I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

Assaulting a noble within the Empire is, by virtually any standard, a serious criminal offense.

In that sense, the fact that Carlyle had gotten involved with Leon Grimbalz in any capacity could very well have spiraled into a major incident.
Shouldn’t we take some kind of preventative measure?
It was the kind of situation where thoughts like that were entirely valid.

At any rate, if he was going to extract the poison of Hell planted within Yoram, he still needed the freedom to move. Drawing attention from every direction was the last thing he wanted.
He probably would have continued thinking along those lines—if Gray hadn’t scoffed and said what she did.
“Don’t worry about it.”

“…Sorry?”
“Just go grab one of those magitech communicators.”
“…?”

Once something that resembled a modern telephone was handed to Gray, she gave a quick summary of what had happened to Lionel.
The Duke of Chasefield was enraged. More than Carlyle had anticipated.
He was furious that anyone had dared to make a pass at his precious daughter, someone he wouldn’t trade for anything. And he was twice as furious that someone had dared to harass the young man he himself had brought into the family.

That fury was no doubt reflected in the letter he sent to the Grimbalz Count House.
As was typical for Lionel, the letter was composed with elegant, courteous, and socially graceful language—but its message could easily be summarized with one sentence:
“If you don’t want to die, sit down and shut up.”

The Grimbalz Count House promptly decided not to pick a fight with the Ducal House.
A wise choice, one could say.
They had no desire to start an all-out war with the Chasefields over the blunder of someone well down the line of succession.

And so, Carlyle’s academic life didn’t go completely off the rails from the start. Thankfully.
…Well, except for the fact that he now looked a bit pitiful, diligently massaging Gray after her sword training.
Am I being gaslit too, maybe?
Being worked like a dog by Gray had already become a sort of normal routine.

Still, let’s count this as a reward—for getting covered by the Ducal House.
“Young lady, should I press harder?”
“Mhm.”

As he dug into her legs with full strength, Gray’s palm struck Carlyle’s crown like a blade.
A strange pfugh sound escaped Carlyle’s mouth.
“That’s… a bit too hard.”

“…”
Still picky as ever, but at least her palm hadn’t crushed his skull this time. That was something.
Somehow, overall, her attitude toward him had softened a little.

I was surprised that it evolved into ‘Possessiveness’…
The word itself was a bit brutal. Possessiveness.
The desire to not let someone else take what’s yours.

He wasn’t sure whether she saw him as a friend or as a prized tool, though.
[It’s all good, if it’s good.]
…Shall we just go with that, then?

As long as it didn’t overly restrict him, he didn’t mind. If it meant strengthening his bond with Gray, it would certainly help with her rehabilitation.
Of course—
“What are you doing tomorrow?”

There was no helping the instinctive tension that came every time she asked questions like that.
How to explain it…
Until now, she hadn’t cared about his schedule and always just forced her needs first—so she’d never asked anything like this.

And since he couldn’t figure out her intent, it made answering tricky.
“I’m meeting with Lady Anastasia von Lamberg to choose what classes I’ll take under her mentorship. I was supposed to do that on the first day, but the schedule got delayed.”
Gray’s expression immediately scrunched up.

A look so intimidating it made his knees weak on sight. Had he said something wrong?
Maybe she still hated the idea of him being close to Elena.
But then, her expression slowly relaxed, and she let out a long breath.

“…Alright.”
“…?”
What was that?

He couldn’t guess what kind of mental process she’d just gone through.
[She just weighed the worth.]
Weighed what?

[Anastasia’s not a threat. Even if she tries to steal what she’s marked as hers, she’s confident she can crush her and take it back.]
…
[If you’d said you had business with the Gray Cardinal, the reaction might’ve been very different.]

Poor Elena.
He had no idea what sort of treatment she was receiving inside Gray’s head…
“So, starting formal classes tomorrow?”

“Yes, young lady.”
“Do well.”
“Thank you for the encouragement.”

“Etch it into your skull. If you screw it up, you know what happens.”
“…I’ll risk my life to avoid having my neck twisted.”
Gray nodded in satisfaction.

…Still unreasonably demanding as ever.
With a sigh, Carlyle left Gray’s room and returned to his own quarters.
“By the way, Lady Hero.”

[Hm?]
“I think I’ve built up enough—might be time to do another purge.”
He spoke while staring at the floating system window in front of him.

After various events, the “rewards” he’d accumulated had reached a decent amount.
Let’s see, what I can use now is…
About four abilities he could copy.

And one “command token” he could use on Gray.
He still didn’t know how much force that token could exert, but it was probably best saved for later.
[Save that. You’ll definitely need it.]

“You remember something?”
[…Don’t really want to say it, since it benefits you. But yeah, there is an event that’ll require it.]
“…Excuse me?”

[My dignity is on the line. Just let it go.]
Dignity?
Dignity, huh.

“…Is this another one of those embarrassing incidents you don’t want to talk about?”
[Shut up. Just shut your mouth.]
Yeah, he’d hit the nail on the head. Her tone was getting prickly.

Must’ve been something mortifying again.
Carlyle chuckled and smoothly changed the topic.
“Alright, I’ll wait until the time comes. What about the abilities?”

[As for close combat… I’ve already found the most efficient choice. Time to look at other options.]
“Other options?”
[Magic, miracles, sorcery, martial arts—take your pick. Anything goes. The Hero has no weaknesses.]

“You’re insufferable, Lady Hero.”
[…]*
“We agreed not to be smug about our own brilliance, didn’t we?”

[…We did, yes.]
Her response came back sheepishly, and Carlyle laughed quietly.
Still, he did agree with the sentiment.

There really wasn’t anything this person couldn’t do.
But even so—
“There’s a better path than just me growing stronger alone.”

If you’re going to do something, you might as well maximize gains from every direction.
Carlyle had two major directions in mind.
“First—helping that young lady grow.”

[…Me? Why bother with that?]
She’d grow just fine on her own, wouldn’t she?
That doubt returned, but Carlyle shook his head.

“My strength fundamentally comes from her.”
After all, the version of Gray he was drawing power from was the one in the current timeline.
To follow the roadmap drawn by the Gray inside the Holy Sword, the Gray in this timeline had to grow as well.

“Paradoxically, for me to grow faster, she has to grow too.”
And he already had the direction mapped out.
As long as he could find a way to pass along the knowledge from the Holy Sword, she’d absorb it and grow just fine. Her base foundation was already complete.

And while doing that, there was another task he could pursue at the same time.
“I need to raise our important people too.”
Even a near-divine Hero couldn’t defeat every Demon Duke alone.

Three of them had to be dealt with by the remaining strong of mankind—those outside the Hero’s reach.
That was who Carlyle meant.
“With your abilities and knowledge, we can raise them too.”

[…]*
And the moment he said that—
Silence fell from inside the Holy Sword.

Carlyle smiled bitterly and glanced down at it.
He didn’t even need to look to know what kind of thoughts were probably swirling inside.
“Lady Hero.”

[Mm.]
“It’ll be alright this time. We can change it.”
This time, they wouldn’t fail.

This time, they’d avoid that terrible outcome.
“I’ll be with you. Don’t worry too much.”
[…]*

“Let’s save them. Together.”
[…Thank you.]
A subdued, heavy voice finally came back.

Carlyle yawned and added one last line.
“Can’t have you sobbing again like last time, right?”
[…]*

“Just hearing your voice, I swear—you’re about to cry already.”
[…………]
A string of vulgar curses muttered from within the Holy Sword.

Still, that was fine.
The mood hadn’t turned awkward, so that was enough.
[So? Who do you plan to start with? You can’t raise them all at once.]

“No need to look far.”
There was one right nearby.
A truly “important person.”

“Let’s go raise the Archmage.”
Time to meet one of the Hero’s future companions.
***

Vespa Luciana.
Gray Chasefield’s loyal personal maid.
As of late, in a very bad mood.

…Will the young lady really be okay?
Lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, Vespa found that thought floating to the surface.
Normally, she’d be so busy trying to keep up with Gray’s exacting preferences that she wouldn’t even °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° have time to think—but lately, she had more and more free time.

It was probably because Gray had started handing off her errands and tasks to someone else.
It’s all that man’s fault!
Carlyle Belfast. The man whom the Duke had suddenly brought into the family.

She didn’t know how he’d gotten into the Duke’s good graces, but now he’d grown close to the young lady and had started stealing her duties one by one. That bad man.
…Idiot! Dummy! Playboy!
Vespa flailed on her bed, muttering those words under her breath.

She was born with such a kind heart she could hardly say anything bad about anyone. That was pretty much the limit of her vocabulary when it came to insults…
If Carlyle had heard her, he would’ve sighed at how pitiful it was—and thought that it was exactly because of that soft heart that she’d stayed beside Gray all this time.
The young lady always needed me the most…

She and Gray had been together since they were very young. Since shortly after the baby stage, Vespa had personally tended to her.
She was so adorable…
Her expression melted into a smile.

She remembered how little Gray used to toddle over and sit on her lap, giggling with joy.
She also remembered the tiny hand that would grasp hers and refuse to let go.
That’s when she had decided—it had to be her, and no one else, who would stay by the young lady’s side and care for her to the very end.

Even if she had become a bit… unstable from going through adolescence like a typhoon—she was still the young lady. And Vespa would serve her no matter what.
If Carlyle had seen this, he might have asked, “What kind of adolescence includes threats of murder when she’s in a mood?”—but Vespa wouldn’t care.
Even her own father Lionel had once said she was totally blinded by Gray. But again, Vespa didn’t care.

She can’t fall for some bad guy!
And in that respect, Carlyle—who had rapidly grown close to Gray—was basically the embodiment of evil in Vespa’s eyes.
In her innocent little head, she pictured Carlyle letting out a wicked “Mwahaha!” laugh. A villainous Demon King Carlyle…

“Miss Vespa? Are you in there?”
The Demon King’s voice suddenly echoed from behind the door.
Vespa shot up in a panic.

“S-sorry!”
“…What for?”
“I-I’ve never once thought Mister Carlyle was a bad person!”

“…”
“N-not a playboy, or seducing the young lady, or anything like that, not even once…!”
“…”

“I-I mean—s-sorryyyy—!”
“…Can we have a little talk?”
This girl.

She hadn’t changed a bit.
That thought drifted lazily through Carlyle’s mind as he stood outside the door.