Chapter 449
Chapter 449
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 449
Chapter Title: Devilish Bastards
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In the fading darkness, I could see the Light brothers waving their hands. Next came Mershin waving, then Martelis. Even the two monsters ranking below Bulverza were grinning and waving goodbye.
"Everyone, take care!"
I shouted my farewell to them, and my body shot up like it was having a seizure. Then, like a whirlpool churning, my consciousness surged upward.
—Pop!
"S-Saint! You're conscious!!! Thank goodness! Oh, thank goodness!!!!"
"El...ise?"
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Elise's face.
"Fuck... no strength in my body..."
I propped myself up on my upper body and took stock of the situation. All the strength had drained from my limbs, and it was dark around me. It seemed like night had fallen... but this wasn't inside the city.
This was in front of Isvant's walls.
"Elise... what happened?"
It looked like Elise had carried me here.
I blinked my eyes repeatedly to clear my blurry vision and asked.
"Saint! You defeated the succubus, a demon of Pandemonium! Though in her final moments, that wicked demon opened a gate and fled, this is a clear victory! You've repelled a powerful demon!"
As if she'd been waiting just for me to wake up, Elise grabbed both my hands and bellowed at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were sparkling so brightly they seemed visible even in the dark.
"Yeah. That's how it went."
Anyway, hearing her yell right in my face snapped me fully awake.
"Whoa, that woke me right up."
We had won.
"Sob...! But above all, it's a relief that you've come to, Saint! Repelling the demon is important, but not as important as your life!!! Thank goodness!!!"
"Aigoo."
Tears welled up in her sparkling eyes.
Elise trembled as she clutched my hands, shouting in an excited tone.
"If you hadn't woken up, I wouldn't know how to go on living!!!"
"Heh heh heh, sorry for making you worry."
I patted the back of the already sobbing Elise to calm her down.
"Elise. Don't cry. We won. And I, Kim Katt, am not the type to drop dead from something like that."
Elise, overflowing with joy, kept shouting her thanks, admiration, and praise.
"Truly! What an incredible feat! Defeating a demon with your own power alone!"
"I didn't win alone. We won because you chanted that enchant, you fool."
"Sob...! How profound your wisdom is...! You don't need to credit me just to comfort me!"
"It's not comfort—it's the truth. If we hadn't combined our strength, we couldn't have taken her down. Without the enchant, my attacks wouldn't have worked."
Without the holy enchant, I couldn't have pierced Hildegarte.
"No! I was nothing but a burden to you, Saint! And yet you saved me...!"
"Heh heh heh, I said no."
Right after felling Hildegarte, I'd lost consciousness.
I could imagine how worried Elise must have been seeing that.
She's acting like this because she saw it.
Elise has a strong sense of responsibility, so she probably panicked when I collapsed. Anyway, I spent a good while patting her back. Seeing her eyes brimming with感動 made her look awfully cute.
She was like a little girl shedding tears of joy upon receiving her first birthday present from Santa Claus.
"Whew... I've calmed down a bit. Allow me to thank you once more, Saint."
A little time passed, and Elise regained her composure.
"After you lost consciousness, the sun began to set soon after. I immediately carried you toward the city, but unfortunately, we didn't make it in time. That's why we were here."
The now-composed Elise explained what had happened.
"Thanks, Elise. For carrying me."
"It was the least I could do."
It had been late afternoon when we fought Hildegarte.
The battle dragged on, and right after my victory, the sun started setting. Elise hoisted me up and headed for the city right away, but since it was already night, we couldn't pass through the gates.
So she'd laid me down here, waited for me to wake while pouring holy recovery skills on me and praying.
"The moment you rebuked the succubus, that demon flying in the sky plummeted right down. What in the world was that...!"
"Ah."
—Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon.
The true power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art surging from within me.
The enlightenment of Fusion Confucianism. Mana, the energy source of this world. And my beliefs, thoughts, and faith united deep in my heart, manifesting in the real world.
It was like the Slash of the Moment that cleaved Alraune in one strike, or the vision of my inner self I'd seen in the circlet.
—My clear potential.
But.
Right now, the true essence of that Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon doesn't come to mind.
"This too."
It was the same as the Slash of the Moment.
Back then, the faith I believed in intertwined with Alraune's illusion, taking form within me and manifesting its power.
And now, the power of friendship from the legendary Light brothers and my killer buddies helped complete the Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon, allowing it to manifest.
"Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon."
I can manifest it again.
That belief blossomed in my heart.
The manifestation of potential—it's the belief that I can definitely do it someday, backed by the ability to make it real.
That 'power' definitely exists within me.
The experiences, enlightenment, strength, friendships, love, faith, convictions, and efforts in this world exist clearly in my heart, even if I can't see them with my eyes.
"That is the true power of Fusion Confucianism."
The power to topple imperialism.
The power to crush shitty bastards.
The power to judge the unorthodox demons.
The power to turn the unjust into justice.
The true truth of Fusion Confucianism can't be seen with the eyes, but it firmly resides in my heart.
"I-I see... It's like the kind of power the church's saintesses wield when their faith and devotion reach their peak, unleashing transcendent holy power!"
After hearing my brief explanation of the Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon, Elise exclaimed in感動 again.
"Indeed, the faith you showed in the holy war was incomparably pious and sacred!"
"Yeah. This could be called... holy power."
A fitting deduction.
I am a seeker of Fusion Confucianism.
If gods exist in this world, and faith in them unleashes holy power, then as a seeker, I too can wield divinity.
"Ugh, fuck. But my body's still weak..."
"Rest. This is in front of the walls, so it's relatively safe."
"Yeah, right... Oh, Elise, what about the investigation?"
"Since a succubus appeared, it's confirmed some kind of gate opened. We can't be sure if she opened it herself, but the investigation's purpose is fulfilled. Thank you for your efforts."
"Good."
With that, I closed my eyes again.
With Elise guarding me, I had nothing to worry about.
"Elise. Wake me in a bit. Time to switch night watch."
"I can't do that. You need to recover now, Saint. You should sleep soundly."
"No, we can't do that."
"I absolutely won't wake you until morning."
"Damn."
And so I fell asleep.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ When I woke again, it was morning. Elise had guarded me all night. As soon as I got up, we passed through the gates into the city.
"Ugh, still no strength. Elise, thanks. You worked hard."
"You worked harder, Saint."
"Heh heh heh, we both worked hard. So, heading back now?"
"Hmm... I plan to stay a few more days to write the report. Personally, I'd like to investigate more, but..."
Elise trailed off before concluding.
"Encountering the succubus made me realize my power is still lacking. With you injured, Saint, charging ahead alone recklessly would just get us taken by demons. We'll end the investigation here."
"Yeah. That's enough. Good thinking. Our power's still insufficient. We need more training."
"Wise words. I'll stay a few more days to write the report and monitor the situation. Other demons might appear."
That sounds better.
We'd already witnessed the demon gate.
Hildegarte fled through it.
The imps probably crossed with the succubus. That's the rough conclusion. There might be more truth hidden, but we can't investigate now.
Better to monitor, report, and inform the church.
"Alright, Elise. Head in safe. I'll visit once I'm recovered. That inn we always go to, right?"
"Yes... If you can't make it back alone, I'll help."
"I can handle that much. You haven't slept either—go rest. See you later. Divine!"
"F-Friend! Got it. See you next time. Bye!"
With that, I parted from Elise and trudged home.
Damn... I ended up staying out overnight.
That was my biggest worry right now. No telling what I'd hear. Winia must be pretty pissed. Karin too. Claudia would understand, but Lisha would worry a lot.
Ah, fuck, I'm so sorry I can't even look up.
—Creak.
I slinked inside the house.
It's early morning, so Karin and Lisha are at work... Wait, no, today seems like their day off?
"Our little blackie’s home?"
The moment I opened the door, there was Winia beaming at me.
"Wi, Winia? Heh heh heh! Got caught up in overtime! So glad to see your face! Love you! Winia, how are you so pretty and lovable!"
I grinned exaggeratedly and spread my arms wide.
In times like these, seize the mood first.
I strode right up to Winia.
But seriously, seeing her face and chest made me so happy. Finally home, I felt relieved. Better than that fucking succubus bitch—my wives are the prettiest.
"Little blackie's excited, huh?"
Oh.
Shit.
"No... not excited or anything..."
"Didn't I tell you to come home early? Little blackie... why don't you ever listen... Don't you care about your wives waiting at home?"
"I-I was gonna come early, but..."
—Thud thud thud.
On my knees before Winia, the other three wives came down from the second floor. All in flowing lingerie, I thought three succubi were descending.
"Well, look who finally showed up, hubby? Big sis was looking forward to today off since last night, but you didn't come even past midnight!"
"Daring to stay out overnight while this lady awaits..."
"Katt... Mama doesn't know."
Huh.
"Sorry! Forgive me! My fault! And thanks for waiting!"
I shed my outer clothes and bowed my head at their feet. In that position, with Winia leading, I got an earful from all the wives.
"Hubby... living together and you keep coming home late? Wanna die?"
"This lady couldn't sleep from worry."
"I'm sorry!!!!"
Karin fumed about not sleeping, and Lisha did the same. But when I rubbed my face against their calves in apology, they seemed to soften a bit.
"Sigh, little blackie. I really burn up inside if you're not in front of me. I said I'd collar you next time, didn't I?"
"Gasp!"
Of course, the most pissed Winia scolded me with terrifying words.
"Don't be too harsh. Things can run late with work, right?"
Thanks, Lisha!
"Lisha sis. Suddenly taking little blackie's side?"
"Yeah! This jerk needs a good scolding!"
When Winia snapped curtly, Karin fired back.
"Well said, Karin sis. Feels good having backup."
As I kept my head bowed, Claudia stroked my back and said.
"Katt, wanna bathe with Mama first? We can talk in the bath. Okay?"
"Mama..."
As expected of Claudia...!
"Agh! That's the problem with you sis! You accept anything little blackie does, so he gets spoiled!"
"Still, shouldn't we hear what happened before scolding?"
"True, but sis, this isn't the first or second time."
I took Claudia's hand and stood.
"Haa. Get up, little blackie. Let's wash first. What happened to make you so filthy?"
"...Well, about that."
With Claudia and Winia in tow, I headed to the bath. Karin and Lisha followed, shedding their lingerie.