I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor in a Romance Novel

With resolute faces and disciplined postures, the believers finished their prayer.

“For Lost Hope……!”

One of the bishops led the chant,

“““““For Lost Hope……!”””””

Hundreds of believers echoed the chant in unison.

Then, each drew a blade from their cloaks and plunged it into their own hearts.

Thud

Thud

Bodies collapsed onto the ritual circle, the crimson blood of the Lost Hopes flowing from beneath them.

The blood moved as if with a will of its own, forming intricate geometric patterns.

This was the [Ritual of Sacrifice], completed with the deaths of a bishop and hundreds of believers.

The ritual circle flashed red, and dense fog, incomparable to before, descended upon them.

The air grew frigid, a bone-chilling wind whipping around the remaining Lost Hopes, their robes and hair billowing wildly.

The Captain, lips tightly pressed together, offered a fervent prayer.

“…Father, Father……. Please, we offer you our faith……. Appear before us. Please……. Please……. We have waited for so long. Descend upon us….”

The remaining Lost Hopes, their hearts filled with desperation, awaited the Demon King’s arrival.

Blackish-red smoke began to rise from the corpses.

Slowly, it gathered at the center of the ritual circle, forming a massive, writhing shadow that seemed to embody pure evil.

An overwhelming, dreadful presence.

The Lost Hopes trembled, chills running down their spines.

Behold.

This was the spiritual deity of Lost Hope.

The one they could only reach through power and senses.

The almighty incarnation of evil.

The omniscient death.

The absolute existence.

The Demon King.

He had finally descended upon this land.

[ I told you I refuse. ]

A deep, eerie voice, as if dredged up from the depths of the earth, resonated within the believers’ very souls.

However, the Demon King’s first words were unexpectedly cold.

The Captain’s face contorted in confusion.

“W-Why……! What is the problem? Your Excellency, in my ignorance, I fail to understand your will……. Please, enlighten me.”

[ At the very least, bring your nemesis before me. ]

The Demon King’s voice boomed, demanding a nemesis once again.

But the Captain couldn’t accept this.

This was their first encounter with the descended Demon King, yet instead of awe and excitement, he was overwhelmed with doubt.

“What do you mean all of a sudden?! Today is the promised day! Father! Did you not promise to descend upon us today?!”

[ Why would I descend upon this mundane world without a nemesis? I have no interest in ruling such a trivial place. ]

The Captain clenched his jaw.

Never once in all the time the Demon King had pressed them to prepare for his descent had he mentioned anything about a nemesis.

To summon him, they had lost another bishop and nearly half of their remaining forces.

Only three hundred remained from the original thousand.

And now, he was dismissing their devoted faith because this world, without his nemesis, was too trivial?

Betrayal welled up within him, his clenched fists trembling.

‘Just what have I been doing all this time for….’

But he couldn’t give up now.

Even if it was on the Demon King’s whim, he had to ensure his descent.

He had dedicated his entire life to Lost Hope.

How many bishops and believers had died just today alone?

If the Demon King didn’t descend, what meaning would their deaths hold?

“Do you truly require a nemesis…….”

[ Yes, that is correct. ]

“I understand. Then I shall kill the remaining bishops and become your nemesis myself!”

“Ch-Captain!”

“What are you talking about!”

The Demon King refusing to descend, and the Captain willing to take such drastic measures to force his hand.

Who exactly were they following?

Regret began to fill the hearts of the Lost Hope believers, their faith slowly chipping away.

The Demon King felt his power draining away.

***

‘Pfft!’

Zeke couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.

He could see everything.

That guy, he was panicking.

If there was one phrase to describe the situation, it would be:

A dilemma.

When they had used Eustia as a sacrifice, Zeke had made sure to threaten them with his existence.

Now, the Demon King had descended without the additional power, knowing full well he would be beaten to a pulp like last time.

But, having been summoned through the Ritual of Sacrifice, refusing now meant abandoning his title as the ‘Demon King.’

He could clearly see the Demon King’s eyes darting around, unable to decide on a course of action.

‘Let’s see what you’re going to do……. I can practically hear the gears turning in your head from here.’

Zeke wished he had some popcorn.

For now, he’d have to settle for what he had on hand.

Munch munch.

He tore off a small piece from the end of the baguette in his hand and popped it into his mouth.

‘Hmm, enjoying some dirt spoon bread while watching the Demon King squirm is quite the experience.’

***

The Demon King felt a chill as his power waned, sensing the atmosphere growing colder.

It was proof that their faith in him was crumbling in real-time.

He hurriedly put on a stern voice.

[ I will descend. ]

That only made him look even more pathetic.

First, he refused to descend, and now he was agreeing to it. It was impossible to tell what he really wanted.

“But you clearly said you wouldn’t just a moment ago….”

[ I never said I wouldn’t descend from the beginning. ]

The Lost Hopes sensed the contradiction in the Demon King’s words, but they remained silent.

[ I shall ask you. ]

[ Is there none among you who dared to slay my children? ]

[ Is there something strange preventing my power from reaching him? ]

[ And do you not desire his demise? ]

“……Ah. The nemesis….”

The Captain and the bishops exchanged glances, as if suddenly realizing something.

Relieved to feel his power returning, the Demon King breathed a sigh of relief internally.

[ Yes, that’s him. He is no ordinary human. The hero who slaughtered countless Lost Hopes and fought me in a life-or-death battle for the fate of the world. He is here in this very place! ]

[ Declare him your nemesis! ]

The Demon King cried out, desperation evident in his voice.

The Captain’s face hardened.

He’d sensed things were going awry, but to think that someone powerful enough to shake the Demon King’s resolve was actually here…

If that was the case, then the Demon King’s behavior made sense.

He was asking them to prepare the ultimate stage because his nemesis was present.

Shame washed over him for doubting the Demon King, even momentarily.

‘To witness that legendary scene with my own eyes… That will be enough… I’ll die. I’ll offer my death to the Demon King.’

“So…. where is this wretched hero? Tell me, and I will deliver him to you.”

[ He’s right there. He may be hiding his presence, but I can sense him. Zeke Clayman. ]

*Sscccreeechhh!!*

The Demon King extended a shadowy tendril, like a whip, towards Zeke’s hiding spot.

Crack━

The top half of the tree where Zeke had been hiding was blown to pieces by the Demon King’s casual attack.

Zeke landed gracefully on the ground.

“You found me. Your eyesight’s gotten better.”

[ Zeke Clayman……. ]

The Demon King growled, his voice laced with menace.

“Yes, Demon King. How have your bowel movements been?”

The Demon King’s shadow writhed, its size growing as Zeke’s casual greeting only fueled his rage.

[ Not designating you as my nemesis back then was a mistake! But this time, it will be different! Zeke Clayman!!! ]

“I’m curious to see what you’re going to do, Demon King. Unfortunately for you… I haven’t killed that many of your Lost Hope followers.”

━

At that moment, the Demon King’s voice echoed inside the Captain’s head.

[ Use the Price of Devotion. I have bestowed the power upon all of you. ]

“Lost Hope! Use the Price of Devotion!”

The Captain, consumed by guilt towards the Demon King, didn’t hesitate to obey.

The remaining Lost Hopes, upon hearing his command, their eyes gleaming, extended their arms forward, fingertips touching.

“Damn it, this is why I hate brainwashing types…”

Seeing their synchronized movements, Zeke figured the Demon King had brainwashed them into following the Captain’s every command.

A dark, demonic energy surged from the believers, shooting towards Zeke in a straight line.

The Price of Devotion.

The power the Demon King had just granted them.

A power that allowed them to inflict an equal amount of damage upon their target by consuming their own life force.

If Zeke were to be hit, it would mean their deaths were caused by him.

Beams of dark energy hurtled towards Zeke.

He narrowed his eyes, analyzing the power.

It seemed to be hastily made, lacking any tracking or targeting abilities.

‘Can’t I just dodge this?’

Zeke was about to gather mana in his feet and leap away.

But then.

Thud!

A hand shot out from the shadows, grabbing Zeke’s ankle.

‘What the?’

Boooooooooooom!!!!!!!!!

A deafening roar ripped through the air as the barrage of energy slammed directly into Zeke.

The Demon King erupted in laughter.

[ Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!!! This is the power I created after our last battle, the 【Lost Hand】! I do hope you haven’t died from the Price of Devotion. It would be quite embarrassing for me if you died after all this preparation. ]

With that, every single Lost Hope member present, save for the Captain, perished, their life force expended in that single attack.

“Damn it. I went through all this trouble to avoid drawing my sword.”

His clothes ripped and tattered from the attack, Zeke emerged from the dust cloud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud—

In his hand, a sword pulsed with a deep blue aura.