The Sea… Was Split

On the floor where blood flowed like rivers, Idea, who had been watching my actions until just now, burst into a short laugh.

“What’s this? Is this a situation where I’m supposed to shed a tear or two~?”

“No, since it ruins the mood, there’s no need for that.”

“Now that’s too harsh~!”

Idea laughed unpleasantly as she stared at me. I lightly brushed off her gaze and frowned.

At my action, Idea mumbled something more, but I let her words go in one ear and out the other as I glanced back at Mu whom I had set down behind me.

My teeth ground together involuntarily at the sight of her clothes hanging empty where arms and legs had been blown off, and her looking at me while breathing heavily as if she might die at any moment.

‘Originally I was planning to take her along as is, but…’

According to the original plan, I was going to kidnap Idea like Isolde and Morgan and use her as a semi-forced subordinate.

After all, the more subordinates the better, and the more I could steal power from their side, the more it would benefit me.

But I had no choice but to completely revise this plan I had originally laid out.

‘I’ll kill Idea here.’

By killing Idea here.

Although Idea’s power as a sorcerer was invaluable, I didn’t feel any regret.

If you ask if it’s because I’m angry at seeing Mu treated like that, I can’t deny it, but before that, there was one more reason why I had to kill Idea here.

‘I can’t bring in someone with eyes like that.’

The sight of rage and resentment towards me, and unidentifiable sadness all mixed together with madness, rampaging in her eyes.

Although Isolde and Morgan had eyes that could be called normal even after being captured by me, there would be no benefit to me in bringing along Idea who already had such eyes.

Rather than gaining anything, I would only suffer extreme losses if I brought in Idea in such a state.

Moreover, if I gave her a chance to escape and sent her back to the Demon Realm unscathed, she would become a troublesome enemy later, so it was better to kill her here and now if possible.

So when I put my hand on my sword hilt to draw my sword while steeling my resolve, before I could draw it, I heard Mu’s voice from behind where she was sitting.

“M-Mother…”

“What is it, Mu.”

“I-Idea… has the power of immortality… The one you said the Demon King had before, ugh…”

“That’s enough, Mu. I understand sufficiently.”

What Mu said to stop me was none other than that Idea had the ability of immortality.

I slightly widened my eyes at this unexpected information, but calmed Mu who was having difficulty breathing.

The ability of immortality was, as Mu had just said, an ability that the Demon King also possessed.

Since I still didn’t properly know its identity like the price or activation principle, I narrowed my eyes for a moment as I looked at Idea who was said to have this ability, but soon let out a small laugh and relaxed my narrowed eyes.

“Immortality, huh. It’s not that big of a problem.”

That’s because I had already prepared countermeasures against immortality.

I drew the two swords I hadn’t yet unsheathed as I faced Idea, who was looking my way with a leisurely attitude while holding her staff.

The ability of immortality that I first encountered when fighting the Demon King. At that time, it was literally the first time I faced it, so I had no choice but to flee without proper countermeasures, but not now.

Isn’t it the basics of combat that if you’ve been badly beaten once, you make countermeasures against it?

Of course, I couldn’t be certain that the countermeasures I had prepared would definitely work against the Demon King, but I could be confident they would work on Idea at least.

And as I became certain of this, I forcibly erased the smile rising on my lips and turned to look at the librarian who had been hiding behind the pillar inside the library with the students.

“……”

“……”

Our gazes met precisely.

As if she knew I had something to say to her, the librarian flew out from behind the pillar where she had been hiding and came to my side in an instant as soon as our eyes met.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Thank you for coming right away. It’s a bit shameless, but I’d like to ask quite a big favor.”

“What is it?”

The librarian tilted her head as if to say to ask whatever favor first.

At the librarian’s face that didn’t seem particularly burdened, I inwardly let out a small sigh and opened my mouth.

“Is it possible for you to mobilize all the magicians in the underwater kingdom to assist in my battle? I’m not asking for help with the fighting. I’ll do the fighting alone, but I’d like them to prevent the damage that will occur during my battle.”

The plan to kill Idea who has the power of immortality.

This was expected to result in massive collateral damage even if there were no casualties, so magicians were needed to prevent that.

‘And this is the underwater kingdom overflowing with skilled magicians.’

Moreover, this place is the underwater kingdom overflowing with skilled magicians who have lived with primordial magic since ancient times.

And in such an underwater kingdom, the Library of Records was an existence that was close to being deified, said to be the manifestation of the living goddess.

Therefore, if it was the words of the librarian who manages the library and was created by the goddess, wouldn’t it be nothing for the people of the underwater kingdom to obey without question?

Of course, since I wasn’t certain, I had asked the librarian half in prediction and expectation, but fortunately, as if my guess was correct, the librarian nodded without any hesitation.

“Yes, it’s possible. If it’s my words, I can make all magicians including the king of the underwater kingdom support you.”

“That’s fortunate. How much time do you need? If possible, I’d like it done within 30 minutes.”

I felt sorry for the librarian, but if it took any longer than that, there was a possibility that Idea would go on a rampage and cause casualties, so if possible, all magicians needed to be prepared within 30 minutes.

For that reason, when I looked at the librarian with eyes asking if it was possible, the librarian rarely let out a small laugh.

A laugh as if my words were funny.

And when I was about to question that, the librarian answered me.

“One minute is enough.”

“One minute, you say?”

“Yes, I have a communication magic that reaches the entire underwater kingdom.”

“…I see.”

After finishing her words, the librarian’s laughter deepened, and I also let out a laugh along with her.

One minute. It was beyond what I had imagined, but there was nothing bad about it. No, rather it was overflowingly good.

If it was one minute, there was no need to drag Idea around to buy time until the magicians’ preparations were complete.

And realizing this, I raised my voice loud enough for the students still hiding back there, especially Pina, to hear.

“Pina!! Contact the other students taking magic classes in the underwater kingdom!! Tell them it’s time to use the gravity magic you’ve practiced until you bled!!!”

“Y-You mean communication magic to everyone?!”

“Yes!!! Tell everyone!!!”

Pina answered with a voice horrified at my shout. It seemed she thought her magical power wouldn’t be able to handle using communication magic on everyone.

But even if she couldn’t do it, there was Shati too, so there should be enough magical power to send communications to all the students.

So I put aside needless worry and glanced once at the spot where the librarian had disappeared from my side, probably having left the barrier with transfer magic by now, then turned my gaze back to Idea.

“Are you finally done with your trivial strategy preparations~? I thought I was going to die of boredom waiting! If I wasn’t planning to kill you myself, I wouldn’t have waited like this!”

“Is that so. Those are some grateful words.”

Idea shrugged her shoulders sarcastically. I snorted in response.

It’s time to wrap things up anyway.

I raised the sword in my right hand and pointed it at Idea.

“But you don’t need to worry. There’s no need to wait any longer.”

“Hmm~? Of course I wasn’t planning to wait any longer either, but why~?”

“Obviously. Because you’re going to die here today.”

Idea will die here today.

Because I have decided so, it will actually happen.

This is a fact based on faith in my skills and credibility in the strategy I’ve devised.

So I was certain of it, but it seems my words were taken as a joke by Idea.

“Kyahahahat!! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while~! But didn’t that homunculus behind you tell you? The fact that I can’t die?”

“I know you’re immortal. However… I think I’ll have to see for myself whether you’ll die or not.”

“Puhyahahahahat!!! You know that’s a rea~lly stupid thing to say, right?”

Idea bent over laughing so hard at my words that she clutched her stomach.

However, I had no intention of going along with this banter any longer. It had already been 30 seconds since the librarian who said preparations would be done in just 1 minute disappeared.

So I opened my mouth to calm Idea, who was laughing her head off, in order to immediately enter into battle.

“Come to think of it, I know another funny thing. Your little sister, she’s being tortured every day for being a demon, but her cries are quite pleasant to listen to.”

“───.”

The laughter that had been continuing cut off as if it was a lie.

As if she had died, Idea froze with her body that had been shaking with laughter stopped, but I continued speaking without minding.

“It sounds like a fairy’s neck being twisted, so I use it well as an alarm clock every day. As expected, you demons are quite useful in this way.”

In reality, she works hard as a teaching assistant for magic classes and eats the meals I make deliciously three times a day, but Idea, who didn’t know this fact, slowly raised her head and met my gaze with eyes boiling with killing intent like an active volcano.

Just looking at her eyes, the killing intent was transmitted even to my skin. Inside the barrier, Idea’s magical power was piercing my skin like needles following her will.

Indeed, a fitting reaction for a demon executive who loves her sister.

Now that I had driven plenty of nails into Idea, all that was needed was hammering. And words as a hammer were not needed to drive nails into Idea.

“…Kik.”

“You son of a bitch─────!!!!!”

As I gave a light sneer, Idea gripped her staff tightly with bloodshot eyes.

Now at last, the curtain has risen on the start of the operation.