Book 7: Chapter 22: Hakoku: Sword of Exorcism

I managed to save Seira from being impaled just mere seconds before the demon’s sword pierced her.

If the flaming knight was here, then the situation might be better, but just as I was preparing to move, I felt that my knight had been defeated so I hastily teleported then and there.

I didn’t imagine that the demon would come…

As expected, just a single flaming knight was no match for a demon. At least a few knights with different attributes should be there if they’re going to buy me some time.

The place I was currently in was no other than the Great Shrine, where the Creator God was said to be enshrined – and it was inside the Holy City.

A powerful barrier protected the entirety of the Holy City.

If a warlock forced its way passed the barrier, it would be annihilated and extinguished on the spot.

I was actually surprised that a demon managed to enter the city as if that barrier was just nothing. A chill ran down my spine when I saw that he was touching Seira directly, even though she was supposedly protected by a barrier that was far stronger than the one protecting the city.

This demon had the power to touch Seira.

Really, what a relief that I made it on time.

And that ominous black sword that he was about to pierce Seira with — I had a bad feeling about it.

My intuition was telling me to destroy it without delay.

But first, I tried removing the demon’s arm that had been choking Seira’s neck, but… It won’t come off.

Even if it was severed from the demon’s body, it was still part of a top ranking demon. it was like a curse clinging to Seira, and I couldn’t remove it.

I decided to destroy it using holy attribute magic.

Still, it wouldn’t come off.

Apparently, this demon had developed a strong resistance against holy attribute magic.

Regardless of that resistance, a demon was still a demon.

Its weakness was holy attribute magic, there was no mistake about that.

I used multiple times more mana than the magic I used to annihilate the demons that attacked Seira the day before yesterday.

I compressed it into a ultra-high density as a magic suit and wrapped it around my right hand, before using that hand to crush the demon’s arm that was strangling her.

The demon’s arm vanished.

Seira coughed. She was able to breathe again, finally.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes. Thank you so much.”

I casted heal on Seira as I slowly lowered her down on the floor, then I pointed Hakoku towards the demon.

The enemy was a demon.

I couldn’t let my guard down.

He was struggling to regenerate the left arm that I had cut off. 

A tentacle-like thingy was stretching out from his arm stump and it was trying to form the shape of another arm, but it couldn’t stabilize itself.

“Grr, B-bastard!! How the heck did you come here!? And that sword of exorcism….why does a Sage like you have Hakoku!?”

Eh, Hakoku is a sword of exorcism?

A sword of exorcism was a weapon that could apply a serious damage to anything connected to the Evil God, be it demons, warlocks, demonic race, monsters, and the like.

Its efficacy relied on the weapon itself, so even if I, whose status was [Fixed], used it, it would still exhibit its tremendous power.

Indeed, I confirmed that he was telling the truth as I watched him struggle. He was a demon, someone who was supposedly of a superior caliber than a warlock, and yet he was having difficulty regenerating a single arm. 

Heh… I discovered something good.

Starting from now on, I will actively use Hakoku whenever I’m dealing with warlocks and demons.

—Hm? Wait, now that I think about it, he did mention that I was a sage, but how did he know that?

“Did I met you before? Why do you know that I’m a Sage?”

“I’m the one asking questions hereee!!!!!!”

Oops, seems like I angered him.

“Sir Halt, Duke Ifel is a demon… The person governing the Hoy City is a demon.”

“W-what, is that true!?”

I already thought there was something fishy about Duke Ifel, but…I didn’t think he would be a demon himself.

He was probably receiving instructions from demons and warlocks as he worked behind the scenes — that’s the extent of how I imagine the scenario would be.

“T-this demon destroyed the Crystal that had protected the Holy City for thousands of years.”

Tears spilled from Seira’s eyes.

I turned towards the center of the Great Shrine, and saw a huge crack in the enormous crystal that had activated the holy barrier.

“Bwahaha, that’s right. Ten warlocks and more than a thousand monsters will soon attack the holy city. We will turn this place into hell!”

The demon’s confidence returned because his arm was already regenerated.

Ten warlocks and thousand monster —

Well, I could do something about that if it was only that much.

This broken crystal was problem here.

I would have to take her here to mend it.

Just when I was ruminating on these things —

“Kukuku, you’re flaunting that you’re a sage, but you’re already lost your nerve, huh? Bastard, you destroyed a demon’s possession. I’ll make you pay for it, go suffer for a hundred years! You’re not the only one. I will make those women who came with you suffer great pain, too,  enough for them to beg for death!”

Erm… what is this guy blabbering about?

Did I break something?

I don’t really follow what he’s thinking right now.

Actually, my knight series were designed so that when they were defeated, whatever mana remained in them would return to me. 

When I get that mana back, I would have the ability to relive whatever the knight went through, but —

I couldn’t get information from a knight that had its core pulled out. That core served as the knight’s brain, after all, and it was the most important part configuring the knight.

Hmm, I don’t really get it, but it doesn’t really matter now.

At any rate, it was clear as day that this guy here wanted to harm my family.

In short, this guy was an enemy that must be destroyed.

He was my enemy.

The demon had let down his guard. I teleported to his side, and slashed off his newly regenerated arm once again using Hakoku.

“—Urk!?”

The demon’s face contorted in pain as he tried to attack me with his right hand, but I teleported right away to Seira’s side. 

“T-teleport!? B-bastard, are you a Hero!?”

“I am —”

A Sage.

I was about to say that, but I decided to rephrase it a bit for the benefit of Seira, who was behind me.

I should also let her know that the Hero has returned.

That would encourage her more, especially since she had been wallowing in despair because of the destroyed crystal.

“I am the Hero who came from another world.”

“— Eh!?”

Seira was shocked.

Just an ex-hero, though. 

Well, just a little bit of a lie wouldn’t hurt, right?

A person who had the courage to protect the people—

A person who could give hope to the people —

That is what  you call a hero.

I would protect Seira.

I would give hope to her.

I also said this a hundred years ago, but did she remember?

It would be great if Seira still remembered about it.

I traced back the words that I said back when I saved her from the monsters that attacked her a hundred years ago.

The words I left to the girl behind me —

“Let me protect you.”

————

T/N: Sorry for the delay! XD