Chapter 69: Ashes and Scars
"This... I've made a mistake in how I reported it."
As I approached Zevion, who had fallen to the ground, he said that.
Not understanding what he was talking about, I furrowed my brows, and he closed his eyes and smiled.
"Rather than sealing, you are the obstacle to us," he said.
...So he wanted to say that he could deal with the door somehow.
"What's in the Moonlight Temple?"
"I don't know. He said there was something that would alleviate my boredom. That's what he said. I was tired of days of doing nothing but burn these insignificant people. So, I cooperated."
Come to think of it... he did mention being bored earlier. He had such a sword-swallowing ability. There probably wasn't anyone who could match him...
From inside his body, from the edge of his wound, flames erupted.
"But in the end, I had a delightful fight."
Just like that, Zevion's entire body burned. From within the flames, I heard his voice. Watching as even the last handful of ashes scattered into the sky and were carried away by the wind, I narrowed my eyes.
...Alleviate Zevion's boredom, huh? Considering his tastes and preferences, it seems like a dangerous thing for humans, no matter how you look at it.
"Theo!"
I heard Grace's voice.
"Ouch..."
I tried to turn around and ended up grimacing.
I must have relaxed because I heard Grace's voice after the battle. Or maybe it was the burning pain of the burns coming back to my senses. I seemed to be writhing lightly.
The one that hurts the most is probably the one on my side, which I narrowly avoided with my martial arts. Well, none of them seem serious, so it's a good deal as a price for defeating a demon of that class.
"Theo... You're injured all over like this."
"They're not that serious, so don't worry. I can just use healing magic."
As I channeled healing magic into my hands, Grace said with a worried look.
"N-No, that won't work! Using emergency healing magic will leave burn marks!"
"...I see. Well then, let's go back and ask Ashlei. What about you, Grace? The demon said that if he dies, the fog's influence will disappear, but are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine. But..."
From the distant sky, I could see the knights returning. Seeing their expressionless faces...
"The familiar escaped, huh?"
"...I'm sorry. I tried to chase it for a while, but it disappeared when we defeated the demon."
"Well, there's nothing to be done about it."
If it couldn't be found with the speed and vision of a wyvern, it would be impossible. Besides, Zalbassh probably spread that mist to prevent pursuit. Even if we tried to chase it by skillfully spreading Zalbassh, it would have been futile.
That dorsal fin looked like a shark or a dolphin or something—definitely not a normal creature. If a marine-type familiar like that submerged and seriously tried to escape, capturing and tracking it would be difficult.
Zalbassh said that the report was incomplete. I wonder how much of an obstacle it actually became.
In terms of actual damage... I think it was minimized. Some buildings were destroyed in the process of luring it into the high sky, but...
"I've seen something amazing."
And then, riding on a ground dragon, Mildred and Mercedes appeared.
"How's the damage?"
"My subordinates are checking the damaged buildings now. If there are any injured, they've been instructed to transport them... Well, we were already evacuating, so it should be okay, right? I'll make sure not to blame you for the damaged facilities."
"Thank you."
Especially the inn. We blew its walls away.
"You guys are the most deserving of praise this time. Leave the rest of the minor details to us. I think you'll be contacted by the castle later... but you should be fine for today."
If that's the case. Let's leave the cleanup and the report to the knights and go home with Grace.
"How is it?"
Ashlei looked worried. Sheila and Ilmhilt also had somewhat gloomy expressions.
"Well... it's cold and refreshing. But it's also a bit... ticklish."
I returned home and sat on a long chair.
Under Rosetta's supervision, Ashlei applied healing magic for burns. She did it for me, no matter what injuries I had. Apparently, they were waiting for us together.
"Please endure it. I'm restoring the burnt part underneath to its original state," Rosetta says with a wry smile.
Various water-like membranes are attached to different parts of my body.
Water-based healing magic, Healing Shell. Effective for injuries where damaged tissue is indistinguishable from undamaged tissue, such as necrosis or burns.
In BFO, it was more of a sustained recovery effect. I didn't feel the need for it, so I skipped it. But I never expected this kind of tingling sensation from the magic.
"However, the scar on your side will remain. Oh, don't get me wrong. It's not about Ashley's arm. It would be the same if I did it."
"What about the cheek—"
Ashley's voice sounds concerned.
"Well, I think it'll be okay."
Rosetta tilts her head slightly. Ashley seemed relieved, trusting her judgment. Well, I don't really mind either way.
"By the way, did you mention 'Zevion of the Blazing Heat'? Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah, that's what he called himself."
"To come across someone like that and only end up with these minor injuries is surprising."
"Do you know him?"
"He caused quite a commotion as a demon in the Growphonica Kingdom a while ago. I hadn't heard his name recently, so I thought he might have come over here."
Growphonica. The neighboring country to the west.
He caused significant damage while battling demons. Was it Zevion's doing? I think this happened before I was born. Linette always went by Linette, but perhaps Zevion used a pseudonym because he had such a notorious reputation.
Rosetta looks somewhat amazed. Well, if you're going to fight him, it's all or nothing.
If you take a direct hit, it's over, and even if you don't, continued combat would likely become impossible. So, if he won, minor injuries are reasonable. Burns could be considered an unavoidable expense.
"By the way, what's the plan for tomorrow? Back to the labyrinth?"
Rosetta asks as she gets up.
"Well, we'll take a few days off."
"I'm relieved to hear that."
I smile wryly at Rosetta's words. I'm fine with the burns, but it's more of a psychological thing.
There are also future tasks to consider. Trying to do all the flying techniques by myself seems difficult, but if there are individualized support tools, it should be sufficient for aerial combat.
Since the demon's goal is the labyrinth, there's a high likelihood of future battles with demons. Given the turmoil in the Greg faction after this incident, the resistance force is likely weakened, making it a good opportunity.
"Well, for today, it's enough that we're safe."
"We'll take a look at the western district."
Rosetta smiles and gets up, and Sheila and Ilmhillt follow suit.
Well then, we'll have to think about anti-air equipment and such. And about the demon.
There are many things to consider, but I've decided to take it easy today.
When my gaze meets Grace's, she smiles with satisfaction.
It seems this time had quite a recoil. Since Salvashe's tactics were what they were, she seems to have gotten quite angry with her. That also seemed to have dragged the vampire side quite a bit.
Grace said she's fine, but I should check her condition with Circulation Qi just in case.
As a side note, the main damage this time seems to have been that there were no casualties, but there was a hole in Sheila and Ilmhillt's hideout roof in the western district.
...Hmm. Damage pinpointed to a loved one's place. They were actually laughing about it. It was the right call to have them evacuated.
Chapter 69: Ashes and Scars
"This... I've made a mistake in how I reported it."
As I approached Zevion, who had fallen to the ground, he said that.
Not understanding what he was talking about, I furrowed my brows, and he closed his eyes and smiled.
"Rather than sealing, you are the obstacle to us," he said.
...So he wanted to say that he could deal with the door somehow.
"What's in the Moonlight Temple?"
"I don't know. He said there was something that would alleviate my boredom. That's what he said. I was tired of days of doing nothing but burn these insignificant people. So, I cooperated."
Come to think of it... he did mention being bored earlier. He had such a sword-swallowing ability. There probably wasn't anyone who could match him...
From inside his body, from the edge of his wound, flames erupted.
"But in the end, I had a delightful fight."
Just like that, Zevion's entire body burned. From within the flames, I heard his voice. Watching as even the last handful of ashes scattered into the sky and were carried away by the wind, I narrowed my eyes.
...Alleviate Zevion's boredom, huh? Considering his tastes and preferences, it seems like a dangerous thing for humans, no matter how you look at it.
"Theo!"
I heard Grace's voice.
"Ouch..."
I tried to turn around and ended up grimacing.
I must have relaxed because I heard Grace's voice after the battle. Or maybe it was the burning pain of the burns coming back to my senses. I seemed to be writhing lightly.
The one that hurts the most is probably the one on my side, which I narrowly avoided with my martial arts. Well, none of them seem serious, so it's a good deal as a price for defeating a demon of that class.
"Theo... You're injured all over like this."
"They're not that serious, so don't worry. I can just use healing magic."
As I channeled healing magic into my hands, Grace said with a worried look.
"N-No, that won't work! Using emergency healing magic will leave burn marks!"
"...I see. Well then, let's go back and ask Ashlei. What about you, Grace? The demon said that if he dies, the fog's influence will disappear, but are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine. But..."
From the distant sky, I could see the knights returning. Seeing their expressionless faces...
"The familiar escaped, huh?"
"...I'm sorry. I tried to chase it for a while, but it disappeared when we defeated the demon."
"Well, there's nothing to be done about it."
If it couldn't be found with the speed and vision of a wyvern, it would be impossible. Besides, Zalbassh probably spread that mist to prevent pursuit. Even if we tried to chase it by skillfully spreading Zalbassh, it would have been futile.
That dorsal fin looked like a shark or a dolphin or something—definitely not a normal creature. If a marine-type familiar like that submerged and seriously tried to escape, capturing and tracking it would be difficult.
Zalbassh said that the report was incomplete. I wonder how much of an obstacle it actually became.
In terms of actual damage... I think it was minimized. Some buildings were destroyed in the process of luring it into the high sky, but...
"I've seen something amazing."
And then, riding on a ground dragon, Mildred and Mercedes appeared.
"How's the damage?"
"My subordinates are checking the damaged buildings now. If there are any injured, they've been instructed to transport them... Well, we were already evacuating, so it should be okay, right? I'll make sure not to blame you for the damaged facilities."
"Thank you."
Especially the inn. We blew its walls away.
"You guys are the most deserving of praise this time. Leave the rest of the minor details to us. I think you'll be contacted by the castle later... but you should be fine for today."
If that's the case. Let's leave the cleanup and the report to the knights and go home with Grace.
"How is it?"
Ashlei looked worried. Sheila and Ilmhilt also had somewhat gloomy expressions.
"Well... it's cold and refreshing. But it's also a bit... ticklish."
I returned home and sat on a long chair.
Under Rosetta's supervision, Ashlei applied healing magic for burns. She did it for me, no matter what injuries I had. Apparently, they were waiting for us together.
"Please endure it. I'm restoring the burnt part underneath to its original state," Rosetta says with a wry smile.
Various water-like membranes are attached to different parts of my body.
Water-based healing magic, Healing Shell. Effective for injuries where damaged tissue is indistinguishable from undamaged tissue, such as necrosis or burns.
In BFO, it was more of a sustained recovery effect. I didn't feel the need for it, so I skipped it. But I never expected this kind of tingling sensation from the magic.
"However, the scar on your side will remain. Oh, don't get me wrong. It's not about Ashley's arm. It would be the same if I did it."
"What about the cheek—"
Ashley's voice sounds concerned.
"Well, I think it'll be okay."
Rosetta tilts her head slightly. Ashley seemed relieved, trusting her judgment. Well, I don't really mind either way.
"By the way, did you mention 'Zevion of the Blazing Heat'? Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah, that's what he called himself."
"To come across someone like that and only end up with these minor injuries is surprising."
"Do you know him?"
"He caused quite a commotion as a demon in the Growphonica Kingdom a while ago. I hadn't heard his name recently, so I thought he might have come over here."
Growphonica. The neighboring country to the west.
He caused significant damage while battling demons. Was it Zevion's doing? I think this happened before I was born. Linette always went by Linette, but perhaps Zevion used a pseudonym because he had such a notorious reputation.
Rosetta looks somewhat amazed. Well, if you're going to fight him, it's all or nothing.
If you take a direct hit, it's over, and even if you don't, continued combat would likely become impossible. So, if he won, minor injuries are reasonable. Burns could be considered an unavoidable expense.
"By the way, what's the plan for tomorrow? Back to the labyrinth?"
Rosetta asks as she gets up.
"Well, we'll take a few days off."
"I'm relieved to hear that."
I smile wryly at Rosetta's words. I'm fine with the burns, but it's more of a psychological thing.
There are also future tasks to consider. Trying to do all the flying techniques by myself seems difficult, but if there are individualized support tools, it should be sufficient for aerial combat.
Since the demon's goal is the labyrinth, there's a high likelihood of future battles with demons. Given the turmoil in the Greg faction after this incident, the resistance force is likely weakened, making it a good opportunity.
"Well, for today, it's enough that we're safe."
"We'll take a look at the western district."
Rosetta smiles and gets up, and Sheila and Ilmhillt follow suit.
Well then, we'll have to think about anti-air equipment and such. And about the demon.
There are many things to consider, but I've decided to take it easy today.
When my gaze meets Grace's, she smiles with satisfaction.
It seems this time had quite a recoil. Since Salvashe's tactics were what they were, she seems to have gotten quite angry with her. That also seemed to have dragged the vampire side quite a bit.
Grace said she's fine, but I should check her condition with Circulation Qi just in case.
As a side note, the main damage this time seems to have been that there were no casualties, but there was a hole in Sheila and Ilmhillt's hideout roof in the western district.
...Hmm. Damage pinpointed to a loved one's place. They were actually laughing about it. It was the right call to have them evacuated.
