Final Volume: Chapter 8: Paranoid Girl

What's Achieved

Paranoid Girl

That night, Aria attended the king's party.

Aria is surrounded by glamorous aristocrats, and looks at them with a blank expression.

Aria was also wearing a high-quality dress that she normally wouldn't wear.

Since she had no left arm, she had difficulty putting it on with the help of some servants.

She is overshadowed by Saint Chris, and everyone around the saint is crazy about her, so no one really points it out, but Aria is a very beautiful woman. She has short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a very beautiful face. Perhaps because she's the older sister, her facial features are a little similar to Chris's.

What makes her different from Chris is that, although unwillingly, she has had experience with men, giving her a seductive and frightening charm that stimulates a man's instincts that Chris lacks. Perhaps this is her misfortune, as she has been receiving a steady stream of advances from noblemen.

Some of them have continued to make passionate approaches to her as if the fact that she is missing her left arm is not a negative factor. Aria was fed up with this situation.

(I wish Aleph could see me in a dress.)

Aria thought to herself as she sighed for the umpteenth time.

Why should she have to appear in something like this for such a king?

(I don't like the king. It's all his fault...Lily-chan and Finne-san...)

Although she wasn't the direct cause, it was the king who ordered her to travel with the hero Hayato. It was a national rule, so it couldn't be helped, but Aria still resented it.

(Ah, I can't take it anymore! I'm feeling depressed. I want to go home soon...)

Her thoughts then turn to wanting to go home, and the cycle continues endlessly from there.

She herself find it strange that someone with such a weak mind can be included among those crazy great members.

"Sword Saint, would you like to talk to me for a bit?"

Aria is annoyed that she is being spoken to again.

When she looked over to where he was speaking, she saw a man with short platinum hair and emerald eyes. It was the same hair and eye color as Aleph's.

(Ah... it looks a bit like Aleph... no no! What am I saying?)

Ashamed that she had felt Aleph for the man in front of her, Aria shook her head in denial.

(Aleph should be at the inn. If you look closely, his face doesn't look alike at all.)

Aria, who was well aware of how easily she could be attached to someone, steeled herself and responded in the same way as the other nobles. The man looked disappointed, bowed slightly, and left.

(I will never be fooled again. I will always love Aleph... I've decided that. And one day, until Aleph forgives me... I have to keep trying!)

Aria places her right hand on her chest and reaffirms her feelings.

After that, many men approached her, but she turned them all down. Late at night, after the glamorous party ended, Aria sneaked out of the royal castle where she was supposed to be staying overnight and headed to the inn where Chris and the others were staying.

In the mean time, while Aria is being approached by men at a party. In a dark alley in the royal capital at night, there was a little girl.

Even if it wasn't midnight, it was extremely dangerous for a young girl to come out into a dimly lit alley at this time of night. There were many kidnappings, so it wouldn't be surprising if she was abducted at any time.

But the girl seemed strange.

It's very creepy to see her talking to her own hands.

"Hey, answer me. You're still alive, right?"

The girl talks to her hands.

Or, to be precise, she was talking to the small piece she was holding in her hand.

After the girl had been talking for a while, a different voice came back from the fragment.

["Guggegege...... who... a...re... you."]

"Wow! You finally replied! My name is Reno."

The girl... no, Reno, introduces herself to something.

The voice inside the fragments can only groan, as if broken.

["Re...no...aa ..gaa.... gaa....who."]

"I said it's Reno! Have you lost your mind yet, Chefs-san?"

The broken voice was Chefs, the will of the holy sword.

It was thought that he had self-destructed and completely disappeared, but he still existed, though most of his consciousness was broken. At that time, Reno was not looking at the Demon King's corpse, but was picking up the shattered pieces of Arondight scattered around.

["My .... mis .... sion ... is ... do....ne."]

"What are you talking about? You have a mission you haven't accomplished yet."

When Chefs says that he has defeated the Demon King and completed his role, Reno repeatedly denies it.

["Mis.....sion?"]

"That's right, you're a hero, aren't you, Chefs-san?"

Reno exploits Chefs' weakness in his obsession with heroes.

Reno knew full well that if she said this, he would definitely take the bait.

["That's it! I'm a hero!"]

Even though most of his consciousness is broken, he responds fluently to the word "hero." Chefs's obsession with heroes has not yet disappeared.

"Hehe, in that case... you have to fulfill your mission as a hero."

["what ....is ....he ....ro.....mis....sion...?"]

"That's right. Protecting the Saint is the Hero's mission."

["Pro...tect ...sa....int .... is... hero..."]

"Yes, that's right. The "Hero" must protect the "Saint", right?"

Reno begins to imprint on Chefs, who is broken and has lost the ability to think.

From then until late at night, she continues to whisper that he, the hero, is the one who should protect the saint.

"Come on, try saying it. The hero is the one who protects the saint."

["Hero .... protects ..... saint!"]

"Ufufu... That's right ♪ you have to protect her ♪"

Holy Sword Chefs was completely brainwashed by Rino's words.

Deciding she had appeased him, Reno got down to business.

"So please give me your power. The power of a hero."

["Po....wer....."]

"Hehe♪ I want to protect the Saint... my Onee-chan. I want to protect her... from anything and anyone... so that she won't be handed over to anyone."

Reno laughs as she speaks to Chefs, but there's no laughter in her voice.

The smile on her face was just a mask. Reno was serious from the start.

"If I protect the saint...you can fulfill you mission as a hero, right?"

["Hero.....mission!"]

"So, you see? Please hand it over. Give your power... to me?"

["Under.....stand ..... my.....power .... to ....you."]

The Chef's fragment, which had been completely deceived, emitted a holy light.

The light covers Reno's body.

Having stolen the powers of the mentally damaged Chefs, Reno's body is immensely strengthened.

And then she gradually acquires the corrupted skills.

"Kuhi... With this power, I can kill all those scum who mess with Onee-chan. From now on, I'll be the one protecting Onee-chan ♪"

After absorbing the holy light, Reno emerged from the light with a twisted smile on her face. The next to inherit the power of the corrupted holy hero was... a small crazy girl.

In this dark alleyway, a new hero... someone who could be called such was born. A person who would never be controlled and would never voluntarily exert their power for the people.

--That was the moment when the hero Reno was born.

"Now then! I have to quickly crawl into Onee-chan's bed and sleep together ♪ Ufufufu... uhihihihi... aaaahhh... Onee-chan... I love you so much, I love you so much, I love you so much! Now that I have gained power, I can protect you from anyone, so don't worry... because, because――"

Reno let out a cry of joy as she muttered her true feelings.

"--You belong to me, Onee-chan!"

Reno begins to refer to Chris as her own, not as family.

Now that she had gained power, she no longer had to hide her desires.

Yes, at some point, Reno began to feel that Chris was not a family member... It was a deeper, more hideous, more murky affection.

With a genuine smile on her face, Reno heads out of the alley.

Before anyone knew it, she was holding a small dagger in one hand.

A dagger similar to Arondight... the new holy sword possessed by the hero Reno.

The dagger, with its dazzling brilliance...will surely become stained with blood from now on.

With the blood of monsters and humans who had messed with Chris...

Reno walked out of the alley and there was no one around.

However, nearby where Reno was, a middle-aged man was lying on the ground.

A hatchet had been driven through his head, his eyes had been gouged out, and he'd been dumped somewhere nearby.

The reason this man was killed was because he had been looking at Chris sexually on the way from the royal capital to the royal castle.

Yes, that's all...

Reno didn't miss the fact that he was looking at Chris with lustful eyes.

She remembered the man's face and searched desperately for him after leaving Aleph's room.

She searched for him, found him, followed him, used her young appearance to lure him in, and killed him.

This is an unusual murder that could only have been committed by Reno, who has an almost paranoid obsession with Chris.

What would happen if a crazy girl who does things like this were to gain the power of a hero?

It's a scary thing to even think about...

Chris's chastity, protected by the crazy hero Reno and the Aleph with demon king power who had turned into a mad beast, was protected by a defense stronger than any fortress. With this group, they should be able to handle any dangerous group that came their way with ease.

Because...

---The most dangerous people are always nearby.

"Corrupted Skills"

The skill effect remains the same as when Aleph used it.

However, while using it, the user begins to suffer from mental contamination.

For a normal person, this would quickly turn them into an invalid and would normally be useless.

To use it, one would need strong mental strength or be insane to begin with.

So which side is Reno on?

* (Since she has complete mental defense, she can use it all regardless of which one without any side effect.)