Ku-gwagwang!

At that moment, Terce suddenly kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air.

The deranged man’s target was the spectator stands.

“Uwaaah! The Martial King’s gone mad!”

“Somebody help! Save me!”

“Mommy—waaaah!”

Damn it.

I stood in front of the crowd, shielding them with my body.

“Calm down.”

“Grrrr…”

KWAANG!

A strike completely unlike any before slammed into my sword.

He hadn’t used any elaborate swordsmanship.

He hit my sword with his bare fist.

And that alone shattered my prized longsword to pieces.

The impact traveled down the blade and burst the blood vessels in my hands.

“Mide! Even for you, this is too dangerous.”

“Yeah, seems like it.”

“J-just wait. Just hang on a little longer!”

It was probably the first time I’d seen Neril stammer.

She frantically stomped her foot and unfolded a magic circle.

I recognized the spell and cried out in horror.

“Hey! That’s a disintegration spell!”

“…Huh? How do you know that?”

“If you use that, this guy’s gonna die.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still trying to keep your reputation at a time like this?”

“Just shut up. Let me think for a second!”

As I shouted, Terce swung a punch at me.

I twisted out of the way in a hurry, but the gust from his punch tore my jacket and left my chest bloodied.

“AAAGGHH!”

His momentum carried him straight toward the spectator stands.

If a regular person took that punch, their face would be pulverized…

“O divine being of the heavens! Grant us your shield here and now!”

Suddenly, a translucent dome filled the entire audience area.

It was Xenia.

She had driven the sacred sword Caesar, symbol of the Holy Knights of Light, into the ground and pressed her hands together in prayer.

Phew. Thank goodness.

“Thank you, Xenia.”

“Don’t worry about the spectators. I’ve created the strongest shield I’ve ever made.”

Boom, boom, boom!

As if to prove her point, Terce hammered the audience barrier with crazed fury, but the translucent wall didn’t even ripple.

Of course, the lack of physical damage didn’t mean the mental trauma was prevented.

Seeing a completely unhinged man pummeling the ground hard enough to shake the earth made some people literally wet themselves.

“Ughhh… please, save us…”

“Lord Mide! Please, help us!”

“We’re sorry for our arrogance! Please forgive us!”

“I don’t care what happens to me—just save my son!”

They pleaded desperately for salvation.

…

Huh? Wait a second.

‘Isn’t this turning into a perfect stage for me?’

[Are you seriously thinking about that right now?]

‘Prove me wrong.’

[…]

‘Alright. Let’s do this.’

I raised my voice and shouted with strength.

“Everyone, remain calm!”

“L-Lord Mide?!”

“I’ll do whatever it takes! Please believe in me!”

A faint light of hope returned to the eyes of the despairing crowd.

That hope seemed to resonate between them, multiplying—until it formed something massive.

“Sob… We believe you. We believe.”

“Lord Mide, we beg you.”

“I’ll give you anything—anything!”

Good. The mood’s heating up just right.

I turned to Neril and said:

“Neril. Once again, no disintegration magic—”

“I’m definitely getting answers later on how you know that.”

“Stop that guy’s movements. Just for 3 seconds… no, 2 seconds.”

“Tch. I’ll give it a shot.”

She began forming a hand sign I recognized.

It was likely her signature restraining spell—intangible chains.

Meanwhile, I drew a spare sword.

I took a deep breath and readied my stance.

Been a long time since I’ve used this technique.

[Oh? A special move? What’s it called—wait, don’t say it.]

‘Cut What I Want to Cut.’

[Ugh, you said it.]

My signature move, Cut What I Want to Cut, was something I developed for hostage rescue missions.

Criminals always used hostages as human shields at the last second.

So I created a technique that could slice only the enemy behind the hostage—without harming the hostage at all.

[Is that even possible?]

‘Strictly speaking, it’s a technique that cuts even if I can’t see the target. I use the feeling at the tip of the blade to let it glide past obstacles and only strike the intended target.’

[Still sounds impossible.]

‘And yet, I did it.’

[You’re a damn monster.]

‘Getting embarrassed now. Quit the compliments.’

[…]

‘Alright. Let’s do this.’

Just in time, Neril finished forming the seal.

“I’m ready.”

“On three—cast it. Three!”

“Are you kidding me?!”

She shouted and unleashed the spell.

Black voids appeared around the Martial King.

From within, shadowy chains shot out in all directions.

They wrapped around Terce completely and held him tightly.

“Grgh!?”

He twisted and struggled, but the chains didn’t budge.

Luckily, his arms were raised, leaving his chest wide open.

Cut What I Want to Cut!

I drew my sword.

Swaaah!

Time seemed to slow down.

I focused completely on the feeling in my hands.

Slice through the skin of his chest.

Peel back the muscle—leave the blood vessels untouched.

There it is—the jewel, fused directly to his heart.

Ignore the heart. Only cut the gem.

With this technique, I can do it!

Crack.

I thought I heard something break.

Time snapped back to normal.

I sheathed my sword.

Ching.

“Gghh…”

And with that sound, the Martial King staggered and collapsed flat to the ground.

“Xenia! Start healing—now!”

“Yes!”

We rushed to Terce’s side to check his condition.

He was on the verge of death, but—

“O god of the heavens, your servant begs your gentle touch.”

Xenia joined her hands and began her prayer.

Slowly, color returned to his face.

Of course, compared to Serain—a member of the hero’s party before regression—this healing was sluggish, but even Neryl muttered in awe

“You can save someone like that? Seriously?”

“If this surprises you, you’re in for a shock later.”

“…? What’s going to happen later?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Come to think of it, Kaeld’s probably already recruited Serain by now. Shame.

Anyway—what about the gem?

“Xenia. Can you sense the gem? It’s probably shattered inside his chest.”

“I was just about to say. I’ve stabilized his vitals, but we’ll need to remove the jewel for a full recovery.”

“Alright. Neril—if you would.”

Without even needing a full explanation, Neril waved her hand. This text is hosted at novel~fire~net

“There. I’ve obscured the disgusting view for now.”

“Perfect.”

Gem extraction: begin.

The gem was cleanly split in two.

When I saw the jewel inside that thing’s stomach, it had been overflowing with energy—but now, I couldn’t feel a single trace of it.

It was ruined. My item…

While I was still in despair, Neril spoke up.

“Let me see that for a second.”

“Huh?”

“Give it here. I might be able to fix it.”

“Oh, really? That would be amazing.”

I quickly handed the broken gem to Neril.

She stared at me for a moment, then asked:

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Ask what?”

“How I know about this. And how I might be able to fix it.”

“Even if I asked, it’s not like you’d answer. I respect my comrades’ privacy.”

“Hmph. But you already know about my secret weapon, the disintegration magic.”

“Other than that, I’m someone who respects privacy.”

Neril burst into laughter.

“I was originally going to grill you about how you knew… but now I don’t feel like it.”

“…”

“I’ll tell you how I know about the Gem of Desolation someday. Eventually.”

Before the regression.

Even though we had spent all that time together, Neril had never shared a secret of this magnitude with me.

She really had changed.

As I stared at her, Neril raised her eyebrows.

“Why that look? Are you disappointed?”

“No. Just focus on fixing the jewel.”

“Yeah. I feel like it’s going to come in handy.”

“Thanks.”

“No need to say that. Not between us.”

“…”

“I didn’t mean that in a weird way.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

At that moment, Xenia, who was in the middle of prayer, grumbled in clear irritation.

“Can you two take that somewhere else? I’m trying to concentrate here.”

Three days later.

The incident concluded as follows:

1. The Martial King poisoned the young lord, and when Dway discovered the truth, he killed him too.
2. The Sword master of No Killing had been carrying out a mercenary mission with Dway’s subordinate, and challenged the Martial King to a duel in order to fulfill the dying wish of his close friend.
3. When cornered, the Martial King completely snapped and attacked, trying to take the territory’s people as hostages.

Finally, I—the Sword master of No Killing—completely subdued the deranged Martial King and locked him away in prison.

[That’s a conclusion perfectly tailored to your taste.]

‘Hmm. Very satisfying.’

Thanks to this outcome, Lord of Lior expressed his deep gratitude to me.

He was a far cry from the man who had initially looked down on me.

“I don’t know how I could ever thank you for this.”

“Please, speak comfortably. I don’t hold a title.”

“No, it’s not about status. I just believe this is the proper courtesy owed to someone who revealed the truth behind my child’s death.”

“…”

“Please, tell me if you need anything. Actually, how about settling down here? I’ll give you the best land, free of charge.”

Even Neril and Xenia looked genuinely surprised by the generous offer.

I gave a small laugh and shook my head.

“I’ll have to decline. We’ll be leaving soon anyway.”

“I thought you’d say that. The kind of man who doesn’t stay in one place.”

“Yes. It might be rude to ask in return, but… there’s something I want to know.”

“Go ahead.”

“What will you do with the Martial King?”

At that, a flash of killing intent sparked in the hollow eyes of the lord.

“I’m sorry, but as for that bastard’s fate—”

“Of course, I have no intention of interfering. The Martial King committed grave crimes not just against you, but against everyone in this territory.”

“…”

“I’d just like a chance to speak with him, once. That’s all I ask.”

“Understood. That much I can allow.”

The lord immediately summoned someone to guide us to the Martial King.

Thanks to Xenia’s healing, the Martial King barely survived—but after incurring the wrath of the lord, all the muscles in his limbs were severed and he was thrown into an underground prison.

He hadn’t had proper food for three days, and now he was skin and bones.

His lips were cracked and dry, and streaks of white were showing in his hair.

Creak. Thunk.

Once the guard stepped aside, Neril spoke first.

“He looks completely different from just a few days ago. You could almost mistake him for someone else.”

“He lost the power of the Gem of Desolation.”

“Even so, he’s a lot skinny.”

“He said from the beginning that he had a weak body. If he had aged without the gem, this is probably how he would’ve looked.”

I removed the gag from his mouth.

Terce looked up at me with hollow eyes, then let out a bitter laugh.

“Heh heh… What, here to laugh at my misery?”

“No. I’m not even interested enough to mock or pity you.”

“You bastard. After doing this to me, that’s all you have to say?”

“I have a question. How did you get your hands on the Gem of Desolation?”

Though I asked the question, the person whose eyes gleamed the most was Neril.

Of course, Xenia also looked serious, likely due to the implications for the Order of the Holy Light. But Neril’s interest seemed more personal—like it was directly connected to her somehow.

As expected, the Martial King didn’t answer right away.

“Haha! Like I’d ever tell you tha—GAACK!”

I crushed the severed muscle in his leg before he could finish.

“Oops. Misstep.”

“Aughh… huuhhh…”

“Oops, I think I might misstep again.”

“W-wait! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you, just move your foot!”

I calmly stepped back.

[Such a refined gentleman. Didn’t you use your Eye of Omniscience during the Grey case instead of torture?]

‘I didn’t know the name of the one behind it then.’

[And the names of culprit aren’t written in your blood script?]

‘I can only see the names of the victims. Possessing the gem isn’t a crime in itself, so no name shows up. We already confirmed that after pulling all-nighters for three days, remember?’

[Ugh, don’t bring that up again. Makes me want to throw up.]

Anyway, I said:

“Now, explain in detail how you acquired the gem. Leave nothing out.”

“Ugh… I went up into the mountains once to cut down the thickest tree in the land, hoping to contribute something to my household. But I slipped and fell off a cliff.”

Apparently accepting his fate, he kept talking.

“There, I met a woman. She gave me the jewel. Told me to swallow it, and once a day, draw it out to absorb people’s life energy. If I did that, I could become the strongest in the Empire.”

“A woman?”

A woman carrying the Gem of Desolation… she couldn’t be ordinary.

“What did she look like?”

It was a casual question—but the Martial King’s description made the hairs on my neck stand on end.

“She had purple hair—I’d never seen anything like it. And most of all…”

“…”

“Her eyes were completely empty. Nothing reflected in them at all. Strange as it sounds, I thought, maybe those eyes could hold the whole world inside them.”

I had seen someone like that before.

After a moment of steady breathing, I asked:

“Do you know her name?”

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