Volume 7 Chapter 24 The Sword of Victory
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wake up, Daisuke. It’s almost time for breakfast.”
”Mmm… Ah, Cassandra. Good morning. Sorry for being so rough last night. Are you feeling alright?”
”I seem to have lost consciousness, but I have no issues with my health.”
I couldn’t get up on my own because I’d gone to sleep so late, so Cassandra had to wake me at the last possible second. I’d sought her out with such intensity last night that she’d fainted, but she seemed fine now. As usual, she’d been up before me, and she didn’t seem particularly angry. I suppose she just viewed it as part of her duties as a slave.
After crawling back home last night with my life barely intact, I’d slipped into the bed where Cassandra was sleeping. I’d made sure to regenerate my left arm, of course, and changed my clothes just in case. I was a bit sleep-deprived, but as long as I cast “Refresh,” I’d be fine. It glows a little, though, so I’d have to do it on the down-low so she wouldn’t catch me.
That dragon was way more dangerous than I’d anticipated. It wasn’t just the sky-high Ability scores¹; for some reason, it could sense my presence and pinpoint my location from the tiniest trace. Its high intelligence is a threat, though I suppose that’s also why it doesn’t just go on a mindless rampage-not that being stupid would be much better.
I barely made it out alive, but if that dragon hadn’t been holding back, I would’ve been insta-killed. It stuck strictly to its breath weapon and didn’t even bother with physical swipes. If it had been a dragon of any other element, I’d be dead even with it holding back, since those breaths tend to diffuse more. Fire dragons are supposed to be short-fused, too, so one of those definitely wouldn’t have shown me any mercy.
Even if I tried to close the gap, our Ability scores are so far apart it might take me decades to catch up. A few years wouldn’t even make a dent. Well, I can probably grind out my Skills in about two months, but still…
Ultimately, my only real countermeasure for now is to keep grinding my Levels every day. I’ll need to pick up some flight or teleportation Skills soon to avoid leaving tracks. And, of course, the best strategy: don’t go near it. I got all the materials I needed from yesterday’s harvest, so I can stay far away for the foreseeable future.
* * *
I hung out with Cassandra until breakfast. I obviously didn’t bring up the dragon, but I decided to ask her about how she handled overwhelming enemies.
”Cassandra, what do you guys do if you run into someone you just can’t beat?”
”On missions, the subjugation units are balanced against the enemy’s strength, so encountering an unbeatable foe is rare. On the off-chance we meet an unexpected threat due to bad intel, the standard protocol is for someone to act as a distraction while a messenger runs for reinforcements.”
”But if you still can’t win even with reinforcements… you’d run for it, right?”
”For a knight, retreating isn’t an option. If it’s a monster, we lead it as far from human settlements as possible. In human conflicts like war, we might take our own lives to avoid being taken hostage or leaking intel. Aside from that, there are only Bandits-and I don’t see us losing to someone whose Ability scores have been crippled by Divine Punishment².”
Setting aside the bandits, I guess the “knight’s duty” basically assumes someone is going to die if things go south. I really don’t like the idea of my friends dying, though.
”I get how it works for you. This mission should be fine, but if anything weird happens, let me know. Protecting you is my job, and I will absolutely come to save you.”
”I find it hard to believe an Adventurer would risk his life like that… but it’s a fact that you’re stronger than me, Daisuke. I suppose I’ll have to rely on you.”
”You promise?”
”…Fine. I promise.”
She agreed, but I could still feel a major wall between her and Adventurers in general. If a dragon showed up, I’d be useless, but I could definitely help her escape from anything else.
”Changing the subject-if I work really hard on this mission, do I get a ‘reward’?”
”A reward? You mean a bonus on the payout? I suppose within my discretion-“
”No, I’m good on the money. I’m talking about a kiss from you, or… other stuff.”
”What? Are you serious?”
”Totally. I just want us to get closer.”
”Hah… you really are a weird one.”
”So, is that a ‘no’ on the reward for the element hunt?”
”…If you make a significant contribution, I’ll consider it.”
”I’ll hold you to that.”
I didn’t get a hard “yes,” but at least she didn’t shut me down. I’ll leave the boss to Kazuya and Tria and focus all my energy on clearing out the trash.
* * *
Today’s the day the real subjugation starts. If all goes well, we’ll be done in a single day. I’m going to give it my all to make sure of it.
”Let’s double-check the roles. First, Kazuya and Tria will head to the center of the lake to take down the boss.”
”Got it ssu!”
”Yes.”
”Daisuke will support Kazuya and the others while wiping out the small fry.”
”Right, sounds good.”
”Us knights and the rest of the Adventurers will handle the remaining mobs. We’ll split into two groups like yesterday and sweep the perimeter,” said Captain Emily.
”Roger that.”
”Alright, operation start! Stay sharp out there!”
After finishing the final role confirmation with Captain Emily at the rest area near the lake, the operation finally began. The boss was in the middle of the lake, but even for a weapon like Excalibur, a three-kilometer shot was a big ask. They wanted to get within at least half that-ideally within a kilometer. Tria has a special “Water Walking” Skill, but we couldn’t just send her out alone.
The path-clearing fell to me. Tria could take down the elements too, but her current build is more sword-focused, which makes for bad compatibility. Plus, she needs to conserve her MP for the boss. After weighing the time efficiency, we settled on our roles. I ended up using Earth Magic to fashion a small boat for us. I whipped it up pretty quickly, so it was a rough, simple rowboat. It had oars for the “aesthetic,” but I was actually propelling us with Water Magic.
”I didn’t get a good look yesterday, but this lake is actually really pretty.”
”Right ssu~”
”It is indeed.”
Until we got close to the boss, we might as well enjoy the sightseeing mood on my makeshift excursion ship. The lake water is the secret ingredient for the village’s famous sake, and it was so clear you could see the bottom several meters down. It looked perfect for a swim. Once the elements are gone and it’s safe, maybe I’ll invite Nanami. She mentioned wanting to go swimming. Though a three-day trip one-way might be a bit much…
It’s already late summer, so the timing is tight, but I could use magic to keep things warm. She probably wouldn’t come if it was just me, so I’d have to invite the rest of the members. Hina’s a definite, but Mizuki is at the temple, so she’s probably out. I could probably bait Rin if I told her Camilla was coming. As for the others-
”You know, for most people, this wouldn’t be such a relaxing trip ssu,” Kazuya joked. Was Tria just here as an extra in the audience?
”You could do this too, couldn’t you, Kazuya?”
”I could, but my MP wouldn’t last ssu.”
He had a point. The density of the elements was actually pretty high, and the closer we got to the boss, the stronger they became. The elements were constantly lobbing Water Magic at us. Protecting Tria and Kazuya was my job, so I was busy maintaining a Fire Magic firewall to shut them out while sniping back with Fire Javelins. It’d be a waste to let the loot sink to the bottom, so I was using Water Magic to fish out the drops. From an outside perspective, it probably looked like a luxury cruise.
”Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
”Is this really ‘small stuff’ ssu…?”
”I don’t believe so…”
I decided to just ignore their doubts.
Our elegant cruise ended when we got within a kilometer of the boss. At that point, it was Tria’s turn. The boss seemed to sense us; it released a strange pulse of mana, though it didn’t feel like an Appraisal scan. It was likely just a command for the mobs to swarm us. The boss started attacking like a maniac, but it was too far away for its aim to be worth anything. The mobs were still spamming magic, but they weren’t a threat as long as I kept the shield up.
”Alright, Tria-sensei. Do your thing.”
”Teacher?”
”It’s a classic bit ssu, don’t worry about it.”
”Hah… I see. Very well-“
Tria stood up on the surface of the water, drew her sword, and held it high. Tiny motes of light began to coalesce around the blade. If it were night, it would have been a breathtaking sight. Ripples began to spread from her feet in perfect, concentric circles.
”When it comes to Tria, it’s gotta be this.”
”Totally ssu~”
Finally, the blade erupted in a blinding radiance. Tria opened her eyes, and with a sharp, spirited cry, she brought the sword down in a single, decisive stroke.
”EX-CALIBUR!”
A massive torrent of magical energy surged from her blade, letting out a roar that literally shook the air. The beam of mana tore across the surface of the lake, obliterating the boss and every mob in its path instantly. As expected of the strongest class of Holy Sword, a B-Rank element didn’t stand a chance. Honestly, it was overkill.
”Impressive as always.”
”You’re the best ssu, Tria!”
”I am humbled.”
Tria looked a bit proud of herself. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t die from that unless it was a total surprise attack, but taking it head-on would definitely leave a mark. Still, it was nothing compared to the dragon’s breath. That was in a league of its own.
”Good job. Let’s head back and mop up the rest.”
”Roger that ssu. Here, Tria.”
”Thank you, Kazuya.”
Tria seemed to have burned through her mana in that one shot; she took an MP Potion from Kazuya and downed it. I guess you can’t fire off a nuke like that without paying the price in fuel efficiency.
* * *
We turned the boat back toward the shore, picking off the remaining mobs as we went. They weren’t a threat to me, but they’d be too much for a D-rank Adventurer, and even a C-Rank would struggle with the sheer numbers. The knights and the other C-Ranks were still at it, but they weren’t moving nearly as fast as we had yesterday. We still had over half the lake perimeter to clear.
”Ah, Daisuke-san! That light was incredible! Is the boss down?”
”Yeah, Kazuya and Tria handled it.”
”Yep ssu.”
”Yes, it ended without issue.”
When we landed near the knight party to help, Mercedes ran over. She’d clearly been stressing over the boss fight.
”Thank you so much! That just leaves the cleanup. Daisuke-san, could I ask you to prioritize the stronger ones?”
”You got it. That was the plan.”
”Please, we’re counting on you.”
Mercedes might be a disappointing beauty, but she’s dead serious about monster subjugation. You don’t get to be a top-tier young knight by slacking off.
”I’m still not used to seeing this side of the Disappointing Knight ssu.”
”Indeed.”
Kazuya and Tria were staring at Mercedes with surprised faces. Wait, Kazuya, you already knew that, right?
”Daisuke-dono!”
”Adalgar-san? What’s wrong?”
As we were proceeding with the small fry extermination, Adalgar-kun, an acquaintance knight, came running up out of breath. He told us that the lead knight party had been swarmed by a massive horde of elements and was in deep trouble. Apparently, there’s one exceptionally powerful variant among them. Captain Emily and Cassandra are holding the line, but he said they’re at their limit. They told him to come find me.
”Mercedes, sorry, but it’s an emergency.”
”I understand. Go! I know you’ll be fine, but be careful.”
”Thanks. Kazuya, Tria-handle the rest here!”
”Got it ssu!”
”Good luck.”
I took off running. I never expected the promise I made this morning to be called in so soon, but I’m going to save them. Especially for that reward!
—
Summary:
Daisuke recovers from a near-fatal dragon encounter by spending an intimate night with his slave, Cassandra. The next day, he joins a lake subjugation mission where Tria obliterates the boss using the Holy Sword Excalibur. However, the chapter ends on a cliffhanger as the main knight party, including Cassandra, is pinned down by a new threat.
—
Trivia:
- Daisuke lost an arm the previous day and had to regenerate it.
- The lake water is the primary ingredient for local sake.
- Bandits in this world suffer a permanent debuff to their stats called ‘Divine Punishment’.
- Tria’s Excalibur has poor fuel efficiency and drains her MP in one shot.
- Daisuke uses ‘Refresh’ to hide his sleep deprivation from Cassandra
—
Character Insight:
Daisuke shows a growing protective instinct toward Cassandra, moving beyond a purely master-slave dynamic. Tria shows pride in her role as a hero/swordsman, while Mercedes proves her professional competence despite her social reputation.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses ‘Excalibur’ as a classic trope to emphasize Tria’s role as the party’s ‘nuke’ while establishing that even legendary weapons fall short of the power held by dragons.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Daisuke – Mid‑40s Japanese reincarnated adventurer with a youthful face, B‑Rank (Lv69) blessed by the Green God. Wields a one‑handed sword and buckler, uses Earth/Wind and regeneration magic, stealth, speed, transformation, Item Box, healing and “Massage” skill. Manages slaves Ilse, Liese, Camilla; mentors Rin & Cassandra; dates Ines; pursues Regina & Dietlinde; leads a lake‑investigation party. Runs a harem, cooks expertly, coordinates Royal Knight missions.
• Cassandra – Standing 175 cm tall with short brown hair, she is muscular, sturdy, and has a calm, stoic beauty and unyielding aura. Former Royal Knights Vice‑Captain dubbed ‘The Ogress’, she despises adventurers and remains emotionally distant, now leading the Third Unit as a neutral Guild witness to Daisuke. A dignified, rigid knight and slave to Daisuke—highly capable yet recently overwhelmed—her cold exterior masks a fractured loyalty.
• Kazuya – A scrawny, lazy-talking transferee youth who assists in subjugations with informal yet polite speech, once a Leeman summoner obsessed with 2D girls over real women—his freckles vanished, he spends days grading 20+ summoning spells alone, treating each summon as an emotional anchor, but fixates solely on Toria, his idealized past-life fantasy character, whom he’s spent a year summoning to live with forever, refusing to depart until she’s his.
• Tria – Kazuya summons a female swordsman modeled after the King of Knights; she wears sleek silver armor with blue trim, moves on water as if it were solid, and wields Excalibur with flawless precision. Her presence commands respect among allies and rivals alike.
• Emily – Thirty-year-old Captain of the Knights’ Order and expedition leader for the lake subjugation, he’s a B-Rank Adventurer equivalent with striking purple wolf-cut hair, wavy and tied back, a powerful aura, and a wicked smile that radiates an older-sister vibe. Married and commanding the Third Unit, he chaperones a high-school girl party while enduring overload from the Knight Commander—often late, professional yet haughty, he teases subordinates and Daisuke with disciplined charm.
• Nanami – 165 cm slender high-school girl with short hair and modest chest armor, nicknamed “Mermaid” for her underwater diving prowess; a stealth-class transferee in the all-female JK Party and member of ‘Yamato Nadeshiko,’ she’s playful, flirtatious, and adept at befriending peers to gather intel—famously kissed Daisuke on the cheek as a tease. Proud of her design talents, she rewards herself with sweets, blending cunning charm with quiet creativity as she slips effortlessly into school life.
• Camilla – 14-year-old fox-beastkin, ~140 cm, thin and fluffy-tailed—tail thumps when excited, stands rigid when nervous, ears twitch—wears simple accessories, slave ear marked, deeply attached to Daisuke as a father figure, suffers severe separation anxiety, cries when apart, craves his scent and head-pats, seeks approval, socially anxious yet easily pleased, helps with household chores, favored by Rin, rescued from a duel with Gerta, fears abandonment above all.
• Mizuki – A 165 cm, standard-built high school transferee and Saint-class member of the JK Party, with long hair and modest armor. Polite and deeply pious, she despises vanity and defends the vulnerable, confronting slave abuse when needed. With high MP and MND growth, she volunteers at an orphanage and serves at the temple, respected within the protagonist’s circle and Nanami’s party.
• Hina – A 160 cm athletic high school transferee and former basketball player with a toned build, self-conscious thick legs, and a ponytail beneath light chest armor. Once a knight, she’s now a level-headed instant swordswoman. Protective of Mizuki and the straight-man to Nanami’s antics, she remains shy, clumsy, and easily embarrassed.
• Rin – Tall, large-breasted B-rank adventurer with long shaggy hair and thick chest armor, exuding a cool-beauty façade; quiet, blunt, and intuitively brilliant at drawing, she’s deeply fond of Camilla—playing with her, shielding her fiercely, and feeling indebted to a rescued beast-man child. She dominates Daisuke’s group, belongs to “Yamato Nadeshiko,” wields ice magic for first aid, and is profoundly sensitive to slave mistreatment. Weekly, she visits Camilla and subtly expresses interest in Daisuke through an indirect kiss via chopstick exchange.
• Mercedes – Mercedes (Mel), a brown‑haired noblewoman and highly‑leveled knight, Home Secretary of Maultasche and mother of Patrizia, dubbed the “Disappointing Beauty.” She wears a white frilled gown, feeds Daisuke intel, fears Vice‑Captain Cassandra, despises goblins, sees dungeons as divine trials, loves sweets, seeks a Reincarnator boyfriend, balances regal poise with chaotic charm, and often breaks walls in enthusiasm.
• Adalgar – He stands tall, his short red hair framing a serious, stoic demeanor; a married Guide Knight who serves under Captain Emily.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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