Vol 3 Chapter 60 – I’m Going to Drag You Out…!

Several days have passed since the whole to-do with the Demon Lord’s army.

As you’d expect, it didn’t immediately escalate into an all-out war.

I mean, if it came to that, there’s a real possibility one side or the other would fight to annihilation, and even if not, the damage would be catastrophic.

It seems even the humans, the aggrieved party, couldn’t just charge in headfirst.

The Demon Lord’s army, being the aggressors, was probably raring to go, but thanks to Al’s “heroics”—or rather, his rampage—they were facing an emergency situation where two of their top fighters, the Four Heavenly Kings, and one turncoat Hero got beaten to a pulp. I guess even the Demon Lord’s army was debating whether it was a good idea to press on with the war.

…Wait a minute. Did Al just indirectly save humanity?

If Al hadn’t thrashed the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings and that Hero, it wouldn’t be surprising if the demon invasion had already begun.

…Are you telling me that pseudo-Hero saved the world?

I won’t accept it! There’s no way I can accept that!

If I did, it would call into question my very reason for being as the Holy Sword that can never accept him!

That’s bad! It’s especially bad since I was already shirking my duties as a Holy Sword and being a shut-in!

Anyway, as for what we’re doing now, it’s the same aimless, wandering journey as before.

Of course, it’s a violent journey where “villains” (as certified by Al) are slaughtered along the way.

Knowing Al, I thought he might just preemptively invade the demon territories, but…

“Just because they’re demons doesn’t mean I’ll kill them indiscriminately. Just as there are good and bad people, there are good and bad demons.”

“Huuuh. You almost sound like a reasonable person all of a sudden.”

…Wait a minute. Didn’t you used to unconditionally label all demons as evil and attack them on sight?

And wasn’t Rayphia on the receiving end of a beatdown because of that?

Double standards and retracting previous statements are Al’s special privilege. He does whatever the hell he wants.

With things as they are, you’d think it was business as usual.

I’m not going to worry about it anymore; I’ll seriously go bald if I sweat every little detail. It’s fun watching people like Ruru, who can’t ignore this stuff, though.

By the way, she isn’t here anymore.

She went to the royal capital with Spica, who had come to investigate the incident.

“Nyahahahaha! I’m free! I’ll never have to suffer from stress again! I’ll live free as a bird, just like a cat beast-kin should!”

That’s what Ruru said, beaming, as she left Al’s side.

…Isn’t that a flag?

I can easily picture her running into Al again in the near future and falling into despair.

That future is, without a doubt, waiting for her.

I was so sure of it that I saw her off with a look you’d give to a pitiful creature.

She just meowed and squawked when she saw it, though.

And so, Ruru, who had been dragged around by Al for a while, was gone.

So, what’s our party composition now, you ask? Me and Al.

And…

“Oh my, is something the matter? You’re staring.”

“…It’s nothing.”

A woman with the same dark, murky eyes as Al.

It was Antares, the Hero with the reputation for being the most dangerous and unhinged of them all.

She’s smiling from ear to ear as she peers into my face, but frankly, it’s terrifying.

“If there is anything on your mind, please do not hesitate to say it, you know? After all, we are comrades!”

Wow, what a wonderful sentiment.

It’s the kind of thing that would warm your heart if a normal person said it, so why is it that when Antares says it, it sounds like, ‘Don’t you dare keep secrets from me or I’ll kill you’?

Stop looking at me with those murky, muddy eyes.

And her counterpart is smiling contentedly.

“Hmph, precisely. Well said, Ann. A truly splendid way of thinking.”

“It is all thanks to your guidance, Master! Because of you, I have become a respectable person.”

A respectable… person…?

I mean, she’s definitely incredible.

She’s strong, and the only reason she can pull off all this crazy stuff is because she has the power to back it up.

Even if she can use a Holy Sword, it must have taken a tremendous amount of effort to become this strong.

But, still… Respectable…?

…You’ve got to be kidding me. Am I the straight man now? This is too much. I want Ruru back.

The burden on me is insane…

And I’d been pushing all of this onto Ruru until now.

I mean, it made my life easier. Of course I was going to push it on her.

“Anyway, why are you even tagging along…?”

I ask Antares.

If she weren’t here, I’d only have to deal with Al…

Having a lunatic on the same level as Al following us around is nothing short of a nightmare.

“I have worked tirelessly to slaughter villains so that I might become a person worthy of standing before my Master once more. And now, we have been reunited without any prior promise. This can be nothing less than fate!”

“Ah, yeah…”

“By working together, we can slaughter villains with maximum efficiency! And that is why I shall be accompanying you.”

No one who talks about “fate” is ever a decent person.

That’s a lesson from my long life as a Holy Sword.

Antares, saying something as demonic as efficiently killing people.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the current generation’s Heroes.

“Oh, really? Don’t you think you could kill a wider range of villains if you split up?”

“…That may certainly be true, but…”

But I won’t give up!

I try whining a little, hoping to somehow get her to travel separately from Al.

It seems to have been surprisingly effective; Antares, for once, faltered.

Oh? Is this working? Is it?!

As I waited with excitement, Antares blushed slightly with embarrassment, looked away, and mumbled.

“If possible, I would like to travel with the Master I’ve been separated from for so long…”

“…………”

I was stunned.

Don’t say something cute, you psycho!

You’re messing with my brain!

“Hmph, it’s like I’ve grown two extra hands. Now I can slaughter those damn scumbag villains even more vigorously.”

Al seems quite pleased.

And, of course, he completely ignores Antares’s amorous advances.

Al just doesn’t understand the human heart…

“Hm?”

“Oh?”

“Huh, what? What is it?”

Suddenly, the two of them stop in their tracks.

They start looking around restlessly, which is kind of scary.

Don’t tell me you’re seeing something I can’t, spare me the cheap horror tropes, please.

“No, I smell a villain.”

Al says, sniffing the air.

sniff, sniff

Is he a dog?

“Yes, it’s this way. Let us go, Master!”

“Mm!”

Apparently, Antares has also acquired the same skill as Al, and the two of them take off running in high spirits.

…Huh? What’s with that “of course I can” attitude?

“…What even is the ‘smell of a villain,’ anyway?!”

It’s not a physical scent, is it? A sixth sense? Creepy!

I was shuddering at the thought of why Antares was the same, but now I get it—Al must have taught her!

I feel sorry for the Holy Sword she’s using. I have to laugh.

…Could it be… the reason no other Holy Swords have taken human form like me is that their Heroes are too eccentric, so they just stay hidden?

I murmur the thought as it crosses my mind.

A big part of why I didn’t want to go to the Hero’s Council was to avoid meeting any Holy Swords I already knew, but in the end, none of them showed up.

…Wait, was it because they didn’t want to deal with their own wielders?

I’m going to drag you all out…!

As I was pondering this, I was forcibly dragged along by the two who had sprinted off at top speed.