Chapter 196: Second Saintess (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Second Saintess (4)
Since they are both followers of the Evil God, demons, dark mages, and pagans are often lumped together.
Naturally, however, demons and dark mages are entirely different species.
Demons.
They are also called magical lifeforms, as they are rooted in mana.
Their defining characteristic is that they are born from a fundamental concept, which is why most people tend to associate them with dark mages.
Things that are evil. Things that are wicked.
While that isn't entirely wrong, the concepts that define demons aren't limited to such things.
Fire, water, wind, earth.
In addition to the basic attributes that mages use naturally, there are also demons derived from weapons commonly used by humanity, such as swords, bows, and spears.
Though it doesn't exist in this world yet, if someone were to invent something like a chainsaw, a Chainsaw Demon might eventually be born.
In that sense, a demon representing the universal concept of the "Sword" was quite powerful, matching the sword's widespread recognition.
Granted, like other demons, it had only recently awakened in this world. Compared to its prime, its current physical combat power was pathetically weak, almost shamefully so.
However, its fundamental essence remained unchanged.
Thus, for the sake of survival, the Sword Demon resorted to a method it would never have normally considered.
It shared a part of itself with inferior humans.
By replacing a human heart with a fragment of the Sword Demon—the very concept of the sword itself—even a mediocre person who had never held a blade could be awakened into a master capable of surprising even Adam Smith.
Of course, great power comes at a great price.
The Sword Demon’s already weakened power plummeted to rock bottom.
But in exchange, it created dozens of elite soldiers.
Depending on the situation, one powerful entity might be more useful than several mediocre ones.
Conversely, there were times when several mediocre entities were more useful than a single powerful one.
Now was one of those times.
In a situation where it was powerful but unable to overwhelm the enemy, the Sword Demon decided it would be far more effective to spread its enhanced swordsmen throughout the Academy to cause chaos and block reinforcements.
Then, it would send the elites to assassinate the Saintess.
It judged this to be a much better plan than the weakened Sword Demon stepping forth in person.
Of course, it had considered the possibility of failure.
Perhaps the Saintess’s growth would exceed expectations, and failing to end the fight quickly, the demon would lose its power to the Saintess’s Holy Sword (though it felt more like this side of things lately) and be defeated.
Or perhaps she would burn away the hearts created by the Sword Demon with an unexpectedly overwhelming surge of divine power.
Or maybe, like the pillar of light observed recently, the cowardly and despicable Goddess of Light would find a loophole in the treaty, twist it, and directly interfere in this world with her own will.
The Sword Demon had considered every possible variable for this assassination plot.
True to a demon representing the concept of the sword, it read and re-read every move, preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Therefore, the Sword Demon could say with confidence:
In none of the scenarios it had envisioned did such an absurd situation exist.
What kind of wicked being would even think of grinding up living creatures to turn them into weapons?!
To think a human, who claims to represent justice, would achieve something even the world's Evil God couldn't!
"Stupid bastard."
Beside the horrified Sword Demon, an Axe Demon who happened to be passing by spoke up.
"Look at the dark mages."
"…?"
"Those bastards use the corpses of their own kind like it's nothing."
"…!"
"If they're like that, you think they wouldn't use other races?"
"…!!!!"
Come to think of it, he was right.
The Necromancy School—those dark mages commonly called necromancers—used the recently deceased as zombies.
They used old remains to create skeletons.
And even when no bones were left, they scraped together souls to make banshees or death knights.
Was that all? If push came to shove, they were crazy enough to turn themselves into liches, a feat that made even demons and the Evil God take a step back.
To reiterate, while demons and dark mages are often grouped together, they have been different species since the beginning of time.
And the species of a dark mage has always been just one.
Human.
"…"
And as punishment for failing to grasp the depths of human malice, the Sword Demon could only watch as the humans who had received its power collapsed, overwhelmed by the soulful screams of their own kind.
Demons are inherently troublesome.
It’s not that they’re impossible to beat, but they’re impossible to kill.
How much internal resentment had I harbored watching that Fire Spammer finish them off?
I was the one who won. I was the one who caught them all!
But I had to listen to him boast about the "power of magic" after he simply snatched the last hit!
Still, there was nothing I could do.
Why is it that facts hurt more than agitation or fabrication?
Because no matter how hard you try to argue, the truth doesn't change.
As I am now, I can defeat a demon, but I cannot kill one.
That was why I had to endure the Fire Spammer’s various insults.
However, humans are creatures that evolve through the use of tools.
If I couldn't erase a demon's existence myself, I just had to use a tool that could.
—Gwaaaaaaaargh!
The magic sword let out a howl the moment I poured mana into it. It was doing its job perfectly.
"Agh!"
My sword struck a heart.
Nothing had particularly changed from before, but the opponent's reaction was entirely different.
They shrieked in agony at the mere touch.
The heart made of the Sword Demon hadn't even been pierced.
Just like before, it hadn't even been scratched, yet they seemed to be experiencing pain incomparable to anything prior.
"…Wait, is this not working?"
The reaction was so vivid I thought it was effective, but I had already slashed him five times and he was still alive.
"This is a bust."
What I wanted was the performance to kill a demon, not a torture device to torment one. This was the kind of thing those Heresy Inquisitors would love, not me.
"…"
Should I sell it?
I heard the Church’s public image has been good lately, so their revenue must be up.
They say failure is the mother of success. If I invest more money in the Dwarf old man, maybe a better piece will come out.
—Kuaaaaaaaaagh!
Another scream of agony rang out.
Looking at my opponent, I saw his eyes were filled with terror.
"…?"
They say great pain brings fear, but it didn't look like he was feeling pain right now.
Mainly because I hadn't attacked yet.
I looked down at my sword.
—Kill me! Just kill me already!
The magic sword, which had been let out guttural growls, was now speaking coherent words.
As its physical form was torn apart and its soul was violated and fragmented, reason—a luxury that shouldn't exist for a demon's soul—had returned.
The problem was that it wasn't a luxury, but a source of pure agony.
"…"
I looked at the sword in my hand with an incredulous expression.
For some reason, a divine power more brilliant than usual was incinerating my blade.
"Excuse me, Daisy?"
I turned my head and spoke to Daisy, the RoFan heroine. Unlike her usual self, she had been watching the battle without much presence, but she had just granted me a textbook buff, fitting for a RoFan female lead.
"What is this?"
"Oh, it's a Divine Power Infusion spell…"
"Why are you giving me that?"
"Well, to defeat that thing?"
"…"
Well, she wasn't wrong.
According to Violet, I could just apply holy water instead of using a magic sword.
But no matter how much holy water I could get from Daisy, once I graduated from the Academy and our fake relationship ended, her obligation to provide it would vanish.
The duration of a contract relationship is, after all, tied to the Academy term.
Of course, knowing Daisy’s personality, she’d probably give me some later if I asked.
Still, isn't it better to find a way to be self-sufficient rather than relying on someone else?
That was why I developed the magic sword.
And that magic sword was currently burning.
"Ugh…"
I guess the unorthodox path can never become the standard.
Watching the magic sword turn to ash in a brilliant blaze, I thought:
"A moment of silence for the tragic death of Magic Sword No. 17."
Since I couldn't let No. 17's sacrifice end with a 0-kill, 1-death stat, I raised the remaining blade and charged at the dark mages—no, the swordsmen—under the Sword Demon's control.
—Kill me…
"Aaaaagh!"
"Run away!"
Unlike their grand entrance, our "black swordsmen" seemed to have forgotten the maxim that a wound on the back is a swordsman's shame. They began to flee with all their might.
The power of holy energy was indeed the natural enemy of demons.
The Sword Demon's heart melted as easily as if it were being poked through tofu.
And my magic sword melted right along with it.
This was expensive…
I probably could have gotten three times the cost if I’d sold it to a Heresy Inquisitor.
But in exchange, I was able to realize the true power of a RoFan heroine.
"…"
It was honestly absurd.
I mean, why is she fighting with a sword when she has this kind of ability?
"Ah."
Right, that sword of hers was a cheat item.
And it wasn't like she lacked talent; she actually had it, which made it even more of a problem.
"A-Are you okay?"
Seeing Daisy’s flustered expression, I let out a deep sigh.
"Do I look okay?"
"Well, on the outside, you do…"
"No! Our Magic Sword No. 17 died without leaving so much as a bone fragment!"
"I was asking if you were okay, Adam! Who worries about a sword?!"
"I do! Worry about it!"
"…Is this my fault?!"
Looking at the bewildered Daisy, I spoke my honest feelings.
"You should usually fight with that much divine power."
"Oh, but the sword seems to be in pain when I do."
"…"
Come to think of it, Daisy’s sword only had resistance to divine power because of the Goddess's seal.
It was originally a magic sword filled with ill omens, destined to be used by the Demon King.
Well, it had already lost its mind after being blasted with divine power while trying to say its "crave power" line anyway.
"…Why don't you just throw that sword away?"
"You'd just pick it up if I did."
"You're the only one who can use it properly anyway."
Through Boradori’s recent comments, I realized how important talent is when it comes to divine power.
And according to Boradori, my talent was "comparable to her own."
…Which was basically a way of telling me not to even think about using a single drop of divine power.
"You never know. You might receive the Goddess's blessing and gain divine power too, Adam."
The Goddess is incompetent.
If she weren't, the former Holy Kingdom wouldn't have ended up in such a state.
And even if she weren't incompetent, she wouldn't want to give divine power to someone like me, who raises a middle finger to the heavens—specifically to her—every time I get screwed over by fate.
Therefore, there was no way I could use Daisy’s magic sword.
…Or so I thought.
"Want to sell that sword for cheap?"
"…"
"I'll pay a premium if you let me do installments."
Seriously.
If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have been the original author.