The Sword Master’s Son-in-Law

– The Saintess’s Prophecy

Asia and I arrived in the capital in continued awkwardness.

I attempted conversation several times,

But Asia kept avoiding my eyes.

Yet, she wasn’t ignoring me, not entirely.

“When do you think you’ll be heading back?”

“…Probably tomorrow or the day after, at the earliest.”

She would answer if I posed a question like that.

It seemed Asia truly intended only to say her farewells and depart.

“Shall I… accompany you to the academy?”

“No. It’s alright. Besides, it’s a place that rejects commoners anyway. You wouldn’t even be allowed inside.”

“Ah…”

I’d heard something of the sort before.

The Detiosk Kingdom’s academy.

It shunned commoners.

From students to teachers, all were nobles.

An academy solely for the aristocracy.

“Understood. Then, I’ll wait for you at the inn.”

“Yes.”

And with that, Asia turned and headed toward the Academy, leaving me behind.

Left to myself, I had to first figure out what to do.

“Guess I’ll wander around for a bit?”

I had come here under the pretense of being Asia’s escort.

‘Let’s see how the capital of some kingdom is different.’

Since I was in the capital anyway, I intended to properly experience it.

*

Asia sought out the Academy’s administration office.

She handed the teacher the paperwork for her withdrawal.

“Asia, you’re really going to withdraw.”

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t you like to reconsider?”

“No. I think I’ve had enough.”

Truth be told, Asia was no longer at a level where she could learn anything at the Academy.

Sword Expert, Mid-level.

And she wasn’t just approaching the wall, but actively scaling it.

That was Asia, and thus, there was nothing more for her to gain here.

The teacher knew this as well.

However-.

‘Such a pity….’

Asia, who could produce such impressive results while attending the Academy.

Losing her was a waste.

But her family was the Messiah family.

Even though rumors circulated that the Sword Saint was absent,

it didn’t mean the family’s influence was weak.

Therefore, the teacher had no choice but to proceed with Asia’s withdrawal.

But then-.

‘Hmm? Withdrawing, is she?’

A man happened to witness this.

The man’s name was Verdi.

He was a close friend and loyal retainer of the First Prince, Nutt Detiosk.

Verdi hastily left the administration office and hurried away.

“I need to inform the Prince of this at once.”

The plan he’d intended to carry out at a leisurely pace.

He needed to quickly inform the First Prince that the plan needed to be accelerated.

*

I stopped by a street stall.

Just your average skewer shop.

I bought one and ate it, but it tasted like chewing on rubber.

“Not great.”

Maybe in the old days, I wouldn’t have minded.

But having tasted the stalls of the Messiah Territory, the food here left much to be desired.

Deciding not to put anything else like that in my mouth, I wandered through the capital once more.

As befitting a capital, there were certainly a lot of people.

But-.

“Hmm?”

At the entrance to a shadowy alleyway.

I spotted a woman engaging in what looked like suspicious activity.

Peering around as if conducting some kind of shady deal.

The woman’s attire was that of an ordinary village maiden.

The only thing remarkable about her was-.

‘Impressive…’

Her figure was striking enough to draw the eye involuntarily.

My gaze followed her almost unconsciously.

Another unusual feature was that,

she was a fox demi-human.

A fox demi-human with three tails.

Seeing her like that, something felt familiar, like a memory struggling to surface.

A fox demi-human with three tails.

And a great figure.

I felt like I’d seen her somewhere before.

Suddenly, I recalled events from my time in the Messiah County.

“Ah…!”

The Saintess.

Asia had denied it, I remembered.

But the Saintess I saw was a fox demi-human.

One with three tails.

No matter how I looked, wasn’t it her?

‘So, I wasn’t mistaken back then…’

The Saintess was a fox demi-human.

That’s right, a demi-human with three tails, no less.

A wave of curiosity washed over me.

Why was the Saintess, dressed in common clothes, heading into a dark alleyway?

Without any guards.

That question taking root, I decided to follow her.

*

Saintess Leti.

It had been quite some time since she arrived in the kingdom’s capital.

But—

“Just when will I finally get to meet the Hero?!”

The weariness of waiting began to creep in.

Just as her patience neared its breaking point,

another prophecy descended upon the Saintess.

A prophecy of but a single word.

*Alley.*

The thought crossed her mind that this might be her chance to meet the Hero.

Then, a brief pause.

“Could I perhaps meet the Hero… secretly?”

She didn’t wish to attract the gazes of others.

And, if possible, she wanted to meet the Hero alone.

There were words she needed to convey, words she could share with no one else.

Lost in thought for a moment, the Saintess

conceived a clever idea.

“Yes, I’ll disguise myself.”

The Saintess procured the garb of a simple village maiden.

Donning the attire, she slipped away from the Order, unnoticed.

And then—

She concealed her face with illusion, making it impossible to discern.

As an added measure, she dispelled the illusion that made her appear human.

*‘Like this, no one will recognize me as the Saintess.’*

And so, the Saintess began her search for the Hero.

She scoured the alleys throughout the capital.

Yet, she achieved no success whatsoever.

*‘What to do…?’*

A worry washed over her, that she might fail to find the Hero after all.

The Saintess’s heart grew increasingly anxious.

And then, she realized a crucial fact.

*‘But even if I find the Hero, won’t he fail to realize that I am the Saintess?’*

If the Hero had seen the Saintess before, it would be fine.

But—

If he hadn’t, wouldn’t she just appear to him as an ordinary fox demi-human?

The Saintess, faced with that realization,

let out a long sigh.

So caught up in her excitement, she had failed to consider such a basic thing.

*‘Still, there’s nothing for it.’*

She couldn’t possibly turn back now.

She resolved to search diligently until the very end.

And so, she headed toward the next alley.

The Saintess saw them.

Five men, nestled in the alley.

‘Per, perhaps one of them is the Hero…?’

Nervous, the Saintess approached them cautiously.

But then-.

“Hmm…? A beastkin?”

“Quite… appetizing, wouldn’t you say?”

“Heh heh heh.”

“Looks built for birthing.”

Each man spat out a crude remark toward the Saintess.

‘No matter how I look…’

They didn’t seem like the Hero she had been searching for.

Still, one couldn’t be certain.

“Does anyone here happen to have an oddly shaped mole somewhere on their body?”

Then, one of the men.

The one who looked least like a Hero, with a distinctly rough face, raised his hand.

‘Ah… should I be happy about this…?’

She was glad there was someone she could surmise.

But he was so far from the Hero she had imagined.

And so, the Saintess felt a touch of disappointment.

But then-.

“Alright, I’ll show ya.”

The man with the rough face.

He smirked with a leering grin.

Then, he lowered his trousers and revealed something grotesque to the Saintess.

The shocking sight froze the Saintess in place.

“Got a mole here, ain’t it special? This what you wanted to see, right?”

The surrounding men roared with laughter at the rough man’s actions.

“Hahahaha, you really are a madman!”

“Khehehehe.”

“Oi, a virgin, is it? Why so flustered? Never seen one of these before?”

The Saintess hung her head low at the men’s jeers.

‘The Hero wasn’t among these people.’

And she regretted it.

Normally, she would have an escort at her side.

A Holy Knight of exceptional skill.

But she had snuck out, so there was no escort.

‘I made a mistake.’

The Saintess, her body trembling, took a step backward.

“I, I’ll be going now.”

Like following after such a Saintess,

the men advanced two steps towards her.

“What’s with suddenly trying to leave?”

“Come on, let’s have some fun. Didn’t you come to us for some fun?”

The men’s eyes.

Their eyes were brimming with lewdness.

The Saintess, realizing this, grew desperate.

‘Oh, I need to escape, quickly!’

The very instant the Saintess turned to flee from the men.

She found the men, who had been mocking her just moments before, collapsing.

And then-.

“Why is a Saintess like yourself in a place like this?”

Her eyes met the gaze of a beautiful young man with black hair and black eyes, who called her Saintess.

*

“Why is a Saintess like yourself in a place like this?”

As I thought, I hadn’t been mistaken back then.

The Saintess was indeed a fox beastkin.

Even up close, it was clear she was a beastkin; I hadn’t been wrong.

But something felt off.

Had something pleasant happened to the Saintess?

The corners of her lips were curling upward in a strange way.

Was that the kind of expression one made when desperately trying to hide the rising corners of their lips?

‘Hmm…? But…is that really the kind of expression someone has after almost being assaulted by thugs just now?’

The Saintess composed her expression and spoke to me.

“Pardon? It seems you must be mistaken. I am not a Saintess. I often hear I resemble one, though…”

Not a Saintess, she says.

Three tails.

Blonde hair.

And… her figure.

Everything about her screamed Saintess.

Yet, the Saintess was denying she was one.

Even so, there was a strange hint of expectation flickering within her.

“Huh…? But you look the same as when I saw you before…? Wait…? Is something wrong with my eyes?”

For a moment, I was flustered.

Was something truly wrong with me?

Had some sort of curse been placed upon me?

Just as such worries began to fill me.

The Saintess suddenly soared into the air.

And then-.

“I-I’ve finally met the Hero-sama!!!”

Uttering those incomprehensible words,

the Saintess rushed and embraced me.

“Just, what is this…?”

Being held by the Saintess’s soft body,

I felt my face begin to burn without realizing it.

I hastily pulled away from the Saintess.

And questioned,

“Did you just call me ‘Hero’? What on earth are you talking about?”

The Saintess detached from me.

She clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed.

“Um… hello?”

I called out to the Saintess again, as she offered no reply.

As if finally regaining her senses, the Saintess answered.

“Ah… I apologize. I was too excited. First, shall we sit somewhere and have a conversation?”

The Saintess didn’t even wait for my response, she took my hand and led me somewhere.