Chapter 138: The First Magic Swordsman (1)

“What on earth is that crazy bastard doing!”

As I watched Alan through the window, I couldn’t help but be horrified.

I thought he was just acting pathetic by the lakeside, but then he set his own body on fire.

Why on earth?

I rubbed my eyes.

However, the White Flame that had swallowed Alan’s body did not disappear.

“Is he trying to commit suicide?”

I didn’t send him that Nail Leaf for that.

It was just meant to be a small gesture for him to look at and cheer up.

I couldn’t just leave him like this.

I immediately ran out of the room and headed toward the lakeside.

Whoosh—

An incredibly intense heat brushed against my skin.

Wrapped in White Flame, Alan was writhing in agony.

“Alan!”

“Don’t… come… any closer…”

Through the flickering flames, eyes full of venom turned toward me.

It was a gaze that seemed to say he would kill me if I interfered.

“Damn it. The Saint’s Aftereffects haven’t faded yet.”

It would be great if I could use Faith, but right now, I couldn’t manage even a handful of it.

The light of the Nail Leaf I sent to Alan was Faith I had stockpiled in advance for emergencies.

Even that had already been sublimated into Alan’s flames.

“Should I just kick him into the water?”

If I plunged him into the lake, there might be a chance he would live.

Dealing with the aftermath would be a massive headache, but saving him was the priority.

There was so much work that guy needed to do for me in the future.

Just as I took a few steps back to gain momentum for a running start.

“Richard…! I told you not to interfere.”

Damn it.

The ghost-like guy glared at me again.

Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t know what he was thinking.

He was trying to burn away the Demonic Energy inside his body.

Even so, this was too extreme.

In this world, there is no convenient fire that can pick and choose only the things you want to burn.

His flesh would turn to ash before the Demonic Energy, and his life would flicker out before the Demonic Energy did.

That was certainly what I thought.

The anomaly occurred after Alan poured the second burst of flames onto his body.

Sizzle—

The White Flame spat out acrid black smoke.

It was the residue of oxidized Demonic Energy, a sight that made me feel nauseated just by looking at it.

The size of the flames gradually grew smaller.

It looked as if they were dying out or fading away, but in reality, they were being absorbed into Alan’s body.

As that happened, the black smoke became even thicker.

Although Alan’s skin revealed through the smoke had suffered major burns, it wasn’t in as serious a state as I had expected.

Normally, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to have turned into a pile of ash long ago.

The White Flame that Alan unleashed had even inflicted significant damage on Kalgos.

“How did this happen?”

The thing that resolved my question was a System Window that suddenly appeared.

[Faithful Alan Marx – Qualification for Hor special Title, Heresy Inquisitor, satisfied.]

[Specialty – Holy Fire acquired.]

“Ha…”

A hollow sigh escaped my lips, and at the same time, Alan’s body collapsed.

I could no longer feel any Demonic Energy from him as he lost consciousness and fainted.

He had burned it all away, cleanly, leaving nothing behind.

“You won. Alan.”

***

Alan’s hospital room was prepared next to Alisa’s.

To treat his burns, the healing Wizards had to shed their mana beads once more.

“Young Master. Why on earth did Young Master Alan…?”

I shook my head at Pyran, who asked if I knew why he had suddenly committed self-harm.

“By the time I discovered him, his entire body was already on fire. I don’t know the reason why Alan did such a thing either.”

If I told the truth, I would have to explain everything about the Hore Church from the beginning, so I maintained my ignorance.

I observed the expressions of the Royal Palace Wizards, including Pyran.

A dark and thick concern was evident on their faces.

The atmosphere of Laplace, which had already been suppressed, was now suffocating.

Resolving this atmosphere was not my job, but the task of Alisa and Alan.

For now, I was nothing more than an outsider.

I moved to the guest room to escape the stifling air.

Tapping the armrest while sitting in the chair, tens of thousands of thoughts crossed my mind.

“Laplace and the Marxs Family are now completely at odds.”

In a sense, I had achieved the initial goal of recruiting Alisa and this Kingdom.

However, that didn’t mean things were playing out easily.

“The Demon King… that son of a bitch.”

At first, I wasn’t sure.

I thought Bafel had just reached a conclusion on his own.

I thought he had simply succumbed to a great power.

I had thought of it that lightly.

However, now I could be certain.

“You dare to imitate me?”

Bafel, who worshipped the Demon King as a God.

He had shouted with malice that my light was Eodom.

Just as a living person looks dead to the eyes of the Undead, he was projecting his own wickedness onto others.

He was broken to the point where he couldn’t even realize who was wrapped in light and who was wrapped in darkness.

In short, he had been brainwashed.

To Bafel, Hor was synonymous with the Demon King.

“Hehe… hmph.”

I turned my head at the grating sound of laughter.

Inside the blade of the sword, Ill-fated Relation, the Demon King’s lackey was peering out.

“It seems the foolish King has found a fun game to play.”

“Ah, how disappointing.”

“I would have had so much fun if I could join in too.”

Hehehe.

I watched the guy laughing and flicking his tongue, then I closed my eyes.

“Should I really just throw this away? Albert, this bastard isn’t answering either.”

I shook off the thought that suddenly came to mind.

Perhaps Albert couldn’t talk to me even if he wanted to.

It was obvious that the ego of Kalgos, who had lived for thousands of years, would be stronger than Albert’s, whose soul had only passed a thousand years.

Of course, in terms of the power of the Soul alone, Kalgos must have weakened significantly, but if Albert had no Will to fight, it was all for naught.

“I just need to learn the Eye of Laplace.”

Since they were eyes that could even see the soul, if I learned that, I would be able to have a sincere conversation with Albert.

***

A day later, Alisa finally opened her eyes.

Looking at the crowd surrounding her with a dazed face, she immediately looked for Alan.

“Where is Alan…? Is that child safe?”

The King’s loyal subjects could not answer.

Desperation filled her blurry eyes.

“I am asking you.”

This time, her gaze turned toward me.

I opened my mouth at her voice, which was urging me for an answer.

“Alan is in the next room. His life is not in danger, but he is heavily injured.”

“How much, how badly was he hurt? Is his condition serious?”

“Thanks to the hard work of the healing Wizards, he avoided the worst of it.”

“I must see the state of that child.”

Alisa finally stood up with Pyran’s support.

The Wizards only kept mumbling.

“It probably isn’t easy to tell the King, who just woke up, the news of her brother’s self-harm.”

If she was to find out how it happened, it was only right that she heard it from the person involved.

He wasn’t dead, and he was actually living quite decently.

“Alan…”

The older sister stroked her brother’s cheek as he lay there with his eyes closed and murmured.

A chilling energy rose over her slender body.

“He must have been hurt while trying to take me and escape. This sister of his must have held her brother back.”

Actually, no.

That’s not it.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it, so I just scratched the back of my head.

“…Now even Alan, whom you cherished so much!”

I looked at her as she murmured with resentment.

A misunderstanding is a misunderstanding, but there’s no urgent need to correct it.

If Alan hadn’t used Teleport at that moment, his life wouldn’t have been guaranteed anyway.

“Sir Pyran.”

“Please speak, Your Majesty.”

“Summon all nobles and Wizards within the Royal Palace. I have an urgent matter to discuss regarding the Marx Family.”

The surrounding Wizards clenched their fists.

Their King, who had gone to visit the Main Family, had returned in a wretched state.

Even before Alisa woke up, their anger toward the Marx Family had already reached its peak.

No matter how much it was a family that dominated the Southern Continent, they had crossed the line excessively.

Alisa’s anger-filled tone meant only one thing.

“I will prepare it immediately.”

Pyran and the Wizards bowed their heads with determined faces and left the spot.

Only Alisa and I remained in Alan’s hospital room.

“I came here to help prevent a Battle, but looking at it now, it seems King Alisa is about to start one.”

“To stop a Battle, another Battle is sometimes necessary. Bafel, he is not someone who can be reasoned with through conversation.”

“I told you before, but there is no Battle in this world that deserves to happen.”

“That’s true. I agree with you.”

She turned her body, her gaze having been fixed on Alan all along.

As she faced me, Alisa’s face was filled with bitterness.

“However, even so, one cannot live in symbiosis with a Monster. Especially if that Monster is ruling the Southern Continent.”

Alisa’s miserable heart, calling her father a Monster, felt vivid enough to touch.

“As I thought, a Battle will eventually break out. In whatever form it takes.”

As someone who knows of the existence of the Demon King and the Demon Realm, it’s a painful thing.

This is not a situation where we should be pointing our blades at each other, yet this is the reality where we have no choice but to fight.

I was swallowing a sigh when she stepped closer to me.

“First, I want to thank you.”

“For what?”

“Did you not save me?”

I waved my hand, taking a step back.

“Was it not King Alisa who took the risk after hearing my story? I’m just relieved that my Ring was of help.”

I showed some humility.

Then Alisa smiled softly as if she liked it.

“I wonder if the Ring was of help, or if you were the one who was of help.”

I just remained silent.

“I will not ask what your true identity is. You are my brother’s close friend and my savior. Thanks to you, the Curse on my eyes has been completely lifted.”

How should I repay this Divine Grace—

She expressed her gratitude and favor to me several times. Even so, the dignity of the King was never compromised.

“Then please grant me one favor.”

“Yes. Tell me.”

I chose my words as I looked at her readily nodding.

There are more than enough things to ask for.

“It would be fine to believe in the Hore Church, or an Artifact or elixir would be good too.”

There’s a mountain of things to gain, but greed is forbidden.

Since the opportunity isn’t just for right now, I decided to speak of the most necessary thing first.

“Please teach me Magic, King of Laplace.”

“What?”

“Please. Teach. Me. Magic. King of Laplace.”

I said it again, emphasizing the important part.

The look on Alisa’s face as it froze was worth seeing.

“How can a Knight learn Magic…”

Whoosh.

Flames flared up.

Next, a block of ice emitting a chill was generated.

Crackle, blue electricity flickered across my body.

The Ring that spat those out was rotating fiercely behind me.

“Uh, uh uh…?”

The King made a foolish sound.