Prologue

"Yuuki, you can't be serious. Even if this sword can kill Veldora, you should know by now that True Dragons are immortal. Given enough time, the Storm Dragon would simply return to this world."

Kagali's usually emotionless tone was now replaced with genuine confusion and a little bit of anger.

The client, or more precisely, the one who commanded the Moderate Harlequin Alliance for the last few years, had brought a mysterious weapon before the group and made outrageous claims about its abilities.

Yuuki was standing at the end of the table opposite Kagali. Tear, Footman, and Laplace all sat on one of the sofas and watched their boss pace around the room in idle curiosity.

In addition to their two bosses, all of them were currently gathered in a guest room of Yuuki's mansion, which was located near the Free Guild headquarters.

The only one absent was Clayman, who was given permission by Yuuki to take time off in order to reorganize his domain. It was already made imperative to everyone here that the demon lord needed to swipe away the results of any unfavorable decisions that happened while he was still under the influence of someone from the Eastern Empire.

A confident smirk was plastered on his face, which was determined by the currently present members of the Harlequin Alliance to be a look born out of someone who was currently formulating some sort of masterminded plan.

But this time, Kagali figured there was something off about Yuuki.

The young man's boldness never went amiss, but it was almost as though a tinge of erraticness was present in his explanation, judging by how unusually lackluster in detail his words were.

As for his last-minute request to get both her and the Moderate Harlequin Alliance here as soon as possible, there was at least some justification that Kagali could understand. Such timing was to be somewhat expected, as plans may undergo an immediate shift if a wrench was thrown into its gears.

But with Yuuki's near-rambling as of late, some things could not be understood through the indirect exchange of information via messages, thus forcing her to get the information out of him directly.

"You can believe me or not, but this weapon can kill a God. If Veldora is struck down with this sword, he will not return, not even through his usual reincarnation cycle," Yuuki declared. "If you don't believe me, touch it."

"Ho ho! Has it finally happened? The boss has lost all his marbles. Maybe we should make you the fifth clown and give you the honorary title of the mad one!" Footman said while letting out a joyous laugh.

"Ha ha! If Kagali still thinks the sword is not what I claim it to be after touching it, I'll put on a full clown costume with a red nose and everything." Yuuki laughed back. "Hell, we can pinkie promise on it, even."

"Ehhh?! Are you forreal, boss? But remember, you can't take back pinkie promises!" Tear joined in with the laughter.

"Can you all shut it!" Kagali hissed, silencing the room's shenanigans with but a few words.

Holding back the urge to sigh, she inched her hand closer to the hilt of the sword.

When a certain gap was closed in between her hand and the sword, her instincts screamed to get away from the sword as far away as possible.

'This power… it is unreal. Who could have made something like this? I don't even want to touch this thing.'

It was clear to her that there was something wrong with this weapon, but as to what exactly gave her goosebumps, she could not make a proper speculation.

Kagali did know that an insidious force was lurking beneath the blade's immaculate interior. If the wielding user was foolish enough to give into this otherworldly magic, it would no doubt consume their very soul.

'This weapon is surely malicious and full of hate. My desire to get revenge on Leon pales in comparison to the bloodthirsty aura emanating in here.'

She closed her eyes, took a sharp inhale, and placed her hand on the hilt. She instantly pulled the arm away as if touching a hot stove and took a step back.

"Augh! You-" Kagali whipped her head towards Yuuki, who only wore a blank expression. "What is that thing!? Where did this sword even come from?!"

"Convinced?" He asked, picking up the sword and giving it a swing. Kagali almost let out a shocked gasp, seeing how casual the young man was with the weapon.

"Put it down! I don't know where you got it, but that weapon is far too dangerous to be wielded." She took another step back and shuddered.

"Are you telling me that out of genuine concern or are you attempting to order me, Kagali?"

The lighthearted tone was immediately dropped with that of a thinly veiled threat from Yuuki, whose glare met that of Kagali's own vicious stare. The three clowns watching their standoff comically kept turning their heads back and forth from one of their bosses to the other.

'What is happening to him? He is becoming more erratic. It must have something to do with that sword, but right now I better back off and not provoke him more.'

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to raise my voice like that. But I am being very serious regarding the danger of the weapon. I fear not even you could bear holding it for long. It is not a weapon made for mortal use."

Kagali decided to bow apologetically before Yuuki after taking a step back.

"Your apology is accepted. And I am already aware that I can't exactly use this for my own benefit. But let's say there is someone else who could wield the sword."

Understanding where he was going with this, Kagali's gaze softened, but a stern look remained on her face.

"I see. Who do you have in mind, then?"

"Hinata Sakaguchi. She will likely be able to handle it for a while, given her status as a Saint." Yuuki explained as he put the weapon back in the case and closed it.

"I still haven't figured out as to where you found this… thing. I don't remember ever hearing about such a weapon." Kagali asked, bathing Yuuki in her suspicious gaze.

'He is hiding something. No one comes across something like that out of the blue. And for something as powerful as this… how come our information network couldn't get even a droplet of information regarding its location?'

"I made it." Yuuki sat down on a chair at the end of the table, switching to a serious demeanor.

One of Kagali's eyes twitched, a behavior that was quickly caught by Tear, that spoke of her growing frustration. The pink clown feigned terror in her body movement, making both Laplace and Footman stare at their companion with confusion.

"And what was the method to create this weapon?" Kagali questioned, taking a seat at the other end of the table.

"Sorry, but that's a little secret of mine."

Her patience was finally worn thin.

She slammed the end of the table with one of her palms, causing the clowns to slightly jolt back in surprise.

"Are you joking!? You and I have an agreement that there will be no secrets between us! What good does it do to withhold information at a critical time like this!?"

"Yeah! President is right. Spill the beans," Tear yelled. She voiced her support for Kagali with the rest of the clowns nodding in agreement.

Seeing he was outnumbered, Yuuki slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"I… okay, you win. I'll explain the whole thing, alright? I didn't want to explain it at first because of the possible dangers that could come out of this."

"We have already gotten this far. I seriously should not expect you to back down for someone of your caliber."

A weary smile appeared on Yuuki as he nodded slowly. Kagali silently prompted him to continue as she placed her hands back on her lap.

"You see, I had found sources of power out of this world. This power is too dangerous to be wielded directly but made into weapons and given to unwitting tools that are able to wield them can solve all our problems." Yuuki leaned back and continued to speak with confidence in his voice.

"For instance, Hinata is one such tool. Keeping in mind the church's monster extermination doctrines, making her do our dirty work will be a piece of cake. In one swift strike, she can kill Veldora along with all of his underlings."

It was a simple plan, and fairly straightforward at that. But placing all the eggs in one basket was not a strategy Kagali expected Yuuki to place his full support behind. That could only lead to one conclusion in her head.

'...Yuuki is not telling the whole truth. That means he doesn't trust us anymore. I guess it was only a matter of time, but I would have thought he would be less obvious about it.'

Kagali observed her superior carefully and continued to speak with the same tone, betraying her inner bafflement. "You can't just give it to her and expect that she goes along with the plan."

"Of course not, but if I whisper in her ear that a magical God-slaying artifact can be found in some old ruins then she'll do everything we need on her own accord."

Yuuki stood up, walked to the bookcase, and pulled out a worn-down book. He walked back to his seat, sat down, opened the book at a specific page, and put it on the table.

"Here's a drawing of the sword with a magical ritual on how to find the sword. The book of course is an obvious forgery, but unless someone looks for the signs of it being artificially aged, it's virtually indistinguishable from a tome found in ancient ruins."

"Do you have a specific ruin in mind?" Kagali asked, instantly picking up on Yuuki's plan.

"Remember the one in Blumund at the very border of Jura that you didn't document after discovering nothing of value there? We can go ahead and use the ruins there. Just set up some traps for appearance's sake and she won't suspect a thing." Yuuki pushed the sword's case toward her.

"I see. How much time do we have?"

"I doubt she'll just rush off to claim the artifact after talking with me, so I would say we have at least a month. Just make sure to set traps strong enough so that no random adventurer can reach the lower levels."

"Understood," Kagali nodded and then addressed Laplace. "Take Footman with you and get this done as soon as possible. Only contact me if you require any assistance."

"Consider it done, President. We'll have the forgotten ruin properly set up in no time. Ye have my word," Laplace said with a chuckle. He stood up and motioned for Footman to take the case.

"Don't forget that this is a forgotten ruin. Some wear and tear on the traps would probably make sense," Yuuki added.

The clowns gave affirmative nods. They, along with Kagali, departed one by one returning to their duties.

Yuuki was alone in the room, but he himself knew a certain someone would once again invade his private space.

'The woman… She suspects. Do not trust that pretty elven snake.'

'I know, my Goddess. But she and the clowns are useful. I prefer to keep them in my service for as long as possible.'

'Do as you wish, but do not fail me.'

As nice as Ker's soothing voice was, Yuuki knew how fast his new master could switch to a venomous tone.

'Have some trust in me, my Goddess.' Yuuki assured her and took out a pocket watch. 'After all, Hinata was always known for her punctuality. She would arrive in precisely seventeen minutes.'

A light humming was heard, making Yuuki's ears twitch a little. He could not tell if the Goddess was ruminating or just making a noise of exclamation.

'…So be it. I am interested to see what plan you have conjured up for this lowly human.'

To make everything ready, Yuuki put out a few more opened books with descriptions of various artifacts and ancient relics.

The housemaid that worked for him should return any minute with pastries from Yoshida's shop. The man too was an otherworlder like Yuuki, but unlike him, he did not acquire any skills upon arrival. He ended up settling for a civilian job, and in a short time, he became the most renowned baker in the Western nations.

In short, everything was set up to direct her in the right direction.

The maid, as dutiful as she was, returned a little late. Yuuki could hear her frantically work in the kitchen to set up the plate with pastries and boil tea before the important guest arrived. The woman was in her late thirties and had worked for him for six years and at this point knew the house better than him.

"Apologies for my lateness, sir. There was a long line in the cafe." The maid came into the guest room and set down the plate, porcelain kettle with tea, and two teacups between the books.

"There's no need to worry. You made it back in time."

Yuuki flashed her a smile that would be seen as charming to many. The maid however did not belong to that group, and only sighed at the young man's blissful ignorance.

"I understand, sir. Regardless, you should not make such a mess in front of a guest." The maid explained, gazing at the messily strewn out books on the table. "May I…?"

"Hm? Oh, sure," Yuuki said. He glanced at the maid pushing the books around, seemingly trying to make at least some semblance of order on the table.

To her credit, she was very careful to not close any of the books by accident. As much as her master needed to be taken care of, she was paid way above the standard maid employed in the capital of Ingrassia and could be replaced within a day.

"I know. Sorry, but I was a bit lost in my research." Yuuki once again apologized for making a mess.

The maid just let out a tired sigh and left the room with a bow.

Yuuki looked at the watch once again.

'Three minutes.'

Hinata arrived within a minute of the agreed time. Without much of a ceremony, she came into the guest room and sat down on the chair.

"It is good to see you again." She flashed Yuuki a quick smile but almost instantly returned to a business-like demeanor.

"Good to see you as well, Hinata. I'll just assume you are in a hurry and would want to get down to business, right?" Yuuki returned the greeting with a smile of his own and filled both cups with tea. He leaned forward to give one of them to Hinata which she graciously accepted.

"You know me too well." Hinata took a sip of tea and turned her attention to the pastries with a predatory gaze.

"I guess I'll start with the obvious: to my assessment, Tempest has at least six demon lord-level entities so the Free Guild for now will take a neutral stance and advocate for non-aggression."

"And the Dragon?" She asked, giving into the siren's call of the sweets in front of her. Like a cat catching a mouse, she grabbed a deliciously looking tart and took a large bite.

"Wanders around in a human form. Has not shown any signs of aggression."

'Sometimes it looks like she could be guided around with sweets alone. If only she knew what was available in Tempest, she would rush there without any concern for her safety.' Yuuki chuckled at his old acquaintance's sweet tooth.

As if sensing what the man was thinking, she furrowed her brow and said defensively. "It's not easy to get these in Ruberious."

She returned to a more serious demeanor again and added, "My informants have picked up another disturbing piece of information I would like to confirm with you. Is it true that one of Tempest's leaders looks exactly like sensei?" Hinata asked, looking over the opened books out of habit. It was beneficial to keep tabs on what Yuuki and the Free Guild were doing even if he was a friend.

"Bukubukuchagama Tempest. She does look very similar, but there are some minor differences like hair and eye color. She is also taller and has a stronger build. I had an audience with her. She claims that Shizue Izawa died in her sleep and due to some connection between them, she was allowed to consume her corpse and assumed the look of our sensei." Yuuki purposely chose to not mention being tricked by the shapeshifting monster.

The kidnapping of the five of Shizue's students surely would rile up his friend even more, but it would not show him in the best of lights if he was seen by Hinata that he allowed such an incident to happen in the first place. While he was angered when Shizue's death first came to light, Yuuki did not like the idea of Hinata never letting him live it down.

For all her serious demeanor, her more playful and even childishly petty side sometimes surfaced.

Hinata took another sip and looked into the cup. For a brief moment, the reflection of the tea showed hate seeping out of her emotionless mask.

'That monster just consumed her remains and now parades around wearing her skin in public. Sensei could as well have just been a victim to those monsters and no one can prove otherwise. This… this is more than just a mockery…!'

"There isn't much we can do about it right now. Unless Storm Dragon Veldora poses an immediate threat, the church won't take action against the monster kingdom." Hinata said, going over the opened books. Most of the artifacts Yuuki was researching were lost to time and likely would not be found any time soon.

Then her glance fell on a description of a sword. 'Kingslayer… The weapon earned its name after an unknown hero had slain a true dragon. Could it be that such a weapon exists?'

"What do you make of that one?" Hinata pointed at the picture. Yuuki leaned forward and saw where she was pointing.

"That is Kingslayer, right? I'm not sure exactly what to make of it. There is a ritual that supposedly could show where the sword is hidden. The archaeology branch found this book a few months ago and no one is sure if it's a work of fiction or actual chronicles. There are some ancient myths about a true dragon being slain and not returning so maybe there is some merit to these claims. It is a low priority since there is not a lot of historical evidence of such a weapon ever existing or if the said ritual would even work."

This, of course, was a bait.

It almost ashamed Yuuki that he had to resort to this easily seen-through method, but then he remembered who he was dealing with. He took a sip of tea while watching if Hinata took it. For all her calculating nature, she had a tendency to be careless around people she trusted.

"Interesting… And how complex is the ritual? If such a weapon exists, it would make dealing with the monster nation much easier."

"Yes, but complexity is not the problem. The ritual involves blood sacrifice, and I for now do not want to risk using such forbidden magic for something that may not even exist." Yuuki grabbed the book and pushed it in front of Hinata, showing a worried glance as though he was not keen on the idea to begin with. "The Free Guild may be an impartial organization, but I would not wish to go around and break church's tenants for no good reason. You understand that at least, right?"

"Of course I do. I was only asking a reasonable question, that's all," Hinata spat. She ignored the amused look on Yuuki's face and took the book in her hands, rereading the page a few times.

'If this is real, mistress could finally get her revenge. The unreasonable monster could be removed once and for all and after that…' She stopped the thought. Even if the weapon could slay Gods, Luminous would need to be taken by surprise for her to even land a strike on the ancient vampire.

'Yes, actually… It would not be that… no, wait! What am I thinking?! I shouldn't think like this! I swore loyalty to Lady Luminous and my word is all that I truly have. This… this opportunity cannot be passed.'

"I will write the decree of exception, but if the weapon does exist, it will be given to the church. For a proper founder's fee, of course."

"You drive a hard bargain, but as long as the archaeologists get their proper payment and the due acknowledgment, I have no qualms about entrusting the weapon to you." Yuuki nodded and gave her a blank sheet of paper and a quill with an ink bottle.

Hinata quickly scribbled down the decree and signed it.

The next step was to perform the rather simple ritual. Both she and Yuuki would cut their palms and let the blood drip on a smooth surface while chanting the incantation and fueling a negligible amount of magicules in the ritual.

Yuuki quickly prepared healing potions, but he stopped once he looked at Hinata's face.

"Ah, sorry. I kinda forget this stuff doesn't really work on you."

"Really, now? I know it's been quite some time since I've last told you about why potions don't work, but I expected someone of your status to at least keep that fact somewhere in your brain."

"Fair enough. I should really keep that in mind," Yuuki laughed awkwardly. Hinata raised one of her eyebrows, stifling a sigh.

As a living saint, Hinata's body expelled magicules, and thus the effects of healing potions were automatically invalidated. To remedy this, she had to resort to holy magic to cure any semblance of wounds.

Once Yuuki cleared the table and put a large sheet of waxed paper on the table, both him and Hinata performed the ritual, letting their blood drip on the paper.

As soon as the ritual was finished, Yuuki took one of the healing potions and drank it to stop the bleeding while Hinata cast a holy spell to heal her palm. They both began to look at the blood they spilled, which was quickly darkening on a particular spot. It was beginning to resemble a map of sorts which Hinata immediately identified.

"I see now. This seems to look like the eastern part of Blumund." Hinata remarked.

"I can see it as well. Alright, I'll go ahead and alert the guild's local branch so that they could put out a reward for finding any sort of ruins in that region. Once something is found, I'll be sure to notify you. I assume you're going to go and join the expedition?" Yuuki said.

"Considering the importance of the weapon, I would prefer for it to be taken into church's custody immediately. Unless something unexpected happens I will be ready to join the expedition within a day."

"Great. Then I'll contact you once everything is set up."

As soon as Hinata left, Yuuki let out a huge sigh, leaning back against his chair. He could not help but form a smirk on his face, knowing that everything had gone according to his plans.

'Your chosen tool is suspicious and strong-willed.' Ker's presence became stronger in his mind.

'I'm sure that won't be a problem for you. If you could overpower me, dealing with Hinata should be a piece of cake.' Yuuki replied.

'So eager to throw away a friend? Or perhaps you desire to have her after I have done with her.' He could feel Ker smirking, which did nothing to quell his slight annoyance.

'I'll pass.'

'Oh my, such denial.'

'Give it a break. She is attractive and that's about it. I don't want to deal with some broken mess. You can just discard her.'

He could only hear Ker's shrill laughter in his mind as her presence departed from his conscience.

Putting that aside, his calculations led him to believe that it would only take more or less a month to set up an archeologist party to find the so-called mysterious weapon. All he had to do was patiently wait for her to finish the dirty work that had been given to her.

'Seriously though, why did she have to bring that up? It's actually really distracting. And why would I want Hinata out of all women?' Yuuki shook his head, finishing the last of the tea.

Only a minute had passed though, and his mind began to resurface a familiar memory.

It was a particular request from Shizue, and she had asked him to look after Hinata. Back then he had some semblance of loyalty towards her as the only person who would show selfless kindness to him. He had given the oath to his teacher to guide and protect who was at the time, a very introverted and cold-hearted girl.

The only person in the new world he had felt an attachment to was Shizue, seeing her as an adoptive mother of sorts. She had tried to pass down to him many lessons which he found to be less than helpful.

'Shizue was always a great teacher, but her strict ideals and her naivete didn't do her any good.'

Edited by Zirmeister

Proofreading By Kazuma, Ethal07, SwissChocolatess, Miracle of Gods, Creamy, Alassandro, Sad_Smiles, Visur Nyxan, and Tophrel.

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader.