Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 1 - Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

THE HOLY SWORD TRIAL

It was thus that Leonis made Riselia his minion…

Before going to the administration bureau for what was called a Holy Sword Trial, the two of them stopped for a light meal. At any rate, Leonis wasn’t undead anymore. He’d need sustenance, or he wouldn’t be able to use his sorcery properly.

“What would you do if I exposed your identity to the bureau?”

“…I’m not worried about that.”

If Riselia were to expose him, it would also come out that she was a vampire. That wasn’t an option for someone who aspired to be a Holy Swordswoman.

“…I—I know,” Riselia murmured grumpily.

“Regardless, a minion can’t betray its master.” A seal surfaced on Leonis’s hand, and he presented it to the young woman.

“What’s that?”

“A seal of dominion and subordination. It can be used to force a minion to obey—”

“N-no…! You mean, like, pervy things, too?!” Tears welled up in Riselia’s eyes.

“…Well, it’s possible. I won’t do anything like that, though.”

“…R-really?”

“Really,” answered Leonis, a bit exasperated.

…Some Dark Lords were known to use minions for such purposes. As the Undead King, Leonis had never subjected his minions to such treatment.

“…All right. I believe you, Leo.” Riselia nodded. “You were a gentleman when we were in the bath together. But what is a minion supposed to do?”

“A minion’s purpose in being is to defend their master, since this body has grown weak…”

Riselia giggled at his words.

“Don’t worry, your big sister will keep you safe.” The girl patted his head somewhat happily.

The two then entered one of the school’s restaurants and claimed a table.

…A human body really is troublesome.

Leonis’s feelings had entirely flipped since his time in the bath. The newly undead Riselia, on the other hand, looked a bit anxious.

“Hey, I’m not really that hungry, but I can still eat normally, right?”

“Higher-ranking vampires can eat regular food, yes. It takes time to convert the nutrients into mana, though, so it’s a bit inefficient.” Leonis spoke in a whisper. “Also, unlike most vampires, you can walk around in daytime.”

A Vampire Queen was among the highest grade of undead creatures, rivaling even Elder Liches and Black Knights. It was a High Daywalker, dissimilar from the Nightwalker species of undead.

“…Oh, thank goodness.” Riselia sighed in relief.

A vampire who ate food was also useful in terms of camouflage.

“Erm, if you ever really feel to urge to drink blood, feel free to take it from me.”

He may have done it to save her life, but he’d still turned this girl who aspired to be a Holy Swordswoman into a vampire. The least he could do was share his blood whenever she needed it.

But when he said it, Riselia made a small, barely audible gulping sound.

“………”

Her ice-blue eyes were fixed intently on the nape of Leonis’s neck.

“…Um. Just a bit, though, all right?”

“N-no, that’s not what I…!” The girl turned away, her face flushing as red as a tomato. “I won’t drink blood, and I don’t want to forget my humanity.”

“…Ah, keep your voice down…!” Leonis looked around the nearby tables, flustered.

Thankfully, they’d come in at around three in the afternoon, so there weren’t too many students about. What few there were eyed their table and seemed to be whispering to one another.

…Did they hear what we just said?

He used a Sensory Expansion spell to listen in on their conversation.

“Check him out! Isn’t that kid, like, super cute?”

“Uhhh. He’s still small. Are you into that or something?”

“Yeah! Gotta pick ’em when they’re young and fresh.”

“Whoa, you’ve got a serious criminal vibe. When kids that cute grow up, they become Dark Lords in the bedroom, know what I mean?”

“Stop it, that sounds bad… Ah, he looked over here.  ”

One of the girls gave a mischievous smile and waved at him…which Leonis promptly ignored. Hearing the words Dark Lord did make his heart skip a beat, though.

“Watch what you’re saying…,” he warned Riselia.

The silver-haired girl hid her face awkwardly behind the menu.

“So did you decide what you’ll order?” she asked.

“…Bread will do.”

“Bread…? You mean this freshly baked bread?”

“Yes, that.”

“There’s lots of other stuff you could try. The food in this cafeteria is pretty good,” she said, pointing at a few menu items.

“Bread will do just fine. I don’t really know what all these other things are…,” Leonis said, cocking his head dubiously.

What is all this? Gratin…lasagna, pasta…?

These were all dishes Leonis had never heard of before. They likely didn’t exist a thousand years ago. Or maybe they did but only adorning the tables of royalty and nobility. Whichever it was, they certainly hadn’t been part of Leonis’s world.

Riselia suddenly poked Leonis’s forehead with her index finger.

“Just bread simply isn’t enough. You need balanced nutrition.”

“I’d rather not have an undead preach to me about nutr— Ah.”

By the time he stopped himself, it was already too late.

“…Nnnnn…!”

Tears began forming in Riselia’s eyes.

“I—I get it, okay? I’m sorry!”

Leonis offered a hurried apology. A Dark Lord begging his minion for forgiveness was an odd sight to be sure, but it wasn’t like she’d willingly become undead.

“…Meanie,” Riselia whispered sullenly.

“…I’m sorry,” Leonis apologized again, which she regarded with a little sniff.

“In that case, try this season’s vegetable-garnished pasta. Okay?”

“Fine, I’ll have that.” Leonis nodded.

Riselia ordered them the pasta and a salad.

“Your big sister will cover for you today. Once they issue your permanent ID card, use your own credits, okay?”

“Credits?”

“That’s the currency we use in the Assault Gardens. Completing tasks for the academy earns you rewards.”

“Oh, money. I see…”

Leonis smiled boastfully and pulled a gold coin from his shadow. It was a large Reidoa gold coin, issued by the Schkarest Empire. A commoner could live for the rest of his or her life off one of these coins, and Leonis had over twenty thousand of them hidden away in the Realm of Shadows. He’d taken them as military funds from Necrozoa’s vaults, planning to use them for the upcoming revival of the Dark Lords’ Armies.

However…

“…What? What is this…?”

Riselia’s reaction to seeing the coin was lacking, to say the least.

“Huh…? It’s a Reidoa coin. One of these is worth enough to buy this entire restaurant.”

“Well, erm… I don’t think they take that kind of money here…,” Riselia said with a mixed expression. “The Seventh Assault Garden only accepts credits.”

“Wh-what…?” Leonis was dumbstruck. “B-but even if I can’t use it as currency, isn’t pure gold rare and valuable…?”

“Oh, it’s pure gold. But gold isn’t that rare of a metal.” Riselia smiled at him cheerily.

“Huh…?”

“It’s used in decoration, but… Actually, the gold we refine is probably even purer than this.”

“…”

In an instant, the vast troves of wealth amassed in the Treasury of Shadows became worthless.

Leonis could only moan in despair.

But as he did…

“Oh, is that an old coin? Classy thing you’ve got there.”

A voice, cool like the wind, reached Leonis’s ears. Turning around, he was faced with a girl curiously eyeing the coin in his hand. Her hair was a shade of azure reminiscent of the sky.

She wore her hair short. At first glance, one might mistake her for a beautiful young man. However, her plump chest made a clear outline below her white outfit. She was short, just a bit taller than Leonis’s ten-year-old body. Her outfit was different from Riselia’s. The top of her uniform was casually draped over some sort of eccentric getup. Her eyes held the calm composure of a gorgeous young woman.

“Ah, Sakuya…” Riselia raised her eyes to meet Sakuya’s and waved.

…They’re acquainted, from the looks of things.

“Isn’t there a tactical drill today?”

“Yeah, but it was painfully boring. I snuck out,” the short-haired beauty said and then turned her gaze to Leonis. “Are you the boy capable of using a Holy Sword…?”

“You’ve heard about Leo?”

“Yes, Miss Elfiné told me about him. You were found in a ruin, right?”

“Yes, I was abducted by the Voids until Selia saved me…”

“Hmm. Well, whatever happened, it’s a good thing you’re safe.” The short-haired girl silently extended her right hand. “I’m Sakuya Sieglinde. Nice to meet you.”

“Leonis Magnus.” Leonis returned the handshake.

Her hand was small and slightly cold. Unmistakably a girl’s hand. But the moment he grasped it, Leonis realized something.

…This is the hand of one who lives by the sword.

She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. Just how much training had she endured to reach such a level at this age…?

“Hmm, Leo, is it? A good name. Invokes the image of a lion.” The girl smiled, letting go of his hand.

“Sakuya is our platoon’s vanguard attacker,” Riselia explained.

…I see, they’re in the same platoon.

Leonis was genuinely curious as to how Riselia had managed to tempt a swordswoman like Sakuya to her side.

“By the way, are you two here for lunch?”

“Yes. We’re going to eat and then go register Leo’s Holy Sword.”

“Hmm. Sorry if I’m interrupting, then.”

“You’re not interrupting anything, Sakuya. Have you had lunch yet?”

“Mmm, well…” Sakuya averted her gaze and fell silent for a moment. “I actually don’t have any credits on me today.”

“What? What did you waste all your credits on?!” Riselia raised her voice in surprise.

“Gambling.”

“…So it’s your own fault.”

“It is.”

Riselia reached a cold conclusion, to which Leonis nodded and agreed.

“…Th-that’s wrong!” Sakuya shook her head defensively. “I just, well, I got a little fired up, and…”

“………” Riselia’s scrutiny grew sharper.

…Contrary to how cool and collected this Sakuya person looked, she was pretty hopeless.

“I ran out of credits, so the other party agreed they’d let me off the hook if I showed them my breasts. I was about to take off my shirt when a professor on patrol walked in…”

“S-Sakuya! Y-you can’t do that—you’re a girl!” Riselia grabbed Sakuya by the shoulders and started shaking her.

“No sweat. The other person was a girl, too.”

“…I, uh, does that make it any better?” Riselia wondered with a perplexed expression.

Sakuya did have an appearance that looked like it might be popular among girls, too, but…

“Anyway, one thing led to another, and I’m broke.” The words almost sounded boastful coming from Sakuya.

Riselia give a small sigh.

“What am I going to do with you? Fine, I’ll treat you to lunch.”

“No, Miss Riselia, I couldn’t…”

“It’s fine. I got some credits from the ruin investigation.” The silver-haired girl presented her card.

“Then I owe you one. Truthfully, my stomach’s been growling quite a bit for a while now.” Sakuya bowed her head deeply and politely took a seat at their table.

“What did you order, kid?”

“Some food I’ve never heard of before.”

“A daredevil, are you? I think I’ll go for some pancakes.”

“Sakuya, you can’t live on just sweets,” Riselia chimed in.

“You’ve absolutely nothing to worry about. I won’t gain any weight.”

“That’s not what I…,” Riselia said, holding her temples in a gesture of exhaustion.

As they waited for their dishes to arrive, Leonis brought up a question that bothered him.

“Erm… Miss Sakuya, what’s that outfit you’re wearing?”

“Oh, this? It’s my homeland’s…the traditional garb of the Sakura Orchid.” Sakuya nodded. “…It’s a memento of my elder sister.”

Sakuya’s expression instantly turned serious. Leonis swore he could see a black flame burning in her eyes.

“My village’s clan was killed by the Voids,” she said in a chillingly cold voice. “Slaying those things is my calling.”

Her tone was filled with such cold determination that it made students from the nearby tables turn and look. Leonis had seen a few people with that same fire burning in their eyes before.

…She’s one who seeks vengeance.

“Sakuya…,” Riselia said with a solemn voice.

And…

“Sorry, this isn’t a story I should be telling someone I just met.” Sakuya shrugged, as if to relax herself.

“No, I shouldn’t have pried.”

“My appearance violates school regulation, but there’s no way I wouldn’t wear this tribute to my sister. I got special permission.”

“Sakuya has very high records for slaying Voids on solo missions. She’s one of the few students to achieve that during their earlier years at the academy.”

“It’s not all that great… Oh, here they come.”

A waiter walked up to take their orders, and Leonis ordered the season’s vegetable-garnished pasta.

The pasta ended up being very much to Leonis’s taste. Mankind’s cuisine seemed to have greatly evolved in the last thousand years. They now boasted a much larger variety of seasonings. Sakuya Sieglinde returned to her dorm, saying she needed to pawn some of her things.

…Leonis couldn’t help but wonder if a gambler at her age would really be all right.

Leaving the restaurant, Leonis was led to the academy’s training grounds. The place was a maze of training facilities used for a variety of different purposes. The complex was large enough to fit two or maybe three castles from Leonis’s era.

These grounds alone are vast enough to raise an army of ten thousand skeleton warriors…

Waiting for them there was a woman in a military uniform, standing with her hands on her hips.

“Right on time. Good. I’m Diglassê Alto, the instructor in charge of your trial.”

“I’m Leonis Magnus.”

“…The boy rescued from the ruins, yes?” The woman looked him over, seemingly appraising him. “You don’t have to be so tense. The trial is only meant to confirm what type of Holy Sword you have.”

“Type?”

“They register your Holy Sword’s ability so they can adjust your training curriculum to suit it,” Riselia explained.

Since Holy Swords had varied abilities, a uniform curriculum would be ineffective in developing them. Therefore, Holy Swordsmen officers had to examine each sword with their own eyes and make decisions as to what kind of training would be best.

“Yes, that’s how it works. Now, could you show me your Holy Sword?”

“Understood. Come forth, Staff of Sealed Sins!” called Leonis.

His staff appeared from his shadow and settled in his hand.

“So your Holy Sword takes the shape of a staff. What type of abilities does it have?”

“Hmm… It’s a support type, I suppose. It exhibits different powers depending on the situation.” Leonis gave a vague sort of answer to describe everything his magic could do.

“I see. An all-purpose support type…,” Diglassê said, inputting something into the tablet device in her hands. “All right. Could you show me your power?”

She fiddled with the pad, and a lump of metal sitting at the edge of the training grounds sprang to life. It was eight-legged and had a spiderlike form. Shining red mana crystals, each the size of a fist, were fixed at the joints where the legs met the body of the automaton.

“What’s that?”

“A Void Simulator developed for training purposes by the magitech department,” Riselia said. “It’s programmed to fight like a Void would.”

“We’ve set its performance to a low setting for the trial. Try fighting it.”

“…Understood.”

…What is this toy?

Leonis lifted his staff with a hint of displeasure.

I’ll just fire a second-order Destructive Gravity Shot and be done with it…

He wanted to put this pointless formality behind him as soon as possible. With a grand flourish of his staff, the Undead King unleashed the gravity-type spell.

Voooooooooom!

The Void Simulator was crushed to bits with a deafening sound.

“…?!”

Diglassê and Riselia looked on in shock.

…Damn, did I overdo it?

“Y-you crushed a Void Simulator made of Metahalcum to bits…?”

“D-didn’t you say your Holy Sword was a multipurpose support type? What was that just now…?!”

“I, erm, guess I hit it in a weak spot?”

“It seems like a lot more than just that! I’ll need to check your Holy Sword more thoroughly!” Diglassê glared at Leonis.

…Not good. All I did was make her suspicious.

“Now, what should I use for the next trial…?”

No sooner had the words left the woman’s lips, than…

“Wait just a moment,” a familiar voice cut in.

A thin blond man surrounded by a group of girls approached them. Muselle Rhodes.

“What is it, Viscount Muselle? We’re in the middle of a trial here.” Instructor Diglassê narrowed her eyes at him, clearly displeased at his interruption.

Muselle merely smirked in response, approaching Leonis.

“Instructor, would you mind if I handled his trial?”

“What?” Diglassê furrowed her brow. “Viscount, need I remind you that unofficial duels are forbidden at the academy?”

“I’m not proposing a duel here, but a trial. With your approval, there should be no problems. Being a top-rank Holy Swordsman, I’m more than qualified.”

There was a sadistic smile on Muselle’s lips. It was clear he was looking for payback.

“…Boy, did you do anything to him?” Diglassê asked in a whisper, looking down at Leonis.

“…No,” the boy answered.

Diglassê shrugged at his feigned ignorance.

“Hmm.”

The woman glanced at the ruined Void Simulator. Clearly realizing something, her lips curved into a knowing smirk.

“Well, I suppose there’s no harm, given how the simulator is broken and all.”

…This woman’s using this to gauge my power.

He’d unintentionally caught her interest with what he’d done earlier.

Fine, so be it…, Leonis thought with a sort of tired resignation.

“I don’t mind. Assuming Mr. Muselle here can fill in for that ruined scrap heap.”

“…What did you just say, brat?!” The blond young man’s complacent expression easily gave way to anger.

He had to be a truly weak man to fall for such an obvious taunt.

Having this guy pick fights over and over could get tiresome…

Leonis thought this could be a chance to thoroughly crush him publicly.

“Leo, what are you doing?!” Riselia raised her voice in shock, but…

“I’ll have you eat those words…! Hey!” At Muselle’s signal, the four girls with whom he’d arrived drew their weapons.

Two of them held swords, another a mace, and the last carried a lance. Likely all Holy Swords. They moved in a manner devoid of will, like marionettes on strings.

“That’s four on one! It’s not fair!” Riselia protested.

“That’s the power of my Holy Sword—Dominion, the Staff of Absolute Obedience. These four are an extension of my weapon.”

Muselle produced a short staff in the shape of a conductor’s baton.

So that’s his Holy Sword…

“That’s still not…!” Riselia looked to Diglassê.

The instructor simply shrugged again and shook her head.

…It was obvious she found this interesting on some level.

“I suppose I can understand that…,” Leonis said in response to his opponent.

His army of undead was an extension of his own power. It stood to reason that anyone under the sway of this young man’s Holy Sword would be considered part of his power in much the same fashion.

“Leo…”

“I just need to defeat him and those four girls, right?” asked the Undead King.

“That’s right,” answered Diglassê with a nod.

“Wait. If that’s the case, I’m fighting alongside him,” Riselia interjected. “I’m Leo’s minion…his guardian.”

“Selia—”

“Pfft… Ah-ha-ha-ha! Fine by me!” Muselle’s face contorted in amusement.

Judging by his expression, it seemed he’d counted on Riselia interfering.

“But I have a condition,” he added.

“What?”

“If you lose, you have to join my platoon.”

“…What?!”

“I’m agreeing to take a handicap here, so I should be allowed to set that as my condition.”

“…!” Riselia ground her teeth in frustration.

Joining his platoon meant becoming like the girls who followed him around, and Riselia was well aware of the twisted lust Muselle harbored for her… What would become of her was obvious. It would only be natural for her to hesitate here…

“Fine.” Leonis was the one to answer.

“…Huh?”

“But if you lose, Mr. Muselle”—Leonis pointed a finger in Muselle’s direction—“you have to stop picking fights with Selia.”

He intentionally called her Selia and not Riselia to provoke his opponent.

“…Ugh. Fine. I swear to it on my Holy Sword.”

“Leo…,” Riselia whispered, a little nervous.

“I have no intention of letting him lay a hand on my minion,” Leo whispered back.

The silver-haired young woman nodded, seemingly having made up her mind as well.

It’d come about as an unexpected interruption, but this would be a good chance for him to test Riselia’s power as his new undead minion.

And meanwhile, I’ll play the role of support to do away with the instructor’s suspicions.

“Instructor, could you lend me a training sword?”

“Sure. Feel free to use it.” Diglassê tossed a rodlike weapon in Riselia’s direction.

When Riselia caught it, the blade lit up.

“What’s that?”

“An Artificial Relic, a replica of a Holy Sword, made for training purposes. It’s not effective against Voids, but…”

Leonis understood. It was a weapon that used mana.

“Do you have experience with swordsmanship?”

She’d used a ranged weapon in the ruins, so Leonis was a bit surprised by her choice here.

“…I’ve kept my skills sharp for when my Holy Sword finally manifests.” She showed off a few practice swings.

Her form was indeed well honed.

“A Holy Sword takes the shape of your soul. I thought if mine were to manifest, it should be in the shape of a sword.”

Riselia stepped forward, gripping the training weapon in both hands.

“I’ll act as vanguard, and you’ll be support. All right, Leo?”

The boy nodded in reply.

Looking around, he saw a small crowd of onlookers had gathered at some point. Apparently, a duel between Holy Swordsmen during a trial was quite the show.

“Regulations are the same as the usual training matches. If someone loses consciousness or they yield, they’re declared the loser. If I feel there’s any danger to anyone’s life, I also have the authority to end the battle then and there.”

“So they just have to say they yield, right?” A vicious smirk was plastered on Muselle’s face.

“Now let this duel of Holy Swords begin!”

With Diglassê’s words, the duel trial commenced.

The instant the battle started…

“Haaaaaaaaah!”

A battle cry rang out. Riselia kicked off against the ground and charged forward. She moved swiftly toward the girl closest to her and went on the offensive.

Oh?

Leonis raised an eyebrow in surprise. Becoming a vampire may have boosted the girl’s physical abilities, but her skills with a sword were more than just practiced. Her movements had obviously been well rehearsed and were backed by rigorous training.

The lance-wielding girl staggered, taking a blow to her torso. Riselia took another step forward and thrust the tip of her training blade against the girl’s chest. At that moment, Riselia’s mana burst outward, sending the other girl flying.

“Ooooh!” came the cry of the spectators.

“…What?!” Muselle cursed in surprise.

It seemed the fact that Riselia couldn’t use a Holy Sword had made him underestimate her actual skills.

“Got you!” She charged at Muselle.

His Holy Sword had the ability to control other people. It only made sense she’d try to take him down quickly.

“Kuh… Inferior fool!”

Muselle blocked the aerial slash crashing toward him with his short staff.

…I see. So he wasn’t all talk. He’s agile and skilled in his own right.

The attack may have had some mana to it, but it was still only a training sword. It wasn’t a match for the strength of a weapon that was the manifestation of its wielder’s soul. The blond boy easily deflected the blow.

“Your swordsmanship lacks elegance!” Riselia called.

“Shut up!”

Riselia brandished her training sword and prepared to press on him again, when…

“…What are you doing?! Protect me!”

Muselle’s staff lit up, taking command of one of the girls.

The puppet wielding a broadsword shoved herself between Riselia and Muselle, her face expressionless and without a trace of a will of her own.

“…Don’t listen to that idiot…!”

“You’re wasting your breath,” Muselle said with a sneer. “They all willingly made a pact with my Holy Sword.”

…So he isn’t completely forcing them to obey.

These girls chose to become his weapons; Excalibur Academy wouldn’t have approved of it any other way. During battle, Muselle acted as conductor and unified their wills. That, too, was a viable strategy.

…It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Or maybe they all genuinely have affection for this guy…hard as that may be to believe.

As Leonis calmly analyzed the situation, he felt a sharp gaze at his back. It was Instructor Diglassê, studying him intently, her tablet tight in her grasp.

…Oh, I nearly forgot this was my Holy Sword Trial. I was too preoccupied assessing my minion’s power. Now, what shall I do…?

Reducing that man to ashes would be easy, but it would expose the truth about Leonis… And killing Muselle could cause its own troubles.

…I guess I’ll try to just make a moderate impression.

Leonis swung his staff and began chanting a spell. Taking notice, Muselle stepped away from Riselia and issued an order to his followers.

“Hey! Take out the kid!”

The lance-wielding girl Riselia had knocked back earlier jumped to her feet and charged the boy.

“…Leo!” Riselia broke her focus for a moment.

“I’m fine! Focus on him, Selia!” Leonis jumped back, still chanting his spell.

Right now, Leonis only had the athleticism of a ten-year-old. His body held a great deal of potential, as it belonged to a former hero. However, his soul was that of a Dark Lord, which seemed to generate some kind of interference. Leonis couldn’t quite move as he intended.

Having judged her target’s abilities as inferior, the lance-wielding girl was closing in fast.

“Come forth, the deceased of the Realm of Shadows—Shadow Hand, Mesta Mord!”

“Aaah!”

Shadow hands coiled around the charging girl’s legs, making her trip and topple to the ground.

Diglassê’s eyes widened in surprise.

At that same moment, he also conjured several strengthening spells, chanted at the same time, to silently augment Riselia’s ability. They were all first-order spells: Agility, Protection of the Spirits, and Sensory Expansion.

…I suppose this much assistance should do.

Leonis did his best to keep his mana to a minimum. He wondered if Blackas might mock him for being overprotective of his minions…

With Leonis’s strengthening magic assisting her, Riselia’s movements hastened. She easily defeated the mace-wielding girl who stood in her way. Her next slash brought down the girl with the broadsword. She sprinted between the Holy Swordswomen with superhuman speed.

She still seemed to be slightly overwhelmed by her own vampiric powers, but she bested her opponents all the same. Only a single girl wielding a shortsword remained to protect Muselle.

“Do you intend to just scurry around while using girls as your shield, Muselle Rhodes?!” Riselia taunted provocatively, eliciting enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

It seemed the young man wasn’t very popular among his peers.

“That’s right!”

“Quit running, Muselle!”

“Take him out!”

“…Lady Selia?!”

Oh?

A familiar voice was mixed in with the cheers.

Leonis turned around, looking up at the second-floor balcony of the facility. There he saw Regina, her blond pigtails blowing in the wind. Riselia didn’t seem to notice her, though.

“Tch!” Muselle clicked his tongue and held up his staff.

It seemed his intention had been to derive sadistic pleasure from tormenting Riselia in front of Leonis for not having a Holy Sword of her own. Things had gone quite differently than the blond young man had expected, however.

…He would never imagine she’s actually a Vampire Queen.

“Don’t underestimate me! Or the power of my Dominance!” A light erupted from Muselle’s staff.

…What?

Riselia suddenly froze, just a step away from Muselle.

“…!”

Muselle’s staff lit up as if in a roar, and each of the girls’ Holy Swords shone in response.

“Activate!” “Activate!” “Activate!” “Activate!”

“You forcibly drew the power out of their Holy Swords?!”

“Playtime’s over!” cried Muselle, a cruel grin spreading across his face.

“““Hyaaaah!”””

The girls wielding the shortsword, mace, and broadsword charged at Riselia. But this time, they weren’t expressionless. They were in a complete frenzy.

“—Rock Break!”

The girl right in front of Riselia swung down hard with her shining mace Holy Sword. The force of the attack exploded outward, shattering the stone floor of the training grounds.

…Not bad. That looked fairly powerful, Leonis thought, impressed.

It matched a second-order spell, the Rock Burst spell Blag, in firepower. In other words, it was powerful enough to kill a person if it landed a direct hit…

Leonis glanced in Diglassê’s direction, but the woman showed no particular reaction to what had happened. This much was apparently an everyday occurrence at Excalibur Academy.

“Yaaah! Lightning Charge!”

The lance-wielding girl who’d been pinned by Leonis’s Mesta Mord spell loosed the power of her Holy Sword. Even so, the lightning bolt she fired wasn’t strong enough to break through Leonis’s sorcerous defense. He snapped his fingers, and more shadows enveloped the girl.

“…Whoa, what’s that?!”

“That’s pretty grim for a kid.”

“I wonder what Holy Sword he has…”

Leonis realized he was drawing the crowd’s attention, but honestly, he didn’t care. He returned his attention to Riselia’s fight. With the three girls having tapped the true power of their Holy Swords, she was visibly struggling.

“—Aerial Smash!”

The dagger-wielding student unleashed her attack, hitting Riselia right in the chest. Her petite body was blown back, rebounding several times against the ground before skidding to a halt.

“…Kuh… Ugh…!”

“Ah-ha-ha, yes, that’s the expression I wanted to see you make.”

Riselia made a pained sound as Muselle watched her, ecstatic. “Let’s show that cheeky brat just how worthless you a— Ahhh!”

Muselle’s body suddenly twitched in terror.

…Damn. I let my bloodlust show for a moment, and he took notice.

“…Aaah, Meiya, why are you having so much trouble with him?! He’s just one kid! Crush him!” The young man aimed his Holy Sword staff in the direction of the girl bound by shadows.

“Don’t bother,” the Undead King said with a shrug.

The lance-wielding puppet could struggle as hard as she pleased but would never escape.

“…Ugh, does your Holy Sword control shadows?” Muselle asked, eyeing Leonis as if he were looking at something disgusting.

Then it happened.

“…n’t…rt…!”

Riselia drove the training sword to the ground and staggered to her feet.

“What…?” Muselle’s face twisted with displeased surprise.

He never expected her to get back up after taking a blow from a Holy Sword.

And yet…

“This…doesn’t even hurt!”

Her silvery hair shone brilliantly with an intense surge of mana, and her ice-blue eyes had been drenched the color of blood. Riselia Crystalia was a Vampire Queen—the strongest of all undead. She may not have awakened yet, but the amount of mana in her body far surpassed that of a human.

“You dirty, cheating…!” Riselia practically flew across the field as she ran, her body enveloped with mana. The three girls wielding Holy Swords stood and rushed to protect Muselle. Riselia’s sword flashed through the air, clashing against the mace wielded by one of Muselle’s pawns.

“—Water Jail!”

Perhaps concluding they wouldn’t match Riselia in brute strength, the girl with the broadsword released the power of her Holy Sword. A prison of water formed out of thin air, swallowing Riselia.

“…This is… Gah, pah…!”

“Ah-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha, how do you like the power of Millis’s water-type Holy Sword?!” Muselle laughed loudly.

But his confident expression quickly crumbled.

“I told you…I won’t lose!”

Mana surged from Riselia’s body, forming winglike appendages as she broke through her watery cage.

“…This can’t be…!”

Riselia swung her training sword with all her might, knocking the girl standing in her way out cold. She kept charging forward, flicking the shortsword-wielding girl off to the side as she went. There were no more marionettes left to protect Muselle. But as she closed in on him…

“…?!”

She froze just as she was about to bring down her training sword.

“…Wh-why…?!” she whispered with a wavering voice.

The training sword fell to the ground with a dry, clattering sound. The tip of Muselle’s Holy Sword was thrust in front of her forehead.

“Heh, heh-heh… I don’t know where you got that kind of power, but…” Muselle wore a confident grin. “In the end, it’s no match for a true Holy Sword!”

“U… Ugh…!” Riselia stood stiff as a statue, incapable of moving.

What did he do?

Muselle laughed, as if to answer Leonis’s question.

“This is the power of my Staff of Absolute Obedience—Forced Dominion!”

Muselle picked up the training sword Riselia had dropped and hit her over the head with it.

“Ugh, aaah…!” Riselia fell to the ground, incapable of resisting.

“This is all your fault, Riselia. You should have obeyed me!”

He beat her over and over as she lay there, unable to get up.

“What’s wrong, brat?! You’re just going to watch?!” Muselle taunted.

“Hey, cut it out!” “Is bullying a weak student that fun?” “She can’t even move!”

Spectators raised their voices in complaint. However, Diglassê made no move to break up the fight.

This has gone on long enough, I suppose…, thought Leonis.

As Riselia’s master, he could not allow this to continue.

I’ve seen enough. She may be inexperienced, but she shows promise nonetheless…

Holding up his staff, he began chanting his spell.

I suppose I should hold back, even against a bastard like him. At least so as to not completely wipe him out…

He was still willing to take an arm or two as payback for the way Muselle had toyed with his minion. But then…Leonis noticed. Riselia’s eyes hadn’t submitted yet.

“…ver, lose…”

“Huh?”

“Even without a Holy Sword, I’ll never, ever lose to you!”

“What?!”

Riselia rose to her feet.

“It can’t be… How did you break through my Forced Dominion?!” The blond boy staggered back a few steps, shock in his gaze. “Grr… Pointless resistance!”

He called upon the power of his Forced Dominion a second time…

But…

Every pair of eyes in the vicinity turned to Riselia as if time had stopped.

“…Huh?”

But no one was more surprised than Riselia herself. As she stood…a single sword appeared before her, shining with a solemn light. A shortsword so beautiful, one could only look upon it with silent respect. Its grip displayed beautiful craftsmanship.

“It can’t…be… This is…” Riselia’s eyes widened as she grabbed the hilt. The Holy Sword suited her perfectly, as if she’d wielded it all her life.

“…A Holy Sword?! That’s impossible!” Muselle cried out in a panic.

There was no mistaking it. This was a Holy Sword born of Riselia’s soul.

“Whoooooooooooo!”

The surrounding students cheered.

“Ooh. Many awaken their Holy Swords in the heat of battle, but that daughter of the Crystalia family sure pulled off one dramatic summoning…,” Leonis overheard Diglassê whispering to herself. “Wonder if it’s got anything to do with meeting that boy?”

She cast a suspicious glance at Leonis. He simply looked away, turning his gaze back to his servant. Their eyes met, and she nodded before swinging her Holy Sword.

“—This is the power of my Holy Sword!”

“…So what?! Do you think you can beat me with a newly awakened Holy S—”

In a flash, the sound of torn air whistled. Riselia had disappeared from Muselle’s sight.

“—Huh?”

The next moment, Riselia stood right behind him. Muselle’s Holy Sword had broken in two and dissipated into particles of light.

“Ah… Aaah… M-my… My Holy Sword…!”

Leonis could hear the moment Muselle’s heart broke.

“…What will you do?” Riselia asked, lowering the edge of her blade to his neck.

“S-submit! I submit!” Muselle exclaimed, raising both hands in the air.

Great cheers erupted from all directions around the victorious young woman.

“Lady Selia!” Regina ran down from the platform and embraced her friend.

“Congratulations, Riselia Crystalia,” Diglassê said with a gentle smile. “Your efforts have at last been rewarded.”