Side Story Chapter 139
Squalo the Pain Demon tilted his head in confusion. There were ten dullahans, high-class undead who were each as strong as a Master. Although their sword skills may be cruder than a Master’s, dullahans had an infinite amount of stamina, and most attacks wouldn’t even be able to leave a scratch on them. However, a lone human woman had placed herself squarely in the center of those creatures.
“...Step back, Sir Valmont,” Selim quietly ordered.
“What?”
“Have you forgotten? She’s been consumed by the power of Lust, so that person isn’t the Silver-Eyed Ghost Sword that we know anymore. ”
Valmont’s hands clenched around his sword, as he recalled what had happened a few days ago. Indeed, Lilith Aphrodite had attacked Avalon’s soldiers until she suddenly disappeared from Arcadia. She even neutralized the defenses of knights capable of wielding mana using a mental attack that was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. They avoided a catastrophe thanks to Iceline, but here Lilith was in Arcadia again.
“Do you think the two of us can do it?” Valmont asked, his voice tense.
Selim was always confident, but he didn’t answer this time. They were up against a witch whom hundreds of knights and no small number of highly skilled individuals couldn’t capture. The right amount of confidence could boost one’s spirit, but too much of it was reckless bravado.
“Selim,” Lilith said. “You and Valmont get the demon. Although I want to take care of it myself, it isn’t easy to find a sparring partner as good as he is.”
Selim’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. When he figured out what was going on, his jaw dropped to the ground. The voice certainly belonged to a woman, but the tone and manner of speech were someone else’s. Naturally, someone like Selim immediately noticed the difference.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
“We’re out of time. Maintaining this state for more than one minute would affect Lilith badly.”
Lilith tossed a red spear at Selim. When he grabbed the spear, Selim’s doubt turned into certainty.
“W-Wait!” Selim shouted.
This was Lugia, the Demon Spirit’s spear—no, it was Longin, Selim’s favorite weapon which he had inherited and recently lent to the Emperor of Avalon
-...You’re an odd wretch. Human girl, who in the world are you?
Selim wasn’t the only one who noticed that the woman’s mind didn’t match her body.
-How strange. For some reason, you feel familiar, as if you’re one of us...
“I told you that I don’t have much time, demon.”
Lilith straightened, twirling an ordinary spear. Squalo smiled coldly.
-...Hah. I guess it doesn’t matter.
Although he hadn’t gotten an answer to his question, Squalo didn’t think for a second that he was going to lose. Along with Squalo, there were ten more demons there, all with titles, marking them as one of the one hundred strongest in the Demon Realm.
Humans tacked fanciful titles on one another to pretend that they were heroes, but a demon’s title was different. It held an invisible and intangible power; in other words, a divine essence was created upon receiving a title.
Ten of the strongest demons of the Demon Realm, each possessing divine essences, were assembled in this small plain.
-Let’s see what you’ve got.
Squalo casually crossed his arms, firmly believing that one human woman wouldn’t be able to handle the ten dullahans.
“Sir Valmont,” Lilith said.
“Eh?”
“Watch closely. This will probably be a good experience for you, too.”
“...I don’t really understand what you’re talking about. What in the world is going on—?”
Before Valmont could finish speaking, Lilith made her move.
The ten dullahans raised their massive blades and ran forward, threatening to crush her under their armored feet.
Valmont realized that one of the dullahans would come right in front of him and gathered his considerable mana into his sword.
He swung the humming blade into the dullahan’s chest, rewarding him with a mighty crash and a numb buzz in his palm.
“...I hit it?” Valmont’s face fell. “I didn’t kill it?”
He also put his aura into the attack, but all it did was leave a single scratch on the dullahan’s breastplate. Of course, Valmont hadn’t used his full power, but as one of the best swordsmen in the Avalon Empire, it still hurt his pride.
“Let’s see if you can stop this, too.” Valmont got into his signature pose, one which had earned him the nickname “Rapid Star,” ready to demonstrate the essence of his speed sword technique.
“Step back, Valmont.”
Valmont blinked and found Lilith had appeared right in front of him, her long silver hair swaying from side to side.
“Ghost Sword, you look like you’re back to your original self, but you won’t be able to take care of them on your own. You’re only as good as me—”
“You still have a long way to go.”
“...What?” Valmont’s expression scrunched up from yet another insult. A long way to go? Valmont actually meant what he had just said. Since he and Lilith were from the same generation, he could make an objective assessment of Lilith’s level. While there was a new Star named Lilith Aphrodite in the Hubalt Empire, there was Valmont dun Brown, the Invisible Sword, in Avalon. He’d become known as the Invisible Sword as his attacks were so fast that his enemies couldn’t see his sword.
“Phew, forget it.” Valmont shook his head. “I’ll help you. If you and I work together, we’ll be able to take care of these monsters, easy.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course—but why are you using a spear, not a sword? Were you so impressed with His Majesty the Emperor that you changed your weapon?” Valmont smiled crookedly.
Even at a moment like that, Valmont didn’t forget to get his small jabs in where he could. Lilith Aphrodite was a sword expert with thirty years of experience, so there was no way she would have changed her weapon now. In other words, Valmont was telling Lilith to stop joking around and grab a sword.
Lilith smiled back. “I don’t think I’ll lose to you even with a spear.”
“What?”
“Do you want to make a bet on who defeats more of the dullahans?”
“What?!” Valmont’s smile turned upside down.
“The loser grants a wish to the winner, no exceptions, of course, unless the wish is ridiculous, like stabbing yourself to death.”
“Hahahahahaha...” Valmont chuckled dryly, too dumbstruck to formulate a proper reply.
He wouldn’t even be a man if he said no to Lilith’s offer. That said, Lilith Aphrodite was agilely dodging the dullahans’ attacks as they spoke, and judging from how nimble she was, she wasn’t bluffing...
“A wish from the rival of my youth... I’m curious as to what you want from me, actually,” Valmont said.
“Well, knowing it in advance would certainly motivate you.”
“If you ask me to marry you, I’ll be in quite the sticky situation.”
“Oh, that’s not the answer, but it’s similar.” Lilith shrugged.
“W-What?
Valmont was just joking—but the answer he got was shocking. He stared, jaw agape. The old bachelorette wanted to marry Valmont? Well, he thought of himself as quite handsome, and Lilith was a very attractive woman.
“I said we don’t have much time, so can I take that as a yes?”
“U-Umm, o-okay.” Valmont finally came to his senses and fixed his grip on his sword.
A bet was a bet, so he couldn’t let Lilith’s beauty captivate him. This was a matter of a man’s pride.
“Good, I didn’t like the name of the Golden Spirit Knights very much, so maybe I can make a new one this time,” Lilith said.
Valmont gave her another, uncomprehending look.
“W-Wait. The Golden Spirit Knights?”
“On a side note, you’re the first member of that new knight order, Valmont dun Brown. The name of the new knight order is... Yes, the Grain Spirit Order sounds good. ”
One of Lilith’s—no, Joshua’s grand plans was finally revealed.
“Wait, wait, wait! Are you... N-No... Not you...” Valmont stammered.
“No take backs.”
Joshua jumped into the air, dodging all ten dullahans’ greatswords by a hair’s breadth. The attacks struck with such force that the ground cracked where the swords landed.
“...It can’t be. No, it can’t be.” Valmont hesitated, overwhelmed by nervousness.
In the air, Joshuah swirled his spear like a windmill, creating a whirlwind that grew and grew, carving a rut into the ground. The earthbound dullahans stared up at him powerlessly.
“I pay my respect to Valmont dun Bron, Rapid Star and once the best new Star of Avalon.” Joshua directed his dancing spear downward. “Magic Spear Arts, unleveled: Creation Spear.”
The words “Magic Spear Arts” blew away the last traces of Valmont’s doubts.
“Meteor Shower.”
Not anyone could create a new technique on the spot just by seeing the enemy’s technique once. Valmont was called a genius, but not even he could do it. It might be possible for Joshua Sanders the Martial God—which immediately made Valmont remember Selim calling Lilith “Your Majesty”.
Boom! Boom! Booooom!
One mass of aura after the other plummeted to the ground like an actual meteor—very similar to a mage’s Meteor Strike spell. The gigantic chunks of solidified aura shook the earth and sky, plowing through the ground and the undead with equal ease. Whenever the dullahans were struck, they were pulverized and were shoved underground as the meteor carved a rut in the plains.
After a moment, Joshua landed in front of Valmont. Valmont stared at the man in a woman’s body, his lip trembling.
“...I’m wrong, right?”
“What?”
“I’m wrong.”
“What are you wrong about?” Joshua tilted his head.
“You aren’t His Majesty, are you?”
Instead of answering, Joshua looked back at Valmont with an ear-to-ear grin.
“This is cheating! This whole bet doesn’t count!” Valmont howled, his despairing voice drifting into the air for all to hear.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m