The Blue Flame Demon's Claws - Intermission
I landed on the ground between the scattering blue flames.
*Whoosh.* I swung my sword once, sweeping away the blue blood that coated the blade.
When Heldrug’s severed head struck the dirt and kicked up a cloud of dust, *whoosh*.
The moment the sword slid back into its sheath, the Iron Claw Wind faded.
*Boom!*
The headless ogre’s massive body collapsed powerlessly, sending a fresh wave of dust billowing upward.
*Okay, done with him.*
*Ah, this is what being a Swordmaster feels like…*
He wasn’t exactly strong.
*Whoosh.*
A small green key of light materialized in the empty air. I snatched it up. It was the exit gate key.
*I’ll take this too.*
I moved toward the ogre’s head.
By now the thing’s skull had dried up like a wilted flower, though the horn remained sharp and still leaked faint blue flames.
*Slice.*
I sliced the horn off with ease.
Inside, nestled beside a black blade and its sheath, lay the Flame Demon Blade Hwama.
From the blade itself, a dark-blue mana flowed like veins, feeding the ogre’s corpse.
But because the ogre had already been slain, the supply of blue mana dwindled rapidly.
*Flame Demon Blade Hwama.*
A hundred-and-sixty years ago, the fiend Hiccup had planted this fire demon’s command through the eastern peninsula, embedding it into Heldrug.
It was also the origin of the blue flame.
I gripped the blade’s handle.
*Hwaaark!*
Blue flames bloomed along the grip. I’d been worried about the heat, but it was pleasantly warm.
The ogre owner was dead, so the Flame Demon Blade was now offering itself to a new master.
The basic requirements were simple.
[Requirements] - “5th Tier” - “Sword Expert” proficiency
The notification window kindly spelled it out.
*Great. Looks like it took.*
The mana of the flame demon was precisely the fire magic the ogre Heldrug had used—mana-devouring flames.
In *For Elise*, Elise was supposed to become the master of the Flame Demon Blade, but that very power would clash head-on with the fairy’s strength and try to destroy her body.
To even attempt wielding it, she would have needed a special ritual in the game’s late game, and even then she would have had to pay a heavy price.
*By then I’d already have a much better weapon to use anyway.*
No reason left to cling to the Flame Demon Blade.
That was why it was usually treated as a romantic, flashy, low-utility weapon—JOAT on every metric.
*But now that I have it, performance is GOAT, utility is GOAT, and the cool factor is GOAT.*
I had no mana clashing with it, so it was basically pure sweetness.
*Hwaaark.*
I drew the blade and its sheath. The moment I sheathed the sword, the flames vanished.
*Swish.*
The Flame Demon Blade could also transform into an arc-like form of pure mana. I folded both swords into the same space and stored them inside.
My Swordmaster senses scanned the entire area without a single gap. I detected no living presence watching me.
*Guess I’m done here. Time to head back.*
*Zing!*
*Whoosh.*
I spun the exit gate key in the air and a small green portal formed overhead.
Once the exit gate appeared, a tiny green aurora would bloom in the sky above it.
The moment Elise’s party finished their fight, they would see the aurora and come through.
*Fight hard, Elise.*
I stepped through the gate.
* * *
Elise, Lara, and Henry arrived at the exit gate after the battle.
There lay the ogre corpse that had been the source of all that mana, now charred and lifeless. The forest was a blackened wasteland.
The ogre’s remains were already crumbling to ash.
“I can’t believe it…” Lara laughed in disbelief.
Earlier, even from a distance, the group had witnessed the terrifying mana slash that had roared across the treetops with the force to split the sky itself.
The lingering echo was pure awe.
Elise turned to her semi-transparent notification window and Scenario Note.
[System: Scenario Note has been updated.] [System: Would you like to read it?]
*Oh, Elise. The page that should have ended in tragedy—the ogre’s neck has been severed. Congratulations, Elise!*
*I helped again.*
The note had updated right after the ogre’s head flew off. This ogre had been the central villain of the bad ending.
An unknown being had solved it.
“Elise. The one who killed this monster… do you know who that person is?”
“Hmm… I think I can guess.”
Elise recalled the mana slash that had felled the ogre.
An absurdly powerful force. The density of the mana had left clear information.
“Just a Swordmaster, maybe.”
Lara’s lips moved as if to speak, then closed again.
Henry couldn’t even open his mouth.
They all felt the same awe.
*No way… it was that strong?*
Elise was still stunned.
She had expected the helper to be strong, but not *Swordmaster* strong.
*Whoosh.*
The trio stepped out of the exit gate.
They had arrived at a rocky outcrop, the exact spot near the gate where they had been pulled in.
No footprints. No broken branches. No trace at all.
They had no idea whether the mysterious helper had deliberately chosen this location as the exit point.
“Sis! Outside! We’re safe now!”
“Yeah, I know.”
While Henry tried to lighten the mood with his usual dramatics, Elise’s mind was still replaying the existence that had slain the ogre.
She sent a magic letter to the coachman heading back to town, detailing the situation.
Before leaving, she and Lara and Henry returned to the exact spot where the gate had first swallowed them.
They searched for any trace the mysterious strong one might have left behind.
They found none.
*Abnormally trace-free.*
At the very least, footprints should have been left. Or broken twigs.
The mysterious fighter had clearly taken deliberate care to leave no evidence.
A faint smile curved Elise’s lips. This wasn’t hide-and-seek.
*Who exactly is that Swordmaster?*
The answer wouldn’t come today.
Elise swallowed her disappointment.
The damp air brushed her skin. She looked up at the sky; gray clouds drifted lazily.
Rain seemed imminent.
* * *
“Elise, are you okay?!” “Did you get dragged into the gate?!” “Damn it, if I’d been there with you…”
Several days later, in the Griffin Knight Academy lecture hall.
A crowd of cadets swarmed around Elise Lorendia, pouring out their worries.
Especially the boys—clearly there to score points.
“I’m fine. As you can see, I’m perfectly healthy.”
Elise smiled brightly and answered in a relaxed tone.
“Back then, I stepped in to protect Elise and Lara-noona. In that dangerous moment, I was about to show my strength… uh, wait, I meant to say something, but erase that from your memories. It’s a *secret*, after all…”
“Ah, why?! Tell us, Henry!”
Henry Twislope. The guy was spewing hero stories while basking in his own glory.
In truth, his part in the story had been glossed over when he spoke.
“Did you hear, Mr. Hazley?! The top and second students were dragged into the dungeon!”
Violet Blackgarden and Turak sat in the seats beside me.
Violet had jumped straight into the topic the moment she entered the lecture hall. Turak was just gnawing on jerky with zero interest.
“Yeah, I heard.”
“Ah, you did? Then please forget what I said…”
Violet turned her head away, already deflated.
*Don’t give up. Just tell us…*
I continued smoothly.
“It was scary. But because it was the top students, things turned out okay. If it had been someone else… ugh.”
“Y-Yes! It was terrifying…!”
Violet lit up with excitement as I spoke.
The rumor had spread through the academy that Elise, Lara, and Henry had been pulled into the dungeon and targeted by demons.
That was why they had reported the incident to the academy, cooperated with the investigation for several days, and taken time off.
The academy was treating the matter with great sensitivity and was already investigating.
*It probably won’t be resolved cleanly.*
The academy would have a hard time finding useful clues from this event, and the investigation would likely fizzle out.
*Because the shadow forces already control key positions inside the school.*
That was exactly why I couldn’t cooperate with the academy.
The black hand.
Still, for now they couldn’t make a big move like last time. The academy was already on edge because of Elise.
My gaze drifted toward Lara Twislope.
A petite girl with light-blue low twintails, wearing a star-shaped hairpin and a beret.
Lara had taken a seat two rows away from the cluster of cadets swarming Elise.
She sat with her chin propped on her hand, staring at Elise with obvious annoyance.
She had been sitting in the row in front of me, but because the lecture hall was tiered, I could see her perfectly.
*Legs…*
Beneath her skirt, Lara’s two healthy legs were perfectly together.
*Whoa… that’s kinda touching.*
It was like the moment in a tearjerker movie when your heart does that stupid flutter.
Probably because I was already attached to the main heroine of *For Elise*.
In the original third-playthrough story, Lara losing one leg had been unavoidable if we wanted a true ending.
A warm smile tugged at my lips.
Yeah, admit it. I almost died, Ron Hazley!
*M-Marah! Thanks to me, your legs are still attached, sis!*
I wanted to brag to Lara so badly, but of course I couldn’t.
I just enjoyed the lingering feeling of having been moved myself.
While I was staring at Lara’s legs, comfortably warmed by the moment…
“?”
Lara suddenly turned her head toward me.
She followed my gaze down to her own legs, then looked back at me.
“…!”
Her expression turned into pure contempt as she glared at me.
“N-No, it’s not like that.”
I tried to explain immediately.
Don’t misunderstand. I was just moved for a second while looking at your legs.
No, hold on… that wording was a little too perverted, wasn’t it?
*Damn it. Why is this my usual repertoire? I’m so pissed.*
“Why are you looking at me like that, Mr. Hazley?”
“What do you mean, like that?”
Violet and Turak both gave me suspicious looks from either side.
Lara flushed red, then immediately pouted and turned her face away, hiding her legs under the desk.
*How do I explain this…*
Even one round of this had been difficult enough; doing it twice in a row would have been torture.
If we’d been close like before, maybe, but somehow she’d read my gaze from this distance.
Lara wouldn’t try to hurt me on purpose, but for the foreseeable future I was going to have to endure this awkward atmosphere with her.
Eventually, the calm-looking instructor entered the lecture hall.
“Second-class Mana Operation lecture! Total enrollment 30, no absentees, current attendance 30! All preparations complete!”
“Rest.”
“Rest!”
The single student in the first row stood at attention and reported to the instructor, then sat down.
Unlike training, the lecture was divided by class. We were in Class 2.
“Before class begins, I will announce the next test.”
*Next test… that one.*
*For Elise*, Chapter 1, Scene 6, third minor arc.
“The next test is a one-versus-one duel. Since we will be focusing heavily on combat mana techniques from this class onward, make sure everyone masters them properly.”
“Yes!”
The cadets answered with military precision.
*A duel, huh.*
I let out a silent, deep breath.
No one to ask for help like during the mountain chase test. No one to sneak up on like during the golem extermination test. Nowhere to run. A fair fight.
Duel.
…Well, there was nothing else for me to do anyway.
I’d just live like a dog and survive. That was all.