Chapter 27
My sword sliced through the empty air where the spider’s neck had been.
I was so startled that I didn’t even land properly—my foot slipped on the spider’s body.
Reagan came closer and held out his hand to me.
Then, just like when we first met before the possession, he asked in a gentle voice,
“Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?”
At first, I thought I was seeing things.
There was no way the high and noble Pope, who should be sitting safely in the Holy See, would be here of all places.
When I stared up at him blankly, he smiled softly.
“You must have been frightened. It’s alright now. I’m here, so don’t worry.”
Ah, yes. Frightened, indeed.
I barely held back a grin that threatened to split my face.
How lucky. I didn’t expect to see him here.
Who wouldn’t be thrilled when the person they wanted to kill came walking right up to them?
I’d thought I’d have to break into the heavily guarded Holy See to get to him, but here he was, without a single guard.
If I didn’t grit my teeth, I’d burst out laughing like a lunatic.
“I didn’t expect Your Holiness to appear.”
Smiling like an innocent child, I took his hand.
At the same time, I slowly began channeling my mana.
I’d used up most of it fighting the spider.
But Reagan was completely off guard.
Could I kill him?
I wasn’t sure, but opportunities like this didn’t come often.
“Ah!”
Feigning an injured ankle, I staggered, and he caught me.
“Careful.”
He was now even closer to me.
All I had to do was strike, and it would be over.
At that moment—
“Y-Your Holiness? You’ve come?”
“Waaah! The Pope! The Pope has come to help us!”
“Haha! Now no matter what kind of monster shows up, we’ll be fine! The Pope who killed the evil dragon is here!”
“We’re saved! Oh, thank the heavens! Thank you!”
Cheer after cheer exploded like fireworks.
It felt as if ice water had been poured over my head.
The people lavished praises on the hero who had slain the evil dragon.
…But I was the one who killed it.
All the applause and adoration Reagan received were things I had made possible for him.
If I killed him here, what would happen?
I’d be branded the evil dragon’s minion, and Reagan would become the tragic Pope who slew the dragon only to die an untimely death.
Every year on the anniversary of his death, people would visit his grave, lay flowers, weep, and talk about what a great man he was.
Would I be satisfied with that?
Of course not.
I looked at Reagan, smiling and waving at the crowd.
Not yet.
I withdrew the mana from my hand.
Destroying everything I had built for him—that would be the perfect revenge.
Survivors rushed forward and clung to Reagan.
“It’s such a relief that you came, Your Holiness.”
“The way you took down that powerful thing in one blow was truly amazing!”
Even though I’d been the one fighting all this time, people ignored me and swarmed around Reagan.
So this is the difference fame makes.
It felt a bit bitter.
Reagan, wearing a gentle smile, replied to them,
“No. If only I had come sooner, I could have saved more lives. That’s what I regret.”
Just then, a man with deep-blue hair pushed through the crowd.
“Daughter!”
The sudden appearance of Duke Clastar drew everyone’s attention.
“Duke Clastar? Why is he here? Did he come to hunt monsters?”
“But he just called her his daughter…”
Reagan might be famous for slaying the evil dragon, but the duke was no less remarkable.
After Reagan killed the dragon, his injuries forced him to avoid public activities for a long time.
But the empire was still plagued by monsters created by the dragon, throwing the land into chaos.
Duke Clastar had been instrumental in slaying monsters, reclaiming lost territory, and restoring order.
Ignoring the murmurs, the duke came straight to me and inspected my face and body from head to toe.
“I heard a monster suddenly appeared—are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
His fuss drew the crowd’s attention to me.
“I’ve never seen the duke make such a scene.”
“I’d heard he adopted a daughter… is that girl her?”
After checking me over, the duke smiled in relief.
“Good, no injuries. But…”
He noticed the sword in my hand.
“Did my daughter slay that monster by herself? Really now… Didn’t I tell you that if you ever face a monster again, you should run? Why won’t you listen?”
When the duke scooped me into his arms, the people began murmuring again.
“Now that you mention it, before the Pope arrived, that girl was fighting the monster alone.”
“No wonder. I thought her swordsmanship was impressive for a child. As expected of Duke Clastar’s daughter.”
“If she hadn’t held it off, we might all be dead.”
As people began talking about my part in the fight, Reagan’s eyes twitched ever so slightly.
Most wouldn’t notice, but I was an expert on Reagan—I could write a doctoral thesis on him.
Looks like he’s not enjoying this.
He probably wasn’t happy that I was sharing the spotlight he thought should be his alone.
Should I provoke him a little more?
I shook my head firmly at the duke.
“I couldn’t help it if I wanted to protect the people. The monster was going to kill them.”
My words drew gasps of admiration from the crowd.
“My goodness. How commendable for someone so young.”
“If it weren’t for that young lady, it could have been a disaster. Did you see that shopkeeper’s head almost get crushed? And the knights were all trapped in the webs.”
“Well, she is the duke’s daughter. No wonder she could handle such a scary monster.”
“Still, wasn’t it the Pope who killed it?”
“But if she hadn’t bought us time, we’d all be dead before the Pope arrived.”
At that moment, Reagan approached us.
“It’s been a while, Duke Clastar.”
“I didn’t expect to see Your Holiness here.”
His tone was unusually polite, not his usual mocking self.
It must be because Reagan killed the evil dragon.
The duke’s hatred for the dragon was enormous.
So naturally, he’d be friendly to the one who avenged him.
“I heard that after slaying the dragon, your health suffered and you avoided going out.”
“That’s true. But I’ve fully recovered now, so there’s no need to worry. By the way, is this your daughter? I hadn’t heard you married.”
“She’s adopted.”
“Ariel Clastar, at your service.”
“She may not share your blood, but she seems to have inherited the sharp blade of House Clastar.”
Reagan stepped forward and patted my head.
I almost slapped his hand away on instinct.
“I heard you protected everyone until I arrived. You’ve done well.”
When I was under him, no matter how hard I worked, I never once heard those words.
“It was nothing. It’s just what I had to do.”
“But next time, it’s better not to provoke a monster unnecessarily. The people caught in the fight could get hurt.”
It might sound like concern, but I could see right through him.
What he really meant was: Don’t steal my spotlight again.
“Yes, if something stronger appears next time, I’ll do that.”
I smiled brightly, as if I didn’t understand a thing.
His brows furrowed.
He’d strutted in expecting praise, but my words made it sound like the monster was so weak even a child could handle it.
I bet what he really wanted to hear was:
“Wow, you fought that dangerous monster all alone! You’re amazing, Lord Reagan!”
“No one but the Pope could kill such a terrifying creature!”
But instead, what people were saying was the exact opposite.
“Well, if a child could fight it alone, maybe it wasn’t that strong.”
“Still, a monster’s a monster. Didn’t a knight die trying to fight it?”
“Then maybe that knight wasn’t that skilled.”
“Anyway, that young lady is amazing. Holding it off alone at her age is impressive.”
I was still a child, so I could fight any monster and still get applause—but Reagan was different.
He was the hero who’d slain the evil dragon.
For him, killing something a child could handle did nothing for his image.
To keep his Pope-like prestige, he needed to fell a beast that slaughtered at least a hundred people, wiped out knights, and left no one able to stop it but him.
Watching his mood sink as the crowd’s reaction failed to meet his expectations filled me with delight.
“Well then, I’ll take my daughter home. She must be tired.”
Right on cue, the duke whisked me away.
“By the way, have you met the Pope before?”
“No, this was my first time.”
“Really? Most people are so nervous they tremble when meeting him for the first time, but you didn’t.”
“Maybe it’s because I was so tired from using up all my mana.”
I deflected smoothly.
I’d have to be more careful.
The duke must never find out I wanted to kill Reagan.
To him, Reagan was the benefactor who had slain his greatest enemy.
“So, how did you get here so quickly, my lord?”
I changed the subject swiftly.
It should have taken a while to get here from the estate.
The duke’s face turned awkward, as though he’d been caught.
