NOVEL WEB Chapter 87
*
The chandelier illuminated the hallway. Inside that space, several distinctive individuals were sitting.
“So, Ake. Why did you gather us here..?”
“Head, if it’s for something trivial, I’ll kill you.”
A girl with striking blue hair and a red-haired man wearing sunglasses opened their mouths towards the gentleman.
“Hah, this is why outsiders are troublesome. So, Demon King of All Knowledge. What do you want to say?”
“I called you because a new hero has appeared.”
“That’s our lord’s story, right! Head!”
A woman in a magic hat and a figure clad in a long black cloak entered the conversation.
“Yeah, his name is Licht. No matter how much I look through the records, there’s no past to be found.”
“Then it’s clear he’s the summoned hero, right? How long has it been since we’ve seen a hero? I should warm up a bit….”
“No, Finn. You shouldn’t step in.”
Finn, the Demon King, cracked his knuckles, brimming with competition towards Licht, but Head shook his head, holding him back.
“We don’t know how far our powers will reach. It could be dangerous if others become aware of our abilities.”
“You figured out my deception too, didn’t you!”
The Magic Hat blushed and twirled a lock of her hair, putting on a bright expression as if she were talking about her partner.
“Basically, the way to maintain an advantage in information warfare is to not reveal your hand.”
Taking a moment to sigh, he explained to Finn why he was detaining him.
“..Do you have the Holy Sword with you?”
A man feeling a sense of dissonance asked. The Black Cloud with antlers questioned. The gentleman with sunglasses raised the corners of his mouth slightly and continued.
“I doubt he does. If he had the Holy Sword, Tardun would have given it to him, but I haven’t seen any signs of that in the prophecy.”
“..Then it’s a similar case to Dennis. He must have used magic to block the powers.”
In response to Head’s statement, the blue-haired woman with a ponytail replied in a slightly smaller voice.
“Intinium. You spoke well. That blue-haired guy resembles you, huh?”
“Hehe.. That’s right. Thanks for the compliment, Finn.”
The two siblings gathered their thoughts in unison, identifying Licht as similar to the Ten Heroes, Dennis.
“If he doesn’t have the Holy Sword, then he ultimately has no chance against the Demon King. He lacks the qualities required of a hero.”
“..Is that really the case? Head?”
“What is it, Magic Hat? Do you have something else to say?”
“No, no! This is much more entertaining!”
Contrary to Licht’s understanding, there were not four people here, but a total of five Demon Kings exchanging opinions and contemplating how to counter him.
“I will attempt to infiltrate Grand Hertz Academy with the ‘Apostle of Gluttony’ and a minimal number of Hero Church members.”
“That’s going to be tough because of Laplace, right? Want to borrow my mask again?”
“No, according to the record, it would be more likely to enter openly.”
Taking a book from within his robe, Head saw written that this method had the highest probability. It stated 99%.
“There won’t be any mishaps in destiny. First, we’ll deal with Drake and Dennis.”
“..Is kidnapping Licht and the princess the best option, Head?”
A magician pulled a card from his pocket. It was a tarot card labeled Fool. An insult directed clearly at Head.
“Right. Magic Hat. You’ve been grinning since earlier; do you have something to say?”
“Not at all~! As the Demon King of All Knowledge, you know everything, right?”
Although it had been quite bothersome, as the Demon King of Truth had been smiling at him all along, Head pulled out a red revolver from his robe and loaded it.
“The fact that Drake’s ultimate move annoys me, but at this time, Dennis likely hasn’t learned 3D Magic Circles yet. We have a chance.”
He concluded shortly to the Demon Kings. He thought that continuing to talk any further might lead to them reading his mind.
“..That makes it the seventh.”
He glanced at the gun with only one bullet missing out of the eight in the chamber. It looked like a game of Russian roulette.
“If it doesn’t work out, we still have one last chance left.”
As he looked at it, he flashed a sinister grin.
“There won’t be any missteps in fate. O Hero of Will.”
His expression suggested that he was already tired of this. His steps echoed through the hallway as he left the Demon King’s Castle.
*
The afternoon at Grand Hertz Academy was peaceful. It was so quiet that it felt unsettling.
“Swordsmanship is the study of will. Ultimately, if you have the determination to ‘succeed,’ then there’s nothing you can’t achieve!”
A man with short yellow hair and numerous scars shaped like swords on his face. The Grand Sword Master, who could be said to resemble me with his burns.
“After all, the human will can never be broken! Uwahahaha!!”
He was Drake, my first swordsmanship instructor. This person was a hidden former instructor not even found in data mining.
“Even this Orichalcum or Adamantium armor!”
He stood in front of a wooden doll clad in armor, drawing his sword. The silver steel reflected the light.
“You can succeed!”
With a swift swipe downward, swish echoed. Drake sliced through it as if chopping vegetables.
“..Licht was the same.”
“Excuse me..? What are you talking about, Mardol?”
Mardol whispered right next to me while watching that display. Was he talking about when he stripped off his glass armor?
“My body… So that’s how you wanted to see it, Licht.”
“Please stop saying things that could be misunderstood..”
“You’re really a pervert.”
“…”
I couldn’t destroy the Masterpiece, so I was trying to find alternative solutions.
Perhaps residual feelings lingered, the golden eyes within the glass helmet curved into thin crescents.
“Thus, among the sword techniques I can use, there’s even a technique that can slice through the very ‘concept’ of a dragon!”
Drake spoke about his ultimate move, Dragon Kill, striking his chest with his hand in a flashy display of confidence.
‘An ultimate move that can challenge the Demon King is fundamentally tied to concepts.’
Dennis’s 3D Magic Circles were the same. The magic circle transcending the ‘flat’ concept, implemented as ‘three-dimensional’ would also be effective against the Demon King.
“So don’t just rely on mana, find a method. Discover your own strengths and use them to slice through the world!”
He returned to the podium and slammed his hand down emphatically.
“A healthy body houses healthy mana. Everyone!!”
He shouted his frequent line,
“My dream is for a hero capable of defeating the Demon King to arise among the graduates of this academy!”
With an expression filled with guilt over the Demon Kings they couldn’t end, he recited his humble wish for the future hope right in front of him.
“With such strong resolve, that’s why you defeated Magic Hat as well, right, Licht?”
“..Perhaps. I was lucky.”
At that moment, she, having listened to Drake, turned to me once more. Honestly, since I approached it with the resolve to die, a part of it was true.
Demon King Kill is fundamentally a move where one must be prepared to die. It’s unfavorable to use in situations where it isn’t a one-on-one battle.
Even if one managed to take down a single opponent, if another enemy appeared to continue the war…
‘I probably would have died due to the time limit.’
As I recalled those memories from the past, my head throbbed.
It felt like I was missing something. What weirdness could this be? Flashes of when I briefly stepped out into the festival come to mind.
‘Surely, I encountered someone at the cocktail bar….’
Who was it? The face eludes me like sand slipping through my fingers. It was someone I recognized well.
“Mardol, do you happen to know what I did last night?”
“..When you went out for fresh air?”
“Yes, that time. My memory is hazy.”
“..You probably were swaying.”
Swaying? I don’t recall such a thing at all. Think, who did I encounter?
Who could I have met that would leave me feeling this disoriented and the information skewed with contradictions…
Ah, could it be.
‘..Demon King of All Knowledge?’
Bang—.
The moment I finished my thought, a single gunshot resonated from outside the academy.
[The defensive barrier surrounding the academy has been breached! Students, repeat. This is a real situation….]
Immediately following was a broadcast from Laplace announcing the urgency, but it seemed no one heard, as the students remained unmoved.
“..Mardol, did you hear that?”
“I did. Licht.”
The glass knight appeared fine, likely due to Masterpiece’s influence, while I rushed out to check on Ariel and Kainel to inquire about the situation.
“Helmet dude! What’s happening? That broadcast just now..!”
“..Licht, could it be that one I know?”
Kainel activated the Holy Sword, quickly forming a barrier around the magician. Luckily, neither of them were hit by the powers.
‘Think, Lee Soo-hyun. This is akin to the final battle of [Night Heart].’
When he used the power of ignorance like this, it was only when executing his plans.
“Drake!! It may sound crazy, but listen!! The Hero Church is about to invade! The Demon King of All Knowledge….”
Yelling towards Drake, who seemed to feel something was off, gripping his sword and watching the surroundings. It was a situation where it was impossible to predict who would die.
‘This is different from when it was with Magic Hat..!’
With the clash of breaking glass, figures cloaked in white burst into the academy’s auditorium.
A symbol of a cross formed by four swords. A cult following the fallen Four Heroes. The Hero Church.
“Death to the false heroes!!”
“Glory to the Hero Church!! Grab Drake’s ankles!!”
“I will burn my very being!!”
A person engulfed in flames charged at him, and Drake clicked his tongue, immediately slicing through the Hero Church member with his sword.
“These guys haven’t changed at all since ten years ago….”
Wiping the blood off his face, he looked at the other foes. He glanced through the crowd of students to see the enemies infiltrating.
“Drake Style Move 1, Shadow Slash…. No,”
「Shade Slash.」
He briefly closed his eyes and performed a horizontal slash. Immediately, only the white-clad Hero Church members were sliced apart.
The entire auditorium was cleaved, yet the academy’s students weren’t harmed in the slightest. A moment’s decision—pure controlled swordsmanship.
‘Drake hasn’t fallen prey to ignorance.’
As expected, the Ten Heroes. A tragedy where students would not perish did not happen. He blocked the overwhelming incoming forces.
“Something feels off. Licht. Why is it just us and the Professor who are unharmed..?”
“Right, Licht. Ariel is trying to dispel the magic but failing!”
Mardol and I fended off the Hero Church members hurling their weapons at the students. With the use of Mirror Shield, she restored the broken window.
“..It’s not magic.”
Even in this emergency, the individuals aside from Drake and the four of us seemed to remain utterly oblivious.
“It’s the power of ignorance.”
Calmly, with an air of oblivion, they sat still, gazing far into the distance. This ability that completely nullifies human intellect. What on earth could be the reason for this?
Only one person could possibly break in with such a mad scheme.
‘Head Ake.’
I probably must have met him at the cocktail bar during the festival. He was making it so that he didn’t have to incapacitate Drake, yet forcing him to engage in a rescue.
‘Are you coming out too?’
His character, obsessed with life, shone through. Right now, using the Corruption Route glitch would be unfavorable. The Demon King of All Knowledge could have prepared something.
To win, I had to strike at his blind spot, one he doesn’t know about. Even in the original game, it advised using the saved files,
‘He’s the type to come up with strategies based on players’ countermeasures.’
A sophisticated algorithm. Or rather, was it a leveling system? As the players grew stronger, they matched their approach to change the way to conquer him.
“Disciple, run away. The Hero Church is—”
“I can’t do that, Drake.”
A headache struck me as I looked at the fallen Hero Church members. I thought about how this situation was all part of his plan.
“If Head Ake has arrived, then he will target me.”
The summoned God from another world. The steps of the Demon King of All Knowledge were heading toward the academy.