LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 41
“What the…?”
When Sorceress Bel first collapsed in front of him, Rosmas suddenly couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
“Is she out of her mind?”
It was understandable; who in their right mind would deliberately faint in a situation filled with enemies all around?
Of course, he had thought about pretending to be weak and leaning into Lucius’s arms.
But that was something one would only do in a truly safe situation, not when surrounded by danger like this.
“Could she be faking a crisis on purpose?”
To awaken the power of the Holy Sword?
That was absurd.
She wasn’t pretending to be weak.
While he hadn’t gotten to know Bel well until now, she was not the type to suddenly faint out of fright in a situation like this.
“There’s something going on. It’s not that she fainted on purpose, but there’s a reason she had no choice but to.”
Initially, she had pulled both Lucius and Rosmas towards her and collapsed holding Lucius’s hand.
As if she was lending him strength.
“What on earth is happening?”
Rosmas’s mind began to race with all sorts of scenarios.
Among them was a situation where it was truly nonsensical, and they would inevitably lose all trust in Lucius’s party during this crisis.
Yet there was one thing that, while hard to believe, was difficult to deny.
– Sorceress Bel must have had a way to resolve this crisis, which is why she fainted.
He realized she must have acted out of some thought or plan, but it became serious to consider how she had fainted in order to solve this dire situation.
The weapons of enemies surrounding them.
He could certainly handle them if he put his “heart” into it.
But before that, the sorceress moved first.
Before he could take action, she pulled Lucius’s hand and fainted.
And then…
Swoosh.
Lucius’s uniquely blue eyes slowly began to be tinted with red.
“……Swift.”
As if the Sorceress’s power was being passed onto Lucius.
She seemed to be giving her strength to him, losing consciousness in the process, as if she was willing to entrust her body to him.
Boom boom boom boom!!
The enemies hastily directed gunfire.
Bones began to pour from all around, and the hesitant wind made him miss the timing to react.
However.
“Wind Shield.”
With a light word, a storm of blades began to whip around Lucius.
It didn’t touch Rosmas at all, nor Morzen.
It merely became arrows of wind intercepting the bone bullets flying from all directions.
Warm and gentle winds for allies.
And at the same time, a storm that would not harm anyone on their side.
Just by taking a single step forward, the realm Lucius showed was akin to that of a god.
And so,
Rosmas watched.
The moment the wind gathered around Lucius.
Even without drawing the Holy Wind Sword, the same wind surrounded him when he had come to rescue him.
“Storm of Trust.”
With a simple word, Lucius vanished.
Zing.
Riding the wind.
Dancing on the wind.
The trajectory of the wind was filled with a bright red light.
Crash.
In the blink of an eye, all Automata were sliced and destroyed.
It was unbelievable.
No, he didn’t want to believe it.
The powerful strength that flickered with red eyes, bouncing around and eliminating Automata in an instant was something Rosmas could not even hope to mimic.
No, honestly, it didn’t matter if he couldn’t mimic it at all.
It was just.
The fact that the light riding upon Lucius’s wind was red was incredibly unpleasant.
“…….”
Rosmas felt chills down his spine as he held the sorceress, who lay limp like a corpse in his arms.
Did this sorceress trust him enough to relinquish her body?
Did she trust him just because they were comrades, or was she confident that whatever Rosmas did, he wouldn’t lay a finger on her?
“…….”
It was incredibly distasteful and annoying, yet it felt like even the slightest movement of his hands could end everything right in front of him.
‘She feels like a corpse.’
Right now, the sorceress had no strength.
It was as though if he touched her, she would just drop dead, making one wonder if she had not fainted but had actually died.
Somehow, it felt like she was truly dying, with vitality gradually draining from her body.
The more power Lucius exerted, it seemed the closer Sorceress Bel was edging toward death.
“…Could it be.”
Perhaps, the sorceress was fighting alongside Lucius within him?
Was she giving him power at the cost of her own life?
Like a spirit.
It was too early to draw conclusions, but it felt like the spirit dwelling in a human body had abandoned its body to dwell within the hero’s.
“……Sigh.”
Rosmas bit his lower lip.
‘Why?’
With the power of the Holy Sword, it should be easy to defeat the enemy, so why hide the existence of the Holy Sword—
“Ah.”
The Adventurer Guild, receptionist Hora Morzen.
To her, the existence of the Holy Sword might be something worth hiding even at the cost of her life.
The current Lucius was merely an incredibly skilled swordsman hiding his power; he wasn’t using the Holy Sword.
“…….”
Rosmas quietly embraced Sorceress Bel.
He resolved that no matter the attack, he would take the hit for her.
“……So strong.”
Of course, it didn’t seem like it would come to that.
Swoosh.
In no time,
Riding the red light and wind, Lucius stood in front of himself—of Bel.
And then.
As all Automata exploded, Rosmas caught a glimpse of Lucius’s profile through the passing wind.
Grin.
Lucius wore a refreshingly bright smile that he had never shown before.
*
“Look at that bastard’s flustered expression.”
Shax, shocked at the destruction of all the Automata, couldn’t even pull the trigger of his shotgun properly.
“Ugh, uh….”
He was so startled that he barely even noticed his beard had singed slightly from the explosion’s flames.
I casually turned my head back.
“Are you okay?”
Pretending to be kind after Lucius was a bit tough.
But while it’s only hard, it isn’t difficult, so I can still be as friendly as I want.
‘Those must be Lucius’s comrades.’
Right.
“Don’t worry. I will… protect you.”
I shot them a fresh smile that Lucius never usually gave, signaling them to relax.
“I’ve eliminated all other variables. The only one left is that Necromancer. Rosmas, Ms. Morzen. Please protect our Master.”
While I resided within Lucius, the most dangerous thing, of course, was my own body.
Unprotected.
While I fought, I had no idea who might do something to my body, right?
There’s always the method of permanently residing in Lucius’s body, but if Lucius realized his body had been taken, I would be immediately expelled from it.
The most important thing in the battle of the spiritual world is the amount of mana that can maintain the spirit, Ether.
Lucius is the Master of the Holy Sword, and my magical powers are practically puny by comparison.
No matter how excellent my techniques are, if the Hero of the Holy Sword indiscriminately uses Holy Sword power, I cannot win in the owner’s spiritual realm.
So.
While Lucius continues to trust me.
Before all the mana in my body runs out.
I will take down Shax.
Bang!
I lunged forward, rolling across the ground.
Shax aimed his shotgun at me and pulled the trigger, but the shotgun would no longer work.
How should I counter that?
There are many ways that come to mind, but certainly, the best method is….
‘Just deflect everything.’
With a single strike.
‘Oh wind.’
I imbued the power of the Holy Sword from my body into my blade.
Like skilled swordsmen using aura blades, I drew upon the power of the Holy Sword and swung down.
Clang!
A light strike.
The bullets flying toward me were dispersed to the sides as the wind cut through them vertically.
It was truly akin to buckshot.
Instead of killing the enemy, it only struck the poor walls and destroyed Automata.
“He, heek?!”
“Slow.”
I swung my sword wide towards Shax’s shotgun.
Clang!
The shotgun was split in two, and before he could retreat, I stabbed my sword downward.
Whew!
“Ugh?!”
Before I could point the blade at his neck, I first plunged it into his foot to prevent him from escaping.
‘I will remove his means of retreat first so he cannot escape.’
Quickly recovering my sword, I then drew it upwards from below.
Cutting through the tendons of the opposite ankle, I restricted his movement while I brought the raised blade around to aim at his neck…
No, his head.
“If you move carelessly, I’ll split your skull.”
It was quite an intense statement, uncharacteristic of Lucius, but it was low enough for the ones behind me not to hear, so it was alright.
“What are you plotting here?”
“I, I….”
He glanced at me and smirked.
“Haha, fool!!”
“…?”
“Do you think I’ll say anything?! You look so curious, it makes me laugh!!”
That was true.
I’m pondering how to restrain Shax right now.
‘I cannot restrain him with the Holy Wind Sword.’
I can’t do it with Lucius’s body.
I need to return to my own body for magical restraints, and right now, such restraints are impossible.
If I maintain this position with Lucius and have Rosmas bring my body back, then I could cast magic after returning to my body—
“Kahhaha! Foolish! Foolish!”
Shax spread his arms wide and laughed at me.
“Bon, Explosion!!”
“…!!”
No way.
“This bastard…!!”
I hurriedly pulled my sword back and positioned it vertically in front of me.
I imbued the power of the Holy Sword into my blade while also leaping back drastically.
“Kahhaha!!!”
Shax’s body started to explode from within.
“Ha ha! Glory to Asydia! May the Demon King Bel Phegor be exalted!!”
KABOOOM!!
He detonated his own body.