Chapter 171 Sudden Change
Lately, our refugee life has been very peaceful. Every morning and evening, I check on Arnold's condition, and aside from that, I spend my time on synthesis.
It's a daily routine where I pray for the safety of Hero's party. We've even managed to defeat the monsters that blended in with the city of Rustu's people and safely escaped the poisonous fog forest. I thought all that was left was the final battle against the demon king――such was the situation on that particular day.
"Good morning."
As usual, I visited Arnold's place in the morning. Before I glanced at him, I thought he was sleeping peacefully on the bed, and I approached the window. Then, I opened the curtains and invited the pleasant morning sun into the room, and turned around.
The weather is nice today, I was about to say, as usual――but my eyes widened when I saw the black mist rising from Arnold's sleeping body.
"U..."
The painful groan that shook my eardrums made me feel like my heart was being grasped tightly, and I was trapped in an illusion.
――The black mist. I had seen it before. Too many times.
My heart was racing loudly. No way.
I held my breath and rushed over to him.
"A, Arnold?"
I kneeled on the bed and peered into his face. Arnold's sleeping face was twisted in pain.
I couldn't believe the scene in front of me, and I was stunned for a few seconds. Then――as if the black mist was provoking me, I finally came back to my senses.
(Demon king's power...)
The black mist was the demon king's power that Arnold had sealed away in his body. The fact that it was now rising from Arnold's body meant――
Honestly, I didn't have the specialized knowledge to understand it fully. But what I did know was that Arnold was in danger.
* * *
Right after that, I informed Marcedes-san, Ingrid-san, and Sieg-san about Arnold's condition. They were all equally shocked and rushed to Arnold's place immediately.
Marcedes-san examined Arnold's condition. After observing him for a few minutes, she slowly said...
"Probably... but the seal magic is weakening, I think."
――The seal magic is weakening.
Is it because Arnold's physical strength is reaching its limit, or...
Marcedes-san continues, looking at us who have fallen silent.
"To be precise, I think the demon king's power is growing stronger."
With the final battle approaching, the demon king is trying to return to its original form, I suppose.
The subordinates that infiltrated the city failed, and the Hero's delay tactics won't last much longer. The demon king's side must be getting desperate. That's why they're taking drastic measures.
If the seal is weakening, then――either the seal will be broken or we'll have to reseal it. There's no other choice.
I look at Arnold, who's struggling, and ask Marcedes-san.
"What should we do? Should we ask someone else to reapply the seal magic?"
Marcedes-san's face turns pale, and she shakes her head several times.
"No. As I said before, seal magic is extremely dangerous. It's not meant to be used on humans. It's too risky."
Ingrid-san and Sieg-san haven't said a word since earlier, quietly waiting for Marcedes-san's words.
Marcedes-san chooses her words carefully, speaking slowly to avoid causing unnecessary confusion.
"Moreover, if we apply the seal magic to Arnold from the outside now, not only will the demon king's power be affected, but Arnold will also become a target of the seal."
In other words, it's extremely difficult to reapply the seal magic to Arnold in his current state and reseal the demon king's power.
Then, the only option left is――
"We can only rely on Arnold's endurance, it seems."
Ingrid-san finally speaks up. Marcedes-san nods, albeit hesitantly.
The silence falls heavy. It's a heavy, heavy silence.
Is there anything I can do? Right now, Arnold is fighting against the demon king's power all alone. Can't I do something to help him?
"Let's hurry to the temple and set up a strong barrier as soon as possible."
Sieg-san gave the order, and the Rustu people outside the room quickly responded. Several of them rushed in and carefully carried Arnold's body out.
As they carried Arnold away, Ingrid-san and Marcedes-san followed. I tried to chase after them, but my feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Only Sieg-san and I were left in the room. I felt his piercing gaze, but I didn't have the energy to respond.
(What should I do, what's the right thing to do...)
What can I do for Arnold? My brain, which had been dulled by shock, slowly started to move again. And what came to mind was Elvira's experiment that took place a few months ago in this city...
"Prototype..."
The word slipped out of my mouth, and I saw Sieg-san react from the corner of my vision.
I looked up to see Sieg-san standing beside me. He seemed to understand what I was trying to say.
"Sieg-san, can you contact Lukas and Diona?"
"Right away."
He nodded and quickly left the room. I stared at the empty bed for a few seconds before following him out.
On my way to the room with the light orb, I called out in a small voice.
"Akari, Akari?"
The water created by The Drinking Water of the Spirits. That's essential for the prototype.
After a few minutes, Akari appeared before me, as if tearing through space. I rushed over and scooped up its small body.
Akari looked at me with an uneasy expression, as if sensing something was off.
"Laura?"
"Please, lend me your power."
Akari nodded at me, and then brought its face close to my chest. It was warm. I thought maybe he was trying to comfort me, who was on the verge of being overwhelmed by anxiety.
The seal on the magic was on the verge of breaking. It was extremely difficult to reapply magic from the outside.
If demon king tried to break the seal and a part of his power went out of control, it could lead to a phenomenon similar to the Self-destruction disease. Maybe, Arnold's life would――
I shook my head to shake off the anxiety that lingered in my mind. Then, I rushed towards the room where the cauldron device was. When I arrived, Lukas and Diona were already reflected on the water's surface.
'Laura, I heard the story. Arnold-san's condition is...'
Diona spoke in a calm tone, trying her best to remain composed. Next to her, Lukas was looking down with a pale face.
I sat down on the chair in front of the cauldron, taking care not to let my voice tremble, and briefly conveyed the situation.
"That's right. So, I thought maybe we could counter it with the prototype, just like with Elvira."
'Are you saying we should drive the demon king's power out of Arnold?'
Lukas's stiff voice asked. He was still looking down, but his gaze was fixed on me, his eyes narrowed.
――If we drove the demon king's power out of Arnold's body, it would lead to the same result as with Elvira. But wouldn't that go against Arnold's will? I thought.
Right before Arnold fell into a long sleep, he refused to take the prototype. He prioritized erasing the demon king's power above all.
If I used the prototype to drive the demon king's power out of Arnold's body――of course, that power would return to the demon king. That wasn't what Arnold wanted. And if the demon king's military power was strengthened, Lukas and the others would have an even tougher fight ahead of them.
The ideal situation would be to weaken the demon king's power with the prototype, and then have Arnold's seal magic suppress it again. But I wonder if things will really go that smoothly.
"Or, if we can weaken the power that's going wild inside Arnold right now..."
'I got it. I'll make it right away.'
Lukas's voice trembled with anxiety, but he nodded strongly.
No matter what the result may be, we need to come up with a countermeasure. Whether we can treat it or not is a separate issue, but it's better to create the prototype.
'Hey, Laura.'
Lukas suddenly called out to me. His voice was shaking.
'If we release Arnold's seal magic, will it be useless? If Arnold releases the demon king's power, then...'
Lukas's face was filled with sadness as he approached me.
――He was terrified of the possibility of Arnold losing his life. He thought that if they lost their precious comrade, their battle would become even more difficult. He didn't want to choose the option of abandoning his friend.
Those were the kind words of a childhood friend who couldn't bear to abandon his companions. But.
'The seal magic can only be undone by the person themselves.'
A young girl's voice cut in.
Lukas quickly turned around. Behind him, Elvira was staring at us with her jet-black eyes, similar to her brother's.
She wasn't crying. Despite being more shaken than anyone else by her brother's crisis, she was standing firm on her own.
'My brother will absolutely not undo the seal magic. Even if it means he'll die.'
Those were the proud words of a magician, and also the words of a sister who knew her brother better than anyone else.
Elvira declared it with certainty, without any vague expressions, as if she was absolutely sure.
'My brother has always been that kind of person.'
Elvira smiled. It was a smile that seemed to say "there's no other way," a smile that was overflowing with love and devotion.
――She had already made up her mind. No, she had accepted her brother's resolve. Faster than anyone else, and more sincerely than anyone else.
"I'll do everything I can, all of it, and try it out."
I realized I was saying that out loud.
If I don't do anything, Arnold might lose his life. But even if I use the prototype, I don't know if I can control the demon king's power. Since Arnold doesn't want to undo the seal on the magic, if the prototype tries to expel the demon king, it might cause an unexpected reaction. And if the power gets out of control, it'll be a burden on Lukas and the others—
I don't know which path to choose. But time and the demon king won't wait for me.
Elvira nodded firmly, biting her lower lip. Lukas couldn't say anything more to her, and he swallowed his words, gulping loudly, before turning back to me.
'We'll also try to get to the demon king's place as soon as possible.'
Yeah, everything will be resolved if the demon king is defeated. Should we just pray and wait for that moment to come――
I cut off the communication and left. And then I started walking aimlessly.
At a time like this, what would Arnold do? Which option would he choose?
I realized I was standing in front of the bed where Arnold had been sleeping until just a while ago. I touched the mattress, and it was cold. Right now, Arnold is probably sleeping in the temple, protected by the barrier of Rustu's people.
"Arnold..."
I felt like I was called "Ampère". ——No, I want to hear that voice.
He's always calm, looking ahead, never giving up, and taking action before anyone else. Even when his sister fell ill, he became an alchemist to find a cure. And when the demon king took over his body, he resisted until the very end and even managed to seal some of the power within himself.
I've seen him up close, so―― I'll also take a deep breath and move forward. Just like him.
I desperately recalled what happened with Elvira.
(When I made Elvira drink The Drinking Water of the Spirits, the demon king took damage and tried to recover by hiding inside her body. And then, when I made her drink the prototype... the Hero's power and the power of light rejected it, and it came out.)
However, what's decisively different this time is that the demon king's power is trying to escape at the perfect timing. And it's unlikely that Arnold himself would want to release the seal magic. In other words, our goals have been reversed compared to last time.
Back then, we wanted to expel the demon king, but it wanted to stay inside. This time, the demon king wants to get out, and we want it to stay quiet inside Arnold's body.
But can we really use the prototype in the same way as before? When we gave Elvira The Drinking Water of the Spirits, the demon king inside her calmed down because he wanted to stay "there". But it's not guaranteed to calm down this time.
Since there's no precedent, we don't know what will happen. And Arnold's and the demon king's powers are still fiercely clashing right now. If we intervene carelessly, we might trigger an unexpected reaction.
(It's too risky to take the gamble.)
If we make the wrong choice here, the worst-case scenario is that this world will fall into the demon king's hands.
Thinking about it, instead of considering the prototype's prescription, it's safer and more reliable to think of a way to maintain Arnold's seal magic until the day Lukas and the others defeat the demon king. So what we should focus on right now is not directly interfering with the demon king's power, but rather....
(If we don't want it to come out, we need to create an environment where the demon king's power doesn't want to emerge. An environment where it would take a huge damage if it came out.)
The thing that still lingers in my mind is the existence of the prototype.
If the Demon King's hated holy power were to envelop Arnold's body, wouldn't that create an environment that the Demon King's power wouldn't want to emerge in? Even if, by some chance, the seal magic were to break and the power were to leak out, if we could deal damage with the holy power, we might be able to suppress the Demon King's strengthened war potential――
Every second counts. Even if my idea is completely off the mark, I have to take action or nothing will start.
I called out to Akari again. Not just Akari. I called out to all the Spirit-sama who had given me the spirit stones.
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you all."
And with that, the strategy meeting began.
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