“Time is precious. Just everyone, come at me all at once.”
“······.”
The longsword slowly slid out from Trie’s scabbard.
The sword, adorned with a red gem at the hilt, was now firmly held by Trie, reflecting the sunlight.
The knights of the kingdom who had been momentarily speechless, staring blankly at Trie, began to speak one by one.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“What? Are we, like, really getting fooled by the Empire?”
“This is ridiculous······.”
“I never thought they’d be such rookies!”
The knights, who had been scanning Trie from head to toe, burst into laughter, unable to hold it back any longer.
Wearing full plate armor was a sign of a complete novice.
After just three days in a muddy battlefield, anyone would shed that armor.
It seemed that this girl had only fought in luxurious battlefields where she had aids to help maintain her armor while waiting for the enemies to take it off.
Furthermore, the sword embedded with a huge gem seemed like it was asking assassins to please remember this sword and come attack at night.
Clearly, she had only experienced battlefields devoid of assassins who would slip through barriers and go for the commanders’ throats.
“This is just······ ha······. This can’t be right.”
Not to mention, her stance was so far from orthodox it was almost bizarre.
The knights clicked their tongues, thinking they had made a fool of themselves.
They had honestly held a tiny bit of hope when they heard that the Empire’s knights had given up on the duel, but it seemed like that was merely a deception to mess with the kingdom’s soldiers.
“Hey! Still, she can’t be completely unskilled! Let our newbie have some practice!”
“Yeah! Newbie! You go out there!”
The knights circled around Trie, forming another small circular arena within the contest area.
Then, from among them, a big man with a one-handed sword stepped out and stood in front of Trie.
Trie let out a sigh, grabbed her scabbard again, and shoved her sword back in.
There was no way she could use Judgment Day against a newbie in leather armor armed with a one-handed sword.
Of course, it may just be a fake imitating the appearance, but there was no way for others to know whether this was Vafe or the real Judgment Day.
Even if she defeated 200 knights, the whispers citing the legendary sword would be nothing less than disappointing.
“What? Are you scared?”
“I’m going to fight barehanded. Come at me.”
“Wh-what······?”
“There are only two rules. One, no mana usage. We can’t destroy the arena. And two, knockout will be judged solely by consciousness and surrender status of the opponent.”
“Uh······?”
The barehanded girl strode confidently towards the muscular man.
The moment he met her sharp gaze, he froze, aiming his sword at her.
His reason told him he couldn’t attack an unarmed opponent, but his instincts said otherwise.
Adrenaline surged through him, overwhelming him with combat-driven instincts.
He had to run, and without knowing why, he was drenched in cold sweat from fear.
“Hey! What’s wrong, newbie? Are you hurt?”
“J-just a moment······ that······! Her eyes!”
“What’s wrong with her eyes?! Charge in, newbie!”
“How do I······!”
Then, in that moment, Trie’s New Model vanished from everyone’s sight in an instant.
After traveling about 10 meters, Trie had already grabbed the neck of the new knight and threw him down with ease.
*Thud!*
“······.”
“······.”
As the man’s back struck the ground, the audience suddenly fell silent.
The man had already started foaming at the mouth, unconscious.
Sure, it had to hurt, but it was likely not enough to faint from.
The knights, dumbfounded, looked down at the rookie and then raised their gazes nervously towards Trie’s face.
The girl who had leaped across space without using any mana was calmly exhaling, wearing a relaxed expression as if nothing had happened.
At the moment they made eye contact, all the knights froze.
“Are you still thinking of coming at me one by one?”
Noticing that, Trie deliberately lowered her gaze slightly, provoking them.
As if released from a spell, the knights began to breathe again, their bodies moving.
“Ugh, uaaaah!!!”
Losing sanity, the one who charged at her from behind her back transformed the knights into a hive of swarming bodies as they rushed in.
As cries echoed in all directions, forgetting their fear, Trie leisurely picked up a fallen one-handed sword.
From now on, she had no intention of accelerating anywhere near the speed she just displayed.
If she moved at an unimaginable speed, like candles flickering, picking off the knights one by one, it wouldn’t be entertaining for the audience to watch.
Of course, she didn’t believe they would comply, but if they said that such movements couldn’t be utilized without mana, they might refuse to accept defeat.
So, she had to face the 200 men storming in at a speed they could barely follow with their eyes.
‘I have to manage this level to deserve the title of Sword God, right!’
It sounded doable.
Thinking that, a smile spread across Trie’s lips.
Just as spears and swords rained down from all directions, Trie’s body twisted strangely, effortlessly deflecting all the blade strikes as the battle commenced.
“Wow. Just overwhelming.”
Jin, who had been munching on corn snacks until the bottom of the bowl showed, exclaimed in awe.
The audience still hadn’t grasped the situation, cheering for the knights till their throats were raw, but Jin could clearly see it.
The instinctual fear that had settled deep within the knights.
The outcome had already been decided from the moment the battle began.
Watching knights fall one by one to blows to their back and sword handles, Jin tilted the now-empty bowl to his mouth, shaking it out.
“Seems like it’s wrapping up.”
“Right.”
“······?”
At that moment, something heavy landed atop Jin’s head.
Familiar voice, familiar touch.
He didn’t need to turn around to identify the person, but trembling, Jin bit his teeth against each other.
“Sword God. You’re going to be recognized without a doubt.”
“Ah······. Ugh······.”
*Rustle.*
As a man clad in rags sat down beside him, gently ruffling the child-like Jin’s head.
Even with detection magic and barrier magic set out, how on earth had he found him?
Questions like that were pointless.
To this man, the question of ‘how’ was meaningless.
But if he were to ask, he’d surely laugh and say something like, ‘It just worked.’
This man possessed a power so overwhelming that thinking about it felt unnecessary.
“But where have you been wandering off to? You drained the money from your account. Were you on the run or something?”
“······.”
Jin squinted his eyes and slowly nodded his head.
He thought maybe, just maybe he had grown a bit closer to Schlus after carrying out a few of his requests.
At least the moments when their eyes met and he roared as if to kill him had vanished.
However, if he thought such a relationship would persist even after the war ended, Jin was well aware that would be a grand delusion.
As Schlus had only employed him temporarily during the war against Majin, unable to turn him into an enemy, after the war was over and peace returned, Schlus would undoubtedly seek to dispose of him.
Given that Schlus had threatened his acquaintances and still retained the ability to do so, Jin had to vanish as far as he was concerned.
“If you’re going to run away, make it somewhere far, like a deserted island.”
“They say to hide a tree in the forest······.”
“So you hid in this Trud Kingdom? You think you can’t live in the city because you’re too reluctant to part with the money you’ve earned so far?”
“······.”
He’d hit the nail on the head.
Schlus knew him too well.
He had become omniscient, now seemingly able to look deep into his heart.
Jin found himself sniffling, holding back tears.
“I-I, for now······. Let me leave a will before I die······.”
He stammered, clacking his teeth as he continued his sentence.
There was no way begging for his life would work on that cruel man.
In the end, after slaughtering all the Majin, he might keep just one alive, imprisoning them in a dungeon where he enjoyed torturing them, so he might not hesitate to twist his neck at that very moment.
So, all he could do was fervently plead for his will to be conveyed to his hometown where he hadn’t been able to visit for decades.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
“Misunderstanding what······.”
“Oh. The contest is over. Let’s head out for now.”
Before long, the arena was filled with knights crawling on the ground, moaning and in states close to death.
Amidst them stood Trie, beaming brightly and waving at Schlus, as if she recognized him.
Chuckling softly, Schlus waved back, then started nudging Jin to leave the corridor.
‘I’m going to die. I’m really going to die······.’
They had exited the contest area and walked quite a distance along a deserted forest path.
Once they reached a sizable lake, Schlus stopped walking.
Jin’s legs suddenly felt like jelly, causing him to sit down right in front of the lake.
So this is where he intended to execute him.
Resistance would be meaningless.
Rather than getting on his nerves and ending up in a dungeon like some Majin, being killed cleanly would be better.
Jin accepted his fate quietly, tears streaming down his face.
No, he desperately tried to accept it.
*Thud…*
“Ugh.”
The moment Schlus’ hand touched his neck, goosebumps covered his entire body.
All he wished for was to be killed swiftly without pain.
At that moment, he felt something being drained from within him, as if something was being sucked out.
Was it his life force?
“Done.”
“Uh? Huh?”
At that point, Schlus’ hand released him, and a relieved voice was heard.
He wasn’t dead.
There was no pain at all.
Confused, Jin, still shocked, felt his body twitch, suddenly recognizing the changes within himself.
“I figured I should give you a punishment for trying to kill Emilia, since it was just too blasphemous. I just took your disguise ability. You won’t be able to pull those absurd tricks anymore.”
“······.”
Schlus recited this firmly while savoring the strange ability he absorbed from Jin.
Although the assassination attempt on Emilia had turned out to be unsuccessful and there was no legal way to punish him, private retribution was entirely feasible.
Thus, Schlus decided to rob Jin of his means of livelihood.
He had completely shattered the career Jin had built over decades as a master of disguise, preventing her from working as a spy ever again.
That should suffice for revenge, right?
“Ah······ aaah······.”
Jin slowly crawled over to the lakeside.
And when he lowered his face to the calm surface of the lake, it felt as if his breath was being strangled.
A strange face stared back at him.
One that felt unfamiliar yet as if he’d seen it somewhere.
Unconsciously reaching out to touch the surface, Jin slowly brought his hand up and stroked his own face.
As if reflecting, the woman on the opposite side touched her face as well.
“Ahh······. Ugh······.”
Tears streamed down his cheeks, trailing down his face.
Only then did Jin recognize the identity of that somewhat strange but familiar face.
It was none other than her true face.
She had grown a bit since her childhood and had some wrinkles now, but there was no mistake.
This was Jin’s original appearance, which she had somehow forgotten over time amid using her disguise ability repeatedly.
“Ahh, ugh······.”
Now he could go back to his hometown.
He could finally see his parents again.
No longer would he have to bear the doubtful glares asking who was impersonating their daughter.
After over 20 years of running away from home, he could finally do something resembling filial piety.
He had also earned quite a bit of money······.
Thoughts like these kept bubbling up, and Jin couldn’t hold back the tears of joy welling up from deep within him.
Sighing deeply while looking down at Jin, Schlus departed the lakeside, leaving him to his weeping.
