I watched Selene sortie with her army on the top of a hill.
They left Hanya, marching towards a town called Amphis.
It is a town that supplies provisions and commodities to the Hanya Fortress. Although the town itself does not have any specialties, one could clearly see how well paved and maintained its roads leading to Hanya.
「Shall we go then」
『Umu』
I took out my Warp Feather and warped to a place I have visited before.
The Royal Capital Rethim, The Summer Palace.
It’s a place where I’ve visited with Selene and Helene.
「Hya! W-Whoーー」
I made the maid who I met instantly after appearing in the palace garden with a chop to her neck.
The maid fainted and collapsed. I pulled her to an embrace and hid her in the bushes.
『Why are you hiding her there? Are you planning on taking her home for laters?』
「There would be a commotion if someone finds her lying on the ground right? I don’t like to find trouble before I get Xiphos」
『I see』
Eleanor was convinced.
I released my aura and enveloped myself.
It’s an aura that makes me invisible to other people.
As long as I’m enveloped by it, no one can see me unless they have the same level of power as Eleanorーーin short, it’s almost impossible for anyone to see me.
「I just thought right now」
『Umu?』
「This, can Hikari see through it?」
『Oh Darling, are you worried about the daughter marrying off now?』
I flicked Eleanor who’s making unfunny jokes.
「I’m not talking about that right now」
『Kuku. Don’t worry. It would take Hikari a hundred years before she reaches my level』
It’s not like I’m worried, but……I see.
Well then, I should start moving now.
「Eleanor, where’s Xiphos? You can feel where it is right?」
『I’m trying since we arrived, but I can’t find it. It’s either it’s being sealed, or it’s not here anymore』
「Can you check which one it is?」
『……lend me your powers』
「My powers?」
『That one, that power lending ability of yours』
「Ahh, that huh. Alright, what should I lend you?」
『Your eyesight』
「You’re literally looking for it?」
I found it a little surprising and funny.
「Lend Eleanor eyesight」
【Eyesight will be lent to Demon Sword Eleanor. Time Remaining: 4 minutes 59 seconds】
The instant I lent it to her, I could feel the obvious change in my eyesight.
I feel like the world looks as bad as it felt in my previous world.
『I found it』
「That’s quick. Where is it?」
A map flowed into my head after I asked her.
It’s the map inside the palace. It looks like it’s a little far from here, deep inside the palace.
I went towards there.
Enveloped with the invisibility aura, while passing by guards and maids, I went straight towards the destination.
『Even so』
「n?」
『Including that time in Siracuza, you are really doing such a roundabout way of doing things. If you use me……if you use me and Hikari, you can end this way with a few warps and swinging of swords』
「If I do that, it won’t help Selene right?」
『That’s why I’m saying it’s a roundabout way』
I think so too though.
I continued to advance while chatting about unimportant things with Eleanor.
Deep inside the Summer Palace. I advanced deep enough that noises can’t be heard outside even if there’s a commotion.
I stopped encountering anyone and the air around me started to feel cold and still.
『It looks more like a prison than a palace quarter』
「Thank goodness I didn’t let Iris marry into here」
『I agree. This place doesn’t fit that girl』
Advancing furthermore, I arrived in front of a huge gate.
It’s a massive gate with the Aegina Kingdom’s emblem embedded on it.
「It’s here, huh……」
I touched the gate and sparks scattered.
『I told you it’s sealed』
「My bad, I forgot. What should I do?」
『You only need to use me and hit it. With full force』
A seal that strongーーI thought, but I noticed it’s not like that.
Since I’ve been connected to Eleanor, I could somewhat feel her emotions.
This girl, she only wants to be swung in full force in the name of breaking the seal.
Since that night, when we watched the starry sky during the war in Siracuza, she started to wish more of this.
And of course, there’s no reason for me to deny her of that. I unsheathed Eleanor and took a stance.
「Let’s go」
『Umu』
I stepped forward and swung down Eleanor.
While I did so, I felt a little resistance from a barrier, but it easily disappeared with Eleanor and my full strength.
A hole was created just to fit a single person on the wall.
I entered and saw an altar.
It’s an altar that looks similar to the one I saw in Mercouri.
One sword was placed on top of that altar.
The Demon Sword I came for, Xiphos.
「We found it」
『What will you do next?』
「Before that, there’s something that I need to do」
I found a stone statue behind the altar where Xiphos is.
It’s a stone statue twice as tall as an adult man, and wields a sword that looks similar to Xiphos.
It started to move. Its eyes glared at me with red light flashing from it.
ーーa guardian.
「I’ll attack with full strength」
Eleanor’s blade flashed with waves flowing through it.
I thought I heard some words like “is it an opponent worthy of that?”.
It was not like I heard a voice or listened to such words.
It’s just like what I felt earlier.
While feeling a little weird about knowing the wordless emotions from Eleanor, I charged towards the stone statue.
I hit it with Eleanor!
I split the stone statue into two.
「Just this much?」
『Looks like it’s not』
「It regenerates huh」
The stone statue that was split into two stood up. The place where I cut it stuck together.
And finally, it returned to normal, as if nothing happened to it.
『Kuku, that’s quite some regenerative ability』
*Don!*
The stone statue swung down its stone sword and the floor split and exploded.
「It looks quite powerful」
『How formidable』
「It looks formidable」
Though, I don’t think of that at all. It’s just a simple chat with Eleanor.
This time, I released a flurry of slashes and chopped the stone statue into pieces.
I reduced the stone statue into powder that scattered in the ground.
However, it immediately started to move, gather, and return to normal.
「What’s this? I think I met this guy before」
『You mean that lord of the valley?』
「Ahh, Orycuto. Yeah, this thing looks like him」
Orycuto, the stone monster that lives in Orycudite Valley.
Its feature is that it’s probably immortal. It would regenerate no matter how many times its destroyed and reduced to dust.
I continued my slashes with Eleanor. This time, I split into four with a cross slash.
The stone statue regenerates. It combined its four severed parts.
It regenerated back to normal, butーー.
「The speed it regenerates is slower than before」
『It’s not as strong as Orycuto huh』
「Since it’s like that, what I need to do is obvious」
I broke the stone statue.
It regenerated, but I broke it again.
After it regenerated, I thoroughly crushed it.
The stone statue’s regeneration speed decreased each time I destroyed it.
It regenerates completely within ten seconds at first, it then took a minute, then five minutes.
And finally, it stopped regenerating even though I’ve waited for ten minutes.
I looked down at the stone statue, no, the stone remains with Eleanor.
The guardian’s defeated. Next is Xiphos.
Xiphos pulsed. It pulsed like the one from Mercouri.
『And then? What are you going to do?』
「Do you remember what we did when we left Rethim before?」
『When we took the King from here?』
「That’s right. I’m going to do the same thing at that time」
『At that time? ……ah!』
She finally remembered huh.
That’s right. At that time, I released more powers than my 100%, grabbed the aura from Eleanor, and spread it throughout the royal capital.
The side-effect was, it turned Eleanor younger at that time.
『That wasーー』
「I’ll do that with Xiphos. I’ll mount it using your powers」
『……hou』
Eleanor who seemed to blush and flustered, started to seem to be having fun.
『You’re brainwashing Xiphos huh, not the King』
「That’s right」
『Alright. Try to do it』
I approached Xiphos while holding Eleanor.
It pulsed stronger. The light it released from its blade started to look more sinister.
Just like all Demon Swords do.
Howeverーーit was far weaker than Eleanor.
I released the aura and enveloped Xiphos.
I felt resistance, but I didn’t care and suppressed it.
Just like suppressing a raging dog by pushing its head down.
I eroded the raging Xiphos with Eleanor’s aura.
What was born was a pure, honest, child-like personality.