Extra in a Romance Fantasy

14 – Resolution

“…Cough!”

Blood spewed out involuntarily from his mouth.

And what about the pain felt in his abdomen?

It felt as if he was being burned from the part where the sword pierced him, not just the sensation of pain.

And on top of that, the unpleasant sensation.

It was impossible to consider this a pleasant experience.

“aaah! Wade…!!”

“What the hell…!”

Mary’s scream and Cedric’s startled voice could be heard clearly.

Well, seeing this sight, anyone would be startled.

Cedric, being mentally strong, would probably just be surprised, but Mary must have been greatly shocked.

But there was no other choice.

If I had told them in advance and acted, the cursed sword would have sensed something strange and become cautious of me.

“…?”

Aya, or more precisely, the gaze of the cursed sword inhabiting Aya’s body was also filled with doubt.

This guy must have known too. That I could have easily avoided the attack just now.

It goes without saying, but I didn’t get stabbed by the sudden attack because I went crazy.

There’s something I’m aiming for, and that’s why.

I grabbed the cursed sword embedded in my abdomen with my bare hands.

An unpleasant sensation transmitted through the touch alone, like grasping a rodent.

Furrowing my brow at the discomfort, I began to draw upon my magical power.

And then, light emanated from my hands.

“…!”

As if sensing something unusual, the cursed sword attempted to withdraw, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

I had firmly grasped the cursed sword with both hands, even tossing aside the sword I had been holding.

“…!!”

In an instant, the eyes of the cursed sword widened, and its face was filled with astonishment.

Judging by its reaction, it seemed to have grasped what I was up to.

Despite its struggles, the cursed sword’s intentions were thwarted.

After a few attempts, the cursed sword glared at me with venomous eyes.

“Let go…!”

For the first time, its mouth opened.

Of course, it wasn’t a sign that Ai, the girl’s consciousness, had returned. The cursed sword’s actions seemed definite.

It wasn’t a good omen.

It was a clear sign that the time for Ai to be completely consumed was drawing near.

So, I smiled slyly at the creature.

“Do you think I’ll let go?”

Instead of letting go, I activated even more magical power.

“Stop…! No, not this powerrr…!!”

Soon, the cursed sword began to scream.

The light flowing from my hands started to spread throughout the entire cursed sword.

Even in the midst of agony, the cursed sword glared at me with eyes filled with hatred.

“You…! How can someone not devoted to a god possess such power…?!”

“This isn’t divine energy.”

“What…?!”

It seemed to mistake this power for divine energy, but in reality, it was different.

Divine energy doesn’t descend upon those lacking unwavering faith.

This place openly acknowledges the existence of gods and is a world where divine miracles occur, but I do not believe in gods.

Therefore, I lack divine power, and consequently, I cannot use divine spells.

This is not a divine spell.

“Have you heard of light magic?”

Divine power and divine spells inherently possess lethal power against demons.

However, there is a force that may not be as potent as them, but is similarly fatal to demons—it is light magic.

While fire, water, wind, and earth are recognized as the four basic elements of magic, delving deeper reveals that magic encompasses various systems.

There are elements beyond the four, and there are magical systems unrelated to elements.

Light is an element with relatively high recognition, yet those truly attuned to its light attribute are not many. No, they are quite rare.

One of those rare individuals happens to be me.

And I have honed several light magic spells using that affinity.

I intended to use that light magic to purify the cursed sword.

Someone might question the relevance between that and being pierced by a sword, but they are all connected.

I am not talented in magic.

I can hardly learn most magic and struggle even with beginner-level spells.

Despite having a high affinity, the level of my light magic is not particularly impressive—barely reaching the average of Academy magic.

With such magic, I couldn’t simply purify the cursed sword.

That’s why I deliberately let myself be pierced by the sword.

– aaargh!

The cursed sword, which had screamed through the mouth of a child just moments ago, was now echoing screams inside my head—in a strange, unfamiliar voice.

– Ne-nooo…! On purpose…!

The tortured gaze of the cursed sword writhing in agony flickered.

It seemed the cursed sword had also caught on.

Why I was pierced by the sword.

Why I deliberately let the sword pierce me.

The reason is simple.

To enhance the power of magic.

As mentioned before, my magic is not of a high caliber.

Just using it would be like dreaming of purifying the cursed sword.

So, to use this effectively, it was necessary to enhance the power.

I tried to make up for that lack of power. My blood.

Blood is, in itself, a highly efficient medium for magic.

There is a significant efficiency difference between just using magic and using blood as a medium for magic.

The magic sword is currently soaked in my blood. It’s not an exaggeration. I am infusing light magic into the magic sword through my blood.

Of course, if that were the only option, I could have simply attempted to create wounds and shed blood. However, that probably wouldn’t have been powerful enough.

If my body were in normal condition, I might have tried, but my body is practically at its limit right now.

In such a state, if I were to spill enough blood to infuse the magic sword and fail, the situation would end there. I couldn’t risk crossing such a dangerous bridge.

Therefore, I chose a surefire method.

By being pierced by the sword.

As mentioned earlier, blood is a highly efficient medium for magic, but it’s not just that.

If it were just that, sorcerers wouldn’t favor blood. There are plenty of other highly efficient mediums.

The real special quality of blood is that it easily contains ‘will.’

Blood is closely related to life itself and is one of the elements that make up a person.

Therefore, it easily contains the will that arises from life.

To harness this characteristic, sorcerers use blood as a medium.

And what I just did is something similar, a kind of simplified sorcery.

Rather than just creating wounds and shedding blood, I directly stabbed myself, endured a life-threatening injury, and infused strong determination into the blood.

The determination to purify the magic sword.

By doing so, even with my mediocre magic, I can purify the magic sword.

– aaargh!!

The scream of the magic sword grew louder.

And at the same time, the black metal that had formed on Ira’s body was shattering and falling apart.

– You…! Stop it! Do you intend to die together…!

“Surely not. There’s no way.”

Dying like this here is out of the question.

I never wanted to die in the first place.

I just chose a more certain method.

A definite way to deal with him.

“After all, it’s arrogant to be so confident in a body that wasn’t yours to begin with.”

Taking possession of a body that didn’t belong to it and pretending to be the owner was extremely unsettling.

I have no intention of witnessing such a sight any longer.

So.

“Now, come out of there.”

Poof!

The light emanating from my body intensified even more—

Thud.

A sound like something snapping could be heard.

And.

Crash!

The sword that had been in Aira’s hand shattered into pieces.

Just a moment ago, it had broken but returned to its original state unharmed, but this time, it did not recover like before.

However, I did not let my guard down.

Swoosh—

The demon sword, which I had thought had completely disappeared, reappeared in thin air.

I clicked my tongue as I watched the scene.

Even after all this, I couldn’t destroy the demon sword.

I had managed to separate it completely from Aira’s body, but I had failed to purify it completely.

The only difference was its appearance.

It had become smaller, and the pulsating veins that had protruded from its surface had vanished.

Clearly, it seemed weakened compared to before.

“You…! It was almost over…!”

A voice that sounded like it was fading away echoed in my mind.

It seemed pretty furious at being forcibly expelled from Aira’s body.

“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll…”

The demon sword spun in mid-air.

Then, it began to swing towards me with the tip of the sword aimed at me.

Its speed was fast enough, and it was menacing.

Perhaps even in its weakened state, if I were to take that hit in my current condition, I wouldn’t come out unscathed.

However, even so, I did not move my body.

***Whoosh─***

Someone had rushed ahead of me.

Suddenly, from behind, the figure darted past me, wielding a sword toward the falling Dark Blade.

– Heh, you…!!

The Dark Blade, recognizing its opponent, hastily tried to recoil, but the situation was already too late.

Ultimately, the Dark Blade collided with the sword─

– Noooo!!

Shatter!

With a triumphant sound, the Dark Blade shattered into countless pieces.

Unable to maintain its form any longer, this time, it completely dissolved into dust.

“…”

Having concluded the Dark Blade, Cedric honed his sword and, with his usual gaze, silently regarded me.

Though his eyes conveyed a considerable sense of doubt, I chose to ignore it for now.

“…Huh?”

A startled voice sounded right in front of me.

I immediately lowered my gaze and witnessed it.

It was Ayla, her eyes no longer clouded but back to their usual brightness.

Seemingly, there was nothing particularly amiss with Ayla either.

Although the incessant wavering of her gaze was perplexing in many ways, at least her safety seemed assured.

Feeling a sense of relief at this fact, a smile naturally crept onto my face.

As I gazed into Ayla’s wavering eyes─

I lost consciousness right there.