Chapter 9: Captured Elle
Act 4: Elle’s Heart
Chapter 9: Captured Elle
“OH my Demon Lord! Care to explain what’s going on, Clark?!” Sereniel screeches in a high-pitched voice beside me.
She’s throwing a hissy fit, but I can understand why.
I thought the Grand Magi were going to cart me back to Analia through the teleportation circle, but we ended up teleporting to a plain old forest in the middle of nowhere. Analia is nowhere in sight. Actually, I kinda recognize this place.
Isn’t this the forest near Elle Village?
“I’ve been had. The teleportation circle I made was altered at some point. These traces of magic belong to Julius. He truly is a man of many skills. He’s not the best of the Four Grand Magi for nothing. I have to redo the entire magic circle now…” Glasses sighs.
You rule, Julius! When did he get the chance to rework their teleportation circle? He’s always several steps ahead of the enemy. Just what I’d expect of a resident of Elle Village.
“That whippersnapper is incontestably useful,” Regulus says in praise of Julius. “He can do anything. He is, after all, the man I acknowledged as the top of the Four Grand Magi.”
“Excuse me, bag of bones, can you stop lazily glorifying the enemy and give me a hand reworking the teleportation circle?” The weakling research nerd shoves up his glasses and looks at Regulus.
“You can’t mean me?!”
“Who else is there?” Clark provokes.
Regulus scrunches up his face, unable to hide his surprise at Clark’s goading, but he ambles over to the magic circle and assists anyway. He probably can’t come up with a good retort. I feel like I just witnessed the sad moment when their roles in the pecking order reversed.
Well, that’s their problem. Even if they work together to redo the teleportation circle, it will still take them time to complete it.
I wonder if I can escape in the meanwhile…
I look down at the glowing silver chain wrapped around my neck. This collar prevents sorcerers from using magic.
The magic essential to my escape has been sealed off. My magic is corked. Without it, I’m nothing more than a beautiful girl!
And my right arm burns! I’m still paying dearly for stopping that mysterious ball of light with the magic I released from my right hand. It aches big-time. At least Sereniel wrapped my arm in a clean white cloth and did some basic first aid on it.
“Come on now, Elle. Remove that dangerous knife from your heart already,” Sereniel cajoles, glancing away from the other two working on the magic circle to briefly look at me.
She’s my prison guard. I tighten my grasp on the knife with my uninjured left hand.
When they first showed up, Clark said not to damage my heart, so I made them vow not to harm Elle Village by threatening the one thing they placed value on. Honestly, it was a dangerous gamble. But the Three Grand Magi accepted my demands.
My heart is that important to them. What is it about my heart that they want it this badly?
“Hmph! Flattery works on puppets and fools, and that’s not who I am!” I say, outright rejecting her.
“Hmm. You’ve changed. I can’t believe you would go so far for mere Gaeans. You even sacrificed your arm.”
I drop my gaze to my bandaged right arm. Blood is seeping through the white cloth.
“They aren’t just mere Gaeans. They’re all residents of Elle Village and that makes them special. Even Julius—”
“Special? I can’t believe my ears. You, the girl who devoted her every breath to the Demon Lord, have found something more special than him? Leaving that aside, your arm looks like it must hurt a lot. We have to get back to Analia soon and get some of the DemiOracle’s healing elixir into you,” Sereniel says, staring at my arm with genuine worry.
She’s been acting oddly nice to me. It’s throwing me off.
When I was in Analia, she often sought me out and picked on me. It’s incredibly rare for anyone to care about other people in Analia, where the Demon Lord is number one and human relationships are shallow.
But even in the manga, Sereniel was the only Grand Magi who cared about Elle.
When she hears about manga Elle’s death, she says, “It seems like stupid little Elle was killed.” But then she hunts down Saint Aela’s group with quiet rage simmering beneath the cold smile she said those words with.
Sereniel is also the one who casts Bewitch and Mesmerize on Laurent, the main culprit responsible for killing Elle, and kills him once she’s done with him.
“Sorry, bag of bones, I’m done rewriting that part of the magic circle. It’s now complete.”
I overhear Clark, the weakling in glasses, announce the circle’s completion while I’m busy thinking about Sereniel.
Seriously?! He already finished overwriting the teleportation circle?! Isn’t that too fast?!
“Take another look, Clark. It’s not done yet. Only one person can return to Analia with this configuration,” Regulus points out.
Clark nods as if Regulus had noted something as obvious as the sky being blue.
“We don’t have to teleport as a group. It works just as well with me returning to Analia with Elle. Please create your own teleportation circle and return after me.”
Regulus takes that order with a dissatisfied frown. Sereniel rises from where she sat elegantly perched on a stump.
“Even then, you need to add another circle to bring Elle with you, Clark. So why is it that your circle is only configured to teleport one person?” she asks, her voice pointed.
Clark smirks. “It works fine this way. With room for just one. It only needs to teleport the one person carrying Elle’s heart, after all.”
All it has to do is teleport the person carrying my heart? Does that mean what I think it does?!
My pulse pounds in my ears.
In other words, he plans to kill me and teleport away with just my heart?
I strengthen my grip on the knife.
I have no idea what it’s going to be used for, but it can’t be anything good!
“Y-You should know that the moment you try anything funny, I’m going to sink this knife straight into my heart and make it go kersplat!” I sputter in a panic. But threatening to thrust a knife into my heart if they try to kill me will still end with me dead…
I’m sickened by my own ultimatum, when Sereniel steps between me and Clark.
“I won’t let you. Elle pulled a stupid stunt, but I’m going to make her apologize to the Demon Lord and have her return to her former position as a Grand Magi.”
She’s sticking up for me!
Glasses scowls at Sereniel for hiding me behind her.
Tension electrifies the air among the Three Grand Magi.
“Was that a part of the Demon Lord’s orders?” Clark counters, his brows raised with disgust. “The Demon Lord ordered us to return with Elle’s heart unscathed. In other words, there’s no requirement to keep her alive as long as we obtain her heart in perfect condition.”
“…But he also didn’t order her death. I’ll put in a good word for her as one who has served as the second-ranked Grand Magi for years. The Demon Lord will forgive her,” Sereniel insists.
Clark’s beady eyes round behind his glasses. Then he brings his right hand to his lips and tilts down his head, shoulders trembling.
“Pft…puahaha…!” Restrained laughter forces itself past his pressed lips and explodes into roaring laughter: “Hahahaha!” Clark pulls off his glasses and swipes away the tears.
“Ha! Dang it, I can’t stop laughing. You’re too hilarious! How do you manage to continue spouting such nonsense, Sereniel? Hahaha! The Four Grand Magi should be called the Four Grand Idiots!” Clark sniggers and breaks down into maniacal laughter.
Dumbstruck, I gape at him.
What’s with this mad scientist? He’s creepy. Which reminds me, his manga version was the same way. He’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals… The kind of villain who likes to laugh with “Mwahaha!”
“Stop that annoying laughter before I cut out your vocal cords!” Sereniel threatens.
Clark stops laughing and looks at me. Not at Sereniel, but me.
“You still haven’t figured out the Demon Lord’s sublime intentions yet? Even if you bring Elle back alive, she will just be killed on the spot and have her heart ripped out anyway! After all, the only thing needed is her heart that pumps an infinite supply of magic!”
“An infinite supply of magic…?” Sereniel echoes and looks back at me.
I think back on what Julius told me. He called my inexhaustible supply of magic a perpetual magic generator and warned that I’d be dragged back to Analia if the Demon Lord discovered my condition.
And it was pretty much a given that the Demon Lord already knew about my unique constitution. I mean, I conducted weird experiments on myself under the Demon Lord’s orders.
The one job assigned to me since becoming the fourth-ranked Grand Magi in charge of the Centers for Magic Research was simply to keep using magic. To conduct experiments focused solely on a constant expulsion of my magic.
So those experiments were all about trying to confirm whether my heart is a perpetual magic generator.
Ha! The Demon Lord never did love me. Not even a little. I was nothing more than a guinea pig. Of course that’d be the case. Because the Demon Lord is nothing more than a magic circle that produces the optimal solutions for magic to take over the world.
I’ve known that for a while now. I knew it, grieved over it, and it still pains me.
“But man, I was trembling with excitement when I saw your power obliterate half the forest, Elle! You stopped my homunculus’s suicidal attack with just the pressure of your magic. Such power hasn’t even been theorized before. Elle, please offer that priceless heart of yours up to the Demon Lord without a fight,” Clark urges, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses.
I can’t decipher his expression, and it scares me into retreating a step.
“…What does the Demon Lord plan to do with Elle’s heart?” Sereniel asks in a tight voice.
Clark’s crooked lips pull back in a twisted grin. “Getting one’s hands on an infinite supply of magic and the unique power hidden within the Demon Lord’s bloodline will allow one to trigger a magic miracle thought to be absolutely impossible.”
“A magic miracle said to be absolutely impossible…?” Sereniel repeats.
“All right, I’ve explained enough. That’s what the Demon Lord is after, so having just her heart fulfills the mission. Please gouge out Elle’s heart, Sereniel. Cleanly.”
Sereniel’s shoulders jerk back. Then she slowly turns toward me. She looks straight at me and our eyes meet.
Oh no. I have to run away.
I don’t wanna die. I especially don’t want my heart to be used in some freaky ritual after I’m dead…!
Chills coil around my spine as I look into Sereniel’s eyes. And then right after those chills scrape through my body, I’m enveloped in a different unpleasantness.
I can’t…move. Is this her spell?
Her fingers finish the last line of a small magic circle.
I know I have to run away, but I can’t even make a sound, and Sereniel quickly closes the space between us. She lays her hand on the magic sealing collar around my neck and runs her fingers over it.
CLANG!
What? The chain inhibiting my magic hits the ground with a jangle.
My body suddenly feels lighter. Magic flows through me.
Did she just free me? I look up, baffled, and Sereniel’s beautifully shaped lips part.
“Elle, run away.”
“Erm…?” I let out a weird sound in response to the last thing I expected to hear.
But Sereniel turns her back on me without explanation.
“The Demon Lord’s intentions and a heart capable of producing an endless supply of magic? You don’t make much sense, Clark, but I get the picture… However, if killing Elle is the goal, then I won’t let her go back to Analia,” she announces in a firm voice as she spreads her arms to protect me.
Wh-Why is she going that far for me?!
“Sereniel, wh-why?!” I can’t help but ask. She says nothing.
“I see. You were among those I needed to count as a mindless fool. How unfortunate,” Clark drawls, annoyance puckering his forehead.
“Don’t pout because a pretty lady wasn’t willing to play along with you, boy.”
“Aren’t you embarrassed to call yourself pretty? Then again, you are a slut who wantonly struts around in that outfit, so you mustn’t have any sense of shame. Regulus, remove this indecent woman and bring me Elle’s heart. I don’t do the whole fighting thing. I’ll leave it to the old bones,” Clark says, directing his demands to Regulus this time.
Regulus stops silently watching over the situation with folded arms and moves forward. Sereniel withdraws a step.
No matter how I pair them up, Sereniel and Regulus are a bad match. Sereniel is more of a bewitcher than a direct fighter; she doesn’t stand a chance against Regulus, who boasts of raw fighting strength.
…All right, looks like this is where I need to intervene.
“Sereniel, move! I’ll take him on! I can use magic now, thanks to you!” I say to her back as she stands protectively in front of me. She doesn’t look at me.
“Run away! Your crude magic is a bad match for Regulus! And you’ve lost too much blood. Go as far west as your feet can take you while I buy time.”
“I can’t leave—”
As I’m arguing with Sereniel, Regulus shifts his hard gaze away from us and steps between a smugly smiling Clark and Sereniel. Then he pulls back his muscular arm—
“…Ghh!” Clark sputters painfully through gritted teeth.
What the? Regulus grabbed Clark by the neck and lifted him off the ground!
“Did you see the…Demon Lord? Did you learn about that…magic circle?” Regulus asks Clark with a tremble in his soft yet deadly voice.
Regulus knew about the Demon Lord, too?
Clark waggles his eyebrows as if to mock him. And then he sneers. “Ooh? Could it be you know about the Demon Lord as well, old bag of bones? I shouldn’t be surprised. You are that piece of art’s guard dog, huh?” Clark’s reply is nonchalant, even though he should be in too much pain to even speak with Regulus’s fingers digging into his throat.
“What magic circle…?” I hear Sereniel mutter, confusion lacing her tone.
She seems unaware of the truth, but judging by their conversation, Clark and Regulus know that the Demon Lord…is actually just a magic circle.
“But why does it seek Elle’s heart? What is the Demon Lord planning to do with it…?” Regulus asks, his expression far more pained than that of the man hanging by his squeezed throat.
“Will you release me if I tell you?” Clark negotiates in a breezy voice.
In a moment of hesitation, Regulus casts down his gaze. “…I don’t know if I will until I hear you out.”
“Haah,” Clark sighs. “What kind of an answer is that? You’re a real pain, you know that? But whatever. It’s not like I have anything to hide. I can tell you if I have to,” he says, like it’s a real nuisance, which is so bizarre I’m getting the creeps.
Why? Because he’s the one being held in the air by his throat, and yet he’s the calmest person here. It’s uncanny. He exhales as if he’d rather not talk but will to get this over with.
“Fine. I’ll tell you,” he concedes. “The Demon Lord’s objective is to use Elle’s heart and the power coursing through his unique bloodline to resurrect his old body. You heard that right. His objective is the Resurrection spell! He is trying to pull off a miracle no one has succeeded at before. And what an incredible miracle it shall be. So please don’t interfere. Please adhere to your doglike loyalty to the Demon Lord and fetch Elle’s heart for his grand scheme, sack of bones.”
Regulus’s eyes widen.
I’m also rendered speechless. I mean, he’s talking about resurrecting the Demon Lord! How can that be?!
“What are you talking about?! Reviving the Demon Lord? How does that work? It’s not possible! The Demon Lord doesn’t exist! I saw for myself. It’s just a magic circle! Just a damn magic circle guiding our kingdom toward being ruled by magic!” I shout in the heat of the moment.
Amused, Clark looks at me. “Hahaha! I knew it! You saw the Demon Lord’s magic circle, too. Is that why you fled? What a fool! I’d gladly rip out my own heart and put it on a silver platter if it meant being a part of this miraculous spell!” He throws back his head and laughs to the high heavens.
What the heck? He’s nuts.
“The Demon Lord will revive,” he announces while I’m too shocked by his insanity to speak. “He is just a magic circle right now. But please use your head for a minute. The existence of that mind-boggling magic circle means that at one point in time there existed a genius capable of creating it! That genius is the true Demon Lord. He established Analia in order to set up all the preconditions to bring him back to life at a later time!
“Isn’t it marvelous?” Clark exclaims. “He created a magic circle that would build the foundation of his ideal world, and then he established the Kingdom of Analia with everything prepped for him to resurrect and become the god of that new world! His plans are just too supreme; it makes me go crazy just thinking about it!” Clark’s lips twist in a deranged smile despite Regulus’s nails creating crescent moons in his throat.
He was crazy before he learned about this!
“Wh-Why are you so thrilled? If the Demon Lord is the person who came up with that demented magic circle, then they’ve gotta be a lunatic! I mean, how could they be anything but deranged when they view people as nothing more than tools to further the development of magic?!” I argue, clenching my one good fist. “They think of people as puppets! What will happen if that psychopath comes back to life? Are you happy with a world controlled by magic…by the nutjob who drew that magic circle?!”
“A world controlled by magic? Haha! Who cares? You see, I’ve never felt more thrilled and alive! We’re talking human resurrection here! This is on a whole different scale from my homunculi! I will be more than satisfied if I can witness the moment that miracle spell is used. The world can be damned afterward for all I care,” Clark declares, lunacy gleaming in his beady eyes.
The world can be damned for all he cares? He seems so inhuman for saying that, I can’t even begin to come up with a reply. I doubt I can hold a solid conversation with this creature called Clark.
I’m dumbfounded, and it’s in that moment that Regulus sighs, his hand still firmly clasped around Clark’s neck.
“…Clark, you’re missing a few dozen screws. I hate to break it to you, but even I’m not missing that many yet. I’ve been in the Demon Lord’s service all this time, but…it’s high time for me to defect from Analia. After killing you,” Regulus says, his eyes having been opened to Clark’s insanity.
I watch as a magic circle forms in his free hand. He probably plans to slam that fist into Clark and kill him.
Clark’s brows snap together the second he catches on.
“The Four Grand Magi are a gathering of good-for-nothings. Thank you for making that clear,” Clark says as something that looks like a fairy flies out from underneath his robe and latches on to Regulus’s shoulder.
I’ve seen that thing before…! I’m positive it’s the glowing ball that charged Julius in Elle Village. I bet it’s one of Clark’s homunculi!
“Regulus! You’re in danger!” I yell at the exact same time the fairy-shaped homunculus bursts into a blinding light. I instinctively slam my eyes shut against the intense glow as it burns up its fleeting life in a suicidal attack.
Then comes the roar of an explosion.
The ringing stops. I hood my eyes against the blast and look to where Regulus is on his knees and missing an arm.
“REGULUS!” Sereniel’s heartbreaking shriek cracks the air.
“Aaah. Please quit with all the violence. I’m not cut out for the front lines. Now that makes the third homunculus I lost today,” Clark complains, standing there with a wicked glint in his eyes shadowed behind shattered glasses and a superficial smile on his split lips.
The explosion seared his skin, and half his face is swollen red. And still he smiles. There’s something dreadful and creepy about him…
“Lylish…?”
Out of nowhere comes a crystal-clear voice that could belong to the angels themselves and belongs here just as much as an angel would.
I look toward the thicket. A girl with hair blacker than night stumbles forward.
Aela… Why is she here? I thought I helped her escape from Elle Village already! Can we really be so unlucky to run into each other again in this forest close to the village?
I’m baffled by this sudden third party coming on to the scene, and it doesn’t help that it’s Aela of all people, but my gaze swivels over to Clark anyway.
Is this just as unexpected for him? The confidence has slipped from his face as he stares at Aela.
Clark has lost his nerve?
This is my chance. A chance to blow him up with an explosion. The area of effect might include Sereniel, Regulus, and even Aela, but they’re strong, and I’m more afraid of falling victim to Clark’s pacing.
I use my one good hand to form the spell symbols and build a prison of flame around Clark. But then I start seeing double. And nausea roils in my gut.
Ugh. This is that. Anemia. I lost too much blood.
I lurch forward a step and sway on my feet. CRUD! I’m gonna pass out. Everything is spinning, but I have to at least land one hit on Clark!
Agh! I can’t…control it… The flames are…
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the fire I was summoning vanish into a puff of smoke.
Why? Why…now of all times?! My body is tilting forward and gravity is pulling me down, when someone gently catches me. Cold air rushes in and fills the forest.
I use what little strength I have to lift my head and see as ice encases Clark’s feet. His overconfident, smug smile freezes on his blue face. White quietly creeps up his body, sucking the color from his skin.
It’s mist.
Hope fills me with the sudden chill licking at my skin, and I lift my eyes to the person holding me up.
“J-Julius…!”
“Elle, I’m sorry I’m late,” Julius says, supporting me in his arms as he tears into Clark with his glacial blue gaze.
It’s Julius! Did he break Sereniel’s magic and then come straight here for me?
“Julius…don’t…get in my way,” Clark demands in a weakening voice, drawing my attention back to him. An uncanny smile is plastered on his sickly white face as his lower half turns to ice.
“You saw the Demon Lord’s magic circle, didn’t you? Someone of your caliber should be aware of its magnitude, then. All you have to do is obediently offer up Elle’s heart to glimpse the Demon Lord’s breathtaking power. As one who loves magic, you must understand how I feel, no? We are magic investigators. Don’t you want to uncover the unknown?” Clark asks in a trembling voice. Probably a physiological tremor due to the cold. Ice has already frozen his lower half, just past his waist.
“Don’t treat me like we share the same sentiment,” Julius coldly shoots back.
Clark’s expression freezes. But the right corner of his lip barely lifts in an eerie smile. “Haha. Too bad. It really is too bad…,” he breathes out just as the ice creeps over his face and his entire body is frozen solid.
Julius lightly pokes ice-sculpture Clark, and he and the block of ice encasing him shatter.
“D-Did Clark die?”
I have to ask because this is my first time in this life—and in my last life, too—ever witnessing the moment someone has died, as I’ve never been on the battlefield before.
“No. That thing wasn’t human. I assume what I destroyed is a homunculus he made. The real person is likely comfortably sitting back at the Demon Lord’s castle.”
WHAT?! We were talking to a homunculus all this time?!
“In any case, Elle, you are in no position to worry about others. You are losing so much blood.”
I lift my head at the nearness of Julius’s voice. His handsome face is right before my eyes. Worry colors his features as he assesses my arm, and it’s making me feel oddly embarrassed.
“I-I-It’s n-n-not that big of a—” D-Deal! I tried to say, but another wave of dizziness strikes first. I can’t feel my legs, and I’m pretty much only standing because of Julius’s arms around my waist.
Oh no. I can’t…muster any strength.
“Um, I can heal your injured arm if you like?”
I hear a timid voice offer assistance while I’m thinking I’ve only got about five more seconds before the spinning world blacks out and I lose consciousness. I jerk my eyes to Aela’s concerned face.
Oh yeah, Aela can heal me. Or rather, she’s the only person who can help me now. If things go well, even the burns on my arm will be cleanly repaired.
“Please…do,” I request, leaning against Julius.
Aela smiles and steps toward me. And I retreat a full step backward. Actually, I was dragged back a step. BY JULIUS!
Why are you withdrawing from her? Weak, I look up at Julius, the question in my eyes.
“I can’t trust someone whose objectives are unclear,” he says.
So he’s not willing to let her help me because he doesn’t trust her yet. I totally get why he doubts her. But I want her to heal my arm if it can be done!
Sheer willpower is helping me anchor my consciousness, but that’s a feat only possible because I used to be one of the Four Grand Magi. Anyone else would’ve blacked out from the pain by now. I’ve been doing my best to stay afloat in spite of the agonizing pain and lack of blood, because I’m Elle!
I muster a modicum of strength to grab a fistful of Julius’s shirt and pull it to me. “Julius…it’s…okay. Aela is a good…girl,” I insist between short breaths. Skepticism plows his brow.
There’s no way for him to know that, because he doesn’t have the same knowledge of the manga that I do, and I don’t have the leisure of explaining why she’s good to him right now.
I’m seriously at my breaking point! I’m in pure agony! I use that agony as the last push to stagger a step closer to Aela. Julius hesitates when he sees my stubborn move, but he assists me closer to her rather than stop me.
“That’s a horrible injury. I know it must hurt, but you can relax now. I will heal you right up. All you have to do is lift your head,” Aela instructs, sympathizing with my pain as she looks at my disfigured arm.
When I lift my head, Aela’s pretty face is there, and she knocks her forehead against mine. I immediately feel the blood circulate through my body, and warmth spreads to my cold, throbbing arm.
So this is the power of Aela’s healing magic!
I give myself over to the comforting warmth for a few moments until I feel it fade away. Aela has stopped pressing her forehead against mine. I kind of wish we could stay that way a little longer. And then I remember my bandaged arm.
Ah! I’m no longer in pain! I can’t believe it, so I unwrap the bandage, revealing a perfectly normal arm without a single cut or burn.
“Amazing,” I utter in awe. I mean, how could I not be after witnessing this miracle?
“You healed an injury that severe in a second…,” Julius murmurs, astonishment glimmering in his eyes as he focuses on her. Then he smiles so softly, so sweetly; it’s an expression he never once used in Elle Village or Analia.
Julius, the Prince of Glacial Beauty, has graced Aela with a warm and tender smile…
“You have my utmost gratitude. Thank you, truly.”
There’s no woman who could hear those words from his beautifully smiling lips and not blush. Crimson stains Aela’s white cheeks.
I can’t stand seeing the two of them sharing this silent moment, so I cast my gaze to the ground and pretend to check on my healed arm by opening and closing my fist.
Wh-What if they fall in love now? It was the moment that Aela healed Julius’s wounds and showed him her healing magic for the first time that he took an interest in her in the manga. Seeing her use such a rare ability attracts him to her, and that attraction eventually turns to love…
I wonder why I’m so agitated. Why does my heart feel like it’s dropped from the sky? Why do I feel this way?
“P-Pardon me, l-lady, but could I impose upon you to l-look at my arm too…?” As I’m coping with my antsy feelings, I hear a voice that sounds like it’s at death’s door. I look over and find Regulus collapsed on the ground.
Oh yeah, I forgot about him. Regulus’s arm was blown off, too.
“I-I’m sorry. I will be right there!” Aela exclaims and rushes over to him. Upon seeing his missing arm, she mutters, “This injury was caused by…” Sadness weighs her brows down at the corners.
“C-Can you heal him, too? Will he get his arm back?” Sereniel asks, worry lacing her tone as she helps Regulus stand.
Aela whips her head up from the injury with a start. “Y-Yes. I can…I think. It should…heal if I use all my remaining magic. I’m going to touch you, okay?” she says, asking for permission, and with a nod from Regulus, she places her forehead against his.
And then Regulus’s arm regrows before our eyes!
Uwah! Arms grow out this way? Aela’s awesome! Too awesome! Though seriously, watching the bone jut out and then be covered by muscle and skin is grotesque!
How much damage is her magic capable of repairing and regrowing? Say she had an infinite supply of magic…would it be possible to regrow an entire body? The healing elixirs from the DemiOracle can heal a lot, but not this much— That’s it, isn’t it?
I’ve just realized something disturbing: the DemiOracle’s power and Aela’s are very similar. No, Aela’s powers are the superior version of the DemiOracle’s. I remember hearing that the emotionless puppet we call the DemiOracle is actually a homunculus made with the Demon Lord’s blood.
Clark’s words flash through my mind, filling in the puzzle pieces.
“The Demon Lord’s objective is to use Elle’s heart and the power coursing through his unique bloodline to resurrect his old body.”
Oh my gosh, why didn’t I realize it sooner? Why am I such an idiot to only figure it out now when I learned about it in the manga?
Saint Aela. Even in the manga, she was the only sorcerer in the world capable of using healing magic. That’s why people called her a saint
And manga Aela only gained her saintly powers because of Lylish. Lylish shows up from the Fairy Realm and makes Aela drink some sort of liquid under the pretense of it harboring God’s power.
I’m in shock over the theory I’ve drawn up after witnessing Aela’s power firsthand.
Then the thicket ahead of us moves.
“Aela! What are you doing here?! I thought I made it clear that I don’t want you taking off on your own…!”
Two people push their way out of the brush.
Prince Guido is the first to appear from the thicket, and he’s the one scolding her for going off on her own. The moment he notices she’s not alone, he draws his sword and shouts, “Why are you people here?!”
Golem follows after him and gives us an equally bewildered look.
Yeah, I bet they don’t have a clue what’s going on. I’m honestly just as confused when I take a look around me. Julius is here, I’m here; so is Sereniel, Regulus, and Aela. With Guido and Golem joining the party, we’ve collected most of the main manga cast, excluding Laurent. Aela’s busy healing Regulus’s arm and she just finished healing me…!
Uh, yeah, I seriously have no idea how to explain this. As I’m trying to think up a good explanation, Aela finishes with Regulus and stands.
“I’m sorry for taking off, Prince Guido. Please sheathe your sword! No one here has done anything wrong,” she says in appeal, but he just stares at her face, trying to assess these bizarre circumstances.
“A-Aela…what in the world is going on? Get away from them first. You’re surrounded by the Four Grand Magi!” he yells, looking at Sereniel and Regulus beside her. More like glared at them. Hatred flares in his keen eyes before he returns his gaze to Aela.
“Don’t forget that they’re responsible for Lylish’s death! Am I wrong? Their attack ended Lylish…!” Golem thunders, his battled-hardened face crumpling with her loss.
Right. Lylish died in Aela’s hands after protecting her from the village-obliterating attack. Golem’s woeful voice brings back the painful memory of what happened only hours ago.
“Prince Guido, Sir Golem…I have good reason for coming here without telling you. You see…I…sensed Lylish,” Aela confesses, her voice weaker than tinkling glass. The color has leached from her usually rosy cheeks.
“You sensed her? How? She died protecting us…,” Prince Guido reminds her.
“Yes. Lylish died.” Aela nods. “She burned up the last of her life energy protecting me and vanished in a spark of light. But then I sensed magic similar to hers coming from over here. So I rushed to the source…” Tears gradually fill Aela’s voice as she speaks until it becomes too hard to say the rest, and she drops her pained gaze to her feet.
Guido’s eyes bulge. “Lylish survived?”
Dismay shimmers in her eyes at his question, and then she quietly shakes her head.
“I…I don’t know. Wh-What I saw was definitely L-Lylish…but it was…Lylish…but not Lylish…because Lylish…!”
Crystalline teardrops finally spill over from her eyes. She chews out the words through her tears, unsure of how to express the truth she discovered.
Guido lowers his sword and approaches her. “Aela? What’s wrong? What happened?” he asks, tenderly putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his chest, as if to protect her from us. His animosity-filled eyes flick our way again. “What did you do to Aela? I’ve never seen her so flustered before. What spell did you bewitch her with?”
“N-No, Your Highness! They…they didn’t do anything! I’m sorry. I need to…be clearer…but I’m so confused… B-Because L-Lylish…!” Aela rambles, turning paler by the second and failing to finish that sentence yet again.
I think Aela’s kindness and, most of all, her love for Lylish is preventing her from saying the rest. Or maybe she just doesn’t want to accept the truth.
That’s why, even though it might make her sadder, I say it in her place.
“Lylish was a homunculus created by Analia’s newest Grand Magi, Clark,” I explain.
Aela’s wide eyes swivel toward me. She gives a slight nod and weeps.
“I see. So that’s what happened,” Julius murmurs beside me.
Julius was able to put the various pieces together after only hearing a fraction of what Clark said, but Golem and Guido are in shock because they have very little information about what happened.
“A homunculus? What do you…mean?” Guido inquires, baffled.
“It’s a long story. I have a lot of things to fill you in on, plus Aela must be drained after using her healing magic twice, and she’s crying, and I’m hungry. So let’s talk in detail after we return to my village,” I suggest.
Guido frowns as he weighs my suggestion, but he gives a slow nod after looking at Aela sobbing. “Fine. Let’s do that. You tried to protect us earlier… I’ll trust you.”
After the prince says his part, Sereniel sweeps her hair over her shoulder like a queen. “…I have a lot to ask you about, too. Like the Demon Lord’s true form… You will tell me, Elle.”
“I will.”
And so we trudge back to Elle Village to the sound of Aela’s sobs and a dark cloud hanging over our heads.
Chapter 10: A Discussion about the Truth
LAURENT broke down crying upon my safe return to Elle Village. What a cutie. Manga Laurent was a character with a dark side, but look at how genuine he’s turned out to be. He was so overjoyed to have me back that he didn’t notice Sereniel and Regulus behind me, and reeled in shock when he finally registered them.
Or more like he was ready to pounce on them. But I managed to talk him down. Now he’s just acting like a wary cat watching their every move.
Laurent’s forwardness is part of what makes him cute, but he’s quick to pick a fight. Not that I’m one to talk.
For that matter, aren’t Golem and Prince Guido from Saint Aela’s group the same way? That goes for Laurent and Julius from my village, too. They all whip out their swords and spells first and talk things out later. I can’t help feeling like their jumping the gun is always stealing the limelight from me… Don’t go there, me. I shouldn’t think too much about it.
Long story short, I invited Laurent to join us, to appease his wildly protective side, and had him come along with everyone else to the parlor in my house, which is the biggest building in Elle Village to have survived the Grand Magi’s attack without a scratch.
And just like that, Saint Aela’s party and the Four Grand Magi are sitting at a table for ten.
I had asked Canna to prepare tea and snacks, which liven up the table but do nothing for the dour mood.
Sereniel is the first to breach the bloodlust hanging in the air. “Regulus, you and Elle seemed to know about it, but what’s all this talk about the Demon Lord being a magic circle?” She gracefully crosses her legs and folds her arms under her ample breasts, drawing them closer together. Does she do that on purpose or is it subconscious?
“Wait. Lylish comes first. What’s this business about Lylish being a homunculus?” Golem cuts in, almost as if to antagonize Sereniel.
Sereniel shoots him a loathsome look.
Come on, people! You’re all too quick to start a fight. I wish you would be discerning about it like me. Be like me!
“Hey! Settle down there! You all have such short fuses. As the clever mayor of Elle Village, I will cover each topic in turn, so mind your manners!” I say to stop the storm brewing at the table.
“Clever…,” Sereniel mutters under her breath, like she has a problem with it.
How rude! She makes it sound like I’m not clever!
From the seat next to me, Julius skewers Sereniel with his eyes. “Don’t interrupt Elle, pestilence,” he growls at her in a voice cold enough to freeze the sun. The room temperature plummets faster than Laurent likes to pick a fight.
“Brr! It’s freezing! And it stings! Julius, stop that! Ice is growing on my feet…!” Sereniel wails with purple lips.
I glance down at her feet where ice steadily crawls up her ankles. A sheet of ice is covering the ground at Golem’s feet, too.
The sudden drop in temperature is due to Julius’s magic. Don’t become a part of the problem, Julius!
“H-Hey! Don’t you start using magic, either!”
“Why are you mad? I was simply silencing the flies— Ghh!”
I smack Julius’s hot head. He rubs the spot and looks at me like he can’t believe what I just did.
“What was that for?”
That’s my line! When it comes down to it, Julius is the first to pick a fight. Which is a surprise given his normally calm nature. He was called the Prince of Glacial Beauty in the manga, too, and his cool disposition was his selling point. Where did that character go?!
“For crying out loud, rein in your temper! You know, it’s that ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ attitude of yours that keeps making things more complicated than they need to be!” I rail. Guilty, he averts his gaze. And it seems like he undid his ice spell because the temperature has returned to normal.
Julius always looks like he’s cool and in control and his appearance trends more toward expressionless, yet despite all that, his temper is shorter than a fuse. He jumped straight to battle mode with Saint Aela’s group and the Grand Magi.
I guess with his power, it’s easier to just annihilate anything suspicious before it becomes a problem… What a bloodthirsty mindset. Scary! He wasn’t the secret villain love interest for nothing.
“You know what, magic is banned from this table!” I proclaim, my pitch rising with my irritation. “As long as you are in the grand dominion of Elle Village, whatever I say goes! I’m the mayor. That’s how it is! Sheesh.”
Once I catch my breath, I get right into what they want to hear. “All right, I’m going to tell you everything I know and heard from Clark about the Demon Lord and Lylish… I know Aela’s group would rather hear about Lylish first, but I’m starting with the Demon Lord.”
With that, I go into a long explanation about everything that’s happened up to this point, starting with why Julius and I absconded. After I finish talking about the Demon Lord being a magic circle and the magic circle’s objective, Prince Guido jumps from his seat, knocking it back.
“You can’t expect me to believe that. The Demon Lord is just some magic circle?! And one that’s trying to create a country of people controlled by magic?!”
I completely understand how hard it is to accept. I was in denial and total shock at first, too. So much so that I fled the country.
“That’s right. What we call the Demon Lord is a magic circle configured to lead us into a future controlled by magic. The war between Analia and Gaea was dragged out as just another step in its calculations,” I clarify and gesture for Prince Guido to sit back down before he does more damage to my chair.
Sereniel heavily sighs with her eyes closed. “A future controlled by magic…? Haha. What a joke. Makes you wonder what the Demon Lord thinks of Analia’s citizens. Basically he—or it—thought nothing of us? We Analians were fighting for our lives in order to pump magic particles out of distressed Gaeans? And then we fed those magic particles into the magic circle meant to control us? ...Without knowing any better, I always thought I was fighting for the Demon Lord and for my country, so I kept at it…like a fool,” she finishes in a dark voice.
I slightly incline my head, affirming everything she said.
The Demon Lord never loved Analia’s citizens. Not even anything close to love. We were nothing more than pawns to an inanimate drawing. Nevertheless, we loved the Demon Lord with everything we had.
“What are magic particles?” Golem’s quizzical inquiry breaks through the weight pressing down on my chest.
The term magic particles seems to be uncommon in Gaea, where magic isn’t a part of their culture.
“It’s a magic element that comes from a person’s negative emotions. Magic particles can’t be seen with the naked eye by most people, but it’s in the air all around us,” Julius explains for the Gaeans’ benefit. “Without it, sorcerers can’t use magic, and magic circles won’t work, either. In other words, the Demon Lord is attempting to make a country with an endless supply of magic particles to keep its magic circle working… Ultimately, the war between Analia and Gaea was fought for nothing more than to keep the Demon Lord’s magic circle operational.”
Astonishment freezes every Gaeans’ face.
“That’s the truth,” I say, backing Julius up since our Gaean friends look skeptical. “The Demon Lord’s objective was to keep Gaea on the precipice of near losses and in a miserable state rather than drawing the war to a close. In order to lead humanity into a magically controlled world, it intentionally caused people in the Kingdom of Gaea to suffer for a long time… I’m not trying to make excuses, but Analians don’t know that. We believed the war was for us and were happy to die for our lord. Analians love and respect the Demon Lord more than anything, so we went to war without questioning it.”
It makes me think back on the time I only ever thought about the Demon Lord. Back on the girl who lived solely for his praise. The version of myself who forewent thinking for herself because everything the Demon Lord said was just and absolute.
Suddenly, there’s a loud bang on the table. I look toward the source of the sound and find Golem with his trembling fists denting the wood.
“A world controlled by magic? All for some damn magic particles! That’s why we Gaeans have been made to suffer these long years…?!” he thunders and bites his lip so hard blood trickles down his chin. Anger shakes his broad, muscular frame.
The Demon Lord’s actions are even worse for Gaea.
Prince Guido places a hand on Golem’s shoulder and seethes “We won’t let him get away with it” in a threatening voice.
I know he’s talking about the Demon Lord and not me, but his unforgiving tone still gives me the chills.
“Gaea’s citizens aren’t the only victims. Analia’s own citizens have been deceived. The Demon Lord has cheated and trifled with every person doing their best to make a life for themselves in this world. That should never be allowed to go on,” he says, looking around the table with bold determination.
“That’s right. We can’t let this pass. I absolutely won’t let this go on without a fight!” I finish in the same vein as Guido.
Sereniel’s worried eyes find me across the table. “I see… You left Analia after discovering the truth.”
I weakly bob my head.
“That decision is very like you. When you suddenly betrayed the Demon Lord you devoted your life to…I thought you were led astray by Julius…”
Julius snorts at Sereniel’s accusation.
She ignores him and directs her barbed gaze at Regulus. “But what excuse do you have, Regulus? You knew the truth about the Demon Lord. Why did you hide it from us?” she asks in a harsh tone full of blame.
Sereniel never drops her temptress smile, but her ashen face is drawn tight. Regulus meets her gaze and drops his.
“…I have no excuse on that front. The only thing that I can say, while it might come across as an excuse, is that I didn’t know what the magic circle was configured for. And naturally not about the point of the war. I couldn’t decipher the more complex sections of the circle. I entered the inner sanctum, realized there was just a magic circle, and guessed there might not be a Demon Lord. However, I fled the room without confirming the truth and never went there again… I was afraid…I wouldn’t be able to accept the truth.” Regulus speaks from the heart, deep wrinkles forming on his forehead with his grief, the corners of his eyes misting.
“Don’t beat yourself up too much, Regulus. If you are to blame for seeing and not knowing, then I am even more at fault for obeying the Demon Lord when I could decipher its meaning to a certain extent,” Julius confesses, his voice just as dark and gloomy, which makes me look up at him. Our eyes meet.
“Like you, I was in denial and ran from the truth until I met Elle. Things are different now. I have Elle in my life. I won’t run anymore,” he says with such a gentle look in his eyes, I’m forced to look away for fear he’ll see my flushed cheeks.
Seriously, Julius’s face is all he’s got going for him! It’s all about the face! W-Well, not that his personality isn’t appealing in a way. He’s surprisingly honest, serious, and he also called me cute a few times— Bad thoughts! Now’s not the time to be fawning over Julius!
I rein in my thoughts with a loud cough and rise from my chair.
“N-No more of that! It doesn’t matter who’s at fault. I’m just as guilty of fleeing the country after learning the truth. Running away was all we could do! But things are going to be different. I’m going to defeat the Demon Lord! Defeating the Demon Lord—destroying that nasty magic circle—will end the war and let me enjoy a peaceful life in Elle Village. Most of all, that demon circle is after my heart and has already inflicted damage on my stupendous village! I can’t let it roam free!” I emphasize my point with clenched fists.
“I completely concur with you,” Prince Guido responds. “We can’t let the Demon Lord stay unchecked.”
Aela and Golem nod in agreement.
Perfect! Looks like I can count on the Gaea half to lend a hand. Then again, they were always the side opposing the Demon Lord. All that’s left is— I look at Sereniel and Regulus.
“I have no objections, either,” Sereniel says. “A world where humans are dominated by magic…? Ridiculous. Besides, my loyalty went out the door the moment I learned the Demon Lord is just some scribbles on the wall. I obeyed orders because I always thought that the Demon Lord was a handsome, tall man with incredibly high specs as a sorcerer!” She’s voicing her support for an entirely disappointing reason.
Regulus levels her with an exasperated look, then sighs. “I also can’t stand the Demon Lord’s methods. These old bones are yours to use,” he offers.
Sereniel’s reason is questionable, but at least it’s looking like Analia’s Grand Magi are on board with joining forces.
“All four of the Grand Magi have left Analia. Now’s the time to attack before more are appointed,” Regulus recommends.
“Clark is definitely going to be our biggest enemy,” Sereniel stresses, brushing a curl off her shoulder.
That reminds me of Clark’s sickening smirk before he shattered into a million pieces of ice. Right, Clark’s still a problem. He’s chosen to stay with Analia even after learning the truth about the Demon Lord’s magic circle. Fighting him is unavoidable.
“Speaking of Clark,” Serenial adds, “it was his homunculus that came with us to this village, right? I didn’t think there were any sorcerers capable of making such elaborate creations…”
“I’d venture a guess and say that he copied the formula used to make the DemiOracle,” Julius answers. “The DemiOracle is a homunculus as well. Some of the magic circles in the inner sanctum referenced the formula to make it. Copying that formula should result in a refined and elaborate homunculus.”
I didn’t know there was a magic circle like that inside the magic sanctum. Then that solidifies my theory…
“Hey, Julius? Is it correct to assume the DemiOracle is a homunculus created by the sorcerer who drew up the magic circle controlling Analia?”
“You can bet on it. Whoever it was, they were a terrifying sorcerer capable of crafting thousands of complex magic circles…,” he says in a scandalized whisper.
I completely agree. And with that knowledge, my theory has become conviction. Aela is probably—
“I want to know more about these homunculi. Elle, you said Lylish is one of Clark’s creations, right? Can you clarify that for me?” Guido says, tossing out the most important question yet.
Oh yeah, I need to explain that part, too. But it’s not easy to tell them. How do I break the news? I sneak a glance at Aela.
Talking about this will likely hurt her more than anything. Her complexion is already a sickly white, and she’s definitely depressed. But I can’t skip this piece of information. I have to bring it up.
I harden my resolve with a deep breath and breach the topic. “Lylish was one of Clark’s homunculi. I’m fairly positive she is how he located Elle Village. Your mission with the messenger brought her here by coincidence, and she reported our presence back to Clark right away.”
“That can’t be…!” Aela cries out, breaking her silent brooding. “Why would he send me a homunculus? Lylish was full of life, a cutie, and always there to save us! She granted me these saintly powers! Lylish taught me about God’s power!” She speaks all in one breath, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I think it’s probably because you share the same blood as the Demon Lord—his descendant. The Demon Lord I’m talking about is the sorcerer who established Analia and left behind that appalling magic circle.”
After I give that explanation, Aela murmurs with a stunned look, “The Demon Lord’s…descendant?”
“Your healing is a special power that runs in your bloodline. And it’s a sure bet the Demon Lord used that power, too. The proof is in the DemiOracle he made using a similar style of healing magic, though it’s nowhere near your level, Aela,” I explain, trying to make it as easy for her to understand as I can. “Then you have what Clark said. With the power coursing through the Demon Lord’s unique bloodline and an infinite supply of magic, a miracle resulting in the Demon Lord’s resurrection will occur. This is just a guess, but I think your healing spells have the potential to revive the dead if your magic supply is infinite.”
“No way. I can’t revive the dead…”
“You might not be able to right now. But what if you got hold of an infinite supply of magic and learned how to bend it to your will?”
I know what no one else here does. In the manga, Aela gains more and more power throughout her battles with strong enemies. It’s a real possibility for her to become powerful enough to pull it off.
I look at the saint weighed down by sorrow and confusion and force her to face reality. “In order to awaken your natural powers and mature them, Lylish brought you the plausible goal of subjugating the Demon Lord so you had a reason to gain experience. She wanted to make you capable of casting several miraculous spells in a row.”
Thinking back on it, Lylish was often the driving factor in the manga. Imagining the ending of my favorite story sends shivers down my spine. What if Aela, not knowing any better, came to the Demon Lord’s castle to defeat him by sacrificing my heart and using the exact spell that revives him?
“Lies! Lylish wasn’t like that…!” Aela bursts out, another waterfall of tears spilling over. Guido puts his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.
Aela isn’t the only one hurting. Lylish was a friend to both Golem and Guido. They aren’t outsiders to the pain she feels. It hurts me just watching them, and I only know snippets of their relationship from the manga.
“To sum it up, the magic circle controlling Analia is trying to use Aela’s power to revive the person who made it. To make that happen, this Clark guy sent Lylish to her. That’s the gist of it, right?” Guido quietly inquires, hugging Aela to him and stroking her hair with a comforting rhythm. His eyes are as hard as nails and downright scary.
“You’ve got it.” I nod and feel Sereniel’s cutting gaze pierce into me.
“Okay, I get this whole thing about the Aela girl’s powers, but, Elle, I want to know why they are after your heart. Can it really produce an infinite supply of magic?”
I consider answering her by saying it really can, but I’m not all too sure about it myself. The whole thing is sketchy. Julius did tell me that I have the potential to become a perpetual magic generator…
“Elle definitely possesses the ability to put out an endless supply of magic,” Julius answers in my place when I spend too much time overthinking. “Back in Analia, she was conducting constant experiments to measure her magic. It’s safe to say the magic circle sleeping within the inner sanctum has confirmed that she can become a perpetual magic generator. It seeks her heart for that precise reason. The heart is the source of magic. The magic circle is planning to offer up Elle’s heart as the power source for Aela’s magic in order to revive the Demon Lord.”
A dark, dismal expression clouds his handsome face as he mutters in a barely audible voice, “But…”
I look up at him, waiting for the rest, but when our eyes meet, he shakes his head, insisting it’s nothing to worry about.
What was that about? Does he lack confidence in what he has to say? That’s not like him. I’m curious now. But I can’t follow up because Sereniel exhales louder than a huffing bull.
“I always thought Elle had a lot of magic, but not that she was that special. In any case, the Demon Lord—or more like the person who made that magic circle—was outta their mind. They’re essentially trying to revive their long-since-decayed body, right? For that matter, doesn’t resurrecting that way make them similar to a homunculus? It’s not like they will get to keep the same abilities, personality, and memories from hundreds of years ago.”
“Aela’s special magic is needed for that purpose. Those powers will create a body different from a homunculus. You saw what she did earlier. The way Regulus’s arm regrew. It is extremely likely she will revive the Demon Lord with his full abilities, personality, and memories.”
Julius’s answer silences the room.
I can’t argue with that theory after seeing how awesome and unreal Aela’s power is.
Aela, having calmed down a bit, finally speaks. “I might actually…be capable of fully reviving someone with their memories intact if I have an endless supply of magic, but something is decisively missing for me to do that. The source of the body—that is, a part of the Demon Lord’s body. And it can’t be decomposed.”
“What? Did the Demon Lord not predict that far?” Regulus interjects, excited by this new piece of information. “More than five hundred years have passed since Analia was founded. Even if the body was stored somewhere, it’s likely a decomposing mummy by now! Doesn’t that make reviving the Demon Lord impossible?”
Julius douses his hope with a hard shake of his head. “Unfortunately, no. A large piece of the Demon Lord wanders the heart of Analia without aging.”
“What piece?”
“The DemiOracle. When we create homunculi—not just create homunculi, but use any large-scale spell—we offer our blood to better control the magic once it’s released outside of us. I strongly believe that the Demon Lord used a lot of blood to create the homunculus we call DemiOracle. His blood has been preserved all this time within the DemiOracle’s body, unaffected by the elements. The proof lies in the DemiOracle using magic in a similar vein as Aela. It can make healing elixirs that may pale in comparison to her powers but is closer than anything else we have seen.”
Gasps come from every Analian at the table.
“So Clark’s going to use the Demon Lord’s blood preserved in the DemiOracle to bring him back to life…,” Sereniel summarizes, bringing silence to the room once again.
The Demon Lord shared his lifeblood with the DemiOracle in preparation for the day he would be revived. This entity we call Demon Lord has been carefully preparing for this moment from hundreds of years ago, in ways we can’t even begin to comprehend. His magical power is surely higher than anyone in the world today. Probably even Julius.
What will happen to us if the Demon Lord returns? I think back to the magic circle I saw in the Demon Lord’s castle. In the back of my mind, I see the sorcerers controlled by the magic circle and the Gaeans made to suffer solely to produce magic.
I squeeze the sides of my red velvet skirt.
The Demon Lord must never be allowed to return. Never. And that’s not just because he needs my heart to do it.
The Demon Lord’s ideals and vision for the world makes a mockery of those of us who have eked out a living in this land. We can’t let it happen.
I sweep my gaze around the table. Tension and nerves have hardened their faces. They might be coping with the new reality that we are facing a bigger enemy than any of us realized.
So I stand up in a whoosh of skirts. “Don’t let this news steal your spirit! I’m sure you have all already come to this conclusion, but there is a super easy route we can take to prevent the Demon Lord’s resurrection,” I announce in the cheeriest voice I can muster. Julius frowns.
“Elle, what are you going to say?”
“Do you have to ask? I’m going to say what everyone is thinking. You can prevent his resurrection by burning my heart. Then there won’t be a perpetual magic generator to power the Demon Lord’s revival for some time.”
“I’ll never let that happen!” Julius thunders, slamming the table and flipping his chair over when he springs to his feet.
“J-Julius, calm down. I-I’m not too keen on dying, either. It’s a last resort!”
“I won’t allow it even as a last resort!” Julius roars, showing more anger than I’ve ever seen from him.
Aela shoves back her chair and stands, too. “He’s right, Elle! Besides, if it comes to that, the plan works just as well with my death, right? Isn’t my magic necessary for the Demon Lord’s revival?”
Guido shakes his head. “…No, if it’s the Demon Lord’s bloodline that’s needed, then there are probably a lot of replacements for you, Aela,” he says, his expression bleak. “If the small village you grew up in was established by the Demon Lord long ago, almost any of the villagers could have the same hidden power. Should you die, they will just awaken your replacement and teach them how to do it.”
“N-No!” Aela cries and looks at me, the pain on her face saying more than words can. “B-But we can’t just let her throw away her life…!”
So says the girl who just offered to throw away her own life when she thought it was a viable option. Her kindness is real. And that is exactly why my decision won’t change.
“My magic-generating heart is probably a mutation. I can’t say it won’t happen again, but seeing as the Demon Lord hasn’t rezzed yet, it’s not common. So by burning my heart, we might put off the Demon Lord’s revival for a while if not forever… But I’ll say it again: I don’t plan on going down without a fight! I just wanted to put it out there as a last resort. All we’ve got to do is take down Clark and smash Analia’s magic circle before it gets to that point. Or we eradicate all the DemiOracles. And let’s face it, as long as that magic circle exists, the hellish world the Demon Lord envisioned is still a possibility even if he doesn’t come back. Am I wrong?” I say and look in turn at each person at the table.
Aela is so worried about me her face has crumpled with tears. Guido and Golem have their hands on her shoulders to give her support.
Questions fill Laurent’s gaze, as all of this is news to him. Readiness to take on whatever comes brims in the looks I’m receiving from Sereniel and Regulus. And then there’s Julius at my side.
Anything is possible with this group. I mean, this is the all-star cast from my favorite manga! A dream team including both the good and the bad side. Nothing is impossible when you gather this many aces!
“Together we will end the Demon Lord—end the kingdom of Analia! Just think of it like you’re already on the winning side. After all, you have beside you the glorious mayor who loves Elle Village most and is most loved by Elle Village! Me, the gorgeous and adorable grand sorceress Elle!” I declare in the brightest voice possible and smile.