Ch.387Immediate Normalization of the Swamplands!

The Slaying of a Supreme Demon Lord – The performance of the Sacred Demon Buster was undeniable.

The Toxic Demon Lord had been cleanly severed from the left side of his torso through the chest to the right shoulder, and his once gleaming steel skin had lost its luster and sheen, transforming into a dull, grayish leather.

Although the demon stone was nowhere to be seen…

“Hmm. He’s definitely dead.”

With Anastasia making such a definitive statement, there was no room to doubt the Toxic Demon Lord’s demise.

As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Mina clapped her hands together and spoke up.

“I just thought of something.”

“Hm?”

“Couldn’t we have just had Anastasia go ‘bang’ from the beginning and then shot at that spot? Wouldn’t that have been easier?”

What a terrifying suggestion—to burst a bull’s testicles and then deliver the killing blow to a Demon Lord.

But Anastasia quietly shook her head.

“I instinctively knew. Direct confrontation between Demon Lords is absolutely forbidden. Had I directly intervened in the battle, something unpleasant would have happened in one form or another.”

“So you’re saying the permissible limit was to assist with the adventure and expose the Demon Lord’s identity.”

“And that was more than enough.”

Anastasia’s role in our party was strictly that of an advisor on Demon Lord matters.

It would be unreasonable to ask her to violate taboos and lend her power in direct confrontation with another Demon Lord.

“Anyway, now that we’ve liberated the magic tower, should we look for the projection of the Grand Sage who oversees this place?”

“That’s certainly important, but there’s something we must do first.”

“What is it?”

“Hehe… watch carefully.”

With a seductive smile, Anastasia’s body was momentarily enveloped in light, transforming into the adult version I had only seen in dreams.

Standing before the Toxic Demon Lord’s corpse, she took a deep breath, and the corpse transformed into particles of light that were sucked into her mouth.

It was as if she were dissolving and swallowing the very existence of the Toxic Demon Lord.

“…Phew.”

“What did you just do?”

“I took the essence of the Toxic Demon Lord’s power… ‘Meteor Shower.’ It’s one of the reasons I decided to accompany you all.”

After saying this, Anastasia returned to her original childlike form.

A Demon Lord absorbing another Demon Lord’s power… this was not something to be taken lightly, but—

“Do not be so tense. Stealing another Demon Lord’s power has no particular effect on me, so I won’t suddenly change my mind and turn against you. That much I swear in the name of the Pure White Demon Lord.”

“Hmm… if Anastasia says so, I suppose we should believe her.”

“I’m sorry. Since Demon Lords are still unfamiliar to us, I can’t help but be on edge.”

“No need to apologize. Your caution and anxiety are also effects of the taboo… More importantly, look. The filth spread by the Toxic Demon Lord is disappearing.”

“…Huh?”

Only then did I realize.

The deepest part of the eastern swamplands where the Grand Sage’s magic tower was located.

It was a place completely surrounded by pitch-black toxic mud.

But the scene unfolding before our eyes now—

“The swamp is disappearing.”

“The black mud is turning into gray stone, and then into brown soil.”

“The Toxic Demon Lord was born as a gorgon with the power of ‘petrification,’ but sought to dissolve and devour everything with the authority of ‘extreme poison.’ This vast poisonous swamp is the remnant of his scattered power, and with his death, the influence of that power is being reclaimed.”

Perhaps someday it might return to its original green plains.

Of course, whether that would take 10 years, 100 years, or 1,000 years, nobody could tell.

“We’ve caused another historic event in Grantis.”

“The normalization of the central swamplands… this is something that can’t possibly be hidden.”

“Weren’t you planning to open this tower to settlers anyway? We should hurry and finish our business before returning to the city. Someone who notices the changes in the swamp might try to steal your achievements.”

“Hmm… that would be troublesome.”

Judging by the speed at which the normalization was spreading, it would take considerable time to reach the edges of the swamp…

But there was no need to dawdle and waste time, so we decided to immediately begin re-examining the tower.

However, the injured Ancestor would wait on the floor just below the rooftop.

While he could somehow manage to move around the interior corridors, the stairways between floors would be too much, and with one arm damaged, he couldn’t return to his horse form either.

‘Even with just one arm, Ancestor should be able to take down any flying monsters that might enter.’

Going back down the tower we had already descended once was very simple.

There was no need to adjust our pace to capture the Fairy Glyphs in our sight, and the Demon Lord’s minions and poisonous energy that had remained in the tower had been cleanly removed.

We just needed to walk straight down the stairway in the center of the corridor.

And what appeared before our eyes after completing this simple task was:

“Welcome, travelers. And my lovely Anya… I deeply regret greeting you in such a state.”

“Ricky…!”

It was the projection of Deidric Asmad, with only his head, upper body, and right arm remaining.

Seeing him, Anastasia momentarily looked as if she might cry, but quickly regained her composure.

“Is it only your appearance that’s damaged? Or are there problems with your memories or personality as well?”

“Just my appearance. More importantly, I’m surprised you recognized what I am at a glance.”

“I heard the general situation from the meteor summoning circle. I came here out of curiosity when I heard you had built a tower to store magical materials.”

“Hmm, I see… So it seems my counterpart on your side was safe.”

Anastasia calmly conversing with her half-destroyed ex-husband.

The rest of us, including myself, couldn’t hide our bewilderment at their attitude, but Anastasia spoke as if she couldn’t understand our reaction.

“Why should we grieve just because a projection is damaged? More importantly, Ricky, these six are children to whom I am indebted…”

“Oh? You being indebted to someone? Times must have changed indeed. When you were with Armedia—”

“Shhh, silence! That name is among the most forbidden taboos to be carelessly mentioned in the current world.”

Having blocked her husband’s attempt to expose her dark history, Anastasia continued, pointing to Jessica.

“Anyway, this girl here apparently has made it her life’s goal to uncover the magical achievements you left behind. She’s already gleaned a few things through the Fairy Glyphs, but if you have anything more to offer, bring it all out.”

“Hahaha, that’s just like you. But truly, the Fairy Glyphs engraved in the tower are all there is. If the results weren’t satisfactory, it means more study is needed… Wait a moment.”

The Grand Sage’s projection rested his chin on his remaining hand, thought for a moment, then asked Anastasia:

“Anya, and all of you. How did you enter this tower? The entrance should have been sealed when it sank into the swamp.”

“We made a hole in the roof and entered from there.”

“You mean you came down from the top floor to here in reverse?”

“What other meaning could there be?”

“Haha… well, well. And yet you managed to gain something from the Fairy Glyphs? Truly remarkable talent.”

“???”

The members who had “gained something from the Fairy Glyphs,” including Jessica, all wore puzzled expressions at the Grand Sage’s sudden praise.

The Grand Sage began to kindly explain to us:

“This is the first floor of the tower. That door you see behind is the entrance.”

“Yes, it appears so.”

“And until just recently, there were Fairy Glyphs engraved on this first floor’s floor as well, though they were covered by mud and invisible.”

“Ah, it’s true! I didn’t notice!”

Looking around after hearing the Grand Sage’s words, I saw Fairy Glyphs engraved along the edges of the corridor.

We must have been too shocked by the half-destroyed Grand Sage to pay attention to our surroundings.

“Then these Fairy Glyphs must be the last materials we can take with us this time.”

“No, that’s incorrect.”

The Grand Sage’s projection shook his head at Jessica’s words and said—

“This should have been the first.”

“…Pardon?”

“I mean, originally you should have started from this first floor and gone up in order.”

“Ah… that’s what you meant. But was there any special significance to that order?”

“Of course.”

The Grand Sage’s projection pointed to the Fairy Glyphs engraved on the floor and revealed a shocking truth.

“Without encountering the first floor’s Fairy Glyphs first, you shouldn’t have been able to gain any knowledge from the Fairy Glyphs on other floors.”

“Eh?”

“Th-then how did we receive magical elements from the Fairy Glyphs on the upper floors?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask you… what exactly did you do?”

…If you don’t know, who does?