Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts
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After bidding farewell to the First Saint, we were finally able to exit the Holy Sword of Dullahan.
As if it would no longer permit further contact, nothing happened now even when I twisted the sword's hilt.
"Are you two alright?! What on earth happened…."
"A tremendous darkness just erupted. It must have originated from the corrupted Holy Sword."
"Even the spirits were terrified… it was a chilling presence."
The moment the black fog obscuring our vision cleared, my comrades who spotted Victoria and me rushed over to check on us, practically tripping over each other.
Their faces were pale with cold sweat, their pupils dilated.
They looked like they had heard the voices of the vengeful spirits trapped inside the sword.
"We met our parents in there. And incidentally, the villagers as well…. We even saw the First Saint, our senior."
I spoke while looking at the few flowers still clinging to my body. My mother had noticed the incongruity—a deception to fool the mastermind behind the Demon King.
p>If it weren't for that, Elysiel, the First Saint, wouldn't have been able to use miracles without any side effects.
"What? So there really were souls within Dullahan's Holy Sword who hadn't lost their reason? Given a Saint's miracle, it might not be impossible, but how could they have endured for so long…."
The Hero Kyle furrowed his brow as he looked at Dullahan's now somewhat calmed Holy Sword. He too must have felt something didn't add up.
After all, Victoria, the Saint of this generation, suffered the side effect of parts of her body turning into flowers whenever she used a miracle.
"…The gods are likely telling the lie of 'causality' to avoid being detected by the mastermind behind the Demon King."
I told my comrades the truth I had uncovered.
The mural I saw in the forbidden archives of the Holy Kingdom of Aurelium, the fact that the Heavenly God Lumina was reticent about it, and the fact that she removed the flowers from my body—no matter how I thought about it, it was strange.
If such a thing were possible from the start, she could have removed the flowers blooming on Victoria's body from the beginning or descended into this world herself to behead the Demon King.
However,
"The gods have restrictions. It seems likely that there would be significant problems if they directly used their power or manifested in this world."
The gods deliberately avoided such simple methods and acted indirectly by selecting Heroes and Saints.
"But there's one piece of history passed down in the Magic Tower where I studied. It's said that the disciples of the Lord God Odin founded it. He taught five disciples different elemental magics and nurtured different philosophies and values in each."
"The Holy Kingdom of Aurelium is similar. It's accepted as the state religion because the Heavenly God Lumina saved people."
This creates a contradiction.
If the gods had never revealed their identities to the world, such legends could not have been passed down.
While faith is fundamentally a tool to soothe human anxiety, the stories spanning the five Magic Towers that inspired me to create Idea were unlikely to be false.
Indeed, the Holy Sword said to have been forged by the Lord God Odin to slay the Demon King was something even I couldn't break, leading to Dullahan's sealing.
"…So, why are they hiding now, forging Holy Swords, and selecting Heroes and Saints?"
Kyle immediately pinpointed the inconsistency in what Victoria and I had said.
Right, there were too many strange points.
The Hero's Holy Sword, said to be capable of killing the supposedly immortal Demon King, and the Saint's miracle that realizes the impossible—by any measure, these were powers that defied reason.
"There must be a reason they have to hide. It's probably not a simple matter of just killing the Demon King and being done with it…. Something might happen if that mastermind appears."
I explained the mural from the Holy Kingdom's forbidden archives to my comrades.
It depicted even the gods worshipped in the Demon Realm as evil deities joining forces to oppose a shattered, glass-like 'something'.
There was more.
It was most likely connected to the 'Grand Route' that the Demon King Ergosum desired.
"Demon King Ergosum's goal is to annihilate not just our world, but all worlds where other people exist."
I explained the story I heard from the First Saint as simply as I could, describing the concept of multiple parallel universes and the Grand Route.
"Is that… reliable information? Well, it is strange that he invaded your hometown, Astal, and not ours, the Hero's lineage…."
Kyle didn't take my words at face value; he scratched his chin, looking skeptical.
It was a story heard inside Dullahan's corrupted Holy Sword. Even if the First Saint was there and spoke about Demon King Ergosum, it could have been a lie.
The First Hero's party had already failed, unlike us.
There was a one-in-a-million chance they had joined hands with the Demon King.
But there were more parts that didn't add up.
"It's probably true. No matter how terrifying the Demon King is, Dullahan wouldn't be foolish enough to kill all his comrades and then talk of surrender."
As my father said, it was strange that a Demon King powerful enough to annihilate all previous Hero parties wouldn't engage in a full-frontal war.
Moreover, it was suspicious that he sent a Heavenly King-level figure to kill a kid like me from a rural village, instead of Kyle, who was chosen as the Hero.
"A nameless god…. If it's something of that level, could it twist reality as easily as moving a finger?"
I swallowed dryly as I watched Idea spinning in my palm.
The elevated sensation and realm I felt the moment I sealed Dullahan in the corrupted Holy Sword far surpassed human limits.
"Then do we need to worry like this? We just need to defeat the Demon King as planned and bring peace to the world!"
The Spirit Mage Anima said with a bright smile.
Right, we were always like this. No matter how desperate the situation, we were heroes who found hope and ultimately created a future where we defeated our enemies.
"That's right. No matter what kind of existence is behind Demon King Ergosum, we can probably handle it. We've already defeated the Death Knight, considered immortal, and the Succubus Queen, called the endless dream."
Her lover, Taryon, nodded and added his agreement. We wouldn't suffer a powerless defeat like the previous Hero parties.
Since we were already proven heroes, all we had to do moving forward was believe in ourselves and advance.
"…So, I've thought of a good idea. The current problem with Idea is that it can't protect the caster when used, correct? Astal."
"Right. It seems unraveling it like thread to use magic still has a limit of one at a time."
At that moment, Taryon, looking like he'd had a brilliant idea, drew a faint smile on his lips and made a suggestion.
The current problem with Idea was that the caster couldn't withstand the recoil when sealing it. It required pouring all magical power or mana into it, leaving none for protective spells.
Even if I could use more magic, low-level, simple spells wouldn't be able to withstand Idea's backlash.
"Couldn't we apply the principle of how Druids transform into animals or other forms?"
"…Explain in more detail."
"In the World Tree village where I lived, there weren't just Elves, but many beings who used nature's power, like Druids and spirits."
Taryon spoke of his homeland while showing his pointed Elf ears. The natural power he used was something different, called 'Mysteries' among them.
"Back then, I actually witnessed it. A Druid using a weather-control Mystery, which could normally be used only once a day, twice through transformation."
He said he'd seen a Druid transform and use the weather-control spell twice to extinguish a forest fire.
What Taryon was suggesting was a kind of loophole.
Even I had read in the Magic Tower that when a Druid transforms, any wounds they had are completely healed.
"If you, Lord Astal, could bring out another form hidden within yourself, like a Druid's transformation…. Wouldn't you be treated as a different person, allowing you to use two thread magics?"
It was a method worth trying.
Besides, transformation was a man's romance, wasn't it?
Even as a child, I had imagined transforming into a cool dragon or wolf using transformation magic like a Druid.
"That's a fantastic idea. Let's try it right now."
I said, barely containing my excitement as I grabbed Taryon's shoulders. Seeing this, Victoria let out a sigh.
"…Excuse me, I'm borrowing this man for a moment."
Using the dragon hybrid's unique strength, Victoria effortlessly picked me up and headed for the bedroom in the inn, like a prince carrying a princess.
"Wait, wait! Victoria. This is a great chance to strengthen Idea…! And we still need to teach Kyle how to handle the demon sword…."
"No. The flowers blooming on your body haven't completely vanished yet. I think we need to rest for a day and have a proper talk."
I realized the reason Victoria was hurrying. I still hadn't properly given her my true answer to her confession.
"Besides, you haven't properly confessed to me yet."
—*Click*.
Victoria skillfully locked the door handle and placed the testament magic I had left in the corner of the room beside the bed.
"I… I wanted to see this. I was so curious about what you were thinking, what kind of last words you left, and what loving words you whispered about me that I couldn't sleep."
It seemed I had worried Victoria far too much.
We had agreed that if I won in Dullahan's arena and survived, I would give her my true answer to her confession.
"…Don't tease me later? I didn't record it thinking I'd show it to anyone, so it's a bit… very embarrassing."
"The feeling of love is embarrassing and shameful, but that's what makes it precious and tender. Lord Astal."
The time had come to keep that promise.