"A monster outbreak?"

"Yes, esteemed elder. They are coming out of the Shmizula Forest from the west!"

"That is strange... We've fortified the west barrier the most because it's the national barrier for us as a bordering village close to the Betruvian Empire. Breaking something made by the Imperial Magicians of the court so easily clearly isn't the act of the simple monsters around here... Is this a ploy from those people with only war on their minds?!"

"We're still unclear of the situation, but we've requested all of the adults capable of Repulse Beast LV3 and people who can fight to the west barrier!"

"That's good. And the young ones?"

"They're being escorted to the shelter while we speak! I'm here to evacuate you and your grandson!"

The man called Shifa intentionally didn't mention my name among the ones he was here to evacuate.

"Okay. Lucas, go with big sister to the shelter. You know where it is right?"

Lucas, the grandson nodded.

"That's a smart boy, okay. I will leave it to you to escort big sister over alright?"

"Leave it... Leave it to me!"

Lucas pounded his chest with pride, but he still had a nervous look.

It seems like he knew what was happening, and the implications behind it. What a smart boy.

"Elder?"

"Shifa, you go with them. I'll head to the storage room and carry some of the Repulsion Stones there. We'll distribute them equally among the villagers and use it like that in case we're really facing a powerful horde of monsters..."

"Elder?! Those stones... aren't they expensive?! Using it like this..."

"You fool!!! They are meant to be used at times like this!!! Why else would I keep them around?! Now go!"

"Y-yes, I understand and comply!"

Hesitating a little, Shifa left with me and Lucas.

"Big sister? Are you okay?"

"Yes... let us hurry... which way is the shelter?"

"The north of the village square! That place behind the well, there is a hidden trapdoor-"

"Let us go quickly, I'll lead the way." Shifa looked at me with disgust.

"...I understand, let us go. Lucas, get on my back, it'll be much faster."

"Un!"

Since the pain from my muscle strain was desensitized from the year-long training, I was running at top speed without stopping.

Even Shifa had a hard time following, so I was actually the one navigating the way.

With me living in this village for this long, I knew the place like the back of my hand.

We quickly arrived at the well within a few minutes of running.

Incidentally, I could see a few male adults running towards the west with flaming torches. The surroundings were much quieter, even if it was nighttime.

It seemed like the evacuation the man Shifa mentioned had already taken place.

As Lucas and I expected, there was a trapdoor right behind the well.

As a panting Shifa opened it, it led to a staircase which led to the bottom.

But we couldn't make out the details because there was no light.

"Huh? I thought there were supposed to be Light Stones placed in here..."

Just as we were both prepared to enter the underground shelter for safety, a very low-pitched scream came from the west side.

It was presumably from a man, and it had came from around the west barrier.

"?!" "?!"

"What the... has the monsters broken in?!"

Hearing what I just said in a panic, tears began to form in Lucas's eyes. He was stifling a cry, as if he didn't want to appear weak.

...!!! That's right, Lucas was still a child no matter how smart he was acting like...!

This wasn't the time to panic, I'm the older one here. I should handle this properly without scaring Lucas.

"... ...Okay, ...Lucas are you listening?"

"...Mn... I'm... I'm not crying..."

"Yes, Lucas is a strong boy. Okay, listen up Lucas. Big sister is going to need you to listen to her instructions in order to make sure nothing scary happens, okay?"

"...sniff... Okay..."

"Okay, Lucas is going to stay down here safely, while big sister is going to go and take a look at what is happening, okay?"

"?! B-but!"

"No but's. I need to guarantee your safety first before anything else. Besides, your grandfather will kill me if something happens to you."

"But-"

"I won't accept anything else. Be a good boy and be safe down here, alright? Go along, I'll be right back."

"..."

Having seemingly made up his mind, Lucas nodded silently.

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

"Alright, let's go."

Seemingly uninterested in me not getting into the shelter, he brought Lucas inside.

Nodding his head again after a physical agreement, he waddled down the stairs into the unlit shelter with Shifa.

"Alright, let's see what's going on around here..."

I ventured away from the village and approached the west barrier, which led to the grasslands surrounding the village.

What greeted me..

Blood.

was a scene...

Blood.

of dead bodies.

There were a number of women gouging out the body parts of the dead bodies, who seemed to be the villagers.

And eating them, delectably.

I could hear screams from the men, who were crying for help.

But nobody came.

The women placed their fangs deep into their bodies, as they died out slowly...

"My leeeeggg!!!"

"S-save meee!!!"

"Help me!!!"

"Kill meee!!! Kill me please!!!"

"Stella!!! Stellaaa!!!"

"Monsters! Monsters!"

"I don't want to dieee!!!"

"Mother!!!"

"They won't... dieee!!!"

"Someone...!!!"

"Help!!!"

"Why meee!!!"

One by one.

Blood.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

One by one.

In front of my eyes.

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

The vivid scene was a little too much to take, as the amount of blood registered within my eyes...

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood-

...became more and more unbearable for me to take.

The ringing in my ears became so loud that my nausea peaked.

"Uegghhhh!!!"

Vomit sprawled all over the grass.

My voice was heard by the women, as they raised their heads up in high alert.

But I didn't notice that.

My heart tightened uncomfortably, as I lost my sense of direction.

I couldn't move.

Had I developed a fear of blood at some point?!

Move, my legs! Move! Move! Moveee!!!

As the two women who noticed me walked closer, I could see their facial features more closely.

They had golden hair, a pair of pointy ears, and a very beautiful face...

Except that it was covered in ...

"Ueeeegghhh!!!"

I can't... I can't... Help me... Help me... Help me... I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die-

"W-what is this..."

""?!""

The two women diverted their attention to a man who had just arrived to the scene like me. He was holding a flaming torch and the illumination revealed the grotesque scene in its entirety, startling the male villager.

He was not ready for such a scene, as he fell down on his butt with his hands on the torch from the shock.

"W-w-wait...Wait a second!

Wait a second! What is th-

AaaARrRggghhh!!!"

Needless to say, his life was immediately reaped in that vulnerable position he had shown himself in.

He had not bothered to notice that the bloodied women were cautious of the flame of the torch he was holding.

Neither did I at that point in time. I was paralyzed by fear, and I could not think properly.

The torch on his hands fell down as he lost control of his body since he was dead.

""!!!""

It began to light up the grass, as the fire spread quickly.

The women looked at each other and came to some kind of understanding.

And then they returned to look at me briefly, who was on the floor looking at everything, trembling in a petrified state.

But they ignored me.

They signalled the rest of their companions who were nearby and eating to action, as they soon too, noticed the spreading fire.

Leaving the dead bodies of the men momentarily, they begun to mutter something under their breath, as water sprouted out of their palms in an attempt to extinguish the fire.

But it had an inverse effect. The fire began to roar even wildly.

""""""!!!""""""

Desperate and realizing that the water didn't work, the women began to pick up the dead bodies away from the spreading fire. It seemed like they didn't want the bodies to get burnt.

Carrying them in various ways, the women and retreat slowly away into the forest.

One of the two elves that initially spotted me, looked at me with an expression I could not make out under the dark veil of the night sky, gave a sinister smile, and then returned to leave with their companions.

They left as abruptly as they came.

Regaining my composure from the blood took me a very long time, as I slowly inched away without opening my eyes.

I had to cover my nose to avoid the stench of blood too.

It took me a very long time.

And it took me a very time as well, to recover from the fact that-

Everyone in the shelter had died.

Initially, the familar stench triggered a vomit. It was already a sign for what's to come.

But Lucas was there. I had to ensure Lucas's safety.

As I slowly went down the stairs, I held my breath as much as possible and tried to look around.

"Lucas?"

Thud.

My feet hit something.

I looked down to see what was obstructing my path down.

A hand.

It was a dismembered hand.

Holding another urge to vomit, I held my breath and proceeded even more slowly and cautiously.

As I couldn't make out the blood coming from it as only the moonlight illuminated the clean part of the arm from the top, I could handle it a little better.

No, I couldn't.

The next body part that greeted me, was Lucas's head.

"Gri...Ge...Ge...a...Get...Get a Grip! Wake up, girl!"

I regained consciousness as my shoulders were shaken violently.

"Nngh... ...Village...Eld...er..."

"Thank god, you're the only one left here? What happened? Where is Lucas?"

"Lu...c- Uuueergghhhh!!!"

"?! W-What?! Why are y-"

"He's dead you know~"

"Shifa...Is that you?!"

Hearing a very familiar voice, the Village Elder exclaimed out.

He couldn't tell what had happened here.

He had just finished preparing the stones, but arrived to see me lying on the stairs unconscious.

Smelling the stench of blood, he could also tell something was not right in this place.

"Yes~ It's me~ I did it~"

The Village Elder could make out the figure coming out of the darkness inside of the underground shelter slowly.

It was Shifa, his right-hand man.

"Shifa?! What... is that... on your body... is that... blood..."

"!!! Uerg..."

I didn't even have the energy to vomit again, as I reacted unconsciously to that taboo word.

"Did you do all... this?!"

As the Village Elder begun to become accustomed to the darkness, he looked at the blood splattered around the floor with a disgusted look.

"Indeed, I did~! Isn't it a masterpiece? My work of art~"

All of the people who were brought to the shelter were disfigured weirdly and positioned fancily, with some bodies having various body parts missing.

"?! W-what are you saying... You killed all of the villagers in here?"

"!!!"

Shifa seemed to be pissed off that his art was dismissed so easily.

"It's not killing if they lose their lives beautifully. Why won't you realize that?!"

"You're insane-"

"And what are you then?!!! Forcing your disciples into the way of the sword like this?!"

Lunging forward, Shifa stabbed the chest of the Village Elder who could not react in time.

"Kahaaa!!!"

Blood spurted out of his mouth.

That's akin to torture, TORTURE!!! I know it was you who brought me away under this family as a disciple. I know it aaalll too well!!! I HAD AN AMBITION!!! I WANTED TO PAINT! I WANTED TO LEAVE THIS STUPID VILLAGE AND MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF!!!

AND WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU COERCED MY FAMILY JUST BECAUSE I HAD A SMALL TALENT WITH SOME SWORDS I HAPPENED TO USE DURING A VILLAGE PLAY I TOOK INTEREST IN!!!

YOU STUPID GEEZER, THIS IS WHAT IT'S COME TO!!!

LUCAS, THAT STUPID BOY. WASN'T HE PART OF YOUR FAMILY TOO?! WHY ARE YOU KEEPING HIM HOME AND NOT TRAINING HIM LIKE ME?!

TREATING ME LIKE AN EMOTIONLESS SERVANTTT!!! DID YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATED THAT KIND OF TRAINING?! YOU SHIT! YOU SHIT! YOU SHIT! YOU SHIT!"

Shifa interrupted the Village Elder with a string of words filled with utter resentment.

I was vaguely reminded of the outburst from my father Len.

"Y-you..."

"DON'T SPEAK ANOTHER WORD, YOU HAVE A VERY FOUL MOUTH! YOUR VERY EXISTENCE TAINTS THE BEAUTY OF MY WORKKK!!!"

Shifa plunged the sword deeper into the wound, as the Village Elder became even more unable to speak.

He slowly collapsed to the ground and panted really heavily.

He had received a lethal wound.

"Haah... hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!!! I DID IT! IT WAS ALL ACCORDING TO THAT PERSON'S PLAN! IT WORKED!!! IT WORKED!!! I CAN NOW SHOW OFF IN THE VILLAGE WITH MY OVERFLOWING ARTISTIC TALENTS!!! ...

Village... villagers...

...aHhHhHhHhHhH... aAHhHhhhhHHhhHhHhHhH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Shifa let go of the sword stabbed into the chest of the Village Elder, and clutched his head in pain as he realized what he had just done.

This man, was another one of them?! Was he?!

Was he?!

Coming to a conclusion, my fear of blood was briefly overcome by my recurring hate for parasites.

The suppressed emotions began to surface again violently.

"Unforgivable... Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable. Unforgivable-"

As I slowly made my way weakly towards Shifa, I was stopped by the arm of the Village Elder who was lying on the ground.

I turned to look at him emotionlessly.

Did he want to beg for his life too? Haha, ultimately, they're all jus-

"You need... a weapon... Nnghh...! ...Take the... sword out of... my body."

Eh?

"Hurry... before he... regains his... haaah... haah... Kuhuhhh!!!"

He coughed out another mouthful of blood before he could finish.

I quickly looked away at this time.

This man... did he want to end his life like that? ...!

"You..."

He looked at me saying that without looking at him with a wry smile, and then stared at the reflection of his face on the blood puddle at the foot of the stairs, illuminated by the moonlight.

"As expected, you're still... cursed with that..., just like when... I found you back then... a year ago..."

"?!"

"...Status... Check. Say that... out... to ope-n... your... status... window. You... wanted to... see your... pro... gress in... training... right?"

"... Status Check."

Name Soma de Eschtalier (Soma Suzuhara) Level 22 Unused SP 220 Rank 2 Race Human Gender Female Occupation Villager Alignment True Neutral Class Swordsman Health 1,200 Mana 32,561 (+32,560/32,560) Strength 520 Dexterity 341 Luck 2000 Intelligence 657 Defense 120 Magic Defense 0 Equipment Villager Clothes Traits Combat Reflexes, Revenger, Submissive, Haemophobic Titles The One who Detests, The Hated, Sword Saint, Villager, Reincarnated One, Grunt Worker, Brood Mother, Miracle of a Goddess, Sword of Maiea, Desensitized Human Passive Skills

Repulse Beast LV1, Sword Mastery LV3, Poison Resistance LV1, Mind Resistance LV1, Spatial Awareness LV2, Numbed Body Sense LV-2

Active Skills

Status Check, Clear Eyes of a Saint, Sword Lunge, Cross-slash, Harden Sword

Foreign Elements

Mana Drugworm, Chaos Serum

The amount of information overwhelmed me.

Leaving aside the astounding combat skills I had gained unknowingly...

Why is my luck so high?! How was I lucky in this shitty world?!

"I have... trained you... for this... very purpose. Soma... Suzuhara.

"?!"

"I knew... from the start... That our village had been... brainwashed... by something... into believing you were... a Sword Saint.

You don't actually... have qualities... nor talent to become one... But...

There was probably a reason... Why you had a Goddess's blessing."

"..."

"Clear Eyes... of a Saint. I can see... your skills... and true name... with Status Reveal, but not your titles... But I am still certain... You are... a chosen one... To purge an impending evil... that's unbeknownst... to us all."

"...!!!"

"I had... raised you up... in order to fulfil... that legacy... It may be... selfish of me... to decide your future path... but I believe... you will find... what you were looking for... this way..."

Tears began to trickle down my face.

"Elder... Elder!!!"

"I believe... in you... Slay this man...

this... thing... This is... your first step... Take the sword...

There will come a time...

when a person...

free you of your...

curse of blood...

But for now...

Soma... become One...

Become, a Sword Saint..."

Giving away his last words with the wound from the sword in his chest reaching its lethal stage, he died peacefully with a smile.

I plunged out the sword stuck in his chest with grief, and readied a stance against the man Shifa, who was still confused at what he had done.

Title acquired: Savior of the World