Kuro no Maou

Nell managed to safely return the young siblings who had been lost in the city to their parents.

There was one incident where they had complained about being hungry, but the princess managed to deal with that by feeding them her handmade egg sandwiches.

And so there was a happy ending for everyone.

But for Nell, this happy ending came at a cost.

「Uwah, what should I do, the match has already started! Hyii~!」

Immediately after saying farewell to the family with her usual, dazzling royal smile, she desperately started running through the town of Spada under a star-filled sky in which the sun had long since set.

The citizens of Spada walking the streets are amazed at the sight of the princess running through at full speed with both wings outstretched, but nobody calls out to her.

And then, after Nell passed through the second main gate that divided the upper and lower districts, she could finally see the『Grand Colosseum』towering over her at the end of the large street.

Even Nell, with no sense of direction, could not possibly lose her way with her destination right in front of her eyes.

No longer worried about the possibility of getting lost, Nell used her speed-boosting wind magic and ran through the streets of the upper district that had started getting crowded with people.

As she arrived at the huge, curved stone walls, the excited cheering of the audience reached her from the other side.

Even Nell, who had no interest in fighting, could tell that the battle was becoming intense.

No, because of her telepathic ability, Nell could feel the audience’s emotions in their voices.

But what surprised Nell was not the excitement of the audience, but the cheers of「KURONO」.

「No way, Kurono-kun is already fighting?!」

Nell started to panic.

She had been holding onto a small hope that Kurono’s fight would be scheduled in the later half, but as she heard the calls of「KURONO」that hope was shattered into pieces.

「Please wait for me, Kurono-kuuun!」

However, a Healer is only needed after a battle, and the battle was not yet finished, so she had made it in time to fulfil her role.

With that said, Nell was not in a calm enough mental state to realise this fact.

「Kurono-kun is waiting for me! Please hurry and let me in!*」

The receptionist at the colosseum entrance was bewildered as the princess of a neighbouring country desperately repeated this phrase of questionable meaning*, but after Nell showed him her Healer certificate, she was finally granted entry into the Grand Colosseum.

TLN*: This sentence is “irete kudasai/入れてください” in Japanese, which commonly means “please put it in” but in this context it means “please let me in”. The author is making a minor sexual joke here where it sounds like she is asking the receptionist to “put it in” when she is trying to be let in.

She had managed to get here without any problems, but the inside of the building was too complicated for her to find her way around.

With the feeling of becoming lost in some underground dungeon ruins, Nell decided to trust the one thing she should not trust – her instincts – and started making her way through the passages.

She ended up arriving somewhere among the spectator seats.

「Kyaa! Kurono-kun!」

「Kurono-sama! You can do it!」

「Don’t lose to those creepy Demon Eyes!」

「Ah, I ran out of popcorn...」

There seem to be a lot of young girls here, and as Kurono’s fierce battle unfolds, their high-pitched cheers fill the arena.

Among them was the famously beautiful guild receptionist Erina, who she had seen laughing with Kurono not long ago.

Nell’s rage boiled up from within as the girls passionately shouted love-calls at Kurono, but right now she had no time to worry about them.

「Demon Eyes... No way, Hydra’s –?!」

The words written in light magic on the message board above the arena confirmed her suspicion.

「The Nightmare Berserker Kurono VS The Cruel Demon Eyes, Saeed Maya Hydra」

And, if they were really those Demon Eyes –

「NO! Kurono-kun, run!」

As a flash of purple light erupted from the face of the large man holding the black naginata, Nell was sure of what would happen next.

She had witnessed the power of the『Amethyst Gaze』used in battle by her party member, a real awakener of the Demon Eyes, Safiel Maya Hydra. The important role it played in the defeat of Wrath-Pun in the Galahad mountain range was still fresh in her mind.

It appeared that there was no way Kurono could escape that fearsome crystallization ray because of the three Undead clinging to his body – the disfigured Orc, Elf and human female.

But at that moment, when she was paralyzed by the hopeless feeling of despair that crept up her spine –

「Take this, Evil Eater!」

All of a sudden, Kurono had produced a greatsword made from the fang of a huge monster, and he used it as a shield to block the flash from the Demon Eyes.

After that, Kurono goes on the offensive.

The force of his attack was so strong that even Nell, who was a rank 5 adventurer with the experience of countless fierce battles against monsters, held her breath with tension.

Not only that – she was captivated.

Even Nell, who hated fighting with a passion, was taken a hold of by the same sense of excitement and exhilaration as that of the tens of thousands of Spada citizens gathered in the arena.

「Give me power – 『Force Boost! 』」

Seeing Kurono use the strengthening magic that he had learned while training with her, Nell trembled with delight.

He was using the strengthening magic she had taught him, while facing an opponent wielding the undeniably fearsome Demon Eyes of the Hydra house.

She felt an overwhelming sense of joy as she realised she had managed to be of use to Kurono, her dear friend.

The feeling after she had returned those young children to their parents couldn’t even be compared to this feeling.

「Kurono-kun –」

Kurono, after activating『Force Boost! 』was powerful; overwhelmingly so.

The Demon Eye user clearly has already shown himself to have superhuman physical strength, but Kurono moves to attack him directly from the front, dual-wielding his cursed weapons.

「Dual Kuronagi.」

Finally, with a black martial art too fast to be seen, Kurono puts an end to the fight. Saeed’s right arm is blown off, and his head falls to the ground.

To anyone looking, it appears as if the fight is over.

Probably the only species that that could possibly survive decapitation is the pure-blooded True Vampire race.

However, the battle that is going on here is not a normal battle; the enemy is a cursed-weapon user. In other words, he is not a normal human.

And in this moment, the Demon-Eye-user Saeed reminded everyone of this fact.

「Aah... Ah... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!」

A surging purple flash, stronger than any that came before it.

Kurono counterattacks immediately, but his fatal blow is a moment too late.

「Damn it, he got me...」

The screen-barrier that covered the arena clearly showed the audience – and Nell –Kurono’s expression as he tried to hide his agony.

And it also clearly showed the cause of his pain, his right arm that had been turned into amethyst.

「Ah... No... No way...」

The arena is erupting with cheers at the conclusion of the fierce battle, at Kurono’s victory over Saeed. But in Nell’s heart is a dark, cold feeling of regret.

「Kurono-kun’s... Right arm...」

She should have stopped him; she knew fully well how dangerous the Demon Eyes of the Hydra house were. No matter how reckless or selfish it would have been, she should have stopped Kurono’s match using her royal title or even by force.

She had the power to stop it.

But now it’s too late, and she is filled with regret.

「I... I couldn’t stop it... Because I was too late to the fight... Kurono-kun got...」

Yes, this all happened because she didn’t make it in time.

「I have to heal him, quickly, I have to heal Kurono-kun...」

In a trance, as if she is sleepwalking, Nell takes a slow step forward.

To get to the passage leading into the arena, she has to go all the way around through the audience gate that she previously came through.

But she had no intention of taking such a roundabout route – no, the thought of doing so never even occurred to Nell.

「Kurono-kun, I’m coming right now, so –」

Nell couldn’t focus on anything but Kurono, who was enduring the pain of losing his arm.

And so, she takes the shortest path to reach him.

「KURONO-KUN!」

Before anyone could stop her, the Princess of Avalon dived onto the arena from the spectator seats above, much to the surprise of everyone.

The angel Nell descended onto the arena. Her beautiful face, which was usually smiling kindly, was now twisted in an expression of grief.

Those big, blue eyes are filled with tears.

Oh man, isn’t this the second time I’ve made her cry now...

「Sorry about this Nell, I hurt myself pretty badly...」

I smile weakly as I tell her about the injury brought about by my own carelessness.

「Ah, ahh, I’m sorry Kurono-kun, I’m sorry, this is all because I was late...」

「No, it’s my fault for not finishing him properly.」

Because Nell is so kind, even though the injury is my own fault, she feels responsible for it.

But the words I need to convince her won’t come out.

So in the end, tears are flowing from Nell’s eyes... Ah, damn it, my chest feels like it’ll burst with guilt.

And I’m sure she’ll be even sadder at the fact that I’m hating myself for this right now.

So I pretend I haven’t noticed her tears.

「By the way, Nell, can my right arm be fixed?」

I actually have no idea how good the medical care in Spada is.

I figured that Nell, being of the Priest class, would be knowledgeable about that kind of stuff.

「Yes, I will definitely fix your arm, Kurono-kun!」

Her response was better than I expected.

Nell said those words with confidence, and her sad expression was now replaced by the look of a veteran surgeon faced with a patient needing emergency surgery.

「You can really fix it?」

「Yes, please rest assured, I will now fix it with the divine protection of『Aria!』」

Nell holds her hand out in the air, and similar to when Lily uses her spatial magic, a magical circle of white light is drawn instantly in the air.

「Nell Julius Elrod commands thee – Come forth,『Scale of White Wings! 』」

From within the magic circle, she summoned a staff into her hands.

It was shining, pure white, and was more like a beautiful work of art than a magic staff.

It’s made out of Mythril – no, it’s similar to it, but a different precious metal.

At the end of the staff are two white wings spreading left and right, not unlike Nell’s own two wings.

Such equipment is to be expected from rank 5 adventurers, but it’s still kind of amazing.

「Kurono-kun, can you hold out your arm for me?」

Using my left hand again, I loosen the tentacles wrapped around my arm to show it to her.

Looking at it closely again, it really is a terrible sight – My arm has been completely turned to amethyst between my elbow and wrist, and it’s so transparent I can see through it.

It looks like I’ve used a trick to somehow gain a fake arm, but because it’s my real arm it’s unsettling to see.

「It’s alright, if it’s just this amount of crystallization, I can reverse it without any problem!」

「Oh! Thank you Nell, that’d be really helpful!」

「It’s nothing, after all, I’m your Healer, Kurono-kun!」

Just how much of an angel are you, Princess Nell?

But when she said she will heal me right away, does that mean she’s going to do it here, right in the middle of the arena?

I thought this sort of thing should normally be done in the infirmary, but... Well, considering the fact that Mordred isn’t coming down to finish me off, does that mean this is being allowed as part of the show?

A Princess of Avalon has suddenly appeared on the stage, and there’s no doubt that the audience is curious as to what she is doing.

「Alright, here I go!」

With her right hand holding the staff called the『Scale of White Wings』, and her left resting lightly on my right arm, she slowly closes her eyes and calls upon the goddess to grant her divine protection.

「Holy white healing –『Heaven-Calming Imperial Princess Aria!』」

When Nell opened her eyes again, her normally sky-blue eyes had turned the crimson of a sunset.

Her black hair and crimson eyes were exactly like Mia Elrod; perhaps Mia’s older sister, Aria herself, also had the same hair and eyes.

The only change in Nell’s outward appearance was the colour of her eyes, but the aura and magical energy presence around her had changed significantly.

This presence might be as overwhelming and intimidating as an Apostle’s.

In any case, Nell, one of only five people in Avalon with the divine blessing of『Heaven-Calming Imperial Princess Aria』, is now using that power to reverse the crystallization of my arm.

「إلهة يبارك شفاء الضوء الأبيض」

She begins her magic chant, which is unintelligible to me as always.

The magic entwined in her words resonates with the power of the divine blessing. The『Scale of White Wings』in her hand suddenly began to flicker with light.

「أنا أطلق العنان لعنة جميع」

And as her chant comes to an end –

「– 『Providence dispel! 』」

Her healing spell was complete, and in that moment a blinding light came from my crystallized arm – Damn it, I’ve been getting nothing but light attacks all day today!

I quickly shut my eyes while thinking this stupid thought.