Part Two, Section One: “Saints And Devils”
Chapter Fifty-seven
“…Good evening, Great Saint. Sorry about the broken window and wall.”
“It’s fine. There are other rooms, and that much is repairable.”
While staring intently at the spot where the translucent Julius identified himself as Asmodeus had been a moment ago, Elsa apologized for breaking the room. To think that devil Asmodeus really possessed Julius… And appeared right in my room, it was shocking.
“As calm as ever. Normally people would be somewhat frightened by an experience like this.”
“I’m surprised. It just may not come across.”
While conversing with me, Elsa took some paper talismans out of her pocket and stuck them to the floor. Apparently, they were imbued with a considerable amount of magic power, but I wonder what she intended to do.
“Reveal!”
As Elsa uttered the word, the talismans responded by shining brightly like the sun. And then, it appeared before our eyes.
’Gigigigigi!’
“…!? Th-This is!?”
“Can you see it now? This is a low-level devil and the culprit behind the rumored mysterious disappearances.”
What showed itself in response to the shining talisman, letting out a bizarre ear-piercing cry that makes you want to cover your ears, was a pitch-black humanoid something. Clearly different from demons, the thing about the size of a puppy gave off an eerie atmosphere. Was this the culprit behind the mysterious disappearances? It had been completely invisible just moments ago.
“Since this one is low-level, its lethal power is next to nothing, and it’s invisible to ordinary human eyes. However, it can lead the target to the lair of its master at the entrance to the Demon Realm.”
“I see. If it’s invisible, resisting would be impossible. So, this is Asmodeus’s trick?”
“Exactly. The main reason I came here… Do you understand now?”
Asmodeus was after my large amount of magic power and my soul.
That was why exorcists were dispatched to me and the Martilas family.
The most significant reason revealed in this series of events was…
“We’re far too defenseless against devils, right? Since we can’t resist an invisible opponent.”
“Yes. So, you don’t have to do anything. It’s enough if you’re protected by us.”
“…You may be right. That might be easy, and wise. However―”
’Gigigigigigi!’
“―!? Y-You’re not going to…!”
Using Chains of Light, I captured another low-level devil that was hiding.
I see. If you can pinpoint their location, it seems possible to purify them using the same method as with demons.
“It looks like concentrating compressed magic power in your eyes is necessary to detect devils. I tried imitating your method, Ms. Elsa.”
“To mimic it after seeing it just once… First of all, even if you understand the theory, it’s not something that can be easily done.”
“There was a similar technique in ancient spells, although it was a skill for detecting traps and the like. If I teach it, Mia, Master, and even Grace and her sisters should be able to do it quickly.”
Thanks to a similar ancient spell, I was able to mimic the skill of seeing low-level devils. Learning the knack for this was not too difficult if you were familiar with ancient magic, so I should teach everyone tomorrow.
“Being called the greatest saint in history and inheriting the title of Great Saint is no joke. No wonder Asmodeus wants you as a vessel.”
Elsa effortlessly sliced two devils in half with her crimson falchion and spoke to me. That falchion was quite an effective weapon against devils. The fact that Mammon was unscathed by it was simply extraordinary.
“The real body of Asmodeus is somewhere else, right?”
“Good point. That was just the thought projection of Asmodeus possessing Julius. His main body is somewhere far away. He probably came to appraise you. And tried to snatch you using the low-level devils.”
So that translucent Julius wasn’t the real body after all. I had never seen a ghost, but it gave off so little vitality you could call it that.
“I’ll stay up and keep watch, so you go ahead and rest. You’re in charge of tomorrow’s Saint Summit, right?”
“Alright then, please give me about five minutes. If I concentrate my mana and seriously rest, I should feel completely refreshed.”
“Sigh, I understand now why Lina and Leonardo weren’t so surprised when they saw us. You’re also quite far from humanity yourself.”
“…?”
For some reason, Elsa took on a tone of exasperation and gave me a disapproving look. Did I say something strange? Lately, Prince Oswald said I’ve changed, so I was anxious about how I was seen by those around me.
In any case, the Saint Summit would start tomorrow. I must focus to avoid embarrassing myself.
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