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Sword saint Kureha Claylet; the strongest swordsman in the Dioral Kingdom. Despite not being a hero, her level is 45, which is the top of humanity. She possesses an ultrrare cla.s.s,【Sword Saint】that gives her powerful abilities and skills. Although her abilities and skills are terrifying, the most menacing thing is her infinite sword techniques that she has diligently studied from effort and experiences.
"As I thought. The sword line you made when receiving my sword is undeniably from the Claylet"s swordsmans.h.i.+p. Blocking my sword three times is even impossible for my instructors. Who exactly are you?" (Kureha)
Once small layer from the nape of my neck was cut. Blood starts trickling down. It seems I wasn"t able to receive Kureha"s sword.
In a short amount of time, Kureha let out three sword attacks. If someone other than me tried, they would"ve died. Even though I【Imitation Heal】the【Sword Saint】abilities and can predict her sword lines because I know all of her experiences, I"m still in this sorry state.
The Claylet"s sword techniques are specialized for combat so all excess movements have been sc.r.a.pped off, but they are still more splendid than any other sword technique. The existence of Kureha who was letting her silver hair hang, coupled with those special moves is like a beautiful sword.
I jump back, taking a distance of around one meter. Kureha didn"t shorten the distance, but even then, I shouldn"t lower my guard. If it"s her, she should be able to cover this amount of distance in less than a moment.
"That"s quite a greeting to suddenly come slas.h.i.+ng at me. I don"t have any thoughts on why I"m being slashed at though." (Kearuga)
Taking a stance with my sword, I laugh while being precautious. I can"t beat Kureha at sword techniques.
There are various reasons for why I can"t win. To start with, because of the level difference and the skills a【Sword Saint】has, Kureha is strengthened, and her physical ability is superior to mine.
And although I can recreate Kureha"s sword techniques, these sword techniques are optimized to suit her body. No matter how much I tune it when I swing, I won"t be a match for the originator.
"Stop playing dumb, you are a serious criminal who killed soldiers from the kingdom. Besides, you have also dirtied the Claylet"s pride in their swordsmans.h.i.+p. It"s only obvious you should die." (Kureha)
"… What are you talking about?" (Kearuga)
"Stop playing dumb. The reason I came to this town is to purge a fellow student. The other day, the village of the ice wolf race was attacked, and out of the a.s.sailants, there was a swordsman who had remarkable skill in the Claylet swordsmans.h.i.+p. The kingdom soldiers who tried to protect the ice wolf race were annihilated by that man. If a Claylet swordsman actually degraded to darkness, no one would be able to stop that person unless it was me, and it"s my duty as head of the family to stop them." (Kureha)
Hearing that, I understood various things. Ah, I get it. So the reason Kureha came here was because the kingdom failed their attack on the ice wolf race.
Even so, the kingdom makes quite funny lies considering they said that they dispatched their army to protect the ice wolf race"s village. If you had a decent mind, you wouldn"t even be able to say that as a made up story.
That being said, I was also careless. With that many kingdom soldiers, there would be some who realized that I was using Claylet sword techniques.
"And so, you came slas.h.i.+ng at every swordsman and judged from their sword line huh. That"s the same as slas.h.i.+ng at random targets." (Kearuga)
"It"s different. Because if I see their way of walking, I would know that they use the Claylet sword. When I observed all people in the whole town, you were the only Claylet swordsman. That"s why I followed you, and just as I thought, you were hanging out with dodgy people." (Kureha)
This is the second surprise today. I was being cautious, and yet I wasn"t able to notice her. Even though I have the self-confidence to notice an elite a.s.sa.s.sin; what a guy.
"And… the fact that you have a slave from the ice wolf race is the biggest evidence!" (Kureha)
With a snap, Kureha declares that while pointing to Setsuna who is part of the ice wolf race. She"s got a triumphant face while seeming like it"s been decided.
Setsuna who was being pointed at had a face full of displeasure. She stands in front of me, and protects me while spreading out both her hands.
"Kearugsama is not a bad human. He"s the reverse. Kearugsama is our benefactor who protected the ice wolf race village from the human"s a.s.sault. Although Setsuna is a slave, I"ve become a slave as compensation for Kearugsama protecting the village." (Setsuna)
While glaring at Kureha, Setsuna explains the situation. That was a good a.s.sist. It should be easier to believe than me explaining it.
"That"s a lie. The kingdom"s soldiers were dispatched to protect the ice wolf race you know. If that"s true, then there is no reason for the kingdom"s soldiers and him to fight." (Kureha)
"Your a.s.sumption is mistaken. The soldiers of the kingdom attacked the ice wolf race"s village. For the sake of training the soldiers and earning money, whenever the soldiers are free, the kingdom makes them attack demi-human villages and sell the villagers as slaves. For this child, I fought against the kingdom soldiers." (Kearuga)
Well, it would be good if she believed my story but…
"Oh, is that so." (Kureha)
As I thought, it"s useless. Even if I don"t listen to her words, by seeing that her fighting intent hasn"t faded, I know what decisions Kureha would make.
"After attacking the ice wolf race village, you"re even controlling that innocent little girl as a slave and making her lie. It seems there"s no choice but to cut down brutes like you." (Kureha)
Well, her behavior is normal I guess. Since I was considered a villain from the start, if she were to compare my words and my slave, Setsuna"s words and the kingdom"s words, she would believe in the latter.
The Dioral Kingdom"s outward appearance is a wholesome country. She wouldn"t be able to believe that the army attacks demi-human villages and is involved in slave trade.
"… I am more or less your benefactor though." (Kearuga)
I unintentionally made an idle complaint. I begin to regret saving her.
"What are you on about when you say benefactor?" (Kureha)
"No, it"s nothing. Putting aside whether you"ll believe me or not, I am saying the truth. I want you to pull back here and ascertain the truth for yourself, but if you even lightly pick a filthy part of the kingdom, it"ll come flooding out as much as you want." (Kearuga)
This is my greatest common ground with her. Sword saint Kureha Claylet. I respect her, and I admire both her strength and beauty. Therefore, I don"t want to do much awful things to her. Besides, I want her to understand I"m not a villain. She is also a victim who is being tricked, so she"s still in the area that I can endure. If she pulls back here, I"ll forgive her.
However, nevertheless…
"There is no need for that. Right now, I"ll judge it here. If I release her from you, this child should come back to her senses." (Kureha)
She points the tip of her sword at me.
Ah, it was no good. I"m going to receive violence without a reason and on top of that, my existence itself is at risk. My neck that was shallowly sliced earlier is throbbing from pain.
The dark desires inside of me are violently struggling from the inside. Not only did this person give me cruel treatment, she"s planning to kidnap Setsuna while putting on the facade of being a good person. I won"t forgive people who steal from me. Please stop, Kureha Claylet. I will… . Ah, at this rate.
Kureha Claylet. You"re going to become my enemy huh." (Kearuga)
"That"s my intention." (Kureha)
She steps towards me. At that moment, a sphere of fire that was around the size of a human head rushed towards Kureha.
"From before, if you had just shut up and listen! Kearugsama is a hero who cured everyone from the strange disease and saved the ice wolf race! I can"t forgive you for treating him like a criminal." (Freya) (TL Note: Hero meaning good person, and not the cla.s.s.)
It"s Freya. She had released her magic. If it was an ordinary soldier, without being able to dodge or receive it, they would have been scorched. However, Kureha cut the ball of flames and continued accelerating.
"Hi-" (Freya)
Freya who let out a scream was knocked out after being hit with the palm on the chin.
"It"s not my hobby to kill women and children. Just stay sleeping for a bit. Since you and that girl from the ice wolf race were just being used by that man, I won"t do anything bad to you." (Kureha)
My head goes dizzy. This woman. To Freya. She injured my possessions (toy). Ah, I get it now. (TL Note: Most of the time, when he talks about his possessions/property, there"s the word "toy" above it, but I don"t know how I should write that. Should I put it in brackets or not?)
This woman who slashed me, tried to kidnap Setsuna and injured Freya…
She"s just a target of revenge.
"You, what are you" (Kureha)
The wicked part inside me is delighted from seeing prey after a long time. Kureha becomes afraid of something and takes a step back.
"Ah, I"ve endured for quite a while, Kureha Claylet. Why are you that stupid? Now, I"ve got no choice but to kill you." (Kearuga)
I laugh. Well, let"s make her receive punishment. Since she"s a target of my revenge, there will be no forgiveness. I"ll make her into my new possession (toy).
First off, it"s trampling her. As a swordsman, I certainly fall behind the【Sword Saint】Kureha Claylet. However, I"m not a swordsman or anything. There exist a few methods I could use to win.
While gripping my sword tightly, I think about how I can play with her, without harming her beauty.