I Became a Raid Boss

We roughly comforted the whining Da-eun and set off on our journey toward the center, leaving behind an unexpected encounter.

As usual, we dealt with the incoming monsters, walked while checking out the houses where the demons lived, and when the sun set, we set up camp and lit a bonfire.

Two days passed just like that.

Finally, we arrived at a location that seemed to be our destination.

“Um.”

I scratched my cheek as I gazed upon the black wall blocking our way. It resembled the divine law protecting the Sedeth Kingdom and the one Selin had cast, but the flickering black color gave me an unsettling feeling as I looked at it.

…This could be a bit troublesome.

“Can we break through?”

“Of course, but I just don’t want to.”

The purpose of a wall is to separate the inside from the outside, right? So, building a wall means there was a need to delineate between the two, and if I carelessly made a hole, it might undermine that purpose, which could lead to some major troubles.

For instance, a ridiculously powerful monster popping out…

Well, I think that possibility is pretty low, but still, this is the demons’ home base, so I want to avoid causing any misunderstandings.

Saying that, Da-eun looked at me with a strange expression.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing… it’s just surprising that Kana is having such noble thoughts… Ack!”

…Anyway.

With such a thick magical energy, it would be impossible to break through entirely, but creating a hole large enough for three people to pass through would probably get patched up quickly.

It’s better to avoid causing issues whenever possible.

Even so…

Glancing over, I caught a glimpse of Da-eun’s face, gripping her shins and whimpering. Her complexion was not good.

If she heard me, she’d probably say, “It’s because Kana kicked my shins!”

But honestly, Da-eun’s face wasn’t that great even before she kicked my shins.

When we first set foot in Raxia, she seemed okay, but as the surrounding magical energy thickened, her face darkened entirely like clay.

Well, she held on longer than expected.

Da-eun’s level is expert.

Even I, who am considerably stronger, find Raxia’s magic burdensome, so how tough must it be for Da-eun?

Just enduring this long has been more than enough for someone at the expert level.

I guess it’s thanks to the magical tool Da-eun has, but even that seems to be reaching its limit now.

“Selin, can you cast a divine law on Da-eun?”

“Sure. Got it.”

“Uh, wait! There’s really no need to do that…”

“You’re sweating bullets, and you say there’s no need?”

“…Ahaha, you caught me! But you never know what might happen, so I want to save as much strength as I can. It doesn’t even hurt that much… I can still hold on, I think? If I can’t, I’ll let you know then…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I cut off Da-eun’s rambling with determination.

“I told you to save energy for this moment in the first place.”

What did she think I meant by saving energy?

And while it’s true that with Edel’s blessing it wouldn’t be extremely painful, that doesn’t mean she’s perfectly fine.

If she keeps saying she’s okay while clearly showing signs that she’s not, do you think I’d just accept that as “Oh, I see”?

“Ahaha…”

“It might be a hassle, but I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me. That’s my job.”

Selin’s holy power enveloped Da-eun, and her complexion visibly relaxed.

“Phew… The dizziness is gone. I was worried I’d have to drink a potion. Wait, are you trying to save potion costs to eat rice? What kind of rice are you talking about! You’re being rude!”

If you were going to sigh in relief, why were you insisting on not getting the divine law?

I shook my head at Da-eun’s inexplicable behavior and inspected the wall.

The wall set up by the demons who fled to the Ardina Continent was unlike the wooden fences built in the village; this wall had no visible entrance.

“Well, I guess there’s no choice.”

I muttered briefly and drew my sword.

Da-eun, watching my action, frowned and said,

“…Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t break through? I could have sworn you said you wanted to avoid any misunderstandings.”

“Yeah, I did, so?”

“Then why are you drawing your sword? No way, you’re not planning to cut me with that, are you…!”

“From the sound of it, it seems you’re feeling a bit better, huh?”

Now that I think about it, the reason I felt something was missing yesterday and today might be because Da-eun’s nonsense was less than usual.

There was less nagging than usual.

If I say something like, “You must have been lonely because I didn’t hug you, huh? Here, come here,” I know she’d definitely respond with some annoying line.

“Even if I don’t destroy the wall, if I act in a way that demands a reaction, I’ll definitely get one.”

Would anyone really ignore the sound of explosions going off in the yard?

I infused my sword with mana.

Vwooo-!

The sword, fully charged with mana, vibrated violently and howled.

It was made by a skilled blacksmith, so it could withstand this, but if it was a piece of junk, it would have shattered to dust by now.

This is a method devoid of finesse, just recklessly pouring mana into it.

Crackle.

But it seems this sword can only hold on for so long.

A sound barely perceptible in the wind, but my heightened hearing picked it up without fail.

It was the scream of a sword pressured to its limits.

If I poured in any more mana, it would meet its demise with a final wail.

I had enough mana pooled to start a ruckus, and there was no reason to waste it by losing a usable weapon, so I halted the infusing.

What I held in my hand was a gigantic pink sword that could be called a great sword.

I swung the now-colorless and shapeless sword skyward.

The pink sword energy soared.

There were no obstacles blocking the sword energy, nor any foes to slice through.

Ka-KA-KA-KA-!

“Ugh…!”

“…!”

Naturally, both Da-eun and Selin, who were watching my actions, covered their ears simultaneously.

The straightened sword energy created a harsh noise.

It was more a sound of ‘slicing’ rather than ‘cutting’ or ‘shredding.’

And soon, I could see what the sword energy had sliced through with my own eyes.

“I didn’t expect this outcome.”

Where the sword energy had passed, the blue sky was perfectly reflected.

I stared at this bizarre scene where the blue sky shone through the thick magical energy with interest.

Ah, right, there was magical energy.

What my sword energy had sliced through was the magical barrier obscuring the sky.

Had mana been lower, it would have been engulfed and vanished, but thanks to my reckless infusion, it was able to cut through dense magic and reach the high heavens.

‘Honestly, I was just trying to generate a simple shockwave.’

The blaring noise scratching at our ears and the completely cleared vista were not what I intended.

Originally, my intent was just to utilize a massive amount of mana effectively.

If I amassed enough mana to create a disturbance, it couldn’t be helped if an average person detected it.

Firing the sword energy skyward was to make our position clearer—not to show off power,

“Did I just… split the sky?”

…Just like Da-eun just said, it wasn’t to say something cheesy.

Even so, it felt good seeing the blue sky after several days.

Though I wouldn’t have it for long.

“This is a gift from me.”

I thought this would be more than enough as a housewarming gift.

Casually turning halfway, I asked.

Before I knew it, a group of demons had lined up behind me.

“Well, what do you think? Do you like it?”

Clank!

And just like that, I was blocked by iron bars… in other words, imprisoned.

“…Huh?”

…What now?

More importantly, I feel like this has happened before not too long ago.

*

Fortunately, I was able to regain my freedom shortly after.

Thanks to my testimony about not harming the wall, and the 100% convincing power of Selin’s divine energy.

Though, it feels like the latter held more weight than the former, but my efforts shouldn’t be worth nothing, right?

“I won’t apologize since it was my duty as a leader.”

The woman who freed me from the prison spoke.

The man I’d seen a few days ago looked young, but the woman standing in front of me looked even younger.

If she were human, she’d be about in her early twenties, I guess.

With her gently sloping eyes, she was a stunning beauty.

“Why does everyone have such big chests…?”

Poke!

I jabbed Da-eun in the side as she stared at the woman with envious eyes, pulling her attention.

Why on earth is she jealous of just a lump of flesh?

I assure you, it’s not some insecurity talking!

I wouldn’t even wish to look like that.

Having such size would only hinder my sword-wielding.

“Leader? Are you the chief of the demon race?”

“…Isn’t that a bit short on the words?”

“It’s just a habit.”

“You should correct such bad habits. It’s not easy to fix habits that have rooted themselves in you, but it’s not impossible if you decide to work on it, so try from now on.”

“I never said it was a bad habit! And I’ve spoken informally to Edel as well. What, do you think you’re higher than Edel? If so, I’ll use formal speech.”

“…Surely, Lady Edel is too busy to converse with someone like you. If you’re trying to trick me with nonsense like that—”

“Kana-sama’s words are true.”

“….”

If it were a lie, the nun of the Edel faith would’ve shouted in outrage first.

But rather than showing anger, the woman silenced her mouth, looking back and forth at me and Selin with distrust and complexity in her eyes and half-sat back down.

“…What a time to live in.”

Seeing her reaction suddenly stirred an impulse within me.

What if I told her the real identity of Edel? What would her reaction be?

Would she deny it, saying that it couldn’t possibly be true, or would she accept it outright?

I was extremely curious, but my plans were thwarted by Selin, who sensed my intentions and stopped me.

“Don’t make things too troublesome.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

I was just being a little mischievous because she locked me in a prison.

By the way, this woman looks oddly familiar.

Pondering, I tapped my sword sheath and snapped my fingers.

“Hey, what’s your relationship with Atysha?”

“…You know Atysha?”

“Well, she’s the one who brought me here, so of course, I know her.”

“I see… Is that girl doing well?”

“Not sure. I didn’t get a good look, but she seemed to be doing okay.”

“Thank goodness.”

The woman’s eyes glimmered with a wistful light as if remembering something.

“So, what about my question?”

“She’s my daughter.”

“Ah, just as I thought.”

It wasn’t surprising; I’d expected that answer.

From the expression on Da-eun’s face, it seemed her thoughts were somewhat different, though.

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