Chapter 48 - Holy Sword Excalbren
The Holy Sword, Excalbren.
This sword was forged by the Dwarves from eternity stone, which they could only obtain in extremely minute quantities.
Through the priests, it was imbued with protective sigils, transforming it into a vessel capable of holding Holy Power.
It was an object that required impossible resources to create, but that didn't make it more than just an object.
Its role was strictly limited to being the Hero's weapon.
Normally.
"...Excalbren."
Yuru frowned, looking at Excalbren which had appeared before her.
"Did you come looking for your former master?"
WHIRRR.
Excalbren vibrated, as if in affirmation.
"Why don't you speak?"
But Yuru didn't accept that as an answer.
Then Excalbren stopped vibrating and spoke.
『The master's call has ceased.』
"Oh, it's probably been quite a while since it stopped."
Yuru let out a hollow laugh.
"You already knew something was wrong with your master, didn't you?"
『...』
Yuru chewed on her lip, watching Excalbren remain silent.
Excalbren was originally an object that couldn't develop a will of its own.
After all, 'objects' were just that.
However, Excalbren, by being with Clay, gained power beyond that of a mere object, and finally blossomed a will.
Everyone praised the Hero for having given birth to a 'Soul Sword'.
At that time, Yuru also thought Clay had achieved a great feat.
"You're a monstrosity."
But now, she didn't.
"A monstrosity that parasitizes its master."
Excalbren required Clay's life force to maintain its will.
There was no reason for Clay to give up his life force, but he gradually shared it with Excalbren.
Clay said it was only enough not to significantly affect his lifespan, but Yuru didn't believe him.
Excalbren, which initially couldn't even speak proper words, suddenly started uttering full sentences.
It hadn't grown solely by its own power.
That was possible because it had increasingly drawn upon Clay's life force.
"Brother was generous to you, but I am not."
Yuru raised a hand.
A magic circuit instantly appeared on the back of her hand.
"You are a 'defective product'."
A piece of trash, actually born abnormally, which no one acknowledged because Clay was the Hero.
"Brother would have been fine without you. And that's still true now."
Yuru had no intention of letting Excalbren meet Clay.
"Disappear."
ZIIIIING!
The surrounding magical power was sucked into Yuru.
Soon, it formed into several orbs that flew towards Excalbren.
『I swore.』
Excalbren spun from top to bottom, cleaving one of the orbs that reached it.
『If I were not called for a long time, I would go find him before my life force ran out.』
"What?"
『If my master dies, I will become his gravestone.』
WHIRL!
Excalbren instantly cleaved all the remaining orbs.
KABOOOOM!
The orbs exploded in the air.
Yuru dashed towards Excalbren, conjuring an ice sword from the ground and grabbing it.
"Then I'll play with you until your life force runs out."
CLANG!
And so, the masterless sword and the twisted magician clashed.
♧
BOOM!
The commotion reached even Barungenia.
"Your Majesty, the Demon King."
Kardine approached Clay and spoke.
"It seems something is happening outside."
He brought his hand to the sword at his hip.
"I will go and check."
"No."
Clay stopped him.
"It's fine."
"Yes? But..."
"I already know who it is."
At his words, Kardine's eyes widened.
"You know who it is...? Is it an intruder?!"
"Rather than an intruder, 'spy' would be a more accurate term."
While battling Athanasia, Clay had already noticed another presence hidden in the rocks of the gorge.
The reason he hadn't shown it then was to avoid provoking someone who didn't seem to intend to interfere, and thus dragging them into the battlefield unnecessarily.
If he had, the battle with Athanasia would have gotten complicated.
"Even if it's a spy, daring to watch Your Majesty the Demon King, it would be best to ensure they never open their eyes again...!"
"Don't get agitated."
Clay said, picking up the teacup in front of him.
"They are not on a level you can handle anyway."
"Yes?"
"Don't worry. I'm not saying we should leave them alone without any countermeasure."
Yuru.
Clay lowered his eyes, taking a sip of tea.
'Has she lost her way?'
She was the one who had ravaged Marpein.
Not only had she incurred the wrath of the Holy State Alliance, but she had also done something that wouldn't be tolerated by the Magic Tower.
'She managed to survive, somehow.'
He had arranged for Yuru, who had already significantly depleted her energy battling Marpein, to clash with forces from Yapheon, but...
'Was it insufficient after all?'
Even with the Guardian Knights joining in, they couldn't kill her.
He hadn't expected much to begin with.
Yuru was a genius.
She was also the type who grew stronger when facing mortal danger.
"A countermeasure, you say...?"
Kardine asked, looking at Clay who was lost in thought.
Clay slowly turned his gaze to Kardine.
"It's about utilizing her."
"Utilizing, you mean?"
"Yes."
Yuru had completely alienated herself from humans.
That didn't mean she was on the demon race's side either.
She merely wanted to reclaim Clay.
For her own peace.
'Yuru.'
Clay closed his eyes.
'I have no intention of forgiving you.'
He was already dead.
Even if he was resurrected, he was living a life after death had already been confirmed once.
Their previous relationship had already ended then.
Nevertheless,
'It won't be severed.'
Whether it was lingering attachment or something else, the members of the Hero's party wanted Clay.
Clay clenched his fist tightly.
CRACK!
The teacup cracked.
Hot tea spilled down his hand.
That tea could not be picked up again.
"Kardine."
Nevertheless, Clay could not avert his gaze from the tea flowing down his hand.
"When I decided to become the Demon King, I also took on responsibilities."
Revenge was no longer solely his.
Therefore, he had to utilize even the slightest remaining lingering attachment within himself.
"I will do anything to win. For now, it will be this letter."
He set down the teacup, took out an envelope with a letter from his pocket, and handed it to Kardine.
"Your Majesty, the Demon King, what is this...?"
"Deliver it to Yuru."
"Yes?"
"That is my countermeasure."
Kardine swallowed dryly, looking down at the envelope.
'This to Yuru?'
What could be written inside?
'Is he demanding her surrender to the demon race?'
Kardine shook his head inwardly.
'No, that can't be.'
To Clay, Yuru was someone he absolutely did not want to forgive.
'Then what on earth...'
He was nervous, unsure what would happen in Beatrice's absence, but then Kardine bowed his head to Clay.
"Understood."
All he could do was obey this incomprehensible sovereign.
♧
The entrance to the demon realm.
There, the elite mercenary group, Raidon, was present.
"So, it's this way, huh?"
The Raidon Commander licked the scar on the corner of his mouth, looking at a ruined village.
According to witnesses, an unidentified woman had passed through this village, leading walking corpses.
"It seems the rumors are true after all."
Recently, there had been talk that Beatrice, one of the Demon King's Heavenly Kings, was regrouping the demons.
Something was definitely happening in the demon realm, with even talk of a new Demon King being born.
And that meant there was information in the demon realm.
Raidon was also an information broker, buying and selling not just goods, but information as well.
If the information was worth the risk, there was no reason for them not to go.
"Um, Commander."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Isn't this too dangerous?"
A subordinate asked the Commander with a grim face.
"Look here. Whatever was here, some monstrous being went that way too."
The village was completely devastated.
Some houses were burnt to ashes, and half-destroyed corpses were scattered everywhere.
"It's a monster."
The subordinate said, swallowing dryly.
"Monsters are gathering."
"So?"
"So what? We're not moving on a commissioned request, so there's no support. What are we going to do if something goes wrong?"
"What are we going to do?"
The Commander looked at his subordinate with an indifferent expression.
"If we move without a commission, we can put a price competition on the information, right? We can make a big score by taking the risk."
"Commander."
"Enough."
The Commander's brow furrowed.
"If you keep whining, go back, you bastard. But then, you won't get a single penny from the profits we get here, understand?"
The subordinate's lips twitched, then he sighed and backed away.
For a mercenary who couldn't earn a living without finding work for himself, there was nothing harder than giving up work voluntarily.
"I-I'll go."
"Should've done that from the start."
The Commander surveyed the ruins and shouted.
"First, we'll search this place! If you see anything valuable, check it out!"
The order was given to the entire group.
The members dispersed, each beginning to search the village.
They trampled over collapsed houses and opened the lids of remaining storage boxes.
"Commander! Here!"
"It's silver!"
"Here too!"
Shouts from the members who found valuables erupted from various places.
'Lucky from the start!'
The Commander chuckled happily.
No matter what kind of monstrous woman it was, she seemed to have taken nothing valuable from this place.
It meant she had only committed slaughter, which in some ways felt chilling, but the Commander didn't care.
After all, they weren't trying to fight such a monstrous being.
Even as an elite mercenary group, they weren't the type to earn money by subjugating magical beasts or demons.
They simply had to gather information they heard or saw, or pick up whatever was lying on the ground.
"Hehehe, another successful haul."
It was then, as he picked up an ash-covered necklace from within the ruins of a building.
-Wh
-What, ugh!
-Aaaaaargh! Damn it!
-KRAAARGH!
Screams began to be heard from nearby.
"Huh?"
The startled Commander let out a shrill voice and turned around.
He hurriedly rushed out of the ruins.
"Wh-!"
And he found it.
His subordinate, who had warned him of danger, was caught by some massive demon.
"Heheheh, I was getting bored on my way here, you see."
A black body, and two horns on its head.
The Commander mumbled without realizing it.
"D-Demon King..."
"Demon King?"
The demon heard the words and smiled, as if intrigued.
"Demon King, huh. It's not a bad name to be called. Maybe I'll even challenge him this time..."
KABOOOOM!
It was instantaneous.
The mumbling demon was struck by a fireball and tumbled to the ground.
"KYAAAHHHHHHH!"
A nearby subordinate was burning and rapidly turning to ash.
But the Commander couldn't turn his gaze that way.
"You, you..."
An appearance that revealed her identity without needing to ask who she was.
The woman floating in the sky with two red wings was none other than Beatrice.
"Geshkafo."
She looked down only at the demon called Geshkafo, with an expression of considerable displeasure.
"I never thought you'd come this far already. Or that you'd spout such nonsense so easily."
"...Heheheh, Beatrice?"
Geshkafo rose from the ruins, looking up at Beatrice.
"Good."
His eyes gleamed with a strange light.
"Take me to this new Demon King."