Chapter 97

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 8, 2025

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Barg saw it.

Carriel, gripping the sword tightly.

‘Is he finally going to draw it?’

He’s waited long enough.

But what is this situation?

Why…

A boy who seems completely unrelated is drawing the sword?

‘Oh Grandeous.’

Is this person your successor?

Then why does that sword shine so brilliantly?

Even without being touched by the light, my mana disperses.

The damage to my colossal underlings seems even more severe; they burn away like rotten shells in an instant.

‘I can’t make sense of this.’

Could this be… a sacred sword?

I’ve faced many wielders of sacred swords before.

Most of them just held the sword but couldn’t properly use it.

Even Ruelde took considerable time to master his.

Long ago, the Demon King of Wisdom said this:

“The sacred sword also tests humans.”

So the sacred sword judges its user as if it were some omnipotent being.

“Thus, the sacred sword tests its owner. The demon sword devours its master. Different purposes.”

Hence, taming a demon blade requires subjugating and training the daemon.

But the sacred sword…

“It begins with receiving its permission or approval.”

The spear and sword in my hands are formidable daemons themselves.

Called “Demon Arms,” they could easily become worthy tools for a Demon King.

Daemons and their masters grow together.

However, if the master is inadequate, the daemon might devour even him.

Of course, the opposite can happen too.

This must have been the case with Grandeous.

‘Did you eat the sacred sword, my lord?’

How deep and overwhelming must the darkness have been to manipulate a sacred sword like this?

Now I understand.

Why did he say any unbreakable sword would do?

To Grandeous, a sacred sword was…

…a weapon that would never break under his power.

An indestructible tool meant to endure countless battles.

‘Though unexpected…’

Despite my admiration,

I remain bound by duty and responsibility.

What should I do?

Can I kill him now?

It’s possible.

But…

‘Those eyes.’

Golden eyes gaze at me, despite appearing fragile as if about to crumble any moment.

How does he withstand it?

‘Surely this must be your successor.’

Why then does the sword fall into someone else’s hands?

Moreover, I’ve observed carefully.

I didn’t take my eyes off during critical moments.

And yet,

I witnessed Carriel handing the sword directly to Leo, crossing hands on the hilt.

It happened right before my eyes.

‘Is this correct?’

Or has he left something behind we don’t know about?

There’s no time to hesitate.

The light grows stronger.

I’ve already instructed my subordinates to flee repeatedly, so none remain here.

‘Then there’s no reason to let him live.’

Another hero born?

Irrelevant.

What’s more terrifying is…

…Ruelde’s child surviving.

If he grows stronger and becomes someone like Grandeous, we won’t stand a chance.

Even the Demon King of Wisdom,

Who once had the eye of the Supreme Demon King and always respected Grandeous,

respected him not out of courtesy but because of his incomprehensible power.

Grandeous. Those who didn’t see his true strength mocked and underestimated him.

When he invaded the Middle Realm, those dissatisfied with his actions gathered armies and attacked him.

What was the result?

They were all slaughtered.

He showed no mercy.

Justice doesn’t show mercy to evil.

It’s impossible.

He thoroughly eradicated any potential retaliation, leaving devastation in his wake.

Enemies die. They inevitably perish.

He never forgave or tolerated anyone who dared attack first.

The only exception was the Supreme Demon King.

He’s abnormal.

One of the most unusual beings in the Demon Realm.

At the peak of madness.

Would such a descendant of Grandeous forget revenge? Stand idly by? Allow it? Surely not.

‘Absolutely.’

He must die.

And fortunately, an opportunity arises.

Exposed to the sacred sword’s light, my colossal underling—the Trolong—thrashes on the ground.

Even the creatures spawned from it dissolve like snow under the sun.

It’s an overwhelmingly one-sided scene.

For me, a servant of evil rooted in the Demon Realm, this feels incredibly unreasonable.

‘But I’m grateful for it now.’

Had my underlings insisted on clinging, there’d be no gaps.

But now, it’s possible.

Like lightning reversing course into the sky, Barg leaps into the air,

gripping his pitch-black spear tightly.

“Haaa—”

Refining his breath, squeezing out mana.

If Ruelde appeared now,

I’d be butchered before I could lift a finger.

No, that’s incorrect.

The moment his figure came into view, even if I were fully prepared, resistance would be meaningless.

Futile struggle, nothing more, nothing less.

But his son isn’t.

“Life may shine brightly, but it cannot escape death.”

Tua apportō

I summon thee

Crimson lightning blooms like a radiant flower in the void.

Dozens, hundreds of branches extend, drawn into the dark energy emanating from the pitch-black spear, creating sparks and electric currents in every direction.

As if a massive beam of light, lightning itself, is being reborn in the skies.

Even the blue sky succumbs to the aftermath, losing all color.

Then, as if retracting its blooming peak,

all the electricity vanishes instantly, sucked into Barg and his pitch-black spear.

Silence and stillness follow.

Yet everyone watching knows instinctively:

This isn’t the end.

It’s the beginning.

Carriel, too, senses this.

And indeed, in the blink of an eye,

he’s standing right there.

How?

?!

How could he block it?

Before realizing it,

he blocked it with his sword.

One thing is certain:

In that instant,

there was neither me nor my opponent.

Everything disappeared in that moment.

―――

―――

Kaang!

A sound rings out.

Listening closely, it resembles hammering.

Whether it’s accurate or not, I’m unsure.

“Let there be light.”

Someone says.

“Next comes darkness.”

Followed by another voice.

“And there shall only be fire and water.”

――!

“Keh!”

Without realizing it,

I find myself staring up at the sky.

My body feels powerless.

What just happened?

“……”

Breathing doesn’t come easily.

Forcing the familiar rhythm, but it won’t continue.

My body feels stiff, as if it’s no longer mine.

-How long have I been unconscious?

A Demon King looms above me, the Golden Girl looking down with weary eyes.

“……”

I don’t know.

I can’t feel anything.

Thoughts don’t connect.

Everything is vague.

The only thing clear:

Death is near.

-The plan worked. The sacred sword was passed on, solving the crisis. It wasn’t a bad choice. As expected, you targeted him relentlessly.

Only…

-You lacked the strength to handle it.

“……”

The world grows faint.

No, it really feels like I’m dying.

Or has death already reached my throat?

“……”

-Want to know what happened?

Understanding each other with just a glance is convenient sometimes.

Though maybe it’s just a lucky guess.

Doesn’t matter as long as it works.

-The second round has begun.

Second round?

-Your demon tree minions fell to the sacred sword. They lasted longer than expected in the Middle Realm. Barg? He barely escaped after getting hit a few times while exposed to the sacred sword.

If everything ended here,

maybe peace would’ve prevailed.

-But we know better. There are those who won’t ignore the sword being drawn.

We intended to pass it to the rescue knights.

Even asking Venus and Aiseus for help ultimately aimed at that.

-The plan succeeded, though there’s a problem.

Even the new hero wielding the sacred sword,

even the mighty Rescue Knights,

face a very troublesome enemy now.

Suddenly,

the world feels eerily white.

-Remember your fiancée? The princess?

“……?”

-Imagine someone similar to her.

More precisely,

-The heir of the Supreme Demon King has arrived.

No, they were already here.

-In a way, Leo’s assumption that the sword recognized him was correct.

Just that the sword failed to recognize…

what this person truly was.

…Suddenly,

something falls onto my face.

Is it a tear? Or perhaps a small hailstone?

That moment,

the girl opens her eyes.

====

I don’t remember.

But confusion passes quickly.

After careful thought, the girl recalls one clear fact:

She was run over by a carriage.

Back then, when crushed and trampled,

she was surely dying.

Back then, faintly, she remembers trembling and crying…

that lone sensation remains.

“Have you awakened?”

“?!”

An unpleasant voice.

One I never wish to hear again.

But escaping is impossible.

If anyone here reaches out to save me,

it can only be him.

Pale face.

Contrasting black lips and entirely dark eyes devoid of whites.

Not human.

High-quality fabric forms his suit.

Even his hat gives him an aristocratic appearance.

In a banquet hall or social gathering, he’d surely attract attention.

“…Did you save me? What’s your price? What do you want?”

“The cost of saving you was paid by your younger brother.”

“…What?”

“It’s been two years already. Though I healed you, I refrained from waking you until payment was made, keeping you frozen temporarily. Debts must be settled, even for someone like you.”

“Where is that child now?”

“He’s working hard at our establishment.”

“What?! What kind of establishment?! What are you talking about?!”

“Perhaps revealing that will require another fee?”

“…You’ll never change!”

So resentful.

Father.

Because you sold me,

I ended up entangled with this man.

And since I possess what he wants,

escape is impossible now.

Now, my weakness is in his grasp.

“If you abandon your humanity, you could easily avoid my interference. Why cling to such primitive living?”

“What would someone like you, a demon, know?”

“I’m no demon. I’m merely a merchant. We prioritize profit and value transactions highly. In the Middle Realm, none surpass us in honoring contracts.”

“…”

I hate it.

Closing my eyes and ears,

I want to throw everything away.

But recovering now was possible

because my younger brother sacrificed himself for me.

And now,

if I don’t pay the price,

…the debt will balloon,

crushing his head, shoulders,

eventually his entire body.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing much. Just one little favor for our future.”

“One?”

What conditions will he propose this time?

But his request is surprisingly simple.

Simply,

“A wise man told us a troublemaker would emerge in a village. But we don’t know who it is.”

So please,

“Kill whoever we point out. That will fulfill the contract.”

Surely, this should be easy for someone like you?

“What if I refuse?”

“Then someone else will pay the price. How about it? Will you accept?”

“…”

Why.

Why won’t you leave us alone?

We’ve suffered enough already.

“…Is that all I need to do?”

“That’s right.”

Thus, the girl enters a village.

By dawn, she freezes the entire place solid.

There should’ve been no pain.

Yes,

no pain at all.

But why?

“I did it! I did it, so why?”

“But look. The contract hasn’t been fulfilled, has it? This isn’t something we can control. You understand, don’t you?”

Absolute adherence to contracts.

Proof of the agreement appears in the air as a glowing contract.

“It hasn’t been fulfilled, has it?”

“Then what about what I did?! What exactly did I accomplish?!”

“Calm down. We admit our mistake and offer appropriate compensation…”

“What about these people? What happens to them?”

“Our biggest concern. Since we can’t compensate them, we’re considering donating to or investing in the Serf Kingdom.”

The dead are beyond help, aren’t they?

“Unless, perhaps, not killing everyone prevented the contract from being fulfilled? Then whose fault is that?”

“…”

“And our seer foretold this outcome.”

If you wish to drop this matter,

“There’s another option. Not everyone here is dead yet, right? I kept watch precisely because I suspected this. Incredible how the Supreme Demon King’s power works. Apologies to the Tedeo villagers, but maybe someday they’ll be freed. Too difficult right now? We’d need to develop the power further, which is impossible alone.”

“…Why didn’t you suggest this earlier? Why bring this up after causing all this trouble?!”

“Shall we confirm each frozen villager individually then? One of them might be the target.”

“…”

“You’re making things complicated. Who’s blaming whom here? Ridiculous.”

I lose my words.

“This shouldn’t be too hard.”

After all,

“All you need to do is guard the undrawn sword.”

If someone tries to draw it?

“Eliminate them.”

Then,

“You and your poor younger brother’s future will improve somewhat.”