"Surround him!!"
The command sliced through the air, and the surrounding clamor froze into a chilling silence.
The men facing me—the so-called Holy Knights—harbored clear hostility, their eyes glinting with a dangerous light.
"Capture him!!"
With a collective roar, the knights lunged.
In that instant, a strange sensation prickled the back of my neck.
Reflexively activating Dark Arma, I leapt back, landing atop the roof of the building behind me.
A Holy Knight’s blade whistled through the space I had occupied a fraction of a second earlier.
『They're fast.』
Yeah.
I should have had plenty of distance, but they closed the gap in a heartbeat.
The speed itself wasn't an issue, but... I couldn't see the trick behind it.
They weren't using Arma like I was. For pure physical strength, this was far too fast, regardless of their training.
Time to probe them a bit.
Just as I prepared to manifest my Demon Sword—no, the Holy Sword Zest—the weapon spoke.
『Wait.』
Zest checked my movement.
『Remember Logen. If there are Apostles lurking within this Empire as well, wouldn't it be wiser to keep your identity concealed?』
Good point.
We’ve already derailed the Order’s plans twice. It wasn't narcissism to assume they had us on a watch list.
I didn't want to paralyze myself with overthinking, but Reiji, the future Hero, was already in this country. Ironically, his presence alone suggested the Apostles might be nearby.
Fine. I’ll fight without Zest and hold back even more than usual.
One of the Holy Knights, utilizing that inexplicable physical prowess, vaulted toward me on the roof.
I dodged his descending blade by a hair’s breadth and delivered a sharp knife-hand strike to his wrist. As his grip faltered, I snatched the sword from his hand.
I leapt back down to the street, using the stolen blade to trade blows with the surrounding knights.
"Guh!!"
"This guy... he's no amateur!"
I'm still nowhere near full power, I thought.
I casually analyzed the secret behind their physical abilities while we fought. Their swordsmanship and footwork were standard, nothing special. It didn't seem like the weapons themselves held unique powers like Zest, either.
『They're cloaking their entire bodies in a strange energy.』
Right. The effect seemed similar to Arma.
However, if my intuition wasn't playing tricks on me...
Hey, Zest.
Doesn't their power feel a bit like your own?
It was hard to put into words—the "vibe" or the "presence" of it—but it somehow reminded me of Full Drain.
『............Perhaps.』
Ah.
Hey, you.
You just dodged the question, didn't you?
『You’re only sharp in the most annoying ways....Fine, I’ll explain it to you eventually.』
I'm holding you to that.
Parrying their clumsy lunges, I easily struck the Holy Knights down one after another.
"D-Don't give him a moment's rest! Maintain the perimeter and use hit-and-run tactics!"
A reasonably competent order. Realizing they couldn't win in a direct confrontation, they had switched to a war of attrition.
Holy Knights slashed at me from every direction—front, back, left, and right. Because they were strictly alternating between attacking and retreating, they left no openings for a counter-offensive. They hammered at me like living cannonballs.
Violence through sheer numbers, huh?
Too bad for them. I’m actually quite good at handling that.
Since I regularly trained by firing Gates at myself, I was confident in my ability to weave through almost any mass-scale assault.
I had mastered the art of carving a path through a barrage where a single mistake meant instant death—through an endless rain of magic.
Even in the most ferocious onslaught, there is always a single moment where a strike can turn the tide.
A flash to survive. A swing to break through. A blow for the critical moment.
I wouldn't miss it.
"—There."
I forcefully parried an incoming knight's sword.
The deflected blade soared through the air and plunged into the shoulder of the knight who had been preparing the next strike.
"Aaargh!"
A scream rang out.
As the other knights faltered at the sound, I closed the distance instantly and slashed another's flank.
The encirclement collapsed.
I had no intention of giving them time to regroup.
『Splendid. A flash that severs the flow... Shall we call it the Critical Blade?』
Zest, buddy...
You did the same thing with the Void Attribute (lol), but you really love these grandiose names, don't you?
Could it be... that...
You have chuunibyou?
『I do not! Awareness of one's own uniqueness is a vital component of combat!』
Well, I can't argue with that logic.
If you can't distinguish your trump cards from your duds, you can't fight effectively.
Though it seemed I didn't need to think that deeply this time.
I looked down at the ten or so Holy Knights groaning at my feet. I had kept the injuries light enough that they could recover with treatment, but none of them looked ready to stand back up.
Phew... good. I was glad to know I wasn't just a big fish in a small pond.
I had worried I might get flattened the moment I left my home country.
This was a promising start for a villain.
Finally, I decided to taunt the onlookers.
"Hmph. This country isn't all it’s cracked up to be."
"I wonder. It’s a bit early for such a verdict, isn't it?"
I hadn't expected a rebuttal.
Hiding my surprise, I turned to find two more Holy Knights standing there.
Both were women. They looked to be about twenty. They had identical features and heights, and both possessed light blue hair.
Sisters... no, twins? Their hairstyles allowed me to tell them apart, at least. The one standing a step forward had her waist-length hair tied in a single ponytail, while the one behind her wore hers down, brushing her shoulders.
"To think someone would still challenge me after seeing that. Are you incredibly reckless, or just eager to die?"
"A spirited outsider. I wonder how long you can maintain that arrogance..."
Oh, these two were serious. They actually expected to win.
Even among Holy Knights, there was clearly a gap in skill; these two had a level of confidence that set them apart from the ten men lying on the ground. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the fallen knights seemed to look at the twins with expressions of relief.
However, even observing the twins' mana, it didn't feel particularly immense.
In the Kingdom of Militail, I could gauge an opponent's strength by the volume of their mana, but it seemed this country possessed powers I didn't yet understand.
"Here I come," the ponytail knight declared.
In a split second, her form blurred.
"—!"
My reaction was delayed by her unexpected speed.
I barely managed to block the strike she swung.
Whoa, that was close!
It wasn't just that she was fast—there was absolutely no telegraphing to her movements.
Will this be difficult if I keep holding back?
『These two are different from the rabble who just relied on raw speed. If you used me, we'd win easily, but...』
I wanted to keep my identity hidden from the Apostles for as long as possible.
Then again, if I wanted to hide my identity, standing out this much was probably a bad move to begin with.
『Well, that is true.』
Preparing the stepping stone for the Hero while also taking measures against the Apostles was proving to be a difficult balancing act.
Maybe I should just bail for now and try again later—the moment my focus wavered, she struck.
The short-haired twin, who had been waiting in the background, moved. I saw her sword flicker, and in the next heartbeat, the tip of her blade had pierced right through mine.
It was a thrust so sharp it was nearly impossible to track.
My shattered blade fell to the pavement with a metallic clatter.
『That was unexpected.』
Yeah...
What was that speed?
That was faster than the movements Reiji had shown in the Royal Castle Underground.
I had intended to flee, but shock kept my feet rooted to the spot.
Seeing me frozen, the ponytail knight flashed a fearless smile.
"Just as I thought—nothing special. Men of your sort are always all talk."
Oh, you want to go there?
I'm sealing Zest and holding back my magic!
I'm even suppressing the output of my Arma! If you keep running your mouth, I'll turn this entire city to ash with a Gate!
『Hey, stop. Don't let the villain act consume your heart and soul.』
I was joking.
Still, losing to anyone other than Reiji left a bitter taste in my mouth. That was a minor revelation.
"Please, wait!"
Chesa stepped between us.
She was glaring at the female knights.
"My master employs me through legitimate means. Our relationship is not at all what you seem to fear."
"...We received a report that you were being oppressed by this man."
"That is only because of my own inadequacy."
Chesa spoke with unwavering loyalty.
I’m sure everyone there found it incomprehensible that she was shielding me.
But I understood. I knew exactly what she was feeling.
『Oh? Enlighten me.』
Chesa wants to be the one to kill me.
She hates me so much that she’s swallowing her pride just to learn from me. She won't be satisfied unless she's the one to beat me into the dirt with her own fists.
『................Pfft.』
Zest?
Did you just snort at me?
"Fine. I understand."
As I was contemplating how to punish the sentient sword for its insolence, the knight in front of me nodded as if she’d reached a decision.
"I will take you both into protection."
Wait, why?
"I can see there are deep-seated issues between you. Perhaps I shouldn't interfere... but unfortunately, the capital is busy with the Advent Festival. We can't have you causing more trouble later, so I will take you into my protection."
By "protection," she meant surveillance.
As I processed this, the twin who had shattered my sword approached while sheathing her own.
"Is this okay, Big Sister? We still have to escort the Saint."
"It can't be helped. You saw it yourself—even if he's no match for us, his skills are too dangerous to leave unattended."
I'm actually stronger than both of you combined!
I glared at them, but the elder sister just gave a mocking laugh, likely taking my expression for a bluff.
"At least your spirit is professional. Your name?"
"Cl—"
『There's no point if you give your real name.』
Zest's warning echoed in my mind.
In my irritation, I had almost blurted it out. Right... I needed to hide my identity for the time being.
It was just a temporary alias anyway. I decided to give her the first thing that came to mind.
"Crow."
"I don't intend to memorize a fake name."
She saw through it instantly.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter what you call yourself, so long as I’m the one watching you."
So it really was surveillance.
They were looking down on me completely... but for now, this was more convenient than them being overly cautious.
Besides, there were things I wanted to ask them.