Chapter 36 - Affirming Victory, The Last of the Demon Lord, And….

I look towards Sybilla after confirming the figure of the Demon Lord on the ground that we had taken down. There's a big smile plastered in her face and our eyes met as she looks at me and nods with her hands on her hips. [Really~ it's my first time seeing Abyss Nail double casted and I can't get enough of it! To be able to injure a Demon Lord to such extent in just a single magic, in my long life as a Goddess, it's only the 'Black Eagle Saint who's able to do it!] [No, no, no. It's a magic that won't be able to land unless an opportunity is created… Rather, I did not expect you pulling off chantless magic in such a timing. You showed the Demon Lord who between you and him is more cunning.] Sybilla to me. And Me to Sybilla. We exchanged our thoughts about each other's actions from the earlier battle. As we look at each other's eyes with straight faces… We can't help but let out a little laughter. Then, Sybilla removed her leather glove and raises her right with her overly beautiful palm facing forward. It's really hard to imagine that it's the same thin and tender palm where the once 'cunning' Demon Lord was running around. And to this beautiful hand, I confidently raised mine and hit it with my own palm. (High five basically) [Ow!] Sybilla then shakes her wrist as she blows off her slightly swollen hand. …Huh? Is it normal to get hurt with just that? Why does it feel like you're too fragile? Well, maybe it is her own way on how to put ease from the earlier tension. No matter what hurdles we face, I believe we can overcome all of it as long as I am beside this Goddess of victory. I don't know how strong I really am but, if she says that I'll win, then I always start to feel that I will never lose. That's how is it for the girl named Sybilla. [Maybe you shouldn't take off your gloves next time. ] [Ugh… You should really work on how to be more gentle with girls… If it isn't me, then perhaps she's already crying.] [It's fine. I just use that much strength because it's you, Sybilla.] [How cruel! Or not? Is this your way of telling how much you believe in me…? On how you show your favor towards me!? This, something that can only belong to me, that should serve as the beginning of the love story between you and m—ouch!] Just now, it felt like my hand moved on its own and chopped her head… But seriously, how can you put me using too much strength hitting your palm into such a weird direction? Unbelievable. I have to give you credit for being so positive after all this time though. When I got kicked out from the party, should I have taken it with this kind of positivity? …Maybe not. If I learned how to be positive from this girl, I might become fully laid-back. [I can hear you!] [I want you to.] [Why do you have to be so casual when you're talking to me… Even with the other girls in the orphanage that's been with you for a long time, you aren't that informal with them…] As I look at the crestfallen girl sighing, I try to think of how I am so casual with my words as she said. It's true though. I feel so close with this girl. To be honest, I feel like she closed the distance between us. I do act a bit as a grown up back then at the party. I don't speak so informal even to Emmy. …I can see Emmy getting all teary eyed if I started to speak this blunt though… But If I have to say something about this experience of being so close with a girl like it feels there's not even an inch of a distance… It isn't that bad. I feel nice when I am joking around with Sybilla. It's something I haven't experienced before but it feels so comfortable like we've been doing this since forever. She annoys the heck out me—angers me to death at times even—but this strange closeness is something I really like. Maybe. I don't know. Even I don't understand it. […Well, it's fine. You've did a really great job. Even I can't help but be amazed how could you subjugate a demon lord within just three days after you changed your class into a Dusk Magi.] [Then it must be really amazing since you've said it. This feels nice.] [It's one of the highest praises I can give, you know? Really. It felt like I gave birth to something unbelievable.] Really. All of this happened because you let me to. Even now, I still find it strange how can a Saint level up as a Dusk Magi And more importantly… my own mana. How could just my own body do all of these? Dark magic consumes a lot of mana but it feels like my mana will never get exhausted no matter how much I use it. Not to mention, all of the magics work properly. …In a way, it feels like the amount of my mana is more of a mystery than me being a saint and a dusk magi. [This demon lord is unbelievable too. He did not bring out his 'pet' even he if doesn't have any idea about you.] […Regarding that… You're laughing through your nose when you've known that he really didn't bring it. Even though you're always the one telling me to never let my guard down. But you…] Demon Lords' 'Pet'… Sybilla told me in advance that Demon Lords' have monsters beside them acting as their partners in a battle. It seems that they appear together more frequently than not. [Err, well, yeah. It's just so funny I can't help it. It isn't scary facing a floor boss if you are together with a party. With proper cooperation and incurring continuous damage as basics, it would be fine. However, facing multiple Floor Bosses alone in close combat would be almost impossible.] …I see. If the Demon Lord brought up it's pet then it would have reduced our chances to almost impossible… Somehow, even if it's a Demon Lord, he doesn't give me the vibe that he is well versed in fighting. However, as his name implies, he must be a lord who must be specializing in creating things. But even though I have my sword and robe to defend myself against the Demon Lord, he was strong enough to break my defenses with just two offensive magic. [When fighting multiple floor bosses, you can't just run away after thinking that you won't be able to win. That's impossible so you should use stairs or narrow pathways. For example, that guy should've–] Just as Sybilla moves her gaze, she suddenly widens her eyes in astonishment. At that moment, I immediately knew something bad happened and looked back. In the place where the Demon Lord have fallen, there's nothing but empty ground. [–ku,kuku…] Right… This place shouldn't have remained still after defeating the Demon Lord. The door towards the next floor should have opened when we defeated it. I wasn't really bothered because the Demon Lord immediately appeared but… The door on the opposite side of the room that we've never been before had opened. [Thi-this guy…!] Sybilla shouted with impatience as the Demon Lord stood full of wounds while leisurely laughing. …He doesn't look like he's just pretending, but I don't know, maybe he still has something that can make him this confident… Or he might have just already lost it. [It's a present for you so you can remember me after death… Hahaha…! Rather, Why don't we meet again, Dusk Magi!? Oh no, Black Eagle Saint, was it!?] [We fell for it! Russell, let's run!] I immediately went up the stairs the same time Sybilla shouted. The magic layer covering the door was already gone so I was able easily go out of the room but then… ['Use your trump cards at the best moments' huh… Such a fine experience… This had been entertaining…on…its own…way.] Those last words… are something I can't get out of my mind. There are no monsters in the second floor and we just go on. Sybilla moves without hesitation and turns to the left. Oh, right. This girl just made a map of this floor inside her head… [Russell! It's a bit late but there'll be no monster that will appear in this dungeon anymore when you destroyed the core! Also, the dungeon will not be able to hold on!] [The dungeon will not be able to hold on?] [Yeah! The dungeon will fall as time goes on. However, that Demon Lord used self-destruction magic!] The Demon Lord had used a self-destruction magic. I didn't encounter one before but I can imagine how powerful it is with just the name alone. When I turned around all of a sudden, I can see a dazzling light coming closer and closer. …Seriously!?… [We'll arrive on the first floor soon! Russell, recovery magic!] [Got it!] I casted inside my head as I know the spell is included in it to relieve our fatigues. We can't falter even just a single step. We arrived on the first floor and I took Sybilla by her arm as I stood and shouted [!] (!) Sybilla looks at me in doubt but then came a sound of arrows hitting the wind barrier. As the girl beside me had been taken aback from shock, I use dark sphere to put all the black goblins forever shut. [How did you know that?] [No. What happened just now is just from pure intuition. It felt like there's nothing happening even if we're such in a dangerous situation so I thought we're being given a false sense of security.] [So you can be reliable when you needed to! But more importantly, you were able to outsmart me just now! Not bad!] Even at times like this, it doesn't feel bad to be praised at all. Since it is Sybilla praising my wits, then I can't help but feel a bit proud of it. I'll gladly take that compliment. We got out of the dungeon and never stopped running as we looked back. [Destroy it, Russell!] [!] () I used the magic towards the entrance of the dungeon and pillars that looked like claws enclosed the entrance of the dungeon. However, it looks like even this big magic isn't enough to hold on the explosion from the entrance as lights leaks out from the gaps of the rocks and melts the surrounding area. […How… What should we do…? It won't stop…] [Damn it! Not yet!] I can't just give up after coming this far…! At this rate, the whole village will get swallowed by the explosion! If I can't stop it from here! We moved back closed enough to the village and just as I braced myself to face the beams of light coming— [!] –What came over instead was a nostalgic voice. I can't see anything else but the light while the heat and other things are blown away. However, what was strange is I didn't feel anything. When the light slowly faded, I opened my eyes to see the mountain vanished… …And in my arms is a body tattered in all places that I can barely recognized as my childhood friend falling over. Emmy… You look in so much pain and frustration but how can you still make eyes that are so gentle? We look at each other's eyes. [—] She silently screamed as she can't even make a word. Her throat kept on struggling to make noises until she put her eyes close. Then, I felt her weight fully in my arms as if all of the strings holding it had been cut.