Volu 19, Chapter 2 - The Truth Twenty-years Prior
Part 1
After the demon spirit Vlad Dracul showed up, Kamito and his friends went over to the headmistress' office.
With her gray hair was bobbing about, Vlad Dracul was quite cute.
Kamito had crossed blades with her in her elental waffe form at Dracunia—
"I can't believe there's a demon spirit with human form..."
Kamito spoke quietly, out of earshot of the girl walking in front.
"That's the highest-ranked spirit out of all the demon spirits, crowned with the title of 'Duke.' Truly impressive as ever, the Dusk Witch, to be able to ta such a powerful spirit."
"Don't tell you're acquainted with her?"
"Only by reputation. After all, she went on a wild rampage during the Spirit War—"
"Yes, Miss Sword Spirit over there, I've fought you before, you know~"
The girl looked back and giggled, baring her sharp teeth.
"Pretty much every Elental Lord's direct subordinate was strong, but this wild child Est was super dangerous. To be honest, I really don't want to go against her again."
"Est, do you recall any of this?"
"No, Kamito."
Upon hearing Kamito's question, the sacred sword at his waist flashed several tis. Separated from her principal body, Est currently retained only fragnts of her mories from the Spirit War.
"What~, you don't rember~? Tsk."
The demon spirit girl grumbled quite disappointedly then half-skipped half-ran up the stairs.
"According to the Spirit Research Society's understanding, it is theoretically impossible for humans and demon spirits to communicate with each other. I never expected a spirit like her to exist."
Claire murmured with curiosity.
"You elentalists might think you know everything about spirits, but there are still many more mysteries in Astral Zero."
"Can't deny that."
Claire admitted it honestly with a shrug.
Arriving before the headmistress' office, the demon spirit girl pushed the door open without knocking.
"I brought 'em here~, shitty witch hag~"
"Who do you think you are calling hag? I'll annihilate you, demon spirit."
Sitting at the office desk inside, Greyworth invoked void spirit magic without delay.
"Woah!"
Kamito hastily dodged.
"Ehehe, so scary—Woo?"
Sorsaulting in the air with a flutter of her skirt, the demon spirit Vlad dodged the magic projectile spectacularly.
The floor was dug up with a huge hole in the office wall.
"H-Hey, Greyworth!?"
"You're in the way, lad. I need to teach a disobedient bad spirit a lesson."
Still with her finger pointed at the demon spirit girl, Greyworth spoke with a serious deanor.
"What's wrong with calling a shitty hag out for being a shitty hag?"
"How dare you—"
Vlad stuck out her tongue.
"Shitty hag so scary, Vlad's gonna play outside now~"
With a turn of her jet-black overcoat, she imdiately escaped out of sight.
"...My goodness. My previous contracted spirit was so much better, even though they're both demon spirits."
"Where did you contract this spirit from?"
Kamito asked while walking into the office.
"A sealed spirit kept in secret by the Ordesian military. Unearthed from ancient ruins, but no one was able to ta her. Okay, please take a seat—"
Greyworth stood up and invited Kamito and company to sit down on the sofa for guests.
Leaning Est against the side, Kamito sat down on the sofa.
Occupying his left and right were Claire and Restia respectively. Faced with Greyworth, who looked like she was the sa age as them, Claire seed a bit nervous.
Well, who could bla her? After all, the legendary witch recorded in the Academy's textbooks was appearing before her, looking identical to during the olden days.
"Have you recovered?"
"Yeah, pretty much. At least I can walk."
Nodding, Kamito shrugged a bit.
"I see. Sorry for pushing you too hard, lad."
Greyworth spoke quietly with a solemn look.
"What's going on, this is totally unlike you."
"I beca the Holy Kingdom's pawn and hurt you. I must apologize for this first."
Saying that, Greyworth slowly bowed her head.
"...!?"
Seeing that, Claire widened her eyes in surprise. Kamito gasped too.
To think the witch would bow her head. Was history being made?
"What happened to you in the imperial capital? It's not like I don't care about what happened twenty-four years ago, but I want to clear this up first. An elentalist of your level, manipulated by others, that's unthinkable—"
"...You are right."
Lifting her monocle, Greyworth stared intently into Kamito's eyes.
"Did you hear from the princess about the attempted assassination of the emperor?"
"Yeah..."
She was referring to how the Bloodstone in Fianna's possession had run amok and released a powerful demon spirit during the Imperial Council's discussion of how to handle the Theocracy's coup d'etat.
"I was labeled a traitor to the country and imprisoned in the infamous tower of Guas Gibai. Everything was planned by the Holy Kingdom backing Arneus."
Guas Gibai. Commonly known as the "torture tower," it was a military research facility used during the Ranbal War for a series of cruel human experints involving cursed armant seals and others.
While Kamito and his companions were infiltrating the imperial capital, the Numbers special operative knight Virrey Branford had disappeared there during her mission to rescue Greyworth.
"I heard that the Holy Kingdom's warrior priestesses are implanted with faith towards the Holy Lord using mind magic—"
Resting her chin on her hand, Claire murmured.
"It was not mind magic."
Greyworth shook her head in response.
"I'd have trouble believing that an elentalist like you could get brainwashed by mind magic, even having lost your peak power."
Restia comnted while preening her jet-black feathers.
"Oh? I never expected to receive such high praise from you, darkness spirit."
"Oh my, I have no choice but to acknowledge how scary you are. After all, you are the witch who took away my Kamito before."
Faced with Restia's combative gaze, Greyworth smiled wryly in return.
(...Oh well, I can't imagine this witch getting brainwashed either.)
Also, it would not explain why she had regained her youthful appearance either.
Like resurrection of the dead, regaining one's youth was not sothing any spirit's power could achieve.
If there was an exception, it would only be—
"The Holy Kingdom made rember my covenant from the past."
"Covenant?"
"Indeed. Twenty-four years ago, I entered into a covenant with the Holy Lord."
Greyworth began to narrate in a calm tone of voice.
Part 2
Twenty-four years ago, the month of the white lion...
It was the day when Greyworth Ciel Mais had erged victorious in the Blade Dance as the Empire's representative.
She had gone to the Elental Lords' altar to present her longti wish.
Back then, the wish she had made was a young girl's naive fantasy.
"...What did you wish for?"
Hearing Kamito's question, Greyworth smiled wryly in self-mockery.
"—A world without war."
"That foolish little girl wished for such a dream to co true."
"..."
Kamito could not help but stay silent.
A foolish wish—The witch's words were excessively heavy.
The Ranbal War. Before Kamito and his companions were born, two great wars had broken out on the continent.
It was said that war had started due to squabbling over mining rights of spirit crystals, but there was no definitive narrative of the true reason.
With the entire continent gripped in war, the ultimate witch had applied herself to the battlefield, earning the title of hero in her holand.
However, what the girl known as the witch sought was not fa or praise.
On the battlefield where nurous comrade-in-arms and contracted spirits perished constantly—
With a singlehearted wish to put an end to ard conflict, she plunged into the midst of war.
Hence, that was the first wish the girl made.
It was precisely for the sake of achieving that wish, the girl had won every fight throughout her Blade Dance tournant.
However, that wish—
That pure wish was absolutely impossible to achieve exactly because it was too pure.
Kamito knew this already.
(...Fifteen years ago, there was another girl who made the sa wish.)
Lurie Lizaldia—That girl's wish did not co true.
"The Elental Lords said that it was a wish beyond the power of miracles. At that mont, I realized for the first ti that the Elental Lords were not omnipotent."
In front of the Elental Lords' altar, the girl fell into the abyss of disappointnt.
From the beginning, she was uninterested in any other wish.
I might as well leave without making any wish, she thought.
It would serve as a tiny "take that" directed at the powerless Elental Lords—
But just then...
"—A voice appeared in my mind and spoke to ."
"Was it Holy Lord Alexandros...?"
Greyworth quietly nodded when Kamito spoke that na.
Three years ago, the Holy Lord was absent when Kamito was granted an audience with the Elental Lords.
What had the Holy Lord said to Greyworth twenty-four years ago?
"The Holy Lord proposed a certain deal to ."
"...A deal?"
"The Holy Lord told this. I can make your wish co true. I can create a world without war, a world where conflict between people will no longer exist—"
—Beco my right arm to achieve that world.
"Was that the covenant? Between you and the Holy Lord—"
"...Indeed."
Greyworth's gray eyes darkened.
"Having witnessed too much death, the little lass was dealt a serious blow by despair. She believed those words that were filled with hope. Or rather, she entrusted everything to that sliver of hope—"
Hence, the Holy Lord and the Witch established a covenant.
The Holy Lord granted a portion of the power of miracles to the maiden. Completely unaware that true identity of the miracle was the darkness corrupting the Elental Lords, the maiden accepted the power.
"It was thanks to the power of miracles shared by the Holy Lord that my appearance remained unchanged over so many years. And also because of that, my divine power did not wane until now—"
"I see, so that's what happened..."
Claire held her breath, unable to hide the surprise on her face.
(...Speaking of which, Lurie Lizaldia also kept her youthful appearance.)
Just then, Kamito recalled that.
However, Lurie apparently had the ability to alter her appearance using spirit magic as well..
"On that day, I beca the Holy Lord's right arm. While serving my holand Ordesia as the first of the Empire's Numbers, I waited for the right ti."
"The right ti?"
Greyworth's sharp gaze shot straight at Kamito's face.
"Yes. I was waiting for one who had inherited the Demon King's power to show up."
"...What!?"
Kamito widened his eyes in surprise.
THe one who had inherited the Demon King's power. In other words...
"You, Kazehaya Kamito."
Greyworth exhaled gravely.
"All this ti, I have been waiting for you to appear, lad."
Part 3
"...Waiting to et ? You?"
This was the most shocking statent she had made so far.
Feeling intense thirst in his throat, Kamito gulped.
In Kamito and Greyworth's first encounter, they were respectively the assassin and assassination target.
That was actually all part of the plan?
"The Holy Lord predicted that the Darkness Elental Lord's reincarnation would be born in this era, and therefore looked forward to his awakening."
"The Holy Lord wanted to awaken? Why...?"
The Darkness Elental Lord was supposed to be the Holy Lord's enemy.
Then why on earth did he want her to resurrect...?
"In response to the Darkness Elental Lord's awakening, that which had sealed the Holy Lord's soul would be liberated—That was what the Holy Lord told . Back then, I did not fully understand, but now I finally do. You must have realized too, lad."
"...! So that's what's going on?"
That which had sealed the Holy Lord's soul.
It was referred to the one who had turned into a spirit crystal due to Est's power, and was thus sealed underground in the Demon King's Tomb for a thousand years—
(—Areishia Idriss.)
...He had suspected this before.
Why had the Holy Lord not released the Sacred Maiden's seal for so long, the past thousand year?
The spirit Iris' barrier was not the sole reason.
Until the Demon King's successor awakened, the Sacred Maiden likewise could not wake up.
"Then in that case, you raised as Ren Ashbell because—"
"Yes, indeed—"
Confronted with the question asked by Kamito's trembling voice, Greyworth answered.
"My mission was to hasten your awakening as the Demon King."
"...!"
He felt as though his vision turned pitch black.
In that case, those mories back then with her raising him—
Instruction at the witch's mansion, training in the Spirit Forest, inheriting Absolute Blade Arts, etc—
(All that was to complete her mission as the Holy Lord's right arm...?)
Presumably realizing Kamito's thoughts—
Greyworth showed sorrow on her face.
Seeing her expression, Kamito clenched his fist hard.
...The thought of condemning Greyworth did not cross his mind.
No matter what her motive, she had personally raised Kamito.
However, it was a feeling akin to loss and desolation that tightly gripped Kamito's heart.
"In the beginning, I took you in because of the mission. That is the truth."
Greyworth confessed everything.
"..."
"But while I was raising you, confusion appeared in my heart for the first ti."
"Confusion..."
"Perhaps I developed feelings over ti. If you were to awaken as the Demon King, you would beco the enemy of the world, destined to walk a path of no return, bearing the brunt of hatred and resentnt from nurous peoples. When I realized that, I—"
Suspicious of the Holy Lord's words for the first ti, Greyoworth explained.
"It was then that I figured it out. The Holy Lord's true objective."
"True—" "Objective...?"
Kamito and Claire's voices overlapped.
"Soon after adopting the lad, I had a strange dream."
"...A dream?"
"Yes. What you saw at the Elental Lords' altar, I saw in my dream."
"...The angels of another world?"
Greyworth nodded.
Repeating the sa dream every night, she soon realized it was no ordinary dream.
It was a dream shared between a spirit and the princess maiden contracted to the spirit.
Just as how Kamito was able to catch glimpses of the Darkness Elental Lord's mories—
Perhaps through the Otherworldly Darkness inside her, Greyworth had witnessed the Holy Lord's dream.
Or maybe, it was a sign that the Holy Lord was gradually recovering his original strength just as Kamito was starting to awaken as the Demon King.
"In the dream, an army of an astounding number of angels occupied the entire sky. A gigantic gate was open in the air. Countless angels descended from there."
"What...?"
An army of angels had co to this world through a gate?
It was what Kamito feared most after seeing what lay across the Otherworldly Darkness at the Elental Lords' altar.
"But that was not the most shocking scene."
"...Huh?"
"Next, a giant of light swallowed the angels."
Saying that, even Greyworth had sweat on her forehead.
"Uh, a giant of light...?"
Claire asked in surprise.
"...The Holy Lord. As a contractor, I instinctively understood."
In front of the shocked Greyworth—
Having swallowed the angels, the giant of light began to employ that power.
Literally, the giant changed the world by hand.
All Greyworth could do inside the dream was watch in shock as the world she knew gradually disappeared.
"I could not tell whether the scene I witnessed in my dream was sothing that had actually happened in the past or a possible future in the Holy Lord's mind."
However, it was then that Greyworth finally understood the true aning of the Holy Lord's words.
So-called creating a world without war ant opening a gate to the Otherworld to obtain the power of angels, then using that power to remake the world from zero—
"That's..."
Mid-sentence, Kamito stopped.
He recalled what Lurie and Millennia had said.
Rebuild the world—That was what they had said.
Although it had limitations, the summoned angel definitely possessed the power to interfere with physical laws.
If the Holy Lord, leader of the Elental Lords, obtained that power, then—
"As for the world the Holy Lord will create, I have no idea what it will be like."
Greyworth shook her head calmly.
"Perhaps it is the world without war that I once wished for. However, it is definitely not the world that my comrades-in-arms sacrificed themselves to protect."
"...I see. That's why you—"
For Lurie Lizaldia, the world was already filled with despair.
That was why she was willing to sacrifice herself for the ideal world the Holy Lord described.
However, Greyworth was different.
What she wanted to protect was the current world.
"Resolving to betray the Holy Lord, I ordered Vivian losa, who was my disciple back then, to transplant an illegal cursed armant seal onto my heart, sealing the covenant."
However, that was a miscalculation. When the cursed armant seal was transplanted to her heart, simultaneously, all mories about the Holy Lord were erased.
This was a trap laid by the Holy Lord when he granted power.
Forgetting she had entered into a covenant with the Holy Lord—
She unconsciously guided Kamito to awaken as the Demon King.
—Hence, the Strongest Blade Dancer, Ren Ashbell, was born.
"...That was what happened twenty-four years ago."
Greyworth said.
"While I was imprisoned at Guas Gibai, Millennia Sanctus destroyed the cursed armant seal and awakened the darkness lying dormant inside . Lad, do you still rember the ti when you inherited the ultimate technique during the Blade Dance?"
"Yeah..."
Last Strike.
Passing on the ultimate technique of the Absolute Blade Arts, Greyworth had lost her power as an elentalist.
"That ti, it was Lurie Lizaldia who saved at Ragna Ys. My guess is she analyzed the cursed armant seal on my heart while treating ."
"..."
"I am the stupid witch, leashed by the Holy Lord."
Greyworth laughed in self-mockery.
"...No."
Kamito said slowly.
"Hmm?"
"You put your heart into raising . That's the unalterable truth."
Although he felt a bit shy saying this in front of the witch, these were Kamito's true feelings.
She was the one who had taught Kamito how to survive in this world.
She was the one who had created the opportunity for him to et Claire and the rest of Team Scarlet at the Academy.
She had given Kamito back his human side after his assassin upbringing.
It was almost like—
"You're... my—mother."
"..."
Hearing these words of Kamito—
Greyworth showed a shocked expression for an instant, stunned.
Then—
"Fufu, I almost fell for you there, lad—"
Seeing the witch's innocent smile for the first ti, Kamito felt his heart race.
Part 4
After listening—
"Excuse , headmistress, how were you able to recover your mory?"
Claire asked.
"It was the Demon Slayer that severed the covenant together with the Otherworldly Darkness inside . When I woke up at the bottom of Dragon's Canyon, I had regained all my mories."
"I see, the gamble paid off—"
Kamito looked down at Est at his waist.
The Demon Slayer had destroyed the cursed seal armant transplanted to Velsaria's heart in the past and erased the darkness corrupting Elental Lords.
Naturally, erasing the Holy Lord's contract was possible too.
"Praise , Kamito."
"You're amazing, Est."
Kamito chuckled wryly and gently stroked the sacred sword's hilt.
"Speaking of which, how does the Holy Lord intend to open the gate to the Otherworld?"
"...Yeah. And to obtain the angels' power—"
Though the Elental Lords were powerful, would sothing like this actually be possible...?
"—Perhaps this thing might know."
Greyworth glanced at the sword leaning against the wall.
Securely bound by by a chain for restraining spirits, this was the sword of Millennia Sanctus.
Turning herself into a gate, she had summoned an angel.
Surely, she must know the inner details of the Holy Lord's plan.
"Co to think of it, I think she called Est her sister."
...Upon closer examination, the sword's decorations were quite similar to the Demon Slayer's.
Even her iris was colored the sa as Est's, a clear violet.
"I have no sisters."
Est denied simply.
"Allow to investigate that sword."
"Yeah, thanks."
—Just then, there was knocking at the door of the headmistress' office.
"Headmistress, an ergency report—"
The voice belonged to Kamito's horoom teacher, Ms. Freya.
"What is the matter?"
"—The palace at the imperial capital has fallen."
Part 5
Boom, boom, boom—!
Violent explosions rocked Nefescal Palace.
Militarized spirits for subduing strongholds were deployed in the air over the imperial capital, one after another.
At the back of the throne room inside the vast palace—
"...! W-Why... Why!?"
Pale in the face, Emperor Arneus cried out convulsively in terror.
With every vibration, the luxurious chandelier encrusted with spirit crystals swayed widely.
It was like a countdown to death.
"I-I am the legitimate Emperor of Ordesia! Why did this—"
There was no one else in the throne room. Only a few personal guards protected him.
The battle over the plains of Sadelka soon reached a conclusion.
Encouraged by Fianna's Glory of the Queen, the rebel's knights overwheld the Imperial Knights with their burgeoning morale.
Even taking into account Dracunia's reinforcents, the Empire's forces still enjoyed a six to four ratio advantage in numbers, but the Imperial Knights were extrely low in morale.
On top of it being common knowledge that Emperor Arneus was the Holy Kingdom's puppet, news of the rebel forces conquering Areishia Spirit Academy had dealt a decisive blow.
Transmitted by the wind, the news spread all at once, greatly shaking the Imperial Knights.
The Holy Kingdom's large-scale summoning of demon spirits, forbidden by international treaty, combined with the fact that the hero Greyworth supported the students, also contributed to the decrease in morale in the Empire's knights.
As the battle situation deteriorated, nobles in the emperor faction switched sides and surrendered.
The imperial capital's walls were raising white flags. Military ships and Dracunia's dragon riders occupied the whole sky.
"...Damn it, why didn't the Holy Kingdom send reinforcents!?"
Arneus emotionally smashed his fist against the throne's armrest.
The Holy Lord's Knights were garrisoned on the Holy Kingdom's border. Under a secret agreent, they were supposed to send reinforcents to help in defense as soon as the imperial capital was under attack.
However, there were no signs of reinforcents at all.
The cardinals stationed in the palace had also vanished without a trace.
The Holy Kingdom, which had backed his ascension, had abandoned him.
Explosions were heard repeatedly. The palace shook violently.
"Uwaaaah!"
Arneus fell off the throne in an unsightly manner, clutching his head.
"Why, why...!?"
Just then...
"How unseemly, Your Majesty."
Inside this throne room where there was not supposed to be anyone else. Soone's mocking voice was heard.
"I cannot fathom why you would cling so obsessively to a throne you never acquired through your own ability."
"...!"
He looked up, only to see a young girl standing before him.
The Holy Kingdom's cardinal—Millennia Sanctus.
She was not rely a ordinary young beauty.
Arneus knew that she was an exceptionally rare and terrifying being.
"D-Da Millenia, why didn't the Holy Kingdom send reinforcents!? At this rate, I'll—"
"Your reign will be overthrown."
Finding it funny, Millennia laughed.
Arneus scrad.
Then why on earth did you people allow to ascend to the throne!?
Arneus knew he was rely a puppet a long ti ago.
"I-I still have value! Right?"
"No, your mission is over. Your Majesty."
"...! What did you say?"
"Enough sacrifices have been offered."
"...Sacrifices?"
Arneus frowned in surprise.
"Our goal is to cause war and chaos on the continent. The two Ranbal Wars, the Theocracy's civil conflict, this Ordesia war and the Demon King War a thousand years ago, all of them were sacrifices for disrupting order in the human realm—"
"What on earth are you talking about..."
"The collapse of order in the human realm is enough to destabilize the Elental Lords. This is key to opening the gate to the Otherworld— ="
With the sound of intense explosions, the palace gates were destroyed.
"—Now then, I must excuse myself. Take care, Your Majesty."
"W-Wait, I said wait!"
Ignoring Arneus' yelling—
With a turn of her pure white vestnts, Millennia Sanctus disappeared.
"Ha, haha, hahahaha..."
Sitting on the throne, he laughed drily.
Just then, people entered with the sound of footsteps.
It was Fianna in full imperial attire and bodyguard knights.
...Evidently, even the knights in the king's royal guard had abandoned him.
"—Arneus, you have no right to sit on that throne."
Fianna pointed her elental waffe rapier straight at him.
"...Is this the end?"
Hanging his head, Arneus raised his arms to surrender.
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