The Elemental Sword Demon King
Episode 177: Equations of the Past
POV: Kirigaya Kaizo
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Buried in the ground, the fire spirit crystal glowed red. Kaizo and Karmila hide behind a rock, warming themselves up. Unlike a campfire, a piece of spirit crystal with a sealed fire spirit did not produce any fire or smoke, it easily avoided detection by others.
Normally they would meet Victoria and the others now, but due to the danger from the night forest, they could not continue walking recklessly. Kaizo will be fine alone, but she is currently accompanied by a thirteen-year-old girl.
"Kaizo, aren't you cold?" Returning to the form of a girl, Nyx clutched her arm tightly.
"Ah, I'm fine."
As Kaizo stroked her head, Nyx closed her eyes in pleasure. Although she remained expressionless as usual, probably because she had to endure in sword form for so long, Nyx was now trying to be spoiled.
"Kaizo, it's so warm." Nyx continued to rub her soft face against Kaizo's arm.
Sitting opposite him was Karmila who stared coldly at Kaizo and said, "You've made your contracted spirit do that kind of thing all along?"
"No, it's not like that!"
"I am Kaizo's sword. Kaizo's wish is my command." Nyx nodded expressionlessly.
"so. Forcing a cute and innocent spirit to satisfy your desires..." Karmila's gaze became increasingly cold.
(This is not good. Misconceptions are getting worse and worse.)
"So-so, you two must be hungry, right? If you don't mind, how about I prepare some food?" Kaizo tried to change the subject.
"Yes. I'm hungry."
"Not bad advice."
Both nod.
(Both, somehow they seem a bit similar.) Kaizo silently smiled wryly at herself.
A few minutes later.
From behind the stone, an appetizing scent came floating. It was a simple dish using hard bread that Karmila brought as a ration, adding a few slices of bacon, slightly seasoned with some seasoning and heated with fire.
Nevertheless, for Kaizo and his starving group, this was already quite a sumptuous meal.
"Kaizo, hurry up and let me try it."
"What I won't do for you, Nyx." Smiling wryly, Kaizo tore off a piece of bread and placed it in Nyx's mouth.
"It's delicious, Kaizo." Nyx chews on the bread expressionlessly. He really is like a cute little pet.
"Feeding the spirit, eh." Karmila looked at them coldly.
"OK, you don't have to be formal, eat this quickly." Kaizo served steaming bread in front of him.
"I will not be bought with food."
"I didn't buy you with food. It's just thanks for healing me."
Karmila silently received the loaves and a cute little bite by muttering, "Lezat."
"That's really amazing." Kaizo exclaimed wryly. The sight of two beautiful girls eating expressionless bread felt somewhat unreal.
"Your wounds?"
"Hmm?"
Swallowing the bread, Karmila slowly spoke, "Cured so quickly completely thanks to your own recovery ability. My spirit magic has almost no effect."
"Ah yes, it seems like I have a constitution that is difficult to implement by holy spirit magic."
Even though he didn't know what the cause was, that was what Tiana told him, so it must be accurate.
"Then, how do you heal your wounds?" Karmila was shocked.
Kaizo scratched his head, a little troubled, "Ah, how should I describe it. One of my friends is a princess maiden, umm, she used her body to transfer magic directly."
"Alright, enough. Basically I understand." Karmila looked at Kaizo with a look of hate.
"Obviously the rumor of Kaizo's teammates offering their bodies to serve him is true."
"Wait a minute, don't get me wrong!"
"Kaizo, what does it mean to offer their bodies for service?" Nyx tilted her head expressionlessly in confusion.
"Nyx, you don't need to know such a term!"
"Rather than through words, will you teach her to use your body?"
As Karmila's gaze grew worse, Kaizo sadly held her head, "Karmila, what are you saying!?"
"Milk..."
"Evening is over, so maybe it's time for Nyx to go to bed." Kaizo said gently rubbing Nyx's head. He sleeps at this hour every night.
"Yes, Kaizo. Entering standby sleep mode. Good night." Nyx put her head on Kaizo's lap as if asking to be pampered.
His figure spread into particles of light in the air, turning into a beautiful sword. Kaizo rested the sleeping Demon Slayer lightly on the rock.
"You're not going to sleep, Karmila?"
"Did you treat me like a child?"
"It's not like that. With so much going on today, you must be tired."
"No matter how I think about this, you must be more tired than me."
"I can't sleep when a girl's awake, can I?"
"Girl?" Karmila tilted her head in surprise and called out to her, "Kaizo?"
"Hmm?"
"Because I can't sleep, talk about something interesting."
(Somehow it feels like I've been getting unreasonable requests lately.)
"sorry. I'm the boring kind of guy." Kaizo shrugged his shoulders. Regarding how boring she was in the conversation, Victoria knew best.
"No problem. I'll decide whether it's interesting or not."
Kaizo sighed, relented, "Alright, I understand." He then said, "There used to be a spirit sealed in a lamp in a certain place..."
Just as Victoria bothered her, Kaizo started reading the story she heard from Alicia. Instantly, Karmila's eyes widened with interest.
"Umm, don't you think this is boring?"
"No, continue."
Seeing Karmila shake her head, Kaizo continued. Objectively, Kaizo's storytelling technique is very poor. Nevertheless, remembering and imitating the movements and tones Alicia used when she was young, Kaizo continues the story.
Soon after that the story reached a certain part that made Karmila slightly move her lips smiling, "Fufuu..."
Kaizo stopped in surprise.
(Unbelievably, Karmila seemed to be trying not to laugh.)
"You..."
"What?" Seeing Kaizo's gaze, Karmila frantically avoided eye contact.
"You're so funny when you laugh."
"W-what are you talking about!?" He lowered his gaze as if trying to hide his reddened face and the thin smile that was painted on his lips.
(Could it be, she's embarrassed?)
Suddenly, Kaizo asked a question that bothered him, "By the way, you called yourself a tool back then in the forest?"
"Continue?" Karmila recovered her usual cold expression.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just as it is implied from that word. Because that's the existence known as the elementalist."
"Elementalists are not tools. At least, not at the Academy where I went."
"It's just your own value system. I am just a tool developed to win this Sword Style Festival. That's my total value."
Karmila Freya, this girl was only thirteen years old, showed an expression as if she was looking at everything. It was the same expression as the young man in the past. What kind of treatment he received in his home country, was easy to imagine.
(A girl who lives only to win the Sword Style Festival, that's too cruel!) Kaizo whispered angrily to herself.
His homeland was a small state that had gained its independence from the Holy Kingdom of Lugia not long ago. Whether in military or economic strength, it was quite lagging behind compared to the surrounding countries.
Hence they decided to increase the prestige of their country through spectacular results at the Sword Style Festival.
Karmila Freya is a tool developed for this purpose. Therefore firmly rooted in this belief, he gradually discarded his emotions as a human.
...
*Connected.....
*Note: This story is fictitious. If there is a similarity in the name of the character, the scene, or the story, it is a mere coincidence and there is no element of intentionality.