Chapter 4 (2/2)

“c.o.c.ky brat! Is that how you should treat your superior?”

When Archfield glared at him, Kael suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

“Ku.”

Kael laid down flat, as if he was jammed under a heavy stack of rocks, and his body trembled. When she saw him force his mouth shut and hold in his groans, Yulia desperately called out.

“Kael.”

“Don’t come! Do as I said before!”

“But……”

She froze in place and merely trembled, her legs seeming to disobey her.

“Kuku. I wanted to beat you up at least once. The way you acted so stiff-necked with your guardian looking after your a.s.s, when you yourself was nothing, always got on my nerves.”

“That’s a funny coincidence. I really hated how you only went wild in front of weak-looking ones, while you could only squirm in front of the upper cla.s.ses.”

Despite being on his stomach and unable to move, Kael smirked, lifting only his head up.

“c.o.c.ky brat!”

Kael’s neck was finally broken. Pressed by an unknown force, capillaries all over his body burst and blood oozed out of his nose, mouth, and eyes. Archfield stepped on his back. The sound of his bones being crushed echoed.

“I’d rather off you right here, but I can’t help it, since it would go against my summoner’s order to stay out of trouble until the tournament partic.i.p.ation. There, I shall overwhelm you properly.”

After those words, Archfield turned around and left.

“s.h.i.+t.”

Even as he cursed, Kael could not get up. Thanks to the b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s temper, it seemed that his ribs had broken and stabbed his lungs.

“Kael!”

While hearing Yulia anxiously call his name, he lost consciousness.

He woke up on a bed in Sestina’s hospital.

“Ugh.”

He briefly spat out a moan, feeling pain rush to his chest as he regained his consciousness.

“Art thou awake?”

Yulia, who was dozing off in the seat next to him, hurriedly opened her eyes. Dewey and Sestina, who were also guarding his side, took a step closer.

“Is thy body alright?”

“Are you well, master?”

“To think that you have only just regained consciousness……did I raise you too softly?”

“What are you all so worried about? You know that the healing power of demons of my type is outstanding.”

Kael sat up, ignoring the pain.

“But, I was told that five ribs were broken.”

Yulia climbed onto the bed and fiddled with his bandaged chest with her small, cute hands. She only softly touched it, as if she was worried that it would worsen if she used too much force. The light in her subdued eyes was much weaker and darker than usual.

“That b.a.s.t.a.r.d really crushed a bunch.”

Kael grumbled as he smiled leisurely.

“He is also……a demon like thee, no, one that is of a higher cla.s.s than thee, am I right?”

“Yeah. You probably realised, but he’s a 4th cla.s.s. We’ve been on bad terms since we got into a fight one time in the demonic realm.”

“Perhaps it was my mistake to intervene between you two.”

Sestina gently let out a sigh.

“You wouldn’t have ended up like this if you had diligently consumed souls and trained you body as I told you to after the incident. Fuuu. My chest hurts……but I won’t console you this time, even if it is a difficult lesson.”

Sestina firmly closed her lips, as if to say that she could be strict when she had to be.

“I didn’t expect you to in the first place.”

“Let us give up on the tournament.”

Yulia suddenly spoke while continuing to fiddle with his chest.

“Eh, what’s up? After signing me up for partic.i.p.ation by yourself?”

“That was because I believed that there was no way that thou would lose; I am not so foolish as to force a subordinate into an impossible mission. The strength of a fourth cla.s.s demon that I had seen myself – it was truly overwhelming.”

Yulia briefly s.h.i.+vered, as if she was still afraid.

“For the prime minister to summon a higher cla.s.s demon than I did……I had not expected him to have a talent other than digging and government fund embezzlement.”

She lightly bit her lower lip, frustrated.

“Anyway, it cannot be helped, since it came down to this. I shall give up on the tournament. It was nothing more than an excuse to fight in the first place. There would not be a problem with facing him when he comes up with another political trick.”

“Are you sure?”

“Fu. What dost thou see me as?”

Yulia crossed her arms and stiffened her neck as she turned up her nose. Though her 8-year-old height did not disappear, despite her actions.

“Although it has only been two years since I first sat on the throne, I have thirteen wins to eight losses in the battle against the prime minister. In particular, my recent records say four wins and one loss. I have already almost completely figured out his pattern. Thou may believe in me and just concentrate on healing thyself.”

“Then, I guess……”

“My, what is that weak answer, Kael? You must not be like that.”

Sestina grabbed Kael’s hand and brought it in between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Kael flinched at the squishy feeling on the tips of his fingers.

“Did you already forget my lesson? If you have received something, you must return the favour; if you receive kindness, you must return kindness. That is the correct thing to do. Do you remember my words now?”

Her voice carried an unworldly holiness as she presented him with her lesson, smiling gently. Even though it was a common saying, when she said it, there was a much larger resonance. It was full of divinity, like an oracle given to the human world by a G.o.ddess.

“So what?”

Kael answered gruffly, being stubborn. If she was planning to use that life philosophy story to tell him to enter the tournament because he had received kindess from Yulia, she had found the wrong address.

“So you must take revenge. Since Archfield poked you, wouldn’t it be returning the favor to annihilate his entire family and relatives? Do the correct thing, as a great demon.”

“What part of that is correct?! That’s literally killing all the innocent ones as well!”

Kael yelled impatiently. Of course. There was no way that the coming and going correct thing that she was saying could be normal. Honestly, he had never seen someone whose appearance and atmosphere differed as much from their actual words as hers did.

“More like, the opposition is a fourth cla.s.s baron. I’m a typical 5th cla.s.s swordman. There’s no chance of victory.”

Sestina gently sighed as she looked at him with pitying eyes. She stroked his arm, embracing his hand that she had put in between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s more tightly.

“How stubborn. Then, somehow overcome that much difference with your willpower. You will be able to do it.”

“Sorry. I don’t grow that stuff. Ya think I’d listen to you, when even the summoner is taking back her orders?”

Kael smiled confidently, taking out his hand. This time, Yulia was also on his side. Two against one. He wasn’t afraid of Sestina.

“Haa. Honestly. To think that you, who must become a great demon, would leave the one who first picked the fight alone.”

“You see, my creed is to live prudently and for a long time, even if I must be cowardly.”

He swung his legs back and forth like a delinquent, but stopped when pain reached his chest. Yulia stood between him and Sestina. She lightly opened up her arms and let out the vibes that seemed to say if thou want to hit Kael, thou must face me first.

“Do not pressure Kael. Sometimes, retreating is the wise thing to do.”

“Is it really fine, my honourable queen, to hand over the Sword of the Key to them?”

Sestina’s atmosphere changed completely. Her smile was still gentle, but turned into a smile that looked like a suspicious mask that did not allow the other to read her thoughts. More than anything, the smile that settled between her squinting eyes proudly – way too proudly – announced that she was plotting something, to the point where it seemed dubious.

“The Sword of the Key? Isn’t the prize for the tournament victor Holy Sword Arantmis?”

Kael asked back, confused.

“The other name of that sword is the Sword of the Key. I told you to remember the artifacts remaining in the middle world.”

Artifact. The physical heritage from the War of Dawn era, the only era when the G.o.ds and the Demon Kings worked together. Their uses were all different, ranging from Yulia’s talking backpack, Pristine, to an absolute weapon with a power that even modern weapons could not compare to.

“That sword……is the artifact called the Sword of the Key?”

“I have undoubtedly taught you the list, but it seems you’ve forgotten it all. Aah, could it be that my teaching was bad?”

Sestina looked up to the ceiling and sighed, clasping her hands together to make a praying pose. Ignoring her act like a self-blaming teacher, Kael looked at Yulia.

“Change of plans. I should enter that tournament after all, since we signed up for it and all.”

“But, with that body?”

“I told you, I’m different from humans. This level of damage will heal after a good night’s sleep.”

He felt the same pain when some part of his body was broken, and he would still die if he received damage past his limit. He couldn’t regenerate during battle or anything, but his healing speed was multiple times faster than a human’s. A subtle strength. That was a fifth cla.s.s swordman-type demon.

Yulia slowly shook her head. She carefully placed her hand on his chest.

“Even so, the difference in power between thee and the opponent is overwhelming. Thou dost not need to overdo it. Thou must feel pain like any other, although thou may heal faster. I do not wish for thee to be in this state again.”

“Well, if it was a real all-out battle, I’d have no chance. But the partic.i.p.ation of a ‘demon’ is originally prohibited in that tournament, right?”

“That is correct. It is a traditional event where human knights would fight by using their skills in military arts.”

“Then he wouldn’t be able to use anything like ‘magic’.”

“That is indeed true. I could simply disqualify him if he does something that reveals his ident.i.ty.”

Yulia’s expression brightened.

“Yeah. So in the end, it’s purely a battle of swordsmans.h.i.+p. Though, the huge sword that he swings around with his absurd muscles ain’t weak. Heh.”

Kael flashed a grin at her.

“You saw my skills on the first day, right? I’ll win.”

“Yeah. I have seen it. I believe in thee. I will count on thee.”

Yulia clapped and smiled brightly. Her silver eyes sparkled beautifully, and her hair swayed with them. Unable to control her excitement, she stamped her feet on the ground and shook her body.

“Just make sure you definitely disqualify him if he uses magic because he is unable to suppress his desire to win.”

“Do not worry. I shall look over and judge the tournament myself. I will make sure to stop even the prime minister from doing something like bribing the referee.”

“That will be enough. Now go back and sleep. You’re not gonna grow.”

“Yes. Thou must also recuperate. Rest well.”

Yulia exited the room with excited, carefree steps. Her feet kicked and bounced off the ground.

“Wait. Just one last thing.”

Kael stopped Yulia, who was just about to open the door.

“What is the matter?”

“Let me say this clearly; this has nothing to do with your request! I’m just annoyed by the thought of rolling my tail away at that b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Haah?”

Yulia paused her laugh, widened her eyes, and let out a deep sigh. Then she threw him a gaze full of pity.

“It took me almost two years to understand the prime minister’s method, but it did not even take me ten days for thee. What a simple thinking process.”

“……”

“There is a timing to looking embarra.s.sed; thou art too sloppy. Bring me a more creative tactic next time. Then, I might go along with it. Rest well.”

With that, Yulia left. Kael, who was left behind, was frozen in place.

Did a kid……an eight-year-old kid……just call me a simpleton?!

What had he lived for up until now?

‘I can’t do this anymore……I should really think about it when this tournament is over.’

He couldn’t live while being ignored by a kid. He had to somehow find a way to definitely put her off, so that she would void the contract from her side. He had pride as the older one; this was a battle that he could not possibly back down from.

Dewey finally opened her mouth after the guards escorted Yulia away.

“Will you be okay, master?”

“About what?”

“Although it is a battle where no magic is openly allowed, Archfield’s power is very suitable for making it look like he hasn’t used magic. It will be simple if he uses pressure magic and pretends that you have just lost your stance for a second.”

There would be no effect visible to the eye, and no sound detectable to the ear. A little awkwardness could not be evidence. He had the power to create an invisible wall to crush the opponent and break their organs and bones.

“Don’t tell Yulia.”

“Rather, it would be better if I……”

“You are the one who can’t fight without using magic. Leave it to me.”

“However, it would be better to give up the battle, like you had decided before……”

“Dewey. You know what kind of artifact have “key” in their names, right?”

“Yes, it is the t.i.tle given to items that are related to the seal of the fourth world.”

The heavens, the earth, and the demonic realm. It was said that this universe was made of these three worlds and the emptiness in between, but that was not exactly true.

There was one more world. [The forgotten alien world], where monsters with incredible builds, which the one who gave birth to everything had created by accident, were sealed.

“The army of bugs that I haven’t seen even in the demonic realm, and the Sword of Key……same with that prime minister guy who even summoned a demon – they all give me a bad feeling. I don’t have a solid idea of why, but it would be good for me to get my hands on it for now.”

Dewey opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something. However, she only stared at him sadly, her words stuck in her throat. Then, she slowly lowered her head. What escaped her mouth was undoubtedly different from what she had originally planned to say.

“Please……be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Splendid, Kael. You must aim for revenge, just like that, in order to become a great demon in the future.”

Sestina happily smiled at him. It was a smile full of pride and reward.

“Shut up, you black-hearted woman.”

Kael laid down after snapping at the praising Sestina. He also had to sleep well to ensure that his body was properly healed.

After a week, the day of the tournament finally arrived. Kael obviously pa.s.sed the pure skill demonstration that was held for the initial preliminaries. When the list of matches was created for the second preliminaries, which would happen as a freestyle group slugfest, Kael and Archfield’s blocks were placed on completely opposite sides, forcing them to only be able to meet in the finals.

“Were you the one who did this?”

Kael asked, surrounded by the three women who were visiting him in the waiting room.

“Fufu. Don’t ask.”

Yulia laughed insidiously, covering the corners of her mouth with her hand. Her eyes twitched slightly and a dark aura curled up around her. It was obviously a trick pulled by the host.

“Ah, is that so……”

Kael didn’t complain. To be honest, this was preferable. This way, he would not face the unreasonable situation where he possibly lost after somehow seizing victory over Archfield. It would also be difficult for him to use magic, as there would be the maximum amount of watching eyes.

“Master, please accept this.”

Dewey handed him a neatly folded paper envelope.

“What’s this?”

Kael thoughtlessly stuck his hand in that envelope.

“It is a talisman of victory that is traditional to this country. I thought that, since it is the tradition of this place, there might be some effect.”

“Really, what is this?”

Kael’s body froze when he felt around inside. Floaty frill. A texture way too soft to be a garment worn on the outside. On top of that, the general shape. It was a piece of clothing……but out of all of them……

“T, this…….This is……”

“Aah. That is most unfair.”

Yulia’s ears momentarily leaned back and returned. She opened her eyes widely, lifting her index finger to point at Dewey.

“To think that thou have used such a tactic. That is something that a lady would give to their beloved one leaving for battle, overcoming her embarra.s.sment and putting her prayer in it.”

“This is all I can do.”

Dewey tightly shut her lips and lowered her head. However, her cheeks were stained a slight shade of red, unlike normal.

“I also pray for your victory, Kael. I have prepared a hundred times more.”

Sestina just handed over a huge bundle to Kael.

“This must not be overlooked! If thou both do so, I must also do so now.”

Yulia wriggled as she put her hand into her skirt.

“I don’t need any of theseeee!!!”

Kael howled as he threw the stuff that they claimed to be talismans at the original owners.

“Don’t visit me until the tournament is over!”

“My. Would you not want some of our energy in the middle?”

“You’re helping by not coming! It’s like I won’t win what I am able to win when you people are here! It’s gonna bring me bad luck!”

Dewey hardened her expression at the words “bad luck”. Her hands stuck to her sides. Although she kept her strong face, the red tint disappeared from her cheeks. Only her gaze shook a little as she looked at Kael.

“My deepest apologies, master. If you are uneasy, I will only cheer for you from afar.”

Still leaving behind a prayer for victory, she bowed politely and walked outside of the waiting room.

“No, hold on. That’s not what I……”

“There was an era when they would not let a woman board a s.h.i.+p, thinking that they brought bad luck, but to think that thou would stay away from a woman before a match……true enough, there are some countries that do not let the players meet their wives during a sporting match. I shall respect thy wish.”

Yulia also turned away without further complaint.

“All right, Kael. But, you better be ready if you lose after all of this.”

Sestina threw a threatening comment with a gentle smile on her face, before burying his face in her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

“Ummmph.”

“I’ll do something three times worse than this if you lose.”

I’ll win. I must win. Kael vowed in his head.

“Then, I’ll cheer you on.”

Kael sighed when Sestina left as well. He felt as if all of his energy had been drained before the fight even began. Why were all three of them like this? Their personalities and appearances were all different, but there was one thing in common. The fact that they made him extremely exhausted.

“Her majesty and his subordinate……and even the female doctor of the rumours……”

“Your fortune seems to have really gotten the better of you, Sir Kael.”

Kael flinched as the men in the same block suddenly glared at him. No, what happened to them, when they could not even approach him, despite their curiosity, until just a moment ago?

“Hey, I think you’re all misunderstanding something……”

“Fufufu. What more is there to say when we have a battle approaching?”

“That’s right. Let’s meet on the field. On the field.”

Kael was dumbfounded to see everyone glare at him and him alone, their spirits suddenly lifted about two hundred percent after the three had gone.No, what the h.e.l.l is wrong with them?! What part of that was worthy of jealousy?!

Kael pa.s.sed the second round of preliminaries with difficulty. Of course, individual humans were all more than a level beneath him. Although he did not know how it would have been in the era when swords, spears, and bows rules, none of the current compet.i.tors had trained their martial arts to the extreme.

The problem was that, although it was a match where “the rule of free fighting” was in place, all of the partic.i.p.ants jumped on him, as if they had planned it beforehand. Kael could not raise an objection, as creating a tactical alliance in order to eliminate the strong was also an accepted tactic.

“Dieee!”

A sword swung down at him from above.

“Not even one, but threee?!”

A spear came stabbing from the side.

“Isn’t it enough to be looked after by her majestyyyy?!”

A mace targeting his legs flew in.

“To h.e.l.l with three-timing!”

A rapier bent and aimed for his throat.

Kael howled at them as they cooperated together with a brutal cry.

“I said it’s a misunderstandiiiing!”

Screw three-timing! I wish there was one with the proper qualities! He diligently attacked back as he shouted.

He slashed the swordsman’s side as he dodged the sword by twisting his body a little to the side. He pushed the spear away by striking its handle with his left hand and kicked the spearman’s chest. He jumped to dodge the mace and swung his elbow at the mace guy’s face. He twisted his neck to dodge the rapier just in time, before stabbing the rapier guy with his sword in exchange.

However, while he did so, more enemies with fiery eyes gathered around him, even as more collapsed, making the situation no better.

‘Fuuuuuuuuuuck.’

Kael ground his teeth. Why did he have to go through this pain when it would be much easier to fight one-on-one?

The culprits diligently fanned the flames from the special guests’ seats.

“You are doing well, Kael. No matter how many, small fries are not enough to be thy opposition. Win, Kael.”

Yulia briefly cheered him on and closed her mouth, deliberately adding weight to her voice to seem dignified. However, the corners of her mouth pointed slightly up, unable to stay still, showing her excited smile without restraint.

The fighting power of Kael’s “enemies” increased by about thirty percent after Kael received her majesty the queen’s cute smile.

“How dare you take her majesty’s smile!”

Kael slashed his thigh, dodging the giant sword that cut through horizontally.

“You can have it!”

“Seize victory, master.”

Dewey, who was wearing a properly stiffened military uniform and looked like a strong female warrior, cheered him on in a stoic manner. However, sorrow gently seeped out from her cold stare.

The fighting power of his enemies rose by another thirty percent at the touching support.

“What did you do with your subordinate?!”

‘I said I didn’t do anything.’

Kael dodged the flail, which hacked at him while wrongly interrogating him, by striking the other’s sensitive spot with his knee and digging into it. The other fell with foam in his mouth.

Even so, the enemies’ attacking power became even stronger.

“Do your best, Kael. I have prepared a special cheer for you.”

Sestina suddenly stripped off her white medical gown. The cheerleader uniform that she had put on beforehand was revealed underneath. A tanktop and short skirt. In her hands, cheering sticks that had been raised in a flash. The glamorous figure that was hidden under the gown generously exploded out. The pure image of the gown instantly turned into a voluptuous, s.e.xy atmosphere.

She lifted one of her legs while waving her cheering sticks around.

“Play, play!”

Her short skirt swayed as her curvy legs split. Although her underwear did not show from in between them, dangerous angles that were close to revealing it were continuously created. Her waist and hips shook in turn and create a captivating circle alongside with her dance routine. Her big, yet solid b.r.e.a.s.t.s shook freely, up and down, right and left.

The fighting power of the cheered-on Kael’s “enemies” rose two times higher.

“Dieeeee!”

“Die!”

“Just die!”

Now, they didn’t even bother to list the reasons. Only the cries of death rang out and concurrent attacks showered him.

“Gaaaaaaaaaah!”

Kael’s angry cries also rose.

‘Sestinaaaaaaaaaaaaa!’

Although the other two were cheering without knowing the consequences, Sestina was pretending to cheer him on, being fully aware of what would happen. The way she smiled, despite his glare, was evidence of that fact.

“Fuuuuuuuck! Do you think I’ll lose just because of that?!”

Kael, who had gotten increasingly angry, rampaged with his opponents. He continued to go wild: slas.h.i.+ng, stabbing, blocking, spilling, and reflecting. During all the havoc, the conversation between the three women in the VIP seats continued.

“Mmmh. To show such an unexpected cheer – it exceeds my imagination. I have been defeated.”

Yulia looked at Sestina as she primly and lightly half-closed her eyes, taking her finger to her lips. Sestina sent her a gentle smile.

“That isn’t truly the case, my honourable queen. You are protecting Kael with your own style of cheering.”

“Yes. You are right. I must cheer like myself. Kael, I trust in thy victory, and will be waiting for it.”

Yulia raised her hand and waved it, pretending to be dignified.

“Victory to my master.”

Dewey chased him with her gaze, even while keeping her politeness.

“Uoooooooooooooooh!”

Even the enemies that had fallen, hit by his fists or his feet, stood up again and charged at him. Kael silently screamed at the continuously rising attack power of the enemies.

‘Somebody please take those three away……’

It was only after an hour of struggle that he finally defeated them all.

With the main battles, which started the next day, lying ahead, Kael flopped down in his lodging. His demon body had already healed the physical exhaustion, but the mental exhaustion still remained. The damage that he had received from the cheers of the three throughout the match still had not disappeared.

‘Seriously, it’s a relief that there wasn’t an outstanding martial artist like the one I faced with my previous contractor.”

It was horrible to imagine the coordinated attacks of humans who were on the level of being called “meisters” or “masters”, depending on the country, in the era before he had gone to his long sleep. It was true, though, that people of that level would not partic.i.p.ate in tournaments like this unless they had a specific reason, even in that era.

In any case, things had gone according to plan up until here. Well, it was way harder than he had planned, but he had won anyway.

‘I’m confident until the finals.’

He would not lose in a one-on-one.

The problem was undoubtedly the finals. Could he win? No, he had to win. The first problem was the invisible magical attack that would fly towards him.

‘Although I have no chances of victory if he just uses his magic without limit……’

However, he could tell that that prime minister guy was a greedy type at first sight. Would such a person handle a demon, going as far as putting his own soul on the line? Thinking about it logically, he would have offered the life of a suitable sacrifice. Still, it seemed unreasonable for him to commit a dangerous feat like a large-scale human sacrifice that would end him if he was found out, just to win a tournament. It would be a few mountain goats or roosters at best.

‘If so, there is a limit to the amount of magic he can use in a day.’

Once, if lucky. Twice, to be safe. An upper-cla.s.s demon was strong, but at the same time, his magic consumed a great deal of power. If he could dodge that by reading what would come next, it would be a battle of pure skill afterwards.

The problem was that that second battle wouldn’t be as

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