[Malice]
“......!”
The demonfolk’s sword fell toward Forein.
Startled by Forein’s sudden intervention, the demonfolk hurriedly altered the path of his blade.
And at that moment, thick tree roots surged like waves and lashed at his ankle.
“Tch!”
The blade barely grazed past Forein’s shoulder.
But that was all the resistance amounted to.
Slash—
The demonfolk instantly cut apart the roots that had lashed at his ankle.
“You are an elf child of around fifty. Remarkable.”
The demonfolk was genuinely impressed.
“You can resist poison and use magic at the same time.”
Poison extracted from plants had its effect halved on elves.
That had been known for a long time.
Elves were beings born within the World Tree’s blessing.
That was why, in war, mineral poisons or poisons synthesized through magic were mainly used.
But because elves knew what harmed them, they were sensitive to mineral poisons too.
That left no choice but to put poison extracted from plants in the flower tea.
‘But it was enough to paralyze five accomplished knights.’
To endure that amount of poison and try to stop him.
“This is why I hate blessed races.”
Thick hatred filled the demonfolk’s eyes.
They had struggled through thousands of years in the underground world, where even surviving was difficult.
During that long time, they had adapted to the harsh environment, evolving or mutating until their clans branched into different forms.
And to develop those abilities further, they had driven the next generation into even harsher environments.
Everything had been for the day they rose to the surface.
“Just because you were born on the surface....”
Grit.
The demonfolk’s teeth ground together with a chilling sound.
“I hate you, who have everything, so much I cannot bear it.”
The demonfolk’s original mission was to kill Griam horribly and kidnap the elf.
Humans would panic as humans.
Elves would panic as elves.
Naturally, great confusion and disorder would come to the academy.
“Still, a little bloodshed should be all right.”
Slash—!
The demonfolk cut apart the roots that tried to coil around his ankles.
Then he pointed his sword at Forein.
“Gri... am.... Run!”
Rather than trying to escape, Forein took a small magic wand from inside their clothes, as though protecting Griam.
Forein’s hands trembled as their consciousness repeatedly blurred and returned.
“Those who were raised comfortably pretending to have pride.”
A crooked sneer appeared on the demonfolk’s lips.
But sticky hatred burned in his eyes.
And behind him, Griam—
‘That fucking idiot.’
—was cursing Forein, who had saved him.
They were going to die anyway. He could not understand why Forein wanted to prolong the painful time.
Griam was filled with the feeling of giving up on everything.
The demonfolk, sensing the negative emotions flowing from Griam, paused.
“Yes. Enjoying this for a moment should be all right.”
Negative emotions like despair and fear were good material for amplifying demonic energy.
No one would come this deep into the forest anyway.
Thinking that, the demonfolk savored the despair flowing from Griam and tormented Forein.
WHISTLE—!
Each time the sharp sound of wind passed, Forein’s clothes were cut.
Thin red lines appeared on the skin beneath them.
Shallow wounds, enough for only a drop of blood to emerge.
Though they knew they were being toyed with, Forein gathered every bit of strength.
‘We elves have received much help from humans, especially the Afernia Empire. Without them, the future of Yggdrasil and the World Tree might have been uncertain.’
It was what the elders had told the elves, Forein included, as they came to Gloria Academy.
Because they were children who had experienced the Yggdrasil War directly, their feelings were different as well.
That was why Forein did not run and protected Griam.
Humans might find it difficult to understand.
But to elves, it was very simple.
Just as a plant raised on nutrients received from the earth later became fertilizer again.
Forein was only returning what they had received.
Forein somehow prepared magic that could land a blow on the demonfolk in order to save Griam, but—
“Tsk. Human emotions are easy to touch, so they wither quickly.”
Slash!
“Ghk!”
As the negative emotions gradually weakened, the demonfolk cut deeply into Forein’s shoulder.
He was an elite combatant sent from the Underworld to attack the academy.
There was no way he would fail to notice a young elf openly preparing magic.
Forein’s magic was interrupted by the sharp pain.
Forein endured the pain and tried to prepare magic again, but—
Thud!
Griam’s body covered Forein.
It was not because he had collapsed after losing strength.
No. It was true that he had lost strength.
But as he fell, he deliberately covered Forein.
“Why struggle so much?”
“...Griam?”
“Let us just end this quickly.”
As he said that, Griam looked at the demonfolk.
“I wondered why the despair had weakened. Tsk. This is why fools are useless.”
The demonfolk clicked his tongue.
They were going to die anyway, so Griam would at least die usefully as a member of his family.
That was what Griam thought.
He was also looking at the demonfolk in the hope that the demonfolk would tell them he had been useful.
‘Then Father will praise me too.’
It would be praise he heard from inside his grave, but was that not better than dying pointlessly and being forgotten?
Griam thought that, but—
“Human child. It was your father who proposed killing you, cutting you into pieces, and scattering you through the forest.”
The demonfolk grinned as he mocked Griam.
“What expectations can you have of such a father? Tsk, tsk.”
“......”
“Still, I enjoyed myself a little thanks to him.”
Perhaps he was truly going to finish it now. The demonfolk roughly dragged Forein to the side.
Looking into the eyes of the demonfolk standing before him, Griam’s eyes shook.
He felt it in his skin: the demonfolk had no intention of killing him painlessly.
Hands. Arms. Ankles. Legs. Stomach. Chest.
He would suffer as they cut and dismembered every part of him.
He might die in the middle of it, but somehow, a thought passed through Griam’s mind that he would not die until his head fell.
“S-Save....”
Perhaps fear had overcome his resignation. A plea escaped Griam’s lips.
But the demonfolk did not even reply now.
WHISTLE—!
At the moment the demonfolk’s cruelly curved eyes filled Griam’s vision, as though anticipating the scream soon to follow—
Thrum—!
Thick tree trunks stretching from every direction wrapped around the demonfolk’s limbs.
It was power on an entirely different level from the magic Forein had invoked earlier.
“......!”
Reacting on instinct, the demonfolk tried to erupt with demonic energy and break free from the restraint, but—
Slash—!
The following silver strike cut off his head.
***
“Forein!”
Elaine, who had found the way, hurried over to Forein, collapsed in the distance.
All the elves admitted to the academy in this cohort had the syllable ‘rein’ in their names.
They had been born on the same day from World Tree flower buds; in a sense, they were siblings or twins.
It was natural for Elaine to react so urgently.
I stood breathing hard as I looked at the demonfolk’s body, its head cut off and still twitching.
‘Was I late, or was I not?’
The worst had been avoided because the children had not died.
But Griam and Forein had already suffered a demonfolk attack.
I guessed the demonfolk had intended to kill Griam and kidnap Forein.
If one side bore the blame, the division would not last long.
Humans as humans.
Elves as elves.
Leaving each side with things to say and grudges to bear was exactly the demonfolk’s way.
“Griam.”
I grabbed Griam by the collar, where he lay face down on the ground and trembled.
Then—
Smack—!
I slapped Griam hard enough to send a white tooth flying from his mouth.
“How many chances did I give you, and you still did something like this?”
“Cough, hngh....!”
“You had better prepare yourself. You will think that dying at demonfolk hands would have been better.”
It was already shocking that demonfolk had reached the surface, but they had infiltrated as far as the vicinity of Gloria City.
It was surely the work of Skadivian nobles.
They must have hidden the demonfolk and moved them here.
‘A bloody storm will blow through.’
Perhaps Hans did not know this much either.
He had probably only vaguely suspected that demonfolk were behind the Skadivian Resistance.
The letters Special Division 4 had secured had not mentioned demonfolk at all.
‘I should not have killed him.’
I released Griam and looked down at the demonfolk’s body, sprawled on the ground.
In my urgency, I had killed him immediately.
There had been hostages, but I could have captured at least one demonfolk alive.
‘I have grown too lax.’
That would never have happened during the war.
‘Is this why Teruna sent me to the academy?’
Was it to warn me that the war was not yet over?
Or was there some other intention?
As I thought with a grim expression—
“Lewis.”
Elaine approached carrying Forein on her back.
“Their life is not in danger. Their body is paralyzed and they have many scrapes, but....”
“That is a relief. Let us return quickly.”
“Yes.”
I took off my coat and only picked up the demonfolk’s head.
Once we returned, I would hand it to Special Division 4 and tell them to collect the body as well.
Just as I slung Griam, who still could not properly stand, over my shoulder like luggage and turned around—
“...Wait.”
I stopped Elaine, who was about to walk ahead.
“Why?”
Unable to answer Elaine’s question, I slowly looked around us.
Even though it was still midday, there was no sound of insects.
That was only natural, perhaps, since the demonfolk had been spilling killing intent everywhere until just moments ago.
‘It feels wrong. There is something more.’
Once I stopped Forein and Griam from dying, [S. Seeds of Malice] should have cleared.
Why had no Message Window appeared?
‘Does that mean there is more?’
The demonfolk head I had collected had only one horn.
He appeared to have been an elite among demonfolk combatants, but at most he was a lower-ranking demonfolk.
Was this truly the end?
‘The demonfolk who supplied enhanced soldiers to Skadivia were under Baal.’
Baal, the Demon King of Wrath.
Though it had only been a short moment, considering the personality I had learned through battle—
‘There must be more.’
After causing confusion, he would have tried to do something else while exploiting that confusion.
Something destructive and cruel.
‘Baal is not someone who pursues efficiency. He is emotional, if anything.’
It would not be strange for him to deploy a considerable force without caring about postwar recovery.
Just as that thought reached me—
Rustle—
More than a dozen puppets appeared as movement sounded from the distance.
“I wondered why it was taking so long. There was interference.”
“...Those fucking Skadivian bastards.”
There were fifteen armed demonfolk combatants.
Those insane Skadivian nobles had brought an entire demonfolk combat platoon near the academy.
“Lewis.”
Elaine hurriedly put her hand on her axe, but she could not stop her voice from trembling.
“Take the staff, not the axe. I’ll open a path, so carry Forein and get out of the forest.”
Borrowing the World Tree Staff’s power, she would be able to escape through the forest while evading demonfolk.
Of course, she would not be able to take Griam too.
“What about you, Lewis?”
“I’ll try to stop them here.”
At my words, the demonfolk at the front sneered at me.
“Young human, that is not courage. It is foolishness.”
“A one-horned demon sure talks a lot.”
I deliberately provoked him.
On his head was one straight horn and the stump of another that had been cut off.
“...You seem to know a great deal about demonfolk.”
“I took part in the Yggdrasil War.”
“Really? Then this will be good revenge.”
Rustle—
Movement sounded from behind us too.
When I glanced sideways, another fifteen demonfolk had appeared.
‘It was not one platoon, but two?’
I could tell they were determined.
It was enough force to aim for an attack on the city or the academy while taking advantage of the confusion.
Each lower-ranking demonfolk was stronger than a mid-ranking knight.
And they could use simple but highly lethal dark magic.
‘I have to stop them here.’
But could I stop all of them alone?
I placed a hand on the tarot deck at my waist.
The first thing that came to mind was the Minor Arcana, ‘Swords.’
But I soon shook my head inwardly.
‘The Minor Arcana is not enough.’
It was a card that gave powerful enhancement effects along with several additional effects, but my current physical state was the problem.
The injury I received fighting a Demon King in the last battle had not healed yet.
Right now, I was only a little stronger than an ordinary knight.
Even if I amplified my strength halfway, I could not deal with them.
‘Then I may have to use the Chariot or the Magician. In the worst case, the Devil card.’
Only then did I have a chance of winning.
Putting aside whether my body could endure the cards’ power.
“It seems you have some hope. I do not sense despair.”
“What kind of trash would feel despair at a lower-ranking demonfolk like you?”
“It seems you do not want to die easily.”
Fierce killing intent streamed from the eyes of the demonfolk with the severed horn.
Among demonfolk, the ranks distinguished by horns were more absolute than anything else.
I had touched his reverse scale, so normally he should have rushed at me immediately.
‘But he is still looking around. He is checking whether there are other humans besides me.’
His movements felt thoroughly trained.
At the same time, I could feel his determination to eliminate all witnesses.
‘I have to get Elaine out, at least.’
If she could tell the academy about this crisis, we could prevent greater damage.
Hans and Special Division 4, who had gone outside the academy, would return immediately.
As I drew the Chariot card from the deck—
Flash!
Flash! Flash!
The forest, which had been dim because the dense trees blocked the sunlight, brightened in an instant.
“Tch?!”
The demonfolk exposed to the light staggered.
WHISTLE—! Thud!
Thud!
Arrows struck the staggering demonfolk from above.
“Damn it! How?!”
Despite shouting curses, they responded calmly and instead charged toward us.
CLANG—!
Before I could even swing my sword, a knight stepped between a middle-ranking demonfolk and me.
“Hans?”
Why were you here?