Chapter 24

"Stay back! Do what you must!"

Immediately after taking the blow of the demon king's magic aimed at the villagers.

Galeas, the 'Sword Saint,' gave instructions to his comrades who were about to come to his aid.

Despite showing a slight hesitation, the comrades returned to the evacuation efforts of the villagers.

At the entrance to the village, a large tree grew.

Undeterred by the black clouds that blocked the sunlight, the mighty tree stood tall and proud, as if piercing through the clouds, a symbol of the people's resistance against the demon king.

Perhaps feeling it was an eyesore.

Based on the information that the demon king had come out of his sturdy castle to break the tree, Galeas and his party had come to this village.

As rumored, the demon king appeared.

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But...

It happened sooner than expected.

The battle with the demon king began before the evacuation of the non-combatant villagers was complete.

The demon king had a small number of monsters as his subordinates.

To protect the villagers, the other members of Galeas' party escorted them and continued the evacuation efforts.

Facing the demon king alone was Galeas.

The battle between the Sword Saint and the demon king was intense.

Seeing Galeas as a "tough opponent," the demon king chose a cowardly tactic.

Powerful magic was cast not at Galeas, but at the village and the tree nearby.

To protect both, Galeas took the magic head-on and was left barely standing, his body battered and bruised.

The demon king snorted, looking down at Galeas.

"Foolish. That is human weakness, Sword Saint. Pulled down by the weak, the strong fall to weakness. The strong cannot reign as the strong. Unable to cut ties with those who hold them back, that is human weakness."

"Surprisingly... you talk a lot."

Galeas deliberately provoked with these words.

"What?"

Gritting his teeth, Galeas countered the demon king's words.

"Humans can connect. They can pass on their thoughts! Relying only on oneself and ignoring others, that is your weakness!"

"Then prove it, the strength of your thoughts. With your life, a mere flicker of a flame!"

Without changing his mocking smile, the demon king approached.

At the very least, he had to buy time for the villagers to evacuate.

With a grim determination, he gripped his sword again, when suddenly...

"Yes, I will prove it now – I will."

A cool voice interrupted the conversation.

A moment ago, there was no such presence.

But now, she was definitely there.

When Galeas turned around, a female swordsman with black hair flowing was standing there.

As she passed by Galeas, she said apologetically,

"Sword Saint, I'm sorry. I really wanted to do this before you took the magic, but... I couldn't choose. This is the only time when no one will interfere."

Choose?

What to?

To Galeas, it was incomprehensible.

As he struggled to respond, she continued walking and stopped a little in front of the demon king.

Then, she turned to Galeas.

"Sword Saint, stay there. I will defeat the demon king."

"...I will assist."

Galeas offered, but the female swordsman shook her head.

"I want you to watch... no, I want you to witness. My sword... and his. Without being distracted by anything else, I want you to watch closely."

Her eyes, filled with strong resolve, stared at Galeas.

Though her tone was calm, the atmosphere was so solemn that Galeas could not say anything more and simply nodded.

"Suddenly appearing, insolent girl. Do you think you can defeat me alone?"

The anger in his words was palpable.

A physical pressure that made Galeas feel a shiver.

Simultaneously, the demon king's aura changed dramatically.

When he was fighting Galeas, he wasn't serious, to the point where it made Galeas, the Sword Saint, think so strongly.

But.

"Haha."

She laughed, showing no concern.

The demon king's anger only grew.

"Defy me, girl!"

She responded coolly to the demon king's roar, showing no tension, as if it were a natural state.

Amid Galeas' astonishment, she laughed again.

"Defy? Haha..."

With a single word, she drew her sword from her waist and pointed it at the demon king.

"Finally, I can say it."

"What?"

As the demon king directed a gaze filled with even more malice at her, she said—

"O Demon King!"

"What, girl?"

"I... have completed my preparations against you!"

It was a clear statement... her catchphrase.

But surely.

She wasn't imitating him.

Galeas somehow felt that way.

The quantified past—memories of the great tree.

This was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity brought by the great tree.

A year ago, after a tough battle, she had managed to defeat him.

But now, Elein didn't feel like losing.

Elein's skill, 'Master of Numbers,' grew stronger the more she fought the same opponent.

She could quantify the opponent's actions and take appropriate measures.

She already understood the demon king's strategies and how to counter them.

More importantly.

The memories of Eluis, the experiences of his thoughts and training.

These had become part of Elein's flesh and blood, making her sword even sharper.

This was the long-awaited collaboration with Eluis.

Not just protecting or being protected, but truly fighting together.

If Eluis had grown stronger, he would have done this.

If he hadn't dedicated his future, he would have done this.

Elein was recreating it with her own body.

The battle was one-sided.

It was a natural outcome.

Because this was a battle of one against two.

Taking the initiative, she continuously thwarted the demon king's initial moves.

If he tried to punch, she would strike his advancing foot.

If he tried to cast a spell and create distance, she would close the gap and disrupt his concentration.

Whenever the demon king tried to do something, Elein immediately interfered and thwarted it.

She wouldn't let him do anything.

"You... girl..."

Eventually, the demon king, now battered and bruised, made a motion as if to bring his hands together at his chest.

In that instant, Elein severed his right wrist.

"With this, you can't use your self-destruct magic, can you?"

"You... you... you!"

And while fighting...

Elein no longer had the demon king in her sights.

All she had was her thoughts of Eluis.

(Eluis, I wish you could see this. I've become so strong.)

The five years Eluis had given her.

Days that were far more fulfilling than the previous fifteen years.

(Thank you, Eluis.)

(Thanks to you, I've learned so many things I didn't know before.)

(Happy things, sad things, the joy of caring for someone, the pain of losing someone you care about.

And, most importantly, the joy of hearing and fulfilling someone's wishes.)

(But... I've realized something. So, I'm a bit sad, maybe.)

Elein understood.

The true nature of the 'future' she had offered.

If she killed the demon king here, the fate would change drastically.

In other words—she would cease to exist, disappear.

And in the changed fate, the two would never meet.

Because of her 'Master of Numbers' skill, which quantifies fate, she could predict the changed future to some extent.

The fate after this would be cruelly and factually conveyed to her.

The story of the four heroes.

Herself, living a normal, peaceful life, listening to their heroic tales with shining eyes.

In the changed fate, two people who would never intersect.

But.

(Still, we existed in this world! Even if we disappear now, this feeling, this existence, is real in this world! You and I!)

That's why.

She had to end it.

This distorted fate—she had to settle it.

(I'm perfect for this. After all, I'm the last fang of 'Dragon Fang's Bite,' the 'Accountant' Elein!)

While putting on a brave face.

Feeling something run down her cheek, she thought, in the end...

(Still, the last thing is gratitude to you.)

Her sword sped towards the demon king's neck.

At least.

She wanted to say goodbye with a smile.

But she was struggling to hold back her emotions, and it didn't happen—

So at least, in her heart.

She smiled brightly.

(Thank you, Eluis... goodbye.)

Without hesitation, she cut through.

The demon king and—her future.

Leaving behind a single shimmering drop, the female swordsman disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared, the moment she cut down the demon king.

Watching the scene, Galeas felt a mix of awe and emotion.

From the perspective of the Sword Saint, the sword skills she displayed were at a level far beyond his own.

They were like the embodiment of sword principles, overwhelming in their mastery.

The foundation was similar to the sword skills he had mastered, but they were also distinctly different.

Can I master those sword skills?

As a wielder of the sword, he considered it...

(No, I can't.)

He admitted it honestly.

Galeas' sword was optimized for his physical abilities and characteristics, aiming to be the strongest for him.

The skills he had acquired in the process would hinder him in mastering those sword skills.

To discard them and start over would take a lifetime.

But, if he were to start from scratch.

To put it another way—writing anew on a blank sheet, he could do it.

And.

Even from the perspective of the Sword Saint, Galeas, there was still room for improvement in those nearly perfect sword skills.

She had said, "I want you to witness."

Then, he would elevate the sword skills she showed to an even higher level and pass them on to the next generation.

Now that the demon king was gone, this would surely be his new mission.

And the one to inherit it would be—

"Hey! Galeas!"

Hearing the voice of his comrades, the pain he had forgotten in the excitement hit his body.

His body, which had been standing by sheer will, began to tilt.

As he fell—what he saw was the blue sky.

And the great tree that had been protected from the demon king's attack.

But there was no sense of accomplishment.

Instead, there was—

(Mom, Eluis, I have a great souvenir, so many things to tell you!)

With a new sense of mission in his heart, Galeas fell to the ground.

After that.

Galeas stayed at the village inn for ten days to recover and then set off on his journey home.