Defected Dark Healer’s Rise to Wealth
The throne was set in the hollow of the World Tree.
Before the seated Marrow, there were humans standing, disrespectfully not even kneeling.
“You are the Kingdom’s Hero Corps, are you?”
Marrow had heard a few moments ago that reinforcements from the kingdom had arrived. They requested an audience, so Marrow made them wait for a while before responding, though it held no particular significance.
“…Hmph.”
Marrow, seated upon the throne, received a cup of wine from one of his vessels standing by his side, all nine of them lined up next to him. As he took the cup, he gazed intently at the man standing at the head of the Hero Corps.
──It was obvious right away that this man was the hero.
As one said to be special, it was clear that he possessed extraordinary holy power… in other words, vitality. Even among elves, who were typically known for their long lives, there were few with such a force.
…But that was all.
In the end, he was still human and would die soon. Like a fruit that had accidentally grown on a withered branch, he was an insignificant being. Thus, the slight interest he had initially felt quickly faded.
“I’ll tell you if necessary. Until then, wait.”
With those words, Marrow gestured to an elf standing nearby. Immediately, the elf rushed forward and began guiding the Hero Corps.
“Please wait a moment, Sage Marrow.”
“Hm? ‘Marrow-sama’…?”
The hero stopped him, and Marrow furrowed his brow… but then held back. While he was displeased at being treated with near-equal status by a mere human, the fact that Melissa was backing him suggested this one might be useful as a combatant. Until he could be discarded, Marrow would treat him somewhat appropriately.
“What is it?”
“Are you familiar with someone by the name of ‘Kiwi Alaya ‘?”
“…Kiwi Alaya ?”
Marrow had no recollection of the name. The fact that it had both a first and last name indicated it was probably a human’s name, but what of it?
“I don’t know them. Nor do I need to.”
“…I see.”
The hero bowed and finally left. Marrow simply watched him go and snorted.
…He thought he might listen to them talk freely, but oh well.
For Marrow, what was necessary wasn’t information on some trivial human. What mattered was information about that “white-robed demon” who, about a month ago, had not only attacked Marrow’s vessel but also Marrow himself with the “Demon’s Thunder.”
“Well then.”
Marrow turned his gaze toward the male elf, newly appointed as his secretary.
“Have you set up the ‘transmission bodies’?”
“Yes, they have been placed across various regions…”
“Have you also arranged the elves?”
“Yes, as per your instructions, we’ve avoided placing them near the ‘transmission bodies’… but, may I ask about the reasoning behind the placement?”
“I won’t allow it. Don’t waste my time.”
“…My apologies!”
“You mere mortals should just follow my orders. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“Yes!”
“Now, leave. Don’t speak to me unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
The secretary elf bowed deeply in silence and left the throne room. Marrow sighed deeply.
It was truly unpleasant. It felt like there were more and more elves these days who didn’t know their place. To question a being of divine status—what kind of thinking leads to such a thing?
“After this war, perhaps I’ll need to enforce some discipline…”
Marrow murmured to himself, and he could see several of his vessels trembling slightly. He paid them no mind.
Those who feared greatness were the weak, and their punishment was not worth it. As for those who didn’t tremble, that was fine too.
“‘Upper Dolls’—how much has the output limit increased in the last month?”
At Marrow’s question, the three female elves on the far right, with mechanical precision, walked forward and kneeled.
“0.5% increase. We can now output 35% of Marrow-sama’s power.”
The elf called “Number Three” answered with lifeless eyes.
“0.9% increase. We can now output 36.4% of Marrow-sama’s power.”
The elf called “Number Two” answered without moving except for her lips.
And finally,
“1.5% increase. We can now output 42.2% of Marrow-sama’s power.”
The elf called “Number One,” whose appearance resembled a snowman with all colors except white drained from her body, gave her report.
After hearing the three reports, Marrow smiled in satisfaction.
“Good. It’s rising steadily.”
The more the vessels were possessed by Marrow’s immense life energy, the more their power increased. But in turn, their spirits were burned out, emotions vanished, and eventually, they lost their very sense of self, becoming like blank dolls.
Thus, they neither feared nor resisted Marrow. They were essentially lifeless puppets.
“Number One, come.”
Marrow summoned the white-haired elf with the highest output, placing his hand on her head. Immediately, a massive column of white light enveloped her. As the light converged and vanished, the elf remained. Her previously white eyes were now the same color as Marrow’s.
“‘No more carelessness from now on.’”
Marrow’s voice, along with Number One’s, echoed in unison.
“‘Let’s grant the lower demons eternal and unending pain.’”
Side: Hero Ares
“──Kukakaka, it seems that Sage Marrow has no interest in us at all,” said Hades, Vice-Chairman of the Kingdom’s Church, as he laughed in the shabby hut to which the guide elf had led them.
“It seems he thinks something like, ‘Let the lowly humans be sacrificed to whittle down the enemy forces, and that will be a win,’” he continued.
“Whatever the case, it’s none of our concern,” the hero replied.
At Hades’ words, Ares snorted, seemingly uninterested.
“No matter what orders we’re given, our goal remains unchanged.”
“The elimination of Kiwi Alaya … is that right?”
Hades grinned, then asked, “By the way, Ares-sama, why did you ask such a question earlier?”
“Such a question?”
“You asked Marrow-sama if he knew about Kiwi Alaya .”
“It doesn’t really mean much. I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to make sure the target doesn’t overlap… I need to interrogate Kiwi Alaya before he dies about Artemis’ whereabouts.”
“…Ah, I see.”
“You seem to want to say something, Hades?”
Ares glared at Hades, who was smiling with a knowing expression.
“No, no! Of course not! I just thought it was a beautiful gesture of neighborly love!”
Hades made a sad face, as if surprised by the accusation.
“I was moved by your consideration for Artemis-sama. Therefore, while the original mission is elimination… fine, I’ll cooperate. Let’s capture Kiwi Alaya alive.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, of course.”
Hades nodded exaggeratedly several times, then raised one finger.
“Then, Ares-sama, shall we plan this out in advance?”
“Plan?”
“Yes. Kiwi Alaya is no ordinary target, you know. After all, he was the one you failed to take down last time. He surely isn’t wandering around unguarded, is he?”
Ares, while slightly grimacing at Hades’ words, said nothing. The fact was, they had indeed been outmatched in the battle in Elden.
“Kiwi Alaya is surrounded by two powerful zombies.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the report you submitted earlier.”
“One of them… the female knight, unless we deal with her, Kiwi Alaya ’s defense will be impenetrable.”
“She’s the sword fighter you couldn’t defeat, right?”
“That was three months ago. It’s different now.”
As if recalling a bitter memory, Ares gritted his teeth, then added, “I’ll take down that female knight.”
“…I see. In that case, we can restrain Kiwi Alaya while you deal with her.”
“There should be another strong zombie soldier as well, you know?”
“I’ll handle that.”
Hades said, then took out a long wooden box about half his height from the cart and opened it.
“Black… a rifle? Though it seems to have a lot of extra gadgets attached to it.”
“Yes, it’s a custom-made sniper rifle.”
Hades fiddled with the bolt, checked the chamber, and adjusted the scope, smiling.
“I’ll stay hidden in the back until the right moment. While the enemy is distracted by your battle with the female knight, I’ll shoot down that zombie, and then we can capture the unguarded Kiwi Alaya .”
The two high-ranking priests of the hero squad, who had been silent, looked at each other in confusion after Hades spoke.
Then, one of them timidly asked, “Um… Hades-sama, is it alright for us to touch Kiwi Alaya ?”
“According to that paper, he has a myth-level Dark Heal…”
“Ha ha ha! You’re such fools. There’s no way such a ‘theoretical paper’ can be applied in a battlefield like this.”
“Y-You’re right… I remember Artemis-sama saying the same thing before.”
“Exactly. Reaching the level of mythology as a human is impossible.”
At Hades’ words, the two priests sighed in relief.
However, Ares, who had been listening, tilted his head.
“Dark Heal…?”
The priests looked at him with concern as Ares fixed them with a penetrating gaze.
“What’s this about?”
“Ah, well… it’s about that paper Kiwi Alaya left behind when he went to the Kingdom…”
“Speak plainly.”
“Yes, yes! In short, it says, ‘By offering a human soul, a demon can perform myth-level healing.’ That’s why we were worried if it would be safe for us humans to touch Kiwi Alaya without any preparation.”
—A sacrifice.
That word triggered a memory for Ares, bringing up that unforgettable scene from the battle in Elden. The immense amount of holy power Artemis had released suddenly being swallowed by a column of pitch-black light.
After the light disappeared, Artemis collapsed and stopped moving, and in her place, the zombie female knight began to stir.
“A sacrifice, huh…?”
What if, for example, that black light column was actually a myth-level Dark Heal?
And if a sacrifice was really used in it, then… what happened to Artemis?
“Oh my, you look pale, Ares-sama,” Hades said, placing a hand on Ares’ shoulder.
Ares snapped back to reality, brushing off Hades’ hand with a sudden motion. Hades, however, only smiled that unreadable smile, unchanged.
“Perhaps you should lie down for a while? To ensure your strength for the first crucial step in rescuing Artemis-sama, you must be in perfect condition.”
“…Artemis is… still alive, right…?”
“Haha! What are you saying? Colonel Schwizen reported it, didn’t he?”
“Ah, right. That’s right…”
That’s right.
When they withdrew from Elden, Schwizen, the only other survivor besides Ares, must have seen Artemis being carried off by the demons.
But Ares hadn’t seen it. He had lost consciousness at that time.
…
Ares remained silent, folding his hands as if in prayer.
