Vol 1 Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Devil’s Invitation
The evening approaches, inside the dark and gloomy forest.
Since that incident, the four of us immediately equipped our battle gear and headed out of the cave. Weaving out of the tall gra.s.ses/plants we quickly made haste towards our destination.
Kirika was adorable as always wearing her Princess Knight costume whilst carrying her knightly sword in her hands, Amelia was equipped with a sword and a large s.h.i.+eld/buckler, lastly Nina was in a robe holding a magical staff.
I’m wearing a thick robe with a hood and I don’t really carry any kind of weapon in particular, that’s just my style. After all, my specialty is being the strategist and controlling/directing my p.a.w.ns from the back lines.
「Sierra-chan is the only one that broke free from your control right, Master?」
「Ahh, At least for now she is」
「I suppose we haven’t been able to find out what happened to Nana?………」
This party of mine is completely filled with women and there is no discrimination regardless of race/s.e.x, we are a very close-knit team/organisation.
The remaining member’s that have yet to be introduced is: an elf who uses the bow and can manipulate the spirits of the dead, Sierra.
And a hybrid that lives within her armor, AKA “Armored Golem: Alma V7”, she is more popularly referred to as Nana (Named by: Nina). (Note: LOL I don’t know how he managed to get this one……)
It would seem that in this world, an alchemist is able to join together an adventurer with a living magical object and bind their souls together to create something like Nana.
Regardless of this, Nana was completely obedient to my orders and would move according to my will just like the other girls.
「Nevertheless, I never expected your “Enslavement Magic” to even work on “Magical Beings”…….」
「Well, it was because she was considered as a form of intelligent life by my magic」
「So what do you think is the cause of their release from your control, Master?」(Amelia talking)
Yes, that is a very important point that I want to find out.
Obviously, based on the timing my connection with them was cut off, it was not even close to where my spell would run out of its effectiveness.
「A possibility is someone used some sort of dispelling magic on her. However the chance of that happening is unlikely」
If a dispeller is unable to understand the complex concepts and principles of my “Enslavement Magic” then they would be unable to dispel any of my magic.
In other words, dispelling my legendary “Enslavement Magic” which was known throughout the lands as a forbidden magic, is most definitely not a simple task.
According to Nina, most likely in the current world, there was n.o.body capable of dispelling my forbidden magic.
「It is actually more likely that …….My loyal slave simply died and was automatically released from my magical control」
「It can’t be……! She has to be safe, Sierra-chann……..」
Hearing the fact that Sierra could have possibly pa.s.sed on, Nina was on the brink of crying.
Even after becoming my slave, her natural sentiments and the way she thought about having her comrades being harmed, was the same as her original personality.
「Don’t cry Nina, the results are not yet set in stone. Or could it be Odamori-kun……….That there is a person out there with the capabilities of solving your “Enslavement Magic” and you just don’t know about it?」
「………………..」
That is exactly, the thing that makes me anxious.
If such a person were to exist.
Then bringing Kirika with me to this search, could may well compromise the mission as she would definitely try to communicate with the other party and get herself released from my control.
Without a doubt, right now Kirika is one of the strongest pieces I have under my control.
In order to deal with this unknown situation, it is also likely that I will need to rely on her strength……….In the end I weighed the benefits and disadvantages and decided it would be better to bring her along.
「…….Well, discovering the answer to your question is also part of my objective for setting out」
「You seem very calm. Even if one of your loyal slaves were to die, doesn’t your heart feel any pain at all? 」
「Who knows? We have yet to confirm the real situation. …….However」
I watched the interior of the forest with dark and menacing eyes.
「Anybody who dares to lay their hands on my loyal slaves, I will never forgive them. That is all you need to know」
「You have a considerable desire to monopolize your belongings don’t you. ……Am I, also part of such a thing? 」
「Naturally. Now then, let’s quickly head out」
The conversation was broken off since then, and we hurriedly traveled past the dark forest.
「…….The surroundings have become really quiet. There seems to be no signs of combat nor a person’s shadow」
Nina wore gla.s.ses which were enchanted with the ability to see a long distance (Farsighted enchantment), she scouted the area from a distance and reported back to me.
Our position was on a hill a slight distance away from our objective…….Using farsighted magic we were barely able to spot a small residence surrounded by the forest down below.
The small residence was what normal adventurers would refer to as a Guild House.
I directed my loyal slaves Sierra and Nana to come here and acquire any artifacts or rare magical books they could find and bring them back to me.
And the time in which my rule was broken, also matched the timing of when they arrived around this area. The chance that there is some clues remaining in this place is quite high.
In other words, we may be able to discover the cause of their disappearance…… or perhaps we may be able to discover whom the true culprit is.
「What are you going to do, Odamori-kun?」
「…….We can only investigate the Guild House. I will be relying on you Himeno-san」
「Yeah, yeah. Well I do want to release myself from your control, but if that requires me to die, I’d rather not」
Kirika laughed at herself in self-ridicule and gripped the sword in her hands.
Thus in this way, the four of us began our intrusion of this building.
We were vigilant of surprise attacks and or traps that may exist as we entered the building.
When we arrived on the second floor, the room was wide and it was there that we “spotted” something.
「What the heck is this……!?」
Inside the center of the room, a rainbow pillar of light surrounds a circular area from the floor to the ceiling.
And within the pillar of light there was a single slim shadow of a person.
From the shape of their ears, it can be easily seen that the other person was an elf.
「Sierra-chan!」
「Hang on, n.o.body gets close to that thing! Nina, what do you think this is?」
「Umm, It seems to be some sort of s.p.a.ce barrier magic used to reduce damage of all those contained within the area…..However, I have never seen one in this kind of color」
Is this the source of power that released Sierra from my “Enslavement Magic”?
Anyhow just when I was about to ascertain whether Sierra was still alive or not, somebody appeared.
「Kufufufu………It’s good that you have come here, Slavemancer」
From the ceiling, a figure descended, the manner of speaking was seemingly ancient, however the voice itself sounded like a very young person.
The s.p.a.ce around her was slightly distorted by some sort of purple colored magic………..And what appeared in front of us was in fact the figure of a peculiar pet.i.te young girl.
She had lily-white skin and was wrapped in some sort of goth-loli dress, she was a beautiful girl which resembled a porcelain doll.
She had big red pupils, and had a s.a.d.i.s.tic smile on her face which looked down on others.
Furthermore, she had transparent long silver hair and two fat horns attached to the corners of her head, somewhat like a bull or goat.
On her forehead there was an ominous violet colored pattern that seemed to be intricately carved into her skin like a tattoo.
「Those horns, and that devil’s symbol…….Don’t tell me, you are of the Devil race/tribe?! And a really high ranking one at that……! 」
「Precisely. Our name is Palmyra. Ranked fourth within the Devil family」 (Note: She refers to herself in a majestic way, thus I decided to use plural form, to more accurately depict the type of language she uses)
Palmyra crosses her legs whilst still in the air, and she calmly declares her position and presence to us.
Although it seemed like she was at least 2 to 3 years younger than me, without a doubt her true age is decades above mine.
「Well, Within the devil kingdom there is a total of seven ranking stages……Her being ranked fourth means that she is an extremely important person, most of them of this rank normally won’t appear in front of humans!」
Nina’s voice trembles.
If I am not mistaken, even the so called “lesser demons” of the lowest rank was already capable of striking fear in the hearts of adventurers and they were an existence that most could not hope to beat.
Haha, I can’t believe that such an important figure actually appeared in front of me……..!
「Ahh do not be alarmed, that girl over there still has her life intact, We have yet to touch a single strand of her hair. Using our secret arts, all we have done is to temporarily isolate that s.p.a.ce from this world’s dimension」
Palmyra was referring to the rainbow light which trapped/enclosed Sierra.
Dimensional Manipulation……Another way to put it is, she is able to cast magic so high in level that it is able to block the world itself from intercepting a signal.
If this is the case, then I can accept it. It was similar to how a mobile phone could run out of signal, my abilities reach cannot pick up the “signal” from a separated dimension.
「You’ve got me there, I didn’t think there was such a brilliant method of releasing someone from my grasp. By the way, Nana……..The armored golem who was here with Sierra, what happened to her? 」
「Ahh, That big showy doll? Because she resisted me, whilst waiting for you to arrive, we played around with her for a little while, forgive me」
A huge brown whole body armor appeared from within a purple colored s.p.a.ce……….It was the magical ent.i.ty known as “Armor Golem V7”, Palmyra easily dragged out such a huge body with just her slender arms.
With a loud thud her body came cras.h.i.+ng down, her body was thoroughly worn-out and many dents on her armor could been seen all over her body.
「Nana-chan!?」
「S, sorry, My lord…….! I could not, protect Sierra………」
「Don’t worry about it, Nana. All that matters is that you are alright……….I don’t really know what kind of demon family you are in, but for you to have hurt my loyal slave to this extent, what is your reason for it??」
Kufufu……..a small laughter leaked from Palmyra, and she gazed at me with her piercing red eyes.
「It’s is because we desired to meet with you, it has been several hundred years since a “Slavemancer” has appeared.
Yes……..My purpose is to invite you to become a part of my demonic faction」
「Tsuu!? Wha, what did you just say…….?!」
It wasn’t just me, all my party members including Kirika was surprised.
Surely, someone wouldn’t go to this extent just to lure me out right?
「Fufu, Even for our demon race, the Slavemancer cla.s.s is a legendary existence……..When your ability reacted to my magical net even we became surprised. Although it was troublesome for us to prepare a dimensional gap, we decided that it would be the most effective course of action to take to make you come here」
It seems that the race known as demons are a very warlike species and there is a continuous power struggle within their respective clans in order to decide who becomes supreme.
For human beings, we hunt animals in order to obtain energy to sustain our life, however human beings also wage wars with each other just for the sole purpose of pa.s.sing the time, we create confusion, disorder and destruction, and we are an existence that only seems to cause an inconvenience to others.
「So you wanted to make use of my abilities in order to solve the internal dissension you have within your clans?」
「You seem to understand very quickly. That is correct, we want you to become our right hand man, Slavemancer. If you join us, we will allow you to experience an eternal life of comfort and glory, we shall confer to you all the pleasures a human being could never hope to obtain」
She stretched out her arms in a theatrical manner and made a very enticing proposition.
Everybody’s gaze were all focused on me.
「Is that so? Then there is only one answer I can give you. ……..I refuse」
I answered promptly.
That was the only answer I was going to give her.
「……..Fumu, did we mishear what you just said? If you join us, we are also willing to return this girl to you」
「I will say it however manner times it takes for you to get it through to your head, my answer is “no”. I already decided that in my second life, I will not be bound by others, I shall choose my own path」
「Odamori-kun…….」
「Living in the beck and call of someone else and tending to their needs, I won’t ever submit myself to something like this. Even if by some chance I decide to accompany somebody, they won’t be able to make me abide by their rules. Never ever」
I am a despicable and wicked person and the only person who can give me orders is myself.
I will live in this world as I please, and no matter what results comes out of it, I will accept it all.
This is something I also told Kirika previously, it is the only rule that I have for myself.
「Since you have tried to deprive me of my loyal slaves, I will not forgive you. I will re obtain Sierra with my own hands, Devil Sp.a.w.n prepare yourself! 」
Palmyra released a slight laughter, Kufufu……..As if she was enjoying this she was smiling broadly.
「Is that so, I see……..Just because you obtained something a little bit special, you have become self-conceited haven’t you? In that case allow us to thoroughly educate you, that insignificant power of yours, we will show you that there are always opponents you can never hope to defeat! 」
She extends her arms, and from her small hands a purple colored magic started to form in the palms of her hand.
This is bad, she doesn’t even need to do an incantation to cast………..In the next instant she released a spherical globe of magical energy and fired it straight at me!
「………Haaaaa!!」
The only one who was able to react to the situation was Kirika.
Pulling out her knight sword which gave off a brilliant s.h.i.+ne, she cut the magical bullet which was aiming straight towards us and made it disappear.
Palmyra raised one of her eyebrows and it seemed as if she was slightly unnerved.
「Hou……..Is that a holy sword technique? What an annoying/troublesome ability」
「That’s right, It is the skill developed specifically to fight demonic beings like you」
Her black hair and blue mantle fluttered in the wind. Kirika was facing her opponent without faltering and pointed her sword towards Palmyra.
Although I expected her to be powerful, her cla.s.s Princess Knight truly doesn’t disappoint……..For it to be this useful, what a big win for me.
「I understand, You are unlike any of his other slaves, you are able to retain your consciousness. In that case, can I make you a proposition before it is too late? 」
This time Palmyra turned her crimson gaze towards Kirika.
「As you can see, If we use a little of our strength, we are easily able to solve an inexperienced level of enslavement magic」
「………………」
「You must hate that Slavemancer which forced you to act against your will right? In that case, if you promise not to go against me, after we take care of this fool, we will promise to release you from the grasp of his magic, what do you think?」
I see……..She is trying to take advantage of the fact that I refused her offer and is aiming to convert Kirika over to her side.
Kirika looked back towards me
For one moment we just started at each other in silence.
「……….Although it displeases me, allow me to refuse your offer」
「Hou? We did not expect you to decline………」
「Don’t look down on me, I am a Princess Knight! The pride/honor I have will not change even if I am being controlled by someone else. If I have to resort to making a deal with the devil race whom is the human race’s natural enemy, I’d rather stay on this side! 」
Her sword was raised and she rebuked the demoness in a dignified fas.h.i.+on.
Just like the time when we first met, she had the same n.o.ble expression on her face.
「Thank you, I believed in you」
「Don’t hold your breath. For now let’s just think about how to get out of this situation Odamori-kun, please use that shrewd brain of yours and think up a strategy/tactic/plan of attack 」
「What an awful way of putting it…..Well its fine, I will think of something, attention everyone! 」
「Y, yes, My master!」
「Ahh, Let’s pay her back for the suffering she caused Nana!」
Kirika and Amelia were standing in the front lines and was standing in a formation that protected both me and Nina at the back.
The demoness looked down on us in disdain and let out a ridicule/sneer.
「Kufufu……..If that is your wish……..We shall display the true extent of our abilities, and show you how futile your actions are. Be sure to fully taste the might of our demon race, Slavemancer! 」
Slavemancer Tooru
Job: Slavemancer LV 7
Skill: 【Enslavement Magic】???
Princess Knight Kirika
Job: Princess Knight LV 5
Skill: 【Brilliant Burst LV 3】【Magical Resistance LV 2】???
Magician Nina
Job: Magician LV 5
Skill: 【Strengthening/Reinforcement Magic LV 2】【s.p.a.ce Magic LV 2】【Medical Magic LV 1】???
Warrior Amelia
Job: Warrior LV 6
Skill: 【Sword Techniques LV 3】【s.h.i.+eld Techniques LV 3】【Cooking Skill LV 1】???