“Huh... ?”
When Yor handed her the claw of Polauros, Nikki’s initial reaction was a stunned question.
To her, accustod to the ways of adventurers, Yor’s actions didn’t make sense for a mont.
Adventurers are always calculating their own profit and loss.
Even the byproducts of monsters are no different. For instance, when a corpse is left behind, the person who contributed the most to the battle takes most of the corpse.
In Nikki’s mind, Yor had been the one who played the biggest role in the fight. While she had briefly held off the demon, it was Yor who ultimately finished it off.
In fact, if the heat in the area hadn’t been so intense, Nikki thought, maybe Yor could have handled it alone.
So to her, it was surprising that he so casually handed her an item like this.
And honestly, she hadn’t really considered that she might have any connection to the demon.
As they say, the person involved is the last to know.
But Yor thought differently.
The reason they were even able to fight in the first place was that the proper environnt had been set up. And Nikki’s contribution to that process was undeniable.
‘And I’m curious too...’
Of course, the biggest reason was to confirm her words. The claim that absorbing the body of a demon, the source of their bloodline, would allow her to escape the berserk transformation.
There was no better opportunity to verify that information than now. Moreover, this demon seed to have a deep connection to her.
“Alright, here you go.”
With that, Yor handed the claw to Nikki. And his suspicion was confird.
As soon as it touched her hand, it seed to lt into her body, flowing like liquid.
“Huh, huh...?”
For a brief mont, Nikki was startled, but soon, changes began to manifest in her body.
A thick magical energy surrounded her, quickly absorbed into her form.
Whoooosh-!
Much like Polauros, her claws began to elongate, and blackness seeped into the whites of her eyes, creating reverse pupils. It looked almost identical to the transformation of a demon.
“...!”
Yor and Sephir imdiately raised their guard at the ominous sight.
But just as quickly, the magic began to calm, and Nikki returned to her usual self.
Aside from her claws and hair lengthening slightly, she appeared mostly unchanged.
However, Nikki herself could feel sothing different.
“What...?”
She stood there for a mont, stunned, before suddenly clenching her hands like a cat and swiping her claws through the air.
Slash-!
Flas erupted fiercely, gouging deep into the stone floor. Clear claw marks were left on the ground, and embers began to crackle and burn within the marks.
The power and attack style were almost identical to Polauros.
‘Wait...’
In fact, it seed that she had beco stronger. It was as if Nikki’s original abilities had been infused with Polauros’ power.
Afterward, Nikki moved a few tis, testing her strength. Her attacks left flas trailing behind, and the heat radiated from her body, warming the surrounding air.
At tis, the magic that flowed from her would cover her body, her eyes turning into reverse pupils, just like a demon.
But unlike a typical demon, her mind remained clear. It seed that she could control the demonization, even managing her own magic.
Yor, too, had never seen anything like it before... No, in fact, it was sothing that, if you searched through all of human history, probably hadn’t been seen before.
Normally, when soone becos a demon, it’s like crossing a point of no return.
It’s a process where the person loses their reason and succumbs to the power, eventually leading to their self-destruction.
For that reason, he watched Nikki with a sowhat fascinated expression.
In the middle of his thoughts, he had a random, half-joking thought.
‘Now, whoever sleeps with her later... they’re screwed.’
He imagined that anyone who got scratched by those sharp claws would end up with shredded skin.
Before going to bed, they’d have to make their peace with the idea of dying. Of course, since it wasn’t his problem, he didn’t think too deeply about it.
After Nikki spent so ti testing her abilities, she eventually ca to her senses and muttered.
“What the hell...?”
She seed utterly stunned by her new state.
Seeing that, Yor clapped briefly.
“Congratulations, you’ve freed yourself from berserk.”
There was a trace of envy in his voice. For a manifester, berserk was the greatest shackle, after all.
Since he was congratulating her, he added a bit of consolation as well.
“At this point, you could probably live a proper life, with a respectable title.”
The reason manifesters can’t fit into society is mostly due to public perception.
But another key reason is the ‘berserk’ transformation.
The reason society has such an image of them is precisely because of berserk.
Living through berserk every month, and with just a mont’s lapse in control, they would transform into a demon.
For ordinary people, it’s like having a ticking ti bomb that could explode at any mont.
But now, at this very mont, that fuse was gone. The bomb would never go off again.
And that could be proven to others.
Of course, people might not accept it imdiately.
Perhaps at first, there would be strong opposition. Soone might even attack. But if she kept trying, kept proving herself, eventually, she would be accepted.
After all, her abilities were now far beyond sothing anyone could ignore.
People would realize that having her on their side was an advantage.
“...Ah.”
When she understood that, Nikki murmured softly. Her voice was filled with many emotions.
There was the voice of all the accumulated frustration she had lived with, and also the voice of soone overwheld by the changes to co.
But the strongest emotion in her voice was clear. It was joy.
A single tear appeared in her eye.
Unconsciously, a tear began to form, growing larger and rolling down her cheek.
In a choked voice, Nikki muttered.
“Thank you... truly, thank you...”
Before her, a dream began to flicker.
A dream where she was just another person, laughing and chatting with others. In that dream, there were no guards glaring at her, trying to trap her.
There was no fear of when she would be caught.
It was a dream she had thought she could never reach. But now, for so reason, she felt like if she tried, it might actually be possible.
For a while, her sobbing echoed in the empty plains.
Though Polauros was defeated, the battle wasn’t over.
Andras was still out there.
As much as Yor would have liked to see Nikki cry a little more, he had to calm her down and move toward the knights.
After all, there was a real risk of casualties from the knights.
The sword that Andras wielded was quite dangerous. It was the kind of sword perfect for killing living beings.
But still, he had gotten so ammunition to tease Nikki later, so he was content for now.
When they reached the knight’s side...
The battle was already over.
And it had ended with the knights’ victory.
“Phew, phew, you made it...”
Odilia, gasping for air in the middle of the battlefield, was seen leaning on her greatsword. She was exhausted, her body marked with burns, but it seed she was alive and well. The other knights appeared the sa, and even in the corner, Yor’s group was lying on the ground, breathing heavily.
It looked like they had fought hard, but... they had won.
“Hmm...”
After all, they were the knights. Their reputation might have dropped recently, but they were still a force to be reckoned with.
After a while of catching her breath, Odilia stood up and walked toward a spot.
She picked up a piece of dark-colored tal from the ground.
It was a substantial chunk of tal, and the strong magical energy emanating from it suggested that it was most likely an item dropped by Andras.
Odilia briefly looked between the tal and Yor before speaking.
“This item... I’ll distribute it properly later. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get your share.”
As a knight captain, she had to collect the items, but it seed like she was concerned about Yor. After all, he had contributed too, so it would have been strange to take it without sharing.
Still, since she had said she would give sothing, Yor nodded with a smile.
Regarding the two Leton mbers, he quietly inquired about their contributions.
Fortunately, there was no animosity between them at the mont. It wasn’t unusual for them to be fighting right now.
And so, they successfully returned to the domain after defeating the demons.
That very night, however, Leton began to prepare to leave.
“...You’re leaving already?”
“Yes. Staying in the sa domain as the knights only increases the chances of conflict.”
Under the crescent moon that night, Yor bid farewell to them.
It was... funny. Who would’ve thought he’d peacefully say goodbye to Leton? He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
He waved his hand, then turned to Nikki.
“What are you going to do now?”
“Huh? What do you an?”
“You’ve got the power you always wanted. Now you can do whatever you want.”
It was true. She had found a way to prove she wasn’t a bomb, and she had gained the power to protect herself.
At Yor’s question, Nikki hesitated.
“...I don’t know.”
She glanced at Sephir for a mont.
Looking at Sephir, it was clear she was watching Nikki closely, almost like she was monitoring her departure.
After a brief hesitation, Nikki finally answered.
“For now... I think I’ll stay.”
Hearing this, Sephir let out a relieved sigh.
Of course, the word "for now" was added, but that could be ignored for now.
It was an unexpected answer.
Nikki, who wanted recognition, seed like she would leave at any mont.
“That’s surprising. I thought you’d leave Leton right away.”
“Well, it’s the place I’ve been living. I’ve made connections here, and I don’t want to leave without thinking it through.”
Although she hadn’t exactly chosen to enter, Leton was the only group that had accepted her when others had turned her away.
And she had ford connections here. She didn’t want to leave without considering the relationships she had built.
Even though Leton had taken her in out of necessity, she couldn’t just leave without so lingering feelings.
Leton wouldn’t just let her go either.
Of course, staying in Leton made it difficult to fit into society.
After all, it was a criminal group hostile to various countries.
But Nikki wasn’t too worried.
Unlike her past, when she had thought she would never fit in, she now felt like she could earn acceptance if she tried.
That "possibility" was what mattered most. Even if the road ahead was hard and grueling, she was willing to work for it.
She wasn’t a demon’s seed anymore, but a human who could earn her place.
In the end, people live for the possibilities they see.
“Well, we’re off then.”
She smiled as she spoke.
It was a brighter smile than Yor had ever seen her give.
Reviews
All reviews (0)