Chapter 71 - Turning Darkness To Light

He worried I might leave, which would decrease the probability of defeating the demon lord. I couldn’t help but feel moved every time Mayer appraised me so highly. What was the answer he wanted? No matter how I rolled the cogs in my head, it seemed difficult to fool him. Even more so because he was serious about this matter. That being the case, I decided to be truthful. “Well… I don’t particularly think that I’ve been deceived, and I’m not afraid either. I do feel some pity, however, which is only natural and expected of a human being so let’s pass over that.” For a moment, I wondered if I was being overly frank, but the words were already out of my mouth. I thought I may as well keep on going. “If I had to say something, I guess it’s that I’m pleased.”

“Pleased? Are you making fun of me now?” For the first time, Mayer raised his voice, thinking that I was being sarcastic. He glared at me with intense eyes, gritting his teeth. Facing his bared hostility for the first time made my skin prickle. My legs almost gave out on me, but I clenched my jaw and endured as I had to put on my best mask of composure.

I met his furious, twisted face and explained, “Yes. Thanks to learning that Your Excellency possesses demonic power, I’ve come up with a more effective plan to take down the demon lord. How could I not be pleased?”

“What a piece of work you are…” Mayer laughed, incredulous, his lips twitching with a sneer. “If your intent was to mollify me, I would like to tell you it was very effective.”

I could see the glee that he couldn’t hide beneath his sardonic tone; my words were right to his liking. The fury in his eyes died down and I could finally feel some slight relief. It was still too early to relax, however, as Mayer leaned toward me with a glint in his eyes. “So you are saying… You wish to work for me despite knowing that I possess demonic power?”

“I told you. Thanks to your power, Captain, I’ve thought up a better plan for defeating the demon lord.”

Mayer blinked in surprise. He seemed to have thought I was spouting empty words. His brows twitched in suspicion, showing complete disbelief. “You are telling me to believe that?”

“Is there any reason not to?”

“…None,” Mayer sighed. He sunk back on his chair and cast a bitter look across his desk, looking mentally exhausted. “Fine, then. Let us hear how my power will be effective in defeating the demon lord.”

Not a hint of trust could be found in his voice. Perhaps he feared getting his hopes up for nothing. I didn’t think I could convince him with a couple of words. Mouth dry from nervousness, I had to wet my lips before speaking. “Your mana will most likely not affect the demon lord, Captain, due to having the same dark element.”

To put it more precisely, this was because Mayer’s power originated from the demon lord. I didn’t feel the need to explain this, though, since it was something I knew as a player of this ‘game’.

“…Fair enough,” he acquiesced. “But I have no intention of using mana in the battle against the demon lord, to begin with. I am a swordsman, after all.”

“But it’s difficult to kill the demon lord with swordsmanship alone. Physical attacks don’t work well. You may as well consider it impossible.”

Mayer fell silent. He must’ve known this all along, yet his eyes were afire with emotion. Perhaps he had been subconsciously denying this fact. Mayer Knox was the strongest swordsman, but the demon lord was the ultimate evil. Strength alone wouldn’t be enough to slay him.

After a long moment of quiet, Mayer nodded and said, “…I am sure you are right since you have faced the demon lord in person.”

“Yes. So you have to somehow learn a magical means of attack, Captain.”

“Did you not say my mana is ineffective against the demon lord?”

“I have an element conversion spell.”

“Element conversion?” he echoed.

“Yes. It’s a spell that inverts the element of mana. It can change your dark element mana… to the holy element.”

“Are you joking?” Mayer asked in astonishment. His reaction was understandable. Changing somebody’s mana element? It was plausible, yes, when thinking from the perspective of a gamer. When going by the logic of this world instead, it was unbelievable. I was certain he had never even dreamed of such a possibility.

“I don’t joke about my abilities,” I replied confidently.

“…I cannot believe you, to tell the truth.”

“Ordinary support mages aren’t capable of casting the spell. I’m probably the only one who can.” And it was true. I was a specialist in support magic. Specialists naturally possessed great ability in their respective fields. Element conversion magic wasn’t easy to use, though. Even in the first playthrough, I only managed to obtain the spell after reaching level 60.

Mayer appeared exhilarated at my capability, his golden eyes shining bright as he remarked, “Choosing you… was the biggest fortune of my life.”