Four Heavenly Kings Ashumar (8)
“Sisilnyang! This is a massive discovery!”
The day she handed the grimoire to Lude, he was practically jumping for joy.
“I’m certain! There’s never been a greater find in all of human history!”
Sisilia inwardly thought, Really? That big a deal? But the pretty Sword Princess, ever trusting in her comrades, didn’t call him out on it.
“My name is Sisilia. Not ‘nyang.’”
“Right, Lady Sisilnyang. So this’ll totally change the whole subjugation battle, yeah?”
Sisilia made a dismissive face, but she answered anyway.
“Yeah. I don’t think a dragon got killed by some scrub like that. It let itself die. So I figure the dragon-loving dragon jotted down a spell to kill Ashumar somewhere in here.”
Beatrice stared hard at Lude. The other Windsor Knights were doing the same, for the record.
“Huh? Me? Yeah, I agree with Sisilia. Might’ve been different back then, but no way a being with that level of magical knowledge goes down easy.”
“Oh…”
Sisilia was deeply shocked by her squad’s attitude—they wouldn’t buy her words but nodded along once Lude backed her up. Why’s my image turning into some stray alley cat…?
“Might be easier than we thought. Good news.”
“Finally get to go home and see the wife.”
“……Didn’t you say you got divorced before joining us?”
“I’m talking about my future wife. Not as good as a millennium-reading dragon, but I can read my love fortune just fine.”
“Sisilia, do something about this guy’s delusions of grandeur.”
“…? Herald’s pretty handsome, so it’s not wrong, I think.”
“Kill that bastard.”
The strongest knight order erupted into chaos, starting a beatdown. Beatrice, already used to it, just thought to herself.
“But if Ashumar had taken this back then…… wouldn’t this whole story never have even started?”
“Yeah. It wouldn’t have.”
Beatrice asked like she genuinely didn’t get it.
“Why’d Ashumar leave behind the most valuable thing? A dragon’s grimoire is worth more than billions in gold.”
“That’s now. Back then, it was different.”
Probably invisible to Ashumar, blinded by greed. Amid the glittering piles of gold coins, that worn-out grimoire with its outdated design had dropped in. Antiques are pricey for a reason, but scrubs gonna scrub.
“You always realize true value too late.”
Gazing at the rippling waves of golden coins, Sisilia recalled that moment and mused.
“Did the dragon see this scene too? It dropped the barrier the second I showed up, so it definitely saw the future.”
Which meant this very scene might be live-streaming to the dragon from a thousand years ago right now.
“!”
Sisilia hurriedly struck a gal pose. Her ultimate fan-service move.
With the release of Wind Shear came the unfolding of Valhalla. The sacred golden waves turned the space itself into holy ground. An absolute domain where only humans could avoid death. Ashumar, naturally, wouldn’t qualify.
Or so it should have been.
Thud. Thud.
From amid the Windsor Knights surrounding Ashumar stepped a young boy. In his hand was a single grimoire—one very familiar to Ashumar. And the boy holding it wasn’t just any kid; he was a genius mage whose growth had halted after grasping truth at too young an age.
Magus Lude.
“A request from an old friend. The night we’ve awaited is nigh.”
What he was about to demonstrate was the dragon’s magic from a thousand years past. More precisely, optimized for humans a thousand years in the future to use.
The incantation was a bit unusual. Like a letter, addressed to someone.
“No regrets. Because I knew from the start—and that was my one true wish.”
Ashumar realized these were the dragon’s parting words to him. His pupils trembled faintly.
“Ashumar. Your end comes when another wind rises. Just as I gave you everything, she will take it all away.”
Snap.
Lude closed the open grimoire and stood before Ashumar.
“But as a precaution against the unforeseen, I leave you this spell.”
Ashumar’s pupils dilated at Lude’s cold voice. He instinctively knew what that magic meant.
“N-no. Don’t.”
For him, revival was more terrifying than death.
“D-don’t do it.”
In that instant, memory dragged him back. To the human boy before the colossal dragon, powerless. The farmer’s son who’d dreamed of becoming a knight.
To him, Lude’s gaze overlapped with the dragon’s.
Lude flipped a V upside down and spat it out casually.
“In Purdio.”
——!
Blue light struck Ashumar dead-on. He thrashed in vain. But Sisilia’s wind bound stronger than any chain. As if a god had commanded him to freeze.
“No! Nooo!”
Ashumar’s black arm reverted to human flesh. And at once, Beatrice’s Valhalla recognized him as human.
Ashumar could not die.
Sisilia looked down at him appraisingly.
“So this is what you really look like.”
Ashumar stared at his own hand. Red. He saw vivid red—the color no demon should behold. Speechless.
Sisilia bent at the waist with a bright smile.
“Ugly uncle.”
“……!”
She raised her sword. Ashumar slowly bowed his head. No hope left. Mana heart stolen. Nothing remained.
“……Kill me.”
Slash—!
Sisilia swung without hesitation.
“Gaaahhh!”
He screamed, clutching at his leg—but it wasn’t there.
“!”
Cleanly severed below the knee.
Sisilia looked down coldly and poured a potion. It flowed over his head, healing the stump.
“Vice-captain, no demons left around here. Some beasts, but Beatrice cleaned ’em up.”
Sisilia nodded at Hyter’s report.
“Yeah. Good work, everyone.”
“So, what now?”
All eyes turned to Sisilia. Even Ashumar’s.
She answered lightly.
“Like Hyter said, no demons around here.”
She glanced at Ashumar.
“Right?”
Sisilia walked away. The Windsor Knights got the hint and chuckled, following.
“Demons really got no blood, no tears.”
Watching the departing knights, Ashumar yelled desperately.
“Wh-what’re you doing! Kill me quick! Hurry!”
He crawled on his belly. Vomiting blood in his heart, he screamed.
“Hey! Kill me! Please, I’m begging!”
The Windsors ignored his pitiful cries.
“Leave me like this, and I’ll definitely get revenge! You okay with that?!”
Utter disregard. Tears welled in Ashumar’s eyes.
“Kill… me……”
Tears streamed down his cheeks. The one thing he’d gained today—but useless to him.
“Definitely. Definitely.”
Ashumar crawled doggedly through the forest. Around him lay beast corpses drawn by the scent of blood. Even legless, a demon over a millennium old outmatched low-grade beasts.
“Revenge.”
His thirst for vengeance burned. Anyone would do. He’d beg any conversing demon to take him to the Demon King. Become undead again. Lose the Four Heavenly Kings seat? Fine.
“I’ll never forgive this humiliation. Sisilia Windsor!”
He ground his teeth. Zeal for life filled his chest. He’d make them regret sparing him forever.
“What Windsor?”
But that voice chilled him to the bone.
“……How do you……”
Ashumar gaped at the man squatting, staring right at him.
“Sisilia did it? ……Whatever. Looks like I wasn’t needed from the start.”
It was Gallerhead, whom he’d definitely killed.
“How—how are you alive?!”
One arm was missing. But Ashumar knew: even one-armed, he was still a mighty knight.
“Eh…… it just happened.”
Gallerhead scratched his head, speaking slowly.
“Got lucky.”
“……What?”
“Some…… quest? Adventurer came looking for me.”
Gallerhead hadn’t expected to survive. Not that wound. Lazy as he was, he didn’t even have a basic potion.
……Not that a basic potion would’ve done shit.
Zero chance. Dead for sure.
That’s when it happened.
Who’d have thought? A rural village with an adventurer packing pricey high-grade potions. And using her life savings on a total stranger without hesitation.
“Really absurd.”
Gallerhead’s vision held no gaps in Ashumar. Too many, in fact.
“You’re unlucky.”
Gallerhead struck a gap. Ashumar died without a death rattle.
Even then, Gallerhead slit his throat to be sure before sheathing his sword.
Sisilia’s old advice. Though he hadn’t expected her to ignore it herself.
Gallerhead waited motionlessly for about five minutes. No issues. He turned and trudged into the forest.
“……Job’s done, got fired from work. What now?”
He muttered blankly. Soon, he spotted a girl sitting uneasily on a rock.
“D-did you finish?”
Gallerhead nodded slowly.
“Nothing left here. Anywhere you wanna go? ……Just not Terezia.”
……Guess I’ll play mentor for a bit.
He figured a pathetic knight like him shouldn’t mentor. But hey, gotta repay that potion.