Volume 10, Chapter 43 – The Return Journey

“On behalf of all the Imperial Guard, I express my gratitude to you, Cardinal Yisi. If not for your assistance, His Majesty would have been in danger.”

When Yisi brought an absent-minded Adonis back to the wooden ship and explained the situation to the anxious Carl, the middle-aged general immediately removed his helmet and bowed deeply to Yisi in thanks.

Although it was indeed something worthy of thanks, Carl was, after all, a man in his forties or fifties. Even counting her life before this world, Yisi was still much younger than Carl. Being bowed to by such an elder made her feel embarrassed.—As for the time she had planted Carl head-first into the palace floor like a radish, that was because their stances were different. She was on the opposing side of Adonis then; now that the Gospel issue was resolved, there was no need to see him as an enemy. Setting aside their past, Carl was, by character, truly an upright man. Yisi waved her hands with a wry smile.

“General Carl, there’s no need for such a grand gesture. Demons are our common enemy. Furthermore, I represent the Ymir Church. Helping those troubled by demons is my responsibility.”

For some reason, Carl looked up at Yisi with an expression of extreme surprise, his weather-beaten eyes filled with admiration.

“…To possess the strength to slay a five-headed Hydra and toy with a greater demon and three-headed Hydras at such a young age… Cardinal Yisi, you are far too modest. Honestly, among all the Cardinals I have met, you are quite the anomaly.”

“Are the Cardinals General Carl has met all difficult people?”

“Well…”

Carl’s rough face showed contemplation, likely as he mulled over his words. Yisi had a feeling. She, after all, represented the Church, and Carl was the Emperor’s personal guard. If he spoke ill of past Cardinals in front of her, it could very well escalate into a political issue. But even if Carl didn’t say it, Yisi knew what the past Cardinals had done. Judging from the gifts and fawning looks the local priests offered when she stayed at various temples, the Church’s interior had already lost its divinity and become thoroughly corrupt during Julius’s time as Pope. Part of the reason Evelyn was so busy after taking over was to deal with this.

“I can only say they were much like the nobles of the Hels Kingdom. Not nearly as easy to get along with as you, Cardinal Yisi.”

“I see.”

That was a very tactful way of putting it.

As the two were talking, a man dressed as a boatman approached Carl. He first bowed to Adonis, who was beside Carl, then faced the general.

“General Carl, the temporary repairs on the hull are complete. We can set sail at any time.”

“Ready to set sail? Didn’t you say the ship was snapped in two by the waves?”

“That is correct… but the Sea God helped us repair the ship, and the water in the hull was drained by him as well. We only needed to patch up a few small areas.”

“The Sea God? There should be a limit to your lies! You failed to protect His Majesty, blamed it on the waves, and even concocted a lie about the ship being broken? Since when did you pick up the habits of Hels Kingdom soldiers! Fortunately, Cardinal Yisi came to the rescue, and His Majesty was not injured. When we return, you and Bayldes will all be punished.”

“But the ship really was broken by the waves, and the Sea God really did appear!”

Reαⅾ on КatReаԁiոɡCαfe

“Still trying to argue?”

Ahaha…

Standing to the side, Yisi couldn’t help but smile wryly. If Carl was led to believe the crew was lying to shirk responsibility, they would certainly have a hard time after returning. She might as well clarify the facts for them.

“General Carl, this ship was indeed snapped by the waves. But for some reason, the two broken halves were pieced back together. If you don’t believe me, General, you can go to the middle of the hull and see for yourself. There are clear marks of it being broken and reassembled. Although I also don’t believe it was an ethereal being like the Sea God helping in secret, it did indeed happen.”

Frowning slightly, Carl paused.

“Hmm… If Cardinal Yisi says so, then fine. I trust you, Cardinal. But even so, their negligence cannot be overlooked. A subject’s duty is to keep His Majesty on the ship, even if they themselves are washed away.” Carl turned to the boatman. “Raise the sails. We’re returning to port.”

“But Lord Bayldes hasn’t returned yet…”

“That fool will naturally come back to me for help when he can’t find His Majesty. At that time, I will personally hold him accountable.”

“Yes!”

After puffing out his chest, widening his eyes, and ordering the boatman to stand down with an unchallengeable, booming voice, Carl’s shoulders sagged slightly, and he bent over in a fit of violent coughing.

From being too close to the explosion, Carl’s armor was covered in dents. The under-padding visible at the joints was pockmarked with small, singed holes. His face was also covered in soot.

“General Carl, you should find the ship’s healer and receive healing magic.”

The crew might not have seen it, but the [Omniscient Map] feedback was crystal clear. Carl’s HP had dropped by thirty percent from that explosion. His conversation with the boatman just now was a complete bluff.

Carl gave an embarrassed, awkward laugh.

“Hehe… I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Cardinal. Calling the ship’s healer now would let the crew know I was injured in battle. As the empire’s top powerhouse, news of my injury would lead to outside speculation and reflect poorly on His Majesty. It would be better to wait until we return to port and summon a healer from land.”

“Mmm…”

Waving her hand, Yisi took out the small bear-staff she had once made for Tiffany, which Tiffany had refused for being too childish. Yisi lightly tapped the tip of the staff on Carl’s shoulder.

“[Lesser Heal].”

Faint golden motes of light, like fireflies, appeared around the staff. Under Yisi’s command, they swarmed toward General Carl as if finding a release. His HP recovered at an astonishing rate.

Reаⅾ oո ΚαtRеаԁіոɡСafе

Feeling the pain and weakness disappear, Carl looked grateful.

“Thank you, Cardinal Yisi.”

“You’re welcome. This is my respect for your loyalty, General.”

Smiling, Yisi retracted the staff and glanced at Adonis, who was standing beside Carl. Since a moment ago, Adonis had been standing with her head down, looking as if she were deep in thought, not participating in the conversation at all.—Before Yisi brought her from the island, Adonis had put her disguise back on, returning to her male appearance. While Adonis was changing, Yisi had investigated the island. Fortunately, it wasn’t a Hydra lair; there were no humans being held captive. The Hydra had probably just carried Adonis to that deserted island to find a place to rest.

“General Carl, can you tell me what happened on that ship?”

“That ship?” Carl, who had put his helmet back on, paused for a moment. Understanding Yisi meant the exploded merchant ship, his voice grew low. “That was originally a merchant ship, but it was targeted by demons. Everyone inside was killed by them before they even entered the empire’s waters. I wanted to trap those demons on the ship forever, for the sake of those who died. But that group of demons, knowing they couldn’t contend with me, tried to use sheer numbers to keep me on the ship and detonate magic crystals to take me with them. Unfortunately for them, my specialty is defense. If that had been Bayldes, he would have fallen for their trap by now.”

“I see.”

No wonder when she looked at the [Omniscient Map], all the light dots on the ship, aside from Carl’s, were demons.

“Also, forgive my impertinence, but Cardinal Yisi, could you tell me your strength? It doesn’t need to be precise. Just whether you are in the heroic domain or have surpassed it.”

“I’ve only just reached the heroic domain~”

“Ahh, is that so.”

Although Carl was wearing a helmet and Yisi couldn’t see his expression, his tone completely betrayed his thoughts.

That sense of relief… Carl probably thought she was an individual who surpassed the heroic domain, and upon seeing how young she was, he must have felt a sense of pressure and helplessness. She would have felt the same way. To spend your whole life finally reaching the level beyond heroes, only to turn around and find a kid dozens of years younger with similar strength… anyone would feel indignant and that it was unfair.—To put it more simply, it was like a heavy-whale gamer finding another player with the same rare weapon. He goes up to them to exchange spending-tips, only to be told the other person has never spent a cent on the game. That kind of complex feeling is enough to put someone in a bad mood for a long time.

As if remembering something, Carl continued.

“But how can someone in the heroic domain slay a five-headed Hydra so easily?”

“It’s because my weapon is special. This Blade of Fatality can easily cut through anything that stands in its way. The Hydra’s hide is no exception.”

She had already come up with this excuse for “performing far above her level” while she was finishing off the five-headed Hydra. As long as she attributed it to her weapon, people would pay less attention to her, which would save her a lot of trouble.

Back in the Gota City dungeon, it had happened: an adventurer, on the grounds that she was “strong anyway, so helping out is a small matter,” had tried to make her do work for him. Now, in a much more populous trade city, there would only be more of these people, who were so good at troubling others.

Although she would definitely refuse them without mercy, the act of refusing was troublesome in itself. And more often than not, these rejected people would secretly spread non-existent negative rumors to slander her. Like the refusals, it wasn’t that she couldn’t deal with them and make them regret their actions, but spending energy on such trivial matters was a massive pain. Therefore, the best solution was to divert the world’s attention from the very beginning.

Read οո КаtRеaԁіոɡСαfe

As if to demonstrate, Yisi swapped the bear-staff in her hand for the lightsaber. She infused it with magic, and after the blue-glowing blade popped out, she gave it a casual swing.

“It looks… unremarkable. Cardinal Yisi, may I try it?”

“Of course. To use it, General, just infuse magic power into the hilt. Once the blade emerges, the hilt will automatically draw your magic. You won’t need to divert your attention to manage the weapon.”

Enos had been drained instantly because her level was too low. As someone who surpassed the heroic domain, Carl wouldn’t end up like her. Plus, when Yisi made the hilt, she had added a magic circle to restrict the lens from actively absorbing the user’s magic. As long as the user didn’t actively increase the magic output, the lightsaber would only draw magic at a rate of one point per second, and the blade would only be a little over a meter long.

“It will draw my magic? A useful function, but my magic power isn’t so easily taken—Oh?”

Following Yisi’s instructions, Carl easily extended the blade. To his surprise, he couldn’t control his magic; the lightsaber was indeed drawing it at a rate of one point per second. Carl couldn’t help but click his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. To think it actually drew my magic. This must be at least a Crimson Gold-class weapon. [Death Slash].”

As Carl used the magic, the lightsaber was quickly enveloped in a flowing black substance. Then, he swung it at the distant sea. The black substance instantly flew off the blade like a projected sword edge, creating a ten-meter-long, three-meter-deep gash in the sea. Several seconds passed before the gash was refilled by the water.

“I see. It is truly a divine weapon. The person who made it must be a remarkable craftsman. It reminds me of a divine-era weapon I once chanced upon. Cardinal Yisi, is this sword’s name the Blade of Fatality?”

“Mm.”

It didn’t have a name originally, but since that greater demon she’d cut in half called it that, she might as well go with it. ¹ i really crosscheck it… but still it really is different… the previous chapter said that it is sword of the sun; not this

Carl began to examine the Blade of Fatality in detail. Even though the helmet obscured most of his face, Yisi could feel the amazement radiating from him.

“What a fine sword. In terms of magic conductivity and sharpness, no sword I have ever seen can compare. Although the magic absorption rate is a bit fast, and an ordinary person might not be able to last even a minute, that cost is nothing compared to its power. If I could fight with a sword like this, I’d have the confidence to take on even a Fallen Angel by myself. The master who forged this must have spent a great deal of effort.”

The words of praise were nice, but Yisi felt like Carl was about to drool on the sword.

After that, Carl used the Blade of Fatality to run through every melee magic spell he knew on the deck. Only after his magic was completely exhausted did he reluctantly return the sword to Yisi. Thanks to this, Yisi felt Carl’s favorability toward her had increased quite a bit.

After the ship docked, Carl very solemnly clasped his fists and bid Yisi farewell.

“Cardinal Yisi, we must escort His Majesty back. Thank you for allowing me to use such a divine artifact. For us warriors, this is an honor. I will bear this in mind.”

Yisi replied with a smile.

“You’re too kind, General Carl. Well then, Your Majesty Adonis, I will take my leave.”

Reаԁ οո ΚatRеadinɡСαfе

Only when her name was called did Adonis finally snap back to reality.

“Hm? Ah, I understand. Go on about your business, Cardinal. Thank you for your help today.”

Returning a smile, Yisi left the ship before the soldiers on the shore could swarm in, and melted into the crowd gathered at the port.

A large number of low-level adventurers had gathered to welcome back the heroes who had fought the Hydra. Those who had gone out to sea were now being thronged, met with gazes of admiration and respect from the low-level adventurers.

If conditions allowed, these people would definitely be throwing flower petals in the air. ² is a symbolic act primarily associated with celebration, good luck, prosperity, fertility, love, and new beginnings. This tradition has deep roots in various cultures and is most commonly seen at weddings

Yisi couldn’t help but think.

“It’s good that no one was hurt.”

Aside from the adventurers who were injured before she arrived, most people had just taken a dip in the sea. No one had died in the battle.

“They all came back alive!”

“Look, it’s the Hydra’s corpse!”

“One, two, three… five in total! Oh heavens, they took down five Hydras! The last time we had a victory like this was hundreds of years ago, with the hero named Phil, wasn’t it!?”

“Which hero was it this time? For such a brave warrior, letting me sleep with him for a month would be a steal for me!”

“It was a woman, and a beautiful one at that. If she hadn’t blinded the Hydras with [Rain of Punishing Light], we never would have made it back so easily.”

Not good.

Yisi suddenly remembered the declaration from the beast-eared and elven girls who were dancing in the guild: Whoever slays the Hydra, I’ll sleep with him for a month.

Although the temptation was strong enough to make one’s legs weak, she’d rather not, especially with strangers. Not to mention, she already had Pepe and the others.

I should get out of here, fast.

Before the adventurers could spot her, Yisi blended into the crowd and disappeared.