In the Holy Kingdom of Fernand, one of the twelve High Priests, Garoth, looked puzzled and turned towards the source of the noise.
“Met with the Sword Saint?”
It was quite an intriguing current issue. ‘Julian’ might not be as famous as in the Empire, but he was quite well-known here in the Holy Kingdom, albeit mostly for his notorious reputation.
Moreover, Garoth had some understanding of why he was so obsessed with the person known as the ‘Sword Saint.’
“How did it turn out? Both of them… I wouldn’t know if it’s greed, but I wish at least one of them ended up incapacitated.”
Garoth, unbecomingly for a High Priest, smirked maliciously.
“Unfortunately, it seems that neither side sustained serious injuries.”
Garoth displayed a hint of disappointment upon hearing the report from Heukwi (the Pretender) but also sighed in relief.
The Sword Saint, originally from the Empire, held a lofty reputation known throughout the continent.
Moreover, no one who simply matched him in swordsmanship had ever beaten him. What if it became known that the Sword Saint had been defeated by his own disciple? The prestigious name ‘Sword Saint’ would have been dulled, and a new formidable figure would have emerged in the Empire.
“How did the other High Priests react to their clash?”
“Lord Jeoncheonjureok and Lady Shalana did express some doubts.”
Jeoncheonjureok (the All-Heaven Force). At the mention of that name, Garoth frowned slightly.
The atmosphere turned colder, and Heukwi bowed slightly, adding respectfully,
“Still, it seems there will be no major movements yet.”
“Indeed, that gentleman is only interested in the Sword Saint’s solitary battle, so that would be the expected response. As for Shalana… she might have her reservations about it, but it’s unlikely she’ll be moved easily.”
Heukwi nodded as if agreeing, and suddenly a troubled expression appeared on Garoth’s face.
Time was running out.
Now that the baptism ceremony had ended, there was no longer any pretext for holding Ulysses in the Holy Kingdom.
At this critical moment, when brainwashing was absolutely necessary, no method could be ruled out.
‘The policy of reconciliation with the Empire’ had helped me rise to the position of High Priest.’
But there must always be a contingency plan.
Garoth was well aware of this.
Now, he had no choice but to adopt a hard-line approach.
***
It was clear that obtaining the sacred relics was important, but one thing had been overlooked.
“Well then, shall we start preparing to head back?”
Why the rush from the crack of dawn?
Although it was superficial, wasn’t the reason I came here ‘to escort Ulysses’?
And just like that, I couldn’t just suggest going to the arena.
“The carriage is ready.”
“As expected, Sir Julian. I really like how prompt you are.”
As Ulysses boarded the carriage, the journey back to the Empire officially began.
…How should I bring it up? Should I say I have business at the arena? Even if ‘Julian’ is shameless, there needs to be a reason and justification.
“Uh… Sir Julian, that building over there in the distance, what is it used for?”
Amidst this, Ulysses pointed to the place I wanted to go.
“That’s the arena. It’s one of the cultural facilities in Artea, the capital of the Holy Kingdom.”
“Indeed, Sir Julian. You’re not just excellent in swordsmanship?”
“As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been here.”
I chuckled briefly and took another look at Ulysses’s face.
His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he peered through the carriage window at the ‘arena.’
If there’s an opening and you don’t strike, you’re no swordsman.
“Would you like to visit?”
“Huh?”
“While we do have arenas in our empire, none are as grand as this one. In the holy city of Artea, the arena is considered the top cultural facility.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, and there’s one thing that’s different from our empire.”
‘Arenas are all the same, aren’t they?’ Ulysses said, to which I added,
“There’s something called ‘Matu’ here where gladiators fight demons.”
“Oh…”
Curiosity quickly turned into interest.
Right, got your interest?
Want to check it out?
“Ah, but there’s no reason for someone as noble as Prince Ulysses to visit such a vile place. I apologize. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
I know that pushing too hard here would make my motives too obvious.
Stepping back like this should help pique his interest.
“No, I’ve become interested in this ‘vile behavior’! I’d like to see it, is that okay?”
“Even so, a place fit for a prince of a nation to visit is…”
“No, I want to go. I want to see it!”
If he insists that much, I’ll take him. Hmph.
“Miss Linne, since the prince wishes it, we are going to briefly visit the arena. Would that be alright?”
The courteous ‘Julian’ also asked Linne for her opinion, but no reply came.
“Miss Linne?”
“Yes, yes? Ah!”
Startled, she nearly let go of the reins but managed to grab them in a flurry.
“You are deep in thought. You might not even feel it if you fell off the horse.”
“That’s unnecessary meddling.”
At my words, Linne frowned slightly.
“You are not maintaining the proper demeanor of an escort. Did you hear what the prince said?”
“…Uh.”
She muttered something akin to a groan and hung her head low.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“His Highness the Prince said he would like to visit the arena before returning to the kingdom.”
At my words, she simply nodded.
The disdain she had shown towards the arena when we first arrived was nowhere to be seen now.
“Then we shall head to the arena.”
Saying that, I rode the horse back to the carriage where Ulysses was.
‘She seems downhearted.’
Otherwise, it wouldn’t fit the character of ‘Linne’ at all.
Although irritable, her genuine admiration for the ‘Sword Saint’ is real.
Such a ‘Sword Saint’ is now engaging in strange actions that would tarnish all his achievements, making it hard for her to accept.
‘It’s tough for me, imagine what it’s like for someone involved.’
What if it were the ‘me’ from the past?
The protagonist of <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord>, the Sword Saint, has sought asylum in the Holy Kingdom.
At the same time, ‘demonization’ is progressing, and he’s ignoring an important event, the ‘Black Knight’!
How would I feel if I heard such news?
‘Uh…’
Thinking about it now, the result is somewhat like the current ‘me.’
With that thought, I felt like encouraging Linne.
Hang in there.
But don’t, like someone, send a lengthy letter or a notification to delete the game to the game developers.
Then you’d end up like me.
***
Artea’s famous attraction, the myriad-kind arena, seemed to pique Ulysses’s curiosity immensely as he looked around everywhere.
From the arena itself to the spectator stands and even the VIP rooms, and the cages where demons for the matches were kept.
“There really are demons in the arena… Hey, is there a way to raise these demons?”
Among other things, Ulysses showed interest in the demons stationed at the arena. He approached someone who looked like a keeper and began to inquire about their environment and what they eat.
Watching Ulysses, I thought, ‘It wouldn’t hurt to leave him for a moment.’
It’ll just be for a short while, I can leave his guard to Linne during that time.
“Just a moment, I will entrust the prince’s guard to you, Linne.”
“What?”
“I have personal business to attend to.”
“Is your business so urgent that you would neglect your escort duties?”
Of course. I need to retrieve a sacred object. But I can’t say that honestly, so I decided to be vague.
“It’s a physiological need.”
“Ah…”
Linne seemed to accept this explanation and nodded. Then, I moved on towards my destination.
I arrived at a warehouse where the items of the Grand Arena are stored.
Heading towards ‘Warehouse 8’, a gaunt man holding a clipboard looked at me.
“Huh? Who are you?”
He’s not a noble or a priest of the Holy Kingdom, just someone who works at the Grand Arena. The man’s name is Kusat, the ‘Type 8’ manager. I remember his name because I’ve been here so often.
His job involves managing lost and found items and objects that have been left unclaimed past their rental period at the arena.
“I’ve come to look for something I forgot.”
“Forgot something? What did you forget?”
“Stupidly enough, I’ve even forgotten what it was.”
It sounded like a pointless remark, but it was actually a ‘keyword’.
When the protagonist, the Sword Saint, learned about the existence of the ‘Justice Bell’ sacred object and came to this place, this is something he could say from the choices available.
“Hmm… then, it seems you’ll have to live having forgotten it.”
“I’m sorry, but since it’s a valuable object, may I please have a look inside the Type 8 storage?”
Kusat frowned at the request to check inside the storage he managed.
“I kindly ask for your permission.”
Then, I placed a small pouch on top of his clipboard.
It contained 100 nars worth of gold coins. It’s a method I could never imagine using in my original country.
Giving a bribe is truly a dangerous act, especially since I don’t know what amount of bribe is usually effective.
There’s no guarantee that it will definitely succeed, and if caught, it would surely lead to troublesome complications.
‘This was how it was done in the original work.’
Our protagonist, the ‘Sword Saint,’ secured the sacred objects this way.
The only word displayed on the screen at the time was ‘bribery.’
That’s why I put in a lot.
“Cough, cough.”
Seeing the pouch of gold coins, the man picked it up and coughed falsely.
“I don’t know what you’ve forgotten, but give it up. Ah…, right, I should go have lunch now.”
The manager picked up the pouch and started to walk away.
His intentions were transparent.
“Shall I search through it?”
As Manager Kusat disappeared from view, I began rummaging through the warehouse. It didn’t take long; I had obtained this ‘sacred object’ numerous times before. Although I wondered if there might be something else, as expected, this was all there was to find here.
“Here it is.”
The familiar shape of the box slipped out as I muttered to myself. Inside the small, worn box was an unsightly wooden bell that caught my eye.
‘The sacred bell, Bell of Night.’
It’s been a long time. After getting used to <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord>, this was always a sacred object I obtained. Lifting the handle, I felt a rough texture, and somehow, a sense of familiarity seeped through my skin.
⇒ New trait acquired: ‘Understanding of Demonic Nature.’
It’s been a while since I’ve seen these words. The primary function of the sacred object, ‘Bell of Night,’ is to scatter the demonic energy around when the bell rings. Although its effect is so slight that it might as well be said to have none.
‘It’s safe to say, this sacred object exists merely to counteract the demonic essence.’
The only conventionally useful aspect of obtaining ‘Bell of Night’ is the byproduct trait ‘Understanding of Demonic Nature.’ As the name suggests, this trait enhances understanding of demonic essence, making it easier to sense the lingering thoughts of Barbatos, a demon who sowed chaos across the continent even in death.
‘For instance, like this…’
I closed my eyes and concentrated, as if using ‘Mana Detection.’ This time, I was seeking out beings harboring demonic energy within them. I thought it would be challenging, but recalling my experience using ‘Mana Detection,’ it was surprisingly easy.
‘I can even feel the demons that Ulysses saw.’
It was astonishing to feel them despite some distance. At the same time, as it was demonic energy, an uncomfortable itching and crawling sensation on my skin was inevitable.
‘And there’s more.’
Expanding my range for application, other demons present at the Grand Arena also made their presence known. These were likely the demons being bred for the main event and bloodbath known as ‘Matu,’ the gladiator and demon fight.
‘Should I expand the search a bit more?’
Feeling a surge of exhilaration from experiencing this familiar trait after a long time, I decided to extend my range a bit further. However, I soon realized that now was not the time to be indulging in this place. Officially, I had left on the pretext of a physiological need.
‘It’s not the time for games. I should return…’
As I was about to end the trait, an unpleasant sensation crawled over my skin. <Understanding of Demonic Nature> had detected a demon.
‘Underground?’
The discomfort pointed downward. The problem was the number of sources.
‘It’s not just one or two.’
At least dozens. Among them were demons with a demonic energy so intense it was absurd. A chill-inducing, unpleasant aura. I had felt this level of demonic energy before.
‘Tri-horn demons.’
The very demons that carry soul stones within them. Their power was incomparable, emanating demonic energy characteristic of ‘Tri-horn’ demons.
Cliche Novel 