kscans

Chapter 37 - We Are Eternal

"Curse you, Dareth! How dare you interfere with our plans at every turn!"

Dareth had repaired the Calamity, and the evil spirits were sealed once more. Having witnessed that, I had already left the Royal Capital. My plan was to pass through an inconspicuous forest and head toward the lower town. I had to get away from here as quickly as possible. However...

...What do I do after that.

I have not been in contact with the Demon Race. I have failed three times in a row. No matter how special we humans are, they surely will not let this slide. Only death awaits me. Should I then return to my comrades once? It is not hard to imagine that a difficult situation would await me there as well. I know all too well the fate of a failure. It was while I was walking and pondering this that it happened.

"Stop right there."

Suddenly, a woman descended before me. She had black hair like mine and held a long staff in her hand. A magic user. And she is a pursuer. I can tell by looking at her eyes. But she shouldn't know yet that I am a member of The Order of Truth, nor that I was the one who instigated Shion.

"Yes. How may I help you?"

"Do not play dumb. You are a member of The Order of Truth, are you not? I know everything. You are the one who manipulated Vice Principal Byre into distributing those dangerous staves. We restored his memories."

"I do not understand what you are saying. My apologies, but I am in a hurry..."

"Are you not also involved in this incident with the evil spirits?"

This one is skilled. She looks to be in her mid-twenties, but she seems to be quite powerful. If I am captured here, my memories will be scoured as well. No, more importantly, if Shion is captured, my actions will be revealed one by one. And that incompetent fool has likely already been caught. Which means...

"So what if I am a member of The Order of Truth. That does not matter. Because you are going to die here."

I drew the knife I had hidden. The only way to escape is to kill her.

"...That knife also harbors dark magic. It has a sinister aura."

"So you can tell. If you are cut by this, dark magic will invade your body from the wound."

[Darkness-Invading Knife]
Attribute: Dark
Rank: S
Ability: Sends dark magic into the body through cuts or stab wounds. Those without resistance will have their bodies rot away in an instant.

What I hold is a blade bestowed upon me by the Demon Race. A weapon for pure slaughter. I have eliminated every obstacle with this blade until now.

"You must not commit any more crimes. Surrender."

"..."

I carefully calculate the distance. It doesn't matter how strong she is. Magic users always need to chant their spells. And the more powerful the spell, the longer the chant. No matter how skilled my opponent is, if I can exploit a momentary opening, I have a good chance of winning. I only need to graze her.

"Hah!"

I put power into my legs and closed the distance in a mad dash. It was only three steps away. With my physical abilities, I should be able to dodge even an intermediate-level spell with ease. Yes, because there is an opening during the incantation...

"!"

"W, what!?"

Suddenly, a white ray of light shot out from the woman’s staff. No, it was a rope made of light. It came at me before I had time to dodge. It wrapped around me tightly, and I couldn't move at all. The woman looked at me with a cool expression. Th, this is, could it be...

"Chantless magic!? Who are you!"

"I am just a magic user. No, to be precise, I am a magic user who wields a staff made by Dareth-sama. This staff makes chantless magic possible."

"Dareth..."

The moment I heard that name, my anger turned to sheer exasperation. Him again... The peerless blacksmith, Dareth. Just how far will that man go to interfere with me.

"You cannot escape now. Give up."

I had dropped the Darkness-Invading Knife from the impact of being bound. I have no other weapons.

"I see... So this is my defeat. I was defeated by that man..."

All of my plans were thwarted by Dareth. To corner me like this, I have no choice but to applaud him as an enemy. But...

"We are eternal! We will create a world ruled by the Demon Race! We will prove that you are the ones who are wrong! My comrades will surely...!"

""

The moment the woman chanted the spell, I became incredibly sleepy. This is bad... I can't fall asleep... I fought desperately against it, but my eyelids drooped mercilessly.

...Dareth... he is a person to watch out for. He is no ordinary blacksmith. I must inform my comrades...

Before I could struggle any further, I fell deep, deep into the dark abyss of consciousness.