漫画大王

Chapter 193 [Illustration]

“What? What do you mean by ‘scene’? You... you should be mindful of what you say to your seniors.”

It would have been suspicious if Olivia Lanche entered my room looking overly serious, so I asked her to act more naturally, as if she were just visiting a fellow student’s room. However, she’d gone overboard when I just wanted her to behave coolly. I’d asked her to act casually since it would seem like we were going to discuss something serious if we both went in looking somber, and look what happened?

‘Ugh, whatever. Better to come off as a pervert than a demon god worshiper, right?’

I closed the door and drew the curtains.

“...”

Bringing a female senior into my room, locking the door, and closing the curtains...

To anyone who saw this, it would obviously look improper.

Olivia Lanche couldn’t meet my gaze and scratched her cheek slightly.

“Ha... Ahaha... I don’t know why but... I-I feel a bit... nervous...”

‘This girl... She’s scared now.’

It became clear that all her teasing and messing around with me was just that—teasing. Now that she was in a tense situation that felt almost real, she grew afraid.

‘Right, even though she’s an adult, she’s been serving under Ouen without ever having such experiences with men, not even a fling. It’s understandable.’

Her fists were clenched, and it looked like her hands were sweating.

“I-I mean. You know. I’m actually pretty good at fighting... Not that, uh... Just be careful,” she said.

“What on earth are you talking about?!”

“J-Just saying!”

Saying all that in such a frightened manner made it seem like I was really planning to do something bad.

She always acted like she could handle anything, but if she was this scared before anything even happened, just how inexperienced was she? Did she see me as just a kid, which was why she was okay with casually teasing me? Now that things were turning out this way, was her imagination running wild, making her nervous?

Had she only now realized that I was actually a man?

‘What’s with this person? With sweat on her forehead and all...’

Not wanting the atmosphere to get any weirder, I carefully opened the locked drawer and took out its contents.

“So, this is it...”

“Yes.”

At first glance, it appeared to be just an old, unremarkable sword.

It was mistaken as a Demon God Relic, but in reality, I believed it to be the corrupted holy sword, Tiamata. Olivia watched me hold the sword with a slightly displeased expression.

“They say it controls the mind of the person holding it...”

“In my case, I seem to have a natural resistance to such curses, so it didn’t affect me...”

“Hmm... then maybe I’ll be okay too. Actually, I’ve had a pretty strong immunity to mental interference from the start. I found that out thanks to my anti-demon power measurements.”

Fortunately, Olivia Lanche knew that her resistance to mental magic and interference was very high. She likely knew that even if Leverier Lanche had tried to manipulate her mind, she couldn’t be controlled.

Instead, through various means of torture, they had tried to break Olivia Lanche’s will, but her strong will, along with her resistance to mental magic, left her unbroken, ultimately almost turning her into a wreck instead.

“Can I try holding it once?”

“... Be careful.”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

Though I already knew she would be alright, I said it just to reassure her. Supporting the blade with one hand, I pointed the handle towards her. Even though I knew I would be safe, Olivia Lanche wasn’t sure she would be.

Despite that, she didn’t seem to hesitate. With a tense expression, Olivia Lanche carefully grabbed the cursed Tiamata’s handle.

I didn’t know if the ownership would transfer this way. However, just as it had been when I first held it, Tiamata didn’t react when Olivia Lanche held it either.

“Hmm... I see... I understand. I can feel something very strong, some kind of interference.”

I couldn’t feel it, but Olivia Lanche seemed to sense that the cursed Tiamata was trying something on her, and that it had failed.

“... This might indeed be the Holy Sword Tiamata...”

“Yes.”

“Am I the first person after you to touch this sword directly?”

“Probably.”

Since it was a cursed object, others would have been careful while handling it. They would have been thoroughly warned that the sword could control the mind of whoever held it.

Other than me, Olivia Lanche became the second person to hold this sword safely.

“It’s strange,” she said, staring blankly at the cursed Tiamata.

“It’s a completely different kind of power. This is the first time I’ve felt something so evil and unpleasant...”

As she held the sword, Olivia flashed a somewhat sad smile. “And yet, it feels very familiar.”

A power that shared the same origin...

Olivia seemed to sense it vaguely. Although I didn’t understand what Divine Power was, she had spent her entire life honing it.

Because she was holding it directly, Olivia could feel the sword’s inherent power more accurately than any priest could. Therefore, Olivia Lanche, who could wield Divine Power at the level of a high priest, could notice all of this just by holding the sword.

“Ouen’s power is purity before it is anything else. It’s the power of purity.”

“Purity?”

“Yes.”

Olivia stared silently at the sword.

“A rejection and annihilation of all that is impure. Hatred and loathing of all beings that defy the natural order. Such things are not tolerated. So, it is more about purity than just being pure.”

The extent of aversion to the existence of such things, reaching an almost neurotic level of purity. That was the doctrine of Ouen.

“Tiamata is a manifestation of that will,” she said.

The will to annihilate those that defied the natural order, a neurotic level of purity that bordered on hatred, in accordance with Ouen’s doctrine.

“But... this is the exact opposite,” she continued.

“Opposite?”

“It harbors hatred for all living things, disdain for the natural order, and a compulsion to overturn that order...” Olivia said, as she continued to sense the nature of the sword. “It’s a different kind of... purity.”

Tiamata was the guardian of the natural order, representing a neurotic purity against those who defied it. The fallen Tiamata represented neurotic hate, an obsessive-compulsive purity that desired to negate the natural order itself.

“... The power is different, but ultimately, the ‘will’ is similar.”

“Purity, but with opposing values?”

“Yes.”

Olivia seemed to have realized something.

“This is fundamentally different from Ouen’s power, yet, in essence, it is eerily similar.”

The neurotic purity symbolized by Ouen’s power had a similar essence. Olivia, who was familiar with that power, could not help but feel that the cursed Tiamata was alarmingly similar to Ouen in its complete opposition to the natural order.

“Of course, it’s possible that this is a relic of Kier, the god of corruption. But, if this really were a relic of Kier, then Kier’s power is strangely similar to Ouen’s.

“The manner in which the power manifests is directly opposite, but the origin of the power is remarkably similar. This cannot be a force that originates from another entity.

“This really is Tiamata... but... the fact that Ouen’s holy artifact is emitting a force identical to that of the demon god Kier...”

An opposing manifestation, yet from an incredibly similar source. It was a corrupted relic, but Olivia felt that the fundamental source of its power hadn’t changed.

The commonality between the two opposing entities—Ouen, one of the Great Gods, and Kier, the demon god—was purity.

“Could it be that Kier and Ouen are actually... the same entity...?” Olivia said.

Olivia Lanche left bewildered by this sudden, shocking realization.

***

Although Olivia Lanche had forsaken her faith, the thought that Ouen, whom she had worshiped all this time, might be identical to Kier, the god of corruption, whom she had been taught to loathe, left her in a daze. She had questioned and then abandoned her faith, but she had never imagined that the truth could be so unbelievable.

From the corrupted relic, Olivia Lanche could sense the power of an unfamiliar demon god, but she eventually realized that this demon god’s power was uncomfortably familiar.

It was too similar to Ouen’s power, and hence she instinctively recognized that Ouen and Kier were essentially the same being, something that countless priests had failed to uncover.

It was understandable that the priests hadn’t noticed it. They were unable to even consider the possibility that the cursed sword might be Tiamata. Moreover, they would never have doubted their doctrine and what they believed in.

Olivia could objectively grasp the situation because she had shed all religious preconceptions. Finally, she reached the conclusion that Ouen and Kier were the same entity. Everything followed from that realization, leading to the inevitable conclusion that all faith in the demon gods was a sham.

I gave Olivia some time to pull herself together.

“Well... it seems I’ve learned something I shouldn’t have,” she finally said.

Compared to the truth she had now come to realize, the secrets of the Order of the Holy Knights were trivial. If it became known that the demon gods and the Five Great Gods were the same entities, the very foundations of human faith would collapse. Of course, such claims would not be so easily accepted.

“So, can you turn it back into Tiamata?”

If the priests of Kier had managed to corrupt Tiamata, it would be possible to reverse it.

“Hmm... I can try, but I can’t guarantee the outcome. My power alone might not be enough.”

There was no one else who could help with this task. Olivia had to attempt to purify Tiamata with her own strength.

“Hmm... this will take quite some time. We can’t take it outside, right?” she asked.

“No... probably not.”

It would be ideal to conduct the purification ritual in a more secluded place. However, it was too dangerous to simply carry the sword outside.

The night before, I had pretended it was a practice sword while bringing it outside to dispose of it, but that was before anyone had known that this sacred artifact of a demon god had disappeared. We could risk taking it outside the dorm, but taking it beyond the Temple grounds would be impossible.

Olivia Lanche scratched her cheek, looking troubled.

“So... it seems we’ll have to perform the ritual in this room...”

Just like with Dettomorian, it was going to be a time-consuming process.

“Uh, Reinhart, it looks like I’ll have to stay in your room for the whole day...”

“Oh...”

Her usual clinginess was gone. Olivia Lanche was visibly nervous at the thought of having to spend a whole day in a boy’s room.

If she was going to get this nervous, she shouldn’t have acted that way in the first place.

She initiated everything, but now that it had come to this, why was she suddenly so frightened?

***

Performing the ritual in a safer place would be ideal, but there were no viable options available. We had to conduct the ritual inside my room. Even though the ritual could be performed in the room, there was always the risk of someone entering.

Ultimately, we decided to conduct the ritual in a specific part of my room to minimize the risk of interruption.

“... Is this really alright?”

“... There’s no other choice, really.”

Olivia decided to conduct the ritual in my bathroom. Once the door was closed, no one would know what was happening inside. Although the bathroom wasn’t that cramped, it wasn’t particularly spacious either.

Purifying a sacred artifact in a dorm room bathroom... What kind of situation was this?

“I’ll start right away, since we don’t know how long it will take.”

“How long do you think it will roughly take?”

“Well... Since I’ve never done it before, it could take all day or even longer.”

Fortunately, it was Saturday, so we had until the next day.

“Wouldn’t it be better to eat something first?”

“I’ll be fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

I had made the suggestion out of concern that Olivia might become physically exhausted, but she just smiled as if it was no big deal.

She placed the cursed Tiamata on the bathroom floor, then knelt down in front of it.

‘Oh my. In that position? For a whole day?’

I quickly fetched several cushions and handed them to Olivia.

“Hey, you’re going to wreck your knees like that.”

“Hm? Ah... yes. Thanks.”

Olivia placed the cushions on the floor and knelt on them.

“There’s nothing for you to thank me for, senior. I’m the one who should be grateful.”

After all, all her efforts weren’t for herself but for me. What I appreciated most was how she was willing to do everything she could without me even having to ask.

She believed that if a person could help someone, it was their duty to do so. She had to have lived her entire life with that mindset. She was a person completely different from me.

I just stood there, watching her begin her prayers.

I quietly observed as the power of the god of purity enveloped her entire body. A false prayer from someone who had abandoned their faith, yet her god still responded. Ouen continued to grant her power.

I wondered if Olivia Lanche felt grateful or disdainful that she was receiving power through a prayer that wasn’t genuine.

I watched silently from outside the bathroom as Olivia Lanche prayed.

***

Olivia had warned me that it would take a long time, so there was nothing for me to do but watch and wait. Divine Power emanated from Olivia’s body, enveloping the cursed sword. Something seemed to be happening, but the process was excruciatingly slow.

Olivia, who was conducting the ritual, might have sensed something, but she was so focused that I didn’t dare interrupt her.

If things continued like this, Olivia might end up fasting all day while performing the ritual. Would she be okay?

There was no need for me to do the same. Whether I was there or not, the ritual would progress, and there was no particular reason for me to watch over it.

Nevertheless, I decided not to have lunch. Someone was going through tremendous effort for my sake, so I couldn’t just casually go about eating and resting.

Even though it probably wouldn’t make a difference to Olivia Lanche whether I ate or not, I couldn’t feel at ease. I stayed in the room to guard against any potential interruptions, though honestly, no one was likely to come.

If anyone were to come, it would be Ellen, but if I didn’t show up at the training grounds, Ellen would probably just assume I was busy with something else and continue with her own activities—she wasn’t the type to come and call me.

Time passed with no interruptions.

***

There was an unspoken rule about practicing with Reinhart. To be precise, it wasn’t really a rule, but something that had naturally settled over time.

Practicing together with him was never a forced event. It always came as a natural thing. If it happened, it happened, and if not, it didn’t.

Ellen went to the training grounds almost every day, and so did Reinhart, though occasionally, he would skip practice to do other things. In such cases, Ellen would simply train by herself rather than go looking for Reinhart.

Of course, when they happened to cross paths, they would gesture to each other to suggest training together, but Ellen never insisted. This was how things had always been.

Therefore, Ellen usually didn’t mind if Reinhart didn’t show up; she would simply assume he was occupied with something else.

However, that day was different.

‘Why isn’t he coming?’

The same thought kept swimming through her mind.

Pak! Pa-Pak! Pak!

Aside from herself, only Cliffman was present in the training grounds.

‘Is he still with that senior? She should’ve already left by now.’

When Ellen had seen Olivia Lanche entering Reinhart’s room earlier on in the lobby, she just went to practice in the training grounds by herself.

Quite a bit of time had passed, and Olivia had to have left. Besides, Reinhart didn’t seem to like the idea of that senior hanging around in his room for too long either.

‘She must have left; it’s already past lunchtime.’

Yet, Reinhart hadn’t come down for lunch either.

‘Is he still in there? Doing what? Why does this even bother me? Why do I even care if he’s with someone or not? She must’ve left. Or maybe she’s still there?’

Ellen didn’t know why she was even bothered by this, but these conflicting thoughts were all tangled up in her mind—unidentified feelings crawled around like worms inside her.

This confusion felt strange and unpleasant. It was a feeling she had never experienced before—and she felt uncomfortable with herself for even having such emotions.

These were just distractions, she told herself. Merely emotions that would be of no help to her.

They wouldn’t aid her growth or her relationship with Reinhart in any meaningful way.

Reinhart was simply living his own life, so there was no reason for her to intrude further.

To Ellen, he was just a friend. Although he was a very precious person to her, she’d decided that he was still just a friend to her.

So, she needed to let it go. She had to let it go.

Pak. Pak! Pak! Crack! Creak! Crunch! Snap!

“...”

Ellen looked down coldly at the wreckage of what had once been a practice dummy. It was the practice dummy that had shattered, not the training sword.

“Uh... oh,” Cliffman commented.

Cliffman, who had been striking another dummy not far away, was looking at Ellen with a horrified expression, standing among the debris of the shattered practice dummy.

‘Did that actually break? What just happened?’ he thought.

Cliffman couldn’t believe what he was seeing, even with his own eyes.

“... What?” Ellen asked Cliffman sharply, who was staring at her with terrified eyes, as if asking if he had something to say.

“Uh, no... It’s nothing... Nothing at all, ma’am.”

Cliffman had unknowingly used a respectful tone with Ellen.

Reinhart didn’t show up at the dining hall for dinner either, and Ellen had a restless night.