The Great Sword is not the Main Body!-Chapter 120: Heresy (4)

"Tok- tok- tok-"

[“Huh...? If you're the first challenger—”]

“Let's stop here for today, shall we? We can talk in more detail later. I have another appointment after all. This communication crystal can be handled by Rubia. She has plenty of reserves. Well then, let's talk again later. Today was fun. Noah, I'll see you next time.”

[“Ah... Yes. Thank you for your help, Hermila.”]

[“Th-thank you...!”]

“Of course, we also appreciate your help. Please take a good rest and enjoy your time.”

Click-

With a soft smile, Hermila finished speaking, turned off the crystal, and sat down in her chair.

“Phew...”

“It seems like you two have become quite close.”

“Even Yuriya thinks so, right?”

“Yes. When she was with me, it wasn't quite like this. That... kiss... ahem. You've certainly become bolder.”

Yuriya muttered, averting her eyes in embarrassment, and sat across from Hermila.

“And you, Yuriya, aren't you waiting for Hephaistos to become an adult? A real thief, I swear. Last time you said something about being like parents.”

“...Ahem.”

“Heh, it's really ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) something. There was no future like this anywhere.”

“Then, I guess...”

“Yes. The reason we took in Hephaistos in the first place was because of her blessing. We needed her to make the elixir. And...”

Rustle-

Hermila's voice trailed off as she opened the old book lying on the table.

“At this point, she should have died. Hephaistos, I mean.”

Yuriya's face twisted.

“Lucchi died, and Hephaistos survived. Hansel's arms were cut off, and Yuriya’s legs weren’t.”

Thump- Hermila closed the old book and shut her eyes.

“Thanks to that, the balance of the world was broken, and the elixir was completed.”

Then, she resumed tapping on the table as she spoke.

“I don’t know what kind of repercussions this will cause, but we can’t just sit and worry.”

“Has anything been added to the prophecy?”

“The Red Moon. The one who leads the vanished past. The best and the worst. Choice. I’ve interpreted it as much as I could, but this is the best I could do. I really don’t know what it means...”

“Damn idiots. Would it have killed them to write it clearly? Right? They always try to look all grandiose for no reason.”

A large man, eating a sandwich nearby, scratched his head.

“Tell me about it. Anyway, is everything ready? Alex?”

“Yeah, more or less.”

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“Good. By the way, Yuriya, have the others arrived in Ursphere?”

“Yes. I received a message from Jur.”

“Good. Then, let’s get ready. Yuriya, can you hold onto this for me?”

Yuriya, who placed the book into the dimensional space, stood up from her seat.

“How many are there?”

Tok- tok- tok-

“Ninety-three.”

“Hey, Weed. If you divide that by three, what’s the result?”

Alex, carrying a massive hammer on his shoulder, grinned as he looked at Yuriya.

“...Thirty-one. And if you keep calling me weed, I’ll make sure that weeds start growing from your mouth.”

Tok-

“Alright, Flower.”

Tok-

“Wait and see. Starting tonight, beautiful flowers will bloom from that disgusting mouth of yours.”

Bang-!

Hermila, who had been tapping the table, stopped and stood up, opening her eyes.

“We’ve arrived. Let’s hurry up and get ready so we can leave.”

“Where are we heading?”

Her eyes, glowing with brilliant, multicolored light, were fixed on a particular place.

“Cartia.”

Her gaze was set towards Cartia, where Noah and Rubia were.

Soon, the door opened, and ninety-three experimental subjects—unfinished Masters—poured in.

The communication crystal turned off, and Rubia’s deep sigh filled the room.

“The first challenger, huh...”

But...

What does “challenger” even mean...?

Why does everyone know except for me...?

“Rubia... What does ‘first challenger’ mean...?”

“Ah, I see. You’ve never heard of this, huh, Noah? Well... Let’s start talking about the challengers... We’ll have to begin with Erden’s story.”

“Erden...”

“It’s an organization that appears to be very holy on the surface, led by me, as it’s known, right?”

“Yes.”

“But the truth is... as Sirin just said, it’s actually a group of very bad... ahem, very bad people.”

“Bad people...”

“Yes. That’s all you need to know for now. Just that it’s a group of very bad people. Anything more would be too shocking, and I don’t want you to know.”

“I... I’m an adult, you know...”

Rubia pinched my soft thigh and licked her lips.

“Being an adult and this are two different things. Anyway, Erden is like that. Always be cautious. Very cautious. Got it?”

“Y-yes.”

“Next, we’ll talk about the End and the Sun God, Lilith.”

“The End...!”

I know the End. It was the final boss of the story up until that point.

“Yes. The End. You’ve probably heard of it. When the balance of the world breaks and paradise descends. The one who leads fire to burn the world and brings down darkness to return everything to the beginning... that existence.”

Hmm... I don’t really know what those cool-sounding words mean.

“And the story goes that only the Priestess can stop that existence.”

The hand that had been massaging my thigh grew cold as it wrapped around my belly.

“First... My personal interpretation is that it’s some kind of seal. The Seal of the End. The key to it is the Priestess.”

The slight tremor in her voice.

The intense beat reverberating from her back.

“When the End descends, if I make the sacrifice, I thought maybe the Sun God Lilith would descend upon me... heh.”

A self-deprecating laugh.

A sigh of resignation.

I released Rubia's hand, turned my body, and hugged her neck.

“...It’s okay.”

“Yeah. You said you’d protect me for life, didn’t you?”

“Mm... That’s right. So... don’t worry too much.”

Peck-

“Oh? Are you giving me a kiss to reassure me? Earlier you said we should do it when we’re alone, though?”

“...That’s... Um...”

Rubia giggled and pulled me into her chest.

“Phew... Anyway, that’s the situation. Next, let’s talk about the Masters.”

“Ugh-!”

I wanted to say “Masters!”

But with my face buried in her chest, I couldn’t say it properly...

“Yes. Not the strange Masters we’ve met, but the real Masters like Kalt.”

Once Rubia’s breathing calmed down, she gently pulled me away and continued.

But she really understood.

How did she know?

“Well... To put it simply, there are ten Masters in total, right?”

“Yes.”

“Of those, except for Sirin, you can think that all of them are on Erden’s side.”

“...Huh?”

“Nine... well, Kalt is dead. The second Master lost his power when he sealed Tylant, and the first Master is missing, so... that leaves six.”

“Er... Isn’t that a lot...?”

Kalt was supposed to be the weakest among the Masters, though.

...If they’re stronger than him...

“Well... According to Sirin, none of them can be our opponents. She says that as long as we take them one by one, we won’t have a problem. Of course, it’s rude to rely too much on Sirin, but she says that since she couldn’t catch the End’s claws, she should help with whatever she can... Huh?”

Suddenly, Rubia put her hand to her mouth, mumbling.

“Did she leave already...?”

“Eh...”

Before Sirin left, she clearly...

She said she’d take responsibility, that she’d make it easier for me to move...

Clunk-

“She must have left.”

The voice of Ser came through the gap of the suddenly opened door.

Tap- tap-

“She's been searching for the Masters' locations for a while now, so it looks like she planned this from the start. Truly, a cheeky little monkey, just as expected.”

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Click- Ser clicked his tongue, handing over two coffee cups and sitting down.

“Here. Noah, strawberry milk. Rubia, coffee.”

“Th-thank you...”

“...Yeah. Thanks. By the way, Ser, do you know where Sirin went?”

“I don’t. That’s what makes me so annoyed. But you don’t need to worry. She’ll easily defeat one or two Masters and come back... I didn’t expect her to act this quickly, though. Cheeky brat.”

“Ugh... Y-You’re using proper, polite words...”

I glanced at Ser while I picked up my greatsword from where I had placed it beside me.

I sipped the strawberry milk on the table.

“Ha...!”

Just the right temperature...

Slurp-

“By the way, do you like strawberry milk, Noah?”

Gulp-

“Mm... Yes. I like it...”

Ser, who had been adjusting his lips while looking at me, tilted his head.

“Hmm... Did you say you're an adult now?”

“Y-yes...?”

“Well, then no matter how much you drink, you won’t grow.”

Pfft-!

Rubia, who had been sipping her coffee, shuddered and tried to suppress her laughter.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Breasts.”

“...Eh.”

With an overly refined motion, Ser lifted his coffee cup, then, while lightly lifting his chest, he spoke.

“Actually, Noah, your current small breasts are cute and fitting. So, even if they could grow, they shouldn’t.”

“Wh-what...?”

Ser’s sudden words made my mind go completely blank.

“Well, that’s how it is. So, Noah, be satisfied with what you have. Having more wouldn’t be good for anything. Isn’t that right, Rubia?”

“...Hmph... Heh, yeah. It’s true. My shoulders always ache, and when I eat, it falls onto my chest, and if I sit too close to a high desk, the desk gets in the way. Finding the right clothes is a struggle...”

...It feels like she’s speaking from real experience.

Does she really think it’s uncomfortable?

“Er... Is that so?”

“Yes. What Rubia says is true. When you look down, you can’t even see your shoes, and when you wear clothes or a robe, it makes you look really bulky. There are a lot of downsides. Plus, Noah, you swing a greatsword, right? That would make it even more uncomfortable.”

“Mm... That sounds really uncomfortable...?”

“So, Noah, don’t chase after things that are useless or unreachable. Be content with what you have now.”

“U-unreachable...? Mm...”

It’s all true.

There’s nothing wrong with what she said.

So why does it feel... bad?

“Why do you have that expression? Are you really wanting to grow? Even if it won’t help at all? Sirin always says, ‘Your body is the strongest in the world!’”

Ser, who had been speaking in a soft tone, suddenly raised his voice in imitation of Sirin, but his expression stayed the same, which made it all the more eerie...

“Oh, you really sounded just like Sirin just now.”

“Heh, thanks. I used the power of the wind spirit to change my voice, and it seems to have worked. I’m a genius, as expected.”

Then, putting down his coffee cup, Ser looked at us alternately.

“It seems the atmosphere is getting stiff, so I added a little joke. Is it better now?”

“Ah, yes. Heh heh... That’s just how you are, Ser.”

“It’s not nonsense. At least to Noah, it was useful advice.”

“...Enough...”

“Heh, alright. Shall we move on to the main topic now?”

I stuck my lip out and drank the strawberry milk.

Rubia nodded.

“Then, Cartia. Are you listening? I’d like to have a word with you.”

[...Ah, I’m listening.]

At Ser’s words, Cartia, who hadn’t shown up for a while, slowly appeared.

Seeing her, Ser looked back and forth between my greatsword and Cartia, then cautiously spoke.

“Cartia and Carpen... What’s your relationship?”

“Huh...? C-cartia and Carpen... Huh...?”

[“Ah, this is why I hate perceptive bastards. Tch.”]

Scratching his head roughly, Ser looked seriously at Cartia, sitting at the table.

“Are you two lovers?”

“Ugh...!”

“Oh my...”