20-Episode 20: Slavery Meets Niece




 At the sound of the woman's voice, everyone in the store turned to look at us.
 I wanted to say something to her, but she didn't seem to be interested in that right now.

"It's me, what do you want?

"You don't seem to know how to talk. Do you not know who I am? And she approaches me with an arrogant attitude.

You're not from this country. I'm Festerlise Dittrand, the first princess of Carlitz. Leave the store now.

"Your Highness ......," I said in surprise.

 First Princess means that this girl is my niece and my brother Ilus' daughter.
 It's definitely one of the worst first encounters I've ever had.

"You seem to understand your place a little better. Now that you understand, get the hell out of here.

 You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this sort of thing.

 It's Dallas, the leader of the ---- Kingdom Knights.

 He has more gray hair than the Dallas I know, and he has a magnificent beard, but his sharp eyes have not changed.
 Festerlise stepped back behind Dallas and glared at him sternly.

You are the adventurer who defeated the goblin zombie," Dallas said in a lower voice than before.

You're the adventurer who defeated the goblin zombie," Dallas says, his voice lower than it used to be, "and you don't seem to be in the mood for a reward," I reply, sounding a bit foolish.

 Dallas's eyebrows twitched as Seretia and Neya stood behind me.

You're a sword princess. I've heard that you've settled in a country called Euresia, so I take it that you two are from Euresia.

Yes, they are. Now that you know that, what do you want with us?

 Neya shoots a murderous intent at Dallas.
 But Dallas doesn't seem to care, he just lets it pass.

"Neya, don't do this. I'll take care of the rest." I blocked Neya's path, and she quieted down.

"So, what do you want from us? You don't have to thank me.

You don't need to thank us." "I should thank you for killing the goblin zombies, but not for causing them," Dallas said seriously.

"What are you talking about? Cause? Ha-ha-ha ----, take your jokes somewhere else.

I'm not joking. We got an eyewitness account of a man going into the woods last night, where goblin zombies were said to have appeared. We even found out that he looked like you.

 There's no doubt that Dallas and Festerlise came to me with conviction. But Neya and Seretia, who are behind me, don't seem to believe any of what I'm saying.

Just because they look alike doesn't mean they should be suspected. I was guarding Celestia that night," I replied in a strong tone.

 If Celestia suspects me here, it's all over.
 Tell her what you were doing, and I can't resist.
 Or just ask me if I can do magic, and she'll have no reason to trust me.
 I turned to Celestia, reminding her not to ask any questions.

"Walth is right. I'd appreciate it if you didn't raise any suspicions," she said to Dallas.

 Dallas shook his head lightly, let out a sigh, and drew his sword.
 I felt that his swordsmanship had not only not diminished since then, but had become even more formidable. Perhaps because I was a prince at the time, I was taking it easy on him.
 The stinging presence on his skin was a different kind of intimidation, and it came purely from Dallas's ability.

I know that you have been asked to destroy paganism. There's no better place to hide.

 Apparently, Dallas thinks we're spreading paganism.

If I may speculate, Ars Dittrand has been dead for seventeen years, hasn't he? With the decline of the Kingdom of Carlitz, it makes sense that the pagans would take advantage of him.

 As soon as I said that, a definite killing intent dawned on Dallas.

"Where did you hear that rumor? You can't insult the royal family.

"I don't have to tell you.

 I don't have to tell you." Festerlise grabbed Dallas' shoulders from behind.

Your uncle is alive and well. I greeted you this morning. ...... This insult is worth dying for, and I hope you're ready for it.

 I don't feel like I'm lying to Festerlise.
 More than anything, I don't think an honest man like Dallas would react to the word "death" with such honest anger that I wouldn't be able to detect the lie in his performance.

"You're going to prove to me by your own strength whether this is true or not, aren't you, Sir Knight? I drew my sword from my waist.

"You must listen to me, so I'll show you the difference in strength without dying.

You're an old man, so give it everything you've got. You're an old man, so give it all you've got. I don't want you making excuses for me later.

 Dallas readied his sword and unleashed another burst of swordsmanship that made it hard to believe he was fifty-seven years old.
 It's time for him to fade away, but he's still active.
 I raised my sword and focused all my attention on the blade.

"Don't die, kid.

 Dallas said, and as soon as he stepped in, he unleashed hundreds of slashes. It was worthy of being called a shield that covered the entire body, and it was the strongest defense and attack. However, the fact that I understand the attack means that I can see these hundreds of slashes.
 My current body is not so weak that I cannot deal with what I see. And that's enough to give Dallas an opening.

"You're getting old, Dallas.

 The Dallas of seventeen years ago might not have let something like this get to him. But in the past seventeen years, he has maintained this level of power, and the fact that there has been no one more powerful than him has probably been a detriment. Pride is more than enough reason to create an opening.



 I bounced off all of Dallas' swords and still managed to completely take away his sword's freedom at a speed faster than that. In addition to that, I took advantage of the gap that Dallas showed and grabbed him by the head and slammed him to the ground and held him there.

 I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea. ---- I whispered in Dallas' ear the name of the spirit that would have followed me if I were still alive, so that no one would hear.

"Does Aeneas follow Ars?

 Dallas's expression changed as if he had seen the world turned upside down, and I could see that he was at a loss for words. But soon after, he threatened in a voice that only I could hear, "How do you know such a thing?

"Well. But you don't seem to be following me," I said, releasing my hold on Dallas' head and regaining my distance.