Chapter 93
Unfortunately, the chimera Daphne had faced was not the only one.
But fortunately for them, they had Heros Akion.
[Kkeeeek!]
With a single swing of his sword, the charging chimera’s body was split cleanly in two,
[Guuh……eok?]
and the head of another chimera, which had failed to notice Heros’s sword, went flying.
Even so, there was not the slightest change in Heros’s expression.
His breathing did not even seem labored.
It was simply the same indifferent and cold face he had shown when he first appeared before them, devoid of emotion.
The only difference from before was that he was holding Daphne in his arms.
“My chest feels so grand…… This is the war. ri. or. He. ros?”
At Teppy’s muttering, Rache, who was beside him, chimed in.
“Maybe all the swordsmen I’ve seen so far were fakes. Seriously…… I can’t even get the words out. How can someone use a sword like that?”
“To think that we’re supposed to succeed someone like that.”
Morris muttered emptily.
“Is that even possible.”
He was feeling a deep sense of frustration.
Morris Stone had pride in his own talent.
Being bigger than his peers from a young age, he naturally took up the sword.
Having started two steps ahead of others, he always looked upward as he climbed, firmly believing that he himself would eventually stand at the very top.
But.
Now that he had actually witnessed the one standing at that very summit…….
Morris lowered his gaze and looked at his own hands.
They were thick and large like those of an adult man, but they did not seem as impressive as Heros’s.
No matter how much he struggled, it felt like he would never even reach Heros’s toes.
That made him gloomy, and that gloom turned into frustration.
At that moment, Daphne’s words, spoken as if in passing, came back to him.
– Who said they would succeed the warrior.
– I will become someone even greater than the warrior.
At the time, Morris and Rache had snorted, saying she was talking nonsense.
They might have even replied that she was indulging in delusions.
But now that he thought back on it, Daphne, who could say such things with confidence, felt truly amazing.
Hadn’t Daphne seen the warrior’s power firsthand?
Hadn’t she watched with her own eyes just how incredible a swordsman he was?
And yet she did not give up, boldly declaring that she would surpass the warrior, and truly saved all of them like a warrior.
At the cost of sacrificing her own body.
Morris felt not only gloom and frustration, but shame as well.
[Kkeeeek!]
With a slash—! the body of the last charging chimera was sent flying, and the surroundings were cleared.
Only then did Heros slowly come to a stop and relax the tension around his eyes.
Then he looked down at Daphne, who was asleep in his arms.
“…….”
For some reason, Daphne seemed to grow paler and thinner every time he saw her.
He tried to wipe away the bloodstains on her cheek, but soon realized that his own hands were dirty as well, frowned, and clicked his tongue.
It was the first change of expression he had shown since arriving here.
“Um, e-excuse me, warrior.”
At that moment, Bunny, who had been standing just behind him, cautiously stepped forward.
Her entire body was trembling, and he looked so unsettled that it seemed she might burst into tears if someone touched him.
Gulp.
Swallowing his dry saliva, Bunny carefully held out a handkerchief.
“W-w-would you like to use this……?”
Heros looked at her with an indifferent gaze, then accepted the handkerchief.
“Thank you.”
And immediately wiped the blood from Daphne’s cheek.
His touch was so gentle that it felt as if he were handling a fragile glass doll.
“……He’s gentle.”
Cilia muttered softly as she watched, and the other children agreed.
“So even the strongest being in the world is gentle to his daughter. My chest feels so grand…….”
“Why does your chest keep getting grander?”
“Because that’s the only fancy-sounding expression you know.”
“That’s something to be proud of.”
Heros, unable to follow the context of the children’s conversation, remained still for a moment, then turned his gaze.
He had sensed a presence.
A chimera?
Or the black mage who caused all this?
Whatever it was, Heros’s behavior was enough to make the children tense.
They gathered together and stood behind him.
But Heros himself remained as relaxed as ever.
“You’re late.”
He spoke toward the parting bushes.
Kenrick’s face peeked out.
“H-huh? Y-Your Excellency?”
“Oh my goodness! I felt something from far away and thought reinforcements had arrived, but it was you, Your Excellency. What a relief! None of you are hurt, right? You’re all okay, right?”
Fiona, who appeared right after, widened her eyes as she examined Heros and the children.
Fortunately, none of the children seemed hurt…… Daphne?
“Daphne?!”
Kenrick shouted without realizing it.
At that, Rache and elf Teiti, who had been at the very back, rushed over in an instant.
“Lady Daphne?! You’re hurt?! Why?
How did this happen? Did you make a mistake? Were you careless? You were careless!”
“Daphne is hurt? Where? Where? Let me see!”
They had rushed out with the sole thought of checking Daphne’s condition, never imagining that she would be in Heros’s arms.
“Uh…… h-hello, Your Excellency.”
As a result, Rache froze stiff, and Teiti glanced back and forth between Heros and Daphne, carefully reading the situation.
“She is only suffering from mana exhaustion. Teiti, I’ll leave her to you.”
Teiti obediently accepted Daphne.
She seems to have lost even more weight than before.
Feeling a sting in her heart, Teiti sniffled.
Then he took out a mana stone and placed it into Daphne’s mouth.
That’s right, that’s right. Eat well. Eat a lot.
He muttered as he did so.
Meanwhile, Rache was hopping in place nervously.
Not only had he never imagined Heros would appear here, but for some reason, it felt as though Heros’s gaze was blaming him.
He clenched his fists tightly and bowed his head.
“I-I’m sorry. I should have watched more carefully, but since it was a test, I couldn’t stay by Daphne’s side. I’m truly sorry. I should have been with her no matter what…… What are you doing?”
As Rache spoke in a rush of emotion, he asked when he saw Heros approach him closely and sniff the air around him.
“It’s nothing. I was just checking whether you were hurt.”
“……Yes?”
“It seems you’re not. That’s a relief. Then let’s return now.”
Why would you sniff while checking for injuries……? No, more importantly, Heros was worried about me? Why? How? What is this?
Heros passed by him, but Rache was still rolling his eyes, unable to collect his thoughts.
The one who approached Rache in that state was Kenrick, who looked just as bewildered.
“Hey.”
With a strange expression, Kenrick said to Rache.
“His Excellency seems to have changed a bit.”
“……Yeah.”
“What do you think the reason is?”
“Hmm.”
Rache muttered with a serious face.
“Maybe he’s about to die.”
“…….”
Looking at Rache speaking so casually, Kenrick thought to himself.
This one isn’t normal either.
“…….”
The training institute was as quiet as a funeral hall.
No, at least a funeral would have the sound of wailing.
Right now, not even the sound of an ant crawling could be heard.
Gulp.
One of the children swallowed nervously, and the sound tore through the silence.
The reason it was so quiet was Heros Akion.
First of all, the black mages had attacked the training institute that had been boldly established with the sole purpose of raising the children into strong swordsmen to fight the Wraiths, and no one had been able to stop them.
If passersby had not helped, the instructors would have been trapped inside, unable to解除 the magic barrier.
And that wasn’t all.
If Heros had not been there, they would not have been able to deal with the several chimeras that appeared.
The children would not have survived like this.
That was why the instructors were all carefully reading the room, strongly feeling that they were in deep trouble, and the children……
‘So cool.’
‘I even talked to him earlier.’
‘Even just standing there, his presence is insane. I want an autograph.’
‘I wish he’d smile just once.’
They stared at Heros in a daze, full of admiration.
Meanwhile, Heros’s face was so expressionless that it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.
Seated in one corner of the lounge, he calmly looked over the children with an indifferent expression.
No one there could tell what was on his mind.
That was when it happened.
“Waaah! Daphnee!”
Nike’s scream, wailing as she searched for Daphne, echoed from the stair landing.
“Where are you! Hey! Do you know how hard it was to rescue the kids because of you?! We shoved them thirty meters underground, locked them in a cave, pushed them off a cliff, we did all sorts of crazy things! No matter how much you want points, we almost got into serious trouble…… huh?”
Nike, who had been stomping up the stairs while venting her anger toward Daphne, shut her mouth when she saw Heros sitting at the end.
Then she looked at Rache and Kenrick.
What, what happened?
Rache and Kenrick naturally avoided her gaze.
You disloyal jerks……!
“Daphne.”
Heros approached the stunned Nike.
“What did she do?”
Ssshhh—
It felt as if a cold wind blew in from somewhere.
The chilled atmosphere began to freeze over.
The cold was enough to make shoulders tremble.
“U-um, Your Excellency.”
Rache, who could at least be considered the person closest to Heros, stepped forward.
“Daphne only used a small trick to win the team battle. Just a little. It was only a small trick, but things got a bit tangled.”
For the first time, a crack appeared in Heros’s expressionless face.
He furrowed his brows and turned to look at Rache.
“What kind of trick?”
“……A dirty trick?”
“…….”
“A dirty trick like eliminating competitors in advance to earn points?”
“…….”
Heros seemed momentarily embarrassed, rubbing his face dryly and turning his head away.
At that moment, the children who had been observing Heros all along were able to see it.
The smile spreading across Heros’s lips!
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