Heroine Hunter

The grip felt comfortable, and the length of the blade was just right.  

[Wait. So who’s my master now?]  

The sword’s confused nature was oddly endearing. After all, even if a sword had intelligence, it wouldn’t move on its own, and that would just be annoying.  

Mika stared at me with her orange-colored eyes.

I nodded to the referee.  

The referee waved the flag and stepped back.  

“The match begins!”  

Mika Vern and I raised our swords and began circling each other counterclockwise.  

She glanced at my stance and said, “You’ve learned swordsmanship, but you’ve never actually used it in battle, have you?”  

She hit the mark.  

I smirked. “Is it that obvious?”  

Swish.

She took a few steps towards me. In just a few steps, she was already right in front of me.  

‘Oh.’  

Her footwork was impressive.  

Clang!

Our swords collided.  

“You have a sharp eye.”

‘What just happened? She was too fast; I didn’t even react.’  

Honestly, I was prepared to just block with my body if I had to.  

[Phew. That was close.]  

The voice of the spirit sword echoed in my head.  

‘You blocked that?’  

The sword moved by itself?  

[Yeah, you idiot.]  

‘Why?’  

[What?]  

‘Why did you block it for me?’  

[Well, you’re holding me, so I guess I have to protect you, right? Even if I’m not entirely sure, you’re kind of halfway my master.]  

‘Got it. Looks like she’s about to attack again, so block that too.’  

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.

Four rapid strikes were quickly blocked by the dense-brained sword. 

Even the final feint, which seemed tricky, was anticipated and deflected.  

I could feel my body awkwardly following the sword’s movements, so my posture wasn’t perfect.  

Mika tilted her head.  

“What’s going on?”  

“Pardon?”  

“You’ve been hiding your true skill, haven’t you?”  

“…”  

[An enormous amount of strength paired with swordsmanship… Maybe I won’t win after all. But… I’ll give it my best, even if it means I die here!]  

Whoa! No need to be so serious. That’s scary…  

Her figure suddenly vanished from my sight.  

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.

My head was spinning. Sparks flew in front of me as she unleashed rapid attacks.  

Clang!

Her final, spinning attack was blocked by the dense-brained sword. 

My overwhelming strength helped guide the sword effortlessly.  

[Wow. You’re pretty strong, huh? Looks like you’ve got potential after all.]  

The spirit sword seemed to be warming up to me.  

Mika’s eyes trembled.  

[No way… He blocked my final, ultimate move.]  

She glanced down at my feet.  

[And he hasn’t moved even a single step.]  

Oh, had I not moved? 

It all happened so fast that I hadn’t even thought about it, just letting the sword guide me.  

The crowd erupted in cheers.  

“Wooooooaaaah!”  

It seemed like they were genuinely impressed with my swordsmanship.  

The commentator shouted excitedly.

“What is happening? Ian Castoloni blocked the Phantom Sword Dance without even moving a single step! Count Friesen himself mentioned that it’s no easy task to fend off her swordsmanship!”  

“I’ve never seen swordsmanship like this before! He’s been hiding his skills all along!”  

“At this level, Ian Castoloni may be on par with—or even surpass—Count Friesen!”  

‘This is crazy.’

Alright.  

‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll take full advantage of the situation.’

Casually twirling my sword, I spoke, “Are you finished?”  

Mika Vern gripped her sword tightly and gulped hard.  

[Father, if you’re watching from the heavens, please help me.]  

Tears seemed to well up in her eyes. 

She was that desperate.  

This made it feel like Mika was the hero, and I was the villain.  

“Kuhuhuhu. Seems like you have no intention of surrendering,” I laughed, unintentionally sounding like a villain.  

‘Fine. If that’s how it is, I’ll play the villain.’

“Here I come.”  

I dashed toward Mika and threw my sword behind me.  

[Whoa! Hey! Why are you throwing me?!]  

Whirr. 

Thud.

The sword spun in the air and landed gracefully, sticking into the ground next to its scabbard.  

If I charged in with the sword, there was a chance I might hurt her due to a lack of control.  

I liked Mika.  

I wanted to know more about who she was.  

Mika seemed surprised.  

[Why did he drop the sword?]  

Despite her confusion, her body reacted on instinct and she swung her sword at me.  

[Indestructible Body]  

Clink!

Her sword bounced off my head.  

It felt like a light tap, as if someone had flicked my forehead.  

Her swordsmanship was clearly not ordinary.  

As her sword deflected away, I lunged at her, grabbing the collar of her armor.  

“Hup!”  

With a sharp pull, I tore her armor apart like a book.  

Underneath, her padded gambeson was exposed. 

Despite the loose fit, her figure was noticeable.  

“Guh!”  

Even as her armor was being ripped off, Mika desperately swung her sword toward my neck.  

What a commendable knight.  

She’d make a good bodyguard for Evangeline.  

Her sword flew in a desperate swing and travelled off my neck.  

[No way… Even with defensive magic, this shouldn’t happen.]  

Defensive magic was supposed to absorb impact.  

When a sword hits it, it should thud against the surface, not bounce off.  

[T-This man is a real monster.]  

I fully tore off the front of Mika’s chest armor as she fell back.  

Her face turned a mix of shame and fury. She gazed at me as if her dignity had been stripped along with her armor.  

It made sense—knights take pride in their armor, and hers had been torn apart.  

“Surrender?”  

I stood over her, straightening my posture.  

“Is this… Is this the respect you spoke of?” 

“If I had used any more strength against you, you would’ve been hurt. This was my way of getting you to surrender without causing injury.”  

“Kuh!”  

She gritted her teeth, furious at being so thoroughly underestimated.  

As she started to rise, I extended a hand to help her up.  

Slap!

Mika swatted my hand away. 

In front of tens of thousands of people, this had been Mika’s chance to restore her family’s fallen honor. 

But instead, her armor had been forcibly torn apart, leaving her looking like she’d been humiliated, and she was even underestimated in the process. 

She appeared utterly furious.

The referee rushed over to Mika and asked, “Do you surrender?”  

Mika slowly got to her feet, nodding her head. 

Her bloodshot eyes revealed just how consumed by humiliation she was.

I apologized to her.  

“My apologies, knight.”  

“Shut up.”

Mika wielded her sword tightly and walked off the arena.  

“Dildo King! Dildo King! Dildo King!”  

The crowd chanted my nickname. 

Well, not my name exactly, but…  

Regardless, I watched Mika’s back as she left the arena, wiping away tears from my arm as I stared at her lonely figure retreating. 

Once she disappeared, I walked to the center of the arena to retrieve the sword and scabbard.

The spirit sword spoke up.  

[Tearing armor with your bare hands? How strong are you?]  

‘You don’t even have eyes, how can you see that?’  

[I do too have eyes!]  

I gazed at my reflection in the blade.  

‘Was the succubus, Karen Claudia, your previous master?’  

[That woman was more of a temporary caretaker than a true master. I’ve never served a proper master.]  

‘So, am I your master now?’  

[Not yet!]  

‘You can tell I’m strong, right? What do you think—would I make a good master?’  

[Well, you’re not bad, but that’s not how it works. There’s a whole process.]  

‘Process?’  

The sword vibrated slightly in my hand.  

[Yeah! There’s a process! If I decide you’re worthy, then I’ll serve you as my master.]  

‘But can you at least reject Karen Claudia as your temporary caretaker? You have the power to refuse, right?’  

[For some reason, she’s not my caretaker anymore.]  

‘Is that because you called me your master earlier?’  

[…I’m not sure, but it seems like it.]  

Just then, a commanding voice echoed throughout the arena.  

“Ian Castoloni.”  

The crowd, which had been chanting my nickname, fell silent in an instant.  

The emperor had stepped onto the podium, looking down at me. 

I lowered my sword and immediately knelt on one knee.  

With a stern tone, the emperor shouted at me.  

“Do you mock your emperor?”  

I lifted my head to meet his gaze. 

“… What did you say?”

The emperor’s voice cut through the heavy silence of the arena. 

I could feel the tension thickening around me, but I stood my ground.

“From the beginning of the tournament, Your Majesty has emphasized the importance of conducting ourselves as knights.”

I bowed my head slightly in respect before continuing.

“However, Your Majesty, allow me to explain my actions, if I may.”

The emperor’s eyebrows twitched, and the crowd began to murmur. 

Before the situation could escalate, the Crown Prince rushed forward in anger, but the emperor stopped him with a gesture of his staff.

“Speak.”

His voice carried a clear warning—if I uttered nonsense, I would surely pay for it with my life.

Gathering my resolve, I spoke clearly and calmly, ensuring that my voice would carry across the arena.

“The reason I acted as I did in the first round against Dodoria Pigman was because he insulted the Princess in the waiting room with vulgar and degrading remarks.”

A wave of murmurs rippled through the audience. 

I raised my voice, commanding the crowd’s attention.

“In the second match, the reason I dealt with Kaskal the way I did was because he is a criminal who has repeatedly raped innocent women.”

The arena was deathly quiet now, with every ear straining to catch my words. 

The emperor tilted his chin upward, as if to ask, “And what of this most recent match?”

I unsheathed the sword given to me by the Crown Prince.

“As for this most recent match, I chose not to use the sword because I realized that this blade, given to me by the Crown Prince—no, by a demon worshiper—is actually a demonic cursed sword.”

The emperor’s eyes widened in shock.

“What did you say?”

“The maid beside the Crown Prince is a succubus from the demon army, luring him into worshiping demons.

My voice cut through the silence. 

All eyes in the VIP section turned toward the Crown Prince’s maid.

“They likely used the Crown Prince to pass me this sword, with the intention of having me kill Count Zeke Friesen, the empire’s hero and enemy of the demon army, in the final match.”

Zeke’s eyes widened in shock, while the maid, who had been bowing in the VIP section, snapped her gaze upward, her eyes flashing.

Slowly, she stood and let out a cold chuckle. “Heh.”

Then she spoke clearly, her voice sharp. 

“Dane, kill the emperor.”

The Crown Prince, who stood beside the emperor, pulled a dagger from his robes. 

It appeared the fool had been bewitched by the succubus, willing to kill his own father for the promise of carnal pleasure.

Without a second thought, I pushed off from the ground, propelling myself toward the VIP section in one swift leap. 

My action signaled the start of a rapid chain of events.

A hooded figure emerged from the crowd and leaped onto the platform, casting a transparent ice shield around the emperor. 

The shield was a manifestation of a third-circle nature magic spell.

The Crown Prince’s dagger struck the ice barrier and bounced off harmlessly.

“Dammit!”

Realizing the situation had gone awry, the maid reached out her hand, attempting to summon the spirit sword to her.

But I tightened my grip on the sword.

[Ugh. You idiot! Don’t hold me so tightly…]

The spirit sword hummed in my hand, but it showed no intention of obeying her call.

[Why… Why isn’t it coming?] 

The maid’s face twisted in despair.

From the VIP section, Rose stood and raised her hand, pointing at the maid.

“Judgment.”

A golden aura surrounded the maid, and a hissing sound filled the air.

As smoke began to rise from her body, the maid’s true form was revealed—succubus Karen Claudia.

“Aaaahhh!” 

The succubus shrieked. She clutched her head as she collapsed to the ground, immobilized.

The imperial guards and mages stood frozen in shock, unsure how to react to the sudden chaos.

I approached the platform, placing the tip of my sword against the Crown Prince’s neck. 

His eyes bulged with fear, and the dagger slipped from his trembling hand.

At the same moment, the hooded figure who had cast the ice shield stepped forward, positioning herself in front of the emperor. 

As she lowered her hood, long blue hair cascaded down, revealing her identity.