Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 4 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

THE SHADE FIENDS CREEP CLOSER

It was dusk. Having finished his lectures, Leonis was on his way back to his room at the dorm, only to discover…

“…This place is looking rather…interesting.”

Colorful cloths were scattered all over the floor.

“Ah, welcome back, Leo,” Riselia greeted him, sitting in front of a sewing machine.

“I’m here, too, kid,” Regina added, turning to face him.

“Did you come up with costume designs?” he asked.

“Well, we looked into all sorts of materials and decided that going with cute ones would be best,” Regina replied.

“Ugh, after we went to the trouble of getting all that reference material…” Riselia sighed wearily.

“Well, no one’s going to come into a café if we look scary, would they?” Regina shrugged.

“I guess…,” Riselia mumbled.

“Either way, I see you’ve already found a direction,” remarked Leonis with a nod.

The sewing machines’ ticking sounds filled the room. Finding Regina at work was one thing, since she was a maid, but Leonis was surprised Riselia was sewing.

Those two are more dexterous than I thought, Leonis thought, oddly impressed with them, as he brewed some water.

“I’ll make some tea. I have some tea leaves. Would you like to try them?” he offered.

“Oh, thank you, Leo,” Riselia replied.

Mana filled the stove, and the water soon boiled. Leonis prepared the beverage not with a cheap, flavored and scented substitute, but with real, expensive tea leaves. They’d been a gift from a noble long ago. Leonis had kept them safe in the Realm of Shadows’ treasure vault. Shary had handpicked the ones he was using today, so there was no doubting their quality.

I had an undead body at the time, so I had no use for these previously…

The gentle din of rain reached Leonis’s ears. Looking out the window, he saw a light shower had started.

“They say the weather should clear up on the day of the Holy Light Festival,” Regina commented.

“Oh, thank goodness. It’s hard to set my hair on rainy days…,” Riselia said.

“I’ll do it for you,” Regina told her reassuringly.

“Hmm, excuse me, but how do you know the weather two days from now?” Leonis asked, setting the leaves into the tea strainer.

“The academy’s administration bureau gathers Holy Sword wielders with future sight. Usually, they’re tasked with scouting out Void nests. But since their abilities need practice to develop, they’re also used to forecast the upcoming weather.”

“Future sight…,” Leonis muttered pensively. “There really are all kinds of Holy Swords, aren’t there?”

Immediately, a doubt sprouted in the Undead King’s mind.

“Couldn’t that future sight have foreseen matters like the Void Stampede or the incident on the Hyperion?”

“Apparently, seeing the future is a very abstract power,” Riselia answered. “It’s only by matching those predictions with data collected from analysis-type Holy Swords, like Miss Finé’s Eye of the Witch, that the Assault Garden can read what’s to come in any meaningful capacity.”

“And there are people in the military who remain skeptical of foretold events,” Regina appended.

I see. So it’s like star reading. Leonis quickly lost interest. It was no comparison to the future sight afforded to the goddess Roselia by virtue of her authority.

“Still, I really hope things clear up in time for the celebration,” Riselia stated.

“Me too,” Leonis responded. In truth, though, he didn’t care one bit for the weather. When he was the Undead King, he always stayed inside Necrozoa’s Death Hold. Plus, all it took to manipulate a battlefield’s atmospheric conditions was an eighth-order spell.

Speaking of, that one always did appear with a great storm in their wake.

Leonis thought back to the past with a hint of sweet nostalgia. In his era, there’d been another Dark Lord who’d stood equal with him; a creature hailed as the ruler of storms—Veira, the Dragon Lord.

It was always quite obvious whenever Veira descended upon the battlefield…

Feeling his lips soften into a smile, Leonis took a sip of his tea. A soothing aroma tickled his nostrils. Just as the steam clouded over the windowpane, Leonis noticed a familiar figure approach. A platinum-blond girl, accompanied by two ice wolves.

“Listen carefully! I come with a notification from the executive committee!”

Standing in front of the Hræsvelgr dorm’s entranceway, Fenris Edelritz brushed back her platinum-blond hair.

“Now, now, Lady Selia,” Regina soothed, calming Riselia first before addressing their guest. “Why don’t you come inside for some tea, Lady Fenris?”

“…No, thank you. Your offer is appreciated, though,” Fenris politely refused before thrusting a slip of paper in front of Riselia.

“A submission form for the Holy Light Festival?” As she beheld the sheet, Riselia blinked in befuddlement.

“Indeed. I see the eighteenth platoon intends on holding a café, like last year?” questioned Fenris.

“Y-yes, we are… Is there a problem—?”

“There is a major problem! You there, boy…” Fenris pointed sternly at Leonis, who was seated behind Riselia.

“What about Leo?” Riselia asked.

“He’s going to be serving customers in the café as well, yes?”

“W-well, yes…”

“You are aware, I believe, that this is a girls’ dorm? Since he’s still young, he was given special permission to stay here by his designated guardian.”

“Th-that’s right, but—” Riselia started to stammer out an excuse, but Fenris continued to interrupt.

“During the Holy Light Festival, many outsiders will be visiting the academy. And the executive committee must maintain appearances. We can’t let anyone think we do not uphold public morals on the Seventh Assault Garden.”

“Th-that’s… Well…” Faced with this reasoning, Riselia was at a loss for words. Indeed, Leonis living in the same dorm as her was a unique situation.

“As such, the executive committee cannot and will not approve of this child working in customer service,” Fenris stated firmly, placing her hands on her hips.

“…Well, if you say so, I guess we’ll have to defer to your decision,” Leonis conceded, shrugging.

“Leo?!” Riselia looked at him, shocked.

“I’ll just spend the festival working behind the scenes, in the kitchen,” the boy stated.

“Yes, that would certainly be acceptable,” Fenris approved, satisfied. “Believe me when I say that I did not do this out of ill will.”

“I understand. I wouldn’t want to cause trouble for the academy, either,” Leonis replied.

“…It’s a shame, but I guess there’s no other option.” Riselia hung her head, disappointed.

Leonis hadn’t wanted to draw attention to himself, so as far as he was concerned, this was a fortunate turn of events.

However, just as Leonis tried to hide his relief, Regina flashed an impish smile.

“…Miss Regina?” Leonis asked, brow furrowed with suspicion.

“Oh, nothing. Don’t mind me, kid.” Regina evaded the inquiry, merely beaming.

How in the world did things come to this?

In the center of a forest was a run-down, dilapidated structure. And lying on a bed in one of its rooms was Arle Kirlesio, heaving a confused sigh. A dark elf girl named Lena had rescued her from trouble with Holy Swordsmen in the city.

Lena had kindly shared food with Arle, who was on the verge of collapsing from hunger, and even set her up with shelter. The dark elves were once subordinates of the Dark Lords’ Armies and mortal enemies of the elves. Yet it seemed that after a thousand years, that divide had closed. Even Arle herself didn’t feel any need to resent a dark elf at this point. However…

I didn’t think she was the leader of a criminal organization.

Arle was currently in a hideout belonging to the Demon Wolf Pack, a demi-human criminal organization. They presented themselves as a resistance movement but were actually a half-baked excuse of an armed terrorist group.

I should probably break away from them soon before things take a turn for the worse…

Unfortunately, there was a reason Arle had to remain for a while yet. She’d learned the name of the figure behind this group: Zol Vadis.

It was the moniker of an ancient Dark Lord who had reigned over the world before the Eight Dark Lords rose to power. Never had Arle imagined she’d hear that name in an age when the war between the Six Heroes and the Eight Dark Lords was forgotten.

I find it hard to believe the real Zol Vadis has resurrected, but…

If the name of such a wicked creature was floating around, Arle had to look into it. Heroes were those charged with striking down Dark Lords. That was why she’d been granted one of the Arc Seven, the Demon Smiting Sword, Crozax.

Arle thought that if she could gain this organization’s trust, she might get a chance to meet this Zol Vadis. To do that, she would need to prove herself, however.

“Arle, I’m coming in.” The curtain hanging over the door shifted, revealing a petite girl, her dark eyes sagacious and penetrating. This was Lena.

“What?” Arle asked her.

“You said you’re confident in your sword skills, right?”

“…I suppose.”

“Then let’s go ahead and put that boast to the test, shall we?” Lena said with a confident look.

After Fenris’s visit, Leonis returned to his room and set up an isolation barrier around its perimeter. With this field in place, no one could enter the room, and no sound would leak out. Leonis turned on the lights, casting shadows in the room.

“Blackas, Shary. Come forth.”

He invoked the names of his friend and his subordinate.

“I come in accordance to your summons, my lord,” Shary stated, appearing on one knee. Immediately after the girl’s arrival, a pitch-black wolf arrived from the dark.

“You called, my friend?”

“Oh, Blackas, ther— Mm?!” Leonis suddenly exclaimed.

The prince of the Realm of Shadows…had his black fur combed down. It was exceptionally sleek and shiny.

“Wh-why do you look like that?!”

“I surrendered myself to the care of a professional called a trimmer,” Blackas explained.

“A…trimmer?”

The ebon wolf shook his head, and the floral scent of shampoo rose from his jet-black fur.

“That swordswoman helped introduce me.”

“You mean Sakuya.”

Apparently, the executive committee was trying to round up the strays strolling around the academy in preparation for the school festival. Leonis had to admit that having a wolf go about the campus freely was a bit much.

“That girl saw me toying with those people and escorted me to a popular beautician.”

Rustle. Rustle, rustle.

“…I think I understand the gist of what happened,” Leonis replied, regarding his friend with half-lidded eyes. “Do you like the way your fur feels now?”

“It keeps humans from pursuing me on sight, at least.” Blackas shook his head, once again unleashing a puff of some flowery scent into the air.

Indeed, between his cut-and-combed fur and the ribbon Sakuya had tied to him a while back, one wouldn’t mistake him for a wild beast.

“…I suppose I can’t complain so long as you’re satisfied with it.”

Blackas Shadow Prince was once known as the rampaging emperor of the Realm of Shadows. He was royalty and usually demanded more respect, but if Blackas himself was satisfied with this, Leonis wasn’t going to dwell on it.

“Shary, you mentioned a report?” Leonis questioned to move things along.

“Yes.” The assassin maid nodded respectfully. “I discovered traces of suspicious activity in the shadow corridors.”

“What?” This caught Leonis’s attention.

The shadow corridors were a type of magic formed by the secret knowledge of the Realm of Shadows.

“The one set up along the city’s coastal area is beginning to tear apart,” Shary detailed.

“Hmm. Isn’t it possible the city’s apparatuses are interfering with it?” Leonis suggested.

This Assault Garden used an assortment of cutting-edge magical technology. Since the shadow corridors were a magical construct, too, albeit of a different sort, it was possible they were being influenced.

“That is possible, yes,” Shary acknowledged. “I’ve repaired the damage but thought I should report it either way.”

Shary wasn’t capable of observing every single person who used the shadow corridors. The man who appeared in the Third Assault Garden came to mind as a possible culprit.

“Understood. Stay vigilant,” Leonis instructed.

“Yes, my lord.” Shary bowed her head and then added timidly. “…Um…”

“What is it? Is there anything else?”

“Y-yes… I have, um, procured some baked sweets. Would you mind trying them?”

Shary produced a plate with a pile of cookies on it from the shadows.

“Oh, that is some admirable dedication on your behalf.” Leonis nodded, satisfied. “I’ll try them.”

“Y-yes. They may not suit your palate, but…”

Leonis took a cookie and bit down on it.

“Ngh! Kah, kah, kah! W-water…!”

“A-are you all right, my lord?!”

All the moisture in his throat suddenly vanished, and the cookie clogged his windpipe. The treat was terribly briny. Someone had kneaded salt into it.

“M-my apologies!”

“Hack! Horf! I-it’s fine. It simply caught me by surprise,” Leonis generously assured, even as he was still coughing.

“I-I’ll make them better next time, so you can throw those away…,” the ebon maid muttered dejectedly, slowly sinking back into the shadows in a forlorn manner.

“…Shary?” After a moment of thought, Leonis took another cookie off the plate. It tasted just as nasty and was crumbling from the inside, too.

“Are you going to eat those, Lord Magnus?” Blackas asked.

“She went to the trouble of making them for me,” responded Leonis as he reached for another cookie. “I have to.”

Come nightfall, Leonis was revising his notes for the next day’s lectures.

“Leo, are you still up?”

“Hard worker, aren’t you, kid?”

Riselia entered his room, clad in pajamas and cradling a pillow for whatever reason. She must have just taken a shower, because faint steam rose from her damp locks. Regina was standing behind her, dressed similarly and carrying a pillow of her own.

“Hello, Miss Selia,” Leonis said, closing his book with a hint of suspicion. “Are the outfits going to be ready on time?”

“Oh, yes, they should be done tomorrow at this rate.” Riselia nodded.

“Heh-heh. You’ll have to wait for the day of the event for the grand unveiling,” Regina added teasingly.

“I-I’m not that curious about them,” Leonis replied, averting his gaze. “By the way, why do you have those pillows?”

It had been on his mind since the girls had come in.

“Oh, this? It’s a feather pillow,” Riselia replied. “It’s really fluffy and comfortable to sleep on.”

She beat the object a couple of times, as if to illustrate.

“My pillow has buckwheat chaff,” Regina appended.

“No, I mean, why did you bring them here?” Leonis corrected the question.

The two girls gazed at each other, puzzled.

“Well, we figured we could sleep in your room tonight, Leo,” Riselia stated bluntly.

“…?!” Leonis went wide-eyed. “Wh-what do you mean?!”

“The rooms downstairs are all full of stage settings for the Holy Light Festival,” Regina answered with a shrug.

During the celebration, the Hræsvelgr dorm’s ground floor was contracted yearly to serve as a storehouse for various clubs’ equipment. It was a condition for the eighteenth platoon living here, so they weren’t in any position to protest.

“So during the Holy Light Festival, Sakuya always stays with Miss Finé, and I used to sleep in Lady Selia’s room,” explained Regina.

“But my place is full of tools for decorating the café. It’s so packed I don’t have anywhere to sleep, so that just leaves your room, Leo,” Riselia said, bringing her hands together apologetically.

“I…see…”

Leonis couldn’t refuse when she worded it like that. After all, he was staying at what had initially been Riselia’s study.

“We’re having a pajama party tonight, Lady Selia,” Regina declared cheerfully.

“Yep, we used to sleep in the same bed a lot back at the Crystalia Estate.” Riselia nodded in agreement.

“Heh-heh. You were always a scaredy-cat back then.”

“I—I wasn’t scared…”

The young lady and her maid chatted cheerfully, hugging their pillows.

“W-wait! I don’t mind you two sleeping in my room, but…” Leonis cleared his throat. “I think I’ll spend the night on the living room sofa.”

Back when he was undead, Leonis rested in a stone coffin. Compared to that, even a couch was an improvement. In fact, Leonis was confident he could even sleep comfortably inside a musical instrument case.

However…

“No.” Riselia shook her head. “You can’t do that, Leo. You’ll catch a cold.”

“A cold? I won’t…,” Leonis began to object but stopped.

He couldn’t confidently claim he wouldn’t get sick. He’d gone to sleep without drying his hair not too long ago and woke up coughing. Riselia had to nurse him back to health. That occasion made it painfully clear just how frail his human body really was.

“If anyone has to lay on the sofa, it’ll be me,” Riselia told him firmly.

“…Fine. I’ll sleep in my bed,” Leonis surrendered.

Riselia had a way of being very stubborn when she got protective. There was no reasoning with her.

“Your hair’s pretty frizzy, isn’t it, kid?” Regina remarked, grabbing Leonis like she had her pillow.

“M-Miss Regina?!”

Her pigtailed hair brushed against his cheeks, and the scent of her soap filled his nose. Through the fabric of her pajamas, he could feel her breasts pressing against him without a bra to contain them.

“You can’t hog Leo like that, Regina,” Riselia loudly protested, pouting while sitting at the edge of the bed.

“All right, all right,” Regina responded with a sarcastic smile, releasing Leonis’s body and moving over to the opposite end of the bed where Riselia was perched.

Leonis was left with no option but to sandwich himself between the two girls.

“M-Miss Selia, don’t cling to me like that…” Leonis’s cheeks were flushing red, but Riselia didn’t seem to notice.

“By the way, Leo, is there anywhere you’d like to go?” she asked.

“Somewhere I’d like to go…?” parroted Leonis, not entirely understanding what she meant.

“It’s not like we have the Holy Light Festival every day, so you should enjoy it, too, kid,” Riselia explained, gently tapping a finger on his head.

“Oh, right…”

Going around and enjoying the festivities didn’t sound like a bad idea, but Leonis’s true interests resided with the Sixth Assault Garden, which the Seventh was set to couple with at the climax of the celebration. The other floating city would fall under the Dark Lords’ Armies’ control eventually, so scouting it out early was ideal. There was also the matter of the Origin Spirit the Demon Wolf Pack had mentioned.

“I’d prefer to tour the Sixth Assault Garden over the festival, actually,” admitted Leonis.

“Makes sense. It’s not often we get to link up with other cities,” Regina replied in agreement.

“The Sixth Assault Garden has a famous museum, too,” Riselia appended.

“A museum?”

“Yes, it’s got relics collected from ruins around the world on display. One of the empire’s leading research institutes is stationed near it, and they display the results of their efforts to the public there.”

Oh…

That sounded like helpful information. The place could provide Leonis with useful information about the state of the world.

“Still, I’m a bit anxious about letting you go alone…,” Riselia said, placing a finger on her chin. “I’d rather show you around…”

Her doting streak was already reemerging.

“Ah, we’ll probably be pretty busy in the morning,” Regina pointed out. “But once the public matches begin, business in the café should slow down.”

“Really? Then I’ll escort you on your museum trip, Leo,” Riselia concluded.

“I really can go alone…,” the Undead King weakly asserted.

“Nooooope. What if some stranger kidnaps you?” Riselia scolded, poking him gently on the forehead with her index finger.

In the dead of night, a petite girl trekked through the extensive woods behind the Hræsvelgr dorm, insects chirping all around her. This forest was once used as an arena for combat practice, but when the training field capable of altering its terrain was completed, it mostly became a place where students could relax.

At least, that’s what it was used for in the day. As well maintained as the trees and shrubs were, most didn’t venture into the woods after dark.

The girl sprinted along without anything to light her way, treading upon earth damp with evening dew. Scant rays of moonlight cast her Sakura Orchid attire in a pale glow.

Upon reaching a clearing in the forest, Sakuya stopped.

<You have…cut down the Voids…Your Highness.>

“Yes. How many of them were there…? I can’t remember. I was quite absorbed in it…”

She’d slain countless Voids on the Third Assault Garden. In fact, she’d likely broken her previous record, though that held little meaning to Sakuya.

<Your skill with a sword is impressive. Given time, you may even overcome Setsura.>

<…But this isn’t enough to slay our sworn enemies…>

<…You must cut down…the Voids…>

The voices bellowed around her eerily, like the chanting of a curse.

“Yes. I know,” Sakuya replied quietly.

On moonlit nights, the vengeful spirits etched into Sakuya’s flesh grew restless. The malevolent ghosts of her people had called to Sakuya in her mind since the day her homeland had fallen to ruin.

A cold sweat surfaced on the young woman’s forehead. She focused on a spot between her eyes, whetting her consciousness until the voices petered out.

Yes… I will take revenge on that Void.

Shardark Void Lord, a Void in the form of a one-eyed swordsman, had taken Sakuya’s sister’s life.

Even now, her countless comrades from the Sakura Orchid fought as she did. They all dreamed of the day a Holy Sword harboring the will of their home would claim that Void Lord’s head.

Suddenly, there came sneering from the dark.

“Geh-eh-eh… You give off a demonic scent, lass…”

“Who’s there?!” Sakuya demanded, scanning her surroundings.

“You are not the vampire we seek, but you’re quite the interesting find in your own right…,” the new voices continued.

“Some manner of phantom?” Sakuya muttered to herself, a sharp glow in her gaze. She looked up with a start, where she saw a set of gleaming red compound eyes peering down at her. They belonged to a writhing, cackling, gigantic spider monster.

“Mmm… Haa… Mha…  ”

“…!”

Feeling the nibbling on his earlobe, Leonis grimaced as sweet pain shot through his body.

I can’t sleep like this!

Opening his eyes and turning over in his bed, he found himself faced with Riselia, who was fast asleep and appeared very satisfied. While awake, she’d act modest and reserved, only drinking from him when given permission. When she was unconscious, however, the vampiric impulses her mind kept at bay surfaced.

Not that I particularly mind letting her suck my blood, Leonis thought with a sigh. He was responsible for her being a vampire, after all. Supplying his minion with what she needed to survive was his duty as her master. The only trouble was: It hurt.

When Riselia partook of his blood while awake, she nibbled gently. The same could not be said for when she was slumbering. Leonis sat up gently, making sure not to wake the girls. As Riselia pecked at the air, biting down on nothing at all, he stuck out his index finger in front of her lips.

“Mm… Schlrp… Nha…”

Riselia ran her tongue over his digit for a moment and then bit down on it. Having her gnaw on his finger hurt as well, but it was preferable to his earlobe aching.

“Mm… Rio… Schlrp… Mhaaa…”

The sight of his minion wholeheartedly sucking on his finger was a bit heartwarming.

Have your fill of this Dark Lord’s mana…, Leonis mused.

“…Mm!  ”

Suddenly, a new pain rushed through his other arm, which he’d been propping himself up with.

“…Miss Regina?!” gasped Leonis, nearly raising his voice.

“Mm, tasty, mm, mha…”

“…”

The blond-haired girl chomped down on his free arm. Evidently, she just had a random tendency to bite in her sleep.

“I’m not a piece of ham, you know,” Leonis whispered with a hint of annoyance, shoving a pillow into her mouth.

“Mm, nnm…” Regina started nibbling on it instead.

Tomorrow I’ll be sleeping on the sofa, he decided.

Ting!

Leonis heard the faint sound of clashing swords from beyond the window.

What was that?

Leonis got to his feet quietly and approached the pane. Through it, he saw what looked like a flash of lightning through the broadleaf trees.

Sakuya raised her voice in a battle cry as she swung her sword. “Lightning Fire Slash!”

A blade crackling with electricity cleaved through the darkness. It was an earnest, lethal cut, wholly unlike the way Sakuya wielded her weapon during practice matches. Yet, it surprisingly failed to strike true.

It avoided Raikirimaru’s first slash?!

Swiftly fixing her posture, Sakuya leaned against one of the trees as she hurriedly searched for her opponent.

Is this a Void? she wondered, but the young woman quickly dismissed that notion. It wasn’t likely the administrative bureau would allow a Void to slip this deep into the academy’s premises. If that was the case, then what was this creature?

“…Quite skilled, aren’t you? Geh-eh-eh…” Its cackling echoed through the forest.

“So you speak human words, monster…,” Sakuya muttered to herself.

The next moment, the trees lined next to her were all silently cut down at once. Kicking off the ground, she charged forward. Writhing, whiplike appendages slashed through the brush in pursuit.

Thunderclap!

Sakuya jumped into the trees with her body enveloped in lightning. Her Holy Sword, Raikirimaru, was best suited to these sorts of cluttered, uneven terrains.

Never underestimate a Sakura Orchid swordswoman!

Pushing against a tree trunk, Sakuya swiftly changed direction and cut down one of the creature’s limbs. The appendage fell limply to the ground and soundlessly melted into the shadows cast on the forest floor by the moonlight.

It didn’t feel like I actually touched anything. Does this beast have no physical form?

After landing, Sakuya sliced through another extremity that lanced toward her from the dark.

“Geh-eh-eh… This is a Holy Sword, yes? Quite the mysterious power. It’s impressive that it can cut through our shadows.”

“Chattering in the heat of battle. You’re quite the confident one.”

Coating herself in lightning, Sakuya leaped forth. Using the direction of her opponent’s attacks as a reference, she discerned its location.

“Ultimate Blade Technique—Thundering Lightning Slash!”

This was a lethal single-target sword technique enabled by the acceleration from Thunderclap. Multiple slashes intersected, converging on a single point in the darkness.

Got it!

Yet the moment Sakuya was confident she’d hit her opponent, she heard a voice from above.

“Impressive power. For a human.”

“…?!”

A set of crimson eyes were watching Sakuya from the treetops. If her target was above, then what had she attacked? The lump of darkness she had cut sloshed and coiled around Raikirimaru like elastic tar.

“…Kuh… Let go…!” Sakuya growled.

“Geh-eh-eh… Be consumed by…your own shadow.…!”

A human-shaped mass of ebon emerged, as if to swallow Sakuya up. Before it had the chance, however…

“Zol Meides!”

Booooooooooooooom!

Black flames suddenly burst to life out of thin air, annihilating the shadow.

“What?!” the monster cried in surprise.

Sakuya was sitting on the ground with a stupefied expression. A set of footsteps was growing louder behind her.

“Are you all right, Sakuya?”

“Kid…”

Leonis stepped into the moonlight, still wearing his pajamas.

I knew it. That light was Sakuya’s lightning sword.

Leonis approached Sakuya slowly, extending a hand to her. He’d been led here by the flashes in the night.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

“Y-yeah…” The blue-haired girl nodded, rising to her feet.

Leonis was relieved to see that Sakuya didn’t have any injuries, save for a few scrapes and scratches.

I can’t use healing magic, after all.

“What are you doing here, boy?”

“I was having trouble sleeping. But that’s not important right now.” Leonis looked up to the treetops, where the creature was perched. “What is that?”

The thing sported glimmering red eyes and a swollen abdomen from which extended several squirming limbs.

You look down upon the strongest of Dark Lords so brazenly… You have some nerve. Leonis tapped the bottom of the Staff of Sealed Sins against the ground.

“I don’t know. It attacked me all of a sudden…” Sakuya shook her head, fixing her grip on Raikirimaru.

“It’s not a Void?” Leonis questioned.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Was that…sorcery…?!” the monster inquired in disbelief. “Have the humans of this age not…lost the ability to wield it…?”

This thing knows about sorcery…? Leonis furrowed his brow.

“No… Perhaps a vampire’s minion might be able to…,” the creature reasoned to itself aloud.

“Who are you calling a minion—? Wait.” Leonis went silent when he realized that the monster spoke of a vampire. Did it know about Riselia?

“Geh-eh-eh… It seems you know of her…” The shadowy thing laughed.

The next moment, its arms extended toward Leonis.

“Get behind me, kid!” Sakuya stepped in front of Leonis, slashing away the incoming attacks. The electrical discharges released by her Holy Sword flashed in the dark woods.

“This is a challenging opponent,” Sakuya admitted. “Can you cover for me?”

“Of course,” Leonis stated, standing back-to-back with the girl, his staff in hand.

Sakuya often assumed this formation with Riselia when training.

“Impudent humans…!”

The monster blitzed through the air. Dropping downward, the shadow creature loosed a flurry of blows at Sakuya.

“Second-order spell—Lanche Vero!” Leonis chanted as he sprinted between the trees.

A torrent of black spears erupted from the tip of the Staff of Sealed Sins, intercepting the monster. Using the opening Leonis created for her, Sakuya jumped into the woods, disappearing.

Despite its large size, the shadow creature swiftly leaped to a treetop. As Leonis gave chase, mud splashed over his pajama bottoms. Riselia was going to scold him for that later.

Curse you…

Filling with anger, Leonis aimed a Gravity Bullet spell at the monster. It sped toward its target, ripping apart the trees in its way. However, the air around the monster was enveloped in a bright-white light, which destroyed Leonis’s spell.

That was sorcery. Is this a demon?

Demons were beings that differed slightly from most monsters. They took on many varied forms, and their powers were just as inconsistent. They all shared a few commonalities, though. Each was more powerful than a common monster and highly intelligent.

And this looks to be a fairly powerful one, at that.

Of course, to a Dark Lord like Leonis, demons weren’t even worthy of his attention. A fifth-order (or higher) spell could destroy it in one hit. Doing that would expose the extent of his power to Sakuya, though. What’s more, it could have come here through the shadow corridors, as Shary had reported.

Leonis needed to capture this creature, ensorcell it with a domination spell, and get it to talk.

The spider demon’s red eyes glinted ominously. “Geh-eh-eh… Shadow Bind Barrier!”

A shining, malevolent magic circle appeared over the area.

A barrier spell?!

Leonis jumped into the air. The ground directly beneath him was consumed by darkness, and the surrounding trees sunk into the gap.

“Shray Zast!” Leonis fired another flurry of spells.

Unfortunately, the spider demon proved nimble, skittering about to evade his shots.

“Miss Sakuya!”

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Sakuya let out a battle cry, her blade flashing with electricity.

Moving through the woods at high speed, she closed in on their opponent from the flank. The creature hurriedly produced another appendage to stop her, but…

“Too slow!” Sakuya swung down her Holy Sword.

“Her movements…are quicker…?!” the spider demon exclaimed.

“My Raikirimaru is a sword of acceleration,” Sakuya stated coldly. “The more I swing it, the faster I become. Ultimate Blade Technique—Lightning Flash!”

Whoosh!

Sakuya’s blade bit into the spider demon’s abdomen. The monstrous thing let out a screech of agony that tore through the still silence of the night.

Striking a demon is an impressive feat. From Leonis’s estimate, their opponent was fairly skilled. It seemed Sakuya held back during training quite a bit. Despite her best effort, the cut hadn’t been fatal, however.

“Gaaaaaaaaaah! How dare you hurt me, you lowly human!”

The spider demon tried to chant some kind of spell, but the magic immediately dispersed.

“…It can’t be!” the creature howled. “Incantation disruption?!”

That was Leonis’s doing. Incantation disruption was a highly advanced technique, but it was child’s play for a Dark Lord who had mastered all sorcery had to offer.

“Hyaaaaaah! Thundering Lightning Slash!”

Riiiiiiiiiiip!

Sakuya’s blade gouged into the spider demon’s abdomen. The creature fell to the ground and began sinking into the shadows.

No, we can’t let it get away…!

He still needed to get information out of it. Holding up his staff, he began chanting a spell…when the spider demon suddenly turned still. A silvery knife knit the demon’s shadow into place.

“…What?!”

And as the spiderlike creature froze in place…

“Haaaaaaaaaah!” Sakuya drove her Holy Sword into the glittering red compound eyes.

“Curse you… Curse you, curse youuuuuu!”

The demon’s tendril-like appendages coiled around Sakuya’s arms as it let out an agonized howl. Its abdomen swelled, turning red-hot like a furnace.

This is bad!

Understanding the spider demon’s intentions, Leonis chanted an eighth-order spell.

“Vorzaid!”

Darkness enveloped the demon’s massive form just as it was about to explode, completely destroying it. Silence settled over the woods at once. Sakuya lowered Raikirimaru’s blade.

“Miss Sakuya… Are you all right?” Leonis asked her.

“Y-yes…,” Sakuya muttered as her Holy Sword faded away into particles of light. “What was that monster…?”

Leonis regarded the young woman seriously. “Have you ever seen anything like it before?”

Sakuya shook her head. “For now, let’s report this to the administrative bureau. By the way, kid…” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Yes?”

“Why are you hiding your true power?”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Leonis stammered, feigning ignorance.

Thankfully, Sakuya didn’t pursue the inquiry any further. “No, forgive me. I’m sure you have your reasons,” she said with a shrug. Then she began walking back in the direction of the dorm.

“It’s hard to see where we’re walking, kid, so be careful.”

“Okay…”

Leonis and Sakuya trekked through the dense woods, with Leonis walking a short distance behind Sakuya. As he looked up at the trees, he called out to Shary telepathically.

“I am here, my lord…,” she replied to him at once.

It was she who stitched the demon’s shadow in place earlier. She was guarding over Leonis while keeping herself out of sight.

“My apologies. I didn’t imagine it might attempt to self-destruct…,” Shary expressed with regret.

“It’s fine. You’re not at fault for that. What did you make of that beast?” Leonis asked his maid.

“It was a demon, for sure. A high-ranking one.”

“Do you have any idea what its objective was?”

“All I have is a conjecture, but…”

“Feel free to share,” Leonis urged.

“I believe this creature was of the same profession as myself.”

“A demon assassin…”

During his era, Leonis’s enemies hadn’t simply been heroes and warriors. Many factions had sent covert killers to take the life of the Undead King. Curiously, it didn’t seem like this spider demon had come for him. It was shocked at the sight of him using sorcery, making it seem unlikely that Leonis’s identity had been exposed.

It mentioned a vampire. Was it after Riselia?

If that was true, then Leonis couldn’t even begin to guess what the demon wanted with her. It was all too inexplicable…

“My lord, I have more…,” Shary added.

“What is it?”

“I believe that demon was the one who interfered with the shadow corridor, but there is trace evidence that several other spots were attacked…”

“…So more than one demon has infiltrated this city.”

“So it seems, my lord…”

“And what punishment would you say suits those who would intrude upon a Dark Lord’s kingdom without permission?” Leonis inquired.

“A swift death would do, in my humble opinion,” Shary responded.

“Hmm. Indeed…”

And since they made an attempt on his favored minion’s life, they must be punished all the more.

“Shary, probe for the enemy’s identity,” Leonis ordered.

“By your will, my lord,” Shary replied, and she disappeared into the darkness.

A sneer twisted Leonis’s face. You will rue the day you thought you could claim that which belongs to a Dark Lord, you fools.