owlsbooks Chapter 1019 The Last Routine 198
Chapter 1019 The Last Routine 198
Chapter 1019 The Last Routine 198
On this day, the capital was filled with the most famous swordsmen in the entire kingdom.
Alice stood on the upper level of the palace, looking down at the various swordsmen in the courtyard. With a gentle smile on her face, she said, "The people gathered here are all renowned sword masters from neighboring countries. Today, let me experience their skills."
Because of the formidable enemy Axel had encountered before, Alice felt a bit nervous and wanted to use this method to increase her strength.
“Strengthening the soldiers’ strength in this way and cultivating talents capable of fighting against the Demon King’s army…” Mikage Hibiki nodded with satisfaction and said, “That’s a great idea, Miss Claire.”
However, when he looked at the female guard beside him, he found that she did not respond to him, but was looking intently at Alice in her armor, and whispered in admiration, "Ah... Lady Alice, how majestic she is!! I will forever remember this image!!"
"Miss Claire? Um, are you even listening to me?" Mikami Hibiki forced a smile, looking somewhat helplessly at the woman beside him, and said, "Say something too—"
"No, no, Lady Alice! This is not allowed! -- A burning gaze, a premonition of forbidden love... Ugh!!" However, the person he was asking was also looking at Alice with a flushed face.
This behavior completely frightened Yūken Kyouya, who quickly asked, "Th-um...! Are you both alright? Your eyes are terrifying!"
“…Uh!” Claire finally snapped out of her reverie and coughed, saying, “Excuse me. Thank you so much for coming today.”
As the third strongest adventurer in the kingdom, not to mention the invincible Demon Sword Hero, it's understandable that he would appear here. However, I am very grateful for his response to the kingdom's call.
"...But speaking of which," Claire said, unsure whether to be conflicted or puzzled, pointing at Mitsuki Hibiki and asking, "Um, what is this armor...?"
At this moment, Mikami Hibiki wasn't wearing his usual jet-black armor, but rather a very bright gold one, reflecting a dazzling light, like a walking mirror. His appearance, which should have been that of a nouveau riche, seemed incongruous with his hearty smile; it was hard to know how to describe it.
"It's a gift from a fan, a noblewoman." A grateful smile appeared on Mikami Hibiki's face as she said, "It's said to be a masterpiece by a blacksmith with legendary skills, and it seems to be very valuable. I refused it once, saying I couldn't accept it. But she insisted on giving it to me, hoping I would accept it."
Regardless of its appearance, its strength is definitely sufficient. Everyone present is a powerful individual, so they can naturally see just how powerful this armor is.
"I've heard that the tastes of the nobility are a bit too extravagant," Alice said, somewhat embarrassed. "There must be many women captivated by its opulent splendor...?"
To be honest, if it weren't for the legendary skill of the blacksmith, it might have been criticized as just for show. However, the fact that a blacksmith with legendary skills was willing to forge such extravagant armor means that the noblewoman must have spent a lot of money—now she could really afford to buy equipment.
"...Although I don't know if you'll be captured, this suits you perfectly." Claire said this very politely, and very seriously added, "It has a very heroic style!"
However, such extravagant armor is usually worn after defeating the Demon King; it's a bit too ostentatious.
Mikami Hibiki knew this too, but he still nodded and thanked them for their comfort.
"Thank you. One day, I will definitely defeat the Demon King and become a true hero!"
It also demonstrates their determination.
“…Alright, let’s end this conversation here.” Claire saw the swordsmen gathered in the courtyard and said to them, “Training is about to begin, you two, please prepare!”
"Before that, could you please tell me something?" Taking this opportunity, Mikami Kyouya quickly spoke up, "Lady Alice's swordsmanship is exceptionally refined. Seeing it up close would be even more inspiring..."
Generally speaking, Claire would not refuse Mikami Hibiki's request, but since Alice's safety was at stake, she was determined not to be negligent in any way, and therefore had no choice but to reluctantly refuse.
"Lord Yujian, as a master swordsman, I understand your feelings, but according to today's plan—"
"It's okay."
"...What!? Lady Alice!?"
Claire was taken aback when Alice herself said that, leaving her speechless for a moment.
"I made a special trip to the capital. If possible, I'll be your opponent."
"Thank you!"
Alice actually took the initiative to fight Mikami Hibiki; it was unexpected that she had such awareness and confidence. Rather, it was more accurate to say that she deliberately chose a powerful opponent—Mitami Hibiki—to confirm just how much stronger she had become. Holding the position of the kingdom's third-ranked adventurer with her demonic sword was a perfect opportunity to test her strength.
The two quickly arrived in the courtyard, where the other sword masters cleared a space for them. The flamboyant Mitsurugi Hibiki, dressed in golden armor, and the adorable Princess Alice, dressed in silver armor, stood facing each other, ready to fight.
Claire stood between the two, acting as referee. She wanted to tell Mitsuki Hibiki to hold back and not hurt Alice, but Alice seemed to have sensed her thoughts and preemptively expressed her desire for a fight without holding back, in order to test the strength of both sides.
Seeing Alice's slightly pleading eyes, she softened somewhat and said, "Then, Lady Alice, Lord Yujian, shall we have a battle where neither of us has any regrets—!?"
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, as if an earthquake had occurred. Everyone in the courtyard was extremely tense.
"Attack?"
"The ground is shaking..."
"Prepare for defense!"
“What on earth just happened!?”
They drew their weapons, bracing themselves for attack from all sides. Suddenly, a bright ball of light emerged from the ground—our old friend, the earth itself.
Let's move the clock forward a little.
It is said that when the Earth's guidance was sealed by Miken Hibiki, it could only move around by the lake and was completely unable to leave this place... This was an illusion. In reality, it had already found a way to leave this place, and at this very moment it was even looking for a suitable person to transfer its power to.
"Hmph hmph hmph~ Freedom is so wonderful…!" It hummed a little tune, pondering which direction to take, when suddenly it sensed something amazing. "Oh, oh oh oh!!? That, that girl is…!!"
Even though Axel was a hundred and eight thousand miles away from the royal capital, the Guide of the Earth seemed to have discovered something, joyfully dancing and flying freely in mid-air, expressing its happiness. After confirming its target, the Guide of the Earth activated its power, arrived at the royal capital, and caused an earthquake.
Let's turn back time to the present.
"—Hahaha!!" The guide of the earth laughed heartily, fluttering freely in front of Alice, then shouted, "Beautiful little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, give me my power!"
"You...you are...!?"
As the one who guides the sealed earth, Mikami Hibiki was astonished the moment she saw it appear, but she couldn't stop it in time. The earth's guide poured its power into Alice without saying a word.
"Here you go~ Here you go~~"
A bright light enveloped Alice's entire body, and the sudden situation worried everyone.
"Alice!"
"Your Highness Alice!"
"Lady Alice!!"
Alice, enveloped in the light, said with a slightly pained and strained expression, "I...I feel a throbbing pain in my head...!! I'm feeling a little uncomfortable..."
"Lady Alice! What's wrong!?"
"Ah, ah...!!"
"Lady Alice!"
Ignoring Hibiki's attempts to stop her, Claire broke free and ran towards Alice, looking at her with great concern.
Meanwhile, in the remote border town of Axel, a newbie town, Kobayashi sighed dejectedly in his suburban mansion, his mood completely sour. Only after his companions pressed him for an explanation did he reveal the reason.
"Sigh... I thought I was finally going to make a lot of money... Ha..."
"What's wrong, Kobayashi? You're just sighing. Did something bad happen?"
"Actually, the earth's guidance has disappeared."
Kobayashi sighed as he said this to Darkness. He wasn't really concerned about whether the Earth's guidance was still there or whether it might cause any unnecessary turmoil; it was just that not being able to make money was indeed disappointing.
"The guidance of the earth...?" Aqua asked with some surprise upon hearing the name, "Wasn't that thing sealed away by the Demon Sword wielder using some kind of magical artifact?"
"That's what they say, but it seems the seal has been broken."
"Well!?"
"I finally came up with a money-making business idea to make people handsome. Those ugly nobles would definitely be willing to spend a lot of money. I didn't expect the plan to fall through before it even started. It's really hateful!"
As Kobayashi said this through gritted teeth, she turned to look at Megumin beside her with a puzzled expression and asked, "Megumin, what's wrong with you, you've been making strange noises since earlier?"
"Nothing! Hmm, nothing at all! It was just... yes, just a sneeze, okay?" Huihui said anxiously, clearly looking like she had something to hide, but she still deliberately tilted her head back and sneezed.
It's suspicious... but investigating further would be troublesome, and if I got involved, I'd be the one suffering in the end, so it's best not to delve into it. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me.
Kobayashi decisively chose to shirk responsibility. It wasn't that he was cold-hearted, but rather that this kind of thing had happened too many times, giving him a real headache. But what troubled him even more was that the earth's guidance had vanished. He couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh... the earth's guidance is gone. Is there any easy way to make money?"
"Xiao Lin! Mr. Xiao Lin!! Mr. Xiao Lin!!!"
Just then, a furious roar came from the courtyard, startling Kobayashi. She didn't even give him a chance to react before rushing in. It was Claire.
"Kobayashi!! What are you doing, taking it easy! Something terrible has happened!!"
"...What? What happened?"
"Lady Alice... Lady Alice, she...!!"
She was so anxious she was about to cry, but Claire just kept worrying and telling her what had happened to Alice, without saying anything about what was wrong with Alice, and she couldn't get to the point.
"Calm down, please calm down." Darkness brought over a cup of black tea, gesturing for Claire to calm down, and asked softly, "What's wrong, Lady Alice?"
"...You've become more beautiful."
"Huh!?" xN
Upon hearing Claire's words, the others gaped in astonishment. They had thought something bad had happened to Alice, but instead, she had simply become more beautiful. The contrast was strange.
However, there must be a reason why she was so nervous, so Kobayashi and the others didn't dawdle any longer. With Claire's constant urging, they packed their luggage and came to the capital to meet Alice.
After a series of complicated procedures, they finally met Alice—whether it was because Alice's changes were somewhat unpredictable, or because something strange had happened, the number of guards in the palace had increased significantly, at least more than when they last came.
Upon seeing Alice, everyone finally understood why Claire had said Alice had become more beautiful.
Her long, golden hair cascaded down to her waist, and her emerald green eyes held a delicate, vulnerable quality that evoked a sense of tenderness and vulnerability. She wore a long white dress accented with pink, adorned with various lace trims and tiny, precious gemstones. Most striking of all were her non-human horse ears and pointed horns.
—Like a unicorn's horn.
"Oh...oh oh oh!!!" When Huihui saw the drastically changed Alice, she excitedly shouted, "So cool! I'm so envious!! Isn't this amazing!!!"
"Ah ha ha……"
Alice took a step back, feeling both scared and embarrassed, as the panting Megumin got so close. She simply couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the Crimson Demon girl.
Claire, deeply moved, cupped her cheeks in her hands and said happily, "So majestic and full of fantasy! I never imagined such an outfit would suit me so well!"
"No, that can't be right!!"
Kobayashi was already desperate about this infatuated, silly female guard. Speaking of which, this change must be caused by that thing that just got lost.
(End of this chapter)