〈 Episode 50 〉 The Second Trial (3)
*
The Defeat of the Demon King.
I didn’t want to skip this part.
Not just because it would give me a large amount of SP.
‘I want to save the people.’
If I don’t kill the Demon King, all the villagers will die.
The Innkeeper, the girl selling flowers.
And even Finn, who I had to kill alongside the Demon King previously.
‘I want to save both Finn and Weiss this time.’
Last time, I didn’t know that Weiss was the original host of the Demon King.
I only knew that the Demon King would enter the village in the form of an outsider.
That’s why I decided to wait in the village after leveling up to capture the Demon King.
And to make things worse, that plan went awry.
Since I eliminated the bandit group, Finn and Weiss ended up entering together, contrary to my expectations.
My basic strategy was a surprise attack, so if I accidentally killed the one who wasn’t the Demon King, the actual Demon King might notice and thwart our ambush.
Moreover, I didn’t want to kill the one who wasn’t the Demon King.
But now I know that Weiss is the original host of the Demon King.
Weiss must be somewhere outside the barrier.
‘Fortunately, I have more time this time than last.’
The trial ended early.
Thanks to mastering ‘Precocious’ in advance, I didn’t even need to hunt Chaos Beasts for SP.
My proficiency with Wind’s Power was also higher than it was last time.
‘Whether it’s Finn or anyone else, I must find Weiss before they do.’
Of course, I don’t plan to kill Weiss.
Even though the 71st Demon King resides within Weiss, the personality of the Weiss I met must still be intact.
‘That guy referred to it as an empty shell, but.’
I don’t think so.
The Weiss I saw was surely a human with tears.
To save such a Weiss while capturing the Demon King, there was only one way.
‘First, I have to transfer to another body.’
Even though the Demon King is left behind, I had a plan in mind.
*
After wandering outside the barrier for two weeks in search of Weiss.
I finally found her.
Weiss, lying down, looked bad even from a distance, but there was no need to worry.
‘As long as the Demon King is inside her, she won’t die.’
So I began to lie in wait around her.
Thanks to Night’s Shadow, it wasn’t difficult to stay hidden.
I got caught last time because I got too close, but if I keep this distance, I shouldn’t be detected.
‘Just wait a bit, Weiss. I will save you.’
Unlike before, since I wasn’t rampaging, the bandit group was still active without their leader.
I had already confirmed this while searching for Weiss.
Now all I had to do was wait for a bandit to find Weiss.
After a few days of lying in wait, a bandit finally appeared.
Since I was slightly out of the bandit’s activity zone, I was considering whether to lure him in.
The bandit saw Weiss and looked around. After confirming that no one was around, he approached her.
The moment he reached out his hand to Weiss.
Weiss bit his hand.
“Ugh!”
The bandit groaned in pain.
He looked around to see if anyone was listening, then drew his sword from his waist.
“You little—!”
In that moment.
As if burned, he dropped the sword, shaking his hand.
‘The Demon King has taken over.’
Now was the opportunity.
Just because the 71st Demon King transferred to another host didn’t mean he could immediately control the new host.
The Demon King gradually eats away at the host’s mind without them noticing, slowly taking over.
Thus, the previous Finn also hadn’t fully taken over his mind by the time he fought me.
It wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t transfer to another host in that state.
In other words, right now, the Demon King was trapped in the bandit’s body.
I charged at the bandit holding Night’s Shadow and swiftly subdued him.
The bandit noticed me, likely because of the Demon King residing within him, but while he couldn’t use his sword, which looked like a relic, he had no way to fight back.
“Please, please! I didn’t do anything to her!”
That’s what he should have said.
He should have taken notes from Finn.
Of course, even then it would be a disqualification from the bandit’s perspective.
But it wasn’t time to kill him yet.
“If you don’t want to die, stay still.”
Killing the host here to liberate the Demon King would be a risky gamble.
Because of the immense regenerative power of the Demon King.
If there was Relic Gravitas Replicant, it might have worked, but with just Night’s Shadow, I wasn’t confident I could sever his life in one blow.
‘I’ll drag him inside the barrier and finish it there.’
Inside the barrier, both the weakening and his regenerative power would likely be sealed.
I took out a cloth to use as a muzzle and some rope to bind him from my inventory.
Just as I was binding him.
Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow flickered.
‘Weiss?’
But the shape of that shadow seemed odd.
‘Damn it.’
I messed up.
I should have handed the relic to Weiss first instead of binding the bandit.
Finn was able to save Weiss because he unknowingly gave her a bracelet while ready to become a Chaos Beast.
And now, the consequences arrived.
Crash.
*
[1/100]
*
Warm air, tranquility.
And a bed.
“Ugh…!”
I jolted upright as if having a seizure.
It was a familiar room.
‘An inn room?’
I quickly reached into my inventory.
As expected, there was nothing.
‘Have I completely returned?’
Thank goodness.
There was nothing more reassuring than knowing that the trial wasn’t over yet.
It might sound like I welcomed the trial, but it was far better than ending helplessly.
‘But that numeral…’
I recalled the numeral I dimly saw while losing consciousness.
It definitely read ‘1/100’.
‘Is it some sort of achievement rate?’
I’m not sure.
What is certain is that I was given another chance.
‘My method was not wrong.’
It was the best route I deduced for achieving the optimal result.
I just made a small mistake.
But that little mistake cost me my life in an instant.
‘This time, I must be more thorough.’
I had been given yet another opportunity after so long.
I wouldn’t tolerate even a small mistake.
*
“Ha…”
I leaned against a tree and exhaled roughly.
The few months I had returned.
It wasn’t a short time, but I faced the trial with utmost sincerity again.
Just like last time, I hunted wolves and met Gwen at the trial’s destination.
Parting with Gwen was regrettable, but I wouldn’t have any issues capturing the Demon King without her, so I didn’t dwell on it.
For the best possible outcome, it couldn’t be helped.
However, from that point forward, things changed a bit.
I already knew Weiss’s location from the previous playthrough, so I didn’t waste time figuring it out.
I set off straight to obtain a relic.
‘It may not be as efficient as Relic Gravitas Replicant…’
But thanks to my knowledge of the game, I succeeded in bringing back a suitable 2-star relic. I also grabbed a 1-star accessory to give to Weiss while I was at it.
Thus, I returned and, just like last time, caught the bandit who was possessed by the Demon King.
And I was currently engaged in a fierce battle after dragging the Demon King’s host into the barrier.
‘If it weren’t for Wind’s Power, I might have been thoroughly broken here.’
Even though the Demon King was weakened within the barrier, he was still quite strong.
Thanks to Wind’s Power, I was able to maintain some speed advantage, and with the relic I brought and Libero’s swordsmanship, I was able to inflict damage on the Demon King and eventually bring him down.
Moreover, Wind’s Power provided effects similar to Absolute Obedience.
In front of the Demon King’s imposing presence, it helped ease my stiffening body a little.
[You have defeated the Demon King. You have earned the title [Demon King Slayer]./]
[As a bonus for the title [Demon King Slayer], you have gained 200 SP./]
[Your accumulated SP has reached 500, and your second Stigma is inherited./]
Though my body wasn’t wholly restored, it was in far better condition than last time.
‘That should be enough to leave right away.’
I had saved everyone I needed to.
Even though I wouldn’t have time to face Weiss, it was now time to move busily again.
Last time, I had lingered in the inn too long, caught up in daily life.
‘In the past, I would have headed straight to Sakh…’
By now, I had learned enough swordsmanship from Libero.
Of course, there were still things I could learn from him, but at least at my current level, there were limits to what I could grasp.
It was uncertain how long it would take to reach the next level. If that were the case, it would be better to engage in more efficient tasks.
But in the meantime, there was one more thing left to do.
‘Roughly a month and a half left?’
Originally, it was the time I would have spent discovering the identity of the Demon King and recovering from my battle wounds.
But now, it was entirely my free time.
And when that time was up, I would have to head to Basilium.
‘But I still need to save Elsie.’
Poor thing.
So, I included that poor being in the optimal result I was aiming for.
This time, even if my bond with Gwen is lacking, I can just send her to Libero since I won’t be going there.
*
‘Did I arrive a bit early?’
Thinking about it, I didn’t know when Elsie had arrived at Basilium.
However, when I rescued her in the rain, she was nearly dying, so this time I had arrived in the city a little earlier just to ensure that I could save her.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’
I hadn’t stayed in Basilium for long.
However, I vividly remembered the shops I had visited while wandering with Elsie.
‘So I just need to wait for Elsie here?’
I wouldn’t have to wait too long.
At most, it would be two days.
Within that time, Elsie would definitely have arrived in Basilium.
‘Then I guess I’ll also gather SP diligently until then?’
There was no time to waste.
I began to look for various side quests around the village that could earn me SP.
While carrying out the quests, I didn’t forget to keep an eye out for Elsie.
So as I was passing through an alley.
I was also keeping an eye on every nook and cranny of the alley.
In that moment, something caught my eye.
‘Huh?’
I froze in place.
Someone who shouldn’t be here was here.
‘What is that guy doing here?’
A short man in shabby clothing.
He had no reason to be here.
‘Libero?’
*
