The Burden of the Holy Sword

“…….”

Saul glared at John with murderous intensity.

Whether John’s words were correct or not, Saul chose to continue his explanation rather than waste more breath on him.

“As Sir John said, they are demonizing.”

“How does that connect to the demons?”

At my question, the elderly knight’s face seemed to age twenty years in an instant. For a second, I thought it was a graphics glitch.

“It is not as if magic creatures simply appear out of nowhere. The demonization of ordinary monsters can be a sign that a high-ranking demon, like a Demon King, is being summoned….”

“It is only one of many possibilities, of course,” Levi added.

A Demon King? Where did that come from? I frowned at the unexpected turn of the story.

Neither game featured a Demon King. Was this an original setting for Knights of Dark Ages? I suddenly felt confused about the game’s genre. Well… there had been talk since the early days of the game about updating strong enemies to appeal to players who didn’t enjoy PVP. Everyone thought it was a dead lead, and though I saw it once while researching the game, I assumed the developers gave up on it since the PVP was successful enough. I guess those seeds were still there.

“What happens if a Demon King is summoned?”

I wasn’t asking for an answer like the world ending. Saul replied with a face that looked worn and frayed within minutes.

“I mentioned earlier that the sword His Highness carries is a Divine Artifact. Do you remember?”

I looked at Azrael’s sword once and then back at Saul.

“What about it?”

“As the owner of that sword, His Highness has the duty to stand at the forefront of the Demon King subjugation.”

“……?”

I looked at the sword again, then at Saul, and finally at Azrael. When our eyes met, Azrael offered a smile, but I could see the fatigue hidden behind it.

“Azrael, let’s throw that sword away.”

“The Holy Sword chose its master; His Highness cannot simply discard it at will.”

“Can’t we melt it down?”

“If it could be melted, it wouldn’t be a Holy Sword.”

So it’s protected by the system. The sword that had looked sleek and cool just moments ago now looked like a cursed blade of misfortune.

“Summoning a Demon King is no simple task, so we are merely hoping this is a groundless worry.”

“Summoning takes time, so it would be best if we could destroy it before the Demon King manifests… but the reports of monsters growing stronger came in days ago…. If the Demon King is actually being summoned, finding the location in time is nearly impossible. For now, we can only hope it doesn’t happen.”

I couldn’t really sympathize with the solemn hearts of these knights worrying about a powerful enemy. Honestly, I just kept thinking that no matter how strong a Demon King might be, it was still just a mob in this world—how tough could it be?

“Is there no way to know where it’s being summoned? If it does show up, will you even know where it is?”

“The sword of His Highness will react if we get close, but realistically, it is considered impossible.”

What a useless item. I glared at the sword once more. Of course, the sword remained as quiet as the dead.

“Then how will you know if it’s summoned? Can’t you just lie down and say you don’t know where it is?”

“How could the place where a Demon King is summoned look the same as usual?”

That was true. It would probably be summoned with flashy effects that made it obvious to everyone. I clicked my tongue instinctively. The gravity of the situation still didn’t quite hit me, but it was clearly a serious matter for the people of this world. Theoretically, I could understand that much.

“Andrealphus.”

Azrael spoke in a voice slightly lower than usual.

“No one knows if a Demon King will actually be summoned. Even the Pope of the Great Temple said he could not be certain.”

He took a breath and added.

“But I hope you will not get involved in the Demon King subjugation. I know well that you are stronger than I am, and I do not misunderstand your power.”

I watched Azrael, who looked like a fragile chick to me.

“I just don’t want you to be in danger.”

For a moment, my heart nearly stopped. When I finally caught my breath, Azrael hesitated before continuing.

“There is no reason for you to participate in something so dangerous. You are not a person of this world, and the fact that you are my friend is not a reason to jump into danger.”

I was finally able to breathe again.

The word friend is quite funny. It brought the joy of being someone special to him, but also the wall of realizing I couldn’t be anything more than a friend. I was happy, yet a part of my heart felt miserable, so I took deep breaths as discretely as possible.

After a moment of silence, I grabbed Azrael’s sleeve.

“Prince, what do you mean being a friend isn’t a reason to jump into danger?”

I gave him a reliable smile.

“I’m your friend. If you’re fighting a strong enemy, of course I should fight with you. That’s what friends do.”

Azrael opened his mouth several times as if to stop me.

“If I’m there, I’ll definitely be a help.”

Before he could say anything, I cut him off.

The knights seemed to agree with my words. Realistically, they had no choice. If it was an opponent I could beat, the damage would be much lower, and if it wasn’t… well, that would be a problem too.

And….

[Event Quest: Azrael’s Supporter You have become Azrael’s supporter. Help the Fourth Prince, Azrael, and assist him in fulfilling his mission! Failure Condition: Death of Azrael Success Reward: ??? ※ If failed, you cannot retry the quest.]

There was also this quest. I didn’t know if the ‘Death of Azrael’ condition meant him dying once or his crystal being destroyed so he couldn’t resurrect, but I just had to make sure neither happened.

Azrael bit his lip. Seeing worry cloud his beautiful face made me feel sorry for him. It was the first time I truly understood the kind of expressions only found in novels.

“Prince, don’t be so upset. I’m stronger than you, so maybe I can blow the Demon King away like dandelion fluff.”

I instinctively took Azrael’s hand and patted it. Azrael stared at my hand as I patted his, then muttered.

“I didn’t want you to be in danger.”

“Just as much as you don’t want me to be in danger, I don’t want you to be in danger either, Prince.”

I smiled brightly, and though Azrael’s expression remained dark, he couldn’t bring himself to stop me.

In any case, with this much foreshadowing, it seemed a Demon King would indeed be summoned. Once the conversation ended, unlike the worried NPCs, my heart felt lighter. If the enemy wasn’t human, I had nothing to hold me back.

…Provided it wasn’t a humanoid NPC, that is.

But for some reason, I felt certain the Demon King wouldn’t have a human appearance. The fact that the demonized monsters were closer to the monster designs in The Hunters was the reason.

I’d have to see a true magic creature to be sure, but I suspected they would look more like The Hunters designs than the demonized versions. If so, the leader, the Demon King, would likely follow suit. I subconsciously opened the quest information window and my eyes widened.

The quest content had been updated.

[Event Quest: Azrael’s Supporter You have become Azrael’s supporter. Help the Fourth Prince, Azrael, and assist him in fulfilling his mission! Failure Condition: Death of Azrael Success Reward: ??? ※ If failed, you cannot retry the quest. (NEW!) Info 1: The demonized monsters appearing in this world may be related to the ‘Summoning of a High-ranking Demon King class.’ (NEW!) Info 2: The Fourth Prince Azrael’s sword reacts when near demons or Celestials. The sword has shown no reaction yet. Info 3: (Information not yet acquired.) (NEW!) Info 4: If a Demon King or demon is summoned, Fourth Prince Azrael is obligated to participate in the Demon King subjugation.]

Information appearing in the quest window is a back-up system that triggers as a quest progresses, preventing players from getting lost in too many directions.

It was unfortunate news for the NPCs, but it seemed Azrael’s mission was indeed a Demon King raid.

Info 3 being missing was annoying, but I felt like I had gained quite a lot. Seeing things progress this far at once was satisfying.

I wasn’t sure how many info slots there would be, but since previous quests usually had about seven… maybe I had already gathered more than half.

Regardless of my quest progress, our group moved toward the capital while conducting inspections at various locations. The frequency of assassin attacks increased as we drew closer. It felt as if they were trying to prevent us from ever reaching the capital.

After I retched a few more times, we felt the need to come up with a countermeasure. Unable to watch any longer, Azrael eventually took out a long cloth and blindfolded me. I cast a shield spell around myself and hid inside. Even so, the unnecessarily realistic sounds troubled me, but it was better than watching or participating in the combat directly.

Azrael finished every battle cleanly without a scratch, but the other knights sustained minor injuries every time. The graphics, which were so detailed they made me feel the pain just by looking at them, were far too realistic.

“Healing finished. No one else needs treatment, right?”