I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

Gray Chasefield was someone whose emotional highs and lows were extremely easy to read.
Which was precisely why the current situation felt so unfamiliar to her.
It was like... not knowing whether she should feel good or bad.

“Hmph.”
She scoffed and watched as Carlyle beat down yet another student.
It had been a repeated sight for a while now.

To the eyes of the Hero, # Nоvеlight # it was clear that what Carlyle was doing wasn’t just senseless violence.
Something was leaking out of the bodies of everyone he beat down—she could sense that much.
It's ominous.

And she could clearly see that it held some form of evil.
The Holy Sword she carried reacted to it more violently than anything else.
…Well, whatever.

If she asked Carlyle later, she’d get the answer. As long as he wasn’t going around doing something useless, it didn’t matter.
Taking Elena around was to help root out people like that one by one.
And as long as he wasn’t doing something that would harm her directly and had a purpose, she didn’t have any reason to feel ill will over it.

“You sure seem to have some interest in her, huh? Aren’t you going out of your way to preemptively keep her in check like this?”
“…Of course not.”
Right.

That’s how it should be.
“….”
Something…
Was irritating.

Up until a moment ago, she had just thought Yeah, guess that makes sense—and accepted it. But after hearing Carlyle say it so bluntly, her mood suddenly soured.
Gray herself didn’t exactly plan on getting close with that guy either, but hearing him reject the idea so sharply somehow made her angry.
What am I even doing?

The thought struck her, and suddenly she felt stupid.
Whatever that guy did, wherever he went, it had nothing to do with her.
…It’s not like he was doing any of this for her, either.

And yet, just thinking that made her even more annoyed.
Even watching Carlyle scuffle with someone else again—she couldn’t muster any real thoughts about it anymore.
She stared indifferently at the opponent standing across from Carlyle.

Who was that again…
The name Grimbalz Count House—that rang a vague bell.
What were they like again?

Nothing impressive enough to leave a real impression. She remembered holding back the urge to snap someone's neck because one of those guys had been throwing cheap advances at her.
The guy picking a fight with Carlyle right now had to be on the same track.
“A lowborn like you—what are you doing at the Hero’s side, huh?”

That golden-haired pretty boy sneered as he provoked Carlyle.
She caught the twitch in Carlyle’s brow as he heard those words.
“…Why are you bringing up the young lady’s name?”

“Just saying you should know your place.”
The man continued with a sly smile.
“Don’t know why you came looking for me, but did you know there are already plenty of people itching to get rid of you?”

The air immediately turned hostile.
He must have hated that Carlyle had blocked him from getting anywhere near Gray during the banquet.
The crap he was muttering—about wanting to deal with Carlyle personally or whatever—floated in the air in front of Gray’s disinterested expression.

Who was this guy again?
Leon Grimbalz. From the Grimbalz Count House…
What rank was he again?

…She couldn’t remember.
Anyway, he was pretty far down the line in terms of inheritance.
In that case—

He can handle it himself.
She yawned and turned her back.
Carlyle had already taken down a Spirit Knight with a single blow. No way someone like that could give him trouble.

And then, in the next moment—
Thwack—
The sound of Carlyle getting hit echoed sharply.

It was the sound of a blow he’d clearly let through, even though he could’ve handled it with one punch.
“….”
Gray’s footsteps came to a halt.

Then—
The sound of Carlyle getting hit rang out again. A second time. A third.
Gray whipped her head around.

What the hell are you doing?
That was her first thought.
Carlyle was just… standing there and letting himself be hit.

Up until now, no matter who he faced, he’d always beaten the crap out of them. But now he didn’t even seem willing to fight back.
Even Elena, who had led him here, looked dumbfounded, completely unable to understand what he was doing.
“….”

Before any particular emotion could rise, her first instinct was:
This is weird.
“Is that sword you’re holding just for decoration or what?”

A mocking voice dripped toward Carlyle.
“Was nice, huh? Getting pampered and protected while cozying up to the Hero? Not knowing your place and all.”
“….”

“She even kept everyone else away to keep you all to herself—that’s why you were strutting around like some big shot at the banquet, wasn’t it?”
“….”
“What, so you came here to pick a fight with me? ‘Cause the Hero’s attention might drift to someone else and she might stop caring about you, so you wanted to throw some petty preemptive tantrum?”

…That never happened.
Carlyle had helped her—yes—but he’d never done anything to deserve this kind of accusation.
If anything, he’d stepped in to protect her from what the Cardinal had said.

But despite all those words, Carlyle didn’t argue back at all.
He just kept getting hit.
Over and over.

Bruises forming all over his body, blood streaming down his face.
Why is he doing this?
Why won’t he fight back?

“You fucking piece of shit. You’re not even gonna fight back? Are you even a man?”
Even Leon, the one hitting him, spat those words in disgust.
Gray clenched her fist tightly.

What the hell was this Leon bastard, that he could beat Carlyle like this?
If there was any difference between Carlyle’s previous opponents and this guy, it was that Leon was a noble.
…That shouldn’t matter, right?

What did it matter that he was a noble? The one Carlyle served was none other than the Hero herself.
The Hero—and the Chasefield Ducal House. His backing was leagues above.
“I am the young lady’s retainer.”

But—
“I cannot bring disgrace upon her.”
The moment she heard those words—

“—”
A shock, like a bolt of lightning, struck her from the top of her skull.
Ah… right.

Whether noble or not, Gray’s stance was simple: if someone pissed her off, she’d crush them.
But that guy—he was a retainer. Someone who served Gray, someone who followed her will.
Unless he had her explicit permission, even if it were clearly self-defense, fighting directly would be considered scandalous.

No matter how you looked at it, a retainer acting on his own initiative was unbecoming—and would reflect poorly on her.
There was only one logical conclusion.
Carlyle was letting himself be beaten like that—by someone he could flatten with one punch—

Even while being accused of things that made no sense—
…Because he didn’t want to bring shame to her.
Because he didn’t want to leave even a sliver of a reason for others to use to hurt her.

Even while looking like that.
“….”
A thousand thoughts exploded in her head.

“You’re such an idiot.”
Honestly, even if he did crush someone like that, no one would care.
But because there was even the slightest chance it might cause trouble for her, he let himself be beaten to that extent—

It reminded her—
“Then let me make one promise, just one.
No matter what happens, I’ll always act for the Hero’s sake.”
That was what he’d said to her before.

Gray closed her eyes.
What a ridiculous guy, seriously.
When she opened them again, her eyes were filled with a burning resolution.

Well…
…With a retainer that loyal—
She figured she should at least repay him a little.

***
[...Does it not hurt, you?]
Compared to getting hit by you, this is like being smacked with cotton.

[…]*
The Holy Sword instantly quieted down at Carlyle’s internal reply, and he let out a silent snort as he braced for another punch.
What could he say.

The guy seemed to be hitting with all his might, but compared to the soul-rattling punches Gray had thrown at him, this was nothing.
Her beast-like barehanded blows had heart.
This guy wasn’t even swinging properly…

“Let’s see how long you can hold out, you maggot—!”
Then, in the next moment—
Leon’s body twisted into an impossible shape mid-sentence.

It was because Gray had flown in like a bolt of lightning and slammed a fierce kick into his stomach.
The sound that echoed—something that shouldn’t happen when human bodies collide—was followed by Leon being launched like something out of a comic book.
Soaring absurdly high into the air, to a height no person should ever reach, like he’d become a star in the sky.

Then, some moments later, came the heavy crash of his body slamming into the ground.
“….”
“….”

Silence fell all around.
Everyone was speechless at the sudden appearance of the Hero.
Carlyle glanced toward the distant crater where Leon lay embedded.

He’s not dead, right?
Ah. It came out.
The mark of the demonic engraving leaked out from Leon’s mouth as he twitched.

Guess he was still alive.
Carlyle had that thought as he quietly spoke.
“…Young lady?”

He blinked, dazed, as if he hadn’t expected any of this.
[You.]
Yes?
[Your acting is improving by the day.]
…Well, one of many petty skills he’d picked up from his countless regressions.

As Gray let out a deep sigh, she turned to face him.
“You.”
With blazing fire in her eyes, she marched right up to Carlyle.

“Don’t get beat up again.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Don’t go doing stupid shit just because you think it might cause trouble for me. If someone hits you, you hit them back, got it?”

“….”
“If you don’t, I’ll be even more pissed.”
How to put it—

Her tone was as harsh as could be.
…But right now, it was clearly because she cared about him.
She seems to be in a better mood now, doesn’t she?

[Without a doubt.]
He exchanged those words with the Holy Sword with a faint smile.
Well, if this was enough to clear her mood, then good.

“Young lady, young lady! If you go any further, he’ll die—!”
Carlyle blurted out in panic, seeing Gray march toward the collapsed and twitching Leon.
She definitely looked like she planned to follow up with more punishment.

He’d expected something like this, but if she did go too far and he died, that’d cause a huge uproar.
“I know.”
Gray replied calmly.

“I’m not going to kill him. I just want to beat him a little more.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Just enough to return each of the hits he gave you.”

“If he ends up with long-term injuries, the Grimbalz Count House might retaliate—”
“If they do, they’re next.”
“….”

“Just try me.”
…The intensity was unreal.
At this rate, he might really fall for her.

***
[System Message]
▶ Trait ‘Hero’s Companion’ has activated.
▶ The ‘Rehabilitation List’ has been updated!

[ ★ Human Mistrust 95% → 80% ]
[ ★ Jealousy 10% → 0% ]
[ ★ Trust 70% → 90% ]
▶ Rewards have been granted!
▶ Open the Traits tab to check!
▶ Borderline trait ‘Jealousy’ has been maintained at a low level.
▶ Trait has evolved into ‘Possessiveness’!