Chapter 114
“Uh... me?”
When I handed her Flauros's Claw, her initial reaction was a bewildered question.
To her, accustomed to the ways of Adventurers, Yor's action was, for a moment, incomprehensible.
Adventurers meticulously calculate their own gains and losses. It is no different for Monster byproducts. For instance, if a corpse remains, the person who contributes the most to that battle claims the majority of the corpse.
And in Nikki's opinion, the greatest contribution in this battle was none other than Yor's. Although she had held off the Demon for a while, it was he who ultimately finished it off.
If it weren't for the surrounding heat, he probably could have taken it down alone... Nikki thought. So, for him to so coolly hand over the item left her bewildered.
And honestly, she hadn't yet fully grasped what connection she might have with the Demon.
*Don't they say the person involved often doesn't realize it himself or herself?*
But Yor saw it differently. The very fact that they could fight like this was only possible because the right conditions were met. And Nikki's significant contribution was an undeniable fact in that process.
And I'm curious too...
Of course, the biggest reason was to confirm her words: that by absorbing the body of a Demon that was the *Blood Origin* of her own blood, she could escape her berserk state.
There was no better opportunity than now to verify whether that information was true. And this particular Demon seemed to have a deep connection with her.
“Alright, hurry.”
With that, Yor placed the claw in Nikki's hand. And his prediction proved correct.
Swoosh-
The moment the object touched her hand, it seeped into her body as if melting away.
“Uh, uhm...?”
Nikki was momentarily flustered, but then a change began to manifest in her body. Thick *magic* instantly enveloped her surroundings, then was entirely *absorbed* into her body.
Whoosh-! Her claws elongated like Flauros's, and black seeped into the whites of her eyes, forming *inverted eyes*. At first glance, it looked no different from a Demon-person transformation.
“...!”
At that unusual sight, Yor and Sephiroth momentarily raised their guard. But that was only for a moment... soon, the *magic* subsided, and Nikki returned to her usual appearance.
Aside from her claws and hair being slightly longer, she looked outwardly unchanged. But Nikki herself seemed to feel that something had changed.
“What is this...?”
After a moment of blank staring, she clenched her hand like a cat's paw and swung her claws through the *Void*.
*Crackle-!* Then, *Flame* erupted fiercely, gouging deep into the stone floor. Clear claw marks were left on the ground. Not only that, but embers crackled and burned on the earth where the claw marks were.
Based on its power and *Attack* style, it was no different from Flauros.
*No...*
It actually seemed even stronger. It was as if Flauros's abilities had completely permeated Nikki's original *Skill*.
After that, Nikki moved her body a few more times, gauging her new strength. *Flame* followed her attacks, and heat radiated from her body, warming the surrounding air.
Sometimes, the thick *magic* flowing out would cover her body, and her eyes would transform into *inverted eyes*, just like a Demon-person.
However, unlike an ordinary Demon-person, her mind was perfectly intact. She could even control her Demon-person transformation at will, gathering the *magi* herself.
It was a sight Yor had never seen before—no, it was probably unprecedented in all of *Humanity*'s history.
Becoming a Demon-person was originally synonymous with crossing the point of no return. It usually meant losing one's reason, being dragged by power, and ultimately self-destructing.
Because of this, he looked at Nikki with a somewhat curious expression. He even had a fleeting, absurd thought in the middle of this.
The guy who ends up having sex with her later is going to die...
Wouldn't his back be completely shredded if he got scratched by those sharp claws? He'd literally have to prepare for death before going to bed. Of course, it had nothing to do with him, so he didn't dwell on it.
After a long time of her testing her abilities in a trance, she finally came to her senses and muttered.
“What in the world is this...?”
She still seemed bewildered by her changed state. Seeing her, Yor gave a short clap.
“Congratulations, you’ve been freed from your berserk state.”
A faint envy was present in his voice. For a Manifestor, the berserk state was the greatest shackle of all. Since he was already congratulating her, he decided to offer the comfort he hadn't been able to give last time.
“With that, couldn’t you just get a proper identity and live a normal life?”
The biggest reason Manifestors couldn't integrate into society was largely due to *People*'s perceptions.
But if you were to name the next reason, you'd inevitably point to the variable of the “berserk state.”
After all, the berserk state played a very significant role in creating that perception in the first place.
If one's heart succumbed to a Demon even for a moment while monthly experiencing the berserk state throughout one's life, one would instantly become a Demon-person.
From the perspective of *Common People*, it was truly a bomb whose fuse could ignite at any moment.
But at this very moment, that fuse was gone. The bomb would never explode now. And she could prove that to others.
Of course, *People* were not likely to accept it immediately. Perhaps at first, the opposition would be fierce. Someone might even attack her right away. But if she worked hard consistently... and proved herself, she would eventually be accepted.
In the first place, her *Skill* was now absolutely not at a level that could be ignored. *People* would realize that making her an *Ally* was unequivocally beneficial.
“...Ah.”
Upon understanding that, Nikki let out a small sound. It was a voice filled with many emotions. It was a voice containing the accumulated resentment of her life, and also the overwhelming anticipation for the changes to come. But if you were to identify the strongest emotion in her voice, the answer was obvious: joy.
Drip.
At some point, small droplets formed at the corners of her eyes, tears she hadn't even realized were there.
Soon, the droplets grew larger and began to stream down her cheeks.
Nikki mumbled in a choked voice.
“Thank you... really, thank you...”
A dream shimmered before her eyes. A dream of mingling with *People*, laughing and chatting normally. There were no *Guards* glaring to arrest her. There was no anxious self, constantly worrying about when she might be caught.
It was a dream she thought she'd never reach in her life. But now, for some reason, it felt like she could achieve it if she just tried.
And so, for a while, her soft sobs echoed across the *Split Plains*.
*
Although Flauros had been captured, the battle wasn't entirely over.
Andras was still left.
As much as I wanted to watch Nikki cry a bit longer... I had to calm her down appropriately and head towards the Knights.
If things went wrong, there could be *casualties* among the *Knight Order*. The sword Andras wielded was quite dangerous. It was, quite literally, a sword perfect for killing *life forms*.
Still, I'd gained enough material to tease Nikki for a long time, so I decided to be satisfied with that.
When I arrived at the *Knight Order*'s side...
The fight was already over. And it was a victory for the *Knight Order*.
“Hoo, hoo, you’re here...”
Odelia was seen in the middle of the *Battlefield*, leaning on her greatsword and panting.
She was utterly exhausted, with *Burn Mark*s all over her body. Still, her *Life* didn't seem to be in danger. The other Knights were the same. Even my companions were visible in a corner, lying on the ground and panting.
It seemed like a pretty tough fight... but they had won nonetheless.
“Hmm...”
Well, they were a *Knight Order* after all. Although their reputation seemed to have fallen recently, they weren't a *force* that could be easily ignored.
After panting for a while, Odelia eventually got up and began to trudge towards a spot. She picked up a dark-colored metal object that had fallen to the ground.
It was a considerable chunk of metal, and the strong *magic* emanating from it suggested it was probably an item Andras had dropped.
Odelia glanced between the metal and me for a moment, then said:
“This item... I will distribute fairly later, based on contributions. Don't worry, I won't shortchange you.”
As the *Knight Commander*, she had to secure the item, but it seemed she was mindful of me. Indeed, it wouldn't look good if she just took it, considering I had also contributed. Still, since she said she'd give me something, I nodded happily.
As for the contributions of the two *Lemegeton* members next to her... I quietly buried that thought. It was fortunate that there was no animosity between us right now. We were the kind of people who wouldn't be surprised to fight at any moment.
And so, having successfully completed the *Demon Extermination*, we returned to the *Territory*.
*
And that very night, after returning to the *Territory*... *Lemegeton* prepared to leave.
“...You’re leaving already.”“Yes. Staying in the same *Territory* as the *Knight Order* would only increase the chances of a fight.”
That night, as a crescent moon rose in the *sky*, Yor bid them farewell. *To think... the day would come when I'd peacefully say goodbye to those *Lemegeton* guys.* Even he found the situation amusing.
He stopped waving and asked Nikki.
“What are you going to do now?”
“Huh? About what?”
“You've gained the power you so desired. Now you should be able to act as you please.”
It was literally true. She now had a way to prove she wasn't a bomb, and she had also gained the power to protect herself.
At Yor's question, she hesitated.
“...I don’t know.”
Then she briefly looked at Sephiroth beside her. Now that I look, Sephiroth's gaze on Nikki is quite sharp, as if he is monitoring her departure.
Her hesitation was brief; Nikki soon gave this answer.
“For now... I think I’ll stay.”
At her words, Sephiroth let out a *sigh of relief*.
Of course, Nikki's statement included the word “for now”... but I decided to overlook that for the moment.
Honestly, it was a somewhat unexpected answer. She, who longed for *People*'s acceptance, had seemed ready to leave at any moment.
“That’s surprising. I naturally thought you’d leave that group.”
“It's where I've been living, after all. I have connections here, and I don't want to just leave without a word.”
Although she hadn't joined willingly... *Lemegeton* was ultimately the only group that had accepted her when she was being chased by *People*.
And she had formed a few connections *here*. She didn't want to abandon those connections shamelessly and just leave.
Even if they had accepted her out of necessity, she couldn't help but feel a lingering attachment from her perspective. And it wasn't like *Lemegeton* would just let her go easily.
Of course, it was true that being within *Lemegeton* made it difficult to integrate into society. After all, it was a *Criminal Group* hostile to various *Countries*. There was nothing good about staying there for too long.
But she wasn't particularly worried. Unlike in the past, when it seemed she would never integrate into society, now it felt like she could gain acceptance if she tried.
That “possibility” was what mattered. It didn't matter if the path was difficult and arduous. She could strive to be recognized not as a *Seed of Evil*, but as a clear and distinct *Human*. After all, *Humanity* was a being that lived by seeing possibilities.
“Then we’ll be going.”
She said this with a smile. Her appearance was brighter than Yor had ever seen her.