Ch.38After She Vanished (1)

KWAAAANG!

Lightning flashed across the sky with each strike. It was evidence that the battle between Olivia and Belphegor was growing more intense.

Kiel ran without looking back.

“D-Duke Kiel?”

“Out of my way!”

Kiel pushed aside the knights who were gathering toward the academy and continued running.

He had no time to deal with them. Even at this moment, Olivia’s time was ticking away.

Sixty days—that’s all she had left after sacrificing and sacrificing her life. Kiel couldn’t accept the situation where she had to spend even those sixty days for others.

It was unreasonable, it was absurd.

Kiel’s footsteps grew faster. With each step he took, the road cracked and the ground split.

‘Will the Golden Tower even let me in?’

Since the day Olivia collapsed, Kiel had never visited the Golden Tower. More precisely, he couldn’t.

He had some sense of propriety. Melina firmly believed that Kiel was the one who had harmed Olivia, and Kiel couldn’t refute her claim.

The timing was too coincidental to deny.

But in such an urgent situation, what did that matter?

‘If they block me, I’ll break through.’

Melina would understand. She was someone who cared for Olivia above all else.

Kiel quickly arrived at the Golden Tower.

The Golden Tower apparently hadn’t yet received news of the academy’s situation.

“Call the Master!”

“It’s late at night. Even if you are Duke Kiel, such rudeness…”

There was no time to explain. Kiel forced his way through the gap in the open door and entered the tower.

“D-Duke Kiel! You can’t do this!”

After pushing through the mages blocking his path and climbing several floors, Melina appeared.

Melina’s eyes were calm. But the atmosphere she exuded was anything but calm.

As if ready to strike him down at any moment, her golden hair, which reached her waist, floated slightly from the magical energy.

“Not content with intimidating my disciple four years ago, now you invade the tower in the middle of the night? What is this about? Unless you provide a valid reason…”

“Olivia is in danger.”

Melina furrowed her brow.

“…Is that true?”

“I stake my family’s honor on it.”

No further words were necessary.

Kiel briefly explained the situation. A Demon Lord had appeared at the academy, and Olivia was facing it alone.

Just then, lightning struck from the direction of the academy. Thanks to that, for a brief moment, the image of the massive demon was imprinted in Melina’s eyes.

And Olivia confronting it as well.

“…No.”

Melina’s clothes seemed to billow for an instant, and then her body suddenly disappeared.

Silent incantation teleportation.

“…Huh.”

Left alone, Kiel muttered in disbelief.

“Damn it.”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Melina had left Kiel behind and departed alone.

*****

Demon Lord Belphegor.

After realizing that his attacks weren’t effective against Olivia, he changed his strategy.

He focused entirely on destroying the surroundings.

Though he hated to admit it, Olivia was strong to the point where it was hard to believe she was human. Even a polymorphed dragon wouldn’t be at her level.

‘Damn. If only I could use necromancy…!’

Belphegor wasn’t originally a combat-type demon. His specialty was necromancy.

His forte was controlling thousands or tens of thousands of souls to instantly create legions.

Of course, his physical abilities alone were far superior to ordinary demons, but they weren’t comparable to other Demon Lords.

That’s why he was provoked by Olivia’s comment about him being the weakest.

Because it was somewhat true.

‘If I could use my ability, someone like her would be nothing!’

Necromancy is fundamentally similar to the undead summoning techniques of necromancers. It involves extracting souls from dead bodies, materializing those souls, and commanding them to kill other living beings.

One corrupted soul quickly becomes two, and even faster, it becomes four.

Like a plague.

That was how Belphegor created his legions.

But…

‘There are no corpses. Damn it!’

There wasn’t a single soul to extract. Whenever he tried to sweep away the humans who were evacuating urgently, Olivia would somehow notice and block his attack, leaving him with no options.

‘If that swordsman returns in this situation…!’

It was dangerous.

Truly dangerous.

The thought that he might not just be expelled from the human realm but could actually be annihilated made Belphegor shudder.

“You should be grateful to me. If you had been summoned during the day as originally planned, you wouldn’t have lasted even ten minutes before dying.”

– …….

Belphegor couldn’t refute. It was true. It was only because the night was shrouded in darkness that he could hold out; if it had been daytime with the sun up, it would have been as Olivia said.

“So if you had listened to me, you could have lived two more days.”

Olivia gently provoked Belphegor.

But contrary to her seemingly relaxed exterior, cold sweat was running down Olivia’s back.

The area where Belphegor had rampaged had already reached the level of being called ruins. So far, they had been lucky that no one had died, but the moment one person died, the current balance would break.

She had also used half of her magical power. Though there was only a 3-level difference from max level, that difference was too significant to be called “just.”

Because of that difference, it determined whether one could freely draw upon external magical power or not.

A formidable aura erupted from the direction of the Golden Tower. The next moment, the owner of that aura appeared.

Melina looked around and then flew toward Olivia.

“Are you hurt?”

“…What about Kiel?”

“I came alone. That ill-mannered fellow will be here in about three minutes anyway, so don’t worry.”

“……”

She hadn’t expected him to really not come along.

She had heard that he hadn’t met with Olivia even once since she collapsed last time, and it seemed to be true.

Melina’s grudge was much more impressive than she had thought.

“Master.”

“My beloved disciple. Let’s focus on dealing with that demon first.”

“I might collapse soon.”

Melina’s face darkened.

“…What did you just say?”

The slight tremor in her voice was probably not an illusion.

Olivia blocked Belphegor’s attack once more and spoke clearly.

“I might collapse soon.”

“Then stay back. If that Kiel fellow and I attack together, we can defeat a demon like that easily.”

“That won’t work. I have to finish this myself.”

“Stop being stubborn and immediately…”

Instead of continuing the argument, Olivia reached into a spatial pocket and took out a potion. Melina’s expression changed subtly when she recognized the potion. She seemed to be asking why Olivia hadn’t used it until now.

“Master, I have a favor to ask.”

“What kind of favor?”

“If I collapse before I can drink this, please force it down my throat.”

“Olivia.”

“It’s my last request.”

She had said it without much thought.

But Melina’s expression was ominous.

“……”

Golden eyes lingered on Olivia’s face.

“…Don’t say such things, even as a joke.”

Olivia wasn’t tactless enough to reply that it wasn’t a joke.

“I’m sorry, Master. I meant it’s my final request before I collapse.”

“…Is that so?”

“I want to defeat that demon on my own. So please watch from the side.”

Melina couldn’t refuse her beloved disciple’s request.

Olivia was secretly relieved to see Melina withdraw obediently.

‘Good. Now.’

Light magic? Efficiency?

Needing to maintain it for at least thirty minutes?

Those were all lies from the beginning.

The reason she had asked Kiel to bring Melina was because she was the closest.

As long as Melina didn’t inflict damage on Belphegor, she wouldn’t be processed as a kill participant. Then the affection points would be properly applied to Kiel.

‘I can create light myself anyway.’

Among all those attributes, there was a reason she specifically chose lightning.

Lightning, albeit momentarily, emits the brightest light.

And ice reflects such light.

Olivia positioned hundreds of ice crystals around Belphegor. Then she shot lightning toward the nearest crystal.

The lightning bounced and bounced repeatedly, eventually transforming into light that illuminated everything around.

ZZZZZZZZZZT!

From the center of the blinding light, Belphegor screamed.

– AAAAARGH!

It wasn’t just simple light; if left like this, he would soon be annihilated.

If only she could hold out until then.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

A familiar alert sound was heard. Though not visible, it was evidence that Kiel had arrived nearby.

[You can only interact with one regressor within the clue!]

Her consciousness.

.

.

.

Her consciousness was fading.

But she held on.

Just a little more.

.

.

.

Just a little.

.

.

.

Just.

.

.

.

Ju-

[Usage is forcibly terminated!]

“……”

Olivia collapsed.

“O-Olivia!”

Melina quickly caught the falling Olivia.

“D-Drink it. Drink it quickly, you fool.”

Melina brought the potion to Olivia’s lips. Her fragile throat couldn’t resist the liquid that surged in like a wave.

Gulp.

Olivia, who had been cradled in Melina’s arms, opened her eyes.

“……”

She looked around for a moment.

ZZZZZZZZZZT!

That thing emitting bright light all around was undoubtedly her magic, though she had no memory of using it.

– AAAAARGH!

And Belphegor was in the middle of that magic.

In the distance, she could see Kiel.

“Are you al—”

Olivia, with Melina behind her, reached her hand toward the sky.

Then she slowly gestured.

Countless bolts of lightning formed into a single pillar and struck the ground.

Belphegor’s body exploded.

The anticlimactic death of a Demon Lord.

“……”

But on the face of the one who achieved this feat.

There was no emotion at all.