The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into a Count Family
"I am Rufus, vice president of Pantheum."
Melissa drew her sword from her hip.
"Vice president of Pantheum… A bigger fish than I expected. Do you usually handle things in person?"
Rufus let out a sigh.
"I don't care for it either. Thanks to a certain someone, Pantheum is short on personnel — so I had no choice but to come myself."
"Not many demon contractors, then."
"Demons are selective. Not just anyone can become a contractor."
"Where is Pantheum's president? At the royal castle?"
"Yes. He's at the royal castle. We were in contact until just a moment ago… He said an intruder had appeared. The president is a cruel man, so I almost feel sorry for those intruders. They won't die easily. Ah — are the intruders acquaintances of yours, Duke? How unfortunate."
"Hah. Hahahahaha."
Melissa laughed out loud. Rufus's mood soured instantly, and he glared at her.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because you sound so damn confident. You seem to think Pantheum's president is something special… But the intruder is so far outside the usual scale that all I can picture is your president dying. Not that I know what he even looks like."
"Absurd. You're laughing over something that pathetic…"
"You can say that because you don't know her. Anyone who did would be pitying Pantheum's president right about now."
"Enough. I thought I'd play along and fish for useful information, but that can wait. If I kill you, King Dulibard will go berserk — so I'll take you alive."
Rufus snapped his fingers.
The demon behind him responded. Its upper body swelled, and it loosed a roar toward the sky — a sound like a wolf's howling. Rufus's subordinates reacted at once. Their heads and torsos transformed into beasts. Some had arms sprouting from their skulls; others had human faces grafted onto their hindquarters. Parts of their bodies were twisted and warped.
"The Beast Demon, Corcoz."
"You know of Corcoz. Yes. It has the power to turn people into beasts. There are conditions that must be met, of course — but I have no intention of telling you those."
"The condition of eating a finger from the person you intend to transform, you mean?"
"…You know even that? You've studied demons thoroughly."
"I didn't study them. I simply heard about them. I also know the beasts' weakness. They're vulnerable to silver."
"Correct. Then do you know this as well? Each individual beast is the equal of a knight. In other words, you will have to face seventy knight-class beasts alone."
"How dreadful."
"Surrender. That is the least dreadful option available to you."
"Don't you find it strange how smoothly everything is going for you?"
"…What do you mean?"
"Doesn't it seem odd that I — the leader of the rebel army — am standing here alone?"
"Are you trying to say this is a trap? I've already confirmed there's no one nearby. Your soldiers and knights all charged the royal castle. There are no forces left to aid you."
"I currently hold two identities. One is Duke Arhen, leader of the rebel army. The other… is leader of the AM Unit under Yujin Frucus."
"AM Unit? What is that supposed to be?"
"This."
The moment Melissa finished speaking, the space around her rippled — and several figures appeared.
Rufus recognized that they had arrived via spatial transfer. It wasn't magic. It was something else.
Probably an artifact.
Rufus looked at the women who had appeared and let out a hollow laugh. There were roughly thirty of them, and every single one was wearing a maid uniform.
"Not even knights. Not even soldiers — maids. What exactly do you expect maids to accomplish?"
"They're not ordinary maids. They're combat maids. They may look as delicate as greenhouse flowers, but they've been through hell and back."
Click.
The AM Unit maids leveled their assault rifles at the beasts. Rufus, who knew nothing about firearms, took in their composed stances and easy atmosphere and still dismissed them as insignificant. His beasts outnumbered them more than two to one. They would tear these women apart.
"That's enough. Dealing with you is starting to rot my brain. I'll kill all the maids and take only you alive."
Rufus waved his hand, issuing the command. The beasts charged toward the women.
"Fire."
Melissa's order was short.
The maids pulled their triggers in unison. The muzzles of their assault rifles spat flame, raining silver bullets down on the onrushing beasts.
"Grrraaagh!"
"Kyaaa-kaa-kaa!"
"Kiiiii…"
The beasts could not escape the silver rain. They collapsed screaming. Ordinary bullets they might have shrugged off and kept running — but every round was silver, and each silver bullet was inscribed with a special enchantment that amplified its effect.
Rufus stared blankly at his dying beasts. All seventy of them never even reached the maids.
"…What in the world is that weapon?"
"A gun. A weapon designed to kill living things easily. Even a knight goes down if he doesn't know what he's facing. Even if he does, without cover, it's not easy to handle."
"…Everything you fired was silver. Did you know my identity as well?"
"No. I didn't know who you were. We simply keep silver rounds prepared at all times."
"I see. In that case, I'll have to step in myself. I don't particularly enjoy becoming a beast… but it seems I have no choice."
The demon behind Rufus sank into his body. His flesh began to change. His snout thrust forward; his frame swelled. Thick black fur sprouted long from his skin.
Thud!
A silver bullet slammed into his back from behind. Rufus's body shuddered. More silver rounds followed in rapid succession, punching into his forearm and thigh.
"Guh…!"
Rufus collapsed to the ground. Perhaps because he was a demon, no blood came from his wounds.
"We don't have the patience to wait for your transformation."
"Wh-where the hell…!"
"I stationed snipers on the mountain behind you. From the moment you appeared, I could have blown your head off whenever I wanted. The reason I didn't… you already know. I hope the information you carry is worth it."
Melissa turned to the maids around her.
"Good work, everyone."
"Not at all, Leader. This was the easiest mission we've ever had."
"Right? That count assassination last time was way harder. The traps in that place were ridiculous."
"Did we even need to use the spatial transfer scrolls?"
"I'm going for cake later… Anyone want to come?"
"I only eat chocolate cake."
"Humanly speaking, shouldn't we bathe first when we get back?"
The area erupted into chatter in an instant. Melissa found herself smiling despite everything. Even knowing this was a battlefield, being with them loosened the tension in her shoulders.
"There may be more attacks. Gossip inside the tents. Use the spatial transfer scrolls freely — they're Master's property anyway. Snipers, I'm sorry, but hold your positions."
"Yeees."
"Anyone bring black tea?"
"I brought choco pies."
The maids filed into the tents. Quiet returned. Melissa gazed out across the battlefield. Just then, the castle gate was smashed open. Soldiers roared as they poured into the fortress.
Three figures appeared before Yuria, who had been waiting in front of the Blue Dragon.
The woman with loose light-brown hair was someone Yuria already knew.
Bezel.
A former professor of the Magic Department at Goldway Academy. Contractor of the Dream Demon, Revs. She had once lost her left arm to Yuria. Now that arm was whole and attached as if nothing had happened.
She fixed Yuria with a sidelong glare.
"My, meeting you here?"
"…Yes. It's been a while. Today I'll make certain to end your life."
Bezel flinched. She forced a leisurely smile to hide the tension coiling through her body.
"You're different from that time when you were so worked up. Grown a little, have you… Hiek?!"
Spikes erupted from Bezel's own shadow. Startled, she screamed and leapt upward. A fraction slower and the shadow spikes would have skewered her clean through.
Yuria murmured a quiet note of admiration.
"I didn't expect you to dodge. You've grown since then as well."
"You damn bitch!"
Bezel ground her teeth. The space around her warped and twisted. Yuria calmly took a single dagger into her hand.
"Bezel. Stand down. If you die, the Blue Dragon's seal will break. At that point, there will be no turning back."
A man stepped forward. His golden hair fell to his waist. Bezel quietly retreated at his words — inwardly relieved, since she had no desire to face Yuria in the first place.
"And you are?"
Yuria looked at the man. She already knew his identity, but gave no sign of it.
"I am Wayne Lysis, president of Pantheum. We know about you. Yuria Grace. After hearing that Bezel had been defeated by you, I gathered information. The results were astonishing. To think that Yujin Frucus's maid was the legendary assassin who single-handedly annihilated her own birth family — the Helbrit Ducal House — the Dark Emperor. Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I learned that?"
"I don't care. The boy beside you… is not human. He's a demon."
Beside Wayne stood a boy who looked about ten years old, his face expressionless.
"Correct. He is Rolf, the Lightning Demon."
"…You reincarnated a demon into a human body?"
"You saw through it immediately. Impressive."
"Calling it a successful reincarnation seems generous. He lost his demonic body — is there any meaning to it?"
"Even so, he retained his demonic mind and authority. Having succeeded once, he will continue reincarnating forever. He has become an immortal."
"How amusing."
Despite her words, Yuria did not smile. She had no particular interest in a demon's reincarnation. She had simply been confirming whether the original work's information was accurate.
Rolf's mouth twisted at her attitude.
"She doesn't fear me at all. Lysis. May I kill this insolent human?"
Wayne answered with unhurried ease.
"Do as you like."
"Kahaha! I'll kill you, insolent human!"
Crackling—!
Rolf's body transformed into golden lightning. The lightning-form demon shot toward Yuria at the literal speed of a thunderbolt.
Yuria swatted with her left hand as if brushing away a fly.
Black lightning erupted from Yuria's left hand and collided with the golden bolt.
The black lightning was canceled out — but the golden lightning was driven into the ground. It reformed into the shape of a child.
"Nngh… This— this can't be… That I, of all beings, would be bested by a mere human's lightning…!"
Rolf transformed into golden lightning once more and charged at Yuria. He was faster than before. Yuria wrapped black lightning around her right foot and kicked the golden bolt as if it were a soccer ball.
The kicked golden lightning slammed alternately into the ceiling, the walls, and the floor in rapid succession before embedding itself deep in the ceiling. A beat later, Rolf returned to his original form and dropped limply to the ground. He was already dead.
"Rolf!!!"
Wayne shouted and poured power into Rolf's body. The dead boy's eyes snapped open and he forced himself upright.
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
Rolf roared. Golden lightning answered him, seizing control of the surrounding space.
A single strand of black lightning ignored the golden storm and drove straight into Rolf's chest.
Rolf died instantly and collapsed.
"Rolf!!!!!"