Vol 1 Chapter 28 – But… It’s the Power of Darkness!?

Spica decided to abandon her plan to take Hannah into custody and return to the royal capital for now.

She lacked the stamina or emotional energy for an immediate round-trip.

She couldn’t afford to lounge around all day, so she decided to stay the night and recover her strength.

The recent bandit attack had left the inn modest, but Spica and Ruru—only concerned with sleep—didn’t complain as they settled into their room.

“Yaaawn…”

“I’m so sleepy…”

“Go to sleep already.”

“Nya…”

“I’m tired too…”

Both of them were blinking drowsily.

The bed wasn’t exactly soft, but they were so exhausted they could’ve fallen asleep in an instant.

“When the sun comes up, we’ll head back to the capital, right?”

“Yeah. Too many unexpected things have happened. With everything going on, it’s actually kind of fun.”

“I’m wiped out… of all things, a fake Hero shows up…”

While Spica buzzed with excitement, Ruru looked completely drained.

Her cat ears and tail hung limply.

“Isn’t that person a Hero? He seems so interesting.”

“There can only be five Heroes—that’s how many Holy Swords there are. A sixth Hero has to be an impostor.”

“Who knows? Honestly, you’d understand more by seeing him in action. At least, that Holy Sword looked like it had real power to me.”

Since Spica arrived after everything was over, she didn’t know whether Alvarado had truly lived up to being a Hero.

But Ruru was different.

You could say they’d fought side by side.

They’d even wiped out one of the Demon Lord Army’s Four Heavenly Kings—their shared enemy.

Admittedly, Ruru recognized his high level of skill.

He might even be her equal.

But there was one reason she couldn’t bring herself to admit it.

That reason was…

“But… it’s the power of darkness!? A Holy Sword, yet it didn’t wield light or fire—it controlled darkness!? It’s more like a demon sword!”

Yes—it was darkness.

Alvarado had unleashed the Holy Sword’s power against Ludrick.

That power was pure darkness.

…In what world does a Holy Sword cloak itself in darkness and overflow with it?

Ruru didn’t particularly care about the Hero title.

If she could give it up, she’d do it in a heartbeat.

Still, the idea of being compared to Alvarado annoyed her just as much.

“…Honestly, calling it a dark Holy Sword makes it completely unbelievable.”

Spica gave a wry smile.

If the Holy Sword could hear that, she’d be furious.

“Either way, he’s interesting. We have to report this. He’d be over the moon.”

The thought of him happy and chattering made her think he’d be adorable.

“Being on staff is tough, nya…”

“I think he’d be happy about it, though.”

“No way. I want to live free. Being a Hero is already a pain. And soon there’s the Hero’s Council.”

Ruru let out a heavy sigh.

She strongly wanted to live without any ties.

Although she wasn’t forced into most things, the one obligation she had was the Hero’s Council.

It was just a simple event where people she didn’t get along with gathered to give updates, so it wasn’t unbearable…

But since it was full of oddballs on par with Alvarado, it was depressing.

“…Do you think they’ll invite him too?”

“N-No, they wouldn’t… would they?”

Don’t say unnecessary things.

What would she do if that happened?

Ruru glared at Spica, who was speaking freely because it didn’t concern her.

“I’m going to sleep already. Best to forget unpleasant things.”

“I’m tired too, so I agree.”

With that, the two climbed into bed.

They turned off the light, and after a while, soft breathing filled the room.

Then the window slid open without a sound.

The door did the same.

Several assassins slipped inside.

Without a moment’s hesitation, they drove sharp blades into the bed in the darkness.

◆

When sleeping, humans—and creatures in general—are at their most vulnerable.

Naturally, assassinations often take place in the dead of night.

This time, the attempt was meant to ensure no one would interfere with Hannah’s kidnapping.

Knights and Heroes would definitely get in the way.

So they tried to eliminate the threat first…

“……”

There was no response.

They thought they’d caught her completely off guard, but it ended in a miss.

However, these skilled assassins regained their composure in a fraction of a second.

That would have been remarkable.

But those mere moments of hesitation were all this target needed.

“Can you believe they’d try to assassinate someone like me!?”

Spica spoke in such a gentle voice it was hard to believe someone had just tried to kill her.

The assassins immediately took up their stances, but their eyes widened in shock.

They saw the massive iron hammer she held—big enough to reach the ceiling.

“WHAM!”

The swing blew a hole clean through the inn’s wall with a single blow.