How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 312

Episode 312 – The Fifth Sword

I had stayed up the entire night, but I wasn’t sleepy or tired at all.

When I thought about how in the real world I’d constantly struggled with drowsiness due to working late and early morning commutes, I wasn’t sure whether this current situation was a blessing or a curse.

What once felt natural for a human no longer felt normal.

It seed I had grown fully accustod to this world.

As I approached the wide bed, I saw Keros lying weakly in his small body, while Lily had dozed off with her head buried in the bed—she must’ve fallen asleep while caring for him.

Seeing Lily sleeping uncomfortably spoke volus. She must’ve been anxious, fearing sothing might happen to Keros.

Given that he was always by her side and shared the deepest emotional bond with her, I could understand how she felt.

“Still light as ever.”

I gently picked up the sleeping Lily and carefully laid her next to Keros.

It was impressive that she had stayed up so late nursing him.

Though I often teased her for being lazy, the Curse of Sloth was a powerful curse ntioned even in the divine na registry. It wasn’t sothing one could endure through willpower alone.

After briefly checking on Keros, I let out a long breath.

I must’ve been more tense than I realized.

“This had better work.”

It was a 5-million-gold item. It had to work.

If not, I’d have to deal with Karl’s endless nagging.

I pulled out a small jeweled box from my coat.

When I opened it, a round black object the size of a coin appeared.

But it wasn’t a typical pellet.

Instead of being solid, it was a curious orb ford by swirling black gas, gently clumped together.

Pressing it with a finger, it simply passed through—an ethereal, curious artifact.

Soul Orb of Simitas.

I knew this item well from the novel.

It appeared around the middle to late arcs, didn’t it?

Now that I thought about it, the person who used this orb was lying right beside —Lily Base.

It was this item that Lily, once a Great Witch, used to cause a catastrophe.

Because it was specialized in spiritual energy, she was the only one who could properly use it. But instead of using it for healing, she had used the Soul Orb of Simitas to control a certain "entity."

Co to think of it, the Spider Queen Azolett was there too during that scene, wasn’t she?

I rembered it as the event involving the moving black stars. At the ti, Lily had also been one of the black stars’ mbers.

Now her fate had changed, and that future was gone—but as long as Azolett existed, the incident could still happen at any ti.

Feels like Azolett is going to make her move soon.

I briefly recalled one of the Dark Sales items related to the Spider Queen, but shook off the thought and focused on the Soul Orb again.

“How do I use this?”

Would I have to wake Lily?

Just as I was debating how to use the item for Keros’s sake, I had a sudden idea and brought the orb close to Keros’s face.

Swsssss

As soon as it neared him, Keros’s nose twitched, and then he began inhaling the orb.

The smoky, clumped mist unraveled like threads and was sucked into Keros’s body.

The 5 million gold’s worth of Soul Orb vanished into thin air.

I waited a mont, keeping my eyes on Keros.

“Ugh...”

A faint groan escaped his lips.

Keros flinched and struggled to open his eyes, then slowly pushed himself up and looked at .

“You okay?”

He stared at for a mont, then shook his head—energy seed to have returned to him.

I placed my hand on Keros’s head and closed my eyes.

Sssaaaaahhhh!

Golden waves of light filled the room.

As they soaked into Keros’s body, he began rubbing his head against my hand in delight.

It was a process of correcting his unstable energy using Sacred Power.

Before, the energy had been too scattered for it to work, but after absorbing the Soul Orb, the effect was apparent.

Feeling strength return, Keros straightened his back and stuck out his tongue, looking visibly brighter.

He was still limping on one leg, but it looked like the worst was over.

Thankfully, that 5 million gold hadn’t gone to waste.

“Wrrumph...!”

Keros licked Lily’s cheek, waking her up with a rub of her eyes.

As she opened her eyes and saw Keros darting around the room, her eyes widened, and she imdiately tackled him.

“It really wasn’t a dream!”

Apparently, she had dread they were running together in a green adow.

Leaving the two of them to joyfully run around the room, I rang the bell on the table.

When a maid arrived, I ordered Lily’s favorite snacks and quietly stepped out.

By the ti I left the room, the sun was already high in the sky.

I headed out of the mansion to find Lochter.

Karl had gone out earlier with the Leafs as they left the castle.

There were fifty Leafs in total.

To settle into Aintrier and begin gathering intel, preparations were necessary, and the ghosts had agreed to help with those.

The Leafs are skilled—they’ll adapt quickly.

All of them had been seasoned by Kal’s rebel activities. They were sharp, discreet, and good at staying under the radar.

They were perfect as the World Tree Union’s first informants planted in Hell Gri.

And Fenry’s backing was solid.

Getting fifty people settled quickly took serious money, and all of it had co from Fenry’s pocket.

To her, protecting the World Tree ant Hell Gri’s intelligence was invaluable—and only humans could do that work.

Since other races were used as slaves here, the Black Roses couldn’t infiltrate unnoticed.

“I’m almost out of money.”

I shook out Fenry’s pouch. Jewels that had been worth tens of thousands of gold each were now so few I could count them at a glance.

How much was left?

Judging by the amount, I’d run out within a few days.

She said this was her entire fortune, didn’t she?

Fenry must’ve saved up every coin to earn the nickna Donry Chaser in Tobaron, yet I’d blown through it in less than a week.

If she had seen how I spent it, she might’ve actually killed .

Looking at Fenry’s empty pouch, I started to get a little nervous.

I really boasted big.

Not only had I set up informants in Hell Gri, but I’d promised to multiply the investnt several tis over.

If I showed up with nothing but an empty pouch, Karl might’ve been right—I really might get torn to pieces.

She was probably sharpening her blades, just waiting for to return.

It’s ti to start reeling in the bait.

Leaves of the World Tree.

I’d already spread enough bait. The mont the Leafs returned with intel on the rchants, I’d move.

Karl said it would take about three days to get established, so I planned to stay at the mansion until then.

It was actually safer outside the castle, but I had business to handle here.

And at the top of that list was dealing with the ornate box in my hands.

It had been wrapped extravagantly—as expected from a Dark Sales item.

Of the two lump-sum items I purchased, one had been used. Now only mine remained.

Fist of the Cursed Giant Tribe.

Nicknad Iron Fist of Parthe.

To assess its utility, I needed Lochter.

At this ti of day, he’d be in the mansion’s training hall.

His routine always centered around training.

Vwooom!

As expected, when I reached the training hall, Lochter was swinging his swords.

He had previously trained with a one-handed sword, but after obtaining dual swords, he had focused solely on Belin and Reyna.

I quietly observed Lochter’s training.

I wanted to announce myself, but his face was dripping with sweat, and I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt.

Would a 5-star sweat just from moving around?

Judging by his expression, he was facing an imaginary opponent.

It must’ve been a strong foe within his visualization—Lochter couldn’t act rashly.

“…Mn.”

A low groan slipped from his lips.

Monts later, his divine form vanished from the air.

Pafapapapapak—

Crimson afterimages violently whipped through the air.

I had watched his training many tis, but today felt different.

His movents focused more on defense than attack.

It was the first ti since wielding dual swords that I saw him practicing defense.

From that, I realized who his imagined opponent was.

The swordsman who wields five blades.

Special Investigator Richard Volpent.

Lochter was currently training to fight Richard again—the man he had previously clashed with.

Soon after, Lochter’s swordplay ca to a halt. I didn’t know the exact reason, but judging by his grim expression, things hadn’t gone well.

I slowly approached him.

“How was the fight with him?”

At my question, Lochter sheathed his swords and wiped his sweat with the towel I handed him.

“It wasn’t easy.”

“If you fought again, could you win?”

Lochter fell silent.

His silence made smile bitterly.

As a swordsman, Lochter had a strong sense of pride. If I asked a question like that, he would normally say, “I won’t lose easily,” or, “We’ll see when we fight.”

Silence was the last expression of his pride.

A refusal to admit defeat.

“Why did you hesitate at the end?”

“Because I don’t know his fifth sword.”

Richard had used four swords against Lochter:

Thunder Blade, Thunderer

Wood Vine Blade, Indra

Ghost Blade, Oras

Illusion Blade, Karoru

Each one was uniquely specialized for battle.

Lochter was trying to recall those swords, searching for a way to counter Richard.

Watching him, I grabbed a practice sword from the side.

Then I stood before him.

“What are you doing?”

“Just watch.”

I took a stance and swung downward.

Lochter’s gaze sharpened instantly. As a swordsman, he imdiately understood the motion.

It was the posture for Extre Burst, imitating Thunder Blade, Thunderer.

“Thunder Blade, Thunderer is optimized for assassination or ambush. With its lightning attribute, it strikes at terrifying speed. Usually, more than half die from this first strike.”

I retrieved the sword and shifted to a defensive posture.

Unlike the earlier strike, this one emphasized defense.

“Wood Vine Blade, Indra specializes in defense. Its summoned wooden vines are extrely tough and durable. Since they’re also used for restraint, when facing Indra, always watch your ankles. Richard uses this to gauge his opponent’s skill.”

I lightly tapped my ankle and then placed several training swords on the floor—five in total.

“The third sword, Ghost Blade Oras, is the foundation of Richard’s full combat power. Without it, he can’t use his fourth and fifth swords. It’s especially effective against those who use spiritual power. Witches once called it the ‘Devil’s Sword,’ and feared it. Many witches t their end at its edge.”

“To eliminate Richard, the best chance is before the Ghost Blade is drawn. Once it’s out, you’re better off retreating.”

“The fourth sword?”

Given Lochter’s nature, he would prefer to win through a head-on clash, not a surprise attack.

A perfect victory as a swordsman.

Clicking my tongue, I picked up a sword and waved it erratically in front of him.

“The fourth sword is Illusion Blade, Karoru. When you clash with it, it looks like dozens of swords are raining down. In reality, four swords whirl around wildly, with illusions and real blades mixed. It’s a storm you can’t escape, even if you know.”

“Most are taken out by the fourth sword. Only five people have ever survived it. Those who did probably saw Richard’s fifth sword—and died.”

Lochter remained silent, but his burning eyes made his interest clear.

Richard’s fifth sword.

He was dying to know what it was.

I chuckled softly and set the sword down.

Then, with bare hands, I mimicked a thrust straight to Lochter’s heart.

Lochter’s eyes filled with confusion.

Looking up at him, I spoke.

“Lochter just died to Richard’s fifth sword.”

“…What?”

Illusion Blade breaks the enemy’s focus entirely.

When swords rain down like a storm, defense is your only option.

And then—

“Richard’s fifth sword is the Invisible Sword.”

While your mind is consud by illusions, death strikes like a flash.

Invisible Sword, Glis—the final weapon in Richard’s arsenal.