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Chapter 460. Resilient Spirit

I took a little nap.

I lay down, holding Adamas.

“…………”

My former partner now lay silent, not making a peep.

Part of it was the poison making him sluggish, but honestly, I had no idea what to do.

“Well… if you fight against a chunk of that ultra-high-density magic over and over while in a dormant state… yeah, that would happen.”

Antendeixis said with a grim expression.

Adamas—an indomitable holy sword. It boasted extraordinary durability that wouldn’t break even after clashing with the Demon Lord’s spear, but that’s only when it’s in its “true form.”

Even in a dormant state, while it’s sturdier and sharper than an average sword, it’s undeniably a far cry from its original performance…

And yet, after taking a direct hit from that monstrous mass of magic, Arthur’s full-powered strike…

“I’m sorry…”

The cracks formed were undoubtedly due to my mishandling. I had pushed it beyond its limits without using its original strengths, completely ruining it…

“What… should we do about this?”

Leila had a troubled look on her face, clearly realizing we couldn’t just leave it like this.

“Since it’s made by Dwarves… only Dwarves can repair it.”

Barbara, sitting cross-legged, replied.

“However, even the repairs would only be makeshift—a quick fix to make it usable. To restore it to its original capabilities, we’d either need to find a really skilled blacksmith or ask the one who forged it themselves.”

“Adamas is top-notch, just shy of being a true masterpiece. We’d need to recruit a holy blacksmith for that…”

And I had no connections to holy blacksmiths.

“The blacksmith from my previous life—the one who forged Adamas—his face is a blur, I don’t even remember his name or where I met him…”

“That’s…”

“Hmm…”

“It’d probably be quicker to just forge a new one.”

With Leila speechless and Barbara wearing a concerned expression, Antendeixis remained nonchalant. But forging a new one isn’t such an easy task…

“Well, for now, you can use my main body. It’s a stabbing sword, so it could be a bit tricky to handle.”

“Y-yeah, that’s a good idea! It would just be a waste if I kept it at my waist…”

Currently with Leila, Barbara’s main body, the stabbing sword Frodiida. I’d spent a small fortune fueled by my prince powers to have a capable Dwarf forge that, so it’s quite a high-ranking item.

“Yeah… thanks…”

As Barbara pointed out, its usability is completely different from Adamas, but it’s durable enough to handle some rough treatment. I had commissioned it, theoretically gifting it to Leila (but in reality, it belonged to Barbara), so there’s no issue with inheritance.

There wouldn’t be a better substitute.

A substitute doesn’t exist.

“…………”

As I clutched Adamas tightly and lay back, I felt tears welling up.

On top of that, I was getting sleepy…

“Oh no, this one might fall into eternal sleep again.”

“Alex! I’m fine now, I’m all better!”

“Ah… yeah. Sorry… thanks… [Teleportation]”

“[I, the embodiment of light, shall be forever etched into your eyes!]”

Leila quickly transformed back into her dragon form and roared.

I’m sorry… and thank you…

“We should also delve into unraveling the poison. Moping about the sword won’t get us anywhere.”

With Antendeixis’s urging, I sluggishly got up. Indeed, it wouldn’t help to keep sulking like this.

Feeling heavy, I decided to summon…

—I pulled out the pendant from my chest.

“They’ll probably be surprised seeing me looking all battered…”

With a wry smile, I drew a simple barrier in the ground with a branch and set the pendant down.

“Alright, I’ll hide for now.”

Barbara was sucked into Frodiida, propped against my belongings. Once confirmed, I turned back to the barrier.

…Sigh.

“[Awaken, Virosa]”

I broke the seal.

A puff of smoke shot up from the pendant as the spirit emerged.

…This time seems unusually smooth. As I thought that, the spirit gradually took on the familiar outline of a Night Elf—

“U… Your Highness…?”

Virosa, appeared lying down on the ground, groaning like an injured person waking from a deep sleep.

“…You’re awake?”

“Where am I…?”

“On an uninhabited island in Aulitos Lake.”

The spirit of Virosa lazily moved her neck, fixing her gaze on me.

“Your Highness… um, your appearance is…?”

The chains of Avalon glimmered, casting brilliant holy light that burned into her sight—Virosa instinctively recoiled.

“…I went to find some suitable humans for treatment, but I ran into a tough group of heroes by sheer misfortune.”

And that’s how I ended up like this, I shrugged.

“This is a magic tool that hero had. It clings to me like it has a will of its own, and I can’t rip it off. On top of that, it’s extremely durable… It’s such a headache…”

“That is… what kind of…”

Even Virosa seemed speechless. I was worried she’d say, “Let me try cutting it with my sword!” but she merely blankly looked at me, awaiting my reaction.

…From Virosa’s perspective, she is also seriously injured. Perhaps she’s currently recognizing her situation as “deadly unwell.” She’s more subdued than she used to be.

“And… it seems I’ve been poisoned. Perfect healing through teleportation is out of the question, and I’m struggling here.”

“That’s… quite serious.”

“If possible, Virosa, I’d like to borrow your wisdom. If we can identify what kind of poison this is, perhaps we can slow its progress with the magic of ‘Restriction,’ and if we can pinpoint the toxin, we might be able to see if an antidote is possible.”

“I see… If that’s the case…”

Virosa briefly wandered her gaze and seemed to be deep in thought—

“If that’s the case, then I’ll gladly lend you my power…”

With a serious expression.

“Right now, that’s about all I can manage…”

…That’s a relief.

“You’re truly a loyal subject.”

I struggled to suppress a sarcastic smile.

“Thank you, Virosa.”

“No… I promised to protect you, Your Highness, in front of Lady. And here I am, failing miserably… it’s shameful…”

Virosa wore a pained expression—

“And so, Your Highness, how was this poison administered? Do you feel any pain? What symptoms do you have?”

“Well… I got it in my neck. There’s no noticeable pain from the poison. The symptoms are nausea and dizziness, tingling in my limbs… and when I noticed, it felt like I was about to cease breathing—”

As I rambled on, as if consulting a doctor,

“Hmmm…”

Virosa once again gazed up at the night sky while lying on her back, deep in thought.

“….There are numerous poisons with similar symptoms. It seems to be a neurotoxin, but unless we have the right instruments or test reagents, we can’t even determine whether it’s plant-based or animal-based.”

“I see…”

In that case, looking for a medicinal herb with detoxifying properties seems like a mere dream.

“Regarding the principles of poison… unfortunately, I have not received specialized training in that field. While I pride myself on being top-notch in its application… I’m sorry I can’t be of help!”

Virosa clenched her teeth, her expression already on the verge of tears.

“No… I apologize for putting you in a tough spot. This is a result of my carelessness, so there’s no need for you to feel troubled.”

“But…”

“Leila is shouldering the symptoms of the poison for me. Strengthening her self-healing ability allows her to endure repeated teleportation spells in my stead.”

“Ah, I see…”

Leila, receiving Virosa’s gaze, shrank back awkwardly.

—There’s something about her behavior that resembles the timid Leila from when she first arrived. It’s hard to believe she’s the same girl who used to say, “If I’m to be judged, I want to die by your hand,” or “Please don’t die before me.”

“Is that so…”

“So, well, even if we can’t detoxify, I’ll make sure to endure this… Rest for a bit longer, Virosa, and once I’ve recovered—”

…I tried to show a clumsy smile.

“I’ll work hard to do something for you this time.”

How dare I speak this way, a cold voice inside me sneered. It’s not Antendeixis that’s outside now. It’s my own voice…

“[Now, sleep, Virosa.]”

“I’m sorry… I must…”

Under the spell to put the spirit to sleep, Virosa was once again drawn into the pendant, dazed—

“………..”

After confirming that the spirit had been safely stored, I picked up the pendant and put it back around my neck.

“Hmmm, you were unusually useless this time. Not like you, Virosa.”

Antendeixis, lying on the sandy beach and propping her chin on her hand, said. What a way to put it!

“Well, I suppose that can’t be helped. Unidentified poison, no test reagents, and the body barely functioning…”

“Hmmm… I suppose so.”

Antendeixis stole a glance at the pendant swaying on my chest, then sighed.

“Seems like we’ll have to endure with the power of teleportation until the poison is drawn out.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry for putting Leila through this.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Leila smiled.

“If I can share this suffering with you, then it would be my pleasure…”

She clasped her hands to her cheeks, looking somewhat dreamy.

…It’s hard to believe she’s the same girl who just moments ago was shrinking back bashfully.

†††

“Dammit… not this sensation again…!”

As Virosa was sucked into the pendant, a powerful wave of sleepiness overcame her, prompting her to grit her teeth.

How could she be on the verge of awakening, only for this wretched spell to seal her away once more?!

Desperately trying to maintain her consciousness, it seemed that no amount of resistance would suffice.

In her fading awareness, she glared at Zilbagias’s face appearing vaguely beyond the pendant’s barrier.

—I almost thought about feeding him false information to worsen his condition.

With the urge to attack rising swiftly, Virosa suppressed it with iron resolve, pretending not to notice and continuing her conversation with Zilbagias.

She could have taught him lies. Although it might’ve been a perfect opportunity since he was currently weakened by the holy chains and poison…

But the presence of Antendeixis, who lay next to Zilbagias and gazed at her with those vividly colorful eyes as if seeing through everything, barely held her back.

The fact that they relied on her to pinpoint the poison or its remedy suggested they lacked specialized knowledge in pharmacology. However, their inclination toward blasphemous and decadent matters indicated that the demon, who likely lived longer than herself, might have had some fragmented knowledge about toxins.

And Zilbagias himself surely possessed foundational knowledge taught by her.

If she were to lie here and be caught…

—She would be finished.

“They don’t notice… that I’ve awoken, nor that I’ve learned of Zilbagias’s betrayal…!!”

Thus, it was evident she’d come to depend on her.

“I’d like to kill him if possible… but the risks are too great.”

So, Virosa chose to “do nothing.”

Instead of passing along malicious information, she wouldn’t provide any useful information either.

Given the symptoms and circumstances, she could narrow down the type of poison to some degree. She had suspects for herbs that could alleviate symptoms. Naturally, Virosa was also well-versed in how poisons could act biopathologically—

But she didn’t give the slightest hint of it.

“There’s still a chance I could die from this…”

Virosa self-deprecated, finding hope slim.

“What is his goal… I must uncover it… and report it to my comrades…”

—From within the pendant, Virosa had witnessed the battle earlier.

Though she could only see bits and pieces, it was clear she saw him slaughter countless humans and combat the Holy Church’s personnel.

…It made no sense. Why did the hero who had buried so many Night Elf agents now take on the guise of a Demon Lord’s Prince and challenge the army of humans, even going as far as killing heroes and priests of the Holy Church?

“Zilbagias… you are an enemy to us Night Elves. There’s no doubt about that…”

For Virosa, the most important thing was the prosperity of her kind, the Night Elves. Serving the Demon Lord’s kingdom was merely a means to that end; she couldn’t care less about the fate of the demon kin.

Simply by betraying her and slaying her kin, Zilbagias deserved a hundred deaths—but still…

“What is your aim…? Who are you?”

“I must uncover it…”

And somehow… pass this information…

To my comrades…

With a burning obsession, Virosa’s consciousness gradually succumbed to an unnaturally peaceful sleep.

Before being a Sword Saint, she was an agent.

Even in death, her duty was to bring back information; that was her pride.

The cunning spirit esteemed among her clan as a “legend”—

Couldn’t be swayed by mere hatred.

 

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