Chapter 498
Chapter 498: Diversity
“Well then, please introduce yourself.”
“I’m a Human Soldier. I forgot my name. It feels weird to give myself a nickname, so I’m just leaving it at that. I got captured at the front lines and taken to the Demon Lord Kingdom, and now, honorably, I’ve become one of the first humans he’ll kill.”
The older soldier shrugged while glaring at me.
“I joined because I wanted to see him kill the Demon Lord! Death to the dark ones! That’s all!”
At the older soldier’s magnificent speech, cheers erupted: “Hey, first president of the Victims’ Association!” “The hero of Holy Spirit Techniques!” I raised my hand in a relaxed manner.
“……..”
Helena was speechless, and Orderju appeared to have no idea what kind of face to make with his long, long life experience.
“Still, seeing you stand on two legs is quite moving, girl. Looks like you’re doing well!”
“Uh, um… thanks.”
Even Liliana, who I kinda knew (?), was like this!
“Thanks to him, it’s been confirmed that the spirit of the human race, which has a clear will to fight against humanity’s enemies, can touch the holy attribute safely.”
“Fwaah… sorry, I’m sleepy! It’s bad timing to show up right after coming out, but I’m going to sleep.”
“Sorry for waking you.”
“Not at all. Just call me when more amusing pals show up…”
With a smirk, the older soldier was sucked back into his remains.
“Even though you’re a ghost… ‘sleepy’…?”
Liliana muttered, confused. Ghosts shouldn’t feel sleepy—he must have taken my necromancy study notes back, so he should have some foundational knowledge.
“Holy Spirit Transformation… well, it’s like using the soul as fuel to burn the flame of the holy attribute to gain power. Unless you’re a huge magical powerhouse with a strong core of your soul, it’ll gradually wear down…”
At my words, the Forest Elf group gasped.
“And sleep is… nothing but a temporary death for the mind. The ‘death’ corresponding to the ‘temporary life’ of Holy Spirit Transformation is—for me—manifesting as the shape of drowsiness, as the coming end approaches.”
“……..”
“Alright… next person.”
“Yay!”
Barbara raised her hand.
“I’m Barbara de Rosa. I’m a Sword Saint from the Proe-Lefshi United Kingdom. I was acquainted with Alex from my previous life, but I ended up facing the army of the Demon Lord’s Prince Zilbagias during the defense of the Capital of Evaroti in the Defteros Kingdom.”
Her straightforward tone made Orderju and Helena go “Ah…” with a face that seemed to comprehend something.
“In vain, I lost to Zilbagias, and all my comrades perished. Then, just when I thought I was reuniting with my father and brother in the underworld, they told me, ‘You still have things to do…’ and before I knew it, I was summoned by him. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Like Alex mentioned earlier, I’m weak in magic, and if I transform into a holy spirit, I’ll burn out immediately. So until it’s really crucial, I’m avoiding holy attributes. If I had a proper body, I could wield the skills of a Sword Saint, but… right now, I’m just an ethereal being, so I can’t hold anything, not even a spoon…”
“You’re really active with scouting and messaging though…”
Actually, last night, when I was taken care of at the Holy Church, brave Barbara came to check on me. When dinner wrapped up and we went to our rooms, she approached me. Thanks to that, I was able to discreetly inform Arthur and the others about the rough situation.
Arthur and the others shine brightly in silver, so they really stand out in the dark… In that regard, Barbara hasn’t transformed into a holy spirit yet, so she’s made of dark magical power, making it easier for her to hide in the shadows.
“Still, I want to be of use as soon as possible. That’s it for me!”
“Thank you! Now, next person…”
“Okay!”
Brightly stepping forward was—
“I’m Arthur Hilburn. I’m a Hero.”
A refreshing, translucent young man shining in silver.
“……..”
The Forest Elf group couldn’t close their mouths.
“Ah… ‘Arthur’…?”
Helena squeezed out with a trembling voice.
“The hero of the human race from Aulitos Lake… the one who fought a death battle against the Demon Lord’s Prince Zilbagias at Kaemuran… that Arthur?”
“Ah, yes, that’s me. That Arthur…”
With a slightly embarrassed laugh, Arthur scratched the back of his head.
“……..”
Helena was left speechless.
“Pardon me, but you truly are the one?”
Orderju bravely asked.
“Well, um, proving it is…”
Arthur pulled back his friendly smile and donned a serious face, pondering.
“You guys would stop breathing if you mentioned Alex’s secret without permission, right?”
“…Yes, that’s correct. Alex?”
“Ah, I refer to him that way—so, does my secret fall under the confidentiality of his secret combat power?”
“Hmm… If we interpret you as a being analogous to our spirits, it would indeed impose confidentiality on us as well.”
“Then let’s go with that interpretation—my family, the Hilburn House, has inherited sacred techniques for generations.”
At Arthur’s words, Orderju quietly muttered, “No way.”
“Blade of Demon Destruction, come forth.”
In silence.
A blade of magical power appeared in his hand.
“What… what… I can’t believe I’m seeing this. A magic sword…”
Excalibur.
“Oh? You knew about it. Guess it wasn’t necessary to impose confidentiality.”
Arthur looked a bit uncomfortable.
“No, I knew of its existence, but I didn’t expect you to have it on you right now.”
“Actually, it’s a bit different from what you might think. The original Excalibur was passed down to the next ‘Arthur.’ What I’m holding now is—a magic sword inherited from the first generation.”
“Ohhh…!”
Orderju’s eyes sparkled like a child. He might actually like this sort of thing.
I get it, Orderju! Imagine how excited he’d be to see Avalon!
“How… fascinating! I’ve lived for about 900 years, but this is the first time I’ve seen something like this!”
900!! He must have witnessed the rise of the Demon Lord Kingdom, the rise and fall of the vampire’s night kingdom, and even the extinction of the vile races before that…!
“Even though it’s made of magical power, how stable it is…!”
As he edged closer to Arthur, hands twitching, Orderju seemed to forget all his other missions, exclaiming “Whoa!” and “Ah!” while observing Excalibur from various angles.
“Um, it’s probably unlikely, but does it have physical interaction…?”
“It does! Here, watch.”
Arthur casually swung it at a nearby large tree.
With a sharp SPLAT! the trunk was severed.
““Ahh!? The tree!!””
The Forest Elf group screamed.
