Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 137 "Among your companions... what?" What they had hoped for was a method to deceive the Asking Left Hand. Instead, what they received was a method that fulfilled the Asking Left Hand's demands. Their thoughts turned to stone at that absurd answer. "...Right." However, they could indeed be called heroes and their companions. Their resourcefulness, honed through countless adversities, truly shined in unexpected emergencies. Ambushes. Traps. Betrayals. All were mere moments of bewilderment. They were prepared to maintain composure and respond in any situation. This was why they could inherit the name of the great Hero. Thus, having prepared themselves mentally, they steadied their stance and asked Risir once more. "...Among your companions, what?" Unfortunately, nothing had changed. It couldn't be helped, as this wasn't a matter of mental preparation in the first place. Changing one's perspective doesn't suddenly make a stone appear as food. Their very thoughts were refusing to accept it. The sentence Risir had spoken, and the fact it implied. It was only natural. -The Master of the Sacred Sword is companions with a demon...? Who in the world could accept such an absurd story? Without even mentioning common sense, it was perfectly natural unless one was insane. "Ah~ so that's how it was." "Now I understand." "?" But the Great Noble and Archmage suddenly accepted it. They were dumbfounded. 'What do they understand?' -I happened to have a demon among my companions, so I was able to learn Black Magic. That was Risir's answer from just before. A sentence that brought countless questions rather than understanding. They could confidently say that sentence was more incomprehensible than the Asking Left Hand's metaphorical demands. What kind of mental structure would one need to understand something from hearing that sentence? "Haa..." Then. Belota, the scholar of Jane's party, sighed with a weary expression and fell into contemplation. They understood Belota's reaction from deep within their hearts. Belota's scholarly knowledge and insight were truly vast. Sometimes even Pochena, the Sacred Sword of Knowledge, was amazed. Right now, all the scholars that Dray and Palag had consulted to discover the entity's identity combined couldn't match Belota alone. Belota possessed the most solid reason and intellect of anyone. How absurd must Risir's statement and the sight of two people accepting it have seemed to her? It wouldn't be strange if she felt a headache beyond confusion. How reassuring! That was the impression the two Hero parties suddenly felt. That rational Belota would surely be able to correct this twisted situation! They looked at Belota with expectant gazes. Eventually, Belota awakened from her contemplation and spoke to Risir. "Let's say you have a demon among your companions." Right, right. As Belota said, having a demon among Risir's companions could be accepted-... "Huh? Wait, Belota." Felix, sensing something amiss, raised his index finger and interrupted. -Why would we accept that? Pochena of Knowledge continued the question. -He's the Master of a Sacred Sword, isn't he? So how can we accept that he's companions with a demon? No. How could he even be with a demon in the first place-... Pochena cut off mid-sentence. Raising questions one by one in a situation where they knew nothing would be endless. As such, Belota's reaction greatly deviated from their expectations. "Why, you ask. Well-" Belota instead made an expression that she couldn't understand. -Why are you making such a fuss over nothing? An expression as if such a voice could be heard. "Huh?" Just then. Belota's face showed she had realized something. "...Ah." Then she took off her glasses and rubbed her face with both hands. My head has gone strange. It was a display of deep self-reproach. "Belota? Are you okay...?" Jane carefully asked about his fellow scholar's condition. Belota, having sufficiently indulged in self-reproach, was speaking through her mood. This is maddening. How do I explain this again. Ah. I don't know. She spoke as if spitting out the words. "Risir has spirits. Beings that were originally demons." "Demons were originally... what?" Their expectations were thoroughly betrayed. Belota, whom they thought would clear the thick fog of doubt on their behalf, had instead brought forth yet another question. "Spirits are spirits, and demons are demons. What are you talking about?" Tila, the mage of Felix's party, spoke carefully. Her expression seemed worried about Belota's condition. "Hehehe." Belota laughed helplessly. As if she knew this reaction would come. She raised both hands and said. "I don't know~ I guess it could be like that." Irresponsibly, as if feigning ignorance. There was no trace of the rational and intellectual scholar they knew. They looked at Belota with pity. "Belota is... broken...!?" What on earth had happened during the investigation team for that rational scholar to become like this? "Now, now. Friends. Everyone calm down." Meanwhile, Dray spoke with his characteristic good-natured smile. "I can explain everything." "Ah, then would Sir Dray explain on her behalf?" "No reason not to. This works out well. I can take this opportunity to explain even what you don't know yet, Belota." "There's something I don't know yet? Wow. I'm so curious." Belota expressed curiosity and joy with her whole body. With a soulless expression, that is. Was it safe to continue staying in this place? The Hero parties felt an indescribable fear. *** "-So, it's entirely possible for Risir to receive help from demons." And! Dray, who seemed excited for some reason, emphasized those words. "It's not strange at all. Don't go suspecting Risir over this. This is advice from a senior, so you'd better listen carefully. Isn't that right, Lord Palag? Hahaha!" "Hehehe, it's truly foolish even now that I think about it. To be played by some cultist and suspect Risir." Though it was rude to Belota, Pochena even wondered if she had suffered mental contamination(?). So, to prevent her companions from becoming like Belota, she cast blessings on them- It was futile. "Hehe." After hearing Risir's story from Dray, they became the same as Belota. "He created that pseudo Power of Advancement... in just a few days...?" "Sword Aura...? At that age...?" "Overload..." Dray smiled as he watched the Hero parties who couldn't collect themselves. It was an expression like looking at beloved juniors. "Well, it's a natural reaction. I understand. Still, don't worry too much. If you open your hearts and accept it, you'll get used to it quickly like me." Tuk-tuk. Tuk-tuk. Drei patted them on the shoulder in encouragement. Then he turned to Rishir. "By the way, Risir. You learned Black Magic?" "That's how it turned out." "You're really an impossible guy. Even if you have a demon by your side, still. You mastered Black Magic in such a short time? What on earth did you do this time?" Dray, with sufficient experience(?), asked in a natural manner. It was the posture of someone ready to respond with 'Aha!' no matter what answer came. Palag also listened with a similar expression beside him. "I didn't know it would be this simple either, but Dangaleon said I had talent. It seems knowing something called the Daronan Language was a great help." The Daronan Language. A language that dealt with the foundations of all magical systems, especially specialized in Black Magic. To casually know that ancient, lost knowledge that could only be obtained by being deeply immersed in Black Magic. However, Palag and Dray showed maturity befitting their experience(?). They nodded, saying they understood. "To know the Daronan Language. Impressive. If a demon praises it highly, it can't be shallow knowledge. Tell me, Risir. Where on earth did you acquire the Daronan Language? Even this old man has never encountered such knowledge in his lifetime." "There was a book dealing with the Daronan Language at a library I used to visit long ago." "A book dealing with the Daronan Language... Such a precious text was merely stored in a library? It must be an incredible library." "Ah. It was an ordinary library. It was an annex building where books deemed too low-grade to be stored in the main building were kept." "Huh. In such a library, such a precious text was stored? It's a miracle you read it before someone stole it." "I think so too." "By the way, I'm curious. Do you happen to remember the book's title?" "Yes. It was probably a book called [Inheritance Codex: Daronan]." (E/N: I don't remember the proper name, nor will I bother looking it up. What I remember: it is a kind of book that is 'living' and can appear anywhere but will make the people trying to read it go mad) "?" This time, even Dray and Palag doubted their own ears. -Inheritance Codex...? Surely, you don't mean Yel Kanuer's Seven Inheritance Codices...? Sacred Sword Elisia spoke with a trembling voice. The seven phenomenal Inheritance Codices created by the ancient mage 'Yel Kanuer' had the property of overlaying themselves onto their target. Therefore, no one could read the Inheritance Codices. The moment one opened an Inheritance Codex, they would become the codex itself. "Yes. I was lucky." He read an Inheritance Codex. How nice. Through that simple sentence that crushed their brains, the Hero parties finally felt they completely understood the person called Risir. They looked at Palag and Dray. Palag and Dray also looked at them. Nod. A bond sprouted. Meanwhile, Risir continued his story to wrap up the explanation. "At first, I couldn't understand Dangaleon's power. Then, he advised me to try using the Daronan Language. So when I tried using the Daronan Language- Dangaleon's power, which had been difficult to understand. The spells that form its foundation were translated in my head into a language I knew. After that- yes. It's as you all know. Thanks to that, I was able to master Black Magic at a rapid pace." Thus, it was when Risir's explanation ended. "That means..." Tila, the mage of Felix's party, asked with a trembling voice. "You're saying that right now, in your head, the spells that form the foundation of demonic power are in a language we can understand...?" The two heroes and their companions. Even Dray and Palag. They were all looking at Risir with shining eyes. There was undeniable strong curiosity contained within. "Risir. If it's alright, could you... show us that Black Magic too!?" Belota asked, unable to fully control her emotions as a scholar. "No reason not to." Risir raised his palm. Above it, a greyish-white flame bloomed. "This is... demonic power...?" The greyish-white flame flickered in their pupils. Could that truly be called demonic power? Could that truly be called Black Magic? The aura contained within was far too pure to be called Black Magic. Yet it was alien at the same time. It was perhaps Black Magic, yet not Black Magic. Like that flame that was neither black nor white. It was a mysterious and intense quality they had never encountered anywhere. It captivated everyone present in an instant. To be fascinated by Black Magic. Something that should never happen- Within them, that greyish-white flame was already something other than Black Magic. Risir's condition was proof of that. He was neither consumed by evil aura nor dominated by demons. The current him was free from all side effects that came with Black Magic. That power was. Something else born by removing all the negative aspects of Black Magic. -Kruaaak!!! How ecstatic...! Master! It's truly a beautiful flame even seeing it again! I dare suggest, how about naming this power 'Risir's Sacred Fire'!!! Every time you use that power, you would shout 'I, receive Risir's Sacred Fire that purifies all!'!!! This Dangaleon! Just imagining that magnificent sight makes me tremble with excitement!!! "I feel tremors in a different sense too. It gives me goosebumps." Just like that spirit(?). -It's not like he's some human filter... Jallak, who had watched the entire process right beside them, muttered with a fed-up expression. *** The next day. Having taken sufficient rest, they gathered once more at the site. "After all that trouble, we should definitely get our reward." Felix muttered with determination. They had fulfilled all of the Asking Left Hand's demands. Now it was time to make demands of the Asking Left Hand. "Tila?" Tila nodded and approached the Asking Left Hand. The ritual to awaken it resumed. Crack. Crack. The Asking Left Hand writhed with joint-cracking sounds. After a moment. Its movement stopped. "...?" Felix felt something was off. Unlike before when it immediately stated its business, it remained silent. Eventually, Felix spoke first. "We have fulfilled all the demands you stated. Now it's time for you to fulfill our demands." -...You cannot make demands. "What?" -I have received no compensation whatsoever. "What kind of nonsense is this!?" Elf Camilla, who had been listening from the side, voiced everyone's feelings with her characteristically irritated tone. -Oh my. It seems our concerns have become reality. Pochena followed with a meaningful remark. "Pochena?" Felix looked down at his sword in confusion. -Perhaps what's needed to complete the Magical Contract that moves that thing isn't the fulfillment of demands, but the failure to fulfill them. "What do you mean?" -When a user fails to fulfill the demands, that thing makes the user pay a corresponding price. That's the structure that completes the power forming the Magical Contract. We should have failed to fulfill its demands and been devoured by its power. We should have become its nourishment. "Wait. So right now, that thing doesn't have the power left to grant our next demand?" A situation like exploring a dungeon risking their lives only to find the treasury empty. Felix cried out in shock. "No." Tila shook her head. "As Pochena said, it's true that its power has greatly weakened from not receiving compensation. But it still possesses vast power. The power I felt while conducting the ritual. I'm certain." "Then why!?" "It's simple. It's expressing dissatisfaction. Since it didn't receive compensation for destroying the city, it won't give anything until it receives that compensation." "What the hell...!" Shring. Jane pointed Sacred Sword Elisia at the Asking Left Hand. "Shall we try to appease its dissatisfaction?" The Sacred Sword emitted a gentle flash. That tremendous power was more than sufficient to destroy an ancient relic containing mysterious power. "It will be useless." At Jane's action, Palag, who had been observing the situation as a third party, spoke up. "It's not some spirit with an ego. It's a device that faithfully performs its given role. It's closer to a golem. Even if it means being destroyed, it won't act outside the rules." As Palag said, the Asking Left Hand didn't move even with the Sacred Sword pointed directly at it. "Ah, this is maddening!" A situation like conquering a dungeon while risking their lives only to gain nothing. Felix shouted in frustration. At that moment. Whoosh. Risir conjured a greyish-white flame and spoke. "Then, shall we destroy it before it tries any more tricks?" -Wait. The Asking Left Hand immediately spoke. -You. Are you willing to pay the price? "No?" -Understood. I will grant your demand. "Oh." They looked at Palag. Like a golem, they said. Palag felt wronged. It seemed accurate though.