The Delphiana Raid Incident - 5
The surge of demonic energy was on a scale that made the earlier monsters seem like child's play. The brave souls who sensed it immediately began racing toward its source.
“Dean! You've lived long enough—why don't you just sit back and rest already!”
At the worried words of a fellow swordsmanship professor, Jean-Louis Lopez roared back without missing a beat.
With the safety of every swordsmanship student—except the princess—confirmed, the massive explosion and burst of demonic energy that followed could only mean one thing. There was a chance Ditrua was involved.
I have no choice but to step in.
He had passed his peak. He could admit that much. But who else could he possibly entrust with an opponent radiating that kind of power?
So Lopez ran.
This is no ordinary fight.
The closer he drew to the destination, the clearer it became that something extraordinary was unfolding. Who could possibly stand against an opponent strong enough to wield such overwhelming demonic energy?
Altair.
His instincts answered without hesitation. The intuition of one swordsman recognizing another.
I placed far too heavy a burden on a new instructor.
Just then, someone sprinted past him. He couldn't get a clear look, but it was a young nun.
I'm getting old.
To think he was being overtaken by a woman wearing that cumbersome habit. Time truly was merciless.
*
Altair approached the slumped form of Marius.
No major issues, it seems.
Those swallowed by a demon suffered damage from the demonic energy. Still, Marius was skilled enough to hold a professorship. It didn't look like he'd been possessed for very long, so the damage appeared relatively light. Of course, without proper treatment his condition would worsen, but this was the prestigious Delphiana Academy. The theology department was right here, filled with exceptional clergy.
And Asia is here too.
With their help, he should recover quickly.
Next, Altair turned her gaze to Ditrua. The girl was still trembling like a kitten that had lost its mother. Altair approached her fallen student with careful steps.
But Ditrua's eyes didn't seem to be focused on Altair—or anything in this world, for that matter. Her pupils were completely unfocused. She remained trapped in the grip of terror.
An overwhelming defeat unlike anything she'd experienced in her life. The fear of death. Regret over her own arrogance and misjudgment. All of it had tangled together and dragged her into the abyss. On top of that, she'd already exhausted every last ounce of her energy in battle. With no strength left, she didn't even have the will to pull herself out.
“Ditrua.”
Altair took the girl's hand. Her own hand was cold, tainted by the curse, yet still undeniably human. Through their joined hands, Altair gently poured her own energy into her student.
A warm power slowly rose from deep within Ditrua's body. Once she'd recovered enough strength, she gathered the bare minimum resolve needed to break free of the chains binding her mind.
“Professor…?”
Only then did Ditrua lift her head and look at Altair.
“That demon…”
Altair gestured with her chin toward Gunter, who lay collapsed on the floor. He was still alive, but every ounce of his power had been stripped away. He was completely neutralized.
“You won.”
That demon had been an overwhelmingly powerful being—far beyond anything Ditrua could have measured. To think Altair had defeated him. And there wasn't even a serious wound visible on her body.
“Can you stand?”
“Yes.”
The young princess took Altair's hand and rose to her feet.
*
When the two royal knights reached the warehouse, what they found was Ditrua being supported by Altair.
“Your Highness!”
The pair rushed over and quickly examined her condition. Fortunately there were no major injuries, but her complexion was terribly pale.
“Is Her Highness all right?”
“I shared some of my energy with her, but she's still quite weak. Give her something tasty to eat and have someone stay by her side. She's emotionally unstable right now.”
“Ah! Thank you!”
More people began pouring in behind them. The two knights relayed Ditrua's condition to the newcomers.
“Thank goodness.”
The professors let out sighs of relief.
“Then the mastermind is…”
Altair didn't even need to explain. The enormous figure sprawled inside was impossible to miss.
“Is that the bastard?”
Nathan frowned deeply as he stared at Gunter, who lay sprawled across the floor.
“And the one next to him… that's Marius, isn't it?”
Lopez's expression grew complicated as he looked at the man. Why was he here? And what was that demonic energy clearly leaking from his body? Piecing together the various incidents surrounding him, Lopez could roughly guess how today's events had unfolded.
“Was he possessed?”
“Yes.”
At Altair's answer, Lopez squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. His gaze trembled as he looked at her.
“Is Marius all right?”
“With proper treatment, it doesn't look like there will be any major problems.”
As Altair answered Lopez, her eyes caught sight of a familiar nun. The woman came trotting over to Marius, crouched down in front of him, and stretched both hands forward. A pure white light began to shine from her palms, soon enveloping Marius's body.
“The immediate danger has passed. His life isn't in jeopardy either.”
Lopez replied with a complicated expression.
“Thank you. We'll have to ask him for the details… once he regains consciousness.”
“You take care of that one too. I've made sure he can't fight anymore, but I'm no specialist.”
Leave medicine to the pharmacist, treatment to the doctor, and demons to the nun. At Altair's words, Asia nodded and cautiously approached Gunter.
“…This is no ordinary demon.”
Even during her time in the hero's party, she had rarely encountered a demon of this caliber. Though he had been completely subdued, the demonic energy still churned thickly in the air.
“It looks like this will take some time.”
She first tried to drive out the demonic energy filling the area. She brought her hands together, about to begin her prayer—
—when some other power completely swept away Gunter's demonic energy in an instant.
Every face in the warehouse hardened.
What had driven out Gunter's energy wasn't Asia's holy power. It was another wave of demonic energy.
The one who had suddenly appeared was a face everyone present knew well.
Erich von Müsel. The spokesperson for the demon nation of Regensraum.
The towering figure, nearly three meters tall, radiated thick demonic energy from his entire body. Every swordsman present drew their blades, and Asia prepared to cast holy magic at a moment's notice.
But the demonic energy rapidly began to recede. Erich was deliberately suppressing it.
“Forgive my rudeness. I came to deal with this one.”
He pointed at Gunter as he spoke. Yet no one relaxed their guard. They remained ready to charge at him at any second.
Erich turned his back on them as if their sharp hostility meant nothing to him. His gaze fell on Gunter's collapsed form.
“But it seems the matter has already been handled. My apologies for arriving late. Even for me, traveling this far requires considerable preparation and time.”
“You didn't come here to fight?”
At someone's question, Erich nodded.
“If I had come to fight, I wouldn't have appeared here alone. I would have brought a much larger force. And rather than opening my mouth, I would have attacked you all the moment I arrived.”
Suspicious glares bored into him. Was he telling the truth? Had this demon really not come here to fight?
While they were still unable to let go of their doubts, Erich examined Gunter's condition once more. He had been perfectly neutralized. An unexpected outcome. Gunter was strong. Erich had never imagined there would be anyone in a mere academy capable of defeating him. Could it have been due to being outnumbered? Certainly, if this many people had rushed him at once, even Gunter wouldn't have been able to endure.
But…
No. That's not it.
Looking at the wounds on his body and the surrounding situation, only one swordsman could have done this.
“Erich…”
At the sound of a voice, he turned his head. Altair was glaring at him with eyes that flashed like blades. The demon who had first brought her despair. To be precise, it had been his subordinate, the Death Knight Kaiser, but that knight had only been following this one's orders.
“Do you know me?”
Erich looked at Altair with eyes full of interest. He had never encountered this female swordsman on the battlefield. If he had even glimpsed her, her impression was far too striking to forget.
“Your face is on the front page of the newspaper every day. How could I not know it?”
“Newspaper? Ah, I have heard this world has such things. The front page means the first page, yes? How incredibly flattering.”
Despite his words, his tone remained completely expressionless. He had already noticed that the black-haired woman was the one who had defeated Gunter. And there seemed to be a very clear reason behind the hostility she directed at him. Of course, every native of this star held hostility toward him.
If circumstances allowed, I would like to have a longer conversation.
But this was hardly the place. He looked over the gathered crowd.
“Thanks to this one, were there any injured or dead?”
“…We have not yet received any such reports. We will have to wait and see, Duke Müsel.”
Lopez answered. Erich looked at him with mild surprise.
“To think Jean-Louis Lopez himself was here. No wonder this pathetic plan was doomed to fail from the start.”
“You know me?”
“It would be strange not to know that name. In any case, once the full extent of the damage is known, please inform Regensraum.”
“Why? Planning to offer compensation?”
At Altair's sharp remark, Erich nodded.
“Since the truce agreement was violated, it is only proper that our Regensraum provide appropriate compensation.”
He then bowed his head.
“As I said earlier, I did not come here to fight. I cannot express how truly regrettable this incident is.”
The others still refused to lower their guard. He might be alone, but he was an incredibly high-ranking demon. If he fought in earnest, how many casualties would there be?
“Though the circumstances are hardly ideal, as the spokesperson of Regensraum, I shall make an official statement. This incident is unrelated to Regensraum. It was the personal deviation of a single individual.”
“Cutting off the tail, are you?”
Altair growled. The others reacted similarly.
“I know it is difficult to believe, but it is the truth. Once again, Regensraum will soon issue an official apology for this incident and announce a compensation plan that will satisfy all of you.”
Was he serious? As he continued speaking so earnestly, the people began to relax their tension little by little.
“It would have been better if I had stepped forward sooner to stop him. Still, it is fortunate that his plan was successfully thwarted. Would it be acceptable for us to take custody of this traitor?”
“Traitor?”
At someone's question, Erich nodded.
“His Majesty the Demon King ordered a truce, and the negotiations have already been completed. Yet this one defied that command and committed such an act. Since he has gone against His Majesty's orders, he is naturally a traitor.”
Lopez furrowed his brow.
“Fine. But you want Regensraum to handle him? Is there any reason we should accept that proposal?”
“Of course. According to the agreement, the principle of territorial jurisdiction applies to crimes committed between the alliance and Regensraum. Naturally, you of the alliance have the right to deal with him.”
Erich placed a hand over his chest.
“However, I, Erich von Müsel, swear upon my very soul. If you send this one to Regensraum, he will receive a punishment far harsher than anything the alliance could possibly impose.”