I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

...It felt awkward.
That was what Vespa sensed as she walked through the forest alongside Carlyle.
On the surface, they interacted just like usual—but there was a distance she couldn’t ignore, one she could feel in her heart.

Carlyle, however, didn’t seem any different. He treated her with the same warm, gentle smile, just as always.
No—more than that.
She could feel it in her bones. This man was being absurdly considerate toward her.

Even though he didn’t have to be.
If anything, she was the one who owed him something—who should be repaying him somehow.
...I’m not stupid either.

The moment she read the test guidelines, she understood at once that she might get dragged into something violent.
But Carlyle was doing everything in his power to keep her out of it.
He stayed on constant alert, carefully avoiding other people, and always took the lead if there was even a hint of danger.

And every time he showed her that kind of kindness—
"…"
Her chest tightened.

She tried her best not to show it, smiling as usual, but the uneasy, churning feeling deep inside refused to go away.
It wasn’t that she disliked Carlyle. Absolutely not.
But somehow... it was hard to face him.

“Then, shall I go fetch some firewood, Miss Vespa?”
“Ah. Would you mind?”
Maybe that was why.
Why, the moment Carlyle stepped away, Vespa found herself doing something she normally never would.

"…Hey. Can I talk to you for a second?"
She spoke softly to the blue wisp drifting before her eyes.
She knew it had some kind of will—and also that it didn’t understand human speech.

She didn’t really know what she was doing. But if she didn’t say something—anything—she felt like she might explode.
“Why is Mr. Carlyle being so nice to me?”
Even if she was a bit naïve, Vespa understood how the world worked.

You reap what you sow. That was the way of things.
Carlyle treated her kindly, with no conditions attached. But she didn’t know why.
It’s not like she’d ever done anything for him in return.

Maybe... maybe that’s where the discomfort came from.
If she were the kind of person who could shamelessly take advantage of someone’s kindness, it might be easier.
But she wasn’t. She wasn’t bold enough to keep accepting a kindness she couldn’t repay.

If anything, she was the type to drown in guilt over other people’s goodwill.
And in that sense, the kindness Carlyle had shown her was clearly too much.
“No matter how I think about it, I just don’t get it. He’s not the kind of person who’d have bad intentions.”

Still—
There was one possibility that came to mind.
“Could it be... that he likes me?”

Vespa murmured with a faint laugh.
As if she couldn’t believe she’d even said it.
Sure, she had plenty of reasons to feel that way.

“…Though, with the Lady by his side, there’s no reason he’d be nice to someone like me.”
And that was the truth.
Even Vespa had to admit that Gray was a striking person.

She was good at everything, always spoke her mind with confidence, and never backed down—no matter who she was facing.
Most of all, she was beautiful.
And men liked beautiful women. That was just how it was.

Vespa didn’t think of herself as ugly—but compared to Gray? There was no comparison.
...Of course, Gray had a few personality defects—but who didn’t? Right?
No matter how you looked at it, if someone were going to have feelings, it would be for Gray. Not for her.

At least, that’s what Vespa believed.
“I doubt he sees someone like me as a woman.”
Her voice sounded oddly subdued, even to her own ears.

The blue wisp fluttered gently beside her as she sat with a gloomy expression.
“He’s just... a kind person, that’s all. I’m probably reading too much into it.”
Hugging her knees to her chest, she rocked side to side and whispered to herself.

It didn’t solve anything. But just talking like this, as if she were confiding in someone, made her feel a little lighter—
“—Huh?”
Vespa blinked.

The blue wisp in front of her was projecting some kind of image into the air.
It looked like a live broadcast of something happening elsewhere.
“Mr. Carlyle?”

Carlyle was facing off with someone, sword drawn.
“…Wait, is this really happening right now?”
The blue wisp shimmered again, as if affirming her guess.

Vespa blinked and stared at the scene.
This blue wisp... was it reacting like it understood her? That had never happened before.
Did it even have this kind of power? The more she saw, the more it surprised her.

But—
That surprise quickly faded.
Mainly because of what Carlyle said on screen.

"Why? Is she your girlfriend or something?"
"She’s not. But... she is someone I want to protect."
"…Huh? You just said she’s not your girlfriend."

"That kind of feeling doesn’t have to come from a romantic relationship, does it? I just think she’s a good person."
“…Huh?”
Huh?

What?
Huh??
Her mind froze.

What did Mr. Carlyle just say?
Wait. Wait, what?
“…”

His words started sinking in, slowly but steadily, like pebbles settling on the bottom of a pond.
And the moment she understood their meaning—
“…!”

Vespa buried her face between her knees, both hands covering her burning face.
No doubt her ears were glowing red. Her face felt hot enough to confirm it.
Did he... just say he wants to protect me?

That he thinks I’m a good person?
Those were the kinds of words a man used when he liked someone... right?
—No! No no no!

They’re friends. He must’ve meant it as a friend!
He didn’t mean it in a romantic way. Right?
Trying desperately to reason with herself, Vespa shot to her feet.

“L-Let’s go help! It looks like a fight’s about to start—he must need backup!”
As she sprang up, the blue wisp spun around her like it was urging her to follow.
She ran after it, rubbing her cheeks as she went.

Her heart pounded. Her chest thudded like a drum.
“…”
…It’s just because she was running.

That’s all it was.
It had to be.
***

Whether it was luck or misfortune—
By the time she arrived, Vespa didn’t have the presence of mind to think about the cause of her pounding heart.
...Probably because she didn’t usually exercise much.

It wasn’t even that far, but after a few minutes of running, she was drenched in sweat.
“—Mr. Carlyle!”
She called out between ragged breaths, exhausted.

“Miss Vespa?”
Carlyle blinked in surprise when he saw her.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to show up.

“How did you—”
“I came to help!”
She grinned brightly.

Carlyle flinched, but Retty and Goriba, who were facing off against him, just nodded as if this was how it should be.
“Yeah, yeah. Now this feels right. At least the lady knows proper etiquette.”
“I-I don’t know about etiquette, but! If you lay a hand on Mr. Carlyle, I won’t sit still!”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Retty’s eyes swept calmly over Vespa and Carlyle.
Then her gaze stopped—on the blue wisp floating around Vespa.

She didn’t know what it was, but it was definitely giving off mana. Which meant—
“That’s not the one I’m targeting.”
“—Huh?”

Vespa let out a dazed sound.
Retty’s wand flashed.
It was the logical move. In any battle, the mage had to be neutralized first.

Let’s see how you handle this!
She had confidence in her magic.
The Ingram family was a prestigious line of magical scholars. Retty was a direct heir.

Her name was already on the Tower’s list of promising newcomers. Among # Nоvеlight # freshmen, she was considered exceptional.
Mana gathered at the wand’s tip—and with no incantation, a cluster of lightning burst forth.
It wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful, but more than enough to suppress a mage.

And above all, it was fast.
The bolt shot forward faster than most arrows. Even a trained knight would struggle to react.
But then—

—…
Retty’s whole body froze.
It wasn’t because the blue wisp had moved in front of Vespa and blocked the lightning.

Plenty of mages had auto-defense spells. That part wasn’t strange.
No—
It was because she had seen the wisp. Truly seen it.

“…Huh?”
How should she put it?
Nothing had actually happened to her.

But—
As a skilled mage, sensitive to mana, she could perceive what was hidden inside that wisp.
—…

—…
—…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The will inside that blue wisp was furious.

And that fury—it felt like it was flying straight toward her, taking form as it came.
In an instant, the world turned black.
And in that blackness, massive eyes opened, staring down at her.

Not just one. Dozens. All around her.
Eyes.
Giant, watching eyes.

Each one radiating a murderous intent strong enough to tear her apart.
As if she had dared to challenge something it was protecting—without even realizing it.
“…!”

Retty staggered and fell backward onto the ground.
When she blinked, the illusion vanished like a mirage.
But her next move was clear.

“—Goriba, stop!”
She called out to her knight, who had been about to charge forward.
He stopped, confused.

Retty, trembling, stared at Vespa.
“…Are you trying to kill us during the test or something? What the hell was that?!”
“Uh, what? Me?”

Vespa blinked in confusion.
She looked completely clueless, like she had no idea what had just happened.
If that was acting, she deserved to be the Empire’s top actress.

“—”
Retty stared in disbelief.
This girl. She really didn’t know what just happened.

And worse—
She had no idea just how utterly abnormal that blue wisp near her truly was.
“…What’s your name?”

“Vespa… Luciana. Um, why do you ask…?”
“Come find me after the test. Promise me.”
“…Huh?”

“I’m serious. For your own good, I want you to come. I swear on the honor of House Ingram—I won’t harm you.”
Retty glanced again at the blue wisp still circling Vespa.
“…That thing can’t be left alone.”

If—
If it was what she thought it might be—
Then this Vespa Luciana would go down in history.

For better or worse.
With that, Retty stood up.
Her legs still trembled slightly, but she could move.

“If you still want to fight, we surrender. No way we’re winning, even if the sky splits in two.”
“Uh… I don’t really want to fight, though…”
“Then we’ll just go.”

Retty took a deep breath.
“I hope you won’t forget what I said.”
As Retty and Goriba retreated, Vespa blinked blankly.

“…Mr. Carlyle? What just happened?”
“Beats me.”
Carlyle scratched his head.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure either.
“…Still, I don’t think they’re bad people.”
“Really?”

“Yeah.”
Carlyle nodded.
[System Message]

▶ ‘Quest: The Ingram Family’s Long-Standing Wish’ has been unlocked.
▶ Upon clearing, target ‘Vespa Luciana’ will rapidly develop her abilities!
▶ Upon clearing, target ‘Vespa Luciana’ will gain a ‘Guardian Spirit’!
▶ ‘Guardian Spirit’ is compatible with the Holy Sword!
…Based on that, at least—that much seemed certain.