RATH 22

TL: Eevee

3. And so the story begins. (6)

#6 Their story: the story of the hero(air) that gets pretty much no more screentime until he gets called a hero.

Kuaaak!

No, no

Hiik!

Pathetic sounds of despair are coming from our mouths. Even that No.1000s taking horrified steps backwards.

As that hand rose ever so slightly No.17 screamed and used the Blink magic she learned purely for evasion to use me as a shield.

Damn it!

Ahhh. Instructor, instructor!

I was foolish. The instructor was not a devil but an angel! When are you coming back?!

Hoho, if youre going to stay so defensive then youll have a hard time? And although Im saying this again, even if this thing is barely guardable against, the moment you meet the metal bat even guarding is impossible, you know?

We couldnt run from the devil that approached us with a smile.

Even if he says that, that bat alone is a struggle to block. The moment it makes contact my sword ki is disrupted and an unrejectable pain comes riding up my sword into my body.

If that devil is right and theres a higher level weapon above that thing then how the hell are you supposed to block that?!

Kuurk, everyone dodge!

Damn it Surtr, block it!

The one that was resummoned every time the cooldown time on the summon ran out, the one that was once an archdevil but was now a simple meat shield, Surtr, came out.

Dont, dont come! Dont come near me you evil gods apostle!

Even Surtr with his giant crimson body was shaking in fear. Even his face is paling white.

To think it would even force an archdevil from hell into submission! This thing has already long surpassed the devils weapon.

Hoho, mister archdevil. Why are you acting like that, youre cramping your style.

-Kuaaaaaaaghh!

Ahh Surtr was desummoned while screaming in pain.

Even if we treat him like the local runt hes still one of the famous archdevils of hell.

And that being was desummoned in a single hit!

What a weak meat shield. In our era we threw our nearby comrades, because of that I got hit a lot since I was the weakest.

Hiik!

Da, damn it!

The devil smiled as he lightly swung the bat around. But No.1000, why are you looking at us like that. Youre not thinking of throwing us at him all of a sudden right?

Gulp.

I swallow dryly as my body quivered in fear. True, theres no way that all three of us can survive.

Someone needs to take a beating so the other two can survive.

And the most important thing is that said one person just neednt be me

Coordinate Transfer?

Eh?

So youre the sacrifice?

Number Seventteeeeeeeeennn!

I still havent forgotten about that day! So make it up with your body!

Damn it, what problem was she doing this to me for? Is it that? The time at the very beginning where I chained her up because I wanted to eat? Was she still remembering that?

Justice served.

Uiiiiiiik!

Seeing the hand rise up I lifted my sword. But even if I block that the shock is sent straight through into me, and the moment my legs give out in pain, game over.

A desperate situation.

To I who was waiting for the hour of pain to come again, a ray of light came to me.

-Pshewwwww. Bang!

Eh? If its red then thats a 1st class emergency.

Seeing the red lights light up the sky the devils face hardened.

He put his hand down and said.

Training cancelled. Were all running away to the instructors office.

Run? No, before that

Is the instructors office a place to run away to?

Normally youd think the normal place to run to would be something like an escape path or a hidden tunnel, but to the instructors office?

I guarantee it. The instructors office is the safest.

The devil said in response to my question, and also added the explanation that it was the unknown land which not even Sia has managed to venture into.

Although the other two dont seem to know who Sia is, but remembering that that name belonged to the Intelligence Agencys vice-director I nodded.

Ah, come to think of it Ive broken into the instructors personal quarters once, havent I?

Are there similar installations to what are in the instructors room?

Ah, so youve been into the instructors room? Then that makes it simpler. The instructor spends more time in his office than in his room, so the defenses in his office are stronger.

Wow. His room was bad enough but his office is worse. Just what the heck did the instructor do in his office?

With those questions in mind, when we went into the office the devil started fiddling around the office.

With a few movements that carried the ease of long practice, starting from metal shutters coming down over the windows, and I heard something click and lock with a screech.

Now, this place is probably the safer than the room of the boss of the organization.

Have the functions been activated?

Indeed. And this space is filled with special dwarven-made traps. Now all we have to do is look for the escape route that the instructor made somewhere around here.

Dwarven-made?! You mean that contraptions that might be used in the imperial palace are installed here?

Ah, thats just because the instructor is an honorary elder among the dwarves so thats nothing to be surprised about.

Thats the thing we should be the most surprised about?!

As No.17 said horrified, I was horrified too.

What kind of race are the dwarves!

The emperors throne is dwarven made, the Sword Stars sword is dwarven made, and rumour is that some noble plans to gift a dwarven weapon for the dukes birthday to suck up to him! Dwarves, the targets of many a rumour!

But the majority of them are lies!

Meeting a dwarf is hard enough, meaning to get a weapon from them is even exponentially harder!

And somehow the instructor is a honorary elder.

What does it mean to be an Elder of the dwarves?

Even the dwarven king is selected by these elders, and consisting of no more than 36 even when all 12 tribes are gathered together, its the highest title among the dwarven race.

And throughout history there has been no one from another race that had the title of honorary elder, and a human of all things is one!

And that kind of talent was hiding in an evil organization!

Just what the heck did the instructor used to do?!

But it seemed that our horror was of no cause for concern to the devil and No.1000.

Pretending to listen to us the devil searched the bookshelves, pushing the buttons beneath the desk, and sometimes jumping up and down on the floor, No.17 broke out of her shock and asked.

Dev no, temporary instructor, what do you think has happened?

Uwaak!

Oh, sorry. For the record, some traps could activate so be sure to dodge them.

No.17s immediately ducked down away from the arrows that were shot at her without warning, and at the same time the floor underneath me vanished.

Wait, isnt it dangerous?

I said that something had happened earlier, didnt I? The signal flare we saw was a code red, if its code red then that means the empires army has invaded. If we dont run away as soon as possible then our lives are in danger.

For a moment I wanted to tell him to stop because my life wasnt in danger, but if I did Id probably die to the bat first.

No, Id want to die instead.

Dont we have to fight if the empires army comes at us?

Are you stupid. If we fight head on against the empire then no matter how much were the empires strongest evil organization then even were completely screwed as well. Especially if they come charging in without warning then were even worse off.

How come?

Would you leave the useful kids to play guard dog or send them out on missions to earn money? Theres no way that a coward that would hide their strongest weapons at home would become the empires strongest evil organization. If youre the strongest weapon then you should roll a lot like a strongest weapon and earn some money so the organization keeps rolling.

Seeing the empty space where I used to be and the countless spears that were under it, the devil clicked his teeth and continued.

Well if youre truly loyal to the organization no ones going to stop you going out to fight, but since I was just sold here as a slave, Im just working for the fat paycheck. To be honest it did prick at my conscience enough to make me consider running away, but if the organization chases after me, especially the instructor holding this thing here in my hand then Id have no chance which is why Im staying here, you know? So if the organization goes down them Im good. Well if its the information youre worried about then right now our peers will be doing their best to burn it all.

As I imagined the instructor chasing after me with the bat in hand I immediately understood how he felt.

Did the devil have a conscience?

As I internally agreed with No.17s words which she muttered so that I could only barely hear them, I continued talking.

Then isnt running away better? If we waste time here and cant find the escape tunnel isnt it the end?

No, looking for the escape route is safer.

No matter what happens, its not the end for me so I dont care.

Or rather hurrah for the empires troops charging in!

Im so damn happy that this hell of a lifestyle is finally over!

Hm, but wasnt this a secret mission?

All of a sudden I had a bad feeling about this.

Surely my damn brothers wouldnt send in a spy to kill me discreetly and come stab me yelling die foul villain! Right?

As I started thinking one, two unhappy thoughts at a time came flowing in.

And my unhappy predictions were way more accurate than happy ones, werent they?

No.17, No.1000 lets hurry and search!

Ye, yes?

Alright.

I followed the devil and started poking around here and there.

As for why daggers come flying from the ceiling when I open the drawers and why magic is fired at me when I open a book, lets not care about that.

Its that instructor that made all this anyway, and in that case these things would be all the more natural.

The moment I thought that I heard a boom and very anxiety-inducing sound coming from under our feet.

Kugugugudoom~

Whats that sound?

Is it the empires army already?

No, even if it was the empire they cant break through the dwarven-made magic coating on the room that easily.

But unlike the devils words, the thumping sound started getting closer and closer to us.

In the end at the sound that were only seconds apart from each other we had no choice but to draw our weapons.

Kang!

Ah damn it, is this the hidden bosss safe house or something? Why is it so damn hard to get through?

In a tense state we looked at the person that entered.

The person that came in in a grump was a beauty that seemed slightly older than us.

But I knew perfectly well who this woman with green hair and slim face looking like she was in her mid-twenties better than anyone else.

Moreover, that age and slim personality that didnt match at all with that slender face of hers!

Sword Star?!

Host club regular?!(1)

At the same time I yelled out the name I knew the devil beside me said a different name.

What?

Regular?

For a moment the devils and my eyes met. Host regular? The Sword Star?

At that moment.

Eh? That was a secret.

Chill.

The bloodthirst that tightened in the air in an instant. In the center of it all was the Sword Star.

Do. I. Have. To. Kill. You?

What the hell for?! Because I said she was the Sword Star? Or the host regular?! Or both?

In my horrified state I calculated my chances of victory.

None.

I had no way to defeat that filthy personality with a cute face only. Damn it! Am I going to die here?!

Wa, wait!

How did I survive this long! I survive in all sorts of magic bombardments, in the mountains, the seas, the desert!

Plus I threw away my pride as a son of a duke for food, only barely retained my dignity as a human! And I even endured against the bats pain!

But at the last Im going to be silenced to hide the fact that the Sword Star is a host regular! Is there a more bullshit death than that! I need to survive even if I have to reveal my identity!

Im, the Raina

Drrrrrrrrr.

The moment I was about to beg for my life using my familys name, the bookshelf beside the desk started making a weird noise.

What was that?

Was there still some remaining?

As she said that sword aura started forming on the Sword Stars sword as if it was perfectly natural.

Ah, as expected of the Sword Star?

One of the strongest swordsmen in history.

The one called the star of the sword.

Even if its the instructor theres no way he could win against that.

And thats what Id thought

With the drrr sound the bookshelf swung open and the instructor.

Hwaaaaaa?

Is just casually beating up the Sword Star?