The Plum Blossom Swordmaster Reincarnated into a Count's Family
A hideous, ear-splitting screech tore across the sky — the scream of the wind itself. I activated Heavenly Eye to see the invisible gale.
Heavenly Eye
Countless currents of wind filled my vision, so dense I could barely count them. They locked together like the gears of some vast machine, shattering and reforming in endless cycles. The sky was hell. Anyone who entered that maelstrom would not keep a whole body for long.
The astonishing part was that none of it came down. The wind stayed aloft, forming a kind of barrier. The moment it descended, the village would become a scene too horrific to describe.
"Heheh. As expected of an Archmage. Impressive. But how long can you keep this up?"
Bella floated higher still, looking down with lazy ease. She scattered black plague into the wind. Transparent air mixed with the dark contagion, and the currents became visible to the naked eye.
"I told you clearly! Your arrogance will tear you to shreds!"
Verica's body shook with rage. The elves of Beliac Village were suffering under the plague; hundreds had already died. The culprit stood right in front of her — of course she was furious.
Wind surged toward Bella, shaping itself into a giant. For an instant I thought it was a spirit, but no — pure magic. The wind giant multiplied into five, and their spinning hands, whirling like blender blades, reached for Bella. Touch those hands and the result was obvious.
Bella swept her left arm. A black plague-wind blew. To my surprise, it simply brushed past the wind giants — and that alone made them collapse.
…Mana. The mana holding the wind giants' forms together just melted away.
A plague that dissolves mana.
Something that should not have been possible had just happened.
Considering the demon Bella had contracted was a top-tier demon, it was not entirely impossible. Making the impossible possible was precisely what a top-tier demon's power did.
"Grandmother. Don't be so stubborn. I only want one thing — that object you have. Hand it over and I'll take the plague away."
I realized what she was after. The ancient relic in Verica's possession.
"I put no stock in the words of a woman possessed by a demon!"
Verica struck her staff against the ground. Every current of wind in the air turned as one and lunged at Bella. Bella shot upward. Her skirt fluttered, and black powder drifted down from beneath it — plague. Wind that touched the powder lost its force and vanished.
Damn. I can't quite see under the skirt. Should I use X-ray vision?
Bella did not come down. She simply scattered plague from on high. For all her leisurely manner, she was clearly wary of Verica.
"Grandmother. This is my final warning. Give it to me. You don't want the elves dying of plague either, do you? When the young ones die, who do you think they'll blame?"
Verica's brow twitched. The plague did not discriminate by age — and children and the elderly were the most vulnerable of all.
"…They'll blame you."
"Do you really think so? You had a chance to save them and you didn't take it. Isn't that more than enough reason to be resented?"
"……."
Verica's hand trembled on her staff. She glared at Bella for a long moment, then looked around. Elves lay collapsed on the ground, every one of them infected and unconscious.
"…Fine. I'll give you what you want. But withdraw the plague this instant."
"The object first. Hand it over and I'll take the plague away."
"And how am I supposed to trust you?"
"And how am I supposed to trust you?"
Their exchange ran on parallel tracks.
"If you refuse, so be it. Time is on my side anyway."
Bella laughed — a light, mocking sound. She looked ready to vanish from the place. Her gaze slid from Verica toward us — more precisely, toward Yuria.
"It's been so long, Yuria. You've grown even prettier. I'd love for you to become my maid… any interest?"
"…I have only one Master."
Yuria answered. Having lost her memories, she had no idea who Bella was.
Going after my Yuria… coveting something she has no right to touch.
Bella was ignoring me entirely. To her, my existence barely registered.
I shot Elena a look. She nodded.
Bella knew nothing about Elena. If I were Bella and knew what Elena could do, I would have fled the moment I laid eyes on her.
Snap.
Elena flicked her fingers. Her Illusion Butterfly Art activated.
Illusion Butterfly Art
Bella, who had been soaring high above, appeared right in front of me.
"Huh?"
Caught off guard, she made a stupid sound. I reached out and seized her shoulder.
"Long time no see, Bella Hutris. I did invite you to the mansion back then… but I was so busy I never found the time."
"…What just happened? I didn't sense any spatial magic activating…"
"That's because it isn't spatial magic."
Elena's Illusion Butterfly Art operated on an entirely different plane from ordinary spells. It was fair to say it had already transcended the realm of magic altogether.
I tightened my grip on her shoulder.
"Aaaagh!"
Bella screamed. Even with a demon contract, her physical body was close to that of an ordinary person.
"That hurts! Let go!"
She used her power. Black energy seeped into the hand holding her shoulder — plague. My skin blackened in an instant, and a crushing pain shot through my hand as if it were being compressed.
Heavenly Mind.
Heavenly Mind
I activated it. The plague that had begun spreading from my hand through my entire body vanished without a trace.
"H-how…?"
Bella was stunned. She kept sending plague at me, but I opened my mouth and swallowed it right in front of her — and remained perfectly fine. As long as Heavenly Mind lasted, the plague was useless against me.
"I have my ways."
The real problem was what came next. I needed a method to restrain her. Simple rope and chains felt unreliable — she was a demon contractor.
While I was still thinking, Verica came running from a distance and cast a spell. A magic circle flared on the ground, and cords of light appeared, binding Bella tight. Fully restrained, Bella scowled and glared at Verica.
"…Grandmother. Lucky you."
"Yes. And unlucky you. While I'm still being polite — eliminate the plague circulating through the village!"
"Going to torture me? Go ahead and try."
Bella smiled with her eyes. Black plague began seeping from her body in thin wisps. Even Verica's magic could not fully suppress it.
"I have never in my life seen a woman as wicked as you."
"Hmm. And?"
"We'll see how long you can keep that composure."
Verica's eyes blazed. Rage — and hatred. Being a wise and benevolent Archmage did not mean she was without emotion. Bella was the source of the plague. Torture was coming.
That won't do.
Bella was a bitch. But that was separate from her looks — and her looks were not those of a bitch. Outstanding beauty and massive H-cup breasts. She more than met the requirements for my cock-house.
"Elder. We would like to handle Bella Hutris ourselves."
Verica's brow twitched.
"You know this witch?"
"The Hutris family are nobles of the Rapheli Kingdom. I happened to meet her a few years ago. Ah — don't misunderstand. I have no intention of letting her go. We will take the lead in forcing Bella to withdraw the plague."
"This witch is the enemy of our village! We should gather everyone right now and tear her apart before their eyes!"
"I understand. I have no intention of defending her or spiriting her away. She shouldn't be killed easily either. Death is far too merciful. And more importantly — the plague spreading through the village still needs to be dealt with, doesn't it?"
Verica's fury cooled. Even in anger, her reason ran cold and clear.
"…True enough. Do you have a method?"
"Nothing particularly clever. However."
I tightened my grip on Bella's shoulder.
"Aaaagh…!"
Bella screamed. Her face twisted in pain, and her eyes glared at me as if she wanted me dead.
"I have a way to make the plague ineffective. Look — it can't enter my body."
"…You are no ordinary man either."
Verica looked impressed, then frowned and struck her staff against the ground. The magic binding Bella had begun dissolving under the plague, so she replaced it with a fresh binding.
"Vicious. Truly vicious…"
Verica clicked her tongue.
I put still more force into Bella's shoulder. Her upper body crumpled.
"Stop…! Don't…! Aaaagh!"
Tears welled in Bella's eyes. She had no tolerance for pain. Strip away the demon's power and she was just a woman with a cruel personality. Once I confirmed her spirit had been broken, I stepped back. Heavenly Mind lasted one minute. It was about to end.
"…I'll leave her to you. But you must not release that woman until the plague in the village is gone. We have a prison — will you use it?"
"I intend to keep her under watch twenty-four hours a day. We plan to remodel the lodging where we're staying a bit — would that be all right?"
"Do as you please. Once the plague is suppressed, the place will be abandoned anyway."
I bowed to Verica and turned my gaze to Bella. How to transport her? Elena's power would make it simple, but her complexion had been poor for a while now.
Elena's Illusion Butterfly Art fundamentally consumed life force. The more complex the task, the greater the drain — and the higher the target's rank, the more limited what the art could accomplish.
Probably because of the Plague Demon Bella contracted. Looks like she burned through a lot of life force.
I decided to spare Elena's power. There were other options.
"Yuria. Can you move her with your magic?"
"Yes. I'll try."
Shadows rose and took human shape. Four shadow-people seized Bella's body and lifted her. We dragged her back to the lodging that way.
Remodeling the lodging was left to Elena and Yuria.
In no time they created an underground space. Elena fashioned a prison and barrier that would not easily corrode or dissolve under the plague, while Yuria reinforced the prison itself with rune magic. It was not perfect, but the finished cell would not be easy to escape.
I looked at the elf standing guard over the prison. She was glaring at Bella sitting inside as if she wanted to kill her. An elf Verica had sent for surveillance.
Damn. Another watcher attached to us.
The one silver lining was that she was a woman.
Looks like the threesome plan gets postponed again.
Yuria wouldn't care, but Elena tended to be conscious of other people's eyes.
"Torture… you're not going to interrogate her?"
the female elf asked. Her voice and manner were far more vicious than her pretty face suggested.
"I'd like to, but for now locking her up is the best we can do. Try to torture her and we might end up catching the plague ourselves. See that black aura seeping from the witch's skin? That's the plague."
"…Wouldn't it be better to just kill her?"
"Killing her is easy, but I can't guarantee the plague in the village would be resolved. If we kill the witch and the plague still doesn't disappear… there will be mass casualties. Elena's magic has limits when it comes to saving the infected."
"Haa… what a headache."
"Indeed. Ah — and everything you're about to see is necessary."
I had Yuria strip Bella. Using her shadow-people, Yuria peeled the clothes off her.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Bella screamed — more irritation than fear.
I checked the female elf's expression. I'd prepared excuses in case she threw a fit. But contrary to my worries, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Is this torture?"