Chapter 2:
Bad Cat
“MWA HA HA! That’s what you get for messing with me!”
Mea emerged from the flames after obliterating the monsters and came down to meet Fran. However, Quina received her with a cold glare.
“Now then, young lady…”
“What? Uh, Quina? You’re scaring me…”
Clearly, Mea knew the maid was angry, but she seemed oblivious as to why. Did she really not understand?
“Is there anything you would like to say about executing that sort of attack while your friends were still nearby?” Quina asked. The maid really didn’t mince her words with Mea.
“Well, I… I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Since you’d be able to make your escape. See! You’re completely unharmed.”
“Perhaps, but it didn’t feel that way with the lava hot on my heels!”
“Uhh…”
“To begin with,” Quina went on, “was an attack of that scale truly necessary? Surely there was a more efficient way of dealing with them after Fran so kindly fenced them in for you?”
“N-now, look here,” Mea stammered.
“I will, but not before you look here,” Quina said, pointing to her own cheek.
I couldn’t see anything. Mea tilted her head, obviously as confused as me.
“At what?” she asked.
“Look closely.”
Mea leaned closer, tilting her head from side to side.
“There’s nothing…”
“Can you not see the mote of ash on my face?!” Quina demanded.
“What? No! And besides, it’s a battle! You’re bound to get dirty in combat!”
“Perhaps, but generally, I am not sullied by my own allies.”
“Bah! Details, woman! Anyway, we need to figure out what to do next,” Mea said, raising her voice and changing the subject.
Quina nodded, satisfied that she’d flustered her master. “Very well, then. I believe it is time for tea.”
Tea? Now?! Quina’s mood seemed to have turned on a dime. Even Mea seemed shocked.
“What? We’re still on a battlefield, you know?”
“It is precisely because we are on a battlefield that it is necessary,” said Quina.
“Hm… I see your point.”
“I knew you would.”
Now they were both at it! What was going on here?! Mea was just as twisted as her maid. What kind of tea was Quina planning to serve us?
Without any further ado, she began her preparations. As it turned out, she had a lot to prepare!
The sight that unfolded in front of me was so strange that I had to do a double take. Somehow, Quina had managed to unpack a table from somewhere and was already setting out teacups. A teapot came next. She poured out steaming cups of hot tea and set them down next to some snacks. According to the clock, it was teatime.
“If you will, young lady.”
“Why, thank you.”
Quina pulled out a chair, and Mea sat down. As Quina started explaining the tea’s significance, I was still dazed with confusion.
“I have prepared some mana-infused tea for just such an occasion. It is made of Beast God Flower petals, and it reduces the burden of Awakening. An indulgent treat.”
“Excellent,” said Mea. “I expected nothing less.”
“Would you like some, Fran?” Quina asked. “There are some scones to go with it.”
Fran still looked tense, although not because Mea’s attack had nearly killed her. Rather, she was worried about the other Black Cats. She didn’t feel as though she could relax yet.
“Sorry,” she said. “I have to go take care of the other squadrons.”
She turned to leave, but she was so beat up that she could barely walk in a straight line.
F-Fran, are you sure that you’re all right?
“Hm,” she said.
But she looked deathly pale. The pressure of the battlefield and her concern for her friends was pushing her to her limits. Damn it, I should have noticed sooner!
Fran, let’s take a break.
“You won’t last long in a fight looking like that,” Mea observed.
“The tea is made of Spirit Grass,” said Quina. “It has recuperative properties and shortens the delay until you can Awaken again. Please, have some.”
Thanks for backing me up, guys!
Please, Fran? Just ten minutes. I’m feeling a little tired too.
“Hm…all right.”
She was still tense, but she sat down in the chair that Quina pulled out for her.
“Here you are.”
“Hm.”
With all these delicious treats in front of her, Fran finally took an interest—leaning in to take a deep whiff of the scones.
And so we all sat down and had a little tea party among the carbonized monster corpses and lava. Fran, Mea, and Quina all tipped their teacups. Was I really the only one who thought this was madness? I mean, for starters, where did Quina get all of this stuff from? It looked like she pulled it out of her skirt, but all of this was much more than a potion bottle or two. How could she possibly have that much storage space in there?!
It seemed Fran was just as curious as me.
“Quina, where do you keep all this?” She studied the bottom of her cup and flipped over the tablecloth, but there was nothing suspicious about any of it.
“I use a skill called Maid Manners. It’s the Class Skill of Maid Chiefs.”
By the looks of it, it functioned very much like a Pocket Dimension. However, Quina explained that it only allowed her to store away maid-related necessities. Still, it was down to the user to define what those necessities were, and it could even allow for more storage than a Pocket Dimension if they were liberal enough with their definitions.
What a weird skill! Of course, we had no use for it because we already had a Pocket Dimension…although there might be some advantages. For example, this wasn’t a Timespace Skill, so it was unaffected by anything that restricted Timespace Magic.
“A royal Maid Chief’s skill is measured by her ability to prepare contingency plans,” Quina explained. “One might say it is our sole purpose.”
Sole purpose… I think I’d just gained some insight into the career of a custodian.
“Speaking of manners,” said Mea. “I don’t think I’ve formally introduced myself. I am Nemea Narasimha. Princess of the Beastman Nation, D-Rank adventurer, and a Golden Fire Lion.”
“Hm. I’m Fran of the Black Cat tribe. C-Rank adventurer. Black Sky Tiger.”
“And you already know my maid, Quina. And my partner, Lind.”
“Kuooo!”
The dragon touched down beside the tea table. When we saw it in the Forest of the Scorpion Lion, it was tiny. Now, it looked huge. Although Lind’s body was smaller than Jet’s, its massive wingspan more than made up for it. And to think that this enormous dragon lived in Mea’s blade! That was no ordinary enchanted sword.
As soon as I thought that, Mea began voicing suspicions of her own.
“Say, Fran, what kind of sword is that?” she asked. I could feel her gaze melting a hole through my blade. “It’s no ordinary magic sword, is it? Does it have a name?”
“Hm?”
Mea sat forward. “Is it a Godsword?”
Oh, no! Should we lie and try to throw her off? It seemed like Mea genuinely wanted to be Fran’s friend, and I wanted to be honest with her, but still…
“Wait,” Mea said, interpreting Fran’s silence as indecision. “I shouldn’t be the one doing all the asking. What if I tell you a secret of my own in return? How about it?”
“Secret?” Fran asked. “You mean the fact that you’re a princess?”
“Oh, no one cares about that. And besides, it’s dull. No, I have an even better secret than that, but if you want to hear it, you will have to tell me yours.”
Teacher…?
I mean, it’s a difficult situation.
Fran liked Mea, and she wanted to tell her the truth. But what if Mea told the Beast King about me? If he found out…
Teacher, please?
Oh, okay then.
Thanks!
How could I say no when she asked like that? I mean, I didn’t want Fran to end up being targeted because of me, but if she really wanted to tell someone, I couldn’t really argue.
“All right,” said Fran.
Mea clapped her hands together. “Oh, good! I’ll start.”
“Young lady,” said Quina. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course! Fran is more than trustworthy!”
“Very well, then,” Quina sighed. “I trust your instincts.”
I sympathized with her worry. What was this secret of Mea’s? Something that would make her identity as the princess of the Beast Nation seem dull? I had to admit, I was curious.
“It’s about the Drakeblade Lind.”
“Hm.”
So, Mea’s secret also revolved around her sword. That must be why she was interested in me. She took the Drakeblade from her back and laid it on the table. It sure was a beautiful sword, but that wasn’t all it was. A certain power emanated from it. Swords always commanded a certain degree of respect; they were crafted specifically to end lives, after all. But there was more to the Drakeblade than that. I could feel the brutal mana pooling in the ornate crimson dragon as I took a closer look. I was sure it had some secrets of its own.
“It’s a cool sword,” said Fran.
“That it is! You see, Lind resides within it!”
“Kuoooo!” Lind roared with gratitude and pride.
“However,” said Mea. “That is only a disguise!”
“Kuo!”
Mea struck a pose, and Lind spread out its wings for emphasis. Both of them were enjoying this.
“A disguise?” Fran asked.
“Indeed! For the sword’s real name is not the Drakeblade Lind, but the Cruel Dragon Sword Lindworm…”
Wait, I recognized that name. That was—
“One of the legendary Godswords!” Mea declared.
“!”
She said it so lightly that it almost didn’t seem fitting. I mean, I’m not asking for a drumroll or anything, but at least build up to it a little!
“Heh heh, shocking enough for you?” Mea asked.
“Hm!” said Fran, nodding enthusiastically.
Was this for real? When I used Identify on Mea’s sword, it was only listed as the Drakeblade Lind, but perhaps it was so powerful that I couldn’t get a good read on it? Mea seemed convinced that it was real, at least.
“It’s the genuine article,” she said, but then her expression turned sour. “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to use it properly yet. So it’s not at its full power.”
You couldn’t wield a Godsword unless you were at the apex of your own abilities. That was why Mea couldn’t manifest Lindworm’s full powers yet. Still, I didn’t quite believe it. A Godsword was a superweapon, capable of striking fear into the hearts of whole nations. And here was this world’s equivalent of a nuclear bomb, sitting innocently on the table in front of me.
It wasn’t even that its powers were completely remarkable. I mean, it could summon Lind, but it wasn’t powerful enough to annihilate an entire country. At best, it could swing the tide of a single battle in your favor. That was good going for an enchanted sword…but a Godsword?!
“It’s real,” said Quina. “The Godsmith confirmed it.”
That’s right, I forgot the Godsmith lived in this country. And, thanks to her royal connections, Mea could easily meet with them. I guess Lind was for real after all.
That’s pretty incredible.
Wow!
Fran didn’t think twice before accepting Mea’s words as truth. I guess Mea was right after all—this was more important than the fact she was a princess. A Godsword could shake the very foundations of the world. I was a little shocked that she’d told Fran so readily.
Well, then, I suppose we shall have to try to live up to your expectations.
“Huh?” Mea looked around, startled. “Did you hear a voice? Who’s there?”
Fran smiled a little smugly. “That was Teacher.”
“Teacher?” Mea asked. “Your master? Where is he?”
“Has he turned invisible?” Quina said, I couldn’t really get a read on her. “I can’t even feel his presence. He must be quite the expert.”
“He’s not invisible,” said Fran. “Teacher is right here.”
She followed Mea’s lead and laid me on the table next to Lind. Mea blinked.
“The sword…is your teacher?”
She tilted her head in confusion. If Fran didn’t hurry up and explain, Mea would think she’d been hit on the head too many times.
“Teacher is an amazing sword. He’s an Intelligent Weapon.”
Hi. Like Fran said, I’m Teacher. Just think of me as a talking sword.
“Ooooh! I-is the sword in front of me really talking?” spluttered Mea.
“Color me surprised,” Quina said.
Mea’s eyes grew wide as saucers, while Quina continued to look unimpressed, despite her claim to being shocked.
Anyway, I said. Nice to meet you.
But Mea’s mouth was still hanging wide open. “Look! Quina, look! It’s a real-life Intelligent Weapon! Ha ha ha ha!”
Her eyes looked ready to pop out of her head. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was rapid and shallow. She was like a hardcore fan who was finally meeting her idol. I’ll admit that I was a rare find, but for someone with a Godsword to have such a reaction… It was actually getting a little embarrassing.
Not that I’m not flattered, but aren’t you overreacting? I mean, you have a Godsword.
“What are you talking about?!” Mea asked. “Intelligent Weapons are the stuff of fairytales!!”
Okay, but…aren’t Godswords exactly the same?
But apparently, my understanding of the situation was lacking.
“Godswords are powerful,” Mea explained. “But there are twenty-six of them in the world, and we know exactly where most of them are. But an Intelligent Weapon? Their existence has never been confirmed. Your existence, Teacher, is quite incredible!”
I guess that made sense, although being rarer didn’t necessarily make me any stronger. Still, Fran nodded happily.
“Hm, Teacher is the best.”
“Indeed,” said Mea. “He even managed to surprise Quina.”
“Quite,” said the maid. “I am far more surprised than I was when we first met, Fran.”
Was it my imagination, or were her cheeks flushed? Slightly. I guess she really was impressed.
“So,” said Mea, “how did Teacher fall into your possession?”
“Back when I was a slave—”
I thought Fran might hesitate, but she launched straight into the story. She told Mea about the illegal slave caravan that was using her as bait to distract monsters, how she was close to death when she found me stuck in the ground, and how we’d been traveling together ever since. Every little detail.
Back in Ulmutt, the goddess said fate didn’t exist, but how else could you explain how we met? If Fran hadn’t found me there, I would have lost my mind, and she would have lost her life. Maybe fate didn’t exist, but miracles certainly did.
Fran was never one for rhetoric, but her plain language only made her pitiful past all the more real. By the end of it, tears were streaming from Mea’s eyes.
“So that’s how it is! You two were destined to meet!”
“Young Lady, if you will.”
Quina held out a handkerchief.
“That I do!”
Mea promptly took it and blew her nose.
“What a moving story,” she said when she’d calmed down. “What a spectacular team you are.”
“Hm!” Fran agreed.
Warmed by Mea’s compliments, Fran proceeded to tell her all about my various powers and characteristics. While the information wasn’t as confidential as the whereabouts of a Godsword, it was important to me. Fran really didn’t want to keep anything from Mea.
She told her about how I got stronger by absorbing crystals, how I didn’t know where I came from, and how we were hoping the Godsmith might know more about my origins. All of it.
“I see!” said Mea. “So that’s why there was no trace of crystal left in the Manticores! I did wonder.”
“Teacher absorbed them.”
Yeah, pretty much.
Mea shook her head. “To think of an Intelligent Weapon that can grow stronger…”
“But Lind can grow too.”
Mea shook her head at Fran’s response.
“Lind’s power matches mine. When I get stronger, he grows stronger too. He does not actually become more powerful himself, unlike Teacher. I think he may just surpass a Godsword one day.”
I mean, I was aiming to become a Godsword, but the thought of becoming even stronger than one felt like a bit of a stretch. For that to happen, I’d have to wipe out entire armies of monsters. Still, Fran nodded confidently.
“Of course. Teacher is the greatest. He will be the most powerful sword in the world one day.”
“Mwa ha ha ha!” Mea roared. “Then we shall have to make it a contest! Let us see whether I can unlock Lind’s full potential before Teacher becomes even stronger than a Godsword.”
“Heh. We’ll definitely win,” Fran said.
“Perhaps, but I shall not lose so easily! One day, Lind will become powerful enough to crush whole castles!”
Crush a castle? That would take a dragon at least several hundred meters long. Water Dragons were slightly bigger than large ships, and even they were only considered B-Threats. The kind of dragon Mea was talking about was an A-Threat at least. Such a summon would truly be a force to be reckoned with. But then, I’d expect no less from a Godsword.
And Fran had declared that I would surpass even that! Still, if that was what she wanted, I wasn’t going to give up without a fight. I guess I had a new goal to focus on. One that Fran and I could achieve together!
“How did you get Lind?” Fran asked.
“Our meeting wasn’t as dramatic as yours. I was testing my strength by exploring some ancient ruins when I accidentally discovered a hidden chamber. Lind was enshrined within it.”
“We suspected the sword had some special significance,” said Quina. “So we took it to the Godsmith. That’s when we found out what it was.”
Wait, didn’t that mean the Godsword had called Mea to it?! I mean, she seemed to think it was some kind of fluke, but I had a feeling that Lind chose her. Quina clearly agreed because she proudly, albeit discreetly, told Fran the story of how they’d happened upon the sword…wait, wasn’t she acting a little energetic for someone who’d been poisoned by Malice?
Hang on. Are you feeling okay, Quina?
“Of course. Why would I not?”
Well, you were Malice Drunk earlier…
Should she really be serving us tea at a time like this?
“That’s right!” said Mea. “I completely forgot! Are you all right?”
“Yes, I feel perfectly fine. So, that’s what it was, hm? I’ve heard of being Malice Drunk, but that was my first experience with it.”
Ultimately, it turned out that Quina knew quite a lot about it.
“It happens whenever you fight an enemy with strong Malice over a prolonged period of time. I’ve heard it described as akin to being hungover, although I do not drink, so I cannot confirm that. If it is true, then I do not understand why anyone would bother drinking. The effects seem quite unpleasant.”
Because people don’t drink to get hungover! They drink because alcohol is delicious, and a little bit quickly turns into a lot! I remember the days when I drank all the time. It seemed strange to think about it now.
“Becoming Malice Drunk can be a problem if it is left untreated,” Quina explained. “But it is purified by destroying the source. Thus, the sickness disappeared the moment you killed the Dullahan.”
And the Fiendstone sword it was carrying, which Fran and Mea made short work of with White Fire and Kanna Kamuy. Ultimately, the sword was much more fragile than the Valkyrie’s spear, perhaps because the Dullahan didn’t have a soul to devour.
“By the way,” Mea said suddenly. “What was Teacher doing in the middle of a forest? Did your blacksmith stick you in the ground there?”
Not exactly.
I told Mea about how I woke up on a pedestal and how I ended up in the Withering Forest, although I was careful to leave out the details of how fooling around with Telekinesis left me stuck there. I was also vague about my reincarnation. There was no reason to hide it, but I didn’t think she would believe that I came from another world.
“The pedestal in the Demon Wolf’s Garden…” said Mea.
Ring any bells?
“Not a one!”
Excellent.
Unfortunately, Quina didn’t know anything about it either. She’d never even been to Granzel.
“But…engaging in tomfoolery and getting yourself stuck because of it,” she said. “You seem very human, Teacher.”
She really was a sharp one, although maybe that was just because she’d thought about my personality for more than five seconds. I guess there was no reason Intelligent Weapons should act human. If anything, you might expect a talking sword to behave more like an object, and sound more like the PA than a living person.
All things considered, I guess I really did behave far too much like a human. I wonder if whoever made me designed me to be this way?
“Of course he seems human,” said Fran. “He used to be one.”
Uhhh, are you really going to tell them everything? I guess we could always just say I had a human soul and leave out the bit about how I came from another world. Still, Mea’s eyes were already going wide again.
“A-are you serious?”
“Hm.”
“But the soul is the dominion of the gods! Forging a human soul into a weapon is something only they could do!”
“Hah! I knew you were no ordinary magic sword!”
You know, she might have a point. After all, I was reincarnated from another world. Perhaps the gods had something to do with that. Although it seemed pretty arrogant to go around saying that, and it’d be more than a little embarrassing if it turned out to be a mere coincidence!
“Could it be that you have skills of your own?” Mea asked. “Besides the ones that Fran shares with you?”
Why do you think that?
“I once heard that skills are the expression of a soul’s power. So a sword with a human soul would have more than Telepathy and Telekinesis at his disposal.”
Well, you guessed right!
“I knew it! That’s why Fran’s skill and spell usage is so strange! I was certain there was some kind of secret to it.”
She must be talking about how Fran used Sword Arts while I cast spells at the same time. It would be impossible without Speed Thinking or Double Mind and, from the outside, it probably looked impossible even then. Mea must have noticed the anomaly by watching Fran fight, then written it off as some kind of special Skill.
“So that’s how you manage to execute such rapid attacks! And your Grand Spells, can Teacher use them too?”
I can.
“Incredible! Fran appears to fight alone, but in fact both of you can cast Grand Spells and you are always there, supporting her. Honestly, I think perhaps you are as powerful as a Godsword…”
Either way, I said. You should know that I didn’t get involved in the duel that the two of you had. All I did was lend Fran my skills.
“I expected no less!” Mea said. “And I am sure Fran would have refused your help, even if you’d offered it.”
Spoken like someone cut from the same cloth. They really were blood knights, the both of them.
“We are very much alike, Fran,” Mea said. “We are about the same age, from races of lions and tigers, and we both have powerful swords, and we both seek out the heat of battle.”
“Hm,” Fran said. “That’s true.”
I couldn’t argue either. It was probably a big part of why they’d grown so fond of each other so quickly.
“So… It would be very nice if, uh… You know!”
“Hm?”
Mea ground her teeth, becoming less coherent with each word.
“You know what I’m trying to say!”
We really didn’t! Fran tilted her head in confusion as Mea got increasingly tongue-tied and flushed. Fortunately, Quina came to her master’s rescue.
“I know you’re embarrassed, young lady, but Fran will not understand that you wish to be friends unless you tell her.”
“Wh-why did you have to say that?!” Mea spluttered.
Now I understood why she’d gotten so fidgety. She wasn’t the sort to talk about such things lightly, especially when she and Fran had only just met. Quina’s motivation in spelling it out was less clear. She probably said it for Mea’s own good, although she was probably teasing her at the same time. If I’d had to guess, I’d say it was 60 percent teasing and 40 percent out of kindness.
Either way, Fran spoke before Mea could get another word in.
“We already are friends. We fought together.”
“F-Fran…?” Mea stammered. Maybe they’d been comrades first, but that was still well within the realm of friendship. “Y-you’re sure about this?”
“Hm.”
“You have finally graduated from your solitary life, young lady.”
Both she and Mea seemed deeply moved. I could even detect the hint of a smile on Quina’s normally expressionless face. She had to be overjoyed. Mea had been alone for a very long time, though it wasn’t like Fran had many friends, either. I guess they were even more alike than Mea thought.
Seeing Fran’s stoic expression, Mea soon grew flustered again and returned to discussing our plans. “Right! Well, I feel rested now! Shall we carry on?”
“Hm,” said Fran. “I’ll intercept the other squadrons.”
“I really think we can leave that to the people of Green Goat,” said Mea. “Marquis Marmano is a trustworthy man. And besides, shouldn’t we investigate further north and find out where these monsters are coming from?”
Fran shook her head. “We can do that later. I need to make sure everyone’s safe.”
“I see,” Mea said, nodding quietly. Both she and Quina seemed to understand where Fran was coming from. “Very well, then. Let us go and hunt down these remaining Fiends.”
“One moment, please,” said Quina.
As we waited, she gathered up the table and everything on it and bundled it back under her skirt, like some kind of magic trick. Was it really necessary, considering how dimensional storage skills worked?
Do you really have to shove everything under your clothes like that?
“Yes. Such are a maid’s manners.”
Oh, well, I guess it was one of the prerequisites of her skill?
“Onward, then!” cried Mea. “Come, Lind!”
“Kuoooo!”
“Come, Fran. Lind is big enough to carry all three of us!”
“Kuo!”
And fast enough to get us all there quickly.
“Although,” said Mea. “I do believe the fight will already be over by the time we…huh?!”
“Hm!”
What…?!
Just as we were about to climb onto Lind’s back, a massive surge of mana swept across the northern sky, and it was approaching fast. At the speed of Lind, you might say.
“Something’s coming!” Mea shouted.
“Hm!”
Soon, the mana signature was right above us. I could physically feel it against my blade—violent and noxious.
This makes the Valkyrie look like child’s play…
Whatever it was, it had so much mana that it forced Fran and Mea to swallow hard. They would never admit it, but they were terrified. And, as if the mana wasn’t bad enough, it was soon accompanied by an equally large amount of Malice, giving us even more reason to be afraid.
Evil this deep could have come from a part of the Evil One himself. Linford had possessed more Malice than any other foe we’d faced, but this made him seem like a fraud. It was so thick that it felt like a blanket, smothering everything with evil.
As soon as they sensed it, Fran’s and Mea’s ears and tails stood on end. Whatever the source of this Malice was, it was calmly hovering above us. It was flanked by its servants on either side, but what shocked me most was that this force was coming from the body of an adorable young woman.
She looked to be in her late teens, with long black hair and a flowing white skirt that gave her a look of purity, although her ornaments were anything but pure. Bracelets with faces carved into them, groaning in agony. A pendant of black and embodied miasma. Earrings that looked like twisted spheres. All of it looked wrong somehow. And there was one more thing that troubled me about her.
“Black Cat…” Fran whispered.
She was right. This girl had black ears, a black tail, black hair… all the makings of a member of Fran’s tribe.
“To think that my whole army was wiped out by the three of you,” the girl boomed. “Worthless. But no matter. You shall at least provide sufficient nourishment.”
The monster corpses all around us began to glow, until they slowly dissolved into light. There was nothing left of them, but I felt the surge of mana flowing toward this girl. Somehow, she had drained the bodies of their last dregs of mana. The mantle of Malice around her grew faintly stronger.
I say faintly, but it was a pretty significant change, considering the immense amount of power that she had to begin with. It was like giving a million yen to someone who already had ten billion in the bank—it might not mean much to them, but to the rest of us? It was a lot. Fortunately, she hadn’t affected any of the crystals I’d absorbed, or the ones I had in storage. That was literally the only silver lining.
The girl descended from the sky as though she were riding an invisible elevator. She was guarded on either side by a beautiful Valkyrie, and a host of armored Dullahans stood behind her. These creatures were powerful enough on their own, but they were easily eclipsed by this girl’s power. How could they not be?
I shuddered as I Identified them all—the Valkyries were all far stronger than the one we’d just struggled to defeat. Meanwhile, the Dullahans were about the same—each of them as strong as five men. Still, their combat capabilities were greater than the combined strength of the monsters and Fiends we’d just killed.
Fran steeled herself. I’d never seen her hesitate before. This was bad.
“Who are you…?”
Fran had managed to stand her ground against the Beast King, but the girl in front of us defied all human reckoning. I was impressed that Fran managed not to freak out.
“I am Murelia,” said the woman. “Do you not know me?”
“I do.”
“Goodness, really?”
Know her? The Valkyrie wouldn’t shut up about her! So, this was Murelia? I tried to Identify her, but I couldn’t get a read.
“Ha ha. How rude, Identifying me on our first encounter? As though that would work.”
Did she have Identify Sense and Identity Protection? To the point of neutralizing Heavensight? Who was she?!
“So, where did you hear of me?”
“The Valkyrie told us.”
“Oh…that.”
For the first time, she seemed genuinely disappointed. I guess that wasn’t the answer she was looking for. Meanwhile, Mea and Quina were staring at her in shock.
“You are Black Cat Murelia?” Mea asked.
“Oh, your friend there seems to know me.”
“Answer me!”
“Well, it depends on who you’re talking about.”
“The queen possessed by the Evil One,” Mea said.
“I see,” she said, smiling. “Then you are correct.”
There was something unsettling about her smile, and her eyes were like deep wells, covered with bottomless darkness.
“What are you talking about?” Fran asked.
Mea took a breath. Was it my imagination, or had she turned paler?
“She was the one who brought the wrath of the gods upon the Black Cat tribe, five hundred years ago.”
Five hundred?! Had she really lived for all that time? Not even Awakened beastmen had that kind of lifespan.
“Why don’t you tell the girl of my brilliant exploits?” she said, motioning to Mea with her chin.
“I… I don’t know how much of this is true,” Mea said.
She proceeded to tell us the legend of Murelia. As with all legends, it was difficult to tell what had been added as it was passed down, not to mention the fact that the records of Black Cat history were destroyed by the Beast King back then. All of which meant that the story’s authenticity was suspect.
“Do you know why the Black Cats were cursed?”
“Hm. They tried to use the Evil One’s power.”
We didn’t know the whole story, but we knew that much at least.
“Yes,” Mea agreed. “The Beast King was a Black Cat, and he tried to turn his whole tribe into Fiends to strengthen his own power. But it is said that Murelia was the one behind it.”
The Black Cat Beast King didn’t start by offering his whole tribe to the Evil One. To begin with, he only wanted to strengthen his own line and hold onto the throne. But Murelia fanned the flames of his ambition. She was a B-Rank adventurer who they called the Lightning Empress. Once she gained the Evil One’s blessing, she became as powerful as an A-Rank.
In fact, some of her abilities were beyond superhuman. After seeing Murelia transform before his own eyes, the Beast King sought out the Evil One’s power for the rest of their tribe. Murelia was given the authority to force the plan on anyone who disagreed with her. Members of the royal family who opposed the plot were executed, and it wasn’t long before the Black Cats began oppressing the other tribes.
“Murelia’s story was passed on by the royal family,” Mea went on. “She became notorious for her treachery and violence. Even after the gods cursed the Black Cats and stripped them of their powers, she continued to tarnish the tribe’s reputation.”
She was a member of the ruling family, but she cooperated with the Evil One and brought the wrath of the gods down on her whole tribe. The legend made her sound truly evil, but it didn’t explain why she was right here in front of us.
Murelia smiled the whole time Mea was speaking, as though she didn’t mind her awful reputation. But when Mea was finished, Murelia’s serene expression suddenly shattered.
“That isn’t exactly how I remember it,” she said. “But no matter. Tell me, you’re a Red Cat, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Mea said, assuming a defensive posture.
There was no way Murelia asked that for no reason. It was clear that she held nothing but animosity toward Mea, and it was easy to see why. Murelia was of royal blood once, before she used the Evil One’s powers and the gods wiped out all trace of her. Now Mea was royalty, a descendant of the Beast King who destroyed all evidence that the Black Cats once ruled the entire Beastman Nation. To put it simply, Mea was a usurper.
The hostility in the air became palpable.
“I see… hee hee hee.”
“Are you really her?” Mea asked.
“I am. The second daughter of the Beast King, the true Beast King. Murelia, the Empress of Lightning.”
“But it’s been centuries since your family held the throne.”
“Yes, and it is still unacceptable! To think that the descendants of such filth should rule our kingdom!”
I figured as much. It sounded like she knew Mea’s ancestors. As Murelia glared at the usurper, Fran broke the silence.
“Why did you do this?”
“Hmm, not one for words, are you?” Murelia asked. “But the answer is simple enough: to destroy the usurpers and bring glory to the Black Cats again.”
What?
Even now, she was rippling with Malice. She was clearly evil, and yet…could she be trying to free the Black Cats from their oppression? Maybe she had no intention of attacking Schwarz Katze in the first place? But Murelia’s expression twisted in a cold sneer, as though she was laughing at my naivete.
“Oh, my. Did you really believe that nonsense?” She threw back her head and laughed. “I do this for revenge, of course! Revenge on those traitors who hate and despise me! Ah ha ha ha!”
She was a bad one, all right. It was like she was a different person from the one who’d spoken before.
“I shall bring ruin to this nation and destroy everything in it! Every last man, woman, and child! I shall erase this entire nation from the earth!”
This woman was clearly insane. I had no idea if it was because of the Malice, or just the natural conclusion of her vengeful nature, but either way, her mind was twisted way beyond repair.
“But the Black Cats,” said Mea, cutting off Murelia’s mad laughter. “Your kin. They live in this country.”
Murelia turned on her. “And what of it?”
“You would really destroy them all?” Mea asked. “Along with everything else?”
The Beastman Nation were especially courteous to the Black Cats. In fact, they were practically pampered. For any other beastman, that should be reason enough to call off the invasion, but a look of pure contempt swept across Murelia’s face.
“Worthless,” she spat, glowering at Mea with contempt. “Every last one of them!”
“What?”
“Those things aren’t Black Cats. They’re maggots surviving only on the pity of others. They are without glory. They are no kin of mine. In fact, they tarnish the name of my tribe. Killing them would be a mercy!”
“What…?”
“And besides,” said Murelia. “It was Black Cats who betrayed me from the very beginning…! Oh, but turning them into dungeon feed would be so wonderful! It’s such a shame they got away. Aha ha ha ha!”
Dungeon feed? What did any of this have to do with a dungeon? Was she a dungeon master?
“You attacked Schwarz Katze on purpose?” Fran asked, her glare turning suddenly cold.
“Of course,” said Murelia. She paused for a moment, then pointed at Fran. “But you are not like the others. You are Evolved. I shall let you be my servant.”
Fran ground her teeth. Murelia didn’t seem troubled by the pressure that Mea, Fran, and Quina were putting out. She did not even seem worried about losing to them. But that didn’t faze Fran either.
“I’d rather die.”
Murelia’s expression soured. “Do you not understand what I offer you? I would allow you to serve me as my slave, and you would refuse? Have you gone mad?”
“Over my dead body.”
“How dare you! Grovel before me, girl. Or you shall live to regret it.”
It felt like we were pressing against a wall. All the blood drained out of Fran’s face, and her knees buckled. An ordinary adventurer would be in tears begging for mercy, but somehow, Fran managed to answer back in a trembling voice.
“I won’t…take orders…from the likes…of you!”
Of course, Fran was afraid of the anger pouring out of such a powerful opponent, but her own anger was much greater. This woman wanted to slaughter a whole village full of Fran’s friends. Fran drew strength from that rage and shouted at Murelia with all the shame she felt for being so afraid in the first place.
“Quite stubborn, this one,” observed one of the Valkyries.
“And confident,” said the other. “Seeing as she had such a hard time with that insignificant sister of ours.”
“Nothing quite so irritating as a weakling playing the hero.”
“Do not think you can defeat us as easily as you defeated our foolish sister. We are giving you one last chance to apologize.”
“Yes, if you apologize now, we will allow you to die after only three days of torture.”
Three days?! I had to agree with Fran: dying now seemed like a much better option than spending three days with these crazy sadists.
“Your sister,” said Fran. “The one who commanded the monsters?”
“Indeed, although she was too weak to earn a name from our master,” said the Valkyrie.
“It sickens me that we shared the same blood!” said the other.
“Our master gave her command of an entire army, and she was defeated by a little girl.”
“She was a blot on our line.”
A quick Identify revealed that these two did indeed have names: Siegrune and Rossweisse. They were like Jet—named monsters. If someone as powerful as Murelia had named them, they must have received a huge buff from it. I only took a short peek at their stats, so I didn’t know exactly how much stronger they were compared to the Valkyrie we fought earlier. Murelia seemed to have Identify Sense, so I needed to be careful. I didn’t want to provoke them for no reason. All I knew was that their stats were high and their skills were plenty, and I was pretty sure they had the Battlemaiden Skill too.
“And there you have it,” said Murelia. “And so it appears that I have an opening for a servant. Come with me and slay the rest of our tribe yourself. It will be quite amusing.”
She gave a sickening chuckle and beckoned Fran toward her. Black light streamed out of her palm.
“Or,” she said, sensing Fran’s resistance. “I could just control you, if you’d prefer.”
“Not on your life!”
“Insignificant fly! It seems a little discipline is in order. Very well. Behold!”
Murelia began an incantation. It didn’t seem like she had No Cast or Instant Cast, but I knew this incantation well. I had cast it enough times myself.
Fran, Mea, you have to stop her! She’s casting Kanna Kamuy!
“Hm! Don’t let her use it!”
“Yaaaaarrgghh!”
Fran was already moving forward, having noticed the spell even before I warned her, and Mea was soon at her side. She did well to only miss a beat or two under the immense pressure coming off Murelia.
“Oh, so you know what our master is about to do,” said one of the Valkyries.
“Perhaps you are better versed in magic than we expected,” said the other.
“Still, you shall not disturb her.”
They stepped forward to defend their master, and the Dullahans all formed up behind them. As powerful as Fran and Mea were, there was no way they could beat all of these enemies before Murelia was finished. Still, things were in our favor. As Murelia’s guard closed in on us, Fran and Mea acted as bait while Quina crept behind Murelia, disguising herself with a phantasm spell that even I couldn’t keep track of. Unfortunately, Murelia wasn’t going to fall for such tactics.
“Urgh!”
Quina failed to penetrate the barrier around Murelia and was knocked away. The shield was so powerful that it burned Quina’s arm, even though she’d barely touched it. And Murelia maintained it all while still casting a Grand Spell.
“Kanna Kamuy!” she shouted, summoning a pillar of white lightning down from the sky.
Still, it looked…strange. I wouldn’t have minded it missing us, and it would have made for a hell of a show of force even so. But Murelia’s white lightning was strangely thin. She had definitely cast Kanna Kamuy, but it wasn’t the Kanna Kamuy I knew. When I cast it, a thick pillar of lightning came crashing down from the sky. Murelia’s was barely half as wide.
Had she failed to put enough mana into it? That would make sense. I mean, I had a habit of overcharging mine. But Murelia was so powerful…I didn’t think that was likely. I watched the spear of lightning crash into the ground about fifteen meters away from us.
Kaboooooom!
Blinding light, followed by a huge explosion.
What…is going on?!
The explosion was nothing like the spell I knew, but it certainly wasn’t just a matter of mana. Despite striking the ground so close to us, the blast wasn’t as powerful as I’d expected. We could easily overcome the shockwave by bracing slightly, but that didn’t mean it was any less destructive.
Somehow, Murelia had focused the pillar of lightning and driven it straight into the ground. That’s why the shockwave wasn’t as intense—the earth had acted as a buffer for the explosion, minimizing the blast.
This Kanna Kamuy had only a tenth of its normal effective area, but the damage it dealt to the spot it did strike was catastrophic. I couldn’t believe it, but Murelia had somehow manipulated it to increase the damage. I could manage that sort of thing with a minor, low-level spell, but with Kanna Kamuy?!
It shouldn’t even be possible to manipulate a Grand Spell like that. It wasn’t like focusing a Fire Arrow to make it stronger. It was more difficult than double casting. This should have been impossible. She must have a mastery of Thunder Magic and an impossible amount of mana control.
“So,” she said calmly. “Do you understand now?”
She hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Fran looked down into the massive pit she’d left in the ground and swallowed.
“Very good,” said Murelia.
“…”
“I shall ask you again: die here, or become my slave. Now, choose. Ah, but the usurper and her maid shall have to go. Please do not soil yourselves while begging for your pathetic lives.”
Murelia was all smiles with Fran one second, then pure murderous desire with Mea and Quina the next. The speed of her mood swings was disturbing. It made her unpredictable. Although I very much doubted that she’d be smiling at Fran for much longer. Might as well get used to the death glare she was flashing at Mea.
And yet, despite all that, Fran’s answer remained the same.
“I told you. I’d rather die than take orders from you.”
Personally, I thought it might be better to play along and create an opening, but Fran had never been big on acting.
The second Fran answered, Murelia’s eyes turned to slits. There was bloodlust pooling in those eyes. There was no question about it: we were now her enemies.
“Then DIE!!”
Murelia’s escort attacked as soon as she’d finished her sentence. The Valkyries were furious at how Fran had treated their master and flew at Fran without hesitation. They’d probably been waiting to kill Fran all this time. I guess there was no harm in Identifying them now.
“How dare you reject Lady Murelia’s graces!” said one. “I’ll kill you!”
“Die with regret in your heart!” said the other.
And here was me thinking that Valkyries were meant to be refined! They were acting more like animals. Still, I guess they were monsters. And monsters that served Murelia, no less.
Siegrune and Rossweisse were Valkyrie Nemesis Lancers, and both of them were Level 67—just one level higher than the Valkyrie we faced earlier. Still, all of their stats were much higher. Their Agility was 100 to 200 greater, and they had Advanced Spear Mastery and Advanced Spear Arts instead of Advanced Bow Mastery. At Level 6, they were practically experts with their weapons. Their Light Magic was at a higher level too, and they had Storm Magic to boot. The lack of extraneous skills only made them more specialized for the task at hand.
Siegrune had the title Nemesis Battlemaiden, while Rossweisse had Annihilator Battlemaiden. Both titles increased their potential power and granted Frenzy to anyone under their control.
Still, I wasn’t sure if they were that much more powerful than the Valkyrie from before. Sure, their stats were higher, but they barely had any Bow Mastery or skills for commanding an army. I guess Murelia just chose them for their raw power, but strategically, they were a bit useless.
The Dullahans weren’t much different from the ones we’d fought earlier. The only difference was that their skills were focused on axe and sword rather than spear, and they seemed to be built more for offense than defense.
Fran and Mea quickly turned to meet the Valkyries, while Quina and Lind took care of the Dullahans. Each was preoccupied this way.
Meanwhile, Murelia hovered over the battlefield, watching. Content to keep her hands clean and knowing full well that she could turn the tide at any moment. She looked down at us all, both literally and figuratively.
Still, we had a chance here. I mean, I was sure we couldn’t beat Murelia. There were some opponents you could never defeat, no matter how hard you tried, and Murelia was one of them. But we could find a way to escape. All we had to do was pull the Valkyries away from Murelia, then pop through a Dimension Gate, hop on Lind’s back, and fly away as fast as possible.
It had the makings of a pretty good plan.
“Don’t even think about running away,” said Murelia.
She waved her hand and a transparent black dome, around a hundred meters across, descended over the area.
“Can’t have you using that Timespace Magic,” she said. “But don’t worry. You may not be able to teleport, however…”
She took a spear out of nowhere and threw it nonchalantly. It fizzed as it cut through the air, passing through the barrier and vanishing over the horizon. It must have traveled well over a kilometer. Her physical strength was just as monstrous as her magic.
“You see?” she said. “All you need to do is make it past the barrier. Assuming that you can, of course.”
How did she know that we had Timespace Magic? Had she seen our stats? Had she seen mine?! Had she figured out that I was an Intelligent Weapon? I tried reading her expression, but I couldn’t make out who she was looking at.
Maybe I was just being self-conscious. After all, she probably would have made a big deal out of it if she’d seen my parameters. She was probably just trying to stop us from using escape items like Teleport Feathers. Clearly, she wanted to watch us all suffer.
Let’s handle the Valkyries and get out from under this barrier. We can teleport away after that.
So long as Murelia stayed out of it, we had a good chance of winning this. In fact, Fran and Mea were already starting to push the Valkyries back. Fran’s Skills were higher than theirs, and besides, she had my support. She blocked the Valkyrie’s spear and landed an easy hit.
Unfortunately for Mea, her weapons skills weren’t as high as Fran’s. However, her gold flame and white fire were doing a good job of chipping away the Valkyrie’s defenses. The Valkyrie was still regenerating, but Mea just kept coming—burning and melting away the Valkyrie’s limbs even as she healed them. She had the upper hand.
Even Quina was somehow holding her own against the Dullahans. Lind struggled with such a tough opponent, but stayed up out of their reach.
“Gah! What is this strange power?!” the Valkyrie growled.
“My spear! You little bitch…!”
Even Murelia seemed surprised. She raised her eyebrows, watching the battle unfold below. Still, it didn’t take long for her cocky grin to come back.
“My, my, you’ve melted Rossweisse’s spear,” she said, studying Mea. “Impressive. But you? That sword of yours bears further inspection.”
I felt her turn her gaze on me. She was definitely using some kind of skill. I felt like she was peeling me apart, one layer at a time, looking through the depths of my soul. Murelia gasped with delight.
“What’s this? An Intelligent Weapon?! And it even has Dimension Magic!”
What?! Do your job, Identity Protection!
Murelia’s eyes sparkled. She’d seen everything she needed to. She raised a Malice-filled hand toward me.
Fran! Murelia knows about me. Be careful!
“Hm!”
Since we couldn’t teleport, we had to rely on Fran’s Heightened Reflexes. Still, what happened next was beyond all our expectations.
“To me.”
What…?!
I don’t know what happened. By the time my mind caught up, I was out of Fran’s hand and into Murelia’s. She didn’t have No Cast, so it couldn’t have been a spell. It had to be some kind of skill.
“Teacher!”
“The sword is called Teacher?” Murelia asked. “How strange.”
Fran’s voice was tight with panic. For an instant, she was completely defenseless.
Don’t let your guard down, Fran!
“Urgh!”
The Valkyrie kicked Fran backward. Her barrier absorbed most of the impact, but the Valkyrie kept coming.
“Come on!” screamed the Valkyrie. “What’s the matter?”
“Argh!”
Fran was just managing to stay clear, but she was frantic and her attention was elsewhere. She kept glancing over at me, deathly worried.
It’s okay, Fran. This is our chance!
Murelia had brought me within striking distance. It was practically an invitation.
I’m going to let her equip me and create a diversion! I’ll be fine. Just hang in there!
Okay…
I couldn’t tell whether Fran agreed with my plan, but she drew another sword and turned her attention back to the fight.
“Oh, you’re so slow now!” the Valkyrie gloated. “Don’t tell me you can’t fight without your magic sword?!”
“Shut up.”
Fran was getting hit more, and she wasn’t landing so many strikes of her own, but I was too far away to keep Skill Sharing active. Still, I couldn’t let this chance go. I had to trust her and find a way to get Murelia’s attention.
“Now then,” said my captor. “Let’s see…”
Zaaap!
She must have tried to equip me. Electricity shot through her body. If I could just attack her with Telekinetic Catapult… but my chance never came. The shock didn’t seem to affect her at all.
“Well, that was quite the surprise,” she said.
She wasn’t Awakened, but…did she somehow have Thunder Immunity regardless? Maybe it was just a high level of natural Thunder Resistance because she was a Black Cat. Or she was just strong enough that the shock made no difference. Honestly, it could be either option.
Still, if she was trying to equip me, then she was definitely interested. I just needed to draw her the rest of the way in. It was a big risk, but I didn’t have a choice. I needed a fighting chance against such a powerful enemy.
Are you trying to equip me?
“Aha ha ha ha ha! A talking sword! And you sound so human! I saw you had a soul, but I didn’t imagine you could talk. Oh, I want it! The child would be so happy with this sword!”
The child?
“Oh yes,” she said, squealing like a little girl. “You are mine now!”
Not happening, lady! I am Fran’s sword for life! Still, I could use her excitement to my advantage.
Those unworthy of wielding me will be punished by the gods. The next shock will be nothing like the first. But…perhaps you might be strong enough to withstand it.
If I stroked her ego, maybe I could goad her into equipping me. I even threw in the bit about divine retribution to egg her on. Murelia might be resistant to thunder, but even she couldn’t withstand the power of the gods. If she equipped me now, I was guaranteed a critical hit at the very least, but the excitement quickly faded from her face.
“Punished, you say? By the gods? No, I am not so foolish that I have not learned from my last engagement with them. You shall have to wait for now.”
Dammit! She was thinking more clearly than I’d hoped. Oh, well, time for a change of plan.
Oh, are you afraid? What a shame! I take it back. You are not worthy to wield me, after all.
She was arrogant enough that this was bound to work, right?
“Ha! No, thank you. I have had my fill of the gods for one lifetime. As much as I hate them, I know better than to underestimate them. But to think that the gods would protect you in such a way…”
What of it?
“Are you a Godsword? One of their servants? Or is this punishment simply an internal defense mechanism they have provided you with? Whatever the case, you are certainly unique.”
I guess provoking her didn’t work either. She was far more cautious than her demeanor let on.
“Oh, well. Nothing to stop me from talking to you. I’ve never spoken to an Intelligent Weapon before.”
Perhaps there was still a chance. If I could just keep her talking, maybe I could convince her to equip me after all. I could at least find out more about her and her army. She seemed genuine enough about talking to me.
Speak with me? About what?
“Let’s see…about who made you. Was it a Godsmith? Or someone else?”
I don’t know. I have no memory of that.
“I see. Well, in that case—”
Hold. It’s my turn to ask a question now.
“Oh? How interesting. What do you want to know?”
Are you a dungeon master?
“I am not.”
Then why—
“Uh-uh. My turn.”
Very well. Ask.
I still had time. Fran had regained her calm and was holding her own against the Valkyrie. Might as well get as much information out of Murelia as I could while we were taking turns.
“You said you have no memory of your maker. What do you remember?”
Only what’s happened recently. Since shortly before I met Fran.
There was a good chance that Murelia had a Skill that could see through lies, so it was best to tell the truth. The fact she believed me right away when I said I didn’t know who my maker was only confirmed it.
I felt strange trying to win the trust of someone like her, but lying would probably stop the flow of information. On balance, it seemed worth revealing some things about myself for the sake of learning about her.
“Really?” she asked. “Is that when you were made? Or was your seal only broken then?”
Nope. My turn. You said you weren’t a dungeon master, but you spoke as though you could use a dungeon’s power. So, what are you?
“Hmm…all right. I suppose there is no harm in telling you. I am a dungeon sub-master. So I can use part of a dungeon master’s power. Although that rather depends on how many points I have.”
Points?
“Wait your turn. Why do you have such a stupid name?”
Stupid…? I guess I’d gotten used to it now. I’d even grown to love it. But even I thought it was weird when I first heard it.
Fran named me. I didn’t have a name before that.
“Nameless, hm? Perhaps you aren’t a Godsword, after all.”
My turn. What are these points?
Were they like my own Evolution Points? I was curious to find out more.
“Of all the things you could ask, you choose that?! All right, it’s unlikely I can tell you, anyway. They’re Goddess Points—abbreviated as GP. The wretched Goddess of Chaos grants them to dungeon dwellers whenever she sees fit. I can spend them at the dungeon core to expand it, or summon monsters or…huh?!”
Murelia paused. She looked surprised.
“Th-there are many ways to gain these points,” she went on at last. “Killing a creature inside a dungeon, for example. The more EXP the creature has, the more GP I get. That’s the only reason dungeon masters even bother with adventurers. There are other methods, such as converting mana from the environment, but they aren’t as effective.”
This time, her eyes widened as she spoke. What had gotten into her?
“Are you…? You must be! I can talk to you about it! Aha ha ha ha!”
She sounded pleased. What exactly was going on here?
“So what are you?” she asked. “And how are you connected to the dungeons?”
What?
“You’re not a Godsword… are you a thrall of the Goddess of Chaos?”
I’d like to know that myself.
I’d had a chance meeting with the Goddess of Chaos once, but she hardly provided me with a detailed explanation of my origins.
Why do you ask?
“Those who serve a dungeon are bound by that dungeon. They cannot speak of it to anyone who is unrelated to them. The fact that I can speak to you means that you must be related to them somehow. Or perhaps not.”
Oh, yeah. Lumina had mentioned something similar. What was going on? Did I count as an object, and did that somehow mean I wasn’t covered by the dungeon’s nondisclosure rules? It seemed unlikely. That stuff was pretty detailed.
Lumina had been limited in what she could tell us, too. Although, I suppose Fran and Jet were there with me. That might be why she couldn’t speak to me the way Murelia was now.
How are you connected to the dungeons?
“It wasn’t always this way,” said Murelia. “Many years ago, I was summoned from the presence of the Evil One and brought to a dungeon by a Fiendmancer named Linford. That old wretch! How dare he, a mere Fiendmancer, try to control a priestess of the Evil One! He turned me into a dungeon sub-master and made me a servant of the very gods who long to destroy us. And I cannot oppose him, or the dungeon, because he is my master. How awful! And yet…the fact that I can speak to you freely…perhaps I can free myself from its control after all!”
Wait, hold up. She seemed very pleased with herself about all this, but she mentioned a very familiar name. An old Fiendmancer named Linford? Surely there could not be that many people who fitted that description!
Are you speaking of Linford Laurentia? A terrible old man, over a hundred years old?
“Oh, my! Do you know him?”
I did. He died on another continent.
“Ooooh! I knew it! The moment the bonds which tie me to this world loosened, I knew something had happened to him. Ha ha ha! I hope his death was painful!”
I hadn’t expected to talk about Linford. I guess he had plans long before he came to Bulbola.
Who are you people? You say you want vengeance. Is that the same thing that Linford wanted?
“Ha ha ha! You know, I’m in such a good mood, I’ll tell you that one for free!”
She was clearly in high spirits. While she spoke, I had time to check on Fran and the others. They were still holding their ground. There was time yet.
“It all started when Linford visited this country,” said Murelia. “I don’t know where the old bastard heard about it, but he discovered that there was a fragment of the Evil One sealed somewhere in the Beastman Nation.”
There is a piece of the Evil One here?!
“Yes. It is the very same fragment my house used, you see. Linford wanted it, so that he could contact the Evil One himself.”
Naturally, he couldn’t find it. Ever since the incident five hundred years ago, the gods had tightened the seals on the fragments. But Linford kept trying, he scoured the whole of the Beastman Nation, then he extended his search to Basharl. After all, it used to be part of the Beastman Nation, long ago.
“He never found the seal,” said Murelia. “But he did find something else.”
Which is?
“A newly born dungeon, high in the mountains of Basharl.”
If the dungeon was new, it wouldn’t have stood a chance against Linford and his cronies.
“The old bastard threatened the dungeon master and took control of it. He wanted to use the mana that it held.”
Newborn or not, it was still a dungeon. It had enough mana for a summoning. Linford carried out a Fiendish variation of the heroic summoning, which was normally used to summon a great hero from the past. Linford’s variation allowed him to summon the souls of the Evil One’s minions. Anyone who’d sold their soul to him was fair game.
“And that is how he summoned me. Although I was only part of myself at the time.”
Linford didn’t have enough power to summon Murelia fully—he could only summon her mind. But that was all he needed to find where the Evil One’s sealed fragment was located. He found it, but was unable to remove the seal the gods had placed on it. The gods must really have done a number on it.
“But Linford kept going.”
He had the idea of offering a large number of souls to the Evil One and using that to weaken the seal. When that was done, he’d be able to contact the Evil One through Murelia. Linford had no intention of resurrecting the Evil One, but he wanted his power. That’s why he couldn’t just destroy the seal.
And that’s what this war’s about.
“Correct. There really is nothing like a war to harvest souls.”
Fortunately for Linford, Basharl absolutely hated the Beastman Nation. He used his Fiendmancy to look into the Basharlian king’s heart. The king was a moderate, but his hatred of the beastmen ran deep. It wasn’t difficult to ensure his cooperation.
“You won’t believe how many people would rather cooperate with Fiends than make peace with their neighbors. I suppose it’s understandable, considering what the beastmen did to them in the past.”
Either way, it meant that Linford and Basharl’s goals were aligned.
“And so they formed a plan,” said Murelia. “Basharl would mobilize their armies, while Linford arranged a pincer attack on the dungeon.”
So this war had been many years in the making. Basharl knew their forces were no match for the Beastman Nation, and they had no allies to support them. That was why their king was a moderate: he knew that even a small skirmish would prove fatal to his people. But that only made Basharl more resentful.
“There are so many human supremacists in Basharl now that I rather think they’ve lost their minds.”
The Basharlian king jumped at the chance to defeat their long-standing enemy. He must have thought their tragedy was finally at an end.
“Plenty of Basharl’s own slaves died in that dungeon, and their souls were stored away. That’s when I was fully summoned here.”
Murelia was so powerful that I was surprised anyone could control her, but I guess several hundred souls offered up to the Evil One allowed Linford to use the summoning ritual effectively. He could never fully control her, but it was enough. He made her sub-master of the dungeon he’d used to summon her, to further bind her to his purpose. No matter how strong Murelia was, she was no match for the Goddess of Chaos, who ruled the dungeon system.
At that point, all that was left was to declare war and offer the souls of all who died in it to the Evil One. With that, the seals would weaken, and Linford would be able to contact the Evil One and earn his blessing.
Oh, Goddess of Chaos…I don’t suppose you want to intervene and stop Murelia again?
The Black Cats who became Fiends were supposed to have been wiped out in the time of retribution. But now Murelia was back, and she was a dungeon sub-master. It was as absurd as summoning a goblin to make it a dungeon master. Either way, I didn’t think the gods would step in to destroy her again this time.
“I can’t fight back against Linford…” Murelia said. “But that was not enough to make me his slave. No, he had to make me an offer.”
She wasn’t just taking orders. Linford gave her incentives to keep her on his side, among which was the ability to use the dungeon’s power and grant her own desires.
“I accepted,” she said. “So that I could destroy the beastmen who betrayed me.”
No matter how much she resented Linford for trying to control her, her hatred for the beastmen was greater. She had made a dreadful first impression, and she was certainly twisted, but I was beginning to think that the beastmen of the past did something truly horrible to her. Her resentment toward them seemed real enough.
After summoning Murelia, the dungeon was depleted of most of its power. It remained small and weak, but its territory extended over the mountains between Basharl and the Beastman Nation, providing monsters and extra military strength. Using those Goddess Points, it could summon monsters from within or take control of monsters from outside the dungeon. Since it didn’t need any particular kind of monster, it could just set up a magic circle and summon them at random.
The dungeon had to get stronger to accommodate them, but that process was simple enough. Basharl gathered hundreds of slaves, took them to the dungeon, and slaughtered them—giving their life force to the dungeon. The dungeon master used to be a petty bandit, so he didn’t have the guts to disobey either Linford or Basharl. The plan was perfect.
Then Linford departed in search of other ways to weaken the seal and left Murelia in charge.
I already knew what happened next: Linford came to Bulbola and carried out his research with Zelyse, until Fran and the others put an end to his evil schemes. Perhaps he employed similar kill-or-be-killed strategies in other places. Still, it made me break out in a cold sweat to think about what would have happened if Linford had returned to the Beastman Nation after receiving the Evil One’s blessing in Bulbola. It all could have been so much worse.
“Hmph. I wondered why the old man’s control over me had weakened. Who could have imagined that he’d get himself killed!”
Killing Linford was still the right call, but I was worried by how pleased Murelia was about it. The dungeon master didn’t have much control over her to begin with. Now, with Linford dead, she was as good as free.
Murelia threw back her head and laughed.
“The old bastard’s shackles are destroyed! Aha ha ha! All that’s left to do now is free myself from that dungeon, and the shackles of the Goddess of Chaos!”
And what will you do when you’re free? I asked, although I was pretty sure that I already knew the answer.
“Destroy the Beastman Nation and slaughter every single one of their vulgar and foolish tribes!”
Yeah, just as I’d figured. There was no way she’d spend her freedom in quiet retirement, and there was no way I could let this woman go free.
“And you are going to help me,” she said. “What, you didn’t really think I’d let you leave after learning so much, did you?”
You told me all of that freely!
“I did, but I shall not be robbed of such a fine catch as you.”
What should I do? If I refused, Murelia would attack me, as well as Fran and the others. Could I stall for time? Or try to get her to equip me again?
As I ran through the plans in my head, black mana seeped from Murelia’s hands, thick with the taint of Malice. It formed into tentacles like a jellyfish and swarmed around me.
“Heh heh heh.”
Tch!
I tried to pull myself free with Telekinesis and lop off her arm, but I couldn’t budge. She was so strong!
Let me go!
“Ah ha ha! You’re wasting your time!”
I blasted her with Thunder and Flame Magic, but it was useless. She didn’t even bother to defend herself from the lightning. She must have been immune. Even Inferno Burst, my hardest-hitting Fire Spell, barely dented her barrier. And Timespace Magic was out, so I couldn’t teleport away or use Pocket Dimension. I was helpless.
The black tendrils twisted down my blade. Whatever was happening, it couldn’t be good. But for some reason, my Danger Sense wasn’t firing.
Damn it!
“Heh, it hurts, doesn’t it?” Murelia said, grinning sadistically. “Aren’t you miserable? Afraid? Don’t you want me to release you?”
Uhhh…if I was being honest? Not really. I wasn’t even taking chip damage, but Murelia didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy celebrating her victory.
“You know, I could free you from this agony if I wanted to. But I won’t. Not until you surrender to me. So long as you have a soul, the Evil One can still claim it!”
What was she talking about? Did she do something to me? I was beginning to doubt if these Malice tentacles were having any effect at all. I mean, I didn’t feel any different. Maybe she’d somehow taken control of my body?
“Now,” she screamed. “Obey me!”
…
I didn’t move. My mind was still my own, and so was my body. I could refuse her orders without issue.
“Well? I said obey me!”
I still didn’t know what was happening, but I needed her to think that she’d won.
Uhhh, yes…Lady Murelia?
“Is that all? I suppose your soul may have undergone some changes when it was stuck in this sword. Never mind. Go then. Fly! You have Telekinesis, do you not?”
Yes.
I floated out of her hand and moved around a bit. My body was definitely still under my control. If I turned Telekinesis off now, I’d plummet. I don’t know how, but for some reason she’d failed to command me. Still, Murelia seemed oblivious of this. She was grinning from ear to ear.
“Whatever you were plotting, it’s no use to you now! You are my slave. Powerless in the face of my Malice. Aha ha ha ha! Oh, but you will make such a fine gift for the child!”
Again with the stuff about “the child.” Who was she talking about? Perhaps now that she was convinced I was on her side, she’d tell me.
Who is the child?
“Romeo. My dear, sweet child. Yes, you will make the perfect guardian!”
What? She had a son?! Could someone summoned back from the dead still have children? Then again, her mind was so warped that this child might not even exist anymore.
So, this Romeo—
“Silence! Enough with your questions. I have grown tired of this game. Let’s see how that girl reacts when her own sword runs her through. Oh, I can’t wait!”
Guess I wasn’t getting any more out of her now.
“Now, go! Skewer that little girl!” she shouted, pointing at Fran.
It was a clear order, but still, my body didn’t obey.
Nevertheless, she thought she had complete control over me, and she’d let her guard down. This was my chance. I ran through some ideas on how best to exploit the opportunity. Should I attack Murelia? Or use her illusion of control to return to Fran? Going back to Fran wouldn’t help much if Murelia decided to pull me to her again, and Murelia’s current defenseless state was a one-in-a-million chance.
But how should I attack? She probably had Thunder Immunity, so Kanna Kamuy was out. I didn’t know if Telekinetic Catapult would finish her off, especially since I hadn’t been able to find her crystal. Did she even have one? She used to be a Black Cat, so she should still have one, even though she was a Fiend. Still, there was the chance she didn’t. Should I go for her head? Her heart? Would that kill her? I had my doubts.
What now? Think! I was running out of time!
I pushed Speed Thinking and Multi Mind to their limit. I needed to work out how to deal with her, and fast! It wouldn’t be long before she started to get suspicious.
I could always max out some other spell elements to acquire more Grand Spells. I didn’t know if it would work, but right now, it seemed like my only option.
I didn’t meet the requirements to evolve Sword King Arts, and besides, she was probably resistant to physical damage. Without Fran’s help, Skycutter would be difficult to use, and I had no idea if that would hurt Murelia either.
No, magic was my only option. But I only had 11 EP left. The only ones I could max out with that were Flame and Earth. I searched my memory bank for other elements I could use and found Light, Wood, and Sand. Apparently, I’d absorbed them from some of Murelia’s minions. But all of them were at Level 1, so they were useless.
Hold on. Could I make a show of attacking Fran and then attack the Valkyrie instead? Maybe I could even claim that it was an accident, and Murelia’s mind control was messing with my coordination. If I could pull it off, I’d gain another crystal and be able to evolve. Then I could max out a whole bunch of spells.
But, if I did that, Murelia wouldn’t let me near her again, and might even turn against me if she saw my maxed-out spells. I guess I needed to exploit the opportunity I already had, rather than trying some elaborate setup.
But what to do…??
I scrolled through my memory banks, desperately looking for a skill that might be of some use and, just like that, my prayers were answered.
Fiend Crusher: Greatly multiples damage to Fiends. Applies the effect Fiend Seal.
An anti-Fiend Skill?!
It must have only been added after I spent a certain amount of EP, like Identity Protection and Monstrology. I probably got it back when I hit Rank 15.
That was a much better option than randomly spending points on magic and hoping that it worked.
Don’t let me down, Fiend Crusher!
It seemed like the skill most likely to get me out of this situation. I could attack Murelia with it, then escape with Fran and the others during the confusion. I spent 5 EP to acquire it. Whatever happened, it was better than putting points into some spell with unknown effects.
Acquired Skill: Fiend Crusher
The PA’s voice rang out as I felt the skill course through my body. Unfortunately, it was still pretty weak. I needed to make it stronger.
EP requirements to evolve Fiend Crusher met. Proceed?
Yes!
Level 5 Fiend Crusher was all I needed. That was a good investment.
Acquired Skill: Fiend Crusher Revelation. Fran has acquired the title: Fiend Annihilator
Fiend Crusher Revelation: Crushes and seals servants of the Evil One.
That was one loud pop-up! The explanation reminded me of Sword God’s Blessing. Yes, this thing would definitely come in handy.
“What’s this odd sensation?” Murelia asked, frowning. “Is it coming from the sword…?”
Crap, she was on to me.
“And I can’t see your stats any more…”
She must have been using a Fiend Skill to scan me, and now my new skill was blocking it. It was now or never.
Fran! Mea! Quina! Lind! I’m going to attack her. Get ready to run!
I didn’t have time to wait for their response, but some warning was better than nothing. Before Murelia could pull away, I turned my blade upon her.
Uooooooooh!
The moment I activated Fiend Crusher Revelation, my blade was covered in white light. Murelia screamed, stumbling back as though she was repulsed by it.
“Impossible! How are you not under my control?!”
The cat was really out of the bag now. I couldn’t let her get away!
While Murelia was still reeling, I launched myself at her with the full power of mana-propelled telekinesis.
Take this!
“Not so fast!”
Just as I was a few centimeters away, Murelia set up a barrier. Her reflexes were even sharper than I thought! I braced myself to bounce harmlessly off of it, but this time, I broke through with ease. There wasn’t even any resistance—it was like cutting through jelly. Before she could react, I plunged my blade deep into her chest.
Whoa!
“Gah!”
Even I was surprised at how easy it was. Despite her dainty appearance, her body was supposed to be reinforced with mana and Malice. Her skin should have been tougher than monster hide. No ordinary weapon could leave a scratch on her, and yet my blade was sticking out of her back.
Murelia’s expression contorted with pain, and the Malice in her body began to plummet. That must be the Fiend Seal doing its job.
This was my big chance. Fiend Crusher Revelation was more effective against her than I could ever have hoped! It was time to deal as much damage as I could.
Take this!
“Eeeergh! Damn you!”
I cast a Flame Spell, hoping to burn her from the inside, but unfortunately, my new skills didn’t seem to affect magic. The red-hot flames swirling around my blade were extinguished in a moment by her Malice. All I’d done was burn the entry wound. Nothing significant.
“H-how…were you…hiding this power? Aaaaaarg!”
Gah!
I yelped as Murelia grabbed my hilt and pulled me out of her body. Once she had hold of me, she beat my blade with her bare fist. I was still protected by the new skill, but it didn’t do much to reduce physical damage. I threw up a barrier to soften the blow, but it could only do so much. Another couple of punches, and my blade shattered.
“Cursed sword! Obey me!”
She was raging now, completely blinded by anger. And so she didn’t notice as I extended my decorative ribbon.
Obey you? No thanks!
“Gyaaaa!”
I split my ribbon into countless needles and stabbed her in the back. The needles were weak individually, but every single one of them ignored her barrier and hit home. They were still affected by Fiend Crusher Revelation, and this skill was a bona fide Fiend-killer.
Murelia arched backward, screaming in pain as the needles pierced her body. Finally, her concentration slipped, and the dome over the battlefield melted away. Timespace Magic was back in play!
Time to get out of here!
I teleported back to Fran. She was still engaged in battle with Siegrune, but the Valkyrie was momentarily distracted by her master’s screams. We needed to leave.
“Teacher!”
I’m back, Fran. Come on, we need to run!
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