Ch.166. What It Takes to Break a Hero.

The world seemed to darken, and suddenly a pure white space filled my vision endlessly.

At last, the Demon King spoke.

“Let’s first consider your wishes.”

“My wishes?”

“Your ultimate goal of defeating your father remains the same, but I’m talking about the means and process to reach that end.”

“…?”

What was she talking about?

“In other words, how do you want to win?”

“Isn’t it enough just to be able to win?”

“Your thinking remains impoverished.”

The Demon King clicked her tongue.

“As a knight, as a mage, or in some other form—you’re saying any victory will do, is that it?”

“Well…”

Wouldn’t that be enough?

It’s an impossible premise to begin with.

A realm I can’t even approach in imagination.

Objectively speaking, not just because he’s my father, he’s currently one of the continent’s supreme powers.

The Nine Heroes are always treated as exceptions when discussing the strongest on the continent.

And the main culprit for that classification is none other than my father, Rueld.

For the other Nine Heroes, while they are indeed at the pinnacle of the continent in terms of skill, one couldn’t say they have no formidable rivals.

But my father is the exception.

To put it roughly, he has enough power to face an entire nation alone.

…Even that is an understatement.

Moreover, though he returned the Holy Relic due to various circumstances, he still possesses the Holy Sword.

Not to mention the bond between the Berk Empire and the Church.

Even the fact that my mother was a Saint is a factor that can’t be ignored.

Though there are now several Saints who have succeeded my mother.

Among the legends who survived the Demon King’s invasion and steadfastly maintained their position as Saints, my mother Ermina was the only one.

There’s a reason she was called the Holy Mother in her time.

“……”

Ironically, Cariel, the son of this Holy Mother, felt not just frustration but despair.

If only she had shared even a little of the compassion and kindness she showed others with him.

…Then he wouldn’t have felt such misery in everything.

At any rate, the Church readily acknowledged Rueld as the owner of the Holy Sword for this reason.

However, even this has somewhat faded with the passage of time.

My father, the Hero’s seat, and the Saint.

And the Empire.

The fact that Cariel is now engaged to Elhermina essentially symbolizes the perfect union of the Empire, the Church, and the Hero’s connection.

If Cariel himself had been a bit more shameless and lived more thoughtlessly.

If he had been captivated by Elhermina’s status and beauty.

If he had been the type to be easily led around without much concern.

This might have contributed to the Empire’s peace in its own way, simply through his compliance.

“The weight and depth of time and effort will vary depending on the direction you hope to take.”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

But still.

Being suddenly asked to think about this is honestly perplexing.

I’ve spent my life holding a sword, and tried everything to identify my other aptitudes.

But it was all a waste of time.

Nothing remains.

Born with insufficient mana, lacking both the aptitude and quality to handle it.

Neither sword nor magic.

Nor anything else.

“Ah…”

“There is something that comes to mind, isn’t there?”

“But… that would be meaningless, wouldn’t it?”

Moreover, it’s not even something I can control by my own will.

Here again.

The inability to handle mana becomes another obstacle.

“I can… see spirits, but that’s as far as it goes.”

Even that is only possible in places rich with natural energy.

In urban areas like the imperial capital where impure and turbid energies flood, even that has little meaning.

“That’s because there’s no methodology for handling them.”

“Methodology?”

“The long-ears are born with it, like wild beasts, but unless you humans have exceptional aptitude or quality, you can’t even attempt that path, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Without a methodology, you wander in ignorance. That’s perfectly sound common sense.”

Even so.

“This doesn’t match your aptitude either, so recognize it only as a supplementary means.”

It’s still a concept of borrowing someone else’s power.

“No matter how well you command spirits, you can’t defeat your father. And you’re not particularly talented in that area anyway.”

“Is that… so?”

“I’m saying this as someone of spirit origin, so it’s definite. I won’t accept any objections. If you’re unsure, go ask the Spirit King.”

“…Of spirit origin, you say?”

“What comes to mind when you think of gold?”

“Gold?”

Cariel blinked and pondered before responding.

“Light, brightness, splendor… Ah, if we’re talking about attributes… earth, perhaps?”

“Yes. But that was only my original attribute.”

As a spirit, I possess all attributes.

“…?”

Is that even possible?

“Foolish ones might hastily conclude that what they haven’t discovered is impossible, but this is the stark reality. If you’re curious, summon the Spirit King and ask.”

“That…”

The more he delved, the more mysterious she became.

But.

A being who was once a spirit became a demon, and not just any demon but the Demon King?

What kind of situation is this?

“Then is my ability to see you also related to that?”

“Half and half?”

The Demon King deliberately avoided giving a clear answer.

That wasn’t just an aptitude for seeing spirits, but.

…There’s no need to explain that right now.

“Anyway, you have no answer in areas that mainly deal with mana, including magic. If you want to solve that, you’ll need external help.”

“External… you mean I need tools? As supplementary means?”

“Yes. Is that something you’ve been considering?”

The Demon King snapped her fingers, and images and text appeared in the air.

A human body figure.

A sword.

And a book.

Each had small text labeling them as “Body,” “Tool,” and “Method.”

“Everything is determined by the harmony of these three. Taking your father as an example.”

In the Tool section, the word “sword” appeared.

And as main armaments, “Holy Sword and Holy Relic” were newly added.

In the Method section: “Imperial Sword Style” as the fundamental swordsmanship.

As auxiliary, “Rueld’s unique variable combat techniques learned in actual battles.”

And as secret arts, “The Six Radiances” were newly added.

The Five Archangels, and the entity that became the foundation and symbol of the current Golden Dragon Knights.

It was also Rueld’s exclusive secret technique, said to embody the miracle demonstrated by the Gold Dragon who once saved the world.

Someday.

…Cariel himself had expected to learn this secret technique as time passed.

But now, he had fallen to the position of having to break and shatter it instead.

“And the foundation that enabled those two is, after all, Rueld’s own powerful physique.”

Holding the Holy Sword is meaningless if the body wielding it is inadequate.

No matter how firm the mind stands, if the body doesn’t follow, even that is only half-complete.

In fact, Rueld gained the qualities of a hero because his fundamental conditions were perfect.

Namely, body and mind.

Even before obtaining the Holy Sword, even when the Imperial Sword Style was still crude.

He was already an outstanding warrior.

However.

Considering the starting points of the Nine Heroes, Rueld was the weakest at that time.

“Even right after obtaining the Holy Sword, he was still the weakest.”

“Is that so?”

“It was only when he could fully wield the Holy Sword that he became equal to the others.”

In other words, it would be more accurate to say that the rest, excluding Rueld, were truly extraordinary.

Without them, even if Rueld had grasped the Holy Sword, he would have died or broken long ago.

“From the moment he donned the Holy Relic, the situation reversed.”

That’s when he became an unprecedented existence.

Normally, just handling the Holy Sword would be overwhelming, but he was also acknowledged by the Holy Relic and able to comprehensively borrow its power?

“Around that time, I also had an ‘oh no’ moment. It was within the expected range, but still, this was a bit much.”

I thought, so this is how the gods cheat when they think the middle world might be destroyed.

“After hearing all this, have you thought about what you need?”

“…Everything, isn’t it?”

“That’s obvious. But don’t you clearly feel what can’t be replaced?”

“You mean the Holy Sword?”

“Yes. That’s it.”

Even if I build up my skills and somehow train my body.

How could I, without a Holy Sword or Holy Relic, defeat Rueld?

Or should I appeal to his sense of fairness and ask him not to use the Holy Sword in our duel?

That might be possible, but…

“That doesn’t sit well with you, does it?”

“Not really.”

Even if I win that way.

I couldn’t shake the impression that he deliberately lost.

Whether Rueld sincerely acknowledges it or not, that kind of thing is useless.

It’s only about how Cariel himself felt and accepted it.

That’s what matters.

“I want him to be in his perfect state, not just with the Holy Sword but also wearing the Holy Relic.”

“Then you’ll need to acquire something similar.”

“…Is that possible?”

Only skeptical conclusions come to mind.

“Here they’re classified as Holy Sword, Holy Spear, Holy Relic, but similar things exist in the demon realm too.”

“…Could it be?”

“Demon Armaments. They should be roughly similarly recorded in your history books too.”

“No. They’re accurately called Demon Relics, commonly known as Demonic Treasures.”

The Demon King frowned.

“Demonic Treasures? Why treat them like that? Each one of those is a divine weapon used by the leaders of each domain in the demon realm.”

“They’re classified as spoils of war from the past invasion.”

“And you can’t use them?”

“There are rare cases, I hear.”

That was partly why there was almost a war once.

Those who were intoxicated by the power of the Demonic Treasures and thought they had enough chance against Rueld and the Empire.

They even formed a united front and tried to push forward simultaneously.

Of course.

…Even during this period, my father apparently single-handedly crushed two fronts while moving between them.

Despite using military force, there wasn’t a single casualty, they say.

And on the remaining three fronts, the other five heroes belonging to the Empire mobilized to confront and defuse the situation.

Even then, the damage was minimal.

Even the duels and the largest battles were fought on a small scale as local conflicts, they said.

…I don’t know what the truth is, but.

At that time, all sorts of stories circulated.

As a result, the situation was resolved with Cariel, instead of the Imperial Princess, being sent as a hostage for three years, touring the entire continent except the Empire.

“……”

I don’t even remember, but it’s quite something to think about what was going through my mind back then.

“……”

“In your case, if you misuse a Demon Armament, you might be hunted down as a heretic rather than just excommunicated in the middle world. How do you feel about that?”

“…Our Irenis Church doesn’t govern the entire continent, so as long as I don’t get entangled with them in that way, I should be fine.”

The Church has been wary of this for a long time.

Therefore, they announced that they had collected all of them and sealed them in a kind of Demonic Treasure repository deep within the Papal Office.

However, those who refused to return their Demonic Treasures continued to treat them as spoils of war and legitimate possessions.

“Some of them mastered how to handle them at the time and declared they would pass them down as family treasures for generations. Some noble families in other countries, even royalty, were no exception.”

“The Church folks must have been quite uncomfortable with that.”

“Since they don’t believe in the Irenis Church, they had nothing to lose.”

And.

“I don’t think the Church simply sealed them away.”

“Why?”

My, my, quite a dangerous fellow, aren’t you?

The Demon King barely suppressed a hum that almost escaped.

“Both states and religious organizations ultimately need power to function, right? By keeping them, they maintain their authority and legitimacy, and when a great crisis comes, they can conversely use them to demonstrate another power and legitimacy of the Church. I imagine they could use them to overcome crises and expand their influence based on that.”

He hit the core, but there were numerous errors in the details.

However, where else could one make such assertions?

…Well.

If he just kept it to himself, even this would amount to nothing more than meaningless delusions.

But at least he clearly understood what the essence of power is.

“If you don’t want to be branded a heretic, keep such thoughts quietly buried in your heart.”

“It’s not like anyone would listen if I talked about it anyway, let alone believe me.”

More importantly, how can he think of and accept such things as if they’re obvious?

‘What an interesting kid.’

Is this why he could propose a dangerous deal with me, the Demon King, who is beyond simple fear and a taboo in itself?

He’s a contradictory fellow in many ways.

“Anyway, considering that you operate within the Empire’s territory, handling a Demon Armament might be problematic.”

“…So, leave the Empire. Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s one of the options. Your area of activity will be determined by the path you choose.”

In that sense, asking again for confirmation.

“What you desire is to defeat Rueld in his perfect state head-on. Is that still unchanged?”