Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Master of the Demon Sword
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"Could it be... you're still under the influence of the demon sword's spirit?"
The Swordmaster Broadsword muttered to himself.
It was his idea of a joke, but he figured it wouldn't be all that strange even if it turned out to be reality.
He and his companions all turned to look at the man in question.
The berserk rampage the demon sword had unleashed just moments ago came vividly to mind.
The vortex of all sorts of bizarre powers.
And the man had been right at the center of it all, as the sword's host.
Overload.
They clearly remembered him uttering that word from his own mouth.
Right after being freed from the demon sword, he had diagnosed his own condition—blood pouring from every orifice on his face—as overload.
'At least it's not overload...'
Shuon's group was certain of that much.
If it had been overload, he wouldn't be standing there on his own two feet; he'd be dying by the second.
But that sight of him casually spilling blood everywhere!
Even setting that aside, it looked serious enough—maybe not quite overload, but bad all the same.
And understandably so.
It had only just happened: the demon sword borrowing his body to unleash that insane power.
"Rishir, was it...? Are you really okay?"
Broken Glass Shuon.
Her signature half-lidded eyes opened slightly, revealing deep brown irises.
Those sharp eyes, in stark contrast to her usual squint, fixed on Rishir.
They held both suspicion and concern for their subject.
Judging from the clues so far—
Rishir's interest in owning the demon sword was blatantly suspicious.
'The demon sword's power might have affected the host's mind...'
Their gazes shifted back to the demon sword once more.
Thump!
Thump!
They reminded themselves that nothing was truly over until it was truly over.
"I'm a bit fatigued, but it's more than bearable. Thank you for your concern."
Rishir responded to Shuon's question with a polite smile.
It was the perfect reply to inspire trust and goodwill, but the sense of wrongness his audience felt only intensified.
'A bit fatigued, but bearable? That?'
Broken Glass.
Foreseer Shuon.
She and her companions wandered the continent to avert the futures of ruin she foresaw.
Their accumulated knowledge from those travels was vast, to put it mildly.
Yet even they had never seen anything like this before.
"Ah, my apologies."
Wipe, wipe.
A man bleeding from every facial orifice, acting utterly nonchalant.
He casually dabbed away the fresh blood starting to flow again with a handkerchief.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Rishir had no idea.
His attempt to act calm and reassure Shuon's group only made him look even more dominated by the demon sword than when it had actually taken hold.
"...Everyone?"
Rishir would have to go through quite an ordeal to prove his innocence.
***
"That's enough. I understand your concerns, but there's no need to worry about that man. As you saw, he has a rather unique constitution. I'll vouch for him personally—Karoer guarantees it."
Shuon's group's unease toward Rishir only subsided once Karoer staked her name on it.
Rishir, who had worked tirelessly to convince them, felt more than a little indignant.
'They barely listened when I spoke up.'
But he had no real complaints.
He knew full well what it meant for an elder of Ilratten—a high elf guardian of the World Tree—to vouch for a mere human.
For now, it was time to take pride in earning the trust of someone as remarkable as Karoer.
"Let's move somewhere else."
Afterward, Karoer glanced around and said.
The site of all the commotion was a secluded clearing in the grounds of the green tower, now Rishir's personal space—but the uproar had drawn a crowd.
"Rishir!"
Latsil arrived right on cue, rushing over to him in alarm.
"What happened!? I heard there was a huge ruckus here just now!? Fire, sandstorms, swarms of bugs flying everywhere, just, just, total chaos!!! Was that you, Rishir!? No, that's not it! Are you okay, Rishir!? Whoa, blood on your face!? You good!? Did you stop that just now!? You did it, right!? That's not the point right now! First—"
Latsil shouted "Wisdom of the Watcher!" and began plastering Rishir with potions from her pouch or force-feeding them to him.
"This one too, this one, this one—"
"Ughhh—"
Rishir—who had endured even the demon sword's domination—found himself completely incapacitated.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Revitalized thanks to Latsil, Rishir joined Karoer and Shuon's group to relocate.
"By the way, what about that—"
Shuon's group eyed the demon sword lying abandoned on the ground.
Thump!
Thump!
Even now, long after it had been left there, no one dared touch it.
"..."
Then.
One member of Shuon's group stepped forward silently.
It was a calm-looking woman with short hair and glasses.
The Hero of Seals, Shelloa.
"Hero!?"
At Shuon's exclamation, Rishir startled and stared at her waist.
A sword of extraordinary appearance hung there.
Shelloa approached the demon sword and drew it up.
The amethyst-like patterns etched into the blade glowed with a holy light.
The Seal Hero called to her holy sword in a calm tone.
True to her temperament, the holy sword responded not with words, but with a surge of power.
Hummmm—
A wave of purple light emanated from the holy sword.
It began circling the demon sword, leaving afterimages in its wake.
Moments later.
A geometric pattern materialized above the demon sword.
"..."
At a gesture from the Seal Hero, the purple threads descended and entwined around the demon sword.
Thump—...!
The demon sword's pulsing came to an unnatural halt.
"My goodness, Shelloa. Did you just seal the demon sword?"
An elderly woman from Shuon's group asked in shock.
High Priestess Horna.
The Seal Hero made an ambiguous gesture that could have been a nod or a shake of the head.
"It won't last long. But it should be enough to transport it right now."
Shelloa bent down to pick up the demon sword, then adjusted her glasses.
Her serene lake-blue eyes met Rishir's.
"..."
Finally, she casually wiggled the hand holding the demon sword.
Want to take it?
'Is it because I claimed ownership earlier?'
Rishir politely declined, and Shelloa turned away without hesitation.
She spoke.
"Let's move."
***
"Is the Star of the Flower Garden unable to attend?"
"She's stepped out briefly."
"I see."
Afterward.
Rishir followed Karoer along with Shuon's group.
They arrived at a mansion owned by Karoer in the Ilratten residential district.
"Lady Karoer, you're not taking them to the Azure Pavilion?"
"We can't just let outsiders into the Azure Pavilion willy-nilly."
"Ah, right."
Even heroes treated as mere outsiders.
Rishir realized anew just how exceptional his own case had been—being 'friends with the princess.'
"Prepare for our guests."
"Understood."
Karoer instructed the staff, then led them to a spacious parlor.
"Rishir, I'll sit next to you!?"
"You say that after sitting down and our eyes meet about thirty seconds later."
They took seats around the central desk in the parlor.
The Seal Hero and Swordmaster Broadsword leaned their swords against the wall and stood side by side nearby.
"Oh, right. We haven't introduced ourselves yet."
The half-lidded woman stood and bowed politely.
She faced Karoer and Rishir as she began introducing herself and her companions.
The foreseer hailed as Broken Glass.
The swordsman known as Swordmaster Broadsword.
The high priestess of the church.
The former Red Tower Master.
And finally, the Seal Hero.
'What is this lineup?'
Rishir was floored by the excessively luxurious group.
Figures who would be hard to meet one-on-one, all together like this.
'If guests like these visited Bendel, the whole city would flip upside down—maybe stand on its head.'
It was to the point where even calling them a 'hero party' felt like putting the cart before the horse.
'And she's the one holding all these powerhouses together...'
Rishir's attention naturally focused on one person amid the giants.
The half-lidded woman serving as their focal point—
Foreseer Shuon.
"..."
She met Rishir's gaze and responded with a small smile.
She then turned to Karoer and continued the conversation.
"Shall we recap the situation? Karoer, as I mentioned, I came to the city because I foresaw a 'cataclysm' future involving the demon sword."
"Then your purpose has already been fulfilled."
Karoer said, gesturing toward the demon sword.
Shuon gave a wry smile.
"Well..."
"What else is there?"
"Don't we still have matters to discuss?"
The former Red Tower Master, Red Sky—a stylish old man with brown beard glowing faintly red—spoke up.
"Matters to discuss?"
"The demon sword."
Swordmaster Broadsword—
A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard—pointed at the demon sword.
"Do you know why this demon sword was found in Ilratten?"
The high priestess—
A kindly old woman—asked Karoer.
Karoer thought for a moment before replying.
"Lunadien might know something. But aside from that, what story are you trying to tell?"
Foreseer Shuon met Karoer's probing gaze.
"We want to settle the demon sword's disposal once and for all. If you don't have a suitable means or method to handle it, we can't just leave it here in Ilratten."
"In other words, you'll take responsibility for disposing of it?"
Shuon nodded confidently.
Karoer couldn't rebuke her presumption.
After all, they might well handle a problem too big for an entire city.
"And, not to say 'in exchange,' but we do have a few requests for Ilratten."
"It would only be right to receive compensation for handling something like a demon sword."
The group looked surprised yet pleased at the steadfast high elf's ready agreement.
"However."
But Karoer added one more word.
"Entrusting the demon sword's disposal to you is impossible."
"...Why?"
"Because its first discoverer wants ownership."
Creeeak.
All eyes in the room turned to one man.
Rishir, uncomfortable under the scrutiny, looked away.
—The demon sword's that big a deal!?
Latsil leaned in excitedly and asked.
The superhumans present didn't miss her voice.
"Why not reconsider? That power might not be as simple as you think."
Swordmaster Broadsword's gaze held genuine worry as he spoke.
The others' expressions weren't much different.
They were still concerned for the young man who had been the demon sword's host.
Yes.
Host.
Demon swords didn't have masters.
According to those entangled with them, you only ended up as its tool, manipulated to the end.
History proved it.
They couldn't just stand by and watch a man strong-willed enough to resist the demon sword's domination make the wrong choice and meet ruin.
"The demon sword probably wasn't at full strength just now. You might have escaped its control because of that. No guarantee it'll be the same next time."
"..."
"More than that, that immense power. A force that defies reason—do you think you can truly control it?"
Black flames.
Sandstorm.
Curse of insect swarms.
They recalled the vortex of bizarre powers as they spoke.
"The demon sword's power..."
Meanwhile, Rishir was thinking of the demon sword's convenient domination ability.
Finally.
He addressed them confidently.
"Then, if I prove it right here in front of you all, that should settle it, right?"
"..."
Some were flustered by his bold response, others scoffed in ridicule, and still others laughed in amusement.
The mood grew strange.
In that atmosphere, Karoer spoke.
"For now, you're all tired in various ways, so let's take a short break and sort things out later. You're weary from travel, Rishir from the demon sword. Right?"
In the end, the matter was tabled for now.
They each retired to guest rooms in the mansion to rest.
***
Rishir.
How long had it been since he started resting in his room?
A visitor arrived.
"Got a moment?"
"You're..."
Swordmaster Broadsword.
The man broached the subject casually with Rishir.
"Come to think of it, I haven't asked. You—do you know how to handle a sword?"
Rishir answered not with words, but with blue breath.
A delighted smile spread across Broadsword's face.
"A fellow swordsman, eh? Then we'll speak the same language."
Broadsword indicated the greatsword on his back.
"How about it? Care for a spar?"
"...!"
A sudden chance to duel a Swordmaster.
Rishir lit up and immediately accepted.
***
Rishir.
How long had it been since he finished sparring with Broadsword and started resting in his room?
A visitor arrived.
"Young man, spare a moment."
"You're..."
The former Red Tower Master, Red Sky.
"I wanted to discuss the demon sword with you. How much do you understand about magic?"
Rishir answered not with words, but by conjuring a vortex of wind in his palm.
An intrigued smile deepened on Red Sky's face.
"A fellow student, then?"
***
High Priestess Horna visited.
The familiar exchange.
Once again, Rishir responded not with words, but with divine power.
"Remarkable. To think you follow the Lord as a devotee of the divine. In that case—"
***
That night.
Shuon's group gathered once more.
To discuss the hot-blooded young man coveting the demon sword.
Once more.
Previously, they had debated whether it was safe to entrust it to him.
They had even visited him individually for that reason.
"For starters, he seems like a decent fellow."
Swordmaster Broadsword leaned back in his chair, grinning.
He was thoroughly drunk, clearly in high spirits from something.
"I agree on that point."
Red Sky stroked his mustache in response—
"A fine young man of impeccable character."
The high priestess smiled in agreement.
"But."
Then Swordmaster Broadsword's tone turned grave as he added.
Broadsword recalled his time with Rishir.
He hadn't sparred due to concerns over demon sword aftereffects, but—
He could gauge the young man's skill from his insight, breathing, and stance.
Broadsword confirmed that Rishir possessed swordsmanship talent far beyond his years.
Ah!
No wonder that elf favors him!
It was enough to inspire such sentiments naturally.
However.
"He's still not ready to shoulder something as immense as a demon sword... a twist of fate."
Even to a Swordmaster like Broadsword, the demon sword was no trifling matter.
In that regard, he judged entrusting it to Rishir extremely dangerous.
Red Sky and the high priestess nodded in agreement.
"Agreed. Impressive magical achievements for his age, but—"
The demon sword was too much even for a grand magus like Red Sky.
In that regard, Red Sky judged entrusting it to Rishir extremely dangerous.
"A youth with infinite potential as a priest, but..."
The demon sword was too much even for a high priestess.
In that regard, the high priestess judged entrusting it to Rishir extremely dangerous.
And so.
"Huh?"
Each sharing their observations and impressions of the young man's talents, they suddenly sensed something off.
"Magus? Priest?"
"Swordsman? Priest?"
"Swordsman? Magus?"
They stared at each other, wondering what nonsense they were spouting.