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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 196
"How... did you do it?"
Baldrix asked in a puzzled voice. He had clearly tried to stop the Divine Sword’s effect.
"Hmm."
Kaylen looked around the training ground and swiftly extended his hand.
Soon, aura spread through the space where they stood, turning it transparent.
It was Kaylen's method to block external eyes.
"Looks like the sparring is over."
"Come. Let's go train as well."
As the knights watching the sparring scattered, Kaylen picked up the longsword, Baldrix.
"Take a closer look at the sword."
Following Kaylen’s words, Baldrix observed the longsword. Within it, a translucent form of Infinity was reflected.
"This is... the Star of the Six Demon Path, Infinity, isn't it?"
"That's right."
"Ah... don't tell me, did you modify the Six Sword Path to resemble the Six Demon Path to overcome the Celestial Demon’s power?"
The power of the Celestial Demon and the Dragon God were opposites.
If Baldrix, imbued with the Six Demon Path, refused to cease its function, that would explain everything.
'But in doing so, doesn’t it defeat the original purpose of preserving the Six Sword Path? Isn't this a case of the means overtaking the end?'
Wasn't the original reason for gathering the Divine Sword to prevent the distortion of the Six Sword Path?
But if the Six Sword was converted into the Six Demon Path to block the Celestial Demon’s interference, wouldn’t that render the effort meaningless?
Sensing Baldrix's thoughts, Kaylen smiled and opened his palm.
Then, the star within Baldrix grew larger, becoming clearer to the eye.
"At a glance, it may seem similar. But inside, it's different."
How is it different?
Baldrix closely observed the golden star but couldn’t discern the difference.
There was only one thing that seemed uncertain.
'The mana particles within Infinity... somehow resemble the shape of a sword.'
The mana within the transparent golden star shouldn’t have a distinct shape.
Yet strangely, Baldrix felt as though he saw a sword within it.
"The mana within Infinity... it looks like a sword. Am I imagining things?"
"Oh. As expected of a Sword Master, you noticed it easily. You're right."
Kaylen smiled at Baldrix's response.
"Baldrix. Even if I prepare a Divine Sword and ensure my Six Sword Path remains unshaken, do you think that's enough for me to defeat the Dragon God?"
"That is..."
Baldrix fell silent at Kaylen’s question.
Even if the Six Sword Path remained stable and, with the Divine Sword, Kaylen could wield a power stronger than in the era of Ernstine—
The opponent was a divine being.
A being even the Celestial Demon, ruler of the Three Realms, remained wary of.
"In this state, it's impossible."
"...That's true."
"That's why I needed a way to take it one step further."
Baldrix silently gazed at the Infinity that Kaylen revealed.
To take a step further, was his chosen method to analyze and transform the Six Demon Path?
For Baldrix, this was a method that brought back the nightmare of a thousand years ago.
'Father once said he would try learning magic, but in the end, he fell into the Six Demon Path and abandoned the sword. I'm worried he's treading the same path from a thousand years ago…'
Baldrix looked at Kaylen.
There was no sign of the strange madness that Ernstine had shown a thousand years ago.
Instead, Kaylen calmly observed the transformed Infinity with composed eyes.
"It seems... you're still fine for now."
"Are you worried that the same thing from a thousand years ago will happen again?"
"To be honest... yes."
"It's fine. The situation is different from back then. The trace of the Celestial Demon within me will control it."
"The trace of the Celestial Demon...?"
"If the longsword you made for me contains the arrangement of the Celestial Demon."
Kaylen revealed the Divine Swords he possessed.
The Holy Sword Astella and the Wind Sword Sanctuary.
"Aren't these two swords the same?"
The Holy Sword Astella, crafted during the era of the Celestial Gods.
And the Wind Sword Sanctuary, forged by the Grand Mage Johannes and imbued with the essence of Saint Benedict.
Considering Baldrix’s case, it was certain that these two swords also concealed the arrangement of the Celestial Demon.
"Yes. Most likely, that's true."
"The powers of the Dragon God and the Celestial Demon are opposites. The arrangement of the Celestial Demon within the swords will prevent me from falling into the Six Demon Path... and the Infinity of the Six Demon Path will restrain the interference of the Celestial Demon."
Using the opposing forces of the two absolute gods—
Kaylen sought to escape the oppression of the gods and forge a new strength.
In theory, it was convincing.
But Baldrix wasn’t sure if it could truly succeed.
Using the powers of the two gods to keep each other in check, avoiding domination by the Six Demon Path, analyzing and modifying it...
And ascending to a realm beyond that of the Grand Sword Master?
"Will that really be... possible?"
"It is possible."
Kaylen replied with a confident smile.
Seeing his father's smile, Baldrix was reminded of the past.
'He smiled like that when he went to invade the Demon King's castle.'
During the final battle with the Demon King—
Even in a situation where no one could guarantee victory, Kaylen had shown that same confident smile.
In the most uncertain of times—
His father smiled as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
"...Yes. Since you've said so, it must be possible. I will simply trust and follow you."
"Good. Thank you."
"Yes. If there's ever anything I can do, please tell me anytime. I'll follow any command."
Kaylen nodded as he looked at Baldrix, whose determination burned brightly.
"It just so happens that there's a task where your strength is essential."
"Please entrust me with that task!"
"Good."
Kaylen turned his body and looked toward the royal castle.
"Follow me."
There was a task perfectly suited for Baldrix, who was once a king.
Violet's office.
Her desk, which should have been buried under a mountain of paperwork, had noticeably fewer documents.
This was thanks to the exceptional competence of her first deputy, Saintess Theresia.
—Perhaps it's just the nature of human affairs. The work here is quite similar to that of the Holy Council.
Theresia, who had lived in Sanctuary for a thousand years, had been responsible for handling administrative tasks.
When she first arrived as Violet's deputy, Violet had been worried that her workload would only increase.
However, once Theresia adapted to the work, her abilities were impressive enough to make even Violet step back in acknowledgment.
'Back then... things were good.'
With Theresia’s help, Violet experienced her first time leaving work before sunset and hoped those days would continue.
If the accumulated work disappeared at this pace, she could actively participate in the Grand Mage's experiments and further her own studies.
Having been unexpectedly helped by someone she initially worried about, Violet felt hopeful.
—Violet, this is your second deputy.
When Kaylen first mentioned a second deputy, Violet had secretly looked forward to it.
That was until she saw the Death Knight radiating dark mana behind him.
"Sigh..."
Sitting at the center desk, Violet pretended to focus on the documents while glancing sideways.
Rustle. Rustle.
To her left, the Saintess with elegant, white hair calmly turned over documents.
Scratch. Scratch.
To her right, the Death Knight, exuding dark energy, gripped a pen and processed the paperwork.
'...It's not like we're in the middle of a Divine War.'
Light on the left.
Darkness on the right.
The two extreme mana forces formed an invisible boundary down the center.
They weren’t actively trying to invade each other's space, but—
If a collision happened even once, chaos would surely ensue.
"Baldrix, if you release that much dark mana, I think Lady Violet might feel uncomfortable."
"It naturally responds to the Saintess's holy power, so I can't help it. Perhaps you could retract your light a little first?"
"Sorry. It's not something I can control. Besides, I'm no longer a Saintess."
Fortunately, they didn’t seem to bear any hostility toward each other.
Their conversation remained polite, but—
Violet couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
And it wasn’t without reason.
The tension seemed ready to escalate at any moment.
"Then it can't be helped. Dark mana is just another form of mana. It won't cause any harm to Lady Violet."
"...Heh. Calling dark mana just another form of mana—that's an interesting thing to say."
Swish.
As the light from Theresia's hair subtly intensified, Baldrix's dark mana thickened in response.
The light and dark mana, which had previously kept their distance with an invisible boundary, were now slowly drawing closer.
'Ah, seriously...'
Caught awkwardly in the middle, Violet couldn’t do anything but stay frozen.
It was almost more comfortable dealing with the overwhelming workload alone than being stuck in this uncomfortable tension.
'I can't take this anymore.'
Ever since the Death Knight arrived, this strange standoff had happened more than once.
With an exasperated expression, Violet opened a drawer and took out an envelope.
'I'm done.'
She had often thought about quitting but had never acted on it.
Now, she couldn’t endure it any longer.
'They can wage their Divine War for all I care.'
Clutching the envelope, she abruptly stood up from her chair and hurried toward the door.
Theresia and Baldrix glanced at her, but she ignored their gazes and flung the door open—
"Violet."
Only to come face to face with Kaylen outside.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
Startled, Violet instinctively hid the envelope behind her back.
'Ah... This isn't the time to hesitate. I need to hand it over now!'
She had to act while her resolve was firm.
She was just about to submit her resignation, but—
"Is the handover complete?"
"...Pardon? Yes."
"Then, you can quit this job now, right?"
Kaylen's question left Violet speechless.
"Then leave this task behind and come with me for a moment."
With those words, Kaylen turned and walked away.
Violet, wearing a dazed expression, followed after him.
'What... Did I just get fired?'
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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