The boundary restoration work is slowly nearing its end.
It is believed that if we just work today, we can finish it. However, the location for today’s work has a reason why it was delayed until the very last.
So far, the areas where we’ve repaired the boundary have been within the city where guards patrol. Even if the security isn’t the best, they still maintain a minimum standard.
But today’s destination is different.
The city of Pelches, where the Academy is located, is certainly a place with good security. Perhaps there aren’t many cities on the continent as secure as this one. If we must bring it up, the capital of the Empire would be similar.
Even so, there are exceptions within Pelches.
The slums on the outskirts of the city. Although they are outside the protective walls that surround the city, the boundary stretches as far as to include the slums. Rather than aggressively eliminating the slums and driving the people inside the city, they chose to isolate them outside.
Therefore, we decided to move slightly earlier than usual today. Even though Presia has nocturnal tendencies, it is better to work during the day even if her condition is somewhat reduced, instead of waiting for her to be at her best at night.
Once all classes were over and I had an early dinner, I parted ways with my friends and headed toward the lab.
I, too, unlike any other day, had a real sword strapped at my waist.
After waking Presia from her usual nap on the sofa in the lab, she rubbed her eyes and got up from her seat.
As we passed through the city gate and walked together, the slums came into view.
At the entrance to the slums, I encountered a face I didn’t expect.
“Hm? You two… no, what brings the two of you here to such a place?”
A few days ago, this guard at the entrance to the slums had mistakenly thought that I and Presia were up to no good and tried to arrest me.
“The boundary repair from a few days ago is an extension of that.”
“…Inside the slums, you say?”
“Yes. This time, we also brought our student IDs, just in case.”
“Ah, well, since we’re already aware of it…”
He tried to stop me from pulling out my student ID from my backpack, and since my action was purely for show, I ceased the motion.
“Well then.”
“Hm… Though there’s probably no one here who would endanger you two, be careful nonetheless.”
Leaving the guards behind, I took Presia’s hand, who seemed a bit distracted, and led her into the slums.
Just a few steps into the slums and the unpleasant smell hit my nose. The streets remain uncleared, and garbage is scattered carelessly everywhere.
From here and there—inside buildings barely standing, in the shadows of dark alleys—various eyes peer at us. It’s obvious they’re on guard against our sudden appearance as outsiders.
But just because their gaze is unpleasant doesn’t mean we must act first. It’s not like they’re dirt or something scary to avoid.
Presia, too, winced at the unpleasant smells, or perhaps the dirty looks. It seemed she didn’t want to stay here long either. Unlike before, where I dragged her by the hand, this time she initiated holding my hand as she led us towards the slum outskirts.
The boundary repair proceeded without any issues.
It was apparent though that because it’s daytime, Presia wasn’t in her best condition, causing the work to proceed a bit more slowly than usual.
“Two mana stones…”
I retrieved the mana stones according to Presia’s instructions and passed them to her, keeping an eye around while she worked.
A few eyes here and there showed a greedy look upon seeing the mana stones, but they didn’t dare to approach, thanks to my flashing sword blade.
“There’s a big hole here?”
During the repair process, Presia gasped in surprise, though it was subtle enough that only someone familiar with her could notice.
“Seems like the previous person just skipped this part…”
I took the backpack off my back and retrieved a handful of mana stones, just as I had done when repairing the boundary of the tavern district last time.
It seemed the state of this zone was worse than the last one, and Presia’s condition wasn’t the best either. It might take quite a while.
“Given this, it might take longer than the daylight allows.”
Presia, trusting me, went straight into the repair work.
But the moment Presia started casting a spell, the atmosphere shifted suddenly.
The previously unsettling gaze and ambiance suddenly became covered in thick malice.
One, two. Slowly, men from the slums began to approach.
I drew my sword toward them and warned.
“If you want to stay alive, I recommend you don’t come any closer.”
However, the advancing men seemed not to see my pointed blade, continuing their approach without any hesitation.
Then the first man entered my striking range.
Even though I warned of death, I couldn’t honestly swing my sword at civilians. So, I slid it back into its sheath and instead used it like a club.
Puk!
With a direct hit to his vital point, the man fell down, unconscious, without further movement. Yet the other men continued to move in, not paying any attention to him.
One, two, three, four…
By the time I noticed, a pile of unconscious people had accumulated, and it seemed the entire slum’s population was gathering around us.
No matter how many people, no matter how heated the malice—
Not a single curse, not a single murmur could be heard.
Wordlessly, they all kept moving toward our direction.
Like puppets without self-awareness.
There were already piles of unconscious bodies in front of me. Though slum residents, the utterly reckless rush seemed suspicious, but this wasn’t something to worry about right now.
I swung my sword at the seventeenth person approaching me.
“!”
And for the first time, as I cut down people without hesitation, a flicker of hesitation entered my sword.
The approaching figure was a boy.
A boy, no older than five, so young, that it reminded me of the time when I was first abducted.
A boy who cannot desire, but who must become a person of the shadows.
I saw my past self in this boy’s eyes.
During this brief hesitation, the man who had been standing farthest away—despite everyone else advancing toward me—shot forward.
The man who was farthest away closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
Had I not been distracted by the boy, I could have reacted minimally, but the fleeting hesitation gave him the chance to inflict a fatal wound.
Gyaaak!
Even as I twisted my body as much as possible, I had to give him access to my side.
At least, fortunately, I immediately retrieved my sword to block any follow-up attack from him, while creating distance.
The pain felt like my flesh was being torn. However, the intruder’s hand, which truly seemed to have ripped my side apart, let a sharp nail trail behind it as crimson blood flowed from my body.
“Kuh… Thanks to the orders of your superiors, I didn’t want to come, but this doesn’t seem like bad loot after all.”
“You… what are you?”
The opponent in front of me was not an ordinary one. At minimum, if it wasn’t at least one of the uppermost monsters, it would be impossible for them to inflict harm on me. However, I instinctively realized that this man wasn’t the type to merely linger.
Even though we’ve never met before, the sticky, oppressive aura pressing against my skin, the instinctive terror that tries to be suppressed, and the arrogant gaze watching me—all these pointed to his identity.
The man stretched his arms wide and spoke leisurely.
“I am Ballikan of the Arrogance. Consider it an honor to be facing me today.”
A Demon. No, a Demon far superior to any low-grade Demon, something so insignificant as to not even have a name or title.
Even lower-grade Demons are dangerous, but the entity in front of me was at least an upper-middle-grade Demon or higher. And the situation had already turned against me with them taking the first aggressive move.
“Because you’re a Demon… What gave you the confidence to come to Pelches?”
In Pelches, in the Academy specifically, experts of all kinds exist. No matter how powerful the Demon, it would only amount to suicide unless they brought an army.
“Hoho… Miss, as you say, Pelches is indeed troublesome for us too. However, you graciously opened a new entrance for us.”
“Slithered in through a dog hole, huh.”
Certainly, he’s referring now to the boundary hole Presia is repairing.
“The newly created entrance was quite advantageous for us, so we attempted to slowly seep in… until we were discovered.”
Nevertheless, his expression remains calm, far from showing any concern.
“You still have an advantage with a competent woman and a Mage, right?”
Behind me, Presia is still fully focused on the boundary restoration, seeming unaware of the situation here. Her contribution could change the tide, but it seemed she still needed time.
“Hey! What’s going on? Disperse immediately!”
When I was contemplating what to do, a familiar voice rang out from far away.
The guard who had mistaken me for something else and nearly arrested me a few days ago and who was guarding the entrance of the slums now likely entered due to the commotion inside.
“What? Not leaving? Hey, over there—!”
As the guard moved through the surrounding confused men, he stumbled upon the numerous unconscious men sprawled on the floor and froze in panic, mistaking them for corpses.
“Damn. We don’t need this kind of trash, though.”
“Run!”
The Demon turned to the guard, but the movement of his hand preceded my warning.
“Kuh…?”
The Demon’s hand piercing through the guard’s armor and impaling his stomach. Ballikan casually shuddered his hand as if it touched something dirty and slowly strode back towards me.
“There’s no need to talk anymore, right? Would you come along peacefully? If you surrender without resistance, you might be given the special opportunity to serve as a succubus under the Demon King’s grace.”
My vision began to waver from the blood flowing from my injured side.
Though I’d like to stretch the time until Presia joins, it’s now working against me.
“Good for nothing mutt! You talk—!”
I finished my sentence and simultaneously charged toward Ballikan.
Before I lose consciousness, before I’m unable to wield my sword, I must resist minimally. By some stroke of luck, if I manage to injure him, there might be a chance for Presia when she comes to her senses.
A bright white aura already surrounded my sword but, perhaps because of the blood loss disrupting my focus, the aura flickered unstably.
The unstable aura left a trail as it swung toward Ballikan.
Klang!
Ballikan effortlessly deflected the attack with a mere hand movement. Even in my perfect condition, I might have broken a couple of his fingernails, but in this state, it seems impossible.
But it’s better to keep swinging the sword than to linger in disappointment.
Klang Klang Klang!
Although endlessly blocked, I didn’t stop swinging my sword. I kicked, headbutted, and struck with my elbow when the opportunity arose.
Ballikan easily countered my sluggish attacks with every movement.
“Hm… I prefer dogs that show affection over cats that keep fighting…”
True to his title of Arrogance, Ballikan’s actions were like playing with a toy, nothing more than despair to me. But I don’t feel despair. Dying here is certain. Going without fighting will surely bring a far worse end.
Then my life itself is fine. I must protect Presia here at all costs.
Yet I no longer have the power to endure. So, I summoned my last ounce of strength.
The white aura burning brighter than ever before. They say enlightenment may come just before death—could this be my situation now?
If only I had this power earlier, the situation might have been different. But I’m grateful it has manifested now, even at this last moment.
Whoosh!
Even though the sword is usually agile, a sound akin to that of a massive baton being swung reverberated.
Ballikan seemed to sense something unusual from my sword but withdrawing his body was one step too late.
Sshik!
The sword, which couldn’t cut even a nail earlier, now severed his wrist.
“Kraaaaagh! You wretch!”
Bam!
Furious from this unexpected counterattack, Ballikan threw me away with his other hand. Having exhausted my last power, and without any defense, my consciousness began to faint away.
Still, seeing Ballikan’s severed wrist and exchanging glances with Presia, I could find a small measure of relief.
