ALL NOVEL Chapter 9
Five hundred years ago.
When I was rampaging as Demon Dragon Bel Phegor, the war at that time was a clash of swords and magic.
Victory went to the side that could secure more magicians.
Victory went to the side that could secure more swordmasters.
Or victory went to the side that amassed an overwhelming amount of troops, enough to crush both magicians and swordmasters alike.
Thus, I brought victory to the Demon Race.
There were times I fought directly on the frontline, times I eliminated heroes through guerrilla tactics, and times I toppled them using siege warfare.
In that process, humanity made great advancements.
Ah, they say war is the driving force for the advancement of human civilization.
Humanity rapidly grew based on war.
They began to research how to efficiently kill as many demons as possible without getting hurt themselves.
Magic Engineering.
The technology that merged the magic and mana of the Demon World with the Dwarves’ skills and the Elves’ spirit arts began to flourish.
This is a field I am well-acquainted with.
Before I was driven out of the last Intermediate Realm, I had made a deal with a Magic Engineer from the Human World and obtained his technology.
Anyway, the Magic Engineering that began with me, Demon Dragon Bel Phegor, had a significant impact on human civilization.
What started as a technology for war gradually seeped into all aspects of human history and also flowed into the Demon World through the demons summoned to the Intermediate Realm.
The most representative item of Magic Engineering is the ‘gun.’
Pulling the trigger fires the bullet inside—a concept so simple.
Even a small child, as long as they have a gun, could easily kill a knight by simply shooting a bullet into their throat.
So why is this village chief… talking nonsense?
“Heh, heh. No matter how well you shoot arrows or wield swords, what good is it? If you get shot, it’s all over.”
“Ch-Chief…!”
“Lucius, I’ve never liked you since you were a child. You carry yourself like some abandoned noble child picked up off the street.”
“…….”
I wasn’t particularly interested in the relationship between Lucius, the village chief, and his guardian, but somehow, the situation began to feel subtly off.
“Hand over that pesky witch neatly!”
“I-I refuse! This person is…!”
“A disaster!!”
“Get a grip, trash.”
I pushed Lucius aside and stepped forward.
“Threatening someone with a gun? You think that petty gun could do anything to me?”
I bluffed.
If that guy truly believed I was a troublesome witch, he would hesitate for a moment seeing me maintain my composure before the gun.
“Hmph! Witches die if shot!”
Yet, there was no hesitation at all.
“Witch, don’t try anything funny!”
It would have been nice if he fell for my bluff, but that guy continued with his made-up ‘Disaster Witch Theory’ to confuse Lucius.
While he kept calling me a witch, he evidently thought I was just a powerless girl.
“Kneel quietly, witch! Lucius, you’re being deceived by this witch!!”
“That is….”
The only one they were trying to deceive was Lucius.
If I could somehow subdue Lucius, my only ally, I could be taken away secretly, so they were trying to persuade Lucius.
Lucius, fighting hand-to-hand would likely be a strong suit for him.
“This is ridiculous. If I were actually a powerless woman, wouldn’t your intent be to lock me up and do strange things?”
“Hmph, shut it, Disaster Witch!”
“Stop saying disaster, it’s quite unpleasant.”
Now was the time.
“I am the ‘Sorceress of Crimson Lotus’ who has broken a long seal to save humanity.”
“Crimson… what?”
“Sorceress of Crimson Lotus. You don’t know?”
“… What’s that, you lunatic.”
…….
How could he not know the name of one of the top five witches who troubled me the most five hundred years ago?
‘Huh? What’s going on, Sorceress of Crimson Lotus?’
Has it been five hundred years that not a soul knows the legend of the battle that obliterated an entire mountain against Demon Dragon Bel Phegor?
Or is this place so remote that they are simply unaware?
“…….”
As if to prove my point, Lucius seemed to be completely in the dark about it.
I didn’t know much about the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus either.
I only knew she was an incredibly beautiful woman, had crimson hair and red eyes like my current form, and was proficient in flame magic, earning a name related to crimson.
Ah, and her chest was incomparably large.
Strolling around with chests bigger than my head while being almost in the top ten of powerful heroes, the name I mentioned fit well with my current appearance.
Yet they know nothing.
It seems they are completely clueless about the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus.
Then…
“Really don’t know? The one who defeated Demon King Bel Phegor and—”
“Uwaaaah!!”
The village chief screamed.
The village chief’s son and subordinates behind him also jumped back in shock.
“Surely a disaster! You dare to utter a name that should never be called!”
“What’s going to change by just saying her name?”
“Disaster is coming!! You brat, you’re definitely trying to ruin our village!!”
Malice began to fill the village chief’s eyes.
Just a moment ago he cast glances towards me that were thick with malice, and now it seemed he truly intended to kill me.
“Die!!”
Click, along with the sound.
“!!”
Bang—!
The village chief pulled the trigger.
I felt dizzy at the red blood splattering right before my eyes.
“Lucius!!!”
“Cough…! Are you alright?”
“What the hell, why!!”
This crazy bastard.
“I’m fine. Cough…!”
Lucius had taken a bullet to his shoulder.
He threw himself to protect me, taking the magical bullet in my place.
“Why did you throw yourself in harm’s way?!”
“To protect my master… Cough…!”
“Don’t say that! Damn…!”
I couldn’t cast Heal.
There’s this little thing called attributes tied to magic, and as an Undead, I couldn’t use the light property spell Heal.
To be precise, I’d have to exhaust all my mana to use it.
For an Undead to wield a light property spell consumes a lot of mana, and while I could easily incinerate a hundred people with my current mana, healing one person is quite hard.
So…
“What the hell are you doing!!”
“What am I doing?! Now that you’ve called the Demon King’s name, death will come to this village!!”
“It’s just a name, what kind of nonsensical thing is that?!”
“Just a name?!! You lunatic! Is Demon Dragon a joke?! The worst Demon Dragon that aimed to annihilate humanity, is this a joke?!”
We could not converse.
I had no way to treat Lucius.
…Wait, there is one way.
‘If I grasp the Holy Sword, that’s all I need.’
Grasping the Holy Sword would heal wounds and grant the strength to overcome bullets.
The gun fired by the village chief was not a bullet but a ‘magical bullet’ that shoots concentrated mana, and its speed was only slightly faster than a magic missile.
Though it’s a gun, it could also be thought of as a staff capable of firing magic missiles, so it wouldn’t be impossible to find a way out of this predicament.
Thus,
“Step back, Lucius.”
After I sat Lucius on the bed, I grabbed a broom that was about the same length as my body.
Creak.
As I poured mana into my toes and bent the bristle part, my broom turned into a wooden spear.
“Ha, you think you can wield that here—”
Whoosh!
I jabbed the spearhead into the village chief’s shoulder in one shot.
“Graaah!”
The village chief let out a howl, blood spraying everywhere.
For a moment, those around him were stunned, but then they charged at me, glaring with rage.
“Hmph.”
To the closest one, I struck once.
“Uwaah!!”
He froze in fear at the spearhead threatening his throat, and I pierced the empty space beneath his uplifted arm—aiming for his solar plexus.
Crunch.
Most humans have their solar plexus as a vital spot.
Unprotected by any skull or ribcage like the brain or heart, it’s one of the spots that can easily be taken down.
“Guh…!”
He rolled his eyes and collapsed to his knees.
In the meantime, I retracted my spear.
“This brat!”
“Who are you calling a brat?”
I swung the spear up towards the guy who had dared to call me a brat, who had been kicked by Lucius.
He quickly leaned his head back, and my broom cut through the air.
“Hmph! Is this all you—”
Crunch.
As the broom spun once more, the spearhead was aimed directly at the man’s groin.
For men, there’s another vital spot where harm means death.
Though it applies to women too, men feel more intense pain there.
“…”
The man retreated without saying a word.
The impact was intense enough to break the broom, and the sensation in my hands clearly indicated that I had ‘broken’ something.
Now all that remained was…
“Stop!!”
“…….”
The village chief’s son.
He supported the chief while clutching the gun in place of his father, shouting at me.
“Move any closer and I’ll shoot!”
“…Damn.”
His gun was aimed not at me but at Lucius.
Perfectly targeting his heart, and my broom had become a short spear, shattered while breaking a man’s groin.
It wouldn’t reach Lucius to save him.
The mana I would use for body enhancement was now at a dangerous level.
“Drop your weapon!”
“Master!! Don’t!!”
“…Leave Lucius alone.”
I threw away my broom.
If I could time it right when that gun barrel shifted away from Lucius, perhaps there’s a chance.
‘Point at me.’
Not at Lucius, but at me.
Yet the village chief’s son seemed too clever, and was keeping his aim on Lucius.
“Heh, Hmph! Don’t try and play tricks! I won’t let you! I’ll make sure to kill you before you kill me!!”
In that critical moment.
If this situation were to call for me to bet my life, I would…
“Lucius. Trust me. I will…”
At that moment.
Deng deng deng deng deng——
The alarm bell indicating an emergency in the village began to ring.
The village chief and his group panicked, and I was also taken aback.
“…What?”
“It can’t be because of the gunfire…”
From a distance.
Countless weak ‘demons’ began to approach the village.
And then.
“Chief—!! Goblins are attacking!!!”
“D-Disaster Witch!”
“…….”
Huh?
Is it true?