I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated

「I shall deliver divine punishment to followers of the Evil God. Perish!」

「I won’t lose to some crazy thief who refuses to listen.」

Fran and Potima’s auras only got more hostile.

White intervened in the standoff between the two.

「Please wait! This village is a territory under the direct jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Kranzel! We are aware of the matter regarding the evil dragon! Moreover, Fran-dono is currently here at Kranzel’s request! If you attack us unilaterally with baseless accusations, it’ll be seen as a hostile act against our nation!」

Kranzel had little choice but to offer protection over the village, regardless of all the nonsense about evil energy.

White seemed desperate.

A few of the adventures behind Potima paused to wait for her response, but…

「What does it matter? The extermination of the Evil God and its kin takes precedence over any and all matters. The dealings of you and your man-made nation are trivial. There is nothing more important than our divine mission.」

「Y-You’re insane…」

「The insane ones are those like you who condone raising an evil dragon instead of eliminating it.」

Damn, she really thinks she’s backed by absolute justice!

「I believe your mercenary company, the “Fiend Hunters”, sources its funding from the small southern nations, yes?」

「Indeed, many countries sympathize with our activities and offer financial support. However, they have no influence over our principles and mission.」

So they were mercenaries too! I guess it’s relatively easy for them to become adventurers if they conceal their status as mercenaries.

Potima pointed her sword at White as if declaring an end to the conversation.

When faced with the tip of the blade, White panicked. Despite his training as an intelligence operative, he could do nothing. But that was understandable.

After all, Potima had reached the level of Holy Sword Mastery. She was a formidable individual who also possessed flash magic, purification magic, along with her unique skill “Principle of Evil Sight”.

Though she had yet to attack us, she was already guilty of intimidating White, a government official. That’s more than enough to be branded as a criminal.

Yet Potima’s subordinates simply readied their weapons for combat after witnessing her irrational actions.

「Klikka, call over the rest.」

Now that there was no need to conceal his identity, Eiworth unleashed his aura to intimidate the mercenaries.

As soon as Fran let up, they found themselves up against a monstrous old man. While the blood drained from the faces of all the lesser mercenaries, Potima seemed completely calm. She even wore a slight smile.

「Can I defeat you, you ask? But of course! We are dedicated to eradicating evil, so His favor on our side. The just can’t possibly lose.」

「Indeed, you have gone completely mad! How hilarious!」

「It is you who is insane. Or rather, all of you Evil God worshipers are insane.」

「I believe myself to be plenty sane. Well, some do call me a madman from time to time though. Kuhahaha!」

If you ask me, you’re both crazy! But thanks to Eiworth, Fran seems to have calmed down and regained some composure. Meanwhile, Sibylla and the knights were fully prepared too.

This must have been Eiworth’s goal in the first place. Despite acting like he was playing around, his experience ended up being very valuable.

However, the now composed Fran noticed something that was bothering her.

「The southern mercenaries are weak?」

Whoa there! Fran asked the question out of genuine curiosity, but that sounded incredibly provocative! Eiworth burst into laughter again, looking quite amused.

「Kukuku, indeed they are. The south of the continent is more fertile and has fewer magical beasts, so the small nations there often engage in minor conflicts. That’s why mercenaries outnumber adventurers in the south. On the other hand, nations in the north such as Kranzel and Raydoss have an abundance of magical beasts, so it’s packed with adventurers.」

Okay, but why are the southern mercenaries considered weak? Fran tilted her head in confusion.

「You didn’t know about how one gains no experience points from killing their own kind? Cutting down a thousand people on the battlefield hardly compares to the experience you would get from crushing a few goblins, though they can still train their skills. That’s why the mercenaries remain weak, no matter how much they excel on the battlefield.」

Huh? How come I’ve never heard of that rule before! But now you mention it, Fran hardly got any level progress during her battles in Raydoss.

I thought that was simply due to her high level, and the significant increase in required experience that comes with it… Was she losing experience the entire time because of this “killing your own kind” rule?

「Spineless cowards who lack the courage to fight magical beasts tend to become mercenaries in the south.」

Eiworth took the chance to provoke the mercenaries again. Well, I guess Fran’s question starting it kinda gives her half the responsibility.

Meanwhile, Potima maintained the same archaic smile as always without showing any sign of killing intent. And then she invoked a spell while still maintaining the facade.

Followed by a flash of light.

『That was close!』

I managed to intercept her spell with a barrier, but it might have struck the village if I wasn’t on guard. Fran flew into a fury once again upon realizing the narrowly avoided danger.

「…Let’s just kill her already.」

「That’s my line. You apostles of evil shall meet your end.」

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