Chapter III: All Sorcerers Have Communication Disorders, but Apparently Angelic Knights Are in the Same Boat

Chastille had brought along three regular Angelic Knights including Richard. And before anyone knew it, there was one more than before. Honestly speaking, Zagan didn’t really remember the faces of any of the Angelic Knights, but nevertheless, there was suddenly an intruder on the uninhabited island.

That in itself was certainly a problem, but what baffled Zagan was that the intruder showed no signs of trying to hide himself. All Angelic Knights were different in their own way, but this one here was clearly quite frivolous.

I mean, we didn’t bring a geezer like that over.

He looked to be in his late thirties. He had many old scars carved into both his arms, and his physique was just a little larger than the other Angelic Knights who were here. Just this much showed that he had been through a fair amount of carnage. It was likely that he was several levels above Richard and the others, or perhaps even beyond Chastille and Raphael in skill.

He was a man who was not supposed to show any negligence, but... for some reason, he was the only Angelic Knight here wearing Anointed Armor. Even from a distance, one could see that sand was getting into all the gaps and was probably quite the irritant.

Moreover, he was standing around in this heat in the middle of the ocean, the ocean water was surely evaporating inside his armor and making quite the smell. The fact that he ignored all this and was having fun splashing water around with the other Angelic Knights made Zagan just want to punch him. As for an even more baffling point than all of the above...

The hell is he even doing...?

It was a face that Zagan recognized. And he was snickering at Zagan saying that he wanted him to quip with a “What the hell are you doing here!?” even as he splashed water on Barbatos. Such was the case, but Zagan simply looked annoyed and didn’t say anything.

There was no mistaking that this was someone he knew, but he didn’t want to get involved. And eventually, Chastille finally noticed the abnormality and completely stiffened up.

“Huh...? What? Why...?”

“What’s the matter, Lady Chastille?” the new Angelic Knight replied, feigning ignorance.

“‘What’s the matter’? Why are you even here, Lord Michael!?”

The man looked relieved from the bottom of his heart upon hearing that.

“Hngh... As one would expect of the sole woman among the Archangels! Thanks! I’ve been waiting for someone to say that!”

The fully grown man was nodding his head repeatedly while huffing out his nose. And with that, everyone noticed he was there. The other Angelic Knights all looked startled, and Barbatos and Gremory surrounded him with a keen wariness—though it wasn’t clear whether this was because he was an intruder, or whether it was because of his stuffy looking Anointed Armor.

“Who the hell are you? You’re not just some ordinary asshole right?”

“Do be careful, Purgatory. Even I couldn’t tell when this fellow showed up... Well, I can’t even tell the difference between stuffy looking men who don’t deserve any love to begin with though.”

“Hey, the fomorian sorcerer over there, aren’t you being a bit cruel?” the man replied in a pitiful voice, as he then turned to face Zagan. “Or rather, come on Archdemon. You noticed me a good while ago, so why did you just ignore me?”

“Why the hell do I have to play along with your stupid little game of trying to get some attention...?” Zagan declared with even an air of hostility about him, to which the man raised both hands as if surrendering.

“Whoa now, I’m not so dumb that I’d come to pick a fight barehanded with an Archdemon you know?”

“Hmm. Barehanded... huh?”

The man had a sword dangling at his waist. This likely wasn’t just some regular sword. And regardless of this fact, Zagan had a thought as to why this man would claim to be unarmed.

The man then stuck his hand into a gap in his Anointed Armor.

“Yup, barehanded, unarmed. All I got on me is this lovely little... huh?”

He pulled out a tin box from his chest pocket, likely a box of tobacco. The moment he pulled it out though, water flowed out of it. Tobacco was a plant grown in a specific region that was rolled up into a leaf and burned as a stimulant to be inhaled. Unlike a pipe, these were disposed of after each use. Zagan had never smoked himself, but the stuff had only begun circulating in markets in the last few decades and was quite expensive.

“Nooo... they were so expensive...”

The man wailed in grief and looked like he would collapse right there, but he then noticed the gazes filled with contempt around him. He let out a whistle and regained his composure.

“Anyways, don’t get so pissed here. The fact that I’m here is... well, an accident.”

“...An accident?”

As Zagan pressured him and even unleashed his mana, the man let out a laugh and tapped the sword at his waist.

“Before that, I need to introduce myself. I’m Michael Diekmeyer—just as you can see, I’m one of the Archangels. Nice to meet you, Archdemon Zagan.”

He put emphasis on this being their first meeting, and Zagan folded his arms.

Is he telling me to match his story?

Zagan frankly had no obligation to play along with him, but...

“I see. I’ve heard that name before. Archangel Michael Diekmeyer. If I recall, you’re Zachariel’s wielder?”

The pairing of Archangels and the names of their Sacred Swords was something Zagan heard from Raphael. He then carefully made one more addendum.

“Also, setting aside Chief Archangel Ginias Galahad, you’re also referred to as the Strongest Archangel.”

“Haha, how flattering. I’m honored to be recognized by an Archdem— whoa there.”

A dull thud tore the air apart. The sand between Michael and Zagan burst and smalls screams could be heard here and there.

“Hey now, no need to be such a bully. Most humans will straight up die from a punch from an Archdemon you know?”

“...Hm, seems like that Sacred Sword is the real deal.”

Michael suddenly had a greatsword in hand, a Sacred Sword. Zagan had driven in his fist without any warning at all, and Michael repelled it with his Sacred Sword. Zagan had put the same amount of power in his fist that he would usually hit Barbatos with. Any plain sword would have shattered from it. Seeing that Michael’s sword didn’t break, it was a real Sacred Sword. There were several people present who understood all that at a glance. Barbatos, who usually received that punch to the face, even had sweat going down his brow as he groaned.

“Hey, that guy just repelled Zagan’s fist?”

And he did so easily without making any preparations at all. It was questionable whether ‘work mode’ Chastille could even do so. It gave a glimpse at just why this man was called the strongest. And at this point, Chastille cut in between them.

“Stop! Please wait Zagan. This is certainly Archangel Michael himself. Moreover, even though he isn’t part of the Unification Faction, he isn’t part of the Warring Faction either... how do I put it, he’s in a clique sitting cleanly in the middle. He’s not an enemy.”

“Hmmm...?”

At the very least, he was trustworthy enough for Chastille to make that declaration. She then turned to face Michael.

“Lord Michael, could you please explain what exactly you are doing here?”

“Huh? Seriously? Didn’t they contact you? I was dispatched here to support you!”

Chastille put her palm to her head.

“So the reinforcements... referred to you...?”

“Damn straight. Those cardinal geezers said I should put in some work once in a while.”

“...Well, I understand that you came to support me, but why are you on this island? How did you get here?”

This was the part that Zagan didn’t get either. And as everyone glared at him, Michael’s shoulders drooped in a crestfallen manner.

“Why? That’s what I wanna ask here. There wasn’t even a storm or anything, but a huge wave suddenly sank my ship, and I barely escaped with my life and got washed up here. Why are all of you here? Did you also get shipwrecked?”

Everyone averted their gaze from his sorrowful complaint.

Did this guy get caught in the Archwhale’s wave?

This man liked to play the dunce so much that it was hard to tell how serious he was. Michael gazed out at the sea in grief as he retold his tale.

“By the time I came to, I was on this island, and as a bonus, I saw all of you having a blast. So I thought maybe I’d start by just joining in on the fun...”

“Just joining in... You just said your ship sank, what about your subordinates and the sailors?”

“Aah, no need to worry ’bout that. I was the only crew. My budget was too small to hire a boat with an actual crew.”

“So you came alone?”

Even Chastille found this rather suspicious. However, the person in question just let out a bold laugh.

“Well yeah. You’re getting mixed up in incidents with an Archdemon and a dragon that even the Archangels can’t do nothing about right? Like hell are we bringing civilians or my subordinates, who all have such bright futures, along.”

The old man winked in a playful manner, leaving Zagan to sigh in a disconcerted manner.

“That’s some confidence you’ve got.”

The man spoke out of concern for his comrades, and despite declaring that all the other Archangels would just get in the way, he was basically declaring that he would be fine on his own. Zagan then pointed to the opposite end of the beach.

“Then go to Atlastia. We’re in the middle of enjoying a vacation.”

Zagan made no effort to hide his displeasure, and Michael shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh come on, nobody will be bothered if you just shelter this poor, shipwrecked old man for just a bit, right?”

“It bothers me. Get lost already.”

There’s no way Nephy and the others could relax with such a strange old man hanging around. Zagan’s words were now even filled with killing intent, leaving Michael to just nod back reluctantly.

“Fine, fine. I get it. Work is work... Well, it’s a little weird of me to ask this, but... I’ve got a request.”

“...What?”

Michael looked greatly perplexed, then pointed to the sea with both his index fingers.

“A small one’s fine, but do you got a boat I can borrow?”

“...”

Zagan held back his urge to just tell Michael to swim and let out a sigh.

“Hey Lilith. Wake up already.”

Lilith was still unconscious on the beach despite all the uproar going on. Gremory and the others were at least nursing her, so there wasn’t any risk to her life. Upon being called to by Zagan, she finally woke up and shook off her head.

“Uugh...? W-Wake up...? Huh? Who’s this?”

Lilith was still half-awake trying to get to grips with what was going on, as Zagan just arbitrarily gave her orders.

“He’s just a victim. We’re sending him away, so lend him a boat.”

“The boats we used earlier were all we had, though.”

Zagan looked at the scattered pieces of wood spread across the beach. Even with sorcery it would be difficult to restore them into a usable shape with all the missing pieces out there. The sorcerers gathered here didn’t really specialize in such sorcery too. With this, it looked like the fishing contest ended in a draw.

“It can’t be helped. Lend him the boat we used to get here... huh?”

Zagan turned to look at the wharf, but the boat that was supposed to be there had vanished. It wasn’t all that big, but it was enough to fit a dozen people and store plenty of food and luggage.

No way, did it get swept away by that wave?

Lilith scrubbed her eyes like she couldn’t believe the reality before her, then turned completely pale. She then stiffly turned towards Zagan.

“Um, Your Highness, how’re we supposed to get back?”

And so, their fun vacation transformed into a life of survival on an uninhabited island.

◇

Anyways, are these guys alright?

Zagan was secretly following behind Lilith and Kuroka. Behind him was Nephy, Nephteros, and Foll. Fortunately, because they were in a forest, there were no signs that they had been noticed yet. It was possible that Kuroka could sense them, but with all the wildlife in the forest it would be difficult. She might have a sense of something being out of place, but it wouldn’t be clear what it was. The two of them didn’t show any particular signs of awkwardness about them.

This might have been fairly natural since Zagan didn’t notice anything awkward about Kuroka until Gremory pointed it out. He had no clue at all what Kuroka was worried about.

The matter with Raphael should have already been resolved...

However, people had many worries over the course of their lives. Zagan groaned over this fact as Nephy muttered to him curiously.

“Master Zagan, did something happen between Miss Lilith and Miss Kuroka?”

“I don’t know either, but according to Gremory, Kuroka is worried about something. And that’s been weighing on Lilith’s mind.”

Nephteros came to an understanding and nodded in return.

“Now that I think of it, that girl always keeps a step back from those around her.”

“Hmm... It’s not like she’s dragging out her original dispute with Chastille right?”

“I wonder... There are times she treats Chastille like a stranger too, so it isn’t entirely out of the question...”

“...Seriously. Why do I have to keep a watch over all this crap...”

“Isn’t this just the same as usual for you, Big Bro?”

“....”

Zagan was left stumped that even his sister-in-law saw him in that light. Foll then muttered out upon suddenly remembering something.

“That tabaxi girl was scared of touching Zagan’s face.”

It happened when they were reunited in Atlastia. Since Zagan had turned into a child due to the curse, he made her touch his face so that things could be explained more quickly, but Kuroka seemed to be abnormally flustered by that act.

“You’re right... But what does that mean?”

Zagan did in fact get stabbed by her quite seriously when he came to stop her rampage. It was possible that she had feelings of guilt over that. Zagan racked his brain over what it could possibly be as Nephy continued to pry into it as well.

“That girl was part of an assassination group called Azazel, right?”

“Yeah. She uses a Holy Treasure and can fight on level with Chastille. So you can almost call her a thirteenth wielder of a Sacred Sword.”

Zagan answered, and Nephy put her hand to her chest as she nodded.

“Then, I feel like I understand,” Nephy said, then continued as if confessing her own crimes, “Isn’t this because she killed someone completely out of malice?”

Zagan’s eyes shot open.

Nephy once worried about how she had allowed her entire village to be massacred.

She no longer displayed such worries outwardly, but there was surely no way she had forgotten about it.

“Revenge feels great the moment it happens. But after that, it brings up an extreme sense of self-hate. ‘Aah, I’ve dirtied my own hands... is it fine for me to make Master Zagan’s meals with such hands?’ Even I have had such worries before.”

With that, Zagan finally came to an understanding as well.

“My hands... are dirty... so touching someone’s face is a little...”

There was no way she didn’t kill any sorcerers during her tenure as a church assassin. Her hands had murdered others out of hatred, so she was scared of touching others with them.

You can’t even tell what people’s faces are like if you don’t touch them, right...?

Even Zagan knew that the blind could perceive the faces of others by using the sense of touch in their fingers. And yet, this girl cast away that means of doing so due to feelings of guilt. There was surely nothing more uneasy than interacting with others whose faces were a complete mystery to her.

“...What a foolish girl. There isn’t anyone around you that would even care about that...” Nephteros added.

Chastille was the one to take her in. Just who would blame her for the sins of an assassin?

“Seriously, it’s completely foolish. There’s no point in caring about the life and death of complete strangers.”

Zagan had killed plenty of people too. That was precisely the kind of people sorcerers were to begin with. Even now, Zagan would kill anyone who got in his way as if it were nothing. He only held it back a little because he felt like Nephy would be disgusted with him if he just went about meaninglessly slaughtering people. There was also the fact that lately it was more convenient to let them all live to fulfill his goals.

As a result, he hadn’t killed anyone for some time now, but it would somewhat be correct to say that that was because the guys he punched with the intent of killing them just wouldn’t die. That’s precisely why Zagan could say this.

“However, the only ones who could just disregard it entirely are surely sorcerers like us. It’s far more pure to be worried about it. A truly and utterly foolish worry.”

Nephy stared at Zagan in surprise, then leaned in on his shoulder.

“The only one who could declare such a worry as foolish would be you, Master Zagan...”

I never would have thought this way before meeting you, you know?

Those words crept up all the way to Zagan’s throat, but wouldn’t make it out his mouth. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders.

“However, even if we were the ones to tell Kuroka that, it would never reach her. Even Raphael likely wouldn’t work.”

The only one who could get that through to her was someone who had passed their time with her, who had tasted the same pain as her. And at the same time as that thought came to mind, Zagan suddenly felt that it wasn’t quite the case either.

No, it might not actually be all that complicated.

Once in a while, there were idiots in this world who wouldn’t see truth as the truth, who would kick aside reason without hesitation and unconditionally think of others. Back in Nephteros’ case, this was Chastille. Surely there was someone suitable to do this for Kuroka. And as if affirming that entirely, a voice rang out in the area.

“You dummy! I was really saved when I found out that you were alive you know!? So why can you even say that!?”

They couldn’t tell what the two were talking about, but Lilith screamed out in tears as she hugged Kuroka. Kuroka looked bewildered for a moment, but eventually hugged Lilith back as if giving up.

“P-Please don’t cry, Lilith. I’m properly alive here. It’s not like I’m thinking that I should die... Hey, please? If you cry so much, even I’ll...”

Watching that play out, Zagan and the others pulled back little.

“Seems it was needless anxiety on our part.”

“Master Zagan, looks like your judgment here was correct.”

“Like I know. Lilith just decided this on her own.”

“Despite all that, Big Bro, you look happy,” Nephteros commented curiously.

“Shut it. You lot go look for food already!”

“Okaaay.”

Nephteros and Foll left as they giggled.

“Seriously...”

And although he said that, Zagan thought to himself, I may just be blessed with good subordinates...

The thought that people could save others was arrogant and ridiculous. Nevertheless, if there was someone out there who believed that they were saved, then it just meant there was inevitably someone who had saved them. Such things were pretty much a form of coincidence, nothing more than a miracle. It wasn’t something that could be brought about by desire. And back when Zagan scornfully laughed about such a thought, this was what Archdemon Orias told him.

“I believe that someone who knows that yet doesn’t give up and lends a hand to others, is precisely one who is capable of saving others.”

He didn’t believe that to be a joke. But even so, It’s a good thing if Kuroka is saved by this...

Leaving behind the two girls crying in each other’s arms, Zagan certainly smiled in relief.

◇

“Er, crap. We reached the sea.”

Deciding that constantly watching over the two girls crying would be far too boorish, Zagan and Nephy went back into the forest, but there was no path to follow. They ended up coming up to the shore as they wandered through it. The two of them didn’t manage to scavenge up much food. The reason for this was largely because they were munching on the fruits they found along the way.

“Master Zagan, you never even considered winning yourself right?” Nephy remarked with a giggle.

“Well, it’s just that sort of occasion. It’s the duty of one who aims to be a king to offer rewards during such frivolous games.”

Zagan spurred on those around him with rewards during the fishing contest and the current food gathering contest and had no intention of winning himself. The primary reason for these contests was naturally to abate Foll’s hunger, but he did also want to reward his subordinates and Chastille’s group for going along with him to the bottom of the ocean for over half a month. Snatching the reward for himself would just be counterproductive.

Having now come out to a spot with a good view of his surroundings, Zagan turned around.

“...So, what do you want?”

And as he asked that, a stuffy-looking man came out of the forest.

“Haha, I didn’t mean to get in between you two here ya know?”

“So it was out of consideration? I don’t keep any secrets from Nephy. If you have something to say, get it over with quickly.”

There were things he hadn’t told her about yet, but one day he would do so. If she asked him about them, he would answer right away too.

Michael shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay then, I’ll cut right to the chase... One of the thirteen Archdemons, Andrealphus was killed.”

“Huh...!?”

Nephy gulped down. They had come into conflict with two Archdemons already in Bifrons and Orias, but both of them were eerie sorcerers whose powers seemed bottomless. A large reason Zagan was able to overpower them was because of his power to devour sorcery. This power was the source of his second name Sorcerer Slayer, and without it, he surely wouldn’t be able to get out of a fight with another Archdemon safely. This was shocking news, but Zagan’s reaction was still completely cool-headed.

“Hmmm.”

“Huh, you don’t believe me?”

“I do. I was planning to kill him one day anyways.”

Zagan didn’t even know how Michael was expecting him to react to such news.

“You were planning to kill him...? Well, whatever. It’s stupid to try and preach morals to a sorcerer, huh?” Michael replied as he scratched his head in a troubled manner.

“So? You surely didn’t come all the way to this uninhabited island just to report that to me right?”

“...You’ve really got no charm here buddy...” Michael muttered with a sour look. “The one who did it is a sorcerer called Decarabia.”

Zagan didn’t recognize that name.

Not that sorcerers always go by the same name all the time anyways.

There were even cases like Zagan’s where he didn’t actually know his original name.

“Hm... I don’t know that name. What kind of sorcerer is he?”

“Seems he was Andrealphus’ disciple. And just as you’d expect from a disciple of an Archdemon, he was one of the biggest contenders for succeeding Marchosias after his death. The thing is...” Michael put on a bitter smile and began slapping his own head. “Apparently that guy’s got a whole lotta screws loose in his head. So they didn’t accept him as an Archdemon.”

“Hm? Then why did he wait so long to kill him?”

If he were holding a grudge for not being selected, his actions were half a year late. Michael shrugged his shoulders.

“Who knows? It might just be something trivial like he’d gotten out of his hole in the ground for the first time in a while and was throwing a tantrum or something right? Seems nobody can guess what that guy is thinking at all.” Michael then clapped his hands as he recalled something. “Oh yeah. Apparently Decarabia gave himself a name — Archdemon Slayer.”

“That’s quite the tall claim.” Zagan replied with a strained smile.

Even among the many countermeasures Zagan devised against the other Archdemons, he hadn’t really found a reliable way of killing them yet. And now someone was calling themselves an Archdemon Slayer. It was hard to believe. However, there were several facts that Zagan could grasp from that.

“I see. The fact that you’re telling me this is because he plans on challenging me next, right?”

Nephy trembled with a start.

“Master Zagan...”

“Fear not, Nephy. If he truly did kill another Archdemon, it is something worth celebrating over. He’s going out of his way to come here and show me that method, after all.”

“You’re acting awfully composed, but it’s not my fault if you get tripped up here ’kay?” Michael commented in astonishment.

“I already told you. I plan on annihilating the twelve other Archdemons. If there is a means of killing them, it only stands to reason that such a means would be pointed at me as well. A king who falters over something so trivial cannot defeat the Archdemons.” Zagan then glared at Michael. “Setting that aside, are you lot from the church planning on having me and that Archdemon Slayer or whatever collide and hoping for two open seats among the Archdemons?”

“Hah? Well, those cardinal geezers are probably hoping for that.”

“And you’re implying that you’re different.”

Michael put on a bitter smile.

“I don’t get what you’re planning at all, but the Archdemon known as Zagan is already an existence that heavily influences that balance between the church and sorcerers. If you kick the bucket here, the church will take heart in their plan to wipe out the sorcerers. And what do you think will happen then?”

“Sounds like the church is having fun.”

“Those guys who only think by the numbers probably are. But not me. People will start getting killed all over, and my workload as an Archangel will only go up. I’m a fundamentally lazy man. I’d rather not have the peaceful balance we have now collapsing.”

It certainly was true that this man looked lazy.

A lazy man would pick the easy path of pretending to be a friend and cutting someone down from behind too.

Zagan was fine with believing Michael here, but he didn’t trust him. He nodded without allowing his vigilance to waver.

“Very well. You can look forward to me finishing him off.”

“Oh? You really do catch on quick don’t cha?”

“If he’s coming here, he probably has a boat too. With that, I can send you on your way.” Zagan replied with a dead-serious air about him, leaving Michael completely taken aback.

“...W-Well, that’s all I had to say.”

Michael left with a completely worn out expression on his face. Nephy then shyly wrapped her hand around Zagan’s pinky finger as if unable to bear her anxieties about the situation.

“Master Zagan...”

“I’m telling you there’s nothing to fear.”

Zagan gently brushed Nephy’s cheek, and Nephy leaned in against him, letting the strength out of her shoulders. She then tilted her head to the side.

“Um, is Lord Michael perhaps an acquaintance of yours, Master Zagan? The two of you don’t quite seem to be friends... but you also look to be somewhat close.”

“Hmm... how do I even explain it...? We’re not close, but we’re acquainted. In any case, he isn’t someone I got involved with because I wanted to.”

A lot of things would actually be easier if I just offed him right here too.

However, Zagan was currently in the middle of an enjoyable vacation, as were his subordinates and Chastille’s group. If he exposed Michael’s identity, then everybody’s fun would surely come to an end. That’s why he didn’t do anything. He could only provide a vague answer even to Nephy. He didn’t know whether his intent was conveyed to her, but Nephy’s pointy ears quivered as she nodded.

“I see. All is as you will, Master Zagan.”

And then, just as they began walking side by side, Nephy’s ears twitched.

“What’s wrong?”

“...? Master Zagan, do you hear something?”

“Hm...? I don’t really hear anything.”

Zagan sharpened his hearing with sorcery. He could hear the voices of the Angelic Knights, Barbatos and the others running about as they gathered food, but he didn’t hear anything suspicious in the area.

But, Nephy’s the one saying this.

It could be something like the voice of a spirit that Zagan was unable to hear. He just received a warning from Michael. There was a possibility that their troublesome guest was already here.

“What does it sound like?” Zagan asked as he put himself on guard.

“A... voice...!?” Nephy cupped her ears with her hands, then gulped down. “This is bad! Master Zagan, the voice is pleading for help!”

“Ugh...”

It was possible that one member of their group had gotten injured or something. However, it was strange that Zagan couldn’t hear them if that were the case. So for the time being, he had Nephy lead him to the voice. After passing over the beach, they eventually arrived at an inlet that led into a dark cave. And after coming this far, Zagan realized just who the owner of the voice was.

“That’s... Alshiera?”

The vampire who had once antagonized him was sprawled across the floor.

◇

This girl looked the same as the last time he saw her, but also completely different. Her black and frilly dress was in complete tatters, and her golden hair was totally disheveled from being in the ocean water. A pair of sharp fangs could be seen from her slightly open mouth. The girl laying down in the cave was so quiet it was questionable if she was even breathing — though she was undead to begin with — and showed no signs of the slightest movement. Nevertheless, she was still obstinately gripping onto her stuffed teddy bear covered in creepy stitches.

Did she fight someone... Michael? No, doesn’t look like this happened recently.

It appeared that she had been laying in this cave for quite some time, as her body was somewhat buried in sand up to about ankle height. This was likely an effect of the tide carrying the sand in. Moreover, it didn’t look like she was wounded by a sword.

“Is she... dead...?” Nephy said with a gulp.

“No, she’s undead to begin with. She wasn’t alive in the first place. However, the fact that her body is present means that she’s still here. But...”

Zagan fell silent.

She’s already a goner like this. She’s just waiting to disappear.

The undead possessed no concept known as ‘death’, but they would vanish if they were to lose their vessel. It would likely take anywhere from tens to hundreds of years for them to reappear in the world. However, Nephy was one who couldn’t ignore her even if she wasn’t a living being.

“Please hang on.”

Nephy held Alshiera up and put her atop her lap gently as if she were a doll about to break into pieces at any moment. She then swept away the sand that was covering Alshiera and put her hand to her brow. And yet, Nephy’s face stiffened up.

“I can’t heal her? Why...?”

“Mysticism probably doesn’t work on her. I told you before, the Night Clan exists outside of the realm of life and death. The source of mysticism is based on an existence which governs over the cycle of life and the spirit, so it’s a power in almost direct opposition to them. That’s why they can’t intervene with each other.”

Celestial mysticism might have had an effect, but Zagan didn’t fully understand its structure and was hesitant to have her try it.

“Ugh...”

Mysticism had no effect, but Alshiera let out a small groan from being supported.

“My dear... brother...”

Unexpectedly, that was the first thing to leak out of her lips.

I don’t know what era it was, but I guess even she had family, huh?

Becoming an undead was, in a sense, the same as severing oneself from the world. It meant that one no longer shared the concept of lifespans with others, after all. In that sense, sorcerers were somewhat similar, but nevertheless, it was unexpected for such words to spill from her lips.

Despite being of the Night Clan, you sure have some humanity left in you, huh?

Zagan couldn’t really speak about others in this sense, but there was nobody here to point that out to him.

“Master Zagan...”

Nephy pleaded him to save Alshiera with her eyes, and Zagan let out a helpless sigh.

It would actually be more convenient for me if she just up and vanished here though...

Nephy didn’t seem to think she was a villain, but Zagan believed Alshiera was the one to make Foll go berserk. It was Zagan’s policy to eliminate all those who inflicted harm on himself and those around him.

“But, I guess I also want to interrogate her about what her objective is.”

Muttering that out, Zagan suddenly cut his own wrist using mana, and blood came pouring out.

“M-Master Zagan!?”

“People call them vampires for a reason. They’re able to preserve their existence in the world by absorbing life from the blood of others. The only way to save her here is to feed her blood.”

Life held a different meaning for them. By stealing the power of life from other beings, they were able to preserve their existence in the world. It would be more correct to state that it was the medium by which they were extending the time limit of their existence. The undead required neither air nor food after all.

Having said that, Zagan hated the idea of using Nephy’s blood. No matter the method he used, it would require him to wound her to draw out blood, and that would be accompanied by pain. Using an Archdemon’s blood here was truly a luxurious medium. She would surely gain several hundred times the power that she would from a normal human.

Seems there’s a saying in Liucaon to ‘show humanity even to one’s enemy,’ but this is somewhat like giving a full course of the world’s finest cooking.

Zagan brought his wrist up to Alshiera’s mouth and let his blood flow down her throat.

“Mm... Ah... Haa...”

Alshiera’s eyes opened as she gasped and clung to Zagan’s wrist as if coveting what he was offering her.

“Hey, no biting.”

She began to bare her fangs, but Zagan quickly stuck his finger into her mouth.

“Hak..? Mmm...”

No longer able to close her mouth, blood began smoothly pouring in, and Alshiera’s body began twitching with energy. Even with her eyes on the verge of tears, she was surely no longer able to suppress her urge for blood. She desperately stuck out her tongue to satiate her thirst with Zagan’s blood. Her red tongue traced along Zagan’s wound, making his face feel hot from the pain and ticklish sensation mixing together.

It somehow feels like I’m doing something lewd here...

Nephy was also embarrassed from watching this happen and was covering her face with both hands... Although, she was watching quite intently through the gap in her fingers. Before long, Zagan saw that the strength in Alshiera’s arms which were clinging to him had returned, and he pushed her face back down forcefully.

“That’s enough, right? Let go already.”

“Ah... Hah... Ack, hrk...”

Alshiera broke into a coughing fit and collapsed onto her back. She was choking, but it looked like the treatment had worked. She would surely be back on her feet in no time. For the time being, her life — though that term might not actually be correct — was preserved.

“Master Zagan.”

He wanted to begin interrogating her right away, but it didn’t look like Alshiera would be able to speak for a while longer. Nephy completely ignored her own hands getting stained, pinned down the wound on Zagan’s wrist, and began casting her mysticism to heal him immediately.

Well, Zagan was capable of regenerating from this level of wound instantly himself, but here his bride was doing her best to heal him, so he simply kept quiet and let her do it.

“My apologies. All because I spoke out of turn...”

“It’s not something for you to apologize for, Nephy. I don’t have a reason to save her, but she also isn’t so harmful a being that I need to kill her.”

Nephy smiled in a somewhat troubled manner.

“I should have known that you would say that, Master Zagan.”

“Erk...”

He didn’t want to think of it too much, but it was true that Zagan’s behavior strongly trended towards saving those that he didn’t have a need to kill.

I think it’s laughable for a sorcerer to be out saving people though...

And even if he saved them, it wasn’t like they always thanked... no, lately he even felt like the people he saved had all been thanking him too.

Things have really changed too much in the last few months somehow...

It was perhaps perfectly obvious after meeting the love of his life. And as those thoughts ran through Zagan’s mind, Nephy was staring intently at Zagan’s hand. Her treatment should have been long over by now already.

“Nephy. I’m fine now?”

It didn’t seem like Nephy heard his voice, as she continued to stare at his hand without moving. His hand was still stained in blood, so he didn’t think it was something very pleasant to look at. Nevertheless, after staring fixedly at his hand for a while longer...

“Nom!”

Nephy inexplicably bit down on Zagan’s finger. Having said that, she was being careful not to stick her teeth out, so it was more like she was sucking on his finger than biting it.

“N-N-N-N-N-N-Nephy? What are you doing?”

As one would expect, after Zagan let out a completely bewildered voice, Nephy was brought back to her senses, and she separated her now dark red lips from his hand.

“M-My apologies. I wasn’t thinking...”

How do you suck someone’s finger without thinking?

Zagan had yet to wash his hand so it was still dirty too. After calming down his thumping heart, Zagan timidly pressed her for further answers.

“Wh-What’s wrong with you? Did something happen? Are you sick?”

At the very least, Nephy would normally never do this. Nephy was only capable of covering her face with both hands in embarrassment, implying that he had no idea herself. But even so, she timidly opened her mouth to speak.

“I-I’m not. I didn’t mean to...”

“Mmm. I-I get it. I get it, okay?”

Zagan didn’t understand any of it at all, but he nodded his head up and down repeatedly anyways. Nephy then replied in a voice that sounded like she would die from shame.

“Um, when I saw Miss Alshiera licking you hand Master Zagan, I felt some sort of difficult to explain sense of extreme vexation... even though I was the one who asked you to save her...”

Zagan took a deep breath and tried to put his thoughts in order.

Ummm, in other words... she’s jealous? Wow, that’s so cute.

Well, it was true that Zagan also felt somewhat weird while Alshiera was licking his hand. That just meant that Nephy felt the same way as he did.

“A-Anyways, let me clean off the blood, Nephy.”

Blood had even gotten on Nephy’s face when she sucked his finger. Zagan tried to hide his embarrassment by washing it off with water, and cleanly removed all traces of blood. Nephy’s face turned so red as she hung her head down that it felt like she would burst into flames.

“I’m really, really sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

With that, Zagan stuck his hand out in front of Nephy’s face.

“Huh? Um, Master Zagan...?”

“It’s also my fault for hindering you. You may continue.”

It actually felt kind of good too...

Zagan never though that Nephy would get jealous like that, and he wanted to see more of it.

“B-But... but...”

“It’s alright. All the blood’s been washed away, so do as you like, Nephy.”

She was likely having difficulty in refusing him having just sucked on his finger moments ago. Not that Nephy had ever turned down Zagan’s ridiculous requests before. Zagan stared into her azure eyes which were shaking about in confusion, as a small laugh rang in the air.

“You shouldn’t tease a maiden too much, Silver-Eyed King.”

It was Alshiera. She finally woke up, and was sitting up against the wall of the cave with a smile plastered on her face.

Tch, I forgot she was here...

She really was a hindrance.

Alshiera still looked considerably exhausted, but brought her hand to her mouth and laughed regardless.

“Perhaps I need to offer you my thanks, Silver-Eyed King.”

“I don’t need it. You damned undead don’t even possess the concept of death to begin with, there’s no such thing as saving you lot.”

Alshiera opened her eyes wide with a vexed look upon being pushed back like that.

“Oh my, ‘death’ exists even for we members of the Night Clan. If not for that, this world would be overflowing with us, and we wouldn’t have been exterminated by the church,” Alshiera said, then pointed at her chest and continued. “All members of the Night Clan were originally living beings. Even if our vessels are immortal, the soul has a lifespan. Once our souls stop flowing, it’s nothing more than a still body of water.”

“Hmph. You’re awfully talkative today.”

“That’s just how dangerous a situation it was. I completely planned to just quietly vanish, but to think I would meet the Silver-Eyed King once more...”

“I’m totally suspicious that this is all an elaborate setup of yours.”

“Heeheehee, yes, that may in fact be the case, Silver-Eyed King.”

Her figure had none of the eeriness it had before, and looked thoroughly frail.

It may be true that she didn’t have much hope.

Zagan then pointed to Nephy.

“If you’re going to give your thanks, then give it to Nephy. I had no intentions of saving your damn life myself.”

“Yes, I’m very well aware. And yet, you saved me anyway. That part of you really hasn’t changed... and, neither have you.”

This girl seemed to impose the ‘Silver-Eyed King’ or whoever on top of Zagan whenever she spoke to him. However this time, she was talking to Nephy in the same manner. He truly didn’t believe that they were previously acquainted, but even so, he was just a little interested in what this girl saw, and what exactly she was imposing on top of them.

Zagan looked down at Alshiera as he addressed her.

“Now then, there’s a mountain of questions I have for you. I did save you here. I’ll have you answer me now.”

“Heehee, oh my, how troublesome. A lady’s secrets are her most charming ornaments, and here you want to unveil them.”

“I don’t have time to keep you and your damned jokes company here.”

He was so close to building a terrific atmosphere with Nephy just moments ago.

At this rate, I feel like we’ll be able to even properly kiss soon!

All these matters with Alshiera and that Decarabia that Michael talked about were simple trifles compared to that. That’s why Zagan pressured her for answers.

“What the hell is your goal? What did you do to Foll back then? And who the hell did this to you? Answer me.”

“Heehee, even if you ask all that at once, I can’t answer you. Having said that, I can’t exactly refuse my Silver-Eyed King after being put in debt to you now can I? What to do?”

Alshiera laughed in an aloof manner, however, her hands that were wrapped around her teddy bear tightly looked to be trembling.

What’s with her? Is she scared? Despite being of the Night Clan?

Nephy also seemed to have realized this, and tugged on Zagan’s sleeve.

“Master Zagan, Miss Alshiera is injured. I’ll feel sorry for her if you pressure her so strongly like that.”

“Erk...”

After being told that, Zagan did feel like he was pushing things too far and groaned. And for some reason Alshiera looked up at the two of them nostalgically.

“You two truly are as intimate as always. I’m just a little jealous.”

Despite being jealous, her gaze was strangely calm.

I’ve seen these eyes before... Oh yeah, this is how Orias looks at Nephy.

Would that make this the gaze of a mother looking over her children? This was completely unfamiliar to Zagan, but it definitely didn’t have a hint of malice within it.

Alshiera then stuck up a single finger.

“Then, how about this? Just one. I will honestly answer just one question of yours, Silver-Eyed King.”

“Do you think you’re in a position to negotiate?”

“This is not a negotiation, it’s a request. The Silver-Eyed King that I know is one who cannot deny the requests of the weak, a man with boundless compassion.”

“You really are impudent...”

Just how could a vampire-like her even claim to be weak after surviving a strike from Foll who had transformed into an adult? She was so impudent it made him suspicious whether her trembling moments ago was just an act.

Well, I guess being this aloof is what I should expect from the Night Clan, huh...?

Even though she was so weak that it took some time for her to even begin talking, she was bold enough to negotiate with him to this extent, and that he could respect.

“Well, fine. However, now that you’ve committed to that, I will not permit any lies or deceit. Surely you aren’t foolish enough that you don’t know the meaning of this, right?”

Just because death didn’t exist to the Night Clan, it didn’t mean that there was no means of inflicting pain on them. It seemed that this was the specialty of the previous owner of Zagan’s castle. Having stolen all of that sorcerer’s knowledge, he at least knew of the means to do the same. He simply didn’t want to rush into such means in front of Nephy, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t. If she were to betray him here, it was more than enough reason for him to take action.

Alshiera simply returned a defiant laugh.

“I am fully aware. I am also aware that the Silver-Eyed King is one who would ask a question that cuts straight to the core of all matters.”

She was being provocative to the very end.

But, it certainly is difficult to ask a question that will get all the answers I want.

Zagan only had a grasp of a small fragment of information when it came to Alshiera’s goal, what she fought against, what she knew, and what was going on right now. He couldn’t see the connections between everything at all. It was far easier to just believe that she caused the previous incident out of simple whim than to see the threads binding everything together.

In that case, is it better to ask about her past?

And with that thought, a certain word suddenly came to mind.

“Hmph. Then answer me this, Alshiera.”

“Please, ask whatever you will.”

Zagan gazed directly at Alshiera, implying that he would allow no escape.

“What exactly is Azazel?”

And with that single word, Alshiera’s expression froze over entirely. Her face expressed anger, unease, grief, and despair. Or perhaps, this was her true face to begin with. That was just how shaken she was. Alshiera then tightly squeezed on her teddy bear as she cast down her gaze.

“That’s... quite troublesome. To think that you would ask this of all things. As expected of the Silver-Eyed King, you possess magnificent insight.”

It seemed that he picked the right question.

“Enough of that, answer me.”

Zagan urged her on, but Alshiera shook her head.

“...I cannot... answer you.”

“Hey. Are you screwing with me?”

Zagan got on board with Alshiera’s offer. The fact that she was reneging that offer meant that she was ignoring a contract with an Archdemon. If she truly believed that Zagan was just a big softy, then all that was left for him to do was make her curse herself for being so foolish. Be it a member of the Night Clan or the undead or whatever, an Archdemon would retaliate against them fittingly. Such was the case, but Alshiera’s eyes didn’t show a hint of ignorance, they looked like those of one who was prepared to die.

“It’s not ‘I won’t answer,’ or ‘I don’t want to answer.’ I cannot answer you.”

Alshiera gazed right into Zagan’s eyes as if saying that was the most she could possibly say.

Hmm. Which means I should think that fact over?

Alshiera would surely not mutter such nonsense if she was hoping that it would work as a way of backing out on her promise. In other words, there was a reason that she couldn’t speak of it. It could be that revealing the secret would trouble someone else, or that it posed an immediate threat to her own being, but it felt like it was a matter on an entirely different level too.

But, it really is strange that I’ve investigated it so much and still haven’t found out what Azazel refers to at all.

Zagan conjectured that it referred to the name of a thirteenth Sacred Sword based on the journal he had found in the elven hidden village. However, there was no thirteenth sword in the church, but there was an organization which used that name. And yet, Alshiera used the name as if referring to a person. Zagan then muttered out as if trying to organize his thoughts.

“Is this related to the reason why despite being used as a name for an organization within the church, it isn’t recognized as a Sacred Sword?”

“...”

Alshiera didn’t answer.

So this is another question she ‘cannot answer.’

Even Zagan would have never found out about the name if he hadn’t seen it in the journal he found in the elven hidden village. If he only knew of it as the dark side of the church, he wouldn’t have paid it any attention at all.

Wait, maybe that’s exactly why?

Just perhaps, even the church was in the same situation as Zagan in that they didn’t know what that name implied. He didn’t think it was the case, but for an organization like the church which continuously recorded all of their history in scriptures, what exactly would happen if something wasn’t recorded? In other words, it wasn’t that they didn’t recognize the Sacred Sword, it’s that they didn’t know about it.

Does that mean it’s just been that thoroughly erased from all record books in the world?

In that case, he could begin to understand why Alshiera ‘could not answer’ him here. In any case, it didn’t seem he would be able to get an answer out of her no matter how much he interrogated her. And after deliberating over that for a moment longer, Zagan changed his question.

“Then, what should I do to learn about it?”

“Huh...!?” Alshiera’s body shook with a start.

“Hmm. So that you can answer.”

“...Do you really have to know?”

Zagan felt like this wasn’t a problem he could avoid getting involved with just by knowing nothing about it. In that case, there was a need for him to acquire knowledge about it before he got involved. Zagan nodded, and Alshiera let out a sigh as if enduring her frustration. She then replied in a pleading manner.

“Please do not chase after it... you have no intention of heeding this request, right?”

“A foolish question.”

“...Under...stood.” Alshiera paused, then began explaining as if confessing her sins. “All you need do is follow in a certain man’s footsteps. His life could be said to be a battle centered around that, after all.”

“A certain man...? Who is it?”

“Now then, I wonder how he named himself before the Silver-Eyed King? But I do believe you should have met him already.”

“...? Is he someone I know?”

Having said that, Zagan’s range of acquaintances was quite narrow. Those that he could claim to truly know could be easily counted, but from the way Alshiera was speaking, it sounded like she was referring to a sorcerer. Alshiera shut her eyes and searched her memories, then spoke his name.

“Marc... I’m sure that he would use that name if he were before you.”

Zagan’s face stiffened upon hearing that name.

Why is his name being brought up here?

It was the name of the boy who acted like a bigger brother to Zagan back in his days as a waif. However, he was still just someone Zagan knew in passing that he remembered for the first time in a while because of the tomfoolery earlier with Gremory and Barbatos.

Seeing Zagan’s reaction, Alshiera smiled sadly.

“I see... so you really have met him...”

“What’s going on!? What does he have to do with this!?”

Alshiera shook her head.

“I’m sure... he was just a normal boy when he was before you. That man likely wanted you to think that and just forget him with the passage of time.”

“You’re not answering me!”

“Master Zagan! Please calm down!”

As Zagan began raising his voice more and more, Nephy clung to his arm as if unable to watch any more of it. He could feel the rapid thumping of her heart, causing him to shut his mouth. And as she watched that, Alshiera stuck out the teddy bear in her arms. Apparently there was a pocket on its back, where she took something out of it.

“I’ve warned you. You’re already following the path behind that man. Everything that happened... that dragon girl getting cursed, the meeting with two Archdemons, the acquisition of a Sacred Sword, and likely, everything that will happen from now... follows that path.” Alshiera pushed something into Zagan’s hand as she spoke. “But, as long as you do not yet understand the meaning to that, you can surely still back out. You’ll be able to enjoy the happiness that you have attained. So please, do not chase this secret any more.”

After separating her hands from his, Alshiera’s body began crumbling away.

“Hey wait! What do you mean by following his path!? Answer me!”

Zagan’s cry was all in vain, and Alshiera’s body broke down into a countless number of bats and vanished. Opening his hand, he found a single pair of large, round glasses. They were the ones that boy in his memories wore. The frame was covered in rust, and the lenses were cracked. Just how did they enter Alshiera’s possession? And what exactly happened to that boy?

“Master Zagan...”

As Nephy called out to him in a worried voice, Zagan shook his head.

“...I’m alright. I was just a little shocked to hear a familiar name there.”

Back out?

Was she telling him that proceeding down this path would expose Nephy to danger? Regardless, Zagan shook his head.

If that is fate, then no matter where I run to, I will crash into this problem one day.

At the very least, that’s how Zagan’s life had been until now. But even so...

“Did I meet Alshiera somewhere before...?”

He didn’t have any memories of such an encounter. However, those known as sorcerers were nothing but liars. It wasn’t all that surprising that someone you met before was someone else entirely when you met them again. And just as Zagan looked up to the sky with that discomforting feeling in his chest that wouldn’t go away...

“GYAHAHAHA! ZAGAN! Found ya!”

A man came crashing down from the sky while screaming in a completely insane voice.

◇

“Master Zagan!”

Nephy let out a small scream. The intruder from the sky came flying down straight at Zagan with a kick.

“...I don’t know who the hell you are, but I’m in a bad mood right now. Come back later.”

Zagan easily stopped the man’s kick with a single hand.

“Hyahah! You think that’s enough to sto—!?”

A dull crunching sound rang out. Zagan crushed the man’s foot in his hand. He then swung his arm and threw the man into the sea as if casting away a pebble.

“UGAAAAAH!?”

An Archdemon had flung him away in a fit of rage, so there was no way the man would get off lightly, and without sinking into the water at all, the man tumbled about on the water’s surface as if it were completely solid. It truly was like a pebble skipping across the water. Given enough pressure, water was said to be capable of even splitting a stone in two. The fact that the man was being bounced off the surface of the water was just an indication of the speed at which this man was thrown. A normal human, or even most sorcerers, would have all the bones in their body shatter from this. Normally, that is...

“HAAHAA! How nice! How strong! Now this is how the strongest is supposed to be!”

The man stood atop the water’s surface as if he hadn’t been struck at all. He had a strange appearance to him. He wore a discolored, dark red robe which looked like he tore it off a corpse, and from what one could see beneath the robe, he had bandages wrapped around his body covered in a countless number of circuits. He wore metal knuckles on his hands meant for hand to hand combat, and had leather shin plates reinforced with metal fittings.

He looked like he was all skin and bones, but Zagan could tell that this man’s body was in fact trained to the point where it was entirely composed of muscle. He looked to be about twenty years old. His red hair was just growing all over the place and largely covered his face. And within the gaps of his hair, Zagan could catch a glimpse of a single crimson eye.

Is this guy... a sorcerer...?

Zagan couldn’t identify the bandages wrapped around his body, but his fist wrapping and boots had sorcery cast on them to enhance his strength. What was even more peculiar than the bandages wrapped around his body, though, was the eye-patch which covered the right side of his face. It was even fit in place with chains and other fiendish looking metal fittings, which gave off the feeling that it was definitely something to be avoided.

What a creepy guy.

As Zagan laid bare his disgust, the man screamed out.

“The name’s Decarabia! I came to pick a fight with the Sorcerer Slayer! Archdemon Zagan!”

Zagan came to a sudden understanding upon hearing that name.

I see, he definitely has some screws loose.

The man—Decarabia—finished yelling and came flying in with a fist. He showed no signs of receiving any damage at all from before. Zagan wasn’t wearing his robe or his amulets, but it didn’t seem the cause of this was because Zagan was lacking his usual magical support from them. Apparently Decarabia wasn’t just an ignorant fool.

“Stand back, Nephy. I’m going to vent a little, so it’ll get a little rough.”

After distancing himself from Nephy, Zagan got in position to receive the strike... However, he still had the round glasses he got from Alshiera gripped in his left hand. Only a few seconds had passed, but by that time, the man was already right before his eyes.

“HYAHA! ’Ere we go ZAGAAAAAN!”

“Don’t use my name so casually.”

Zagan replied bluntly, and artlessly struck out his right fist. The sorcery Zagan specialized in the most was physical reinforcement. Just a single strike from his fist could pulverize a fortress wall, and when he devoured the sorcery of others, its power increased exponentially. In other words, if Zagan were to seriously swing his fist, even the head of an Archdemon would go flying.

He drove his fist towards the left side of Decarabia’s face that wasn’t covered by an eye-patch, and... Decarabia’s face didn’t crumble into pieces and explode.

“Huh...!?”

In the next instant, Zagan was the one to get punched in the face. Fresh blood went flying into the air along with the dull thud from the metal hand covers.

“Master Zagan!” Nephy screamed.

I got overpowered?

It was the first time he had experienced this since becoming a sorcerer. There were cases like Barbatos and Bifrons where they tenaciously survived Zagan’s punch. There were also cases like Michael where his punch was deflected. However, this time around...

Decarabia’s eye opened wide, and he broke out into a grin.

“Hyah, what a nice guy. You mighta hit me if you swung with your left.”

“Don’t pay it any mind. The strong do not take advantage of the shortcomings of the weak.”

With that, Zagan swung his fist down from above.

“Hyah! Cheers to our kind Archdemon!”

Decarabia also thrust out his fist while shouting something inexplicable. And Zagan certainly saw it this time. Right when his fist was on the verge of coming into contact with Decarabia’s face, Decarabia completely vanished.

No... he moved in!

Shockingly, this man plunged even further in despite Zagan’s terrifying fist coming down at him. And with Zagan missing his target, it was now Decarabia who thrust out his fist full force right at Zagan’s face. The shock of the punch was enough to darken his vision. It was like the force behind Zagan’s own fist was turned around and came right back at him. The strike from below sent Zagan bending backwards... and then he wiped away the blood from his nose as if nothing happened at all.

“Hmm. Now that’s impressive.”

“Geeheehee, you’re amazin’ too! Now this is an Arch—”

“That damn Barbatos. Even though I always punch him with this amount of force, he can keep acting as if nothing happened, huh?”

With someone around to punch all the time with such destructive power, even Zagan would learn to hesitate and hold back as to not do something careless. And yet, Barbatos merrily kept coming back for more. It was to the point where Zagan was worried whether or not he was a masochist. And as Zagan admired his undesirable friend, Decarabia’s expression suddenly changed.

“...Hey, Zagan. That just ain’t right. Come on!”

Decarabia came in with another punch, and Zagan didn’t avoid it, nor did he block it, he simply stood there. In complete contrast to his insane speech and conduct, Decarabia’s blows were sharp and precise. If one were to throw sand at this man’s face, he would likely be able to punch every speck out of the air. And he was continuously driving those precise fists into Zagan’s body.

Struck in the face, bored in the stomach, flesh torn, muscles crushed, blood pouring from his brow, Zagan was turned into a dark red mess in the blink of an eye.

“I came all the way across that freakin’ ocean just to have a go with you! Don’t ignore me! Look at me! I’m Decarabia! Come on! Come on! COME OOOOOON!”

Nephy covered her face as if unable to look on, but Zagan simply gazed at Decarabia as if it wasn’t a big deal at all.

“Borin’! How borin’! Gimme back all that time I spent getting’ here, ZAGAAAAA-ERK!?”

The moment Decarabia went in for the finishing blow, Zagan grasped his face with the grip of an eagle. Since he was shorter than Zagan, he was now being lifted in the air like that.

“GAACK! L-Lemme go!”

“I see. So this is ‘art.’ This is the first time I’ve seen a sorcerer use it, but your blows are so light it’s laughable.”

By the time Zagan finished letting out a sigh, his wounds had practically vanished completely. The reason he momentarily blacked out from the first two punches was because the strength of an Archdemon’s punch was returned right back at him. This man’s fists alone didn’t possess enough power to strike down Zagan.

“There’s a certain element of surprise, but once the trick is exposed, this is how it turns out. Even the alleyway waifs these days use such tricks. I’m surprised you even thought of challenging an Archdemon with such child’s play.”

Zagan’s voice even had a hint of pity to it. Back in his days as a powerless waif, he was taught the bare minimum martial arts to protect his own body. His consciousness was pulled towards the glasses in his left hand. Yes. That busy body of a boy was the one to teach him. It could be said that the reason Zagan was able to defeat any enemy with his fists was because of the techniques deeply ingrained in his mind at those times.

“Arts are a means to protect one’s own body against the church or sorcerers by using only one’s own body as a weapon. Is there even a reason for the strong to steal that from the weak? Know your place.”

To Zagan, martial arts were the last means with which one could protect themselves from those who possessed money and power. A sorcerer using it was the same as the rich prying money out of the poor’s hands to him. There was no way he could allow such cowardice. However, Decarabia’s body began squirming around even with his face clutched in the air.

“GYAHAH! Oh man, so you do remember!”

Decarabia wrapped his legs around Zagan’s arm and grasped his wrist. Furthermore, he pressed his ankles against Zagan’s neck and twisted his entire body towards the ground. This was a type technique to wrench the joints to their very extremities. However, Zagan didn’t move an inch.

“I already told you. You’re far too powerless to do anything.”

Zagan slammed his arm to the ground with Decarabia still wrapped around it.

“GEHYAH!?”

Decarabia was helplessly slammed headfirst into the ground. Even though the ground beneath them was all sand, there was enough force to make Decarabia lose his hold on Zagan’s arm. And with Decarabia’s face still firmly clutched, Zagan began gathering mana in his right hand.

“A sorcerer should fight using sorcery. Just like this — Lightning Spear.”

What Zagan specialized in the most after physical enhancement was lightning sorcery. This spell in particular was one he favored which brought lightning down from the sky to reduce everything into atoms. It possessed enough power to rival Barbatos’ Flames of Indignation.

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I used normal sorcery.

And the moment Zagan was thinking that...

“GYAHAHAH! Here it comes! You used sorcery!!”

Zagan couldn’t understand what happened in the moment. The moment his Lightning Spear was about to strike Decarabia, it pierced Zagan’s body instead.

“Guh-wah?”

Struck head-on by the lightning, Zagan’s right arm was carbonized all the way up to his shoulder. And with a good portion of his body reduced to ash, he fell to a knee.

No way! That was...

Zagan’s eyes shot open in shock, and Nephy murmur affirmed his suspicion.

“Master Zagan’s sorcery... was reflected?”

The moment a sorcerer unleashed their sorcery could be said to be the moment they were most vulnerable. And since his own sorcery was reflected at this time, there was no way he could defend against it. In truth, Zagan was unable to get back on his feet right away. He had taken the attack of an Archdemon full force. His regeneration couldn’t keep up.

I see. Even an incompetent brat could kill someone with this.

Zagan recalled the sorcerer that was killed once before from the same thing. It even made him feel fear as to what would have happened here if he had used Heaven’s Phosphor instead.

After using such flashy sorcery though, it was only natural that others in the area saw it.

“Hey, who the hell is that?”

Those who were running around the island looking for food came running over. The ones that came into view were the Angelic Knights. It was as one would expect for them to react so fast, seeing as this sort of situation was their specialty. The speed at which they judged what was going on and took action was quite admirable.

Decarabia’s head slanted to the side as he stood back up.

“Oooh? What’s this? A whole lotta them just came crawlin’ out! Can I break ’em? It’s fine, right? Okay! Let’s break ’em all! Breakin’ things is my specialty! HYAHAHAHAAHAHAHAA!”

And just as he began licking his chops at those running over from the forest...

“...What a coincidence. Breaking things is also my specialty.”

Kuroka was right behind Decarabia with both her swords already drawn.

“Wuh!?”

By the time he noticed, Kuroka had already swung her swords. Decarabia’s right hand went flying into the air. The strike from below was just like a grim reaper’s scythe as it severed his right arm completely.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”

“You’re done.”

Kuroka brought down her sword on Decarabia’s neck without hesitation. However, Zagan stopped her.

“Don’t, Kuroka!”

“Huh!?”

Just a single step behind, Kuroka also noticed the irregularity. She managed to bring herself to a stop, but she was just an instant too late.

“AAAaah... Just kiddin’!”

“Ack...”

Decarabia’s right hand seized Kuroka’s neck. A new right hand had sprouted out of the severed stump in an instant. Tabaxis were a race who possessed extraordinary mana, but they were not a particularly powerful race. Decarabia squeezed down on her dainty neck, leading Kuroka’s complexion to darken considerably.

“Oooh, a kitty cat. This is my first time pettin’ a kitty cat. What a slender neck. Should I snap it? Should I crush it? Aah, it might be even more fun just to look at it ’til it can’t breathe no more too... Oof, ow? Ow?”

Kuroka stabbed her short swords precisely into Decarabia’s vitals even while she was being strangled, but he wasn’t phased at all.

Are all of this guy’s circuits dedicated to regeneration and reinforcement?

It was at least to the point where he could instantly regenerate a severed limb. When it came to simple regenerative ability, he even surpassed an Archdemon.

Decarabia’s face twisted with a smile.

“Aren’t kitty cats meant to be pets? It ain’t cute at all though... should I kill it?”

I won’t let you!

Zagan stood himself up, but faster than he could even do that, someone ran in like a bolt of lightning.

“Shine—Sacred Sword Azrael!”

A ray of light instantly went to tear Decarabia’s face apart.

“Whoa! That’s bad!”

Decarabia instantly jumped back, but his right arm, which was strangling Kuroka, was once more severed from his body.

“Hak, gah.”

Kuroka fell to the ground, coughing violently. And the one to stand before her and cover her was Chastille.

“Sorry Kuroka. I had to pick up my stuff, so I was a little late.”

She had her Sacred Sword in hand. It appeared that the moment she noticed the attack, she ran off to grab her sword. She looked awfully composed, but her breathing was ragged. As for Decarabia, he escaped into the skies and was pinning down his severed arm.

“Ow! Ow! OOOW! How nice! HOW NICE! It’s gettin’ fun in here!”

He didn’t seem capable of regenerating the wound caused by the Sacred Sword, but contrary to expectation, he looked to be ecstatic.

“What’s with this guy...”

Chastille shrank back and trembled from the creepy feeling he was giving off. And just at that time, something fell down below Decarabia’s feet with a thud.

“Haah?”

It was Decarabia’s chain and metal fitting covered eye-patch. It was likely grazed by Chastille’s strike just now. And naturally, all gazes focused on Decarabia’s face which the eye-patch had been covering.

“What... the...?”

Chastille let out a bewildered voice. Decarabia’s exposed right eye was tumbling about every which way. His eye-patch had been hiding a silver eye. And this made Zagan freeze up entirely.

What the hell is that eye?

It had the same color as Zagan’s eye. However, the eyeball gave off an indescribable sense of discomfort. It likely wasn’t his original eye, but an artificially implanted one. And above all else...

He planted that kind of cursed eyeball into his own body... is this guy crazy?

No, he didn’t look in any way sane to begin with. The artificial silver eye showed signs of such a sinister curse on it that it made even Zagan feel like puking upon seeing it. Just half a month ago, Zagan suffered from a curse cast by a dragon and an Archdemon. When it came to the simple strength of the curse, this one couldn’t really compare, but that artificial eye had been there far longer — it was likely it had been festering with a curse for several hundred years. A suffocating mana was pouring out of the artificial eye.

Decarabia pinned down his right eye, and let out a sigh.

“...Tch, you ruined it. You, woman, and the cat too, you guys Zagan’s friends? OK. I’ve made up my mind. I’m gonna start by killin’ you two first! Do your best to run, struggle, and desperately resist your death! GYAHAAHAHAHAHA!”

And leaving behind his insane laughter, Decarabia slammed into the ground. A massive cloud of sand took shape, and blocked off everyone’s vision.

“Haa!”

Chastille tore apart the cloud of sand with a single slash of her Sacred Sword, but the lunatic was no longer there.