I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

Ordinarily, the phrase study group would evoke the fragrant image of a page from one’s youth.

…Not a frozen battlefield where everyone’s darting glances at one another like it’s a life-or-death survival scenario.
Everyone, including Carlyle, had their books open in front of them, yet their eyes kept drifting to one side.
Naturally, there wasn’t a single book near Gray, who was seated comfortably at the head of the table with her eyes closed.

“…”
Why.
Why had someone who said she was here to study not even opened a single book?

And that was the more unsettling part—because it made her intentions entirely unreadable.
“Um—”
The first to speak up in that breathless silence was Princess Illia.

Understandably so, as she was in the most desperate situation. Carlyle was the only one she could lean on. And among them, she was probably the least afraid of Gray.
“I wanted to ask about this question—”
“Alright, let’s see. Which one?”

“It’s in the algebra textbook, page 34…”
Carlyle tried to shift his attention away from Gray and turned to look at the textbook Illia had placed in front of him.
“Let’s see, this one—”

“Seventy-four.”
Before he could even continue, Gray stated the answer.
Illia and Carlyle both blinked and turned to look at her as her eyes slowly opened.

“What.”
“…”
“I gave you the answer.”
“Young Lady, Her Highness isn’t just asking for the answer—she wants the solution process—”

“Elberton’s proof on the first variable. You can do the calculations yourself.”
“…”
“If you’ve got a head on your shoulders, you can do math, right?”

…The Hero did not understand the human heart.
You could tell just by looking at Illia’s wide, spinning eyes as she tried to process the conversation.
“Um, may I ask… what is Elberton’s proof…?”

“You don’t know that either?”
“…”
“Are you stupid? How did you even get into Yoram?”

“I—I’m sorry…”
Before Illia could even finish her feeble apology, Gray rested her chin on the table and continued,
“Algebra textbook, page 3. Read from paragraph one to three.”

“…”
Illia blinked in a daze.
As soon as Gray shot her a chilly glare, she flinched and hastily flipped to the designated section.

“…Wow.”
After reading the paragraph that contained a concise explanation of Elberton’s proof, Illia gasped in brief admiration.
“Thank you, Lady Hero!”

“It’s not something worth thanking me for.”
“No, really, thank you so much for helping me!”
“I said, it’s really not a big deal.”

“…”
“How can you not do even this?”
“I—I’m sorry—”

…Carlyle let out a helpless laugh as he watched the endlessly repeating loop of dialogue between Gray and Illia.
Even if she talked like that, Gray didn’t seem to be withholding answers. She responded to everything Illia asked.
In fact—

Never mind her monstrous memory, which allowed her to recall the exact contents of each page without hesitation.
She’s surprisingly good at teaching.
No matter what Illia asked, Gray would instantly direct her to the correct section and explanation that would help her understand.

More impressively—
Illia actually followed her instructions with little trouble, despite the blunt delivery.
This girl might have some real talent.

That wouldn’t be too surprising, considering the textbooks in front of them were, by Carlyle’s standards, college-level materials.
For a seven-year-old to absorb that content, even with precise guidance, was something genuinely impressive.
[She’s an imperial child. Of course she’s got ability. When was the last time a member of the imperial family was untalented?]

That’s true.
The imperial bloodline ruled over the continent’s largest empire. In some form or another, every child inherited a gift.
[This princess probably hasn’t discovered her true talent yet. That might be why the imperial family pushed her aside. But she’s bound to excel in something.]

Imperial blood came with inherent superiority, and one area of excellence always emerged—without exception. It was practically a law since the founding of the Empire.
The problem, of course, was that the current generation of royals had personalities that didn’t even reach the Emperor’s toenails.
Remember the First Prince and Second Princess?

[Those bastard siblings deserve to be torn apart.]
Watch your mouth…
He said that, but didn’t bother correcting her language.

It wasn’t a joke—if not for those two, the Empire could have held off the Hell Invasion for another ten years.
Thinking about how Illia must’ve suffered under such people made him feel a twinge of pity.
“Who can’t do calculus in their head? Are you even trying?”

“I’m sorry—!”
“…”
The sight of Illia getting chewed out by Gray only added fuel to that sympathy.

[Hm.]
But the Holy Sword suddenly spoke, as if struck by a thought.
[Isn’t this actually a good thing?]

Huh?
[Her motives might be impure, but she’s helping someone. That’s meaningful, isn’t it?]
The Hero was sharing her talent with someone else.

Sure, the situation looked bizarre, but that didn’t make it any less remarkable.
You sound like you’re suggesting something.
[What if we made this kind of gathering a regular thing? I feel like it would be a valuable experience for me too.]

System Message
▶ Variable created: ‘Holy Sword’s Proposal – Hero’s Guidance for the Princess’
▶ Help Illia Grace, 7th Princess, grow properly under the Hero’s guidance!

▶ This is not part of any quest.
▶ Acceptance is optional, but success grants bonus rewards!
▶ The Hero will gain additional growth stats.

▶ The ‘Main # Nоvеlight # Quest’ will receive bonus privileges.
Carlyle blinked as the unexpected message appeared in front of his eyes.
It had come completely out of the blue, but…

...There's no downside.
Reading through the message line by line, there was no reason to reject it.
Extra growth stats for Gray, and bonuses to the Main Quest?

Even if she was the type to obliterate everything in her path right now, she was still officially classified by the Holy Sword as someone with plenty of room to grow.
And Carlyle agreed.
Thinking back to the monstrous strength of the demon dukes from before his regression, it was clear that Gray’s current power still fell short.

He needed every method possible to help her close that gap.
Most importantly—
...Do you think this might help her personality improve a little?

[...That I can’t promise.]
Maybe looking after a child would soften her a bit. It wasn’t unreasonable to hope for it, even if the outcome was uncertain.
But, Lady Hero—

[Hm?]
What did you mean by “impure motives”?
He was referring to what the Holy Sword had just said. That Gray had impure motives for being here—Carlyle hadn’t quite understood what she meant.

He found out soon enough.
“Um, Carlyle—”
As Illia withered under Gray’s spartan training but still steadily improved, Vespa scooted her chair right up next to him.

“So, about this part…”
She placed her book in front of him, preparing to ask a question.
Or rather—she was about to.

But then Gray, who’d just been spewing venom at Illia, drew the Holy Sword—scabbard and all—and used it to pull Vespa’s book over to herself.
She skimmed the contents with a sideways glance.
“Go borrow A Journey Through World History from the library and read from page 40 to 110.”

“Uh—L-Lady Hero…?”
“Then if you still have questions, ask me.”
“…”

Vespa blinked in a daze and nodded.
And then, Gray picked up the book she’d been reading and tossed it in front of Carlyle with a thud.
She tapped a spot with the tip of her sword.

“I don’t get this. Teach me.”
“…”
The content? Absolute beginner level.

Someone who’d just pinpointed Illia and Vespa’s problems at a glance could not possibly not understand this.
“Young Lady, are you seriously asking because you don’t know this?”
“I don’t.”

“…”
“Come teach me.”
She tapped the seat next to her.

Her eyes were sharp, her message clear: If you don’t sit here now, I will hit you.
“…”
Carlyle reluctantly sat down next to her. Illia and Vespa looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

“U-Um, Young Lady, I think Carlyle might be having a hard time—”
“Shut it.”
“…”

Vespa sank into silence with a single word.
And it continued like that.
Gray intercepted every question that should’ve gone to Carlyle and made him sit right beside her.

…It felt like her entire reason for joining the study group was to erase Carlyle’s reason for helping anyone else.
As if she couldn’t stand him paying attention to others, so she kept tying him to herself.
Ah.

So that’s what she meant by “impure motives.”
[She’s like a child who doesn’t want to share her favorite toy.]
Exactly.

[Well, it’s not such a bad thing, being considered that precious to her, is it?]
I don’t feel good about it at all.
[...You don’t have to reject it so harshly, do you?]

Why was the Holy Sword sulking now?
***
System Message

▶ Subject ‘Vespa Luciana’ is beginning to feel emotionally conflicted by how the Hero treats you!
▶ A special event related to the subject will be generated soon!