I Would Gladly Die a Thousand Deaths (5K)

"Baron, your words are exactly the same as your daughter's. But I'm sorry, please allow me to refuse; I must go to the capital no matter what."

Are you kidding me? You want him to stay here and play this chuunibyou game with Shadow?

Is he just bored and has nothing better to do?

In the end, Baron Kagenou could only watch him leave with regret.

However, the day after he received the letter of recommendation, a major event occurred in the Kagenou Family—

Claire has disappeared.

It disappeared overnight in the room.

"There were no signs of a struggle; they must have ambushed and taken her while she was sleeping! But to be able to take Claire, the kidnapper must be an extremely skilled fighter!!!"

Baron Kagenou shouted excitedly.

If he could, he looked like he wanted to pull his hair out to vent his emotions.

Unfortunately, you can't pull it up without plucking even a single hair from its head.

"So?"

A cold, eerie voice drifted over.

Madame Cagaino, with an elegant demeanor, gracefully entered the chaotic room and smiled at her husband.

"So you're saying [the other party's methods were very sophisticated, so there was nothing we could do], is that what you mean?"

"Oh no... that's not what I meant... I... I was just stating a fact..."

"Facts my foot! You bald monk!!!"

To be honest, this was the first time Mahiro had ever seen a live-action version of the Tiger-Taming Fist, and at such close range.

Madame Cagaino grabbed Baron Kagenou by the collar and slammed him to the ground.

Then he climbed on top of it and swung his fists hard at that smug face.

"Ora ora ora ora! Go find it for me right now, you bastard!!!"

"..."

Mahiro sighed softly.

Now he knew where Claire got her violent tendencies and sadistic personality from; he'd found the root of it all.

Then he watched as Cid left through the door and returned to his room, seemingly unconcerned.

His face showed no emotion, no sadness, no anger, and no self-blame.

He walked away as if he were a complete stranger.

"What an incomprehensible guy..."

Mahiro couldn't help but sigh, then whispered:

"Beta."

"Yes, Mahiro."

Following behind him, a servant of the Kagenou Family suddenly transformed into a silver-haired girl.

The second seat in the Shadow Garden belonged to an elven girl, just like Alpha.

However, unlike Alpha, she has a shoulder-length bob haircut, with a braid hanging down one side of her head.

The tear mole at the corner of her eye inexplicably adds a touch of charm to her pure and noble temperament.

"Did you find it?"

"Yes, it's been found."

Beta nodded and followed him to a secluded corner at the end of the corridor.

"As Mahiro Lord Mahiro, based on the mine information you provided, we did indeed find traces of the Order in an abandoned mine, and we can confirm that Lady Claire was abducted there."

"Well done."

"Thank you for your Mahiro."

He stroked Beta's silver hair as if he were petting a cat, and Beta looked on with a look of enjoyment.

"By the way Mahiro, should we notify that imposter?"

The imposter Beta was referring to was, of course, Cid.

There's nothing we can do about it. It's a bit shameless, and even Mahiro admits it, but there's nothing we can do about it.

This is similar to patent grabbing; whoever registers it first owns it.

Besides, who told this guy to provoke him? If Cid hadn't come knocking on his door without warning that day, he wouldn't have seized his patent in a fit of anger.

Perhaps they will continue to use the name Arcadia.

So he shook his head and said:

"No need, there's no need."

"Eh? But... isn't Miss Claire his sister? Isn't he worried?"

"Perhaps he's worried, but who knows what he's thinking? Besides, I'll naturally be the one to save my disciple."

"Mahiro I said it with absolute certainty."

But to be honest, he was still relieved.

Thankfully, I remembered the plot, and thankfully, these girls were very proactive.

Although he knew that Cid, with his incredible luck, would surely be able to guess Claire's location, he now had Shadow Garden under his control, and he wasn't sure if Sid would make any further moves...

Instead of gambling with someone whose intentions and actions are unpredictable, it's better to take action yourself first.

As for saving them in advance?

The idea was good, and he had considered it, but the problem was that this was a great opportunity to improve Claire's favorability; how could he let it slip by?

However, besides that, Beta did provide some unexpected information.

"Mahiro, besides Claire's whereabouts, we've also discovered another piece of information: it seems that a sacred relic is hidden in that abandoned mine."

"What relic?"

As soon as he heard about this thing, he was wide awake.

The relics in this world are different from those in the Irregular at Magical World, but they are also somewhat similar. In any case, they are all miracles that cannot be reproduced with the technology of this era.

But Beta said with a slightly serious expression:

"It is... a holy sword."

Chapter 189 Undeterred by Ten Thousand Deaths (5K)

A cold cave.

Inside the ancestral hall, which resembles a stalactite cave.

Tick-tock, tick-tock--

Water droplets dripped slowly down the inverted stalactites, and the entire ancestral hall was silent; even the faint sound of dripping water could be clearly heard.

Right in the very center of this ancestral hall, on a raised stone platform, stood a long sword, its guard and hilt made of gold. The slender blade was made of mithril and was engraved with strange, unknown symbols, resembling some kind of script.

It is a sword that appears as ornate as an ornament.

However, even though the ancestral hall was empty, a heavy pressure permeated the air.

Outside the shrine, a man stood in the cave, gazing at the sacred sword enshrined inside from afar.

The man looked to be about thirty-five years old, in his prime, with neatly combed gray hair.

Even with the cover of aristocratic formal attire, it was difficult to conceal his well-trained physique.

At this moment, those sharp eyes fixed on the holy sword inside the shrine, revealing a burning desire.

"That's right, that's correct, this is an ancient relic, the legendary Severion Holy Sword!"

"As long as I have this, as long as I obtain this, and give it to the Order along with that girl, I will definitely be qualified to become Knights of the Rounds!"

"This way, I can save my daughter!"

The man pulled a pendant from his pocket, inside which was an old photograph.

The girl in the photo has a bright smile.

A hint of doting affection appeared in the man's eyes.

"Milia... wait for Daddy, Daddy will definitely save you!"

The man's whispers echoed through the vast underground cavern of the mine.

"Lord Olba, Kagenou Baron House's daughter has awakened."

Just then, the arriving soldiers interrupted the man's thoughts, and he carefully put the pendant back into his pocket.

When he turned to look at the soldier, his expression became serious.

"Take me to see it."

"Yes, Lord Olba!"

The soldier saluted Olba and led him to the end of another underground mine tunnel.

"Please be careful; although she's handcuffed, she'll still resist fiercely."

The soldier cautiously offered a reminder.

After all, many of them had already been attacked.

"Hmph, who do you think I am?!"

"Ugh! I'm so... so sorry!!!"

Olba's sharp gaze swept over them, and the soldiers all shivered, quickly and respectfully opening the door.

Inside was a dimly lit dungeon built of stone bricks, with a young girl bound to one end of a demon-sealing chain buried deep in the walls.

"You must be Claire Cagaino?"

"Heh... You know perfectly well what I'm asking. If I answer no, will you let me go?"

Claire responded with a cold laugh, slowly raising her head to look at the man who had appeared before her.

Perhaps because she was caught in the act of sneaking into her room while she was asleep, she was still wearing her nightgown, and her ivory-white, smooth legs were casually piled on the floor.

There were still some traces of blood around.

The eyes that looked at the man remained defiant, their scarlet pupils resembling those of a subdued beast.

"I've seen you in the capital before. You must be Olba Alba, right?"

"Oh? I used to be a royal guard... no, you should have seen me at the Bushin Festival?"

Considering the girl's age, Olba immediately changed his mind.

"It was the Bushin Festival, you were brutally attacked by Princess Alice back then."

Claire chuckled softly, her laughter tinged with contempt and mockery.

"Hmph, I only made an exception for her because of the framework of this competition. In a real fight, I wouldn't lose!"

"Even in a real battle, the outcome won't change; Viscount Olba was eliminated in the preliminary rounds of the championship."

"What a joke! How could a little girl like you understand how remarkable it is to even make it to the championship?"

Olba glared at the girl, as if venting his inner anger and dissatisfaction.

"That's a real shame. In just one more year, I would have been able to step onto that stage and win the championship."

"How arrogant of you. But unfortunately, you won't have that chance; you won't live to see that day."

Whoosh!