The World's Strongest and Most Evil Noble Strives Humbly and Diligently ~ Using Knowledge of the Original Story and Unique Magic to Avoid a Destruction End ~ - Chapter 12: The Crest of Impurity
Chapter 12: The Crest of Impurity
I used <Void Transfer> to move to Mount Garan, owned by the Heisenberg family.
In front of me was a creepy experimental facility I had teleported from Garzak Underground Prison.
“Here we go!”
I tore off the iron door with my bare hands and entered the building.
As I walked through a dimly lit, dusty hallway, I came to a large room.
Books and papers were scattered on the floor, magic formulas were written on the walls, and a strange liquid floated in a giant flask.
In the center of this eerie room, there was a large experimental table with a girl lying on it.
She looked about twelve years old, like me, with beautiful, translucent silver hair.
Wearing a white restraining outfit, her chest bore the mark of the Demon King’s curse—the ‘Crest of Impurity.’
(It’s the same as in the original story, a red-black pattern… So that’s the Demon King’s curse, huh.)
That girl was a legitimate ‘descendant of heroes.’
She was a survivor of the honorable clan that defeated the Demon King five hundred years ago.
“Ugh, ah… haa, haa…!”
Sweating heavily on her forehead, she writhed in pain, letting out anguished cries.
(…Hmm…)
From what I could see, the Demon King’s Factor was eating away at her body, while her heroic bl00d fought against it.
Inside her, destruction and regeneration repeated endlessly, causing hellish suffering that went on forever.
A normal human would have died in three days, but her vessel was too sturdy, preventing an easy death.
The proud bl00d of heroes wouldn’t allow her to give up.
“…Please… kill me…!”
Noticing me, she trembled with wet eyes, desperately pleading.
The Demon King’s Factor held ‘infinite possibilities.’
It could lead to developing unknown magic, creating new energy sources, or recreating the Demon King’s unique magic.
Because of this, research institutions worldwide tried every method to analyze the Demon King’s Factor.
This girl had likely been confined in Garzak Underground Prison, subjected to inhumane experiments.
For years, endlessly… until her heart broke, until she wished for death.
(…Kill her, huh…)
That was my initial plan.
In terms of disposing of the Demon King’s Factor, that was the best solution.
…But why?
When she begged me to kill her, I felt an uncontrollable… no, a maddening urge… to do the opposite.
I’m not particularly contrarian by nature.
If anything, I think I’m pretty straightforward… but for some reason, I desperately wanted to go against her plea.
(Well, this is an experiment too, I guess.)
The Demon King’s curse was powerful.
The magic <Holy Light of Purification> left by High Priest Amour couldn’t break it.
But I had knowledge from the original story.
I knew the method to neutralize the Demon King’s Factor, revealed near the end of the main route.
And I already had the skills to make it happen.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
I stretched out my right hand and touched the Crest of Impurity on her chest.
“—<Holy Light of Purification>”
Holy power poured out, weakening the Demon King’s curse.
“Ugh, ah…!”
As the Demon King’s Factor raged, the girl writhed in pain.
“Endure it. It’ll be over soon.”
I quickly moved to the next stage, the recovery process.
I transformed my magic into tiny threads, slipped them into her body, and tore the Demon King’s Factor to shreds.
Since they began regenerating immediately, I fused them with the magic factor she was born with.
Instead of rejecting the Demon King’s Factor, I made its evil power blend into her body.
(…Alright, that should do it.)
The curse-breaking process finished without issues.
The Demon King’s Factor fully merged with her magic factor.
Now, she was free from that hellish suffering.
I drew the sword at my waist and cut her restraints.
“Hey, how do you feel?”
The girl slowly sat up, staring at her body in disbelief.
“…No way…”
A single tear fell from her eyes.
“This can’t be real… It’s not a dream… Thank you…!”
She cried large tears and spoke words of gratitude.
I didn’t expect to save her, but being thanked didn’t feel bad.
“Oh, we need to escape from here…!”
She probably thought she was still in Garzak Underground Prison.
She stood up hurriedly.
“No need to worry about that.”
“What do you mean…?”
“You’ll see. Follow me.”
I turned on my heel and left the lab.
The girl followed cautiously and widened her eyes in shock.
“…What…?”
All around was endless green, vast nature stretching out.
A large moon floated in the night sky, with stars shining brilliantly.
“With my unique magic, I teleported the entire facility. You’re safe here.”
“Oh, that’s good…”
Relieved, she let out a sigh and asked a very reasonable question.
“But… why did you save someone like me?”
Well, why indeed?
Wanting to go against her plea to be killed… that sounded a bit too simple.
I couldn’t think of a good reason, so I decided to say something vague to brush it off.
“Let me tell you an old story.”
I began speaking slowly.
“About five hundred years ago, humanity faced extinction. A Demon King suddenly appeared, leading countless minions and invading the continent. His forces were strong, and people were helplessly trampled. When it seemed humanity would perish without hope, six extraordinary men and women appeared. They became known as the ‘Legendary Six Heroes.’”
Standing still felt awkward, so I walked around her dramatically.
“After a long, difficult journey, they finally defeated the Demon King. But in his final moments, he cast a curse—not on their bodies, but on their magic factors.”
“On their factors…?”
“Yes. As is widely known, magic factors pass from parent to child, from child to grandchild. By cursing their factors, the Demon King aimed to destroy the heroes’ power for good.”
“Not the heroes themselves, but their lineage… That’s logical.”
The girl was very smart and quickly understood my explanation.
“The legendary heroes were strong and lived full lives despite carrying the Demon King’s Factor. But over a hundred or two hundred years, their bloodline weakened. Eventually, descendants who couldn’t suppress the Demon King’s power fell to a mysterious illness.”
I gave her a meaningful look.
“Those with both heroic and Demon King factors became ‘the world’s best research material.’ Factors hold many mysteries and infinite possibilities. The world, forgetting the heroes’ achievements, conducted cruel experiments on their descendants, seeking more wealth.”
“Research material… you mean…?”
“Yeah, you.”
She fell silent.
“Is that story true…?”
“Who knows? If you’re curious, you can look into it yourself.”
Of course, it was all true.
But being told this suddenly, she probably couldn’t believe it.
As I thought about this, she put a hand to her mouth, deep in thought.
(The story makes sense. And more importantly, he has no reason to lie…)
After thinking for a while, she clenched her teeth.
“…Unforgivable…!”
At that moment, a surge of silver magic power burst out.
Wow, as expected of a hero’s descendant, that’s an incredible amount of magic.
“An order built on injustice and absurdity, peace built on someone’s sacrifice, is fundamentally wrong. To destroy worthless vested interests and create a new framework, I must fight the world.”
“…I’ll fight too.”
“You’ll need power for that. Overwhelming force to resist an unjust script…!”
I’ll conquer my route.
So, you do your best on yours.
It’ll be tough, but with that immense magic, you’ll go far.
As I turned to fly back to the Heisenberg estate, the girl said something shocking.
“I want to fight with you.”
“…What…?”
“Is that okay?”
“Well, it’s not like it’s a problem.”
Destroying the Demon King’s Factor and delaying the Great Demon Order’s plans for the Demon King’s revival—that was my main goal.
(This situation is already quite different from my original plan…)
Keeping her close could be valuable in thwarting the Great Demon Order.
After all, her body held the Demon King’s Factor.
(And considering future story developments, having more allies is better.)
Her offer wasn’t a bad deal.
“I’m very grateful to you. I know I’m in no position to ask for anything. But if it’s not too much trouble, I want to fight with you.”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Thank you. Um… what should I call you?”
“I’m… well, let’s go with ‘Void.’”
Naming myself by my real name felt off, so I used the first alias that came to mind.
Void, because I use void magic.
Basing my name on my ability’s English name felt a bit simple, but clarity is important.
Also, acting like a villainous noble was getting tiring, so I decided to be myself.
Playing that role takes a lot of energy…
“By the way… huh?”
What was her name again?
I racked my brain, trying to recall the original story.
(Silver long hair, pointed ears of a half-elf, beautiful features… She’s not a nameless mob, she’s a named character.)
…No good, I couldn’t remember.
In the main route, she was either kidnapped and killed by the Great Demon Order or died from enduring experiments… basically, she met a tragic end early in the story.
Her role was so small that I couldn’t recall her.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“I…”
She opened her mouth, froze, and shook her head slightly.
“—I threw it away.”
“Threw it away?”
“My parents sold me for three copper coins. I don’t need a name from people like that.”
“Oh… yeah, I get it.”
Those who manifested the Crest of Impurity were treated worse than livestock.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how her own parents treated her.
“You saved me, Void. If it’s okay, I’d like you to give me a name.”
“W-What…?”
Naming someone is a big deal!
It’s something that affects their whole life, not to be taken lightly.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, please.”
Her eyes were completely serious.
A girl’s name, huh…
(Ayumi, Kyoko, Yukari, Shiho, Saori…)
No, those are Japanese names.
They don’t fit Ronzorkia’s world.
“You don’t have to overthink it. Just name me based on what you see.”
“Hmm… how about Dia?”
“Dia?”
“It’s the name of a beautiful gem. I thought it suited your translucent, beautiful silver hair… Maybe it’s a bit too simple?”
“…Dia…”
She murmured the name as if savoring it and smiled happily.
“It’s a lovely name. Thank you, I’ll treasure it.”
She seemed to like it.
“As I said, we have to fight the world. For that, we need overwhelming power. Dia, you’ll need to get strong.”
“Of course, that’s my plan.”
Dia nodded firmly, then tilted her head.
“How strong are you, Void?”
“Hmm, about this much.”
As I said that, I released the magic power I usually kept suppressed.
Instantly, a sludge-like blackness poured out, swallowing Mount Garan with terrifying force.
The evil magic befitting the villainous noble Hollow von Heisenberg filled the world.
(What is this… It’s a different level of existence… Not just strong or weak, it’s beyond that…!)
As I moderately unleashed my magic, Dia collapsed onto the ground.
She hugged herself, trembling slightly, her face filled with fear.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“N-No, it’s fine… I asked for it…”
Dia took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
(That was a mistake.)
She had been locked in Garzak Underground Prison for years, enduring inhumane experiments.
She was clearly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Even though I held back, showing her my magic was bound to frighten her.
(I messed up… Alright, I’ll make it up to her by letting her eat her favorite food later.)
Sushi, ramen, yakiniku—those might be too much my taste.
Since she’s a girl, maybe something healthy, light, or sweet would be better.
I could ask Sistie, the maid, for advice, and she’d probably sort it out nicely.
As I thought about my redemption plan, Dia muttered softly.
“…Void, you’re strong. You could destroy the world like this.”
“Haha, that’s an exaggeration. This is nothing.”
“Are there people stronger than you?”
“Who knows…?”
I looked up at the starry night sky.
Hollow von Heisenberg was a regular in Ronzorkia’s strongest-character debates.
With the versatile unique magic <Void>, superhuman strength, and seemingly infinite magic power, he was a genius with everything needed to be the strongest.
If carefully developed over time, he’d likely be unbeatable.
(But… Hollow always died.)
Even in the longest-surviving route, he succumbed to ‘that thing’ at the end and was killed by the protagonist.
—Slothful Arrogance.
This curse-like debuff always led Hollow to a bad ending.
(I’ll break every death flag and reach the ideal happy ending…!)
That’s why I decided to live humbly and earnestly.
“Now, let’s plan our next steps.”
“Okay.”
After a quick discussion, Dia would live in Void Town.
It was a place where she could hide from the Great Demon Order and other enemies.
Once her exhausted mind and body recovered, I’d train her.
(I’m honestly… no, very interested in the power of a hero plus the Demon King.)
While teaching Dia how to fight, I’d secretly analyze her unique power.
It might give me hints to become even stronger.
(The raid on Garzak Underground Prison was insanely rewarding.)
I gathered real-world data on void magic, gained a hero’s descendant as an ally, and delayed the Great Demon Order’s goal of reviving the Demon King.
It was the best possible outcome, wasn’t it?
As I nodded in satisfaction, Dia asked a question.
“Hey, Void, are there others like me?”
“There are a few, but someone like you is pretty rare.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, being from a hero’s clan doesn’t guarantee the Crest of Impurity. In fact, it usually doesn’t appear. This illness is, for better or worse, a ‘mark of talent.’ Because you inherited a strong heroic factor, you also inherited an equal amount of the Demon King’s Factor, triggering it. Your parents were healthy, right?”
“…Not exactly a talent I’m happy about.”
Dia muttered, then looked at me with determined eyes.
“Once I train and get stronger, I want to help others suffering from the Crest of Impurity. If we find more hero descendants, will you break their curses too?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Thank you. Because of you, I found a reason to live.”
“You’re welcome.”
The more Demon King Factors we had, the better.
The more factors we controlled, the more trouble it caused the Great Demon Order.
Hero descendants were scattered worldwide, and finding them was a hassle.
But if Dia took on that task, and all I had to do was break the curses, that was a great deal.
“Let’s head to Void Town.”
I raised my right hand, used <Void Transfer>, and a pitch-black vortex appeared.
“Tch, this black mist leads to a town…?”
“Yeah, it might be surprising at first, but you’ll get used to it.”
“…Okay.”
Trusting me, Dia nodded and stepped into the black vortex.
(In about three years, the main route will start, and I’ll face the protagonist.)
I had to do what needed to be done before then.
With that resolve in my heart, I headed to Void Town.