Vol 1 Chapter 46 – Bravo

“Master! Master! Master? Master! I’ve finally found you!”

Antares threw her arms around Al, nuzzling her head against him again and again, sniffing his scent like a dog, and generally freaking out.

Her eyes, which had been murky pools containing all the chaos of the world, were now shining with a blinding light.

Umm… what happened to the you from a moment ago?

She looks exactly like an ecstatic puppy that adores its owner.

She’s a beautiful woman who radiates a dangerous aura.

I thought Al might get a little flustered with her pressed up against him like that, but as expected, he showed no signs of it.

That said, it didn’t seem like he was completely indifferent to her proximity, as he wore a gentle expression I’ve almost never seen before.

Who the hell are you?

“Mm, Ann. Have you been well?”

“Yes! One massacre a day! I’ve been killing at least one villain every day, so I’ve eliminated about a thousand of them!”

“Bravo.”

What do you mean, bravo?

What Antares is saying is absolutely insane.

Those aren’t the words of a Hero, not by a long shot.

And Al, who is praising her from the bottom of his heart, cannot be recognized as a Hero either.

“…Don’t tell me you two know each other, nya?”

“Know each other is hardly…”

Ruru asked, her face a mask of astonishment.

I’m curious too.

In response, Antares smiled, looking troubled.

“He is my benefactor. He’s the one who taught me what justice is… and how to kill villains efficiently.”

“It was you! You’re the reason this monster was born?!”

“So a monster gave birth to another monster…”

Ruru grabbed Al.

She must have really done a lot of cleaning up Antares’s messes and dealing with the aftermath until now…

She does have that “stuck with the short straw” thing going on.

Her anger toward Al felt genuine.

Not that he noticed in the slightest.

However, I was thoroughly disappointed.

Is… is there still a chance they’ll fight…?

“The… the murder-fest…? Aren’t you going to have a murder-fest…?”

“What kind of Holy Sword is so desperate to make people kill each other?”

Ruru stared at me, dumbfounded.

What, you got a problem? I’m not listening.

Hearing my words, Antares’s eyes widened in surprise as if she’d been deeply offended.

“Of course not. There is no possibility that I would ever point my sword at the Master. Though it is possible the Master might point his sword at me.”

“Wait, why?!”

Ruru couldn’t help but butt in.

It makes sense that she wouldn’t fight someone she adores, but she said it in a way that implies Al could just attack her unilaterally.

Antares closed her eyes gently, as if in prayer.

“That would mean I have fallen onto the path of evil. If my Master were to deliver the final blow, there could be no greater happiness. I would gladly offer him my neck.”

…Huh? What’s with this girl? She’s terrifying…

Offering up her own life is something that I, a Holy Sword, can’t comprehend at all.

It’s normal to prioritize yourself, no matter the sacrifice…

The one to whom these incredibly heavy words were directed, Al, simply gave a magnanimous nod.

“Your spirit is commendable.”

Who the hell does this guy think he is?

“Then, if the roles were reversed, you’d kill him, right, Antares?”

If there was a single ray of hope, that was it.

If Al were to stray onto the path of evil, maybe Antares would kill him…!

…No, that’s not happening. Even as I imagine it, I can’t possibly see Al being stained by any obvious evil.

Though I can easily imagine him brutally slaughtering anyone who tried to corrupt him…

Besides, he’s already so tyrannical and does whatever he wants, you could already consider him evil.

But Al believes from the bottom of his heart that he is justice…

And Antares, who was apparently raised by him, probably has a similar sensibility.

…Wait? Can she really kill Al?

Seeing me, Antares looked at me with eyes as if she were looking at something cute.

A-Are you making fun of me…?

“Fufu, you say the most amusing things. There is no way the Master could be stained by evil. Because the Master is justice.”

“Indeed. You have studied well, Ann.”

“Yes, Master!”

“You two are the ones who are insane!!”

Ruru finally screamed, unable to take it anymore.

I was rolling my eyes back at her shocking words.

Nope, it’s hopeless… Al’s going to be on the rampage for a while…

And I’m definitely the one who’s going to be dragged along with him…

Ugh, this is awful…

As my shoulders slumped in disappointment, Al spoke to Antares in a familiar tone.

“Now, Ann. Show me how much you have grown.”

“Yes, of course! By brutally slaughtering that foolish villain trying to sneak away over there!”

“Eek?!”

Of course, the Heavenly King Rayphia had not been overlooked.

She had been trying to crawl away on all fours while the two were flirting, but she froze, trembling.

The strongest of demons, a Heavenly King who had just been issued a gruesome death threat, no longer had any will to fight.

Not that it would do anything to stop Al.

“However, I would also love to see the Master’s power again…”

Antares fidgeted, putting on a somewhat cute act.

You could say she was playing around, or trying to be endearing.

Since she’s a beautiful woman, it’s incredibly cute.

Note: her personality, actions, and words are all apparently insane.

And the one who accepted that affection, Al, was just as unhinged.

“Hmph, you incorrigible girl. Then shall we crush that thing together?”

“Yes! Ah, a joint operation with the Master… I can’t bear the excitement!”

The two unhinged individuals squealed with delight.

Two people who should absolutely never join forces had now come together.

What’s more, not with animosity toward each other, but in a state of mutual trust.

I quietly put my hands together in prayer for Rayphia.

“Namu Amida Butsu.”

“I have no idea what that string of words means, but I’m starting to feel sorry for that demon, nya…”

Well, of course you would.

A monster and another monster have teamed up and are coming to kill her with all their might.

If it were me, I’d absolutely refuse.

“Um, you might think this is a little late, but…”

Rayphia put on a sharp expression.

It was the face of a woman who had steeled her resolve…!

“tremble tremble… I’m not a bad demon, you know…”

She said this while shaking faintly.

She hadn’t steeled her resolve at all…

By acting weak, she’s trying to evoke a desire to protect her and a sense of guilt in her opponents.

But unfortunately for her, that only works on normal people.

The two people here were outliers who existed beyond reason.

“Is that so. Die.”

“If you would be so kind as to die.”

“Ahh! So it’s no use after all!!”

Al and Antares attacked with ferocious intensity.

In response, Rayphia let out a shriek.

It was just seconds before a gruesome corpse would be left on the ground…

BOOM!

Once again, that heavy sound echoed.

It was… different from the other explosions that had been occurring throughout the city.

The previous ones were from acts of destruction against the city.

But this one wasn’t the sound of something being unilaterally destroyed.

It was the clash of immense power against immense power.

It was the sound of battle, a sound that occurs when the strong collide head-on.

“Another loud noise. So annoying.”

“Stop saying it’s annoying. And more importantly…”

Ruru admonished me while staring intently in the direction of the powerful battle sound.

“Is that… Melia and Alan’s powers clashing…?”