The Puppet Villainess’s Splendid Rebellion - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 34

 

The mansion was in chaos from the morning.

 

I came out of my room blinking sleepy eyes and dragging my slippers.

 

As I passed through the corridor, I could hear the servants whispering.

 

“The sword found in the young master’s room, is it really a holy sword?”

 

“According to Sir Bilton, that’s what they say.”

 

“Does it make sense for a sword to suddenly appear overnight?”

 

‘As expected.’

 

My heart was pounding.

 

It had only been a few hours since I asked Leon for the favor.

 

It was already delivered.

 

I pretended to know nothing and went down to the first floor lobby.

 

Carlos and Demian were sitting across from each other with serious faces.

 

On the table between them was a long box.

 

The same box I had received last night.

 

‘They delivered it well.’

 

As expected of the Moonlight Trading Post, their work is fast.

 

I approached with the most clueless expression I could manage.

 

“…What’s going on? It’s been noisy since morning.”

 

Both men’s gazes turned toward me.

 

“Nothing.”

 

Carlos answered curtly. As if he wouldn’t give me even the slightest opening.

 

But the deep wrinkles cast over his brow indicated that his worries hadn’t been resolved in the least.

 

I deliberately widened my eyes and pointed at the box.

 

“That box is visible to my eyes too.”

 

“…It’s a sword.”

 

Demian looked at me and answered instead.

 

Fatigue was evident on his face too. He probably woke up early because of this commotion.

 

“When I woke up this morning, it was on my desk. I asked the knights on guard duty, but no one said they saw anything.”

 

At those words, Carlos’s brow furrowed even more with displeasure.

 

That must have been why the atmosphere was so tense.

 

No matter how lax the security was, this was the Duke’s Mansion.

 

Someone infiltrating through that was an unacceptable matter.

 

‘…Even so, they won’t be able to trace it.’

 

The Moonlight Trading Post isn’t a gathering place for mages for nothing.

 

“The maids are saying that’s a holy sword.”

 

“You heard quite a lot.”

 

Quite a lot, he says.

 

With everyone in the mansion whispering about it, unless you plugged your ears, you couldn’t help but hear.

 

“I called a mana appraiser. He’ll be here soon.”

 

‘He’s being unnecessarily thorough even in this situation.’

 

From Carlos’s perspective, having his life threatened constantly, it was natural.

 

The appraisal result would come out as genuine, and the sword’s origin would be absolutely untraceable.

 

I didn’t borrow the Moonlight Trading Post’s power for nothing.

 

To safely deliver the sword to Demian, a little staging was necessary.

 

That ‘the holy sword chose Demian and came to find him.’

 

If I had directly given him the sword, one hundred out of a hundred times, he would think I had some ulterior motive.

 

But if the origin was unknown, the story would be different.

 

A holy sword that suddenly appeared one day.

 

As if it had come to find its master.

 

‘That way, Demian would accept it without resistance too.’

 

It was going according to plan.

 

* * *

 

The appraiser arrived around lunchtime.

 

He was a middle-aged man with graying hair and thick glasses.

 

He entered the reception room and bowed in greeting.

 

“It’s been a while, Your Grace the Duke.”

 

“Take a look.”

 

Carlos pointed to the box on the table.

 

When the appraiser opened the box, a silver sword revealed itself.

 

Divine power spread out gently.

 

The appraiser’s eyes widened.

 

“Th-this is…!”

 

His pupils visible through his glasses trembled greatly.

 

With trembling hands, he picked up the sword and examined it from all angles.

 

He held the blade up to the light, traced the patterns on the handle with his fingertips, channeled artifact power into it to check, and finally took a deep breath.

 

“…It’s genuine.”

 

Carlos’s eyebrows twitched.

 

“Are you certain?”

 

“Yes, Your Grace.”

 

The appraiser’s voice trembled.

 

“It is definitely the holy sword of Prachatia. The engravings on the blade, the patterns on the hilt, and even this divine power resonance. Everything matches the records.”

 

“….”

 

“This is a relic that disappeared hundreds of years ago. Where on earth did you find this….”

 

“I called you because I couldn’t determine its origin.”

 

The appraiser fell into thought for a moment, then carefully opened his mouth.

 

“You said this sword was found in the young master’s room?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“How intriguing.”

 

The appraiser muttered while looking down at the sword.

 

“There’s an ancient legend that holy swords seek out the master they have chosen.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“According to records, a soul dwells within the holy sword. When that soul chooses a master, the sword somehow finds its way to that master.”

 

The appraiser looked at Demian.

 

“I don’t know what path it took to get here, but… I suspect the young master might be the holy sword’s chosen master.”

 

Silence flowed.

 

Demian’s eyes wavered slightly.

 

Carlos also said nothing.

 

‘…Perfect.’

 

I cheered inwardly.

 

It was exactly what I had wanted.

 

The story that the holy sword had come seeking its master on its own.

 

There couldn’t be a better excuse than this.

 

“In any case, it’s definitely a holy sword.”

 

The appraiser said as he placed the sword back in the box.

 

“I don’t know what path it took to be delivered, but there’s nothing wrong with the sword itself. No curses or traps either.”

 

“…So?”

 

“How about giving it a try?”

 

The appraiser looked at Demian.

 

“If you can commune with the holy sword, the young master’s swordsmanship will grow dramatically. It’s certainly worth attempting.”

 

“….”

 

Demian looked down at the sword.

 

His gaze was complex.

 

His face showed uncertainty about whether he could trust it.

 

That was natural. It would be difficult to readily trust a sword that had suddenly appeared in his room one day.

 

Carlos thought for a moment, then nodded.

 

“…For now, let’s go with that understanding. You’ve done well.”

 

“Not at all. Then I’ll take my leave.”

 

After the appraiser left, only three people remained in the reception room: me, Carlos, and Demian.

 

Carlos looked at Demian.

 

“…Will you try it?”

 

Demian hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

 

“Yes.”

 

Though it was a short answer, his eyes were resolute.

 

A strange determination settled on his face as he reached out to pick up the sword.

 

‘Excellent.’

 

I raised the corners of my mouth imperceptibly.

 

The first stage was a success.

 

* * *

 

After that day, Demian practically lived at the training grounds.

 

From before sunrise until sunset.

 

Sometimes long after the sun had set.

 

He often didn’t show his face even at meal times.

 

The maids brought meals to the training grounds, but more often than not, he would send them back half-eaten.

 

I sat by my room’s window watching him.

 

The training grounds were clearly visible from my room.

 

The open training ground came into full view through the large window.

 

It was positioned so I could clearly see what Demian was doing without even going outside.

 

‘…He’s working hard.’

 

I could see Demian swinging his sword.

 

The blade flashed as it caught the afternoon sunlight.

 

Even before my regression, Demian’s swordsmanship had been outstanding. He had been called a genius since around age ten.

 

He handled aura at sixteen and became a sword master before turning twenty.

 

However.

 

‘It’s not resonating.’

 

The holy sword didn’t budge.

 

No matter how much he swung it, no divine power explosion or soul response occurred.

 

Demian, who had stopped for a moment, breathed heavily as he looked down at his sword.

 

Sweat dripped from the tip of his chin.

 

‘…Perhaps it’s still too early?’

 

Communing with the holy sword was not an easy task.

 

Only when the soul dwelling within the sword acknowledged someone as its master could they wield its true power.

 

Simply swinging it around one-sidedly wouldn’t work.

 

Before the regression, Demian had obtained the holy sword and taken a year to achieve resonance, but lost his eyes as a consequence.

 

‘This time has to be different.’

 

If he properly communed with the holy sword, he wouldn’t need to lose his eyes.

 

The problem was how to make them commune.

 

‘I need a hint.’

 

I couldn’t just leave things as they were.

 

Not too obviously, but naturally.

 

Couldn’t I at least create an opportunity for him to realize something?

 

‘Should I go?’

 

I opened the door and stepped out into the corridor.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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