Editing Kenshin no Keishousha:Volume 1 Chapter3

==Chapter 3 - The Hunter and the Hunted==

It was currently the morning of the next day.

Kurou and Lars returned to the scene of yesterday’s incident.

“Hmm, there are actually burn marks left on the surface.”

Lars squatted down over the pathway, feeling the ground as he spoke.

He called Lars out during the early hours of the day in order to inspect the situation from yesterday. Regarding this matter, they had already reported this to both the Sabers and the academy and received permission to investigate.

“Speaking of mystic arts, I get the feeling there might be yet another blast from the past.”

“It was totally out of the blue. I couldn’t believe that someone who could use that sort of thing would actually appear.”

“I’ve never heard of any Swordies who could use mystic arts either. Actually, it would seem there still remains many mind-boggling things about this world.” 

“You two don’t seem to be surprised......”

Hinako quietly muttered as always.

Although a new incident had occurred, his mission as Hinako’s bodyguard was still in effect. Because of this, Kurou was forced to travel with her frequently. 

Consequently, Hinako had to tag along even during an investigation at the scene of the incident.

“No, I am shocked. After all, these are forgotten techniques from ages ago. Nowadays, these mystic arts or whatever————”

After speaking till that point, Lars suddenly placed his thumb over his lips and began pondering over something.

“Forgotten......? Hmm......”

“What is it Lars?”

“It’s nothing. Something just randomly came to mind all of a sudden.”

Lars smiled and shrugged.

“Actually, perhaps the mystic arts aren’t even relevant. The only thing I’m focused on is how someone as strong as Kurou got into an arduous battle.”

“Kurou getting into a grueling battle, is this really that unimaginable? Although I don’t quite understand, is Kurou truly that formidable? Olden Style or something of the sort, before he had mentioned some nonsense like that......”

“Did you really just call it nonsense, jeez......”

Even though Kurou felt frustrated, he also knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

From Hinako’s perspective, someone who didn’t know anything about swords was most likely unable to comprehend Kurou’s swordsmanship.

“Ah, so you even mentioned the Olden Style? Well, there’s no doubt Kurou is powerful, however it’d be hard to answer exactly to what extent. Furthermore, strength is all relative, sometimes there’s even luck involved. With that said, the chance of defeating an opponent who outclasses you at some point is very possible.” 

“In other words, there’s no such thing as absolute power?”

“No, there is.”

“......Eh?”

For a moment, Hinako was dumbfounded towards Lars’s rambling and then questioned him in reply.

Hinako was astonished. However, based on Lars’s expression it didn’t seem like he noticed as he continued to survey the area.

“That’s not exactly the case for the person who Kurou had difficulty dealing with......that said, relying solely on this it would seem that apprehending the criminal will be very problematic. That’s because in this world there are many powerful people who we know nothing about.” 

“Even if we know she can use mystic arts, the criminal didn’t leave any traces. Also, there is no chance she would just use mystic arts in public under normal circumstances. I felt her battle style was a bit archaic but there’s no way that could be used as a clue.”

“A familiar style of swordsmanship......did you get that sort of feeling?”

“That I don’t know. There’s practically no distinctions among Swordies.”

Basically, each Swordie honed their own style of swordsmanship. 

Even though its foundation came from their parents and master, after that they would create their own exclusive sword techniques by themselves. It could be said that their own class of swordsmanship comes from combining their own physique along with whatever suited their fancy. Essentially, becoming someone’s disciple was pretty much just seeking out individuals who were considerably tough to practice against.

If it was between siblings, there are cases where similarities will arise. However, if you were to make a who resembles who comparison, it would be very hard to gauge for any semblances. 

Lars switched hands and quietly continued on.

“As for clues the criminal may have left......ah Kurou, you did mention wounding her right?”

“It was just a graze. With the recovery abilities of a Swordie, the wound probably healed a long time ago.”

The flesh of a Swordie wasn’t just robust, even their recovery rate was phenomenal. That kind of body appears to be made for combat. If it was a small wound, it would be most likely instantly healed.

“Then with that, there’s no point staying here looking for clues. For now, let’s just head back to school first.”

Kurou nodded in agreement and walked off with Lars. Hinako’s pitter-patter footsteps clicked from behind as she followed.




“So you mean to say that incomprehensible blondie who carries that bizarre, massive sword......is Sefi-san? What’s up with that person?”

Ever since Hinako encountered Sefi within school, she would unwittingly mix in some hurtful words when speaking about her.

“Actually she hasn’t done anything yet. Didn’t she come to school like she normally does?”

After Lars responded to her, he looked towards the other students walking on the path to school. Although he didn’t see Sefi, Kurou figured it was just as Lars said. She wasn’t a feeble girl who would skip out just because she was attacked.

“I wonder what that was about? What’s the reason behind Sefi being attacked?”

“You sure have a lot of questions. As for the reason, even I don’t know.”

Clearly agitated, Lars shrugged his shoulders.

Besides the Sabers, he had many other intelligence sources. Speaking of information networks, his was much more vast than Kurou’s. If he didn’t know, then there must have been little progress from the investigation done by the police and Sabers as well. Only a couple hours had passed since the incident and with there being no evidence either, this was an expected result perhaps.

“Sefi is the princess of the four generals, so being targeted isn’t really that unthinkable. Whether it’s a tsujigiri incident or an assassination attempt, these are all possibilities.”

Kurou tightly gripped the hilt of the katana that was strapped to his waist.

“Let me be the one who kills this criminal.”

“Kurou must really like Sefi. Although I guess I can understand why.”

“Lars, are you interested in Sefi? No can do, I won’t let that happen.”

“Sefi doesn’t belong to you. Well, I’m not interested in her either way.”

Lars stated with an implicative smile.

“That’s because I have my sights set on others.”

“......Looks like you two both have rough lives.”

“You shouldn’t be impressed with something as weird as that.”

Kurou wryly smiled as he eyed Hinako, who was in a daze. Whenever he gets into a conversation with her, for some reason he gets thrown off his rhythm. 

“Hmm?”

Kurou suddenly detected something strange. 

On his way to school, some of the students appeared to be behaving differently from yesterday.

“Why is everyone carrying their swords?”

Indeed, the entire student body along with Kurou and Lars were alike, they all had their swords strapped to their waists. There were also some students who toted massive swords. They were probably swordsmen with personalized swords.

“It appears the academy notified the students this morning. The entire student body was told to carry their swords on them. Furthermore, everyone is supposed to travel in groups of at least two and are restricted from stepping outside during the night. Actually, this really isn’t anything shocking right? After all, there was an attack on school grounds and as a result these protective measures can’t be implemented too carelessly.”

“I suppose so......”

If it was a normal school, having a lockout wouldn’t be out of the ordinary either. The idea of having students engage in this sort of self-protection was also not too uncommon. If it was a human school, this would never happen for sure.

“This thorough preparation is really quite something. Speaking of which, I can’t go protecting every unbefriended student.”

“Except, something feels strange. Setting aside the fact that the school made an extremely quick decision on this, don’t the students seem a tad overly anxious to you? Clearly these students are Swordies who are practically born without fear.”

“......Really?”

Kurou tilted his head. That said, the students they encountered on the way to school all seemed restless. Those with wavering eyes and hands on the hilt of their swords numbered quite a few.

“Regarding this matter, let me explain.”

“What!”

“Eh?”

Kurou tilted back in shock as he heard a sudden voice from behind him, Lars on the other hand opened his eyes wide in surprise, and then there was Hinako who didn’t really react in any particular way. 

“W-What? Why are you here Manaka?”

The person standing behind Kurou and the others was one of the Seven Swords and the director of the Sabers, Manaka. She was wearing her scarlet Sabers long coat and revealed a miffed expression.

“There are some matters I have to attend to so I just snuck in ahead of time. Haha, it’s such a pain to have to suppress my light energy. I don’t want to scare these adorable students, but the principal sure gets on my nerves.”

“Suddenly erupting into complaints......setting those aside......what in the world are you planning to do here?”

“I’m under a lot of pressure. Well, forget about it. Before the other students notice who I am, it’s better that we leave here first. Lars, switch with Kurou for a bit.”

Manaka stated as she pointed to Hinako. She appears to be saying Lars will be temporarily assigned to guarding her.

“Let’s go Kurou-kun.”

“Where to?”

“Some·place·nice♪”

Which probably means there will be bad news awaiting him————Kurou had this twisted explanation in his mind as he followed behind Manaka who had set off without delay.

Regardless of her temperament, she was Kurou’s boss and guardian. Although she was always like this, Kurou had no authority to deny her.




“......Umm, why are we in the girl’s bathing room!?”

Kurou’s voice resonated within the vast changing room. 

Currently it was eight in the morning. Not one soul was in sight within the bathing room in the girl’s dormitory other than Kurou and Manaka of course.

“What’s with the umm? It’s because I’ve decided to take a bath. What are you doing Kurou-kun, take off your clothes already.”

“I have to go in as well!?”

Judging from her outer appearance, it was hard to pinpoint flaws on a beauty such as Manaka. Although she was not quite as mounded as Hinako, her figure was still very exquisite. Countless men would probably spend money just to enter the bath with her. 

However, to Kurou she was just his master’s younger sister and someone he had known since his childhood. Furthermore, she was also his boss in the organization he was affiliated with. She was practically family to him in a sense. She probably wasn’t thinking about him as a man either, otherwise being naked while facing someone of the opposite gender would clearly be awkward.

Just when Kurou started to get anxious, Manaka boldly took off her long coat.

“No need to worry, I already readjusted the water temperature.”

“No, I wasn’t worried about the water temperature.”

“Alright alright, hurry up and get in. If you dare oppose me then you’ll be fired.”

“Abusing your authority like this......?”

However, if it was Manaka, it was true that she could freely fire normal members. Following that, Kurou gave up all hope and began taking off his clothes.

“Hmm? Manaka, that is......”

“Ah, for the time being, if I’m not carrying this on me when I go out, then......”

Manaka also seemed to carry her sword by her waist whenever she pleased.

Her personalized sword was a long, pitch-black sword————no, for a sword it was overly elongated. It differed from Sefi’s sword which was wide and heavy, rather it gave off the impression of being excessively long and slender.

The Dancer————indeed, this really was a suitable name. Was it because of the slender and long dimensions of the sword that led to its name? Only people along the lines of family such as Kurou knew the origin behind the name or perhaps those in another world who have been slain by her might know as well.

“Alright, come on in. Since it felt like a hassle to return home to cook, I decided to stay at headquarters instead. However, just taking a bath while feeling a bit out of sorts, it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.”

Could she have come to school just to bathe? Manaka paid no heed to Kurou’s suspicions and removed one article of clothing after another.

Kurou hurriedly averted his gaze and stripped down. However, things should be be fine with a towel wrapped around their waists.

The sound of Manaka’s footsteps echoed as she walked off.

After hearing the front doors to the bathing room open, he entered on through as well a while later.

The women’s bathing room was exceptionally capacious. Since it had to accommodate hundreds of girls alternating in and out, this was probably to be expected.

After Kurou did a quick rinse of his body, he entered the bath. The bathing pool was quite spacious and could hold a couple dozen people at once. It was vastly different compared to the tub in the small hut he was living in where he couldn’t even stretch out his body. Although he was forcefully invited in by Manaka, it wasn’t all that bad.

“Phew——......this is the life.”

Manaka, who was already bathing, heaved a heavy sigh as she spoke. Did she put in some sort of bath agent? The water retained a greenish hue. Fortunately, he felt quite relieved that this obscured her body a great deal.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the bathing room. After Manaka sloppishly answered, the door was opened and in came a maid. Based on her attire, she did not resemble a student. She appeared to be one of the servants among the school staff. 

“Ah, it’s here. Thank you for your time.”

Manaka’s face was brimming with elation as she was handed some type of wooden pail by the maid. The maid exchanged courtesies and then immediately left the bathing room. 

“This is the one. If I didn’t have this then————”

Inside the wooden pail floating in the water was a wine bottle and a wine glass. There was no need to ask what was inside the wine bottle. 

Manaka poured the wine into the glass and drank it all in one go.
[[File:Kenshin v01 149.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
“Ahh, that was delicious. Having Japanese wine while bathing is truly above and beyond all else. Being born in Japan is great......”

“It’s hard to imagine that this statement would come from some otherworldly being......”

“It’s been many years after the end of the Great War. Presently, practically all Swordies were born and raised here. With that, bathing while drinking Japanese wine is a common occurrence you know.”

“Bathing early in the morning while drinking? I don’t think so.”

At least, it wouldn’t be a prevalent occurrence among people within a conventional society. Of course, no matter what was said here, Manaka did uphold a serious disposition in public. 

“Isn’t it great to do this every once in awhile though?”

Manaka pouted like a child.

“Day after day I would be forced to sit at my desk and sort through files during work. I can’t take it anymore. If I don’t get a bit of time to rejuvenate myself then————”

“Is it really that busy? Could it be due to the sun cult......?”

Although it had slipped his mind due to the assault incident, the cult founder’s daughter had fallen into the hands of an enemy organization. No matter what kind of aggressive behavior resulted, it wouldn’t be that surprising.

“No, the sun cult has been very quiet. It’s just they’ve been too quiet which makes it very frightening.”

“If that’s the case, then wouldn’t the opposite be very strange?”

No matter what, it was without a doubt they were secretly planning something.

“Well actually the sun cult has nothing to do with this. If they were to shamelessly charge us in an attempt to rescue the child, then as long as we carry out some suitable precautions ahead of time we should be fine.” 

“Sounds simple enough......then if it doesn’t have anything to do with the sun cult, what could it be?”

“Here, it’s this.”

After Manaka lifted up a panel-shaped object, she suddenly threw it towards him.

What he picked up was a touchscreen tablet. Since it was able to be brought into the bathing room, it must have been the waterproof version.

“Take a look at the document displayed there.”

Kurou nodded and turned on the tablet, paying close attention to the document.

The document contained the facial profile of a girl who was around Kurou’s age along with a brief description of her by the side. She had black hair which was uncommon among Swordies. Overall, she was a pretty cute girl.

“Migune......female student within the Sword Academy, top student among the freshmen. She has the title of Swordsman, her mentor is the Sword Princess, Ragunoa, and her parents are senators......”

The contents contained little of interest. Looks like she was the strongest Swordie first year student above even Sefi and Freya. However, to Kurou, she was just an insignificant person.

In her overview, the majority of her record consisted of the outstanding achievements she had attained at the sword tournament. However, as he scrolled down the document......

“Hmm? Deceased......?”

“Yup, she’s dead. In fact, it was probably about ten days ago that it happened.”

Manaka drank her wine as she nonchalantly spoke.

“More accurately, she was probably killed. She was sliced diagonally from the right. This kind of death could not have been a suicide, she was most likely killed as a test for the assailant.”

“What a dangerous issue. Oh, could it have something to do with the rumored tsujigiri incidents in the Outer Human Region? Although, in those incidents the victims were all humans......”

“Is that so. However, the kid’s remains were found on the road next to the academy. The time was approximately midnight when it occurred, which was also about the time when she was presumed dead. That means after she was killed, the assailant was immediately spotted.”

“What could she be doing at that time? That said, I haven’t heard about this matter yet.”

Kurou was still a member of the public security force. However, if a Swordie girl who was also the top student of the Sword Academy was killed, it would result in a huge predicament. Kurou shouldn’t just bypass this as if it had fell on deaf ears.

“We’ve initiated an information lockdown. After all, the Sword Academy’s top student was killed at a nearby road. Originally, Swordies were known as peaceful idiots, but actually there’s practically no one that could revolt against us besides the sun cult. Thus, the number of Swordies who do have actual combat experience have greatly decreased in number. Plus, Migune’s parents would feel greatly ashamed since their daughter was killed by an unknown assailant.” 

“What a senseless way of thinking.”

Even if their daughter was killed, does that really take precedence over arresting the criminal?

Once the incident is made public, the information collected would probably lead closer to apprehending the criminal. Kurou could not comprehend the logic of Migune’s parents.

“Eh? However, could there be something more to this? Could it have anything to do with when Sefi was attacked————”

“Migune was eliminated with just one strike. In addition......part of her right hand was burned.”

“Burned?”

Kuro instantly understood before Manaka got a chance to finish.

“So you mean to say......there’s the possibility she was attacked by mystic arts?”

“She was clearly slashed to death by a sword, but having a burn wound as well is really peculiar. If it was just mystic arts being used then it would be a whole different matter. That said, Migune’s abilities were quite remarkable. However, if she was ambushed by mystic arts, then I can see how she could be easily disposed of.” 

“So the first and third ranked students were attacked within a short time frame of each other......the parents of the two are both government officials, so it’s not that unbelievable for them to be attacked.”

It was hard to imagine that there were many Swordies who could utilize mystic arts. Although there were two cases here, it would be odd to think there was no coincidence between the two.

“Well, it’d be great if there weren’t any more victims from now on. Although Migune’s situation wasn’t made public, it seems that the ones who discovered her corpse were the students of the academy. They were told to keep it to themselves but they weren’t able to do so completely. Furthermore, word of Migune’s death seems to have been circulating around the academy already.”

“In other words, they’ve decided to actually impose a curfew because a second attack occurred.”

Now it was understandable why the students were so anxious.

However, the students in the academy were definitely very talented, but if they were to wander around outside late into the night it’d be troublesome. It would be better if they conducted themselves with caution, otherwise they might end up as the next prey if they were not careful.

“Overall, the top ranked students have considered their parents’ statuses and decided to bring over bodyguards already. With that said, there are still many students who decided not to bring bodyguards with them. The response was they wanted to protect their own lives.”

“Everyone seems to be quite overconfident of their abilities. It’d be best if they candidly accepted protection.”

“Even Sefi declined her sister’s offer to send over bodyguards.”

“Haha, you mean Sylphy-sama......”

Kurou also understood Sefi’s older sister, Sylphy, extremely well. She was a friend of the Sword Saint and due to that, Sefi was able to witness the training between the Sword Saint and Kurou as a bonus.

Sylphy dearly loved her little sister and was presumably very worried for her.

“For now I’m also scouting around for the criminal. However, since the school didn’t accept my request for cooperation, I can’t really accomplish much on school grounds.”

“I see.”

Kurou nodded.

If it was just an untrackable evildoer, then it wouldn’t be that much of a concern. However, if she was even capable of using what was a supposedly lost art, then as the organization which oversees Tokyo Swordia’s public security, this wasn’t something that could just be set aside. In other words, there was going to be a heavy burden placed on Kurou and Lars who both stayed on campus. 

“I understand where you’re coming from. At the very least, I’ll prevent her acting willfully within the school.”

“Then I’ll be counting on you. And by the way, please focus on your studies.” 

“Do you want me to cut classes?”

Kurou tossed the tablet back as he responded.

“The elimination tournament that decides the yearly rankings will kickoff in two days.”

“Eh, really?”

Kurou was shocked. Although Sefi had said it was fast approaching, it was the first time he had heard it was already this close.

“Because you were enrolled solely based on your swordsmanship, you won’t graduate if you don’t attain a good grade.”

“It’s just if I do get a good grade, I’d probably be resented.”

“Becoming stronger means you have to cast those people aside. This you should know.”

“Well......alright, I think it’s about time to leave, I feel a bit woozy.”

Kurou stood up, preventing the towel around his waist from slipping off, and stepped out of the pool.

“Wait a sec Kurou-kun.”

“Ha?”

Right as Kurou turned around, both of his cheeks were nabbed by Manaka.

Manaka also stood up, unhesitant in exposing her entire body. Looking down a bit, those two beautiful mounds entered his view.

“M-Manaka, what are you doing......”

“‘What are you doing’, that is my line. I don’t care if you’re a human or something else, you are my sister’s————Sword Saint Hyouka’s disciple.”

“I-I know.”

Kurou shuddered as he responded.

Kurou felt as if he was going to be blasted away as he endured Manaka’s overwhelming light force. She probably released the light she was holding back.

“I don’t care if it’s mystic arts or surprise attacks, I can’t let someone like you who is at best a rascal get away. As the Sword Saint’s disciple, how dare you show such disrespect.”

Manaka suddenly grabbed Kurou’s cheeks and applied strength with both of her hands. Manaka had to control the flow of power, otherwise Kurou, who had made a slip-up, would have had his cheeks shattered. 

Manaka was furious. 

Because of their frequent encounters, Kurou understood very well that Manaka highly respected her sister who was the Sword Saint.

While he stayed with the Sword Saint deep in the mountains, there were many people who visited. However, the person who came the most frequently was Manaka.

Was that it, Kurou finally realized it.

As one of the Seven Swords who held the title of Sword General, she was even more intolerant of having the Sword Saint’s reputation be tarnished than Kurou was.

Manaka didn’t come here just to pass on information and it wasn’t to check out the situation either. For these sorts of things, it would have been fine if she decided not to come. Even for Migune’s situation, it was already spread around school so it would not have been long before Kurou caught wind of it.

Manaka’s true objective was to reprimand Kurou. 

“Might be resented? Don’t make me laugh. If you worry over something like this and have a bad showing during the elimination matches, I will have you hacked apart.”

“......U-Understood.”

Kurou fervently nodded.

If he were to joke around in this instance, his cheeks might actually be smashed to pieces.

After hearing Kurou’s reply, Manaka gave a slight smile.

“If you understand then that’s good. Eh?”

“W-What is it?”

After removing her hands from Kurou’s face, she raised the fringes of his hair. Following that, she gently caressed Kurou’s forehead.

“Kurou-kun, you still have a scar here? Looks like you took a nice slashing.”

“Ah, haha, it’s from when I was young and was first wielding a real sword. A scar like this wouldn’t just go away.”

Kurou was not able to keep up with Manaka’s sudden change in attitude. Even Sefi’s attitude when she came to attack him was identical. Kurou was baffled when it came to girls. Perhaps even the invariable Hinako was hard to figure out.

“I suppose. Although your conduct was quite detestable, and hard to understand......however, it’s really quite a waste when you’ve grown up with such an adorable face.”

“Calling my conduct detestable was uncalled for.”

Kurou swiftly turned his back to her, not wanting his scar to be touched. That was because a scar was only a symbol for one’s weakness.

“Be careful not to get hurt during the elimination matches. Good luck Kurou-kun.”

After that, Manaka once again lightly caressed Kurou’s head.

“Ah——, but winning it all is probably going to be tough.”

Manaka wryly smiled as she spoke. Although she had stated “not to have a poor showing”, this time she decided to say something more passive.

However, Kurou shared the same opinion as her.

“Definitely attaining victory, something like that cannot be said for certain because————that bastard will also be there.”




The end of class bell rang once first period concluded.

After the teacher departed from the classroom, Lars simply sat in his chair and stretched.

Lars’s seat was located in the very back of the classroom next to the windows and Hinako sat alongside him in a chair. On the notebook Lars gave her, she would enthusiastically take notes. Although Japanese history, which was the class just then, was boring to Lars, Hinako found it very interesting and nodded along nonstop as she took notes. It was just as he heard from Kurou, she was a girl who possessed a devout curiosity. 

“......”

Lars redirected his gaze from Hinako and proceeded to scour the room.

Did it have something to do with yesterday’s incident? The students were a bit cautious. Even so, they were young teenage girls. Once the break period came, they couldn’t help but be in high spirits as they began chatting.

The topics that could be heard were rumors within the school, television shows, fashion and food related items. Those things were probably about the same as what humans of that age would talk about.

Just where are the lines separating Swordies and humans, Lars was currently contemplating over this.

Their formidable physique, aptness in swordsmanship and things of that nature weren’t just trifling matters. For Lars to be thinking like this, perhaps it was the influence of always being around a certain teenage human.

“Lars, come over here for a sec.”

“Eh?”

At the entrance of the classroom, there stood a blonde haired girl with a ponytail calling for Lars.

Lars stood up and signaled Hinako over. She kept her sights on her notebook as she followed behind Lars. Was she perplexed, or was she just being careful due to the circumstances? What an indecipherable girl.

At the entrance of the classroom where Sefi was, there were her supporters who always surrounded her. That short-haired girl and that girl with the glasses were fixed by Sefi’s side.

Emanating killing intent like that must be very tiring. Lars wryly smiled from within.

“What is it Sefi?”

“Step over here for a moment, I have something to say.”

After Sefi finished speaking, she hurriedly walked off. Her supporters were on watch as they tailed her from behind. Lars did not hold any particular suspicions either. After giving Hinako the signal, they too walked off.

Sefi finally stopped once they reached the end of the hallway. Following that, she seemed to have told her supporters to “please leave”. They politely complied. 

Once they had already backed away to the point where they couldn’t hear, Lars began to speak.

“If it’s about Kurou, he didn’t come today. The Director took him away so he probably won’t be going to class now that he’s become her toy.”

“T-Toy......”

Sefi muttered and then her face turned completely red. What kind of delusional thinking was she experiencing?

“Sefi, so does that mean you want to violate Kurou?”

“V-Violate......enough with the nonsense! All I did was fight him for a bit!”

“Fighting late at night? Well, Sefi has already completely entered puberty. Having made the sword your heart and soul, it could also be said the instincts of the “sword loving race” have taken hold completely.”

“I already said it wasn’t like that! I-It’s not that.....if Kurou didn’t come, please send him a message for me. Tell him that I’m terribly sorry for coming at him so suddenly......and also, for rescuing me......I’m very thankful......”

“If thats the case, then wouldn’t it be better to tell him yourself? Kurou would surely be happy to swoop on over.”

“That’s why it’d be troublesome!”

Sefi anxiously spoke and lowered her already blushing face.

From Lars’s perspective, it was very obvious. Sefi said it’d be troublesome, but it was more likely that she would be embarrassed. This princess-sama was really dishonest with herself.

“Well, whatever. I’ll help pass along the message when I get the chance. Class is about to start, so with that I shall take my leave.”

“......Hold on, since now is a convenient time, there’s something I want to say to you.”

“What?”

Just as he was about to go back to class, Lars stopped in his tracks.

“Lars, don’t do anything too suspicious.”

“Actually I haven’t even done anything. I’m just taking in the school lifestyle is all.”

Lars was all smiles as he responded to Sefi’s calm but subtly insulting statement.

“There’s simply no way to know what you’ll do from here on out.”

“What a nuisance you are Sefi. You must be one of those superstitious types aren’t you?”

“I don’t believe in superstitions, but what I don’t believe in even more is you Lars.”

“......”

Lars smirked. Even if insults were hurled at him with ill will, Sefi’s straightforward no nonsense manner of speaking really did give others a favorable impression. 

“......Are you two acquaintances?”

Suddenly, Hinako chimed in.

“Ha? You didn’t know? What do you mean do I know him, this guy is————”

“Actually, I’m related to the four generals. Because everyone among the households of the four generals are considered relatives, there were normal exchanges between us. I’ve known her since I was a child.”

“.....Ah, so it’s like that.”

Sefi spoke as if she was at wit’s end. It seemed that she was unhappy with Lars’s evasiveness.

Lars’s relation to the house of the four generals was real. Furthermore, Lars was an only child.

As long as things went without a hitch, there would be no doubt that he would be one of the successors. Because government officials did not require talents in swordsmanship, even a male like Lars could inherit the family business without trouble.

If someone who was unfamiliar with these matters heard this, they would probably be shocked. However, Hinako didn’t seem surprised at all. As an ojou-sama who was firmly bounded to her boudoir, she probably wasn’t going to have any particular reaction to his connections with the four generals.

“To sum it up, me and Sefi only know each other that’s all. Plus I don’t want to get entangled with Sefi and have to go through sheer hell dueling Kurou. Although that would be quite interesting.”

“There’s nothing interesting about it at all!”

Sefi asserted with a stern tone. Looks like she wasn’t the type to take a joke.

“So what’s this superstition of which you speak of?”

“After confirming one suspicion you instantly have another? You’re so persistent in your old ways......kind of like Rou......”

“That was very disrespectful.”

“Even being adamant in one’s position is very similar between the two. Well, you don’t need to concern yourself with these superstitions or whatever. Furthermore, I don’t really want to say it myself. If you absolutely must know, go ask Kurou. That’s because that guy has no resistance towards cute girls.”

“......Hmph!”

Sefi was clearly being difficult to deal with. Looks like her heart was really captivated by Kurou’s sword.

Lars didn’t really get to see what kind of swordsmanship Kurou displayed.

However, he thought this was truly an intriguing scenario.

The nation’s two kids who held the highest authority along with the daughter of a terrorist group’s leader.

Not only were they never supposed to be able to converse, but even seeing each other should out of the question.

If those that were strictly Swordies had witnessed the assembly of these three people, then they might faint as a result.

Lars was gently smiling as he lightly stroked the sword suspended from his waist.

In other words, there was actually some significance in going to school. Even though he had firmly believed that going to school was an onerous matter for quite a while, perhaps it ought to turn out interesting.

The elimination tournament didn’t undergo any changes despite the assault incident. Although it didn’t mean much to him, he felt that it’d be pretty nice if he could somehow entertain himself a bit————Lars heedlessly prayed for such a result.




The periodic elimination tournaments for the Sword Academy will be carried out over three days.

Every grade level followed their own respective schedule, thus no one could really spectate the elimination tournaments outside of their grade. If a person wanted to see another grade’s matches, there would only be the league matches involving the top ranked students in every grade for them to see.

The academy had an open circular arena where the elimination tournaments would take place. The arena covered an expansive area so it could fit a couple individual matches at once.

“Oh, I saw that girl’s panties.”

“I feel that Kurou is way too blunt when it comes to these things.”

Hinako, who was sitting alongside him, quietly muttered. 

Despite Hinako saying as such, to Kurou, there wasn’t anything particularly enthralling about these matches. Formal wear was mandatory for an official battle————and because of that, the girls would wear their uniforms to battle which allowed him to appreciate the slight exposure of their panties and the breathtaking sight of their swaying breasts.

“Hmm——ah, since I’m obviously no longer going to take the stage today, I should be able to leave early. However, there’s no leaving until the all the matches are finished.”

It appeared that spectating other people’s matches was a form of studying.

Kurou already participated in the first set of matches and the second set of matches, so he was finished with all his matches for today. It didn’t need to be said that Kurou of course went on a string of victories. Up until now, no one felt astonished anymore about Kurou winning even as a human. Having severed Sefi’s wooden sword and one-hit KOing Freya, the students still wouldn’t accept such a result but they were capable of judging a person’s strength. Nowadays, no one would freely think that Kurou’s victories were reliant on luck.

“Ah, Lars is up.”

“You have heard that he is the son of the four generals right?”

“So what”, Hinako tilted her head and replied as such.

Although Kurou couldn’t reprimand others, she was being way too negligent of his status. If it was within the school, then she would be able to get by. However, if she were to directly address Lars by his name then she would incite a huge predicament. Perhaps even reprimanding her was within the realms of Kurou’s job.

As he was pondering over this, Lars’s match was underway. His opponent was a girl who appeared to be pretty subpar.

Just like sword training, wooden swords were used for these matches. Actually, if the students were to go against each other with real swords then that would be way too dangerous.

Furthermore, someone had said that utilizing wooden swords during the matches would closely simulate a battle between real swords anyways. 

The first to take action was the girl. The girl moved in a gliding fashion to close the distance. Next, she came charging in and swung the wooden sword. Although it was a straightforward sword maneuver, that speed of hers was beyond that of a human. Even normal Swordies would have a difficult time reacting to that.  

However, immediately after, the girl’s wooden sword was sent flying into the air.

As the cheers erupted, Lars had already lowered his own wooden sword. Just when did he send her wooden sword flying, only a select few were able to discern that.

“Eh......? What an easy win. These Swordies, aren’t the males supposed to be extremely weak?”

“There are exceptions with everything.”

Kurou spoke in a relaxed tone.

“If you mean to say an exception among exceptions, then it’d be more believable.”

“Don’t turn my words into describing him as a rare animal. Lars is very strong. Even if it’s a female Swordie, probably no one here can overcome him. The students here are still just fledglings.”

Lars did not flaunt his victory and walked off with his usual indifferent expression. On the other hand, the girl who lost could not believe what had just happened as she gazed at Lars’s fleeting figure. She was probably brimming with confidence originally, but now it was just a pitiful sight.

“Even among Swordie males, there were a few exceptionally strong fighters. Lars is one of them. However, there’s a subtle saying among Swordies. The powerful male Swordies————”

“The swordsmanship of the powerful males is lodged with a demonic essence right? Hahaha, do you really believe in this old superstition!? Jeez, you humans are really something.”

“......Yo.”

Confronted with this sudden voice, Kurou had no choice but to greet her.

Freya and a couple other female students were approaching where Kurou was sitting.

Along with Freya, all the highly ranked students had a cast of supporters surrounding them. This was already a given. If he was able to win the tournament, then he might be able to acquire all the girls for himself.

Kurou mulled over this immoral matter just as he was about to reply to Freya.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ha, I overheard your nonsense so I just came over to say a few words is all! Who cares if he is the four general’s son. Either way, he can’t beat true swordsmen like us!”

“There’s no such thing as a real or fake swordsmen. As long as you possess the qualifications, anyone can be a swordsman.”

“Quit joking around. Swordsmen are separated by strong and weak. By the way, your next opponent is me! Your sword is unpredictable, this I already know. As long as I figure out this phenomenon, then I’d have unlimited countermeasures at my disposal. You already have no chance to win.”

“If that’s the case, then if you lose, you’ll have to do whatever I want ok?”

“Eh......”

Freya unwittingly took a few steps back.

Although it was a childish joke, it appeared to have had an unexpected effect towards Freya.

“W-What do you mean by doing whatever you want......W-What are you planning.”

Despite being an otherworldly being, Freya was still just a fifteen or sixteen year-old girl. She seemed to be strictly adhering to the concept of chastity. Although, Kurou did not intend on having her do any H things.

“Well, after you lose you’ll have something to look forward to.”

“O-Ok......that’s fine! As long as I don’t lose it shouldn’t matter! Prepare yourself!”

After leaving these words, Freya and her supporters left.

“Normally speaking, wouldn’t Kuro lose under these circumstances?”

“That girl is a bit off.”

Kurou was looking at the gradually fading figure of Freya as he took pity on her.

At this time, Freya suddenly turned around and walked back.

“What is it? Is there something else you want to say?”

“I forgot, you seem to be still investigating that assault incident right?”

“That’s my job. For now, I’m still a Sabers member.”

The other students pretty much knew that Kurou was investigating the assault incident against Sefi and the number one ranked Migune. Because he was investigating the other students, it was to be expected that they were acquainted in these matters.

“You don’t have to do anything unnecessary. That bastard who killed Migune......I’ll kill her myself.”

“......Could it be, that girl named Migune was a friend of yours?”

Towards Freya’s sobering tone, Kurou attentively responded to her.

“There’s no need......to speak about our relationship to you.”

After she quietly finished speaking, Freya left for real this time.

Regardless of how stupid Freya looked, she was carrying a heavy burden. Furthermore, this burden of hers was a particularly difficult one to deal with.

“Kuro, what’s your plan for scouting out the situation?”

“Without a doubt I have to press on.”

Addressing Hinako’s concerns, Kurou was extremely critical in his response.

The incident’s investigation rested on the Sabers and the criminal who attacked Sefi was definitely not to be forgiven. It was just as Manaka had said, he was responsible for his gaffes.

Freya also had her own objectives.

However, Kurou could say the same for himself. He definitely had no intentions on giving up his work. Even for his own bright future he.......

“This is of course my job......hmm?”

Suddenly, his cellphone vibrated from within his uniform’s pocket.

He retrieved his cellphone and noticed he had a text sent to him. The contents were————

“Oh.”

Kurou wryly smiled for a moment.

However, Hinako didn’t seem to notice that smile of contempt from him as he was facing a certain direction.

Kurou put the cellphone back in his pocket and stood up.

“What’s wrong Kuro?”

“Looks like I have an excuse for leaving here. Anything would be more riveting than pointlessly sitting around here.”




There was a massive warehouse located towards the edge of campus.

The Sword Academy was built from an army base from the Great War. Who knows how many of those structures were still intact presently, however this warehouse was one of them.

The thick iron door of the warehouse was opened just enough for people to pass through one at a time.

Kurou brought Hinako along and went through the door. Although the sun reflected in from the windows, it still felt strangely dim.

Old containers and corrugated boxes were placed all over the area, seemingly left unkempt. The floor was also covered with dust.

“Hey——, you’re here aren’t you, quit wasting my time and come out already.”

In response to Kurou’s holler, one after another, there were many figures who emerged from the shadows of the containers. They were girls who wore the Sword Academy’s uniform————Kurou also had recollections of some of them.

One of the girls unhesitantly approached Kurou.

“You’ve got some nerve to be coming here. Originally I had thought you’d be more cautious.”

“I am being cautious. Since there didn’t seem to be any danger, I just walked in.”

As Kurou calmly finished speaking, the girl who came up————had short hair which visibly exposed her forehead. She was one of Sefi’s supporters and she glared at him in disgust.

“Quit making us out to be idiots......actually, it’s whatever. Anyways, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Lima. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“Indeed, if that wasn’t the case, then you wouldn’t go out of your way to use a preposterous reason such as “there’s information on the incident” to call me out.”

Kurou knew something was up based on the text message, thus he came over here.

It wasn’t that surprising that they knew Kurou’s texting inbox. Since he had been investigating the students here due to the incident, he told them “if there’s any information, let me know”, which forced him to inform them of his texting inbox.

“I also believed that you guys wouldn’t kindly hand over such information to me as well.”

Out of the girls gathered here, it wasn’t just Sefi’s supporters. There were also Freya’s supporters who he had just met at the arena. Although he didn’t understand the connection between them, Kurou did know that they were equally hostile towards him.

“I apologize about that, but to us, there was no way we could withstand having you win......”

The girl wearing the glasses was probably the one known as Neena. Although she spoke with her heart in her mouth, she suddenly pulled out her sword. Clearly she had a cowardly appearance, yet her actions were extremely dangerous.

Following that, Lima and the other girls also retrieved their swords.

They were probably in love with Sefi or Freya’s sword. Someone who could beat those such as Sefi————it seems like they were already determined to eliminate their biggest obstacle in the elimination matches, Kurou.

Although they wouldn’t kill, they probably did intend on slicing off one of his hands or something.

“I’ll be your first opponent.”

Lima positioned her sword and slowly advanced towards him.

“Kurou, we all realize you’re very strong. However, even if I were to lose, there will be more of us waiting to battle you. Even you can’t endure these battles forever.”

“It’s obvious that you want to win with numbers, hence you guys choose this repugnant battle style. It’d definitely be better if you guys all came at once.”

“We are Swordies, we’re not like you humans.”

Lima explicitly stated.

Swordies extremely detested surprise attacks or attacking using superiority in numbers. During war or within the public security forces such as the Sabers, that kind of stuff didn’t really matter. However, if it was a battle among swordsmen, they would rigidly adhere to a proper attack. Using numbers to ambush him probably wasn’t their intention.

Well then, what should he do to take down these ojou-samas without hurting them————

“Everyone get down!”

Suddenly, Kurou yelled out.

Kurou abruptly rushed towards Hinako’s side and pressed down on her head to get her on the floor.

Wong, a coarse sound was heard throughout the warehouse.

Wong wong wong, following that, that same sound rang countless times. The girls let out screams of terror.

After that————

“What!?”

Lima lamented as such. As she fell back, she used her hands to press against the blood spraying out from her shoulder.

The girls were completely unsettled and timidly held their swords as their eyes shifted around.

“Nobody move!”

From the shadows of the contents within the warehouse came a group of people wearing white robes.

There were six of them in total, each with a rifle pointed towards Kurou and the other female students.

“The sun cult......?”

Kurou muttered.

Since the people he saw were wearing white robes, this was without a doubt.

“If you guys follow our orders, we won’t take your lives! Our objective isn’t you guys.”

After the person was done speaking, another sun cult follower————this time it was a girl in nun attire who came out from the shadows.

The only one among the cultists who wielded a pistol————it was the girl who escaped from Kurou before, Akari.

“What the, it’s you again......”

“That’s my line! How come you show up before me every time.” 

It would be quite perplexing to be nagged at at this point. This was where Kurou went to school, Akari’s arrival was the one out of the ordinary.

However, now was not the time to complain over such a thing.

“Neena, go treat Lima’s wounds for now. You have learned first aid procedures right?”

“Y-Yes.”

The glasses wearing girl, Neena, obediently nodded and ran towards Lima’s side. As for why he ordered Neena to do that, she was probably the most stable minded among the girls.

“Jeez, you guys even brought out the guns which are regulated. This time it must be serious Akari.”

“I’m always serious.”
[[File:Kenshin v01 173.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
Akari carried her large .45 caliber pistol. 

The other sun cultists were wielding rifles, specifically the M14 rifle which utilized larger caliber bullets. When facing the robust body of a Swordie, the M14’s 7.62 mm caliber bullets would cause much more damage to the flesh than a high speed small caliber bullet passing through the body.

“We only have one objective and that is to retake the girl of the sun.”

“Do you wish to go back, girl of the sun?”

“No.”

Hinako replied in a hairsbreadth, denying Kurou’s doubts.

In order to satisfy her curiosity, she escaped to here. Furthermore, it was absolutely certain that she still wasn’t satisfied as of yet. Actually, even if she was satisfied, it would be hard to imagine her ever going back to the sun cult.

“Even though I feel quite sorry, your determination has nothing to do with any of this, so just come with us.”

“Eh~, I don’t want to.”

Even though there was a gun pointed at her, Hinako remained unshaken. To be persistent in her ways to this extent really left others at wit’s end.

“And with that, can you guys please go away? If you leave now, I’ll let you guys go.”

“What’s with your carefree attitude? You bastard, don’t you understand the situation!?”

Akari agitatedly spoke.

It was just as she said, there was no call for optimism in this situation. There were six rifles along with a pistol. The girl students were trembling and appeared to be out of commission. 

“I’ve heard that the sun cult had settled down a bit, but I guess you guys were simply attempting a rescue operation with a small band of elite members. Well, I suppose this is an ordinary course of action. However, those rifles, you guys must have been spent a lot of effort to attain those. Those hard earned firearms must be relinquished here, it’d be silly if you didn’t right?”

“Enough nonsense! Alright, please hand over the girl of the sun to us! We are the ones who determine whether or not to let you guys go!”

“Ha?”

Kurou wryly smiled and drew out his katana.

The rifle carrying sun cultists were instantly awestruck. They probably never would have thought he would immediately pull out his sword.

“Akari......actually, it appears all of you sun cultists haven’t grasped what kind of person I am. Do I have to kill till the last alive to make you guys understand?”

“Y-You......”

The pistol Akari was holding up was shaking a bit. Although she was still very young, who knows how many difficult trials she has been through. She must have detected Kurou’s killing intent.

“Hurry up and take care of them. Since there’s no other choice, I’ll have to lend a hand.”

“S-Sefi-sama!”

The girls all let out a gasp of surprise. 

Who knows when Sefi had been standing next to Hinako. With her hand gripping the Stardust, she entered her battle stance.

“That massive sword, it’s perfect for a shield.”

“That’s not what it’s used for......”

Towards Hinako’s nonchalant statement, Sefi revealed a discontent expression.

“Although I have no idea what you guys were up to, I do owe you a favor from when that black robed girl attacked. I wish to return the favor here is all.”

“Ah, is that so.”

Hinako tilted her head and spoke with a blank stare.

Actually, when they were under attack by the mystic arts using girl, Hinako’s words changed the course of battle. Feeling as though she owed a favor from that time, Sefi really paid scrupulous attention to details.

“Hey, Sefi......sama, why are you here?”

“T-That’s because you and that maid girl disappeared before I knew it......actually, this doesn’t matter at all! It was just by coincidence!”

Kurou thought that her fumbling of lies was a favorable thing. Even though she loved to flaunt around, in actuality her candidness always did show up.

“Did you follow Kuro here?”

Even Hinako saw through her. Sefi was still backing that lie of hers that had already been seen through. However Lima and Neena were also here, to not openly admit it under these circumstances was also understandable.

“Enough, please hurry up and get rid of those humans! If you can’t do it then I’ll do it myself!”

“No no, how can I allow Princess-sama to be inconvenienced like this.”

Kurou smiled as he declined her. Actually, he still had to watch out for stray bullets when dealing with long range enemies. Having Sefi guard Hinako as well would be difficult, but following this...... 

“Well then, let me take care of it. No need to worry Kurou, just do your thing.”

“......”

At some point, Lars had also arrived standing alongside the students. He clearly wasn’t tracking Kurou, but nevertheless he came. This guy sure had keen senses.

“Now hold on, Lars should help a bit too. What are you doing back there.”

“Haha, enough joking around. With this, Kurou can do as he pleases and go all out.”

“......”

Kurou was fixated on Lars’s leery smile.

It wasn’t just his keen sense, it was also remarkable how he was so observant. However, what he had said was accurate.

“Well, with that I don’t need to worry about my surroundings————let’s take care of this situation without letting them get away.” 

“Hold on you bastard. I said that as long as you don’t move I won’t shoot......!”

As Akari was panic-stricken, Kurou took action.

There was probably no one here who could discern Kurou’s movements as he took off. At the very least, none of the sun cultists holding rifles could respond in time.

“!”

“......!”

As two of the sun cultists soundlessly lamented while blood spurted from their face and neck, they toppled over on the ground. Even with rifles, they couldn’t even respond in time to pull the trigger. 

“H-Huh......”

“W-What!”

The other sun cultists blankly stared at their fallen comrades who were instantly taken out. After returning to their senses, they aimed their guns at Kurou. Kurou wasn’t even three meters away from the other cultists. With that distance, they could even attack with their eyes closed and still hit their target.

“What a drag.”

Kurou brazenly smiled and charged forth without delay. In a flash————

As one of the cultists pressed the rifle’s trigger, Kurou severed his hand. Next, he struck again, slashing his carotid artery.

Without pause, he then diagonally hacked at someone, and as another person was about to fire, he cut through the body of the gun. While the cultist was broken from his stance, Kurou then pierced through his heart.

This entire series did not even take ten seconds.

Kurou pulled the katana out of the cultist’s body and shook it to remove the blood. 

“How nice of you to reveal those guns. That said, why did the entire group walk up front. If you guys possessed long distance weapons, why not just have one or two shoot from long range. Are you guys stupid?”

“Guh......”

Even though Akari was brimming with tears, she did not even retort him as she stepped back.

To the church, these rifles must have been considered as treasures. Since these were even handed to them, it must have been because they were the elite. However, having not gauged the proper distance for the battle engagement was due to their inadequate training. Kurou on the other hand, picked up techniques on how to deal with firearms from his training with the Sword Saint and the Sabers. As a result, they were unworthy of being Kurou’s opponents.

“By the way......if you came here to take away that child, then don’t attack these girl students who are not involved.”

Kurou sharply glared at Akari and the other remaining sun cultist.

In fact, Kurou had no reason to protect Lima. However, he couldn’t turn his back towards the unexpected calamity that had befell on these people.

“W-We only wished to frighten them a bit......no wait! To us, Swordies are the enemy! None of them can be be let off the hook!

Akari aimed her pistol directly towards Kurou’s head.

“Plus, I don’t wish to hear any boasting from the likes of you! Clearly a human siding with the Swordies......you’re a traitor, you monster!”

“......Traitor? Monster?"

Kurou was instantly dumbfounded, but followed that up with a smirk.

Regardless of him being treated as a traitor or as a monster, these were things he had gotten used to.

Although he was a human, he decided to live among Swordie society. Despite being a human, he had the strength to overcome Swordies in battle.

“Don’t decide for yourself.”

Kurou eyed Akari and then shook his head.

Although he could understand, it was hard to approve of.

“Akari, I’ve grown weary of being referred to as a traitor. As things stand, I no longer care about how others view me. However, there is this passionately curious girl here so perhaps it’s an opportune time to explain why I’m 'on the Swordie’s side'."

Nobody moved.

Perhaps they had all realized. Right now, if there was even the slightest suspicious movement, Kurou would instantly have them killed.

“My father, was executed by humans.”

Kurou hadn’t told this to anyone before.

With an empty soul, he spoke only to explain the facts, as if it was all irrelevant to him. 




Kurou’s dad was a researcher who studied Swordies.

His analysis seemed to be about the habits and characteristics of Swordies as a living being. With that as a foundation, he then studied their culture.

Kurou did not really understand the specifics of it. However, no matter how one looked at it Kurou was separated from his dad after he died when he was only seven years of age.

Despite this, Kurou did know that his dad frequently visited the Specialized Central Region seeking acquaintance with the Swordies and conversed with them.

Based on what Kurou remembered about his dad, the house was pretty much a library since he was surrounded by books daily as he happily trudged through all his documents. He didn’t particularly watch over his son. When Kurou had grown up a bit, his mother was already gone without any indication as to what she was doing or where she was. It wasn’t withheld from Kurou, but perhaps he displayed no interest towards this.

“Despite this, we still lived a normal life. However, the peacefulness vanished all within a day. It was because————a rebellion suddenly surfaced.”

Eight years ago in the district Kurou lived in, a government controlled specialists squad was sent in to attack.

An anti-Swordie cadre was reported to be gathered in a certain apartment room within the district. A raid involving elite members, which included the Sword Saint, should have been able to wipe them out handily.

However, the armed forces and police were already within the district at the time and so were most of the anti-Swordie group members who had banded together. The number was said to be around two to three thousand people in total.

The worst part of it was, there were loads of firearms smuggled from out of the country and gathered at the stronghold. The few members involved in the raid received an unimaginable counterattack.

The anti-Swordie organization surrounded the raiding group and attacked. Although the government instantly sent reinforcements, the situation had already gotten out of hand.

“The riot lasted for probably two or three hours. Just as me and my dad were done packing our bags in order to escape, the door to our house was suddenly opened————and fully armed individuals charged in.”

Kurou still clearly remembered the scene.

His dad was only a researcher and wasn’t capable of handling this kind of danger. The armed militants that charged in pointed their guns towards his dad and dragged him out.

“The door was opened just enough to have a clear view of it through a small crevice. I saw my dad with a gun pointed to his head————and getting shot.”

Intentionally taking his dad outside to be publicly executed was probably meant to warn others that “anyone associated with Swordies will end up like this.”

Of course, at that time Kurou did not understand the extent of their intentions.

However, he swiftly realized his father was here no longer. Furthermore, he would be in danger as well if he were to stay in the house.

Kurou took with him a notebook that was highly important to his dad and stuffed it in his travel bag. After that, he jumped out of a window and escaped.

As he was sprinting across the streets that rang with gunfire————the young Kurou already clearly realized that he could never return home again. He also understood the reality of this brutality. 

“I can’t be considered as a comrade of the Swordies, but I have no reason to stand by humans anymore.” 

Kurou had not forgotten in the least bit about the rebellion eight years ago.

Just because his father was killed by humans didn’t mean he truly shunned all humans though.

“If that was it, simply put I’d probably just be an obscure human. However, there was more......”

Indeed, the situation had not completely ended.

Kurou ran into her by chance.

That————terrifying, yet beautiful sword dancer.

“Sword Saint Hyouka......I believe she was the woman who suppressed the rebellion eight years ago.”

Akari gulped as she heard that.

“It was precisely as such, I recall all of it clearly. The remaining people left from that rebellion are practically all within the sun cult now I bet.”

Although Kurou was certain on these matters, he didn’t detest the sun cult as a whole. Even if he were to locate the criminals who killed his father, he most likely wouldn’t slay them if it wasn’t part of his mission.

“I witnessed what a true monster was like. The moment I encountered that person, she had obliterated everything I had. No————it was all cut into pieces.”

The young Kurou wanted to distance himself from the sound of gunfire. However, he actually got lost and found himself nearing the center of the battle.

“Initially when I witnessed that scene it gave the impression of a scene from hell. Human corpses covered in blood were scattered all over the place......however, I was immediately captivated by that person————Sword Saint Hyouka’s blade dancing figure had me spellbound.”

Her long blue hair danced in the wind and she was wearing a small black dress. With one wave of the sword, she calmly marched forth.

Dozens of armed militants fired hundreds of rounds in her direction.

The shattering gunfire could be heard in all directions. The ground and nearby structures were laced with bullet markings. However, those bullets didn’t even graze a hair on her body. It was as if the bullets all glanced by her.

She paid no heed to the gun onslaught. Like flowing water, she shifted around with total poise within the group of militants, slashing all of them to death. They didn’t even have to time to lament, having already breathed one’s last.

Even as he witnessed the loss of life one by one, Kurou did not feel it was tragic in the least bit. Rather, he even felt it was a resplendent sight.

No matter how many she killed, there was no stop to her.

It even seemed as if she was going to exterminate every single human on earth.





“In the depths of my heart I felt————fear.”

To this day, Kurou had not witnessed anyone’s swordsmanship surpass hers on that day.

“She was truly a monster. Whether it was humans or even Swordies, Sword Saint Hyouka had transcended the limits of them all.”

“Y-You are......the Sword Saint’s disciple right? I-I too know about your situation.”

As Akari was backtracking, it seemingly took all her effort just to utter those lines.

“In that case, why did you become the Sword Saint’s disciple? Why did you side with the Swordies?”

“So I wouldn’t be killed by the Sword Saint.”

Kurou immediately replied.

“If I was still living, then I felt eventually she would have me slayed as well. The Sword Saint only came here to suppress the rebellion and did not see a child like me as her enemy. As a result, I simply overreacted. Since I didn’t want to be killed by the Sword Saint and in order to defeat her, I went to the Sword Saint’s side. Basically at that time, something about my soul was already broken.” 

“......Such unusual reasoning.”

Even if Akari did not mention it, Kurou was aware of it himself.

To the broken down soul of a child, seeing the Sword Saint’s figure on that day was already more than enough. Thinking about it right now, why did he decide to become the Sword Saint’s disciple? The obvious choice would have been to run away.

In the end, the Sword Saint had wiped out the entirety of the anti-government group members who stood in her way. Although there was no way to kill all the hundreds of enemies that were there, at least the momentum of the anti-government organization was stymied by her sword.

“Akari, you guys should retreat. I’ll let you guys go just this once.”

Kurou stoically announced. He had already suppressed the flames of fury that arose when Lima was attacked.

“W-What are you saying all of a sudden......we came all the way over here, and with where things stand right now, how can we return empty-handed!?”

“You’re wrong. You’re not a misfit like me Akari. You are apologetic to those who are not involved in the attack. This is confirmation that you still possess the heart of a human.”

As Kurou stated, he pointed towards Hinako.

“Look at that child. She doesn’t know any better yet she relied on her own determination————she came over here to see the outside world. Wanting to return this child, can you honestly say that is the right thing to do?”

“......T-There’s nothing right or wrong about it.”

“I won’t let anyone here pursue you guys. The sun cult will always stage a comeback regardless how many times we stop them. ‘The sun is still rising’, I believe that’s the creed you guys have. No matter what, under these circumstances the chances of winning for you guys are already nonexistent. Also, there’s something I wish to have you guys pass on to the sun cult’s big shot.”

“W-What would that be......?”

“As long as I’m here, this child will never return to the sun cult. If they have the confidence to defeat the monster’s disciple, they can come at me whenever.”

Kurou pointed the end of his sword towards Akari.

Facing the sun cultists by himself wasn’t just the result of being enraged from Lima being attacked.

If he were to delegate the task to Lars or Sefi, they would probably show no remorse in killing every single member.

Kurou did not plan on taking it easy on the cultists either. However, he could see that the nun outfit wearing girl named Akari still lacked an adequate understanding. 

He wished to not kill an opponent like this at all costs. 

As a result, as Kurou was fixated on her, he also prayed within his heart.

Please just retreat.

Kurou stared straight into Akari’s eyes, waiting for her next action. A stream of tears flowed down for her. Looks like Akari was a girl who had a tendency to cry.

As he was waiting, he pondered over something.

He was far from a monster.

If he was a monster, then he probably would not have wanted to protect Hinako.

Letting Akari off the hook would have been even more unimaginable.

He wasn’t a monster, but if he wasn’t a Swordie either, then perhaps him even being human was doubtful.

So what in the world was he then?

Kurou had already lost interest in Akari and was instead preoccupied with another suspicion of his————




Under the setting sun, a frosty breeze blew by.

Although it was April, it would often feel frigid once the sun started to set. Especially today, it seemed the temperature sharply plummeted.

Kurou had Hinako alongside him. They were currently on the way back to the hut.

“Those guys retreated without any trouble surprisingly.”

Hinako suddenly muttered.

Akari and the remaining sun cultist instantly withdrew after Kurou finished speaking. Since no commotions arose, they must have avoided being interrogated as they left.

“Those guys aren’t necessarily idiots. If anyone were to pester endlessly in that situation, that’s pretty much asking to be killed.”

“After retreating, could they ever return to having a normal life......”

“This kind of worrying is hypocritical. Frankly speaking, if you didn’t escape in that situation, you’d be living a normal life like those dead sun cultists.”

“......Jeez, you’re quite blunt about it.”

Hinako did not seem to have suffered any particular hits.

However, that doesn’t mean she didn’t have her own thoughts on this matter. She probably possessed some awareness for these types of situations.

“Perhaps what was done to those people who were killed was unfavorable. However, even with this————I have no regrets about coming to the outside world.”

“There's no reason for you to be forced to pass your days under house arrest right? Those people that I killed all held rifles. Even you probably understand that they were putting their lives on the line.”

“......Even so, it’s still the first time I’ve seen Kurou kill others.”

“If I’m going to continue being your bodyguard, then you’ll witness this many times from now on. From the looks of it, you seem to be quite an important person to the sun cult.”

Kurou did not feel any regret towards killing the sun cultists. Had he not killed them, his own life would be in jeopardy. Furthermore, protecting Hinako was part of Kurou’s job, there was no need to anguish over this.

Taking care of the sun cultists’ corpses and the paperwork for Lima to be hospitalized was handed over to Lars. Although that was the case, he was a descendent of the four generals. Delegating these miscellaneous tasks to others wasn’t particularly cumbersome for him.

“However, today turned out pretty good......I mean, bad. Those guys are really quite something to be able to invade this academy. Is there someone here leading them along?”

After suffering those previous attacks, the school’s inner security received a strong boost. Although there were still many flaws, they had snuck in way too easily. Perhaps checking the identity of everyone within the academy would be ideal.

“It’s still far from over.”

“That’s to be expected.”

“If Kuro is able to protect me......at the very least, I can see things to the end with my own eyes.”

“My task will probably continue on as well. Even if it’s me, perhaps I might die tomorrow, you never know. ‘I’ll keep protecting you forever’, I can’t say something I can’t bear the responsibility for.”

“......Is that so.”

Hinako slightly lowered her head.

She seemed reluctant to accept Kurou’s protection, but even she knew she was slightly dependent on him. Perhaps he should respond with what was to be expected in order for her to be at ease.

However, “I’ll protect you”——a quick reply as such would not suffice.

Although it was regrettable, Kurou was not a true monster.

Compared to those who would turn the whole world into their enemy and kill incessantly, he was different.

Kurou raised his head and gazed towards the gradually darkening sky.

Along with the mysterious assailant, even the sun cultists didn’t give up without a fight.

For a person like him who can’t even be considered as a monster, nothing could describe him then. Still, Kurou seemingly will never have a shortage of enemies whom he will have to cross swords with.
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