The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 174

Warm sunlight poured down.

With his hands in his pockets, Rael yawned and strolled along.

The sword he received when he became the captain of the guard was strapped to his waist.

With his duties for the day concluded, he planned to return to Sara’s inn and rest.

“Third Guard Captain, you’ve worked hard today as well.”

A familiar guard greeted him.

He seemed to be someone he had run into a few times at the Central Guard.

His name was… what was it? He couldn’t quite remember.

“Yeah. Don’t wander around unnecessarily and go home.”

“Hehe. Today’s payday, so I was thinking of heading to District 5. Are you going, Captain?”

“You know I’m not going, so why do you ask? Huh?”

“Agh! I’m sorry! Please don’t hit me!”

After sending the guard off towards District 5, Rael turned his head.

Unfortunately, that guy was heading in the direction of the inn, so he didn’t want to go that way.

“Hmm. I guess I’ll stop by the orphanage. I feel like I’ve been going there every day lately….”

He had plenty of time anyway.

It would be good to visit the orphanage before sunset.

Rael headed straight for the orphanage.

A familiar face greeted him from the orphanage’s front gate.

“Rael! You’re here early today!”

It was Reina, wearing an apron just like Sara.

She was playing with the children at the orphanage.

“Yeah. Reina, where’s Erenghor?”

“He’s patrolling around the orphanage right now.”

“He’s doing what he’s told.”

Rael had hired the entire Elven tribe to work at the orphanage.

Among them, Erenghor, who gave him a strange feeling, was assigned the most difficult task of patrolling around the orphanage.

“Rael oppa-! Reina unni [older sister] took my snack!”

“…Reina. I told you not to eat the kids’ food.”

“Rael, do you know what tanghulu [a candied fruit snack] is? It’s really delicious. It even makes me, who hates vegetables, enjoy eating them!”

“Is that a vegetable? I’ll make sure you buy it for her later with your own money. Nia, tell me again if Reina doesn’t buy it for you, okay?”

“Okay! I understand!”

Rael hugged Nia and entered the orphanage.

In the yard, Sara and Cecilia were taking care of the children.

She also approached Rael and greeted him.

“Rael, you’ve worked hard as the captain of the guard.”

“Rael. Where did you find such a lovely young lady? Thanks to Cecilia, things have become so much easier. Hoho.”

“It’s nothing. I’m learning a lot too.”

Cecilia was working at the orphanage with Sara.

As a saintess, she was very popular with the children.

Especially with the boys… one of Rael’s duties was to flick the foreheads of those who were blankly staring at Cecilia.

“Rael, welcome.”

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Hello, Yuri. You’re here again today.”

“Yes. Fortunately, things are quiet at the Imperial Palace.”

Rael smiled as he watched Yuri approach him.

Even after becoming the empress, she often visited the orphanage.

After chatting with Yuri for a while, Rael sat down at a nearby table and drank honey tea with ice floating in it.

The honey tea that Sara made was his favorite drink.

“I wish I could live like this forever. Rael, don’t you think?”

Rael smiled at Reina’s words as she followed him.

Indeed, it was a truly happy life.

Getting a decent salary from a cushy job as the captain of the guard and living a comfortable life without any trouble.

That was Rael’s dream.

“Yeah. I absolutely hate troublesome things. I’ve really longed for a leisurely life.”

“Then, you know, Rael…”

Rael turned his head to look at Reina.

Reina, who had already stuck close to his side, gave him a bright smile with her usual expression.

“Will you take my hand? Let’s be together forever.”

“…Haa.”

Rael sighed as he looked at the remaining honey tea.

He at least wanted to finish this tea….

“Rael? Where are you going?”

Rael stood up from his seat.

Unfortunately, the pleasant time was over.

“These days, the demon bastards have good technology too.”

Rael looked around, nodding his head as if he was amazed.

Still, he was able to have a comfortable time for a little while after a long time.

He also became certain.

In order to have this peaceful life, he had to quickly kill those demon bastards.

It was a very Rael-like thought to deal with troublesome things all at once.

“Rael? Did you not hear what I said…?”

Reina looked dejected.

Rael looked at her and drew up the magic power in his body.

“Rotation, Burst.”

KWAH-!

As the orphanage fence at the end of his vision exploded, a dark aura was revealed.

It seemed that only the orphanage was properly realized [manifested].

No wonder he couldn’t remember who the guard he saw on the street was.

Looking around again, the orphanage that had been surrounding Rael was long gone.

“…Interesting. It’s not even the main body that came, but it’s spreading this much aura?”

At the same time, the warm summer sunlight disappeared, and a chilly winter wind struck Rael’s face.

Rael, who had returned to the alleyway, picked up Reine, who was lying on the ground.

Everything had happened in Rael’s mind.

In reality, it would have been only a brief moment.

Fortunately, it seemed that no one had seen the aura thanks to Begguss guarding the surroundings.

‘A contract….’

Rael recalled the demon that had possessed Reine’s body.

He had definitely mentioned the word contract.

“Is that the Demon King… he’s definitely an amazing being.”

To be able to take control of his mind, even for a moment, with just the aura that possessed Reine’s body.

He was definitely not an ordinary demon.

No, there was only one demon who would do such a thing in the first place.

It was Lucifer, one of the Demon Kings who appeared in the very late stages of the original story.

He was definitely a difficult opponent to deal with.

In the original story, Lucas broke the contract with his holy sword and faith in his comrades, but… he couldn’t guarantee that it would be possible in reality.

Swish-

Rael raised an aura above his hand.

It was the aura that tried to enter Rael’s body in the illusion that the guy showed.

Even though it was a short time, a very dense and large amount of aura had penetrated Rael’s body.

Throughout the illusion, aura had been accumulating in Rael’s body.

Perhaps the moment he accepted this aura, a contract with Rael would be established.

“Tch. Let’s go back for now.”

What kind of contract did Reine make with Lucifer?

That would be the most important thing for now.

Rael carefully picked her up, carried her on his back, and headed for the fountain.

*

“Ugh… this is a disaster. I’m lost.”

Reina carefully walked through the crowd with chicken skewers in both hands.

Reina had set out to find chicken skewers in the festival street at Rael’s word that he would pay, without even asking where it was. Fortunately, she was able to find the chicken skewer vendor by asking people around.

“But it felt like the chicken skewer vendor kept running away… is it just my imagination?”

She thought she smelled something dirty from the chicken skewer vendor…

Reina tilted her head as she looked at a beggar begging on the street.

“Ah. This is not the time for this. Let’s go to the fountain quickly.”

Reina quickly headed for the fountain.

It was quite late, and she thought the two of them would be waiting a lot.

“Huh? Why is Reine unni lying down?”

When she arrived at the fountain with chicken skewers in both hands.

Reina saw Reine lying on the fountain and quickly moved her steps.

“Rael! Why is unni sleeping? Is it because it’s too cold?”

“No. It’s not that….”

Just as Rael was about to explain the situation.

“Ugh, hmm….”

Reine groaned and raised her body.

She yawned lightly as if she had woken up from a sleep, rubbed her eyes, and slowly opened them.

And she looked at Reina and Rael.

Her green eyes clearly captured the faces of the two.

“…Ah?”

Thud-

Reine, who had a blank expression, gradually widened her eyes, and then began to step back as if she was dumbfounded.

The chicken skewers she had bought with difficulty fell to the ground as her hands lost strength, but the chicken skewers had already disappeared from her mind.

“Re, Reine unni…?”

“…Reina. You’ve become much prettier. You’re my sister after all.”

“Unni. U, unni….”

“That’s a relief. Really… the contract has been made.”

Reine smiled faintly as she looked at Reina standing with Rael.

She couldn’t believe that she could see this sight with her own eyes.

“Unni! Unni! What happened?! U, unni….”

Reina, who was trying to analyze the situation, hugged her as soon as she met Reine, without even realizing it.

She couldn’t properly grasp the situation because of the tears welling up in her eyes.

“…Unbelievable. Reine has opened her eyes?”

Rael narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two of them.

It was really touching to see the sisters who couldn’t see each other meet eyes, but Rael didn’t shed tears because he had been trapped in the aura until just now.

‘Even if the Demon of Contracts is a Demon King and amazing… what on earth did he do?’

Rael stared at the two of them with a dumbfounded expression.

At that time, Reine, who was hugging Reina and had red eyes, looked at Rael and was surprised.

“Ah, ahh. Rael. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m okay. Reine, do you perhaps remember?”

“…Yes. I remember.”

Reine lowered her head.

Even if it wasn’t intentional, she had no face to see Rael.

“Since when have you not been Reine? I don’t feel any aura in Reine’s body right now.”

“Definitely. Definitely… it was me. But when Rael spread his magic power and grabbed me, something rose up from within me… Ugh!”

Reine grabbed her head.

The memories that Lucifer had forcibly suppressed were flowing backwards, making Reine’s head dizzy with severe headaches.

“What, what are you two talking about?! More than that, Reine unni! This is not the time for this. Let’s meet the elves quickly! We need to check unni’s eyes with the power of the World Tree!”

The World Tree in the Elven territory.

She didn’t know why Reine’s eyes had recovered, but she had to receive the blessings of nature right away.

“…There’s no need for that. Reina.”

“Unni? What are you talking about?”

“Wait a moment, Reina.”

Reina was momentarily flustered.

Reine turned her head and looked at Rael.

“I’m sorry, Rael. I unknowingly caused trouble for Rael.”

“It’s okay to cause some trouble. What I want to know is exactly what Reine’s contract is.”

“You knew everything… To pour all the aura that was in my body into Rael. The contract with the devil was that my eyesight would return while that aura remained.”

Reine sighed.

She had only just remembered this important thing.

“A, a devil? Unni. You made a contract with a devil?”

Reina was startled and grabbed Reine’s shoulders.

A contract with the devil gives a great price, but it takes away something great in return.

“No. I didn’t want to make a contract. But… I unknowingly agreed to the contract.”

“It seems that he doesn’t have to reveal the contract to the other party. I almost fell for it too.”

Rael nodded.

So, this aura in his body was Reine’s contract condition.

‘He probably didn’t even offer proper conditions.’

Rael was the same.

If he had nodded in that illusion, he might have lost something.

That was the scary thing about the Demon King.

“If the aura in Rael’s body disappears… my eyes will return to normal.”

“U, unni’s eyes?”

Just as Reina was about to be surprised, Reine grabbed Rael’s hand.

“Rael. This is not the time for this. My eyes are not important. We need to purify the aura in Rael’s body right away.”

“…The aura in my body? Why?”

“I can tell from the aura that was in my body… The opponent is a being that surpasses even the high-ranking demon Basolord, a Demon King. If you don’t purify the aura right away, Rael will die.”

“…”

Rael stared intently at Reine.

And, without even realizing it, he smiled.

Reine, seeing that, pulled Rael as if she was frustrated.

“W, why are you smiling, Rael? I know that Rael’s aura resistance is strong enough to overcome Basolord, but… the Demon King’s aura is different. It will eat away at your mind and steal your soul. If you don’t get treatment right away, you will die….”

“Are you talking about this aura?”

Rael spread Lucifer’s aura above his hand.

Reine, seeing that, couldn’t take her eyes off the aura as if she was shocked.

“H, how…? A human is controlling the Demon King’s aura….”

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger than when I caught Basolord.”

Rotation is the ability to control all the power directed at Rael.

It’s not difficult to control the Demon King’s aura.

“Unni. You still don’t know how strange Rael is. Th, then! Rael. What will happen to unni’s eyes?”

“…I wonder.”

Rael looked at the aura in his hand.

There was an enormous amount of aura in Reine, but Lucifer’s main body was definitely losing aura under the pretext of the contract.

“So, while this aura is in my body, my eyesight is restored… it’s quite an interesting method.”

He was flustered by the sudden attack, but it was a blessing in disguise.

Reine’s eyes were so tainted with the magic power of annihilation that they couldn’t be restored even with divine power.

If he had forcibly regenerated those eyes, he would have definitely consumed a tremendous amount of power.

If he maintains Reine’s contract as it is, Lucifer will suffer a huge loss of aura.

“So, you should carefully agree to the terms and conditions.”

Rael raised the corners of his lips.

He stumbled back and caught the weakness of the Fourth Demon King, Lucifer.