novelEvan D. Sherden, a decision to make. (3)
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The main enemies of Yo-Ma Great War Series 5, the Devil Runes, were considered children of demons who fought against witches, but it turned out that they were monsters created by a witch's hands.
It was a tragedy caused by the witch's twisted magic, and the request they made to Evan was, in fact, only an experiment on him.
The witch, Ctheasil, stood on a slippery slope, and in the end, innumerable victims would emerge and eventually lead to self-destruction. Therefore, it was best not to get involved.
"But you're going back to see her?"
"Yes."
"I'm sure he's eroded. He can't even make rational judgments anymore!"
Herbene and Selune were frightened and tried to hold onto Evan. Melonia just stood there staring at Evan, then spoke up.
"You don't believe us."
"No, I believe you guys. I just want to hear it from Ctheasil one more time."
Evan was no fool. As he wandered the Witch Forest where Ctheasil had guided him and saw the witches and other village members, he had noticed a hole in Ctheasil's story early on.
Therefore, Evan already knew that Ctheasil's request was not of a good nature. However, he didn't think that Ctheasil was deceiving him, or that she held a grudge against him.
'How does that work? Is it because Ctheasil is a new character that did not appear in the previous Yo-Ma Great War Series, so she could not be identified? That's not it. '
'Ctheasil's personality has little to do with this case. The important thing is the armed relationship. Perhaps Ctheasil is well aware of my skills to some extent. '
Ctheasil had already confirmed that Evan had once defeated the Devil Rune. In the process, she must have seen with her two eyes that the Devil Rune had not eroded his body.
She would've roughly guessed Evan's skills and the power of the Dungeon Knights he led. Knowing that, would she dare to use Evan as the sacrifice of the experiment? Evan didn't think Ctheasil was that foolish.
"So I have to meet up and ask her myself. And, if possible, I want to hear a deeper story about the Devil Runes."
"You aren't planning to go on board with the mad witch, are you!?"
"No, there's no way I'd do that. I have no intention of creating a new Devil Rune. I'm just trying to study about the Devil Runes in my own way."
".. Ha?"
Melonia let out a stupid noise. Evan thought it was about time to get an answer to the question he posed earlier.
"Because even if you may not be able to create something new, it is an alchemist's way to make something else out of something that already exists."
"So you're an alchemist...?"
"Yes, you asked why I haven't been eroded even after encountering the Devil Rune monster? It's simple. I have prepared an artifact that can absorb the Devil Rune."
"An artifact..."
"Look."
Evan revealed his boots. He negated the spell that the Marquis' wife Redine had put on it, and soon, the witches were able to read a bit of the terrifying Magi trapped in it.
"You, that......! Demon! That's a part of a demon's body!"
"You're crazy to carry around such a terrible curse!"
"It's an absurd weakening curse, it's amazing that you're even standing on your two feet!"
"...Wait, but..."
It appeared that she didn't live to be 130 years old just for the sake of it. Melonia, who was astonished after seeing Evan's boots, had gazed upwards as she bit her lips.
"How are you still standing with these cursed boots on...?"
"It's simple. I developed a tolerance to curse. And I'm still building that tolerance as we speak."
"Tolerance to a curse...?"
"You can negate that terrible curse by simply having a tolerance to it!?"
"It doesn't abolish the curse; it just eases it. Just by wearing my boots, my curse tolerance will continue to grow, and sooner or later, I'll become used to this, too."
The witches were at a loss of words after hearing Evan laugh as he told them that he wanted to reinforce the curse even more by securing more Devil Runes.
"Monster..."
"I still want to marry him, though."
"Well, I wonder if the witch's blood had anything to do with it? I have no idea how he deals with something that contains so much power."
The witches could somehow grasp only the fact that he was already far beyond the realm that they couldn't even dare to think of.
"I guess Evan still thinks that people are convinced with that explanation."
"Perhaps it's because this status is uncertain until he takes his boots off."
"Oh, I often forget that the Master's status has been degraded."
A light clap from Evan was enough to silence the noisy crowd behind.
"That's why I'm collecting Devil Runes here. This way, the Devil Rune cannot directly invade my body..."
'There was a time I failed to contain the Devil Rune in my flesh to think about it. I wonder......?'
However, if Evan were to say this aloud, he knew things would get even more complicated, so he swallowed his words and kept them to himself.
"Anyway, if I could process the Devil Rune in these boots, I would be able to handle that power myself. Now, did this answer your question?"
"That ridiculous artifact... I mean, that cursed thing, where did you get it from?"
"I can tell you where I got it, but it's near impossible to find another like it because it's a unique item. So it won't mean anything even if you knew."
He was probably not lying.
If it were an item easy to obtain, he would have told the rest of the Knights to wear it regardless of their consent.
"So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to stop me?"
"No."
Melonia sighed as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"If you could take those boots off..."
"I can take it off."
"Yeah, I had expected that. If you take those boots off, we wouldn't be a match for you even if all of our witches banded together. It would be cheeky to worry about you. If you have anything you want to say to Ctheasil, please spill it all out to her. We'll talk to her next time."
"Okay."
Melonia's words had caused Evan to smile faintly.
'I knew these witches weren't the bad guys either. Neither Melonia nor Ctheasil should be treated as the bad guy here. It's just that their viewpoints are different. '
"Melonia, you said earlier that witches could not survive without a servant system, right?"
"Yes."
The witches looked exhausted and were ready to retreat. Melonia conceded with an uneasy look on her face. It was probably because she understood that Evan noticed some of the resentment she harbored earlier.
"Everything changes over time. You can't hold on to all of these things forever. The moment when you have to make the most desperate decision will always come."
"I know that. In a finite amount of time, we have been choosing only the right path. By the way, who are you trying to teach now? I'm 130 years old, you know."
Was this really a 130-year-old? Evan sighed briefly. It would be very rude, but he had to say this.
"As a result of opposing people's emotions and choosing the existence of witches, did the witch race take the better path? Or was the number of witches what you cared about most? So, did that number increase?"
Evan already knew the answer without her having to say anything.
As a result of rebelling against the witches' customs, many wandering witches like Redine and runaways like Ctheasil had arisen. Instead of prioritizing the customs' survival, they chose a different path.
"It will get worse as time passes."
"So, are you saying that we should give up our existence as a witch? Now there is no place for the witch race to live on this land? That... God abandoned us?"
In all honesty, Evan thought it was a natural phenomenon for the ancient races to become extinct over the years. Anyone who has learned the history and evolution of modern Earth should already understand this.
However, the person who was in front of Evan's eyes now was a part of the ancient race and a person who had dedicated 130 years to the witch race's survival. No matter how much she insisted, one couldn't just take this matter lightly.
"I think that, for a long time, being confined to the witch's forest, you've taken the extreme way of implementing a servant system. You need to come out into the world. Experience it and judge it for yourself. Then we can talk to each other again."
Evan took a small piece of paper from his arms, sketched a simple terrain, circled one of them, folded it, and tossed it at Melonia. Melonia accepted it with an unpleasant look.
"It's a province near here, ruled by my friend. If you visit, you will be welcomed. And you'll still be able to be connected to me."
"We don't need that. We will do this by the witch's way... Ugh, Selune!"
"We'll go there! Most definitely!"
The moment Melonia tried to say something, Selune, who had snatched the paper from her hand, cried out with a wide smile. Melonia was shivering as the piece of paper was stolen away from her.
"I'll be by your side sooner or later!"
"Our dungeon city always welcomes strong power. There are also many cool guys there. If you have the ability, there is no problem living with several of them. Oh, but you can't take them as servants."
Melonia started grinding her teeth. How could she not be angry, since someone is trying to take one of the village's precious witches! However, Evan still had a relaxed smile on his face.
"As time passes, the culture and the people will change. You must dispose of what is disposable and take what is new. Melonia, this is a good proposal for you too, so please think about it once more."
"Says a little boy who knows nothing."
"I'm sorry about that, grandmother."
"Huh...... We're leaving now!"
"Ah, can't we stay just a little more...... Ahhh!"
Eventually, Melonia, who had gotten completely rejected by Evan, left in anger with the two young witches.
Selune looked back at Evan and waved her hand while being dragged by Melonia by the cheek. Herbene was waving slightly with her hand hidden, but Melonia probably noticed it all the same.
"Do you intend to bring them to the dungeon city?"
Belois asked Evan while watching the backs of the witches riding on their broomsticks. Evan replied, shrugging casually.
"Well, that would be great if that was possible. But it's clear that it's dangerous to leave things this way. Even if I can calm Ctheasil down, it's still just a temporary solution, isn't it?"
Witches were a group excellent enough to create Devil Rune monsters. However, the constant discord within their race meant that this was like a ticking time bomb that you don't know when it would explode.
"They need fundamental reform. For that, I will not spare any support."
"...Indeed, we aren't short of money anyway."
"It's strange that Belois would say something like that. Did you learn that from Maybell?"
"Yes, I've become badly influenced by her. I'll have to do something about her sooner or later."
Evan turned around with a little smile at Belois' joke.
Now, it was time to go back to have a conversation with the other side.
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