Chapter 29

"That was quite the misfortune..."

This was an office within the royal castle. Before us stood Emma, the little girl we had only recently met.

Still shaken from the skilled pervert's attack, we showed the guild's request form to the gatekeepers, and soon one of Emma's subordinates was dispatched to us. As expected, it seemed we’d be working alongside members of General Penny’s faction again this time.

Led by that subordinate, we arrived at an office where the little girl was waiting. Emma sat at the large central table piled high with documents, welcoming us.

"Ah, please, please have a seat, Sword Saint. I’ve prepared some simple sweets for you."

"Thanks, Emma. So, how’s it going with Penny?"

"Yes, thanks to you, we’re getting along quite well as husband and wife."

Emma listened with a pained smile as we recounted the incident in the city. It had been an unpleasant affair—Karin had suffered deep emotional wounds.

"Unfortunately, General Penny is away on an extermination mission. This time, I’ll be handling things alone for your group, Sword Saint."

"Got it."

With Karin still silent, Rex took over, discussing various matters with Emma—mainly the details of the request.

But what bothered me was why Emma was sitting in the middle of the office, barking orders at her fully grown subordinates.

Why was no one questioning this? Why was little girl Emma in the boss position?

"Lady Emma, here are the documents."

"Yes, thank you. Now then, Sword Saint, allow me to explain in detail."

"Sure."

Emma calmly took the documents prepared by her subordinate. Her demeanor was unmistakably that of a superior.

Wait… is Emma actually a big deal? Is she genuinely General Penny’s strategist, not just self-proclaimed?

"This request involves the defense of the capital."

"Defense?"

"Through certain connections, we’ve received information that the royal capital may soon be attacked by the Demon King’s army. The enemy’s strength is unknown, but given their power during the recent cave assault, even our three great generals of Pedia may struggle."

"Penny already died once, after all."

"...That man—Penny—only tries to be strong for everyone’s sake. In truth, he’s just a timid, peace-loving ordinary person. My apologies, Sword Saint. We don’t have definitive proof that the enemy will attack the capital… but we’d like to request your stay here for a while."

Emma wore a slightly awkward expression.

Ah, so she must’ve been worried after hearing how Penny nearly died in the last mission. That’s why she asked Rex to defend against this unconfirmed surprise attack.

"How long?"

"They’re expected to attack within a month."

"Understood. …Well, can’t say no when you ask me to protect someone important. Emma, in return, make sure we can use the training grounds."

"Yes, of course. You’re free to use the western national army training grounds under our Penny faction’s control."

Whoa. We can use national military facilities? Nice—if things go well, I might even get to challenge other swordsmen.

"Oh, and Emma..."

"Yes, I know."

After the request was settled, a nun with a vein pulsing on her forehead cheerfully addressed Emma.

"Find that damn old man for me, will ya~?"

"Based on the information you provided earlier, we’ve circulated a sketch of his appearance among our subordinates. Since General Penny primarily commands the patrol units, we should be able to locate him if he’s entered the city. …If he’s gone to another city, it’ll be difficult, so please don’t get your hopes up too much."

"Mm-hmm, that’s plenty~ Thanks, Emma~"

"Karin, that smile is scary. Knock it off. You’re making Emma uncomfortable."

She must’ve been seriously pissed at that skilled pervert. Then again, Karin was the one who suffered the most.

---

And so, we ended up under the care of General Penny’s national army faction, being assigned a fairly high-class inn. I’d assumed we’d be put up in military lodging, but apparently, that was off-limits for security reasons.

Once our discussion with Emma was over, a soldier waiting outside immediately entered to consult with her. Emma swiftly gave him orders and handled the paperwork.

…Emma wasn’t just a "smart little girl." She was genuinely working alongside adults. Hell, she might already be smarter than me.

"I’m gonna go see some acquaintances. Flache, head to the training grounds first."

"...I’ll go greet Clarise too. I suppose showing my face wouldn’t hurt."

"I’ll hit up the church for now. See you all back at the inn tomorrow."

After parting ways with Emma, we temporarily disbanded. Wandering around alone would be boring, so I decided to follow Rex’s advice and head to the training grounds.

"The eastern training grounds are mainly used by General Mello’s faction. We’re permitted to use the western one—don’t get it wrong."

"Yeah, no way I’d mess that up."

"Even Flache wouldn’t mix up east and west. …Just to be sure, it’s that way."

"Getting tangled up with Merlot’s a pain, so watch yourself."

My companions all voiced their concerns.

Man, they’re all such worrywarts. I’m not that dumb—I’ve been a solo adventurer for a long time, y’know?

"Alright, see you later."

"Yeah."

Still, it’d be really embarrassing if I got it wrong now. Making sure of the direction Karin pointed, I set off alone for the training grounds.

---

The training grounds were built adjacent to the royal castle.

From a distance, I could see soldiers diligently training inside. Maybe some basic physical conditioning? My stamina had dropped significantly since getting this new body. Perhaps I could ask to join in.

Apparently, showing the permit Emma gave me to the training ground manager would grant me entry. I’d ask him about it when I got there.

Now, where exactly was the entrance? I didn’t see it inside the castle. Maybe it was on a different level, or perhaps it could only be accessed from outside the castle walls.

Ah, right. If there were a direct passage from the training grounds into the castle, it’d be an open invitation for intruders. So it must be outside after all.

With that in mind, I headed toward the castle gates. If I ran into any soldiers along the way, I’d ask for directions. At the very least, there should be guards at the gate.

And so, I set off in search of the castle’s exit—

────

"...Just release my old man already. Don’t push your luck, you damn woman."

"Eek...! I-I told you, it’s impossible! Besides, your father was arrested because he was neck-deep in corruption!"

In a secluded corner of the castle walls, I stumbled upon a scene—a woman being surrounded, her collar grabbed as she was pinned against the wall.

A well-fed young man with curly hair had her by the hair, shoving her against the stone. Surrounding them stood several armed soldiers, their hands on their swords.

...This didn’t look good.

"Y-You really think you can get away with this?! There’s already overwhelming evidence that your father took bribes! If you keep this up, you’ll only make things worse for yourselves!"

"All you have to do is report that ‘my father is innocent.’"

"If that’s what you want, you’re threatening the wrong person!! I’m just a judge—the patrol units are the ones who gather evidence! Go threaten General Penny, the one who commands them!!"

"You think we can take on that old man?!"

"Then why the hell are you cornering me?!"

The one being threatened was a woman with messy pink hair, dressed in what looked like bureaucratic robes, complete with a square-shaped hat.

Frankly, this looked like the kind of mess an outsider shouldn’t get involved in. I suppressed my presence and observed.

"Just use your influence to get my father released."

"Even if he were released, the patrol would just detain him again under some other pretext! My job is to determine guilt, not manage prisoners!"

"Then declare him innocent."

"How am I supposed to do that when the king himself has seen the evidence?! Seriously, you’re barking up the wrong tree!"

"Stop spewing nonsense and trying to confuse me, you bitch!!"

"I’m not saying anything complicated! Ugh, I already have a mountain of work, why do I have to deal with this?!"

The square-hatted woman sounded exhausted, on the verge of tears, but the men around her showed no signs of backing down.

...I was starting to feel bad for her.

"Tch. I was being nice by offering you a way out, but since you wanna play hardball, I won’t hold back anymore."

"It’s not about playing hardball—I literally don’t have the authority to—"

"Kill her. Hey, you lot, bring a body bag."

"W-Wait, hold on a second!! Are you idiots?! Killing me won’t solve anything!!"

Finally losing patience, the pudgy noble drew an ornate sword from his hip as his subordinates restrained the woman.

Her face turned deathly pale.

"N-No, no, no!! There’s no point in killing me! It’ll just add to your crimes!!"

"If you die, my father walks free, right? You brought this on yourself."

"That’s not how it works at all?! Even if he were released, the corruption charges wouldn’t just disappear!!"

"As long as my old man gets out of prison, he’ll handle the rest. So first, I’ll kill you."

"You absolute moron! Are you seriously saying that?! Your father’s already finished—if you want to do anything, you’d have to appeal directly to General Penny! I have nothing to do with this!!"

"Shut up with your stupid excuses!!"

"Nooo!! I don’t wanna die like this!!"

...Wow. I’d stumbled into quite the situation.

The sobbing bureaucrat’s mouth was covered, silencing her screams as she trembled, tears streaming down her face while the idiot noble raised his jeweled sword.

I couldn’t just ignore this.

"Die."

"────!!"

Just before the sluggish blade could descend, I deflected it with my own sword, redirecting its momentum before pressing the back of my blade against the noble’s throat.

"...Huh?"

"Drop the sword. Or I cut you down."

The noble’s swordsmanship was laughable—completely untrained, amateurish. Easier to handle than twisting a baby’s arm.

"Wha... Huh? Who...?"

The bureaucrat girl seemed to be in shock, having resigned herself to death. I’d hoped she’d take the chance to run, but that might be too much to ask.

Guess I’d have to take them all out.

"Y-You bastard! Who the hell are you?!"

"I have no name for the likes of you."

No point in dulling my blade on greasy prey like this. First, I kicked the blubbering noble between the legs, making him crumple in agony before choking him into unconsciousness.

"────Ghk!"
"Young master?!"

The private soldiers—likely the noble’s lackeys—staggered in shock at my sudden interference. I shoved the unconscious idiot toward them and spoke coldly.

"...I side with her, in the name of justice. If you still want a fight, bring it. If not, disappear."

"Tch! Avenge the young master!!"

Immediately, the frontmost soldiers lunged at me. Huh. For a bunch of noble brat’s goons, their coordination wasn’t bad.

Group fights weren’t my forte... but this level was manageable.

"Gyah—?!"

I dodged the sharpest strike among them, countered with an elbow to the swordsman’s temple, and added another unconscious body to the pile. Best to deal with the troublesome ones first.

Next, I cleanly severed the tendons in a younger soldier’s sword hand. He wouldn’t be gripping anything for a while.

I made sure to cut cleanly—he could always get it fixed by a healer later.

"GAAAAHHH?!"

"This girl's strong!!"

Heh, heh heh. That's right—I am strong. Ridiculously strong.

"Fall back! Prioritize the young master's safety!!"

"My hand—MY HAAAAND!!"

"She’s that scheming bitch’s pawn! No way she’s just some random swordswoman! Stay away!"

Eventually, they must’ve realized they couldn’t win. Hoisting their pudgy noble brat onto their backs, they scrambled away in a panic.

Total victory. Mine.

"Ah... ah... I-I’m alive?"

"You hurt?"

"Th-Thank you... I-I really thought I was gonna die..."

She must’ve been terrified. The woman I’d just saved slumped to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

"Every single time... I always get the short end of the stick... Today was just another random mess I got dragged into... I was sure I was dead... Th-Thank you so much..."

"Uh, yeah. So... no injuries?"

"...N-No. No, I’m okay..."

I took a proper look at her now.

Short pink hair, naturally curly—with a few rebellious strands sticking up like cowlicks.

Her bag was stuffed to bursting with documents, and dark circles hung heavily under her eyes.

Seemed like she had it rough.

"Um, so... th-thanks again for saving me... But, uh, are you a soldier? Which unit?"

"Nah. Hired adventurer."

"An adventurer?! Oh! Then—you’re not strapped for cash, are you?! You saved my life! I’ll do anything to repay you!!"

"Nah, no need. Just couldn’t ignore it. Well... if you insist, maybe just point me toward the training grounds’ entrance."

"Wow, even with skills like yours, you still train hard? Sword fighters are something else... Sure, I’ll show you the way!"

The bureaucrat girl seemed eager to repay me. Heh. Maybe she’s already fallen for me.

But I didn’t really do much, and Rex warned me not to get too involved with the military. So for now, I’d just stick to asking for directions.

Gotta play it cool if I wanna stay popular.

"There’s a passage in the castle walls. You’ll need a permit to use the training grounds, but you’ve got one, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, even if they give you trouble, I can put in a word. It’s not my department, but I’ve got some pull."

"Oh-ho? So you’re actually someone important, huh?"

"...Ah. Oops, guess I never introduced myself."

Teehee, my bad—she flashed a playful grin before bowing lightly.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Mino, one of the Great Generals of the Pedia Empire."

A mischievous smile curled on her lips as she announced her name.

"Heheh~ Yep, I’m a Great General! ...Just a really weak one, though~"

────

"A filthy, scheming demon wearing human skin—that’s Mino. In terms of sheer vileness, Melo doesn’t even compare."

Rex’s words flashed through my mind. And now, standing before me, the woman had just uttered that very name—the worst one.

"Mino is beyond redemption. Everything about her is ugly, depraved, and downright evil. Sure, she might be useful to the country, but a creature like that should’ve been put down ages ago. When they talk about true demons, they mean her."

And now, that true demon was standing right in front of me—grinning like we were old friends.