Volume 8 Chapter 3 For Love, Fangs
I gave a straightforward report.
"I have no doubt that I killed the platinum Sword adventurer 'Oath' ―― the 'Sword of Oath', Arthur, with my own hands."
Everyone held their breath at my report. Ice, Clay, Toxy, and Sandra all stared at me with wide eyes and tight lips. Sieg also smiled with a cold sweat, saying, "As I thought..."
"W-wow, you did it! I knew you could do it, but... Wade, I'm speechless. You actually killed that legend."
Alex nodded repeatedly and praised me. I said.
"He was strong. I don't think I'll ever meet a swordsman as strong as him again. He was that strong. Arthur's Geas, immortality, and swordsmanship were all among the best in the world."
"I guess so. That guy was a thorn in our side for years, even for us. Sieg was the only one who could even pose a threat to him. I thought there was a possibility because of their similar styles, but I also thought there was a big difference in skill."
I nodded.
"I made up for the skill difference with growth. This battle wasn't just me, it was a victory we achieved with everyone's help."
"Tell me more."
I began to speak in detail. Roman's support. The dedication of Moruru, Ridge, and Windy. The strengthening of Durandal by Sylvia, Gold, and newly joined Terin.
"...I'm surprised. Did you persuade some members of Emperor Roman's 'Golden Stealth Weapon Unit' to join you?"
"Well, it was a long story."
I ignore the cold stares from my 3 wives. I won't be discouraged by this little bit, as I'll be talking about even more difficult things later. I'm not even sweating. It's not running down my cheeks.
After I finished speaking, I took a breath and looked at Alex.
"Personality-wise, he was someone I could get along with. But I decided to kill him, and I did it properly. I thought it would be cruel to let Arthur live after that."
Immortality beyond my own would be something impossible to die from. Arthur's immortality was exactly that. So there was probably no death greater than dying properly on the spot for Arthur, a warrior.
"Alright, if that's what Wade says, then so be it. Good work."
I bow to Alex's nod. The report is over. The mission has been accomplished. Nothing more, nothing less, just accomplished.
I finish my report and take a step back. Alex then prompts, "Next, Sieg. Give us a report on the achievements of Wade's party."
"Yeah, then I'll announce it."
Sieg steps forward, with Ice and the others behind him, and addresses Alex and me.
"The training results of Wade's party, excluding Wade himself, have achieved 75% of the target."
"Oh, huh?"
I start to cheer, but then I tilt my head, meaning that they only achieved 25%.
"First, I'll talk about Clay. Clay has further renewed his contract with Typhoon and has become strong enough to fight me on equal terms. It is nothing short of remarkable growth."
"Thank you, master."
Clay bows. I open my mouth. Equal to Sieg? Seriously? He's strong. I mean, he calls him master? Maybe I should call Roman master too.
"Be careful."
"Sieg, your response is beyond a master, it's like you're a king."
"That's not true."
Alex is poking fun at Sieg's natural clumsiness.
"Toxy is not quite on par, but she was able to generate a strong enough poison from Hydra to melt me. Her immortality and physical ability have also increased, making her a formidable opponent."
"I've gotten a lot stronger!"
Toxy is also pleased. That's probably enough growth. I mean, if she can melt Sieg, I don't think there's anything she can't melt.
"I was really scared when Toxy's poison made all my hair fall out once."
"I'm sorry about that, master..."
Sieg's hair looks thick as can be. I'm really glad it grew back. Anyway, does Sieg have some kind of quota to fill for being a goofball?
"Sandra... I don't really understand, but I lost once."
"I won by fluke."
"No way."
This is the worst. What does it mean to beat Sieg? What did she do? Sandra is expressionless, snorting proudly. No, you can be proud. You're amazing, Sandra.
"I'm very upset, so I've been challenging her every day since then."
"I get beaten up every day."
In the aftermath of Sieg's challenge, Sandra nodded with a blank expression. Sieg...
"So, about Ice,"
Sieg said.
"She has newly mastered 3 magic spells, significantly improved her ice soldier training, and can now fully control a wider range of rune magic. Now, each and every one of Ice's ice soldiers can be considered gold rank."
I could tell the outcome from his tone.
"Ice has shown the most remarkable growth among all of them. There's probably no other long-range group-type fighter as powerful as her. It wouldn't be surprising if her overall strength has reached platinum-rank swordsmanship."
"But she still couldn't defeat Sieg, right?"
I followed up on Sieg's words, and Sieg nodded after a moment of silence. Ice was staring at me straight on.
Without looking back at Ice, I asked Alex.
"Alex, you said that the only way for Ice to join the Demon King subjugation quest was if she could inflict a wound on Sieg, right?"
"...I did say that back then."
I glared at Alex. Alex smirked and said, "Don't glare at me with that scary face, you. I'm your king, you know?"
But I shook my head.
"Don't joke around with me, Alex. Are you saying that we're going to take her because she's grown enough? What are we going to do if Ice dies then? You were the one who said you didn't want that to happen."
"That's because she were the only one who met the passing mark back then, Wade. Ice's strength is more than enough to be useful, and she won't die if someone other than Wade is with her."
"So, you're saying she's in danger the moment she's alone? Are you asking me to risk the life of my beloved wife just because she's useful enough?"
The tension was palpable. Everyone else was looking around with worried expressions, but I wasn't going to back down, no matter what anyone said.
But even then, the one who would speak up was, as expected, Ice.
"Wade-kun...,"
Ice said, pushing Sieg aside and stepping forward.
"I'm fine. I've gotten really strong, so don't worry about me..."
"...But you couldn't land an attack on Sieg, so you didn't meet the passing mark, right? That means this journey could be dangerous. I..."
"Yeah. I mean, it's like always. Nothing's changed. There's always danger lurking around us, and our journey ahead will be no different. That's all."
"..."
Being told that, I feel weak. But I shake my head.
"The others have all grown strong enough to not die, right? But it's just Ice, who can't reach that level. And if you push yourself and die, you..."
"Hehe, Wade-kun,."
Ice says to me with a sullen expression.
"That's a bit too naive, isn't it?"
"..."
Oh, I've just stepped on a tiger's tail.
I look at Ice's face. She's smiling, but she's angry. Clearly, she's angry.
"The place we're heading to is the Demon Realm, Hell, the world of demons, right...? There's no one there who can't die. You didn't think it was going to be a leisurely trip, did you?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant."
"Whether or not I can land an attack on Sieg is just an indicator. It's just saying that the possibility of death is within the acceptable range. I couldn't land an attack on Sieg, but the possibility of death itself is still very low, as far as I'm concerned."
"And," Ice continues,
"I can grow even during the journey, even in the midst of fighting the Demon King, right, Wade-kun? That's exactly what you're doing, isn't it...? For such a sweet reason like that, you're worried about me?"
"Ah, sweet reason, you say?"
"Sweet. Do you know how much we've been worried about your recklessness, Wade-kun...?"
"...Yes."
I can only hang my head. The others are saying things like "Aww, Wade is so pitiful" and "The first lady of the world..."
"Wade-kun, you're too insensitive to your own pain, but too sensitive to the pain of others... We're already strong enough."
"Yes..."
"I appreciate your concern, but overprotectiveness is not okay... It's not good for us either."
"Yes... I'm sorry..."
I could only nod meekly. I couldn't stand up to Ice in this situation.
But then, Ice gently hugged me and said, "But...,"
"I was happy that you got angry for me... Thank you, Wade-kun..."
"...Ice..."
I hugged Ice tightly. Ridge, who was watching us from the side, shivered and said, "Ice-sama is scary~desuwa..."
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