chapter_0218

After leaving a note for Mira Crate, the Sword Saint, Rachel, wandered aimlessly around the world. She walked endlessly, going wherever her feet took her and wherever her eyes led her, roaming through countless places.

Sometimes she wandered through the Demon World for a long time. The demons didn’t bother her. Without the Demon King, no one could stop her.

‘…… What if I had lived as an ordinary mid-level knight?’

As she walked aimlessly, Sword Saint thought about what Mira had said to her.

It was all true. The Sword Saint had to be the hope of humanity. Even though there was a Knight of Light chosen by the Goddess, it was clear that the Knight’s abilities fell short of the Sword Saint’s.

The Holy Sword would eventually become stronger, but if the Demon King invaded before that “someday” arrived, the Sword Saint herself would have to step up, as she had always believed.

On the other hand, she was still afraid. She wondered if she could really stand up to the Demon King, who had once inflicted such a crushing defeat on the Sword Saint. She wondered if anything would change now.

The reason she couldn’t bear the news of the Demon King’s death was because she felt as if something that had been holding her back and weighing heavily on her shoulders had suddenly been torn away. She couldn’t bear the emptiness.

‘What is left of Rachel, not the Sword Saint?’

Ironically, this feeling was proof that Rachel was no longer a transcendentally powerful being.

Now that the shackles that bound her ankles and the sense of obligation that weighed heavily on her shoulders were gone, she could ponder the value of “Rachel, not the Sword Saint.”

“…… This is.”

Sword Saint Rachel, who had been meditating for several days in a secluded place, sensed an unusual flow and stood up. She looked into the empty air, and a golden light clung to her fingers.

Instinctively, she drew her sword and swung it. Time itself, which was rushing towards her, was split in two, and a tiny safe zone was created in the midst of the raging torrent.

Her single remaining sky-blue iris looked out at the flowing time.

“So, that’s how it was.”

Sword Saint gazed into the flow of time and picked out a fragment. It was someone’s memory, a fragment that had either drifted in by chance or, perhaps, was inevitably drawn to her because of her connection to Mira Crate.

Sword Saint looked into the memory and saw the truth. She saw how this world had come to be, how it was all just a novel, and how there existed a dimension beyond it, and how she herself was just a character in a novel.

“So, that was how it was.”

Rather than feeling angry, Sword Saint felt a sense of relief that all the pain had been manufactured.

The fact that her defeat at the hands of the Demon King and the crushing of her arm had been scripted, that she had been forced to act weak and carry around a teaspoon instead of a sword, all of it.

But now, it was different. From now on, everything that happened would be of her own volition. Whether she took action, encountered someone, or went somewhere, it would all be her choice.

Not the path chosen by Sword Saint Rachel, but the path chosen by human Rachel.

“Haha…… Hahaha…… Hahahahaha……!”

Sword Saint laughed, releasing the pent-up emotions that had been suppressed for decades, laughing as if her throat would tear, as she faced the flow of time. And when her laughter finally ceased, she stood before the flow of time.

She instinctively knew that if she were to be swept away by this flow, she would never return. She would be forever wandering, not knowing where she was going or what would become of her.

That was the future Sword Saint wanted.

Sword Saint gripped the sword at her left hip with a trembling hand. With her right hand, she drew her sword for the first time in years. The tingling sensation made Sword Saint smile.

Soon, her body was engulfed by the golden flow of time and disappeared.

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“…… And then, I wandered through the flow of time, encountering countless possibilities. That’s when I cut off this arm. I defeated the Demon King, so I decided to let go of the past and not be bound by it anymore. Surprisingly, I felt more comfortable with one arm than I had with two. After that, I continued to wander through time, eventually being led by a bright light to this place.”

Sword Saint took a sip of tea with her lone arm and concluded her story. I, Priscilla, and Elysier were all speechless.

“So, what you’re saying is that you killed Demon King Elysier in some unknown world, cut off your right arm as a symbol of completely overcoming your past, and then continued to wander through the flow of time, slicing through it?”

“That’s a good summary. You understood correctly.”

“…… Is it possible to cut through time?”

“I am the Sword Saint, or rather, I was. If I couldn’t do something like that, how could I bear such a title? The attack that came at you as you approached me was also an application of the method of slicing through time.”

Well, that’s a bit much.

It was impressive that Laura had created such an absurdly powerful character. I wondered how she would react if she heard that her character had sliced through the relentless flow of time and arrived here.

“But now, it’s all meaningless. To be honest, I was even considering giving up the name Rachel and truly starting over from scratch.”

Sword Saint looked down at her empty right sleeve and smiled slightly.

At first, I had intended to heal her arm with advanced healing magic. Although she had buried her severed arm in some world line that may no longer exist, it could still be regenerated with high-level healing magic.

However, the severed arm was more than just a physical limb to Sword Saint. It was a symbol of her past trauma and a reminder that she was just a character in a novel.

It wasn’t just the arm that had been cut off; it was also a part of her memory, trauma, and the very essence of Sword Saint. It wasn’t my place to meddle with such matters.

“I should thank you. If it weren’t for you giving me the opportunity to reflect on myself, I wouldn’t have made it here.”

I hadn’t intended to say that, but…

Sword Saint smiled at my awkward expression and said, “Let’s just say it’s thanks to you.”

“……”

Next to me, Elysier had been fidgeting since she realized that the person sitting here was not human Ciel but Demon King Elysier.

“Even though it wasn’t your intention at the time, the trauma you suffered was severe enough that you had to cut off your arm. Don’t cry, Ciel. I said I no longer dwell on the past.”

Sword Saint spoke gently, still referring to Elysier as Ciel.

“You didn’t mean it either. Laura, the Imperial Princess, created me and that world. How can I blame anyone for actions that weren’t their own choice? It’s meaningless to search for the past in the flow of time. I paid the price of my right arm to gain that knowledge, but you don’t have to go through the same.”

“……”

Elysier lowered her head slightly.

“Anyway, that concludes my story. As for what happened after that, you know the rest. So, where is this place? I know it’s the dimension where Laura, the Imperial Princess, and you all are from.”

I explained in the simplest terms I could, as it was obvious that Sword Saint, who was from a different world, wouldn’t understand concepts like gates and bosses.

Sword Saint looked around curiously.

“So, it seems my wish for such a space has been realized… I became that boss, and this place was created for that purpose.”

“You’ll be even more surprised when you go outside. For now, rest and relax. We’ll talk more later when everyone is gathered. Don’t worry, we’ll take responsibility, so you can rest assured.”

Sword Saint nodded. We stepped outside, and the gate was still maintained. It was natural, as the boss, Sword Saint, hadn’t died.

“What happened?”

“It’s a regenerative type. We couldn’t kill it.”

At the mention of a regenerative type, the hunters who had rushed over upon seeing the gate still open stiffened.

“We’ve made sure no one can get in, so just stand guard and make sure no one enters. We’ll be back later. We’ll let you know the schedule for today.”

“Yes, yes! We understand!”

Sword Saint and I hid ourselves with invisibility magic and took a step back. Sword Saint watched with interest as Priscilla and Elysier, in their roles as guild masters, gave instructions to the A-grade hunters.

The two of them opened a dimensional door and headed to the top floor of the Eternal Guild headquarters. Sword Saint was amazed as she looked around at the surroundings on the way there.

“So, what should we do now?”

We were unsure about Sword Saint’s accommodations. While it was impossible to decline her request to stay on Earth instead of returning to the original world, we had to consider the fact that she no longer wanted to be addressed as Sword Saint.

“I have cut myself off from the past, but the people of that world still remember me as Sword Saint. It might be better to let them continue to do so.”

Indeed, the truth would be shocking to the people of that world.

The long-lost Sword Saint had reappeared, only to deny her identity and ask them not to refer to her as Sword Saint anymore, revealing that she was now an amputee.

If we revealed what had happened, they would learn things they shouldn’t know. To prevent that, it was best to let her stay here.

“No. I’ll stay here with you, Sword Saint… or should I say, Rachel. You two go ahead.”

“…… Priscilla?”

I was surprised by her sudden declaration. Elysier also looked taken aback. We had expected Priscilla to be eager to spend time with me during the festival, but now she was volunteering to stay behind.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? I won’t object if you have other plans.”

“It doesn’t matter. Rachel, do you mind?”

“No, I’m a guest here, so it’s fine with me.”

“Then it’s settled. Go ahead. I’ll wait for you.”

Priscilla waved casually.

It wasn’t like her to be so indifferent about being separated from me. Something was up.

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After Mira and Elysier left, puzzled by the situation, Priscilla led Sword Saint to an empty room.

“You can stay here. First, take a warm bath and relax. I’ll teach you how to do it.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”

At those words, Sword Saint flinched. Soon, she sighed in resignation.

“Of course. What do you want in return?”

“Do you have any dating experience?”

“…… Dating?”

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Elysier and I ended up wandering around the festival grounds just the two of us. Everyone was surprised that Priscilla had volunteered to stay behind, as they knew how much she had been looking forward to spending time with me.

“Are you going to dress up or something?”

“Priscilla?”

Although some suggested that she might have other plans, we dismissed the idea, knowing that Priscilla wouldn’t act that way around me.

After finishing her explanation, Elysier grabbed my wrist and led me to a secluded spot behind a large tree. She put on a neck restraint that tightened when infused with mana and lifted her skirt to her navel, revealing her underwear.

The area of the fabric was barely half the size of my palm, and the strings tied around her hips were so loose that they would come undone with the slightest tug.

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

“…… What?”

As I stood there dumbfounded, Elysier took my hand and placed it on the restraint connected to her neck. Then, she caressed her slightly swollen abdomen.

“But I couldn’t find the punching machine, so…”

Kwuuk, her hand pressed down on the slightly protruding area.

“Here, I’ve prepared an alternative.”