The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

But Lucas couldn't strike my neck right away.

A deadly blade shot in from both sides, colliding with the spot where Lucas had just stood.

The killing intent was real; if a person had been caught in between, they might have been torn to shreds.

It was completely different from Claire's attacks during our training.

“Tch...!”

As Lucas stepped back, making that sound, he slightly bent at the waist.

That’s—

“Exactly.”

Noticing my gaze, the Emperor spoke.

“There was a reason he had to come prepared like that.”

Lucas was wounded. It meant he still couldn’t unleash his full power.

Had he received those injuries during the process of obtaining that legal robe and sword?

If he had attempted to take on the entire knight order at once, that could explain it. Even if he could defeat them all, it was impossible for him not to take a hit at least once.

And among those wounds, some couldn’t have been healed by simple recovery magic.

“Hey, do you really think that’s all?”

Lucas laughed, and the masked woman flinched slightly.

“Even though I look like this, I know a lot more than the Emperor here. Did you know that there’s already a lot of chatter about your identity in the legal nation?”

“.......”

That might be true.

With the Verati incident... Of course, they would have caught Verati even without me.

I slowly rose my body and got into a stance.

I couldn’t just stay here sitting on my behind any longer.

“Shall we have a go?”

Lucas flashed a grin in my direction.

“Aren’t you curious? Why you’re in this situation. Normally, you could easily evade my sword.”

“.......”

“Well, at least one of the things the legal nation was curious about has been resolved.”

It seemed Lucas had reached some sort of truth in his own way.

Something far more significant than the fact that his blood flowed through the Emperor.

“What on earth are you talking about—”

Before I could say much more, the door burst open with a bang.

At the same time, Alice, Claire, and Leo rushed in. Following them, knights poured into the room, filling it up.

“I told you to seal the room!”

The Emperor’s words made the knights flinch.

“I insisted on coming in.”

As she stepped out to my left, Alice said that.

“Do you really think you can help? Seriously?”

Though the Emperor scolded her harshly, Alice merely glanced at me.

“Alice.”

“Lucas.”

As Lucas called Alice’s name in greeting, she responded in kind. It seemed like a relaxed exchange at first glance, but her eyes were far from cheerful.

“And the Barons of the Grace family. No matter how many of you come, you won’t be of any help. In fact, you’ll just be a nuisance. You won’t be able to unleash your sword energy freely.”

“Well, if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be a strange logic that many people are a nuisance on the battlefield?”

Upon seeing Leo and Claire’s faces pale at Lucas’s words, the Swordmaster replied.

“No matter how crazy someone might be with their sword energy, they will ultimately succumb to the masses.”

“Oh, really?”

With one side of his mouth curling up, Lucas grinned.

“Then let’s have a go. Since I’ve confirmed what I wanted anyway.”

Saying that, Lucas charged toward us.

Simultaneously, all the knights in the room rushed at Lucas—

With a whoosh, my vision turned crimson.

Several knights who had charged forward fell to the ground. I didn’t have time to check if they were critically injured.

My hands were already moving. As if replaying the motions I had practiced over and over, my hands grabbed the automatic pistol tucked under my arm,

Bang, bang!

I fired two shots in quick succession.

I was sure my aim was true.

But in an instant, I saw Lucas’s gaze shift toward the muzzle of my gun.

Lucas was already moving his body before I even pulled the trigger.

A monster.

That was the only thought that flashed through my mind. It wasn’t the usual carefree demeanor of Lucas; it was a murderous expression that made it seem he truly wanted to kill me.

But at the same time, that smile on his face felt so out of place.

As Lucas evaded my gunfire, his body spun to the side, unleashing his sword energy.

Two more knights fell.

“Chut...!”

The masked woman was pushed back, emitting a sound like a boxer. The sword energy she hadn’t fully blocked left shallow wounds on both her arms.

Clang!

Before I could even register the shock of that, I heard the sound of swords clashing again. It seemed the Emperor had blocked Lucas’s sword with his own.

The tip of the Emperor's blade had sunk halfway into the sword Lucas was wielding.

“Is that sword energy? Impressive as always, Father...!”

Since the sword had a protective barrier around it, it meant it hadn’t been completely severed.

“Whoops...!”

Lucas lightly dodged the incoming sword energy from the side.

“Old man, if you keep worrying about those around you, you’ll end up dead.”

That mouth of his never stopped.

Lucas twisted his sword. With a crisp sound, the tip of the Emperor's sword split, and Lucas’s sword slipped through the widening gap.

“Hmm...!”

As the sword energy swung toward the Emperor, he slashed down with his own sword, cleaving it in half.

“Cough...!”

But that wide sword energy was sufficient to slice through the nearby people all at once.

Bang, bang!

Two more shots fired. But in my haste to pivot my aim, I merely grazed Lucas’s shoulder. His robe tore slightly and stained with red, but Lucas didn’t seem to care, his gaze fixated on me.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled the trigger again—

Ping, a clear sound rang out.

In an instant, I didn’t understand what had happened.

It seemed like sparks flew from Lucas’s sword at that moment— 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

I heard Alice gasp beside me.

“How is it? Doesn’t it feel like magic?”

Did he just deflect a bullet with his sword?

“Fantastic. Just seeing that expression on your face makes coming here worthwhile!”

Lucas swung his sword with that same smiling expression.

And just like that, the sword energy surged toward me.

I can’t dodge this.

In that moment, I thought that,

“No!”

...If my sisters, who I’d never win against even once without resorting to tricks, were to be killed because of me—

Blood sprayed as someone blocked my way.

Huh...?

The person who had shielded me collapsed. With my limited human-level reaction speed, I felt as though her fall was in slow motion.

“Alice!”

I heard a voice calling out in despair.

The masked woman rushed toward Lucas,

And Lucas swung his sword again. Carelessly, as if swinging a piece of grass, left and right twice.

More screams erupted, and blood splattered.

My abdomen felt hot.

Looking down, I saw it stained red.

My vision slowly shifted sideways, downward...

But what filled my mind wasn’t my condition.

Alice.

Alice, who lay on the ground, bleeding and in pain.

Alice’s gaze turned toward me. Her expression was filled with despair.

Far deeper wounds than mine.

Alice looked up at me with a pained expression.

I heard Claire’s scream and Leo’s shout.

Perhaps, in the next moment, the two of them—

In my fading vision, I caught a glimpse of their backs, and Lucas swung his sword—

No!

If everyone dies because of me—

“Again!”

Those words erupted from my mouth like a scream.

*

Thud, the familiar sensation of impact returned.

My head buzzed as if I had collided with something solid, and my breath escaped me.

The ringing in my ears gradually subsided, and the twinkling stars in my vision began to accept the light again, revealing the back of a girl with blue hair running forward.

“Again!”

*

Thud.

It felt like my body slammed into a rock.

Strangely, that sensation cleared my mind a bit. It was a power I hadn’t properly utilized every time I encountered the masked woman.

But was that really the case?

Had my ability been completely blocked?

Think, think.

Again, the girl running ahead. Two princesses bleeding.

“Again!”

*

Thud.

A moment of sensation enveloped me.

It was as if I had fallen into the center of a kaleidoscope. Light passed through a prism, splitting into various colors to create a rainbow, revealing an incomprehensible world.

But even while seeing such a world, there was one thing I understood.

I had definitely broken through this world before.

By slamming my body against something hard.

I had broken through the space, and at that moment, I had definitely turned back time.

Rewinding, I returned to just before the battle with the masked woman.

If that hand that had grabbed my collar hadn’t been there, I would—

“Again!”

*

Thud!

My entire body trembled.

But it still wasn’t enough.

I think I understand now. Why I couldn’t go back.

Something was definitely blocking the path that should have been passable. But it wasn’t a barricade so strong that I couldn’t break through it.

Rather, it was unstable enough that I could smash through it with my body.

It would hurt if I collided with it, but if I could just muster the courage—

I could definitely shatter that crystal.

Ha, this is absurd.

No one tricked me outright; I was simply deceiving myself all on my own.

The reason I could break through at the ruins back then was only one.

Because I

didn’t know.

I didn’t know how much it would hurt to collide with it.

Just like someone charging toward an unmarked window, I had simply crashed through that barrier.

After the first collision, I was the one who became afraid.

Well, I wouldn’t be unscathed. I would have to slam into it pretty hard.

But even back then, I had been dazed but hadn’t died.

That’s right.

As I watched the blue ponytail dancing in my field of vision, I thought.

Then, there’s only one thing I must do.

Hit harder.

Hit farther.

With all my might.

If I go back, that’s all it takes.

“Again!”