ALL NOVEL Chapter 23
At that moment.
In the Elf Forest, all the elders gathered in a place to begin an emergency meeting.
In a secret chamber perched atop the branches of the World Tree.
The elders, gathered in a conference room surrounded by a barrier that ordinary elves could not dare to enter, all displayed signs of anxiety.
Elders from all forests across the continent convened at the World Tree.
After nearly 300 years, the gathering had never happened once, and thus the elders responded to the summons filled with worry and apprehension.
As everyone gathered, just one seat remained unfilled.
“I apologize for the wait.”
The eldest elder and the silver-haired elf who returned alive from Demon King Bel Phegor, Iyeluna, entered and took her place at the head of the table.
“It seems everyone is here. Then, I will speak directly, but first, I need to confirm one aspect of your historical knowledge.”
Perhaps due to her age exceeding 700 years.
The other elders found the words of Iyeluna, the old elder, somewhat uncomfortable.
Though they had little interest in history, she felt the need to talk about the tedious past—
“The history I wish to speak of is from 500 years ago, the darkest period in elf history.”
“!!”
The elf elders could hardly contain their shock.
“Th-that’s… a dark history, isn’t it?”
“Yes. A forgotten history. Those who survived the horrors of that time had to bury the terrifying memories in their hearts and return to the earth – it was a dreadful legacy… an event where some elves were ruled by Demon King Bel Phegor.”
Demon King Bel Phegor.
As the mention of that name, which should not be spoken, arose, the atmosphere turned heavy.
While mentioning the Demon King’s name was a given, Iyeluna’s voice trembled slightly.
“I will ask you. How did the Demon King fall?”
“…What we learned was that he suddenly disappeared after the great battle on the plains.”
“Whether the Demon King grew bored of the war or if a Hero of the Holy Sword we don’t know about defeated him….”
“That’s correct. The Hero of the Holy Sword defeated the Demon King. I… was at the Demon King’s castle at that time, so I witnessed it with my own eyes.”
“!!”
Everyone was taken aback.
“Could it be that you were with the ‘Real Hero’ party…?”
“……I will remain silent on that matter.”
If Iyeluna’s words were true, she was essentially a living witness to how the Demon King was defeated.
“Then, might you have any information about that ‘legendary hero’?!”
“I do not know who the legendary hero is. I cannot provide specifics about the situation at that time. All I know is… that there was a commotion in the Virgo Kingdom recently.”
With a snap of her fingers, spirits danced behind her and conjured a mirror with their magic.
“‘The Village of the Holy Sword’ was attacked by Death Knights. According to reports from the scouting team dispatched around the village, spirits began avoiding the area several days before the Death Knights struck.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why would the spirits…?”
“They must have sensed an omen or felt some overwhelming fear of death.”
Under normal circumstances, spirits seldom leave their places.
Unless a dragon appears or an absolute presence of terror shows up, spirits do not flee.
“…The spirits only saw the battle between the Death Knights and the Order of the Blue Moon Goddess, but from their conversations and signs of battle within the village, it’s inferred that they intend to kill humans and take their souls, likely interrogating them about what happened in the village.”
“So….”
“We need to investigate the events that took place while the spirits left. Specifically… this Holy Sword.”
Iyeluna pulled out an old piece of paper.
“Two hundred years ago, a travelogue left by someone who has now returned to nature was recorded. In it, details about the Village of the Holy Sword, including a drawing of the Holy Sword, were included.”
“…Is this the Holy Sword?”
“It looks like an old, rusty sword….”
“Great Elder. I recognize it. This is a vile scheme by humans made through wicked magic to prevent the sword from being pulled from the ground, isn’t it?”
“…….”
Iyeluna covered her face with her hand for a moment.
She knew that speaking about it might escalate the situation, but given the circumstances, she felt she couldn’t avoid it.
“…It is the real Holy Sword.”
“……Excuse me?”
“The ‘Holy Wind Sword’ that killed Demon King Bel Phegor.”
“!!”
The elders shot up from their seats.
“The Holy Wind Sword?!!!”
In their eyes reflected astonishment and fear, and gradually, excitement and ecstasy began to brew.
“The forgotten hero’s Holy Sword?!”
“To think that it was the most elf-friendly sword among the other Holy Swords…!”
“Could it be that the legend is true…!!”
“Is it possible that the strongest Holy Sword, for a thousand years without an owner, has awakened once more?!”
“……Enough.”
Iyeluna raised her hand, calming the elders.
“…Please calm yourselves.”
Despite being elders, they were all relatively young, not yet reaching 500 years, and their strong interest in the sword that killed the Demon King began to surface.
“If we have the Holy Wind Sword, we elves can…!”
“It is not for the purpose of seeking power. It is not to instigate war.”
“Elder…?”
“…The appearance of the Holy Wind Sword resuming existence implies that one can also consider the opposite might be true.”
Thud.
“The resurgence of the Holy Sword signifies someone has become its master, or a situation has arisen that necessitates one to be its master.”
“By my prediction… I won’t beat around the bush. I believe—”
Iyeluna continued with a stern expression.
“I suspect that Demon King Bel Phegor has resurrected.”
“…….”
“So we must quickly locate the hero who wields the Holy Wind Sword. We must protect the hero’s wellbeing. Otherwise….”
Iyeluna scanned the elf elders with a glance.
“Others who notice the revival of the Holy Sword might try to find the hero first to corrupt or lure them. Therefore, I request all forests to assist us. We must….”
Iyeluna stood up and slammed her hands on the table.
“We must find the master of the wind. Inform all elves spread throughout the world. If the master of such a sword appears….”
With fire in her eyes, Iyeluna continued.
“We must not spare any means or methods to ensure they are on the side of the elves.”
*
-Give me the sword!
-I-I will!
-You don’t need money, right?!
-That’s not the case, customer.
After purchasing the sword from Fergus.
Returning to the inn, as I had informed Lucius beforehand, I suggested we work on building our stamina.
“Haah, haah, haah.”
Lucius collapsed on the floor.
Sweat dripped all over his body.
“Is this hard?”
“…A bit, since it’s my first time doing stamina training.”
“Well, it is indeed tough.”
Dark Health—Squats.
It might just be a repetitive action of sitting down and standing up, but it’s a technique that trains the muscles of the entire body.
Though this body may not know how to squat, I knew that method precisely.
“Follow closely. This is a stamina training method that only three people in the whole world know.”
“Th-three people…?”
“Yeah. Why would I share something so precious with anyone else?”
Only three people know it in the Deep Dark Council.
The slothful Bel Phegor.
The wrathful Satan.
The arrogant Lucifer.
It’s the ultimate stamina training method learned by these ‘Three Demon Kings,’ who are renowned even in the Intermediate Realm.
It’s an exercise technique developed by the chairperson Satan, for which I paid a very high fee for information and received direct instruction on the proper form.
“This is worth as much as a Holy Sword.”
I sold the Holy Sword.
To be exact, I sold the methods and weaknesses to aim at one of the Holy Swords, as well as how I tackled the Holy Sword.
Who else would sell the tactics to conquer a Holy Sword for just a squat?
The ‘Dark Health’ developed by Satan holds immense value and impact!
“Don’t go sharing this carelessly, got it?”
“But you’re telling me.”
“I’m telling you because you’re you.”
“…….”
Lucius looked at me with a touched expression.
That’s only natural.
“For now, let’s start simply and then gradually increase the number of repetitions from here. Understood?”
“Understood. But, um, Master.”
Lucius looked at me with a complicated expression.
“Er, does the position really have to be like this?”
“Why? What’s wrong with this perfect stance?”
“Well, the thing is….”
Lucius lowered his head, reddening.
“…It’s a bit chafing.”
“What? Chafing? Where… Pffhahaha!!”
I genuinely burst out laughing.
“There’s a limit to how much blood can flow! Hahaha!!”
“Master….”
Lucius covered his face and lower body with his hands.
It seemed his unmentionable area was getting chafed against his thighs during the typical squat position.
‘I should tell Satan later.’
I wondered how Satan would respond.
If he were to say that something so large between his legs causes chafing as it moves up and down.
“Oh.”
I have a method.
“Want to try this?”
I spread my legs wide.
“This is a wide squat.”
“M-Master!!”
“What? Why? Oh, come on.”
I lifted my skirt.
“I’m wearing shorts, you rascal.”
“Still…!”
“Then I guess I should take off the skirt.”
Since I was wearing underwear beneath the shorts anyway, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
“Now, try this. If you still experience chafing, then I’ll teach you something else.”
“…….”
Lucius silently followed my stance.
“No, that’s not it! Make sure to watch closely from the back.”
“…….”
It seems it will take quite some time to train Lucius’s whole body.
*
The next day, when we were scheduled to seriously train Lucius’s stamina in the evening.
“…I didn’t expect this.”
Who would have thought that even undead could suffer from muscle soreness.
I limped, using a cane to support my barely movable legs.
“Ugh… this is all your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Isn’t it because you tortured me all night?”
I had to perform wide squats multiple times in front of Lucius because I couldn’t get just one proper position.
Naturally, my body was completely worn out.
Unlike Lucius’s well-trained body, this body was a weak and unnecessarily large-chested undead.
“Ugh, next time I really won’t hold back. I’ll just stay still, and you figure it out by yourself. Got it?”
“…Excuse me, Magician? Can you choose one for me?”
“Oh, Morzen. I’m sorry.”
The receptionist of the Adventurer Guild, Hora Morzen, bit her lower lip and pointed to the request form placed in front of me.
“Let’s see… oh, this is good.”
I picked two requests from the list that seemed easiest for adventurer rank-up and were very straightforward.
“Search for missing elves. Orc extermination. What do you think?”
My instincts were telling me.
Killing two birds with one stone.
“Doesn’t it look like the orcs have kidnapped the elves?”