Chancellor Sullivan stared at Faenol with a serious gaze.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“...Yes.”
Faenol forced a fake smile while replying.
Thanks to the fact that she had lived half her life faking her emotions ever since she was forcefully ‘brought back to life’ because of the Red Devil, the smile came out so naturally.
Of course, even such a superb acting skill couldn’t suppress the ‘phenomenon’ she was going through.
Red flame surrounded her body, this was the thing that she had failed to suppress.
Though she managed to erase the flame right away—as expected as a prodigious talent when it came to Magic—Faenol knew very well the identity of the phenomenon.
“...”
Demonic Aura.In other words, the Devil’s Fragments that she had, leaking out of her body.
It was getting harder and harder for her to control it.
…So suddenly?
She asked in her mind as she tried to soothe the overflowing aura, letting out ragged breaths as she did so.
Thanks to her increased affinity with Dowd Campbell, she was gradually getting better at ‘controlling’ the Devil’s Power. It was to the point that she became hopeful that she’d be able to calm down the Devil’s Aura and achieve eternal rest.
But, at some point…
She felt as if the Fragments were trying their best to come out of her body. As if they ‘reacted’ to something and went wild.
But why…?
She couldn’t tell why that was the case.
The one month time limit she had given Dowd in the beginning hadn’t ended yet, and her feelings for him also hadn’t faded yet either.
“...I’ll just have to hold on until the end of the Hero Selection Ordeal.”
Faenol said while struggling to put up a smile.
“Because that man said that he would help be by any means necessary after the Last Ordeal ends.”
That was what he had told her just before the Last Ordeal began.
Even if it gets difficult, hold on the best you can.
She genuinely believed that if she were to hold on, he’d really come to save her.
“...Faenol.”
Hearing those words, the Chancellor called out to her, still weaning a serious look on her face.
“Eat this first.”
She said so while giving something to Faenol. The moment the latter saw what it was, her eyes widened.
Rejuvenation Pills…?
It was some kind of medicine, which, according to what she had heard, was used in the East.
The medicine was rolled and clumped to a bead shape.
Medicine with such a form was something that couldn’t be seen often in this continent.
“...Hm.”
In any case, since the Chancellor was the one who handed it to her, she figured that it would be safe.
So, she gulped the medicine down.
“...Huh?”
As soon as she did, the pain that was hurting her whole body subsided in an instant.
A ridiculous outcome for sure. It was hard for her to believe that a medicine that could suppress a Devil’s Aura existed in this world.
“...How does this kind of…medicine exist?”
“The Cursed Speech User gave me. He said that you’d be needing it at around this time. Also, he said that the medicine is extremely valuable because he can’t make the same thing again, so you’ll need to handle it with care.”
However…
As Faenol heard who it was that gave the Chancellor the medicine, she let out a frown.
“Your Excellency the Chancellor.”
She worded her next words carefully.
“...I am genuinely grateful that you have accepted me.”
“What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”
“You are aware of the being that resides inside my body, yet you still accepted under the Heretic Inquisition. Your compassion is something that I’ll always feel grateful about.”
Then, she looked at Sullivan right in the eye.
“But I think I'd need to say this.”
She continued with a serious look on her face.
“No matter how I look at it, I don’t think forming a relationship with the Prophet is a good idea.”
That person, the one who was called the Prophet.
She was like a black lump of death.
That was the feeling that Fanol felt every time she saw her.
“After all, she’s the leader of those Devil Worshippers.”
“...”
Actually, it wasn’t only that.
The Prophet seemed as if she knew a lot of things about this ‘world’, even more so than the Chancellor, who often felt as if she knew the future already.
It was to the point that she felt similar to Dowd Campbell, who, in Faenol’s opinion, was the best person in that regard.
“But, you can’t deny that you need these right now, no?”
Sullivan said as she put down a few more of the Rejuvenation Pills that Faenol had taken earlier.
“Dowd says…that he has a plan…so I’ll trust him. Because that man has never failed before.”
Sullivan continued with a sigh.
“But, you still need these right now. Or else, something bad might happen if you keep this up.”
“...”
Bearing an anxious look in her eyes, Faenol looked down at the Rejuvenation Pills in front of her.
The thing was related to that woman, so she felt especially uneasy about it.
But…
…I wish the Last Ordeal would end quickly.
But, at the moment…
It wasn’t like she had any other choice.
So, she reached for the Rejuvenation Pills while letting out a sigh.
●
“...Hey, Caliban.”
[Hm?]
He replied indifferently to me again.
“Look, I get that you’re plotting something.”
[Yeah, so?]
“...”
This fucker didn’t even try to hide it anymore, huh?
I could feel my head start to ache.
“...What the hell are you trying to do?”
I thought as such while glaring at the window before my eyes.
System Message
[ ‘The Red Devil's Vessel is nearby! ]
[ ‘The Purple Devil’s Vessel is nearby! ]
[ ‘The White Devil's Vessel is nearby! ]
[ ‘The Blue Devil's Vessel is nearby! ]
[ ‘ ̶̘͛͑̊̇̆́̃͋̏̆͘͝͠C̵̡̹̖̙̭͖̈́̓̐̈́͐¾̸̧̥̬͈͇̹̘͕̠̮̩̙̎ð̸̞͖̋¾̶͕̻́̊̇î̸̙̪͎̥͎͍̲͔̔̈́̀̃͗́̚̚͠͠͝͠ ̷̨̨̣̭̭͓̱̼͚̮̼̭̟̱̾̄͑̈́̋͝”s Vessel is nearby! ]
I could understand the first line.
Like, Faenol was nearby, so it made perfect sense.
“...”
But, the others?
Since the Fallen’s Seal didn’t react, it seemed like none of them had been emitting any ‘Demonic Aura’. Which meant, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about Faenol suddenly going berserk now.
But that didn’t mean I could feel relieved about it.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Because the fact that all these Devils had gathered in one place was a big enough of a disaster already.
There was a good chance that one of them would go berserk. If that were to happen, the situation would definitely be ruined—especially when they were all gathered in one place like this…!
[They won't go berserk.]
“...Sorry?”
[Look, the reason why the Vessels go berserk is mostly because of you, no?]
“...”
[Most of the time, they lose their mind because you stir up their emotions like a torrent.]
That was…true.
But, so what?
[That’s why, this time, they won’t ever go berserk, even if all of them are gathered in one place. I made it so that it won’t happen.]
“...What made you so confident about it?”
[You don’t need to know. Just trust me.]
“...”
[Unlike you, I can’t plan out as if I knew everything that would happen in the future, but, I’m the person who made the punks, the most experienced sword wielders in the Empire, struggle for more than ten years. There is a reason why I feel so confident.]
Now that he had said it like that, it’d be ridiculous of me to force him to talk.
In the first place, if something went wrong when all of them were gathered in one place like this, everyone here would be swept away.
Including Iliya, who was out there looking nervous right before being conferred the Holy Sword.
“...Fine, I’ll trust you just this once.”
As long as Iliya received the Holy Sword, the majority of situations would be able to be dealt with.
…I’m worried about that bastard the most, though…
Like, if the Prophet intervened before Iliya got acknowledged by the Holy Sword.
The problem was…
[ Gift-Related Character Alert]
▼ Faenol Lipek
[ Trust Level 3 ]
[ Related Event Occurs in D-1 ]
“...”
Seeing it again, it still looked strange.
Why tomorrow?
She’s supposed to go berserk today, no?
_…Well, it's not a bad thing. _
Anyways, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this chapter could be considered finished as long as Iliya received the Holy Sword.
I’ve said it again and again, but the combination of the Holy Sword and Iliya would be so powerful to the point that she’d be a match for even the Grey Devil.
The power that came from their synergy would be guaranteed to a certain extent.
[You seem to be very sure about this, huh?]
“Of course I am.”
The Holy Sword would only belong to the current Hero. No other punks would be able to touch it.
As far as I knew, no one in Sera even came close to earning the title Hero except for Iliya.
Even if I were to put myself, who came from another world, into the equation.
[So, that’s the Holy Sword?]
“Yes.”
I replied while looking at the ‘rock’ that Archbishop Luminol was carrying as he wore a nervous expression.
[...A rock?]
“Well, people who aren’t qualified will die the moment they touch the Holy Sword, or at least, suffer a serious injury that would put them close to death.”
I answered Caliban with a shrug.
“That’s why they’re transporting the rock the Holy Sword was stuck on instead.”
[...Is that also why those people are on standby?]
I looked at the direction Caliban was pointing at.
At the end of my gaze were the Priests Corps, who—I wasn’t joking—could save people as long as they didn’t die in an instant. The Archbishop, who was transporting the Holy Sword, was also part of them.
They were staring at the people transporting the rock with an extremely nervous expression. A natural reaction, I guess, since they must’ve seen plenty of people who got severely punished after coming into contact with the Holy Sword.
[...What an absurd treasure.]
Caliban said as soon as he saw the Holy Sword, which was stuck on the top of the rock.
Honestly, the shape of the sword was unconvincing.
It looked like something that you could find lying around in the middle of a warehouse somewhere.
Of course, its appearance was deceptive.
…That thing is the most powerful offensive item in this universe, after all.
I thought so while looking at the worn-out sword that lacked any kind of decoration whatsoever.
The thing was made of Starsteel, the same thing that I put on Yuria before.
Except that the purity of the Starsteel that was used to forge the Holy Sword couldn’t even be compared to that little trinket.
And…
Even someone who was unaware of that could acknowledge that the sword had a different ‘presence’.
It was as if it was ‘isolated’ from the world and stayed detached.
And if the person observing it was someone who had reached the stage where they were able to recognize a ‘Special Power’, whatever the type, with their naked eyes, they would moan as soon as they saw it.
The sword possessed the ability to disperse all kinds of ‘Special Power’.
From Divine Power, Law Power, Magic Power, Curse, any other Special Power in all dimensions. Every single one of them.
This automatically included ‘all Aura’, which meant that it could even strike the Devils effectively, even though they stood at the pinnacle in all dimensions.
Because that meant it could disperse even the ‘Demonic Aura’ they used, and even attack their main body.
“Well, let's wait and see.”
I said so while observing Lana, who got the opportunity to ‘try to grab’ the Holy Sword before Iliya.
She was the one with the most excellent scores beside Iliya and me, so she was more than deserved to be called here.
Of course, as soon as she grabbed the Holy Sword.
Her entire body ‘exploded’.
It swelled before bursting out, as if a bomb had exploded from inside her body. I caught Archbishop Luminol’s face as it went pale due to the scene.
[...Wow.]
Seeing that, Caliban let out a hollow laugh.
Seeing someone getting ‘crushed’ like that as soon as they grabbed that item was shocking even for him.
[It makes people turn like that just because they’re not its master? That Holy Sword?]
“Well, they said it got the blood of all the Devils on it. I think it's normal that it has the same characteristics as a Demonic Sword.”
[It's easy in theory…]
As we were chatting like that, Lana, who had burst out, jumped up. She didn’t seem to care much even after dying like that, like always.
“Hmm… I guess it's not me.”
Hearing that, Caliban let out a sigh.
[...Will it really be okay? There’s no guarantee that Iliya won’t end up like that—]
“...If, by any chance, things go wrong, the medical staff over there will take care of her, so it won’t be a big issue. Of course I’ll also risk my life to protect her.”
[Then I'll watch for now, but…]
While we were talking like that, Iliya slowly approached the rock and climbed it up.
I could tell that she was scanning the Holy Sword with a nervous look.
“...Okay.”
After saying that, she brought her hands closer to the handle of the Holy Sword.
Lana nonchalantly touched it since she wouldn’t die either way, but Iliya was different, she was touching it very carefully..
As if she was introducing herself.
Slowly.
Her fingers touched the grip of the Holy Sword.
“...”
One thing for sure.
It didn’t seem like she was going to burst like Lana did earlier.
But, the strange thing here was that nothing happened.
Nothing.
Like, literally nothing happened.
“...What?”
Even after someone said that and time passed for a good while.
“...”
Seeing that…
My blood cooled down.
I broke out in a cold sweat. My vision became blurry as I struggled to breathe.
_No. _
No.
_No. _
Don’t fuck with me.
_There's no way. _
[...What's going on?]
“...She got rejected.”
[What?]
“The Holy Sword decided that she isn’t its master.”
My answer came out as a groan.
Seeing how she didn’t die immediately like Lana, it meant that she was ‘qualified’ enough. She was capable of being the Hero.
But, even if that was the case…
Even if…
That was the case…
The Holy Sword declared that Iliya wasn’t its master.
How it didn’t emit any bright light served as a proof.
“...”
What did this signify?
Practically speaking, the Holy Sword…
Declared that Iliya was not the ‘main character’ of this world.
***
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