SWNOVELXO Chapter 161
The golden bombardment descended upon the Demon King’s Castle, leading to the massacre of all demons within.
The golden trajectories shot from Dragon Tail, along with the countless explosions from the former Count Scouter’s Territory, made many people instinctively realize.
– It’s the Hero of the Holy Sword!!
Only the Hero of the Holy Sword could unleash such power.
Only the Hero of the Holy Sword could charge alone into the Demon King’s Castle and wipe out as many as five thousand demons in under ‘one hour’.
Did the Saintess fly over?
No.
If the Saintess did fly over, her power would have shone with the blue light of the Moon Goddess.
Then, did the long-hidden Gold Dragon rise up to attack the Demon King’s Army?
Rather than such nonsense, it felt much more rational and reasonable to think that the ‘Hero wielding the Holy Sword of Light’ had appeared.
So many people witnessed it.
So many people saw the golden trajectory.
Thus.
“The Hero of the Holy Sword appeared in the Anari Principality!!!”
“The one wielding the Golden Holy Sword, who could that be!!”
“Is it me?”
Humanity sought to find the newly emerged owner of the golden holy sword, distinctly different from the past.
Perhaps it could be the holy sword that killed the Great Demon Lord Bel Phegor five hundred years ago.
Known to be far stronger than other holy swords, it was the Holy Wind Sword that alone succeeded in defeating the Great Demon Lord Bel Phegor.
If they could secure the Hero wielding the Holy Wind Sword, perhaps they could gain even greater power than the army of the Great Demon Lord that swept through the continent five hundred years ago.
People were searching.
For the Hero of the Holy Sword.
That interest was not only in the Anari Principality but also in neighboring countries.
– A letter has arrived from the Arpe Empire. They demand that the Anari Principality reveal the identity of the Hero wielding the Holy Wind Sword…
Great pressure was coming from all directions toward the principality.
– Hehehe. Why are you so curious? There might or might not be a Hero of the Holy Sword in the Anari Principality. It could be that the Anari Sword awakening in our principality has produced such power! Kekekeke.
The Prince didn’t even know who the Hero was, but he wanted to dodge the calls coming through the magic crystal from all over the continent.
He didn’t know.
He didn’t know, but as someone who had to do his best for the principality, he decided to fulfill the Magic King’s request.
The only one aware of the Hero’s existence was the Magic King Endymion.
The only thing he had a clue about was that just days before the Hero bombarded the Demon King’s Castle, a party had visited Dragon Lift.
The Saintess Party.
One day, a party led by the Saintess of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess suddenly appeared at Dragon Lift.
There were only five members, and people were not fools.
– Which of the four is the Hero!!
No matter how hard he thought, it was clearly the Hero Party, and one of the four was undoubtedly the Hero.
Was it the red-haired Sorceress?
The Blonde Elf?
The kind-hearted Brown-haired Knight?
Or was it, as everyone expected, the only male among them, the blonde young man?
Who, indeed, is the one who will enter the “Hero’s Bombardment”?
“Damn it, I don’t even know where Satan is, and people are just getting in the way…!”
About a week since the Hero’s bombardment began.
I had eliminated the remnants of the Demon King’s Army through several such Hero bombardments.
But I still hadn’t been able to defeat Satan.
*
In the capital of the Anari Principality, within the annex of the Royal Castle at Dragon Lift.
“Hero! Is that really you?!”
Outside, the voices searching for the Hero were chaotic.
“Hero! Is it really the Holy Wind Sword that you wield?!”
“Did you come to save the Anari Principality?! Please say yes!”
“Please defeat the Demon King and bring peace to this land!!”
The noise was overwhelming, and although it seemed too loud, the soldiers who should have been restraining them looked tired and only extended their hands without actively stopping them.
“Everyone, the Hero needs rest too. Please….”
“I just want to see the Hero’s face, why is there such a commotion!”
“What if the Hero feels upset and leaves because of this uproar?”
“What? The Hero would never do that! How could the Hero be so kind?!”
“But please. It’s an order from the Prince. Let’s keep the peace here…”
“Cough…! Hero! My name is Triol! Please remember me! I beg you!!”
“Hero! Just call my son’s name once! My son!!”
A group would leave, and then another would appear in repetition.
Whether the Hero was really in the annex of the castle or not, the location of the annex certainly couldn’t be described as good.
With a road just beyond the wall, even if they tried to control it, it was right next to residential houses.
It was fortunate that they weren’t trying to climb over the barbed wire on the wall, but the noise inevitably flowed inside.
“…….”
The blonde young man, Lucius, slightly lifted the curtain.
Although it was hard to see outside due to the opaque glass, the crowd visible beyond the window was truly immense.
“Is this the life of a Hero….”
He immediately understood why Sorceress Bel wanted to hide the existence of the Hero.
The intense desire for the Hero.
The ‘people’s desire for the Hero’ was something that Lucius could neither neatly summarize in a single line nor escape from as he could not leave the principality and head for the Sky Island.
Because he still hadn’t found and defeated the Demon King.
“Lucius. Is it really okay to go on like this?”
“Why?”
“Well….”
“What Rosemas wants to say is whether it’s alright for us to stay trapped like this, right?”
“…Yes.”
Droniel and Rosemas quickly expressed their dissatisfaction.
“The Demon King has disappeared. We don’t even know where he went. And yet, everyone has figured out that you’re the Hero, Lucius. Isn’t it just a bit too much to stay stuck inside the castle like this under those circumstances?”
“…It’s fine, Droniel.”
Lucius gently patted Droniel’s back with a kind smile.
“I don’t mind not going out. That just means my Master is defeating the demons, and therefore the Demon King’s Army is being taken down.”
“But we can’t stay like this forever. Lucius, what do you want to do?”
“…….”
At the question from Rosemas, Lucius closed his eyes.
He was thinking about it, but he thoroughly avoided answering the one question.
His own will.
How exactly will he act as the Hero?
Lucius had no complaints or grievances about his current situation.
“It’s been a week. A whole week, and I’ve been stuck here without being able to go outside. Wasn’t the goal to escape within three days?”
“I can’t just pretend the Demon King’s Army has appeared and brush it off.”
“But you helped out so much already. Even if the Sorceress controlled your body, you pushed your body to its limits. Lucius, are you going to stay in the Anari Principality until you defeat all the Demon King’s Army?”
“…That’s not for me to decide.”
In the end, Lucius evaded the question.
“Don’t doubt the Master. It’s just been a week.”
“But it could become a month, or possibly a year. Are you going to keep sacrificing yourself as the Hero, Lucius…?”
“That sacrifice is being made by my Master.”
Lucius coldly interrupted with a somewhat frosty response.
“I’m just lending my body, that’s all. But my Master is dying in real-time. The longer we wait, the more mana left in her body will be consumed, and eventually, she might die.”
“Lucius, haven’t you thought about this? The Sorceress… could take over your body?”
“…….”
Lucius went silent.
“Exactly. If your body keeps being possessed by the Sorceress like this, you might not be Lucius anymore. When the Sorceress takes over your body, what will happen to you? Will you certainly be conscious and able to feel how to fight?”
“Stop.”
“Don’t tell me to stop. You know the situation, don’t you? At that time, if you had just spoken more forcefully and stopped the bombardment….”
“No, the result would have been the same anyway. The opponent is Satan, a being on par with the Great Demon King.”
Lucius embraced Droniel and Rosemas with both arms, patting them.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. It’s just frustrating now, and the situation changed suddenly. Who do you think is most distressed? It must be my Master. So let’s trust her. Understand?”
“Lucius….”
“…I don’t know. But I want to believe in you. I….”
“That’s enough. If you can’t trust the Master, then trust me who trusts the Master.”
Pat, pat.
Cradling the two women against his chest, Lucius looked up at the ceiling.
“…….”
Casually, he gazed at the ceiling.
“Trust the Master. Everything will be fine. So….”
“Y-hero!!”
Crashing open the door, a maid burst in, looking pale and pointing up.
“The Sorceress has collapsed-”
Bang—
Lucius vanished like the wind.
“…….”
Leaving behind Rosemas, Droniel, and the maid, who almost tumbled over.