Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle

116 – Absolute Idol Hero 3

Like the scythe of the Black Reaper, her kick approaches my neck.

I buckle my knees, using my own weight to pull my upper body down.

The sound of a sharp blade passes overhead.

I was able to avoid it. But in this position, a second attack will-

「You, you’re a Black Sorcerer yet you know martial arts?」

That’s because I became a disciple of one of the Big Four.

「But with this-」

Am I out of time? If this keeps up…

Just when I was about to unleash the horn.

「Lord Lemegeton, it is done.」

「Wha?」

At that voice, Ellie looked stunned.

As if she heard a voice that she shouldn’t be able to.

Then she looked at the other person, looked at what she had done, then back to me with a warped expression.

「When did…no, how did you…?」

Her’s was a face of utter astonishment.

「At the time when you approached us.」

The one who reported to me earlier was Meadow, the Evil Eye Assassin Botis.

The strategy was thus.

At the same time as the start of the battle, I cast my Black Magic on all five people.

What I cast was Confusion. An enhanced version of what I usually cast.

I inhibited the cognition of Botis for all five of them. In other words, they couldn’t sense her.

And because she is already an Assassin with a specialty of erasing her presence, there isn’t even the slightest chance of her being found out.

「Impossible! I had Resist on…no, you didn’t…you couldn’t possibly have…」

An armor of Magical Energy is a Magical Energy guzzler.

She had that on all the time while she moved around, used Wind Magic to shift, attack, and even give support. It’s honestly quite impressive.

I, too, have pride in my Black Magic.

How one can repel Black Magic with an armor of Magical Energy is by deploying one’s own Magical Energy in order to prevent the invasion of the enemy’s Magical Energy.

It’s like, even if you had a bucket filled with water and tried to pour it on your opponent, there’s no way they’d get wet because they’re wearing a full raincoat.

However, what if you were to use a water gun and aim at pinpoint gaps in her raincoat?

I form my Black Magic in the shape of a thread, rather than filling a bucket. I thread a needle of Magical Energy to my target, rather than shower them in it. My nerves were more worn down than usual, but I managed to confirm the state of Ellie’s Magical Energy during that first attack that Foras blocked.

When I swung his large shield around to intercept the second attack, I succeeded in threading the needle.

As for the other four, I cast it on them the moment the battle began.

And then, while Foras and I drew Ellie towards us, we cast Black Magic on the other four.

We wanted to prevent them from narrowly avoiding attacks, so we chose Speed Down.

The effects were outstanding. The two White Sorcerers were occupied with dispelling it, while the other two Black Sorcerers were no longer able to slow down Amduscias.

The four, who are struggling with Alraune, were put into a predicament due to Amduscias’ charges.

That’s why Ellie was trying to rush the fight.

Defeat Foras and I, then magnificently save the other four.

Foras’ Black Magic wasn’t able to affect Ellie because of her Magical Energy armor, naturally.

If a lot of your Magical Energy is being repelled, it’s much more beneficial to choose a different target.

I had cast Black Magic that was separate from Confusion in order to distract her and keep her Magical Energy armor out.

「…You can do that? …Black Magic can be used…to that extent…?」

「What now, Hero Ellie? Shall we keep going?」

Botis lowered the bandage over her eyes and they glowed a faint red light.

Jean stared at them and turned into a stone statue.

She has the ability to petrify.

Due to its range and the time it takes for it to take effect, it’s necessary for her to hide her presence.

Having predicted Ellie’s support, I thought that the most useful thing in this fight was going to be Botis.

Foras did well standing around as my guard, but he isn’t a combat class.

Neither is Amduscias but she has the Aptitude for close-quarters combat. But like the Alraune, her attacks were avoided because of Ellie’s support.

The ability to defeat the enemy without even fighting them is exactly why I thought her power would be so effective.

Petrification has properties similar to magic and can be Resisted. So a Hero who has been deploying her Magical Energy since the start of the battle cannot be defeated this way.

「Wait. What makes you think that I’d give up if you defeat my pets?」

「I’ve watched your fights. To you, victory is only attained by winning with all five of you.」

I can’t comment on the bond that the five of them share.

But I can tell by looking at them that it is a firm bond.

The remaining three had regretful looks on their faces.

「…What if you were off the mark, and I said to continue the battle?」

That, of course, is also a possibility. One that I don’t want to happen.

Without unleashing the horn, I stop hiding my Magical Energy.

The Magical Energy created by my Magical Energy organ can be felt in my surroundings.

「Do as you wish.」

「…I see. Things would get a lot more fun if you use the horn.」

Ellie chuckled while giving a bewitching smile.

「I surrender. I don’t plan on offering my fan as a sacrifice in order to have a dance with you. That’s just not beautiful, isn’t it?」

While some, like Nicola, wish to have an unrefined, tenacious fight, there are others who stick to their own aesthetics.

There are many ways of doing things, and that’s just fine. Because that’s what being an Adventurer is all about.

「My my, what a shock that was. It’s like I was stripped naked. You saw through everything」

She landed on the ground and disengaged her combat stance.

She approached me.

「You’ve got me, Len. I’ll follow your orders. You’re strong and smart. But there is one thing…」

Saying that, she leaned in to whisper in my ear.

「Do something about your Magical Energy before the main event. You certainly don’t have enough.」

Perceptive.

She sensed not just my Magical Energy organ, but the horn’s Magical Energy storage as well.

In any case, the reborn tenth stratum won over the 95th ranked party.

◇

As an aside, after the fight, the black-suited Lyner and Ryan came to Foras and me and bowed their heads to ask us to train them.

Ellie thought she was gonna face the Evil Eye, but she didn’t, so for a moment, she told Botis「Use it on me. Turn me into a beautiful statue.」

It seems like the suit boys were a little traumatized by the mob of Alraune set upon them and the overwhelming offensive abilities of Amduscias’ charges, because every time she calls out to them, their shoulders jolt for a moment.

「Ellie.」

「What is it, Len?」

「It’s fine if you don’t want to say it, but why did you think to create a party like this?」

「You of all people should know why. I hate being asked obvious questions.」

「…Ah, that’s right. My apologies.」

To understand the secret of this party, I had my suspicions.

In the end, Ellie is the best of the bunch, and she’s just protecting the four of them, or so I thought.

I was wrong.

Her enhanced speed is amazing, and on top of that, and it is extremely troublesome that she can only be weakened by pinpoint Black Magic.

That’s not all.

Ellie didn’t form a party based on her excellent support alone.

It’s because the four of them are always behind Ellie. If they were other Adventurers, this wouldn’t work.

One person runs out, and the others stay as a group. It’s difficult to keep this consistent. Especially if a battle breaks out in the rear, they would fall apart by taking evasive maneuvers and defending themselves.

But the four of them don’t move much. They believe in Ellie and survive on that spot. They believe in her support and make the most of it.

It goes without saying that it is much easier to support a group of allies that stays together in one spot rather than a group that scatters.

This is the best way to capitalize on her special talent. You need allies who can support this formation.

「I do so enjoy a stage where I shine.」

The best four support that allows her to move freely as she likes.

It’s for this very reason that she recognizes their value more than anyone else.

She has to think of ways to make sure that the four of them are appreciated for their abilities and to protect them from being thought of as burdens.

No gem can shine in the dark.

Ellie, the idol-like Hero, chose the best lighting of her own volition in order to make her beauty known to the world.

That lighting is the two Black Sorcerers and two White Sorcerers.

No, I should call them Lyner, Ryan, Kent, and Jean.

They are something that she cannot lose, so that’s why she gave up at that point.

But…

What happens if she were to lose her allies in the main event?

The reason why I predicted surrender this time was, of course, because of the aforementioned thoughts, but also because of the premise that this was a battle to test her strength.  

This time, we are allies, but we may be enemies one day.

That is why, while testing her power, we both held back from showing our full abilities.

She did reveal that one new technique, but that was all.

Also the other four. I don’t know if it was by Ellie’s instructions or something, but their percentage of increasing and decreasing was lower than the information I found beforehand.

I suppose there was no way they would reveal their hand in such a situation.

In the end, I think Ellie was worried about continuing the battle.

She’s a Hero. She doesn’t want to lose. If you’ve lost your allies, it’s more natural to think about avenging them.

This time, they just admitted defeat, saying that their style had been broken.

「Are you even listening?」

「…Yeah.」

「Honestly. As I was saying, Len. I beg of you. Use your orders to make me the finest of Heroes.」

……

Who would have thought that even after becoming the Demon King Army’s Chief of Staff, a Hero would ask of me such a thing?

While smiling behind my mask, I respond.

「Understood. Let us drive back the world’s strongest Heroes, together.」

「Now that sounds like fun.」

She laughed happily, like an innocent child.