The Sword Master’s Son-in-Law

– The Handsome Man (2)

The Pope’s chamber.

There, the Pope sat blankly.

His expression devoid of emotion, he stared endlessly into the empty air.

Then, suddenly.

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking came from outside the door.

Followed by a voice.

“Your Holiness, Master Pete has come to see you.”

“Let him in.”

With the Pope’s permission,

a man entered the Pope’s chamber.

A youth with white hair and a small frame, Pete.

Pete approached the Pope.

And -.

“Father. Has something happened today?”

He called the Pope “Father.”

Pete was the Pope’s illegitimate son.

An illegitimate son who had suddenly appeared five years ago.

At Pete’s words, the Pope recounted everything that had happened that day.

Including the Hero’s appearance, and even a description of the Hero’s characteristics.

“A, a Hero has appeared?”

“Yes.”

“Th, this…!”

Pete, his face a crumpled map of displeasure, hurried away from the table.

Back in the room that had been his, Pete began to pack.

“Damn it all, I can’t stay here any longer.”

Five years prior.

Contacting the Pope,

Acting the part of a b*stard son.

The truth was, he was neither the Pope’s offspring, nor was he Pete.

His true name was Peter.

A loyal servant of the Demon Lord, brought over from the Ma continent.

He had investigated the Hero extensively.

And he had realized.

“Normally, one would use the Pope to ostracize and assassinate the Hero, wouldn’t one?”

The Pope’s power was certainly formidable.

But–.

“That’s how everything was ruined, time and again.”

Peter understood.

All of his predecessors had failed.

And Peter understood.

The value of being content with small victories.

He had read the records of those who came before him.

They, in their arrogance, had dismissed the Hero as insignificant, and it had cost them their lives.

Peter had no intention of repeating their mistakes.

And–.

“Battles are for the simple-minded anyway.”

He believed that a mind like his, capable of cunning, should only resort to combat as a last measure.

So this time, he would be satisfied with gathering information on the Hero.

And, armed with that knowledge, he would join his comrades and deal with the Hero then.

Peter gathered all the belongings he needed.

“It pains me to use it here…”

Peter retrieved the teleportation scroll he had received as a trump card and tore it.

A wave of dizziness washed over Peter,

And when he opened his eyes, he was in a familiar cavern.

The very place where they had held the roundtable conference.

It was there.

Peter looked around.

And then, Peter was startled.

“Ah, Ameri? What are you doing here? What about your mission? Well, no matter. Yes, I have wonderful news to share with you.”

Ameri, her face a blank slate, stared at Peter.

At his words, her eyes flickered, as if intrigued.

“Good tidings, you say?”

“No need to hide it amongst ourselves, surely. A Hero has appeared. He is currently within the Holy Kingdom of Hevis.”

“The Holy Kingdom of Hevis…?”

“Aye. The Holy Kingdom of Hevis. By the Hero’s description, he’s said to have black hair and black eyes, much like the first Hero of old.”

Amerie nodded repeatedly.

As if she didn’t want to miss a single syllable.

And then, Amerie suddenly conjured the image of a certain man in her mind.

‘Black hair and black eyes, you say.’

Wasn’t that just like Arthur, who had bought her a meal?

A hesitant thought sprouted within Amerie.

“And they say he’s quite handsome.”

“Handsome?”

Amerie paused, contemplative.

A handsome face.

‘Is that face a handsome face?’

Amerie wasn’t particularly well-versed in matters of appearance.

She had never given it much thought.

Thus, appearances were a domain unknown to Amerie.

For that reason, Amerie couldn’t immediately discern if Arthur possessed a handsome face.

“Is that all?”

“Huh…? That’s all the information I have on the Hero.”

At Peter’s words of finality, Amerie began to draw upon her mana.

Peter, immediately sensing Amerie’s intent, cried out in haste.

“W-Why are you suddenly doing this? Surely it isn’t because of that last council meeting? That was all Drex’s doing!”

Amerie was often criticized for appearing doll-like, devoid of her own will.

But that criticism only served to mask Amerie’s reactions.

The truth was, everyone knew.

The one called the Second Demon King of the Great Continent, Amerie.

Her strength was said to be on par with the current Demon King.

Thus, Peter showed no intention of fighting,

and instead pleaded for his life.

However.

“Death to those who fail their mission.”

“W-Wait! I didn’t fail…! I merely avoided unnecessary combat –”

Peter couldn’t finish his sentence.

Because Amerie had ignited a black flame.

And so, Peter was reduced to black ash by Amerie.

Amerie murmured.

“A teleportation scroll, its use implies failure and subsequent escape from the mission.”

Her father, the Demon Lord.

Amerie was simply following the message she received from him.

*

To meet Ameria again.

Ameria felt different somehow.

Where usually she gave the impression of disinterest,

today she seemed to find me…intriguing.

It showed in her actions, truly.

She brought her face close, examining mine intently.

She studied me like that for some time.

“I don’t understand…”

She shook her head slightly, bowing it downward.

I asked her,

“What is it you don’t understand?”

“Hmm… right. Asking you will be quicker, I suppose.”

Amerie looked at me, her eyes showing a hint of nervousness.

And then –

“Um…Arthas, are you handsome?”

Huh?

Handsome?

“What are you talking about?”

“Just answer the question.”

Well, I probably was handsome.

But –

‘She wants me to say I’m handsome myself?’

Frankly, that made me a little uneasy.

And so, I denied it, but not quite.

“Nah, there are tons of people more handsome than me.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

I didn’t know what was so relieving, but

Amerie really seemed… reassured.

*

After I revealed myself as the Hero.

I hadn’t faced Leti for a good while.

It was like she was avoiding me.

I felt like I was going to be hurt, without even knowing why.

Then, one day,

Leti called for me.

Probably on official business.

“Hero-nim, there’s something I need to ask of you.”

A decidedly earnest expression on Letty’s face.

It felt like a lie that she had been avoiding me so consistently.

But—

‘She still won’t meet my eyes, though.’

As if deliberately looking elsewhere.

I wondered if she disliked me, but her tail wagged every time she saw me, so that couldn’t be it.

In any case, I had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.

‘Could it be that she’s suddenly come to like me?’

But—

Why would she avoid me if she liked me?

It was simply incomprehensible.

“What is it you want to ask of me?”

“Well, that’s…”

I had mentioned something casually to the Holy Maiden once.

Five years ago.

Whether there had been any changes within the Papal faction.

And—

“Five years ago, someone claiming to be the Pope’s illegitimate child came to visit…”

“Hmm…”

Of all times, five years ago.

An illegitimate child showing up.

Something felt suspicious.

“But then they suddenly disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

Suddenly vanished.

The suspicion doubled.

“Yes. The room was in disarray, as if they had fled in the dead of night…”

“Hmm… I understand.”

It was highly likely that this individual was the instigator behind the assassination attempt on the Holy Maiden.

But—

“Why did you call me here?”

That she would have a request for me.

Could it be that she wanted me to apprehend the fugitive?

“We need the ability you possess, Hero.”

“Ability?”

“Yes, you are able to detect the presence of Fiends. They say your Sigil heats up when you are near a trace of a Fiend.”

Huh…?

“The Sigil heats up?”

“Yes.”

In an instant, it came to me.

“Of all the things, in the Hoorn Kingdom…”

“Me… did I ever do that once, maybe?”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. Pity I missed them though–”

“Ah… that is unfortunate. But!”

The Saintess finally met my gaze.

“Even just the *discovery* of a single demon means they’ve all but crossed into the continent! In the current situation, the chances of that b*stard child being a demon are that much higher, you understand!”

Perhaps due to her excitement, her tail was thrashing about with vigour.

And furthermore, she was close.

Almost close enough for our faces to touch.

The Saintess, seemingly realising this, hastily put some distance between us.

Then, she averted her gaze once more.

“A-Anyway, I would like for you to come with me to the room where that b*stard child lived.”

“U-Uh, okay.”

The Saintess seized my hand and began to lead me along.

Her tail kept wagging, tickling my hand,

but I didn’t bother to say anything.

Before long,

we arrived at a room where two Holy Knights stood guard.

And me–.

“I think you might be right.”

I felt the Token growing hot.

That aura I sensed in the Hoorn Kingdom quarry.

The Token was picking up that same lingering trace in the b*stard child’s room.

At my words, Letty spoke in a voice filled with excitement.

“R-Really?”

“Yeah.”

It was a little different from before,

but a faint warmth could be felt.

Perhaps the aura had simply faded over time.

In any case, the b*stard child who lived here.

There was no doubt that his true identity was that of a demon.

And simultaneously–.

I realized one possibility.

“Huh? Then, does that mean *you’re* no longer in danger of assassination, Letty?”

“Now that you mention it, perhaps?”

I couldn’t say for certain just yet.

But *if* Letty’s assassination threat was a demon’s ploy,

then the demon being gone meant that there would no longer be anyone trying to assassinate Letty.

In other words,

Now, Letty was free from assassination, her liberation complete.