𝐈𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤: 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
“Haaaah.”
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In a room of the Demon King’s Castle, a single demon lets out an exaggerated sigh.
A top executive of the Demon King’s Army, the mastermind who exploited the young hero’s inner darkness to instigate the current incident.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings 『Water』 sits elegantly on a chair, legs crossed, not even trying to hide his exasperation and disappointment as he mutters to himself.
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“After going to all the trouble of sparing his life, driving a wedge into him, sparing no effort to keep it hidden, and finally taking the reins myself to set up the perfect plan. . . . . .And yet, he couldn’t even manage to significantly weaken the heroes, let alone completely destroy even one town. What incompetence. What uselessness. This just proves you can’t expect anything more from disposable half-breeds.”
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The minimal result he had expected from the disposable puppet was to destroy at least one town near the front lines, thereby delivering a heavy blow to humanity’s supply lines.
He had anticipated that the puppet might exceed expectations by either creating mass confusion among humans by destroying multiple towns or at least weakening one member of the Hero’s Party.
However, simply using conventional control to make him rampage, even if the puppet had the divine protection of demon powers, wouldn’t yield significant results.
Before infiltrating a town, upon being discovered, he would immediately be surrounded and subdued by the front-line Holy Warriors and others with divine protection.
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Therefore, this time, he had gone to great lengths to prepare a special puppet.
By employing an incomplete form of mental manipulation that amplified the puppet’s inner darkness, he allowed the puppet to retain human thought and ego, becoming a unique piece that could infiltrate towns disguised as a normal human.
At the same time, he poured in much more power than conventional minions, drastically reducing the puppet’s lifespan in exchange for granting it a strength that could even overpower a Holy Warrior.
Had the puppet continued to fight, it wouldn’t have lasted a few months anyway, but still, it should have been able to destroy at least one or two towns during that time.
This time, the town where the puppet was supposed to wreak havoc coincidentally happened to be on the route the heroes were taking, so he decided it would be more valuable to kill at least one of the Hero’s Party members instead. . . . . .The result is obvious.
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Never did he think that the puppet wouldn’t be able to kill even a single person.
The only casualties in this battle were the ones the beastfolk Holy Warrior killed on his own; not a single other person had died.
And to think he had initiated the battle under nearly ideal circumstances.
This is absurd.
All this could have been avoided if that stupid half-breed puppet hadn’t tried to resist his control.
Had that not happened, at the very least, the town would have been annihilated, and he would have hunted down at least one dispersed member of the Hero’s Party.
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“Well, there’s no use lamenting. In the end, he was just a piece of useless trash. That’s all there is to it.”
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Still, even though the main plan was a complete failure, he had gained something unexpected.
An entity that he had initially thought would require much more time and gradual manipulation to control, far more than could be accomplished with just his familiar.
A man who, for now, was useful enough for marking the heroes.
His heart, after that battle, is cracking at an alarming rate.
He’s now confident that an opportunity to exploit that weakness will arise sooner rather than later.
At this rate, he should make it in time for the moment that’s sure to come.
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“In any case, the preliminary battle is over. Our preparations are complete. The heroes’ next destination has been identified. Conveniently, it’s a place far removed from other significant forces, 『Celestial Mountains』. That will be the final battleground. And then…”
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The Water Four Heavenly Kings smirks crookedly.
A well-composed face distorts into an ugly grin.
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“From here on, my glory begins! I will defeat the hero with my own hands, with my own cunning, and achieve unparalleled accomplishments! Then, I will stand at the pinnacle of the Four Heavenly Kings! I will no longer be looked down upon by those mongrels! I, who inherit the noble pureblood of my clan, am most fitting for the leading position among the Four Heavenly Kings! I will prove it!”
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He laughs.
He sneers.
Ironically, the same emotions he chose in the boy he controls as a puppet.
Unlike the boy, he has no intention of holding back. As a result, his feelings of 『jealousy』 swell to many times, even tens of times larger than the boy’s, and the Four Heavenly Kings 『Water』 reveals a grin filled with madness.
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However, that maniacal laughter suddenly dims.
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“. . . . . .I think I alone should be sufficient, but still, the opponent is an existence known as a 『hero』 who has defeated former Demon Kings. She’s not someone to be underestimated. Caution is crucial. The privilege of demons, unlike monsters, is to possess prudence. I am different from those fools who don’t understand that. If we want to ensure success, I still want that extra push.”
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Muttering as if making excuses, he decides on something, his face the very picture of displeasure.
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“I deeply regret having to share the credit. . . . . .but it can’t be helped. Let’s use him.”
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Then, the Four Heavenly Kings 『Water』 rises from his chair, exits the lavish room granted by the Demon King, and heads for a certain location within the Demon King’s Castle.
As he moves, the image of the person he seeks surfaces in his mind.
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“Well, if you were to describe him in one word, he’s a 『thoughtless idiot』. The Demon King won’t be so foolish as to not understand who truly deserves the credit between me, who laid out the schemes to kill the hero, and an idiot who was merely used by someone like me.”
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With such words, he arrives at the underground of the Demon King’s Castle.
A section that originally did not exist in this fortress.
To begin with, demons, who lived their lives competing for survival in the harsh environment of the Demon Realm and lacked the concept of cooperation among kin, had no architectural skills.
Therefore, the Demon King’s Castle is not a fortress built by demons but rather an unfortunate kingdom’s 『Murjim Kingdom』 royal castle they seized when the gate to the Demon Realm opened in this generation.
That being said, it isn’t exactly the original castle; significant modifications have been made.
Not through architectural skills, but by magic.
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The entire Demon King’s Castle is coated in dark magic wielded by the Demon King, granting it a pitch-black appearance and extraordinary durability.
The most characteristic among the other changes is the existence of this underground area of the Demon King’s Castle.
It’s like a labyrinth, intricately designed and spacious enough for more than a thousand demons brought from the Demon Realm to engage in combat simultaneously.
The place was created as a hobby by a certain demon who had time to spare, under the instructions of the Demon King.
The creator themselves constantly secluded themselves in the deepest part of this underground, claiming 『they felt at ease surrounded by earth』.
It is to this place that the 『Water』 Four Heavenly Kings has come.
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In the deepest part of the Demon King’s Castle underground, the 『Earth Chamber』.
Upon opening the large doors situated there, the Water Four Heavenly Kings steps inside.
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“Excuse me.”
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The room, enclosed by bare earthen walls, was a mess, to say the least.
Items were scattered all over the place.
From worthless pebbles to freshly-mined, unpolished gemstones, to mass-produced, outdated weapons and armor.
Amidst this junk, rubies, sapphires, rare ores like mithril and orichalcum, legendary-class armaments, and even magic swords were haphazardly strewn about.
The ratio would probably be 99.7% trash to 0.3% treasure.
Truly a mix of gems and junk.
I still can’t understand the hobby of willingly collecting garbage, let alone treasures.
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However, this much is clear.
There’s a commonality among the items in this room, be they trash or treasure.
They’re all related to the earth, composed of stones or metals, revealing the room owner’s habit of collecting such things.
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“What do you want?”
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The room’s owner questions without turning around, his voice devoid of any respect, even when addressing the Water member of the Four Heavenly Kings, one of the Demon King’s Army’s top executives.
His irreverence is infuriating, but they, the Four Heavenly Kings, understand that they are the only ones in the Demon Realm who hold any dignity.
There’s no point in expecting civility from the barbaric demons.
Therefore, the Water member of the Four Heavenly Kings got straight to the point without taking offense.
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“Asgard, are you interested in the Hero’s Holy Sword?”
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At those words, the demon known as Asgard reacted visibly and slowly turned toward the Water member of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Seeing this, the Water member became certain.
Of successfully recruiting this demon and the success of his plan.
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◆◆◆
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“Haa. . . . . .Haa. . . . . .!”
“. . . . . .Shouldn’t we stop soon?”
“Not yet!”
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With a roar, the battered 『Sword Saint』 Blade・Valkyrias raises his Divine Tree-made greatsword and charges.
The person he is charging at is 『Hero』 Stella.
In stark contrast to Blade who is heavily panting, Stella is only slightly sweating and shows no sign of erratic breathing.
This clearly displayed the difference in their abilities.
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“Ruuuaaa!”
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Despite his battle cry and swinging his greatsword, not a single attack lands on Stella.
Every attack is deflected and rendered ineffective.
Stella neither dodges nor counters; she simply continues to deflect.
It’s as if she’s a towering tree effortlessly diverting all types of storms.
This is different from Allan’s elusive swordplay, like leaves dancing in the wind.
Stella’s swordsmanship, having been cultivated alongside her since childhood, transcends mere imitation and has evolved into her own skill.
It’s the kind of defense that is both a foil and a match to the weaker’s defense, the defense of the strong.
It’s the defensive swordsmanship that Blade should take as an example.
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“Well then. . . . . .it’s my turn.”
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With a voice that hardly shows any enthusiasm, Stella’s movements shift dramatically.
She stops deflecting and starts countering.
What follows is a torrential assault.
Strong, fast, and sharp, a storm of sword strikes rains down on Blade.
Unlike Blade’s greatsword which focuses on power, Stella’s sword is of a standard size most commonly used in this world.
The shorter and lighter sword allows for quicker movements, and its speed far surpasses that of Blade’s.
Yet, each individual strike surpasses even Blade in power. It’s terrifying.
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『Hero’s Divine Protection』 is the superior form of all divine protections.
With a sword in hand, she’s stronger than a 『Sword Saint』, and with magic, she surpasses a 『Sage』.
Of course, this assumes proper training.
As Stella has primarily focused her training on swordsmanship, she falls short in general magic abilities compared to Ernesta, who has the divine protection of 『Sage』, and even lags behind Rin, who has the divine protection for healing and barrier spells.
However, that’s a matter of skill; in terms of innate magical capacity, Stella far exceeds both of them.
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So, what about her swordsmanship, which she has diligently worked on?
It goes without saying.
The content of this battle answers that question.
Her honed physique even surpasses Blade, who is considered incredibly strong among Holy Warriors.
And as for her technique, which she has ceaselessly honed by chasing the pinnacle of skill, it outclasses Blade, who had been somewhat negligent in his training up until recently.
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“Guuh?!”
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Stella’s storm-like offensive.
Even if he’s not taking it seriously, with his battered body, Blade can hardly cope.
Unable to effectively block her more powerful attacks, Blade starts resorting to using the flat of his greatsword for defense.
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“What are you doing, Blade! That’s pointless!”
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Allan, who was watching from the side, raises his voice.
He’s absolutely right.
The purpose of this battle is to improve Blade’s defensive techniques.
The idea is to physically experience Stella’s deflections, which should be more compatible with Blade’s style than Allan’s, and then attempt to deflect attacks from an opponent that’s hard to block, recalling the movements he just experienced.
The goal of this training is to enhance his deflection skills through these exchanges.
Yet, he’s fully committing to using his greatsword as a shield, which defeats the purpose.
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Up until now, Blade’s combat style relied on his natural physical prowess, brute strength, and swordsmanship.
He would directly block enemy attacks and relentlessly deliver powerful strikes with his greatsword.
However, this approach is ineffective against opponents like Dragburn, demon-transformed Rest, and the current foe, Stella, who are stronger and faster, unleashing attacks he can’t fully block.
Highly effective against weaker opponents but ineffective against stronger ones.
That was the man known as Blade.
Indeed, as Rest had pointed out.
It’s no surprise that Ruberto often warned him not to be complacent.
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This is the training for figuring out how to handle that.
The defensive techniques that have been neglected due to relying solely on brute force until now.
Especially, this training is for honing the most effective deflection technique as a means of dealing with forces stronger than oneself.
Nevertheless, there is no point in resorting to the guard that you have heavily relied on until now.
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To clarify, Blade did attempt to parry when he wasn’t exhausted.
This training started right after the battle in Elf Village, where he almost got killed by Dragburn. Thanks to Blade’s swordsmanship, it was gradually taking shape. . . . . .or so it seemed.
However, it all collapsed.
The reason is undoubtedly psychological.
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The time when Rest died.
Blade was barely conscious at that moment.
Though nearly fainting, he clearly witnessed the manner of his brother’s death.
The regret, sorrow, shame, and feeling of helplessness from that moment stripped away his calmness.
Neither the Sword Demon’s advice, nor the devotion of the Saint, nor the concern of his grandfather could reach him.
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『Seek power. Seek strength.』
(Shut up! I get it!)
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“Aaaaargh!”
“Ah. . . . . .”
“Guha?!”
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Urged by the voice in his head, Blade tried to counterattack but was swiftly knocked down when Stella landed a blow on his unguarded head.
His consciousness began to fade due to fatigue and the impact on his head.
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“Blade-sama?!”
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He thought he heard the concerned voice of the Saint who adored him.
However, it was drowned out.
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『Seek power. Seek strength.』
(I get it. I get it, so. . . . . .)
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The voice in his head grew louder, filling Blade’s blurry thoughts with a thirst for strength.
The voice of the Saint couldn’t reach the immature Sword Saint.
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『Seek power. Seek strength. ━━Even if it means using any means necessary.』
(Strong. . . . . .Strong. . . . . .S-T-R-O-N-G. . . . . .)
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I must become stronger.
Controlled by this single thought, the Sword Saint’s consciousness was enveloped in darkness.
Unaware of the healing powers of the Saint.
Stronger, stronger, stronger.
Consumed solely by this thought.
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The filthy power of the bat slowly, slowly filled his heart with a thirst for strength.
It even tried to make him forget the most important reason why he had to become stronger.
To invert means and ends.
To make him reach for demonic powers in pursuit of strength alone, in the not-so-distant future.
The poison of the demon that killed his brother slowly circulated through his body.
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The day when the outcome of that cause and effect arrives is near.
Translator’s Blog
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