Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Voice is Heard
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Because of the flowers that had cleanly vanished from my body overnight and the kiss marks that remained on each other's bodies instead, Victoria and I had no choice but to apologize to our companions dozens of times.
After all, the Demon King hadn't been fully vanquished yet, and with two of the Four Heavenly Kings still remaining, we had ended up oversleeping and forgetting we needed to depart for the next territory.
Kyle let out a deep sigh, pressing his fingers to his forehead, and eventually gave us some advice, saying that since we were the ones who had suffered the most this time, he'd let it slide, but from now on we absolutely had to talk it out.
"...The enemy we have to defeat this time is the monster nicknamed 'Memory-Eating Slime,' Memoria, right?"
Clatter, clatter.
Having boarded the carriage to head to the territory ruled by the next Heavenly King we needed to vanquish, we were putting our heads together, pondering how to defeat him.
Just in case, we had layered both a silence spell and a perception-hindering magic, and we had sent out several other carriages in advance to make it impossible for the enemy to determine which one was us.
Originally, we had discussed this plan with the other companions beforehand, but since Victoria and I, who devised the plan, were both late, we got scolded.
"According to rumors, it's a monster that sucks up all the experiences and memories of the beings it devours, growing stronger as the years pass."
"A normal slime couldn't do something like that."
My worries deepened at Taryon's words.
No matter how much ordinary people consider goblins or slimes the typical weak monsters that always come up...
"Yes. We shouldn't think of a monster that has survived this long in the harsh environment of the Demon Realm as a typical slime. Letting our guard down would mean death."
Looking at the cases of Dullahan or Bellamora, merely surviving this long in the Demon Realm, where killing and being killed is an everyday occurrence, was proof of strength in itself.
If we assumed it was a normal slime and tried to kill it by destroying its core, the chance of failure was high.
"On top of that, you, Lord Astal, are now an unprecedented existence who has successfully vanquished two of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings."
"So the odds of it targeting me are high?"
"That's right. Unless our opponent is a fool, it would know that targeting you first after Bellamora and Dullahan's deaths would be the most efficient course of action."
Taryon pointed a finger firmly at me as he spoke. After all, I now possessed Idea, a magic more powerful than anything else.
This fact also meant that if Memoria neutralized me within our party, even if our other companions were powerful, the means to seal the Demon King would disappear.
"...Now even the Demon King and the Heavenly Kings must be wary of us. From here on, we must be careful of ambushes and traps as well. After all, an entity that can truly threaten them has appeared."
As if to remind us of that fact, Kyle had his hand on his sword hilt, looking ready to draw the holy sword from its sheath at any moment.
Seeing that made me start to feel a bit tense.
We didn't know how strong the Heavenly Kings and the Demon King we would face would be, nor was it certain that Idea magic would work on them.
If Idea were truly complete and could contain all the power existing in this world within a three-dimensional magic circle, it might be different, but since it was still incomplete, I began to worry that Memoria might steal my memories or power, leaving me a wreck.
The miserable end of a hero who could no longer recognize the companions who came with him to vanquish the Demon King, or even forgot how to speak.
After all, stories had been passed down in this Demon Realm of humans whose memories or powers were stolen by Memoria, leaving them as empty idiots wandering the Demon Realm until they died.
"Its form might not be the basic slime shape we know. It's strange to think that an entity that has lived that long wouldn't change its form, isn't it? Unlike a human body, it has no bones or muscles, so its core is easily exposed."
I brought up possible tricks the enemy might have prepared in advance to deceive us, just in case.
Originally, slimes were creatures with no fixed form; even if split or divided, as long as the core wasn't destroyed, they wouldn't die.
This was something I knew because I had once written a research paper on slimes during my time at the Blue Magic Tower.
"...An interesting deduction. Unlike the other Heavenly Kings who possess powerful physical bodies, being a slime, it might employ such underhanded methods."
Victoria chimed in, kneading my hand like clay.
The Endless Dream, Succubus Queen Bellamora Lictis.
> The Undefeated Knight, Death Knight Dullahan.
>
The Memory-Eating Slime, Memoria.
>
And finally, the one nicknamed the Wolf That Devours Time, Romulus.
Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Memoria was an entity that could possess all the memories and power of the beings it devoured, so it had no reason to go around exposing its vulnerable core.
"So, can you use the holy sword Dullahan wielded? Frankly, with the blade having turned pitch black like that, I'm not even sure what to call it anymore."
I brought up the object wrapped in cloth behind Kyle's back that looked like a sword.
If I failed to further strengthen Idea here, it would likely be the most powerful means we currently had.
"...No, this is a demonic sword. The moment you grip it, it's as painful as if someone were tearing your heart out with their hand, and you can hear the voices of the vengeful spirits who died by this blade."
Kyle shook his head, saying he couldn't use it yet.
Even for me, without Victoria or the First Saint's miracle, it would have been unbearably dreadful, filled with something so terrible. It seemed better not to use it until he learned how to wield it properly.
"Would it be useless even if I tried to purify it with a miracle?"
"Probably so. Even the First Saint could only barely maintain it with a miracle that had no side effects."
Victoria suggested she step forward and try to purify the holy sword Dullahan used, but it didn't seem like something that could be resolved so simply.
"I experimented all day, even sprinkling holy water on it, but it didn't budge an inch. Originally, a holy sword wasn't something that emanated such an aura of death; it was specially forged by Odin to slay the Demon King..."
Kyle let out a deep sigh and tightly closed his eyes.
The holy relic imbued with the energy of exorcism, which cleaves darkness and brings light, had now transformed into its opposite.
"Then is our only hope really Idea...? If Memoria devoured someone well-versed in magic, we might be at a disadvantage..."
Scratching my chin, I thought for a moment about Idea's weaknesses.
Ultimately, it wasn't magic that annihilated the enemy but magic that sealed them away, which not only required a long casting time but also borrowed power from the other companions.
If my master or another mage saw this, they'd likely criticize it as highly inefficient and pointless.
But in this world, what's truly important isn't efficiency or things that can be exchanged for gold coins.
It was only after becoming aware of my feelings for Victoria that I could conceive of such magic.
"Wouldn't it be fine if we used the druid's transformation magic? If it works well, you could wrap the unraveled magic around your body like armor to protect yourself."
As she said this, Victoria gently leaned her head against my shoulder. Her breath and voice felt closer than ever, making my heart race wildly.
Somehow, these symptoms had gotten worse since we started dating. I relaxed my shoulder slightly to adjust the height, making it more comfortable for her to lean on.
"...Aren't you scared of the other personality hiding inside me?"
I asked Victoria slowly, in a slightly worried tone.
The reason I hadn't immediately accepted Taryon's suggestion was precisely this.
A druid's transformation involved drawing out another personality hidden within oneself, which would then be treated as a separate entity, allowing magic to be used independently.
"What does it matter? No matter what personality might be hiding, it couldn't possibly be scarier than the sadistic man who tormented me relentlessly last night to keep me from falling asleep, could it?"
"......"
Victoria grinned and slightly lifted her clothes, showing the kiss marks I had left to our companions. At that moment, I could feel the air around us grow colder than ever.
Originally, such an act could have gotten me captured by the Inquisition and subjected to extreme punishment, or something terrible could have happened at the hands of an angry mob.
No matter how close we were as companions, Victoria was originally a pure and devout saint admired by most people.
"...Ahem. Well then, since we have a long journey to the next territory ahead, I'll explain the concept of the transformation used by druids here."
Having barely maintained his composure, Taryon hurriedly brought up the concept of druidic transformation to me and the other companions to lighten the mood.
"Lord Astal's true personality, which Lady Victoria doesn't know, might emerge. The reason I didn't tell you about this method earlier was also because it's too dangerous."
Taryon mentioned the risks before starting his explanation, just in case any problems arose.
If such a good method had only advantages, it would have been popularized and used among mages long ago.
"...That might be even cuter. Who wouldn't know that the true nature of a man who always judges situations negatively or can't accept my feelings would be kinder and gentler than anyone?"
However, it seemed Victoria's infatuation or obsession was stronger than the dangers of the transformation.
"And if it becomes a problem, I'll just take responsibility and educate him. Isn't reforming sinners a saint's duty?"
She didn't hesitate to say that even if a 'me' with an uncontrollable personality emerged, she'd just educate him from the start.
— This might be a good chance to put a collar on Lord Astal if he doesn't listen to me, or tie his limbs with rope... Hearing Victoria's sinister inner thoughts, I even began to imagine that if I married her later, I might really end up living a captive life.