Chapter 92

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There once was a human whom the goddess particularly cherished. Three thousand years ago, The Church was quite chaotic, and the goddess’s influence was frequent. It was during this time that the Saint, Elizabeth, was born. With her black hair and red eyes, her appearance was alluring enough to captivate anyone, and while she was more sultry than saintly, her divine power was considered unmatched throughout history.

The goddess, through her, watched over the human world even more closely, turning that era into humanity’s golden age. Saint Elizabeth, who led this golden age, was treated like a divine incarnation by the humans, and perhaps the goddess found her so beautiful that she showered her with gifts; some speculate that most of the divine artifacts and holy relics being excavated now were created during that time.

Given that, there were quite a few records left about Elizabeth.

‘But Catherine is supposedly a blood relative of that Elizabeth?’

There was no surviving portrait, but based on descriptions, they surprisingly looked quite similar. However, Elizabeth was certainly a human from three thousand years ago. How could one possibly recognize the bloodline of a woman like her? No matter how much the vampire in front of me looked like her.

“…The smell of blood is awfully similar.”

But I felt like I wouldn’t be able to unravel that mystery. The expression of the muttering vampire began to change. After staring blankly between Catherine and the sky for a moment, the vampire let out a small sigh.

“Eah. This crazy girl really….”

As Karon drew his sword upon hearing the curse uttered in the name of Solia, the one true goddess, it was clear that while he didn’t care about insults directed at himself, the knights of the goddess’s church were furious about any disrespect towards the goddess.

“Blasphemy. Demon King.”

The previous iteration of himself probably glared at that vampire as if he would slay her. Of course, the previous Demon King was not the vampire. Frankly, when he first saw her, he wondered if something had gone wrong; the previous Demon King was definitely a burly middle-aged man. Moreover, his energy wasn’t as strong, considering Prince Jeron could easily slice him apart.

“Maid. Aren’t you curious about your lineage?”

“Not really, no.”

“No, you definitely should be. Your true father is that goddess, Solia.”

Without hesitation, the shocking declaration left the mouths of three people agape. Even Yulia, who had been through numerous reincarnations and typically wouldn’t be surprised by much, felt like she might just faint from the shock of those words.

“…What?”

“Pardon?”

“…Huh?”

Despite having undergone dozens of reincarnations, this was the first time hearing such a tale. For Yulia, it was nothing short of absurd. The goddess Solia was Catherine’s true father? Could it really be…?

“Well, calling her a ‘father’ is a bit tricky since both Solia and Elizabeth are women.”

“Ah, wait a minute. The sentence in the ancient texts about being fond of each other was meant to say that?”

“Hmm? It was, right? Seems like Elizabeth, who initially disliked the idea of being with another woman, eventually accepted it after all.”

“…”

In response to the shocking statement, Sir Karon sat there with his mouth agape. Even Yulia was honestly taken aback by such a revelation.

“How, how can we believe that?”

“Huh? It’s unusual that she’s the only one who can wield magic in this age where magic’s all but gone, isn’t it?”

“She was chosen by the goddess…”

“If Eah had chosen her to wield magic, then all the folks in the temple would be using magic too. Magic is ultimately ether, something even Eah herself couldn’t touch.”

“Then why…?”

At the question forming in Yulia’s eyes, the Demon King chuckled and replied simply.

“Because Eah granted her magic.”

“But didn’t you just say that wasn’t the case?”

Seeing Catherine looking slightly troubled, the Demon King continued with a different kind of gentle smile. Wasn’t his demeanor vastly different? Yulia thought as she recalled each part of the Demon King’s explanation one by one.

“You said Eah didn’t choose her to wield magic, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t originate from her. After all, Eah was originally a human from an era overflowing with magic.”

“…Are you saying Solia was originally human?”

“Every god, except for the creator, was originally human.”

“That’s indeed written in the texts. Sir Karon. Though the name has faded, this world originally stemmed from the creator, and the humans most loved by the creator were said to ascend to the divine realm and fill the creator’s void.”

“I see.”

While Sir Karon had sent piercing glares when the Demon King spoke, he seemed to ease up while listening to Yulia. The baffled Demon King let out a sigh, seemingly resigned, shaking his head before continuing.

“Well, that means you’re the child of the saint and a god.”

“Didn’t you say both were women?”

“Since they’re gods, they must have figured something out.”

As Catherine drew her Sacred Sword, Sir Karon frowned slightly. Suddenly, the sword transformed into twin swords before everyone’s eyes. The Demon King looked a bit flustered at her.

“W-Wait. You can swing those?”

“Seeing you ramble on, I figured it might be okay to just kill you.”

“…Huh? That’s not rambling!? It’s the truth! At the very least, Elizabeth really is your biological mother!”

“Well, the rest is speculation, I suppose. Got it.”

In an instant, Catherine leaped toward the Demon King. Having gained near miraculous control over magic through this war, she could also use magic to enhance her physical abilities. As she dashed toward the Demon King, she swung her sword.

“Eek-!”

The Demon King responded with blood magic. Bats swarmed out, baring their fangs to bite Catherine, or a storm of blood shot toward her, but Catherine cut through all those attacks effortlessly, rendering them useless. The sight was monstrous enough to astonish the Demon King, who began pouring out blood magic in desperation.

“Well, this isn’t a time to be dawdling. Karon! Join in!”

“Y-You mean over there?”

“Hmm….”

Certainly, it was way too difficult a position for Karon to join. But Yulia wasn’t in a direct combat role, so she could lend her support. Casting a sacred spell to buff Catherine, her movements increased dramatically.

“Ah, no! That spell is cheating!”

“Cheating or not, who cares?”

Catherine, coldly stating that, swiftly swung her swords. Aimed at the neck but also targeting the waist, and while aiming for the waist, she suddenly went for the legs. Suddenly, she aimed for the heart, which resulted in the Demon King’s body accumulating wounds.

If it were the Demon King from the previous iterations, his neck and heart would have been no more by now. At this point, the current Catherine was unreasonably strong. It was easy to believe she was the descendant of a god. Come to think of it, Catherine had shown swift recovery and stamina even before awakening her magic. For a woman, she was pretty strong.

Though she might not think she was that strong, Yulia, having seen common female knights, couldn’t help but find it ridiculous. She was weaker than male knights, but even then, she was far stronger than an ordinary woman.

With such physical prowess augmented by magic, she exhibited what could be termed superhuman abilities. As Catherine backed the Demon King into a corner, he was finally knocked to the ground, rolling over and crashing against the wall.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“You’re still alive.”

Catherine rested her foot on the Demon King’s side and raised her twin swords. Realizing his impending doom, the Demon King squeezed his eyes shut and cried out.

“W-Wait! Just let me live one more time!”

“Why on earth should I?”

“T-That’s right! You’re a hero! You must show mercy and tolerance!”

“Sorry, but I’m not a hero; I’m a maid.”

That desperate plea echoed, but sadly, Catherine wasn’t someone who could be swayed by the word ‘hero.’ After all, her identity was ultimately a maid.

“W-What nonsense is that?! You drew the Sacred Sword, so you must be a hero!”

“If I’m a maid, then I’m just a maid. No need for any formalities.”

As Catherine shifted the direction of her sword, the Demon King once again clenched his eyes shut and cried out.

“W-Wait! I’ll be your slave!”

“…Is your life worth that much?”

“Of course! I’ve been sealed for 3000 years! I deserve at least a little sightseeing in this world after 3000 years!”

“…Hmm.”

After a moment of contemplation, Catherine removed her foot. Then she crouched down and poked the Demon King’s lower back with her sword.

“Then perhaps you should swear some kind of oath. An unbreakable oath.”

“Ah, okay. There’s an oath among the Ancients where you swear on your blood; breaking it would mean bleeding out and dying. Let’s do that. It’s a blood pact.”

“…Understood.”

As the two began to delve deeper into their agreement, Karon sat down in sheer exasperation, simply watching. Meanwhile, Yulia slowly approached the Demon King and Catherine.

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