Chapter 58
“What is this place for?”
[A training ground for humans.]
It was at least five times—no, maybe even ten times—larger than the Grand Duke’s knights’ training grounds. Evelyn nodded calmly.
Just imagining this place filled with knights and soldiers in training made her chest swell with excitement.
“But there aren’t any training tools?”
[Ahem. Let me explain it to you.]
Focusing carefully so she wouldn’t miss a single word, Evelyn moved as the holy sword instructed.
When she pressed the rune engraved on the wall, just as the holy sword directed, light burst out from the empty floor.
On the outermost edge, rings of different sizes were drawn. In the central space, equipment began to appear—devices she had never seen even at the Grand Duke’s training grounds.
“What… what is all this?”
[Isn’t it amazing?! Neran believed that humans needed to grow even stronger to completely kill the evil god! So he developed ways to enhance the body, and even came up with tools for dealing with those annoying magic users!]
Though it wasn’t something the holy sword had made, it spoke with a tone full of pride, making Evelyn chuckle.
[You can even get your posture corrected over there!]
Evelyn’s eyes sparkled.
Could she really try all this?
As if under a spell from the holy sword’s words, she threw herself into experiencing the various training tools.
[Oh right! There’s something really important!]
Evelyn snapped back to attention at the holy sword’s sudden shout.
“Ah! I need to get back to the subjugation squad.”
[What?! You have to check out what Neran left for you first!]
The training ground left behind by the previous Hero was truly magnificent. It had been captivating enough for her to lose herself in training.
Surely the other knights would benefit too.
But for that to happen, she needed to return safely first.
They were probably waiting for her outside, so she had to hurry back.
“Can’t I come back and look later? Too much time has passed.”
[No way! Do you know how much fun Neran had preparing this?!]
Woooom!
The holy sword vibrated fiercely in protest. Evelyn sighed. No one had told her the holy sword could be such a crybaby.
As the whining voice echoed in her head, Evelyn raised both hands.
“Alright. Let me just check that one thing, and I’ll leave. I can come back later, right?”
[Well… the rest can wait till next time.]
Shaking her head at the holy sword’s sulky tone—like that of a huffy young lady—Evelyn followed its instructions.
“I want to build something like this at the Grand Duke’s castle too.”
This relic left behind by the former Hero was incredible.
Sure, the Empire had teleportation magic circles, but they were mostly used for long-distance travel.
It cost an enormous amount to create and maintain a magic circle.
She had heard that short-distance teleportation was something only the Imperial family used.
But here in the relic, everything seemed to operate using magic circles.
Evelyn stood in front of a giant door-shaped wall.
[Press that little round button!]
Following the holy sword’s instruction, she pressed the button, and seven images appeared on the wall.
“Looks like I can roughly tell where everything is.”
Looking at the pictures, Evelyn smiled. One showed a room piled with jewels and gold coins, another was full of weapons.
There was also an image representing the training ground.
“So if I press this, I’ll teleport there?”
[Right. Press the one with just a single sword drawn on it.]
Evelyn placed her hand on the image.
Whirrrr!
With the sound of a short gust of wind, Evelyn disappeared.
Meanwhile…
“Do you think Her Grace has wandered far off?”
Jeffrey cautiously asked Elliott. It had already been two days since the Grand Duchess had gotten separated due to the landslide.
Some knights were beginning to say they should organize a search party to find her.
“……”
Elliott silently stared at the vice-captain.
Though he didn’t show it, he too was becoming uneasy at how long Evelyn was taking to return. As a Sword Master—now almost at the advanced level—she should have made it back within a day.
The fact that it was taking this long made him suspect something else had happened. He had to fight the urge to rush out immediately.
But once again, Elliott shook his head.
“She’s strong. She’ll be back soon.”
They had fought monsters together, after all.
He was confident enough to stake the Grand Duchy on her ability to return safely.
Plus, Evelyn’s subspace pouch contained various artifacts prepared for emergencies.
It was better to wait calmly than to rush out and risk missing her along the way.
Just as he was about to reassure Jeffrey again—
“Uh, huh?! Something’s approaching fast!”
Suddenly, the entire subjugation squad stirred.
Not far away, a snowstorm was roaring up into the sky.
The scale of the snowstorm was large enough to rival the movements of a monster. Elliott shouted,
“All units prepare for combat—no, wait… Evelyn!!”
Just as he was about to give the battle command, Elliott lowered his hand. Pushing past the knights, he stepped forward.
As it drew closer, he could feel it. This warm, gentle aura—only Evelyn possessed it.
“All units! Prepare for combat!!!”
Evelyn’s loud voice rang out as she sprinted toward them. Behind her, a monster at least five trees wide in size was chasing after her.
Elliott instinctively stepped in front of the knights. It had been a long time since he’d seen a monster this big.
Did she drag it down from up there?
Slaaash!
Before he could think further, Evelyn came to a sudden stop in front of him.
“Sorry I’m late. And… um. I think I accidentally woke something weird.”
With her hair a mess and dust on her face, she scratched her cheek sheepishly, making Elliott laugh.
Slowly, Elliott looked her over from head to toe.
“No injuries, I see.”
“If I got hurt from just this, I wouldn’t deserve the title of Sword Master.”
Grinning at his concerned gaze, Evelyn checked the approaching monster again.
“I woke it up just as I was leaving, so I brought it with me.”
“Well done. There hasn’t been much combat these past two days anyway.”
At Elliott’s words, Evelyn blinked wide-eyed. But she had no time to ask further questions.
Shing.
The entire subjugation squad drew their swords.
The smooth sound of blades leaving their scabbards rang out pleasantly. Evelyn also drew her sword.
“I’ll support from the rear.”
She wanted to test the results of her training from the Hero’s relic, but for now, she stepped back to support the squad.
She needed time to process everything.
‘Only two days…?’
The truth was, she hadn’t been gone for just two days.
Not a week, not a month…
It had been half a year.
Trusting the holy sword’s words, she entered the room left behind by the Hero—and got scammed. What was supposed to be “just a bit of training” turned into being trapped inside for six whole months.
[Move faster!]
“I’m doing my best right now!!!”
[Evelyn, you’re so slow! Slower than an ant!]
Despite being nagged endlessly by both the holy sword and the former Hero’s lingering voice, only two days had passed outside. The fact left her feeling somewhat empty.
The time spent training alone in an empty space, accompanied only by the endless chatter of the holy sword and the former Hero, was something she’d never forget for the rest of her life.
Even now, it still felt like her head was ringing.
Woooong.
As if knowing what she was thinking, the holy sword hummed lightly in her hand.
“Please rest. I’ll end this quickly.”
Elliott stepped forward, thinking that Evelyn just looked tired from being stranded.
‘I’ll have to tell Elliott what really happened later.’
Would Elliott and the others be able to enter the Hero’s room too?
As she watched the knights rushing forward at Elliott’s signal, Evelyn’s eyes narrowed.
The knights were… too slow.
She could clearly see the monster’s leg swinging down—and how easily it could have been dodged.
‘Everyone could grow stronger in there too…’
A deep smile curved at Evelyn’s lips as she watched the battle.
“I’ll clean this up!”
While Evelyn recalled her grueling time inside the relic, the monster she had dragged along was swiftly dealt with.
Yet… Evelyn still felt unsatisfied.
‘The Grand Duke’s knights aren’t bad, but…’
Before entering the Hero’s relic, she would have been content. But now, after breaking through one wall after another, their shortcomings were obvious.
“Now that the Grand Duchess is back, let’s all rest at the camp today.”
After checking the monster, Elliott led Evelyn into the barracks.
“Were you pushed far away?”
As soon as they entered, Elliott grabbed Evelyn’s arm and checked her all over again. Even though he had already confirmed she wasn’t hurt earlier, his attentiveness made Evelyn smile.
Was he… worried about her?
Elliott’s gaze, calmer now than when she first returned, still lingered with concern. Noticing this, Evelyn lifted the corners of her mouth and cheerfully said,
“Yep! And I found something amazing too.”
“Did you perhaps find the Hero’s legacy?”
