The Demon Sword Craves Regret and Obsession
"Sister, what on earth are you thinking?"
It was the second day of the festival.
Ganal demanded answers from Ibis, who had been dressing herself up since dawn.
"About what?"
"Choosing an outsider—a commoner, no less—as your festival partner when you have a fiancé, and then declaring in front of everyone that you're going to make him yours."
"Fiancé? Ah, Gendry?"
He's not my fiancé, though?
Ibis recalled that the illusion had been woven with quite a bit of detail.
"As I've said, he just doesn't suit me~."
"The honor and prestige of our family are at stake."
"I don't see what that has to do with me. I'm Ibis, aren't I? I come first."
Everything the Demon Sword was currently enjoying, including this status, originally belonged to Ganal.
The illusionist who had forcibly awakened her from her slumber had cast a powerful illusion over the entire Zramun Archipelago with just a few lines of an incantation.
It made everyone perceive her as Ibis Protec, the eldest daughter of the Protec family, while Ganal became the thoughtful younger sister who stepped back from the succession line for the sake of her sister and the family's peace.
And for some reason, Gendry, who was immune to the dark magic, was Ganal's fiancé.
A couple deeply in love, at that.
Overnight, some woman had suddenly started acting like the eldest daughter of the archipelago's greatest family. Gendry was now perceived as a scoundrel, his fiancée treated him coldly, and his status had been degraded to the point where he was ordered around like a servant.
To Gendry, who cried out for this farce to be undone, Ibis had proposed a deal.
If he did as she commanded, she would restore everything to normal once the festival ended.
"Then what is it that you're putting first, Sister?"
Ibis giggled.
"Fun."
"What?"
"I'm going to bring the ultimate entertainment to this boring island."
She was absolutely confident she could make the onlookers burst into cheers.
"You can look forward to it."
Ibis's eyes gleamed ominously.
By the time the sun reached its zenith, Rin and Lucy were completely exhausted, their mouths dry.
Even though they had woken up early, Ibis had already finished dressing up and was waiting for them.
"There's no time to lose! Hurry, hurry!"
Pushed out of the mansion, they toured every single street vendor's stall without a single moment of rest.
They tried on and inspected everything from questionable accessories to cheap souvenirs, and ate every street food they came across.
To anyone watching, they looked exactly like a noble lady and her porters—nothing more, nothing less.
It was so bad that even Gendry, who had been glaring at them from a distance, eventually wore a fed-up expression and stopped bothering them.
"My lady, you've covered the entire festival street in just half a day. Perhaps it's time for a brief rest..."
Even Ganal, who had been tagging along, was panting for breath.
"Ah, right, right! Actually, there are some items I couldn't buy earlier. Ganal, find everything written here and bring them to me by evening."
"What? All of this?"
The paper Ibis handed over was so long that it reached down to Ganal's knees even when held high.
"It's the virtuous cycle of the economy. We have to set an example of consumption in a market like this so that merchants and event planners will flock here next time to make the festival a success, you know?"
"But without a single guard to escort you..."
At that, the young lady pointed at Rin and Lucy.
"I have these two right here."
"They are outsiders!"
"Ganal, do you really think anyone in the Zramun Archipelago would dare touch a child of the Protec family?"
"During the festival, there are more outsiders than locals on the islands."
"I'll bring a signal flare. If a flare goes bang! in the sky, you'll come rescue me, right?"
"Sigh... Please be careful, Sister."
Ganal reluctantly backed away and headed toward the festival streets.
Ibis didn't dislike her for worrying.
That was precisely why she was keeping her far away.
Away from herself—the most dangerous enemy of all.
"Well~. Somehow we've ended up all the way out here."
Where they stood was a quiet, secluded beach.
Because everyone was gathered at the festival streets, there was no one else in sight.
The atmosphere made it clear she was about to get to the point.
Rin and Lucy exchanged glances.
Let's handle this exactly as we practiced and planned yesterday.
Having replenished Rin's energy all night, Lucy's mind was clear today.
Vowing never to make a mistake or slip up, Lucy listened closely to the young lady's words.
However,
"Now! Mr. Chunsik and Ms. Sooni! From this moment on, we are going to find the grave of Gerero Protec!"
Faced with Ibis's demand, all the plans and practice the two had prepared the day before vanished into thin air.
"What?"
"Suddenly, such a..."
Rin and Lucy questioned her in turn, but Ibis wagged her index finger, refusing to hear any objections.
"You saw it earlier, right? Even though I'm the eldest daughter and heir of the Protec family, the servants dare to talk back to me!"
No, she's your sister.
If she's your sister, she has every right to.
Besides, Ganal's arguments had been perfectly reasonable.
"To secure the succession properly, I need to achieve a feat that no one else in the family has ever accomplished."
And that feat, Ibis asserted, was finding the grave of Gerero Protec—the long-cherished wish of the family.
But Rin and Lucy thought differently.
Suspecting Ibis of being a Demon Hero, the two perceived her actions as a desperate attempt to claim the Demon Sword before anyone else.
If she, a dual-wielder, were to obtain and use the Demon Sword, they wouldn't be able to stop her even if they coordinated with the Hero's party.
While the spearman had been designed as Lucy's rival, this dual-wielding vampire was a direct counter to the entire Hero's party.
An all-rounder who excelled in both single-target and area-of-effect attacks.
Unlike the illusionist who manipulated the entire battlefield to hit and run, or the spearman who excelled at locking down a single target, this dual-wielder was a living weapon capable of sweeping the battlefield with raw physical might and unique vampire magic.
Lucy was certain.
She didn't even need to look into Rin's eyes to know.
They had to play along.
And they absolutely had to find Gerero's grave and the Demon Sword before Ibis did.
"How do you plan to find it?"
"Actually, I've already searched the entire interior of the island. It's definitely not inland. So today, we're going to search along the coastline."
Ibis pointed behind herself.
"I'll go this way."
Then she pointed forward.
"You two go straight that way~."
"You're going to search the opposite side alone without any guards?"
"Ah, in that case, I'll take Ms. Sooni with me."
Ibis cut in as if she had been waiting for Rin to ask that very question.
Lucy looked at Ibis in sheer surprise.
"W-What?!"
"Well, you don't expect a noble lady to wander around alone with a strange man, do you? An outsider, at that? Even if I chose him as my partner, that's out of the question."
We've been played.
Rin had expected that pointing out the lack of guards would force her to either go with him or keep all of them together.
If she went with him, he could have Lucy tail them. If they all went together, they could have used Lucy's exceptional vision to locate the grave first and make their move.
Yet Ibis had chosen Lucy for a perfectly logical reason.
Why did I think she would choose me?
Rin lamented that tasting the affection of Lucy and Labin had made him overly self-conscious.
He should have remained humble instead of getting ahead of himself.
The goodwill of companions—especially of the opposite sex—was a truly sweet poison.
Even he, whose emotions had dulled, had let his guard down like this.
"I think leaving Chunsik alone is too dangerous. There was that person picking a fight yesterday, so maybe we should all go together..."
Lucy intervened at the right moment, but the young lady, without a word of debate, handed Rin a large firework.
"It's a signal flare. If anything happens, fire it into the sky."
"But with just that...!"
"Surely a single man isn't in more danger than two women."
He had been unable to match this woman's stubbornness since yesterday.
If Ibis were an ordinary human, he would have subdued her by force alongside Lucy. But showing their teeth to an opponent suspected of being a demon without proper weapons was the worst possible move.
He knew not every situation could go in his favor, but being outmaneuvered twice in a row stung.
Calm down. A crisis is an opportunity.
Once I'm alone, I'll plaster myself with skill scrolls, from physical enhancement to detection.
It's not like me, but I must prioritize self-preservation until Lucy purifies the Demon Sword and claims it as a Holy Sword.
Because if I'm gone, Lucy's mind will collapse.
When Rin gave her a reassuring nod, Lucy bit her lip.
She hated this situation where they had to take the bait despite knowing it was a trap.
"It's a Protec family signal flare, so if you fire it, the entire archipelago will rush to your aid."
"...I accept it with gratitude."
"Now! Since all safety measures are in place, shall we~ begin our expedition?!"
They split up and turned their backs to each other.
Lucy focused intently, keeping track of Rin's presence as he deliberately distanced himself quickly to use his skill scrolls.
Once he was far enough to look like a mere speck, Lucy channeled mana into the red thread she had bound to Rin.
"Heh, I see. So you had a device like that."
"...?!"
"A reddish-gold light... I really did find the right one."
The young lady was staring at the Hero with deep intrigue.
Lucy leaped back, creating distance.
"Ah, don't worry. It's just that I'm exceptionally sensitive, so I was able to feel it. Even an archmage at the peak of their power would find it hard to notice."
"You're finally showing your true colors."
"Oh? You knew?"
I thought you were just a fool who relied on brute force, but I guess not.
Pleased that she had been found out, Ibis was more than willing to introduce herself.
"Yes, that's right! I am the Dem—"
"I know. You're a Demon Hero."
"...Huh?"
"I knew it the moment you started acting close to Rin. I've known for a long time that all you Demon Hero bitches are targeting my Rin!"
Disappointment.
Utter disappointment.
Even so, Ibis kindly decided to point things out one by one.
"First of all, you should refrain from calling the porter by his real name in front of others. If too many people find out who he is, it might get inconvenient for you later, you know?"
"You Demon Heroes were calling him Rin from the very beginning anyway."
"Ah, of course they did. He's their dream prince, after all. But I'm different."
"Different?"
"Of course. Because I'm not a demon."
A burst of black energy erupted.
The scorching sunlight was completely blocked out by a dark shroud, leaving only Ibis and Lucy in a pitch-black space.
Though it was undeniably dark, the energy was different from demonic energy.
"Though I suppose I'm a similar product~."
Clang!
Ibis's right arm transformed into a sword.
A pitch-black blade that radiated a sharp, menacing light.
Thanks to it, her silhouette was visible in the darkness.
"Here, take one too."
A sword of red light materialized in the air and stabbed into the ground at Lucy's feet.
"Who on earth are you?"
"Sigh, seriously."
I thought you had some intuition, but you're still clueless.
The future looked bleak.
"I'm just a sword that pursues entertainment. The mortal world calls me a Demon Sword. Though barely anyone remembers me anymore."
Her right arm, now a sword, pointed at Lucy.
"You know where the porter is, right? You'd better. He's far more important than you think."
Of course she did.
The red thread on her pinky finger assured her that Rin was still safe.
"Let me introduce myself formally. I am the Demon Sword 'Abyss'. Would you understand if I called myself the first Hnoni?"
"I know all about the Demon Sword. Rin told me. He said I need you to beat those Demon Hero bitches."
"Oh, really? To do that, you'd have to turn me into a Holy Sword. Do you know how?"
"Of course."
Lucy drew the red sword.
Ah, this cool, heavy sensation.
It had been a long time.
"He said I just have to subdue you by force."
"Hahahahaha!"
This is getting quite fun!
"Indeed! That is exactly what you must do to move forward. My, that porter is bolder than he looks."
"Do you love Rin too?"
"No, I like entertainment. I have no interest in humans. But, do you know what the ultimate entertainment is?"
Clash!
With a sharp metallic ring, the five fingers of her left hand all transformed into blades.
"The face of a human filled with regret after harming their most precious treasure with their own hands."
The Demon Sword gestured with her chin for Lucy to come at her.
"Now, let's speak with our blades. I'll show you a glimpse of the absurd difficulty that lies ahead."
"However,"
"If you can't defeat me, Rin will die today. By someone's hand."
"Those words..."
A reddish-gold light erupted, near-blinding in its intensity.
Lucy's mana shone brilliantly in the darkness.
"I will make you regret this."
"Hahahahaha!"
She burst into roaring laughter.
Abyss stared at Lucy from the darkness.
Kicking up a gale-force wind, Lucy lunged forward.
"I just told you, didn't I? Regret is my absolute favorite kind of fun!"
The mocking black Demon Sword and the reddish-gold Hero clashed.