Chapter 12 — Are You Eating Well? (3)
Chapter 12 — Are You Eating Well? (3)
Legend of the Holy Hero was a game where you raised the affection of the main characters and accumulated stats and items to defeat the Demon King. You could call it a simple RPG mixed with an eroge.
Similar to how you looted civilian houses for gear in an RPG, in Legend of the Holy Hero, you sometimes obtained items through Adults Only scenes with passing NPCs.
To initiate an Adults Only scene, the NPC's affection had to reach a certain threshold. So even for NPCs who weren't main romance targets, if they were designated as Adults Only-eligible, you could see their affection value.
It wasn't that the affection stat appeared for every passing female NPC; it only showed up for a select few NPCs you could interact with.
But this demon sword wasn't an NPC, was it...?
'No, how am I supposed to interact with it...?'
An imagination dangerous enough to reach the abyss flickered and vanished.
His earlier positive resolve nowhere to be found, Roan slumped down beside the sword. It didn't seem to speak or communicate like the demon swords in games and novels. But he couldn't ignore the way the affection value softly surfaced and disappeared every time he touched it.
"Your Majesty, did you cough?"
The attendant's voice sounded from outside. He must have heard Roan moving around the room.
"...Mm."
It was impossible to tell whether it was a groan or a reply.
Still in that dazed state, Roan arrived at the training ground without even knowing how he'd gotten through his meal.
Perhaps due to the Demon King's vicious personality, the castle was equipped with a personal training ground solely for his use. It was a vast clearing prepared with practice dummies for striking drills and an assortment of training weapons.
'No, this is the size of a parade ground.'
It would have been understandable as a facility for a knight order or soldiers. But it was a space so large it felt excessive for a single person.
"It's big and empty, but hmm... it's fine."
After using 'Detection' to confirm no one else was inside the training ground, Roan drew the sword from its scabbard.
No one had ever taught him how to draw a blade, but the Demon King's body angled the scabbard and unsheathed the sword with perfect natural ease.
"Whoa..."
He hadn't expected his body to be this accustomed.
The way he gripped the hilt, the angle of the scabbard, the speed of the draw.
Just like when he'd sensed mana moving before, the motion flowed like water.
The movements were so flawless he felt ashamed of having tossed and turned the night before.
"Now, next."
Before he could even decide which direction to swing or how, his body was already moving.
"...Incredible."
Roan marveled. In his original world, he'd been someone who used his body too. But a speed and precision beyond comparison took him by surprise.
Roan focused on the sword techniques he knew. Starting with simple downward cuts and upward slashes, he followed the sequence of movements in his head and slowly began to move his hands and feet.
The demon sword's trajectory, wielded as lightly as if it were a limb, traced beautiful black lines across the empty air.
"Hup!"
With a sharp kihap, Roan put his strength into the blade and thrust it. The black aura that surged from Fiora condensed and flew toward the practice dummy.
In an instant, the dummy shattered into fragments.
Roan stared at the aftermath with wide eyes.
"Wow."
That was when he heard a cheerful beep-beep sound effect.
"...No way."
Roan looked down at the sword.
The sword's affection had risen to +40.
"What in the world...."
[What's the occasion? Training this seriously and all.]
A clear, bright feminine voice transmitted directly into Roan's mind.
"...."
[That's right, I was upset with you. But that couldn't be hel....]
"It really... is a demon sword?"
Roan murmured in a dazed voice.
And the sword said nothing.
"...? Can you not hear me?"
[Don't shake me.]
The woman's voice, tinged with slight irritation, followed up with a question.
[...You're not Roan, are you?]
Roan was jolted out of his stupor.
"What... do you...?"
[So you're the person who's taken possession of Roan's body.]
They were the most shocking words he'd heard since arriving in this world. The Demon King—or rather, the person inside him—stood there dumbly, clutching the sword and not knowing what to do.
The demon sword, Fiora, spoke in a slightly melancholy voice.
[Had I known that would be the last time, I would have at least said a proper goodbye.]
"...Fiora, how did you know I'm not the Demon King...?"
[You know my name?]
The sword's voice suddenly shot up several octaves. It was a completely different tone from the subdued atmosphere just moments before.
[Did Roan tell you?]
Roan hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"No. I never got to meet the real Roan. When I opened my eyes, I was already inside this body."
[Then how do you know my name?]
"Your name is famous. I heard it through stories."
Inside the game. Roan swallowed the words. Telling the sword that this world was a game would be meaningless anyway.
[Famous... To think my name still remained in this world after all this time....]
The woman's voice resonated softly, laden with complicated emotion. A brief silence followed. Then Fiora spoke.
[Hello. Nice to meet you. I am Fiora. A sword that enhances its wielder.]
"Hello. My name is...."
He closed his mouth. Who he was—even he could no longer be a hundred percent sure.
As if understanding his heart, the woman's voice said gently,
[Roan told me that soon someone else would use his body. You must have a lot of questions, but that's all I know. Since having my wielder change isn't a first for me, I didn't ask. Though I didn't expect only the innards to swap out like this.]
The last part carried a trace of laughter in her voice.
[But knowing him, I can believe it. I'm not sure if you know, but he was quite out of his mind.]
"...I'm definitely aware."
Reading the irritation, anger, and bitter emptiness packed into his voice, the demon sword laughed brightly.
[Heheh. I know that feeling. He possessed astounding talent and ability, but in the end, it might have all been nothing but a burden to him.]
"A burden?"
[Yes.]
After the brief answer, there was a silence that felt like quiet contemplation. It was Fiora who broke the stillness first.
[Even if you're not Roan, as long as you're using that body, it's hard to deny it completely. People are as much shell as they are core, after all.
What I see is also the same person as Roan, so I'll call you Roan for now. And you don't need to take the risk of revealing your own name.]
"...Thank you."
Roan felt grateful to Fiora for sorting out his conflicted feelings so neatly.
[To hear such words from Roan's mouth. That's quite refreshing.]
The amusement in her voice soon faded after she accepted his thanks.
[Now then, shall we see how much more you can grow?]
"Huh?"
And so, several hours passed. Exhausted, Roan felt like he now understood why the Demon King had grown so strong. That line from her very first introduction—"a sword that enhances its wielder"—was apparently no empty boast.
"...."
[Don't exaggerate. I know that with the stats Roan had, that much wouldn't even make you breathe hard.]
Roan narrowed his eyes and glared at the sword.
[I can see everything~]
"How in the world...."
[You're infusing me with sword energy.]
Apparently, the range of the sword energy provided a sensory feedback similar to what humans perceived with their own senses.
Under Fiora's relentless nagging, Roan had been forced to run through the original Demon King's entire swordsmanship, from fundamentals to advanced applications, at least once each. His body was familiar with it, but the person inside wasn't, so fatigue kept piling up and wearing him down.
[Still, you move your body better than I expected?]
"...I'm tired."
[That's probably mental. That body is monstrous—it doesn't get exhausted. By the way, did the original you use a sword too? Were you familiar with one?]
Roan blankly tried to summon up memories from another world.
"No, even if I used one, it was very rarely."
Did a kitchen knife count as a sword? He'd used plenty of steel pipes, though.
[Hmm. It normally takes time to learn movements outside your previous range. If you weren't originally a swordsman, you seem to have quite a bit of talent. Your sword energy looks passable enough to be mistaken for the real Roan now. Very good!]
"Your praise doesn't make me happy at all at this point."
Roan answered with a grin. Fiora was the type to run you hard but not hold back on the compliments. Roan decided to think of it as having acquired a slightly meddlesome trainer.
After they'd even brought out the sword energy, what Fiora began drilling him on was skill application.
With nowhere else obvious to turn for help, Fiora was the first person Roan could actually lean on. When Roan voiced his concerns about skills, Fiora had driven him without a moment's rest.
'Wow, she really is merciless....'
[Can you sense it? That thing over in the corner. Try to focus on that single point.]
"Mm...."
[You mustn't turn off your sword energy. Otherwise I can't tell what's there.]
"Mmm. Focus... I think I'm focused."
[From that state, just gradually widen the range. Without thinning the density. Keep it built up just as it is.]
"Mmm...."
A skill that was constantly active apparently only exerted a fraction of its full power. He could apply it by concentrating that power on a specific area for finer control, or by expanding it widely.
Conversely, by consuming far more power than usual, he could produce what you might call a "full power" state.
[You're going to need a lot of practice with skills. A skill that hasn't gained a level yet is like an uncut gemstone. You can beat someone to death with it, but it's not beautiful. There's still room for growth, so you have to train. As a sword, I can no longer grow, but you can. It's a blessing, really.]
On top of that, every word she said was so thoroughly correct that she gave him no opening to argue.
In truth, even in the game, skill levels grew. The Demon King's skills still didn't have any levels attached to them. Skills grew through constant control practice or by using specific artifacts—things that the Demon King's temperament would have found entirely too bothersome.
'And on top of that, he never even bothered to look for the artifacts sitting right under his nose.'
Because he'd never once set foot in the library.
Thinking back now, he marveled that the Hero had the nerve to infiltrate enemy territory and rummage through someone else's library and reception rooms. In any case, it was yet another reason he needed to visit the library.
'Ah, actually, maybe it was the player, not the Hero, who was that relentless.'
[Wandering thoughts! Wandering thoughts!]
"...I'm sorry."
[Hmm, well, living things do need to eat, so it can't be helped. It's already past lunchtime.]
Still, having someone train him was a valuable thing. He vaguely felt like he was beginning to grasp the feel of extending and contracting a skill's range, or concentrating it on a single point, compared to when he'd started.
[Then shall we try putting your practice to use one last time? Let's try using 'Overwhelm' once. Finish well, and go eat with a happy heart.]
Roan consciously focused on his skill 'Overwhelm.' He visualized the range he could sense, then expanded it.
[For the expansion, try using an image of water welling up from a spring and soaking the earth. It'll help if you can maintain the density as well.]
The image of water overflowing, water overflowing....
The spring in Roan's mind welled up from a small spot and began to soak the earth. Now that he thought of it as the final practice of the day, he felt his concentration sharpen. He was about to go eat! Before he knew it, Roan was immersing himself even further.
The water soaked the earth. The overflowing water began to pool. The water in Roan's imagery soon covered the ground entirely, its surface steadily expanding. The rippling puddle became a small pond, then grew larger and larger, into a vast lake, with small waves forming, like a great inland sea....
[...top! Stop! Roan?!]
Gasping, Roan sucked in a breath. A moment later, Fiora spoke with concern.
[...Roan, are you all right?]
"I'm fine."
[Not you.]
Though Fiora had no face, she spoke as if peering deep into the castle.
[The people inside.]