”…… Hah…… hah……”
“Ouga-kun! Are you all right……?”
”…… Yeah…… saved.”
Too much blood lost; vision dimmed. Dizzy.
Sternum smashed? Thanks to Reina’s desperate [Heal], only nausea-inducing pain remained.
For not losing consciousness from the normal [Gear Change] I activated just before the attack, I’ll praise myself.
The situation looks overwhelmingly bad.
But from my side, with this little damage, I’d burned Alice’s sword-trajectory into my eyes.
That fact gave me hope.
”…… To survive this technique…… unexpected.”
She showed surprise.
…… Yes — she’s forgotten. Brainwashed, she’s nothing more than a puppet.
”…… One correction.”
Hands on knees, swaying, I stood and pointed at her.
“You aren’t Alice. You’re Chris Lagnica, properly.”
Alice polished her sword to execute justice born from kindness toward people.
To cut evil to save someone. That’s why she trained, day and night, to reach her current strength.
Just swinging the blade as ordered — a slash with none of her feelings behind it isn’t scary at all compared to the everyday Alice.
The woman before me is just a fake using Alice’s specs.
Her killing intent is intense. But non-serious Alice’s [Afterimage Empty-Empty] had weighed heavier and inspired vivid fear in me.
So the just-now [Afterimage Empty-Empty] produced a slash from only the real one.
Because my reason convinced my instinct and brushed fear aside.
“I’ve been saying that. What now……”
“Lagnica! Kill them at once!”
“Yes! My lord!”
I glanced up — there was Juke Andrews shouting, and Father looking down quietly.
Heh heh heh…… brought by Andrews, probably.
That old bag of bones panicked.
He thought we’d die here, gave the order, and revealed himself as the brainwasher.
…… So it’s him. He soiled Alice’s pride.
Since the day she pledged to be my blade, Alice has been mine.
Her hatred of evil. Her sword of justice. Her unblemished pride. All of it — mine.
That’s a villain’s pride who carries another life on his shoulders.
To, without that resolve, use the easy means of [Brainwashing] to treat her as a tool?
That act, alone, I will never forgive.
I shifted my finger from the woman-puppet to the senior parasite watching from the safe seat.
“You’re next. Don’t move from there.”
“Meaningless words, intruder. You die this time.”
“Say that after you’ve killed someone.”
“Bluster…… ? Next, I’ll dismember that body!”
Alice began releasing killing intent again for another [Afterimage Empty-Empty].
I gently pushed Reina out of the way.
”…… Reina. Leave the rest to me.”
”…… You’re sure?”
“Don’t worry. I feel zero chance of losing.”
Convinced, she stepped off the line between Alice and me.
From here, this is my and her conversation. A sanctuary only the two of us are admitted to.
I know, Alice.
Your conviction isn’t weak enough to lose to this puny [Brainwashing].
“I’ll wake you right now, Alice……!”
”…… Persistent man. I told you — my name is Chris Lagnica!”
A shockwave from her brute-force slash stretched in a straight line.
To wake her, I must touch her.
So my choice is to charge!
“[Gear Change · Hard].”
All my mana, sent to my right arm.
Massive blood and mana coursing — the right arm darkened reddish-black, harder than steel.
Cell damage is severe…… don’t think about it now.
Focus only on the conversation with her in front of me.
“[Blade-Stream Diversion]!”
I threw a punch timed to the shockwave.
A high-pitched metallic ring rang out — and I immediately internally rotated my arm.
Twist-force added, the deflected shockwave veered backward.
“Bizarre technique……!”
“All thought up day and night to defeat Alice.”
The losses in our daily training weren’t for nothing.
I’d been searching for ways to defeat her.
”—— There — I’m here now.”
My body is already enhanced by the world.
If I shift [Gear Change] from the right arm to both legs?
Explosive propulsion. I shattered the floor and shot at Chris Lagnica like a bullet.
“[Magecraft Funeral (Delete)].”
A rising palm-heel from below.
Chris tried to receive with her sword — to avoid contact — and seeing that, I stopped my right arm with my left hand.
This threw off her tempo.
”——!?”
When an attack doesn’t arrive at the expected moment, a tiny opening forms.
The brain demands processing time for the unexpected.
And this left hand isn’t just for tempo.
By restraining the right arm, I created a coil. The released right arm now moves faster!
“[Magecraft Funeral]……!”
“Gahh……!”
The palm-heel slipped through the opening, struck Chris’s abdomen, sent her flying.
If your consciousness had been Alice’s, you’d have blocked that. You know what tricks I use.
But you are Chris now.
Against a first-look opponent, feints land.
Now…… will she return with this?
Using [Gear Change] and [Magecraft Funeral] together meant I couldn’t pour in full mana.
But I could tell something had worked.
“Ugh…… gh……!”
Chris began struggling unlike before.
[Magecraft Funeral] thinned the [Brainwashing], and the inner Alice resisted to wake.
What I can do is speak to her through my fists.
“Alice! How long are you sleeping!? Are you fine being puppeted like this!?”
“Puppet……? ……No. I am Chris Lagnica…… Lord Juke Andrews’s…… blade.”
”…… Still not enough.”
Fine. Until you wake, I’ll keep landing fists.
The very fists Alice trusted to entrust her future to……!
“Ha!”
“Gh……!”
The [Brainwashing] loosening, Chris’s footing wavered.
Press now……!
I closed again, fully used both fists like a machine gun, punching Alice.
The [Gear Change · Hard] right hand broke through her guard, the left hand drove [Magecraft Funeral] into her body.
“With your current sword-line, I don’t need you! A blade this brittle, this weak — unbelievable!”
“Silence! I succeeded Captain Lily and……succeeded…… I? To slay him……”
“Captain Lily! So that’s your admired commander’s name! How sad. The sword entrusted to such a weak person!”
“N-no! Captain Lily at the end…… yes, at the end, dying, smiling…… why? Hm? Why did the Captain die……?”
Yes, good……!
Even with weak hits, repetition thins [Brainwashing].
Alice’s consciousness was slowly returning.
◇ [The Misunderstood Holy Life of a Villainous Young Master] Manga Volume 1 releases tomorrow! ◇