#047 Ambush
#047 Ambush
After finishing a pleasant meal.
Before gathering the supplies needed for the raid, I first shared tea with Lucius and Rosemas and talked about the raid.
"Lucius. No matter what happens, using the Holy Sword is forbidden."
"Excuse me?"
"No matter what happens, do not use the Holy Sword. Understood? Part of this is to protect you, but at the same time, it's also meant to protect this city."
I couldn't explain in detail.
I could only hope that even if I explained it poorly, he would understand perfectly, trust me, and follow along.
"Acedia is after the Wind Holy Sword. They're dangerous enough that they wouldn't hesitate to slaughter villagers to get it."
"......."
It was a bit of a cruel thing to do, poking at Lucius's sore spot, but Lucius definitely needed to be aware of this.
"Revealing the Holy Sword in a crowded place is still too dangerous to handle the aftermath. Someday the time will come, but not now."
It hadn't even been a month since Lucius awakened as a Holy Sword Hero.
I couldn't mention a specific time, but at least one condition was necessary.
"Lucius. Listen carefully. There is only one case where you may reveal the Holy Sword in front of everyone. That is..."
"Are you talking about when you're in danger, Master?"
"That's part of it, but what I'm talking about is something else."
I pointed at myself.
"If I have enough mana to use Teleport magic to take you and your party and escape from people, then regardless of my own situation, if it's a situation that can't be resolved without the Holy Sword, you may release the Holy Sword in front of people."
Handling the aftermath.
In other words, running away.
"After your Holy Sword's power awakened, the villagers immediately started clinging to you, right? It won't be just one or two. There will be those who want your power, those who are after your power, and those who wish your power would disappear."
Those who seek to use the Holy Sword.
Those who desire the Holy Sword's power.
Those who seek revenge against the Holy Sword.
"Rosemas, what do you think? The Wind Holy Sword appearing after 500 years. Don't you think the elves would show a lot of interest too?"
"What?!"
Rosemas was startled to a rather odd degree.
"What do you think?"
"W-well, that's true. Among the elves... especially among the elders, there are those who believe we should recover all the Holy Swords scattered across the human world and have the elves manage them."
The Holy Sword is a tool.
If the conditions are met, there's no reason an elf couldn't use a Holy Sword.
"Well, the elves could get their hands on all the Holy Swords and set out to unify the continent."
"Th-the elves wouldn't do that!"
"Who knows."
Since I'd heard it directly from one of them, I realized Rosemas was definitely on the younger side.
-I curse you, Demon King Army bastards! Someday we'll gather all the Holy Swords, destroy every last one of you, and rule over the humans who betrayed us!!
-Ohoho. Are the elves joining the Demon King Army now?
-Shut up! We elves are guardians of nature who protect all forests...!!
-If you're going to kill everything, why not start by killing all the bugs that gnaw on twigs? Bugs damage trees more than humans or orcs do anywhere in the world.
-Ugh...!!
There was an elf named Iyeluna.
Through her, I learned of one plan the elves had.
'Humans and the elves of today should really be grateful to me.'
Because the Demon King Army set fire to the Elven Forest and completely dismantled the elven organization, the elves' plan to conquer the world before the Demon King Army also fizzled out.
Kill all Demonfolk who harm nature, and enslave humans.
The elves, having learned about a 'caste system' from humans, intended to make slaves of humans.
Even now, among elves over 500 years old, there must be those with a yearning for domination and conquest.
-The Wind Holy Sword has appeared? ...Send the Guardians. Proceed.
If Iyeluna is still alive, she will definitely come to steal the Wind Holy Sword.
Somehow, it's not strange that the elves would covet a Holy Sword brimming with the power of nature's mana itself, as if each race like elves or dwarves ought to manage one.
Because the Holy Sword is what turns Lucius, who was just Village Hunter A, into the mightiest knight capable of taking a Demon King's head in an instant.
If the elves got their hands on the Wind Holy Sword and shot it into the sky like an arrow?
It would gain power like the destructive beam fired from Satan's Sky Island in the Demon Realm down to the surface—like an orbital bombardment.
The elves would try to possess it themselves while also ensuring that power could never be used against them.
"In my opinion, the older the elf elder, the more they'll covet the Wind Holy Sword that brought down a Demon King. Rather than a human who's hard to control, they'd want to make an outstanding elf Guardian the master of the Holy Sword."
"Th-they wouldn't... they wouldn't..."
"You never know. You may be an elf, but the elves I knew were completely different from you."
Rosemas is a woman like a young child.
Dumping the truth about elves onto a woman like that isn't a good idea.
"Well, it's not just the elves—everyone will be after the Holy Sword. So while I won't say using the Holy Sword is forbidden... don't reveal the Holy Sword directly. Understood?"
"Understood, Master. ...Ah."
Lucius seemed to realize something.
"So what you wanted to tell me was..."
"Right. It's a technique that lets you draw out the Holy Sword's power without taking it out."
When people think of a Holy Sword, they naturally imagine a sword that sparkles and flashes with light, looking impractical for real combat.
But a Holy Sword is fundamentally an object like a source of attribute mana that happens to have the form of a sword.
"Lucius. The Holy Sword's power is already inside your body. The key is how you handle it."
"...So you're saying that in dangerous situations, I should first fight using only the Holy Sword's power."
"Exactly!"
As expected of Lucius.
Teaching him was rewarding.
"So, can you use the Holy Sword's power? Want to try it here?"
"I'll try."
Lucius immediately stood up from his seat.
And then—
"Wind—"
"Wait. Not that."
That was almost a disaster.
"Don't say that carelessly."
"Excuse me? But if I don't say this..."
"Make your own incantation!"
"Incantation?"
"Yes, incantation. You're the wielder of the Holy Sword. If someone hears that and takes the Holy Sword from you, what are you going to do?"
"I-I wouldn't do that!"
Rosemas waved her hands in denial.
"Why would I ever try to take Arthur's power!"
"There could be someone who brainwashes Rosemas and makes her steal the Holy Sword without even realizing it."
Because the Demon King Army mainly did that sort of thing.
Acedia would probably do something similar.
"Back in my day, there was a case where a Holy Sword Hero entrusted her sword to the man she loved, only to be betrayed by him and have the Holy Sword stolen."
"What?!"
"She was a female Hero. And the man wasn't even a spy for the Demon King Army. But the Demon King Army brainwashed him and took it."
"Th-that's...!"
"Is that possible?"
"Yes."
They had made it possible.
"At the time, near the female Hero there were males superior to that man... I'll say 'males' since that'll hit closer to home. There were superior males. The man, who was merely the first companion, became dead weight to the party and was ostracized even among the other males."
"That's..."
"Then he grew sick and worn out, and his body was taken over by a Demon King. The Demon King controlled the man's body and took the Holy Sword from the female Hero. The female Hero was captured without being able to put up any fight."
"That's absurd. The Hero was a woman, right?"
"Because she was a woman. The female Hero liked the man, and the man confessed to the female Hero and asked her to go somewhere private for a moment."
-Honey, you'll love me forever, right...?
-Of course. But baby, can't I just touch the Holy Sword once?
-Ah, no, you can't...
-I'll do more for you. Hm?
-...J-just a little more...?
-Okay. Close your eyes. But how do you use the Holy Sword?
-The Holy Sword is...
"The man succeeded in drawing the Holy Sword out of the female Hero."
-Phew, I finally got the Holy Sword out. Now this Holy Sword is mine.
-Ah, no...! My legs won't move...! Y-you...! You did this to me just to...!
-Go back to your hometown. I'll go to the Demon King's castle alone. You're better suited to being a wife than a Hero.
-D-don't go...! Don't leave me, hic, don't gooo!!
-If you love me, wait for me.
-Aaaaaah!!!
And the man never returned.
The Demon King obtained the Holy Sword, and the woman, no longer a Hero, entered the Demon King's castle all alone and was captured.
-D-Demon King...! Give me back my man!
-I've already taken him over. Your man is mine now. Do you want him back?
-G-give him back...!
-Tell me the Holy Sword's Trigger Word and I'll hand him over.
-Ugh...!! Promise me... you'll give my love back...!
That's how I completely obtained the Holy Sword.
-Ah. Let me tell you one thing. The man you loved was actually me from the very beginning.
-What...?
-I transformed and approached you. From the start, you were in love with the Demon King! Hahaha! I just wanted to see the look on your face—w-wait, why are you taking your clothes off...? S-stop that.
"In the end, the female Hero ended up staying at the Demon King's castle."
"As a prisoner? Good heavens, that's too cruel..."
"Because he was the Great Demon King."
Truly, it was a heinous act that exploited a human heart.
After that, well.
What happened?
I had no idea.
Well, what did it matter?
I'm a Demon King, after all.
"Understood? So you must never casually show the Holy Sword to anyone. Got it, Lucius?"
"To anyone... Understood."
"Good. If you really must show it, only show the Holy Sword to someone you can trust and entrust it to for your entire life. Understood?"
"......Yes, understood."
What a relief.
That he at least roughly understood.
"Then... may I show it to you, Master?"
"Me?"
Lucius's Holy Sword, huh.
"For me, sure, anytime."
* * *
At that moment.
At the lakeside in northern Normance.
The magic circle of a massive Dimensional Gate began to glow and draw itself slowly, and the staff from the Adventurers' Guild were checking the estimated completion time of the magic circle with an hourglass while tidying up the surroundings.
A long fence had been set up around the lakeside, including a wooden barrier facing the Dimensional Gate. It probably would not do much, but at least it would keep enemies from charging straight into people.
"Hah, as if anything's going to happen."
Crackle.
"...Huh?"
"How foolish, humans."
Flap, flap.
A demon descended, flapping crow-like wings, and sneered at the Adventurers' Guild staff.
"Predicting the opening time based on the speed the magic circle completes? Ha. Did you think our Demon King wouldn't have anticipated that much?"
WHOOOOOSH.
Before anyone knew it, the magic circle was complete.
"Rapid casting. Surprised it opened about nine hours earlier than scheduled?"
Crackle.
"Sorry for betraying your expected timing. Oh well. It's not like we ever agreed on an appointment."
"Y-you coward!!"
"The Demon King Army just did what the Demon King Army does."
The Dimensional Gate opened, and Magic Beasts began pouring out from within.
"Let's go! My legion of Malphas!"
Scraaaw!!!
From beyond the Dimensional Gate, countless monstrous birds began soaring into the sky.