2 chapters left before Arc 6!
Also, just to notify everyone, in Arc 6, the missing link we have been looking for regarding Nikki is now recounted in this volume.
With that said, enjoy Chapter 264
Upon hearing Cruzer"s side story, Liliyn asked first about the details regarding the 《Cursed Sword – Sacrifice》
"Please look at this."
In response to Liliyn"s question, Cruzer pulled out a book from his bag that was on the floor. Everyone frowned when they saw him put the book on the desk.
"What is that thing…?"
Naturally, Liliyn inquired about it.
"This is an ancient doc.u.ment talking about 《Sacrifice》 that I found at 【Doa Ruins】"
"Old doc.u.ments? This?…..let me see it."
"Sure. But please treat it with care."
When the book was received, Liliyn turns over the cover. Upon reading it, one could hear "I see" in small mutters. It certainly looked like a book on the surface, but when you look at its content, it was just an old file that was carefully pasted one by one on another set of papers.
He probably had a fear that it would wither completely if he haven"t done this kind of process. And thus, Cruzer filed it and kept it like that.
But upon reaching the first page, Liliyn"s face distorted into a question mark-kind of expression.
"….I can"t read it."
The characters written couldn"t be deciphered at all. Of course, it"s possible to draw some conclusions based on the pictures in some parts of it, but she couldn"t even understand that part too without the contents comprehension.
"Liliyn-dono, would you please show it to me as well."
When Eveam came towards Liliyn, both Marione and Aquinas followed behind.
"….this is…."
Eveam narrowed her eyes as she looked it, but as expected even she didn"t understand most of it as she would stare and try to decipher the foreign characters in it.
"It"s no surprise that anyone couldn"t read this. The character used in here is not the present 《Ranaris Alphabet》 commonly used in 【Edea】, but the 《Ancient Yueguwan Alphabet》. This alphabet was used in the ancient times that was lost in transition towards this present time." (Cruzer)
TL Note:
ラナリス文字 | Ranarisu Monji. Thus, Ranaris Alphabet
古代ユエグワン文字 | Kodai Yueguwan Monji. Thus, Ancient Yueguwan Alphabet.
Thereupon, Aquinas gently took the book from Eveam, and quietly stared at it with his pair of red eyes,
"….this is certainly the 《Ancient Yueguwan Alphabet》"
"You can read it?"
Cruzer couldn"t hide his surprise and promptly asked if he could decipher it. The others also sent glance to Aquinas waiting for his answer.
"Yes, but just a little bit."
"Fumu, well that guy had live a long life after all. No surprises there."
Although Liliyn commented with a mix of disgust,
"Nofofofofo! But if we are talking about long life, isn"t Milady the same?"
"S-shut it! If you say it like that you make me sound as if I"m incapable of learning about it!"
If Aquinas knew about it, but she doesn"t, then their difference is that one had learned of such knowledge. In other words, she doesn"t want to be compared to Aquinas with such a loss, and thus her panicked state.
"For the time being, does that mean this doc.u.ment contains information about 《Sacrifice》 who was the main cause of 【Shanjuumon Cave】"s collapse?"
When Eveam inquired back and asked him, Cruzer responded with a hand on his chins.
"Yes. When I first witnessed it at the ruins, I was deeply frightened….no, it"s more better to say I was terrified by such memory."
"You were terrified?"
"Yes. First of all, let me tell you the ability of 《Cursed Sword – Sacrifice》 that everyone would likely want to know first."
He received the book from Aquinas and placed it at the desk so that everyone could see while he was explaining. He turned the pages a few times over then stopped at a certain place. A picture of an ominous sword was drawn at it.
It wasn"t an ordinary sword, it felt like the flames of h.e.l.l was frozen in time and made into a sword. And at base of it was an eyeball that was supplemented by Cruzer"s explanation.
"《Cursed Sword – Sacrifice》 has the ability to destroy everything in exchange for the life force of the wielder."
"Compensated by the wielder"s life force you say?"
Liliyn responded with a suspicious tone.
"Yes, vitality that we put in it is not the physical strength we all generally know of, but literally the life force of the wielder."
"…in other words, you"re having your life cut short?"
"There"s no mistake with that understanding."
"So there was a savage sword that existed like that….."
It was then Eveam who said those words in wonder, and,
"I apologize for interrupting Cruzer-dono, when you say it could destroy everything, it sounded vague and I couldn"t get a good grasp on it…."
"Is that so. In simpler words, in proportion to the life force you give to 《Sacrifice》, it could destroy anything from this world, even if it"s illusions created by the power of the 《Founder Demon Lord》"
"Preposterous! Those kind of things are possible!"
It was Marione who responded next with a shout.
"Only the likes of the Founder Demon Lord is capable of seeing through the illusion magic surrounding the 《Core》! Even I and Aquinas couldn"t get past it! That"s how exceptional the power of the Founder Demon Lord is! It isn"t something a sword could possible break with one attack! M-moreover, why did that 『Cupidos Tribe』 have to make a wretched sword like that!"
With those words alone, Cruzer was able to evaluate Marione as a person with a high value of pride in him. Perhaps, the founder Demon Lord was really a non-standard existence.
"Although what I said sounded impossible, but it"s the truth. And besides, do you know the relations.h.i.+p between the Founder Demon Lord and the 『Cupidos Tribe』?"
With his silence, it was proof that he didn"t know anything about it, Eveam who doesn"t seem to understand it, looked at Marione then Aquinas with curious eyes.
"From the looks of it, it appears that Demon Lord-sama doesn"t know as well. Can I continue my talk then?"
Cruzer glances to Aquinas to seek his approval. However, Aquinas shook his head and said,
"About that, let me speak about their connection"
Apparently, it seems Aquinas would tell details himself. Everyone s.h.i.+fted their attention to him as he started to talk.
"A long time ago, the Founder Demon Lord who was also known as Adams, stumbled on a problem regarding a certain race. And that race was the 『Cupidos Tribe』. They were a minority race, and were racially unrelated with other races. They were a quiet and obedient"
"Then what"s the problem with them? Although they were racially unrelated, they don"t seem to be picking a fight with other races, I don"t see the problem regarding their behavior either?"
Aquinas closed his eyes when Eveam asked so,
"Yes, that"s how everyone thought about them. However, Adams noticed a strange sense of incongruity in their existence."
"A sense of incongruity?"
"It was something one could overlook as they thought of them as a friendly race."
"….then what in the world was it….?"
"It"s the look they give when they see another race…..Adams who saw such eyes felt a faint flicker of light in them. It"s as if a hawk was looking down at them from the top, just like an eyes of a predator."
"D-does that mean…"
"None of the races noticed such eyes from them. But Adams felt the incompatibility of it. So she ordered the 《Val Kiria Series》whom I had told that Adams created by herself, to investigate them. Then, the shocking truth came to light."
Eveam gulps in antic.i.p.ation.
"Based on the investigation….. A lot our brethren was killed by their hands."
"Wha!?"
"Adams who knew of it decided to seriously investigate their movements and deemed that they were a dangerous race. And the results that we have found were their race characteristics…..and atrocious ideology"
"Characteristics? Ideology?"
"A race characteristic in which they willingly eat human-flesh by nature."
The impact of those words were unexpected to Eveam as she carried a hand to her mouth with a pale complexion.
"Moreover, they can incorporate the characteristic of the race they eat. So they devoured most of the strong 『Evila』s and improved their own existence"
"That"s too gruesome….even though they are an 『Evila』 as well…."
"You are probably wondering why they are doing such a things….. Of course, they also wish to eat the ordinary foods the other 『Evila』 eats. So for the sake of surviving, they didn"t eat their kins. However, their actions were deeply rooted to their warped ideology."
"Right! Their ideology! What in the world were their ideology?"
Eveam inquired with a slightly agitated expression.
"Their ideology was………..the revival of their G.o.d"