Ch.215Side Story: The Sword Saint of a Strange Earth – 2

After leaving a note for Mira Crate and disappearing, Sword Saint Rahel wandered the world aimlessly. She drifted from place to place, walking endlessly wherever her feet took her, wherever her eyes led her.

Sometimes she roamed the demon realm for long periods. The demons didn’t dare touch the Sword Saint. With the Demon King gone, no one could stand in her way.

‘…What if I had truly lived as an unremarkable mid-tier knight?’

The Sword Saint walked aimlessly with her legs while her mind dwelled on what Mira had said to her.

It was all true. The Sword Saint had to be humanity’s hope. Although there was a hero chosen by the goddess, it was painfully obvious that the hero’s skills fell short of the Sword Saint’s abilities.

With the holy sword, the hero would eventually grow stronger. But if the Demon King attacked before that “eventually” came, she believed it would fall to her, the Sword Saint, to step forward.

Part of her was still afraid. Could she truly face the Demon King who had once dealt her such a devastating defeat? Would things be any different now?

That was why she couldn’t bear hearing that the Demon King had died. It felt as if something that had been keeping Rahel from collapsing under the weight of being the Sword Saint had been completely torn away.

That empty void was unbearable.

‘What remains of Rahel if not the Sword Saint?’

Ironically, such emotions were proof that Rahel was no longer a transcendent powerhouse.

With the shackles binding her ankles and the sense of duty weighing on her shoulders now gone, she could finally contemplate the worth of “Rahel without the Sword Saint.”

“…This is.”

Rahel, who had been secluded in some obscure place for days lost in meditation, sensed something unusual and rose to her feet. As she swept her hand through the empty air, golden light clung to her fingers.

Instinctively, she drew her sword and swung. The time rushing toward Rahel split in two, creating a tiny safe zone in the center of the raging current.

Her single remaining sky-blue eye gazed at the time overflowing from outside.

“I see.”

Rahel, observing time itself, picked up a single fragment. It was someone’s memory. Something that had either flowed in by chance, or perhaps inevitably due to her connection with Mira Crate.

Rahel peered into the truth within the memory.

She saw how this world came to be, the fact that everything was merely a novel, that dimensions beyond existed, and the truth that she herself was nothing more than a character in a story.

“So that’s how it was.”

Rather than anger at learning that the entire world she inhabited was created by a single human’s hand, and that even her defeat and terrible trauma were predetermined paths, Rahel felt a sense of comfort.

Because all that suffering was merely fabricated.

Her defeat by the Demon King, her arm being crushed, the terrible trauma she suffered, having to carry a mere teaspoon instead of wielding a sword while pretending to be strong—it was all meant to be that way.

But not anymore. Everything that would happen from now on would be by Rahel’s will. Whatever actions she took, whoever she met, wherever she went—all would be paths chosen by Rahel.

Paths chosen not by Sword Saint Rahel, but by the human Rahel.

“Haha… hahahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!”

Rahel laughed. As if expelling emotions suppressed for decades, she laughed until her throat hurt while watching the flow of time. And when her laughter subsided, she stood before the current of time.

She knew instinctively. If she were swept into that flow, she could never return. She would clearly spend her life wandering, not knowing where she was going or what would become of her.

That was exactly the future Rahel wanted.

With trembling hands, Rahel gripped the sword at her left hip. Her right hand drew the sword for the first time in who knows how many years. The Sword Saint unconsciously smiled at the tingling sensation.

Then her body vanished, swept away by the golden flow of time.

“…And so, I met countless possibilities within time. That’s when I cut off this arm. As a symbol that I would no longer be bound by the past after defeating the Demon King. Strangely, I felt much more at ease with one arm than I ever did with two. Afterward, I wandered aimlessly through time until I was drawn to a bright light, which led me here.”

The Sword Saint finished her story with a sip of tea from her single remaining arm. Neither I, Priscilla, nor Elysier could find words to say.

“So you’re saying… you threw yourself into the flow, drifted through various timelines, killed the Demon King Elysier in some unknown world, cut off your right arm as a symbol of completely overcoming your past, and then continued wandering through time, slicing through it?”

“That would be an accurate summary. You understand perfectly.”

“…Was it even possible to slice through time?”

“I am—or rather, I was—the Sword Saint. How could I have earned such a title if I couldn’t accomplish that much? Even my attack when you tried to approach me was an application of time-slicing techniques.”

No, that doesn’t seem quite right.

I suddenly gained a new appreciation for Laura, who created such an absurd character. I wonder how she would react to hearing that her creation had sliced through the mighty currents of time to arrive here.

“But it’s all meaningless now. To be honest, I’ve been considering abandoning the name Rahel as well. I truly wanted to start everything anew.”

Rahel glanced down at her empty right sleeve with a slight smile.

At first, I had wanted to restore her arm with healing magic. Although Rahel had buried her severed arm in some timeline that might no longer exist, high-level healing magic could regrow it.

But for Rahel, the missing arm wasn’t just a body part. It was her past trauma and evidence that she was merely a character in a novel.

She hadn’t just cut off an arm—she had let go of her memories, trauma, and part of her identity as the Sword Saint. It wasn’t something I should interfere with.

“I should thank you. If you hadn’t given me the opportunity to reflect on myself, I might never have reached this point.”

That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I spoke to her.

Seeing my awkward expression, Rahel simply smiled gently and said we should just agree it was thanks to me.

“…”

Beside us, Elysier had been fidgeting uncomfortably. This was because it had been revealed that the person here was actually Demon King Elysier, not the human Ciel.

Although it was from a time when she had no control over her actions, she had still inflicted trauma so severe that Rahel had to cut off her arm.

“You needn’t tremble, Ciel. I told you I no longer dwell on the past.”

Rahel spoke kindly as she observed Elysier. She still called her Ciel.

“You likely had no choice in the matter. Neither did Princess Laura, who created me and that world. How can one be blamed for actions not taken of their own will? Searching for the past that has flowed into time is meaningless. I learned that by sacrificing my right arm… but you needn’t go that far.”

“Is… that so.”

Elysier lowered her head slightly.

“Anyway, that concludes my story. Everything after that is as we know it. So, where exactly is this place? I know it’s the home dimension of Princess Laura and all of you.”

“It’s exactly as you understand.”

I explained in the simplest terms possible. There was no way Rahel, being from that world, would understand concepts like gates or bosses.

After hearing my explanation, Rahel looked around curiously.

“I see. No wonder this space seemed to embody exactly what I had wished for… So I became what you call a boss, and this space was created for that purpose.”

“It’ll be even more fascinating outside. For now, please rest, and we can talk more properly when everyone gathers later. We’ll take responsibility, so don’t worry.”

Rahel nodded. We then went outside. The gate was still active, which was natural since the boss—the Sword Saint—hadn’t died.

“What happened?”

“Regenerative type. Couldn’t kill it.”

The hunters who had rushed over upon seeing the gate still active looked grim at the words “regenerative type.”

“We’ve contained it so nothing can come out. Just make sure no one goes in. We’ll be back later. I’ll send the schedule today.”

“Y-yes! Understood!”

Rahel and I stood back, concealed by invisibility magic. Rahel watched with curiosity as Priscilla and Elysier acted in their roles as guild leaders.

The two entrusted the cleanup to A-rank hunters and opened a dimensional door. The Sword Saint was amazed by the scenery all the way to the top floor of the Eternal Guild headquarters.

“So what will you do now?”

We were pondering what to do about Rahel’s situation. She had asked if she could stay on Earth rather than return to her original world, if possible.

“I’ve cut ties with my past, but the people of that world haven’t. It would be better to let them remember me as the Sword Saint.”

Indeed, the moment they learned the truth, the people of that world would be shocked beyond measure.

The missing Sword Saint returns, only to have one arm and deny her own identity, refusing to be called the Sword Saint anymore.

And if we explained what had happened, they would learn things they shouldn’t know. To prevent such a situation, it was best to let her stay here.

“No. I’ll stay here with the Sword… I mean, with Lady Rahel. You two go ahead.”

“…Priscilla, you?”

I asked in surprise. Elysier also looked quite shocked. It was surprising that Priscilla, who had been so looking forward to wandering the festival with me, volunteered to stay behind.

“Yes.”

“I won’t refuse, but are you certain?”

“It’s fine. You don’t mind, Lady Rahel, do you?”

“As a guest, I have no objections.”

“Then it’s settled. Go on. I’ll be waiting.”

Priscilla waved her hand casually.

This wasn’t like her, to be so calm about being separated from me. What was going on?

After Mira and Elysier left with question marks floating above their heads, Priscilla showed Rahel to an empty room.

“You can stay here. First, you should relax in a warm bath. I’ll show you how everything works.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing. There’s no such thing as kindness without a price in this world.”

Rahel flinched at those words. Then, in a resigned voice, she said:

“Yes, of course. What price do you want?”

“Do you have any experience with romance?”

“…Romance?”

Elysier and I ended up wandering the festival grounds alone. Everyone was baffled that Priscilla had volunteered to be separated from me.

“Is she planning something?”

“Priscilla? Her?”

Some suggested she might have a separate plan, but knowing how Priscilla usually behaved around me, we concluded that wasn’t like her and let it go.

Having finished our discussion, Elysier promptly grabbed me and we continued exploring the festival. Unlike Rosaria and Latina, Elysier focused more on finding things that matched her taste rather than trying to see everything.

By the time it was past 6 PM and the academy’s open hours ended, giving way to student-only time, we were preparing to return to the dormitory.

As the academy gates closed and the time reserved for students began, we were quite satisfied with how the day had gone.

“Shall we head back now? We’ve seen everything.”

“What are you saying? There’s still something to experience.”

“Something to experience?”

I wondered what she meant. Hadn’t we just finished seeing everything?

Elysier grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a secluded spot. Going behind a large tree, she put on what she called a restraint designed for massages, which tightened when infused with mana, around her neck.

With her other hand, she lifted the hem of her school uniform skirt up to her navel. The underwear hidden beneath was revealed.

The fabric covered barely half my palm, and the strings resting on her hip bones seemed so loosely tied that they would unravel at the slightest pressure.

“You haven’t tried the punching machine yet, have you?”

“…What?”

As I stood there dumbfounded, Elysier forcibly placed the leash connected to the neck restraint in my hand and gently caressed her lower abdomen.

“But since I couldn’t find a punching machine anywhere…”

*Squeeze* Her hand pressed down on the slightly swollen, soft area.

“I’ve prepared a substitute right here.”