Janet Ballantyne's point of view.


　--that was a memory from a few years ago.


　The Great Sage's classroom in the Highland Castle.
　The students are all 'brave' and 'priestesses' and other people who will be the core of the country in the future.
　I was only a 'super-grade knight', but I was forced to participate by Brother Gerald, the 'brave', to join.
　In the teaching platform, the great sage-sama with white hair and white rope floats fluffily and looks down on the students.

''Listen, hiyoko. In a lukewarm environment like yours, a thousand years ago, you'd be ground up in an instant.
'Oh?　No problem, old lady.
You can call me sir, you little shit.

　My brother is being kicked by the Great Sage.
　Huh.........................brother.

'Gerald, be serious.
　Sister Noel (nee) is chiding her brother in a dumbfounded tone of voice.
　Princess Noel is called the reincarnation of Saint Anna and is my brother's fiancée.
　She's the one I admire.　

　But we barely talk to each other these days.
　Because she is no longer my brother's fiancée.......
　I used to adore her like a big sister.

''Great Sage-sama, what abilities did Great Demon King Eveleth have?''
　I asked the Great Sage.

'Hmm, my sister is a good and serious girl. Let me answer. The most troublesome abilities of the Great Demon King are the 'reincarnation' and 'awakening' magic.
Reincarnation and awakening...?
What kind of magic is this?
　Me asking a question with my sister Noel.

''The demons under the Great Demon King's command come back to life even when they think they've defeated him. With 'reincarnation' magic.
Is it like the undead?
　But the Immortals are weak in solar magic.
　My brother and sister Noel can easily defeat them.

"They are not undead. I'm not an undead person. "I'm not undead, I'm reborn.
"'Higher beings'?
　The students and others nodded their heads at the unfamiliar words.

'You guys think this world is the only one, don't you?　But in reality, the world we live in is one of the countless 'Other Realms' such as the world we live in. Great Demon King Eveleth is from the Otherworld. It's also said that the world that Great Demon King Eveleth lived in is a world where there are many more powerful people than our world.

(...I'm not sure.)

　I didn't understand what the Great Sage-sama meant by that.
　But it seemed to be the same for the rest of my classmates.

''Ha!　Nonsense. You may be a demon king from the 'Other World', but you just need to cut him off!
　My brother is simple.
　The idea that strength is everything.
　But the Great Sage smiled in amusement.

'You have a lot of oomph, Gerald. But the higher beings are terrifying. We, the inhabitants of the lower world, can't even look at them. Just putting them in our line of sight is enough to make us mentally ill.
"..........
　You can't even look at it?
　That's not a foul!
　You can't help it.

''Well, a hero or priestess with the blessing of a goddess will be fine. And if you train your mental stability skills, even ordinary humans can resist a higher level existence. The other tricky thing is the 'abominable demons' created by the great demon king Eveleth.
　Abominable demons.
　The demons under the control of the Great Demon King that existed a thousand years ago.
　They seem to be completely different from the demons we usually fight with.

Master. Where is the abominable demon?
　As expected of my brother, he didn't repeat his rant.

The Demon King Eveleth, who came from the outside world, is a lonely man. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. The one who lost the battle is the abominable monster. It's a horrible looking monster that cannot be a living being in this world.

So it doesn't already exist?
　I questioned.

''I heard that there are some abominable demons left in the northern continent, but other than that, we've destroyed everything else. As long as someone doesn't create new ones, they won't meet them. I don't know of any 'reincarnation' magic users, except for the Great Demon Lord.
''Hmm, so if you fail, you're an abominable demon. Then what happens if you succeed in 'reincarnation'?
　My brother had a cocky tone and was asking questions.
　I was a little nervous, but it bothered me too.
　The Great Sage Master replied boringly, "It's only going to get stronger.

''The Demon Eye Seteker is a famous demon race that is famous for being a successful 'reincarnation'. An immortal who was weak to begin with was reborn into an advanced demon race with 'demon eyes' by the Great Demon Lord's magic.
Wasn't it the famous demon race that was defeated by the savior Abel-sama?
　Sister Noel adds.

'Yeah, that's right. The Setekar of the Magic Eye of Petrification and the Cain of the Apostle of Evil. By them, the brave men of a thousand years ago were wiped out except for Abel.

　This is also a famous fairy tale.

The Demon King Cain is called "The Messenger of the Evil God", "The Mad Hero", "The Natural Enemy of the Human Race" and so on.
　A thousand years ago, many brave men were killed by a single demon king.
　According to the legend, for some reason he didn't have any subordinates and went around the world alone to kill the heroes.

　It is said that he often worked with that guy, the demon tribe Setekar, who possessed the "Magic Eye of Petrification".
　According to the Great Sage, the Setekar were reincarnated by the Great Demon King.
　According to the legend, he was skilled enough to become a 'demon king', but he stubbornly refused to do so.

''Well, both were destroyed by Abel. Don't worry about it. "Well, they were both destroyed by Abel. They are self-less, non-living, incapable of procreation. But they are still living beings of the upper world. They will be eaten if they are carelessly challenged. If you do meet one, choose your fighting partners carefully. The weaker ones will only serve as fodder.
　Everyone is listening intently.

'Don't your arms beep...'
　My brother has a wry smile on his face.
　He really is a belligerent person........

　A few years later, when the report of the 'Abominable Dragon' appearing in the Great Labyrinth went up, brother Gerald was burning to go himself.
　Unfortunately, due to a political decision, it turned into a place where he had to take credit for the 'Brave Man of Light' who came from another world.......
　Back then, my brother was really rough around the edges.
　Lately, though, he's been happily training, saying he's going to take revenge on the Brave Man of Roses.

''One thing I can tell you is that if you meet an abominable demon, run away the first time. You can't just run away. It's not a decent fight. Unless you're a brave man. Ordinary guys just have to get used to it gradually.
""Yes!"
　The students responded with authority.
　Me too.

　But in truth, I couldn't imagine what the Great Sage-sama had said.
　Even if there was such a horrible demon, I'm sure that my brother, the 'Lightning Hero', and the Order of the Sun would be able to defeat it.
　And there's also the Great Sage.
　So it will be fine.
　That's what I thought a few years ago.　


　◇


　--And now.

　The scorched ruins of the Devil's Forest.
　The stagnant air was gathering in the area.

　The miasma was filling the area.
　And that's not all.

　--The high-pitched strange voice.
　--They were laughing.
　--I'm not going to be able to get it done.
　--I'm not going to be able to get it right.

　All of these voices blended together to create a cacophony of sound.
　I move my eyes only and look around fearfully.　

　We are surrounded by grotesque monsters whose black, slime skin is bobbing and bubbling like slime.
　The black monsters are squishy and shapeless, trying to become something.
　Or trying to be born.
　If I stare at it, I feel like my brain is going to go crazy.

　--My head hurts.
　--My hand goes numb.
　--She's shaking, she can't move.
　--I can't move.

(Is this the 'miasma of the underworld' that the Great Sage has been talking about?
　Oh, I'd rather be comfortable than stay here forever....


''Wind Spirit!　Blow it up!
　Rosalie-sama shouted, and the miasma was instantly blown away.

　I felt a little better.
　I no longer felt like I wanted to die as I did earlier.

''Ah...........................''
　I tried to speak, but I couldn't speak.
　...Have you forgotten how to speak?　
　How was I talking?
　That's when he tapped me gently on the shoulder.

'Miss Janet?　Are you okay?

　He called out in my ear and hugged me by the shoulders.
　There was the face of Mako, the brave man of Roses who was with me.
　I was relieved to see that face in the midst of the monsters.

''Ah, um........''
You're looking a little pale. You need to get some rest.
　Hearing his normal calm voice calmed me down.
　I had the brave Makoto give me a recovery pill.　　
　Gradually, my mind began to relax.
　Suddenly, I looked around at my friends nearby.

(.........eh?　(What is this...)

　Everyone in the elven village who came to help me and the knights in my squad are on their knees.
　Some of them have fainted.

　The only ones who have managed to keep their composure are Rosalie-sama, the Wind Tree Brave, a warrior girl called Aya, ... and Takatsuki Makoto.
　The others are looking like sick people.

'Oi, Lucy. Do you want some water?
Uh, yeah...
　Makoto, the brave man of Roses, has left my side to care for his friends.

(You could have stayed with me a little longer... what are you thinking!
　I'm the captain of the Pegasus Knights.
　I rush over to my fellow knights in a hurry.
　But the body is heavy.
　At least everyone seems to be conscious.

Use your 'calm' skills. Also, don't stare at the appearance of the abominable demons. Especially the demon king, you must not stare at him. Your mind will be contaminated. Mackey boy and I are going to fight him. Do you have the wooden goddess's (Freya's) holy sword?
"Yes. Miss Rosalee.

　Apparently, the Red Lotus Witch and the Wind Tree Brave take on the Demon King.
　Maximilian, the hero of the Wind Tree, grips the sword at his waist.

''Can you free the holy sword?''
　Rosalie-sama asks.
　A brave person who has the Goddess's blessing can use "Liberation" to draw 100% of the power of the Goddess's Sacred Sword.

　There are only seven holy swords in the world, the Holy Sword of the Goddess.
　Only the goddess's heroes can use it to free themselves.
　My brother Gerald also made a blood-soaked effort to train himself to master the Sun Goddess's (Altena) Holy Sword 'Caliburn'.

''Yes!　Lady Rosalie!
　The hero of the Wind Tree holds a large sword, even larger than his massive dragonhearted physique.
　The blade shines green and a refreshing breeze blows in the air.


　--Goddess of Wood (Freya) bless you!


　Along with the words of Maximilian, the Wind Tree's hero, I found a warm magical power flooding around him.
　The expressions of the elves and knights around him, including me, soften.

(Ah, great. This is the power of a brave man........)

　The hope of humanity, blessed by the goddess and leading everyone to fight.
　He will surely defeat the Demon King.....
　Probably, the people around them thought so too.

''Hmm, I'd say it's fifty percent?''
　However, Rosalie-sama the Red Lotus Witch's voice was hard.

''Ha, yes. I was only finally able to free her about a year ago...''
　Wind Tree's heroic Maximilian with an apologetic look on his face.
　It seemed to me that the release of the holy sword wasn't good enough, but apparently it wasn't good enough.
　Come to think of it, hadn't my brother also been told by the Great Sage Master that he's still 70% of the way there?

''It would be fine if I could fight with all my might........ I'm using my magic power to prevent the petrification curse from spreading throughout my body, so I can't be serious...
What a...
　Rosalie-sama has a troubled look on her face.
　Hearing this, the wind tree hero's expression becomes grim.

''How about we go to Canaan's village by spatial transfer once and have the priestess break the curse?
　Makoto, the brave man of Roses, suggested.
　Well!　There's a way!

''I don't know if it's possible, no matter how many priestesses you are, it will take a long time to break the curse of the 'petrifying magic eye'. In the meantime, we'll be wiped out.
Well....
　At Rosalie-san's reply, the heroic Makoto slumped his shoulders.

''Also, do you have a holy sword, Leo-kun, the brave man of ice and snow?
''I'm sorry, but I'm not yet authorized to take the Water Goddess's Holy Sword Ascalon out of the country. I'm not an adult so...
Well, of course.
　When we were having such a conversation.

　
　--Shaaah!


Huh!
　Someone screams.
　Suddenly, a black, bird-like demon attacked me.
　However, the bird had wings and a body, but its head was nonexistent.
　There were dozens of large mouths on its body.
　An abominable demon!

''Fire magic, flaming arrows.''
　Rosalie's magic became a flash of light and struck the demon.
　The bird-like demon, which has a large hole in its body, is flapping and writhing in agony.
　But it never stopped moving.
　It kept flapping around and moving.
　It was a bizarre scene.

　........Why isn't it dying from that?

"It's not good - the demons surrounding us are like abominable demons that became undead under the influence of the 'Immortal King' Bifrons. They are tougher than ordinary demons.
　'Oh, I'm in trouble,' he said, pondering.

''Rosalie-sama. I will defeat the 'Immortal King' Bifrons. With this wooden goddess (Freya)-sama's holy sword Clerant.
　Maximilian, the Wind Tree's hero, says the words with determination.

''Hmm, but with the fifty percent liberation holy sword, I wonder if we can defeat it...''
But there's another way!　
　The opinions are parallel.


''Um~, Rosalie. Can't you use my divine weapon?


　The Red Lotus Witch and the Wind Tree Brave were looking grim, when the Roses Brave interrupted them.
　Why is this man so calm?

''Makoto-dono I appreciate the sentiment, but the Demon King can only be defeated with the Holy Sword.
　The wind tree hero refused the offer.
　But the Red Lotus Witch's eyes changed.

''Hmm?　Wait, wait. A sacred weapon is that dagger?
Yes, it was a gift from the goddess.
　Rosalie-sama stared at the blade of the dagger.

'Let me go and show you.'
What is liberation?
Whatever you do, show me the power of the dagger.
Huh....

　Scratching his head, he holds the dagger upwards.

Master Eil please. Well, that's an advance...

　I heard him whispering and mumbling something.
　What was he saying?
　I was trying to get close enough to hear it.



　--Huh, I don't blame you. Mako...



　A faint voice resounded in my head, I thought it was my imagination.

　For a moment, I could see 'someone's hand' gripping the dagger of the heroic Makoto.
　I was dazzled by the sheer divinity of it.
　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing as the abominable demons and the demon king that I saw earlier, but a sense of intimidation that is incomparable to the abominable demons and the demon king that I saw earlier hit me.


　--I'm not going to be able to get out of it.
　--with a breath-taking sense of urgency.
　--I felt a chill as if I'd been thrown naked into the frigid cold.

(Wha... what? !　

　At that time.
　All at once, the abominable demons turned around.
　A demon with a body as big as a small mountain - even a demon king.

　All the demons were staring at Takatsuki Makoto.

　The one that could destroy them.