Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 34 The Saint Falls

The sky gradually began to darken, and it was nearing the time when the sunset would be completely gone, in that hour.

In the garden, a little distance away from the royal palace where a gathering of martial arts champions from neighboring countries was taking place, there was a skirmish among the experts, aptly named the Night Gathering, as they vied to recruit each other.

My lady, who is also my liege, and Ars, who had become somewhat of a friend-rival through a serious match, sat together on a wooden bench, leaning against each other.

…Well, it might seem like my lady is leaning affectionately towards Ars, who seems unresponsive, but well, that’s probably just a minor detail.

“A-Ars-sama… um…”

“What is it? Princess Isha?”

“I have something I want to tell you…”

Her face flushed red as she spoke.

It seems she’s trying to moisten her eyes with a maiden’s expression and hit Ars’ male heart with a precise combo in what could be called the “lovestruck saint” mode.

How cunning.

The future is truly frightening.

By the way, as I’m currently contemplating like this, I’m properly playing the role of a tree around here, reading the atmosphere.

Yes, right now, I am a tree.

I mustn’t assert my humanity and ruin this stage, which could be considered the finals for my lady, in any way.

Because this is my duty.

This is also one of the tough parts of being a guardian.

“Princess, huh?… No. Ars-sama, can you call me Isha?”

“Huh~?”

“Hehe, you’re so shy.”

This isn’t good.

I want to cheer on my lady, but Ars is just not showing any interest at all.

Even though my lady might be blinded by love, being a man, I understand.

Oh, this is not good.

But even so, she looks like a beautiful young girl, and on the surface, she’s a proper saint.

There must be some winning move somewhere…

And so, they stared at each other for a while…

…No.

As my lady stared at Ars with a face that could easily stir up protective instincts, and Ars, who was smiling for some reason, faced each other casually, my lady finally made up her mind.

That expression…

She’s probably determined to settle the match with this one move.

“Ars-sama, I love you!”

“I love my dad, mom, and also Gaius and Ballus! It’s the same, right?”

Nooo!!

That’s not it, Ars, that’s not it!!

Come on, how dense can you be?!

No, could it be intentional?!

Is it intentional?!

If so, my friend, you’re amazing!

You’re already a hero!

To say that to my lady, you must be nothing short of courageous!

I seriously respect you!

You’re beyond amazing!

“Uh, hehe… hehehe…”

“Hehehe”

This is awkward!

I mean, it’s tough being stuck as a tree here and not being able to say anything!

Please, just let me save face somehow…

And it would’ve been so great if I could say, “My lady, your expression is starting to crack.”

Her temples are already bulging, and her facade of composure is starting to slip, it’s turning into a disaster…

But what’s amazing about my lady, who is my liege, is that she never gives up here.

Clearly sensing no interest from Ars, she takes his hand and places it over her own chest, and proceeds to make a confession of love, the origins of which nobody knows.

“I want to love you, Ars-sama, as my lifelong partner. Please, would you consider staying by my side forever?”

“Huh? That’s impossible.”

It’s overrrrr!!!

Total defeat!!!

With Ars being too much of a hero, the match ended in three seconds!!!

Look, even my lady, as shocked as she is, seems to be losing her mind!

No, she’s practically soulless at this point!

She might as well be unconscious!

“Heeeyyyyyy~”

“What’s wrong, Princess Isha?”

Are you serious, are you oblivious?!

I can’t tell if he understands the situation or not, which is even more terrifying!

“But, I don’t think it’s possible right now. You see? You’re still young, Princess Isha, right? But to be someone’s wife, you have to be even better than your mother. …I don’t really get it, but you probably need to grow a bit more. So, I think it’s impossible for now.”

“Heeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy~”

I see, it seems my friend had his own reasoning after all.

I momentarily thought he might be a devil, skipping over a brave soul like that. I’m sorry, forgive me.

But what Ars is saying is correct.

Presumably, as nobles prioritizing political marriages, their parents would have provided education to ensure they don’t cause chaos with hasty promises.

The words of nobles carry weight, even for children yet to inherit their positions.

However, all of this would be irrelevant if my lady’s consciousness still remained.

In this situation where she’s already been shot down and her consciousness harvested, those words wouldn’t be remembered.

But perhaps, in this situation, that’s for the best.

Because…

“To instantly take down that lady, you’re something else, Ars… …and also.”

“Yeah, I know, Ein-kun… …come out, we know you’re there.”

As soon as we made contact with each other, multiple figures in black attire leaped out from the supposedly safe garden of the castle.

It seems we’re completely surrounded.

Roughly counting, there are about ten assailants.

Their individual combat abilities might be at best Class C.

As assassins, being detected by both me and Ars, they’re probably at Class B at most.

Their quality is commendable, but it’s rather surprising that they dared to attack us with those skills.

“Well, I’ll give credit where it’s due for being able to infiltrate even here with whatever tricks and connections you’ve used. But you’ve underestimated your opponent, thieves. Ars, I’m counting on you. I’ll protect my lady.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

With that, Ars took the spare sword from me, assumed a stance, and activated that transcendent body enhancement towards them.

But really, he’s quite something.

By fortunate circumstance, since my lady here was rendered unconscious, we can now calmly ensure her safety without any panic.

If he’s doing this deliberately, I can’t help but think I’ve welcomed an incredible rival.

“Well then, you thugs. Including those other guys hiding and watching from behind, shall we clean up?”

“What!? Why, you!?”

Yes, this group isn’t just these ten people.

For some reason, a separate unit dressed as soldiers was lurking a little further back, observing and waiting.

I really don’t understand their intentions, but they’ve just wasted their efforts.

Did they really think they could slip past our detection with something like this?

They’ve underestimated us.

“Wait, wait, hold on! We’re soldiers of this castle! We came to protect you from these guys in black!”

Oh, is that so?

Thieves dressed as soldiers come running over to make excuses… How naive.

“Why, that’s impossible. Besides, being called the Sword Prodigy isn’t just for show. From the stance of the sword to the way you move your feet, you and those pseudo-soldiers over there in black attire have too many similarities. Don’t think you can deceive me and my rival just by changing your equipment.”

“…”

It seems they can’t come up with a response.

Furthermore, Ars has already wiped out half of the black-clad assailants, and eliminating the rest was just a matter of time.

If they’re aiming for the princess, they’ll be lucky if they’re just beheaded.

Since there’s no value in keeping them alive here, don’t expect us to show any mercy.

“What?! You should be exhausted after using up all your energy in the finals, shouldn’t you?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, but you guys are weak…”

“Ars, you’re surprisingly merciless with your words…”

And thus, as Ars exposed their intentions and moved to finish off the remaining enemies…

“…Tch, useless scoundrels.”

A towering figure clad in jet-black armor appeared from somewhere and swiftly annihilated the twenty or so thieves.

…This is bad.