The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 111 Magic Sword Forte (13) - This Magic Sword Believes The demon Balzares had once wasted precious time with all sorts of trivial chatter while facing some librarian, throwing away a golden opportunity. In that regard, Divana was more capable than her colleague. Swooosh! Rose vines that sprouted from the ground firmly grasped Forte's limbs. Simultaneously, Divana's body lunged forward, and the sword in her hand thrust toward Forte's heart. Without any carelessness, she attacked from the very beginning with the intention of taking his life. That was undoubtedly the correct response. But the opponent was not ordinary. Thud-thud-thud-crack! The vines restraining Forte were cut away in an instant. It wasn't forcibly torn away with strength. Below the elbow that remained free and unbound. Using only the skill of his wrist and fingers to handle the sword, he had simply cut through all the vines. The absurd skill didn't stop there, and Forte's raised sword met Divana's blade. Divana felt a momentary sense of immense emptiness. The kind of emptiness you might feel when there are no stairs where you expected them to be, or like a chair you sat on carelessly suddenly collapsing beneath you. The momentum of her charge, the mana contained in her sword, was sucked away somewhere regardless of her will. Without any sense of wrongness, without any chance to resist, as if it were only natural for it to happen that way. Parry. More accurately, deflection. That technique, so simple when explained in words... Divana's body was drawn along the curve traced by Forte's sword tip, and the next moment a fist slammed into the area near her solar plexus. Thuuuud! It was an impact that suited the expression 'struck' rather than 'hit.' The mana barrier she reflexively deployed was torn apart like paper, and her bones and organs couldn't withstand the pressure, being crushed or bursting. It was damage that would be hard for a human to survive, and while Divana's situation was slightly better, she was still seriously injured. In gaming terms, it was a situation where an entire phase worth of health had evaporated with just one strike. Therefore, Divana deployed her power without regard for consequences. Rumble-rumble-rumble! While being flung away like a pebble kicked by a foot, countless scales appeared layer upon layer on Divana's lower body. Her clothing fused with her skin, transforming into fluttering fins, and the shape of her ears also transformed to become pointed. Siren. One of the many races living in the demon world, the owner of a voice containing the powerful force of 'Enchantment' opened her mouth. "————!" It was like music created by numerous musicians joining forces, like the innocent laughter of a spirit playing in the bushes, and like the whisper of a courtesan in revealing attire on a bed. What they had in common was that they shook the listener's heart and made them fall for the owner of the voice. The Siren's song, which could make a massive ship charge straight into reefs and sink if used with intent, bored into Forte's ears. Divana believed without doubt that this was her trump card attack. No matter how excellent Forte's physical abilities were, no matter how outstanding his sword aura was, he couldn't possibly block sound itself. Grab. As if shattering Divana's conviction, Forte approached nonchalantly and grabbed Divana by the throat. "Ack..., urk, gk!" Divana widened her eyes in shock and tried to say something, but it was impossible while Forte had her by the throat. "Are you curious why I'm unaffected?" However, her struggles alone seemed sufficient to understand her meaning, as Forte answered. "Then figure it out yourself. Unlike some Phantom Thief somewhere, I don't have the hobby of explaining my abilities in detail." Divana's vision changed abruptly. It was because Forte had slammed her head straight into the wall. CRASH! Along with a terrifying impact, stars flashed before Divana's eyes. Her hands convulsed, and blood flowed not only from her mouth but also from her eyes and ears. When Forte released his grip, her body collapsed limply to the floor. "Ah, uah, uh..." Divana found it difficult to understand this situation. She would have understood if her opponent had been radiating immense magical power just by looking at him. If she had been careless and caught off guard by her opponent, she would have understood that too. But this was neither of those things. The magnitude of power her opponent possessed was smaller than Divana's, and she hadn't shown even the slightest carelessness. Despite neither being the case, she had lost. And without even being able to engage in what could properly be called a fight. Divana, trembling as she raised herself with her arms, immediately vomited. What flowed from her mouth was not mere vomit or saliva, but dark red blood and bone fragments. After spitting up blood several times, Divana carefully raised her head upward. And she saw. Forte's face, silently looking down at her. "──." His features, as if covered with shadows, still had no way of being confirmed. Yet Divana felt as though she could tell what expression Forte was making. It was the gaze of someone from on high. It was the perspective of a natural-born ruler. Despite having just fought a battle, there remained no hatred, hostility, or displeasure toward Divana in his eyes. He was simply waiting. For the answer to the question he had first posed. Death. Or cooperation. If Divana chose the former, he would nod briefly saying 'I see' and then casually blow Divana's head off. Then he would calmly leave to do his business, with no interest in Divana's fallen corpse, never looking back. That indifference dyed Divana's spine with terror. There would be no meaning in that death. It would be no different from stepping on grass while passing by and thinking 'Hm? What's this, grass?' before just moving on. In the demon world, might makes right is such a natural law. At least in this moment, the fear Divana felt toward the being before her was greater than the fear she felt toward her original master. Therefore, Divana trembled as she bowed her head. "I-I will cooperate." *** 《We succeeded in reaching an amicable agreement through dialogue. These people won't trouble you anymore, so rest assured.》 "Ah, yes." Fina rolled her eyes to look at one corner of the room. There she could see the young man kneeling with both hands raised, and beside him the accessory standing upright on the ground. It was confusing. 'Hmm, that dialogue probably wasn't that kind of dialogue.' Though often misunderstood, the girl named Fina Valestia actually wasn't that lacking in intelligence. She was simply mistaken as 'living thoughtlessly' because she often followed others' lead rather than acting according to her own opinions or plans. Therefore, she also noticed that the 'dialogue' Forte spoke of wasn't dialogue in the ordinary sense. She noticed, but didn't particularly point it out. Because she knew that 'Sir Magic Sword' hadn't twisted his words to deceive her, but simply expressed it as dialogue because by Sir Magic Sword's standards, that much counted as dialogue. "Sir Magic Sword, Sir Magic Sword." 《What is it?》 "Then, um, are those people now going to fight against the last demon with me?" 《That would be difficult.》 Forte denied it in an indifferent tone. 《They're bound by contracts. While they're free to decide detailed policies during the execution of operations, it's impossible for them to directly antagonize another demon.》 However, Forte asserted that would be enough. 《From now on, you just need to act as if you've fallen for their deception. And when the final demon approaches to take you to the 'Hero's seal,' that's when you strike it down.》 Divana and the young man couldn't intervene in the battle against the third demon, but they could remain neutral and stand by. With Fina, whom they believed they had already bewitched, launching a surprise attack while in her right mind, and Divana, whom they believed was an ally, being out of action, the final demon would surely fall into great confusion. That gap would be the perfect chance for Fina to defeat the demon. "C-can I do it?" 《The opponent can't freely exert their power within Sky Academy anyway. Well, maybe they could, but then they'd have to withstand the fierce attacks of the faculty.》 "If that's the case, hmm." Fina nodded her head. Honestly, she wouldn't be very confident if told to do it alone, but if she thought of Forte fighting alongside her, she felt she could at least buy enough time. "Then what should I do now?" 《Nothing will change much. Go to dungeons, clear quests, and rest on holidays. Eventually, the demon who found that 'seal' will approach you.》 "I-I see." 《Well, there's no need to be so anxious. It's still early in the semester anyway. Finding something as grand as the Hero's seal or whatever will take quite some time, so until then, leisurely grow—》 "Um, excuse me." Forte's words were cut off. It wasn't something Fina had done. It was the result of the young man, whose face was in poor condition here and there, speaking up as if interrupting. Perhaps feeling the gaze of the sword and the girl, the young man answered urgently. "M-Miss Divana says... that a message has arrived. From the third demon." A moment of silence passed. Fina stared at Forte wordlessly. 《Hmm. Contractor, this Magic Sword believes that you can surely overcome this trial.》 "S-Sir Magic Sword. By any chance, can I hit you just once?"