Demon's Virtue

Chapter 701: Oath

Eiro got ready to attack, entering his combat stance. His upper right hand and lower left hand were holding onto the daggers, while his other two were held in his unarmed combat style. The Demon slid over the ground, and Merlin raised his ethereal, magical hand forward. Eiro watched closely to see what was about to happen, when Merlin opened his mouth.

"Wait, wait, wait! I have no intention of fighting you right now," Merlin said bluntly. Eiro was taken aback; he looked at the man in front of him startled.

"What? What do you mean you have no intention of fighting?"

"I'm only here because the Devil still thinks I hadn't seen through his pitiable attempts at controlling me after I was reborn..." Merlin explained, as though it were obvious, "That's why, why, why, there's really no reason for me to follow along with what he wants. Rather, it's better for me if you concentrate on his fight with him."

Eiro frowned deeply. He stared at Merlin's face, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. But everything about him was so distorted, so wrong, that Eiro had no way of knowing, even using the domain of truth. The aberration mage quickly continued, "If you and him fight, it's certainly going to be an impressive battle, right, right, right?

No matter who of you is killed, the other will rise to a whole new realm! I know what you've been trying to do in that little playplace of yours... Once the Devil is gone, that place will become a new haven for monsterkind! You will have the freedom to make them become something new altogether! And if the Devil wins... well, you are a Legendary Monster, are you not?

If you're killed, the Devil might finally rise to the level of a Lord of hell! Either way, one of you will become, become, become... a whole new monster!"

Finally, Eiro understood why Merlin was saying these things. Merlin was obsessed with monsters, completely and utterly, and that hadn't changed even after he became one himself. Judging from the keys that Merlin still carried with him, he was the one that created all those weird and unusual monsters that Eiro spotted on his way here.

He really just wanted to see what was going to happen once the fight between Eiro and the Devil was over.

"So what, you'll be neutral from now on?" Eiro asked with a frown. He didn't believe what Merlin was saying, and that was carried along with his tone of voice quite well. Merlin began to laugh, louder and louder every succeeding moment, until he suddenly cut out altogether, ready to speak again, "Neutral? No, no, no, that's not the right word... I shall be... 'sitting this one out'?

That is what children these days say, correct?"

Eiro listened to Merlin's words, trying to figure out what exactly was going on right now. Though, he didn't need to wait long; Merlin didn't seem to consider Eiro a particular threat anymore, apparently, "I just want to see how far monsters can grow! The beauty behind the despair that a Lord of hell like the Devil will bring about, about, about...

"...To do what? And what if I can't do what you want me to do?" Eiro frowned. He hated the idea of playing along, but at the same time... if he could avoid a fight with Merlin right now, so that he could preserve his strength for his fight against the Devil, then he would do anything. That was his priority right now, after all. Not to mention...

Eiro wasn't totally certain he could beat Merlin right now. He wasn't prepared for this at all.

Merlin continued, happy to answer the demon's question, "You have until then to kill the Monster King," he pointed out bluntly, "And if you don't? Then I'll do it. Then I will become the Monster King, and then, instead of being as passive as the current Monster King, I will do my best to actively eradicate all personkind."

Eiro's heart skipped a beat. Or well, it would have, if he still had a heart. What Merlin was saying was ridiculous. But at the same time... it wasn't. The hero was currently eight years old.

In the next seven years until that point, Merlin could grow to a ridiculous point. He had reached this level after only being a royal for a few months, after all. It seemed ridiculous, but he certainly had a chance. And... if Merlin considered the current Monster King passive...

a being that sends out hordes of monsters when necessary in order to capture just a single toddler, then Eiro couldn't imagine what sort of ruler Merlin was going to be.

"You can do it, right? You won't act like that's too much of an ask now, right?" Merlin asked, tilting his head to the side. If he were still human, his neck would have had to break to achieve that kind of angle, "You tried to kill the Monster King in the past too, haven't you?"

Eiro was taken aback. What? Eiro had never tried to kill the Monster King before. He had only encountered them briefly just once at the beginning of his life. Unless...

"I couldn't tell before... I had forgotten, but, but, but I do recognize you now that I can see that wicked shape of yours," Merlin pointed out, "I had only met you once, but frankly, you were a great inspiration to me. A true 'Master' of not only Arcane Magic, but you had even gotten close to mastering elemental magics."

Eiro stayed silent.

He knew what Merlin was talking about. All records about that person had been erased; it should be impossible, right? If anything, then the tower of books should still hold a tiny bit of information of who that person was... but it didn't. Or at least, if it did, then only at the very topmost part of the towers, that Eiro had yet to reach.

He had guessed that they had been a master of magic, all things considered. That was the only way this would be possible; some kind of spell to erase their name from everywhere had been cast. Maybe even from the minds of others. But maybe, now that Merlin had become the Fool, that spell had been undone on Merlin's mind.

"If you do not kill the Monster King before I do, I will bring this world to utter ruin. I, I, I swear this as an oath to the name of the Great Sage of the past generation, who had been reborn ahead of me into a more supreme form... I swear this to the name of Morgan le Fay."