I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

The faculty at Yoram Academy were, by default, on equal footing with one another.

The biggest reason was simple: they were all top-class individuals handpicked from across the continent.
Each one had immense pride in their own abilities, and personalities sharp enough to match. With people like that, a hierarchical ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) structure was never going to work.
You could tell that clearly just by listening to their comments about the ongoing “Special Exam” in the Forest of Eternity.

“So the Headmaster’s finally gone senile, huh?”
“……”
The moment Cayper Ingram, Head of the Department of Magic, spoke those words, every gaze in the room turned toward him.

He didn’t seem to care. Without flinching, he poured an entire mug of black coffee down his throat.
“...Urgh, it burns...”
“……”

“But I have to drink it... save me...”
“...You could just drink it in moderation.”
“Shut up. You can’t even use magic.”

“……”
The other staff around him gave him looks like, What the hell is wrong with this guy?, but Cayper didn’t care in the slightest. He poured another helping of coffee into his mug.
The heavy dark circles under his eyes, likely from too many all-nighters, clashed oddly with his refined, handsome features.

“That barrier—no way a student can break that. If you set up something like that, there won’t be a single perfect score.”
Still, despite his eccentric appearance, the words coming out of his mouth were ones everyone could agree with.
The reverse-polarity field at the very center of the Forest of Eternity was just too extreme, no matter how you looked at it.

It was a degraded version of Bator’s Aegis—the imperial palace’s protective barrier.
“Sure, it’s a special exam and all the participants are confident in their skills, but that’s still too much. Unless they’re the Hero, no freshman would be able to break that.”
“He’s not senile. He said the exact same thing you did.”
A deep voice cut through the room, and all eyes turned toward the doorway again.

There stood a woman with a towering frame, easily over two meters tall, her muscles looking like they could tear through her uniform. Her face was lit up by a boisterous smile—she looked every bit the classic heroic type.
The moment Cayper saw her, he let out a sigh.
“...Alter.”

Alter Sicarius, Head of the Knight Division, strode confidently into the room.
Cayper’s face twisted with visible displeasure.
“You stink of sweat. Would you mind getting out?”

“Unless you drag me out yourself, not gonna happen. Wanna try?”
“Savage.”
“Coward.”

As the two traded jabs, the rest of the staff around them chuckled awkwardly.
The Magic Division and the Knight Division were infamous for being like cats and dogs. Their mutual disdain ran deep.
They didn’t openly brawl, but they clearly didn’t get along—and they mocked each other’s failures with unmatched vigor.

“So why are you here?”
“Heard there’s a student worth watching. Came to see for myself.”
…A student worth watching?

Cayper glanced at the tactical map projected above the table.
Only two students had reached the barrier so far.
“And how exactly are these two cuties supposed to break through that?”

“They’re both the Hero’s attendants. They might have something interesting up their sleeves.”
With that, Alter tossed something at Cayper.
It was a sealed document labeled Confidential.

“I heard the Headmaster raised the bar this time. Students who get perfect scores on this exam are getting assigned here.”
“……”
Cayper skimmed the contents and let out a scoff.

“…Field trip?”
“A special reward. A little vacation to the capital.”
“Easy for you to say. This just looks like they’re getting thrown into some dangerous job.”

She wasn’t wrong.
They called it a field trip, but the person listed as the supervisor—
“…The Gray Cardinal.”

He’s not the type to take kids out on a picnic. If he’s involved, it’s because he has plans for them.
And not the nice kind—something dangerous and secretive, no doubt.
“It’s not just tough work. It comes with perks.”

“What kind of perks—”
“They’re being taken to the Imperial Armory.”
“……”

Hmm.
The moment she said that, Cayper shut his mouth.
If they were being granted access to that place, then yeah...

That could certainly count as a reward.
It was home to the oldest artifacts and treasures recorded in history.
Even the Holy Sword had been discovered there, hadn’t it?

“That’s one thing, but...”
Cayper turned his eyes back to the tactical map.
“They still have to get inside, right?”

Even though it was a degraded version, the barrier was still based on imperial security magic. Its defense power was absurd.
Trying to brute-force through it was basically impossible.
“No matter how talented those two are, it’s hopeless. There’s no way, not if they’re freshmen.”

“Wanna bet? I’m putting my money on they make it in.”
…This woman just wanted to oppose him no matter what, didn’t she?
Cayper sighed, deeply suspicious.

“What exactly are we supposed to be watching for here, anyway?”
“Who knows?”
Alter shrugged, then smirked.

“Maybe creativity?”
Seeing how far they could push the situation with limited options.
And the scene unfolding on the map more than satisfied that criterion.

Um… is this really going to work?
Just trust me, Miss Vespa.
As the girl spoke hesitantly, the boy calmly reassured her and gave her instructions.

Uhh… please! Can you gather as much “fuel” as you can?
The moment he said that, mana began to gather in front of the girl.
Then the boy’s sword began to radiate its own mana, fusing into hers.

…He’s mixing powers?
Are there even types of abilities that can be fused like that?
Outside of the Hero’s divine mana, that shouldn’t be possible.

And yet, here they were—merging their powers.
And it wasn’t just additive—it was multiplicative. The energy surging from them was monstrous.
The pressure was so intense it created a vacuum around them, warping the surrounding scenery like someone had cut out reality and crumpled it by hand.

…Impressive firepower.
It was hard to believe students could even generate that level of mana.
Still, Cayper watched with a deadpan expression.

Ultimately, that wouldn’t be enough to destroy Bator’s Aegis.
Clearly, the two students knew it too.
Because instead of directing that power at the barrier—

They fired it at the ground.
“…?”
Cayper’s eyes widened. At the same time, Alter grinned.

The explosion didn’t hit the barrier—it obliterated the ground beneath their feet.
The blast was so massive it briefly obscured the entire screen, and the earth below them had been completely carved out, like a construction site hit with a giant excavator.
Let’s go in through here!

Uh, o-okay…!
And then the two of them dove down into the hole together, grunting as they went.
From behind, Alter’s loud laughter rang out.

“See? If you can’t break it, go around it. They’ve got brains, at least.”
“…Seriously, though.”
Even if it was easier than breaching the barrier, breaking through the stone bedrock to make a hole big enough for people to enter—what kind of madman could do that?

That entire section of forest floor was solid rock. And they had just carved it away.
That required supreme mana control, precision technique—a masterclass performance.
“Shut up, Cayper.”

Not that Alter gave a damn.
She was still chuckling.
“You said it was impossible. Because they were freshmen.”

“……”
…Well.
He had underestimated them, that much was true.

***
“We—we did it, Miss Vespa!”
“Y-Yeah…”

Carlyle bounced with joy, covered in dirt. Vespa gave an awkward nod in reply.
“……”
Well, how to put it?

At first, it had felt like he was forcing the issue instead of just resting. But now that they’d actually pulled it off...
It was clear.
This man really could do anything.

Thanks to Carlyle, she had safely passed the exam.
But—
There was one thing that still bothered her.

…Why was he in such a rush?
Did he… not want to sleep next to her that badly?
The moment she thought that—

Oh.
A realization hit her.
It felt… oddly bittersweet.

One thing was clear:
The fact that he went so far out of his way to avoid being alone with her didn’t exactly make her feel good.
…Oh?

…Why did she feel that way?
Looking at Carlyle smiling in front of her, Vespa pressed her hands to her tightening chest.
“……”

There was only one possibility she could think of.
***
System Message

▶ Target ‘Vespa Luciana’ is starting to vaguely recognize her feelings.
▶ Target will begin to grow this emotion moving forward!
▶ A new Trait has been generated!
♥ Affection 5% → 10%
▶ If ‘Affection’ exceeds a certain threshold, a special event will be unlocked between ‘Vespa Luciana’ and her ‘Spirit Guardian’!

System Message
▶ An event related to the ‘Imperial Treasure Vault’ has been created.
▶ A ‘Holy Sword’-related item can be obtained!
▶ Expand the functions of the Holy Sword!