The Five Great Calamity Beasts And The Holy Sword

“The Five Great Calamity Beasts appeared in Britannia? What the hell does that mean?! They’re not insects—you can’t just have them suddenly crawling out of nowhere!!”

“Eek—! I-I only relayed what was reported from the capital. I don’t know the details…”

As Rod’s shouting threw the room into instant chaos, Arthur felt a strange sensation from his notebook. He hurriedly spread it open—and new words had appeared.

‘Take up the holy sword, defeat the End-of-the-World Cat, and save Britannia.’

“Arthur, what’s wrong?”

“What does this mean… is it saying we can’t defeat it without the holy sword?”

Morgan spoke to Arthur as he opened the notebook with a grim face, but Arthur muttered to himself as if nothing else mattered.

Surprisingly, the one who reacted to his words was Rod.

“The holy sword…?! Just how much do you know, you bastard?!”

“You know about it, Brother Rod?!”

“W-what’s with that desperate look?! Knowing you, you already know, don’t you?! That this rosary is a guidepost to the holy sword!!”

“I see… I have heard the forest where the holy sword is said to sleep is always shrouded in fog, and no one can ever reach it.”

As Arthur and Morgan focused on Rod, the one who opened his mouth was Hervé.

“Rod-sama… you should have Arthur come with you to the holy sword. Increasing the chances of obtaining it, even slightly, is the wiser course.”

“What are you saying? Are you planning to betray me?!”

Rod flared up, looking ready to grab Hervé by the chest, but Hervé met his stare without yielding an inch.

“No. I recognize what these Five Great Calamity Beasts are, the ones said to have appeared in Britannia.”

“And what of it?! He’s already defeated several of these ‘Five Great Calamity Beasts,’ hasn’t he? And once I have the holy sword—”

“The End-of-the-World Cat. I’ve heard that name after inheriting Avalon from my father. That it is the one that destroys Britannia…”

“Yes. Long ago, it brought death to half the life on this continent, and the First Holy King is said to have sealed it using the holy sword. Among the beasts that carried ruin, it was said to be the most harmful—the calamity cat.”

Cutting Rod off, Morgan and Hervé both went pale, their faces grave. Seeing that, Arthur was confused.

Because they had already defeated three of the Five Great Calamity Beasts. Just as Rod said, Arthur had assumed that if they got the holy sword, they could manage somehow.

But their expressions stayed dark.

And Arthur wasn’t the only one who sensed something ominous. Rod asked in a trembling voice.

“Isn’t that just a fairy tale to put children to sleep when they stay up too late?”

“It’s not. If the people knew such a thing existed, they wouldn’t be able to live their daily lives. Its existence was kept secret—known only to the king and his closest confidants.”

“Wha…”

Silence fell over the room. Morgan and Hervé were influential figures who had actually witnessed the Five Great Calamity Beasts, and their seriousness made Rod grasp the threat.

In a situation like this, the only people who could speak up were either a braggart who believed absolutely that he could win—or a fool who couldn’t read the air.

And there happened to be such a person in the room.

“I don’t really get it, but—if we just unseal the holy sword, hurry back to Britannia, and beat it, doesn’t that solve everything?”

“You think you can defeat a monster that even the First Holy King could only seal?”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen how amazing the real Holy King actually was. And I think with my healing ability, and if Britannia’s knights work together, we can manage. Or what—are you saying you don’t have confidence, Brother Rod?”

“Wha—”

This wasn’t sarcasm. Arthur had actually met the Holy King when he touched the rosary. And he had felt it then—his magic felt about the same as Arthur’s now…

So Arthur believed it wasn’t something the Holy King could do that Arthur couldn’t.

He simply said what he honestly thought… but of course, no one else took it that way.

“Hah… as expected of Arthur-sama. Even in this situation, you’re giving us a kick in the pants…”

“It’s strange… with you here, I’m starting to feel like it’ll be okay… You didn’t predict this too, did you?”

The two of them mistook Arthur’s arrogant-sounding words for encouragement. With wry smiles, they steeled themselves.

And then Rod—

“Hmph. You’re unbelievably insolent—thinking you’re on the same level as the Holy King. As if I would follow someone like you!!”

“Rod-sama!! Now is not the time for sibling squabbles!”

Hervé tried to rein Rod in as he snorted irritably, but Rod acted as if Hervé wasn’t even in his field of view and glared straight at Arthur.

“I’m not following you. You’re coming with me!! You can watch with your own eyes as I claim the holy sword.”

“Now that’s my Brother Rod!!”

“Hmph. I don’t care if it’s the End-of-the-World Cat or whatever—nothing will be allowed to block my path to the throne!!”

His mouth was foul, but kind…? Arthur was moved by his brother anyway. Then, once the plan finally came together, Hervé cleared his throat.

“Then Rod-sama and Arthur-sama, please go find the holy sword. In the meantime, I will persuade Carmine. I’d like to evacuate the people in the capital, but if we break our promises, we lose the people’s trust.”

“Please wait, Hervé-sama. Would you allow me to handle the peace between Britannia and the Desert People?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Bors, who had been silent until now. Perhaps the attention from those higher in rank made him tense—he flinched for a moment, then continued as if he’d made up his mind.

“My father has hated the Desert People even more since I was injured… ever since my engagement with the Desert People became the trigger. Even though I don’t hold any grudge against them…”

“Yeah. I heard the circumstances from Baron Carmine. He told me to save his son who was ‘seduced’ by the Desert People. That’s why I brought you to the capital.”

“Yes. After I was injured, I woke up and had already been taken to the capital, working under your subordinates. Of course, I’m grateful. But it wasn’t enough. Back then, I should have spoken properly. But I was scared of my father, and I ran away.”

After biting his lip in frustration, Bors looked at Arthur and nodded.

“But… even though you might die fighting a monster like the Five Great Calamity Beasts, none of you chose the option of running away. So I can’t keep running either… At worst, I’ll just get punched a bit.”

“I see… then I’ll leave persuading Baron Carmine to you.”

Arthur let out a relieved breath—somehow, it looked like things would work out. Then he noticed Morgan staring at him.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought… you have the power to change so many people.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“And there you go again—pretending you don’t know.”

Arthur tilted his head, utterly confused, but Morgan simply nodded with a strangely satisfied look.

“Arthur. Gather your elite knights. Every second matters. We leave at once.”

“Yeah. Leave it to me, Brother Rod.”

And so, Arthur and the others headed for the forest where the holy sword was said to sleep.