The Impersonating Daimaou Wants to be Hated (WN): Chapter 48

 

Chapter 48: Aquim-kun, Talks About Resolution

"Haa, I did it again"

 The teacher scolded me for my lack of concentration, and I finished my daily magic practice longer time than I usually spend on it. I was in a slump that I had never experienced since I was born, at a time when I should be thinking seriously about my future career.

"It's all his fault."

 What comes to mind is Aquim, the man with the vile smile on his face, the man who used his father's power as a shield and did whatever he pleased. It no longer mattered how that scumbag had become the Knight of Light, or what kind of trick he had used. The question is...

"Onee-chan……"

 The face of my beloved sister, who is strict with herself and others, but is really very kind, comes to mind. Whenever I recall the last time I saw her face, the look of resignation on her face, I feel the urge to go to her rescue right away.

"I wish I could somehow convince mother..."

 But I knew that would be the hardest thing to do. Mother wouldn't have wanted to send my sister to that scum. But as the head of the Shield family, she can't break the rules and the country based on her personal feelings.

 That is why I wish I could do something about it on my own, but he is now as powerful or more powerful than the head of the Shield family. And now, no matter where I go, I am always surrounded by guards. Although I should be thankful for a situation where I cannot do stupid things even if I wanted to, thinking calmly about it makes me want to ridicule myself for how stressful it can be.

"But I still want to do something."

 No matter what kind of reason they laid out for me, I couldn't accept the idea of my beloved sister spending her precious life on such a piece of trash. So, even though I understood that my thoughts were not going to produce any results, I was going to devote myself to planning a strategy to get my sister backーー or so I thought.

 Bam*!! And then, something tremendous hit my whole body, forcing me to pull back my thoughts, which were starting to escape from reality.

"W-what?"

 I was not attacked. No physical damage was done. However, this unbelievable pressure is still hanging over me. This isーー

"Mother!?"

 Unable to stand still due to the unspeakable anxiety, I ran toward the office where my mother was expected to be at this time. But there was someone in the office.

"Emergency, Rosina-sama. Suddenly a high energy reaction in the sky above the northern town. It's unbelievable, all of our instruments are off the charts except for 01. I think it's a ryu!"

 The woman must have been in a panic because a scream-like report reaches me through the slightly opened door.

"...Ryu?"

 The words I thought I knew sounded like an otherworldly words. Before my thoughts could correctly grasp the meaning of the word, I heard a woman's voice, the complete opposite of the panicking woman.

"Calm down. I'm heading to Floria-sama's place. After you issue a Type 1 emergency alert, tell the observation team to forward me all the data they are able to measure right now."

"T-type 1? That would be an evacuation order due to a large-scale disaster hitting the royal capital, um, are you sure?"

“The appearance of the natural disaster level monster this time. Considering the timing, the Demon King's army is definitely involved. If they are serious about destroying the Kingdom of Light and resurrecting the Daimaou, they will first and foremost come to defeat Floria-sama. Then there is a high possibility that the royal capital will become the battlefield. If you understand, quickly issue an evacuation order and lead the people of the capital to the shelter."

"Y-yes."

 Mother's voice was always harsh, except when she was practicing magic. As if pushed by my mother's voice, the door to her office was completely opened and her subordinates ran down the corridor as if they were trying to escape. I watched their backs in dismay, then rushed to my mother.

"Mother."

“Tiara. Just in time. Immediately evacuate the non-combatants to the shelter in the basement. I'm going to Floria-sama now, so I won't be able to take care of anything else. I will send someone else to guide the people of the capital, so please take care of the rest. If there are other people that you want to put in the shelter, you can do so at your discretion. However, even though the shelter is quite large, the number of people allowed is naturally limited. Please make sure you draw the right line."

“Wait, Mother. Northern Town is where the magic stone is, right? Isn't that where onee-chan is heading right now?"

 Mother had given me strict orders not to get involved with onee-chan for the time being, but I am also the daughter of the head of the Shield family. It was not an easy task to investigate onee-chan's movements, the attendant of the Knight of Light, but it was not something I could not do.

 Does she get angry immediately after asking an emotional question? But to my surprise, mother smiled and patted me on the head.

"...As expected of my daughter. You did your research well. But don't worry. Aina is with them. Elana will be fine. I'm sure...... she will be."

 After saying that as if to convince herself, and without letting me open my mouth again, mother rushed away.

"...Aina-san, huh?"

 Of course, I know her well. A spellcaster the same age as my mother, she is the best in the Shield family. She has a tremendous track record, having defeated one of the four generals and a dragon single-handedly in the past, and there is no room to doubt her abilities, but if you ask me if she can stand up to the awe-inspiring typhoon-like presence on the edge of the Kingdom of Light, wellーー

 I opened the window and looked outside. The sky had been cloudless, but the dark clouds are spreading rapidly. It reminded me of the coming of despair, and a cold shiver ran down my spine as I involuntarily looked up at the sky.

"Onee-chan. You're okay, right?"

 As I could see my sister's face in my mind. I found myself praying.

"Founder-sama. Please protect onee-chan."

 The legendary being who gave mankind great knowledge of magic and defeated the evil known as the Daimaou. Is he or she also concerned about the current situation somewhere? If so, I hope he or she will think of the Kingdom of Light more than anyone else and help onee-chan who even offered her purity. I prayed from the bottom of my heart.

 And then a thought came to me.

 Founder-sama, where are you now and what are you doing?

...

 Alriiiightt!! A great opportunity has arrived. I struck a gut-punch in my heart at the ryu who showed itself to me. I never thought that such a development would be waiting, this is a gift from heaven (myself) to me and Aquim-kun, who has been good to me. Ahahaha! Not good~!! I'm so fucking excited~!!!

"I never would have guessed that this dragon was more than likely a servant of a ryu."

 Aina-san muttered in dismay near Aquim-kun, whose cheeks were twitching as I tried not to burst out laughing.

 The only time an adult dragon uses resonance is when it becomes the servant of an overwhelmingly powerful creature and accepts its patronage. However, this situation would not normally arise. Some dragons have many servants, but the absolutely strong dragons do not care so much whether their servants live or die. The servants are always at the service of the master, not the other way around. Therefore, this situation in which it tried to use its master in its own predicament by using resonance is a very special kind of situation.

 And as the Daimaou, I already knew the trick. It is Satanalia. The dark magic she specializes in is interfering with mental materials. I think she used it to make the dragon they were using as a pawn seems like a special individual that the "Blade" would want to save if it heard its resonance.

 It takes a bit of work, it's simple, but...... I don't believe for a second that they would interfere with the "Blade's" mental material.

 It would have been impossible for Satanalia, at least as far back as I know, three hundred years ago, to interfere so deeply with the mental material of a creature as powerful as the "Blade", let alone to create hallucinations or something of that nature.

 I can picture a friendly succubus in my mind. However, she had little ambition, and although she understood exactly one thing when I taught her one, and one hundred when I taught her a hundred, she did not try to sublimate the one she had learned into like the other disciples, but rather played around. Because of this, she was unquestionably the weakest of all the disciples, but she never worried about that, did she? It was a pleasant surprise to see that Satanalia had grown so much.

“Mina, what are you doing! Quickly take Laura and the others and run away.”

"I can't leave Elana-senpai behind."

 Even at times like this, Mina-san is calm. However, Elana-san, who values her mission as an attendant, did not act as usual. She turned an unusually stern face toward Mina-san.

"This is no time for that! Forget about me, just hurry up and......"

 Bam*!! The earth shook. The "Blade" that had been looking down at us in the sky above came down.

"Tch."

"Kuh."

"..."

 Elana-san and the other three were frightened by the strongest creature that landed in front of us, but they took a fighting stance. The "Blade" did not look at Elana-san and the others, but touched the wounded dragon with the tip of its nose in a worried manner, and then used transfer magic to send the dragon back to the Dark Continent.

 Perhaps the natural disaster in front of us will also leave as it is? Without saying a word, I could see that everyone present was hoping for that. However, as if to remove such a wish, a shiver ran through Elana-san and the others.

 It was a lucky thing that the three of them were able to avoid it.

 I looked at it and saw that the tail had somehow extended several dozen meters. Stimulated by their survival instincts, Elana-san and the other three leaped from the spot with all their might, just after that moment.

 "Death" ran across the top of the mountain.

 The "Blade" swung its tail, which had been extended for nearly a hundred meters. The energy generated from it was so great that a mountain as high as the one seen in the distance, the peak of which was splattered like a human head.

“Lauraaa!!”

"Ah, shit!"

 The three people, prompted by their instincts, succeeded in evading the situation, but immediately after the leap, they remembered the presence of the ordinary people, who could not follow them, and turned pale.

 The people in the northern town, not to mention Laura-san, are protected by Aina-san's barrier, but after witnessing the "dragon's" blow that tore through even the mountains in the distance, they must have thought it was nothing more than a flimsy piece of paper.

 After the dust from the heavy scrapping of the ground cleared away, there was a heap of corpses spreading out. Not only Mina-san, who shouted her best friend's name, but also Elana-san and Aina-san must have been prepared for it. However...

“A-Aquim… senpai?”

 Laura-san looked up at Aquim-kun next to her with a stunned look on her face.

"What?"

 Aquim-kun responded in his usual blunt tone, but his appearance was terrible. His left arm was shredded halfway through, and the blood pouring from it turned half of his body red, creating a puddle of blood on the ground. The holy sword, which had been damaged by Kasadora, was shattered and turned into a mere scrap of iron as if it was the price for receiving the dragon's blow.

 For that price, Aquim-kun protected Laura-san and the people of the northern town. (Well, in truth, I could have prevented the attack without any injuries, but this should make them appreciate it more.)

"L-let me see your wounds."

 Laura-san, who was confused, probably did not understand that she and the people of the northern town were transported to another place, but she did know that Aquim-kun had saved her. She approached Aquim-kun and invoked her healing magic.

"You idiot, save your mana to protect yourself."

"We don't have time for this! It's all right. I'm not as good as Mina and Elana-senpai, but I'm good enough."

 Laura-san desperately performs a healing spell on Aquim-kun. It is excellent magic considering her age, but she is still an ordinary person. It's so textbook that it makes me want to cry.

 I remove Laura-san from my mind and look at the three people in the air. When the three of them saw that Aquim-kun had taken a stand to protect the people of Northern Town, they looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement.

 And then mana and curse power are released from the three of them. The chanting of the young challengers, who are taking on the strongest creature, echoes in the sky.

"The king of the blazing flames. Wield your raging fury and burn away all mercy."

"The queen of the frozen snow, with a mournful lamentation that blows, lulling the living into a sleep of despair."

"O chaos of great beginnings. Blessed be your lineage. Our ancestors are the Absolute. Let all that avenge our blood be driven with their wrath into the abyss."

 Then the three voices join together.

"""Composite Magic [Five Elements Opposition ・Chaos]''''''

 Aina-san's power, who became a vampire and drew her power from Chaos, is a good thing by itself, but when Elana-san and Mina-san's magic is added to it, it generates a power equivalent to or greater than tactical level magic performed by an army of several hundred to nearly a thousand people.

 A mass of power that could blow away this mountaintop. Even if it is a ryu, the three of them might have thought that it would not go unscathed.......

 The "Blade" turned its gaze to the magic falling from the sky in a leisurely motion and opened its mouth slowly. And thenーー everything blew up without a trace.

 Dragon's breath. The mass of mana released from its mouth easily defeated the magic that the three of them had created with all of their skills and power, and swallowed all three of them as it was.

 Laura-san's eyes widened.

“A lie!? It's a lie!? Mina? Elana-senpai? N-no way!? W-wait!?... M-Minaaa!!"

"Shut up. They'll be fine."

 A light occurred next to the distraught Laura-san as Aquim-kun coldly said to her.

"...What!?"

"That... surprised me."

 Elana-san and Aina-san, who appeared as if they were replacing the light, looked around, and then made a startled expression. Fufufu. Isn't it amazing? Spatial magic is said to be one of the most difficult of all magic arts, but Aquim-kun is able to do this, isn't he amazing?

 Laura-san hugs Mina-san next to Aquim-kun, who has a smug face.

“Mina! Thank god!”

"...Laura. Is this... this scum's doing?"

 Mina-san also seems to be surprised at Aquim-kun's fine play. But still, what a trashy name she came up with on the spur of the moment. It seems that Aquim-kun's name in Mina-san's head is in the process of changing.

 Fufufufu. But Mina-san? How long can you call Aquim-kun scum when you see the good-looking Aquim-kun now...... wait, "Blade-chan"? Why are you staring at Aquim-kun with half-open eyes? You've got the wrong guy. The god who took your sword collection that you worked so hard to create hundreds of years ago is me, the Daimaou, not Aquim-kun, you know? Please don't make false accusations.

"...Alright. I'm going to transfer you guys to the northern town now. I'll take care of this."

 Let's get Elana-san and the others out of here before the "Blade" says or does anything else. And while we're at it, let's make Aquim-kun look like a hero who stands alone in a hopeless battle.

 Fufufufu. This perfect improvisation is as good as the dragon, who seems to have roots in a bit of mischievousness from a few hundred years ago. It's me, isn't it?

"Aquim-senpai, you can't do it with that injury. Besides, the holy sword is."

"You idiot! It doesn't matter if I have a sword or not! I've been prepared for this situation ever since I decided to become the Knight of Light. I'm not going to back down now."

"...Aquim."

 Elana-san is lightly moved when she sees Aquim-kun talking about his resolve as the Knight of Light. Beside her, Mina-san is making the most delicious expression ever. Oh dear. This dragon incident has made Elana-san's likability rise up. As for me, I would like to be hated more, but no, saying that it is hard to be a popular guy is a word that seems to be for you, Aquim-kun. Hahaha.

 I turn to Elana-san and the others with a crisp expression that says "I'm ready", careful not to actually burst out laughing.

"That's why I'm sending you guys to the northern town, but when you get there, don't move around, put up some barriers and stay quiet."

"Wait, Aquim. I'm staying too."

 I knew that Elana-san would say that, but if possible, I would be happy if she could go somewhere just in case the "Blade" spoke to me...

"You sure? I can't afford to take care of you."

“I am your attendant. I'm sorry, but if you've decided that this is where you're going to die, I can't help but go along with you."

"If that's the case, I can't just leave Elana Ojou alone and survive on my own."

"I will stay."

"Mina, you can't. Go back to the northern town with Laura."

"...No."

"Mina!"

 Elana-san turns her stern face and voice to Mina-san like a mother scolding her child, but of course, Mina-san is not intimidated by such a thing. Or rather, the two of them have a lot of time on their hands, don't they? Arguing in front of the "Blade".

 If you look at the "Blade", it is still staring at Aquim-kun with the same half-open eyes as before. Well, no matter how hard you look at me, you will never be able to see through my mimicry, but I guess it will understand if we fought, right?

“Oi, you guys, how long are you going to play this nonsense at a time like this? If you keep babbling on and on, I'll send you both to the northern town."

 When Aquim-kun said that, both of them stopped arguing with each other. Fuu... I really wanted to be alone with the "Blade," but I guess that's part of the experience.

"Jeez. I'll punish you guys later. Especially you, Mina, you're a slave but you're being selfish, so be prepared."

"...Do whatever you like."

 Okay, now that I've got her word, what should I do? No, let's not worry about that now, let's just quickly send Laura-san and the others to the northern town. The "Blade" is Arama's work, and it's very inflexible. I think it will attack us without reading the mood.

"Elana, Mina stays. No complaints, okay?"

"...If you decide so, I will follow it."

 Aw, cute. It's nice to be even cuter on the bed, you know?

"But Aquim-sama. Can you transfer this number of people with a broken holy sword?"

 Aquim-kun smiles fearlessly at Aina-san's question.

“You idiot. It's not a matter of whether I can or can't do it. If I have to fuck, I'll just fuck. And I'm telling you guys, I have no intention of dying. If I'm going to fight, I'm going to win. That's a given."

 That's a good point, Aquim-kun. Okay, let's put on a show here, shall we?

 I secretly used my power to make Aquim-kun's holy sword glow.

"What? Is this."

"The blade of the holy sword... is being restored?"

 In front of Elana-san and the others, Aquim-kun's holy sword is instantly restored, or rather, transformed into a different sword than before.

"Does the holy sword have such a function? Or maybe..."

 Fufufufu. That's right, Elana-san. This is a miracle that only Aquim-kun can do. It's an amazing thing, right? Please tell everyone about it when you get home.

"Keh. Looks like my luck hasn't run out yet."

 Aquim-kun smiles as he holds up his new holy sword. Umu. It might be good to say that Aquim-kun is full of hard-boiled charm.

 As I was contemplating Aquim-kun's new charms, Laura-san came running up to me at a tremendous speed.

"Amazing. Isn't it amazing, Aquim-senpai! I'm sure Founder-sama is watching over Aquim-senpai."

 Oh, that's just great. It is a pitifully cute creature to be so pleased by such a magic trick. Let's play a good boy next time.

"Heh. Don't get so excited, you idiot. I'll send you on your way. Are you ready?"

“Yes... U-um, Aquim-senpait. Good lu..."

 The transfer was completed before Laura-san could finish. Now only three people remain in this place, except for Aquim-kun and the "Blade," Elana-san, Mina-san, and Aina-san...... Oya? Something about the "Blade" looks funny. It is true that the holy sword was originally a weapon created from the "Blade's" treasured collection, but the sword I am holding now (not restored, just replaced with another sword, so the sword I am holding now is different from the one I was holding earlier) and the sword I am holding earlier are both the same holy sword, so it is not something that the "Blade" should be reacting to now......

 However, it seems that the "Blade" has completely realized that it is me, the Daimaou due to my action. This is troubling. I am a very good friend of the "Blade". I'm sure it must be difficult for it to fight when it realizes that its opponent is me...

“GYAAAAAAA!!!!”

 The roar was so fierce that it hit our bodies with a physical impact.

“What? What is it? It seems to be ready to kill us all of a sudden. It's giving off a much more deadly vibe than it did before."

"Perhaps it was astonished by Aquim's power. It's serious. Everyone, don't let your guard down."

 Elana-san, nice follow-up. As expected, she is an attendant. While I was secretly moved, Mina-san tilted her head.

"...Doesn't it just hate Aquim?"

 Hahaha. Mina-san sometimes says crazy things. If you keep saying strange things, I'll fuck you until you cry again.

"It doesn't matter. Let's do it."

"Understood."

"Okay"

“…………”

 The set-up is perfect so far. All that remains is to defeat the "Blade," and the first page of Aquim-kun's memorable heroic tale will be a spectacular one.

 There is just one problem. Yes, don't forget. There is an existence in this country that could intervene at any time. I have created a wonderful situation with my nice scheme (or coincidence, depending on who you ask), but I cannot afford to have unnecessary trouble.

 So, I tried to look at the situation with my "eyes". And thenーー

...

"This place is?"

 Immediately after I thought my vision was enveloped in light before I knew it, the light was gone and the surrounding scenery had changed completely.

"Oooh! Move, I could move!"

"It's true! My body is moving! It's moving!!"

 Aquim-senpai's power had broken the demonic curse that had been hanging over the people of the northern town. Many of them lost consciousness, but many others were shaking with joy and shouting like mad.

"I can't believe it. Who is that man?"

"Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Didn't you hear? That is the new Knight of Light, Aquim Bonvoul."

"What? That man?"

"Eh? Aquim, isn't that?"

"Hey, don't say that. He is our benefactor."

 Rumors about Aquim-senpai seem to have reached this far, as expected of the Knight of Light…… It’s not hard to imagine what the rumors are about. Just when I was about to smile wryly at that, a big explosion occurred at the top of the mountain and the ground shook violently.

"It began."

 A knight of light and a ryu. A battle like the one told in fairy tales, but in this modern age. The image of Aquim-senpai, wounded but still behaving as usual, flashed through my mind. In the end, my power was not enough to completely heal Aquim-senpai's injuries.

"Good luck... no. Please don't die."

 It irritates me that I can only pray. For the first time in my life, I resented my incompetence.