Kuro no Maou

That was the same with the forbidden『Necromancy』and also same with his family symbol, the『Demon Eyes』.

By the time Saeed reached the age to take awareness of things around, he was already branded as failure and not even his parents gave him any glance.

He was bad at swordsmanship, same goes with magic, his body too was not big, rather he was weak and frail. As a bonus his face-shape could also not be said to be good.

Saeed, who ran away from fight and academics, reached upon art.

「Art is best, it doesn’t need stamina, magical energy or even wisdom, only my own drawing sense is needed!」

Fortunately, his family showed understanding towards Saeed giving his all to the arts.

It was much better than him turning to delinquency, and being a noble his understanding of art was deep.

But, the biggest reason was because Saeed turned towards Sculpting, moreover it was the traditional Crystal Sculpting.

The whole family showed eyes of pity towards Saeed who wholeheartedly chiseled away the lump of amethyst, polished it and created a sculpture.

Saeed had no talent as a noble, aaah, poor Saeed, he wasn’t even given any help by the highly honoured『Amethyst Gaze』of his family.

Everyone thought that.

No matter how much he denied it, within his deep psyche, that glow of amethyst definitely would’ve been engraved as a trauma.

The people of Hydra can just look, can just glance, and create such a beautiful Amethyst.

Hence Saeed created. That one and only unique amethyst sculpture that he could make.

He had the talent for that.

However, that was something that the Black Gods of Pandora, gave while pitying on him; it was just a sense of drawing slightly better than mediocre.

The sculptures that were sold could be counted on two hands, and the ones that were exhibited could be count on a single hand. The poor accomplishment gradually gnawed harder at Saeed’s heart, and stimulated the complex even more.

「Do I not have any talent......I really have, nothing......」

In some declining art gallery, gazing at his work presented in a corner, he spoke the words of resignation many times.

He should leave the way of art, however, he couldn’t.

No matter how much it stung for having talent, he couldn’t back off, now that he had given too much into art.

If he had ran away from this, what would be left for him? What could he do? Just what could he take pride in and live?

There was『nothing』like that. That was the scariest thing for Saeed.

Saeed had been struck by the truth of not having this or that, impossible, futile and incompetent from the time he was born. Hence, he had nothing to take pride in.

Just one, only one thing will be fine, if I have that I can live walking forward.

But, he didn’t even had that, and if the sculpting sense that he believed was a talent ends up being a false hope, then,

「I will just kill myse――」

「Hello, you’re always standing here, right」

Just before he had declared his end, he was called out abruptly.

It was a young woman’s, no, girl’s voice.

「Do you like this crystal sculpture?」

「Eh, ah......apparently......」

She was a cute girl.

Saeed, who though imperfectly had lived a noble life, had seen various noble daughters and this girl was truly below them in beauty.

But she was simple, and cute just like a bright flower that had blossomed in the wild.

Just how long had it been since he had talked to such a cute girl, no, a person?

Saeed couldn’t speak outright that the sculpture was made by him.

「Is that true! I also love this, it’s the best here!!」

Saeed faced away from that smile seemingly too bright.

He instinctively did that, as if seeing a sun directly, or maybe getting glared at by the Demon Eyes.

However, that wasn’t action with negative motive.

「Eh......i-is that true......?」

「Eh, why should I lie? I come here to see this because I love it」

What might be this deep passion flowing out from the heart.

No, those emotions were truly flowing out of his body, from those two eyes which only were of purple colour, and had always been the proof of his uselessness.

Saeed cried.

It was the first time his talent was approved.

Everyone had been looking at him and his works with gazes of pity.

The reason the works were sold, are even being exhibited here, was all because of that Hydra family name.

But, right now, some appeared, who would approve of Saeed’s works, and say that it is liked.

He wasn’t able to control himself.

Hiding his ugly crying face, Saeed weaved the words and spoke while his throat was shivering.

「I......I made this......」

「Eeeh! Is that true! Greeaattt!!」

And hence Saeed met with the single girl, who understood about him.

「Saeed-sensei, morning!」

「Good, morning......but sensei sounds embarrassing――」

「Isn’t that fine, sensei is a sensei after all」

The two quickly became friendly.

At first it was about Saeed’s works, then it was about the crystal sculptures, and finally it was about art in general.

Though being a commoner she was quite knowledgeable about art. To the extent that could even scare Saeed who had seen the world of art for a long time.

Their conversation never had an end. From the artistic Artifacts from the ancient times, to the name of famous crystal sculptor in the modern times, but still the world of art was profound, and it still held a lot of history in it.

And, before he realized it, during the conversations of the art that seemed like ravine, the stories about her also started to be revealed.

Like what she ate yesterday, where she went to shopping, or that she fell en route to him, such childish every-day talks started.

But Saeed soon enough started to find those stories to be interesting.

He wanted to know about her, more and more about her.

At that moment, no, probably from their first meeting, Saeed had fallen in love.

「I want to create a sculpture with you as the model」

That was a roundabout confession.

「Eeeh, me, really!? B, But......I’m not that beautiful――」

「No, it has to be you, or it’s no good!」

Pressurized by the passion, the girl finally nodded as her white cheeks turned red as an apple.

From that day, Saeed started chiselling away the amethyst while forgetting about sleep and hunger.

That was just like the day his eyes opened up to the greatness of art, no, he had much more passion, enthusiasm and hope――he burned out everything inside of him.

Fortunately, a big contest was also right at corner.

If this once if a lifetime masterpiece was bought, no, if it won the first prize, that time he would tell her about his feelings, Saeed resolved.

Those words resounded hard in his heart.

「I love you, will you marry me」

「Yes, me too......I’m not good enough, but please take care of me」

Finally, the contest, confession, proposal, everything went just fine.

That was like as if it was their fate to be together.

He even thought that the bad days he had lived were just to accumulate enough good luck to fulfil this wish.

But if that were true, that would mean that the bad luck would start again from zero, from the day afterward.

The state of fortune level 0 would bring an unknown amount of misfortune, but nevertheless, Saeed was attacked by the bad luck.

「The marriage won’t be accepted? ......w,why is that so!!!」

It was hard to call this as a good luck or bad luck.

The marriage of an noble son with some commoner of unidentified birthplace wasn’t something easily to be accepted. That was a common sense among both nobles and commoners.

But, this common sense was something Saeed had been neglecting to a critical point for the past few days.

Till now his head had been all about creating a new work, or about that lovely cute girl, so it could only be called natural for him not take heed of that.

「Ah, I see, fine, I get it, I don’t need the family name of Hydra anymore!」

He met an obstacle at an unexpected place, but for passing that, the current Saeed had no hesitation.

He was holding the belief that he would be able to live a good life just if he could live with his most important person rather than the name of Hydra.

The decision was made fast, and, implemented fast.

Saeed Maya Hydra, on this day cut off each and all relations to nobility, become Saeed.

With this, there was nothing to stop the two.

Now it shall start; the life with that cute girl――no the beloved wife.

Certainly there was nothing to stop them now.

That meant, now if there were a problem that would just be among the man who’s to become the husband, and the woman who’s to the wife.

「Exiled from......the Hydra Family」

She asked with a stupendously scared face.

Saeed replied with a smug face, as if emphasizing his love for her,

「Yeah, with this I’m a commoner too, now there’s no problem in our marriage――」

「Are you an dumbfuck!!」

The words coming from her mouth were not of happiness, but of anger. No it was an enraged abusive language.

「I can’t believe it, arrrgh, you’re an retard, a true idiot! Trash, piece of shit, useless! Damn it, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck you!! Why are removing yourself from nobility at your own accord! You only have that, just that Hydra name that gives you any fucking value!!」

But, Saeed wasn’t able to understand her words.

Who was she, who was this deviant in front of him?

Who was this woman in front him, who was panting heavily, showing her teeth with her mouth wide open as saliva falling out of it.

「Don’t joke with me, do you even know how much I had to hold back from puking as I had been keeping you happy, a creepy otaku asshole! You’re not a fucking nobility now, eh, so what about my hard work then!!」

He didn’t knew, such a woman, he never such an ugly woman.

This was definitely a dream or an illusion, the real her will soon come to save him.

「W, Why......should you say like that. I love you so much, then why」

「Like I give a shit! I want the money, fame, social position, and everything that nobles have. A fucking shithead like you will never earn my love, don’t get conceited」

Her gentle eyes, even her sun-like bright smile all seemed like a lie――no, in truth it might’ve been a lie from the start. Right now she showed her true colours, gazed at him with scorn and cold eyes that were much harsher than anyone else’s.

It can’t be, it just can’t be true. Saeed denied the reality.

He persuaded himself saying that this girl wasn’t that cute girl, this one was a fake one, just an illusion.

「That’s......a lie......right?」

「It’s the first time I’m ever speaking truth to you. I hate shitheads like you the most in the whole world」

「That’s a lie, lie, lie!. That is a lie, I love you truly, love you, so please――」

The second confession was cut off by the hand of that fake girl.

「Shut up, noisy bitch」

「Ah, igh......eeh?」

A heat passed through his abdomen――right after the acute pain assaulted causing Saeed to fall on his knees, as he lost his words.

That unbearable pain from the knife stabbing through his stomach didn’t let Saeed to even groan properly.

「I hate you, but I know all about the things you like, wanna know why?」

She took out the knife as she asked the question, and the fresh blood spurted around.

「My father was artist」

The moment she said that, she showed her back to him, so he wasn’t able to see her expression.

「He was a commoner, but couldn’t even earn a single Klan from something like art. In the end he died doing his hobby, leaving me with the loan to pay for. He was piece of shit dad」

The girl turned around and her eyes were muddy with scorn just like before.

Those eyes were either towards Saeed, who was bleeding, or maybe towards her deceased father.

「I’ve seen his works never being sold, never being exhibited, never accepted, I’ve seen him suffer up close. So the time I saw you, I understood that you were the same as that father――」

And in her hand, a hatchet found in any farm family for cutting things in a bundle, was held tightly. (TLN: the hatchet here is the western one)

「――You were just troubled about self-satisfaction!!」

Before the hatchet reached him, the hard sole of the boots around her legs attacked Saeed.

「The boles sure have it great, you can worry about these shitty problems and still have a great three meals a day and a great nice comfortable sleep. You can’t even imagine a lifestyle of living everyday as a low class prostitute, opening my crotch to vulgar men just to get some money」

While foaming up blood from mouth, Saeed’s body tumbled face up.

「Hey, don’t get cocky, why are you making a face that you’re the unluckiest person in the world!」

And again the muddy boots attacked him like a Mace.

「Can you understand! Can you even fucking understand that I’m the unluckiest person right now in the world, my last probably ended up being a complete trash!!」

Saeed had already taken a fatal hit in his abdomen, so even if the opponent was a women, but after getting kicked, stepped on and beaten he was already become weak enough to not be able to move anymore.

「That’s why, at least die while being helpful to me. Hey you love me, right, ahahahahahaha!」

Saeed moved up his lifeless eyes only to see a girl with a similar to his beloved smiling in a wretched manner and raising the hatchet above.

「Where is she......where is my girlfriend......where......」

Just where had she gone?

Why, naturally, had she disappeared?

Saeed thought that deeply in his heart, he wasn’t able to think of any other thing.

Even at the last moments, that lie was a truth to him meanwhile the reality was an illusion.

The true her was a chaste girl with a cheerful nature, and a bright and radiant smile. And the only person who would love him and understand him――

「Orrrrraagghhh!!」

The swung hatchet splendidly hit the neck of Saeed.

The thick rusty blade entered neared the Adam’s apple, but with a thin arm of a woman, she wasn’t able to ut it out at once.

「Orraahh! Oraaagghh!!」

Without taking notice of the spurt of blood, she kept on swinging down the hatchet.

Twice, Thrice, Four times, and after various attempts the thick neck’s bones grated, broke, smashed and finally dissected.

「*pant*......*pant* making me work so hard, fucktard......」

While cursing at the cut face, she raised up the face while clenching hard on the muddy purple hair.

The woman laughed while gazing at the two wide eyes with purple pupil inside them.

「Even if you’re a failure, you have an real Hydra’s demon eyes. If appraised properly, one would probably sell for a million Klan......AHahahahahahaha」

「......re......tu......rn」

That moment, she heard a voice.

「Return......her......return her!」

That originated undoubtedly from the freshly severed head in her hands.

「AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAAAA!!」

Before she could perceive that reality, the woman’s consciousness was cut off.

The last thing she saw was a beam of bright purple light that could make someone blind.

「AAaaa! RETURN, HERRR! HErRRrr!! Herrrrrrrrrrrr!! I ;looooovve, thiiiiisss muchhh, HER!!」

A second crystal sculpture with her as a model was made in front of Saeed.

But, there was no way he would approve of this rubbish with an ugly expression on the face of his beloved one.

As if it reacted to Saeed’s blood tears and roar of refusal, the see-through crystal broke apart into countless pieces.

And in the next instant, it broke apart in even more smaller countless pieces.

「Return heeeeeeeeeeeEEEERR! UUUUUauaaaAAAAAAggggHHHHH!!」

And the head of Saeed kept on screaming.

Wanting to meet that beloved one that he had lost, the one that doesn’t exist in the world anywhere, that illusion.

.

.

.

Ah, I see, so he was a head from the start.

Even after I’ve cut off his head which should’ve resulted in him dying, the eyes of Saeed still fired of the purple light, leading me to an understanding.

Probably that macho body was probably attached to him using『Necromancy』or something.

Seeing closely there are signs of stitches near the nape of neck.

But, I realized that a little too late, that it turned fatal.

「Guuuaahh!」

An acute pain ran through my right arm, no, the feeling of an foreign substance should be much more precise.

The feeling of my body being mine yet not mine at the same time――that being the truth, my right arm from the elbow to wrist has all turned into a amethyst.

「Aaaaaaa Evil Eaterrrrrrrrrrrr!!」

I block away the light of Demon Eyes trying to turn my whole body into crystal by using the Evil Eater grabbed in my left hand that is fine.

And, I smashed the big sword into the severed head shining with light.

After getting cut into two from the front, the demon eyes finally stopped emitting the cursed light, as the demon eyes sunk in the pool of blood and gray matter.

「*pant*......*pant*......damn it, what is happening to my right arm......」

The pain has subsided, but all the sensation is gone from the front of my elbow.

The right arm has completely turned into amethyst including the black sleeve of『Diabolos Embrace』. If not for this the crystallization might have reached all the way to the shoulder.

The surprising thing is that the『Black Hair Curse「Coffin」』had completely endured all that. As expected of a Cursed Protector. There is no sense of touch, but the right glove is there looking same as always.

The happy sound of the maid「Mater......」resounding in my head right now sounds a bit lovely at the moment.

For the time being I can’t control anything with my right hand that has gone numb, so I used my left hand glove to create tentacles, and cover my right arm, that seems to break even with slightest touch, without leaving a gap. It works wonders as a substitute of bandage and gypsum.

Naturally, the『Absolute Grudge Hatchet「Kubidan」』was released from my hand as it is quite heavy, and enter it into the shadow along with the『Hungry Wolf Sword「Evil Eater」』that had done its duty.

「Damn it, now I’ve gone and done it......」

I did win, but the sacrifice is too big.

I have lost my right arm, completely, it’s irreversible.

No, wait, were I to pay huge loads of money I could regenerate my lost limbs, right.

Well, I have experienced regenerating the limbs whole lot more in the laboratory, so it must also be possible in Spada.

Wait a sec, there is enough hope for that, if I get the fight money of 10 million Klan, then I could easily regenerate this right arm......

「――And the winner is, Nightmare Berserker Kurono!!!!!」

As I realized around, the passionate announcement, and cheers from tens of thousands of people entered my ears.

If it were a professional Gladiator, he might give a signature pose at this point, but I’m just an adventurer, I don’t have that mindset of giving free fanservice.

Rather, my right arm is already made into ruined material, how I can have time to do that.

Right now I just want to return back and rest――no, I need gather the Cursed Weapons before that. Aah, bothersome, but rewards need to be taken.

The eight nameless swords, the halberd with ability to change the person into undead, and, the Demon Eyes that I have no idea if it will work, but all these are too pricey to be thrown away.

The cheers were already getting near the point of extreme noise, among all that I started to move to do the most simplest and boring work of collecting things.

The moment I was bored, at that moment,

「――Kurono-kun!」

Looking up, I saw an angel landing with white wings spread open as she spoke my name.

Huh, did I really die from that Demon Eye attack?, I was about think that, but the face of that angel was of someone I have gotten friendlier recently.

Nell Julius Elrod, the kind First Princess of Avalon. And my second friend I’ve made in Spada.

Ah, it’s good, she actually came here without being lost.

I was carelessly looking at her landing in the arena while I thought that.