Old Comrades and a New Star
Their legs nearly gave out the moment they saw my wicked smile. “As expected. She really is a demon,” Edgar muttered. Objectively speaking, I didn’t have a single demonic feature, yet they were convinced something like me could never be human. The three of them—everyone except Jin—were visibly shaking. They had fought demons before, sure, but had any of their past victories carried an aura this vicious?
“How many demons have I taken down? And you’re calling me a demon?”
“A v-very evil demon who massacres her own kind…” Saren was the one pointing an accusing finger at me. “Want me to break that finger?”
She used to be my first love. Back when I first met her in the hero party, I fell for her at first sight. In my eyes she had been impossibly beautiful, and at the time I was completely enamored with every fantasy the word “elf” could conjure. Reality, though?
She’s just a bitch.
Elves aren’t anything special. All that talk of noble forest dwellers was nothing but good PR. They’re a race just like humans—complete with angels, demons, saints, and bitches.
“Call me a demon one more time and you’re dead.”
I was starting to get seriously pissed. My master had slain countless demons and monsters on her way to the Demon King himself. For me—her inheritor—to be called a demon was an insult I wasn’t willing to swallow.
“Dead?” Saren sounded a little startled. The vocabulary didn’t match the refined aura I was apparently giving off.
“I can’t believe this! She says she’s not a demon!”
“What are you going to do about it if you don’t believe me? Attack me? I already told you—I’m not a demon.”
Luckily it didn’t look like she planned to strike first. We could still back off and—
The sharp ring of a sword leaving its sheath cut through the air.
“J-Jin!” Saren cried.
Normally he wouldn’t have picked a fight with someone like this. Even the hero’s party knew better than to underestimate a demon. But Jin’s mind was filled with a single thought.
I need to get back to the front lines immediately.
He had to prove himself to the idiots who’d sent him to the rear. Beheading a demon—not just a monster—would be more than enough achievement to earn his return. Ambition had clouded his eyes.
“Jin! Are you really going to fight her?”
“Slaying evil demons is the hero’s duty.”
“But that aura is way too strong…”
“Aura? Who cares about that? It’s the same as a scared dog barking loud.”
His stubbornness was unbreakable. I’d seen it confirmed countless times over our years together. The other three sighed in unison and readied themselves for battle.
“You attacked first, remember?”
I drew my Holy Light Sword as well, and the clash began.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Jin’s blade was far sharper than it had been five years ago. Time had tempered it well. Edgar’s support was flawless too—slipping in to strike every time Jin left an opening. His timing was smoother, his bursts of power deeper and more lethal than before, rivaling even Jin’s.
Saren assisted from the rear, launching sharp, opportunistic attacks to exploit any gap I showed.
They’ve definitely improved.
Still, I wasn’t about to stand still. I might not have gained much real combat experience during my five years in the forest, but who had my master been? The Sword Saint herself.
What about Asia? She was sending holy power from a distance, but it didn’t hurt me at all. Because I wasn’t a demon.
“How’s that?” Jin growled, glaring while he pressed the assault. He seemed to have gained confidence from the fact that I was only defending.
Did this guy always talk mid-battle?
Jin used to be the quiet type. I’d thought he was just trying to look cool and heroic, but apparently he’d thrown that pretense away.
Should I congratulate him? Eh, whatever.
At this point I had a solid read on their abilities.
This is my first real fight since inheriting Master’s power, too.
How much strength should I use to beat them to within an inch of their lives without killing them? My mind was spinning. I understood their level clearly, but I still didn’t have a precise grasp of my own. I knew I had leapt to an absurdly high realm, but exactly how high?
So I decided to face them with basic swordsmanship first, without using the Night Sky Sword Style.
If it’s not enough, I can always ramp it up gradually.
If I overshot and accidentally killed the hero, I’d never forgive myself.
The first time I moved beyond pure defense, my blade flashed. It wasn’t a simple sparkle. Beneath the midday sun that swallowed every other light, a single small star was born.
Everyone present was stunned. Including me.
How?
I hadn’t even unfolded the Night Sky Sword Style—how was starlight appearing? The reason was simple. After five years of constant training, the style had become part of my very bones. Before, I’d lacked the power to manifest it. Now that I had the strength, everything was different.
The brief starlight faded. But something was off.
Jin realized—slightly too late—that his sword had snapped.
“H… how!”
He couldn’t hide his panic. He might have dropped his sword against any number of demons, but never had it been broken. His blade carried the goddess’s blessing; it wasn’t supposed to shatter against demonic power no matter the skill gap.
“Are you even the real hero?” I looked at him with open pity.
Jin’s face twisted with rage. “You bastard!”
“Glare all you want. What are you going to do about it?”
I struck his mouth without warning. A few teeth flew out as he collapsed to the ground.
“Jiiiiiiin!” Saren and Asia wailed. Edgar stood speechless, staring at the teeth that had shot from Jin’s mouth.
Yeah, that much force seems about right.
I beamed at the remaining three. “He’s just unconscious, so don’t overreact. Next.”
“Uh… uh…”
“Front teeth? Canines? Molars?”
“W-what!”
“If you don’t pick, I choose.”
Thwack!
Edgar’s teeth sailed through the air once more. I moved on to Saren.
“Molars!” she blurted without hesitation. Losing front teeth or canines would look too ridiculous.
“I wasn’t asking you. You’re getting your front teeth.”
“Why me—ack!”
“Oops. Took a canine by mistake. My bad.”
I apologized to the now-silent Saren and finally approached Asia.
“H-hiiik!”
She was shaking like a leaf.
This one’s tricky.
If I only thought about what happened five years ago, she was no different from the rest. But at least she hadn’t attacked me in today’s fight.
Wait, no. Come to think of it, she fired holy power because she thought I was a demon.
I didn’t take any damage since I’m not a demon, but the intent was there, wasn’t it?
Decision made, I threw another punch. The tooth broke cleanly.
Intent matters more than outcome.
I looked down at the four of them lying together in a neat little pile.
I’d love to just leave them here…
But I didn’t want them anywhere near Master’s grave.
I’m too nice for my own good.
I carried them out of the forest and dumped them outside the treeline. With that chore finished, I finally turned my steps toward the wider world in earnest. The past five years I would never forget. Once I—the one who had inherited the curse—left, the forest would eventually return to normal. Beasts and insects would come back, and the plants would finally be able to thrive.
Goodbye.
I said it to the time that had passed.
The city of Rosenburg. People said the air here carried an indefinable unpleasantness. Maybe it was the stench of monster blood, human blood, and corpses all mixed together. Or maybe it was just a prejudice born from the city’s grim reputation.
Of all human cities, this was the one closest to demon territory. Travel any farther north and you’d only find demon cities ahead. As a result, countless battles had been fought here. For hero parties heading toward the Demon King, it served as the final base camp. Many such parties stopped here to catch their breath. Some fought monsters in the area; those lacking the strength to advance often settled permanently and made a living hunting them. Even so, Rosenburg was always short on manpower.
“Any more reinforcements?” Caleb, one of the knights guarding the city, shouted. The number of monsters today was unusually high. His unit alone couldn’t handle it.
“They say she’s coming.”
“She? There are plenty of women. Be more—”
He looked at the reporting soldier. The man’s face showed unmistakable fear, and it didn’t seem to be from the monsters. That could only mean one person. The moment Caleb realized who it was, an ominous aura began to flood the area. It was as powerful as a high-ranking demon’s, yet somehow fundamentally different in nature.
Caleb had faced few demons in his life and couldn’t quite put the difference into words, but it was definitely not the same.
Soon she appeared—a female swordsman with black hair. Despite the ferocious aura rolling off her, she was strikingly beautiful.
“Welcome, Lady Altair.” Caleb gave her a respectful nod.
She returned it lightly.
The swordsman who had appeared like a comet only a few weeks earlier was now regarded by everyone in the city with a mixture of respect and gratitude. When she first arrived, many had attacked her thinking she was a demon. She had subdued them all without injuring a single person. Afterward a high-ranking priest confirmed she wasn’t demonic, and by single-handedly slaying countless monsters she proved she was an enemy of the demons. More than a few people owed her their lives. So even though the citizens still felt fear, they treated her with genuine respect. Caleb was one of them.
“How’s the situation?”
“It was getting difficult. You arrived at the perfect time.”
“Looks that way. Go rest with the soldiers.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. You’ve worked hard enough already, haven’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Caleb himself had been among those who once charged at her. Setting aside the humiliating defeat, the memory of having attacked her still made his face burn with embarrassment.
The monsters’ gazes locked onto her as she stepped forward. They looked like wolves baring their fangs.
She drew her Holy Light Sword. Another star began to shine beneath the sun.
“Come.”
The monsters charged. She painted stars across their bodies.
Of course, she was me—Altair.