Chapter Index





    Ch.71Raising a Hero – 5

    “This works.”

    I watched the hero’s back as he ignited a light from the holy sword bright enough to illuminate the entire underground and then some.

    I had been Brunhild, who remained motionless as if in shock even after suffering severe injuries and being trapped here, thinking that if I stalled any longer, it might seem like I’d held out too long against the Demon Lord.

    Then suddenly he awakened the holy sword, so even I couldn’t understand what change of heart had led to this.

    ‘Is that considered a complete awakening?’

    Looking closely, I noticed the sword’s appearance had changed slightly. It seemed more ornate overall. The sky-blue color had become more vivid, and it had grown slightly larger.

    The rigidity in Elysiere’s face as she stood against him was clearly visible. Judging by her reaction, it seemed I was right.

    Having fought the hero and died 89 times to that sword, writhing in agony as her body slowly purified, it was understandable that she would be tense regardless of the difference in skill.

    “Mira.”

    As I was spitting out pieces of internal organs that had regurgitated up my esophagus, Brunhild turned toward the Demon Lord but then looked back at me with tearful, desperate eyes.

    “Until I come back… just hold on until then… please.”

    I nodded obediently. Brunhild bit her lip hard and charged at Elysiere with a face burning with vengeance.

    The holy sword and demon sword collided. Tremendous sparks flew as a circular shockwave spread outward. My already tattered left side of the body was swept up in the shockwave and scattered about.

    I looked down at myself. My entire body was a complete mess. My right arm had been torn off, and from the center of my abdomen to my left shoulder joint had been completely severed, exposing the flesh inside.

    About one-third of my body had been torn away, so it made sense why Elysiere had refused the plan, asking if I was crazy.

    ‘In the past, injuries like this were just everyday occurrences.’

    I leaned my back against the rock behind me. Obviously, these were wounds that would have instantly killed any normal person, but I was enduring.

    Partly because my body was inherently quite sturdy thanks to fully awakening the soul from my previous world, but mainly because I was continuously using healing magic on a small scale even at this moment.

    Even someone like me would die before long if left in this state. The only reason I could still cling to life was entirely due to healing magic.

    ‘I can fully recover with an elixir anyway.’

    Of course, I didn’t do this relying solely on healing magic. I had brought along the elixir that the Sword Saint had slipped me as a bribe when asking me to take care of Karna, so I acted with that as my insurance.

    The Demon Lord had guaranteed its effectiveness. Even if I were injured more severely than this, drinking the elixir would heal everything.

    “You’ve finally become useful, Hero.”

    “I’ll kill you!!!!!!”

    Over there, Brunhild was one-sidedly pushing Elysiere back. It was a bit too aggressive to call her a hero, but it would be fine. Probably.

    ‘She’s definitely gotten stronger.’

    They were exchanging blows on equal footing. Even setting aside the fact that Elysiere wasn’t using her full power, Brunhild’s physical abilities had noticeably increased.

    It seemed true that the holy sword could exert its full power from the moment its wielder proved their qualification as a hero. Her movements were completely different from before.

    Each time blue or golden light flashed, the surrounding terrain changed. Massive rocks were split without a trace, and the cavern expanded like an open prairie.

    Around the time the hero’s movements began accelerating without limit, Elysiere glanced at me. I nodded. It was time to retreat.

    Confirming my signal, Elysiere’s eyes flashed.

    “Ugh?!”

    Brunhild was hit in the chest by the tremendous demonic energy that suddenly erupted and went tumbling. Having shaken off the hero, Elysiere sheathed her sword and spoke calmly.

    “Not bad movements, Hero. Given more time, you would mature. I look forward to more enjoyable entertainment in the future than today.”

    “Stop right there…! Where do you think you’re running to…!”

    As Elysiere turned to leave, Brunhild gritted her teeth and rose to her feet. But Elysiere sneered and stopped her.

    “I could entertain you longer if you wish, but that one will surely die without treatment. Is that acceptable? You seemed to care about them, but perhaps they weren’t so important after all.”

    Brunhild turned around with a start.

    The pool of blood spread wide enough that I should have died from blood loss long ago, my left side still split open, and my right arm torn off.

    Her golden eyes shook violently at the sight of me. Elysiere took advantage of the moment to create a dimensional gate to the demon realm, sneering mockingly.

    “You must be stronger when we meet next time, Hero. Cutting down the weak doesn’t even make for entertainment.”

    The Demon Lord’s body disappeared beyond the dimensional gate. Brunhild stood dazed for a moment before coming to her senses and rushing toward me at full speed.

    “Mira! Mira! Miraaaa!”

    Her eyes were brimming with tears. Hastily picking up my fallen right arm, Brunhild approached and knelt beside me, not caring that blood was getting on her legs.

    “Just wait a moment, I’ll do something… somehow… Yes, let’s get out first. If we get out and take you to a priest…”

    She tried to support me to take me outside, but as soon as she grabbed my body, the precariously attached left side slid down, causing her to let go in panic.

    Brunhild stamped her feet, her face crumpling as she didn’t know what to do.

    “A priest… need to call one here… ah…”

    Though she said that in her urgency, she seemed to realize it was impossible, and her expression changed from distress to despair.

    She tightly gripped my left hand, which was barely attached to my body in tatters. The blood soaking my palm transferred to Brunhild’s hand. I smiled and spoke.

    “You awakened the holy sword?”

    “Is that important right now?! Mira, you’re about to die!”

    “I won’t die. Not from something like this.”

    I was only telling the truth, but Brunhild seemed to think my smile and answer were lies to reassure her, and she finally burst into tears.

    “Sob… I’m sorry, I’m sorry… because of me… because I was stupid… waaahh…”

    Watching her cry so sorrowfully made my conscience prick. Perhaps getting injured this badly was a bit much.

    I thought this level of injury was necessary to compare with the original story’s incident where the academy was half-destroyed, most professors died, and countless students became casualties.

    Sensing real trouble if this continued, I gestured with my chin toward my left pants pocket.

    “There’s an elixir in here. Luckily it seems unbroken, could you take it out?”

    This too was part of the plan. When formulating the plan, I had told her I would keep the elixir in my left pants pocket, so she should deliberately avoid hitting there.

    The item was covered with all sorts of defensive and protective magic, so it would withstand ordinary impacts, but not those from the Demon Lord.

    It was a rare item that couldn’t be obtained without an extremely large sum of money, but I’m not the type to save precious things until the end. It’s better to use what I’ve received right away.

    “E-elixir…?! O-okay! Just a moment!”

    At the mention of elixir, Brunhild hurriedly reached for my pocket. Her fingers tore at the clothes to search inside, and soon she pulled out a vial that looked like a test tube.

    Sure enough, it was completely intact without a scratch.

    “Here…! Here’s the elixir…! Drink it quickly…!”

    With trembling hands, Brunhild pulled out the stopper and brought the elixir to my lips. But as she was about to tilt the bottle, she suddenly looked distressed.

    “…What if you can’t swallow it and spill it?”

    “What are you suddenly talking about?”

    “I’ve heard that if you lose too much blood, your body becomes too weak to swallow properly even if it’s put in your mouth… What if you spill this and don’t recover properly?”

    “Can’t you see I’m speaking normally right now? Just tilt it into my mouth and I can drink it. If you’re really worried, you could put it in your mouth first.”

    I responded with bewilderment. Though my appearance was somewhat miserable with my body torn apart, I was conversing normally, so I wondered why she was suddenly acting this way.

    I was also continuously healing myself with the green light of healing magic, just enough not to be noticed.

    “No… that won’t work…”

    But Brunhild didn’t seem to be listening at all.

    There was absolutely no chance I wouldn’t be able to swallow what was in my mouth due to lack of strength, but with blood everywhere and thinking I was dying, she seemed incapable of rational thought.

    “How… how should I… Ah!”

    Brunhild poured the elixir into her own mouth as if she’d had a good idea. Then, with slightly puffed cheeks, she brought her face close to mine.

    I tried to say I could drink it myself, having realized what was about to happen, but as I twisted my body, my precariously attached left side fell off again.

    Seeing this, Brunhild’s eyes completely lost focus. With the elixir in her mouth, she firmly grasped my head.

    “Mmm…”

    Our lips met. Her tongue pushed through, creating a passage. I tried to push her tongue away, but it wouldn’t budge.

    Brunhild firmly pressed my tongue down with hers and poured the elixir over it. A liquid with a strange taste flowed into my mouth. Plus another slightly warmer liquid.

    “Slurp… slurp…”

    Lewd sounds emerged as Brunhild kept blocking my tongue with hers when I tried to move it. I could taste something slightly sticky that wasn’t the elixir.

    Regardless, the elixir was truly effective. Despite being only a mouthful, my torn left side was instantly restored.

    Sensation had already returned to my right arm that had been severed at the shoulder. I tried moving my fingers. They worked normally.

    I tried to push Brunhild away to signal I was fine, but she remained immovable until she made me swallow every last drop of the elixir before finally separating her lips.

    “Haaah…! A-are you okay? Are you okay, Mira? You’re not dead, right? You’re really not dead?”

    Golden pupils brimming with tears urgently checked my body.

    “Th-thank goodness… you’re alive… I’m really, so relieved…”

    As soon as she confirmed my body was perfectly healed, she sighed with relief. A teardrop that had been precariously hanging fell down her cheek onto my body.

    And then.

    “…”

    As the relief subsided and she recalled what she had just done, Brunhild’s face turned bright red.


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