Chapter 77 - Wrong Answer

SHHHHHH

Heavy raindrops battered him relentlessly. Galahad swept his soaked bangs all the way back.

Through the thick sheets of rain, he could see Damian racing about. Damian was a wild beast unleashed.

His opponents were smartly dressed Demons. This was Proxel's authority at work.

It was a crude, primitive form of succession. Galahad had forcibly dragged Damian out of hiding, where he had been evading it. He knew hiding was no answer.

In return, Galahad had poured the mana and life force he had brought into Damian. Gwen's use of Proxel's authority had made that possible.

'Succession, eh?'

Damian's long claws slashed through one Demon's neck. Its head floated into the air.

Another struck Damian with a hammer.

THUD!

The heavy impact sent Damian flying. A Demon with a gleaming bald head kicked him, and he bounced and tumbled toward Galahad, who stopped him with a foot.

Damian let out a strangled gasp and looked up at Galahad with round eyes.

"There are too many."

"You can do it."

"But there are too many."

Damian pointed behind him. Indeed, despite all his running about, there were still a great many of them.

"They seem to be regenerating."

Damian nodded vigorously, his hair swishing and scattering water.

"Then stop them from regenerating."

"How?"

Rather than answer, Galahad rummaged through his pockets. "It should be in here," he muttered, and his hand closed around something.

He pulled out a fork and knife.

"Why not eat them?"

Damian's eyes widened.

"Aren't you hungry?"

GRRRROWL!

Damian's stomach answered for him.

"Eat all you like."

Taking the fork and knife, Damian beamed. His smile was brighter than when he was given meat.

Just then—

BOOOOM!

A thunderous crash rang out, followed by Gilberton's scream.

Gilberton, screaming? Things seemed to be going very badly.

"I have faith in you."

Galahad crushed his cigarette.

* * *

BOOOM!

Adrianna winced at the heavy impact transmitted through her sword.

'It tore away my aura.'

Her aura carried her own intrinsic nature. It burned mana, reducing Demons to ash. The same held true even when her opponent was human.

Aura alone was immune to her power. Her intrinsic nature had no effect on it.

Even so, Adrianna was the youngest Swordmaster in history. Few could face her with a sword.

The problem was the boy's aura. That ash-gray aura devoured even hers, as though starving.

For now, it was not strong enough to threaten her. The problem was what would happen if it kept consuming other auras and growing.

'He's dangerous.'

Adrianna studied the boy's face. He had yet to lose his childish features.

Her brows sank low. She tightened her grip on her sword, and pure white aura pushed back the darkness.

She recalled Galahad's advice. He had told her to keep her presence as subdued as possible, so she intended to deal with this using only as much strength as necessary.

"I'm sorry."

Her apology was heartfelt. This was due to her own lack of ability.

Just then—

"Stop, Adrianna."

A voice came from behind her. Polite, with a hint of playfulness, it was unmistakably Galahad's.

"This child is dangerous," Adrianna replied firmly. Even as she spoke, the boy's aura was tearing away at hers.

He was dangerous. More so than any Demon.

"That's an order."

"Commanders cannot give one another orders. I take orders only from His Highness the Grand Duke."

"At present, you're Noad, the newest member of the Special Operations Unit."

Then the boy's swordsmanship changed completely. Before, it had been orthodox; now it was savage, like a wild beast's. There was no form to it at all.

Adrianna grimaced as she caught his blade. Another handful of aura was torn away. The boy's sword reacted as though alive.

He was still growing. And very quickly.

"That is merely a cover identity," Adrianna replied firmly.

Just as she was about to swing her sword—

"Trust me."

His voice was flat.

Frowning, Adrianna took a step back. The boy's sword lunged at her like a starving beast. Their blades clashed again and again, pushing her aura back.

The boy's ever-growing aura, the sharpness creeping into his swordsmanship—everything kept sounding a warning.

Now he truly was dangerous. If Adrianna lost here, that boy would become a calamity for the North.

But...

["She didn't trust me."]

Adrianna bit her lip. Galahad was capable. If he was going this far, he must have a way.

"Understood."

She nodded.

"I can't hold out for long."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll help."

'Help?'

Her contest with the boy was a razor's-edge struggle decided in split seconds. How could Galahad, a Mage, help with that?

Something swept past her. It was a piece of blunt-ended ice, which struck the boy's body.

The timing was exact, the placement exquisite.

It briefly broke his rhythm. Only for an instant, but to Adrianna, that was an immensely long time. She thrust her sword into the opening.

For the first time, the boy was forced a step back.

"You bastards!"

The boy roared furiously and swung his sword. An enormous mass of aura bore down on Adrianna, and she expanded hers to match it.

Another dull impact sounded. A chunk of ice struck the boy's foot, making him stagger badly.

Once again, the right spot at precisely the right moment. It was as though Galahad were beside her, wielding a sword himself.

'No, this is even more effective.'

Adrianna evaded the enormous aura and thrust. The boy retreated another step.

Another ice club came flying. He moved his sword to block it, opening a gap directly in front of Adrianna—exactly along the path of her next strike.

'Incredible.'

He understood her swordsmanship perfectly. They had practiced before her duel with the Imperial Princess, but to remember it in such detail... His memory was extraordinary.

And he was steering their opponent into its path.

Galahad was supporting Adrianna, identifying every crucial moment. It felt as though he truly stood beside her with a sword in hand.

As though they were genuinely fighting in concert.

'I can do this.'

Adrianna continued the duel, taking care not to let their auras collide.

"You...! Human scum!"

The boy's voice grew increasingly muddled. With no contact with Adrianna's aura, his own gradually dwindled.

At this rate, she might be able to subdue him.

Then the boy's head whipped around, and he glared at Galahad.

"Oh dear."

The boy swept his sword in a wide arc, leaving Adrianna no choice but to retreat. This time, he kicked off the ground.

BOOM!

The earth erupted beneath his foot, and his form stretched into a blur.

"I'll kill you first."

He headed for Galahad, not Adrianna. The fierce aura enveloping his sword bore down on the Mage.

Adrianna hurried to move, then had to stop. Galahad was holding a palm up toward her, as though telling her to wait.

He appeared to have a plan, so she stopped for the moment.

The ash-gray aura, grown tall enough to reach the ceiling, descended on Galahad.

In response, he spread both arms wide.

'...?'

Adrianna's thoughts froze for a moment. Belatedly, she kicked off the ground.

But there was distance between them. The boy's aura was already right in front of Galahad.

The ash-gray aura surged savagely toward him like the gaping jaws of a beast.

Too late.

Someone leaped in. It was Tom. Shield raised, he planted himself in front of Galahad. His shield was shabby.

He meant to stop that enormous aura with a shield?

Then the boy's sword stopped dead. It had cut halfway through Tom's shield and halted a short distance from Galahad's forehead—close enough to stir his bangs.

"It's over."

Galahad casually put a cigarette between his lips.

SNAP!

A small flame rose from his finger.

The boy's face contorted. Wrinkles formed around his eyes, then vanished. His arm shook as though in a seizure.

"Y-you brat! You savage, where do you think you're biting?!"

He dropped his sword and brushed at his body, swatting here and there as though trying to dislodge insects.

Twisting this way and that, he rolled on the floor. Aged screams burst from him without cease. A large bite mark appeared on his exposed neck.

"I told you to use the fork."

Galahad clicked his tongue and muttered those incomprehensible words.

The boy rolled violently across the floor. His dark golden hair turned snow-white, like an old man's. Wrinkles spread over him, then vanished. A long, aged scream rang out.

At last, his struggling stopped abruptly. He opened his mouth wide.

And then—

"Buuurp."

He let out a hearty belch.

His hair was still snow-white, but his bearing had changed.

"I'm full."

"My, so even Damian knows how to say he's full."

"Damian!"

"Sir Gilberton has fainted! He's even foaming at the mouth!"

"Slap his face or something."

Waving a hand dismissively, Galahad approached Adrianna. His face was as relaxed as ever.

"We work remarkably well together. Clearly, we're a match made in heaven," he said, amusement in his voice.

It wasn't that they worked well together. Galahad had simply adapted himself to her. And yet he spoke so shamelessly of it.

"Thank you."

Adrianna bowed deeply.

"What are you thanking me for?"

She turned her head. Damian was buried in Gwen's embrace. An ordinary boy.

"You stopped me from making the wrong decision."

There had been a way to save him, yet she had nearly killed him. Galahad had prevented a terrible mistake.

"Oh, that wasn't your fault. It was the best option available to you. I found another way because I'm an exceptional Mage. Not being as capable as I am isn't a fault."

The corners of his mouth rose. A tart lemon scent spread through the air.

Adrianna pondered his words. After turning them over several times, she tilted her head.

"Are you saying I'm stupid?"

Galahad exhaled several rapid puffs of smoke. For the first time, discomposure appeared on his face.

"... No, I'm simply saying that I'm exceptional. For instance, would it make sense to criticize someone who knows no magic for breaking branches to start a fire?"

"So I'm an idiot who doesn't even know magic."

"That's not what I'm saying—"

Adrianna coughed softly.

"... So you do know how to joke."

"Yes. I've repeatedly been voted the funniest person in the First Battalion."

"Oh dear... So the First Battalion was the problem."

Adrianna quietly watched Galahad smoke. She had a mountain of questions: why the Demons had thought he was one of them, how he knew so much about them, and more.

She opened her mouth.

"Do you like lemons?"

"No, I hate them. Very much."

"Then why do you smoke lemon-scented cigarettes?"

"Habit. A very nasty habit."

Adrianna nodded.

Then the air grew heavy.

"Oh dear, we've been found out."

She turned her head.

"Hmm, I sensed Belhardenia here."

There stood a small child, wearing a crooked crown and even a cape. At first glance, the little figure looked ridiculous, but there was nothing funny about it. Its presence alone made her hands tingle.

A top-ranking Demon, at the very least.

Or...

'An upper-echelon Demon.'

Adrianna's eyes narrowed. Pure white aura blazed fiercely. Unlike before, it surged far beyond her, with enough intensity to pierce the ceiling.

The swelling white radiance shredded the surrounding darkness, making it bright as morning.

This was clearly the city's ruler, who took away those who drew its attention. It was clearly after her.

"It will target me. I'll handle it, so use the opportunity to retreat—"

Adrianna spoke with her sword leveled at the ruler.

Then the ruler moved.

And walked right past her.

* * *

'This isn't good.'

Galahad frowned. He had drawn the attention of the ruler, the one he had been most wary of.

Damian's ash-gray aura had been the biggest variable. Its ability to consume aura had rendered Gilberton useless. On top of that, the old man had proved more tenacious than expected.

Those variables had piled up, tangling his plans.

Still, the results were better than expected. He had confirmed Damian's aura and successfully fed the old man to him.

The problem was that he had attracted the ruler's attention, and the ruler had appeared in person.

It was a little kid with a crown on its head and a golden club in hand. A rather ridiculous sight, but he couldn't laugh.

Ever since the ruler's arrival, his mana had refused to move.

"Bow."

The ruler's command was curt.

His shoulders grew heavy. His knees buckled of their own accord. His body moved without his consent.

Before he knew it, Galahad was halfway to his knees.

'Mental interference?'

He tried to circulate mana through his head. It would not move, as though it had solidified.

'So this is an upper-echelon Demon. Fascinating.'

It resembled something he had experienced before, but the sensation was subtly different.

'What about Adrianna?'

Her pure white aura grew even larger, blazing as though oil had been poured over it. He could make out her figure dimly within it.

She was swaying slightly.

'Oh dear.'

She wasn't being overwhelmed by the ruler's authority. Adrianna possessed a nature that burned demonic power, and that nature grew stronger according to her opponent.

It seemed merely enduring its increased strength in response to an upper-echelon Demon was taxing her.

Beyond her, he could see the city. Demons and humans were packed together, kneeling and prostrating themselves as though before a true king.

'Well and truly surrounded.'

The ruler's intervention had been one of the possibilities he had anticipated. He had judged that if he and Adrianna joined forces, they could deal with even an upper-echelon Demon.

He still believed that. There was no way Adrianna would succumb to her own nature and collapse.

However...

'There's one more.'

Galahad stared behind the ruler. There was nothing there. That was the problem.

With the ruler's arrival and Adrianna's aura, the surrounding mana was swirling violently, yet that spot alone remained still. As though someone were deliberately concealing themselves.

That meant they were at least on the ruler's level.

His thoughts grew complicated.

Then—

"Hmm, so it's you."

The ruler was suddenly before Galahad, its eyes inspecting him. It was interested in Galahad, not Adrianna.

Only then did the situation make sense. He realized why the ruler had appeared despite Adrianna's utmost caution.

Galahad himself had drawn it here.

But what about him had caught its interest?

'The Egg of agony?'

The Egg was utterly still, as though pretending it wasn't there. There was no way a cheap egg playing dead had attracted the ruler's attention.

Then the ruler spoke.

"What is your relationship with Belhardenia?"

"Belhardenia," Galahad murmured.

Belhardenia was the first human Mage. Humanity's first traitor, too.

The ruler suspected Galahad had some connection to the first human Mage.

The reason...

'Because of this magic circle?'

Galahad looked down at his wrist. The magic circle left by the first human Mage was blazing more violently than ever.

It was the likeliest possibility, but this was only a magic circle. It was hard to believe the ruler had come for something so minor.

Then the crown on its head caught his eye. There was a gaping hole in its center, as though a large jewel had once been set there.

'The Demon King?'

Galahad swallowed hard. His blood surged, and his head grew hot.

The ruler was powerful enough to make his hair stand on end, but...

'It isn't the Demon King.'

Having spent his entire life pursuing the Demon King, Galahad could feel it instinctively. This creature was not the Demon King.

Still, the danger remained.

The ruler pointed its tarnished golden club at Galahad.

"I'll ask you one last time. What is your relationship with Belhardenia?"

It had only asked twice, and already this was the last time? It seemed woefully short on patience.

Its eyes were pitch-black. Facing them made him feel as though the nerves in his brain were burning.

Galahad instinctively knew that his answer could cost him his head.

He pieced together the clues. It was a Demon. It had thought the first human Mage had appeared and come in person.

Was their relationship positive or negative? Given that it was a Demon, a positive relationship was more likely.

But that wasn't what mattered.

What mattered was the one hiding behind the ruler. Were they on its side? Then why hide? Choosing to remain hidden meant they didn't want to show themselves.

There were too many variables. He could only choose the likelier option.

"My teacher."

The ruler's eyes curved into crescents.

"Really? At last, I've found you."

Galahad's heart stopped for an instant.

"You damned traitor."

Oh dear. Wrong answer.

A fifty-fifty chance, and he had chosen wrong.

'Unlucky.'

The Egg of agony urgently squeezed his heart. He barely managed to breathe again.

He had already chosen the wrong option.

So this time—