Ch.40Chapter 40. The Demon Sword Likes Regret, Angst, and Obsession

“Sister, what on earth are you thinking?”

On the second day of the festival.

Ganal questioned Ibis, who had been grooming herself since dawn.

“What do you mean?”

“How could you choose an outsider, a commoner no less, as your festival partner over your fiancé, and then declare in front of everyone that you’ll have that man?”

“Fiancé? Oh, Gendry?”

He’s not my fiancé though?

Ibis recalled that the illusion spell had been quite intricately woven.

“As I said before, that person just doesn’t suit me~.”

“This concerns our family’s dignity and prestige.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with me. I’m Ibis, aren’t I? I come first.”

All of this—including the position the demon sword currently enjoyed—originally belonged to Ganal.

The sorcerer who forcibly awakened her had cast a powerful illusion over the entire Zramun Archipelago with just a few incantations.

It made everyone recognize her as Ibis Protek, the eldest daughter of the Protek family, while Ganal became the thoughtful younger sister who stepped back from the succession for the sake of her sister and family peace.

And for some reason, Gendry, who was immune to black magic, was Ganal’s fiancé.

Moreover, they were passionately in love.

Overnight, some woman suddenly acted as if she were naturally the eldest daughter of the archipelago’s premier family, while he was perceived as a scoundrel, and his fiancée treated him coldly, her status even downgraded to that of a maid.

To Gendry, who cried out for this farce to be reversed, Ibis proposed a deal.

If he did as she instructed, she would restore everything when the festival ended.

“Then what is it that you prioritize, sister?”

Ibis giggled.

“Fun.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll bring the greatest entertainment to this boring island.”

She was absolutely confident she could make spectators burst into cheers.

“You can look forward to it.”

Ibis’s eyes gleamed ominously.

—

By the time the sun reached its zenith, Lin and Lucy had the smell of sweets on their breath.

Despite waking up early, Ibis had already finished her grooming and was waiting for them.

“We have no time to waste! Hurry, hurry!”

Practically pushed out of the mansion, they toured every vendor’s stall without a single break.

They tried on and examined everything from questionably low-quality accessories to souvenirs, and ate every street food available.

And their appearance was nothing more or less than that of a young lady and her porters.

Even Gendry, who had been glaring from a distance, wore an expression of disgust and didn’t interfere.

“My lady, we’ve covered the entire festival street in half a day, perhaps a brief rest would be…”

Even Ganal, who had been accompanying them, was panting.

“Oh right, right! Actually, there are some items I couldn’t buy earlier. Ganal, find everything on this list and bring it back by evening.”

“What? All of this?”

The paper Ibis handed over was so long that it reached down to her knees just holding it.

“It’s the virtuous cycle of economy. We need to set an example of consumption at such markets so that merchants and event planners will come in droves next time to create a successful festival, you know?”

“But without anyone to guard you…”

The young lady pointed to Lin and Lucy.

“There are two people right here.”

“These people are outsiders!”

“Ganal, do you think anyone in the Zramun Archipelago would dare touch a member of the Protek family?”

“During the festival, there are more outsiders than islanders.”

“I’ll take a flare with me. When you see it burst in the sky, you’ll come rescue me, right?”

“Haah, please be careful, sister.”

Reluctantly retreating toward the festival street, Ganal left.

Ibis didn’t dislike her concern.

That’s why she wanted to keep her far away.

From herself, the most dangerous enemy.

“Well~. Somehow we’ve ended up here.”

They were at a secluded beach.

With people concentrated in the festival area, no one else was in sight.

The atmosphere clearly suggested she was about to get to the point.

Lin and Lucy exchanged glances.

Let’s handle this according to the plan we practiced yesterday.

Lucy, who had replenished Lin’s energy all night, was clear-headed today.

Determined not to make any mistakes or errors, Lucy listened carefully to the noblewoman’s words.

However,

“Now! Mr. Chunsik and Ms. Soon! From now on, we’re going to find Gerero Protek’s tomb!”

Ibis’s demand turned all their plans and practice from the previous day to dust.

“What?”

“Why so suddenly…?”

Lin and Lucy each questioned, but Ibis wagged her finger, refusing to accept any objections.

“You saw earlier, didn’t you? Even servants dare to talk back to me, the eldest daughter and heir of the Protek family!”

No, she’s your sister.

Sisters can do that.

And Ganal’s objections were entirely reasonable.

“To properly succeed, I need to accomplish something no one else in the family has achieved.”

And that, Ibis declared, was finding Gerero Protek’s tomb, the family’s long-held wish.

But Lin and Lucy thought differently.

Suspecting Ibis of being a demon swordsman, they saw her as wanting to acquire the demon sword faster than anyone else.

If she, a dual swordsman, were to wield the demon sword, even a coordinated attack with the hero’s party couldn’t stop her.

If the spear-wielder was created as Lucy’s rival, then she—a dual swordsman and vampire—was the adversary of the hero’s party itself.

A versatile type excelling in both one-on-one and group combat.

Unlike the illusionist who manipulated the entire field to hit and run, or the spear-wielder who excelled at latching onto a single party member, the dual swordsman was a weapon-like entity that swept the battlefield with individual prowess and vampire-specific magic.

Lucy was certain.

She could tell this without even looking at Lin’s eyes.

They had to agree unconditionally.

And they absolutely had to find Gerero’s tomb and the demon sword before Ibis.

“How do you plan to find it?”

“Actually, I’ve already searched the entire interior of the island. It’s definitely not inside. So today, we’ll search along the coastline.”

Ibis pointed behind herself.

“I’ll go this way.”

Then she pointed ahead.

“You two go straight ahead.”

“You’re going to check the opposite side alone without any guards?”

“Ah, then I’ll take Ms. Soon with me.”

Ibis jumped in at Lin’s question as if she’d been waiting for it.

Lucy looked at Ibis in great surprise.

“W-what?!”

“You expect a noblewoman to wander around with a strange man without guards? An outsider at that? Even if I designated him as my partner, that’s not appropriate.”

They’d been outmaneuvered.

Lin had expected that when he pointed out the lack of guards, she would suggest either going with him or all together.

If she went with him, Lucy could follow them secretly; if they all went together, Lucy could spot the tomb first with her excellent eyesight and beat Ibis to it.

But Ibis chose Lucy for a perfectly sensible reason.

Why had he thought she would choose him?

Lin lamented that having tasted Lucy and Rabin’s affection had made him overly self-conscious.

He should have been humble instead of cocky.

The goodwill of a comrade, especially of the opposite sex, was truly a sweet poison.

Even someone as emotionally dulled as himself could be caught off guard like this.

“I don’t think it’s safe to leave Chunsik alone. There were people who picked fights with him yesterday, so maybe we should all go together…”

Lucy interjected timely, but the noblewoman wordlessly handed Lin a large firework.

“This is a flare. If anything happens, shoot it into the sky.”

“That’s not enough…!”

“Come now, is a man alone really in more danger than two women?”

Since yesterday, he couldn’t counter this woman’s unreasonableness.

If Ibis had been an ordinary human, he would have subdued her by force with Lucy, but showing his teeth to a suspected demon without proper weapons would be the worst possible strategy.

He knew not every situation could turn in his favor, but being helplessly outmaneuvered twice was painful.

Stay calm, crisis is opportunity.

Once alone, he would use skill scrolls to enhance everything from physical strength to vigilance.

Unlike his usual self, he would focus on self-preservation until Lucy could purify the demon sword and acquire it as a holy sword.

Without him, Lucy’s mind would collapse.

He gave her a reassuring nod, and Lucy bit her lip.

She didn’t like having to take the bait despite knowing the situation.

“It’s a Protek family flare, so if you set it off, the entire archipelago will come running.”

“…I accept it with gratitude.”

“Now then! Since we’ve established all safety measures, let’s begin our exploration~!”

They split into two groups, turning their backs to each other.

Lucy focused intently on Lin’s presence as he quickly moved away, deliberately trying to get distance to use his skill scrolls.

When he was just a dot in the distance, Lucy infused magic into the red thread she had placed on Lin.

“Hmm, I see. So that’s the mechanism.”

“…?!”

“A red-gold color… I found the right one after all.”

The noblewoman was looking at the hero with deep interest.

Lucy leaped back significantly.

“Ah, don’t worry. I could only sense it because I’m too sensitive. Even a master magician would have difficulty detecting it.”

“Finally showing your true colors.”

“Oh? You knew?”

I thought you’d just rely on brute force, but that’s not the case?

Pleased that Lucy had noticed her, Ibis decided to introduce herself willingly.

“Yes, that’s right! I am the de—”

“I know, you’re a demon swordsman.”

“…Huh?”

“I saw through you from the moment you pretended to be friendly with Lin. I’ve known all along that you demon swordsmen are all after my Lin!”

Disappointment.

Great disappointment.

Nevertheless, Ibis decided to kindly point things out one by one.

“First of all, avoid calling a porter by name in front of others. If too many people know who the porter is, it might become inconvenient later, you know?”

“You demon swordsmen have been calling him Lin from the beginning anyway.”

“Ah, of course they do. He’s their dream prince. But I’m not like them.”

“You’re not?”

“Of course not. I’m not a demon.”

Black energy exploded outward.

The blazing sunlight of the hot day was completely blocked by a dark curtain, and only Ibis and Lucy remained in the black space.

It was definitely a dark energy, but different from demonic energy.

“Though I am similar to a demon product~.”

Clang-!

Ibis’s right arm transformed into a sword.

A sword that was pitch black but emitted a sharp light.

Thanks to it, her outline was visible in the darkness.

“Here’s one for you too.”

A red-glowing sword appeared in the air and stabbed into the ground at Lucy’s feet.

“Who exactly are you?”

“Haah, seriously.”

Just when she thought Lucy might have some sense, this is what happens.

The future looked bleak.

“I’m just a sword seeking entertainment. In the mortal world, they call me a demon sword. Though hardly anyone remembers me.”

The right arm that had transformed into a sword pointed at Lucy.

“You’re keeping track of the porter’s location, right? You should be. He’s a much more important existence than you think.”

Of course she was.

The red thread on her pinky finger still indicated that Lin was safe.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I am the demon sword ‘Abyss,’ the first generation Hrunoni. Does that ring a bell?”

“I know all about demon swords. Lin told me. He said we need you to defeat those demon swordsmen.”

“Oh really? For that, you’d need to turn me into a holy sword, right? Do you know how?”

“Of course I do.”

Lucy drew the red sword.

Ah, this cool yet heavy sensation.

It’s been a while.

“He said I need to subdue you by force.”

“Hahahahaha!”

This is quite fun!

“That’s right! That is indeed what you need to do to move forward, ah, that porter is more passionate than he looks.”

“Do you like Lin too?”

“No, I like fun. I have no interest in humans. But, you know what? The greatest fun is…”

Swoosh!

All five fingers on her left hand transformed into blades.

“Seeing the regretful face of a human who has wounded something precious with their own hands.”

The demon sword gestured for Lucy to come at her.

“Now, let’s converse with our swords. I’ll tell you about the grotesquely difficult fragments that lie ahead.”

However,

“If you don’t defeat me, Lin will die today. By someone’s hand.”

“Those words…”

Red-gold light burst forth, almost blinding.

Lucy’s magic power shining brightly in the darkness.

“I’ll make you regret that.”

“Hahahahaha!”

She burst into laughter.

In the darkness, Abyss gazed at Lucy.

Lucy leaped forward, creating a gust of wind.

“I just told you, didn’t I? That regret is my favorite kind of fun!”

The mocking black demon sword and the red-gold hero clashed.