Chapter 99
Once inside the Shadow City, I completely sealed off the Shadow Passage, just in case.
I don't really need to go this far, but...
A Master with power beyond common sense. If the Paladin truly set his mind to breaking through the Passage, it would inevitably be breached.
It was better to eliminate it beforehand, just in case.
Alright, time to take stock.
While it was a pity I couldn't steal more, I had achieved one of my initial goals, so it wasn't too bad.
I chuckled, looking at the Holy Sword in my hand, then spoke to my comrades in front of me.
I picked up the Holy Sword.
At my words about picking up the Holy Sword, Liana and Ruen stared at me, their eyes wide.
I looked at the two of them, brandishing the Holy Sword as I spoke.
And for the record, it's not the Fake Holy Sword, but the *true* Holy Sword.
Liana was the first to speak after my words.
H-how... no, where did you get it? We searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Archbishop Mikhail had it buried in the place he was guarding, underground. Underground? Ah.
Liana nodded, seemingly having grasped the general situation, and spoke to me.
...If they buried it underground to that extent, they might have intended not to use the Holy Sword at all.
The idea of their not using the Holy Sword made me fall into deep thought.
It's common knowledge that a Hero must use the Holy Sword to defeat the Demon Lord.
But giving the Fake Hero the Fake Holy Sword and telling him or her to fight... something was seriously amiss.
I used to speculate that they were buying time with the Fake Hero, then planning to defeat the Demon Lord with their Main Force.
The thought that the truth might be a little different crossed my mind.
As I pondered these thoughts, Ruen hesitantly spoke to me.
C-could I perhaps examine the Holy Sword?
Oh, sure.
I carefully handed the Holy Sword to Ruen, who accepted it with an awkward smile.
So this is the *true* Holy Sword. It's amazing.
Is it?
"Yes. The Divine Power... it's unbelievably condensed."
Even I, who knew nothing about Divine Power, could feel the immense power contained within the Holy Sword.
I nodded in agreement, looking at Ruen.
Ruen stroked the Holy Sword with a bitter smile.
If this had been used, so many more people could have been saved. My comrades, too.
...
Not knowing what to say, I stood there silently.
Ruen shook her head, trying to shake off the somber atmosphere, and spoke to me.
So, what will you do with it? Will you use it yourself?
At her question, I silently looked at the Holy Sword.
Well... swords aren't really my style.
It would have been great if it were a hammer or a mace, but why did it have to be a sword?
Of course, I'd used swords a lot while sparring with Lorraine, but it just doesn't quite click with me. As I was pondering this...
Daisy bounced up and said something to me.
Nom!
Nom?
Not understanding what she meant, I looked at Daisy.
Daisy mimicked eating the Holy Sword, looking at me.
*Surely she doesn't mean to eat the Holy Sword?*
Perplexed by her wanting to eat a sword, not even a bead, I stared at Daisy.
Daisy made strange "munching" sounds, drooling profusely.
No matter how I look at it, she can't eat that...
While I was conflicted about whether to allow it,
Daisy clung to me and started whining.
*Wanna eat it...*
I chuckled wryly and said at her expression of desperately wanting to eat it.
Alright, eat it. But if it looks like you'll get hurt, you can't eat it, okay?
Chirp!
Daisy, delighted that I'd given permission, danced joyfully.
Then, she crunched on the Holy Sword as if it were a snack.
...?
Was that even possible?
I hadn't used the Holy Sword myself, but judging by the sensation I felt when I carried it, it felt harder than most steel.
That she could chew it up like a snack was something I couldn't quite comprehend.
*How on earth did she do that?*
I looked at Daisy, thinking I couldn't understand her.
Daisy just munched on her cheeks, not giving me any answer, and continued to nibble on the Holy Sword with soft *soft munching sounds*.
*For now, I'll let her eat.*
I decided to ask her again once she finished eating the Holy Sword, and then I turned my gaze.
Then, what's left is this.
The numerous items and documents were stolen from the Paladin's Room.
Fortunately, Shiren and Ruen had already organized them, so they weren't scattered haphazardly.
Still, it would likely take a considerable amount of time to check each one.
*Where should I start looking?*
As I looked them over, feeling a bit overwhelmed,
Liana chuckled, stepped forward, and spoke to me.
This is my area of expertise, so leave it to me. Now, Lord Damian, please go rest over there.
After pushing me aside, she quickly began examining the organized items.
Watching her, I decided to accept Liana's offer, stretched, and took a deep breath.
Then, all that's left is to reach High-grade Expert or Highest-grade Expert as quickly as possible.
Thinking that my goal was to crush all the forces of the Order, the Dark Mages, and the Imperial Family, I relaxed my shoulders.
*...Once I return to the Main Family Residence, I should immediately hole myself up in the Training Ground.*
Just as I decided to grow as quickly as possible while the Order was recovering from the chaos,
a question suddenly spread through my mind.
*Speaking of which, where does Divine Power come from?*
I know Divine Power is granted by the Goddess, but in a world where the Goddess has disappeared, it's puzzling that everyone uses Divine Power as if it's natural.
As this question spread through my mind, I immediately posed it to Ruen.
...I don't really know either. But given that Divine Power is heavily influenced by innate factors, I wonder if it's similar to mana." "Is that so?" "Yes. Even if you pray for a hundred days, or perform good deeds for a hundred days, the amount of Divine Power you possess doesn't increase.
...I didn't know if a Saintess should be saying such things.
But given the circumstances, it somehow felt more natural.
As I let out a small laugh at her words, Ruen giggled along with me and said.
That's why, rather than their faith, how outstanding one's Divine Power Talent is seems to play a greater role in taking on important positions within the Order.
I found the situation quite ridiculous at her words that faith was meaningless.
I had seen with my own eyes how utterly corrupt that Order had become, which had lost its essence.
Rather than saving people, they pursued their own greed.
Recalling their emphasis on appearances alone rather than performing their assigned duties, I calmly opened my mouth.
"You've been through a lot.""Hehe, it was nothing."
While we were chatting for a moment,
Shiren, who had been watching (glaring at) us from the side, subtly squeezed in between us.
She nuzzled her head towards me like a cat and spoke.
"I want to talk too." "Huh? Oh, okay."
We could talk anytime, but just as I was wondering why she chose this particular moment,
Shiren subtly pushed Ruen away and spoke.
"Go over there."
"Huh? What?"
Ruen, wearing a blank expression, was pushed aside by Shiren without understanding why.
Shiren looked very satisfied and proud as she watched this, then spoke to me.
I want to sit here.
She then squeezed into my lap, sitting as if nestled in my arms, and looked at Ruen with a very triumphant expression.
...?
Ruen was puzzled, unable to understand why Shiren was acting that way.
She tilted her head, looking between Shiren and me, then smiled sweetly and spoke to us.
Lady Shiren seems to like Lord Damian a lot.
Though her words held no malice,
Shiren didn't seem to hear it that way, pouting like an angry cat and glaring at Ruen.
I couldn't possibly understand why she was so angry, so as I let out an awkward laugh.
Meow... *Pwak*.
Daisy, whose belly had swollen enormously, was floating buoyantly in the air, patting her belly.
*She ate all of that huge thing?*
As I marveled at how she could possibly have eaten that enormous Holy Sword, which was several times larger than her own body,
Shiren, who was nestled in my arms, gasped in horror at the sight of Daisy, pointed at her, and said...
*Super-giant, rolling, puffy, fat Daisy...*"...Meow."
Normally, the moment Shiren teased her, Daisy would bristle and make *protesting meows*.
But Daisy, perhaps because her belly was so full, didn't retort at all and just wore a happy expression, stroking her belly.
I chuckled at how cute Daisy was, thinking it was time to tell them I should leave for training soon, then I opened my mouth.
"Oh, by the way, there's something I need to say." "What is it?" "I'm going back into the Training Ground soon."
At the mention of the Training Ground, Shiren, Daisy, and Ruen froze.
They probably knew that if I entered the Training Ground, I'd be there for quite a long time.
To lighten the suddenly somber mood, I tried to say I'd be out soon.
But they all started staring at me intently, as if they didn't believe me.
*What should I do?*
As I let out an awkward laugh,
Daisy, as if she couldn't take it anymore, wiggled and got up, then clung to me, crying "whining meows."