Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 30 Mission: 01-1 Aftersound
Two months had passed since "that incident," and the scars left on the island by the cult's experiments had almost completely disappeared. The demons that had roamed the cult, the snowy mountains, and the forests, entering this world through the Demon Gate, were gradually wiped out, and the frequency of demon attacks had dropped to the level before the Demon Gate opened.

The evil experiments of the former Pope Sandox were made public, but thanks to the efforts of Credo and Kyrie, the reputation of the Order was hardly damaged.

However, the price he paid was that Credo himself, forced to bear the reputation of "slaying the previous Pope who had fallen into demonic power," had his approval ratings high. It seemed likely that he would soon become the new Pope.

The Demon Sword Festival had been successfully held a month earlier, though Nero didn't take the stage in the end for a variety of reasons. However, she hadn't been idle during those two months. Nero had chosen to delve into areas infiltrated by demonic forces, handling tasks that ordinary knights of the Order couldn't handle or wouldn't be comfortable knowing about. Credo was also increasingly busy, so this would at least ease his burden.

Anyway, it's only until all the dirt is cleaned up.

The sign for the "Devil May Cry" agency branch that Dante had sent had arrived a month earlier. Just as he'd suspected, Nero was indeed considering leaving the island and pursuing her own career outside. This sign, worthless in Fortuna, was exactly what she needed.

Jillie was quite reluctant about her decision, but Credo expressed his understanding after a moment of silence.

To meet the demands of battle, Nero disregarded Fortuna's dress code for women. Not only did she wear slim-fitting trousers, she also opted for a dress with a deep neckline. While this was a necessary choice to facilitate access to her magical tools, it was still true that she earned the cold shoulder from the others.

Because of this, and the demonized skin on Nero's chest, the Fortuna people saw Nero, once a role model alongside Kyrie, disappear. Speculations arose that Nero was possessed by a demon, and the once-welcome "Little Saint" was shunned.

But in reality, that Nero never existed. Dante's judgment was quite scathing; Nero had never truly accepted the faith of the Order. She had always merely played the role of a qualified believer.

Now there is just no need to continue.

Back to Credo, he'd always been quite critical of Nero's attire, but he couldn't convince Nero to give up fighting and hunting demons. When Nero said that since he had inherited Spartan blood, he should do his part for the world, Credo couldn't find any arguments to refute it.

Who told Nero to memorize the church's scriptures better than he did in order to play the role of a qualified believer in his own mind?

But just as Nero's cloak of pious believers was a disguise, this excuse to Credo was also a disguise. She didn't mind going outside the island to help those unfortunate people trapped by demons, but she wouldn't leave on her own initiative just for this matter.

She did this to prepare for the crisis that will come in the future.

To prevent her father from coming to steal the Yama Blade after winning the resurrection match many years later, Nero couldn't afford to sit idle. She needed to become stronger.

She didn't know how strong she needed to be, but getting stronger was always a good idea. She needed to defeat demons, collect various magical tools, improve her demon transformation, and gradually reduce her dependence on the Yama Blade... There was so much to do.

But Nero hadn't yet taken action on these matters. Right now, she was chasing a few escaped demons in the deep valley of the Mytis Forest.

Nero had seen many Mephistopheles and Faust before, and the latter was quite similar to the former. They also had small, insect-like bodies, shrouded in a poisonous black mist. They would quietly pass through walls and appear behind their prey, launching surprise attacks with their extendable claws.

In contrast, Faust is not only larger, but also has a more human-like head, crowned by a magical hood, giving him a mysterious and menacing appearance. Enshrouded in a magical cloak, these near-spectral demons are impervious to attacks without magical power. They are a natural enemy for the Knights of the Order, who, under religious doctrine, cannot carry firearms or use magic-destroying bullets. Whenever they encounter one, they must wield precious holy water. If Mephistopheles were alone, the Knights of the Order, having undergone the rite of rebirth, could still withstand it, but with Faust in the mix, the situation becomes completely different.

It would be best for Nero and Credo to deal with this demon.

However, the trouble was that the demons that had been lurking near the abandoned church seemed to sense Nero's power and fled to the bottom of the valley behind the church. In order to hunt them down, Nero had no choice but to step into this dark valley.

This valley seemed to have originally been a river valley, eroded deeper into the ground by the river's erosion. But then the riverbed shifted course, dried up, and became what it is today. Nero leaped back and forth between the jagged rocks of the riverbed. Whenever he approached a demon, he would use his magical short sword to slice through its pitch-black cloak, dragging out its insect-like form, and then crush it with a single foot, sending juices splattering.

Fortunately, when the demons are dead, these traces will quickly disappear. With Nero's pursuit, only two of the six Mephistopheles were left, so Nero set his sights on the leader, Faust.

She leaped up from the protruding rock, aimed at the demon that was almost melting in the shadows, and threw three magical daggers.

The dark blue dagger vanished amidst the dense black magic. Faust twisted his body to stop his flight, turned around, and with his claws flashing a dangerous red, he crisscrossed in front of him and pounced at Nero.

It knew it could no longer run, and finally made up its mind to fight to the death.

"It's long overdue!"

Nero smiled ostentatiously, and with magic power in each hand, he condensed a slender rapier and rushed forward.

What's the point of running away? She'll kill him anyway, so it's better to do it quickly and save trouble.

Faust's sharp claws quickly extended, sweeping left and right, carving ten crimson streaks in the dark valley. Nero leaped through the air, leaping over Faust's head, and slashed at his back with both rapiers.

But Faust strangely moved forward a little, avoiding Nero's slash. Then Nero immediately spun his body after landing on the rock, using inertia to throw out two rapiers, accurately piercing Faust's body.

Then with a snap of his fingers, the dark blue sword shattered, tearing two large holes in the dark cloak.

Nero did not miss this opportunity. He unfolded his snake-belly sword in the air, wrapped around the body that emerged from the black fog, and pulled it hard.

The soft worm, which looked like a sheep scorpion, was so vulnerable after losing the protection of the cloak. In an instant, its lower body was severed by Echidna and fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)