I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

-Quest Info
◆ Ingram Family’s Longstanding Wish
The Ingram family, a noble lineage of mages, has long studied the “Will of the World” and “Other Dimensions.” From your companion, they have glimpsed a shard of the truth that might lead to the fulfillment of that dream.

Forge a bond by completing their wish—and strengthen both yourself and your companion!
※ This quest is of extremely high difficulty. We recommend a full power check before starting!
▶ As a reward, the dao 『Dawn』 will be repaired and enhanced with new features.
▶ Target “Panhyma Acha Oren” will be added to the [Instructor] pool.
▶ Relationship status with “Vespa Luciana” will change!
▶ A new feature will be added to the [Holy Sword]!

Even reading it again...
From the rewards alone, it was practically a deluxe gift set.
It was hard to deny how perfectly timed it was to rapidly boost Carlyle’s power while the demon cultists were still catching their breath.

[Then it must be done.]
Obviously.
Which meant—

Even if it was a bit embarrassing, he’d have to grit his teeth and bear it.
A shirt he’d never wear in his entire life, something a thug might wear, hung loosely off his shoulders with no undershirt to cover his chest.
His usually neat hair was undone and wild, hanging messily down his back.

His pants had chains, and magic had been used to tattoo his bare chest with rough, fake ink.
The final touch was a magitech mask that altered his facial features into something that screamed “sleazy playboy.”
How to describe it…

…He looked like a total sleazebag delinquent.
He never imagined he’d end up looking like this in his life.
“How do I look?”
Carlyle asked awkwardly, and Vespa gave him a vigorous nod.

“It’s good!”
…Though her eyes were fixed firmly on his bare torso, which was completely exposed.
Her gaze was spinning in circles. If left alone, she looked like she might even get a nosebleed.

“…”
“…”
“Miss Vespa. My eyes are up here.”

“S-sorry!”
At least she apologized immediately. That was something.
Anyway.

Now dressed like a noble lady and a complete delinquent, Vespa and Carlyle had to act exactly like the married couple Letty described.
Apparently, Letty Ingram’s uncle was a notorious womanizer who went around picking up every kind of woman ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ dressed just like this.
A prominent mage, but infamous for his debauchery—so much so that his wives changed constantly.

A living embodiment of words like thug, slacker, and Casanova.
Carlyle would play the role of that sleazeball, and Vespa would be the latest “new wife.”
–And how did you get his identity in the first place?
–I promised to set him up with one of Yoram’s beautiful professors. He said I could use it.
–…Isn’t he already married?
–They’re divorced. This was his tenth time.
–…

Was the Ingram family really okay?
They were supposed to be a noble mage family.
Between the uncle with a dizzying romantic history and the niece who sold his identity to sneak into the Magic Tower—utter lunatics, the lot of them.

…Well, anyway.
Other people’s families were their problem.
The issue at hand was whether Carlyle could pull off the act… and judging by his own look, he wasn’t too sure.

“Comrade. You don’t need to worry.”
Trying to encourage Carlyle, who was stiff with discomfort, Panhyma opened her mouth with a solemn face.
She’d be going in as Carlyle’s “bodyguard” for the Tower infiltration.

“You look like a bottom-dwelling beast of a man, lacking conscience, responsibility, and any virtues such as diligence or perseverance. You seem the type to flirt with every woman in sight, yet end up dying alone.”
“…”
“No one will suspect a thing. You fit the role perfectly.”

“…Thank you.”
…Her words stabbed deep in the chest, but fine. If it worked, it worked.
“Alright, listen up.”

As the carriage gradually slowed down,
Letty’s voice rang out from the driver’s seat with a serious tone.
“If you two just act the part, you’ll get in and out without a hitch. But if anything goes wrong inside the Tower, that’s real trouble—so play your roles well, got it?”

“I’ll try my best.”
“What kind of unmotivated answer is that? Aren’t you two supposed to be close? Just pretending for a bit shouldn’t be so hard.”
“…I’ll try my best.”

Hmm.
Thinking about how Gray might find out later… it wasn’t exactly easy to say it wouldn’t be difficult.
That’s why he gave a vague response, but—

…He could feel Vespa’s eyes burning into him from the side.
She looked like she had a million things she wanted to say, just from Carlyle’s neutral tone.
“Mr. Carlyle, um…”

“Yes?”
“When you say you’ll ‘try your best’… do you mean just that, or, um… is it that you don’t really like the idea of doing this with me…”
“…”

“Ah, never mind!”
She trailed off and quickly clamped her mouth shut.
As if she realized she didn’t want to hear the answer after saying it out loud.

Is she feeling burdened by this?
…Hmm.
That wouldn’t do.

Teamwork was important right now.
“Miss Vespa.”
“Yes?”

When Carlyle spoke with a bright smile, Vespa flinched in surprise.
“Even if you don’t want to do something like this with me, don’t worry. I’ll keep my distance and behave appropriately.”
“…”

“There won’t be anything unpleasant. Just treat this like a job, and we’ll be fine.”
“…Okay.”
“…”

…Huh.
Why did that reply sound colder than usual?
***

Most of the Magic Towers were located on the opposite side of the continent, in the Mage Kingdom of Arbanelk, but there was also a branch in the Empire.
While much smaller and less prestigious than the original, it was still a facility grand enough to be called a “Tower.”
It was also the place housing the Orb of Truth they were after.

“Welcome, Miss Letty Ingram. Your reservation has been confirmed.”
As the carriage pulled up to the front gate, a guard stopped them.
While Letty handled the exchange, Carlyle peeked outside the carriage.

A towering spire that looked like it pierced the sky.
Near it were turret-like artillery and mechanical automatons standing guard.
…It’s terrifying every time I see it.

In the Demon Hunter universe, the Magic Tower was a group with over-technology that no other faction could match. This mechanized fortress proved it.
If they were caught in their deception, every one of those weapons would turn on them.
Even during the Hell Invasion arc, they gave the demons a serious headache. Their firepower wasn’t to be underestimated.

Carlyle caught Vespa shifting nervously in the corner of his eye. Panhyma, while not showing it, was clearly on alert as well.
The only one who remained completely composed was Letty.
As expected of a noble-born mage, she handled everything like this wasn’t her first visit.

“This time, I’ll be following my uncle into the inner workshop.”
“As long as you don’t bother the inner scholars too much, it’s fine. But, your uncle—”
The guard’s eyes flicked to the back of the carriage, landing squarely on Carlyle.

“Sir Alister? You’ve changed women again, have you?”
“…”
Worst-case scenario.

He actually knew the real person this identity belonged to.
Carlyle hadn’t expected to need to speak at all, but this made the odds of getting caught skyrocket.
He had practiced the voice and gestures, but he didn’t think he’d be using them this soon.

“…Sir Alister?”
The guard tilted his head.
…This won’t do.

They couldn’t afford to raise suspicion.
Do something sleazy.
That voice echoed in his head.

It was Letty, using a transmission spell to speak directly to his mind.
Huh?
Just act like a dirtbag to the girl next to you. You need to play the part of Uncle Alister. Apologize later—just do something!
…
Even if you say that, what am I supposed to—

…Screw it.
Carlyle shut his eyes.
Whatever. Just go for it.

He pulled Vespa into his arms, one arm curling tightly around her waist.
His hand landed somewhere between her hip and chest—on purpose, to make it look indecent.
“Boring personality, but the face and body are decent. Not bad, right?”

…Wow.
Even he wanted to vomit from hearing that line.
Doing this in public, in front of someone else—it made a cold sense of self-disgust creep up from the inside.

But he had no choice.
Time to act like a bastard.
“She’s a shy thing, but she’ll get better with time. With me showing her the ropes.”

“…You haven’t changed a bit, sir.”
The guard chuckled and scribbled something on his ledger.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem suspicious.

“Welcome to the Imperial Branch of the Magic Tower. Enjoy your stay.”
As the carriage rolled forward, slowly heading inside—
Once no one was around to overhear them, Carlyle turned to Vespa with a face full of guilt.

“…I’m so sorry, Miss Vespa. I said I’d keep my distance, and I—”
…Up to that point, he had every intention of sincerely apologizing.
Until he realized something was… off.

Vespa wasn’t even looking at him.
She was staring into space, dazed, muttering something under her breath.
“Mr. Carlyle…”

Her eyes were glazed.
Her cheeks were flushed.
And she was smiling dreamily.

“Mr. Carlyle, who’s always so kind to everyone, acting so manly just for me, doing whatever he wants with me, this is… kind of addicti—…”
She kept muttering, clearly having lost all grip on rational thought.
“….”

Hero. What the hell is happening.
[…Don’t ask me.]
…She seems kind of happy about this—

[I said don’t ask.]
…Something had definitely been triggered.
Something that probably should not have been.

***
-System Message
▶ [Trait – Archmage’s First Love] has activated.

[♥ Submission 5% → 40%]
[♥ Affection 10% → 30%]
▶ ‘Affection’ and ‘Submission’ have exceeded threshold values.
▶ An event between “Vespa” and the “Divine Spirit” will be generated inside the Magic Tower!
▶ Try adding the “Divine Spirit” to your [Instructor] pool!