Chapter 820 - So, You Were Held Again
As the three visiting guests failed to achieve their respective goals and all vanished, Enkrid's gaze turned upward.
To be precise, Rem and Dunbakel also glanced up.
Dunbakel had noticed by smell, and Rem, because the divine power that had briefly inhabited him had given him a signal.
So, was there anything in the sky?
Nothing.
It was not visible to the naked eye.
But he had faintly seen something with a long tail flying away.
A knight was a calamity and could cut down a thousand foes alone, but he did not have the skill to snatch the formless something that was flying across the sky.
'No, maybe if I had known a little sooner.'
Enkrid thought, and his thoughts then reached the singularity of his sword.
Was it a strange thing or a matter of course?
Dawn possessed the power to purify the vile.
A formless power that originated from True Silver and flowed along the blade in response to Will might have been able to cut such a thing.
'Well, it seems there's no chance now.'
No matter how much of a knight he was, he could not fly.
Rem frowned and then relaxed his brow.
"If it comes again, I'll shoot it down then."
At those words, Dunbakel opened her mouth.
"Can't we just deal with it before that?"
Rem then spoke with an indifferent attitude.
"I'll get it if you miss. You hairy beastkin."
Dunbakel pointed out Rem's error.
"For a beastkin, having a lot of fur is not a shame, but a pride?"
"Then shall I pluck it all out for you?"
"Ah, go ahead and try."
Her experience in the East had made the beastkin grow.
The Dunbakel of the past was gone.
She now talked back to Rem quite well.
In between them, Krais opened his mouth.
"Why would the demons' subordinates come here?"
With a light question, he extinguished the combative situation between Rem and Dunbakel.
For those two, a story concerning a group of demon subordinates was worth listening to.
That is to say, they had to hear why they had come here.
What was the reason for coming to Enkrid and abruptly offering eternal life or land, and saying they would make him a demigod?
Krais looked around at the assembly with his large eyes and continued.
"We should probably start from there, right?"
If you don't know, you suffer.
Even if you know, you suffer.
That was why the coward named Krais always imagined the worst.
His innate anxiety made him imagine and fantasize in various directions.
Krais clenched both hands into fists and struck them together in front of his chest.
There was a sharp clap.
"I'm guessing they're probably fighting amongst themselves."
The forearm muscles of the short-sleeved Krais bulged.
He pushed his fists against each other, and they didn't yield to either side.
In that state, he continued.
"Even if there are subtle differences, what if the weight on both sides of the scales is the same?"
Krais was a genius.
Furthermore, the demons were arrogant, so they had not even recognized that a human had dared to figure out their intentions.
So what if they know?
What are you going to do about it?
It was fine to see it as that kind of attitude.
"But what if one side ultimately has to be tipped?"
Beelrog must have been a variable.
In the meantime, various proposals must have been exchanged to draw that variable to their side.
But the being who had wandered this land his entire life, desiring only strife, had refused them all.
'And a human killed that Beelrog.'
The appearance of an opponent far easier to persuade than Beelrog.
'Then has there been no temptation toward other knights until now?'
There had been.
And those who fell to that temptation became death knights, sided with the Demon Realm, and became special monsters or true demon-kin.
The magic-tainted elf in the place called the Thornbriar Fortress would have been the same.
He had heard about it from Enkrid.
Even without thinking deeply, Krais had grasped Enkrid's current position and value with just a few clues.
Of course, he could have been completely wrong, but assuming the worst was his habit.
'A very appetizing prey.'
Wouldn't Enkrid look like that to the demons coiled up in the Demon Realm?
Krais opened his left hand and wrapped it around his right fist.
"Or they might want something like this."
For one to chew up and swallow the other.
Wouldn't they try to tip and break the scales to chew up and swallow the opposing force?
Did those three subordinates come because the demons were close?
Or did they come together on their own?
There were too many questions that could not be solved by speculation alone.
"Why are those demon folks fighting?"
Rem also had a sharp mind.
He pointed out the blind spot in Krais's words.
Dunbakel blinked her eyes several times.
She was wondering what they were talking about.
"I don't know that."
Krais shrugged.
What he didn't know, he didn't know.
Just as nations on the continent contend for hegemony, the demons also fight among themselves.
His words were based on that premise.
The reason?
Unknown.
The objective?
Unknown.
He felt he knew one thing.
It was that their desire was not at a level that could be understood just by hearing it.
It was difficult to dare to guess the intentions of a demon.
That was true for everyone.
It was the same for Esther, who was being held in Enkrid's arms.
Dunbakel, who had been contemplating what to eat for dinner, spoke.
"Perhaps they are hungry?"
If you go deep into the East, fights over food are frequent.
"The things you think about."
Rem gave her a talking-to.
The two of them ended up exchanging blows.
The Heat-Bearing Companion had started as a Parasite Demon, transcended monsterhood, and become a demon.
Perhaps due to its innate characteristics, it could divide its thought-will into dozens or even hundreds of pieces.
Beelrog's soul-splitting was something it had learned by stealing a glance at the Heat-Bearing Companion's specialty.
***
This is the origin.
In any case, the thought-will passed over the mountain range.
The will engraved in the thought-will was clear.
'If I can't eat it, no one can.'
Then it was right to crush it here.
The thought-will became a single snake imbued with a red light and fell to the ground.
***
"Damn wench."
The magician who had been called the Guide of the Black Wave lost his clone, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.
It was because the clone, made by sacrificing his lifespan and youth, had disappeared.
"Everyone, gather."
He summoned his disciples and slaves.
A slave approached to hear his message and bowed his head.
Magicians and witches were reclusive people, but of course, if necessary, they would help or hinder each other's work.
"Inform the pack of beasts who covet prey that the Child of the Stars has appeared."
If the instructions were not clear, the slave would not be able to carry out the task properly.
That was the reason he had stated exactly what to say and to whom.
After relaying the message, the magician touched his right thumb to his index finger and then to each finger in succession, his mind working.
Magicians conform to the world, but they are not those who follow the natural order.
To be precise, they are those who dream of a world that is the opposite of the will of the heavens, the will of the celestial.
"Only the truth is worthy of being called a god."
They were those who publicly declared as much.
Therefore, their position was different from the merchant and the warrior.
Just because they had become a demon's subordinate didn't mean they had offered up everything.
And the world is not simple.
Just as the relationships between people are.
'Though I didn't know the Child of the Stars was there.'
That might actually be helpful.
He then attempted to telepathically contact the one who professed to be his master and spoke.
"I have failed, but there is still room to act."
After relaying the message, the magician was lost in thought for a moment.
'So they are mad.'
Eternal life, land, truth.
If he desired none of it, what on earth did he want?
For him, it would be a question that would never be answered.
***
The demons of the Demon Realm heard the news, and since they could not move themselves, they employed several subordinates.
Among them, 'Pure White', who possessed the most powerful subordinate, also made a move.
The telepathic relic trembled and asked.
"May I do as I wish?"
Pure White had made him its piece and promised him land.
It had promised to make him the final ruler of this land when it 'ascended'.
That was why it had nodded.
Do as you wish.
At Pure White's words, the subordinate nodded.
"Let us begin."
The south is called a great nation.
The Great King of Lihin-Stetten had received the news that the parasite that had been gnawing away at his nation's strength at the border for over ten years had disappeared.
That was why there was no reason to hesitate now.
Over his shoulders was a leather cloak of a beast that had once held the title of 'Master of this Land'.
That, and a crown, was the Great King's usual attire.
There is a tree that is called a relic in itself.
Its name is Yggdrasil.
It is said to be a tree that gives wisdom, allows one to avoid death, and pioneers one's destiny.
It was also a relic that remained only in the age of myth and legend.
In reality, the value of the relic-class tree was singular.
The nullification of all spells that strike the mind, and also the nullification of all curses.
A crown with a frame made from the branches of that Yggdrasil and thorns made of gold was his symbol.
It was an item he kept by his side even when he slept.
"I will skewer the buttocks of the continental cheapskates and use them as a flag."
They had already engaged in local skirmishes with Naurillia.
There was no need for a formal notice.
It wouldn't be an all-out war right away, but the time had come to thrust the sword they had been preparing.
The Great King was certain of it.
***
The Child of the Stars.
There was a time she was called that.
The title 'Witch of Strife' came a bit later.
"You have talent."
It was the time she first encountered magic, along with those words.
Her master was a person without a scent.
To be more precise, she was a person who didn't particularly desire anything.
"There are people who find joy in eating delicious food. I simply find joy in the everyday of looking at the stars in the sky."
Her master was less a witch and more a person who was detached from the affairs of the world, who read the celestial bodies and understood the movements of the stars.
Though a witch, she would sometimes look after injured hunters and help people who were in trouble.
It must have been a part of luck, or a blessing, or if not, just a coincidence.
To Esther, her master was that kind of existence.
'A dream.'
Esther knew she was facing a part of her past.
Time flew by, illuminating her childhood.
It was a time when she was learning, little by little, how to realize the principles and explore the truth.
"Is it fun?"
Her master had asked, and she had answered, beads of sweat forming on the bridge and tip of her nose.
"Yes?"
It was a tone that asked why she was asking such an obvious question.
What was in her master's eyes then was worry.
The young Esther did not know that.
Time passed, and this time, a fateful encounter that was like a misfortune or a curse came to her.
"Child of the Stars."
That was a nickname.
It was a word that described the blessing of being born with a magical power as great as the stars in the sky.
And that talent was a very appetizing target for some who explored magic, and was also called the essence of mana.
A living elixir that, when refined, surpassed the legendary Elixir.
That was the reason and the meaning of being called the Child of the Stars.
"You hid it well, but you cannot deceive my eyes."
Even now, she could not forget.
He was said to be a magician who had lost his expression and emotions by mistake during spell research.
The owner of the title 'Master of the Unfeeling Blade.'
His senses were extremely sharp, and he had peered into Esther's secret, overcoming the many layers of barriers her master had put up.
He had then aimed for her master in a surprise attack.
Her master, who had explored the truth but had simply enjoyed the today, had burned everything she had to protect Esther.
"Live, Esther. Live doing what you want to do."
Her master's words became shackles.
Esther did not know what it was that she wanted to do.
'The truth.'
Exploring spells was what she desired.
The means became the end.
She had thought she could do anything to expand the world of spells.
Esther was in the process of becoming not her master, but the one who had killed her master.
However, instead of sacrificing others, she had just explored magic by exposing herself to danger.
"Long time no see."
In the meantime, she had chased and fought the magician who had killed her master.
How happy he had been at Esther's greeting.
"You've come to be eaten!"
She had torn the mouth of the man who had said that from side to side.
She had done so with the spell that was his specialty.
Demüller's Scythe was this man's specialty.
This was the point when she began to be called the Witch of Strife.
"It's the Child of the Stars!"
She had learned how to fight while fighting those who had recognized her, and had explored spells in her spare time.
She did not know what lay at the end of this path.
She walked without knowing.
There was a path, but no destination.
And then, she had been consumed by a spell and had become trapped in the body of a leopard due to a curse.
At the time, she had thought it was another misfortune, but thinking back now, it seemed that it had instead become a stroke of luck.
'What I desire is.'
She doesn't know.
She walks without knowing.
She had just wanted to become a star in the sky.
The star in the sky that her master, who had saved her from a fate of dying after selling her body on the streets, had wished for.
That was not her life, but her master's life.
She had just continued the life her master had lived.
And now?
"You're awake."
Would it sound like this when a clear, fine dew flows down a leaf?
The elf's voice was truly beautiful.
She was naked, her body soaked in warm water.
There was more than one spring of the elves.
Among them, this was the Spring of Warmth, said to be the best for recovering the body.
Stones were piled around the spring, and they created a truly tranquil scene.
The green eyes of the elf, a part of that scene, looked at Esther.
Esther's mouth opened.
"Yes."
The elf asked.
"So, you were held again?"
Esther thought that question was quite amusing.
"Yes."
When she answered, the elf nodded, her expression still blank.
It was an expression from which one could not read her thoughts.
Then she asked abruptly.
"You have a face full of worries."
The elf then continued.
"You don't have to solve it alone."
The advice of the long-lived elf was helpful.
Esther, though faintly, now knew what kind of life she desired.
She also understood her master's wish.
'Peace.'
And she adds her own thing to it.
'Joy.'
She eliminates discomfort.
If it's uncomfortable that people are dying from useless experiments, she cleans it up.
If it's uncomfortable that the demons of the Demon Realm are playing tricks, she cleans it up.
Also.
'Even if a group that covets vain things attacks.'
She would clean them up.
***
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