Ch.231231. Deus Ex Machina

“You failed?”

After hearing that the second subjugation attempt had failed, I couldn’t just wait around anymore.

I didn’t know what this giant desert beast was, but I couldn’t leave Elenoa in the Kingdom of Zerman any longer, and our time was precious.

The desert was vast anyway.

We just needed to avoid one giant monster, so it wouldn’t be difficult if we proceeded carefully, and I also had a capable scout.

[Why me! You could send Stella!]

The Dark Spiritmaster struggled reluctantly. Stella awkwardly smiled and offered to go instead, but I shook my head.

“Go.”

[Junior! What are you doing! Tell her to go quickly!]

“I’m telling you to go.”

[I don’t wanna! Why me?! Are you going to destroy the hierarchy among ghosts? Just because you’re a spiritmaster doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!]

“Sigh.”

[We have our own system, you know? The hard work, the chores, the annoying tasks—those are for juniors!]

[I’ll go instead of my senior.]

Stella smiled and volunteered again, but I frowned and glared at the Dark Spiritmaster.

“Go now.”

[Wow.]

The Dark Spiritmaster sighed, feeling wronged, and turned around irritably.

[You think you’re so great! You’ve already forgotten who taught you spirit magic! Fine! I’ll go!]

The Dark Spiritmaster departed for the desert ahead of us to locate the giant monster. After sending her off, as I was preparing to leave, Stella approached with a bitter smile.

[I could have gone too.]

“The Sahar Desert has been a place where many people have died since ancient times.”

[…..]

Stella knew this too, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Close your eyes and cover your ears. These are emotions you don’t need to feel.”

[Deus.]

“I’m not doubting your mental strength.”

Who in this continent could have mental strength like Stella’s? She had endured terrible torture from demons yet continued to live with love.

However, what worried me was precisely that love.

“I just don’t want you to experience unnecessary suffering and pain.”

Crossing the desert, Stella would suffer many times seeing the dead. She would endure it, of course.

But that was hardship she didn’t need to endure.

[…..]

“Hand control over to Vellica.”

At my words, Stella pressed her lips together but slowly closed her eyes. Soon, horns sprouted from her forehead.

[Well done.]

Just one phrase.

Vellica expressed her gratitude to me and immediately entered my right prosthetic hand.

It felt a bit shaky, but this was better.

“Master, are we leaving now?”

“Yes.”

To cross the desert, we had replaced the carriage wheels with thick, magically enhanced ones, and changed the horseshoes to specially enchanted ones.

The horses would be able to run across the desert as if on flat ground.

Originally, heat would have been the biggest problem, but as the sun set, the cold became the issue instead.

Fortunately, Findenai had covered the horses with blankets to help them withstand the cold.

“Get on.”

Findenai held the reins with one hand and patted the seat beside her. Normally I would ride inside the carriage, but since I needed to immediately relay the Dark Spiritmaster’s information about the giant monster’s location, I decided to sit on the driver’s seat with her.

The seat was wide enough for both of us.

Behind us were other carriages loaded with gifts for the Kingdom of Zerman, but they would wait here. Since Zerman had failed in their subjugation attempts, there was no need for them to risk danger.

Neeeigh!

Only our carriage was departing.

“Ugh, this is frustrating.”

“We’re finally going!”

Deia and Aria inside the carriage were excited that we were finally leaving.

Under the starry night, we began crossing the desert.

[Aaaaargh!]

[Please! Please! Please!]

[Huuuungry! Huuuungry!]

“Sigh.”

I had expected this. Ominous voices had been heard continuously since we approached the desert.

But the weight that the Sahar Desert—known for drinking human blood—carried was heavier than I had thought.

“…Are there that many dead people?”

Findenai beside me glanced at my expression and increased our speed.

Places like deserts often had many ghost stories, so it was quite dangerous to acknowledge them carelessly. Even delaying would give the giant monster a chance to catch up.

“……”

Ghosts with mummified, withered bodies kept appearing. It felt like watching a zombie apocalypse.

Even after traveling for a while, the screams didn’t become any less disturbing. I could only close my eyes and quietly wait for time to pass.

[Oh, it’s coming!]

An excited voice came through the screaming ghosts. When I opened my eyes, the Dark Spiritmaster was urgently pointing beyond a sand dune.

[The, the giant monster! It has a lion’s body but a human face—it’s bizarre!]

A sphinx?

That name immediately came to mind. But if it was a sphinx…

‘It’s a monster controlled by a demon.’

A strange sensation hit the back of my head. I had thought it was just a naturally occurring monster.

But with such a deformed appearance, it was hard to consider it just an ordinary giant monster.

“Findenai, increase the speed.”

“Is it coming?”

At my words, Findenai urged the horses again. We were already moving quite fast, but that wasn’t enough.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed from beyond the sand dune the Dark Spiritmaster had pointed to.

Feeling the ground vibrate, Deia and Aria poked their heads out the window to see.

“This doesn’t seem like an ordinary creature.”

“Can, can we escape from this?”

“……”

In a situation that could lead to battle, the creature appeared, shattering the dune and spraying sand everywhere.

Kiaaaaaaaa!

With a bizarre scream, it appeared—truly with a human face but a sleek lion’s body.

“What the hell! What is that! It’s so freaking bizarre!”

Findenai cursed, saying she’d never seen anything like it.

Monsters come in all forms. But this one was particularly grotesque.

“Now I understand why Zerman failed in their subjugation attempts twice.”

“…It really is disgustingly grotesque.”

Deia and Aria each added their complaints. Could the sphinx hear them? It let out a bizarre roar and became even more enraged.

“I think it heard…us!”

Deia grabbed her shotgun from her back and climbed out the window. Grunting, she got on top of the carriage and fixed her hair.

“It’s going to charge at us anyway, so is it okay if I harass it a bit?”

Click.

I nodded at Deia’s question. This creature wasn’t acting on instinct but was approaching us under someone’s orders.

A demon.

And if it could control such a monster, it must be at the level of an archdemon.

I felt a wave of fatigue at the thought of having to fight such monsters again. I wondered who it might be, but unexpectedly, an answer came from my prosthetic right hand.

[It’s Learic.]

“…You mean the Archdemon of Deception?”

Vellica stated matter-of-factly.

[Among the archdemons, only he and I could create something like that.]

“……”

[He’s not much otherwise, but he does have a decent aesthetic sense.]

As the Archdemon of Deformity, she would certainly appreciate such grotesque creations.

“So we meet again.”

The fact that his monster was loose in the Sahar Desert meant that Learic was also interfering with the Kingdom of Zerman.

I had won in the Succubus War, but I hadn’t been able to save the souls he had captured.

“This time for sure.”

I resolved to bring peace to the numerous souls that might be in his captivity.

“Master, we’re being caught up to?”

Findenai clicked her tongue and looked toward the sphinx. The distance was still considerable, but it was gradually closing.

Bang! Bang!

Deia’s shotgun was blazing away, but the creature only shook its head in irritation without taking much damage.

“Looks like we’ll have to fight?”

“That’s hasty.”

There’s a reason people gather armies to subjugate giant monsters. Giant monsters inherently have an overwhelming advantage in compatibility against humans.

Perhaps only beings with combat power among the upper ranks of archdemons could face them alone.

“So we just run until we get trampled to death by that thing?”

“…Sigh.”

If I had known the giant monster was intentionally placed here, I wouldn’t have moved so hastily.

“Professor, could you give me just 10 minutes?!”

Aria poked her head out, eager to charge in. With her combat power rivaling an archdemon, plus me and Findenai, subjugation wasn’t completely impossible.

But.

It would take too much time.

Especially staying in the desert for too long wasn’t a good idea.

Aria boldly claimed 10 minutes, but it would take hours to penetrate that solid body.

“I have no choice.”

In the end, I needed help.

“Hold the reins tight. Don’t let the horses panic.”

“As expected from the clever one! I praise you!”

“…Don’t talk like that.”

“You’re so prickly, it’s adorable?”

“Sigh.”

“Professor, I love you too!”

Not to be outdone by Findenai, Aria stuck her face out the window. Deia’s expression became grotesquely distorted as she looked at me.

That must be exactly how a sister feels watching her brother’s romance.

“Deia, turn the barrel.”

“At whom? You or Findenai?”

Bang!

Deia, who was continuously firing her shotgun at the sphinx, grumbled irritably. With no time to waste, I drew up mana and spread my hands forward.

“I meant clear a path.”

My mana spread toward the desert. The ghosts that had been clinging to passersby like zombies began to materialize.

[Wow! You can see me too, right?!]

The Dark Spiritmaster spun around excitedly in mid-air. Since she was doing this on top of the carriage, Findenai gaped and muttered.

“Holy shit.”

[How, how vulgar!]

“The chest gap is really something. Now I see why the master doesn’t get aroused looking at my chest.”

“Pro-Professor, do you only get aroused by ones that big?”

“Crazy.”

“Sigh……”

My head started to throb with pain.

Sighing, I focused on the magic and warned them.

“If you don’t shut up from now on, you’ll all become monster food.”

The three finally closed their mouths.

The souls that were gradually materializing began to cling to the carriage according to their desires, and I carefully pushed them away with mana.

Bang! Bang!

Deia fired her shotgun at the materializing souls in front of us. Though she couldn’t harm them, she could distort their forms enough for the carriage to pass through.

“Wow.”

Aria let out an exclamation of admiration.

The souls materialized by my magic clung indiscriminately to the sphinx. Due to its enormous size, many souls attached to it, and since they contained mana that had become magic, they had weight, gradually slowing the sphinx’s movements.

I couldn’t kill it, but I could delay it.

The problem was that there were souls rushing at us too.

Deia and I did our best to remove them as we moved forward.

“But is it okay to shoot these dead people in the head like this?”

“The living take priority.”

As I’ve always said, while we should respect the dead, the living must take precedence.

Saying this, I checked the sphinx, which was gradually becoming covered with souls to the point where it was barely visible, and relaxed my tension.

[But this is impressive.]

The Dark Spiritmaster approached me. When she came close, Findenai’s mouth fell open, but seeing my expression, she didn’t say anything.

[You’re converting the mana of souls within range into magic, right?]

“Yes.”

[That magic gives form to the souls, gives them weight, and even allows them to make sounds.]

“Correct.”

It was magic I had used for those who died unjustly in Greyford at the hands of Romuleus. Magic that allows the living and the dead to meet, if only briefly.

[It’s a kind of resurrection, isn’t it?]

“…That’s not a term I particularly like.”

I showed displeasure, but the Dark Spiritmaster didn’t back down.

[But it is, right? They can talk, and while it’s a method of coloring souls, they can be seen too.]

“……”

[It’s not magic I taught you. I don’t even know anything similar.]

Most of the magic the Dark Spiritmaster taught was offensive. Most black magic is like that anyway.

So this was magic I had created myself.

[Hey, Deus.]

The Dark Spiritmaster’s expression, which had been childlike and bright until just now, changed ominously. Findenai also glanced at me while listening to our conversation.

She had realized something was strange.

[What exactly are you planning to do with something like this?]

A very sharp question. For a moment, my mouth closed and I couldn’t answer, but the Dark Spiritmaster continued to press.

[It’s magic that awakens souls over a wide area. But it’s still incomplete, isn’t it? It’s like a stepping stone for some other magic.]

“You talk too much.”

I said unnecessarily, and instantly the Dark Spiritmaster’s eyes widened. She wasn’t the only one.

The other three people in the carriage also showed startled reactions.

[You’re hiding something?]

“……”

[You can’t tell even me?]

“Sigh.”

To the Dark Spiritmaster’s question, I let out a short sigh, then answered coldly, drawing a line.

“Not you, not anyone.”

I have no intention of answering.

As I added that, the Dark Spiritmaster’s expression subtly distorted. The others in the carriage also pressed their lips shut again.

Suddenly, nothing could be heard except the rough breathing of the horses pulling the carriage.

And so we arrived at the Kingdom of Zerman.

The city gates were closed, of course, but when they realized we were envoys from Griffin, they opened them in a panic.

We headed straight for the royal palace.

Even though it was late, I thought I should meet Elenoa first, so I was about to leave the carriage outside and go in alone, but…

“Blood smell?”

Before we even reached the palace, Findenai sniffed the air, detecting a fishy scent.

“From the palace?”

As we approached the palace, we heard rough screams and commotion. It was immediately clear this wasn’t a normal situation.

At the main gate of the palace, we stopped the carriage to assess the situation, but…

“Deuuuuuuus!”

Elenoa’s call came from inside. I don’t know how she knew, but the moment I heard that cry, I was already moving.

Mana wrapped around my right arm. The main gate twisted and shattered.

And what unfolded was a blood feud between princes.

I could immediately tell it was a rebellion, but that wasn’t important to me.

“Learic.”

The now-familiar aura of the archdemon permeated everything. Not just the fighting princes, but even the soldiers were under the archdemon’s spell.

“Madness, is it?”

It’s not such an impressive spell. It’s magic demons use to play with humans by intensifying and deepening emotions. However, when it reaches the level of an archdemon, this is the result.

They had forgotten their cause and were now swinging swords, swept up in madness.

“Ignore them and pass through.”

Even if I dispelled the magic, they wouldn’t stop fighting. The emotions that had risen wouldn’t disappear.

Since I couldn’t cross through the middle of the battle, I tried to move to the side, but…

Elenoa, who had landed on the first floor using a prince as a cushion, shouted toward me.

“Deuuuuuus!”

Was that sight amusing? A white-haired man standing at a fifth-floor window smiled slyly.

Archdemon Learic.

“Deus! I’m sorry! I think I’ve caused something big.”

“……”

“See that?”

Aria smirked and said smugly that she had expected this.

“Will, will you fix it like Doraemon?!”

Being a fan of cartoons, she used a cartoon character for her comparison.

“You shameless girl! You’re getting an F next semester!”

When Aria shouted roughly, Elenoa screamed back.

“I don’t care! I’m a princess!”

“Is she crazy? Should we kill her this time?”

“Princess my ass!”

“You rebel! How do you start rebellions wherever you go! You should have been born in the Republic of Clark!”

“Deus ex machinaaa!”

Sigh.

“Both of you, shut up.”