Chapter 744 – The Wall Leading Outside

000

As she made her way through the tentacles, Amelia felt a dark magical energy covering her body, gradually becoming thicker as she went inward.

If she hadn’t transformed into a form specialized for her black magic, her original divine magic and the black magic inside her starfish would have repulsed each other and been thrown outward. It was a lump of magic with a sticky consistency.

Moreover, I could sense the will of something that was clearly not that of a starfish.

No – it is a bit weak to call it will, it is a kind of residual thought, that is, remorse created by the gathering and coalescing of unresolved vengeful spirits.

＇Is this… Someone who was absorbed inside the magic sword starfish and lost his life…? ＇

Convinced that she had entered the space that Lilim had talked about, where white bones might be seen, Amelia had to be careful not to accidentally touch their thoughts and reveal a gap.

What you need to be wary of is not only physical paralysis, but also the voice of a lion penetrating your mind. How deep is this creature’s karma?

However, at the same time, thinking that the souls of the magic swordsmen who remained here would suffer forever as long as this starfish lived, she couldn’t help but pity them.

Also, she painfully realized that if she could not save Cleon, he too would become one of these.

Therefore, Amelia speeds up the movement of her feet and moves forward, spinning the scythe in her hand like a windmill, crushing the tentacles that stand in her way.

But that was when something hard collided with her spinning scythe, making the sound of metal clashing with metal.

Naturally, Amelia’s scythe bounced, and when she stopped her feet without realizing it, she saw a sharp sword tip sticking out from the wall and ceiling of the tunnel made of tentacles.

＂This, this.＂

Amelia was embarrassed, and when she cut off the tentacles around the metal part, it revealed her entire body, and what she saw was a demonic sword that had become empty inside.

Unlike Cleon’s Galatea and Rubera’s Barisada, there was no feeling of the inner core of magic power or even the manifestation of personality, and although Da Capo, whom we saw briefly earlier, appeared, it had not yet reached the realm of awakening. Even compared to the small magic sword, I could feel that something was missing.

To be precise, there must have been something inside originally.

However, all that was taken away by the starfish.

Even the personality inside was accompanied by the owner’s nightmare.

And now it has become a powerless lump of scrap metal, trapped inside the starfish and blocking Amelia’s path.

Amelia looked at it, biting her lower lip, trying her best to avoid being cut by the sword as she moved forward.

Although I was deploying a defense made of magical power, I felt uneasy as I was able to move forward while blocking all these swords with just that.

The number of swords in sight exceeded double digits, even if small, so it was suspected that, excluding the members of the magic swordsman unit that existed in the empire, he had grown in size by absorbing the clans of black demons who had manifested magic swords among the general population. I was doing it.

It is now unclear whether the beast’s behavior pattern could not be set in detail, or whether it was even intended to attack ordinary people, but in the end, causing it to attack civilians was a clear war crime.

No, it could have been said to have been a mistake at the point where management was not taken to prevent that from happening.

But at the same time, if this creature had no malice and simply acted as it was created and according to its instincts, was it the Magic Sword Starfish that was at fault, or the engineers of the Kingdom and the Academy who created it that way?

Although my head was spinning because of the difficult topic, I did not stop walking and reached the innermost part of the starfish – close to the inner core.

And then, something immediately caught Amelia’s eye: a spherical magic shield shining in a soft golden light.

Even if she didn’t get close, she could feel that it was a shield made of divine magic, because it was something Amelia was very familiar with.

And as Amelia moved forward a little further, what she saw was the image of a holy sword floating in the air and shining in front of Cleon as if protecting him.

A beautiful holy sword with a golden handle and silver body that emits golden, shining magic.

“Caliburn! And Cleon too!”

When Amelia reflexively shouted the name, as if reacting to it, sacred magic erupted from Caliban’s body once again, covering the space.

[Amelia? Why is Amelia here too? Could it be that this disgusting creature even swallowed Amelia?]

“No. I came here myself to save Mr. Cleon, so don’t worry.”

Amelia responds like that to Caliban’s worried voice.

She was able to communicate reliably from a distance, but when she realized that the remaining time was down to 30 seconds, she had to hurry up a bit.

“I’ll take out Cleon, please disarm Caliburn’s shield.”

[─Okay. But you have to be careful. Because Cleon hasn’t woken up yet. If Cleon’s body leaves the starfish before his mind returns…]

“─… What if I leave?”

When Amelia swallowed her saliva and asked Caliburn something that made her somewhat uneasy, Caliburn answered cautiously.

[Cleon’s soul is left behind in this starfish. Of course, Galatea too.]

＂Well, like that…!＂

At her answer, Amelia made an expression of disappointment.

She can stay inside this starfish only until she can resist the paralyzing medicine until the effect of the medicine runs out. After that, Amelia herself will also be able to stay inside the magic sword starfish because of the paralyzing medicine that was sprayed on her body. You become paralyzed and cannot escape.

Even if it took time for the paralyzing drug to wear off, it meant that the starfish was also free from the paralyzing effect, so there was a high chance that she would eventually be dragged back inside.

＂──.＂

However, Amelia took a deep breath and remembered that she had no time to worry, and after nodding her head, she extended her hand towards Cleon’s body.

She held onto Cleon, who was two or three heads taller than her, and Amelia held on with ease through her enhanced physical abilities.

‘Should I carry it on her shoulder…? Or, hug the princess?

She wasted a second wondering how to lift Cleon, but as soon as she could, Amelia took Cleon’s body in her arms and lifted him up in front of her chest.

Of the two methods I considered, it was the method closest to hugging a princess.

＂Please return Caliburn to its scabbard. Because I’ll run at full speed…!”

[All right. Please, Amelia.]

Caliburn responded to Amelia’s words and returned to the sheath of Caliburn’s dragon sword attached to Cleon’s belt.

After hearing a clanking sound and confirming that Caliburn was properly fastened to Cleon’s scabbard, she took a deep breath and sprinted with all her might towards the passage she had made with her scythe the way she came back.

At the same time, most of the magic power used to strengthen her body was channeled into leg power and focused on increasing movement speed.

That movement was truly a gust of wind.

As there were no obstacles in front of her, she was able to move faster than when she came in, and she was somewhat familiar with the placement of the ‘demon sword’, an important risk factor she had seen as she passed by.

I cover the distance I came back from, taking as much care as possible so as not to accidentally cut Cleon.

[Amazing speed…! However, Cleon is still there…!]

Caliburn, who seemed surprised by Amelia’s speed, said so, but Amelia did not slow down her running speed.

She believed that if she was Cleon, she would definitely come back before she went outside.

And, after running and running, the girl’s running legs stopped – right in front of the gap in the entrance she had opened.

＂Haa… Haa…＂

Thanks to her running hundreds of meters in one go, her breathing was completely overheated, so she breathed in and out repeatedly, but she couldn’t move anymore. 〉

The reason was that Cleon’s consciousness had not yet returned.

[I can’t do it, Amelia. Leave Cleon behind and go outside. When Cleon regains consciousness, I will watch over him somehow.]

Caliburn said this in order to help Amelia get out safely, but what came to Amelia’s mind was the magic swords that were like her tombstone that she saw on the way in to save Cleon.

Considering the despair, pain, and loneliness they must have felt, they could not have left Cleon here alone.

It would be slightly more likely that someone would be by Cleon’s side than if he were alone.

Thinking so, Amelia let go of her scythe and placed Cleon’s body on the ground. She also sat down on her knees and hugged his body tightly.

Even if he doesn’t wake up like this, he won’t fall.

[Amelia…]

Caliburn tried to stop Amelia, but time continued to pass cruelly.

At the very next moment, the anti-paralytic drug that was protecting Amelia’s body reached its time limit and its effectiveness disappeared from her body.

＂Ugh, ugh…!＂

And in the next moment, Da Capo’s numbing medicine that had been soaking her tentacles hit Amelia’s body.

It was a pain that instantly stiffened Amelia’s body and paralyzed her from head to toe.

When her body hardened, as if exposed to a petrification spell, the next moment, there was another magical force protecting her body.

It is Caliburn’s magic shield that was protecting Cleon until now.

Although it failed to protect her body completely, it would be possible to protect Amelia in order to lessen the pain caused by her hardening.

However, Caliburn’s magical power was not infinite enough to wait for Cleon’s unexpected awakening.

In the end, Amelia’s consciousness slowly sinks into darkness, when the only thing left in her consciousness is her worry about Cleon.

Just before all feeling completely disappeared, something grabbed her hand.

The feel of her hand was so natural to Amelia, it was finally something that made her feel at ease.

001

Exactly one minute has passed since Amelia entered the monster and disappeared.

In order not to get caught up in whatever happens to the Demon Sword Starfish, Lilim stayed a little distance away, and next to her were Dacapo and the children who had prepared to move in advance.

And Lilim closed her eyes, then slowly opened them and looked back at Da Capo.

“… He doesn’t show up even at the appointed time. First, let me take you with me. It’s this way.”

When Lilim said that and tried to make her step down, the other children, including Dacapo, started to follow her.

Because Lilim’s behavior was something she had told her story about in advance, Dacapo did not react in any way, but it could cause various problems when her children moved around.

Perhaps in order to block the trouble at the source, Dacapo always follows Lilim’s footsteps, keeping her children in her sights.

＂Where are you going now?＂

When Shtaka asked that, Lilim did not answer.

Strictly speaking, the current move was done in the form of Da Capo, her guardian, lying to the children.

As a result, she remains here.

And as she said herself, she will disappear as a sacrifice to her devil.

I didn’t know if she was prepared for it all, or if she just wanted to turn her eyes away from the harsh reality and run away.

At least she couldn’t just sit back and sacrifice all of her children.

＂You know, now, where─＂

It was a moment when Shitaka tried to ask another question to which she did not receive an answer.

Lilim clicked her tongue and felt a huge magical force coming closer to her and immediately took her fighting stance. Dacapo must have felt the same thing as she pulled out her magic sword in a cold sweat.

The children are also embarrassed by the two people’s behavior, but Da Capo talks.

“Guys. Stand back a little. Shitaka, please take care of the children.”

＂Eh, ah, yes…＂

And if the children follow her instructions and stand a little distance apart-

Demons with red skin came down one by one in front of Lilim and Dacapo.

What the two have in common is that they are wearing armor that looks like a modified version of the armor worn by the imperial army.

One had a double-bladed ax in her hands, the other had gauntlets with sharp fingers, her bat-like wings, and her hair not flowing.

They were demons with two horns growing from their temples and golden eyes with snake-like pupils.

A classic image that may come to mind first when you think of the word ‘devil.’

However – demons with a classical image are perceived as the most ‘devilish form’ to humans, like an image of primordial fear.

The power of the magical power of these red devils─each one has the same magical power as Ishtal, or may be even higher.

＂… Castor, Pollux…＂

As Da Capo looks at them in confusion and mutters what he assumes to be their names, the demon with the double-edged ax speaks.

“Hey, it’s not Da Capo and the kids. Is it already moving season? As far as I know, I heard that thanks to Da Capo manifesting the demon sword, you could become prey for the starfish, and that you will be locked underground and unable to come out.”

That one seemed to be named Castol, and if so, the remaining one – the one with the sharp gauntlet – would be Pollux.

＂Also, what about the woman next to him? She looks just like any other little girl… But she’s clearly lived beyond that. Hey, hey. This guy is a great ‘adult,’ isn’t he?”

And he raised his hand and pointed to Lilim with the tip of his finger.

When a red light shot out from the sharp gauntlet’s index finger toward Lilim, Lilim opened her eyes wide and moved to her side to avoid it.

＂Tch, I avoided that woman.＂

“Little brother, there is no need to engrave it. There doesn’t seem to be any problem with absorbing souls here.”

When Castol spoke as if reprimanding Pollux, Pollux nodded and took a fighting stance, thinking that was the same.

To take the children out – there was more of a wall than a barrier.