Book 7: Chapter 24

「Haーn, so that’s why ya called for me.」

Raktor, who was munching on teacakes while sitting on the sofa in Vermudol’s office, muttered that sounding like he truly found it to be a pain.

「Pretty much.」

「Still, the Sword Demon huh. Demon King-sama, you sure do like bringing me nostalgic names, don’t cha.」

「It isn’t really like that though……」

While saying that, Vermudol peeked over at Ichika who was standing in wait nearby.

She had appeared the moment that the Sword Demon’s name came out, but it wasn’t like it was a topic that he couldn’t talk about in front of Ichika.

「So, Demon King-sama. Did ya properly kill that Sword Demon bastard?」

「Every part of his whole body should have been scattered away.」

Raktor held the emptied plate out to Ichika, but seeing her click her tongue, he returned it to the top of the table looking like it couldn’t be helped.

「I see. In that case, he might be alive.」

「What do you mean by that?」

「It’s a simple story. The Sword Demon……and a guy called the Staff Demon were around. Those guys, even when I blew them away with my Breath, I saw them walkin’ around the next day. Since it was pretty interestin’, I tried blowin’ them away every time I caught sight of them, but they would return to normal the next day.」

「What the heck were you doing……」

Seeing Raktor heartily laugh after saying “it’s fine, ain’t it”, Vermudol pressed down on his forehead and breathed a sigh.

「……Could it be, you’re not doing something similar even now, are you?」

「I ain’t. Well, in any case, they’re just that tough……no, that’s not it. They probably have some kind of mechanism, or they’re guys that can persistently generate like an Amoeba.」

「Is there a possibility……of them being instantaneously transferred?」

「Nope.」

With a face that seemed to want to say “what the heck are ya sayin’”, Raktor looked at Vermudol.

He came out with that since he was confident that he wouldn’t make such a blunder, but sensing that Vermudol was having apprehensions about it, Raktor looked up at the ceiling as if he were remembering something.

「Ahー……That’s right. There was one time where I tried splittin’ that Sword Demon bastard in half.」

「Like I said, what the heck were you doing……」

「Well, just let that part go. So, the thing is. He returned to normal the next day.」

He ended up wanting to hold his head from hearing about how Raktor was acting as he pleased during those times, but since Ichika was showing a rare scene of her looking like she was having fun, he decided to leave it alone for the time being.

The problem was that regeneration ability.

「However, in that case, it seems like the possibility that the Sword Demon is actually alive is pretty high……」

「Ahー, I think there’s somethin’ up with that guy.」

「Nn?」

Hearing Vermudol’s words, Raktor immediately called him to a halt.

「That guy, he was killed by the Hero, right?」

「I heard that was the case.」

「Then, he should’ve properly been killed. That Holy Sword of his ain’t that lenient of a weapon.」

Now that he mentioned it, the actual conditions of the Holy Sword were still a mystery.

Even within the books that came in from the trade with the Jiol Forest Kingdom, there wasn’t much written about the Holy Sword.

Although the point that it was 「something that controlled the power of the Gods」 was common in almost all of the books, in regards to the what its completed form was like, there was nothing but vague descriptions.

「I’ve only got my impressions from the time that I directly fought against it, but that thing was a considerably dangerous weapon.」

「Well, I’m sure it was. It was something that controlled the power of the Gods. I’m sure it wouldn’t be your average weapon.」

Raktor nodded at Vermudol’s words.

「Pretty much. But, anyone who hasn’t actually seen it wouldn’t understand that sword’s dangerousness. But, ya know, Demon King-sama. That sword, it destroyed Gramfia-sama who had pretty much turned into a monster, ya know? A Gramfia-sama who had gone into state where he was deeply submerged into a territory where you’d think he could probably beat even a God in the end, see.」

In regards to Gramfia in that state, Vermudol only knew what was saved in the Hero legend.

『That figure boasted a gigantic size like a dragon, had a face like an evil spirit, had a head where turned and twisted horns grew out, and had countless jet black wings. That figure that was clad in deep crimson armor that looked like it was dyed with blood was truly the personification of evil.』

If he remembered correctly, it should have been that sort of description.

「In the past, he had an outward appearance that looked like a normal Majin, and he was a broad minded guy. He had a fondness for women, but I got along with him.」

「Well, well. The surroundings must have had a hard time then.」

Ichika spoke a snide comment without a moment’s delay, but Raktor didn’t mind that and made a face that looked like he missed the past.

「Pretty much. Every time I went, the number of wives increased. The guys of the Demon King Army at the time, they’d all have tired faces……Nn, come to think of it, that’s what we were talkin’ about, wasn’t it?」

「That’s right. From the way you sounded, it seems that you know about the Demon King Army as well.」

「Pretty much. Rather, Demon King-sama, you know one of them too, don’t you?」

「Nn? Do you mean the Sword Demon?」

「No, no, that’s a guy that came in later.」

After Raktor said that, he pointed to the eastern direction with one hand.

「It’s Arum. Although she was in the separation group part way through, Arum was originally the staff officer of the former Demon King Army, ya know?」

Being told that, Vermudol recalled the young twin tailed girl that he saw in the Eastern Army headquarters.

However, her figure as she was being sent flying for trying to hug Fainell or something could come to his mind.

It seemed like she was way too far apart from the title of being the staff officer of the former Demon King Army though.

「Ahー……The current Arum is a mere idiot, but she was amazin’ in the past, ya know. Well, it was in smarts and not in strength though. Goin’ by the current Demon King Army, wouldn’t she have had a position like Rokuna’s?」

「……I see.」

Nodding, Vermudol urged Raktor to continue.

「Since she completely doesn’t show it on the surface, Fainell probably doesn’t know that she was like that either. Even when she withdrew from the Demon King Army, it didn’t turn into much of a topic durin’ those days.」

「Well, I don’t know about that era though. So does this mean that it would be best to call upon Arum?」

When Vermudol said that, Raktor shook his head sideways.

「Look, I said it, didn’t I? The current Arum is an idiot. It’s because that guy’s fundamentally an Amoeba. Moreover, she’s been blown away and reconstructed several times, right? For that guy right now, there’s probably nothin’ but an obsession towards Fainell.」

「……I see.」

Vermudol nodded at those words that he was able to agree with way too much.

「Well, since she remembers the magic she learned through instinct, she’s pretty much the same as those days in terms of fightin’ power. As for her intellect, it’d be best to not expect anythin’.」

「Well, that’s enough about Arum. In that case, are you pretty much the only only one who knows about the Demon King Army of those days?」

「Probably.」

After Raktor said that, he shrugged his shoulders.

「That bein’ said, there originally weren’t that many people to begin with. As for the impressive guys, at most, there was pretty much only one, ya know?」

「Hou. And what kind of guy was that?」

Feeling an interest in the one that gave Raktor a lasting impression, Vermudol leaned forward.

「It was the corps commander of the former Demon King Army. That guy alone swore allegiance to Gramfia-sama right to the very end and died. That guy was probably the most loyal Mazoku in those days. Even when Gramfia-sama had gone mad, that guy alone stayed by his side to the very end.」

After saying that, Raktor smiled looking like he was having fun.

「Ahh, that guy was amazin’ly good. They were the only Mazoku that could have a serious fist fight with me.」

「That’s……certainly quite something.」

「Ou, I know right.」

Raktor was speaking about the corps commander sounding like he was truly having fun, but his face immediately went dim.

「……That’s right. If anyone were tryin’ to revive the former Demon King Army, I’d definitely start with revivin’ that guy first.」

「What kind of guy were they? Please tell me about their features and abilities in as much detail as possible.」

When Vermudol asked that, Raktor made eyes that looked like he was looking off into the distance somewhere.

「What kind of guy……huh. Let’s see, they had black hair, and black eyes just like yours, Demon King-sama. Their hair……was it short? In any case, they were a tough and strict guy.」

「……? It sounds like you’re talking about a woman though.」

「Yeah, that guy was a woman.」

Raktor answered like that quite readily, and continued while sounding as if he were remembering something.

「Her name was……Ahー……That’s right, that’s right, Verdia. It was Verdia.」

Corps Commander of the former Demon King Army, Verdia.

That name, didn’t appear in the Hero legend. It was most likely omitted.

「Her abilities……It’s the Dragon Breath. When she was in her Majin form, if I remember correctly, she used a lance and a shield. She was a woman that could wield a stupidly huge lance with one hand.」

Saying “the point about bein’ fearsome resembles a certain someone, doesn’t it”, Raktor laughed, and Ichika once again clicked her tongue.

「Was she a Dragon?」

「Well, speakin’ of Dragons, she might’ve been a Dragon but……it’s a bit different.」

When Raktor said that, he once again made distant eyes.

「Bale Metal Dragon. Gramfia-sama’s trump card and the ultimate weapon that Gramfia-sama created. That is Verdia.」

Vermudol quickly reacted to the words 「Bale Metal Dragon」.

「Bale……huh. Since it starts that name off.」

「Yeah, the Breath that she breathed out when in Dragon form, it was a Bale Breath. The same as me.」

「……I see. So we’ll need to consider the worst case where she gets revived.」

Seeing Vermudol say that then fall silent, Raktor called out to him.

「Hey, Demon King-sama. If that guy is really revived and is gettin’ treated like a puppet by someone somewhere……At that time, be sure to call for me.」

Vermudol looked at Raktor who went silent.

Raktor calmly spoke while fixing his gaze on Vermudol.

「At that time, I’ll beat that guy to death. So……please.」

Depending on the situation, there was the chance that wouldn’t be possible.

However, only Raktor’s words just now should be carved into his heart.

Thinking that, Vermudol answered with a single sentence.

「……I shall remember that.」

Just about everything was uncertain, and everything was nothing more than speculation.

For those speculations to not turn into reality──Right now, he could do nothing but pray for that.