Chapter 75 - Disagreement
"My Demon King."
Walking through the empty forest of monsters together, Siltnaro asked.
"Are you alright?"
"About what?"
When Clay asked back, Siltnaro looked hesitant and cautious.
"I'm not sure if I should ask specifically."
"It's about the hero party."
Siltnaro looked surprised at Clay's words.
"I, I was just…"
"There's no need to be flustered."
From the moment the hero became the Demon King, such questions were unavoidable.
"You can ask if you're curious. Even about the mage we met earlier."
Yuru was the genius mage of the Blue Magic Tower.
At a young age, she was named the successor to the tower lord, and she grew to match those expectations, joining the hero party.
However, if asked whether she got along well with the others, the answer was no.
"She had a somewhat arrogant side. She never bowed to any authority."
"But…"
"Yes, if that were the only case, my execution wouldn't be explainable."
With such a personality, it would have been normal for her to cause a huge fuss and smash everything back then.
"In the hero party, she learned how to humble herself. To be precise, she learned how to endure. She lived by suppressing her emotions so she wouldn't act on her feelings. She prioritized the 'greater good.'"
That greater good was completely shattered after Clay's execution took place.
"After that, she seemed to have become twisted. It might have been a backlash to not being able to make a choice based on her own emotions because of what she had learned in the hero party."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
At Clay's words, Siltnaro fell silent. Her face was full of confusion.
"Siltnaro, your expression tells me you're not convinced."
"Huh?"
"You can be honest."
Then, after some hesitation, Siltnaro carefully asked.
"What do you think of that woman, My Demon King?"
Enemy, or ally.
If it was simply divided that way, Yuru was a clear enemy. But the explanation Clay had just given showed a remnant of camaraderie toward her.
That was a contradiction to Clay's current attitude.
"I don't deny the memories of the past."
To Siltnaro, who had become puzzled by the contradictory situation, Clay spoke softly.
"Because the memories and emotions of that time are what made me who I am now."
At the moment he most longed for his comrades' support, he received nothing from them.
The greater good.
It was certainly a virtue that the members of the hero party should possess, but the 'greater good' that had immobilized everyone during his execution was merely a justification.
Distrust.
A flimsy principle created as a result of not trusting the hero, Clay.
A gruesome end where those who were close instead turned away even more strongly.
"From their perspective, they might have had no other choice."
However, understanding did not mean he could accept everything.
Because,
From the perspective of the man with a rope tied around his neck, that greater good sounded nothing more than a cowardly whisper from those who chose distrust over faith.
So they, too, had to understand.
That this resentment was something he couldn't endure.
"I am acting as the me from back then, when I was hanged and buried, Siltnaro."
Distrust brought him death. So all he could give in return was the same distrust. Naturally, the conclusion could only be death as well.
"No matter how much you talk to a tombstone, the dead can't hear you."
The way they acted after the hanging was a domain that Clay would overlook.
"I understand, My Demon King."
With an expression that now understood what he was thinking and how he was acting, Siltnaro nodded.
"They only remain as comrades in your memories, don't they?"
"Yes."
"I understand."
Siltnaro placed her hand on her chest and said.
"I will look at you as you are, My Demon King."
He, too, was living with confusion, but his future, which had taken its end as a conviction, would never be swayed by it.
That was the appearance of the Demon King, who proclaimed himself as the absolute ruler of the demonkind.
"…Wow, that's intense, isn't it?"
A voice was heard then.
A small spirit appeared from Siltnaro's brightly shining hair.
"Just listening to it is scary."
Naiad.
At her appearance, Siltnaro's eyes went wide.
"O-oh, how did you…!"
"Huh? I'm a spirit."
"Does that explain it?!"
"A spirit can inhabit objects. The difficulty is different, so it doesn't work on all kinds of objects, but a high-ranking spirit like me can even inhabit an existence like you."
Spirit possession.
An ability that can assist the body of the target through elemental 부여(conferment).
Since it doesn't directly harm the target, the spirit can only be forced out if the target notices the possession and rejects it.
"What kind of ridiculous ability is that…!"
"All the Spirit Kings have it."
"Huh?!"
Siltnaro flinched in shock.
Watching Naiad manipulate her, Clay sighed.
'She did the same thing with Excalbren.'
That mischievousness hadn't gone anywhere.
'But still, it's a good thing.'
Clay felt a sense of relief that she wasn't averse to possessing the demonic sword.
'It was a part that I was going to ask for anyway.'
One of the easiest ways to become stronger was to reinforce the weapon you possessed.
'If I can just properly use the Primal Prayer through spirit possession and Altanato's forging…'
He could achieve a dramatic effect in a short period of time, even if he didn't get stronger himself.
WHOOSH!
Without them realizing, they had reached the end of the forest of monsters and were outside.
♧
Altanato.
The legendary blacksmith who lived in the age of the gods.
The place where he was sleeping was an ancient ruin near the center of the continent.
"Is this the place?"
The ancient ruins, Dramatuhel.
It had been hidden in a black forest, so it had taken a long time to find it. As Clay let out a long breath, Naiad, who was flying around him, opened her mouth.
"The Lord of Blood must have gone through several cities by now."
"Naiad."
"Alright, alright. I won't say anything ominous."
"That's not it."
Clay raised Siltnaro, who had turned back into a sword.
"To meet Altanato, you must go back inside Siltnaro."
"Huh? Again? I'm a spirit, you know?"
"Only a weapon and the person holding it can reach Altanato."
Of course, a question would naturally arise as to whether Siltnaro with Naiad inside would mean there were two more people besides the weapon holder, but that wouldn't be a problem.
'Because I heard this when the Holy Sword was made.'
Dwarves simply saw a weapon as a single entity, regardless of how many souls were in it. It was their theory that the final form was what was important.
'It can't have been a random thought.'
Dwarves value tradition. That theory was also clearly something that had been passed down from the past. Indeed, the dwarves who made the Holy Sword had once said that what they were saying was no different from the will of their ancestors.
Even though they would get drunk and become rowdy at other times, they were infinitely serious when it came to forging weapons, so it couldn't have been a joke.
『I'm not thrilled about it either.』
Siltnaro said with a grumble.
『But there's nothing we can do. They said we can't enter if we don't fuse.』
"Don't use such strange words."
Naiad winced and twisted her body.
"If anything, I'm just piggybacking on your back. It's far from fusing."
『Alright, then hurry up and piggyback. I'll show you the respect due to your age.』
"What?!"
Seeing them get noisy again, Clay sighed.
"Naiad, if you're not going to follow, then go hide in a nearby tree or something."
"What? M-me, a tree?"
Naiad opened her mouth wide as if she was dumbfounded.
"Do you think I'm a squirrel? Do you think I'd be fine just going into a cozy tree hollow?"
"I didn't say that."
"That's what you meant~."
Seeing her still being noisy, Clay closed his eyes patiently.
"Huh? What are you doing, Clay? You're not listening?"
『Just come in, please.』
After a few minutes of squabbling, Naiad finally possessed Siltnaro.
『This is seriously uncool.』
Unlike Naiad, who was still complaining, Siltnaro spoke with a slightly exhilarated voice.
『This, my body definitely feels a bit better.』
『What? You didn't even notice last time, so what feels better?』
『No, now that I'm aware, I can definitely feel it.』
Siltnaro showed confidence.
『It feels like a river has formed inside my body. How should I put it, a new flow has been caught.』
『Don't lie. I haven't even used my power, so what's caught?』
『Huh? I feel like I really can catch it.』
『Seriously, what in the… AAAAAGH?!』
At that moment, Clay took a sharp breath, seeing water particles spread out from Siltnaro like mist.
'Siltnaro can even control Naiad's power?'
Usually, when a spirit inhabited a weapon, the maximum effect of the element was achieved by causing a resonance. But this was…
'It's better than I expected.'
Even if a spirit was helping, it was still just an assistance. There was bound to be a difference compared to directly wielding the ability, but if Siltnaro could draw upon the necessary power on her own, that would be incredibly efficient.
『GYAAGYAGYAG!』
Naiad, who had voluntarily entered but had now been caught, tried to get out of Siltnaro, but Clay held out his hand.
"Endure it, Naiad."
『HUH?!』
Naiad looked up at Clay, who was pressing down on her head, which had poked out of Siltnaro, with a look of shock.
『Wha-what are you doing! This bastard is using my power however he wants!』
"I know. I'm telling you to get used to it."
『AAAGH! I hate this! It tickles!』
After Clay blocked her attempts to escape several times, Naiad was pushed back into Siltnaro.
『Da-damn it. Hgyagyagya!』
"Siltnaro. Give her some time to breathe."
『Oops, sorry, My Demon King. I'm just so amazed that I can sense and use this kind of power…』
『I-I swear, I'm not going to let either of you get away with this later.』
It was as Naiad was muttering with a choked-up voice.
VROOOM.
The ancient pattern, hidden by weeds, began to glow.
"What is this?"
Centered around Clay's feet, a blue light appeared and drew a line, pointing somewhere like an arrow.
He followed the arrow and began to walk.
[I will give you one chance to turn back.]
When he stood in front of the hammer statue in the ancient ruins, a voice pierced his mind.
[I know you are qualified to be here. However, that is only about your qualifications.]
The voice pressed down heavily on Clay's shoulders.
[If your weapon is not the same as you, you will leave this place 'empty-handed'.]
Empty-handed.
Clay knew what that meant.
"Siltnaro."
Clay looked down at his sword.
"Forgive me for transferring all the pain to you."
That was something Siltnaro was willing to accept, but…
『Huh?』
…it did not apply to a spirit who had been possessed against its will.