Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Proposal

◆

The Holy Sword Bestowal Ceremony was naturally a major event attended by high-ranking figures from various nations; therefore, when such people gathered, it was as natural as a law of nature for underground power struggles to emerge over who came from a more prestigious family.

“⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

So, 

Then, that meant that it’s extremely rare for people to be quiet in such an atmosphere.

However, the two knights wearing shoulder guards emblazoned with the insignia of the Chasefield family, founding contributors to the Empire, were clearly figures suited to elicit such reactions from their surroundings.

After all, wasn’t that the family to which the person who will be granted the role of humanity’s strongest through this Holy Sword Bestowal belongs?

Moreover, a core figure of such a family had personally made an appearance.

“My lord, there’s no need for you to personally attend such a place. You’re already such a busy person.”

At the retainer’s words spoken with a voice full of concern, Lionel Chasefield turned toward him with a benevolent smile.

The head of the Chasefield family.

The father of Gray Chasefield, who was chosen as this generation’s Hero.

“For a father not to show his face at the place where his daughter receives the Holy Sword? That’s unthinkable.”

“⋯⋯.”

At Lionel’s words, the retainer who had been accompanying him quietly gave a bitter smile.

Well. Of course, Lionel indeed had a high reputation for his noble character, even among the Imperial nobles whose eyes are bloodshot from looking after their interests.

The problem was that his daughter was the type who wouldn’t care whether Lionel was there or not.

“And, above all.”

Lionel sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

“If that child causes trouble, I’ll have to clean it up, won’t I?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Hmm.”

That was an understandable reason.

“Her education was somewhat⋯⋯ Misguided. It’s my oversight.”

“To be honest, even if someone other than you had been the young miss’s parent, they wouldn’t have been able to handle her either.”

“⋯⋯If there’s anyone who can handle that child, I’ll definitely make use of them, so could you find such a person for me?”

“You might as well tell her to quietly retire.”

Both the retainer and Lionel chuckled softly as they walked.

Both were smiles that seemed to show they’d been through a lot because of Gray.

“Where is Gray?”

“I’ll look for her.”

At Lionel’s question, the retainer bowed his head, but it seemed there was no need for him to personally go search for Gray.

Someone was running toward them with a pale face, completely out of breath.

“Vespa?”

Gray’s personal attendant.

A child who’s always having a hard time, so much so that as the family head, he unusually even remembers her name.

“⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

Lionel and the retainer exchanged glances.

There was always a standard line that came when Vespa ran up with this kind of expression.

So then, let’s see.

“It’s terrible! The young miss has!”

“⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

Of course.

◆

What Carlisle can definitively say he likes about Gray is that when this woman decides to do something, she absolutely never hesitates.

Starting from how she immediately approached with menacing steps right after receiving a few verbal abuses.

Taking a quick look, the attendant who had been with her, Vespa, had already disappeared.

‘She must have gone to get help.’

It was a familiar scene.

Since it was impossible for her to stop Gray in the first place, going to find other personnel who could somehow handle the situation was the action Vespa took most often when she was with Gray.

‘I was probably called the most often, wasn’t I?’

[⋯⋯.]

‘You do remember this, at least.’

Leaving the silent Hero inside the Holy Sword behind, Carlisle took a deep breath.

Let’s see.

Humanity’s strongest was currently approaching him with a menacing air.

Honestly, it’s scary.

The trauma of death and pain buried in the depths of his memory surfaces.

Countless memories from the past of being tormented by this woman briefly flash by.

Throughout all of history, this person has reached the limit of martial prowess that a single human can achieve. Carlisle would die from just a graze; that’s the level of difference between them.

But.

Keep in mind.

What’s needed is just a very small crack.

Not defeating this person.

So then.

[Now.]

Following the signal from the Hero inside the holy sword.

The moment Gray draws her sword, he kicks Gray’s left leg.

Then.

CRASH BANG CLATTER.

Humanity’s strongest Hero rolled on the ground.

Dust from the floor sticks to her jade-white skin, creating smudges.

“⋯⋯.”

Gray blinked her eyes while sprawled on the ground.

Her expression was blank.

It was a face that showed she couldn’t even comprehend what had just been done to her.

The Hero.

Had allowed a single strike.

To a human who looked utterly insignificant.

[It was a habit only I knew about.]

Seeing that sight, the Hero inside the holy sword spoke.

[She used to close her eyes for just a brief moment when drawing her sword. Her vision would be completely empty temporarily. Even if someone as insignificant as you attacked, she wouldn’t notice.]

‘It’s surprising that no one knew about such a critical weakness.’

[Well, she’s the Hero, isn’t she? People usually don’t even think that weaknesses would exist.]

‘⋯⋯.’

[And who would discover such a weakness anyway? It’s a weakness that only appears for a brief moment under specific conditions.]

It was an unpleasant thing to say, but Gray’s tone was close to a calm statement of fact.

Annoyingly, Carlisle agreed with it too.

This woman, with her sword drawn, is a monster where you’d wonder if weaknesses even exist.

[The inexperienced me from back then had surprisingly many various weaknesses. Enough to show such a sorry state to someone like you if hit by an unexpected attack.]

Even saying that, only the ‘you yourself’ would know about such weaknesses.

[How satisfying, indeed.]

Looking at Gray who was too shocked to even think of getting up, the holy sword muttered.

‘You just used the weakness you taught me to embarrass your past self?’

[Just seeing that stiff face making annoying remarks gets me heated up too.]

‘⋯⋯.’

Hmm.

One new lesson.

The ultimate narcissist can get angry at herself too.

While thinking such thoughts, suddenly.

“Uh, uhuh⋯⋯”

Someone’s voice filled with shock reaches his ears from the entrance of the training ground.

Turning his head in that direction, Vespa was looking back and forth between Gray sprawled on the ground and Carlisle with an expression completely detached from reality.

Good. Having an audience makes it easier to create dramatic effect.

Carlisle opened his mouth sarcastically.

“The floor must have been slippery?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Hero, if you’re this careless, you might have to return the holy sword?”

Immediately, he could see heat rising to Gray’s face with a WHOOOOSH.

It was such a terrifying speed that he thought ‘A person’s face can turn red at that speed?’.

Not only had she, the Hero, been utterly humiliated by a human whose name she didn’t even know, but she had also shown such disgraceful behavior to someone else.

For someone who lives for their own pride, this would probably rank among the top most shameful experiences of their life.

Her body trembles. Her teeth grind CREAK CREAK. Tears can even be seen over her bright red face⋯⋯

And that’s enough for success.

The method to remain in someone’s memory is simple.

‘Making them angry.’

Is there any easier way to make someone conscious of you than that?

“Well.”

“There’s always a price to pay for taking the easy path, which is the problem.”

And he can see Gray, who has sprung up from the ground, throwing not her sword but her bare fist at him with a tearful face.

It was lightning-fast speed that gave no room for anyone to intervene.

‘Ah.’

Carlisle sighed inwardly.

It’s a brutish attack unbecoming of someone who would have been educated their entire life to maintain minimum courtesy, but that probably means she’s that angry.

Well, if this hits, he’ll be in the hospital for a while.

After all, first meetings with Gray usually involved getting hit like this for some reason or another.

It’s quite a familiar experience.

‘Still.’

In previous cycles, he would just collapse in this state.

But this time, he should at least convey his ‘feelings’.

With that as his last thought, the Hero’s fist crashed into Carlisle’s face with brutal force.

CRACK.

CRAAAASH.

The first was the sound of Carlisle’s face breaking, and the second was the sound of Carlisle’s body, sent flying by the punch, smashing through the wall.

“This, this maggot-like bastard—! Who do you think I am to dare!”

Gray breathed heavily with a face that had completely abandoned the cold, calm demeanor she usually wore.

Even though she had rendered Carlisle unconscious with a single blow, she looked like her anger wasn’t satisfied.

Indeed, the sight of her walking toward Carlisle to deliver additional strikes was like having an evil spirit attached to her back.

However, Gray’s face immediately became blank again upon seeing Carlisle collapsed on the ground.

Even while sprawled on the ground unconscious, Carlisle was giving her the middle finger.

It was a middle finger extended in a perfect straight angle, positioned precisely where she could see it well.

On his face, despite being nearly caved in, was a refreshing smile clear enough to be easily identified.

“⋯⋯.”

How should I put it? It felt like he knew he would end up like this and had set this up in advance.

To make her even angrier somehow.

“—This, this—”

Gray’s mind went completely white.

“I’ll kill you, you piece of trash—!”

“Gray, Gray, child! Please calm down—!”

⋯⋯If it hadn’t been for Lionel entering at just the right moment, a really big incident would have occurred.

◆

The Imperial Knights’ infirmary is quite a familiar place for Carlisle.

He’s come here a lot.

Mainly because of Gray.

“The doctor said it’s amazing you’re alive.”

Carlisle spoke while coughing.

“He asked if you’d been hit by a siege weapon.”

“That child’s punch is quite fierce.”

“That’s a cute way to put it.”

“They say even hedgehogs find their own children adorable.”

He’s saying something that would make hedgehogs protest that they wouldn’t say such nonsense either.

Carlisle looked at the man in front of him while wrapped in bandages all over his body.

Lionel Haster Chasefield.

The head of the prestigious martial family Chasefield Duke House. A renowned knight throughout the Empire and the Hero’s father.

After being beaten by Gray and losing consciousness for a while, when he woke up, this gentleman was the first visitor to come.

“What brings you here?”

Actually, he has no memory of encountering this person in previous cycles.

Because at the regression starting point, he was already deceased.

Though, in terms of being the man who suffered the most from Gray, he supposes they share some sympathy.

“Carlisle Belfast. I heard you’re a new recruit in the Imperial Knights.”

“Yes.”

“Such a person gave the Hero a taste of humiliation.”

Carlisle looked at Lionel, who spoke such words matter-of-factly, with indifference.

‘The expected business is⋯⋯‘

Maybe asking him to apologize since Gray is really angry?

This person is known throughout the Empire as a daughter-doting father, after all.

“But.”

“I like you, young man.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Come to the Chasefield Duke House once your injuries heal. I have a job to propose.”

“⋯⋯.”

Wait.

What?

“I humiliated Your Grace’s daughter, you know?”

“Indeed.”

“⋯⋯And yet the Duke House is offering me a job?”

“That’s precisely why it’s a job worth proposing. The very fact that you gave that child such an experience is a qualification.”

“⋯⋯.”

“You.”

Lionel smiled and leaned forward.

“Won’t you help tame that child?”

“⋯⋯.”

Without any time to contemplate what that could possibly mean.

A ‘window’ appeared before Carlisle’s eyes.

It was a window he had never seen through all those regressions.

[ System Message ]

◆ You have obtained an opportunity to exert tremendous influence on the young ‘Hero’. 

◆ The conditions for unlocking traits and skills have been met. 

◆ The ‘Hero’s Companion’ trait has been unlocked. 

◆ The ‘Training’ skill has been unlocked. 

◆ Additional traits and skills will be unlocked based on your relationship type with the Hero! 

◆ Train your target well!