Chapter 143
Chapter 143: The Devilish Hero
Upon arriving at Uno’s house, Seiya immediately headed to his assigned room in order to restore his MP . I spoke with Uno and Due privately after I told Rosalie to wait patiently at the entrance .
「Excuse me . I brought a girl from the twisted world . I want to ask you if you don’t mind her presence here?」
When I told them about Rosalie, Uno looked at Due’s face because Due was the one who had to approve . Her brother smiled gently .
「There’s no problem if she belongs to Mister Seiya’s party . 」
「I see! I’m glad! 」
「Let’s give her a room . We also want to cooperate with you as much as possible to save the twisted worlds…」
After I thanked them profoundly, we guided Rosalie to a room on the second floor . Rosalie humbly bowed down when we told her to rest slowly until tomorrow .
Seiya had already returned to his room by then . Afterwards, Uno and Due told me join them in the living room before I went to my room to rest . After chatting and drinking tea for a while, Uno asked me .
「That person named Rosalie…The fact that Lord Seiya brought her to the Underworld, it means that she is a human being of considerable importance?」
「Hmm . She’s certainly much stronger than average humans…But, I don’t think that’s the reason why he brought her here . 」
Since we brought this topic, I told them about what we had done so far and I confided in them my concerns .
「…Actually, Seiya treats the people of the twisted world without care . It’s clear that Rosalie is also a discarded piece . I wonder if these actions are worthy of a hero . 」
When I put the cup of tea on the table, Uno and her brother looked at me softly .
「I’ve heard from Lord Hades that all the people who live in Twisted Geabrande will return to their original state if the cause of the twist is removed . It’s better for you not to dwell too much on those who live there . After all, everything will be gone once it returns to normal . 」
「You…You are right . I know that’s the truth, but… 」
After Uno spoke with me in a calm and rational way, I thought that Seiya wasn’t wrong at all . Still, every time I was in that world, my heart ached when I saw people hurt or die .
I noticed that Due was nodding upon looking at my disheartened complexion .
「I can tell that you can’t ignore the people of that twisted world . I believe that your heart is full of compassion . 」
「Yes . She pours her emotions into illusions…That’s remarkable . That is why Lady Listarte is a goddess . 」
「Tha…That’s not true! I don’t like the sound of it! C’mon! 」
I felt as if they praised my silliness, and I felt embarrassed about it . However, the smiling brother and sister eventually tightened their faces .
「Still, what Mister Seiya is doing is the right way to approach things . Although it seems ruthless from the surface, Mister Seiya is concentrating all of his efforts towards the subjugation of the Dragon King . In the end, that’s what matters, since the Dragon King is the cause of the distortion happening in Geabrande . Mister Seiya doesn’t lack empathy just because he avoids the initial fights, or because he doesn’t care about the death of illusionary people . The reason is all for the sake of restoring the twisted world, and save all the original people who live in Geabrande . 」
「Hmm… 」
I was left with no words . When I heard Due’s response, I felt that my thoughts were somewhat self-centered and small-minded, while Seiya was acting in a big, righteous way . Well, Due didn’t exactly say it like that, but I felt that his words had that meaning . Seiya was correct no matter what I thought . I sighed suddenly .
…Ah…I never learn . Seiya was a human and I was a goddess . And yet, it seemed that our roles were reversed .
Surprisingly, Celseus was the one who changed the gloomy atmosphere . He placed a shortcake on a tray and brought it happily .
「Hi! Thank you for your continuous hospitality! Please, eat this!」
Celseus cut the cake on the table, and arranged three slices of cake for each one of us, myself included . Uno looked happy when she saw the cake with colorful fruits .
「I can see that Lord Celseus is good at making sweets! 」
Sponsored Content
「This is my main job after all! 」
「No . Hey you, your main job is the Swordsman God… 」
「It won’t hurt to have a little hobby . Lista just eat it . 」
「Hmm . I’m good . Give it to Seiya or Rosalie . 」
「I’ve already given it to them . Well, it seems that I disturbed Seiya’s sleep . He told me “so noisy, I refuse”, and then, he hit my head hard . 」
「You were hit!? 」
「Ah! But, Rosalie was delighted! 」
Celseus was smiling happily . However, if I looked closely, I could see a lump in his head . So, basically it was “I made a cake and took it with me, but I got hit in the head”… Although it was a ridiculous story, I firmly believed that Seiya would do something like that to Celseus . Who knows if Seiya did something worse than that? And yet, Celseus smiled unconsciously . It was scary for me to think that Celseus actually got used to it…!
「It looks delicious! Thank you for the food! 」
Uno ate a piece of cake with a fork, but as soon as she did it, she vomited blood .
「Atchi! It’s delicious! 」
Due also spit out blood when he took a bite from Celseus’ cake . Still, he looked overjoyed .
「Cough! This is really tasty! Burrrrp! 」
Celseus shouted in shock .
「No, actually it feels like they’re eating a poisonous cake, isn’t that right!? Is my cake really that delicious!?」
「It…It can’t be helped though . It seems normal for Uno and her brother to sneeze and vomit blood out of nowhere…」
Having said that, I lost my appetite when I saw the siblings’ fresh blood as they ate the shortcake . Therefore, I left my seat and headed for my room .
—
Next morning .
I thought that I woke up quite early . Yet, Seiya and Rosalie were already in the living room and we were talking about something .
「What happened to the home village where the Dragon King used to live?」
「Are you talking about Nakashi Village? It is in ruins now… 」
「That’s fine . There’s something I want to verify . I also want to hear all the information you know about the Dragon King and his entourage . 」
「I’ll answer whatever you want to know . 」
A serious-looking Seiya asked Rosalie numerous questions . I didn’t want to disturb their conversation . So, I listened quietly .
「…The power, which defeated not only the Demon King but also the invincible god of death Cross Tanathus, came from the holy sword Egzation . Those who are slashed by the sword cannot recover with magic nor heal themselves . 」
「Ehhhh, it has unrecoverable skills!? Does that mean that my healing magic won’t work either!?」
I was so startled that shouted aloud . When I realized what I did “oh no”, Seiya was already staring at me with a cold gaze .
「Either way, it’s not like you have magic in the first place . 」
「That’s not true!! I do have magic!! 」
Sponsored Content
「Nevertheless, if that info is true, then the Egzation is extremely dangerous . Well, I didn’t expect to win immediately . It would be too easy to win as it is, since clearing this twisted world would increase the winning rate against the subsequent twisted worlds and the battle with Merseys . To afford a path without too much obstacles, I’ll have to make sure that I defeat the Dragon King safely . 」
Seiya murmured seriously with his arms folded . The holy sword Egzation, which had unrecoverable skills, was a terrifying threat . However, I had a sense of security when I watched Seiya, who didn’t waver and kept looking for measures to win against the Dragon King .
After talking for another hour, Seiya stood up and looked down at Rosalie .
「Okay . Let’s start with your training first . 」
「Re…Really! I’ll be under your guidance! 」
Rosalie bowed deeply to Seiya . Ah but, Seiya usually gave priority to his training, right? Which means that…
I really thought that Seiya would give Rosalie the same treatment that Celseus received from his practice . However, contrary to my beliefs…
「Let’s go to the garden . Let’s practice with swords . 」
「Ehhh…!? 」
Seiya was going to guide someone during this training session!? This was something which I’ve never seen before!!
—
…In the middle of my anxiety and expectations . Seiya and Rosalie faced each other with wooden swords in the vast garden of Uno’s House . Both of them took off their armor and wore light clothing . Most probably because this was practice time .
「First, try to release your demonic power . 」
「But…But this power is already… 」
Rosalie was hesitating . It had not been long since Eliza manipulated her . She even destroyed the human-demon Testament with her own hands . That’s why Rosalie didn’t want to cling to the power of demons ever again . Still, Seiya said the following words .
「That power is your strength . Your own advantage . The demons aren’t around, so you won’t be manipulated again . I will do whatever I can to help you if they try to do something to you . Just release it . 」
「…I understand . 」
She was probably relieved by Seiya’s words . Rosalie tried to unseal her demonic power . While Rosalie’s arm was turning red and black, I approached Seiya and asked him in a whisper .
「Hey, Seiya . What are you going to do about Rosalie’s arm?」
「I wonder . There are various options, like for example, cutting off her arm . 」
「That’s so macabre!! C’mon!! You are kidding, right!?」
However, Seiya faced Rosalie with a stern expression . No, he wasn’t joking! This person was scary!
「Let’s get started . Bring it on . 」
「Here I go! 」
Both exchanged blows with their wooden swords in a sword-like fight…I actually imagined this type of practice . However, after dodging Rosalie’s attack smoothly, Seiya gave a powerful thrust into Rosalie’s belly .
「Ugh…! 」
Rosalie crouched down and vomited gastric juice . However, Seiya tried to swing his wooden sword in order to hit her head, even with Rosalie in such a state . I couldn’t hold back and opened my arms in front of Rosalie .
「Wait, wait, wait! You mustn’t forget that you are practicing with a girl! You have to be more self-conscious about what you do!」
「Rosalie is my shield until I fight the Dragon King . I want to sharpen herself and reduce the physical strength of the Dragon King and his subjects . I will do it as much as possible to avoid getting myself into trouble . That’s why I need her to get stronger . 」
「A “shield”!! How could you say something like that!! 」
Sponsored Content
「I…I don’t mind it… 」
Rosalie stood up using the wooden sword as a stick .
「This is what I wanted…! Please continue! 」
…Seiya hit her body with the wooden sword . I noticed that her arms and legs were swollen red . Furthermore, a merciless blow struck against her head, and fresh blood dripped from her white-dyed hair . Seiya overcame Celseus excessively in training most of the time . Yet, there was one particular time when Celseus relentlessly got his revenge on Seiya . But this felt different . Somehow, the practice between Seiya and Rosalie was even more painful to watch .
I could no longer look at this training session . Not anymore . Suddenly, I heard an astounding voice next to me .
「Whoa, what’s going on here…! Abuse…?」
Before I knew it, there was a pale-looking Celseus right next to me .
「So I’m not the only one who thinks that way…!」
「I feel like she is enduring a much worse experience than I had experienced before . He’s doing such terrible things to a woman just because she’s a mere illusion . He’s not a person . He’s a demon . 」
「Ce…Certainly, a demon . He looks rather devilish …Eh, Celseus . What do you have there?」
Celseus carried a large barrel . It had large amounts of water inside .
「Seiya told me to prepare this moments ago . Maybe he wants to drink this amount of water when he’s thirsty . 」
「He’s not a horse! How can he drink such a large amount of water?」
Seiya looked down on Rosalie, who groaned painfully because she was in extreme agony . It seemed that she received too much damage . She could no longer stand up with those injuries . Then, Seiya walked up to Celseus, took the barrel, and poured the water over on the fallen Rosalie .
「Get up . There’s no time to faint . 」
…What!? The water was for that purpose!! This was the extremity of Spartan training!!
I ran over to Rosalie in order to stop the ongoing abuse . However, I saw that Rosalie, who was soaked in water, looked greatly motivated .
「I appreciate it! This water made me conscious again! I can feel the water permeating the organs of my body!」
「You appreciate it!? You didn’t even drink that water!! How could it even permeate through your internal organs!!」
「More…Please continue with more training! 」
However, she fell down for the third time . Rosalie was completely unconscious . Seiya poured water on her, but she couldn’t even move .
「Seiya!! You overdid it!! 」
「I’m telling you again . This Rosalie is an illusion . So, I don’t care what I do . 」
「But, she has lost her consciousness!! She can’t do it anymore!!」
「Hmm . Okay . Then, cure her with your healing magic . I’ll resume the training once she has regained consciousness . 」
After saying that, Seiya walked unconcerned and went somewhere .
I activated my healing magic after I put Rosalie’s head on my lap . There were many bruises on her face and body because of the brutal practice .
「Why is he hurting her so much… 」
「But, I think it makes sense . Isn’t Seiya going to use Rosalie as a shield? I think that he made her take off her armor to hit her body so that she can improve her level of defense . Don’t you think so?」
「Still, this is going too far . It’s overkills . 」
As I talked while healing Rosalie, I noticed that she opened her one eye .
「I’m not worried . I’ll do whatever is needed to subdue the Dragon King, I don’t care . For me it is a great joy to be able to cooperate . Moreover, the pain of this training saves me from my mental distress . At this moment, I can forget the foolishness actions I committed . 」
She sacrificed the townspeople for ten years . Rosalie seemed to take that as an unforgivable sin .
「He is an extremely thoughtful hero . Perhaps, this training is to make my mind occupied with the anticipation of the upcoming events . At least, I feel that way . 」
「I…I wonder about that . 」
I thought that Seiya simply didn’t see Rosalie of the twisted world as a human being . Still, Rosalie had a positive attitude towards Seiya’s training .
Suddenly, I noticed that Rosalie’s eyepatch was about to come off . An old wound was exposed . Did a sword cut her eye?
「Listen, Rosalie . I’ve been worried about it for a long time, but your eye, do you want me to cure it with my healing magic?」
「I’m grateful, but it is impossible to heal . No high-ranking healer could cure it . 」
「Eh…Then, don’t tell that your eye…!」
「That’s correct . The Dragon King robbed me of my eye . 」
While adjusting the eyepatch, she pointed her other sharp one eye toward the sky .
「The God Dragon King kills humans as if they are nothing at all . After taking my eye with the holy sword Egzation, he chopped and killed my father, the Emperor, right in front of me . What a laughable way to end things back then, and one that I would never forget . 」
「No…No way that Mash is like that…! 」
Rosalie spoke with a serious tone after I negated Mash’s actions .
「I’ve been able to understand a little about you who came from a world different from my world . But, let me tell you this . The God Dragon King Mash Dragonite is a cruel monster . It’s better for you to think that he is from a different species than the one you know . 」
After saying that, Rosalie tried to get up . Somehow, she managed to get up .
「In order to oppose that cruel monster, I must endure the hero’s training and become a fine shield…!」
「Rosalie! I didn’t cure you completely! Maybe you should take a little rest…」
「No good . I want to continue with my training . I’ll leave that for later . 」
「Ehh!! Why do you want to continue with that kind of training!?」
「He is the hero . So, I don’t mind what he does to me . Just being close to him fills my own heart . That’s right…I’m sure of it, for me…」
Rosalie was about to tell me something when Seiya returned .
「Have you regained your consciousness? Okay, let’s continue . 」
「Yes! 」
In this way, the Sparta training began one more time . It was a fierce scene for me to look, but Rosalie seemed to accept it with joy . She screamed each time she was struck by Seiya’s wooden sword .
「More!! Strike me more!! Deeper and harder!! Ahhhhh!! 」
「Hey!! Doesn’t she sound weird!? 」
The hero who repeated the Sparta training; and Rosalie who was continuously hit with an ecstatic expression on her face . This training worried me in so many ways .