The Shut-In Prince’s Splendid Social Debut — Me, a Villainous Imperial, Have Spent the Last Fifteen Years Fighting the “Wicked Thoughts” Eating Away at My Mind. When I Finally Returned to High Society, There Were Way Too Many People I Didn’t Recognize — - Chapter 21: Settlement

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Vahlen Blade-licht @ Paradise

Undifferentiated Magic Detected
-> [Dead Re-placement] Activation Complete Progress… 100%
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Barely… I had made it in time.
I didn’t even have time to think about what kind of magic it was.
I thought this had been the only way for me to survive.

(I’ll finish him here…!)

In total, I slashed four times.

“Oh no!”

After piercing his abdomen with a thrust, I immediately slashed at his heart and the carotid artery in his neck.

It would have been good if I could have severed his entire body, but it didn’t go that far.

“Reeeh!”

At that moment, magic power swelled explosively. A sign that the phase was switching.

I immediately jumped back.

(Couldn’t finish him off, huh…)

I still didn’t know the specifications of “Bosses” in this world.

In ERT, there had been something called “Multiple” HP gauges, and it seemed that was followed in this world too.

Probably, unless I severed the head or torso, or inflicted damage that made recovery impossible, he couldn’t be killed in one hit.

If I couldn’t do that, I would have to defeat him with the standard method of whittling down his HP.

“————I have judged you to be a very dangerous ‘Human.’ Therefore…”

The Vahlen before me said that quietly.

Final Form. There wasn’t much change in appearance.

Originally, he would swing out his “Spirit Armament” at this timing, but it had already been drawn.

“—I will deal with you seriously.”

Several times more light swords than before were deployed. And they were fired all at once.

“Tsk…”

My reflexes couldn’t keep up with the sheer speed of the firing.

I was desperate just to avoid fatal wounds. And with such a large number of attacks, getting hit was unavoidable.

The light swords that strayed to the rear pierced the ground like missiles, kicking up clods of earth.

“…What on earth did the gods of the ‘Seven Aspects’ give this human…? Power far too excessive for a human body. For a mere human to threaten even us ‘Thirteen Apostles of the Northern Underworld’…”

Vahlen muttered to himself with a thoughtful expression.

Because [Arsenal of Ten Thousand Converging Lights] could be fired one-sidedly, he believed there was no opening for a counterattack.

That was exactly why—

“Looking away, you have composure. [Canopy Drop Darkness]”

—A shootout prepared for mutual destruction.

“Guuuuu…!”

“Kuh…!”

We both took hits.

I knew my magic was working on Vahlen.

“You… Just die already…! You!”

“I can’t die until I defeat you. [Canopy Drop Darkness]”

Deflecting light swords. Releasing Dark Magic.

Long-range attacks were disadvantageous.

There were Dark Magics with higher firepower than this, but I rejected them because they took time to activate.

I took more hits.

Even so, the one being cornered was—Vahlen.

“Damn… Don’t come heeeere!”

Vahlen especially hated having the distance closed.

He knew that even if I only had one hand, he was at a disadvantage in close combat.

However, he needed to trap me in this “Decisive Battle Field” so I couldn’t defeat monsters.

In other words, Vahlen had to fight while bearing the risk of being dragged into close-range combat by me.

“Haa… Haa…, fuh…!”

Doing what the opponent hated—that was what fighting was.

I closed the distance while deflecting light swords. Vahlen fired light swords while trying to create distance.

(That said, at this rate, it’s a slow death.)

I was bleeding too much.

The human body didn’t move on willpower alone.

Eventually, my body would stop moving as well.

“—Are you scared of me, Vahlen?”

I provoked the—pride of a Demon.

“Tsk?!”

“The image of being slashed earlier is burned into your head and won’t leave, right? You’re running around like this because you don’t have the courage to cross swords, right?”

“Wrong! It’s because there’s no need to cross swords that I am…”

“Unexpectedly clever, aren’t you… Vahlen. For one who is the Eighth of the ‘Thirteen Apostles of the Northern Underworld’—to fear a human and prick from afar.”

(If it’s to win… I’ll use any means.)

“—Damn you, lowly Human! You mock meeee!”

Demons considered themselves noble beings. And they believed humans were fragile creatures.

Even if an irregularity like me appeared, they couldn’t escape that elitism.

That was why—I could take advantage of it.

“Die exposeeeeed!”

“Haa!”

I clashed swords with Vahlen.

I couldn’t relax even for a moment. It was that close.

Even so, the numbers I had seen were different. Eventually, the equilibrium broke.

“D-Damn…!”

I deflected the light sword. Vahlen’s torso was exposed.

“Haa… Haa…”

The scene appeared to slow down.

…Victory and defeat had been decided.

“For this me.”

The sword rose into a high stance. I switched the Treasure Sword to a reverse grip.

“By a mere human.”

I aligned the blade of the Treasure Sword with the base of Vahlen’s neck.

“To be defeated…!”

All that remained was to pull it. I put strength into it.

“—[Blood Mowing – Reason Slasher]”

My sword cut Vahlen from neck to waist.

“Kafu…!”

Vahlen vomited blood and fell onto his back. The wound reached all the way to his back. He would never stand up again.

“Haa… Haa… —My win.”

My knees also lost their strength. An enormous amount of blood was flowing. My breathing was rough.

My vision had also become hazy.

“My loss… Finally, gofu… Could you tell me your name?”

Vahlen spoke while looking up at the sky. On his originally white face, the physiognomy of death had appeared.

“…Yoan. …Yoan Joachim Rodenze.”

Even if he was an enemy, I would at least offer the courtesy of giving my name when he died.

“Is that so… Yoan… You were strong… But… you also…, here, will die… tsk. With those wounds… you won’t be saved anymore, you see…”

“…”

Vahlen distorted his face like a grim reaper.

(Well, probably…)

Several light swords had pierced my body.

My internal organs were shredded too.

“Fufu, haha…, geho… gafu………… …………I’ll be going ahead, Hu………ma……n.”

The light vanished from Vahlen’s eyes.

At the same time, I felt the sensation of reaching the level cap.

(…Limit Break.)

Thinking it might serve as a life-prolonging measure, just in case.

In this world, simply leveling up doesn’t conveniently heal your body.

So the several fatal wounds I had received wouldn’t heal.

“Ah, it’s tough…”

Pain and suffering were “tough.”

Even if it led to death, for me it was just “tough.”

This was my second time dying, and “Death” wasn’t particularly special.

But—I didn’t want to die.

I had shut myself away for fifteen years and had finally become able to move properly, yet it ended like this.

I had acted because I wanted to survive, so why had it turned out this way?

(…I wanted to live more.)

Well, complaining wouldn’t help.

A bird does not foul the nest it is about to leave.

“…I have to liberate Fryure.”

I activated [Spatial Transfer].

(Oops, before that…)

First, recovery of the “Spirit Armament.”

From Vahlen’s corpse, a single light sword had fallen.

This was the main body of [Arsenal of Ten Thousand Converging Lights].

I stored it in my heart area.

(Damn, even though I got a ‘Spirit Armament’…)

Yoan, it is pathetic to die.

I felt as if I heard such a voice.

Dying after obtaining a Super Rare Item might be the worst way for a gamer to die.

Also, I couldn’t leave Vahlen’s corpse as it was.

“[Dead Re-placement]”

I cast this magic on the freshly dead Vahlen.

It felt as if my magic power was being taken away in chunks, but it was too late now.

Well, leaving it was fine.

In any case, this way it wouldn’t be abused by anyone.

With that done, I left this place.

◇◇◇◇

I was left alone underground.

I recalled what had happened earlier.

I had been captured by the “Demon Worship Cult,” and Yoan-sama had saved me—but only for a moment.

Suddenly, a man of the “Demon Race” had appeared.

Enemy of mankind— Threat of the “North.”

The Great Northern Ridge of Daylago, which formed the boundary, was a mountain range so high its peaks could not be seen, and it served as a habitat for dragons.

Therefore, a Demon who crossed that and came into human territory was in an entirely different league compared to other Demons.

It was said that if even one such Demon slipped through, it posed a threat great enough to easily destroy the world where humans lived.

In other words, once encountered, no one returned alive.

I trembled and couldn’t even make a sound.

I thought simply that I would be killed.

Before that overwhelmingly powerful presence, my heart had been crushed.

The Demon’s power was overwhelming.

That purple shining ray reduced everything in its path to nothing.

If he swung the shining sword in his hand, slashes flew simply from that motion.

Truly—the Incarnation of Destruction.

The threat of a Demon was far more terrifying than I had heard.

Not an existence humans could match…

Just facing that terrifying figure made one give up on living.

With a single swing of that power, one would be blown away like dust.

A Demon was a “Disaster.”

A godlike existence that humans could not resist.

However, there was one person who challenged such a Demon head-on.

—It was Yoan-sama.

Yoan-sama boldly challenged an opponent he should never have been able to defeat.

Even though if he took that attack even once, there would be no life left.

I could see Yoan-sama’s movements gradually becoming dull.

From the bottom of my heart, I wished he would run away already.

Probably, Yoan-sama possessed a technique that made that possible.

And yet he didn’t do so.

That was probably—

—To protect me.

Heartlessly, Yoan-sama’s fresh blood spurted.

At that moment, I felt as if my heart had been crushed.

Before I knew it, I shouted his name.

At any moment now, the Demon’s assassin blade might take Yoan-sama’s life.

However, that did not happen.

It seemed Yoan-sama initiated something.

For some reason, Yoan-sama disappeared together with the Demon.

Silence fell over the underground space.

Without knowing what had happened to Yoan-sama afterward,

I could only pray for Yoan-sama’s safety.

—Change came about half an hour later.

Suddenly, the space distorted.

Eventually, a figure appeared.

“—Yo, Yoan-sama…? Tsk!”

I almost screamed when I saw that figure.

Because his appearance had changed far too much.

His clothes were torn and covered in dust.

Naturally, his left arm was missing.

And an enormous amount of blood was flowing from his entire body.

The reality before me was far too grim to celebrate that he had returned alive.

“Sorry to keep you waiting… Fryure-dono.”

Yoan-sama smiled even while in pain.

Then he approached me with heavy steps.

“Y-Yoan-sama… those injuries…?”

I asked in a trembling voice.

“I’m fine… I just… seem to have lost too much blood.”

Yoan-sama smiled painfully.

That couldn’t be true.

Those were clearly fatal wounds.

“That can’t be… Y-Yes, please go to the church…! Quickly, you have to treat it…!”

There were many people in the church with healing “Role Archetypes.”

Fryure herself had magical aptitude, but no aptitude for recovery magic.

“…Right. But before that… I have to liberate you…”

“Eh…”

Yoan-sama swung his sword without answering.

Then the restraints came off with a gashan.

“…Th-Thank you very much. …Tsk! B-But… I don’t matter! …A-Anyway, hurry to the church! Yoan-sama will die!”

Yoan-sama should have been able to move from here using the technique he had shown earlier.

So I wanted him to heal his injuries quickly without worrying about me.

However, Yoan-sama didn’t try to move.

His eyes weren’t focused.

His consciousness was fading.

“————Fryure… You are already… free.”

Yoan-sama said that and smiled for the last time.

“…Yoan-sama?”

“…Don’t worry about me. You… live your life as you like. That is… my wish…”

I had a terrible premonition.

Because those words sounded like a “Will.”

“…Yoan-sama, what on earth…”

Just as I tried to ask—

“…Gofu.”

He vomited blood.

Yoan-sama’s blood splattered across my face.

And then he collapsed in front of me.

“Eh…?”

It looked slow, as if the world had stopped.

The sound of his body hitting the ground—bata.

I didn’t understand what had happened.

“—Yoan… sama?”

I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

My mind went blank.

Even when I called out, there was no response.

What that meant…

I gradually began to understand.

“…Ah… Aaaah, no way…! Such a thing is…!”

I hurriedly lifted Yoan-sama.

…There was no reaction.

The light was fading from his eyes.

“…No… Yoan-sama! Please… don’t die… you can’t die…!”

His body temperature was growing cold.

That life was slipping through my hands.

“No… No… Don’t go… Yoan-sama… Don’t go…! This is… This is too cruel…!”

I couldn’t stop crying.

He had saved me while suffering wounds severe enough to kill him.

In the end, he had even worried about me so I wouldn’t feel responsible.

—You… live your life as you like

…That was impossible.

Living in a world without this person was far too painful for me.

“Tsk… Please, ‘ Great Sorrowful Mother’! Save this person…! …He is the person who saved me! Please… Please………!”

I could only pray to God.

Since I had no healing power or anything else, that was all I could do.

However, something answered that prayer.

—I shall grant it, my beloved child.

I felt as though I heard a voice.

It was the revelation of the “Sorrowful Mother,” one of the gods of the “Seven Aspects.”

The “Sorrowful Mother” was a god overflowing with compassion, worshiped widely by many people.

“Tsk!”

—However, to save his life, a “Price” is required.

The “Sorrowful Mother” does not normally give strong revelations to specific individuals like the “Hero.”

She was said to be a god who dwells in people’s hearts and watches over them.

Therefore, for her voice to reach me directly was unprecedented.

“Tsk! I-I will do anything! If it is for this person, I don’t even need this life…! So, please…!”

I couldn’t miss this opportunity.

If it was for Yoan-sama, I didn’t mind offering everything to the Great Sorrowful Mother.

—Then, I shall grant you two “Missions.” One is the role as a “Lamp.” You must guide him in the direction he should take from now on.

The “Sorrowful Mother’s” words were ambiguous.

Besides, I felt that “guiding” someone was far too grand for me.

—And the other is………… the role as a “Shackle” binding him. He has accidentally harbored the power of a “Hero” itself within his body. That is too much for this world. Therefore, you must harbor power to suppress him…

That was the “Contract” between me and Sorrowful Mother.

“…I understand. I humbly accept.”

I had no choice.

But it was also the first choice I had made of my own will.

—Let us grant your wish, my beloved child.

He told me to live freely.

But I don’t have to live freely.

I want to accept this unfreedom from the bottom of my heart.

If he is alive, that is enough.

Because I—can no longer live except in a world where he is.