicated, and telling a multiple personality patient their diagnosis could be dangerous, so I expressed it in a roundabout way.
“For the time being, let’s practice swordsmanship with the Holy Sword. It shouldn’t be much different from an ordinary sword.”
This was my plan to raise Lishe’s resonance.
“Now that you mention it, it does feel like an ordinary sword.”
“Exactly.”
“Then onto the next training content.”
Tanya conveyed to Lishe.
“Starting now, you will accompany me and the Moonlight Palace Knights for a dungeon raid. The difficulty will be intermediate.”
“I’m going to the dungeon?! Whoa!”
Lishe was taken by surprise, swinging the Holy Sword around. But she only seemed surprised, not scared.
“The Hero is someone who picks things up quickly. Real-world experience will help you significantly.”
“Dungeons… there will be lots of demons, right? I’ll give it my all!”
Perhaps due to her waning fear of the Holy Sword, Lishe looked much more relaxed, ready to give it her all.
She turned to me and asked,
“But Teacher, are you okay? I’m worried about your health.”
“Oh, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not going.”
Lishe’s expression changed to one of despair, as if she fell into a pit, all in an instant.
“R-really? I thought you were coming since the Master is going!”
“I have duties in the Inner Palace, and above all, I am the Royal Princess’s attending physician. However, I’ve organized a team of doctors to accompany you. If anything happens, Commander Tanya will help you.”
“Okay… um, how long will the dungeon raid take?”
“We’re expecting a two-week expedition.”
“Two weeks, huh…”
At Tanya’s answer, Lishe pursed her lips tightly.
“I’ll prepare some emergency medicine for you. Take care.”
“…Yes.”
Her response lacked the vigor from earlier.
*
I saw off Tanya and Lishe’s dungeon raiding party as they set off.
In the meantime, Bruno started to take charge of my escort.
“Teacher, when will you go on vacation?”
“Vacation? It’s been just a few months since I returned from the Marquisate and you’re already thinking about vacation? Don’t you remember it took over a year to get the first one?”
“Oh, right.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, Musjack, Lincal, Rumda, and Azusa are waiting for me.”
“Didn’t you say they were introducing you to friends?”
“They all say they like me more.”
“What a load of nonsense.”
I hit the back of Bruno’s head lightly, and he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.
Speaking of which, it was about time the military system was coming to an end in the Thunder Tribe.
The demand for pharmaceuticals from the factory was significant nationwide, making this timing quite good. There could be thieves or foreign invaders looking to target the medicines.
Although the empire and kingdom are separated by a long mountain range, the northern part is an exception. If one sets their mind to it, they can invade through Count Blücher’s Territory from either the kingdom or principality.
During the war, it was far from the system and the supply routes were long, so there were almost no battles at the critical point. However,
‘I’m sure Gishta is managing things well.’
The folks in the Marquisate are reliable above all.
Just as I was about to return to work, a visitor arrived at the Moonlight Palace.
“It’s the flag of Mokhwi Palace.”
The formidable woman riding a white horse approaching the formation was none other than Heike.
Our knights prepared to greet them at the main gate. Since she was in sight, I decided to sneakily stand nearby.
“Good to see you, Gothberg.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, First Royal Princess.”
“Your greetings never get old.”
Heike showed a refreshing smile.
“What brings you to the Moonlight Palace? Do you have a meeting planned with the Third Royal Princess?”
“What occasion would there be for competitors to have a friendly meeting? However, there is a matter we must respond to together, as you know.”
“What is it?”
“Has Acella not told you yet?”
As Heike gestured, one of her secretaries handed me a document.
“The kingdom has sent a delegation to investigate the incident regarding the recovery of the Holy Sword.”
“Right. If we respond incorrectly, the empire might interpret it as an international provocation by the kingdom.”
“I was present at the scene. If the kingdom has verified the site, they should have a clear understanding of what transpired.”
There were still a few Sirens remaining in the lake, and the bodies of the drowned soldiers were still there.
“This looks like a message that they want to come and vent their frustrations because they lost the Holy Sword.”
“Exactly. Originally, this was something Mokhwi Palace was supposed to handle, but I’m here to seek Moonlight Palace’s cooperation for understanding the situation.”
To put it more fundamentally, it’s a matter that the Emperor should address personally.
If the Emperor were involved, he would have made such minor disputes not even worth mentioning from the start, but due to recent health issues, he has entrusted almost all external activities to the heir’s palace.
“We’ll need to hear what our sovereign has to say, but this matter is fundamentally…”
I nodded lightly.
“I believe cooperation between the two palaces is necessary.”
Heike wore a satisfied smile.
“It’s reassuring to have you so cooperative.”
“I will relay this to our sovereign.”
After a light bow, I made my way to the Moonlight Palace to meet Acella.
[No. 005: Demon King’s Army Victory 58%]
‘From the matter of the Holy Sword, political struggles between nations will begin, and the members of the Hero party will be determined.’
This was just the beginning of warriors and archers from the kingdom—misfits that didn’t harmonize with Lishe’s vibration—entering the fray.
‘It won’t happen like that.’
I appointed our powerful Swordmaster to the forefront.
I choose the members of the Hero party.
With the very best dream team in mind.
Of course, excluding myself.
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