Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 9 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

THE SHADOWS’ SCHEME

The next morning, Riselia and her group checked out of the Shangri-la Resort and took the intercity linear rail back to the Seventh Assault Garden. Elfiné was asked by the imperial knights to stay behind in the capital. Meanwhile, Sakuya ended up going to Old Town to visit Raiou’s mansion; she parted from the rest of the group at one of the stations along the way.

“Maybe I should stop by Phrenia’s before we return to the academy…,” Riselia mused aloud.

“That’s fine by me, Lady Selia,” Regina agreed.

“I don’t mind, either,” Leonis said.

And so the three of them decided to stop by Phrenia’s orphanage. They bought some gifts at a large chain store during the trip.

“Ah, Big Sis Selia!”

“It’s Leo!”

The children hurried over excitedly when they noticed the group’s arrival.

Riselia hugged the kids gently. “It’s been so long. Have you been good?”

“Big Sis Selia, you were so cool!”

“I wish we could show Phrenia how you fought!”

The children surrounded Riselia, cheering. They’d watched the Holy Sword Dance Festival on their terminals.

“W-well, I really fought hard, too.” Regina twirled her twintails as she fished for compliments.

“Awww, but you were always in the back, Big Sis Regina.”

“And Big Sis Selia fought the enemies face-to-face.”

“Yeah, you were cheating.”

“What?!” Regina hung her head, shocked and heartbroken.

The vanguard swordswoman naturally stood out more than the sniper offering covering fire. Leonis sympathized with Regina.

“E-erm, Leo was…really cool, too…,” Tessera said bashfully from her spot at the back of the group.

“…Was I?”

“Y-yeah… You, um…you really…tried!” Tessera nodded encouragingly with her fists clenched.

Shary… She completely slacked off. Leonis had told Shary not to stand out, but judging by Tessera’s reaction, she’d downplayed his strength almost too much. Leonis shrugged and changed the topic.

“By the way, was everything all right over here?”

“Oh, right, did the Void swarm reach as far as the Seventh Assault Garden?” Riselia asked, alarmed.

“Yes, but thankfully this area was spared from the attack,” Phrenia replied. “The stars must have given us their protection.”

Leonis had some idea as to what the real source of that protection was. He’d stationed three of his Shadow Knights to protect this orphanage and ordered them to attack any enemies that might harm the children.

She’d probably never imagine that she was under the protection of a Dark Lord instead of any stars. Leonis smiled sarcastically to himself.

“Lady Selia, the gifts.”

“Oh, right!” Riselia opened the paper bags she’d carried to the entrance. “I brought you all lots of sweets. Be good and share, everyone.”

“Yay!”

“Thank you, Big Sis Selia!”

The children cheered and swarmed over the treats.

“Oh, thank you for your kindness,” Phrenia said.

“No, thank you for always helping me out.” Riselia bowed politely. “We’ve got to be off now, though…”

“Awww, Big Sis Selia, you’re leaving already?”

“We wanted to play with you!”

The children looked disappointed.

“Sorry. I’d love to play, but we need to get back to the academy.” Riselia hung her head remorsefully.

Since she and Regina had fought the Voids, they had a duty to report to the administrative bureau.

“Right…” Riselia suddenly turned to Leonis. “Leo, how about you play with them?”

“Me?!” Leonis was taken aback by the abrupt suggestion.

“Leoooo! Tell us what fighting is like!”

“Play with us!”

The children started yanking on his sleeves.

“M-Miss Selia?! Whoa!”

“Well, aren’t you popular, kid!” Regina teased.

“Thanks, Leo. We’re counting on you!” Riselia said, bringing her hands together apologetically as Leonis was pulled around by the kids.

The heart of the Imperial Capital was a marble building surrounded by a beautiful garden and forest, its exterior like an anachronistic palace that was home for old nobility.

This structure was called Elysion Academy, the capital’s prized Holy Swordsmen training facility.

While its scale was nowhere near that of Excalibur Academy, it was a much more selective institution attended by many promising noble children. In recent years, the unit led by the Silver-Blooded Sword Princess had performed admirably, winning the Holy Sword Dance Festival two years in a row.

Elysion Academy’s female dorm block was entirely off-limits to boys, and if any man was foolish enough to enter, the security knights would beat him before kicking him out. And staring out into the garden from one of the well-guarded dorm room windows was…

“…How utterly dull.”

…the empire’s third princess—Chatres Ray O’ltriese.

Her wounds had been treated, thanks to the healing powers of a medical team’s Holy Swords, but she still wasn’t in any state to use her own. She wanted nothing more than to recover right away and investigate the Void tear… And yet, when she touched her arm, she could still feel the recently mended wound throb painfully.

It was likely because her injury had been exposed to Void miasma.

What was that?

Chatres had been wounded by a Holy Swordsman representative of the Human Church. The woman had sprouted disgusting spiderlike legs and stabbed Chatres with them.

It was like she herself was a Void…

The notion sent a shiver down her spine. A Void masquerading as a human. Was that possible? Or was that Void different somehow? Either way…

Ngh! I was helpless during a crisis. Chatres clenched her teeth, overcome with shame.

Her duty as princess was to protect the people, and she’d failed.

Even though I was granted the power of the strongest Holy Sword, I still needed others to rescue me!

The Excalibur Academy eighteenth platoon had risked their lives to protect her. Riselia Crystalia, Sakuya Sieglinde, and…

…Regina Mercedes.

Although Regina hadn’t left much of an impression on Chatres the first time they’d met, the girl now lingered in her memory. She was turning fifteen this year and had lived as a maid of House Crystalia on the Third Assault Garden before enrolling in Excalibur Academy. That was all the information Chatres was able to gather about her before the Holy Sword Dance Festival.

She was on a platoon with Duke Crystalia’s daughter, one of Count Phillet’s daughters, and a Sakura Orchid swordswoman. Compared to those three, she didn’t stand out.

“Fifteen years old… No, it couldn’t be. Right?”

Chatres switched on her terminal and called up data on Regina. Clear, green eyes. Golden hair. Those traits weren’t too unusual on their own. But coupled with the fact that she had a Holy Sword…

Those with the blood of the third royal family always manifest a Holy Sword…

Chatres was a two-year-old baby when it happened, so she had no recollection of her younger sister. But if she was still alive…

“Hmm, Chatres, do you have a moment…?” a girl’s voice called from outside her room.

“Altiria?”

Chatres opened the door to find her younger sister, the fifth imperial princess, Altiria Ray O’ltriese. She was wearing an adorable dress and holding the royal family’s spirit, Carbuncle, in her hands.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Chatres asked her.

“I came to visit you!” Altiria pouted, puffing up her cheeks.

“But you saw me yesterday.”

“That was yesterday!”

“I see…”

Chatres wasn’t opposed to spending time with her darling little sister, of course. But…

“I’m fine. My wounds were healed.”

“That’s good, but you still mustn’t overexert yourself. Knowing you, Chatres, I worried you’d volunteer to go hunt down the Voids…”

“Well, for the time being, I intend to stay put and recover,” Chatres said, clearly not meaning any of it.

She didn’t plan to remain inactive at all. Altiria put a box of sweets on the table and sat down on the sofa.

“Incidentally, Chatres, I was hoping to ask you something while I’m here.”

“You want to consult me on something? Go ahead.”

“The spirit has been acting quite strange since yesterday.”

“You mean Carbuncle?” Chatres asked, looking at the royal house’s spirit which sat in Altiria’s hands.

“Yes, it’s been acting anxious. And it’s not just Carbuncle. The spirits in the palace garden and the Artificial Elementals are all behaving oddly. It’s like they’re frightened of something…” Altiria hugged the spirit in her arms tightly and looked up at Chatres. “Do you sense anything strange, Chatres?”

“…No. My powers as a priestess are quite meager, I’m afraid,” Chatres said, frowning.

As one of the three royal families with the right to rule over the Human Integrated Empire, House O’ltriese bore the blood of ancient spirit users. Chatres could hear the voices of spirits, but perhaps as the price for having been granted such a powerful Holy Sword, her power over them was a far cry from Altiria’s.

“Given everything that’s happened, it’s only natural the spirits are agitated.”

“I…suppose…” Altiria hung her head and hugged Carbuncle close again.

The rabbit-like Origin Spirit looked up at her in confusion.

“But it having an effect on the Artificial Elementals is a problem,” Chatres added.

The Artificial Elementals were used to control the city’s core. If multiple systems malfunctioned all at once, the Assault Garden would be paralyzed.

“We should ask Uncle Alexios about the Artificial Elementals. Perhaps he’ll be able to come up with a solution.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Their uncle, Alexios, was often looked down upon by his family for not possessing a powerful Holy Sword. However, Chatres acknowledged his talents as a scholar and researcher. She didn’t like that he’d taken that Phillet vixen as his lover, though…

Altiria glanced over at the table, where the terminal monitor was still on.

“What’s that, Chatres?” she asked, looking at the eighteenth platoon’s profile images.

“Oh. Well, I owe these girls my life, so…” Chatres twined a lock of hair around one finger in a show of slight bashfulness. “I’d like to go thank them personally, but that might be difficult.”

Chatres visiting Excalibur Academy would undoubtedly draw media attention. As a member of the royal family, she’d have to contact the school and go through formalities, causing trouble later on.

“…Hmm. That might be true,” Altiria said pensively. “Then how about you invite the eighteenth platoon over instead?”

“Invite them? Here, to Elysion Academy?”

“Yes. You could prepare tea and sweets and hold a modest get-together for them.”

“Hmm. I hadn’t considered that.”

It felt more proper for Chatres to go and meet them, but Altiria’s suggestion would work, too. The only issue was that Chatres had never hosted a tea party before, despite being a noble daughter.

“Altiria, I hear you often host tea parties?”

“Yes, as part of my duties as a princess.”

“I see,” Chatres mumbled. “It’s just…I don’t know how to go about it…”

“No need to worry. I will take part in your party, too.”

“I—I see. Thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do for you, sister.”

Chatres suddenly remembered something. The eighteenth platoon also had a boy among its ranks.

“Did you come up with this idea to see that boy?” Chatres teased.

“Huh? Erm, well, ah…” Altiria went scarlet and hung her head.

Goodness. So that was her plan.

Chatres shrugged to herself.

My word. My uniform is all wrinkled now.

The underground of the Seventh Assault Garden’s sixth sector—the special demi-human ward. Leonis walked through the underground passage with a sour expression. The kids at the orphanage had tugged on his uniform, and now it was covered in dust. Tessera had asked them to stop halfway through, so he managed to slip away, but…

“Hmm. Yes, the gate is closed,” Leonis said while fixing his collar as he came upon his destination.

Before him was the entrance to the Dark Lord castle he was secretly having built. Leonis came here instead of returning to Excalibur Academy because he’d received a report from Lena of the Demon Wolf Pack.

It stated that the gate connecting the Dark Lord’s castle to the Seventh Assault Garden was closed, cutting off travel and communication.

This is likely due to the influence of the dimensional shift.

The eighth-order spell, Dimensional Portal, was unstable by nature. The dimensional shift taking place had likely unfixed the gate’s position. Leonis traced the remnants of mana hanging over the place and then tapped a spot in the air with the Staff of Sealed Sins. Doing this made a ripple form in the air, which then formed something resembling a pitch-black full-length mirror.

“That should do it.”

Leonis stepped through the restored gate.

“Oh? The decor has significantly improved since my last visit.”

Leonis warped directly to the throne room in the depths of the castle. It felt much like the throne room of Necrozoa’s Death Hold. The stone walls were adorned with eerie carvings, giving the impression that the room was one giant casket. Leonis’s seat was made of bones, which suited his tastes perfectly.

Hanging above the throne was a gigantic ogre skeleton. The flames glowing in its eye sockets seemed to glare at the chamber. Black mist spewed from its gaping mouth.

I’m sure Roselia would like this.

Leonis sat on the throne of bones and leaned the Staff of Sealed Sins against it. It was a bit too large for his ten-year-old body, so he didn’t look very dashing.

It’s not a very comfortable perch. The bones prod my back.

Leonis threw out his legs and snapped his fingers, prompting a skeleton soldier to emerge from the throne’s shadows.

“Send word to my subordinates in the Dark Lords’ Armies. The gate has been restored.”

The skeleton soldier rattled its jaw and left the throne room. Leonis could have just sent a message to Lena’s terminal, but that would tarnish his Dark Lord’s dignity.

That puts an end to this matter, but…

Leonis was in no rush to return to the academy.

…perhaps I should inspect the progress of the castle’s construction.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind…

“—Lord Magnus.”

…than he heard a low, growling voice in his head. It was a telepathic message from Blackas.

“What’s wrong, Blackas?” Leonis replied telepathically.

“I have a report, but the shadow corridors being unusable make things quite inconvenient,” Blackas grumbled.

“Any luck in restoring them?”

“Yes, that’s what I needed to report…”

“Hmm?”

“The shadow corridors are being encroached upon by a different faction.”

“What?!” Leonis raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What do you mean, ‘encroached upon’?”

“The corridors weren’t simply cut off. The shadow corridor network we built has been swallowed by a greater, more powerful shadow.”

“Another shadow? But who could do that?” Leonis asked, puzzled.

The shadow corridors were a unique mystery known only to those from the Realm of Shadows. Even Leonis, who’d merged with the Realm of Shadows as its ruler, couldn’t wield its power as well as Shary and Blackas.

“That remains unknown,” Blackas replied. “But I’ve discovered the epicenter of the invasion.”

“Mmm. And that would be?”

“Elysion Academy, the school at the center of the Imperial Capital. The other shadow corridors spread out like a spiderweb from its premises.”

Elysion Academy?

That was the Holy Swordsman school reserved for the capital’s nobility.

“…Whoever did this, they’ve tried to steal from us. We cannot let this stand,” Blackas said with a snarl.

Blackas and Shary had worked tirelessly to construct the shadow corridors. While Blackas sounded calm, his fur was probably standing on end from indignation.

“Indeed. They’ll pay for laying hands on a Dark Lord’s domain,” Leonis whispered. He snapped his fingers, summoning three Shadow Wraiths. “I’ll lend you three Shadow Wraiths for assistance. We’ll begin by investigating Elysion Academy.”

“Understood. You don’t mind if I destroy the enemy, do you?”

“For now, just investigate. Don’t do anything reckless. If need be, I’ll attend to the matter myself,” Leonis warned his friend.

He couldn’t imagine Blackas being defeated, but they didn’t know how powerful this new enemy was. Thus, Leonis insisted Blackas tread carefully.

“Very well. I will handle it.”

“What a foolish foe we’re up against. To think they would stoke the tyrannical Black Wolf Emperor’s ire.” Leonis pitied this unidentified foe of theirs from his seat on the throne.

When enraged, the black wolf was not as merciful as the Undead King.

“The shadow corridors, eh? Just who could have—”

“My lord, I come bearing an urgent report.”

The shadow at Leonis’s feet rippled and wavered, and the head of a girl in a maid’s uniform popped up.

“Shary?” Leonis regarded the girl with a bit of surprise. “You’re awake?”

“Yes. My body is still in pain, so I cannot participate in battle, but I can see to my duties as a maid.”

She emerged from the shadow and pinched up her skirt in a curtsy. Shary never saw to her maid’s responsibilities, but Leonis was kind enough to leave that unsaid.

“Very well. Are there otherwise no issues with your body right now?”

“For the time being, no. It’s just…”

“What is it?” Leonis asked, concerned.

“Well, hmm. When I undid the seal, Queen Rakshasa’s memories, or rather, her emotions, flowed into me.”

“Rakshasa’s memories?” Leonis asked suspiciously.

It wasn’t impossible, given that Shary served as a vessel for that devil.

“ My lord…,” Shary began reluctantly. “Why does Queen Rakshasa hold such a deep grudge against you?”

“I assume it’s because I launched a campaign against her realm and destroyed it.” That seemed reason enough to resent him.

“Well, yes, I’m sure that’s part of it, but I felt an emotion I’m intimately familiar with…,” Shary whispered, her words gradually turning into a bashful mumble.

“What’s wrong?” Leonis asked.

“Oh, nothing. Please forget I said that.”

“…?”

Leonis was rather confused by this exchange, but he let it be.

“Regardless, you were of great assistance, Shary. I will reward you later.”

“You honor me, my lord.” Shary pinched up her skirt and bowed her head.

“Good. So you mentioned a report?”

“R-right!” Shary raised her head upon remembering. “P-please, take a look at this.”

Shary took out a communication terminal from the shadow at her feet. It was notably larger than the ones provided by the academy.

“What’s this?” Leonis asked.

“It’s the newest model. I bought it with the money I earned from my part-time job.”

“If it’s so important, you could have purchased it with funds from the Dark Lords’ Armies’ treasury…”

“Hmm, er… How do you work this thing again?” Shary fiddled with the device.

Evidently, she was still unaccustomed with magical devices.

“Ah, here, this!” Shary held out the terminal’s screen for Leonis to see.

It displayed footage of the Eighth Assault Garden’s sky, of the Void tear and the countless Voids creeping out of it.

“What of it?”

“Here, this, look at this!” Shary pointed at the edge of the screen.

“…?!” The moment Leonis noticed it, he groaned. The footage was rough, but he could make out the image of a masked Dark Lord floating in the sky. “I thought Rakshasa destroyed all the nearby footage drones…”

“One drone was far enough away to survive, it seems,” Shary said, her eyes narrowed peevishly. “The news is making a bit of a fuss about this.”

“W-well, so be it. I had considered informing humanity of Zol Vadis’s existence soon anyhow.”

“I see. Then this part isn’t a problem, then.”

“I-is there more?” Leonis asked, realizing Shary implied there was greater trouble.

“Yes, here, at the end of the news footage.”

Leonis leaned forward to get a better look at the terminal screen, and he read the letters at the end of the video.

“…Is that—?!”

This time, Leonis’s eyes went wide with astonishment. To the humans of this era, the letters were nothing but a strange, meaningless cipher, but Leonis knew their meaning.

“How can this be? This text is from a thousand years ago…”

Ancient text the people of this era should have been unfamiliar with was displayed on the screen. The letters spelled out: Dark Lord. Requesting. Negotiations.

“I don’t know. But this is definitely a message from someone.”

“So it would seem.” Leonis put a hand on his jaw pensively.

At face value, the message was an invitation for the Dark Lord Zol Vadis. Was someone hoping to negotiate with him?

“What shall you do, my lord?”

“I can’t very well ignore this,” Leonis muttered.

“This may be forward of me, my lord, but isn’t it possible this is a trap?” Shary’s remark befit her role as Leonis’s bodyguard.

“If it is, so be it. I will simply crush them, traps and all.”

It was perfectly possible this was a ploy, but being too frightened to act went against Leonis’s honor as a Dark Lord.

“Understood. How shall we answer?”

“Hmm…”

He could simply use this news station to send a response directly, but…

“Let’s take this chance to go about this in a manner befitting a Dark Lord.”

The capital’s fourth pier area was the entrance to a large bridge that linked Camelot directly with the continent. The entrance had a defensive facility meant to keep Voids out, as well as an immigration bureau where rescued refugees were accepted.

Standing atop one of this facility’s observation towers…

“What a bothersome process. A thousand years ago, all it took was one slip of paper to enter a capital,” Arle Kirlesio whispered, holding her ponytail with one hand to keep it from flapping in the wind.

She stood, dressed in her shorts, holding the Demon Smiting Sword, Crozax, and a small backpack. Traveling light, as it were. Lena of the Demon Wolf Pack had provided Arle with a fake civilian ID card, but since the city was currently on high alert, unauthorized civilians weren’t allowed to leave the city.

Fortunately, spells that masked one’s presence were the elves’ specialty.

“Ye wind.”

Arle invoked a spirit spell, causing the air around her to shift. The girl vanished in an instant. She glided through the sky with the wind’s protection, her eyes fixed upon a large wood.

A thousand years ago, this place was known as the Spirit Forest, an area where Origin Spirits, high elves, and beastmen lived. It was the domain of the Spirit King, Elmysteriga. But now, the heart of this forest was host to an unnatural power. A Void fissure had manifested there, like a gash across the earth.

The spirits are astir.

Arle’s elven intuition, capable of hearing the spirits’ voices, told her as much. On the other side of that tear, something gigantic was awakening. If it was a Dark Lord…

…then it’s my duty as a hero to smite them!

The elf girl tightened her grip on Crozax and descended to the bridge.

Screeeeeeeeeeech!

Something moved behind Arle.

“?”

When she turned around…

Thud!

…it collided with her, sending Arle spinning through the air for a moment before she struck the ground hard.

“Owwwww!” Arle got to her feet, rubbing her bruised tailbone.

A girl dismounted the two-wheeled vehicle that had collided with Arle, and she hurried over. “A-are you all right?!”

“Of course I’m not all right! What are you doing?!” Arle cried.

“I’m sorry, you just came out of nowhere…”

Arle realized that the girl was right. She’d been invisible because of her wind spell.

“Well, I suppose I can overlook it… Wait, you’re…Sakuya!”

Arle’s eyes widened upon recognizing the girl. White garb and blue hair… She knew this person. She was a skilled swordfighter, capable of fighting on Arle’s level, and by some trick of fate, they were both in the same organization ruled by the Dark Lord Zol Vadis.

Sakuya, too, recognized Arle.

“Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I hit a decent citizen.”

“Tch! Y-you…!” Arle shot Sakuya a hard look.

However, Sakuya was right. Arle wasn’t exactly a decent, legitimate citizen.

Arle eyed Sakuya suspiciously. “What are you even doing here?”

Sakuya turned her gaze to the distance, toward the Spirit Forest. “I want to investigate that Void tear.”

“On your own?”

“Yes. I can’t involve my upperclassmen in my selfish whims.” Bloodlust poured from Sakuya, but only for a moment.

“?!” As a fellow swordswoman, Arle recognized it instantly. She didn’t know why, but it was clear that Sakuya harbored an intense hatred for Voids.

“And what were you doing here?” Sakuya questioned.

“I came to investigate the tear, too,” Arle replied while batting dust from herself.

“On the Dark Lord’s orders?” Sakuya asked.

“Hmm, something to that effect,” Arle replied vaguely. Elaborating would complicate things, so she left it at that.

“What a coincidence. This must be fate. Want me to give you a ride?” Sakuya patted on the back seat of her vehicle.

Arle considered the offer. Her wind spells enabled her to move swifter than any vehicle. However, if she used magic on it, they’d move even faster.

And honestly, going there alone is a bit unnerving.

Arle acknowledged Sakuya’s skill with a sword, and if Voids awaited her on the other side of that fissure, she’d be glad for a dependable ally.

“…I’ll take you up on that offer, then.”