Chapter 26
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nThis is the second time since facing Gilitender that I’ve met the protagonist as soon as I traveled to another world.
nI didn’t think much of it at that time because I wasn’t myself back then, but I’m different now.
nWhat’s my chance of winning against a level 70 head on?
nWhat’s my chance of winning if I ambush her now?
nThere is no answer.
nI am a hunter, and a hunter does not fight head on.
nIn order to hunt those who are stronger than myself, I have to thoroughly prepare.
n“What’s the matter?”
n“Nothing.”
nFortunately, the red haired protagonist, who looks to only be around 10, is not aware that I’m a hunter.
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nIndeed, it was a really good thing.
n< The Duke of Almus is the most prestigious family when it comes to swordsmanship in the Alethea Empire. >
n< Alethea Empire is strictly a place where martial arts are practiced, so it’s best to refrain from using magic. >
n‘Why?’
n< Because magic is exclusively used by witches in this world. >
n< And here, witches are the enemy of all mankind. >
n< No witch survived after the last witch hunt a year ago. >
nIt wasn’t surprising that there are other worlds with magic.
nIt also wasn’t surprising that I would eventually come across one where magic is ostracized.
nBy the way, if no witch survived, who’s the girl in front of me?
n< The protagonist is in a state of ‘possession.’ >
n< She was the last witch, and after being killed by the Duke of Almus, she possessed princess Ella and lived on. >
n…Crazy.
nJust hearing it gave me goosebumps.
nIt’s a shame Ella is the protagonist, but what if it was the Duke of Almus who was possessed?
nWhat if he finds out that the worst enemy of humanity he killed has possessed his daughter?
nThere will be no good ending.
nShould I say that I’m really glad Ella is the protagonist?
n‘By the way, what the hell is a witch?’
n< It’s a superior race to human, being able to use magic naturally from birth. >
n< They can handle magic and have a much longer lifespan than humans, but they have no emotions at all. >
n‘Really?’
nFollowing Ella, I listened to her talk.
n“That resident is Camillia and that…It’s the residences of the knights and guests respectively. And over there…”
nHer voice was gentle, polite, and thoughtful.
nShe would greet the passing maids and butlers with a ‘good morning.’
nShe looked so kind and beautiful saying hello to everyone.
n‘Are witches really emotionless?’
nElla, who was smiling and waving her hands, looked like an angel.
nAlso, while Ella and I were walking, a servant accidentally dropped a plate, and instead of reprimanding the servant, she approached to help.
n“T-thank you! Princess!”
n“No, please be careful.”
nI was having my doubts.
nDo nobles usually treat their servants with respect?
nThe image of what I knew about nobles and witches confused me.
n‘…this isn’t a good protagonist, is it?’
nAlthough their existence itself puts the world in danger by law of causality, the Client once said that not all protagonists are necessarily bad.
nThough, whether the protagonist is good or bad, what I do doesn’t change.
nEven the existence of good protagonists will slowly destroy their world, so I wasn’t just going to say, ‘Oh, they’re nice, so I’m going to let them live.’
nI have no intention of changing my mind just because of that.
nThe reason I kill protagonists is to live, and it’s a selfish act.
nBalancing worlds is just one of the consequences.
nNothing shall stand in my way of trying to survive.
nAll is fair game in this game called ‘life.’
nThat’s not to say what I do is fair.
nI don’t intend to justify what I do.
nRather, it is what it is.
n‘This little girl, if I try to kill her now, I would be the one dying instead…’
nI can’t be sure of Ella’s personality after only briefing interacting with her.
nAn investigation is necessary.
nAfter walking for a long time, Ella guided me to a training hall.
nThis magnificent mansion is said to have more than seven training buildings, with Ella using the third one.
nIn a place where hundreds of knights were gathered, Ella introduced me.
n“This is Sir Yoo Seodam, from now on he will guide me in swordsmanship.”
nThe knights did not clap or speak.
nThey just remained silent with a sharp look.
nIt suddenly became quite awkward standing here.
n“Nice to meet you. I’m Erache, 3rd squad leader of the Knights of Camellia.”
nA middle-aged man with an impressive mustache shook my hand.
nSomehow it felt like meeting a movie star, but I quickly dismissed that feeling.
n“Nice to meet you.”
n“…By the way. I’ve never heard of Sir Seodam’s name even when I was wandering out in the world. May I ask where you’ve resided?”
nShit.
nHow can I explain this?
nWhen I looked around, Ella quietly stared at me, curious as well.
nErache’s question was normal.
nAn instructor was invited to teach the second daughter swordsmanship, yet he has never even heard of this instructor’s name.
nDoes that make sense?
nI have always flowed along the river of fate, but now a stone has fallen in, forming ripples in the river.
nErache sensed something was wrong.
nAnyways, no matter if I am a stone or whatever, the flow of the river will not stop for me.
nSlowly taking out my aether sword, I spoke.
n“I came from a far away place you won’t know.”
n“Then…”
n“I’ll show you instead.”
nThis was kind of a gamble.
nThe other day, I recalled what Gilitender said when he saw my aether blade.
n‘It’s sword intent that only appears in legend.’
nSword intent.
nIt’s a very common word.
nIt’s a technique that only ‘master swordsmen’ could use.
nWiiiing!!
n“Hmm?!”
n“Oh…!”
n“Oh, my. Master swordsman…!”
nMaster swordsmen seem to be able to infuse their swords with light as well.
nEven if that wasn’t the case, I have other methods to pass this hiccup.
nIt was just easier this way.
nI slowly walked towards the rock, and lightly swung my sword.
nMy 2nd-Grade aether sword very easily sliced the rock.
n“As expected. That’s amazing.”
n“Did you swing slowly so it would be easier for us to see?”
nNo, I did it with all my strength.
n“A swordsman who has achieved the stage of master. That’s amazing.”
nSaid Erache, nodding his head and coughing.
nThen, he looked at me and spoke.
n“It’s not everyday I get a chance to witness a master swordsman. Is there any chance we can spar…”
n“No.”
nIt was a terrible thing to instantly say.
nErache’s position seems higher than mine, but I only know how to swing glow sticks and my physical ability is poor.
nTherefore, I must turn down all requests for a fight.
n“I was seriously injured during a battle, so it’s hard to move now. My technique still remains, so I want to pass it on. Thus, I became a tutor.”
n“Oh my. Really…! This, I was too rude.”
nIf anything, what I’m doing to you guys is rude.
nSo, that’s how I managed to blend in as an instructor.
nThe Duke of Almus has five children.
nThe eldest son, Phil Almus, is 27 years old and on the verge of becoming a master swordsman.
nThe eldest daughter, Haren Almus, is 22 years old and a professional swordsman.
nThe second daughter, Ella Almus, is 15 years old with little achievement.
nAnd the last two are side characters.
nTo be honest, knowing the names of the eldest son and daughter was annoying, but as I listened, I had no choice but to find out.
n“Right. Did you know? Princess Ella had a terrible illness until a year ago and couldn’t even get up.”
nIt’s a common possession cliché.
nThe princess fell ill, then another soul took over.
n“But the amazing thing is, the moment the Duke of Almus stabbed the heart of the last witch with his sword, princess Ella opened her eyes. It’s amazing, isn’t it? Maybe the princess was cursed!”
n“Aye. The maid there! What are you talking about to the instructor!”
n“A-ahem! Anyways. Can you tell me this some other time?”
n“Of course.”
nBecause there was no class today, after Ella dismissed me, I poked around and searched this place.
nIt turns out that this mansion is enormous.
nFrankly speaking, it’s almost the same size as a small village.
nAnd it wasn’t even a castle but a mansion.
n“Come to think of it…Did the princess’s personality change after the curse?”
n“Well. There’s one thing.”
n“What do you mean?”
n“I don’t know, like, before she recovered from her illness she was a total stranger…Something like that.”
nThrowing plates and candlesticks at the littlest inconvenience, hitting maids and knights, or screaming in the morning because she was hungry.
nTherefore, nobody in this mansion liked her at all, and everyone was worried because she was the second daughter of a master swordsman but didn’t even think of holding a sword.
nWhile the eldest son and daughter have already made a name for themselves with their outstanding talents, Ella did not even want to do anything.
nThen, princess Ella collapsed one day, and the moment the Duke of Almus pierced the last witch’s heart.
nPrincess Ella woke up with a 180 degrees change in personality.
n“She became polite to everyone, took classes she was behind in, and even became interested in swordsmanship.”
n“Aye. I hope she doesn’t strain herself too much.”
n“Don’t you think the princess is reassuring?”
nWhile listening, I turned my head to look out the window at the training ground.
nDespite it being late afternoon and the knights’ training session being over, Ella was still swinging her wooden sword.
nHonestly, it’s unbelievable that she’s level 70.
nMost of those levels are probably due to her magic.
nSo, I shouldn’t hastily go after her until I know what magic she has.
nWell, if it’s just swordsmanship, at best, she’s only a little better than Celeste.
nThat’s when it comes to technique.
nIt’s fortunate that her physical ability is at a very weak level.
nThe reason why she, who has a weak body, can show such outstanding swordsmanship is probably because the basic swordsmanship here is very good.
nProtagonist Ella used the skill Almus Secret Swordsmanship Style (SS )
nThat must be her golden spoon.
nShe can learn a SS Rank skill just because she was born into a good family.
n“Well, she was originally a healthy person. Those witches were the real problem.”
n“But I’m glad they’re all dead.”
n“…”
nThe maid’s tone changed at the mention of witches.
nA voice full of hatred.
nIt was a sincere hatred from the heart.
n“You seem to have a lot of hatred for witches.”
n“Of course.”
n“It’s my first time on this continent, so are the witches here the same?”
n“Oh, it’s the same everywhere.”
nThe maids told me all the horrible things the witches had done to humans without reservation, and it was so cruel that it made even me frown upon.
nOn top of that, the last witch was such a terrible existence that it scarred half the continent.
n“The last witch…”
n“His excellency finally caught the last witch!”
nShortly.
n“I lost both my parents to that last witch.”
n“I lost my hometown. Damn it.”
n“Me too…I lost my husband.”
nPerhaps because the last witch was the most notorious, she left the deepest impression in their mind.
nWhile listening quietly, I heard a sweet and soft voice from behind.
nIt was Ella.
n“What’s the matter?”
n“Oh, young miss. Aye, I’m suddenly reminded of my hometown…!”
n“What happened to your hometown?”
n“Because of that last rotten witch…Ah! I’m sorry, young miss. Forgive my language…”
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n“No, it’s okay.”
nElla smiled, hugged the maid, then spoke.
n“It must be hard losing your hometown. I can’t be of much help, but I hope I can comfort you.”
n“Ah. Young miss…”
nWas this what it’s like when an angel came down from heaven?
nEveryone teared up, moved by her caring heart, but I looked at Ella with a puzzled look.
nThe last witch.
nWasn’t that none other than Ella?
n“If only I could share the pain with you, I would be happy to grieve with you.”
nThat’s nothing but a **ing psychopath.
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