The Great Sword is not the Main Body!-Chapter 74: Rest (3)

“Are you saying... it will kill me?”

“Yep. If someone weaker than me could succeed, you might think it’s easy, but it’s a bit different.”

Charlotte tapped the desk lightly, choosing her words carefully.

“The intensity of the trial differs for each person.”

“That’s... similar to the Erden trials, isn’t it?”

“It feels a bit different from that... Hmm. Of course, I haven’t experienced the Erden trial myself, but from what I’ve heard... it’s more about facing your trauma, whereas this one is—”

Charlotte was cut off as suddenly, the door slammed open.

“Mmm!”

A small child... entered the office...

“...A greatsword?”

The first thing I noticed was—

Black hair like Noah’s... red eyes. And... a greatsword hanging at their waist, just like Noah.

The difference from Noah? Maybe their appearance.

The eyes were sharp, and their hair was barely reaching their shoulders in a bob cut.

And... the sharp fangs that protruded, were very noticeable.

The clothes... were identical to an ordinary adventurer’s outfit. No... maybe even more worn out.

“Nice to meet you! Are you Charlotte?”

“And you... who are you?”

“You there... you must be Rubia!”

“...Who are you?”

Not even paying attention to our questions, the child calmly shut the door and walked in.

Every time they took a step with their short legs, the greatsword scraped the ground with a screeching sound, reminding me of Noah.

“So, this one lying here... hmm...”

The child quietly examined Noah’s face, then put a hand on their chin, tilting their head.

“Hey... kid, who the hell are you? How did you even find my hideout? I’ve hidden it with an artifact.”

“Hmm! I know everything!”

“What the hell... are you saying?”

“Hey! How dare you talk to me like that!”

The child, who had been happily smiling, frowned sharply after hearing Charlotte’s sharp words.

“Damn... kid. I’m the princess of this country... Are you speaking like you’re higher than me?”

“Hmph. Isn’t it obvious?”

“What...? Wait, then... what’s your name?”

Hearing Charlotte’s question, the child proudly crossed their arms, lifted their chin, and with a face that looked like they wanted to get a good smack on the head, they spoke in an awkward tone that didn’t match their appearance.

“Listen and be surprised! My name is... ‘Shirin!’”

Shirin?

I’d heard that name somewhere before...

“Master... Shirin?”

Charlotte’s trembling voice triggered a memory.

Ah.

The person Ruevège mentioned, who reached Master level for the tenth time, was named Shirin.

Then, this child is...

“Fufufufu! That’s what they call me in the world!”

As Shirin nodded, Charlotte’s anger flared.

I, too, sharpened my divine power to its maximum as I held Noah close.

“Eh... why are you being hostile...?”

“...After defeating Kalte... another Master shows up, it’s pretty obvious what their intentions are, right?”

“I don’t care about such trivial matters...”

Shirin’s eyes, which had slightly calmed, scanned Charlotte and me before focusing on Noah.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

The hand wrapped around Noah’s body began trembling violently.

The cold sweat already soaked my back, and my breath became rough.

The fear I’d felt when facing Kalte... started to resurface.

But still. No matter what, even if my body breaks, I will...

“...Don’t touch her.”

“Hmmm... First, it’d be nice to get rid of those terrifying things, but... I guess you wouldn’t listen just with words, right?”

Shirin waved their hand through the air. At that moment—

“Eh?”

Charlotte’s flames extinguished.

“...What the hell...”

The divine power surrounding Noah and me also scattered in every direction.

“Hmph, now I feel more at ease. Now, let’s have a slow conversation.”

After doing something so absurd, Shirin casually walked to the couch and plopped down.

“Hmmm! So this is what coffee is like!”

Shirin trembled as they smelled the coffee’s fragrance.

“Wh-what just happened...? What did you do?”

“Well, you guys were being so scary, so I had no choice but to use a little force. Now, sit down.”

Leaving behind a casually laughing Shirin, I attempted to raise my divine power repeatedly.

But.

It didn’t gather at all.

It clearly could be controlled inside my body, but as soon as I tried to release it, it scattered.

“Charlotte, is it... not working for you either?”

“Uh, yeah... my unique ability isn’t working either... No, even my magic... doesn’t move.”

“Damn it! How long are you gonna stand around talking!”

Sitting on the couch, Shirin, who had been swinging their legs, suddenly shouted.

Seeing Shirin, Charlotte and I exchanged looks and, reluctantly, sat down.

“Hmph! Now it’s finally in a state for conversation!”

“So, why are you here?”

“I came to talk to you.”

“What kind of talk?”

“Well, honestly speaking... I had some business with the Noah lying there... but it seems she’s deeply asleep.”

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Shirin’s red eyes turned toward Noah.

Up close, I noticed... their pupils were elongated, and a chilling energy flickered inside.

“Is there... something you need from Noah?”

“She’s being held so precious. Hehehe.”

Shirin, grinning while looking at me, shifted their gaze back to Noah.

“It’s not anything important. I just came to see her... No, maybe not just to see her... anyway, it’s a shame.”

To see her...?

Same hair color as Noah’s. The same greatsword as hers.

And... that expression, like remembering something from the past...

Is this Noah’s... teacher?

“...Are you Noah’s... teacher?”

“Huh? Me, that kid’s? Hahahaha! Teacher? I don’t know how the causality is tangled up, but... I guess it’ll work out this time! Hahaha!”

Hearing my question, Shirin burst into laughter, lying down on the floor and laughing uproariously.

Causality? What’s ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) that about? What’s with the “this time” comment?

“What... what do you mean... by that?”

Now that I think about it, when I heard Shirin’s name from Ruevège, Noah didn’t react at all.

So they’re not really her teacher?

Then... what’s with the “long time” comment and that expression...?

“Hmm... ahh... Thanks to you, I had a good laugh for the first time in a while. Thank you... really.”

Shirin wiped the tears that had escaped from their eyes and smiled brightly.

“I have a lot I want to say, but since I can’t break the contract... you’ll have to wait a little longer.”

“Hey... Rubia. I don’t get what this kid’s talking about. Do you? So, is she Noah’s teacher or not?”

“I... honestly don’t know either...”

“Hehe! I’m not a kid!”

“Then what? Are you an old woman?”

“Well, if you go by your standards... I guess that’s how it’d be.”

Shirin, once again resting their chin on their hand and tilting their head, smiled widely and continued.

“By the way, seeing you guys fine after such a huge ordeal... I’m relieved. It seems you took the elixir I gave you. That’s good.”

“...Elixir?”

“Yep! The one I gave to the one-eyed guy! I think you were there too, right?”

Right now... I have a hard time understanding what Shirin’s saying.

No... I can’t accept it.

“The one-eyed guy... are you talking about Luchi...?”

“Aah! Luchi! Right, that was his name. Sadly, he died... but at least he died after finishing his job. It wasn’t in vain.”

“What... does that mean...?”

“Yeah, kid... No, Shirin, do you know Luchi?”

“Of course I know him. I helped him a lot when he was wandering! And I even gave him the elixir. Hehe... But I didn’t think it would be used like this.”

Shirin laughed contentedly again while sipping the coffee.

At that moment.

The door suddenly burst open, and Yuriah’s twisted face appeared.

“What the hell are you...”

“Hmmm? Oh! You’ve woken up—”

With a creaking sound, a root burst through the floor, cutting Shirin’s words off.

A fierce tree root, as deadly as when we faced Kalte, shot toward Shirin.

But Shirin didn’t care. They casually waved their hand.

“...What is this...?”

Just like that, Yuriah’s unique ability turned to dust and disappeared.

“Tsk tsk... these days, the young ones have no respect for their elders... the world’s going to hell, it seems.”

Then, the dust gathered on the floor, smoothly repairing the cracked ground.

“Wh-what... did I just... see?”

Charlotte, who had been holding a magic herb in her mouth, dropped it in shock.

I, too, was so startled... I almost dropped Noah.

“Heh... is it interesting?”

“Interesting? This is beyond interesting... What the hell are you?”

“I told you already! I’m Shirin!”

“I know your name... but... Yuriah, calm down. She doesn’t seem like she’s going to attack us.”

Yuriah, still staring blankly at the floor, slowly nodded as she heard Charlotte’s words.

“Heh... Yuriah, you’ve seen it too, so you should get up now.”

Yuriah’s head tilted. Charlotte and I, too, had no choice but to tilt our heads.

“No, kid... Ha, Shirin, what the hell are you? How did you find this place? Who are you really? Why did you give the elixir to Luchi? And why are you talking like you know us... what the hell—just answer something!”

“I know you’re frustrated, but you’ll find out soon enough. So don’t rush.”

Shirin gave us a leisurely smile as they scanned us.

“Well... since I was treated to coffee, I’ll tell you one thing.”

Then, once again, their gaze turned toward Noah.

“Soon, ‘eyes’ will fall. Be careful then.”

In a voice deep with warning, they spoke.

“Especially you, ‘Challenger’ Yuriah... you should be even more cautious.”