LS – Chapter 188: And so, introducing

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter

I was moving in the sky at the limits of my speed. But there was quite the distance between the village I was in and the villagers who are evacuating and being protected by Blue. 

I know clearly the personal combat power of Blue after fighting her, but she would have a hard time even against your regular Unique. 

Within those, there’s the elite of the Scarlet Demon Lord who have received the transcendent power of Strife. The chances of winning against them is slim. 

The protection of Daruagestia won’t last long either.

“Faster… Go even faster!” (Ekdoik)

Suddenly, I heard a giant roar that made the air vibrate and felt a massive surge of mana. 

This is not an enemy. It is from a monster that is under the control of Blue. Even though it is from a far distant battlefield, I could tell its presence even with just my eyes. 

There’s no doubt about it, that appearance is Daruagestia. But its size is far bigger than the time when we captured it. 

“Could it be that she has succeeded in doing what we talked about before…?” (Ekdoik)

The one who had the highest battle power within the Uniques we captured was Daruagestia. 

Blue tried to make it into a powerful individual like Dyuvuleori. 

But Dyuvuleori continued living for a long time, gaining a massive amount of mana himself; compared to that, it hadn’t been long since Daruagestia had evolved into a Unique. 

Daruagestia couldn’t receive the mana of Blue satisfactorily. The plan we compromised with was to bring the dredges of skeletons in the place where Daruagestia rests, and by making the mana in the air abundant, we urged on his growth. 

We casted magic on the skeleton corpses so they don’t turn into dust after death. It was a lot of trouble to carry it, but there’s the benefit that we can make him grow with that. 

Even if it would take a mind-boggling amount of time, we have an eternity in our hands. 

I thought it was fine to just be patient about it, but…

—“Can’t the mana be poured in one go from the outside?”

A new plan was made from the statement of Comrade.

The theory is similar to when using necromancy with Annihilation in order to gather the mana in the surroundings. Blue said that it might be possible to imbue the target. 

But the question this time was how to supply the mana to Daruagestia. 

You need to gather the mana of the monsters born in the Nether in order to make a monster of the same origins to grow. 

We tried using the skeleton corpses we had as a test, but the growth of Daruagestia wasn’t that big. 

The result of Blue’s calculations led her to the conclusion that she would need more than half of the skeleton soldiers for the required mana for Daruagestia. 

And so, the result after consulting with Blue and Comrade, we would be using the skeleton soldiers without restraint to increase the corpses. 

“It should be safe to assume the evolution of Daruagestia is certain. But that means the soldiers around Blue are…!” (Ekdoik)

Daruagestia evolving means that Blue is still safe there and that the skeleton soldiers around are almost wiped out. 

Something of that level won’t be losing unless it is quite the opponent, but I still have to hurry. 

There’s really few enemy soldiers on my way. It is in part because I succeeded on stalling them at the village, but they are most likely in the middle of battle against the main force of the enemy. 

Daruagestia raised a roar and attacked the ground. The shockwave of it reached even me in the sky. 

So a monster of that size surpassing the category of Unique makes it this fearsome, huh. With this, the trouble should be resolved if we can coordinate proper—

“Ah, Ekdoik! You are late! Come here quickly! Here!” 

I heard someone shout from afar. I came here at the fastest speed I could bring out though…

I finally arrived at a distance where I could see Blue and thought about entering battle at once, but the enemy soldiers around are almost all heavily injured or dead. 

It seems that’s how massive the attack of Daruagestia was. 

This is… Even I might not be able to defeat it… 

I go to Blue who is shouting at me from afar to come. She is carrying a single human in both of her arms -my mother. 

“What’s…the situation here?” (Ekdoik)

“Natora-san saved me -by using the same Eyes of Blindness as you.” (Natora)

“What?!” (Ekdoik)

Blue told me what happened until now. 

This power that I inherited from Beglagud could be used by my sibling Rakura, so I heard from Comrade that she might have been influenced in the same fashion, but…her state is weird. 

Seeing that there’s blood flowing around her eyeballs means that she didn’t use mana strengthening properly, but that doesn’t seem to be all. 

“It seems like the devil’s mana is corroding her. I absorbed some of it, but if I absorb any more than this, it might dry the mana of Natora-san herself.” (Blue)

“I see. So it has this degree of side-effects if used by someone with no magic training contrary to me and Rakura, huh…” (Ekdoik)

“What are you analyzing all calmly about?! Can’t you treat her somehow?!” (Blue)

“To put it bluntly, it would be impossible for me. In order to control the devil mana completely, you would need the control of the Purple Demon Lord who is in the Gahne side. But there’s no doubt she won’t last in this state.” (Ekdoik)

“Don’t state it so easily! That’s your mom, right?! Are you saying you are giving up?!” (Blue)

“It is not like I am giving up. Your treatment was effective on her. It should be possible to stabilize her while carrying her to Gahne in that fashion.” (Ekdoik)

“As I said, the mana of Natora-san herself will be gone if I go—” (Blue)

“If it is not enough, just fill it up. I have heard from Comrade that there’s a method to give blood to others in his world. If we do that to infuse mana into her, there should be some leeway created.” (Ekdoik)

Comrade can’t be healed with magic. That’s why he has explained medical knowledge to the people around for the times when he is injured. 

The knowledge of a world that can achieve things with techniques impossible for this world. It is thanks to Comrade that I could think up a way to overcome this situation. 

“T-Then, let’s do it at on—” (Blue)

“Wait, what are you doing trying to pour Demon Lord mana? Things would get worse than even the devil mana.” (Ekdoik)

“T-That was close! T-Then you do it!” (Blue)

“I am a demon. Calm down, Blue. The evacuated villagers should be ahead of here, right?” (Ekdoik)

“Y-Yeah.” (Blue)

“Then there should be Holy Knights guarding them. Holy Knight should have a decent amount of mana, and it should be hard for there to be an adverse reaction since they would be from the same land of Mejis. I will bring her there since I have the speed.” (Ekdoik)

I receive my mother from Blue and confirm the location of the villagers with farsight magic. It should be possible to treat her with those numbers. 

“W-What should I do?” (Blue)

“Prioritizing the treatment can lead to slowing down the evacuation. It seems like the battle has been settled here, but please wipe the enemy with certainty. There should still be enemy soldiers at the village. Make sure not to forget to meet up with Haakudoku, Girista, and Rakura. There should be no need to worry about this Daruagestia.” (Ekdoik)

“Roroon!” 

“This child, you let out quite the sweet voice compared to when you speak to me. Fine. Then, let’s go, Daruagestia!” (Blue)

Daruagestia headed to the village while letting out a roar. The movements itself are slow, but it is bringing out quite the speed because of its big frame. 

I should call Haakudoku and the others so they don’t get accidentally stomped. 

I report the situation to Rakura and the others through the chains as I arrive at the place where the villagers are, and the villagers and Holy Knights that know about my mother ran here. 

“N-Natora-san?! It is because you ran off to a place like that…” 

“Can you please gather the Holy Knights? Devil mana is currently corroding her insides and is in a dangerous state. I want you to help me out in extracting this.” (Ekdoik)

“Treatment, you say… Are we doing it here?!” 

“The skeleton dragon you can see from afar has already dealt with the enemies nearby. I doubt there will be any monsters coming here. Even if there are enemies that have not been dealt with, only a few would be able to get through the vicious rampage of that skeleton dragon. I should be able to deal with those with one hand.” (Ekdoik)

The state of Mother is still bad, but there should be no issues if we can treat her here. It seems like I will be able to pay her back for saving Blue.

“…That’s impossible. We can’t stop the evacuation.” 

“Why? There’s a monster that powerful as our ally. What are you worrie—” (Ekdoik)

“Why have we stopped moving?! Quick! We have to run away quickly! We are going to die at this rate!” 

“No more! I can’t stay near those monsters! Let’s run to a safe place quickly!” 

“Yeah, yeah! The monsters that were protecting us died suddenly!” 

This is… Judging from the expressions of the villagers, everyone is at their wit’s end. This is my mistake. They are civilians that not only don’t have combat experience, they haven’t even received combat training. If such humans were to be exposed to the threat of the strengthened with Strife, their mental burden would be beyond what they could bear. 

Blue may have ordered the skeleton soldiers to kill themselves to escape from a predicament, but that also meant reducing the protection of the villagers. 

I can understand them being uneasy with just the remaining Holy Knights. If I were to force the Holy Knights to stop here, the villagers would run away on their own, and things would go out of control. 

“This woman requires the continuous infusion of human mana. She most likely won’t survive if she is not treated here. Are you going to abandon her?” (Ekdoik)

“We treasure the people of Mejis. But if panic happens here, there will be many villagers who will get stranded. Leaving the group in a situation where there isn’t enough supplies can endanger their lives…” 

What should I do? Persuade the villagers? 

No, I don’t have the talking skills to calm them down… Then, by force…? But that would create a fatal riff in the relationship between Blue and the humans.

But the stamina of Mother…won’t be able to last until the evacuation point. Should I just gamble on me treating her alone? But the mana of the Nether is poisonous for humans. 

Even if we are blood related, her coming out fine with demon mana is practically… Now that it has come to this…

“I-I will stay and help!” 

A single Holy Knight raised their hand as if to dispel my worries. The face I can peek from below the helmet gives me a strong impression that they are not used to war. 

They must be the youngest one here considering the age of hte other Holy Knights.

“But Melia…” 

“The villagers would be uneasy if the other knights were to leave, but I am a newbie! I don’t think it will be a burden on the seniors even if I were to leave!” (Melia)

“…So it seems. Is this one alone enough?” 

“I would like several people if possible, but…please let me check your amount of mana.” (Ekdoik)

I try measuring this Holy Knight called Melia. They may be a newbie as a Holy Knight but has a decent amount of mana. They must have trained a lot. 

We might be able to manage somehow with this. 

“E-Excuse me, how is it?” (Melia)

“We might be able to manage somehow. But it would mean I will be taking your mana to the limit. It will be quite the burden with just you alone.” (Ekdoik)

“There’s no issues! The duty of Holy Knights is to protect the people! There’s no way I would falter at being worn down for the sake of this!” (Melia)

“Got it. Let’s prepare at once. The other Holy Knights, please continue evacuating the villagers.” (Ekdoik)

I move my gaze away from the villagers who are leaving. 

I use earth magic and make two simple beds. I have Mother lie down on one of them and instruct Melia to lie down on the other one. 

When she takes off her helmet, her long purple hair that can be seen often in many people of Mejis falls onto her shoulders. 

“…So you were a woman.” (Ekdoik)

“Eh, could it be that issues arise with me being a woman?!” (Melia)

“No…that’s not it. The women around me are all energetic like men after all.” (Ekdoik)

She gives me the impression that she is more upright than that woman, but the light armor below her metallic armor and the color of her hair reminded me of the past. 

I shake my head lightly and clear away my idle thoughts. I wrap chains around the arms of my mother and Melia, and place a hand on top of my mother’s eyes. 

I use magic to absorb mana through the chains, and suck the mana of Melia slowly and send it to Mother. After confirming that enough mana had accumulated on the body of Mother, I use my hands to absorb the mana around her eyes.

“Magic to absorb mana in two locations, mana granting magic in one location… You are really skilled.” (Melia)

“To be more precise, I am constantly confirming the amount of mana of the two, and am also moving the devil mana coursing through the body of Mother as well. I am also weaving a seal to restrain the power around her eyes.” (Ekdoik)

“…Y-You can do something like that by yourself?” (Melia)

“I can multicast 10-20 spells without issues. It should be about time for your body to feel heavy. Are you okay?” (Ekdoik)

“Y-Yes! This isn’t much compared to my training… Eh? I can’t bring out any strength…” (Melia)

There’s differences between expending mana by yourself and having it be taken out from you. It is because the latter will be taken as a foreign attack and the body reacts in an extreme fashion to it. 

It is going smoothly, but there’s a limit to the share of one person. 

“This should be the limit. We should have bought enough time to carry her to Gahne to give her proper treatment.” (Ekdoik)

“P-Please wait! I am still okay! Please continue if there’s a possibility to save her!” (Melia)

“I have already absorbed enough for a normal human to be worn down. There’s a difference between people, but any more than this will endanger your life.” (Ekdoik)

“It is okay! I can endure with spirit!” (Melia)

“No, this is not something you can endure with just spir—” (Ekdoik)

“I can endure! With spirit!” (Melia)

“…Got it.” (Ekdoik)

I have seen many people who have resolve. This young Holy Knight has resolve that doesn’t fall short to them. Then, there’s no need to hesitate. 

I will continue the treatment until she is in a safer state to bring Mother to Gahne. 

“Ah… Kuh…!” (Melia)

“The alarms of your body are ringing now. Grit your teeth. It would be better for you to close your eyes as strongly as possible.” (Ekdoik)

“N-No… Rather than closing my eyes…I would get more motivation…if I were to look at the person…I want to save…!” (Melia)

Melia faced to the side and stared at Mother. 

Her body should be beginning to feel death at this stage. 

If she gets swallowed by that sensation, she will lose consciousness just like that, and lose energy in one go. 

I look at the eyes of Melia as I continue the treatment. I warm her surroundings with magic, and stimulate her senses lightly so that she doesn’t lose consciousness. 

“It may hurt a bit, but it will serve as a stimulant. Concentrate on the pain.” (Ekdoik)

“Yes… Please…raise the pain… Ugh.” (Melia)

“…Got it.” (Ekdoik)

“—Gih!” (Melia)

Melia’s body jumped from the pain. 

Her pain receptors are being protected by skin and meat. Of course it would hurt if it is stimulated directly. 

The pain Melia is feeling right now far exceeds your average torture. Even so, she is gritting her teeth and enduring it. Buckets of sweat were coming out from her whole body and she was convulsing unnaturally. Even so, the resolve in her eyes was unwavering. 

“…Alright, this is enough.” (Ekdoik)

I managed to absorb almost all the devil mana that was corroding Mother’s body thanks to Melia. 

I casted a seal around her eyes to restrain her power, so it shouldn’t corrode her further. 

The mana remaining inside her body is close to healthy, so it should be safe to say there’s no threat to her life anymore. 

“A-…Are you…done?” (Melia)

“Yeah, her life is not endangered anymore. With this, we should be able to avoid risky treatments and go for the safe ones.” (Ekdoik)

“That’s…a relief…” (Melia)

Melia seems to be relieved, but she is in a more dangerous state than Mother. But it seems like she will be able to recover by just resting for a few days while feeling lethargic. However, let’s have others give her mana at the evacuation point. 

“You have my gratitude, Melia. I think you are a wonderful knight, being able to do this much for the sake of one villager.” (Ekdoik)

“Thank…you very much… But…it is not only that… This person…is your mother…right…?” (Melia)

“…That’s right.” (Ekdoik)

“You…placed your mother…and the villagers on a scale…and were about to give up…on your mother… That’s…too much… Making the person that’s fighting…for our sake…suffer such a thing…” (Melia)

The reason why Melia was so persistent about resisting the pain was because I said she was my mother, huh. An outsider who is fighting for the sake of her country was trying to save a single life. She couldn’t ignore this and volunteered herself alone. 

Even if she learned that that she was a family member of that outsider, she still accepted pain that surpasses torture? 

“I am grateful for your consideration. I will be carrying you two to a safe place now. You won’t be able to wake up for a few days, but I will search for people who can look after you properly, so sleep without worries.” (Ekdoik)

“Okay… Speaking of which…your name…” (Melia)

“Aah, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Ekdoik -Ekdoik Salf.” (Ekdoik)

“I am…Melia… Melia Pentes…” (Melia)

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter