Chapter 214

When I heard the story about wanting to participate in the Beast King Tournament, my heart sank. It’s a dangerous challenge. Even if I somehow succeed, I don’t know if it’s worth it.

This kind of fight should be conducted fairly. Roka can’t fight alone with the support of Divine Power. A crowd of people can’t gang up on Epirna either.

Only by defeating Epirna alone, with one’s own power, can one be considered worthy of the new Beast King title.

Seeing a child who has no interest in the position but still wants to challenge the Beast King Tournament made my heart uneasy. But it seemed Roka had her own thoughts.

“You seem confident, huh?”


“Not exactly confident, but…”

She perked up her ears and chuckled. Still, the bold confidence in her eyes was good to see.

“I might not win, but I don’t think I’ll lose. That much is certain.”

At this point, it was hard to tell her not to do it. It’s her own decision, made after her own thoughts.

When I asked why her mind had changed, the child just smiled without answering. But it was clear that her feelings had shifted.

“If you’re really going to participate in the Beast King Tournament, you might as well do it properly. Make sure you win and come back. Even though I didn’t teach you much, I was still your first teacher.”

At the princess’s words, Roka puffed out her cheeks. It was clearly an expression of dissatisfaction, but her expression changed completely at the next words.

“Azahadaka… Oh, the dog took him away now. Anyway, he said Epirna has a powerful magical barrier. Your Sunset Slash cut through it once, but by the time the Beast King Tournament starts, it will probably be restored.”


“Ah, now that you mention it!”

As if recalling the recent battle, Roka’s expression turned serious. Even though it happened far away, I clearly saw it too. The line of sunset drawn in the air clearly cut through Epirna, but it was distorted and deflected by something intangible.

“That magical barrier… Could Epirna use magic too?”


“She never showed us using magic while fighting us. But it’s safe to assume she can. If she can create a barrier, she can probably do other things too.”


“That woman couldn’t use magic. But I can’t be sure of that either. All my memories are from a bygone era.”

Sir Leon, passing by, joined our discussion. Roka, still looking annoyed, muttered.

“Your words were more like a scam than outdated information. It wasn’t just a mirror closer than it appeared, but you were several times stronger than you said.”


“Ugh…! I have nothing to say.”


“Then it’s better to assume she can use magic. The question is, what level of mage is she…?”

When it comes to mages, the first person that comes to mind is Parnell. I only met the Oldman Tower Master briefly, and Grimudo is a mage but doesn’t use magic much.

In fact, excluding dragons, the origin of magic, he would be the strongest mage, but he fits the title of Demon King better than mage. He has plenty of other techniques besides magic.

“She probably isn’t on the level of Grimudo or dragons, so it’s better to assume she’s at the level of a human grand mage. Slightly overestimating is better than underestimating.”

Of course, there’s a possibility that the barrier Epirna uses isn’t her own power, but now isn’t the time to downplay the enemy. It’s better to estimate the opponent’s power as high as possible and prepare accordingly.

Assuming Epirna has Parnell-level magical abilities makes things quite difficult. Roka will have a really tough fight.

“She didn’t seem to be hiding that much power, but let’s assume that for now.”


“Then we need to think about how to deal with Epirna using magic between attacks…”

Roka broke off a branch from a shrub and started carving notes into a stone with Power Techniques. With each scratch, the stone chipped away, and letters formed, though not very well.

“Epirna’s mysterious recovery ability. We need a way to block or seal that.”

The princess pondered and spoke. If Epirna can’t be prevented from recovering her strength through unknown means, Roka’s options are greatly reduced. If it becomes a prolonged battle, she’ll run out of magical power and lose, so she must secure a chance to win in a short time.

“That’s no longer important.”

But at this point, Roka shook her head. The child replied with a confident voice.

“With my current strength, I won’t be overpowered by her. Even if the fight drags on, it won’t be a problem. I won’t lose because of that.”


“Then what’s left is Epirna’s Steel Energy. We need to find a way to deal with that energy to have a chance of winning. The important thing is, she now knows your techniques to some extent.”

As Sir Leon said, I added a word.

“We can’t assume that what she showed us is all her abilities.”

It’s hard to find someone who throws everything they have into the first fight. Even in the Demon World, even demons who aren’t on the level of the Demon King often have a hidden trump card.

A being of Epirna’s stature must have something like that. The princess thought deeply and spoke.

“Her Dragon Form Technique was overpowered, but the Void Sword seemed to have some effect on her Steel Energy. That’s the kind of attack that can’t be blocked by hardness.”


“So?”


“The Void Sword is a technique that doesn’t require qualifications, lineage, or specific methods. You’ve seen me use it a few times, so you should be able to use it to some extent.”

It might be too much to use as a main technique, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it as a trump card. Sir Leon scratched his chin and spoke.

“Here’s what we’ll do. As promised, I’ll teach you the Water Technique. There’s a little less than two weeks until the Beast King Tournament, so you should be able to learn it by then.”


“…I’ll just train on my own.”


“What? No, this is a really great secret technique! Listen, if the Lion Tribe hadn’t fallen, I wouldn’t have had to say this. It requires some knack, you know?”


“If it’s such a great technique, why did you lose to Epirna?”

Roka sharply hit a sore spot, but it was understandable. In her mind, Sir Leon was already branded a liar.

“Ultimately, there are limits, right?”


“Epirna… No, the tigers also have the Water Technique passed down to them.”

Without anyone pushing him, Sir Leon took a few steps back and slumped down, muttering.

“In the end, we lost, but the important thing is that Epirna knows the secret of the Water Technique. You don’t. This could be the decisive factor that determines victory or defeat at a critical moment.”


“……”


“Anyway, the remaining time is too short to properly train in anything. Your current level is too high, so even if you delve into something for two weeks, it’s hard to make significant progress.”

The child acknowledged it. She nodded her head.

“In that case, it’s better to try learning a new technique like the Water Technique. Tch. With the Beastmen Race in decline, even if I offer the tribe’s secret techniques, people shake their heads.”


“I think trying it out isn’t a bad idea.”

I quietly approached Roka from behind and patted her back. The child opened her eyes wide, then turned to me with a bright smile.

“If I learn even the basics, I can use the power of the Seedling to reach higher places.”

We defeated one of the notorious monsters, the Death Worm. Of course, it wasn’t a solo kill, but with three of us working together, so that should be taken into account. Still, it must have accumulated a lot of merit. It’s time to use the Seedling again.

“Even if I learn it, will it be meaningful…?”

The child, scratching her head, still looked doubtful as she glanced at Sir Leon, then reluctantly nodded.

“Fine, I’ll give it a try.”

She looked like she was doing him a favor.

*****

After Roka left to learn the Water Technique, I stayed in the cabin, lost in thought.

An unexpected guest appeared before me. When I realized the figure reflected in the window wasn’t me but a woman, she was already inside the cabin.

“I didn’t expect you to come looking for me.”


“Not welcome?”


“Of course not. A simple visit is always welcome.”

I briefly looked around to see if Yanid was nearby, but she wasn’t. It seemed she had manifested separately from her for a moment.

Oberta’s floating spirit looked at me and smiled. Strange. She doesn’t usually like me that much.

“So, what brings you here…?”


“You. You’ve been asking everyone about the North Pole, but you never asked me. Thanks for that. So I came to you myself.”

It didn’t seem like she came to joke around. Did she really come to tell me about it?

“Have you, the Evil God, ever been to the North Pole?”


“Yes. So I probably know the North Pole better than you.”

Our relationship isn’t that close, so it’s a bit odd.

“To cut to the chase, I want you to go to the North Pole once. Even I, and even that Demon King, can’t set foot there, but you definitely can.”