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“Hunt them down! They’re minions of the Demon King’s Army!”

“Kill them!”

As a man in red holy garments shouted, voices of agreement erupted from all around. A man wielding a trident cheered, and a woman grasping a fearsome plow whistled.

Madness reigned in their faces. They all seemed to carry a conviction about hunting the possessors.

What unfolded in the plaza of Ice Palace was nothing short of a witch hunt.

Watching quietly from the balcony of our residence, I felt my stomach churn and turned my head away.

“Filthy trash.”

Next to me, Ophelia felt the same.

For reference, the terrified mouse that was Ophelia had regained her spirits only on this second day.

Sighing, I glanced at Cecilia, who was staring intently at Ophelia clinging to my side.

“Is this how the Purification Church hunts?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Such a ritual has been going on for several years?”

“Yes. How did you feel, Hero?”

At Cecilia’s question, I merely shrugged my shoulders.

“Rudimentary.”

“I agree. However, the Tsar mentioned that such fearful and authoritative methods are the most effective for maintaining order.”

Reign of Terror.

In the name of God, no less.

In such a barren environment like Ice Palace, it would be an exceptionally effective means to train the populace.

“Primitive.”

But it seemed Ophelia thought differently.

Clinging tightly to my side, she winced as she watched the man in red below, who was raving and ranting.

“Such trash. Why do we leave beings like that to their devices?”

This was a question directed at Cecilia.

She fidgeted, drawing her sword from her waist with a troubled expression.

“…Ice Palace has been in a prolonged war with the Demon King’s army since ancient times. Therefore, enduring fear and hatred are essential conditions for the existence of Ice Palace as a nation.”

“Hmph. That’s absurd. It means this country is so grotesque that it has to rely on such things to survive.”

“…I’m not one to say this as the Knight Commander, but I regret to inform you that the Saint Lady’s words are indeed correct.”

“Tch.”

Ophelia clicked her tongue. It was clear she disapproved of Cecilia.

Her personality seemed too mismatched to communicate well with someone as upright as Cecilia.

In fact, over the past few months, Ophelia had spoken most frequently with Archery Master Erwin.

The saying goes that a minus squared equals a plus. When they bicker over age, they get along surprisingly well since both have terrible personalities.

Of course, if they teamed up, it would become a hundredfold more challenging to manage.

“So.”

Cecilia, who had been wearing a bitter smile, addressed me.

“If the fact that the Hero has arrived becomes known, the priests of the Purification Church will come looking for you.”

“The Purification Church wants to find me?”

“Well, being a Hero is such a position, isn’t it?”

Cecilia shrugged her shoulders.

“If my understanding of the Purification Church is correct, they’ll likely use Sir Elliot as a means to justify their ‘hunt.’”

“…”

At those words, Ophelia tightened her grip on my clothing.

I chuckled softly as I stroked her head.

“Well, we can think about that later.”

In truth, whether they were really the Purification Church or not was a group that didn’t exist in the original story.

They wouldn’t have even appeared if possessors didn’t exist.

There’s no point thinking about it now. Just as Cecilia said, they would surely try to contact me by any means necessary, so I could deal with it when the time came.

To lighten the mood, I pointed at Cecilia’s scabbard.

“Can I see your skill for a moment?”

At my suggestion, Cecilia widened her eyes in surprise before breaking into a beaming smile.

“Of course!”

Indeed, she seemed to be a knight through and through.

*

“The swordsmanship from Ice Palace is more straightforward and resilient than anything else.”

In the training grounds, dressed in light attire, Cecilia continued to explain excitedly.

The sword she drew was similar to Albrecht’s blade. However, its cross guard was larger than mine.

It was a sword meant to thoroughly block enemy attacks and take advantage of any openings.

Is it safe to call it a sword technique?

“In the order of knights, we refer to it as ‘winter’s sword,’ but in truth, it’s not something grand enough to carry such a name.”

As I watched Cecilia scratch her cheek with a somewhat bashful expression, I nodded.

In both the game and this world, Cecilia was obviously a possessor of a mark.

The synergy between that mark and her unique swordsmanship was indeed at a remarkable level.

“Can I see it just once?”

“Of course.”

Cecilia assumed her characteristic stance and swung her sword in the air.

At that moment, it felt as if the world had momentarily stopped.

“Oh.”

I found myself marveling.

During my time rolling around in this world, I had met many masters of swordsmanship, but she truly had skills worthy of the title of the second-best swordsman after Albrecht.

Cecilia’s sword fell like a hammer. Her movements were precise, devoid of any waste. Yet, they were not rigid. Her motions were straightforward, but that simplicity transformed into elegance.

Strangely enough, while her sword moved in a clear line, it flowed like a curve.

But that was not all.

The next moment—

Fwoosh.

A cold, misty trail lingered in the sword’s path.

Bestowing a new property upon the sword was the effect of her mark. That mark, passed down in Ice Palace for generations, transformed the owner’s mana into ice.

The icy trail that formed soon folded into a round shape before blossoming into a flower bud.

Immediately afterwards, the flower buds created by the trail began to bloom magnificently one after another along Cecilia’s sword path. Each was a crystal of mana with tremendous destructive power. If one were to be struck directly by them, even the greatest knights would find survival hard to guarantee.

This was the symbol of Cecilia: the flower of ice.

Flowers blooming in tandem with her sword dance. It was such a beautiful sight; I couldn’t help but smile at it.

“…What did you think?”

After finishing her simple sword dance, Cecilia turned to me with an awkward smile.

I clapped my hands sincerely.

“Wonderful. Especially that flower bud was truly impressive.”

“Thank you. But I believe anyone could reach such a level with effort. Of course, while the coldness clinging to the mana comes from the mark, it can also be reproduced sufficiently with sheer mana.”

In truth, while the cold mana was thanks to Cecilia’s mark, the swordsmanship that made flowers bloom was not the effect of her mark but the result of her honing her mana to perfection.

An idea struck me.

“Then, can I learn from you?”

“What?”

“I’ve become interested in trying it out.”

At my words, Cecilia’s expression turned to one of astonishment.

“You, the Hero, wish to learn my technique?”

“Yes.”

To fight the Demon King, I needed a stronger power. In that context, Cecilia’s technique could very well be integrated into my own skills.

Of course, there wasn’t a better teacher in swordsmanship than Albrecht. However, I couldn’t use his modified sword unless I had a mark.

Azar’s axe techniques and strikes were similarly unsuited for me. Furthermore, a shield did not align with my interests either.

Spirit Magic? That’s a technique exclusive to elves like Erwin.

However, the flowers that Cecilia bloomed from the tip of her sword were techniques for squeezing mana beyond human limits.

And in terms of mana tuning, I felt relatively confident.

“Hmm… It’s difficult to explain, but think of it as swinging your sword while leaving a denser amount of mana behind and wrapping it remotely…”

“Is this how it’s done?”

I swung my sword following Cecilia’s guidance.

Of course, my mana just scattered awkwardly.

Clicking my tongue, I withdrew my sword.

And then I recalled Cecilia’s advice.

‘Mana, densely, wraps around.’

Preparing to swing my sword again, I got ready.

“U-uh, Sir Elliot, you don’t need to rush. You can take your time. For example, it took me years just to bloom one flower…”

Fwoosh.

My sword was swung.

Golden flower buds bloomed high in the sky.

They sparkled so brightly it felt blinding.

There was no ice clinging to them. However, the dense mana itself possessed significant destructive power.

Of course, they weren’t as refined as Cecilia’s. My lack of skill was likely to blame.

“Indeed, this is tough.”

I muttered that and adjusted my grip on the sword once more.

I’d figured it out. Now, it was just a matter of practicing like crazy to raise the level of completion.

Thinking that, I looked at Cecilia, and for some reason, she was gazing at me with her mouth half-open.

“….”

“Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no.”

Seeming to regain her senses, Cecilia shook her head and spoke.

“Er, Sir Elliot.”

“Yes?”

“Have you by any chance trained with a sword in Ice Palace before?”

“I think not.”

At my words, Cecilia’s eyes narrowed.

Her expression appeared a bit cold.

Before long, she returned to her normal expression, coughed lightly, and continued.

“Just for reference, I can bloom up to five flowers.”

“Yes. That’s impressive.”

“In the knight order, I am the only knight capable of blooming up to five flowers. Not just currently, but even considering the past.”

“I see. That’s truly amazing.”

“…”

…

“So… what’s next in training?”

“…I think we should call it a day here.”

With that said, Cecilia abruptly turned and walked towards a corner of the training ground, and I let out a deep sigh.

“Did I do something wrong?”

*

Ophelia thought her personality was relatively cool.

Just like Ice Palace.

“That bitch… Who does she think she is?”

Thus, it was unthinkable for Ophelia, with her cool demeanor, to feel an emotion like jealousy towards someone.

In other words, what Ophelia felt towards Cecilia, that female knight, was not jealousy at all.

What can I say…

“Hmm… an instinctive sense of revulsion?”

Yes. That’s it.

Ophelia concluded that and glared at the corner of the training ground.

There, Elliot was learning swordsmanship from Cecilia.

Seeing those two engage in cheerful conversation was nauseating, and she felt like she wanted to shoot a mana missile down at them, learned from Emily.

Of course, she didn’t act on that thought.

“It’s already been three days… haven’t they learned enough?”

Ophelia bit her nails and continued glaring at the training grounds.

Three whole days.

For three days, Elliot had been sharpening his swordsmanship in that training ground without eating or drinking.

If he were meditating alone, it could be understood, but he was doing so with that white-haired vixen.

That fact continued to gnaw at Ophelia’s nerves.

“What’s going on?”

Just then, Azar, who was passing behind Ophelia, asked.

From the looks of the load he was carrying, it seemed he was going to reinforce a shield with steel.

“…You know…”

Ophelia said.

“It’s not as if Elliot has the time to be learning swordsmanship from that woman, right?”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not just a ‘is that so,’ it’s a definite no! Elliot is the world’s strongest hero! He even defeated the Sword Master last time! He shouldn’t be in a position where he can learn sword skills from a knight commander in this backwater!”

“Hmm.”

Azar watched Ophelia’s expression intently and then raised a corner of his mouth.

“That makes some sense.”

“Right?”

“However, there’s a flaw in that. Generally, great warriors always find something to learn from lesser ones.”

Azar’s point was quite valid, but it strayed too far from the answer Ophelia wanted to hear.

Ultimately, Ophelia, whose pressure was building, revealed her fangs and spoke.

“Damn it, old man. Did I ask for your opinion?”

“Didn’t you just ask me?”

“Just show some agreement. Don’t interfere!”

After glaring at Azar for a moment, Ophelia turned sharply and began to growl while continuing to glare at the training ground.

Azar, who gazed at her figure, chuckled and tightened the strap of the shield he was holding to his shoulder.

“Really… I wonder how such a personality came to be.”

Azar had a strong suspicion about just one thing.

After all, there was a rather frivolous character nearby who was far too much of a hero.

 

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