I’m The Only Granddaughter Of The Strongest Duke [Novel] Chapter 51

Chapter 51

A chorus of agonizing groans erupted in the room.
However…

“…”

“…”

“…”

Surprisingly, absolutely nothing happened.

“Hey, Johan. Are you actually putting your back into it?”

“You haven’t even started yet, have you?”

“He’s probably just warming up. Let’s give him a second.”

I could clearly hear the Heroes whispering and gossiping among themselves. Right
in front of them, Johan, the brown-haired Hero, was turning a deep shade of
crimson as he exerted every ounce of strength he possessed to pull the sword
free.

Did they think Excalibur-calibur was just any ordinary masterpiece? This was the
incredible blade that had taken down two grown drunks all by himself while I
wasn't even holding him. There was no way a group of mere humans, even if they
were Heroes, could overcome the inherent power of the sword itself.

“Hnnnnngh!”

Johan, who seemed to be the leader, let out another guttural roar, pouring his
entire weight into the effort.

At that moment, the floor of the Audience Chamber actually began to splinter.

As the floor gave way, it looked like Excalibur was finally on the verge of
being wrenched out. A triumphant, joyful smile flickered across Johan’s face.

I glared at where Excalibur was planted and screamed in my head.

[What kind of human has this kind of monstrous strength…?!]

He was the protagonist of this book and the savior of this world. It was only
natural that he possessed power on a completely different level from ordinary
people.

Our Excalibur was also on a completely different level. Excalibur exerted his
own force and promptly sank even deeper into the ground.

“…?”

Johan stood there, dazed and panting, staring down at the sword.

I scolded Excalibur internally, but since I knew better than anyone that "fine
motor control" wasn't exactly a talking sword's strong suit, I didn't say
anything out loud.

Johan looked back and forth between the sword and the Emperor with a bewildered
expression.

“…Your Majesty, did this sword just move?”

“Are you sure you didn't just shove it down while straining so hard? It’s not
like a sword can move on its own,” the Emperor replied nonchalantly.

However, Lemartes and I knew the truth. We knew this sword was perfectly capable
of undressing itself, picking fights, and running around on its own. We simply
averted our eyes, pretending to be oblivious.

Johan gave me a meaningful look, tilted his head in confusion, and then applied
pressure once more.

And then…

“No, Your Majesty! This sword really just went deeper by itself!”

This time, Excalibur had made it painfully obvious. He had buried himself so
deep that only the hilt was visible above the surface. Now, everyone could see
that the sword had clearly sunk further into the floor.

Luckily, if you could really call it luck, only Lemartes and I could grasp that the sword was deliberately sinking itself into the ground.

“Captain, what’s wrong with you? Are you pushing it down because you're using
too much force? Move aside, let me try.”

A massive, burly Hero stepped forward. He had black hair tied back in a ponytail
and a face so rough and fierce that if he weren't wearing armor, you’d mistake
him for a high-seas pirate.

[Hey! Eve! This time it’s a real brute grabbing… Gack!]

The terrifyingly large Hero shoved Johan aside and seized Excalibur-calibur's
hilt.

Strangely, for a moment, I felt like I could see a transparent image of Mr. Neal
Royce standing behind the sword.

‘I made him out of unbreakable steel, so don’t you worry!’
The phantom Neal Royce gave me a thumbs-up and then vanished from my sight.

“Hrrrngh!”

The scary-looking Hero used every bit of strength he’d gathered since birth to
yank at Excalibur-calibur. Yet again, the only result was more cracks in the
stone floor. Excalibur-calibur refused to budge.

He wrestled with the sword for a long time, but the outcome remained the same.

When even the giant failed, the other five Heroes stepped up, each insisting
they could do it.

“Grandfather, my legs hurt.”

I whispered quietly into my grandfather's ear. This was clearly turning into a
war of attrition. These Heroes were incredibly stubborn; if I kept standing
here, my legs were going to give out.

Hearing my plea, Grandfather asked a servant to bring a small, child-sized
chair. A few moments later, the servant returned with a plush little seat.

“There, Eve. Your legs won't hurt anymore.”

“GRRRAAAAHHH!!”

“Hehe, thanks! This chair is so comfy!”

“RAAAAAAAGH!!”

The grunts and shouts of the different Heroes erupted in turns as they rotated
through their attempts. Eventually, they even tried having two people pull the
sword at the same time.

[GYAAAH! Let go! Don't touch me with your filthy hands!]

Excalibur joined in the screaming toward the end.

But I had no choice. I was the one who had offered them the chance, after all.
Besides, if the trade-off for my eardrums was my father's life, anyone could see
I was coming out on top in this deal.

With that thought, the Heroes' screams started to sound like a sweet, melodic
symphony to my ears.

“WAAAAAGH!”

“UUGGH!”

“Huff… puff… why won't it… move?!”

Because you aren’t the master.

The Heroes, seemingly tireless, took turns for two whole hours. By the end, even
Excalibur had given up and stopped screaming.

By the two-and-a-half-hour mark…

“How much longer do you intend to keep pulling?”

The Emperor, who had been silently watching the Heroes demolish his Audience
Chamber, asked in a low voice. It had, indeed, been two and a half hours. I had
been sitting in a chair, but Lemartes had been standing there like a stone
statue the entire time, forced to watch this tedious display of useless brawn.

Johan, his hair drenched in sweat, looked up and answered.

“Not much longer, Your Majesty! We can do this!”

“In my opinion, if you couldn't pull it out in two and a half hours, you aren't
going to pull it out at all.”

“No, Your Majesty! We do not know the meaning of surrender.”

“But don't you think there are times when one must give up? What do you think,
Lem?” the Emperor murmured, turning to his son.

Lemartes looked at the Heroes taking turns with a look of utter disdain.

“I believe knowing when to quit is also a necessary skill.”

By the time the clock hit three hours, the patience of myself, Lemartes,
Grandfather, the Emperor, and Excalibur-calibur had all reached their breaking
point.

The Heroes, having finally depleted their stamina, were now sprawled across the
Audience Chamber floor, gasping for air. I shook my head at the sight of them
lying there as if the Imperial palace were their own bedroom.

However, the Emperor didn't seem to care about the disrespectful posture of the
Heroes or the fact that his floor was a spiderweb of cracks.

“Sir Johan, I have been sitting here for three hours. I’m starting to get
restless. My patience has reached its limit,” the Emperor said, his voice
sounding profoundly exhausted.