Episode 53 – The Holy Sword

*

I muffled my footsteps and walked quietly.

Only after hiding in the shadows of the pitch-black hallway, where nothing could be seen, did the tension that felt like it would explode my head gradually subside, like air escaping.

“That was close,”

I murmured, recalling the situation from a moment ago.

I found Banata in Jennifer’s secret laboratory, but unfortunately, I couldn’t move to save her right away.

The opponent is Jennifer, the mage of the Hero Party.

Of course, I was skilled enough in assassination to confidently target Robin right away, but the realm of magic was beyond my knowledge, so I couldn’t gauge what variables might occur.

In fact, for me, Jennifer, who might respond with some unheard-of magic, was a more difficult opponent than Robin, who was simply very powerful.

Even if I didn’t lose, a big commotion would occur, or if too much time passed, people would gather,

Of course, if that happened, Jennifer would also be in a difficult situation… no, she’d be totally screwed, but the unidentified doctor who rummaged through the house pretending to treat Dena would have no choice but to flee as well.

The problem was that Baron Salvier, who arranged this doctor, could also be held responsible.

And frankly, apart from all the previous reasons, I had also lost my will to fight.

That blood-soaked laboratory where all sorts of corpses and undead were rotting together in harmony.

Numerous undead who were bound and killed, and Headmaster Magier, who was struggling after becoming an undead.

Magic circles and formulas drawn with lines that showed distorted and bent bizarre patterns, rather than the familiar symmetrical circular shape.

Reagents that were endlessly close to poison scattered on the desk.

And Jennifer, so focused on her research that she didn’t even notice someone had invaded her secret laboratory in such a gruesome setting…

Her eyes, shining with red light as she stared at the blackboard without even blinking, were truly eerie, and genuinely frightening.

Even Ellie, who was certain that Jennifer would be holding Banata, couldn’t have anticipated this sight.

Her guess was that Jennifer had locked Banata up and, at most, was torturing her to hold her responsible for the deaths of Daniel and Rose.

At the time, we thought even that was a terrible story, but reality mocked our imagination by bringing a horror that far exceeded sanity.

Well, no matter how smart Ellie was, she couldn’t have easily imagined such madness and horror.

Even I, and the two bastards dwelling in my head, were speechless at Jennifer’s appearance.

“Experiment failed… of course,”

Thanks to the corpses resurrected as undead and the words “experiment failed” written next to their heads, I could somewhat guess her purpose and motivation.

Even I, who am ignorant of magic, can guess what kind of experiment this is if I have this much of a hint.

The dream of all necromancers.

A way to revive the dead not as undead, but as complete people.

Jennifer is trying to find that.

“Crazy bitch.”

The reason I suspected that Jennifer had gone insane when I saw her wasn’t just because of the insane scenery of the hideous laboratory.

The method she wants to revive the dead is absolutely impossible, whether it’s magic, sorcery, or the miracle of divine power.

Impossible.

That was common sense.

It is possible to create undead with some degree of self-awareness, but reviving them as complete people is not simply forbidden, but there is really no way to do it, which is the common sense that everyone in this world agrees on.

In the past long history, numerous magicians, sorcerers, and necromancers have tried all methods, including taboos, but failed, and eventually concluded that resurrection is impossible.

It is said that only a miracle performed directly by the Goddess is possible, but of course, such a miracle has never happened, at least in the history since records began.

Lara speculated that I was resurrected as a human using the divine power of the Holy Sword but became an undead due to exposure to the Demon King’s mana, but my thoughts were different.

Even I clearly felt that I had changed from who I was in life in terms of essence, personality, and many other aspects.

Of course, there will be no time to worry about my identity until the boiling resentment is resolved.

Anyway, Jennifer is now challenging common sense.

Besides, the words written on the test tube containing Banata were very disturbing.

Experiment successful

I don’t know what the possession experiment performed on Banata was, but if she has defied common sense, it could be a truly terrifying thing.

After all, the great mage from the Hero Party was no ordinary human.

And I wasn’t the only one impressed by her.

[Impressive, these magic formulas are not of ordinary knowledge and conception.]

‘Come to think of it, you were a magic user too. Can you read those bizarre things?’

[I have seen the magic that hid you and the Hero’s appearance, as well as the magic that bound this body, so I expected you to be quite skilled, but what I see now… I am honestly impressed.]

‘It says “experiment successful”… is Banata okay?’

[…]

‘…Did she really succeed in reviving a dead person?’

[Th-That’s ridiculous!]

[…Well, she’s definitely a bit lacking. That green-haired beastkin girl will be fine.]

‘It says “experiment successful” though?’

[…She’ll be fine.]

[Explain why!]

[Do you two have the confidence to understand if I explain?]

‘No,’

[No…]

[…That experiment is half successful. But I’m also curious how she succeeded in that half, and how she supplied that much mana in the human country…]

‘What’s wrong?’

[…Look over there.]

[…What is that?]

The line extending from the complex machinery connected to the giant test tube containing Banata was connected to the opposite wall.

Inside the glass box installed in another device installed on that wall, there was an object that looked very familiar.

‘That’s…’

[Ah! Could it be?]

[That goddamn bitch]

It was the Demon King’s horn that was cut off 20 years ago with the dagger that killed me and was taken from my hand.

Indeed, that, which could be called the Demon King’s corpse, was the fuel that supplied the mana needed for the experiment.

Both I and the Demon King’s personality felt like we were being humiliated at the same time.

[But, Ed… the time…]

‘Ah,’

Since quite a bit of time had already passed, I retreated after confirming only that Banata was alive.

I closed the door to the secret room again, jumped out the window, and ran straight back into Dena’s bedroom window.

Fortunately, Edward was kindly waiting outside.

As I smoothed my clothes and approached to open the door, that moment.

Mela burst into the room.

“What are you doing?”

“Eek!”

I tried to act indifferent as I watched Mela, who was startled and fell on her butt, but I was actually very surprised too.

Apparently, after hearing the details from her son, she was worried that a suspicious person might do something to Dena, so she opened the door.

If I had been any later, it would have been a disaster.

I tried not to talk to her as much as possible, spoke only to Edward, and quickly left the place.

*

While thinking about how to save Banata, I arrived at the back door of the mansion before I knew it.

Edward’s appearance, desperately begging me to sneak out through the back door so that Robin wouldn’t know, looked so desperate that I nodded without saying a word.

Before I knew it, the dark sky outside the window was turning navy blue, and then gradually turning blue.

The morning sun rises faster than I thought, so I reached out towards the handle of the back door to hurry out before it got light.

That’s when it happened.

[Stop. Ed!]

‘Huh?’

I withdrew my hand at the sudden urgent voice.

[Ed, we still have something to do!]

‘…? What are you talking about.’

[Ignore her. Edward]

[No! Don’t ignore me!]

‘No, so what is it that we have to do. Tell me.’

[You know, the Holy Sword! The Holy Sword!]

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Come to think of it, from the day I saw the Holy Sword that Robin used to cut down Daniel, the voice in my head that resembled Mela was urging me to grab the Holy Sword.

Another guest living in my head opened his mouth in a gentle voice.

[Ed, look out the window, it’s getting light. There won’t be enough time to go around looking for that sword now.]

‘Hmm, that sounds right.’

[No! If not now, who knows when we’ll get another chance!]

‘No, what the hell is it, what’s going to happen that you keep telling me to grab it like this?’

[Ed, please. Just once.]

‘No, there’s no time to search this wide and dark mansion now.’

[I know.]

‘What?’

[What did you say?]

[If the distance is close enough, I can feel where that sword is. And I can definitely feel it now. The Holy Sword is near Ed right now.]

[Ed, stop. Now go back…]

‘Where is it?’

[Right next to you.]

Following that voice, I turned my head to the side, and there was a small side door.

Judging by its location near the back door, it seemed to be a small room used as a storage.

I briefly wondered why the Holy Sword would be stuck in a storage, but I quickly guessed the reason.

Since it was just a sword with no divine power left, and it was also the sword that cut down his own son, Robin would have hated to see it, no matter how much it was the Holy Sword.

I don’t know the details of whether he ordered it to be put in the storage from the beginning, or whether the servants picked it up and put it here after the day he threw the sword away… well, I’m not really curious either.

I slowly approached the side door.

[Ed! Stop! You’ll regret it!]

[It’ll be helpful, not something to regret!]

[It’s ominous! Ed]

[You don’t know what’s going to happen, so be quiet!]

‘What’s going to happen?’

[I don’t know either. I just have a strong feeling that I have to grab that sword.]

[You’re being manipulated! An evil devil is reaching out to Ed!]

[You’re the evil one!]

‘Stop.’

It was too noisy to bear anymore.

I opened the side door and went inside.

Certainly, as soon as I entered the room, I felt a unique sensation and could feel that the Holy Sword was nearby.

With a sensation that felt like a distant magnet pulling my body slightly, I moved my feet through the storage filled with junk.

Soon, I saw a huge stick wrapped in cloth.

“Is that it?”

I couldn’t properly confirm whether that was the Holy Sword or not in the dark, so I reached out to take off the cloth wrapped around the object.

At that moment, the thing wrapped in cloth made a clanging sound and flew into my hand as if sticking to it.

“What!”

[Yes! Yes! Ed!]

[Ed…you’ll regret it later….]

Along with the unfamiliar and heavy weight felt in my hand, a very unfamiliar sense of incongruity swirled in my head.

What is this feeling?

I pondered for a while and realized.

‘Hey?’

“Where did you guys go?”

This is silence.

The two voices that were noisily chattering in my head and exuding a heavy presence had disappeared without a trace.

I hurriedly looked around.

But I was already on a flat ground of bright light, not darkness.

“What is this… Where is this..”

If I had suddenly been in a dark place and the surroundings had brightened, I should have noticed it normally, or at least shielded my eyes, but I was standing in this place without even knowing it.

Confused by the incomprehensible situation, I tried to drop the Holy Sword from my hand,

“…”

The Holy Sword was not in my hand either.

Not only that, but I wasn’t wearing the gloomy plague doctor’s outfit I had been wearing.

Not Baron Salvier’s mask, but just my bare face, and the clothes were well-polished black leather armor that I wore the longest while I was alive.

It seemed that I had been moved to another space somewhere.

Feeling somehow afraid of all these sudden events, I struggled to grasp the situation and looked around.

Then, a soft and huge voice came from behind me.

“Nice to meet you, Edward.”

.