The Revenge of the Soul Eater

To Protect and Save

 

  The biwa before Astrid’s eyes started to change its shape.
Slim and long, it was as if it was taking the form of a human’s―― a female’s body. 

 

  It looked similar to a “Rokurokubi” that’s told in myths――a type of female monster that has a long neck.

 

  When the old man gently plucked the strings of his biwa, a feminine voice would come from the part that would be the monster’s mouth.
When he plucked the strings intensely, it would generate a high pitched scream.

 

  Against the old man who was playing his horrifying human-shaped biwa, neither Duke Dragunaut nor Astrid could make a move.

 

  Skills of earth, water, fire, and wind- each one of these elements that could be called the basics of magic are the strongest at the 9th realm.

 

Starting from magic of the 1st realm, the mana required to use the spells increases enormously with each increasing rank, and the spells are extremely hard to master.

 

  As a custom for magicians, the ones who acquire magic of the 9th realm are given the title of magician lords, and their names will be engraved in the history of magic…but there are extremely few people who have ever reached that point.

  There are so few to the point that it’s considered miraculously lucky to see one person who has reached that stage appearing every few generations.

 

  The『Gakousai』(Brick Fortress) spell that the old man used is earth magic of the 8th realm, grand magic that’s as close to the 9th realm as possible.

 

  On top of that, the old man succeeded in casting that grand magic without chanting.
Astrid has never seen anyone who can use magic of the 8th realm chantlessly.

 

  Even the court magicians of the Canaria Kingdom could only barely use magic of the 6th realm.
If chanting wasn’t allowed, they probably couldn’t even use magic of the 5th realm.

 

  The words of her so-called level 73 opponent started to really sink in.

  Drops of sweat appeared on Astrid’s forehead.

  Then, her father, Duke Dragunaut, spoke up in a groaning tone from next to her.

 

  「……Just now, you said “Shinsou”(soul equipment), didn’t you? You, are a user of the phantom blade style?」

 

  「Hehe, indeed.
It seems that you know about us after all」

 

  「You are the guardians who kept the demon gate of the Demon Island sealed for three hundred years.
I know about you guys.
But why are you attacking our country?!」

 

  The phantom blade style is a martial art style created by the sword saint who sealed the demon god 300 years ago.

 

  Its power is enormous, and the Ad-Astera Empire that possesses these phantom blade users had only expanded its territory since the nation was founded.

  The duke himself had witnessed their battles in person when he was young, so he knows about just how powerful the phantom blade style is.

  If phantom blade style users were to act as the empire’s vanguards in an invasion, the empire could very likely conquer the entire continent.

 

  However, that should never happen.
Duke Dragunaut knows that at the very least.

  That’s because the Mitsurugi family that controls these phantom blade style users made it their principle to “Not attack unless attacked” when it comes to their relationships between nations.
As long as the empire is not being invaded, they will never use their swords on another human.

 

  Even if it’s the Ad-Astera Empire’s emperor, he cannot use the Mitsurugi family to invade another country.
The Mitsurugi family is a family that has the leeway to not listen.
They will only use the power of the phantom blade style on monsters and demonic beasts. 

 

  Furthermore, if the enemy is some kind of monster, they will also lend their powers to other countries.
The Canaria Kingdom had actually borrowed their powers in the past to exterminate the kijins. 

 

  That was when Duke Dragunaut got to witness the power of the phantom blade style.

 

  Currently, the Canaria Kingdom has no intention to invade the empire.

 

  Duke Dragunaut sees the empire’s ambition to conquer as a threat, but he did not have any plans to attack them at all.

 

  So why? Why has the power of the phantom blade style bared its fangs at the Kingdom of Canaria?

 

  The only explanation he can think of is――

 

  「Perhaps, it’s because we are protecting that kijin girl?」

 

  In the past, exterminating the kijins’ villages when they were just living peacefully was one of the things that pained Duke Dragunaut’s heart.

 

  At that time, the young duke did not have the skills to stop his country, nor did he have the ability to help the kijins.
He could only watch as it happened.

 

  This time, other than to repay the debt for the jiraiaooks fruits, the reason he proactively helped the kijin girl called Suzume was because of that as well.

 

  The duke had considered the possibility of that incurring the empire’s wrath, but the old man’s answer to his question was something much simpler.  

 

  「Hehe, there’s definitely that too.
All who revere the demon god must be eradicated.
But this time it’s merely a coincidence.
I’m only aiming for Claudia Dragunaut alone」

 

  「You attacked the capital because you want to kill Claudia?!」

 

  「If she just died obediently from my spell, I wouldn’t have gone this far.
However, you guys have broken the curse somehow.
After we finally reached the point of the marriage cancelation a year later, we’re back to where we started with her recovery now, Hehe」

 

  The old man showed his yellow teeth and continued to speak,

 

  「The marriage between your country’s crown prince and Lady Sakuya is going to happen at the same time Lady Sakuya becomes of age two months later.
There’s no time for me to curse her again.
Because of that, it’s up to me to take a slightly more forceful approach.
The best place to hide a leaf is in a forest, so I will hide her body in this tragedy.
If the royal capital is covered in corpses, no one will pay attention to the single death of the duke’s daughter」

 

  「In order to not raise suspicions of it being linked to the empire, you cursed my daughter for a year, and since that didn’t work, you are now dragging the citizens of the royal capital in to divert the attention away from my daughter’s death.
Is that something that people who vow to protect countries and save the world do?」

 

  「Hehehehe! The country we protect is the Ad-Astera Empire.
And when the world comes under its rule, the people will be saved.
That is what it means to protect countries and save the world.
Insects and flowers will be stepped on at times when we walk this path, but you see, it’s just like how ants die when elephants walk.
No one would call the elephant cruel because of that」

 

  In response to the old man’s high pitch laugh after he said that, Claudia who has remained silent the entire time spoke for the first time,

 

  「――Gramps.
Were the things you told me in the cemetery just a bunch of lies?」

 

  The old man’s expression changed after he heard Claudia’s voice.

  His attitude became clearly different from the mocking attitude he’s had until now.

 

  「No.
It’s true that I have been helping the unsettling spirits pass on there.
Claudia Dragunaut, it was also true that I was impressed by your behavior of gratitude」

 

  The old man continued with a rather quiet voice,

 

  「Me appeasing malevolent gods with my music and purifying spirits that are hostile to humans for a living――isn’t a lie at all.
It’s just that that isn’t all I’m about.
I’m a vassal of the Mitsurugi family that acts as the emperor’s sword, I have to follow my orders no matter how twisted they are.
Even if I’m ordered to use a curse to kill a young girl that isn’t even an adult」

 

  「…You mean…」

 

  「――Well, although」

 

  The old man interrupted Claudia who was trying to say something, and then he opened his mouth again,

  He could not stop smiling from the unbearable pleasure he was feeling.

 

  「The order I received from my master is to cancel the wedding of the crown prince without having people think that it’s linked to the Empire.
What method to use was all left to my decision!」 

 

  「……Eh?」

 

  「In other words, it was my idea to put you in that long state of suffering with a curse! Attacking the royal capital like this tonight is my idea as well! Hehehehe! Your screams and shouts that I enjoyed throughout the year was like nectar from the gods!」

 

  「……!!」

 

  「Oh such pleasure! Such delight! You were shining so brightly even though your life was in danger.
You were suffering, in agony, in despair, but you did not cry! From the day I strangled my wife to death, hearing the screams of women has brought me a pleasure that I can’t get from anything else, so Claudia Dragunaut, I’ll have you cry out a lot for me too!」

 

  With that, the old man started to play his biwa that had turned into his soul equipment violently.

 

  As soon as he did that, the biwa shook greatly, then sounds that weren’t like sounds spewed out.
The cursed sounds that had an inaudible frequency caught the Dragunaut father and daughters right away and attacked their brains with a drilling sharp pain.

 

  As the old man looked at the Dragunaut father and daughters that had fallen to the ground from the agonizing sounds, he changed to a calm tone and asked them,

 

   「Before I kill you, I have to ask you this.
Just how did you guys solve the curse? It was my greatest work with my soul equipment.
I’m confident that even if you had the “water of rejuvenation”, it would not have solved it」

 

  「…Don’t you know, old man? A princess’s curse is dispelled by a prince’s kiss」

 

  「Hehehe! Curse practitioners would all run out of business if curses get solved by a kiss.
Well, if you aren’t going to tell me, I’ll just take my time killing you until you do.
Playing around with prey is a privilege of the stron――」

 

  When the old man who kept rambling on looked like he was going to start laughing loudly―

  As if something couldn’t stand listening to him anymore―

  ――A flash of black light.

  The silent impact that exploded at the center of Duke Dragunaut’s residence had enough force to shake even the black wall of “Gakousai” that was still being deployed.

 

  「……What?」

 

  The old man stopped his rambling and squinted his eyes.

  There was an intimidating air that was making his skin crawl.
A pressure that was making his throat dry.

  He felt a threat that he has never felt until now coming from the mansion.

  Because of that, the old man who was looking to kill the Dragunaut father and daughters put a halt to that in an instant.
He knows that he’s facing an opponent that he’ll need to focus on.

 

  Before long, a young man could be seen coming from the mansion.

  The look of this young man did not reflect in the eyes of the blind old man, but he remembers hearing those footsteps.

  It was the young man that visited the cemetery just the other day.
Same as Claudia Dragunaut, he was impressed by how this young man did not treat him with a condescending attitude just because he looked like a bum.   

  Then, there was one more thing he remembered hearing.

 

  「Sora!」

 

  The name that Claudia called out instinctively.

  To people who serve the Mitsurugi family, it was a name that was unforgettable in many ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TLN: Rokurokubi – A type of female Japanese yōkai (apparition) in folktales with necks that can stretch.