Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Elvin and Karen (4)
"So, how did things go?"
Rudian asked Kaitel, who was slowly rising after finishing his prayer.
"Heh, you can tell by seeing me here."
"Did they all properly escape?"
"If my eyes weren't mistaken."
Rudian had originally bluffed that 'Kaitel went to strike the demons' main base' to shake Captain Pruna.
But Kaitel's actual mission was completely different.
"Marba Ainsworth... No, Demon King Marbas? What a tremendous monster he was, more than I expected."
"That would be the case. That's why they entrusted that role to the Sword Master, even though it was just a surveillance job, isn't it?"
Kaitel's mission in this operation was surveillance—to confirm whether the Demon Kings were properly lured and left the capital.
Ordinary people would be immediately detected and killed by the demons under their command, let alone the Demon Kings themselves, so they had no choice but to send a proven expert for that role.
The fact that Kaitel appeared here instead of Marbas or Asmodeus was proof that the operation had succeeded properly.
"I'm a bit worried about Sonya. No matter how I think about it, Marbas seemed to have noticed my surveillance."
This was somewhat unexpected.
"...Is that so?"
"But that fellow left the capital without paying much attention to it. Strange thing."
"What are the chances it was a deception?"
"Well? If I were him, I would have rather killed me and come straight to the Imperial palace. It's not like he lacks power, so why would he do such troublesome things?"
"Hmm...."
Then it means Marbas knew but let it slide....
What could be the reason?
Surely it's not some ridiculous thought like 'we'll fight soon anyway, so I'll just give up the Imperial palace'?
'Even someone crazy about fighting wouldn't be as foolish as Rigos....'
No matter how much he thought about it, no answer came.
"All those presumed to be demons have left, and the remaining Imperial Guard knights in that vicinity were caught by that guy on their way back."
"That guy? Ah, Archduke Quihiller's disciple... You mean?"
Just from that simple reference, Rudian immediately understood who 'that guy' was.
"Yes, that cunning fellow who abandoned me and switched to Archduke Quihiller."
...Anyone watching would think you're Caesar betrayed by Brutus.
Rudian narrowed his eyes and threw a skeptical look at Kaitel.
"I heard that because of that, Archduke Quihiller conceded a lot to the Delphione family? Quite a lot."
"Ahem! Public feelings and private feelings can't be the same. That's how the heart works."
"You say that after receiving everything you could get?"
At those words, Kaitel exercised his right to remain silent and maintained his silence.
Anyway, the first disciple candidate was taken... No, handed over, so now all Kaitel needed to worry about was the 'real disciple' he had officially accepted.
Then Rudian saw Kaitel trudging into the inner part of the imperial palace.
"Aren't you going to help Lady Sonya?"
To Rudian's playful question, Kaitel chuckled and replied.
"Didn't you yourself say you deployed reliable forces there? If that's the case, it's a hundred times better to go see my disciples rather than someone like Sonya."
Disciples'... Plural.
Kaitel's expression as he said that had a hint of regret, making it look even more bitter.
"That's true too. How is it? And how will it be? The qualities of those 'disciples'?"
"As for talent, I've watched them for a long time, so both those lads are qualified. However, I do wish they would stop their love quarrel soon and focus on training."
"Hahaha! Indeed, a love quarrel... That's a nice expression."
Rudian lightly stood up and walked shoulder to shoulder with Kaitel.
"Shall we go then? To see their conclusion."
"Good."
Kaitel nodded without hesitation.
By the way, does our Sword Master realize that his steps toward the imperial palace are gradually getting faster?
***
"Aaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!"
BANG! CRASH!
Karen, engulfed in magic energy, began rampaging indiscriminately without distinguishing friend from foe.
At that fierce and tremendous momentum, not only the nearby succubi but even the Imperial Guard knights right beside her were hit once or twice and sent flying far away.
"Gah!"
"B-be careful! Karen has gone mad!"
"Magic energy! Could it be the influence of the magic sword?"
The magic sword Karen possessed was paired with Captain Pruna's sword.
When Captain Pruna made a vassal contract through her sword, part of Marbas's power that had been directed toward her leaked through a side path and flowed into Karen through her magic sword.
Karen, who had not agreed to become a vassal, rejected the power of the magic energy, but even as a fragment, the power was so fierce that her body was instantly eroded by the magic energy.
And this was the result.
"Elvin! What are you hesitating for?"
"Once eroded by magic energy, suppression is impossible! Make your decision!"
"B-but...!"
Elvin muttered weakly with a face fallen into despair.
Since they lacked the precise insight that Rudian had, they had no choice but to mistake Karen's rampage for not just a simple rampage, but a complete transformation into a demon.
"No matter how precious Karen is, don't forget the greater cause! Your very existence is arranged as our number two! Take better care of yourself!"
"Uaaaaah!"
"She's rampaging again! Block her so the damage doesn't spread!"
While the psychics desperately held her back, others urged Elvin to make a decision.
This place was prepared for Elvin and Karen.
How to tie up that conclusion was something Elvin had to decide.
"Miss Rebecca, isn't there some way?"
In the end, the only person Elvin could cling to was Rebecca, whom Rudian had given as his secret weapon.
"Hmm...."
Rebecca met Elvin's desperate gaze and tilted her head with a troubled expression.
Then she bluntly said one thing.
"I can reverse it."
"......!"
"I-is that really true?"
Elvin and the other psychics widened their eyes and focused their gazes on Rebecca.
She continued speaking.
"I can see the soul suffering. The soul hasn't completely surrendered to the dark power yet. If it's now, there might be a possibility...."
"H-how should we do it?"
"I need to extract that dark power before it gets any later. If it gets any later than this, that young lady will become a monster who has lost her reason."
If the soul and heart surrender and pledge obedience, they become a vassal.
Conversely, if they don't surrender but are forcibly broken and devoured by overwhelmingly strong power, they become a demon beast.
For those eroded by magic energy, these are usually the only two endings that await.
Unless there's a 'Demon Eater' nearby who can freely handle and devour magic energy despite not being a demon.
"But for me to extract that, I need to approach within arm's reach.... In the current situation, if I approach, I think I'll end up like a pig displayed in the village chief's butcher shop?"
And right now, beside Elvin, that Demon Eater exists.
"D-don't worry about that!"
Elvin raised his voice, barely suppressing the desire to shout with joy.
"I will definitely, definitely create that opening!"
Even at Elvin's passionate fervor, Rebecca frowned and shook her head.
"...An opening alone won't do. Until I completely extract the dark power from that person's body, you need to hold onto her body."
If they didn't do that, her own fragile body would easily be torn apart... Was what followed.
Though she had awakened as a Demon Eater, her hair was still orange.
She was still in a state where she couldn't fully control her own power.
A psychic who was like an older brother to Elvin frowned.
"While hope has emerged, it's still just as difficult. Not all of us are telekinetics, and even that's not the case. We can prevent damage from spreading, but it's impossible to hold down all her limbs to completely immobilize her."
All the Imperial Guard knights in the audience hall had either been ambushed by the succubi or caught up in Rebecca's rampage and retired.
The succubi, no longer needing to keep them in check, were somehow helping by creating barriers, but it was clearly visible that they were gradually being overwhelmed.
In such a situation, Elvin quickly made his decision.
"If power is insufficient, we have to make up for it with our bodies."
"Huh? With your body how? Don't tell me, Elvin!"
"Miss Rebecca, I'll somehow hold Karen down. In the meantime, please return Karen to normal."
"......"
"I'll risk my life and definitely succeed. So please...!"
At Elvin's desperate words, Rebecca, who had been staring at him for a while, let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh, if only Rudian would do this for me, I'd have no regrets...."
"What?"
"Nothing. Just go quickly and stop her. I'll definitely do my assigned job."
Rebecca looked at her palm and swallowed dryly.
Though she had only properly used it once against Decarabia, Rebecca felt a baseless confidence that she could somehow manage at that level.
"I trust you."
Elvin left those words and charged straight toward Karen.
"Hey! Elvin! Are you crazy?"
Among the psychics present, no one was inferior to Elvin.
These were people at least ten years older than Elvin, core forces capable of taking on key roles in other families.
Of course, in about ten years, Elvin would surpass them all, but that was only in the future.
In their eyes, Elvin's action was nothing more or less than suicide.
"You crazy fool! At your level, you can't even block it, let alone break through! Come back right now!"
But Elvin ignored them and advanced.
However, he didn't charge at Karen with mere recklessness alone.
-Take this, brother. It will help.
Neither the older brothers and sisters from other families who came along.
Nor his father, the former family head, or other elders knew about this.
The triangular gem that Maria, the current family head and general manager, had secretly handed to him.
'Please, please!'
The Psychic Luminous's greatest sacred object, the Green World, resonated with Elvin's psychic power.
"Aaaaah!"
Toward Karen, who was screaming and emanating an aura, Elvin's psychic power began to radiate with a greenish-gold light.
"......!"
That golden light instantly clashed with the magic energy, and Karen, realizing someone had entered her domain, began indiscriminately bombarding whoever it was.
"Ugh...!"
Even borrowing the power of the Green World, he couldn't overwhelm Karen's power.
Elvin's capabilities were insufficient to draw out the Green World's power.
But Elvin advanced regardless.
The Green World's power alone wasn't enough, but Elvin had the Underworld Sword he had seized from Baphomet's lieutenant.
It resonated with the Green World and neutralized the magic energy.
One step.
And another step.
Borrowing the power of the divine artifact, Elvin approached right up to Karen's vicinity.
Then Karen, recognizing everything around her as enemies, perceived someone who had approached right in front of her and thrust her sword like lightning.
"Die...!"
But this was rather what Elvin had hoped for.
STAB!
Karen's sword pierced through Elvin's abdomen.
Actually, it was a strike aimed at his heart, but Elvin cleverly guided Karen's sword to head toward his abdomen.
"Ugh!"
At the pain like burning flesh with fire, Elvin's expression immediately contorted.
However, Elvin strongly embraced Karen's form as it was, rather inducing the blade to completely penetrate his stomach.
"...Ah?"
Only after getting completely close rather than just near did Karen realize who had been stabbed by her sword.
"El… Vin?"
"Did you come to your senses?"
"Why, how...?"
Karen instinctively realized that Elvin had deliberately let himself be stabbed.
That mental shock resulted in Karen's reason returning for a moment even while magic energy dominated her entire body.
At a distance where their heads would touch with the slightest movement, Elvin confessed to Karen.
"I like you."
"......!"
"I'm sorry for abandoning you. I'm really sorry. Since we were young, I really liked you. No, I love you."
"Ah, aah...!"
"So please, just once, give me a chance. A chance to make up for it... I absolutely won't look elsewhere this time."
COUGH!
The moment his words ended, a lump of blood that had flowed back through his abdomen trickled down Elvin's lips.
"N-no!"
No matter how much it was a glancing blow, it was a strike imbued with magic energy.
No matter how much he was knight-level, there was no way he could be unharmed.
"E-Elvin... Ah, aaaah!"
"Now, that's enough."
Just as Karen was about to let out a scream of despair.
"Cough!"
Karen felt someone strongly grab the back of her neck and coughed.
The orange-haired girl who had grabbed the back of her neck, Rebecca, smiled broadly and said.
"I've watched the life-risking romance quite well. So now it's my turn."
Karen's magic energy flowed into Rebecca through her hand.
At the same time, Rebecca's hair color was gradually changing to blood red, but that was the clearest evidence that things were going well.
"It'll hurt a little, so bear with it."
Energy Drain.
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
At that moment, Karen felt like all the nerves in her body united as one to scream and let out a piercing cry.
'...A little?'
A devastating pain struck Karen's entire body, enough to momentarily forget Elvin's image in her head, more excruciating than all the magic energy's stimulation of her body so far.
"Shit...."
This was the last word Karen uttered before losing consciousness.