“Guuaaaaaa～～～～!”
“What was that?”
I was suspicious. Albert, the cornered criminal, had let out a strange growl. Moreover, his pulse and heartbeat were rapidly accelerating…?
“What’s this? You still plan to resist at this point?”
“Wait, Iscar.”
Iscar only noticed the superficial changes.
“I see you have no intention of repenting. Step aside, guards. I’ll kill him myself.”
Then, carelessly, he reached out — at that moment,
“Growl!”
“Muh!?”
Albert bit into Iscar’s hand! And with a speed and agility you wouldn’t expect from an old man, as if he were a beast, or like some sort of… creature.
“Let go of me!”
Iscar tried to punch him with his free hand.
But Albert’s figure vanished in an instant. The next moment, there was a roar from outside the shattered window.
Before I knew it, the old man was on the roof of the lord’s mansion annex, walking on all fours and howling.
“W-What is happening…?”
“I don’t know. This time, even I’m unsure. But Iscar, your hand.”
“Damn!”
The hand that had been bitten was in tatters. While the fingers hadn’t been torn off, it was close. His skin had been completely ripped open, and the exposed bone was shattered.
“Argh, it hurts like hell! Sebas, help me!”
“Oh no! Iscar-sama’s loyal right hand, which has served him for years…!”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
“But now, Lady Sara is here for you…”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
Ignoring the strange conversation between them, I began to think. Hmmm… this is getting fishy.
“Grrr… For a mere commoner to injure me, who possesses multiple body enhancement skills…! Was Albert a noble too?”
“No. As far as I could tell, he was just an ordinary old man.”
Until a few seconds ago, that is.
“Anyway, Iscar, let me take care of your hand.”
“Ouch!?”
With no time to waste, I forcibly grabbed it. As expected of a noble, his hand was thick and sturdy. From my skill <Storage Space Item Box>, I drew clean water and poured it over the wound. Then, I used the skills <Detoxify Disinfect> and <Heal> to restore it completely.
“All done.”
“Well, that was quick. Healing such a wound instantly with <Heal>… how much magic power do you even have…?”
“Well, y’know.”
Magic power is the life force that inhabits living creatures after the appearance of ‘monsters.’ It’s consumed when using skills. Rest is the only way to recover it.
I consider magic power as a form of mental energy.
You could call it a “prepayment of effort”… For example, when using the <Heal> skill, the faster and more completely you want to heal, the more magic power you consume. In other words, it’s like losing the mental energy required to nurse someone back to full health over time.
And in my case,
“I’m the strongest. I’ve got the mental fortitude of a champion, too.”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
Iscar gave me a look of exasperation.
Well, you nobles have your “status and strength” as a source of mental energy, so you have plenty of magic power too. We’re not so different, you and I.
“Albert, on the other hand, is not the same.”
I looked up at the old man howling to the heavens. He was clearly weakened by age.
As people age, they lose physical strength. With declining physical strength comes a lack of mental energy. Even if he possessed some kind of enhancement skill, he shouldn’t be able to get so unnaturally strong.
“That means it’s likely an external factor.”
Perhaps that ‘merchant’ who sells the poison of the Evil Dragon did something. Or maybe it’s the work of the ‘Black Death Brigade,’ those humanized monsters. Or possibly both.
In any case,
“He needs to be neutralized. You all stay hidden.”
I told the guild master and guards, then stepped outside through the window.
The sky had grown overcast before I noticed. Could Albert have drawn it in? Rain clouds were starting to gather, and light raindrops began to fall.
In the midst of that, I stood alone in the garden of the courtyard… wait,
“Why are you here, Iscar?”
“Hmph.”
That villainous-looking guy stood beside me. Why, though?
“I told you to stay back.”
“I refuse.”
“Don’t be foolish. The reason I thoroughly disinfected you earlier was because I suspected that Albert had been infected with some sort of virus or plague. What if it spreads to you?”
“Then I’ll simply avoid getting hit again.”
“That’s easy to say, but—”
I was about to argue when he silenced me by placing a finger on my lips.
“Trust me.”
“Iscar…”
“Sara. Today, I’ve had to rely on you more than I care to admit. I cannot bear it.”
With a serious expression, the lord spoke.
“If we are partners in work, let us fight together.”
“…Hmph. You’ve finally got a good look on your face.”
“We will rid this land of our problems. Come with me, Sara!”
“Ha! Asking a dragon to follow? You’ve got guts, Iscar!”
At the same time, we both leapt!
The ground shattered beneath our feet. The flowers in the garden scattered. We broke through the sound barrier and charged Albert together.
‘GaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!’
Albert was no longer human. He let out a roar, thrusting both arms forward to meet our fists.
His reflexes, strength, power, speed, and toughness were all far beyond that of a normal person. He was on par with a noble. The result? A clash of tremendous force echoed throughout the settlement.
“Well, he’s only on a noble’s level.”
‘GraaAAAHHH!?’
The clash lasted only a moment. While Iscar struggled to push, my fist sank deep into Albert’s wrist and tore through to his shoulder.
‘GyaaaAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! It HURTS! IT HURTS!!!’
Albert screamed as he leapt back. Iscar and I landed on the roof.
“While I had a close fight, you completely dominated him, Sara. How frustrating.”
“You don’t work out. I’ll train with you next time.”
“Hmph, you’d better.”
Shut up, noble. Anyway,
“…Look at Albert’s arm.”
“Hm?”
The arm I had torn through… was slowly healing, emitting white smoke. Just like the ‘non-human healing magic’ I had used on Iscar.
“It’s confirmed. That guy is being manipulated by a being beyond human understanding.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if something was set up beforehand or if he’s being controlled right now, but…”
Good grief. This has become quite the hassle. My luck has been terrible since yesterday—what on earth is happening?
“GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
At that moment, further changes occurred in Albert.
With a single leap, he soared into the sky, tearing his clothes and revealing massive wings!
“He’s literally quit being human!”
“What the heck is happening!?”
His muscles swelled to the point of bursting, twisted horns sprouted above his bloodshot white eyes, and his skin turned red. The temperature of his body seemed to rise to hundreds of degrees, causing the raindrops to sizzle and evaporate the moment they touched him.
That form… it’s…
“The ‘Scorching Demon Ugobak.’ It looks just like the demon from the volcano.”
“A-a demon?!”
Iscar’s eyes bulged in fear, and he started trembling. Disgusting.
“A-a demon! That’s a spiritual entity classified as S+ rank danger! Just a glance can cause a normal person to die from shock! I-I’m going to die!!!”
“You’re not normal, you’re a noble.”
“Oh, right.”
He seems to have calmed down. Good for him.
“The racial ability: 【Demon’s Gaze】, huh? The demon’s gaze can indeed inflict fatal mental damage, but nobles have strong bodies and thick skin, both physically and mentally.”
In the past, demons like this have been hunted down. Back then, nobles from across the country gathered and, in a desperate charge, managed to defeat a demon that had turned two-thirds of the land to ash. It sounded fun.
“But hold on, Sara! I’m the only noble here!”
“That’s because you’ve never gotten married.”
“Silence! I’ll marry you right now, you wretch! …No, that’s not the point. What do we do about this situation?!”
The demonized Albert was watching us. Thanks to him being up in the air, the townspeople weren’t in immediate danger. But if you listened closely, you could hear:
“Hey, there’s something in the sky!” “Isn’t that the demon from the encyclopedia?!” “I’m feeling weird…” “Ah! Lua’s brother collapsed! Probably from jacking off six times a day!”
It sounds like people are panicking and falling ill. I’ll save the ones who aren’t complete idiots.
“Just by being there, he corrupts humanity. Truly, the upper echelon of monsters—the demon.”
But…
“Here, we’ve got me, the evil dragon. And more importantly, we’ve got you, the noble.”
“Huh?”
I turned to look at Iscar and asked him a question.
“You said you didn’t want to rely entirely on me to handle everything, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Do you still feel that way?”
I pointed to the demon in the sky.
That disaster which once devastated the land. I don’t know why Albert became like that, but the miasma and pressure radiating from him is identical to that of a demon.
“I’m the strongest. I can defeat him alone if I have to. But what about you?”
“…You’re asking some cruel questions.”
Iscar lowered his head. For a moment, I thought he had given up. But no—his gaze was fixed on Sebastian, the elderly butler, clutching his chest in pain.
“I am scared. Honestly, I want to leave it all to you. …But if I let the townspeople or my servants get hurt and do nothing, I’d be a disgrace as a man!”
“!”
“So, Sara, lend me your strength!”
Lend him strength—meaning, Iscar fully intends to lead this fight. He made that clear.
“Yeah… alright.”
I nodded without hesitation. If I didn’t respond to his resolve, then I wouldn’t be much of a man either.
“Rejoice, Iscar. I’ll make you a demon slayer.”
“I don’t particularly want that title… Also, while I’m at it, keep talking in that manner from now on.”
In that manner? …Oh.
“Ah, so I’ve been speaking normally, haven’t I? Since when?”
I usually wore a mask when acting as Sara to conceal my true self, but… when did I start slipping?
“When did it happen…?”
“Haha, this is the first time I’ve seen you look so confused. …Ah, but more importantly—”
Iscar looked up into the sky with a grimace. There, the demon was forming a massive blue magic circle.
“Is that a ‘Demonic Cannon’ spell?! Only high-ranking monsters, akin to evil dragons, can use that world-destroying sorcery!”
Iscar was shaking. Even the distant townspeople, sensing the imminent catastrophe, had begun to panic out of pure instinct.
But—
“Don’t worry. I’m here.”
I grabbed Iscar’s hand. And then I imbued him with the all-consuming ‘Black Flame.’
“Wh-what is this!?”
“It’s a charm. It grants you the power to crush anything that gets in your way.”
So, let’s do it.
“Let’s take down this fool who’s messing with our town, Iscar.”
“…Yeah! Sara, take me up to him!”
“Leave it to me.”
I grabbed Iscar by the waist and with the power of the evil dragon, launched us into the sky!
The demon roared, “GRRRRUUAAAAAAAH!” as it activated its magic cannon. The circle shone brightly, and—
“Die! Die! Eleventh-tier Magic Cannon! – ‘Flame of Paradise Lost’!”
A massive blue flame was unleashed. Its conceptual nature was ‘plunder.’ It would steal the life force of anything it touched—a spell of pure destruction.
But—!
“Tear through it, Iscar!”
“Raaahhhhhhhhhh!!!”
The all-consuming black flame devoured even the concept of ‘plunder.’
Together, Iscar and I tore through the blue flames and charged straight for the demon.
“Get out of my territory!!!”
“GRRAAAAAAAAH?!”
And with a punch to the demon’s face, we brought the chaos to an end.
