Swaaah──
It’s raining.
A torrential downpour is coming down, so heavy it feels like the entire academy might be swept away.
“……”
◆ Warning! The Demon’s Seed is blooming! ◆
The gym was filled with the sound of rain. In this space sunken into gray darkness, I was the only one here.
In a scene where everything seems to be sinking—
What I’m thinking about is “Adel’s letter”.
The letter that appeared at the same time as the playable character, Camilla.
Later on, in another route, it’s revealed that the letter was never actually written by Adel.
It was a forgery, carefully mimicking Adel’s handwriting. The work of demon worshippers.
Back when I first played the game, I didn’t understand it.
And for good reason. Why would they bother sending a letter just to make Camilla meet with Adel?
If not for Camilla, Mad Adel might not have died. From the perspective of the demon worshippers, wasn’t that a pointless move?
That’s what I used to think.
“……”
But now I understand.
After learning that Camilla and Adel were family, it all made sense.
Camilla…she was the one element that allowed “Mad Adel” to remain human.
They must have wanted to force Adel to kill his own family, Camilla, to complete a truly flawless “Mad Adel”.
Only, Camilla was too strong….so instead, Adel ended up dying.
──That was likely the “hidden background” of the original story.
So—
Because I figured all this out, I took action.
I sent another letter myself. With the same contents… promising the same place, the same time.
Originally, Camilla had only received one letter, and she was cautious.
She thought it might be the work of someone else, not her brother.
And rightly so.
The timing of the disturbance at the academy and the time indicated in the letter were just too suspicious.
So she came to the gym, conserving her strength, fully prepared for any possible trap.
But what if… two identical letters arrived?
And what if one of them included a word Adel would never normally use like “Big sister”?
Well… I’m not entirely sure, but maybe she’d take it as a distress signal from her brother.
Maybe she’d start to worry he’d been kidnapped or something like that.
Yeah.
Thud──!!
In that case…
“……”
Soaking wet in the rain—
Looking like someone who had pushed themselves far too hard to get here—
…Maybe I could wear down some of Camilla’s stamina in advance?
That was the thought.
“…I didn’t actually think you’d come.”
It had only been one of many contingency plans, just in case.
Swaaahhh……
The sound of the rain pouring down outside the open door grew louder.
What stepped inside was a school uniform, completely drenched.
On the right shoulder, embroidered with the emblem of a sword and shield.
The Knight Department.
Ranked first among all second-years.
With noble silver hair and unwavering composure—
The steel-hearted knight.
Camilla Bliss.
…In her bright blue eyes, confusion flickered.
“…Adel?”
“……”
◆ Warning! The Demon’s Seed is about to fully bloom. ◆
***
“Hi, Camilla.”
“…Adel. Is it really you?”
“Yeah.”
My body… was changing.
◆ [Trait: Shape Transformation – Active] ◆
◆ Warning!! ◆
The demonization I’d been forcefully suppressing can no longer be held back.
“Adel…?”
“Yeah.”
Cough!
I spit out blood.
My eyes felt like they were burning.
The whites of my eyes were vanishing.
My entire iris was turning black.
“……”
“Adel. You……”
I was looking at Camilla. I watched her with a glimmer of hope.
Did she come running after seeing that letter? Because she was worried about her brother?
“…Camilla.”
If that’s the case, maybe she wouldn’t draw her sword. Even after seeing me turning into a demon, maybe she would just let it go.
Maybe it was all just my wishful thinking… Maybe she wouldn’t be able to kill her own brother.
Crack—
Horns sprouted from my head. The small headache that came with them soon gave way to the fully formed shape of a demon. The air grew heavy with condensed mana.
“…Why are you…”
“Camilla.”
When I lifted my arm, the veins bulging out were glowing with the color of magic. As I shed my humanity, the mana flowing through my blood had become so thick it was now visible.
Thud.
My steps felt heavy. These were no longer the feet of a human. The black hind legs of a beast lifted my view higher.
“……”
I was still looking at Camilla.
I prayed her sword wouldn’t be drawn. I was ready for everything, but that didn’t mean I wanted to use any of it against Camilla.
…What I really wanted was to call her big sister and live as a family. That’s what I had wished for from the start. Ever since I found out I was her younger brother, I had dreamed of a life with her.
I knew demon worshippers were everywhere. But I too was mastering every path to power I could find.
So I thought, couldn’t we just grow stronger together? Camilla and I.
And when the time came, when things reached a point we truly couldn’t handle… I figured we could just run away together. Hide until it was all over. Take our time, gather our strength, and face everything together.
That’s what I believed.
Was that so wrong?
“……”
I… I lost everything about my normal life in an instant. And still, I gave it everything I had. With nothing but the will to survive, I struggled harder than I ever had in my life.
Somehow, I made it this far.
“Camilla.”
So at the very least… just one family member.
Isn’t it okay to have at least one person I can open up to?
Is that such a selfish wish?
…I don’t want to fight.
“……”
So I begged. Desperately.
Please. Don’t draw your sword. Please.
“……”
But that’s the thing about wishes.
…They’re called wishes because they don’t come true.
As if to mock me, her sword was drawn in a flash.
“…Ha… haha…”
“A-Adel…!”
With a final shriek, I lowered my head.
…The tail that had grown was heavy.
“…So this is how it ends, huh?”
“Adel, Adel…! Adel─!!”
She pointed her sword at me. In her icy blue eyes, the light of resolution had already taken hold.
“……”
Yeah. That…that is the Camilla Bliss I saw in the game.
A knight, through and through, forged from nothing but unshakable willpower.
“Why… why are you in the form of a demon worshipper… Why!!”
As she shouted, I immediately bit down on the pill I had prepared.
◆ Warning! You have consumed the high-risk substance [Mirage Oasis]!!
◆ Warning! You have consumed the First Class danger drug [Headflower Extract]!
The power of a swordsman, something a mage should never be able to handle, was forced awake in my entire body.
And all I could think was that it was hot. Burning.
◆ HP + 80
◆ Mana (New!) + 120
Mana intertwined with the magical wave, strengthening the internal surge of power.
◆ Magical Power + 50
Crackle—!
◆ Trait [Shape Transformation] activated.
◆ Available Mana: “512,300”
◆ 23 types of spells have temporarily entered “Unlimited Activation Standby” state.
The artifacts covering my body were drained of their magic all at once. Along with their engravings.
“Aureus. Flash Control.”
Flash—!!
Light filled the dark gym.
But this alone wouldn’t change anything. The moment I launched metal forward, I used the sudden burst of brightness to rush in.
“Hup!!”
“Adel!!”
Camilla instinctively responded to the punch infused with surging mana. A terrifying level of battle sense born of sheer talent.
But that wasn’t what I was aiming for. I grabbed her sword blade barehanded and yanked her toward me.
“Ghh…!”
She must have gone cold running through the rain. Her muscles were probably stiff, making it hard to exert sudden strength.
“Instant Nullify. Ed Pressure. Water Flow Manipulation…. Bind. Flash Control─.”
Crack!
Low-level spells exploded toward her.
Even someone like her couldn’t avoid being paralyzed, even briefly. And in that moment, I raised a knife-hand strike aimed straight for her heart!
“……!”
…Trajectory analysis trait?!
It should’ve been too fast to react to, yet Camilla deflected it using her elbow.
But I knew you’d do that, Camilla!
Still…her mistake was letting me touch her.
—[Forced Restraint Curse ]
The curse ring turned pitch-black.
Black thorns sprouted, piercing both my hand and Camilla’s elbow!
“─Kh?!”
Blood gushed out. I kept casting low-level spells and, with my other hand, pulled out the curse doll.
“Water Flow Manipulation.”
I had the blood, the medium for the curse. Then all that was left was to activate it.
I smeared the flowing blood onto the doll and bit down hard on the eyes.
Crunch—!
[Simultaneous Blindness Curse]
“Ghh…!”
“……!”
Darkness consumes my vision. The sudden loss of sight brings on a wave of dizziness—
But it must be the same for Camilla.
At this rate, one more strike will finish it.
“Lightning Pick.”
◆ Available Mana: [512,300] → [112,300]
Rain was pouring outside, so of course Camilla was soaked. On top of that, if a third-circle lightning spell backed by 400,000 mana hits her…!
Fzzzzzzzzt!!
“……!”
That flash of pain. It’s several levels above an “instant-cast torture spell”.
Even with high durability stats, the sheer intensity of it forces her body to seize up.
Then now’s my chance to end this—!
“Aure—……!”
Slash—
The moment I began chanting the spell.
Something hot sliced across my arm.
“Guh……!!”
My arm was cut off in a single blow.
Damn it!
How did she do that? I was sure [Trajectory Analysis] had her completely locked down.
Rapid adaptation?! A clean sword strike like that without even being able to see?
And slowly, the curse of blindness begins to lift.
“…….”
“…….”
She shouldn’t have been able to see until just now, yet Camilla was staring straight at me.
“Adel…….”
The sound of rain filled the gymnasium.
I raised my right arm, blood pouring out like a faucet.
“……Heh.”
“Why is it… you……?”
“…….”
“Why…why you, of all people……!!!”
Her sword came flying again. It was my right arm that got severed.
And in this weakened state, she targeted that vulnerability with perfect precision.
◆ Equipment: Magical prosthetic arm has been equipped.
Thanks to the extreme reflex boost from the high-risk drug “Mirage Oasis”, my body reacted on its own to the strike.
I swapped arms, let the sword pass under my armpit, and then countered with a punch to create distance.
Claaaaaaaang──!!!
A deafening crash. Far too intense to believe it came from flesh meeting metal.
◆ You have unclaimed spells available!
◆ You have unclaimed spells available!
◆ You have unclaimed spells available!
◆ You have unclaimed spells available!
◆ You have unclaimed spells available!
◆ Total NP: [202,190] → [2,190]
◆……A total of 7 spell structures acquired.
“Thorn Hail. Object Manipulation.”
The thorns that had been pouring down froze in midair.
Then they aimed at her from all directions and were launched all at once.
Camilla’s response was surprisingly simple. She opened a path with a swift strike infused with mana and leapt forward. When I used Object Manipulation to make the thorns follow her, she deflected them with several swings of her sword.
I tried igniting the thorns with the fire magic I had just acquired and launched them again, but the situation didn’t change. Her “Trajectory Analysis” trait wasn’t limited by the type of attack.
I clicked my tongue softly. A sudden sense of unease began to rise.
…Can I really win?
I’d already poured both demonization and drugs into this. Physically, I definitely had the advantage. But the gap in combat experience was undeniable.
I should’ve ended it the moment I caught her off guard.
I glanced at the corner of my field of vision.
◆ [Demon’s Seed] has fully bloomed.
◆ [Adel Bliss] → [Mad□Adel]
If I leave things like this, I might lose my sanity, just like “Mad Adel” in the game.
Most likely, the time limit is until the name in the status window fully changes.
…What now?
Sssssss…
“……”
Apparently, even the poison from the Blooming Headflower extract isn’t working properly. That’s probably also due to her trait.
A trait that postpones the effects of poisoning and allows continued combat: “Rapid Adaptation”.
Still, a trait’s power isn’t limitless. Neither of us has time. In that case…
“……”
Dodging her sword strikes, I gripped the necklace in my hand.
The “Wound Transfer” necklace.
A last-resort option I’d been saving for the very end comes to mind.
…Losing one arm is all that’s happened to me. In this demonized state, I can recover from that kind of damage using the Shifter trait.
In contrast, while Camilla is still fighting well, she’s taken significant injuries.
For now, I still hold the advantage.
But judging from the flow of the battle, the longer it drags on, the worse it’ll get for me.
No, more than that….I’ll eventually lose.
It took days of preparation to set this stage, but this is as far as it goes.
Beating Camilla one-on-one was impossible after all.
If I can’t even beat her at this stage, what’s all this talk about third-year or post-graduation?
What a ridiculously arrogant assumption that was.
…So, I have to claim victory before I lose the physical edge.
…It’s all or nothing, Camilla.
I released the prosthetic magical arm I had attached.
Slice—!!
“……!!!”
There’s no way someone like Camilla would miss that opening. As I staggered back, she charged in quickly with her shoulder.
Crash—!!
“Guh!!”
The impact was overwhelming, and I was knocked down. I tried to push myself up with my tail, but this time a kick came flying in.
“─Kuhak!!”
──Craaaaack!!!
While I lay collapsed, her sword pierced through my remaining left hand and stabbed into the ground.
“……”
When I realized it, Camilla was straddling me.
My arms were pinned down. There was no way I could escape this position using only my legs.
A perfect restraint.
It’s over.
I had seen this scene countless times.
From here, she would stab my heart. But a demonized being wouldn’t die from that alone.
Camilla would then watch Adel struggle without dying and slowly sever his neck.
That was the death of the boss “Mad Adel” in the game.
That was how Camilla’s appearance concluded.
Stab me, Camilla.
The moment she stabbed me would be my victory.
The activation condition, close physical contact, was already met.
The magic engraving of “Wound Transfer” would activate, and I would share my wounds with her.
For a human like Camilla, that would be the end.
And I would survive.
─Her sword lifted.
I closed my eyes.
“……”
But something felt wrong.
A long moment passed, yet no pain came.
Then something dropped onto my cheek. Too warm to be rain.
I opened my eyes.
Only then did I clearly see it.
The expression on her face. One I hadn’t seen even once throughout the entire battle.
“…I can’t do it…”
Camilla was crying.
“I can’t… I can’t do something like this…”
Twenty thousand hours. In all that time, I had never seen her make that expression.
“……”
“Why… why… why did it become like this, Adel? Adel… you’re… you’re my last precious person…”
A delicate tremble passed through her.
“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry… it must have hurt so much, right? I’m sorry, Adel. I’m sorry I realized it so late… Adel… Adel…”
Leave a Reply