Foreigner Volume 7, Chapter 137

Volume 7 Chapter 137, Magic Sword ~ 45

　There were two footsteps. They were from different directions, one at a time.

　Satoru looked at each person calmly.

　One of them was a familiar flaxen-haired woman. Her well-shaped face clearly showed surprise and impatience.

　The other is an unfamiliar man of about 50 years of age, with a stern appearance. This one is rather expressionless, but there is a hint of inner turmoil.

　Both of them are carrying weapons, but they are not drawing their swords. Although there is a bit of a dangerous atmosphere, Satoru greets them with dignity and composure.

　In the first place, he had treated the Head of the Holy Sword Clan, who is supposed to be the strongest mankind has ever known, with respect. Even if they were a little more skilled, an ordinary human being would not be able to inflict even a scratch on Satoru.

　The woman raised her voice, breathing hard.

「Isolde-sama......」

「Ohh, Sheryl-dono. And Sayasute」

　Isolde laughed as she knelt in front of Satoru in her tattered appearance. It was a fresh smile, without any hint of resentment.

　The man in his fifties, called Sayasute, was probably a member of the Holy Sword Clan. He was taking in the shocking scene without batting an eye.

　Isolde tells them, 

「I was defeated. And so is the Holy Sword」

　She picks up the ex-holy sword with her right hand, which is now only the hilt and throws it toward Sayasute. Isolde's expression becomes slightly distorted at the moment she throws it. It is the result of a fracture in her right wrist.

　Sayasute receives with a bitter face the remnants of the holy sword that once defeated the Demon King and protected the world from the Demon Race for thousands of years.

「I'm sorry to the previous generation, Sayasute」

　"Ohh," Satoru exclaimed. Isolde's words suggest that this man is the previous head of the Holy Sword Clan.

「Milord ...... no, Isolde.」

　The man's face was full of bitterness, and Sayasute voiced his disappointment. Isolde's talent far surpasses even Sayasute in his prime. If a genius female swordsman, who is still young and is predicted to continue to grow, could not defeat her target even with the combination of the irreplaceable weapon of the Holy Sword, then no one can win. He knows that.

「He took my life, but he make me surrender. I am now his slave, his sword, and his shield. The Holy Sword Clan has lost its symbol, the Holy Sword. My Lord said he would not avenge our clan, but it is over anyway.」

　Sayasute nodded gravely. The Holy Sword Clan was formed to pass on the skills and the Holy Sword that had been forged over thousands of years to the next generation. Now that the Holy Sword Clan has lost the Holy Sword, there is no meaning or reason for its existence. He understands the weight of this because he was the former head of the clan.

　"Yo", Isolde stood up. Her left arm still hurts because it is still dislocated. Her right wrist is also broken, and her right ankle, held in a vice-like grip, throbs with pain. However, as the current head of the clan, there is one last thing she must do and convey.

　The current and last head of the clan bowed a small bow to the previous head of the clan. An apology, filled with feelings of apology ― and then Isolde switched to a resolute expression.

「Sayasute. I give you my last command as the current head of the clan. Tell those who are scattered throughout the land that the clan has collapsed, and tell them. You are all now free.」

　Sayasute stood erect and steadfast, clutching the Holy Sword, which had become only a hilt, as he received the order from the current head of the clan. The Holy Sword Clan is thoroughly meritocratic, even if they are the previous generation, a position of respect and esteem. No matter how old they were, it is still the same.

　Isolde smiled softly at Sayasute with a hint of self-mockery. It was the first time for Sayasute to see the true face of Isolde, the current head of the clan. When she began her training in the Land of Beginning, Sayasute was in charge of the clan scattered in various places in the west. She was such a sharp and beautiful woman, Sayasute could only think. Her beauty had been killed when she became the head of the clan and put on a mask. But from now on, there is no need for that.

「A Holy Sword Clan without a Holy Sword is nothing. If you still want the name of the head of the clan, I will give it to you. I will not return to the Land of Beginning, so so do as you please with whomever you wish」

　Isolde said nothing more and felt a little dizzy. Satoru quickly supported her body. Isolde looked up at Satoru and expressed her gratitude with her eyes. She also has a bit of a fever, probably due to at least three broken bones. Now that she has no Holy Sword, she can no longer recover her body beyond its limits.

「Leia. Heal Isolde for me.」

「Understood」

　Sheryl gasps when she sees Isolde in such a state of disarray. Approaching Isolde is an incredibly beautiful pale-skinned girl with red hair, the 【Immortal King】 Leia Löwenstadt. She is a legendary existence.

「...... Is it correct that you are Satoru-dono, the one who defeated our head of the clan?」

「Yes, but what?」

　After laying Isolde down and leaving her with Leia, Satoru looked back at Sayasute. His rugged appearance tells of the scars of his many battles. With only the hilt of the Holy Sword at his waist belt, Satoru called loudly to the rear, 

「Zelphys! Come here!」

　After a count of ten, a small, mature man came running and knelt down at Sayasute's side. His speed was more than that of Rico when she was using 【Shukuchi】 as fast as she could.

「Here!」

　Without looking back at Zelphys, but with his eyes fixed on Satoru, Sayasute opened his mouth.

「As you have seen, the Holy Sword has been destroyed. The clan has been dissolved and the members of the clan, including you, will be free from now on. Zelphys, you have a responsibility for telling the story to the Land of Beginnings and the various regions.」

「...... Sayasute-sama, what about you?」

「Me?」

　Zelphys asked, and Sayasute twisted the edges of her mouth into a small smile. He pulled out the double-edged long sword at his waist and pointed it at Satoru. Satoru did not even twitch.

「I was told that you were "Satoru-sama,"(?). ...... I ask you, please fight with me.」

「S-Stop it, Sayasute」

　Isolde, who was in the process of being healed by Leia using 【Regenerative Healing】, shouted weakly and tried to move. Satoru held out his hand to Isolde to restrain her and looked at the stern-looking man of about 50 years old with a cold gaze. He doesn't even try to touch the Giant Killer he has thrust into the ground.

「What are you fighting for? Even though the head of the clan, the representative of the clan, has been defeated.」

「It is the inescapable nature of the Holy Sword Clan, and as a swordsman, to want to fight with the strong.」

　Sayasute smiled ferociously. Satoru sighs and pulls out the Giant Killer from the ground as if he is about to pounce on the man.

「For you to grant my wish, I thankful for that!」

　Before he could finish, Sayasute jumped on Satoru. A sharp thrust struck Satoru's torso. His movement is quite fast―But he was not far behind Isolde, who was giving it her all. Of course, there was no way he could hit Satoru, and Satoru easily dodged Sayasute's attack by changing his stance at a speed unseen by Sheryl, who was watching from the side.

　Sayasute unleashes one slash after another.

　Sayasute is a man who once served as the head of the Holy Sword Clan. His swordsmanship is fluid and powerful. Not only Sheryl, but even Zelphys could not take that many attacks.

　But even so, he is far behind Satoru. Satoru carefully and continuously takes on each of Sayasute's frantic slash attacks with his Giant Killer, as if they were nothing.

　On the contrary, in the midst of the storm of slashing blows, Satoru is approaching Sayasute step by step.

「Do you think you can win?」

「No need to show me mercy!」

「That, so!」

　Satoru, who raised his voice as if to spit, swung his greatsword. His movement could be called divine speed. The trajectory of a sword that large cannot be followed by the eye.

　A dull thud sounded, and after a moment, a thud sounded a short distance away. Sayasute's left arm is gone. Blood spurts from the shoulder where he was cut. The sound that echoed at a distance was the sound of the cut left arm falling to the ground.

「......!」

　Sayasute's body swims with the shock, and his eyes widen in surprise.

「Stop it. It's over. I'm not going to let any more blood be spilled for nothing, even if it's me.」

　Satoru didn't give any more phrases. Sayasute grinned and thrust the blade of the long sword in his right hand against his own chest.

「......!!」

「Sayasute!」

　Isolde's mournful voice echoed through the void. Satoru, too, was startled, and his voice was lost in the sheer magnificence of the man's resolve.

「F-From the beginning..........I know that, I can't win....」

　With a fearless smile on his face and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, Sayasute dropped to both knees. Satoru shuddered as he watched him, determined not to fall backward. Sayasute had hit him as close to his heart as possible. That would not have saved his life.

　Spitting a lot of blood, Sayasute looked up at the big man who had led to the Holy Sword Clan. Shaking and trembling, he still appealed to the man with a strong will in his eyes.

「The clan had been in existence for thousands of years, and it would be a shame if no one would commit seppuku at the end of the clan.」

　An impression struck Satoru's heart.

　The pride of a man who had once been the head of the clan must have made him do it. He took up the challenge of a battle against Satoru, which was known to be reckless, intending to sacrifice himself for the destruction of the clan. And when he realized that he was out of his depth, he wished to die.

　In a moment of incredible nobility, Satoru also wielded his Giant Killer sword. It was not Satoru's intention to cause more suffering than necessary.

「You are a fool but, I don't hate it」

「......thank you.」

　Suddenly, Sayasute's head drooped, and the Giant Killer struck him in the neck with a flash. His head fell with a heavy thud and rolled, and his body, which had been shaken, touched the ground.

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Edit1: 「You're a man among a man, and I don't hate it」-> You fool, and I don't hate it

I choose You are a fool here cause in the original line 男だな。 キライじゃない, Otokodana, Kiraijanai.

That Otokodana literal meaning is man, when I search more about this word I found out that it can mean making fun of the person you are talking to, or you're a fool, an idiot, etc. And I'm sorry if I translate it wrong here.

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