Ch.344Chapter 344 – The Witch’s Return

I gazed at the sword that was divided into blade and handle from its midpoint.

“I heard you repelled the Dragon Slayer, but I never imagined it would be true.”

“Is that so.”

Diana nodded at my words.

“That guy was a monster. And so is that sword.”

“You seem to know about this sword.”

“Of course I do. Idea—I’ve seen him wielding it.”

Diana spoke quietly in response to Eve’s question.

“Back when I was with the Order, I heard that sword was made from a special mineral that existed in ancient times. The Emiris Order had kept it since very long ago. According to priests interested in weapons, it’s a metal that can no longer be obtained.”

“Is it similar to the material used in holy relics?”

“I heard the metal used there can’t be obtained anymore either, but it’s different. For details, ask blacksmiths or alchemists. Not my field.”

Diana spoke stiffly before continuing.

“Anyway, that sword is practically the reason Idea became known as the Dragon Slayer. They say it’s so heavy and sharp that only he could wield it.”

“Have you ever handled it yourself?”

“I tried holding it when I was younger. Gave up because I thought I’d throw my back out.”

Diana said this while looking at the sword.

“By the way, the fact that someone broke it in half means they overwhelmed Idea. You people are monsters too.”

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

Diana smirked before continuing.

“Anyway, that sword is practically the pride of the Emiris Order in a different sense. It’s also extremely valuable. I’m surprised Princess Gabriella gave it away.”

“In exchange, the princess took Hakan’s greatsword.”

Hakan’s greatsword seemed like a good weapon too.

Still, it couldn’t compare to the Dragon Slayer.

Plus, if Diana was right, the Dragon Slayer was practically the pride of the Order, so its value would be higher.

“When did you recover it, by the way?”

“I heard the royal guards recovered it and handed it over to the princess.”

It seemed that while we were handling the aftermath on our end, the royal guards were doing the same, and that’s when they recovered it.

So the palace surrendered it to Princess Gabriella, and now the ownership has come to us.

“But is it right for me to decide what to do with it? Sia was the one who broke it.”

Though it’s broken now, it could certainly be used again if repaired.

Sia would probably be able to use it well, so I thought she might want it. It didn’t seem right to decide its fate without asking her.

“I already asked. Miss Sia said she’d transfer it to Kei, so you can use it however you like.”

“She doesn’t want it herself? I’m worried she might have just gotten caught up in the moment and handed it to me to look cool.”

Sia does have an obsession with style and romance.

She might have thought it would look cool to act dignified and say something like, “I don’t need it, just take it,” or “I prefer my own sword much better.”

“Miss Sia said her own sword is much better, so she doesn’t need it and you can just take it.”

“That’s exactly what I expected.”

Eve chuckled at my words.

Though she didn’t say it, Eve must have noticed Sia’s personality too.

Honestly, as a merchant who’s dealt with many people, Eve couldn’t have missed Sia’s character.

“Don’t worry, Kei. Miss Sia genuinely seemed like she didn’t need it. If you think about it, her own weapon was powerful enough to break the Dragon Slayer, so it makes sense that she doesn’t need it.”

Eve reassured me.

“Miss Sia entrusted it to you because she believes you’ll find a better use for it.”

“Sia did?”

“That’s what she said.”

That’s nice of her to think so.

Anyway, now it really was up to me to decide, so I freely thought about how to use it.

“A better use, huh.”

“Think carefully. It’s valuable.”

At Eve’s words, I lowered my head and fell into thought.

Since nothing immediately came to mind, I decided to consider whatever ideas arose.

‘Should I just sell it?’

The first thought was to convert it to money.

It’s such a valuable sword that even broken, someone might want it as a decoration.

Since it’s made from a mineral that can no longer be obtained, its actual value must be enormous.

But it felt wasteful to just discard such a precious weapon.

‘But using it after repairing it seems awkward too.’

If I were to repair it for my own use, I already have a holy relic that can transform freely.

While its ability to absorb magic is attractive, the holy relic’s performance is too outstanding to switch weapons just for that one feature.

The ability to transform into various weapons to handle any situation is an advantage the Dragon Slayer doesn’t have, and the Dragon Slayer doesn’t seem convenient to carry as a backup weapon either.

‘…Sera could carry it, though.’

Strong Sera could easily carry the sword.

I could ask her to draw it whenever needed, and that might work somehow.

But that would be too unfair to Sera, so I didn’t like that idea.

And there was also a simpler reason.

‘Honestly, it feels weird to just use what Idea wielded.’

I didn’t like the idea of simply using a weapon that Idea carried.

I didn’t want to become just like him.

Still, it seemed too wasteful to just give up on it.

‘The ability to absorb magic is hard to pass up.’

Given its property of absorbing magic, there’s nothing better for blocking spells.

As I was thinking, something suddenly occurred to me.

‘Block?’

“Kei, have you thought of something?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Eve and said:

“Let’s melt it down and make a shield.”

“A shield?”

“Yes.”

Eve tilted her head curiously.

“You can use a shield too, can’t you, Kei? By transforming the holy relic.”

“As you say, my defense is actually quite sufficient.”

A shield made from the holy relic would be difficult even for the Dragon Slayer to penetrate, and if necessary, I could wear dragon armor and enhance it.

And when fighting together, Chris handles defense and support, so it’s even less necessary.

As Eve pointed out, there wasn’t an overwhelming need to make a shield.

However.

“But I want to protect not just myself, but others too.”

This is also possible by making a shield with the holy relic or using my body as a shield.

But this has different characteristics from the shield I possess.

“Given its property of absorbing magic, it would be highly effective against any spell. I thought it could block attacks that would be difficult to stop with just my shield or body.”

“So that’s why a shield.”

Eve thought for a moment, then nodded.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“You’re surprisingly not objecting.”

“After hearing your explanation, I think that would be better.”

Eve smiled.

“Moreover, while anyone would find it difficult to wield as a weapon, anyone could use it somehow as a shield. That seems better for us.”

And then, Eve added quietly:

“If necessary, Sera could use it too.”

“Let’s not tell her to take it just because she’s strong.”

Sera is quite sensitive about her strength.

Still, as Eve said, Sera could use it in an emergency.

Sera is strong but not agile enough to handle weapons well, but she could use a shield.

‘This really does seem like a good idea.’

In any case, I thought that as a shield, anyone in our party could use it.

While I was thinking, Diana, who had been listening quietly, nodded and spoke:

“A shield, huh.”

“Does it seem wasteful to you, Diana?”

“No. It just seems like an interesting mockery.”

Diana said:

“You’re taking a sword from the Emiris Order that has drunk the blood of others and turning it into a shield to protect lives. I like how it feels like a slap in the face to that damned Order.”

I hadn’t thought of that interpretation.

Anyway, no one at the meeting seemed to object to making it into a shield.

Diana nodded.

“Then I’ll tell my subordinates to send it to the Kingdom of Mikea first to be processed into a shield.”

“Thank you.”

“And we need to find a skilled blacksmith to make the shield… Do you have anyone in mind?”

I immediately nodded at Diana’s question.

Eve looked at me.

“Are you thinking of sending it to Ferri’s forge?”

“That’s right.”

I smiled at Eve.

“If luck is on our side, the continent’s best blacksmith might be staying there.”

“…Indeed, you’re right.”

Eve agreed with me.

As I said, if we’re lucky, that blacksmith would be staying at Ferri’s forge.

“If everything’s decided, let’s move now.”

Diana spoke up.

“You were supposed to leave tonight at the latest, right? My preparations are almost complete, but you must have more to prepare?”

“We’ve actually done most of our departure preparations.”

We’re used to sudden departures, so we prepare quickly.

In this case, we were constantly moving, so we traveled with minimal luggage.

“Then let’s get going. I’ve sorted out your compensation with the young lady over there, and staying longer would just waste time.”

“By now, Miss Sia should have finished talking with Vanilla.”

I nodded at Eve’s words.

As she said, Sia would have already conveyed everything by now.

She probably would have convinced Vanilla too.

“Let’s go then.”

We left the tent where the Dragon Slayer was kept and headed outside.

The time to leave this place completely was approaching.

+

Some time later, as the sun was beginning to set.

We were saying goodbye to the three demons.

“Thank you all so much for everything this time.”

Chris stepped forward first to say goodbye.

Then Vanilla grinned and said:

“I’ve lived a long time, but I never expected to hear such words from a goddess.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The demons here are probably the only ones who’ve ever been thanked by a goddess.”

Vanilla added that it made the moment even more special.

“You’ve heard everything from Sia, right?”

“Yes. It was quite a generous offer. Though it seems like you’ll be working us pretty hard.”

“Since we don’t have much else to offer in this situation, I suppose working is a fair trade-off.”

I was worried they might get angry about humans giving them orders, but they seemed to accept it quite easily.

“So Vanilla will be the representative here now?”

“That’s right. We’ll continue to receive and protect demon refugees. And…”

Vanilla looked at me.

“We want to create a good place for our Demon Lord to return to.”

“I see.”

I thought it showed remarkable loyalty that they mentioned the Demon Lord even in this situation.

Then Vanilla spoke with a slightly more serious expression.

“White Dragon, I’ve already told the alchemist everything I can help with and everything I know. To put it bluntly, I can’t be of much more help now.”

Vanilla said the only thing she could still do was adjust my body again.

“But since we can’t go to that New Kingdom you’re infiltrating, you’ll have to make adjustments on your own.”

“I suppose so.”

I nodded at Vanilla’s words.

It would be nice if they could come along and help, but with their injuries and the princess’s offer, we couldn’t take them with us.

“So all we can do is cheer you on.”

“But you’ll do well. You’re all capable people.”

Gigas spoke calmly.

Sera blushed slightly and said:

“That’s not really…”

“It is impressive. Honestly, I’d like to research various things with you if I could.”

Vanilla grinned and said:

“I guarantee that you, Miss Alchemist, could even create that legendary Philosopher’s Stone. So have confidence, miss.”

“…Thank you, Vanilla.”

Sera thanked Vanilla.

Watching the scene, Gigas turned to me and spoke:

“You’re very fortunate, White Dragon. So cherish everything.”

“I’ll take that to heart.”

I replied to Gigas, and he smiled slightly.

Then he glanced at Cusia and said:

“Though we’re more worried about ourselves.”

“True. Cusia is our only worker now. Maybe she’ll have to work four times as hard.”

“Hey, you’ll give me vacation time when this is all over, right? Right? I’ve been working so hard. I need time to rest…!”

“Sorry. No vacation for you. We can’t rest either.”

Vanilla smiled apologetically at Cusia.

After watching the succubus collapse in sadness, Vanilla turned back to us and said:

“There’s no need to prolong this farewell any further.”

“We’ll probably meet again anyway.”

I nodded at Gigas’s words.

Including the princess, this moment of parting didn’t mean a complete goodbye.

So the farewell should be light, I suppose.

“Come to think of it, that princess was muttering some kind of oath too.”

Vanilla murmured quietly before smiling and saying:

“We’ll make an oath too. As long as it doesn’t go against our Demon Lord’s will, we’ll come running to help whenever you need us.”

“This is a big deal, you know? We’re top-tier combatants even among demons.”

Vanilla and Gigas spoke as if teasing.

But I knew their words weren’t lies, and their confidence in their abilities was certain.

Soon Vanilla smiled again and said:

“I’ll open the gate now.”

“Step back a bit.”

Following Gigas’s warning, we stepped back slightly.

Then Vanilla suddenly pulled out a long staff and waved it.

In an instant, a warp gate formed.

“The destination is that church from before. Where your livestock is.”

“Don’t forget to take it with you, alright?”

“Of course.”

Eve answered them.

Then Vanilla and Gigas smiled slightly and offered their final farewells.

“This is it then. We pray that you achieve what you desire.”

“Let’s meet as allies again, White Dragon.”

They started waving their hands.

Looking at them, I grinned.

“See you again.”

With those final words, my companions and I walked into the warp gate.

Light began to envelop us.

And in an instant, the scenery changed.

A church I had seen once before came into view.

‘We’ve arrived.’

I thought that warp technology was definitely efficient.

After seeing our party members emerge one by one, I instinctively looked up.

I sensed a scent from above that seemed both nostalgic and familiar.

‘She was up there?’

Feeling slightly happy to see a face I hadn’t seen in a while, I looked up.

“What are you doing up there?”

“Waiting for you all.”

The woman smoking a cigarette up there grinned and got up.

Perhaps because it had been a while, Sera and Chris’s faces were brightening.

“This is a bit embarrassing to say.”

Beatrice looked down at us from the church roof and said:

“Hey, is there still a place for me to return to?”

“Since when were you the type to ask if you had a place?”

I smiled up at Beatrice on the roof.

“Stop talking nonsense and come down.”

“What do you mean, embarrassing,” Beatrice grumbled audibly.

But only for a moment.

Beatrice came down to us with a smile.