At first glance, it might have sounded like the naïve boast of a charming young girl.
But to me, who knew her true identity, it was clear.
Vampires die.
There was no way to alter this future. In fact, wasn’t I too hoping for that inevitability?
This monster had sacrificed dozens of lives.
I had no intention of letting it live. And yet, the reason I had uttered such an absurd vow was simple: my hands didn’t need to be soiled.
The strongest warrior of the Empire.
The Sword Master was present.
Even if I were to step forward, it would be nothing more than an overstepping act.
But the vampire’s thoughts seemed to differ from mine.
“Huh, hahaha… What, what are you?”
Even as it took faltering steps backward, the vampire didn’t even attempt to hide its killing intent.
The veins in its bloodshot eyes were bursting, a clear sign of extreme fury.
“Didn’t you hear? I’ve come here to monitor ‘slaves.’ I know exactly who to watch out for here… The meteor summoner Delmore, the skull-collector Derek, the strongest mage on Earth, Adriana, and the mad dog Sir Ian… But in all the documents I reviewed, your face wasn’t anywhere to be found!”
“So what?”
In contrast to the vampire’s heightened voice, the girl’s tone remained remarkably calm.
As if daring him to speak more.
It was a clear act of mockery, a leisure only the truly powerful could afford.
The vampire, who was already on edge in front of me, couldn’t possibly endure such an insult.
A grinding sound of teeth echoed through the air.
It didn’t take long for the vampires veins to bulge across its neck.
“What do you mean? You, you don’t even deserve to be noticed!”
A sharp scream erupted, and the scattered debris around, resembling graves, began to respond.
It was a sign that the monsters thought to have been crushed were indeed still alive.
Thump, thump, thump.
The number of arms protruding from the debris quickly grew to dozens. Emerging from the heavy rubble, these monsters were a sight hard to imagine.
One had its skull half-crushed, many had limbs torn off and dangling, and it was nearly impossible to find a body with all four limbs intact.
Some monsters defied common sense entirely.
The vampire, its breaths now heavy with sadistic excitement, was looking at the girl with an unsettling gaze.
“Hmm, you do have some talent, it seems. Puhuhu… Let’s see how long you can endure. If you so much as touch your weapon or summon your aura?”
At that, the vampire’s blood-red string-like tendons visible on its fingers began to glow.
“I’ll start killing the hostages one by one. Let’s see how many you’ll let me kill before you act.”
The girl gave no response.
She merely glanced at me and offered a piece of advice.
“Brat, watch closely.”
Keeeek!
A sound like metal being scraped against metal reverberated around us. The air was filled with the sound, like rushing water overflowing from a broken dam.
“Someday, this is what you’ll have to wield.”
And as her hand slowly moved toward her waist, the vampire let out a high-pitched scream of panic.
“Impossible, impossible, impossible… I told you not to touch that sword!”
“…Not to touch it?”
The girl smirked and halted her movement.
“Rather amusing words for someone like you. How could I possibly wield a sword and avoid using it?”
The vampire staggered forward, its bloodshot eyes glaring at the girl.
At the exact moment the vampire raised its voice to roar,
“What nonsense is this…!”
A rupture.
Space itself shattered with a deafening sound. Gusts of wind tore across the land, freezing the world for an instant.
It wasn’t just me.
Everyone, everything, was unable to fully grasp the situation.
In the frozen world, the girl exhaled a single breath.
“…For this sword encompasses the entire world.”
The moment those words left her lips,
Pop! Jets of blood erupted like fireworks. Fountains of blood shot high into the sky, not a single droplet splashing on the girl.
A woman’s decapitated head fell, her eyes filled with disbelief.
With each fall of her gaze, more and more slashes appeared on her lifeless body. First her neck, then her arms and legs, and soon the number of cuts became too many to count.
There was no remaining chance for life.
The vampire’s body turned into minced meat and flowed away as a puddle of blood.
That was the end.
Dozens of monsters were killed instantly, without any warning or signs.
Truly, an overwhelming demonstration of power.
Had I been standing in the center of all that, could I have survived?
Such doubts were erased by the girl’s indifferent voice.
“What’s with that dazed look on your face?”
By now, the girl had approached me, and she slapped my shoulder lightly with the tips of her fingers.
“This is the vision you must learn… It’s what I’ve named ‘The Sword Soul.'”
“Truly, the vision of a Sword Master.”
Unable to hide my admiration, I looked at the girl with renewed respect.
“Amazing, Sword Master! How can you do this without using aura? And your body—it must be an avatar, right?”
“Hmph, boy. A master’s body isn’t physical but conceptual. As long as I can transfer my consciousness, I can fully unleash my power through anything.”
“Tremendous!”
Overwhelmed with admiration, I grabbed her under the arms. In moments, I lifted her off the ground.
It wasn’t a rational action.
I was a man on the path of the blade, and seeing the pinnacle of swordsmanship right before my eyes had left my reason in shambles.
The girl’s eyes widened in shock, her face openly showing her confusion.
“H-Hey, what… what are you doing, boy?”
“Respectful! Truly the greatest swordsman of the continent… I wish to follow in your footsteps!”
Apparently, even the Sword Master couldn’t keep up with my endless admiration for long.
In a few seconds, she gave a dry smile and adopted a cocky expression.
“Yes, praise me more! I am the Sword Master!”
“Truly magnificent, Master Swordsperson …!”
In my excitement, I was carrying the girl as if she were in an airplane ride when—
A sudden chill ran through my mind.
It felt like I had forgotten someone.
I didn’t have to wonder for long.
“G-Grandfather…?”
My voice came out as if I’d lost it entirely.
Realizing our companion’s presence, both me and the Sword Master froze in place.
Gulping, I slowly turned around.
There, waiting for us, stood Shi-en, her complexion pale. Her pupils were quivering, unable to focus. Shocks were so deep that tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.
Both our faces immediately turned ashen.
“What… how… it’s not possible. But, such swordsmanship… there can’t be anyone other than our Grandfather.”
“S-Shi-en.”
Hanging limply in my grip, the Sword Master gulped audibly before speaking.
“I’ll explain… It’s—there’s no other choice, I—”
“My grandfather as a girl? My grandfather fighting enemies? My grandfather an adulteress? My grandfather embraced by Sir Ian? AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
But even before the Master could utter excuses, the girl’s voice broke into a scream. Her howl was endless, more like the cries of a soul in eternal torment.
I tried to fix things, but it was futile.
“Princess Shi-en…?”
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHH! KYAAAAA! KYAAAAAAH! KYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
And then, she fainted.
After enduring a long silence, I finally squeezed my eyes shut.
“…This is chaos.”
It was another night when Senior Elsi came to mind.
After leaving the unconscious Shi-en at the Temple, I returned to the dormitory with a heavy sigh.
Even after losing consciousness, Shi-en had mumbled incoherently, struggling against her internal chaos. Her pallor hadn’t changed even when I delivered her to the Temple.
What would her reaction be once she regained consciousness?
I was holding that thought when I grabbed the doorknob, pushing it gently to enter my room.
The strange sight froze me instantly.
“Sniff, sniff… Ah, big brother’s scent… Huh?”
On my bed, a girl, dressed in a robe blending black and red colors, had her face buried deep in it, sniffing it enthusiastically.
This unexpected meeting stiffened my body completely.
In contrast, the girl didn’t seem fazed by our eye contact. Instead, she beamed and hopped off the bed, rushing toward me.
“Hi, big brother! You’re back? What shall we do first? Dinner? Bath? Or… could it be me? KYAAAAA!”
“Murder.”
I wasted no time, pulling out my hatchet and charging at her.
It was an unexpected arrival of ‘Greed.’
