CH 65

Chapter 65

ZAP – Chapter 65: Eugene faces the Great Demonic Beast

*Gong…Gong…Gong…Gong…*

A bell rang imposingly in the whole imperial capital.

The people on the streets were carrying large amounts of luggage as they moved to the south of the capital.

It is because of the direct order from His Imperial Majesty regarding the Great Demonic Beast resealing military training.

We have only told the residents of the Empire and the small countries that this is simply a training day.

They are evacuating to a park within the many evacuation spots inside the capital.

They are apparently going to be serving some grand cooking there, so it is like a picnic for the citizens.

Everyone’s looking cheerful.

And then, in the opposite direction of them…

The ones riding a carriage heading to the northern gate are: me, Sumire, and Sara.

A carriage from the imperial army came to my house to receive me as I am the pivotal bait of this time’s plan.

The inside of this carriage, which has soundproof magic on top of floating magic so that it doesn’t shake, was silent.

Sumire and Sara are usually noisy, but they are meek today like borrowed cats.

“…”

“…”

The two of them would look down with red faces or look out the window, avoiding eye-contact with me.

That said, when I remember what happened last night…I also feel restless here.

But I couldn’t endure the silence and tried talking to the two.

“Hey, Sumire.” (Eugene)

“Y-Yes?! Nice weather out there, isn’t it?!” (Sumire)

She blatantly averted the topic and her eyes.

By the way, the sky is clouded.

“Hey, Sara.” (Eugene)

“T-This is bad! I have to write a report to the Holy Maidens!” (Sara)

Sara produced pen and paper as if she had suddenly remembered this.

But she is barely writing anything.

The faces of the two were getting redder and redder.

…Looks like it won’t be possible to have a chat here.

As for why these two are so flustered here, it is because of the so-called Charm Scent that Sara used yesterday.

They planned on hitting me with it, but it seems like the perpetrators, Sumire and Sara, ended up getting caught in it instead.

Thanks to that, Sumire and Sara were…aggressive to a degree where you wouldn’t be able to imagine from their usual behavior.

Even though it was the first time for the two.

I wasn’t affected by it thanks to my barrier magic.

The two returned to their senses the next morning and couldn’t look me in the face.

No choice but to wait for the two to calm down, huh. After I thought that…

(Had a lot of fun last night, huh.)

A cold voice resonated in my head.

It is of course the Demon Lord Eri.

(Y-You can tell that stuff?) (Eugene)

(That’s right~. When you form a Body Contract, you can tell when the other party has put a hand on other women. Aah, Eugene has formed a Body Contract with women other than me. Aah~.) (Eri)

(…)

It is not like I am in a romantic relationship with Eri…I think.

But I couldn’t wipe away the guilt about it.

(S-Speaking of which, is it okay to form a contract with several people…?) (Eugene)

I ask this in thought transmission to divert the topic.

I feel like I didn’t do a good job there though.

(It is possible to form a Body Contract with several people in the South Continent. The Destiny Goddess Ilia-sama is forbearing in those fronts after all.) (Eri)

(Hm? Is it different for the other Goddesses?) (Eugene)

(In the West Continent, it is taught that you can only have a Body Contract with one person. It seems like there’s barely any effect on the second one. The Destiny Goddess in charge of the West Continent is young and has a hard head after all. Good for you that you are in the South Continent, right, Eugene?) (Eri)

(I-I see.) (Eugene)

Eri’s voice was unbelievably cold.

Talking to her is also hard.

Please get there already.

Just when I was wishing for this…

“Eugene-dono, Sara-dono, Sumire-dono! We have arrived at the den of the Great Demonic Beast Haagenti! We will be going on foot from here.”

We were called by an escort of the carriage.

We get down from the carriage and head to the destination.

We head to the vast Chryse Plains while protected by the Black Knights.

The wind is lukewarm.

Is it because it is cloudy? …Doesn’t seem to be the only reason.

The mana in the air is muddy.

There’s most likely miasma mixed in it.

I glanced back at Sumire and Sara.

“Are you okay, Sumire-chan?” (Sara)

“…Y-Yeah, I am still fine.” (Sumire)

“Here, hold my hand. I can block the miasma with the Divine Protection of the Destiny Goddess.” (Sara)

“Thanks, Sara-chan.” (Sumire)

I am worried about the condition of Sumire who is not used to miasma, but Sara is looking after her, so I decided not to get in the way.

After advancing for a while, the shadow of the Great Demonic Beast far away was steadily growing clearer.

It is supposed to be a sight I have grown used to seeing since long before, but…today is clearly different.

“H-Hey…Eugene-kun.” (Sumire)

“That’s…the Great Demonic Beast. It is a lot more different than what I heard.” (Sara)

The voices of Sumire and Sara were trembling.

“The Great Demonic Beast…is standing.” (Eugene)

I have seen that small mountain a number of times since childhood…but right now that small mountain is in the form of a beast.

That beast doesn’t resemble any monster, but…if I had to compare it to something, it would be a giant boar.

I can’t tell how many legs it has from the front.

There’s several protuberances on its gigantic body that resemble countless thorns.

And what’s most abnormal are the 3 wide open eyes.

This is my first time seeing the Great Demonic Beast with its eyes open.

(Are we…really going to be fighting that?) (Eugene)

I couldn’t help but get even more nervous just thinking about it.

We arrived at a simple base after walking for a bit.

I say simple, but it is a sturdy base protected by layers of walls and barriers.

This will most likely become the frontlines.

There’s a giant tent set and many people were waiting inside.

I can see Prime Minister Catherine; the top of the imperial army, the esteemed Marshal; and the Imperial Sword…my Pops.

There’s also the Sword Hero, Edward-sama, the Heaven Knights that are the strongest force of the Empire, and the Gold Knight Captains.

Of course, there’s also my childhood friend, Airi.

Airi is looking here with worry.

I smiled at her to tell her ‘there’s no need to worry’.

Airi sighed as she responded with a baffled look.

(Anyways…there’s not only people related to the army, but also notable nobles.) (Eugene)

I was wondering why that was the case, but I immediately understood the reason after seeing the person at the deepest part of the base.

The person that stood out the most within the people of high peerage.

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty…?” (Eugene)

An unexpected ally was there.

Why is he in a dangerous battlefield that will become the epicenter of the Great Demonic Beast battle?

The Emperor must have noticed from my expression, he spoke.

I hurriedly kneel.

“It is great to see you have come, Eugene.”

“Yes!” (Eugene)

I answered shortly.

“…”

“…?”

The Emperor was staring at me.

I can’t say anything here, so I waited for a while.

“My apologies.”

“Eh?” (Eugene)

What in the world is he apologizing for?

I opened my eyes wide here.

“Bring that.”

The Emperor ordered this and a heavy-looking exaggerated wooden box was carried here.

5 Black Iron Knights were carrying it.

When I looked closely, there was a familiar 3rd place classmate within those people.

Mazio looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t.

*Pam!*

The wooden box made a loud noise as it was placed right in front of me.

“Eugene, try opening it.”

“O-Okay.” (Eugene)

I opened that wooden box while still not knowing what in the world was going on.

What was in there was…

“Is this…a katana?” (Eugene)

A katana that had vivid orange ripples.

It is a katana of normal size that’s hard to believe required 5 people to carry.

“Eugene-dono, can you grab that katana?”

The one who said this with a smile was the Prime Minister Catherine.

“Uhm…” (Eugene)

“Come on, be quick, Eugene. It is all about trying first.” (Jubei)

Pops hurried me when I was hesitating.

I grabbed the katana while still not knowing what was going on.

I held the handle and it fit right in my hand as if it were sucking me in.

I slowly picked up the katana.

It is not heavy or light.

It is an adequate weight.

“Oooh…” -the surroundings were noisy for some reason.

“Eugy…that’s impressive.” (Airi)

The voice of my childhood friend reached my ears faintly.

Why are they so surprised just from picking up a katana?

“The only ones who have been able to hold that God Katana have been the Sword Hero and the Imperial Sword.”

“…Only the Sword Hero and Pops?” (Eugene)

“It is too heavy for everyone else and they couldn’t even pick it up.”

I tilt my head at what the Emperor said.

Also, what’s a God Katana?

“Eugene-dono, that katana is made out of the divine metal, orichalcum, that was extracted from the fangs of the Divine Beast Cerberus. It is a wonderful sacred treasure, but only two people could use it inside the Empire, you see… Not even Heaven Knights and Holy Sword users could hold it.” (Catherine)

The Prime Minister said in a sad demeanor.

In other words, it is a katana that even my childhood friend and General Berthold couldn’t use.

The material used to make this katana was the Watchdog of Hades’s fang…

I stared intensely at it and…

“—You are the young boy of that time! I grew tired of waiting!!”

I suddenly heard a divine voice.

I was shocked by this and looked around.

But no one has noticed.

It seems like it is a voice that only I can hear.

The next instant, the katana I was holding shone rainbow for a moment.

A dazzling light illuminated the area.

“…Ooooh!!!”

The noise grew even louder.

“Fumu, it didn’t do that when I grabbed it.” (Edward)

“So that means the katana acknowledged Eugene.” (Jubei)

“Obviously. The one who won in the trial of the Divine Beast-sama was Eugene-dono after all.” (Catherine)

I hear the conversation of the Sword Hero, Pops, and the Prime Minister.

“I shall entrust that katana to Eugene.”

“Me…?” (Eugene)

I asked back at what the Emperor said.

“It is the farewell gift of His Imperial Majesty. Make use of it in the fight against the Great Demonic Beast, okay?” (Catherine)

I once again looked at the orange katana made from the Divine Beast’s fang when the Prime Minister said that.

“Thank you very much, Your Imperial Majesty! Then, I will borrow this katana here and certainly—” (Eugene)

“You’ve got it wrong, Eugene. I told you I am entrusting it to you. The God Katana is now yours.”

“Eh?” (Eugene)

But…is it really okay for me to receive such a valuable thing?

“Don’t die. I am taking it away if you die. You must definitely come back alive.”

The Emperor said this and ended it there.

I understood after hearing that.

The Emperor had given me words of encouragement.

“I will definitely…come back alive.” (Eugene)

I answered with strength.

“Now then, we will be confirming the full picture of the plan.”

A clear voice echoed in the base.

Even their footsteps sounded like pleasant music.

The young Holy maiden of Caldia that’s even rumored to be a nymph descended from the heavens.

—The Destiny Oracle, Orianne Ilia Caldia-sama.

I thought a tactician of the imperial army would be the one leading this, but it seems like the Destiny Oracle-sama is going to be explaining something about the plan.

The Emperor seems to not mind it and is listening in silence.

“The seal will be broken after 3 hours and the Great Demonic Beast will be freed.” (Orianne)

The place turned silent at the statement of the Destiny Oracle-sama.

“We have made preparations a few days ago so that barrier magic will be deployed around the old seal. Isn’t that right, Your Imperial Majesty?” (Orianne)

“Yes, that’s right, Orianne-sama.” (Catherine)

The one who answered was Prime Minister Catherine.

“And it is not possible  to seal the Great Demonic Beast with just that barrier magic. That’s why we need bait.” (Orianne)

Orianne-sama looked my way.

I was overwhelmed by her inhuman beauty and clear eyes, but I took a short breath and raised my voice.

“I will be acting as the bait.” (Eugene)

“Yes, we are counting on you, Eugene Santafield-sama. I am happy to see that you have gotten intimate with our country’s Holy Maiden Candidate, Sara, last night.” (Orianne)

“?!”

I could tell that Sara shook in surprise behind me.

Just how much does this person know?

(This woman smells fishy.)

I heard the voice of the Demon Lord.

Stop saying stuff like that.

“But Eugene-sama alone wouldn’t be enough, so he will need to receive the mana of the Ifrit Sumire-sama, who has a vast supply, and the divine mana that Great Demonic Beasts hate from Sara. Are you two ready?” (Orianne)

“Yes, Orianne-sama!” (Sara)

“I am, Holy Maiden-sama!” (Sumire)

Sara and Sumire respond nervously behind me.

The Destiny Oracle-sama smiled with an expression filled with gentleness.

“Nice response. In that case, there’s two things Eugene-sama has to do after obtaining the mana of the two. Please draw the attention of Haagenti as much as possible. That said, Eugene-sama will most definitely be targeted by Haagenti after receiving the mana of the Ifrit Sumire-sama and the Holy Maiden Candidate Sara. Anyways, please act in a manner that will allow you to survive.” (Orianne)

“…Understood.” (Eugene)

The gigantic beast I saw just now was like a massive mountain… I have to survive from that thing.

“One more thing. This is just if it is possible, but…within the 3 eyes of the Great Demonic Beast, the 3rd eye that’s at the forehead…can be considered the heart of Haagenti -its core. It is also called the Philosopher’s Stone. You can temporarily kill the Great Demonic Beast by breaking the aforementioned core. That said, you must fight in close range against the Great Demonic Beast to achieve this, so it carries extremely high risks. This choice must only be taken if you have the spare energy to.” (Orianne)

“…Okay.” (Eugene)

I nodded silently.

If I manage to break the 3rd eye of the Great Demonic Beast, the citizens of the Empire won’t have to fear it anymore.

But can I accomplish that?

I can’t say anything for certain at this point in time.

“Do you have any questions, Eugene-sama?” (Orianne)

The Destiny Oracle-sama’s straightforward gaze hit me.

It is a simple plan, so there’s no need for questions.

In other words, she is asking me about my resolve here.

“None.” (Eugene)

I answered briefly.

“Nice eyes… Fufu, you look like the Savior-sama that liberated the world 1,000 years ago.” (Orianne)

“No way…that’s too much of an honor.” (Eugene)

To think she would compare me to the Great Hero-sama that defeated the legendary Great Demon Lord that ruled the whole world with fear in the past.

(Hah? Eugene is a far better man than ‘that’.) (Eri)

The displeased voice of Eri rang in my head.

(Eri, you have fought against the Great Hero Abel-sama?) (Eugene)

Speaking of which, Eri was an active Demon Lord 1,000 years ago.

But Eri doesn’t like talking too much about what happened back then.

(…It is a secret.) (Eri)

She really did slip out of it again.

“Now then, let’s begin the operation.” (Orianne)

Orianne-sama clapped and said this.

The situation progressed while I was having a pointless talk with Eri.

“Eugene-kun, come here.” (Sumire)

“Got it.” (Eugene)

Sumire stood right in front of me.

I have to borrow a large amount of mana from Sumire first.

Sumire hugged me before I could grab her hand.

And then, my lips were covered.

(Hot!) (Eugene)

Scalding hot mana was filling up my body.

It is the Mana Link that I have done countless times when exploring the Last Dungeon.

But this is completely different from the ones until now.

“Mana Link strengthened through the contract, coupled with the only one who has white mana which is easier to dye, Eugene-kun. Fufufu, I see, so that’s what happens.” (Orianne)

The one who spoke in amusement was the Destiny Oracle-sama.

The long Mana Link kiss ended.

“Haaah…♡.” (Sumire)

Sumire made a charming sigh.

My whole body is overflowing with burning mana.

“O-Oi, Eugene, that hair color…” (Jubei)

I noticed after Pops said this.

My hair changed to a red color.

It is what happened before when I received a whole ton of mana at once.

In other words, the Mana Link succeeded.

“Eugene-kun…be careful. You definitely must return safely.” (Sumire)

Sumire looked up at me with blurry eyes as if she didn’t care at all about the surroundings.

“Yeah, thanks, Sumire.” (Eugene)

It is a whole lot easier to understand than me who is thinking about a slew of unnecessary things.

I tried to hug Sumire again, but…

“Hey, you are way too into your own little world.”

My head was smacked lightly.

The one glaring at us with narrowed eyes is Sara.

“Come on, it is my turn next. Move, Sumire-chan.” (Sara)

“Kay kay.” (Sumire)

Sumire moved away from me and Sara stood in front of me instead.

It seems like the eyes of the surroundings bother Sara in contrast to Sumire.

She might be similar to me on that front.

“Uhm, Sara.” (Eugene)

I tried to hold her hand but she glared at me.

“Don’t tell me you can’t kiss me despite having kissed Sumire-chan.” (Sara)

“I-I get it.” (Eugene)

That pressure of hers didn’t allow for a no.

“Here.” (Sara)

Sara closed her eyes and faced up.

Basically, she is telling me to be the one kissing her, contrary to  Sumire’s.

I glanced at the surroundings and there’s Sumire who doesn’t find this amusing, and there’s also my childhood friend with a super displeased face deeper back.

I forget about my surroundings for now and kiss Sara.

The moment I did, Sara hugged me.

Warm mana different from the one of before flowed into me.

I couldn’t Mana Link with the mana of Sumire and the mana of Sara until now because they would clash with each other.

But there’s none of that this time around.

The mana of the two doesn’t repel each other as it poured into me.

We continued for several minutes.

“Fuuuh…♡” (Sara)

Sara moved her lips away with flushed cheeks.

She looked at me and opened her eyes wide.

“Is something the matter, Sara?” (Eugene)

“Eugene, those at your back…” (Sara)

“My back… Eh?” (Eugene)

I looked back and opened my eyes wide.

A big white wing had sprouted out from my back.

Only one.

“Oooh…”

“How divine.”

“It becomes like that with the mana of the Holy Maiden Candidate?”

I could see a variety of reactions from the people in the base.

That said, the reason why these wings grew were…

(It is most likely the influence of Laila-senpai.) (Eri)

(So it really was because of Mother…) (Eugene)

I agreed with Eri.

This is most likely because I have half the blood of an angel.

But I can’t explain that.

The inside of the base is noisy.

“You are like a one-winged angel, Eugene-sama.” (Orianne)

The only one who is not surprised is the Destiny Oracle-sama.

The Oracle-sama most likely knew this situation would happen.

I would have liked her to tell me the result beforehand… The Oracle-sama looked at me meaningfully.

She most likely has seen through my thoughts.

That’s why what I should do here is…

“I will head to the Great Demonic Beast to serve as the bait.” (Eugene)

I tell the people in the base.

The Great Demonic Beast is still far from the base and I can’t use flying magic.

But the wings at my back told me…

My body floated in the air naturally as if I could use flying magic since birth.

I should be able to arrive at the Great Demonic Beast’s place with this.

At that time, I was suddenly hugged.

“Eugene-kun!”

“Eugene!”

The voice of two people. They seem to be crying a bit.

“I’ll be going, Sumire, Sara.” (Eugene)

“Do your best, Eugene-kun!” (Sumire)

“Don’t do anything reckless, Eugene.” (Sara)

I smiled at the two and accelerated in one go.

I cut through the air and reached the sky.

The black mountain spreading below my feet…is currently moving faintly.

*Grrr…Grrr…Grrr…Grrr…*

The low growling of a beast mixed with the sound of the wind.

I look down at the black mountain.

No, it is not a mountain…it is the Great Demonic Beast Haagenti who is slowly changing into the form of a beast.

*Rumble*

I felt like the eyes of the Great Demonic Beast turned towards me.

…This is how I ended up facing the living calamity that has been plaguing the Empire for 200 years.

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