chapter_0158

“How should I deal with this?”

The Demon Sword seemed resentful that its body had been split in half, and it continued to exude a pitch-black aura, showcasing its power. It seemed fortunate that it didn’t have an automatic recovery function.

If possible, I would like to smash it right now. I had that thought, but I hesitated because if I destroyed it recklessly, I might lose the chance to find the Demon God.

Of course, if it tries to disappear again or show signs of consuming me, I’ll smash it immediately. I won’t let things get out of hand just because I gave it a chance; that’s not what I intend to do at all.

‘If I think about it, isn’t this whole situation because of this guy?’

It was this guy who ruined the plan I had made to awaken Leona as a hero.

I had arranged for her to face a slight trial by encountering Elysier, but because the Demon Sword arbitrarily exuded killing intent, Leona almost developed a trauma, and Elysier began to be suspected by it.

After that, the Demon Sword, which had constantly suspected Elysier, eventually disappeared, and it appeared with Astaroth, who was thought to be dead, and forcibly controlled the Dullahan, so the snowball effect was enormous.

-You don’t have to worry, human.

Startled by the voice that came from somewhere, I raised the light spear. I looked around, but nothing seemed to be approaching, and likewise, nothing was detected by the detection magic.

So, there was only one choice left. I looked down at the Demon Sword, which had been split in half.

“What are you? Do you have a self-awareness, or is the Demon God communicating through you?”

I hinted at the fact that the goddess communicates with the hero through the holy sword.

In fact, if I think back to the story of the Demon Sword being angry that it didn’t kill the hero, or that it made its voice reverberate in the head of the Dullahan, it was something that could be expected to some extent.

-Think whatever you want. It won’t change anything.

It seemed that he had no intention of answering. I clicked my tongue inwardly.

-It’s amazing that you, a human, can hear my voice so clearly. Even the little ghost that handled me just now could only hear fragmented echoes.

“Don’t spout nonsense. Before I smash you right now.”

-More humans have been killed by you than by demons. And yet you wield holy power? You’re the first contradictory human I’ve met. How humans did not go extinct after killing so many them?

Ignoring my threat, the sword continued. In the end, this guy also saw the karma attached to my soul. When I realized that his goodwill was also due to my past, I couldn’t help but sigh.

The Sword Saint glared at me, afraid that I would turn into a murderer. I was able to ride the ghost horse because of my past, and now I can even talk to the Demon Sword.

-You are qualified, human. Don’t you want to wield me?

“Not at all.”

-Hmm. You’re quite an unusual guy. Not only have you killed enough humans to exterminate an entire race, but you also have holy power coexisting in your body, and you’re not overwhelmed by desire even after hearing my voice.

“So, what do you want to say?”

-Nothing.

“What?”

I raised my voice unconsciously in response to the absurd answer that came back to my slightly irritated question.

It started talking as if it had something to say, but now it says it has nothing to say. Is it playing with me?

-If you had wanted to wield me, we would still have had more to talk about. But you didn’t, and the holy power is blocking all attempts to force you to wield me. What do you think is left to say? Or are you waiting for me to spill everything, even the answers to the questions you haven’t asked?

“……”

-Instead, I’ll let you have a good show. If you want to meet my creator, you’ll get to do that soon. The Demon God’s also very interested in you.

“That’s very helpful. Thank you.”

-If you’re grateful, why don’t you try wielding me once?

The Demon Sword nonchalantly countered my sarcasm.

-I’m done talking. Destroy me if you want. If you’re not scared, you can try wielding me. If you can subdue me and control me, you will be the first human in history to wield both demon magic and holiness…

A loud explosion occurred, followed by a piercing light. The Demon Sword was enveloped by the light and disappeared before it could finish its sentence. Only a faint golden light lingered where it had been.

“Useless talk.”

If what he said was true, then the Demon God was also interested in me. So, there was no reason to leave the Demon Sword alone. I just had to wait, and it would appear on its own soon enough.

‘Still, I should ask about the method.’

I was planning to ask Laura if she had set a way to meet the Demon God.

The fact that the Demon God had come to find me meant that he had a plan in place, no matter what method he used, and I didn’t intend to just wait indefinitely for him to make all the preparations.

“Master!”

After I destroyed the Demon Sword, Nika came to get me as if she had been waiting for my call. Nika, who had rushed out of the dimensional door, shuddered at the sight of the devastated surroundings and the light spear in my left hand.

Nika, who seemed to have a lot of questions, took me back to the succubus hideout, where I saw an unusual sight. All the succubi were huddled inside the hideout, trembling in fear.

Even Gloria, who had been exhausted and asleep when I left, was no exception. She was huddled in a corner of the room with the other succubi who had relentlessly abused her, trembling in fear.

“Why are you all like this?”

“Because of the aftermath of the fight between you and that guy, Master. The sky above us was split in half.”

“……Really?”

“Yes. You can see where the trees have disappeared over there. That’s where the sky collapsed and fell. If it weren’t for the light you used, we would have had to run away too.”

I realized anew just how powerful the Dullahan was. The aftermath had spread even to the point where it affected the dimensional door, which was supposed to be a safe distance away. If it weren’t for the light spear, I would have had to abandon this place and run away.

“Nika, you’re not scared and you’re fine.”

“I believed that you would win, Master. Why wouldn’t I believe in you?”

Nika twisted her body and smiled seductively. If she hadn’t added the obvious line, “So, as a reward……”, I might have looked at her a little differently.

It took me another two days to help Nika find a new home for the succubi. The reason it only took two days to build a fortress was because the aftermath of the fight had spread throughout the Demon World.

Whether they were demons or monsters, they were all busy running away from the magic and holiness that covered the sky. Nika took advantage of this opportunity to successfully establish a new home in the very heart of the Demon World – the Demon King’s Castle.

During this time, I also gave her my energy several times a day. It wasn’t an excuse, but the amount of energy I used to build the fortress from scratch was so great that it was visibly obvious, so I just gave it to her whenever she asked.

Nika also ordered the succubi to capture male demons so that they could replenish their energy even when I wasn’t around. With my power behind them, the succubi captured males of various races and turned them into regular energy dispensers in the underground prison of the fortress. It was a bit uncomfortable to say, but that was the most accurate description.

“……It tastes bad.”

“It’s bitter……”

Although they had endured by sharing my energy just a few hours ago, they still made disgusted faces and wrinkled their noses at the taste of the energy, even though the males they had captured were supposedly strong.

“Let’s go, Master!”

Nika, who had been wearing a maid outfit, stood next to me demurely. In my absence, Cliona, who had somehow survived the last attack, was supposed to lead the succubi.

Cliona also seemed unable to shake off the temptation of my energy, but when Nika glared at her, she quietly backed down.

“Welcome back, young master……?”

When we returned from the Demon World, we were greeted by a subdued atmosphere in the mansion. Diana, Trisha, and even my parents had a strange tension on their faces.

“Young master! Are you alright?!”

After calming down the frantic Beatrice, I was finally able to find out why the atmosphere in the mansion was so tense.

In conclusion, this was also due to the aftermath of the fight between the Dullahan and me.

All the soldiers on the front lines had retreated due to the sudden detection of an enormous amount of light and darkness in the Demon World, and the Empire had declared a state of emergency and entered a wartime footing as the phenomenon was witnessed by the entire Empire.

Some even speculated that a hero had gone to defeat the Demon King alone. This led to further confusion as people debated who the victor was.

‘How far did it spread?’

If the sky had been split not only in the Demon World but also in the Empire, it meant that it had essentially covered the entire continent. While it was understandable that the aftermath reached the Demon World, I had never expected it to spread to the Empire.

Fortunately, the only people who could know the truth were those who were with me, and they wouldn’t talk about it unless I bragged about it. Nika would obviously keep quiet, and the four possessed, Leona, and Aria were not the type to speak carelessly.

“I was worried that something might have happened to you, young master……”

I couldn’t finish my sentence and just hugged Beatrice, who was trembling. Fortunately, Beatrice soon calmed down and returned to being my exclusive maid.

The butler came to see me after that.

“Pardon me, young master. A letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”

“From the Imperial Palace? What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know the details, but I was told by the Crown Prince that I must deliver this letter to you personally.”

The letter was sealed with a high-level magic that even a skilled magician would hesitate to break. I poured mana into the spell to release it, and the envelope opened. Beatrice and Nika backed away.

I read the contents. Next to the taped key was a short sentence.

-The key to where we are. Come alone.

‘What’s so important that you’re making such a fuss about it……’

The only people that I could bring with me were Nika or Beatrice, and she had pressed down on the letters and even underlined them.