"Come to think of it, how is Hafleet even lifting those four swords of Revolte's?"
During a rest stop along the way, Solitär had noticed a small detail.
In the past, she'd heard the name "Divine Technique: Sword Shatter" from the old general Rivale—back then, Revolte had been just a minor general with a bit of a reputation.
"Is it strange that Hafleet can lift them?"
Between wingbeats of flight, Nanoda glanced at the four unsheathed longswords strapped to Hafleet's back.
"You're the one who killed him, so you should know best—those four swords aren't made from any ordinary ore."
"Pretty heavy, I'd guess?"
"Of course. Each one weighs about as much as a small hill."
"No wonder—every time I got hit, it felt like being run over by a wagon..."
"?"
From beside them came Hafleet's meek, stammering explanation: "General... Revolte's magic could freely control the weight of whatever weapon he held. A heavy, sturdy weapon felt as light as a twig in his hands, and it would still unleash its full power on impact. I can't do what he could—I just—"
As if venting a bellyful of pent-up grievances, he went on, "That guy always liked making me—his subordinate, his errand boy—carry his swords for him. So I picked up a little magic to lighten objects on my body. Even going all-out, I could barely manage to carry one at first. And after he died, whatever Mana he'd left in the blades vanished too—now these swords aren't nearly as heavy as they used to be."
"That's really impressive."
Nanoda marveled at the wonders of magic.
"But this isn't Divine Technique: Sword Shatter. If I attack with these weapons, my magic loses its effect—and honestly, I can barely hold them steady anyway."
"So basically, you're just the luggage carrier."
Solitär teased with a smile, leaving Hafleet speechless.
That was what he got for Revolte never teaching him the whole technique.
For a while, the three Demons fell back into silence.
"Come to think of it, did Schlacht ever tell you why he came from the past?"
Nanoda looked over at the docile Solitär.
She herself had once contacted the New God through the Scripture, asking about Schlacht's peculiar nature. All she'd gotten back was a single line.
[The secrets of Heaven must not be revealed.]
That had left Nanoda a bit speechless—this God was awfully mystical, wasn't it?
"To correct the future. Beyond that, I only act on his orders."
"What a troublesome guy."
Nanoda hoped this would be the first and last time she ever crossed paths with Schlacht.
She still remembered the dragon-riding one and the Bronze-colored Demon—she'd driven them off before, back in that forest haunted by Phantom Demons. Thinking about it now, that trip back in time might well have had something to do with Schlacht too.
Clearly targeting her, and yet claiming she wasn't the real opponent.
Stealing the Goddess's magic... Nanoda suddenly thought of another existence—that New God.
For a moment, countless thoughts churned through Nanoda's mind.
"Um, should we deal with that?"
Solitär suddenly slowed down, and Nanoda followed the direction she was pointing.
On the vast, boundless plain, a tiny black dot appeared. Looking closer, they realized it was a Demon, waving at them!
"Should we go take a look?"
It was nearly time for a rest anyway, so Nanoda simply suggested they land.
The three Demons dove down without hesitation, landing on the ground.
Nanoda could feel that she'd grown increasingly adept at Flight Magic—a landing like this no longer felt clumsy at all.
Magic, after all, was something that got better the more you used and practiced it.
"Those four swords, four arms—it really is Lord Revolte!"
It was a female Demon in strange attire.
Her hairstyle resembled Aura's, though longer; her build was also larger. She wore Northern hunter-style hunting gear, her pale, sturdy arms bared, and a tachi tucked at her waist!
Most striking of all, her eyes were covered by two black ribbons crossed over each other, each printed with white patterns.
Nanoda's first impression was: a blind swordswoman with a tachi.
Still, that blade did look pretty good.
"Ah, something seems off—Lord Revolte had a serpent's body... why does he have two legs now?"
The blindfolded Demon stretched out a hand, as if groping in the dark.
Nanoda noticed that this Demon's Mana Perception was quite strong—perhaps strong enough to accurately sense the shape of objects.
"Amazing! May I ask which Great Demon this is?"
The blindfolded female Demon walked straight past Nanoda and moved right up beside Solitär, bowing low to show respect.
Solitär glanced at Nanoda.
"Why did you call us down here?"
Solitär didn't answer the question from the Demon who was clearly far weaker than her, and instead asked her own.
"I just thought I'd run into General Revolte, and wanted to become his subordinate."
A question mark practically popped over Hafleet's head, but he caught on quickly.
"Comrade, General Revolte is already dead. The one who killed him was a Great Demon—Lady Nanoda."
With the four swords on his back, Hafleet gestured toward Nanoda with all four arms, presenting her.
"How could that be?"
The blindfolded Demon turned toward Nanoda again, but her keen Mana Perception couldn't detect any hint of Nanoda's true Mana strength.
By contrast, the Great Demon who hadn't given her name was clearly the strongest of them.
"I can vouch for that—she's stronger than me."
Solitär spoke up, completely dispelling the blindfolded Demon's doubts.
The blindfolded Demon immediately walked step by step up to Nanoda. She was quite tall herself, standing a little taller than Nanoda.
"Please take me as your subordinate. I'm very good at fighting."
Somewhat unexpectedly, the female Demon dropped to one knee, her voice calm.
It was then that Nanoda remembered—this blindfolded female Demon had apparently been meant to become one of Revolte's future subordinates too, though as luck would have it, she was just a throwaway extra who'd get killed off after a line or two, good for nothing but experience points.
"Your name."
Taking in one more Demon wasn't a problem for Nanoda. If she brought this one to Gaderia and it behaved, that would be one more step toward Humans and the Demon Race coexisting. If it didn't behave, well, Gaderia had plenty of Great Demons—sooner or later, someone would make it fall in line. Worst case, she could just have Aura hit it with a dose of Magic of Obedience.
This Demon looked considerably stronger than an average-looking one, too.
Not just any old extra, either—at the very least, she was the kind who could trade blows with a First-Class Mage.
"I don't have a name yet."
Truly a background extra, through and through.
"Then just follow us for now. I'll come up with a name for you later."
"As you command."
"Haha, guess I'm finally not the weakest link anymore."
Seeing a Demon weaker than himself join the group, Hafleet immediately brightened up.
Nanoda noticed that, compared to when they'd first met, Hafleet's emotions and expressions had become much richer.
Perhaps he'd been through quite a lot.
"Could you count me in too?"
At some point, unnoticed, a hazy mist had begun creeping in, gradually blanketing the area around Nanoda.
____
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