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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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There was a time the comment section went up in flames when Arthur chose Vivian.
And, naturally, the other heroines were relegated to side stories.
Sepia? Tia? Tesha? Anya?
They all became afterthought characters.
This outcome wasn’t revealed until the very end of the story.
Naturally, most readers couldn’t drop the novel at that point.
They were already too invested.
It would have been great if he had embraced the path of a true protagonist and built a harmonious harem.
But our hero had chosen Vivian.
‘You’ve always been my sword and shield, Vivian. Now, I’ll be your sword and stay by your side forever.’
‘I… I was content just being your sword.’
‘Now, I’ll love only you.’
They exchanged cheesy lines, and Vivian shed tears of joy.
Damn it.
I still remember the illustration.
The author, with the story nearing its conclusion, had commissioned a high-quality illustration.
Naturally, the other heroines’ popularity plummeted.
The author’s excuse was, “Given Arthur’s personality and circumstances, he would have chosen Vivian.”
At first, I was dumbfounded.
But after my encounters with Sepia and Tia, I could somewhat understand.
After being tormented by those two prideful women, even our kind and righteous protagonist had been driven to abandon his harem and embrace the path of monogamy.
Vivian’s personality?
She was a model maid: obedient, submissive, and never complained.
And most importantly,
Vivian, as her name suggested, was the reincarnation of the “Lady of the Lake.”
The lady who gave Arthur Excalibur.
The author had used this connection to explain the instant attraction and familiarity they felt when they first met.
Naturally, the comment section erupted.
―Vivian is practically Lancelot’s mother figure in the legend! So, Arthur is NTRing Lancelot’s mother?
―LOL, Lancelot NTRs the queen, and Arthur NTRs his mom.
It was obvious that the author had no real understanding of Arthurian legend.
In an attempt to appease the outraged readers, the author had promised to release side story endings for each heroine.
It was a hopeless web novel from start to finish.
If he was planning to go with the single-love-interest ending, why even bother mentioning that polygamy was an accepted practice in this world?
I should have dropped the novel the moment Arthur awakened his status window.
But it’s always too late for regrets.
And as the transmigrator who had single-handedly derailed the original plot, I wasn’t in a position to judge.
I sighed.
Why was I even thinking about this?
Because of Sepia’s constant nagging.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
Sepia’s voice was laced with irritation.
I glanced at the map, then looked around.
I pointed in a direction, my map-reading skills honed by years of military service.
Sepia had been like this ever since I got blasted by her magic.
It was her way of saying, “I’m mad. Grovel and apologize.”
I was the one who got hurt…
Fortunately, I hadn’t broken any bones.
And yesterday, Vivian had visited me.
‘Sepia feels very remorseful. It would be wise to apologize first and make amends.’
I had blinked in disbelief.
Remorseful?
It wasn’t time for her to feel remorseful.
I might have declared that Sepia was destined for a future filled with regret, obsession, and torment, but I had doubted it would actually happen.
Sepia’s moment of true regret was supposed to come when the Logness territory was attacked by demons.
Whatever.
The original story was already crumbling because of me.
I had to apologize.
Sacrifice the pawn to save the game.
“Lady Sepia…”
I said softly as I walked towards her.
“I’m sorry about what happened the other day.”
“……”
There was no response.
Oh well.
I was petty.
Surely she wouldn’t expect me to grovel?
I would drop her like a hot potato.
“I… well…”
Sepia was about to say something when,
With perfect timing, a group of goblins appeared.
“Goblins! Battle formation!”
Tesha pointed towards the bushes.
Five goblins emerged.
“Let’s take them down as a three-person party.”
Tesha drew her shortsword.
But it wasn’t necessary.
The five goblins were suddenly lifted into the air.
Crack―
Their necks snapped, and they fell to the ground.
Tesha and I were speechless.
A brief silence followed.
“A-as expected of Sepia von Logness! You’re so strong!”
“Hmph, it was a waste of mana.”
Sepia, speaking casually to the princess, walked ahead.
“Ethan, this is the right way, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes, it is.”
I glanced at Sepia.
Her eyes were still cold and sharp.
Her expression was unchanged.
The princess, on the other hand, was calm and composed.
She had golden hair, golden eyes, and a kind demeanor.
As expected of someone who had received proper etiquette training in the imperial palace.
Being surrounded by women like Tia and Sepia made Tesha’s gentle nature seem even more refreshing.
Tesha could be described as a kind and gentle soul.
She was a model of noblesse oblige.
The reason she enrolled in the Hero Academy was similar.
Of course, as a princess, she wasn’t completely free from political constraints.
She had always felt ostracized by her father and her older brothers. That’s why she had chosen to enroll in the Hero Academy.
Concealing her identity to earn their recognition.
And Tesha…
‘Along with Tia, was one of the two characters who always spoke formally.’
Anyway,
We continued walking, following the map.
We spent the next thirty minutes traversing the forest.
We encountered a few groups of goblins and kobolds along the way.
Sepia effortlessly obliterated them.
And finally,
We spotted a flag with the number 3 on it.
It was time to meet the demon.
I quickly scanned our surroundings.
In the original story, a seemingly harmless herb gatherer would turn out to be a demon.
Tesha, being the kind soul she was, would even give him directions.
“I’ll take the flag.”
I retrieved the flag and placed it in my bag.
“I think we’re done. Shall we head back?”
We nodded in agreement.
And as we retraced our steps, the herb gatherer appeared.
He emerged from the bushes, looking lost and confused.
He was putting on a good act.
“Oh, hello there, Hero Candidates.”
His appearance was suspicious.
The academy’s northern forest was restricted.
Even though it was outside the castle walls, it was still part of the academy grounds.
Gathering herbs here was trespassing.
“You’re not allowed to gather herbs here.”
Tesha spoke up first.
The original Team 3 was known for their naivete.
Arthur, Anya, and Tesha.
Even in this suspicious situation, Arthur had given the herb gatherer directions, only to be attacked.
“Oh, I apologize. I got carried away while gathering herbs and ended up here.”
“Yes, please head back down.”
“Wait a moment, Tesha.”
I stepped in front of Tesha and drew my sword.
“I sense demonic energy from you.”
I extended my mana towards him, and an unpleasant sensation washed over me.
It was time for Sepia to step in.
She must have sensed something amiss.
I glanced at her, and her eyebrows were furrowed.
The Logness family had a long lineage of mages, and they were sensitive to demonic energy.
“Who are you?”
“Huh?”
“Ethan’s right. I sense a strong demonic aura from you.”
“……”
A sinister smile spread across the herb gatherer’s face.
“As they say, even a cub is still a tiger!”
I swung my sword.
I knew his next line was, “Even a Hero Candidate is still a hero!”
My black blade, infused with mana, slashed towards him.
Arthur would have waited for him to transform.
But not me.
I was a ruthless pragmatist.
I wasn’t going to wait for him to power up, like a villain in a magical girl anime.
Clang!
The demon stumbled back, my mana-infused attack striking him.
I had intended to bisect him,
But he had twisted his body, and my sword had only severed his shoulder.
His arm fell to the ground with a thud.
Plop.
Blood splattered onto the ground.
Ram horns sprouted from the herb gatherer’s head.
His legs, having already transformed, were now goat-like hooves. Bat-like wings, covered in a leathery membrane, unfurled from his back. The demon had revealed his true form.
But I was prepared.
“What the—? Why is it burning?!”
The holy water I had enchanted my sword with was taking effect.
As expected, holy water was a demon’s kryptonite.
A blue flame erupted from the severed wound.
The demon writhed in pain.
“Lady Sepia! Princess Tesha!”
Sepia launched an ice spear.
It pierced the demon’s chest with a loud crack.
He stumbled.
As expected of Sepia.
She had good combat instincts, choosing to use ice magic instead of fire.
Fire magic could harm her allies.
I lunged forward.
“Attack!”
There’s strength in numbers.
Even the Power Rangers ganged up on their enemies.
It was a universally effective tactic, regardless of time, place, or morality. Even raids were basically group attacks.
There’s a famous line from a novel:
Three against one.
Three people ganging up on one person.
Our team consisted of three people.
The perfect number for a group attack.
Crack!
My black blade pierced the demon’s abdomen.
I twisted the blade, pinning him to a tree.
“W-wait! You cowards!”
The demon was weak, as expected of a low-level demon encountered early in the story.
Why had such a weak demon infiltrated the academy?
Partly because he had underestimated the Hero Candidates.
But mainly because he had been given a low-priority assignment by his superiors.
And most importantly, because that’s how the author had written it.
“Y-you despicable wretches!”
The demon swung his arm.
His sharp claws grazed my clothes.
Tesha’s shortsword deflected the attack.
I seized the opportunity and severed his wing.
Slice!
The demon screamed, his arm and wing gone.
He could no longer fly.
The severed wing twitched on the ground.
“Aren’t you even curious about who I am?!”
Not really.
He was Andromalius, the lowest-ranking demon among the seventy-two demon generals, serving under Leviathan, the embodiment of envy.
And he was a pushover.
In the original story, he had revealed his identity while trying to buy time to escape from Arthur.
“We’ll check your ID after you’re dead.”
My sword plunged towards his heart.
Thud.
The demon went limp.
His body slowly dissolved into black mist,
Leaving behind a demon medal.
A symbol of our victory.
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