I spent most of my prep time getting into the right headspace — mentally, not physically. I already had everything I needed with me. My stock of potions had barely been touched, so there was no need to restock anything.
The only real downside was that all my latest concoctions had been made through somewhat unofficial means, which meant I couldn't shove them into my inventory. Still, the system-made ones were more than enough — temporary stat boosters, painkillers, blood-stoppers, you name it. In short — ready for battle. Assuming there's even going to be one.
After dedicating the full forty minutes to doing absolutely nothing, I teleported Night and myself straight into my little basement in the Pelgue estate. Heading upstairs, I didn't find Remus himself, but one of the maids was kind enough to tell me where he'd gone. And I didn't exactly like the answer.
The merchant had gone to attend… diplomatic talks with "representatives from Melromarc." Or so said the maid, who'd been told by Remus himself in case I arrived before he returned.
Representatives from Melromarc, huh? Considering that the only person who could officially send those representatives had just been personally delivered by yours truly back to Melromarc…
A very interesting picture started to form.
Looks like the Queen's situation had forced the church to make a move. But they clearly hadn't expected her to return to the country so soon — which meant they miscalculated. What I wanted to know now was, did they come here for me… or for the crown princess?
The estate where I usually stayed with my whole crew was considered "private property" by the Pelgue family. In other words, that was their actual home — in every sense of the word.
But for formal meetings and other official matters, they had a different place, located a bit farther out from the center of Zeltoble. That's where I headed, with Night in tow. Wyndia was off somewhere, and honestly, I didn't see much reason to drag her along. I could've maybe tried to find Sadeena just in case things got ugly — but the thought of chasing her down felt like a chore. Someone who likes to drink in the early morning could be literally anywhere.
So, once again, it was just me and my ever-present, very first companion.
Getting to the place was easy enough. The "meeting" estate was smaller than the main one, and the surrounding land was modest in size — but the visual difference was immediately clear. Everything about it screamed formal. Clean, sharp lines, dark colors, a stiff, serious atmosphere. The kind of place that's all business — but has no soul.
And it looked like someone was already waiting for me at the entrance.
"Sir Hero!" A maid rushed up as soon as we approached the gates. "The master was expecting you and asked me to tell you th—"
"Well now, what a surprise."
The girl was cut off by a deliberately theatrical voice from the side. And yeah — I was surprised too. Genuinely. I hadn't sensed this guy's presence at all until he spoke up.
Sure, Qi Control in passive mode works a lot worse — but still. I hadn't expected it to just outright fail like that.
"Didn't think I'd run into the infamous Hero so casually," said the man. He was older, with silver hair, dressed in richly adorned priest robes, glasses perched on his nose, and a smile so fake it made my skin crawl.
And I didn't expect to see the High Priest of the Three Heroes Church in a place like this. I suppose that puts us on equal footing?" I said, flashing him the same kind of smile he wore.
"Oh, not at all, Scythe Hero. You mustn't compare our positions — they're completely different."
"Yeah. You're right about that, old man."
While we kept smiling so pleasantly at each other, the poor maid beside us had started sweating buckets. What saved the situation was a group of people whose approach I'd already sensed — and to my mild satisfaction, one of those presences was familiar.
"I see you've already been introduced, esteemed Scythe Hero and High Priest," Remus joined our little smiling circle, accompanied by several other priests who had apparently arrived with the High Priest. "How delightful. After all, the 'Melromarc delegation' was just about to leave — without having the honor of meeting the Hero. That would've been such a shame, don't you think?"
There was nothing subtle about the contempt in his voice — especially when he said "Melromarc delegation." I'd figured he knew the real situation. He'd been working with the Queen, and from what I could tell, their partnership was fairly close.
"Our offer still stands, Lord Remus. Everything can still be resolved peacefully…"
"I believe I've already made my stance on this issue perfectly clear. As well as Zeltoble's."
"A pity," the priest said with a shake of his head. "In that case, I turn to you, Scythe Hero." He turned toward me. "Would you care to repent for your sins? Our God is merciful — there are ways you may yet find redemption."
"I'm not even gonna ask what sins you're talking about, or what those 'ways' entail. Just go back to wherever you came from, alright? And while you're at it, tell your God he should pick better representatives." I gave him an even sweeter smile — and watched as his own faltered just slightly.
"Very well. That is your choice. I only pray the price you pay for it won't be too high."
With that, the whole church group gathered and left the Pelgue estate. Once they were gone, the man of the house let out a tired sigh.
"That was exhausting. My apologies for the scene, Hero-sama. Their arrival caught me off guard as well."
"Is that so…"
"By the way, if I may ask — how are things with…"
"Everything's ready. I did what I had to. Now I'm here for the last tiny piece of the puzzle."
"Tiny…" Remus chuckled. "I think only you could describe the crown princess of a major country like that."
I shrugged and glanced in the direction the High Priest and his entourage had gone. I wondered… was that whole scene really going to end just like that?
"In that case — please, follow me. Princess Melty is currently staying with some of my relatives. She'll likely be safer with you."
That's… debatable. Based on canon and the current facts, it's pretty much guaranteed that the Church is going to target me too. In the original story, they mainly went after the "Demon of the Shield" — but I honestly couldn't remember why. Was it simply because he wasn't one of the Three Heroes they worshipped? Or was there a deeper reason? That part was fuzzy. And the answer to that changes everything — because if there was a deeper reason, then it wouldn't apply here. The Scythe Hero didn't exist in any previous Summonings.
Which meant… the whole question of the princess's safety was now very much up for debate.
…
"…"
"…Is there… something on my face?" the princess asked, glancing around in confusion, clearly trying to find some kind of answer from the people around her.
"I don't think so, Your Highness," Remus replied with a complicated expression.
"Then why is the Scythe Hero-sama looking at me like that?" she asked — directing her words at both me and Remus without settling on either one.
"Just weighing the possibilities," I replied, keeping a perfectly serious expression.
"W-what possibilities…?"
"Hmm… well then, let's move on to the details."
"Did you just ignore me?!"
Princess Melty Melromarc didn't differ all that much from her "anime" counterpart — aside from the added touch of realism. Dark blue hair, tied into two long side tails with matching blue ribbons. Short stature. Eyes a clear azure, with a hint of violet.
She was dressed in a dress — mostly blue as well, with white accents in various places. And, well… she looked like a child. Slightly younger than Night, if I were to compare. Maybe twelve years old — tops.
The only real difference was that, in the original canon, I remembered her as much more emotional and temperamental. Right now, though, she was keeping her speech formal — and barely raised her voice. Then again, Wyndia didn't open up right away either. New people, unfamiliar environment — all that stuff.
The only thing was… she kept giving Night these odd glances. There was curiosity in them — and something else I couldn't quite pin down. The princess does like filolials, right? But Night was in her human form right now. There's no way this kid could sense that Night's a filolial… right?
"Hero-sama, are we traveling by carriage?" Melty eventually broke the silence as we walked through Zeltoble, waiting out the ten remaining minutes before the teleport cooled down.
"No. Heroes have a much more convenient way of getting around."
"More convenient?"
"You'll see soon enough. Not long now."
Without even realizing it, I had dropped the formal tone with her entirely. The princess didn't protest — she just shot me a brief look. I mean, come on — I can't seriously keep up all that pomp with a twelve-year-old girl. A queen? Sure. But Melty? No way.
Time ticked away slowly, minutes counting down. Just a little longer now, and—
whsst
I jerked my arm up behind the princess's back, snatching an arrow out of the air mid-flight.
"Ah?" Melty turned and stared wide-eyed at the thing in my hand. "T-that's…"
"We're leaving."
If the attackers had no problem opening fire in broad daylight — in the middle of a decent-sized morning crowd in Zeltoble — then staying in that crowd was pointless.
I mean, yeah, there's such a thing as a human shield… but no. I'm not that scummy.
I didn't activate Camouflage right away — still trying to keep the existence of that skill a secret for as long as possible. So instead, without wasting time on unnecessary instructions, I grabbed the princess and dragged her into the emptiest alley I could find. Night had already gone serious — no need to say anything.
But the enemy… it felt like they could see us plain as day.
whsst, whsst, whsst…
"Serenity Stance: Eclipse."
This time, I had to use the stance to deflect a dozen arrows flying at us from every direction all at once.
The moment the barrier dissolved all the incoming arrows, I felt a faint sting on my thigh. Turning to look, I saw an ultra-thin, almost invisible needle-like arrow. This one hadn't even made a sound.
[Passive skill activated: Poison Resistance (Lv. 6)]
Poison?
The skill I'd started leveling up just for fun — and to be able to drink the world's strongest booze — might've just saved my life.
And once again, I had to pull the princess into another alley.
"Who are these people?! Where are we going, Hero-sama?!" Her face had gone pale, but there was no time to explain.
The volleys kept coming. They weren't doing any real harm — neither to me nor to Melty, not while she was under my protection. But the attacks didn't stop.
It felt like we were being herded — like lab rats in a maze, with exits sealed off one after another.
They couldn't hurt us… but it was so damn annoying.
Could the High Priest really have stooped to hiring assassins? What did he expect to gain from sending them after a Hero? Then again… thinking back to that poisoned arrow — I wasn't so sure I'd have survived it without the skill.
Sure, I might've made it out alive — but Melty…
And just as that thought crossed my mind, I caught a glimpse — out of the corner of my eye — of a familiar street. Wait… this was the edge of the city? Practically the slums. Why the hell would they—
Without a second thought, I grabbed Melty with one arm and pulled her tight against my chest, turning my back toward what looked like an empty street. My other hand shot back toward my Scythe — I was going to raise a barrier, but…
Night. Would she survive the blast? No — highly unlikely. And even if she did, the injuries would be bordering on lethal. So…
BOOOOOM
The blast swept me clean off my feet. Maybe my defense kicked in somehow — I'm not sure — but the damage wasn't nearly as catastrophic as I'd expected. Yeah, I could already feel my skin blistering from burns, but this was still manageable. A couple of potions, and even that mess would be gone in seconds. I reached for one of them—
whsst
An arrow shot straight through the potion vial I'd summoned from my Scythe, shattering it and splashing the contents all over me. A bit of it landed on my arm, healing it on the surface — but nowhere near what I would've gotten from actually drinking it.
God, this is… irritating.
"H-Hero-sama?" Melty had slipped out from my grasp and now looked up at me, pale as a ghost. "Your wounds…"
"Forget it. That's not important right now."
The cooldown on teleport was up. I could vanish from here right this second — but…
Out of the wall I'd just been blasted through, stepping calmly from the dust and rubble with perfect posture and that same fake smile, came the High Priest — golden, glowing bow in hand.
"Well now. To think the evil within the Demon of the Scythe was so strong it could withstand a strike from a true Holy Weapon."
And with him, they began to appear — from wall openings, from behind bushes, from alley corners… a whole crowd dressed in priest robes.
…I realized I didn't want to teleport anymore.
"Do you seriously not understand what consequences are waiting for you?" Of all the things happening right now, that was the one I couldn't wrap my head around. "You didn't just bring an armed force into a foreign country — you attacked a Hero. They'll wipe you out, priest."
"Ha-ha! A sinner like you could never understand, Demon of the Scythe," the Archbishop sneered. "What's so wrong about a simple pilgrimage? We are but true believers, wishing to spread our faith to others. And with this…" He caressed the bow in his hands with reverence. "With this, I can become a god myself — unlike you false Heroes!"
"…"
I had nothing to say to that. A pilgrimage, huh? How convenient. If I remember right, back in the Middle Ages, rulers actually encouraged crap like that. I still didn't get how he planned to silence any potential witnesses, but honestly — it didn't matter. Whatever that fake in his hands was made of, it had clearly blown a fuse in his head.
A replica of a Holy Weapon — that's what gave the Archbishop and the Church their confidence. After assessing the strength of the current Heroes, they concluded they were fakes. Because the Church's replica was far more powerful than anything the Sword, Spear, or Bow trio could pull off. And, to be fair… that's a logical assumption. I'd have thought the same thing, if I didn't know the original story. But that's the thing — it's wrong. The Heroes are just idiots, plain and simple. That's all it is.
"…and once divine justice strikes down the Demons of the Scythe and the Shield, the false Heroes will follow, along with all those who allowed themselves to be tempted by your filth."
While I was lost in thought, the preacher kept on preaching. But the smirk on his face when he said that last part… I really didn't like it.
"Sadly, it seems the Demon has somehow managed to corrupt one of the Lord's most faithful servants… A shame, truly. But suffering has no hold on her now." His voice dripped with poison.
Then, with a crueler grin than before, he waved a hand. Someone stepped forward, carrying a large ornate box.
A sharp pain jabbed at my chest — not physical, but deep and cold.
"Nott?" a familiar voice called from the side.
Naofumi. And Raphtalia. And Filo.
"Well, well," the Archbishop snorted. "Can you imagine how hard it was to get you all in the same place? But now, I can finally cut out this festering rot in one go."
No. Screw Naofumi. The box…
"Look closely, Demon of the Scythe…"
The box creaked as it began to open.
"Look and repent. Repent for your sins." The lid rose just enough to reveal a glimpse of what was inside. "See what your poisonous existence does to good people."
There were… strands of hair. Light-colored hair.
With a careless flick of his wrist, the Archbishop tilted the box — spilling its contents onto the ground.
I don't know why I reacted so strongly. Thinking back on it, only one explanation comes to mind. But I wouldn't reach that conclusion for a long time… and when I did, it would already be far too late.
"You're the reason she's dead."
Images flashed unbidden through my mind. The fight with the Leprous Dead, Night's injury, the Church, holy water, the escape, and…
…the nun.
The head of that same girl who saved Night now lay discarded at the Archbishop's feet.
That girl — no, more like a child — probably not even twenty. So hot-headed, so lively, so kind… the one who helped me for no reason. Just because she could.
And now she was dead. Because of me.
Or was it because of me? What exactly was my sin?
"Master?"
Night. She mattered more. I saved her. Her — and myself. Nothing matters more than those two words: Me and Her. I had no choice.
"Repent, Demon."
"Nott?"
The voices blurred together — a muddled, ringing haze.
Yeah. It's all that fossil's fault — the one who thinks he's a god.
The girl whose name I never even learned… the one I owed Night's life to. And probably my own, too. I… have to avenge her death.
He has to die. I have to kill him. No matter what it takes.
The voices faded into indistinct noise. Only one thought remained — loud, clear, and undeniable: kill the enemy. As brutally and completely as possible.
And just like last time, a sickening giggle echoed in my mind — beneath the spreading grin of fanged jaws.
I felt something buzz inside my belt pouch. Then, with a flash, it shot out and sank into the Scythe hanging like a crescent at my side.
[Core of the Rotting Emperor Dragon absorbed]
Don't care.
My gaze fell once more on the light-haired head, now coated in dirt and dust from where it had landed.
And something inside me boiled over.
"Yeaahhh." A blissful sigh left my lips. My sigh… or was it? "Guess it's time for all of you to die. Okay?" The words slipped out with a cheerful lilt.
[3/3]