I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

Flailing around in her pajamas inside the dorm room, Vespa lay sprawled, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
Vespa Luciana wasn’t exactly someone with much firsthand experience of being subjected to lewd intentions from men.
Most of the time, as soon as they found out she served that Hero, they’d recoil in horror and run. The ones who didn’t know up front would try to approach her, then flee in a panic once they realized who she worked for.

“......”
Hmph.
Looking at it this way, she really ought to thank Gray more often.

This too must be one of the lady’s blessings...
After a moment of silent gratitude toward Gray, Vespa went right back to writhing in bed.
She tended to be more animated when alone than when with others, but even by her standards, her current behavior felt excessive—and she was painfully aware of it.

The cause was obvious: the words spoken earlier by that royal bastard.
"Looks like you’d be good for a night, but... meh. Not quite."
...In all her life, she had never heard something like that.

It was horrifyingly disgusting.
Like a worm crawling up her entire body.
So this was what it felt like to be objectified by a man she had zero interest in. She never knew it would feel this revolting.

“......”
And yet.
That very thought led her mind in a different direction.

Why, then, did the man who did occupy her thoughts not give even the slightest damn about her?
“...Hmph.”
Vespa’s cheeks puffed up with frustration.
From her own perspective, the amount of time she had spent around Carlyle lately was more than enough to warrant... something. At the very least, enough for something meaningful to pass between two people who were of one mind.

It’s not like we haven’t talked...
But Carlyle was always just Carlyle.
Kind, thoughtful, attentive—always there to support her.

And that infuriated her.
Why is he so normal...!?
She had been trying to show signs. Dropping hints. But from Carlyle’s end? Not even a twitch.

Am I that unattractive...?
She really didn’t think that was the case.
It was only because she was constantly stuck beside the Hero that people ran away. The ones who didn’t know that had always shown some kind of interest in her.

She wasn’t oblivious enough to not understand her own looks had value.
Even that creepy prince didn’t say she wasn’t pretty—he just said she wasn’t his type...
Carlyle, you idiot. You absolute doofus—

She flailed on the bed again, as if trying to vent the bubbling frustration in her chest.
If she didn’t do something, she was going to explode...
And all that flailing came with consequences.

Pop! went a button from her pajama top.
“......”
Vespa stared blankly at the button that flew off.

The reason for it was obvious.
...They got bigger again.
She looked down mournfully at the chest of her pajamas.

She had been feeling a bit of tightness lately, but she hadn’t expected this kind of wardrobe malfunction.
She had only recently gotten this set altered, and now she’d have to do it all over again.
She wasn’t even still growing—why did they keep getting bigger...?

...Is it because of magic?
That was the only recent change in her body.
Of course, that made no sense. There were no documented cases of magic altering someone’s body like this.

“Ughhhh...”
Grumbling, she dragged herself up to pick up the button.
Just as she bent down «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» to grab the one that had rolled near the door—

WHAM!—the door slammed open and smacked her right in the forehead.
“Gehk.”
As Vespa collapsed to the floor in a heap, Gray stood on the other side of the door, eyes wide, looking down at her.

“L-Lady Gray...?”
“......”
Despite Vespa’s flustered tone, Gray’s gaze remained fixed.

Her eyes locked squarely onto the now-gaping hole in Vespa’s pajama top where the button had burst open.
Gray’s expression contorted into something ugly.
Specifically, she was glaring with a burning intensity at the very part of Vespa’s chest that had popped the button off...

The look in her eyes was so savage, Vespa instinctively backed away, cupping her chest with both hands.
“...S-sorry...?”
“......Why are you apologizing.”

“......”
Because it felt like not apologizing would get her killed.
But before Vespa could find a way to explain herself, Gray—looking deeply displeased—lightly kicked the floor and spoke.

“Sorry for dropping by at night.”
“......”
Wait.

If she was trying to be polite, maybe don’t barge in without knocking like a SWAT team?
Still, Vespa just smiled brightly.
No point asking now.

The fact that Gray was even trying to express herself like this meant she was making an effort.
That was enough.
“No worries! Would you like to come in and sit down?”

“...Sure.”
At her invitation, Vespa nodded and snapped her fingers.
A gentle light filled the room. A simple illumination spell.

And now that the room was bright, Gray’s baffled expression was all the more visible.
“How’d you do that?”
“Pardon?”

“You used magic—without incantation, without mana structure.”
“...It just sorta happened...”
“......”

Gray stared at her.
Right in front of her stood a mage who had just violated every fundamental rule of magic.
Any legitimate mage would have fainted on the spot.

Vespa had ignored the basic principles of the magical sciences like it was nothing.
...This one...
Gray had always known—Vespa’s potential was absurd.

She casually pulled off feats even Gray couldn’t do, and didn’t even realize how insane they were.
But.
That wasn’t what she came here to talk about.

“Actually, I came to talk about him.”
“...Carlyle?”
“Yeah.”

...Strangely.
Vespa’s heart plummeted before she even heard the next sentence.
It was like her instincts knew Gray was about to say something she didn’t want to hear.

But she couldn’t let it show.
She didn’t know why, but her gut told her it would be dangerous to let that reaction slip.
So she kept her expression steady.

Gray continued, calm and matter-of-fact.
“I think we need to keep an eye on him.”
“Keep an eye...?”

“I think he’s gonna snap. You can tell, right?”
“Uh...”
Gray’s intelligence, once you were around her long enough, became apparent.

...Which meant her tendency to skip all the necessary context also became a pain.
“What do you mean by snap?”
“You didn’t notice? Back earlier—when that royal prick was talking shit to you.”

Gray let out a breath.
“That guy almost got his face smashed in.”
“...Sorry?”

“He looked like he was ready to throw hands because you got insulted.”
The moment those words hit—
Vespa had to bow her head and take a deep breath.

Her face must’ve contorted too obviously under the lights.
Her chest clenched tight.
Carlyle...

He got angry.
For her.
He was about to go toe-to-toe with a notorious prince, without hesitation, because of her.

Just that thought made her whole body flush.
“Well, anyway. We should be careful when we’re around him from now on.”
Gray crossed her arms and continued.

“If something seems off, tell me right away.”
“Uh, if that’s the case, shouldn’t we stop Carlyle from doing something first...?”
At that, Gray snorted.

“He doesn’t strike me as someone you can stop. Once he digs in his heels, he won’t even care about my opinion.”
Case in point:
When he stood up to Gray herself just to protect Vespa.

So.
“Wouldn’t it be better to... use that in a more productive way?”
“Productive?”

Gray grinned.
It was a mischievous grin.
...But to Vespa, it was downright diabolical.

“I’ve always wanted to give those royal bastards a reality check.”
“......”
“Don’t you think now’s the perfect chance?”

...Probably best not to ask what she was planning.
Vespa quietly nodded.
Then Gray suddenly fell silent.

She scratched her head awkwardly, like she was about to say something difficult.
“And also... um...”
“Yes, Miss?”

“...You and that guy. What exactly are you two?”
“......”
The question itself—

Well, she could understand why it was asked.
“What do you mean by ‘what’?”
“Why... why does he lose it every time something involves you?”

“......”
“Are you two... special?”
That hit direct and hard.

Vespa stared at Gray, momentarily speechless.
Special, huh...
I... don’t even know myself.

Truly, she didn’t.
Vespa didn’t know what kind of relationship she and Carlyle had.
But oddly enough, the words that tickled at the back of her tongue were—

That’s not something you should be worrying about, Miss.
Something—
She had never dared to say to Gray before.

And if she dug just a little deeper—
Whatever’s going on between Carlyle and me... it’s none of your business.
Something dark.

Murky.
Twisting.
Maybe even laced with anger.

As that thought surfaced in Vespa’s mind—
She suddenly noticed something.
Gray’s hand.

It was trembling.
Barely.
Almost imperceptibly.

So subtle that even Gray herself probably didn’t notice it.
But Vespa saw it clear as day.
And its meaning was plain.

Gray was... afraid.
“—”
What flashed through her mind then was the image from the Mage Tower.

Gray, with eyes full of sorrow, staring at her.
And in the next moment—
“...No.”

The words tumbled from Vespa’s mouth before she could even think.
“Carlyle and I... we’re nothing.”
“—Really?”

“Yes.”
Vespa nodded with a smile.
Gray’s face visibly relaxed.

The trembling in her hand ceased.
“......”
Watching that, Vespa was now certain.

This young lady—
She might not fully grasp her own emotions yet.
But the direction of her feelings was unmistakably clear.

So—
“Maybe Carlyle just worries about me as a friend.”
...Even if it wasn’t true, just yet.

She could let that go.
“For now.”
Gray smiled and said, “That’s right.”

Vespa smiled back.
On the outside, it looked like a calm, easy expression.
But deep inside her abdomen, her chest, her throat—something was churning.

Words were forming behind her teeth, trying to claw their way out.
But she pushed them down.
Firmly. Relentlessly.

“—Yes.”
That was all she allowed herself to say.