Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 5 - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

NIGHT COMETH

Upon returning to camp, Leonis was greeting by the tantalizing smell of spices.

“Ah, Leo!” Riselia hurried over upon noticing him. “Where were you? I was worried sick.” She bent over him with a reproachful look.

“I’m sorry…,” Leonis began, but he was soon cut off by Elfiné.

“Don’t get mad at him, Selia. Leo saved my neck out there.”

“Huh?” Riselia turned to look at Elfiné, and suddenly noticed. “Miss Finé, what happened to your leg?!”

“I was careless. A Void attacked me.”

“A-are you all right?! We’ll get you patched up right away!” exclaimed Riselia.

“It only grazed me. We need to let Liat know what happened.” Elfiné placed a reassuring hand on Riselia’s shoulder before walking over to the fifth platoon’s camp.

Turning back to Leonis, Riselia asked, “You fought a Void?”

“Yes. It wasn’t a very powerful specimen, though,” Leonis replied with a shrug and tried to steer the conversation away from that subject. “Did you make any progress on decoding the inscription?”

“It’s proving a bit tricky. I’ll have to do it little by little after I go back to the academy.”

Leonis’s expression appeared conflicted. “…I see.”

If Riselia decoded the carvings, she could realize who the true ruler of Necrozoa is.

No, I’m overthinking it…

Leonis had scoured Excalibur Academy’s library, and hadn’t found any evidence to support that the language used for sorcery one thousand years ago was still practiced. And without anything to compare her text to, it was doubtful Riselia would translate it.

“Oh, kid, could you come over here for a second?” Regina was standing by a pot with a fire lit beneath it and motioning for Leonis to approach. Her blond pigtails flopped about like a rabbit’s ears as she gestured.

Leonis did as requested.

“What is it?”

“I made dried meat soup. Could you taste it for me?”

Regina lifted the pot’s lid, and a cloud of steam carrying the scent of herbs and spices rose up. The soup was an amber shade, with meat and oil mixed in.

“It smells great,” Leonis stated.

“It really is!” Riselia said, beaming. “Regina added whatever ingredients we had on hand. She cut up some dried meat and simmered it with the herbs. Then she used salt and pepper for seasoning and a special spice.”

Regina nodded in satisfaction as her mistress explained. Leonis swallowed in expectation. The smell was undeniably appetizing. Regina scooped some soup into a metallic bowl and blew on it a few times. She then put the lump of dried meat on a spoon.

“Open up, kid. Say ‘aahhhh…’”

“Uh…” Leonis looked taken aback.

“Come on, hurry up. It’ll go cold.”

“F-fine…” Leonis blushed and reluctantly parted his lips.

The texture of the dried meat melted on his tongue, and the flavor of the soup’s spices filled his mouth. It was appropriately salty, and the taste revitalized his tired body.

“How is it? Did I use too much salt?” Riselia questioned.

“No, I think it’s just right. It’s good.”

“Heh-heh. Great.   One more bite then. Say ‘aahhhh…’”

“…That’s not fair, Regina! I want to feed Leo, too,” Riselia complained.

Regina shrugged and handed the soup bowl over to her.

“L-Leo, say ‘aahhh…’”

“…I am not some bird for you to feed,” Leonis objected with a frown. Still, he did as asked.

“I see. So there are small groups all around the Hive itself.”

“Yes, in a circle, I believe.” Elfiné was reporting the situation to Liat, and she pointed at her terminal’s monitor to illustrate.

“If we carelessly try to attack the Voids, they’d just surround us,” Liat remarked.

“It’s still just a theory, though. The Regil platoon hasn’t encountered any other groups.”

“All right. I’ll have the fifth platoon patrol the area,” Liat decided, then he glanced at Elfiné’s bandaged leg. “I heard you were injured. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’ll have Silesia tend to it later.”

Liat snuck a glance in Leonis’s direction. “I heard that boy saved you. Defeating a Void at his age, even a small one, is impressive.”

“Y-yeah… Well, it was small…,” Elfiné hurriedly replied.

It had actually been a medium-sized Void, something which usually required three Holy Swordsmen to defeat. Elfiné had lied. She didn’t know why, but Leonis was concealing his true power… Naturally, that meant Elfiné herself did not know the true depths of his strength.

“Can you use your Holy Sword?” Liat asked, visibly concerned.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Elfiné summoned the Eye of the Witch to illustrate. “I’m not going to run away anymore. That’s why I came here.”

Liat smiled bitterly. “I understand. Me, I…I think I’m still trapped in the nightmares of that day,” he confessed.

“Huh?”

“…Never mind. Forget I said anything.” Liat shook his head and turned back to the fifth platoon’s cottage. “We’ll begin patrolling soon. Everyone, get ready.”

It was 19:05 Imperial Standard Time. Leonis had his dinner beneath the lantern in front of the eighteenth platoon’s cottage.

Regina served him another helping of the soup. “Here you go. You’re still growing, kid, so you need to eat lots of meat.”

“…Thank you.”

Am I really growing, though?

Putting those doubts aside, Leonis focused on eating. The hard, preserved bread turned soft and tasty once he dipped it in the broth. The girls of the twenty-sixth platoon had come by, lured in by the scent, and Regina shared some of her cooking with them, too.

“Sorry. The rations alone are kind of bland,” Silesia said apologetically.

“Oh, come on, we’re all in this together,” Regina assured. “Plus, you healed Miss Finé for us.”

“Just leave some for the fifth platoon; they’re out on recon,” Riselia reminded her friend.

“Yes, understood, Lady Selia.”

It was then that Sakuya, who sat opposite of Leonis, suddenly tugged on his sleeve.

“Kid, can you trade me that piece of meat for one of my mushrooms?” she whispered.

“Fine, I suppose…”

“Thanks…”

But just as the two were about to make the exchange…

“Stop being a picky eater, Sakuya. You too, Leo, no swapping,” chided Riselia.

“D-darn…” Sakuya hung her head, defeated.

The mushrooms had been gathered nearby, and Elfiné’s analysis had concluded that they were safe to consume. Even in a forest covered in a miasma, plants still managed to grow.

“Besides, you don’t get to eat natural mushrooms in the city. They’re tasty,” Riselia added.

“Meh…” Sakuya pouted and reluctantly stuffed her cheeks with mushrooms. “…Mm… Oh, it’s surprisingly decent…”

Apparently, she liked it.

“You know, it’s pretty humid here,” Riselia said, pinching the hem of her uniform and fanning herself.

Leonis’s heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimpse of her bra.

“Yeah, it’d be nice if we could find somewhere to bathe for a bit…,” Elfiné added. “The lake with the statue is a bad idea. Voids could show up.”

Riselia frowned slightly. “Isn’t there somewhere else with water?”

“Give me a minute. I’ll have a look around.” Elfiné produced three Eye of the Witch orbs and launched them into the sky.

“All right! Time to tidy up.  ”

Shary hummed to herself as she walked through the twelfth stratum of Death Hold, a level known as Death’s Gathering. She enjoyed the cold, musty air that hung over this place. Her beloved master’s castle was a lovely place in her eyes. Although possessed of a terrible sense of direction, Shary knew this palace like the back of her hand.

At least, she thought so. In truth, the assassin lost her way once or twice before arriving at her objective—Death Hold’s subterranean treasury.

The vault’s contents were all organized by category and stored in separate rooms.

“First, I need to collect the magical items, as well as bones for creating undead.”

Gaining material for creating skeleton soldiers in this era was actually quite difficult. If Shary could find the bones of some large monster, she was sure her master would be pleased. However, as she approached the doors to the treasury, something caught her attention.

The passage was barred by a massive crystal. And slumbering within the gemlike material were countless Voids.

“…Is this—?”

The next moment, as if reacting to the presence of an intruder, a crack ran through the crystal.

Unfortunately, there were no suitable bathing spots. The best Elfiné found was a tiny pool formed by water leaking from the destroyed ruins, but it could barely fit two people.

“…Bathing in this might be a little difficult,” Elfiné said, gazing at the footage on her terminal.

“Maybe we can work together and make a simple bath,” Leonis suggested.

“You can do that?” Riselia asked.

“I can try.”

Staff of Sealed Sins in hand, Leonis stepped into the woods. Even he was feeling quite sweaty and unpleasant from walking through the humid forest.

Honestly, why must the human body be so inconvenient?

Leonis burned through the trees in the way to approach their objective of the little pond Elfiné had found.

I believe this was originally a storehouse for skeletons, Leonis concluded after thinking back on vague memories of what Necrozoa’s map looked like.

Holding up his staff, Leonis chanted a spell, “Create Stone Golem.” Rocks around him began to levitate, aligning around the pool. “Farga!”

Boom!

The fourth-order spell exploded over the pond, digging into the ground beneath. The blast brought the water to a boiling point, and white steam rose from the now roomier body of water.

“…I think this should do.”

As far as improvised baths went, it wasn’t bad.

I believe I’ve earned the right to the first dip.

This was Leonis’s kingdom, after all. Surely, no one would complain. He removed his uniform top, placed it over a tree branch, and produced water with his sorcery to adjust the bath’s temperature. After testing how it felt with his feet, he gradually settled into the bath.

“…Phew. This really is quite revitalizing.” Now submerged up to his shoulders, Leonis said something one wouldn’t expect from the Undead King.

Leaning back against a stone wall, he looked up, gazing at the sky through a gap in the forest canopy. No stars were visible, of course, because of the pervasive miasma.

Veira must be nearing the Azure Hold about now.

Leonis was similarly making his way to the heart of Necrozoa. Oddly enough, both Dark Lords were returning to their ruined homes.

“Leo?” a voice suddenly called out.

“…Miss Selia?”

“Ah, Leo… There you are!” Riselia approached him with a lantern in hand, looking relieved. Seeing the steaming pool, her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s amazing… You actually made it.”

Flustered, Leonis asked, “Uh… Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Erm, well, you see…” Riselia looked away, her cheeks flushed, and then took off her uniform top.

“…?!” An astonished Leonis went stock-still as he heard the soft sounds of shifting fabric.

Riselia was quickly stripping down to her underwear.

“Hmm, Leo… You looking at me while I change is a little weird…”

“…I—I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, hurriedly turning away.

Wait, what am I apologizing for?!

There came the sound of water gently sloshing.

“…!” Leonis tried to remain motionless, but a pair of pale, willowy, cold hands snaked around him from behind.

“…We’re finally alone, Leo.”

“Miss…Selia?”

Locks of her silver hair spilled over Leonis’s shoulders. He could faintly feel the young woman’s chest press against his back. Riselia brought her lips to Leonis’s ear.

“…I want blood, Leo. I want your blood…”

At last, Leonis understood what this was all about. It has been a while since she last had any.

Riselia, as a Vampire Queen, consumed a substantial amount of mana. Because they’d been traveling in a large group for so long, she hadn’t been able to find a moment alone with Leonis.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice.” Leonis lowered his head to make it easier for his minion to bite him. Immediately, Riselia’s grip on him tightened.

“I’ll make sure it won’t hurt.” Riselia’s tongue lapped over Leonis’s nape. “Mm…” Then she bashfully thrust her fangs into his neck. “…Mha… Mmm… Nhaa…  ”

Her vampiric bite didn’t bring any pain—only a sweet, brief ache.

“Miss Selia…I feel as though you’ve been growing a bit greedy, lately,” Leonis stated. This prompted Riselia to let go of his neck and pout at him.

“…N-no, I’m not!” she said, puffing up her cheeks. “You made me like this, Leo…”

“I can’t deny that, but…”

Nibble. Nibble.

“…It, nnh… It hurts,” Leonis said, grimacing.

Riselia’s bites were usually playful and gentle, but this time, they almost felt angry.

“Leo…” His minion abruptly ceased biting him and spoke with a pout, “Leo, you’re not keeping any secrets from me, are you?”

“…”

“That girl from earlier…”

She meant Veira.

I guess it makes sense she’d be curious.

After pausing for a moment, Leonis eventually spoke up. “She’s…an old friend of mine. And a comrade, who worked and fought beside me for the sake of another.”

“Another…?”

“Yes.”

“Is that the person you said you’re looking for?”

She really is quite perceptive. Leonis smiled bitterly to himself. Riselia was a wise girl. At this rate, she was bound to discover his true identity before long.

“That person is very dear to me. I still don’t know where they are, but I think I’m starting to piece together some clues. I’m confident I’ll find them one day.”

“Okay, I understand.” Riselia let go of Leonis and moved away a bit. She hung her head and she fell silent.

“Leo, actually… There’s something I need to tell you, too,” she began after a while.

“What is it?”

Riselia clenched her fists, holding them in front of her chest. “When I fought that priest a few days ago, he—”

“Leo, Selia, are you there?”

One of Elfiné’s orbs swooped down from above, transmitting her voice.

“…Miss Finé, what’s wrong?”

“We lost contact with the fifth platoon.”

Shortly before that conversation…

Liat’s fifth platoon was patrolling roughly two kilorels away from the campsite, when they discovered a massive ancient structure. It was a gaping hole in the ground, and their lanterns’ light failed to reach the bottom.

“It looks like the Seventh Assault Garden’s pole shaft,” Liat’s lieutenant, Delcea, observed.

Suddenly, Liat began squatting down and moaning painfully. “…U-ugh… Agh…”

“Captain? What’s wrong, Captain—?”

Something was off. Delcea and the other platoon members hurried over to him.

“…S…stay away…from me…!” Liat choked out, glaring at his comrades.

“Captain…”

The members of the fifth platoon froze as Liat’s threatening aura washed over them.

“Dammit…I can…hear it… The goddess’s voice…!” Liat grit his teeth as he tried in vain to cover his ears. “Aaah, aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Whoooosh…!

Flames erupted around the young man, swallowing his body.

“…C-Captain! Eahhhhhhhh!”

The fire leaped from Liat to the member closest to him, Irma, whose arm caught ablaze.

“…?!”

Everyone else finally realized the gravity of the situation and activated their Holy Swords.

“We’ve got no choice; we need to suppress the captain!” Delcea shouted, holding up his Holy Sword, an iron ball.

Liat staggered to his feet, a massive broadsword in his hands. There was no hint of the calm, collected young man his allies knew.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”

A bestial howl reverberated through the dark forest.