I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

“You said you were going to fetch the carriage—didn’t you?”
A tearful voice echoed down the alley.

It came from the woman lying sprawled on the ground after being struck by Carlyle.
It was somewhat understandable.
Anyone would have reacted the same way if, in the brief moment Carlyle vanished to go get a carriage, Gray suddenly held a blade to their neck with a murderous look in her eyes.

However, Gray sneered and kicked the woman’s helmet off.
Crimson hair spilled wildly across the alley floor.
Despite her crying voice, the woman’s half-lidded eyes and cheerful, smiling face were striking.

Gray’s gaze fixated on the mark engraved at the base of her neck.
“A Templar of the Orthodox Church wouldn’t freak out just because someone threatens her life, right?”
A symbol of a sword crossed with a rosary.

The emblem representing a fang of the Church.
Among the many influential organizations across the continent, the Orthodox Church was the only one without a formal military force.
And the reason for that was this person, standing right here.

A one-woman army.
A knight of the Round Table—those capable of serving as an entire military unit on their own.
This woman too was one of those with enough force to challenge the Holy Sword, if she chose to.

Someone with the qualification to contend with one of humanity’s mightiest.
“...Ah, I’m just a knight right now. The Templar role’s off-duty.”
The woman smiled sheepishly as she spoke, and Gray responded with a voice cold as ice.

“The famous Spirit Knight wouldn’t be doing something as petty as tailing a little girl, would she?”
“Could the Hero possibly know someone like me?”
“I do. Shiona Rebell. Spirit Knight. And—”
She curled the corner of her lips and added:

“—the sly Cardinal’s right hand, hated even by the Imperial Family.”
“……”
“You’re not here just to spy on me, are you? Right? No way Cardinal Felix would use someone like you just for this kind of errand.”

“……”
The woman’s smiling face offered no reply.
But that in itself was already answer enough.

“Cardinal Felix is always worried about you, Hero. He’s constantly anxious you might attract the wrong kind of pests.”
“Worried, my ass. It’s not me he’s worried about—it’s the ‘market value’ of the Hero he’s scared will drop.”
Gray let out a sigh as she spoke.

“I know. I do know. In exchange for receiving the Holy Sword, my number one priority is to stay under the Church and the Empire’s protection. No unnecessary involvement with civilians. No scandals.”
“I’m glad you’re aware, Hero.”
“Then, don’t report that guy.”

Shiona blinked.
“Pardon?”
“Carlyle Belfast. Don’t report him. Or I’ll kill you.”

“……”
It was said in the same tone as someone declaring what they were having for dinner.
But the Hero was someone who never took back what she said—especially if it was a threat to hurt someone.

“...If I may speak freely, Hero. What exactly is your relationship with that man?”
“Met him yesterday.”
No relationship whatsoever.

They’d only seen each other twice now.
But—
“I just got curious. He seems like he’ll be fun to toy with for a while.”

“……”
“I hate it when someone tries to take what’s mine. Got it?”
“Hero, do you… perhaps feel something special for him—”

“Cut the disgusting crap.”
Shiona quietly gazed at Gray.
Her face was smiling, but her eyes were still and heavy.

After staring for a moment, she gave a polite nod.
“...Understood. If nothing unusual happens, I will refrain from reporting him.”
“Good. That’s more like it.”

“But—”
Shiona raised a finger and added with a bright tone,
“Would it be alright if I, personally, looked into him a little?”

“Why?”
“Well~ I haven’t met many people who can knock me out with one hit.”
“Didn’t he go easy on you? Far as I know, that guy’s never even had proper combat training—”

“Nope.”
“What?”
“He didn’t go easy on me. If that blow had landed wrong in real combat, I could’ve died. Seriously.”

“……”
“I know you probably don’t know much about him either, Hero, so I won’t push it… but I do feel the need to look into him. My gut’s telling me something.”
Gray frowned slightly at that.

Now that she thought about it, earlier—when she had released her mana to locate him—his presence had completely vanished for a moment.
She did eventually find him, so she hadn’t thought much of it.
But if even a Templar was saying this, then he probably was hiding something.

That man…
He’s concealing something.
“Do as you want. Investigate him or not.”

“Thank you!”
“But.”
If that’s the case—

“Share what you find with me. I need to know too, don’t I?”
It wouldn’t hurt to dig a little.
Just what kind of person was he?

***
[System Log]
The Hero’s curiosity toward you has intensified in a positive direction.

Trait [Hero’s Companion] is activating.
A new “Positive Trait” is being added!
[ ★ Trust 0% → 5% ]

Reward granted!
Open the Trait Tab to check it!
[ The “Holy Sword” has unlocked an additional function! ]
[ Continue building your relationship with the Hero to unlock even more functions! ]

Not bad.
That was Carlyle’s first reaction upon confirming that the Holy Sword had gained a new feature after the outing.
Apparently, aside from correcting the Hero’s twisted tendencies, simply getting closer to her—or doing things she liked—could unlock additional functions.

…Though he didn’t have the luxury of planning out what more to receive anytime soon.
One thing he had come to realize as he handled the Hero’s power—
Trying to imitate a stork as a sparrow will split your legs.

[ …You’re feeble beyond words. ]
“Shut up.”
Carlyle groaned weakly in reply to the Holy Sword.

It was great that he could now infuse the Hero’s mana into the Holy Sword and use it—but his body, handling that mana, was miserably fragile.
After first learning to wield that mana.
He spent several days moaning in pain from muscle aches.
All he’d done was throw a single punch, at most.

And the bigger problem was that even while suffering like that, dealing with Gray was far more exhausting.
He’d been assigned to assist Gray at the Duke’s request, but inside the manor, her treatment of him was basically no different from that of a servant.
Not just like a servant—more like borderline abuse.

A quick retrospective of the past few days of mistreatment:
“Meal.”
“Yes, I’ll tell the chef to have it prepa—”

“You make it yourself.”
“...Why?”
“I’m curious what your cooking tastes like.”

“……”
Somehow, he managed.
Though the young lady hurled insults and complaints throughout the entire meal.

“Bath.”
“Yes, I’ll have it ready—”
“You do it yourself. Don’t get anyone else to help.”

“……”
He scrubbed down the giant bathhouse by himself, filled it with water, heated it, and even set out the bath additives.
“Sword training.”

“Should I prepare everything myself?”
“Yeah. You’re finally getting the hang of it.”
“……”

Fuck.
Fucking hell.
That kind of cursing just came naturally in this lifestyle.

His body was already wrecked from the aftereffects of mana backlash, and now he had to babysit this volatile young lady on top of it all—there was no torment quite like it.
One day, he subtly asked Gray why she was treating him so harshly.
The answer was painfully simple.

“Just because.”
“...Ah.”
“It’s fun watching you struggle and whine.”

“…………Hmm.”
That night, he came back to his quarters and took it out on the Holy Sword for no real reason.
[Why are you taking it out on me.]

“You pay for your sins, you piece of shit—!”
[Hm. Is it really that bad?]
As he uselessly punched the sword that didn’t take any damage, he suddenly heard someone knock at the door.

When he opened it, a familiar face greeted him.
“...Your Grace?”
“How are you managing?”

“Not well.”
“……”
“I think I’m going to die.”

It was a rare moment—an actual duke coming all the way to check on some nobody commoner. But all Carlyle could muster was a blunt response.
“Still, I’d say that’s quite a sign of Gray taking interest in you.”
“...Excuse me?”

“She’s dismissed all the other servants, but she’s been giving you all sorts of tasks, hasn’t she?”
“……”
“That’s… really not an easy thing. It simply wouldn’t happen unless someone could tolerate her temperament.”

If you looked at it that way, it was true.
It was only possible because Carlyle had memorized all of Gray’s little preferences through countless regressions.
Even the top-grade attendants of the Duke’s household had all been driven away, but Carlyle matched Gray’s quirks so well it could only be called a rare skill.

A certain screen he saw not long ago backed °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that up:
[System Log]
◆ You have acted in a way the Hero finds favorable.

[ ★ Trust 5% → 5.1% ]
“……”
Even though he was providing near-perfect assistance in every area of daily life, the increase was laughably tiny—but at least it was going up.

Seeing it just made him angry all over again.
Zero-point-one percent?
After getting worked to death like this—just 0.1%??

‘Hold it in…’
At least it’s going up.
And the rewards for gaining trust were pretty decent in their own right.

“So,” the Duke said, as if reading his mind, clearing his throat before speaking again. “It seems she likes you enough to prepare a rather big request.”
Carlyle’s eyes narrowed.
“A… request?”

“Yes. She says she wants to bring you along as her escort to an upcoming Imperial banquet.”
“...Ah.”
“Make sure you prepare well. If it goes smoothly, I’ll see to it that you’re handsomely rewarded.”

Carlyle’s face went flat.
[System Message]
▶ Quest: “Imperial Banquet” has begun.
▶ Clear it to receive a large boost in “Hero Trust.”
▶ Will you accept? [Y/N]

This appeared right in front of his eyes.
A large boost in trust?
There was no reason to refuse.

“Yes. Gladly.”
“Good! I knew I could count on you.”
As Duke Lionel departed cheerfully, Carlyle picked up the Holy Sword from the bed again.

“Hero.”
[What is it.]
“This obviously looks like some kind of major event. Do you remember anything about it?”

[…Can’t say I really do.]
“That can’t be true.”
If that were the case, this kind of quest window wouldn’t even appear.

She was probably misremembering—or just missing something.
[No, really. It wasn’t anything special.]
She’d chatted with someone somewhere. Turned down all offers to dance. Got introduced to someone by someone else.

In classic Hero fashion, her memory was uselessly detailed and yet completely unhelpful—all it amounted to was meaningless social chatter.
…So there really wasn’t a big event?
“Not stuff like that. Something you normally wouldn’t experience—didn’t anything strange happen? Were you ever in danger?”

[Hmm… Let me think. Closest thing might be, around 10:14 PM, on the fourth-floor terrace, during a conversation between myself, Sir Terrium, and Lady Anastasia of House Marquess—]
“Please summarize it briefly.”
[I think that was the first time I killed someone. They were annoying.]

“……I’m sorry, could you elaborate?”
So much for “nothing big.”