The Hero’s Mentor is a Demon (King) Witch

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Most necromancers are human.

Humans usually become frightened in front of an armed enemy, and I intended to press him for answers about that.

So perhaps I was thinking a bit too carelessly.

For Demon King Bel Phegor.

Self-detonation.

He cast a powerful explosion spell on himself.

More precisely, it was a magic that ‘blasts bones apart.’

While it’s true that one cannot explode another’s bones, it’s certainly possible with a corpse or one’s own body.

Evidence destruction.

Not leaving a single piece behind, he blew everything up, so there’s no way to press Shax for answers now.

Forcibly calling out a soul is probably impossible, too.

“Shax isn’t his true name.”

If I knew his true name, I could have forced his soul into a doll or skeleton using necromancy and interrogated him, but unfortunately, the necromancy for the name ‘Shax’ failed outright.

It’s not because of Lucius’s body.

Even with enough mana and power, if it’s not a ‘true name,’ it has no effect.

“Still impressive, though.”

If it’s the Demon King’s army.

The organization called Asydia isn’t mine, but if my subordinates survived and genuinely inherited the Demon King’s army.

They imprint in their hearts that using all means necessary to torment the enemy in the most vicious way is the essence of those who walk the path of evil, day after day.

I had momentarily forgotten.

The Demon King’s army is made up of those who, rather than becoming pitiful slaves when captured by the enemy, would rather defeat the enemy even as prisoners and die together.

“……I just took a solid hit.”

Yeah.

I was hit.

This Belphegor missed the enemy right before his eyes.

As I prepared to capture souls with necromancy and torture to extract information, I completely missed the presence of Asydia right in front of me.

“Damn it.”

Am I too soft now?

Or was my preparation insufficient?

Or perhaps Shax’s actions exceeded my expectations because he inherited the Demon King’s army?

His self-detonation certainly had destructive power that would have killed with shrapnel and bone fragments all over if it weren’t for Lucius.

“…….”

“Arthur!”

Fortunately, Lucius’s body was completely fine.

Behind me, Rosmas was in a panic, but Lucius’s body was unharmed despite Shax’s self-detonation.

“It’s alright. I’m fine.”

Blessing of the Wind.

A technique that uses the power of the Holy Sword to envelop oneself in a protective shield, similar to the initial shot being deflected entirely.

Shax failed to do any damage and blew up.

Blood and bones splattered everywhere, but they could not affect Lucius’s body at all.

“First of all… it seems the enemy has completely vanished, so I think we can relax.”

“Really… are you alright?”

“Of course. It’s never dangerous in any situation. I can’t let this precious body be harmed carelessly.”

I approached Rosmas.

She was fortunately watching over my body well, and I moved towards my collapsed body.

“Could you please lay him down gently?”

“Huh?”

“Please lay him flat on the ground.”

“Oh, understood. Arthur.”

Rosmas gently placed my body on the ground, and I knelt beside it.

And then.

Squish.

“!!”

Everyone was startled.

And rightfully so, as I grabbed my heart—my chest—without any hesitation.

‘It’s quite a decent size.’

For a small frame, my chest was sufficiently plump.

Unlike the moment of being a sacrifice, this flesh is my magic reservoir.

‘But there’s too little of it after 500 years.’

From the perspective of 500 years ago, this body would be considered relatively small.

But wandering around the Adventurer Guild and observing others made me realize that humanity had devolved over those 500 years.

What used to be a modest size for me is now an average size in this era.

If the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus were to return to this world, everyone might kneel in awe of her tremendous mana.

Putting sentiment aside.

After firmly pushing my palm into my chest, I closed my eyes.

“Arthur! W-what!!”

“Release.”

I dispel the possession.

I forced my soul into the core within my heart.

Swoosh.

As if being sucked back, my soul returned to my original body.

Gradually, my consciousness traveled through my hands to my heart, and for a moment, the world became dark before brightening again.

“……Mmm.”

I was back to my senses.

Possession completed once more.

The magic core embedded in my heart reactivated, and the mana that had been flowing at a minimum began spreading from my heart through my veins.

“…….”

Upon opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was Lucius looking at me with a dazed expression and blue eyes.

“Lucius.”

“…….”

“Lucius?”

“……Ah, yes, yes!”

Lucius, startled, sprang to his feet.

“What… what on earth…?”

He still looked bewildered, as if he had just woken from sleep.

“Lucius, are you back to your senses?”

“I… what happened?”

“Um….”

‘It must feel vague, like a dream.’

Having completely surrendered his body to me, Lucius likely felt like he was dreaming while I moved his body.

I had him experience using the Holy Wind Sword directly, but since it was his first time surrendering his body, he might not have been able to fully observe.

The issue is.

“Lucius, do you remember what I said just a moment ago?”

“Um, well, …what’s going on…?”

“Sigh.”

Lucius didn’t remember at all.

More accurately, he had not witnessed my splendid and beautiful battle at all.

“Lucius. Do you remember how you fought?”

“……It’s a bit hazy.”

Lucius held his head with his hand.

He truly looked conflicted and was glancing at me and the other two.

“…What happened?”

“It seems you can’t remember.”

What a pity.

It’s better to understand by seeing, but it seems using a powerful being in a mental world was—especially since I was the host—too much for his psyche to handle.

My ego was so firm that it caused Lucius’s soul to fall asleep.

‘If he had seen it, he probably would have had a grasp on it.’

I didn’t expect him to learn it in one go, but it’s still a bit disappointing.

‘No. His body must remember.’

If I could make his body remember, then just by telling him the trick, he would surely be able to use another power of the Holy Sword.

What’s important is from now on.

For now, the traces of Asydia I missed are something to think about later, and what’s crucial is the concealment of information.

“Mr. Morzen.”

“Yes, yes….”

To Hora Morzen, who could do nothing but panic and squeal from behind.

“I would appreciate it if you could keep what happened here a secret.”

I politely and respectfully requested of her.

“Lucius’s power is unstable. I don’t want to get caught up in awkward situations by revealing his power carelessly.”

“Ah, um….”

“M-Master…?”

“To put it simply.”

Flicker.

I conjured flames atop my hand.

“I can forcibly draw out Lucius’s latent power. What Morzen saw was just a fragment of it.”

“A fragment…?”

“Yes. Although I haven’t reached it yet, Lucius possesses the potential to become the world’s strongest swordsman.”

“M-Me?”

“Of course.”

There’s no way he wouldn’t reach it if I am the one teaching him.

“I don’t understand. Why, with such strength…?”

“I want to clarify that we need results, and I’d like to quietly accumulate them in Normans.”

“……Understood.”

Having fought against many adventurers, Morzen likely encountered many like us.

“…I’ll keep it to myself. Your true… power.”

“…True power.”

Lucius surveyed his surroundings with a bitter expression.

Could he be standing there looking so distraught because he thought the Holy Sword was his true power?

“…Next time, a bit more.”

No, that wasn’t it.

While he admired the feat he had committed—but it was I who did it—he looked genuinely frustrated that he couldn’t remember it.

“Lucius.”

I approached Lucius and patted his back.

“There’s no one who’s perfect from the start. You just need to do well from here on out. Don’t get too disheartened. Got it?”

“…But.”

“This time you didn’t feel it properly, but next time, try to feel it better. The true you that’s inside of you. Understood?”

It meant not to lose consciousness while watching from behind as a spirit.

“Rosmas did well, too. Your technique was truly amazing.”

“…Thank you.”

It was a sincere compliment.

Shooting a mana arrow into the ceiling and making it rain down was a technique that required precise mana control and also required a sufficient amount of mana to be lethal against an enemy.

As for Morzen….

‘Just making noise from behind was enough.’

Dressing to receive the blessing of the Moon Goddess was good for safety, but her response to the sudden situation was lacking.

‘Let’s just meet Morzen as a receptionist.’

I don’t know what Lucius will think, but if a receptionist were someone he knew—or even if she isn’t a party member but maintains a decent relationship as someone involved—Morzen isn’t a bad woman.

If I talk about it now, it might influence the assessment poorly, so I should discuss it later.

“Um, Witch…?”

“What is it, Rosmas?”

“Just now…”

“Oh. I’ll tell you later when we get to the inn.”

I’ll separately tell Rosmas about the secret power Lucius possesses.

No matter how I tried to beat around the bush, it seemed Morzen understood my intentions well enough.

“Then….”

“B-but, Witch.”

Rosmas quietly opened her mouth.

“When you first gave Lucius power, you held his hand, but why did you grab his chest when you released it…?”

“Excuse?!”

Lucius was startled and panicked.

“Wait, did I grab my Master’s chest?!”

“……Ah, that.”

I casually crossed my arms and shrugged.

“……Really? Lucius, what’s going on?”

“Yes, yes?! I don’t know anything about it!”

Yeah.

It’s something he doesn’t know.

Because I simply touched my own chest.

“…Hmph. So even without remembering, you unconsciously touched your Master’s body.”

“Ah, no. Master! It’s not what it seems!!”

“Hmph. You usually don’t even dare to touch, but you’re bold when it comes to awakening, huh… Are you a beast?”

“Ah, no! I don’t remember!”

Seeing Lucius in distress.

‘This is amusing.’

The irritation about missing Shax seemed to fade a little.