However, if this intruder is also a saintly sword wielder, then there seem to be an unusually high percentage of female wielders. Of the four known, three are female.
Well, the wielder of the Holy Light Sword, which is the divine sword, is also a female.
"So, what do you want with me at this hour?"
She probably came as a saintly sword wielder to join the current hero.
"I came to kill you."
I was wrong.
Apparently, she came to kill me.
"What?"
Before I could ask why, she brandished a dagger and lunged at me.
Normally, one would react, dodge, or counter, but
"Eeek!"
All I could do was let out a pitiful scream and cower.
Normally, she would have slit my throat in an instant.
However, it was fortunate that Holly was here.
She possessed me, dodging the assassin girl's dagger effortlessly.
- Possession.
A technique where, by taking the spirit Holly, who resides in the divine sword, into one's body, one can draw out physical abilities beyond one's limits. The technique used by heroes recognized as the owners of divine swords, like the Holy Light Sword, which Shion possesses, and by those acknowledged as the wielders of the saintly swords of the divine sword, like Iris and Instructor Cattleya.
For some reason, I can perform this technique, which should be impossible for ordinary people.
The effect is incomparable to the original hero, Shion, but for a wimp like me who would normally lose to just any old man's punch, I can engage in close combat against an assassin who should be a wielder of a saintly sword for nearly five minutes.
I was deftly evading the assassin's slashes, which targeted vital areas like my neck, heart, and wrists.
"Damn! Another assassin?"
Holly, possessing me, speaks in a disgusted tone through my mouth.
"Huh? Wait! Did you say 'another'? This isn't the first time I've been targeted by an assassin?"
While completely relying on Holly to control my body, I spoke to her in my mind.
"I've thwarted several attempts on your life while you slept soundly every night. I've been defending you each time."
"Why didn't you tell me something so important?"
"Well, I thought you'd normally notice..."
While conversing with me in our minds, Holly masterfully dodged the relentless attacks of the assassin.
Her evasive maneuvers were impeccable, but this situation was dire.
I had fought against a saintly sword wielder before.
It was a misunderstanding with Iris.
Presumably, there's a significant power gap between Holly, who resides in the Holy Light Sword, and the other saintly swords.
I, who should be an ordinary person, managed to put up a good fight against the genius, Iris.
However, at best, it was just a decent fight.
Facing a saintly sword wielder going all out, I wouldn't stand a chance.
"Holly! If this continues, we'll be killed! Shout for help!"
Right now in this castle, Iris isn't present.
After our conversation, she had left for her assignment.
But fortunately, Instructor Cattleya is still here, and most importantly, the real hero, Shion, is present.
If they are alerted to the situation, we will definitely be saved.
It's pathetic to rely on the female group, but there's no choice.
"Holly! What are you doing?"
"Not bad..."
"Huh?"
"Your body... It's better than when I used it before..."
As Holly twisted my face into a grin, she firmly grabbed the right arm of the assassin, who was about to stab a dagger into my chest.
"?"
"Heave-ho!"
She then hurled the assassin towards the room's wall.
"Too naive. It seems you haven't fully mastered your saintly sword."
The thrown assassin stared at me in astonishment.
"You're doing well! I heard you were the bottom of the officer academy!"
That's right. I was at the bottom.
"You must have underestimated me, thinking I was just using the hero for my own benefit."
Well, that's not entirely wrong.
"No more underestimating!"
The yelling assassin drew another dagger from her waist and assumed a forward-leaning stance with daggers in both hands.
Suddenly, the assassin's form turned translucent.
And she tried to move behind me.
"I can see you!"
With a shout, Holly, stretching my body to its limits, delivered a powerful kick to the assassin's solar plexus.
"Gah!"
"You think a mere saintly sword can oppose the Holy Light Sword!"
With a tone I would never normally use, I grabbed the assassin by the collar and lifted her up.
And then, I strangled her until she passed out. For the time being, I used a cord found in the room to restrain the assassin girl.
Holly suggested we might as well kill her, but I ignored the suggestion.
I'm not the kind of altruist who would forgive and overlook someone who tried to take my life. I don't care how someone trying to kill me ends up.
However, I don't have the guts to kill a girl who's now unconscious and powerless.
Moreover, I don't think it's a good idea to easily reduce the number of saintly sword wielders.
After restraining the girl, I approached a diligent castle guard who patrols even at night, asking him to summon Instructor Cattleya.
In any case, I needed to consult with Instructor Cattleya.
Given Instructor Cattleya's vast connections, she might know about the assassin who uses a saintly sword of the divine blade.
With that in mind, while waiting for Instructor Cattleya to arrive, Holly whispered to me,
"Why not just kill her, Crow?"
"Be quiet. We're waiting for Instructor Cattleya."
"Why keep her alive? Ah! I get it! You want to torment her before killing her!"
"No, I don't!"
"Then what use is she to you?"
"She's a wielder of a saintly sword, right? Shouldn't we make her an ally?"
"There are plenty of saintly sword wielders, unlike Shion."
"Really?"
"Yes, while each saintly sword has its preferences, in principle, if one is suitable, another wielder can be found. If she's killed, it'll be easier to find the next wielder."
"But without a suitable wielder, the saintly sword remains ownerless, right?"
"True. But except for the Demon God Sword and Rakshasa Sword, it's relatively easy to find wielders."
Upon hearing this, Holly mentioned two intriguing terms: Demon God Sword and Rakshasa Sword.
What menacing names.
"What are the Demon God Sword and Rakshasa Sword?"
"They're the highest-ranking saintly swords. To be blunt, they're failed creations. Very few have wielded them, and those who did met early deaths. Their balance is just too off."
"Balance?"
"A weapon that's too specialized isn't useful."
Holly spoke with indifference.
Anyway, I'll ask her more about these two saintly swords later.
"Earlier you mentioned it wasn't the first time I've been attacked by assassins?"
"Yes. You've been attacked quite a few times while you were sound asleep."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought it was a common occurrence in this castle."
"No castle has regular assassination attempts as a norm! Well, I don't know of any!"
"Oh, really?"
Holly genuinely seemed uninterested.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned about me being frequently targeted by assassins?"
"It's common for heroes to be attacked by monsters or thieves while camping out."
"I'm not a hero!"
There's no point in talking to her any further.
Feeling agitated, I paced around my room.
"Why am I targeted by assassins so frequently?"
"Maybe your words and actions are so unpleasant that they want to kill you?"
"No one gets assassinated just for being unpleasant!"
I never expected to be targeted by assassins.
And by someone wielding a saintly sword of the divine blade, at that.
I picked up the saintly sword the restrained assassin had been carrying and examined it.
Compared to the saintly swords Iris and others have, this one is much smaller.
It's a pair of daggers, more like large knives than swords.
One blade is reddish-purple, and the other is bluish-purple. The weapons seem suitable for assassination due to their design, but for use on a battlefield, they appear to lack reach.
"These saintly swords..."
"They are the Vacuum Blades, Curtana. Saintly Swords specifically crafted for stealth and speed-enhanced ambushes."
"So they're ideal for an assassin to wield."
"Yes. Each of these paired swords has a unique ability, making them the only dual blades among all the saintly swords."
"Oh? Unique abilities? So they have two different powers?"