Chapter 6

EP.6 What is this, give it back (5)

- Wizards are beings who trade with the world, or rather, the stars.

- They pay a 'price' commensurate with the phenomenon they wish to invoke and receive the right to distort the world from the stars.

The words of my master echo in my ears.

- Because they have become so accustomed to this trade, everyone tends to forget.

- However, Raniel, you, who can handle the Balance, must remember.

- That mana is ultimately the currency used to trade with the stars.

Currency.

- Do not take mana lightly.

- Mana is paid and traded.

Currency for trading with the stars.

I repeat this to myself and open my mouth.

"Balance."

- Speak your desire.

"The things the curse swallowed. The spells stored in my body."

- Pay the price.

I pronounce the name of the weight on the opposite side of the scale.

"Ninety percent of my mana."

- The payment is insufficient. There will be a restriction.

I naturally understand what the restriction is.

I nod my head.

"It doesn't matter."

- The deal is made.

A sensation of something being sucked out of my body is felt, accompanied by a headache and fatigue.

- Squeak.

With the sound of my skin burning, a spell rises on my forearm. I check the type of spell and click my tongue.

'I didn't want to do this.'

The cost-effectiveness is terrible.

The spells that return are pitiful compared to the mana used. Even with the 'temporary' restriction, it ends at a triple spell. There is no spell powerful enough to overturn this situation all at once.

'If I had used 90% of my mana to engrave, it would have covered my entire body, not just my forearm... Anyway, you stars.'

You're still as stingy as ever.

Still, what can I do? The one who's disappointed has to endure.

Suppressing the sigh that escapes, I gauge the number of stored spells.

One on each finger, ten in total.

One on each palm and forearm, four in total.

A total of 14 spells.

Multiple Casting.

Spell Acceleration.

Haste.

Strength Enhancement.

I release the most basic spell among them.

Vitality surges through my body.

'Ten.'

I repeated the clenching and unclenching of my hand several times, then placed my hand on the wall. I can sense movement beyond the wall. The sound of footsteps of those surrounding the wall can be heard.

'About here.'

I find a suitable position and press my palm against the wall.

"Huff."

I exhale briefly and narrow my eyes.

I feel the flow of mana crawling on the palm pressed against the wall. I give direction to the flow and release the spell stored in my forearm.

Smash.

Gray mana emits light.

2.

The centurion, Ojiren, thinks.

About where and how this situation went wrong.

'Clearly, I was following orders.'

It wasn't a difficult order.

To find a black sphere in the ruins of a collapsed building. Ojiren set out on the mission with about ten soldiers he cherished.

There was no reason to hesitate.

Wasn't it the barrier personally set by one of the Four Heavenly Kings?

It couldn't be broken by mere humans.

Ojiren was certain of this.

Until he encountered a human inside the barrier.

Ojiren looks at the trembling soldiers with wide eyes.

"Ugh, ugh! Form ranks!"

"The centurion is with you! Don't retreat!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Ah!"

A soldier screams.

He falls, spitting blood. As one soldier falls, the neck of another soldier standing beside him is bent at an abnormal angle.

In the blink of an eye, two soldiers fall.

'What is this?'

Ojiren feels his vision go dark.

He can't see the answer.

"Choke!"

"Centurion...!"

The soldiers he cherished fall one by one.

The number of soldiers, which was over ten, has already been reduced to three. Ojiren looks beyond the soldiers. He looks at where the soldiers' spears are pointing.

"..."

There stands a girl with ash-gray hair.

The girl who felled several soldiers is expressionless.

The girl, who has rolled up the sleeves of her ill-fitting robe, lightly shakes her hand. Soon, a lump of flesh falls to the ground with a thud. It wasn't the girl's blood.

It was the blood and flesh of the soldiers.

"Huff..."

After a while, the girl sighs and raises her head.

Ojiren meets her eyes. Narrowed eyes. Half-open blue eyes are eerie.

- Click.

Swallowing hard, Ojiren takes a step back unconsciously. He then stiffens when he realizes what he has done. Fortunately, no soldier saw him retreat.

'What the hell is this...'

Ojiren feels fear towards the girl.

The fear comes from the unknown. Ojiren cannot determine the girl's identity. He cannot even guess what techniques she is using.

Since he cannot guess, he cannot approach recklessly.

He can only send his soldiers to test the waters.

'Even if I could see, I wouldn't understand...'

It's maddening.

Whenever her fingers touch a soldier, it's as if they are struck by something, and the soldiers' bodies are bent. They fall, spitting blood.

'Even though we lost four in the initial explosion...'

Even if those four were still here, the result would likely be the same.

"..."

Ojiren bites his lip silently.

At first, he thought she was a wizard, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

In the situation where nothing is known, the soldiers charge at the girl helplessly.

"Ah!"

"Choke, choke..."

"Ugh!"

The result is tragic.

The remaining three soldiers fall.

One with a broken neck, one clutching his chest, and another vomiting blood. Their final moments are varied, but the cause is the same.

The girl's fingers touched them.

The soldiers' spears did not reach the girl, but the girl's fingers touched the soldiers. That's all there was to it.

'A martial artist? A qi practitioner? Eastern sorcerers who use such...'

Various speculations run through his mind.

But Ojiren cannot come to a definitive conclusion.

Without coming to a conclusion.

"Hey."

Ojiren allows the girl to approach.

"Ah, ah!"

Startled by the girl's sudden appearance in front of him, Ojiren swings his sword in panic. However, the sword does not reach the girl.

Crack.

The girl grabs the sword with her bare hands.

Without much effort, the sword breaks in half.

"You're talking to a person and just swinging your sword."

"W-What are you saying!"

"What am I saying? Open your ears and listen to what I'm saying."

The girl's expression turns fierce as she glares at Ojiren. She grabs the collar of his armor, seemingly displeased with something.

"What are you looking down at? It's annoying."

"Choke!"

Something flashes in front of his eyes, and an unknown shock shakes his head. The pain is so intense that his eyes feel like they will pop out, and Ojiren kneels.

"You guys write all this on your armor—name, origin, rank. It's really convenient."

The girl, now looking down at Ojiren, smirks.

"Fourth Legion, Black Knight Unit's centurion."

"..."

"Black Knight Unit... Could your superior be that guy Dike?"

"..."

"Your expression says it all."

The girl sighs and runs her hand through her hair.

As she does, she pulls something out from under her robe.

"Do you know what this is?"

A black sphere.

Ojiren's eyes widen. It was the very sphere he was ordered to retrieve by his superior, Dike.

"What is this? What is it that you set up such a barrier and came into the heart of the city for?"

The girl speaks in a cold voice.

"Explain it to me in a way I can understand."

"Me, me? I'm not going to tell you!"

"No, I don't think you will, so I'm going to make you."

As if she expected this, the girl extends her arm without hesitation. She grabs Ojiren's chin.

"Close your eyes. If you don't, they'll pop out."

"Ugh, ugh! L-Let go!"

"Shh, stay still."

The girl, holding Ojiren's chin, closes his eyes. Then, she presses his eyelids to keep them closed.

"Think about it."

One of the girl's fingers, which was holding Ojiren's chin, slowly moves away. Then, at a moderate speed, it returns to Ojiren's chin.

Tap.

A light touch.

At that moment.

"Ah!"

Ojiren screams.

An unknown shock shakes his brain. It shakes him. The shock, which feels like his eyes will pop out, assaults him again, this time a bit stronger.

"Are you going to talk?"

"Ah, ah. W-What is this...!"

"Looks like you're not."

Thud.

"Ah!"

Tap.

"Choke, choke!"

Unknown shocks continue to shake his brain.

Each time the girl taps her finger, the shock intensifies.

-Drip.

Blood flows from Ojiren's nose. Saliva drips from the corner of his mouth, and tears of blood flow from between his closed eyelids.

"Alright, that's it."

"Ah, ah, ah!"

As soon as the girl releases his chin, Ojiren's body tilts. He kneels, supporting himself with his hands, gasping for breath.

Tears, snot, and saliva don't stop.

His vision continuously wavers.

"If you still don't want to talk, there's nothing I can do."

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything I know right now!"

Ojiren bows his head at the girl's feet. The girl smirks at his desperate expression. She then extends her hand and runs it through Ojiren's hair.

"That's why you should have talked when I asked."

Her finger, which had run through Ojiren's sweat-soaked hair, taps his forehead.

"Explain. Don't try to play any tricks."

3.

"So, you just heard to come and find it, without any proper instructions?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Shh, this is still...?"

"Really, really! I didn't hear anything else! Dike just told me to find the sphere he left there!"

I stroke my chin.

"Why didn't he come himself? Who set up this barrier?"

"The barrier was set by one of the Four Heavenly Kings, I heard. The knight unit is nearby, so it won't last long, and it only hides our presence..."

If one of the Four Heavenly Kings can set up a barrier like this...

'It must be him. The skull-headed wizard.'

He could definitely set up a barrier like this. However, there are still questions.

"To set up such a barrier and only send you guys?"

"I, I don't know the reason."

"Tsk."

I click my tongue.

A disposable mission.

They probably thought it would be nice if they could retrieve it, but it's fine if they can't. I check the head of the knight kneeling in front of me.

Truth Detection.

The floating symbol is blue.

It means he didn't lie.

'Still, it doesn't add up.'

There are still questions.

However, there is no more information to be extracted.

"One last thing."

"W-What is it?"

"Do you know where the Succubus Queen is?"

"Her... I believe she is with Dike."

"Where is that?"

"First Garrison."

If it's the First Garrison...

It will be difficult to find. It's deep in the Demon Realm.

"Well, good job."

I pat the knight's shoulder a few times.

"The guards will be here soon, so you'll be interrogated by them. Hang in there."

"W-What! That's not what we agreed! If I answered honestly, you were supposed to let me go..."

The knight grabs my leg in a panic.

I frown at the sight.

"Hey."

"Ah, ah..."

"Are you not letting go?"

I kick his hand away and crouch down. Crouching, I meet the eyes of the knight lying on the ground.

"Do you think we humans would just let you demons enter our city and get away with it?"

"T-That's..."

"You guys also hang up the taxidermied humans who enter the Demon Realm. Still, our knight order is nice. We don't do taxidermy."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. We just dunk them in holy water."

"..."

The knight's face turns pale.

"T-That's not different from taxidermy!"

"It is. Repent and go to heaven."

I tap the knight's forehead.

I was thinking of giving him a parting gift, like a Smite, but the time for the trade with the stars had ended.

The temporarily engraved spell evaporates.

As a result, my hand only lightly taps the knight's forehead, but...

"Choke, choke..."

The knight, foaming at the mouth, rolls his eyes and collapses.

"..."

Why is he like that?

Just faking it.

Author's Note (Author's Postscript)

Dunking in holy water makes you nice.