Ch 132
“…”
Jane, with a serious expression, alternately looked at Lisir’s barrier and her own.
To be precise, she alternately looked at the location where Lisir’s barrier had been and her own barrier.
Lisir’s strike destroyed his barrier.
Only her barrier remained.
Therefore, it was her turn.
But-
Jane, with a serious expression, alternately looked at Lisir and the Sword of Advancement.
Huh? The Sword of Advancement is here?
Huh? Didn’t I approach the Sword of Advancement first and take the initiative?
Question marks following one another.
Jane barely shook off the thoughts that were becoming more chaotic instead of clearer.
And-
“…”
She reached out and grasped the Sword of Advancement.
Then she swung it.
Literally, she only grasped it and swung it.
Swish swish.
Wouldn’t a moving corpse swing it more vibrantly than that?
It was a swordsmanship that naturally evoked such a feeling.
Afterward, Jane returned the Sword of Advancement to its place without lingering feelings.
Then she showed actions such as unnecessarily adjusting her clothes or brushing off clothes that weren’t even dusty.
Rustle rustle.
The small noise created by her actions made the silence flowing through the place even more awkward.
-What is it?
Elysia’s dazed voice broke the silence.
-What happened?!
Then her voice sharply jumped up.
From a distance, Belota nodded.
Ah. I know. That feeling.
When confusion exceeds a certain level, it makes you angry, right? You too, huh?
Belota belatedly felt a warm empathy for her comrades following her.
Feeling the decrease in mental distance, she approached her comrades with light steps.
-Zallak!!!
Soon, Elysia’s anger, which had been wandering aimlessly, focused on him.
After a series of worries, she reached a very plausible conclusion.
-Do you have a mind or not!
-Eh?
-No matter how much you like that man, how can you take his side like this!?
-Take his side?
-Yes!
-Who?
-You!
-Me?
-You!!!
-Whom?
-That man!!!
-How?
-Hey!!!
-Eh?
Elysia exploded again at Zallak’s way of speaking, which seemed to lower her intelligence as she spoke.
But Zallak was truly wronged.
If you were to choose the most confused person in this place, it would definitely be him.
-I, I took Lisir’s side…? Ah! Is that it!? Just now, without knowing, did I share the Power of Advancement with that guy!?
The Sword of Advancement.
As its name suggests, the Power of Advancement was an extremely symbolic power for Zallak.
Zallak was always there at the crucial moments the Hero of Advancement faced, and the Power of Advancement was there.
Zallak often gave decisive help to the hero with that Power of Advancement.
It was the same this time.
The First Hero.
And the Demon King.
That battle of the ages.
That crucial moment.
At the moment when the hero delivered the final blow to the Demon King, the hero used all the means he had, and the Power of Advancement played a decisive role in it.
In short, it is a power even the hero needs.
It is a power that even the hero cannot imitate.
Zallak had immense pride in that fact.
He also had immense confidence.
The Power of Advancement.
Who would refuse that power?
Who would refuse that exhilaration?
Zallak intended to completely captivate him with the Power of Advancement.
Lisir.
That prospective Hero of Advancement （?）.
The Holy Sword chooses its owner.
Zallak had already chosen Lisir as the owner in his heart.
The Trial of the Sacred Sword for those who had not been completely chosen was an unnecessary process for him.
Nevertheless, the reason Zallak proceeded with the Trial of the Sacred Sword was to prove the talent of the new Hero of Advancement in front of others.
Of course, Zallak also knew.
It is almost impossible to awaken the Power of Advancement in just one day.
Even if one was born with outstanding talent, it took a long time to empathize with the Sword of Advancement to skillfully wield its power.
However.
He thought Lisir might be different.
He thought that within the limited short time, he might obtain something from within the Sword of Advancement and thereby be able to wield the Power of Advancement, at least partially.
And.
He thought he would become engrossed in the Power of Advancement during that process.
It was Zallak’s perfect plan.
But this is…
Lisir, who hadn’t even picked up the Sword of Advancement yet, ended the trial.
Two facts were proven in that process.
1. Lisir can handle a power similar in nature to the Power of Advancement.
2. Therefore, he may not be obsessed with the Sword of Advancement.
The situation where the existing pride and expectations were denied was absolutely unfamiliar to the Holy Sword.
To that, Zallak willingly resorted to escapism.
-Lisir, you must have been surprised!!! That’s right! That’s the Power of Advancement! It’s my unique ability possessed by the Sword of Advancement! If you want to make that ability completely yours-…
“Unique ability?”
Lisir did not cooperate.
“…Ah, wasn’t it that this kind of enhanced ability is collectively called the Power of Advancement?”
-…
“Oh dear, I seem to have misunderstood the content of the trial. Then, how do you use that, the Power of Advancement?”
-…
What are the actions that should absolutely not be done in the trial?
Perhaps, misunderstanding the content of the trial and getting a perfect score.
Anyway, it became clear from his answer.
He did not use the power contained within the Sword of Advancement for an unknown reason.
He brought forth power beyond his natural ability entirely with his own power.
-…How?
Zallak expressed a justifiable question.
Murderous Sword. Dark Sword. Black Magic. Blood Magic.
As one branch of such wicked powers, the ability to bring forth power beyond one’s natural ability certainly existed.
However, those powers all had the commonality of having to pay a great price.
Black magic, which requires offering one’s existence to a demon, was a prime example,
and the Murderous Sword, which causes one to lose their self, was another.
-…?
Oh, wait a minute.
Come to think of it, the Murderous Sword too?
-Huh?
“Yes?”
-Huh?
“Yes?”
Elysia, who was watching that conversation, which seemed to lower intelligence in real time, from a third-person perspective, realized.
The fact that the ability Lisir had just displayed was unrelated to Zallak.
The fact that he did not show any partiality while conducting this trial.
-Eh?
Then what is it?
“Yes?”
-Eh?
-Eh?
Thus, at that time when Lisir and the Two Holy Swords were trapped in the curse of lowered intelligence.
The Hero of Ideal took action.
-Hmm?
Zallak was forcibly freed from the shackles.
Jane grasped him again, who had been floating in the air.
Confusion.
Doubt.
Suspicion.
The shadow that had briefly fallen on his expression was gone.
Having regained his upright eyes, he moved forward uprightly.
Thus, he stood before the golden barrier.
With the Sword of Advancement in hand, he straightened his posture.
-Jane, wait a minute…!
Elysia, also freed from the shackles, cried out in surprise.
She still absolutely trusted Jane.
She firmly believed that he was a person worthy of the name Hero of Ideal, and his innate talent was unparalleled.
Therefore, Elysia tried to dissuade Jane.
This trial is absolutely advantageous to Lisir.
It’s even already concluded.
A man who displays the Power of Advancement without the Sword of Advancement.
Is there anyone more suited to the Sword of Advancement than him?
Although the Holy Sword does not receive selection but rather selects, this was an exception.
If Lisir wished, he could readily claim to be the owner of the Sword of Advancement, and no one could refute it.
In the midst of all this, to deliberately participate in the trial, fail, and show defeat.
It only resulted in marring the name of Ideal.
-The trial has already lost its meaning! You don’t have to go!
“No. I have to.”
-Why…?
“If it ends like this, I won’t know properly.”
The Hero of Ideal focused all his attention on the Sword of Advancement in his hand.
“Lisir. How great a feat he accomplished.”
-What is that…?
“And, it’s unknown, isn’t it?”
An ideal smile appeared on his face.
“Perhaps, I might accomplish something even greater than I thought.”
There was no doubt whatsoever.
At that moment.
The Sword of Advancement began to vibrate.
A golden flash bloomed, beginning to adorn its blade.
The Hero of Ideal. His upright blue eyes were slowly being dyed by the golden flash created by the blade.
A moment later.
It was the moment when his eyes possessed the same light as the Sword of Advancement.
The Sword of Advancement was swung towards the golden barrier.
A flawless posture.
A flawless strike.
“…Ha!”
And it was a flawless breath control.
He sheathed his sword and checked the barrier.
“…Ha!”
The Hero of Ideal let out a chuckle.
There wasn’t even a tiny scratch on the barrier.
He laughed helplessly as he looked at the barrier.
“How on earth did he do it?”
It was the moment the owner of Advancement was decided.
✦✦✦
“Well, there were no unexpected events.”
Once the atmosphere subsided, Pien approached Lisir and spoke.
“Congratulations? Lisir. No. Should I call you Hero now?”
Hero.
Hero.
Pien repeated the title, then let out a chuckle.
“The sound isn’t very good. I feel like it doesn’t suit you.”
“Then, what title suits me?”
“A title that suits you…”
Pien recalled the previous trial content and chuckled again.
“I wonder if there is such a thing?”
“What?”
“Just call him Lisir. There’s nothing more Lisir-like.”
“Treating a person’s name like a noun…”
“Anyway, you worked hard. Thanks to you, I got to see something rare.”
Pien turned around after saying that.
“It seems everything is over, so I’ll go now.”
“Already? Do you have some business?”
“Yes~ I have a lot. Thanks to someone~.”
“And yet you stayed with me? Really, what would I do without Pien?”
“Who knows~ Anyway, I’ll send someone early tomorrow, so get some sleep early~.”
“Why are you acting like my mother?”
Pien raised her hand while her back was turned.
Thus, before Lisir could say anything, she left the place, her pure white skirt fluttering.
Toua then approached with Magnus and patted his shoulder.
“There were no unexpected events.”
The same situation as with Pien was repeated.
Calm congratulations as if she knew everything.
And a departure without lingering feelings.
Lisir felt a strange feeling about that series of events.
‘What, it feels like I’ve become a strange spectacle.’
Lisir belatedly realized.
Pien, Toua, Magnus.
The fact that their purpose in attending the trial site was not support but observation.
Finally, Jane’s party approached Lisir.
“Lisir.”
Jane looked at him with a gaze filled with favor and respect.
It was an expression that contrasted with the other party members who seemed to have their energy completely drained.
He handed Lisir the Sword of Advancement and said.
“Congratulations. Only the final process remains.”
“The final process?”
Lisir showed his inconvenience without hiding it.
Jane burst into laughter at Lisir’s reaction.
“Really, what should I say. Amazing. To have this reaction right before becoming the owner of the Holy Sword, you’re the only one among all the heroes throughout history.”
“Hero…”
Lisir pondered the name.
It wasn’t a title that stuck to his mouth like Pien said.
“So, what is that final process?”
“Don’t worry. It’s just a ceremonial process. From now on, our party will be the witnesses of your succession.”
“Witnesses of the succession?”
“You’ll be recognized as the rightful owner from the Holy Sword, and I, as the owner of another Holy Sword, will be the witness guaranteeing that.”
“Oh, thank you for your kindness.”
Jane smiled faintly and called out to her comrades.
“Belota? Camila? And, Elysia.”
They came to her side and stood right next to Jane.
Unlike Jane, who showed pure respect and favor towards Lisir, Camila and Elysia harbored inner dissatisfaction.
That was natural.
It was strange to be genuinely happy for someone else while missing out on the supreme treasure, the Holy Sword.
‘This man became the owner of the Holy Sword instead of Jane…’
Moreover, they still thought Jane was the most suitable person to be the new owner of the Holy Sword.
The owner of the Holy Sword needed not only ability but also nobility.
A question arises from that.
Is this Lisir truly noble?
Yes.
It’s an undeniable fact.
He was recognized by the Sword of Advancement.
In addition to that, he has the character to receive the trust of the Special Forces.
His character was beyond doubt.
However.
Is he truly a nobler person than Jane?
Is he a suitable person for the important role of a hero?
Having watched Jane’s actions until now, they could say with certainty.
No.
Jane is the true hero.
That was why they felt so regretful.
“Now, Lisir. Zallak. We’re ready.”
“Then…”
As Lisir looked at the Sword of Advancement in his hand, Zallak shouted.
-Lisir! I ask you! Are you ready to become the owner of me, the Sword of Advancement!
The final trial.
The trial of nobility.
This final trial, now called the succession ceremony, used to be held in front of countless audiences in the past.
In the trial of nobility, the Holy Sword emitted radiant light depending on the nobility of the one becoming the new owner, because of the legend that the amount of light was related to the degree of nobility.
Now, waiting for Lisir’s answer.
Elysia and Camila harbored mischievous thoughts.
They thought that the radiant light he would produce would be clearly weaker compared to the radiant light Jane had produced.
“Well… honestly, I’m still a little dazed.”
Lisir awkwardly answered the Holy Sword’s question.
-…
Elysia swallowed her inner dissatisfaction.
Because there was no sign of the majesty befitting the owner of the Holy Sword.
-…What?
Perhaps Zallak had similar thoughts.
He asked again in confusion.
“Perhaps, there might be someone more suited to be the owner of this sword than me? That is, someone who needs this sword more than me. Because━”
Lisir playfully smiled, raising his sword, the Blue Lotus.
“As you can see, I already have my sword.”
The Holy Sword is a supreme treasure that bestows immense power upon its owner.
Its value was enough to captivate even the noble heroes who already possessed a Holy Sword.
Therefore, Lisir’s answer was unexpected by anyone.
Wooong.
The Sword of Advancement vibrated and emitted radiant light.
Jane thought as she saw the intense radiant light.
‘As expected…!’
And the rest of the party thought as they saw the radiant light.
‘Oh, unexpectedly…?’
Thus, the radiant light Lisir produced exceeded their expectations.
It was on par with Jane and other heroes.
It was the moment when their evaluation of Lisir was about to change.
Whoosh!
The radiant light exploded and engulfed everything around it.
“…”
-…
No.
This is a bit.
Isn’t it excessive?
Radiant light that could blind their eyes.
They fell into anguish, their eyes tightly shut.
✦✦✦
Translator’s Blog
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