Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Counterattack

In general, Shu, the demon, had a lot of free time.

Apart from practicing mana control, developing magic, and subjugating unruly monsters, there wasn't much else to do. Moreover, these three activities were more like hobbies, so there were days when he didn't feel like doing them.

It could be said that the only thing he had to do was to meet Iris on her day off and listen to her complaints or learn writing from her.

According to the information he had gathered beforehand, her day off involved heading to Ildana in the morning, killing time at the designated cafe, having lunch, and in the afternoon, she either continued teaching him writing or accompanied Iris to assist her with shopping.

And today was the day to accompany her for shopping.

"Thank you for bringing me home."

"It's no problem. It's my way of showing gratitude for the writing lessons."

While he said that, Shu had his own ulterior motives.

He wanted Iris to remain a source of information for him, so he had built a good relationship with her. Particularly because there was a possibility of obtaining useful information for demons from her as a Holy Knight. Surprisingly, she would casually talk about the content of her missions.

Unlike the military, the activities of the Church needed to be conspicuous.

As a form of promotion, information about the Holy Knights' missions was often made public. However, the information obtained directly from the Holy Knight herself was much more valuable. That's why Shu had been collecting knowledge about human magic and magic tools.

"I'm going home now."

"The next day off is in eight days. I'll be waiting at the usual place!"

"Understood."

And as usual, they parted ways in front of her house.

Shu thought it was somewhat reminiscent of a romantic farewell, but unfortunately, the other party was Iris. Her clumsiness made it difficult to see her as a woman. At best, he considered her as a sister who needed care.

By the way, she lived alone.

Her house was a small rented place, and she had plans to move once she saved up a bit more money.

"If you forget, I'll find you and pester you."

"Stop that."

With a half-hearted farewell, Shu left Iris' house. Although the Eldera Forest was close to Ildana, it would be sunset by the time he returned to the settlement.

As he was originally a spiritual being, he didn't get tired physically, but he was mentally exhausted.

(Shopping for women sure takes a long time... I remember this knowledge from when I was human.)

Perhaps because the world is different, many of the knowledge I possessed is not useful. I had to relearn characters and calendars, and my knowledge of electronic devices is completely useless. I am constantly amazed by the unknown power of magic and the existence of magical artifacts.

However, there are many common aspects of human nature that remain even when the world changes.

I continued walking with Illdana, bathed in the setting sun, and headed towards the outskirts, towards the Elder Forest. And before the sun disappeared behind the mountains, I was able to enter the forest.

(I wonder if I can release my physical form around here.)

As a precaution, I confirmed the surroundings with my magical perception. It is an absolute secret that Shu is a magical creature, so under no circumstances should anyone see the moment of his spiritual manifestation.

In doing so, I was able to sense a small amount of magic power behind me.

It seems to be reasonably far away in terms of distance, but I decided to confirm it just to be safe.

I turned around and stared at the location where I sensed the magic power.

(Perhaps beyond that clump of grass...)

Given the magnitude of this magic power, it is likely a low-level Lesser-class magical creature.

Thinking that way, I used the Acceleration magic array.

I channeled magic power into the magic array, which was instantly depicted by my thought process, and activated the Acceleration magic. This was an attempt to make something emitting a small amount of magic power collide with a nearby large tree.

Perhaps the speed of Shu's magic array deployment was insufficient, as something was accelerated in one direction. It collided with the large tree, making a loud noise.

"Guaa!?"

It was something invisible.

The impact of the collision with the tree caused wood fragments to scatter and leaves to flutter. However, the target I sent flying with Acceleration magic was not visible, only groaning could be heard.

Based on the magnitude of the magic power, I thought it was a weak magical creature, but judging from the voice, it was probably a human.

Shu tightened his grip.

"Who are you?"

"Guh... To have seen through my magic concealment... Impressive."

The transparent figure regained color and glared at Shu. It had the appearance of a knight, with full-body armor and a full-face helmet. Judging from the physique, it was probably a man.

The man stood up with a look of annoyance and removed the helmet covering his head with his right hand, revealing his face.

That person was someone Shu knew.

"Are you Yumir?"

"You should address me as Yumir-sama. How audacious of you, commoner."

Shu remembers that the man who approached him when he was with Iris at the café terrace was a nobleman. At that time, Shu had also noticed the black emotions directed towards him.

He never thought they would meet again like this.

It's impossible to dismiss it as a mere coincidence.

"Instead of invisibility magic... it's magical armor, isn't it?"

"You understand well, commoner. As someone who claims to be a mage, you seem to possess a certain level of intelligence."

"Well then... can you tell me why you were following me?"

"The reason? You ask strange questions, commoner."

Yumir replied, transforming his gentlemanly smile into a sadistic expression.

"I was eliminating the pest that was clinging to my Iris. That woman is suited for me alone. A lowly commoner like you, a mage at that, has no right to touch her."

"No, it's rather the other way around..."

"That's why, as a noble, it is my duty to eradicate nuisances like you. It is my obligation as her future husband. Because of commoners like you, she can't be honest with me."

"Listen to me."

Shu felt genuinely disgusted.

He was actually curious about how someone could misunderstand things to this extent.

It was evident that Iris disliked Yumir when he looked at her. He couldn't understand what kind of thinking led to such a conclusion.

"I'll commend you for seeing through my invisibility. However, it ends here for you. I have to crush this annoying insect."

"I decline. If you forget about it now, I'll let it go, so leave quickly."

"Hmph... how foolish. You will be crushed by me. That's a certainty!"

Yumir put on his helmet again and drew the sword he had thrust into his waist.

Then, he activated his magical armor, making everything except the sword transparent. Shu concluded that resolving this through negotiation was impossible and decided to eliminate him by force.

They were the ones being attacked.

In that case, there was no choice but to fight back.

That was the instinct of a magical creature.

"I'll clean up with my sword."

As Yumir stepped forward, Shu immediately deployed an acceleration magic formation. It was a reflection magic that reversed the momentum, easily deflecting Yumir's sword. Unexpectedly, the force rebounded onto Yumir's wrist, causing him to scream in pain.

"Gyah!?"

"Even if you can become invisible with magic armor, it's meaningless if the sword is visible."

If Shu were to engage in close combat, there would be a significance in only the sword being visible. When fighting with weapons, it becomes necessary to anticipate the opponent's movements. It is a technique that allows instantaneous prediction by observing things like hands, feet, gaze, and body twists.

However, when the body becomes invisible and only the sword is visible, such prediction becomes impossible.

Not only that, but due to the incomplete visibility of the sword's trajectory, it becomes even more chaotic.

However, Shu was a magician.

By analyzing the magic array, he was a magician who could deploy formations through his thinking ability. He could activate magic faster than swinging a sword, without the need for incantations. As a result, Yumir miserably ended up self-destructing.

"G-guso... What's with that speed of magic activation?"

"I told you already. I'm a magician, which means I study magic. I have the ease of instantly activating magic. Do you understand?"

"That can't be true! Being able to use magic without incantations is unheard of, even among S-rank holy knights!"

"I don't care. The fact is, I can do it."

Apparently, when receiving a shock, the invisibility is cancelled. Yumir, wearing a full-body armor, reappeared. This armor, even though it's magical equipment, still has a considerable weight. To wield it freely, physical reinforcement is necessary.

Physical reinforcement is a magic technique that, like magic power detection and magic power concealment, belongs to an unrelated system of magic. It is also a fundamental skill. Since magic power control techniques are directly reflected in its effectiveness, it shows how diligent one is in the basics.

And now, it can be understood that Yumir, at an age when his body is not yet fully developed, is proficiently handling the full-body armor. The power of that reinforcement was reflected directly, causing strain on his wrists, which was naturally painful.

"It seems you have some abilities of your own. Not only physical reinforcement, but also magic power concealment is quite something. I could only sense a small amount of magic power from you. If this weren't a completely empty forest, I might not have noticed.

Well, even though I could detect it, I'm still superior."

"You lowborn... I'll kill you!"

Perhaps unable to tolerate the insult, Yumir endured the pain in his right hand and attacked again. At the same time, he didn't forget to become invisible.

Furthermore, this time, the sword also became invisible.

In other words, Yumir's figure became completely invisible.

However, Shu remained calm.

"You're naive."

Magic can be sensed. In that case, I should use reflective magic in that direction.

Once again, Yumir's sword was deflected.

"Guuuh..."

"I see. This time you focused on strengthening your wrist. You truly deserve to be chosen as an A-rank Holy Knight."

"Die, peasant!"

Yumir swung her sword again, like a fool's repetition.

Of course, since she was in an invisible state, Shu couldn't see her. He relied on sensing her magic power.

Shu tried to deflect it with reflection again, but this time he noticed something different. Yumir had released the magic concealment and infused magic into her weapon. It was Yumir, who was said to be an A-rank Holy Knight... no, she was even said to have the potential to become an S-rank in the future. Her magic power was enveloping the weapon.

(It's dangerous.)

He immediately made a decision and took a step back.

As expected, Yumir's sword tore through the magic circle of reflection and grazed past Shu's body. He could only feel the wind pressure since she was invisible, but it was probably a close call.

And if a weapon could handle this much magic power without any issues, it could only be a magical equipment that was originally a mass of magic power.

"Is that sword also a magical equipment?"

"You noticed well, peasant. My magical equipment is a hybrid type, combining both weapon and armor. And when combined with the power of invisibility, it becomes the strongest offense and defense. This is the difference between a pitiful peasant who can't even use magical equipment and a noble aristocrat!"

Come to think of it, the reason the sword didn't break even when the impact was reflected was probably because it was part of the magical equipment. This reflective magic by acceleration reflects all the energy.

Normally, when it struck, all the impact should have been bounced back to the sword, becoming sound energy and heat energy. Therefore, even if it's reflected, there wouldn't be any intense sound.

It was an excellent magic, but it also had its weaknesses.

That is, if it receives more magic energy than the magic power absorbed by the magic circle, it will be destroyed.

This is a weakness that exists in any magic, and Yumir, being an excellent Holy Knight, naturally knew it.

"Die, die!"

Yumir increased her speed and strength through physical enhancement. Furthermore, she was invisible, and the magic power she had gathered easily destroyed the magic circle.

Shu, too, had to exert a certain amount of strength.

(There's a chance I'll draw attention from humans if I kill this guy... but there's no other choice.)

Shu paused for a moment to concentrate, determined to kill Yumir.

Of course, Yumir didn't miss the opportunity that arose.

"This is the end!"

"That's my line."

Magic: "Void Divider Line."

A massive magic circle appeared on the ground in an instant. Its range was about a radius of twenty meters, and it had an effect as if a slash had traversed through space.

Furthermore, this was a spell that disintegrated designated areas.

It set an extremely thin region and broke molecular bonds through disintegration. At the same time, it separated the two objects with the impact generated during disintegration.

In other words, it wasn't a magic that slashed through, so defense through armor was meaningless. Magical power that obstructed magic could be erased with a magic spell called "Suck Life" if it existed in an area as thin as a single atom.

Yumir's defense with magical equipment was in vain, and three disintegrations were triggered within his body.

His right wrist, left leg, and neck were severed, and Yumir died instantly.

"Gah...!?"

Perhaps he had a moment of consciousness at the very end.

He uttered only one word and collapsed.

Thanks to his right hand, which held a sword, being dropped, his final strike weakened. And due to his left leg being severed, his trajectory deviated. As a result, Shu remained unharmed.

Looking down at the deceased Holy Knight, Shu muttered:

"It would be clumsy for a corpse to be found in the Aldera Forest. I'll use teleportation magic to send it somewhere suitable."

If the discovery of a deceased A-rank Holy Knight in the Aldera Forest were to be made, it could lead to a massive search for the cause, potentially revealing the existence of a monster settlement. That would be problematic.

Drawing a teleportation magic circle in the nearly darkened forest, Shu allowed magic power to flow.

As it targeted the three dismembered corpses and the flowed blood, they flew outside the forest according to Shu's will. The designated distance was roughly about one kilometer, so they would likely be found near the nearby city of Ildana.

Humans would naturally be suspected as the culprits.

"Now then, time to go back."

Seeing off the flying corpses, Shu disappeared into the depths of the forest.