WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 91: Battle (3)
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Knights possessed exceptional skill in fighting people, but they were somewhat weak when it came to exorcising demons.
It was because they could not wield Holy Power.
The lack of Sacred Power was a major weakness.
To live as a combat specialist in a world infested with demons, one absolutely had to be equipped with some means of fighting demons.
Most relied heavily on Holy Water.
Yuri was no exception.
She had secretly coated her blade with the finest Holy Water.
It was for fighting White Horn.
Fortunately, White Horn had not noticed.
Yuri had carved wounds all over his body, applying Holy Water each time.
Now, its backlash was appearing.
When she pulled the trigger with her Aura, all the Holy Water absorbed into Mapheltan's body began to boil.
Demonic Energy and Holy Power clashed.
Explosive reactions occurred without pause.
Yuri immediately widened the distance between herself and Mapheltan.
She could not be caught in the backlash.
If she entered the blast radius, a fragile human body would vanish without a trace.
Yuri stepped back and watched Mapheltan.
Black smoke rose into the sky. A pool of black blood had gathered on the ground.
Corroded pieces of flesh fell into the blood one after another.
Mapheltan writhed in agony.
Cough... Gah!
He was clearly dying.
A faint sense of relief appeared on Yuri's face.
As expected, the finest Holy Water was highly effective.
The higher a demon's rank, the more effective Holy Water became.
Yuri wiped away her cold sweat.
She was truly glad she had obtained that Holy Water.
With the world growing increasingly dangerous, she had imposed on the Saintess to obtain it. It had certainly proven useful.
Without it, Yuri would surely not have survived.
She made the sign of the cross.
“Saint Marziel. This lamb offers thanks for Your infinite grace.”
Mapheltan fell to one knee.
His wings had been torn to shreds, and his left eye was shut.
Even his remaining eye flickered faintly.
Even for an Apostle, it would be difficult for White Horn to recover now.
All that remained was to finish him off.
Yuri cautiously approached White Horn.
Then she heard a languid voice.
“Well, you really took a beating.”
Yuri immediately turned her head. Tension returned to her face.
She had forgotten about Hakain.
He was still sitting in front of the castle gate, smoking only his long pipe.
Yuri spoke to Hakain.
“White Horn's fate is sealed, so you should leave as well. If you go quietly, I will overlook your apostasy.”
Yuri had no confidence she could handle Hakain.
She sincerely wanted him to leave.
Hakain gave a languid smile.
“It seems the young lady knight is afraid of me.”
Yuri's expression hardened.
“I only wish to avoid an unnecessary fight.”
Hakain flicked away some ash.
“Don't worry. I have no intention of stepping in. I decided I would not interfere unless things became truly serious.”
Yuri's eyes sharpened.
“What do you mean by that?”
Hakain pointed at Mapheltan.
“It isn't over until it's over. Haven't you ever heard that?”
Yuri looked at Mapheltan.
Her face slowly stiffened.
“W-what is this...?”
Mapheltan's body was repairing itself.
The pooled blood returned to his body, and new flesh grew over his torn wings.
The dim light in his eye gradually regained its color. It was gleaming red again.
Mapheltan raised his upper body.
He opened and closed his fists as he inspected himself.
‘This works nicely.’
It was the power of the Authority, Soul-Shaving Restoration. It was an ability that restored the body by shaving away the soul. Soul-Shaving Restoration was also why Johan had survived after being pierced by Holy Spear Espada.
Mapheltan had awakened this Authority long ago, but this was his first time using it.
He was quite satisfied with its performance.
‘Though some of my soul must have been shaved away.’
The side effect was probably the loss of humanity.
He would need to be careful when using it.
Of course, he could not feel any difference yet.
Mapheltan stared at Yuri and curled his lips.
“You look as though you have seen a ghost.”
Yuri could not hide her agitation. She wanted to deny Mapheltan's revival.
“I-I loaded you up with Holy Water. How?”
Mapheltan snorted.
“If Holy Water were enough to kill an Apostle, you people would not have struggled so much five hundred years ago.”
No matter how young an Apostle was, an Apostle was still an Apostle.
An ordinary knight, not even a Holy Knight, could not defeat an Apostle.
Despair colored Yuri's face.
She still had several tricks left, but they would not work against the Apostle before her.
“...Damn it.”
Was this the end? Yuri's fists trembled.
Mapheltan spoke calmly.
“You did rather well. I've got a rough measure of what a first-rate knight can do now.”
This battle experience would become a great asset.
He had learned quite a bit.
It was not over until it was over.
Always keep the opponent's final move in mind.
‘That was dangerous.’
He had never imagined she had applied Holy Water to his wounds.
He would not fall for the same method again.
Having made that vow, Mapheltan trudged toward Yuri.
Yuri gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
The outcome was nearly decided, but she had no intention of giving up.
As a knight, she could not submit to a demon.
Fighting spirit burned in Yuri's eyes once more.
She pointed her rapier at Mapheltan.
“...Until I die. No, even after death, I will resist.”
Mapheltan shook his head.
“No. Your role is over. Rest for a moment.”
At that moment, a dull impact rang out.
The Dread Spear he had thrown earlier returned and struck Yuri on the back of the head.
The additional trait of Holy Spear Espada remained even now that it had become a Dread Spear.
Like Espada, Dread Spear Turabak returned to its master's embrace on its own.
Yuri crumpled to the ground after being struck by the Dread Spear.
She had lost consciousness.
Hakain stood up.
“I will go deal with the rest.”
Yuri was not the only member of the Royal Guard.
They would need to subdue them all.
Mapheltan nodded.
“It must be resolved without causing a disturbance.”
The remaining Royal Guard members were in the village.
There were too many people watching in the village.
The castle had been completely cleared out, but Johan could not drive out the villagers as well.
He could not make them sleep in the hills in the middle of the night.
Hakain spoke.
“Do not worry. I will handle it quietly.”
Mapheltan could trust him with that.
He immediately headed inside the lord's castle.
Depending on the situation, he might need to help Ilea.
* * *
Mapheltan immediately withdrew that thought.
The battle between Ilea and Gawain was not at a level Mapheltan could join.
He realized it the moment he opened the castle gate.
The inside of the castle had changed completely.
Every staircase had been destroyed, and the concept of floors no longer existed.
There was an open shaft from the first floor to the roof.
Collapsed debris continued to fall from somewhere above.
The endless sounds of things breaking and shattering filled the air.
Far above Mapheltan's head, bright light flashed continuously.
Holy Power and Mana were colliding.
His skin prickled painfully.
Mapheltan stared silently into the air.
Something was moving at incredible speed, but he could not even catch its afterimage.
He let out a hollow laugh.
‘I cannot even perceive them.’
He had thought he had grown somewhat stronger, but he had been mistaken.
Compared to those two monsters, Mapheltan was infinitely weak.
There was no way for him to help Ilea right now.
He would only become a burden.
Mapheltan turned back toward the castle gate.
Just as he was about to leave, a piercing sound tore through the air.
Mapheltan turned his head.
He saw a flash of light.
The moment he recognized it, something was right before him.
“...White Horn.”
It was Gawain. He threw a punch with overwhelming fury.
A pure white fist came toward him.
Mapheltan had neither the means nor the ability to avoid it.
The instant it struck him, he would vanish without a trace.
Mapheltan felt profound dismay.
His life flashed before his eyes.
The incoming fist seemed slow.
‘...What?’
It was not merely his imagination.
Gawain was truly frozen in midair.
It was as if time had stopped.
Mapheltan could not comprehend the situation.
As he stood there in confusion, a familiar soft voice spoke.
“I didn't tell you. For the next few hours, you must never open the castle gate.”
A blue glow suddenly snatched Mapheltan up and flew into the air.
A moment later, Gawain's fist buried itself in the wall.
Fragments of broken stone scattered in every direction.
Time was flowing normally again.
Gawain looked into the air.
Ilea and Mapheltan had landed atop a chandelier.
Gawain's face twisted like that of an Evil Spirit.
He immediately kicked off the ground, but he could not leap upward.
Mana tangled around him like a spiderweb, binding him in place.
It was a restraining spell meant to hold him down briefly.
Mapheltan looked at Ilea.
“...What do you mean, I must not open the castle gate?”
“I have severed the castle's interior from the outside. If the castle gate opens, that barrier will continue to distort.”
Only then did Mapheltan understand why the castle had been so quiet.
The lord's castle was now a completely independent space.
The noise and shocks occurring inside could not leak outside.
Such preparations were necessary to fight Gawain.
Without the barrier, the entire Myatro territory would have been reduced to ruin.
Mapheltan swallowed a groan.
“I did not know. To think the castle gate was the barrier's axis. I was careless.”
Ilea shook her head.
“No, I failed to tell you. Please leave quickly for now. There is no time to talk at length.”
Mapheltan had to leave the castle before the restraining spell binding Gawain ran out.
“Will you be all right?”
Ilea was quite exhausted. None of her usual composure remained.
“Do not worry about me. I will not disappoint you.”
Mapheltan worried about Ilea, but there was no way he could help her now.
It would be better for him to disappear as quickly as possible.
Mapheltan jumped down from the chandelier and flew toward the castle gate.
“I will wait outside. Do not overdo it.”
Ilea smiled faintly and waved her hand.
“See you soon.”
Mapheltan immediately left the lord's castle.
* * *
Quite some time passed.
The sun had already risen.
Johan sat blankly across from the castle gate.
He had spent the entire night thinking, and he still could not stop.
“...Ha.”
It was difficult to shake off his terrible helplessness.
As he clicked his tongue, his train of thought abruptly broke off.
The castle gate opened with the groan of old iron.
A figure trudged out from the pitch-black interior.
Johan sprang to his feet.
The person who appeared, covered from head to toe in blood, was none other than Gawain.
Had Ilea lost? It was truly difficult to believe.
Johan tightly gripped his spear shaft, and Gawain slowly raised an arm.
Terrible tension ran through Johan's entire body.
Then Gawain's movement abruptly stopped. He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
From the ruined lord's castle, another figure walked out.
“You waited a long time, did you not? It took a little more effort than I expected.”
Ilea was smiling with difficulty.
Not long after, she too crumpled to the ground.
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