Episode 28 Shattered Fate (Part 1)

Translated by: Niladri

Recap: Erd was challenged to a duel with Mireille - a noble lady, after he was revealed to be level 9999 during the entrance ceremony. Erd defeated Mireille and heals her injuries, and when Claire- the princess comes to congratulate him, she coughs blood and faints. And now...

I cast my strongest heal spell on Claire.

Immediately afterwards, Claire started to recover at a rapid pace and gradually she woke up.

Nestled in my embrace, Claire stared at me with a dreamy expression.

Huh...? Why is she looking at me like that?

That's when I remembered. Come to think of it, it was during this “Rescue Claire” event, when Claire fell in love with Alt.

Since he used the power of light to cure her from what was considered to be an incurable disease, it was natural for her to fall in love with Alt.

 Hmm?  Wait a minute. So, does that mean she'll end up falling for me...?

Claire looked at me with shining eyes and said.

 “Erd-sama... Just as I suspected, you are indeed the Hero of Light...I've been looking for you for a long time. My love...♡” [T/N: This is explained later]

 “Eh...”

Somehow, it seems I've been turned into the Hero of Light...?

Where's Alt-kun?

◆

 [Mireille’s POV]

I have a dream.

My dream is to make my sick younger sister healthy.

For that purpose, I wield my sword.

My sister's illness was rather unusual. I consulted various doctors and healers, but each one lamented that they were powerless.

My sister's illness was not an ordinary one; it was likely some form of curse.

A curse... when it comes to that, I have no clues whatsoever.

Considering it was a curse, I even called on a sorcerer, but they mentioned they had never encountered a curse like this before.

To begin with, I'm not even sure if it's truly a curse.

Amidst this, Princess Claire, with whom I had a close relationship, revealed something to me.

Apparently, there were signs that the Demon King will be revived soon.

Oddly enough, that bothered me.

Perhaps my sister's condition was somehow connected to the revival of the Demon King - the thought crossed my mind.

If that's the case, then by defeating the Demon Lord, there might be a chance for my sister to regain her health.

It might be a completely unrelated tale. Nevertheless, I had nothing else left to cling to.

I dedicated myself wholeheartedly to the idea of vanquishing the Demon Lord, persistently honing my sword skills.

Because of that, I couldn't forgive those who deceived others by pretending to be strong.

Erd Schmarken---He was the one who lied about being level 9999 at the entrance ceremony.

If that level 9999 was true, he might even be able to defeat the Demon King.

There's no way such a person could exist.

I couldn't forgive him. I felt like my efforts were being laughed at.

If he really were level 9999, he should be able to do anything. Be it defeating the Demon Lord or curing my sister's illness...

However, that's just not possible. Running into such a hero-like guy at the entrance ceremony was a bit too convenient. To me, he seemed nothing more than a big fat liar.

So, I picked a fight.

◆

Erd and I had a duel.

However, for some reason, Erd was unusually strong.

My sword was completely useless against him.

 How come….just how could this be? I've been wielding my sword so desperately until now.

I've been trying to become strong enough to defeat the Demon King for the sake of my sister...

Despite that, why did I lose so easily like this?

 “Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

My sword struck Erd's arm and broke.

Then, a fragment of the broken sword pierced my arm.

I was so frustrated.

The sword was lodged in quite deeply, to the point where I might never be able to hold a sword again.

Shit...I picked a fight with Erd based on my own pre-conceived notions.

The result was this.

I deeply regretted it.

I accused someone because of my selfish assumptions.

Because of that, I might lose the ability to hold my sword.

I might even lose my arm.

If that happens, I won't be able to protect my sister...

Damn...what am I even doing?

“Huff... Not bad... It appears that the level 9999 is indeed real. I'll give you that.”

Although unlikely, but Erd was genuinely level 9999. He was overwhelmingly strong to that extent.

Damn, if you're that powerful, go ahead and take down the Demon Lord... Well, thinking like that would make me a selfish person.

If I had trusted him from the beginning and asked him to defeat the Demon King, I wonder if he would have done it.

Various regrets came flooding in.

However, Erd must be extremely angry.

Being accused of something he didn’t do...

I can't ask him to save my sister now.

Damn it, if I had only believed that he could be level 9999......

However, Erd didn't appear angry at all. He came running up to me and said:

“Hey, are you alright? I've hurt you, haven't I? I'm sorry, let me heal you now.”

"Huh...? Eh...?"

I didn't understand what he meant.

The injury was, in a sense, my own doing. I recklessly challenged him to a duel, and it backfired.

Erd hadn't even directed his sword towards me, so to say that he caused the injury would be a mistake.

However, when he gently touched my arm, he cast a healing spell on me.

Moreover, his healing magic was incredibly powerful.

There have been times in the past when I've relied on healing magic for injuries.

But his healing magic was exceptional. It not only mended the wound but had an odd soothing effect as well.

From the depths of my heart, there welled up something warm.

Amazing... this is the power of level 9999 healing magic...?

Come to think of it, his slave mentioned earlier that their master is an expert in healing magic...

Nevertheless, it's an incredible ability. The wound on my arm healed in an instant.

Even the court healers wouldn't be able to perform healing magic to this extent. This is the first time I've witnessed it.

Inside, my heart wept.

What a remarkably gentle person he is. In truth, he should be furious with me, yet he extends compassion even to someone like me.

Regret, followed by gratitude, and a mix of various emotions swirled within me.

Now, I can still wield a sword. I can still protect my sister. I can still cling to my dreams.

“I... I'm sorry. I doubted your level... I had no idea that you're such a kind person who would do this for me... Thank you so much. This arm is something precious that I can't afford to lose. With this, I can hold a sword again.”

I expressed my sincere gratitude.

At that moment, I just couldn't bring myself to look into Erd’s eyes.

Unbeknownst to me, I realize my face has turned bright red.

Could it be that I... with this man...?

No, no, what am I expecting? I've done a terrible thing to this man, haven't I?

That's something I can't hope for.