Alan and the wizards walked for a long time.
Without any means of transportation, they crossed the kingdom on foot. This was because they never knew when Markus’s hounds might appear.
Markus would never leave the fifty elite wizards who had taken refuge in Laplace alone.
“As expected, my prediction was correct.”
Just as Alan and his group crossed the border, mysterious figures blocked their path. The hems of their hooded robes were embroidered with dragon patterns. The man at the front bowed his head.
“I greet the bloodline of our house, Young Master Alan. As you likely know, we are the execution squad acting on the Lord’s orders to eliminate traitors.”
The wind blew.
Their deep-set robes fluttered for a moment. The faces revealed beneath them were stained pitch black.
“Have you finally decided to join Laplace, Young Master?”
“If I say yes, do you intend to eliminate me as well?”
The execution squad drew their staves.
“We were instructed to bring the Young Master back to the house.”
The man’s voice was soft. However, his momentum was anything but gentle.
“Provided that you do not bear the mark of darkness. If you do, we have been told to carry out a summary judgment.”
Alan nodded.
He spread his arms, revealing his body.
“Is this mark of darkness you speak of on my body? Look closely.”
“…”
“Do you know how deeply the Lord’s heart was broken?”
The hounds growled, clutching their staves.
Did he find it amusing? Alan let out a low laugh.
“Heartbroken?”
Mana began to swirl around him as he bowed his head.
“I wonder if his heart is as broken as mine. After all, I must burn my father and my house with my own hands.”
Whoosh—
The Light of Purification blazed up, riding the surging current of mana. To those who worshiped darkness, the Holy Fire looked like the flames of hell. Magic arrays were instantly formed in front of their staves.
In a touch-and-go situation, Alan looked back at the wizards behind him, leaving the snarling hounds for later.
“This is the flame that judges heresy. It is the power bestowed upon me by Hor, for I lacked the qualities of an Inquisitor.”
The flames swelled in size. They grew large enough to swallow the entire area.
“The Light of Purification clearly distinguishes black and white, so those stained with evil shall never escape punishment.”
A miraculous thing happened.
The fifty wizards shouted in admiration at the power of the Holy Fire. They watched the flames clinging to their own bodies with wonder.
However, it was different for the hounds.
“Aaaagh! Ack!”
Their staves melted away. Their clothes scorched into their skin. Their flesh, which had been stained black, burned white. To those whose spirits and bodies had been consumed by darkness, the Holy Fire was exactly what it looked like—hellfire itself.
“Believers who see the light as light… I wish for you to inherit this fire as well.”
The Inquisitor who burned every heretic to death spoke to the wizards. It was the first step toward the founding of the Heretic Inquisition Unit.
***
The Sword Saint’s first secret technique, Exploding Star.
The destructive power Vallach had shown remained deeply engraved in my mind even after a few days had passed. Perhaps because of that, I ended up getting scolded by Alisa.
“Hey! Disciple, your mind is elsewhere again today, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“You dare lie to me?”
Alisa swung her staff around. Her momentum made it seem like she was about to strike my head at any moment, so I instinctively stepped back.
“You really are as fickle as a reed! One moment you say you’re interested in magic, and now your head is spinning just because you saw a single secret technique?”
Behind her, as she stomped her feet in anger, an old man held up a thumb. It was Vallach, looking incredibly satisfied with the world. However, I didn’t have the luxury of paying attention to that man.
“I cannot hide my disappointment! I even gave you my precious staff as a gift…”
I glanced down. A masterpiece of a staff was held in my hand. This was the gift she had given me.
‘Well… she has every right to be angry.’
It was like giving a lover a luxury gift, only for that lover to be ogling another person right in front of them. It was the height of rudeness.
“Master, I was wrong. I will ensure this never happens again.”
“Hmph! It seems that staff is a wasted gift on you. Give it back.”
Ah, she was clearly more than just a little angry.
The hand she thrust out was very firm. At this rate, the staff wouldn’t be the only problem; I might lose the chance to learn magic altogether.
“Please forgive me, Master. Your disciple is at a point where I crave every bit of strength. That is why the Sword Saint’s secret technique left such a deep impression.”
“Then go devote yourself to swordsmanship. It seems teaching you is just a waste of my time.”
Hmm.
It had been a long time since I was in such a predicament. To make matters worse, Vallach started fanning the flames.
“The Queen of Laplace is right! Disciple, let’s just practice the secret technique all day! You can reach the pinnacle with the Sword Saint alone!”
He had been standing far away, but now he strode over and placed a hand on my shoulder. Naturally, Alisa’s gaze sharpened even further.
“Now, now! Let’s go. Today, I’ll explain the intricacies of the Exploding Star in more detail!”
“Give me the staff before you go!”
Vallach grabbed my hand and pulled. Alisa grabbed my left hand. Being stuck between the two of them was truly miserable.
Eventually, I decided to use my last resort.
Saaa—
Light raced across my body. The grip of the two people who looked ready to tear my arms off softened.
‘To think I’m resorting to my Aura for something like this.’
A sense of self-loathing washed over me, but there was no other way.
“Master Alisa. I want to learn magic. If you wish, you may confirm my sincerity.”
Alisa flinched. Having become a believer, she could not escape the profound influence of the Aura. Her anger would fade, and her heart would be filled with affection.
“If you daydream during my time once more, I won’t let it slide. I’m a very jealous person.”
The Aura therapy was a success. The sound of Vallach clicking his tongue next to me was annoying, but I did my best to ignore it.
“Now, Master. Can you teach me about multi-casting? Your disciple needs your guidance.”
“Hmph… It’s awkward for me to say this myself, but you should remember that I am not someone who gets ignored anywhere I go.”
“Of course, of course.”
As I expressed my full sincerity, the corners of her mouth twitched.
***
After the eventful magic training and Vallach’s training were over, I felt more tired today than usual.
The essence of the Exploding Star was compression and explosion. Since the explosion of a star naturally caused a massive impact, it could be considered a certain-kill technique.
‘I suppose I am feeling impatient.’
No, to be honest, I was extremely impatient. With a fight against a powerful enemy like Markus ahead of me, it wasn’t strange that my eyes were drawn to the Exploding Star. The sooner I became stronger, the more I could reduce the damage to my allies and consider more possibilities.
However, that was no excuse to neglect magic.
‘How rude of me to ask her to teach me magic first and then act like that.’
I closed my eyes, soothing my body exhausted from the harsh training. I was having a bit of a moment of self-reflection. The staff in my hand helped the circulation of mana. It was supposed to assist with meditation, and this seemed to be its effect.
“Whew…”
I took a deep breath and inhaled again.
‘Let’s not be impatient. If I, of all people, act like this, what hope is there?’
According to what I saw through my Divine Sight, the fabricated rumors about Laplace had spread beyond the Southern Continent to the Northern Continent. The reason the rumors spread so quickly was surely because Markus had a hand in it.
The more I confirmed how the outside world viewed Laplace, and the more I observed the scenes of Markus steeped in darkness, the more I felt my heart racing.
But I couldn’t let it.
Laplace was working hard to believe in and rely on me, ‘Hor.’ The nobles urged the people to have faith, and the people sought hope from Hor. A heavy pressure weighed down on my shoulders once again.
“Demon King, to you, this is probably nothing more than a day’s entertainment.”
The bastard was merely mimicking me and playing at religion. Such a ridiculous scheme was nothing more than a sick hobby intended to provoke me. If I let myself be swayed by every little thing like that, nothing would get done.
I needed to repay the faith of my believers, and I had a reason to overcome this pressure.
‘Let’s stay centered. I can’t afford to waver.’
A war against heresy.
I calmly faced the calm before the storm that was right in front of me.
***
Calgos stared blankly at his father, who had his eyes closed. It felt like it had been a long time since he had seen his father’s face look so peaceful.
He wanted to know what the man was thinking. Was he cursing the Demon King inside? Was he regretting creating them once again?
Yes, probably. It was obvious.
Calgos habitually curled the corners of his mouth. However, his eyes remained gloomy.
[To think the being you called father was Hor.]
Just then, Albert’s voice came from behind. Just as Calgos wondered about his father’s inner thoughts, Albert wanted to know Calgos’s.
Those eyes were too dull to be the eyes of someone looking at an enemy. Yet, they were also too twisted to be the eyes of someone looking at someone they admired.
Love-hate.
Calgos’s eyes were filled with love-hate.
[I had my suspicions, but…]
The One True God, Hor. In other words, the Father of all things. Albert had always denied his own thoughts. No, his comrades from 1,000 years ago had all been the same. They believed there was no reason for Hor to create ‘evil’ like Calgos. They had lived their lives dismissing evil as something Hor did not create.
『Did you just realize that, you idiot?』
『Father didn’t say those words for no reason.』
『You were always slow on the uptake.』
Calgos looked back at Albert. Even as the Giant mimicked the words his father had said, he did not smile. In a way, it was the first time Albert had seen the Giant expressionless.
[…I see.]
Even though he was the one who had dared to interfere with a conversation with a God, the Hero felt pity for the Giant.
[There is nothing as pitiful as an abandoned child.]
[Since darkness was born from light, you must not have received any care.]
‘Father! Father!’
The battlefields of the Grand War of Saints and Demons had always been teeming with their voices. The anger, jealousy, and deep-seated longing contained within them were things that could not be forgotten.
Beings who were evil from birth.
Perhaps that was why they had been abandoned since then. The cries that Albert thought were merely the outbursts of incarnations of rage were nothing more than the wails of those who had been abandoned.
[Did you want his affection?]
[Were you desperate for his attention?]
The corners of Albert’s eyes crinkled. At the gaze filled with pity, the Giant’s face crumpled like a piece of paper.