Chapter 202

She blinked her wide eyes, observing the curtain of flames.

She had once fought Timani in the arena herself, had been there before, so she was somewhat familiar with this move.

She had nothing in particular to say about it.

All the anticipation in her eyes was focused entirely on the other side of the fire curtain.

That was where Sheffy was.

Xiarette looked down at the small blue-haired figure whose hair shimmered like rippling water, and recalling what she had just said, began to form a few guesses.

“Envious…? Little Sylatrella, is it because the final match in the arena got interrupted before, and you couldn’t properly spar with Sheffy? Though I don’t think there’s much comparison to be made… but you’re surprisingly battle-hungry, huh…?”

“That’s not it at all. What’s so good about fighting? Why would I want to spar with Lady Sheffy? You’re so weird when you talk.”

“Eh? Weren’t you the one who just said you were envious…?”

“I want Lady Sheffy to beat me up good! Think about it… as long as I can face off against Lady Sheffy, then no matter how badly I get thrashed, it would all be perfectly justified! I want to be trampled by Lady Sheffy, rubbed into the ground, ruthlessly stomped on… and best of all, after Lady Sheffy wins, I want her to sit on me to celebrate! I’d definitely… huff huff… huff huff… D-Don’t look at me… I’m not a pervert… mm… stop staring!”

“……”

Who… who said you were a pervert…?

But that speech was basically a confession!

Sylatrella was clearly so cute and full of life, a loli that could be hailed as a treasure of the world in any era.

And now, here she was, biting her finger with a face flushed deep red, panting heavily, eyes filled with longing as she tried to peer through the fire curtain for a glimpse of Sheffy.

More specifically, she wanted to find Sheffy’s boots—so they could kick her butt!

“Uh… Hero, is your country’s Holy Sword always like this?”

“Normally… probably not this bad… I think it might be because Sheffy purposely left her some donuts earlier…?”

“Whatever, I think the Royal Sister should stay away from her. This one’s too strange.”

“About that… I’ve always felt the same way.”

S-Strange…?

If Livra were to speak up, looking at little Sylatrella squatting there from behind…

She would say it was like seeing a loyal little dog!

Wuwu, she was really cute! Teacher Shaya often said she was like a puppy—it was clearly a compliment!

But judging from what Sylatrella just said, would the clash inside this domain be a one-sided crushing?

Ahaha… that probably wouldn’t happen, right?

Teacher Shaya was certainly powerful, but when facing a higher race, it should be a fairly matched—

—Boom!

“What was that?! What just happened?!! Waaah!!”

Livra, once again, was sent flying.

Like a kite with its string cut, she floated along the ground~

A shockwave a hundred times more violent than the earlier flame storm suddenly swept through, and this one seemed to possess a penetrating nature—astonishingly, it bypassed the barrier and surged inside the defensive magic field.

Xiarette and the others were prepared; their bodies merely swayed as they firmly planted their feet to stabilize themselves.

But poor Livra, completely unguarded—or rather, guarding was meaningless in this case…

She was blasted several meters away, only managing to stop by grabbing onto a clump of weeds taller than her head.

After halting her backward flight, she lay face-down on the ground, motionless. She must’ve been knocked silly.

Ah… what a sudden and unreasonable disaster!

And this surge of force… seemed to be just the prelude to the magic.

——Rumble rumble rumble!!

“Ah…?”

Livra stared blankly upward at the sky.

It had gone dark.

In the middle of broad daylight, it had gone dark.

Starting from the hollow suddenly burst open by the flame domain, a stream of pure black—or rather, colorless—radiance tore through the domain and then pierced through the daylight.

It crashed through the densely layered defensive barriers in front of the Demon King’s Castle, shattered the spire atop the castle’s highest tower, and still did not stop its roaring ascent, continuing to surge upward and part the thick, heavy clouds.

The entire sky was steeped in darkness for several dozen seconds before sunlight gradually reappeared.

If not witnessed firsthand as magic, this would be a celestial phenomenon that not even the most esteemed astronomers could explain.

“Looks like… it’s been decided.” Not bothering to confirm the outcome of the fight, Belith let out a soft sigh, rose to her feet, and slowly walked in the direction of the Demon King’s Castle.

Xiarette turned to ask.

“Not going to check it out together? Maybe Miss Timani needs rescuing.”

“The Royal Sister will handle it.”

“Then why are you…”

“So many questions. Can we really leave the Demon King’s Castle unattended?”

“Oh… sorry.”

Then go, by all means.

Belith was probably heading over to stabilize the situation, to keep the people at the Demon King’s Castle from rushing over here.

Judging by the thick black smoke rising from the castle tower and the panicked shouting that could be heard even from this distance, it was clear the Demon King’s Castle had plunged into chaos.

Even the defensive barriers had been broken. The castle had come under direct attack. If no explanation was provided, the Demon King’s army might go on full alert…?!

Then over here—how were things?

The outcome was already clear.

That vivid crimson domain from earlier was now like a candle flickering in the wind—broken and battered beyond repair.

The massive hole pierced through it by the magic flickered with flames, as if still struggling in vain.

But only for a moment.

At last, it couldn’t hold on any longer.

The entire domain began to collapse; the heavy, solid magic disintegrated into fiery particles, gradually dissipating into the atmosphere.

The magic had faded.

And naturally, those previously concealed by the magic came into view.

Sheffy stood with one hand on her hip, wings spread out to either side. Not a speck of dust touched her, and her gaze was calm as she looked down toward the ground.

Lying on the ground, the exquisitely figured young woman panted heavily, chest rising and falling violently, her clothes scorched in large patches, eyes wide in lingering shock, unable to move.

It was still the same blanket from earlier.

Sheffy retrieved it from her Storage Magic and, using some sort of floating spell, gently laid it over the girl’s body—to protect the most important dignity of a warrior.

When Xiarette approached this scorched and empty stretch of land, bringing Sylatrella along, they just happened to hear Sheffy’s soft voice as she asked—

The gentle Healing Magic appeared at the same time as her voice.

“Is it alright now? The thing you wanted me to prove.”

“Huff… you… what exactly are you…”

“As you saw.” Sheffy casually tossed aside the half-faded black orb in her hand. The sphere dispersed and evaporated into the air, mirroring Sheffy’s slightly dejected murmur, “I’m just a monster, that’s all.”

“……”

Upon hearing this, Xiarette froze in place.

She recalled what Queen Herilet had once told her.

And also the countless moments Sheffy had shut herself away in the darkness, wary of her own strength.

Sheffy…

You’re really not a monster.

A monster wouldn’t use the very power they loathe just to prove something, all so that others could understand them.

You are no monster.

You’re an angel.

And if you can’t believe it yourself—then let me be the one to say it for you.

“Lady Sheffy is not a monster at all! She’s the most, most, most gentle person!”

“Hey…!”

Sylatrella happily bounced forward and threw herself into Sheffy’s arms.

The Little Holy Sword was always the most straightforward!

She always said whatever came to mind, whether it was appropriate or not!

Staggering a bit from the sudden tackle, Sheffy steadied her stance and jabbed a finger at Sylatrella’s forehead in irritation.

She poked lightly—because if she poked too hard, this pervert would get excited.

“What are you doing.”

“I don’t like hearing Lady Sheffy say stuff like that. You’re not allowed to say it anymore, okay?”

“I was just…! Ugh, fine, fine, I won’t say it. You think I enjoy insulting myself or something?”

“Hehe, as long as you don’t say it anymore!”

Xiarette stepped forward and exchanged a smile with Sheffy, silently brushing away the lingering gloom in their hearts with shared understanding.

It wasn’t easy for Sheffy to sink into sorrow.

Because there were so many suns shining around her.

They had found relief.

But Timani, lying on the ground… had completely shut down.

If not for the Healing Magic released by Sheffy, she likely wouldn’t even have the strength left to speak.

Her terrified consciousness was slowly stabilizing, but the creeping fear that came after the fact—and the contrast of back-to-back defeats—caused tears to slide down the face of this normally proud and independent girl.

Yet… something in her heart also leapt with joy.

Sheffy… if she really had this level of strength, then maybe she truly could help me…

A heartbeat.

Or perhaps, two kinds of heartbeats—one layered atop the other.

But first—

She wanted to know the reason for her defeat.

To confirm whether this power was real.

Wrapped tightly in the thick blanket, Timani couldn’t rise.

She strained to slowly turn her head toward Sheffy, and even speaking took all her strength.

“Just now… what did you do? That… what kind of magic was it…?”

33. Retreat!

“Extreme Dark Nova.”

Sheffy clapped her hands, shaking off the star-like, pitch-black magical particles from her palms.

Then she placed a finger to her chin, tilting her head in thought.

“Hmm? I think I did demonstrate this magic once in the arena, didn’t I? Oh right, the Fire Lizard, you weren’t there at the time.”

“Now I really wish I had been back then… cough… cough cough, damn it all…”

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