Chapter 36 - Shiltnaro
The emotion the demonic sword Shiltnaro carried as she came to Barungenia was fury.
The fear and dread of what she had lost had driven away even her last shred of reason.
'Ah.'
But now, the man before her had done something that only the Demon King could.
Incomprehensible.
Only his inherent talent could resonate with her power and bring her peace.
She couldn't fully grasp what had just happened to her.
'Oh, really?'
Nevertheless, she realized one thing.
"The Hero?"
The man was the adversary she had faced alongside the Demon King.
The moment she realized that, she immediately bared her teeth.
"How are you here...?"
"Shiltnaro."
The man, Clay,'s eyes glowed red.
"Think realistically."
He said, still holding her arm.
"What you need."
That was the power to allow her to live as a sentient being.
"Stop wondering around endlessly."
Clay didn't know much about her.
But he knew well what she feared most.
"I have no way to soothe you. But I can tell you one thing."
"What..."
"The Demon King did not die by my hand."
Suddenly, Shiltnaro's eyes widened as if they would pop out.
"You...!"
"It's the truth."
Clay turned his gaze slightly.
"If you don't believe me, you can confirm it with Beatrice."
"Beatrice...!"
Shiltnaro didn't seek confirmation from Beatrice but rather displayed anger.
"You, who were the Demon King's closest confidant, how could you do such a thing?"
"What do you mean, 'how'?"
Beatrice looked at Shiltnaro with a composed face.
"I am trying to rebuild the Demon King's army right now."
"What?"
"Can you not properly see the person in front of you?"
At her words, Shiltnaro looked at Clay again.
Standing there like a statue, with eyes devoid of emotion, he was certainly not the Hero she had known before.
'But...!'
Even so, that didn't completely erase his past as the Hero.
'He's going to borrow this person's power?'
The Demon King had died.
She couldn't understand if it meant that position could simply be replaced by another powerful being.
But what she understood even less was,
'Barungenia isn't hostile to this person.'
With her reason returned, she could tell.
The spires of Barungenia were still glaring, but they didn't condemn this man before them.
That proved that, as she had been told, he had not caused the Demon King's death.
'It doesn't make sense.'
Common sense said it shouldn't be possible.
'If not the Hero, then who could have...?'
Who had killed the Demon King?
"It seems you've started to believe me."
Clay spoke again, urging her.
"Now, I stand here due to an irreversible choice. You too can choose, Shiltnaro."
His gaze seemed to pierce through her.
"Whether you abandon your only hope here, or continue to oppose me until the end."
CLENCH.
He tightened his grip on her wrist.
"Of course, even if you rampage, I will try to tame you."
"What do you mean..."
"So you don't miss this opportunity."
At his words, she fell silent.
As the conversation ceased, silence descended upon the surroundings.
Amidst countless gazes, only unspoken thoughts drifted like dust, brushing past each other.
"I..."
And then, Shiltnaro spoke first.
♧
It was a highly probable failure.
Shiltnaro was closer to the Demon King than Beatrice, who was part of the Demon King's army's leadership.
This was understandable, as she could only maintain her sentience with the Demon King's presence.
That dependence would not easily disappear just because the Demon King was gone.
Thus, everyone observing the scene trembled with anxiety.
That the demonic sword Shiltnaro might become Barungenia's first enemy.
THUD.
However, all those worries proved unfounded.
-If you didn't kill him.
After a moment of internal conflict, Shiltnaro's choice was,
-Let me stay.
A reservation.
-That's enough.
Nevertheless, Clay accepted.
Because the outcome was already decided.
"...It really ended like that?"
Rin, having heard the entire story from Kardine, had a bewildered expression.
"I didn't think it would end so easily, no matter what."
"Me neither."
Golche said, slumped beside her.
"But then again, it makes sense."
He recalled Clay's appearance as he exited the room.
"Perhaps even that demonic sword felt it. That she couldn't win against him anymore."
Though he had assisted, Clay showed results far beyond expectations.
He had turned the priests' brands, which were meant to neutralize him, into devices for supplying magi.
His body possessed infinite possibilities.
If he had simply died at the execution grounds, they would have lost a truly precious vessel.
A vessel that could contain what no one had contained before.
"Besides, is there really another person who can help her maintain her sanity?"
From Golche's perspective, Shiltnaro, who needed something to rely on, simply wanted justification.
"The mere fact that he didn't kill the Demon King was enough. That was all Shiltnaro could hope for."
Heheheh, Golche chuckled and rose from his spot.
"I used too much strength and missed an interesting spectacle. But I'm satisfied."
He had successfully improved Clay's body.
"My achievement won't disappear, will it? The accomplishment of creating a magnificent body."
"Hey! Anyone would think you made it alone!"
Rin glared at Golche.
"It was because of me that you succeeded, you know?"
"You're not going to start spouting nonsense about your contribution being greater now, are you?"
Golche opened his grotesque mouth wide and said.
"This body will be the greatest contributor to the new Demon King."
"Don't be ridiculous! This is the end for you, but I still have so much more I can do!"
"This brat..."
Kardine turned away, leaving the bickering duo.
'My heart is still pounding.'
It was an oppressive feeling, enough to make him forget his time as the Hero.
Clay clearly understood his role.
'He possesses power more akin to a demon than a natural-born demon.'
Converting Holy Power into magi was unprecedented.
Originally, Holy Power was known to be a power bestowed by Elhaen, the humans' chief deity.
Yet, drawing that in and transforming it into magi was tantamount to forcefully extracting the chief deity's power, unless it was some kind of illusion.
From the beginning, the Hero was the sole possessor of a body that had directly received the chief deity's blessing.
In a way, he was a monster, a mistake on the chief deity's part, born to prepare for the possibility of him choosing a different path.
'He can do it.'
With such power, he could do more than just rebuild the Demon King's army.
It was with such a surge of excitement filling his chest that Kardine approached Clay.
"It's impossible right now."
An unexpected remark flowed from Clay's lips.
"P-Pardon? What do you mean..."
"Just as I said. It's true I have potential, but converting Holy Power into magi to generate explosive power is likely only possible about three times a day for now."
He clenched and unclenched his fist, then turned to Kardine.
"It means I still have a long way to go to become a perfect Demon King."
"Ah..."
"But for now, isn't this enough?"
Clay stood before Kardine.
"For the coronation."
"Ah."
Kardine, who had been deep in thought for a moment, suddenly gasped and knelt.
"O-Of course! I will make preparations for the coronation!"
"Thank you. The date will be tomorrow. Since the demonic sword has also returned, it won't be bad."
"Will Shiltnaro participate?"
"It seems she won't maintain her sanity for long if she's not near me. Even I have limits to maintaining her reason from afar."
Indeed.
From the moment she arrived here, Shiltnaro was already as good as subservient to Clay.
"Kardine."
Clay spoke softly.
"Do you think things like this will happen often from now on?"
"Things like this, you mean..."
Demons, or factions of the former Demon King's army, who would come to Barungenia and cause trouble.
"Probably not a small number."
Naturally, Shiltnaro would only be the beginning.
"I see."
Clay, who seemed to sigh faintly, ordered Kardine.
"Kardine, bring all records of the Demon King's army left by the previous Demon King. Since Shiltnaro is alive, other key figures might also be alive."
"You need information for preparations. Understood."
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
Kardine rose, bowed, and turned to walk away.
"Kardine."
Clay imparted one more thing to Kardine.
"Tell Rin and Golche that they will receive rewards commensurate with their achievements. I won't forget their contributions."
"Understood."
Kardine smiled.
He thought that Clay might become the most rational Demon King the demons had ever experienced.
♧
Catastrophe.
The demonic sword Shiltnaro trembled, sitting in a storage-like room.
"What on earth is that human?"
Clay.
Former Hero.
He was clearly far from darkness.
"But..."
What on earth was that?
"He forcibly suppressed my power."
It wasn't like the previous Demon King, who resonated with her power and balanced it.
He merely seized the explosively surging power waves and corrected them.
"That human..."
It was like grabbing reins and pulling until one regained consciousness.
But to be able to do that against her without any mutual understanding required overwhelming, dominating power.
And that power stemmed from a different root than the Holy Power the Hero used.
"He's no longer the Hero."
She too had to admit it.
She realized that Clay was no longer the Hero.
SWISH.
She raised the arm that Clay had gripped.
A clear handprint remained there.
As if a brand had been seared onto her.
'What do I do now...?'
Nevertheless, for now, she had no choice but to remain here.
Regardless of the method, he was the only person left in this world who could make her whole again.
'I have no choice but to stay by his side.'
Complex emotions disturbed her, but they paled in comparison to this practical problem.
Moreover,
'He didn't really care about me.'
He merely needed a fitting weapon.
The previous Demon King never truly opened his heart to anyone.
Only Beatrice, who had been a comrade from the beginning, was able to communicate with him to some extent.
Perhaps that was why, when she encountered him again, she, who had already lost her reason, rampaged even more.
Because she was a failed Heavenly King who couldn't save him.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
Shiltnaro flinched at the sudden knock.
-Are you calmer now?
Beatrice's voice was heard.