Please Do Not Abandon the Adopted Heroine

146 – In the black forest

Freya suddenly opened her mouth.

“Will the Emperor attack the Academy directly?”

As she was crying, she belatedly realized Lee Min-ah’s presence and added a word.

“So, I mean… “We are asking whether there is a possibility of directly moving troops, not just Lee Min-ah.”

“well. It’s hard for me to say that, too. “Generally speaking, for the emperor to move his troops to attack the academy is a decision so dangerous that the emperor’s authority will be shaken.”

“is that so?”

“Your Majesty’s recovery of the Holy Sword is a highly confidential matter even within the Imperial Castle. The soldiers will hold onto their weapons without receiving any explanation. It’s as if there is no justification for attacking the academy. If this continues, not only will the morale of the soldiers drop, but rumors will spread. “It is only a matter of time before the rumor spreads rapidly within the empire. It is true that even the Emperor will have a hard time handling it.”

Anastasia smiled bitterly and continued.

“… However, it is also true that His Majesty directly gave permission for the use of force to the hero of the 6th Holy Sword. I think it’s no different from having already given an attack order. Still, I think it would be better to leave it aside for now since sending the military is another issue.”

Professor Aegis, who had been sitting on the sofa and quietly listening, gently smoothed the hair of Rin and Ran, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

“Even if it doesn’t happen like the princess said, would it have been a good decision to send Professor Neferna away from the academy? No one knows what will happen under the pretext of a vacation. Even if we only prepare for the six-star sword hero.”

“The Chairman said that he would like Master to avoid being involved in this matter if possible.”

“this way?”

“ah… that is… ”

“… … … … Ah, hehe, I’m sorry. “I don’t know much about this issue, so I guess I’ll just keep it short.”

Aegis said in a soft tone. He may have been even more so because he saw Anastasia’s sorry expression. Freya also remained silent.

The past between Eugene and the imperial family has always been a cautious one. Even Freya had never heard the whole truth from someone else’s mouth. All I could do was occasionally pick up bits and pieces of the past through Undine.

Anastasia was in the same position. This is all I heard briefly from Mrs. Dice not long ago. No matter how well I thought Eugene was, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut after hearing that he had been thoroughly played by a member of the same royal family, my father.

Freya tried to change the topic in the tense atmosphere and asked the questions that had been on her mind.

“The princess. “Second Holy Sword.”

“yes? It’s a holy sword… ?”

“While using the holy sword… Have you ever thought it was strange? Did you feel out of place… ”

When Freya asked seriously, Anastasia was taken aback.

Before briefly thinking about the right way to respond, Freyja sighed softly.

“… There is no way Eugene would have handed over her holy sword without thinking. it’s nothing. sorry. No need to worry… … … ”

But Freya’s words did not last until the end.

smart.

An afternoon where the sun has not set yet.

The loose conversation that had been going on in the lab filled with scarlet sunlight was cut off. Aegis blinked. “No one is coming at this time… ” She put down Rin and Ran, who were soundly asleep, and opened the door handle.

“… … sighe. thank god. Phew… … There you are. You’re lucky… .”

Two people with black shadows.

Aegis was the first to swallow the scream through the open door.

Freya frowned and called the name of the man who entered the lab.

“… … Ignis?”

“haha… It’s a little unsightly. “I’m embarrassed because this is my first time doing something like this.”

“what’s the matter. Why is it like that… ? No, rather… are you okay?”

“… … Are you okay? First of all, no. I don’t think it’s okay. Rather… Please take a look at Undine. First of all, I stopped the bleeding… “Because it’s not in good condition.”

Tuk… Fighting… It was difficult to describe it as just one or two drops of blood.

Ignis was already covered in wounds and blood, but the biggest problem was the undine hanging on his shoulder.

The face that used to be as clear and clean as the water fairy depicted in a children’s book has turned pitch black today. There was no healthy part of my body at all. It’s almost terrifying to even try to point them out one by one. Everything was a mess. The floor is soaked with blood flowing down the tattered arm.

“This way!” Come to this bed, both of you! hurry… Miss Undine said I… Haha… What happened… ”

Aegis belatedly corrected his dazed expression and helped Undine and Ignis. The silence as I hurriedly cast the spell and checked the situation felt infinitely long.

“… Where on earth did you two come from? The Undine student apparently returned to the academy first, Professor Neferna… !”

As if the condition was quite serious, Aegis asked in a trembling voice.

She does not remember that the heroes of the 1st and 3rd Holy Swords visited the villa when she was there. Although it was said to be due to Eugene’s magic, no one expected that communication problems would arise like this.

Anastasia, who understood the situation, asked Freya with a stern expression.

“The hero of the Fifth Holy Sword… Did you do a search? “The Chairman said that the information was delivered to Master through another warrior.”

“… that’s right. but… ”

If the owner of the Fifth Holy Sword was indeed the one in Freya’s memories, there was no way Undine and Ignis would be treated like this.

She looked at Ignis and immediately asked:

“… “Did you let your guard down?”

“… … under. No way. I didn’t let down my guard. “I have never taken the orders given by Shinwol as a joke.”

“then… … ”

“… … “It’s a holy sword.”

Ignis interrupted and answered briefly. The fatigue was evident in his eyes. For blood relatives, moderate bleeding is not a big problem. If such a blood relative’s face was so pale, I couldn’t even imagine how much blood they would have to shed.

“huh?”

“The emperor made a move. Fifth Holy Sword. It’s the old guy we know. “He is alive.”

“… … … … Then the reason you become like this… .”

“Holy sword… .”

“what?”

“The Fifth Holy Sword. My ego was eaten by that holy sword. know? what am i saying It was probably the emperor’s doing. “The reason one can handle a holy sword like that is because of the blood of the royal family.”

Ignis spoke out of breath.

“… “I barely escaped from there.”

***

Deep in the forest.

This forest, also known as the Black Forest since ancient times, has old trees rising high into the sky, so it does not receive sunlight even during the day.

My eyes have become accustomed to the darkness. Occasionally, I frowned at the damp, cold light streaming through the leaves. Ignis and Undine headed in the direction indicated by the tracking magic.

Ignis lightly stood on the tree trunk and raised a voice of concern towards his sister.

“It’s Undine. Aren’t you getting too close? As for the new moon… … ”

“It’s okay, brother. I plan to just do some exploration and call the master. “That’s what you said.”

There are only a few hundred steps to go. The opponent has not yet made any move to do so.

“Hmm… Well, I guess it’s okay. “To that extent.”

“Brother. Shh. quietly.”

“ha… … ”

She is a scandalous younger sister.

There was a deep smile on her face that couldn’t be hidden. Since she entered the academy, she rarely had the opportunity to take on missions like this, so it’s not that she doesn’t understand.

Above all, the enemy they were pursuing now was someone who was close to an enemy to Undine.

There was a time when Undine ran away from home without the Disses knowing.

I don’t remember the reason for running away from home, but the important thing is that a child of blood relatives who didn’t know anything about the world ran away from home. The fact that Eugene’s father, who was passing nearby at the time, discovered Undine was one of the lucky moments that is still talked about often during family meals. The same goes for Undine’s consideration in allowing her to stay at Eugene’s house while her emotions subside. The family created by the hero Neferna and the Magic Tower’s Manwol was enough to reassure the DC couple at the time.

That’s why I couldn’t help but be surprised when Undine suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room one day, using teleportation.

“Oh my, he’s using teleportation inside the house out of habit. When entering the house, I didn’t tell you to come through the front door… … ”

Mrs. Diss was speechless after seeing her daughter.

His chilly coat had unmelted snowflakes all over his body, as if he had rolled in the snow, and the frozen dirt and tree branches were tangled in his hair and he didn’t want to fall off.

Worst of all, the little child’s face was covered with tears and he couldn’t seem to calm down. Eugene, with a slightly dazed face, biting his quivering lip, was seen screaming into the air, and then clutching his neck, almost as if he was running out of breath. In the arms of the matriarch who quickly ran to her daughter, Undine seemed to have finally relaxed a little and began to cry.

The words that came out of Undine’s mouth were extremely shocking.

“Eujin shouldn’t come…” Sniff! But… The lady… “After wiping away her daughter’s tears, the matriarch added in her wet voice, leaving Undine in the care of her wife, she suddenly disappeared. When he appeared a while later, there was cold blood on the hem of his coat, he quietly called out to Mrs. Decis and disappeared into a room in the mansion again.

The young Undine, whimpering, was left behind by Ignis.

The matriarch’s words are clear as she asks me to keep an eye on my younger brother and not to come out of this room for the time being.

We now know that the blood on the clothes of the DC family head at the time was Eugene’s mother’s blood.

There is no way that Undine could not know what words were blurred in the vague story.

The atrocities that the hero of the Fifth Holy Sword committed at that time… … … .

Breathe calmly.

‘… … I wish I didn’t get too excited… ‘

Ignis looked at the back of his younger brother who was ahead with anxious eyes.

hmm… … ?

At that moment, a strong magical power was applied to the magic.

The hero of the 5th Holy Sword. They say he is back.

The same man who was thought dead by Eugene in the past.

How on earth he survived is a big question. Eugene clearly decapitated him.

Anyway, if it is the man they know, it would be a miracle just that he is alive. I don’t think it will still have the same power it had during its heyday.

Even if we face it head on, it is difficult to imagine defeat.

In that case, it won’t be too much of a problem if Undine plays with it a little as she wants.

I thought,

It was then.

“It’s Undine. for a moment. wait. Strange.”

“It’s okay. Brother. You can travel this distance without being detected… … uh?”

It blinks.

A gap in the bushes erased by a shadow. Light arose before sound.

A bright light comparable to the sun.

It was shot at the speed of a hawk.

Imperial standard version. Type 2 defense technique.

The magic that Ignis cast in haste barely reached the target. He narrowly missed Undine and had no reason to guess the identity of that unknown power.

The attacker walked out on his own.

Ignis frowned after seeing his appearance.

‘… The holy sword was discovered… ?’

Fifth Holy Sword. And the hero of the holy sword.

Undine and Ignis are well aware of the conditions for wielding a holy sword.

And the same goes for the fact that the Holy Sword will not be drawn against them.

The problem was that his face and appearance no longer belonged to an ordinary human being.

“Krrrrr… … ”

An animal-like howl flows from the mouth.

Ignis was able to understand the situation at a glance.

The appearance of the man who was supposed to be the hero of the 5th Holy Sword had transformed into something that could not have been more horrifying. It wasn’t like the siblings couldn’t figure out the cause.

“It’s Undine. “For now, we will subdue it here.”

“I know, brother.”

The start was smooth.

It had to be that way.