“Calypso! Why have you betrayed us?” The Bandit Hero turned around in shock as she revealed the plan.
“Hmph! Didn’t he already flee with the sword? Who am I betraying? He is a Hero too! He now has it hidden in his Inventory. Neither of us will be able to access it, even if we tortured or killed him. So, we have to force him to take it out of his own volition. That was always your problem, Roxford, so weak and trusting!”
Roxford gave a look of surprise, but he still looked uncertain as he glanced at me. I remained silent, shooting Calypso a scowl that she ignored.
“Father sent me to destroy the sword.” Bernard shrugged. “Once I complete this task, he will accept my marriage to the princess, even at the risk of war. I could just as easily kill Deek here and achieve my goal.”
It was true that all he needed to do was kill me to destroy the sword. It was inaccessible in my Inventory, but if I died it’d become permanently unavailable. I didn’t know if that space collapsed, or if that space just remained inaccessible. I wondered how much equipment in the world had been lost by the death of heroes. It was probably a ridiculous amount.
“Aberon is the Demon King, do you think he will just accept anything? He fears you, and resents you!” Calypso laughed.
Bernard tilted his head thoughtfully while still holding the struggling and kicking Garnet in his hand. As long as he had her, I couldn’t make my move. The sword was the only thing I had, but Bernard didn’t care to take it. I had to let Calypso continue to run her mouth. I already had a feeling about what she was going to say.
“What does this have to do with my father? If he betrays me, then I will kill him.”
“Your father? The Demon King? Do you think he is so easy to kill?” Calypso let out a laugh. “Not at all. If you wish to kill him, you’ll need that sword. Why do you think he sent you to destroy it? The sword holds the power to kill him. It’s his greatest weakness. It’s a sword that has unnatural strength toward demons and other creations of a dungeon. It is the ultimate sword of a Hero. If you had it, you would have untold power.”
“Calypso… what are you doing?” hissed the uncertain Bandit Hero.
I had to agree. She needed to get him to agree to the trade, but if he valued the sword too highly, it might make things messy again. Bernard was considering her words, and after a moment he lowered Garnet back to the ground, but he brought a blade to her neck, causing her struggling to cease.
“Very well. Give me the sword, and I will free the girl.”
I nodded, bringing out the sword. Just as I was going to take a step toward him, working on a plan that would allow me to leave with Garnet at the sword, I felt a sudden violent pull. No one was around me, so I hadn’t been holding the sword with full force. I hadn’t expected it to suddenly yank from my hands. However, it didn’t fly to the Demon Prince, but instead directly into Calypso’s hands! She gave a triumphant smile as she held the sword.
“Give me the sword or I’ll kill the dwarf!” Bernard threatened.
“Be my guest.” She chuckled, “I don’t care about her one bit.”