I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

The wrap-up of the Death March ended smoothly.
From the start, the only reason they’d had such a hard time was because that Black Omen had suddenly appeared—normally, the subjugation force would have taken care of things neatly on their own.
“It was noisy out there, I hear.”

When he reported back at the Academy, Sior was yawning widely as he said that.
…On closer look, it almost seemed like he was clenching his teeth to keep from laughing.
“They’re saying some brutal student came blazing in like a comet and chewed through all the magical beasts.”

“…”
“You sure made quite the spectacle, Carlyle Belfast.”
“…Dean.”

When Carlyle answered in a voice that sounded ten years older, Sior chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“No, no, I’m just telling you what they said. You must have really stood out.”
“…Yes, I worked hard.”
In truth, just as Sior said, Carlyle could feel that his own weight class had risen considerably.

At this point, he felt confident he could handle at least some crises without the Hero’s help.
“That deserves praise.”
The dean said this, and then tossed something toward Carlyle.

“Not that this is something you can just sit back and be happy about.”
When he caught it, it was a small envelope.
“Looks like you drew too much attention.”

“What is this?”
“You can probably tell just from the seal.”
When he flipped it over, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) there was a lion emblem stamped in gold foil.

…The Imperial crest.
“…”
Carlyle’s expression immediately grew serious as well.

“It’s addressed to you. They’re asking you to attend the upcoming military parade as a special guest. You must be quite the hot topic.”
“The Imperial Palace parade?”
“It’s a celebration I share with the Emperor—that damn fool—commemorating the day we struck down Humanity’s Greatest Enemy.”

Sior sighed as if the whole thing were a bother.
“The Emperor, the princes, the princesses, the major figures of the Orthodox Church, the Black Lion Margrave, the Chasefield Duke—everyone’s going to be there. It’s the Empire’s largest event.”
“…”
Even just from the sentence, a bad feeling was already creeping up his spine.

All those names, each enough to make his head explode, gathering in one place.
“This is going to be a shitshow.”
Even putting it as nicely as possible wouldn’t make it sound any better.

“Exactly.”
The dean grinned and propped his chin on his hand.
“And there’s another stench starting to rise.”

“…Sir?”
“Those demon-worshippers you took out in the capital last time. They’ve been keeping their heads down for quite a while. For the sort bold enough to perform a summoning ritual in the capital, they’ve been awfully quiet lately.”
“…So I should take it as meaning they’re ready to explode?”

“That’s right. They’re not the type to sit idle.”
All the signs pointed to one thing.
“You’d better stay sharp, Carlyle Belfast.”

The gathering of the storm.
In the capital. At this parade. In the Imperial Palace.
Something was bound to happen.

“Well, at least don’t worry too much—I’ll be going with you.”
“Sir?”
“What? It’s a day to celebrate the great deeds I accomplished with the Emperor. Of course I’ll be there.”

“…Honestly, all I’ve seen you do until now is dump work on me and loaf around.”
“…”
It seemed the hit had landed squarely—Sior simply scratched his chin instead of replying.

“So why do you look so worried? Your expression’s been off since earlier.”
“You’re just changing the subject because you’re in the wrong.”
Even so, Carlyle answered in a voice thick with displeasure.

“It’s the young lady that’s the problem.”
“The junior? Why?”
“She’s furious.”

Mainly—
Ever since she’d caught him doing… that with the dragon sisters during the Death March.
Apparently, she’d shown up with Vespa to watch, but midway through she got so irritated she said she was leaving and went back to the Cradle.

…When Vespa came to tell him this and casually asked if he “originally liked things like collars,” Carlyle had very much wanted to run away on the spot.
“Isn’t the junior getting mad at you nothing new?”
That was true enough.

“…This time she’s acting a little strange, though.”
“How so?”
“It’s not just that she’s angry—”

Carlyle paused to think.
The right expression… something like—
“It’s like she’s sulking?”

“…Why are you making it sound like that’s scarier?”
“Because it is.”
Carlyle dragged his hand down his face.

“When she’s in that kind of mood, you never know what she might do.”
If she was just angry, there were ways to make it up to her. The young lady was basically human-shaped fury to begin with.
But—

Sulkiness meant she was feeling something because he hadn’t given her something she wanted.
“She won’t get over it until I give her what she wants.”
…And honestly—

He was already afraid of what she might ask for.
***
Gray Chasefield didn’t often feel surprised by other people.

Especially not when someone caught her off guard from a completely unexpected angle.
[Did something happen?]
“…”

During one of their regular calls, Lionel’s gentle voice came through the connection.
[You seem really down. You even sound a little gloomy.]
“…Dad, I’m the Hero. Do you think I’d feel something like that?”

She made her voice deliberately sharp.
Partly to hide the fact he’d hit the mark.
[Being the Hero doesn’t mean you’re not human, Gray. Feeling emotions is natural.]

“…”
[Tell me. What happened?]
…He’d seen right through her.

And the fact itself wasn’t pleasant.
—Young lady, is something wrong?
It reminded her too much of a certain man who always seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

“….”
The moment she thought of him—
Something welled up in her chest and surged upward.

Her unsettled mind churned even more violently.
“Dad.”
On impulse, she poured out everything that had happened.

What had gone on in the Margrave’s borderlands at Fohaven. What that Carlyle had done there.
[…So that boy goes around doing that sort of thing in public? He didn’t seem that type.]
“He’s always been someone who occasionally does strange things. Anyway.”

Gray let out a long sigh over Lionel’s reluctant-sounding voice.
“…After seeing that, I’ve been strangely irritated. No energy.”
She didn’t even know why herself.

She just—
Felt irritated.
Watching him stick close to other people when she wasn’t there, collecting experiences she didn’t know about.

“Irritated. Don’t even want to look at him.”
[I don’t think it’s just irritation.]
“…Heroes aren’t supposed to be swayed by things like this. You have to keep your emotions dulled so you can handle crises more easily.”

[Is that so?]
Then—
[Then why not just stop seeing him altogether?]

At those words, Gray’s breath caught in her throat.
“…What?”
[If you dislike it that much, you can switch to another retainer like before. Vespa alone would be enough at the Academy.]

“…”
[From what you’ve said, he doesn’t sound like someone with the most proper conduct. As your father, it worries me to have a boy like that by your side. And if it’s a burden on your duties as the Hero, all the more reason.]
“…No, still—”

[No. You’ve always been surprisingly lenient in these matters. I’ll go and tell the young man myself.]
“Dad—”
[I’ll come to the Academy tomorrow. He’s there, right?]

“—Dad. No. There’s no need for that.”
[But keeping someone who goes around doing strange things like that—]
“I said no!”

Oh.
Wait.
Gray, who had blurted that out without thinking, suddenly covered her mouth with her hand.

Her pupils were trembling violently.
“….”
No.

She didn’t want that?
She—herself?
The Hero? Gray Chasefield? Humanity’s protector?

Just because some guy might be separated from her?
Because she didn’t want him to grow distant from her?
…She had genuinely gotten angry at her father.

“….”
Gray held her breath, waiting for Lionel’s reply.
She had never spoken to him like this before.

But—
[Gray.]
The answer that came was tinged with gentle laughter.

[This is a good thing.]
“…What?”
[That’s why you’ve been down. You feel like someone’s taking him away from you.]

“…”
[It’s really… a good thing. That you can be this honest with your feelings. That you have something you want. Since you became the Hero, I’ve never seen you cling to me like this.]
…It was true.

Though she’d scorned, dismissed, and wielded her emotions countless times—
Gray had never once truly wanted something for herself.
Because nothing had ever felt worth having.

Because nothing had ever truly felt “good” to her.
Even though she was a girl who liked good food, liked pretty clothes, sometimes liked to dress up—
Since becoming the Hero, she had never asked for any of it herself.

…The Hero didn’t have the luxury for such things. Trivial things had to be discarded.
She had to stand above others. Be superior. Be perfect.
[I have no intention of taking that Carlyle boy away from you. He’s giving you the thing you need most.]

“…”
[That’s how it is. You get angry, you get annoyed, and if the boy who’s on your mind is laughing with another girl, you get a little down.]
“…”

[Ordinary people all live like that.]
Gray Chasefield—
Was learning ordinariness from Carlyle Belfast.

She was accumulating experiences Lionel had never been able to give her.
Gray lowered her gaze.
“…A boy who’s on my mind.”

[That’s right. At your age, it’s only natural.]
“So that means… I like him?”
[…Don’t you know?]

“…”
Like him.
Like him, huh.

She didn’t know.
She couldn’t tell.
“Dad.”

[Hm?]
“What does it feel like… to like someone?”
[…]

On the other end of the line, she heard Lionel hold his breath.
It was the sound of someone who had never even imagined hearing such words from her.
A while later, his voice came back with a quiet laugh.

[Why don’t you try finding out?]
***
“…An invitation, huh.”

Carlyle muttered as he handled the lavishly gold-foiled envelope.
Just looking at it made every instinct in his body scream.
That something terrible was going to happen.

[Well, the dean said he’d be going with you, didn’t he?]
“That’s what makes me more worried.”
It was surprising enough that Sior, who usually couldn’t be pried out of the Cradle, had volunteered to come.

In other words—
…Even someone that immovable was now moving because he felt something serious was about to happen.
This invitation—

Was a first-class ticket straight into the tiger’s jaws.
“We’d better make thorough preparations.”
With that, Carlyle powered up the device at his desk and rose from his bed.

Well, that aside—
It was about time the young lady woke up.
Even if you walk into the tiger’s jaws, you still have to do your work…

You couldn’t just neglect your duties.
Changing the world always started with cleaning your room, after all. Hm.
Even if the young lady had been acting a little off lately, surely attending to her couldn’t be harder than heading into the Imperial Palace where some horrific incident was waiting.

With that thought, he opened Gray’s door.
And, unlike usual, the moment she saw him, Gray spoke.
“Hey.”

That was unusual. Carlyle tilted his head.
“Yes, young lady?”
“Let’s go on a date today.”

“…”
…Was there no way to get into the Imperial Palace right this instant?