“Really? Is that true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then I’ll head out immediately.”
As the light in the crystal ball faded and her reflection turned into her own face, Elia let out a deep sigh and stood up, calling out to Lucius nearby.
“Lucius!”
Perhaps it was the urgency in her voice, or maybe Lucius had truly been hovering nearby because he appeared in front of her in an instant, tilting his head.
“Yes, Saint, what is it?”
“It seems something has come up.”
As she spoke, the Saint sighed again, making Lucius’s head tilt even more.
“Something has come up?”
It was unusual for Elia, who usually dealt with things herself, to come to him like this. It meant that whatever was happening was serious.
“What is the matter?”
“Rumor has it… that Harang attacked the palace?”
Elia tilted her head even as she spoke, making Lucius’s expression twist in confusion.
“What do you mean…?”
What kind of nonsense was this? The Hero blinked and tried to think.
The Harang he knew wasn’t the sort to cause harm to others. In fact, he was one of the few people Elia thought, “Wouldn’t he be easily taken advantage of because he’s so nice?”
When he thought about it, Harang had helped him with things that didn’t benefit him at all, using the cute excuse of “strawberries” and even helped him despite having no ties to his current situation.
Moreover, wasn’t Harang practically best friends with Camilla, who was known as “Iron Blood”?
His character had already been proven.
But still…
“Someone like that attacked the palace…?”
To Lucius, Elia’s words sounded as mismatched as saying “the fire is cold.”
Elia seemed to share his confusion, tilting her head as well.
After a moment of silence…
“We can’t come to a conclusion just talking amongst ourselves.”
It was Lucius who broke the silence.
Even though it had been a short time, Lucius had thought through many possibilities and finally nodded, speaking.
“Well then, we must return to the capital.”
“Yes… We need to understand the whole situation.”
He was worried since Camilla hadn’t come out of the closed quarters yet…
“But this is the North.”
No minor incident could penetrate these defenses.
It probably wouldn’t take long in the capital, and he figured it wouldn’t be a cause for significant concern.
Most importantly…
“During this period, there haven’t been any attacks in the North.”
Having experienced the future, Lucius knew that the Demon King’s army would remain quiet for the next six months.
“I’ve told Sebas, so let’s set out right away.”
“Yes, I’ll prepare.”
The Hero and the Saint, who had taken it upon themselves to be the shield of the North in place of Camilla, returned to the capital, leaving behind a shield that was as strong as a fortress.
And nobody knew the storm that even the tiniest flutter of a butterfly’s wings could bring.
Even knowing the future.
*
With a sigh filled with nostalgia, I looked around.
…It should be around here, ah, there it is.
“Harang!”
With a big smile on her face, Lili jumped in place and waved her arms, causing a vein to pop on my forehead.
…So this is how it is, huh?
I had so much to say, but thankfully…
Clenching my fist, I slowly began to walk, taking my time to make Lili tremble with fear for as long as possible.
“Ha-Harang…?”
“Glad you’re here! I have a lot to say!”
Seeing my rising fist, Lili’s pupils began to shake, as if an earthquake had struck.
“W-wait! Let’s talk—OW!!!!”
“Because of you, Nameless…!”
“AHHH! I got hit on the bone! Why does it hurt if it’s a dream?!”
You know better than me, you little demon!
“Just take it!”
“AHHHHHHH!!”
*
I slapped Lili’s forehead mercilessly, about five times.
As a result, her forehead swelled red, leading to the delusion that she had three horns.
“I’m really wronged…”
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Lili peeked at me while rubbing her forehead.
…Did I hit her too hard?
No, I can’t soften my heart.
I shook off any rising sympathy and pouted my lips.
“What exactly are you wronged about?”
“I didn’t know it would be like this either…”
Lili frowned, her lips poking out, then turned her head, adding,
“It was originally the sheath used by the Demon King! It shouldn’t just change shape! It’s ridiculous!”
“Huh.”
Look at her?
Not only is she unrepentant, but she also added another line that got on my nerves.
“The sheath used by the Demon King…?”
“I never said that!”
“You clearly said that it was used by a powerful demon!”
Unless my memory is failing, you’re definitely saying that!
“Huh?!”
Lili puffed up her cheeks, protesting furiously.
“I only said it was hard to obtain… Never did I say a demon used it!”
She looked so ridiculous that I could hardly believe it.
But that doesn’t erase what she said.
“Didn’t you just say it was the sheath used by the Demon King not long ago?!”
Caught off guard, Lili opened her mouth in surprise.
“Th-that’s…!”
I smiled victoriously, poking her cheek with my finger.
“Just admit it, what was your intention?”
“U-uhhh…”
As Lili’s head shook from side to side, she made a whimpering sound before sighing.
“I honestly don’t know…! The Demon King asked me!”
“What?”
“I told you when we first met, right?! That Nameless was the right fit!”
Lili, defiantly retorting, made me rub my throbbing head.
“The Demon King wouldn’t have any bad intentions, right?”
“How can you be so sure?”
Lili tilted her head as if it were obvious.
“Well, the Demon King allowed the establishment of the Cheonma Church!”
“…”
“Since he has already prepared to artificially create a vessel, there’s no reason for him to harm Nameless, who could be a good asset!”
True…
Because of that reason, he indeed forced the establishment of the Cheonma Church.
Of course, I’d personally take down the Demon King if I saw any signs of him trying to make a vessel.
The children of the Cheonma Church are something I must protect myself.
…Well, I had established it more as a way to skip that situation at the time anyway.
Anyway.
“So, Lili, you don’t know why Nameless ended up like that?”
“Right…?”
“Did you not tell the Demon King?”
“No… He’s still sealed, and he gets revelations maybe once every six months.”
Tsk, so I can only watch Nameless’s condition worsen?
…Isn’t that a little too dire?
As my expression darkened, Lili smirked and began to pat my back.
“Don’t worry too much! If the Demon King wakes up, everything will be fine!”
Her cheerful voice made me tilt my head and respond.
My voice sounded bright.
Because a glimmer of hope arose that Nameless could get better.
“What do you mean by that? Explain further.”
Lili blinked, tilting her head.
“I told you earlier, right? That’s the sword of the Demon King.”
“…You made it clear.”
“How could the Demon King not do something when it’s about Nameless?”
Lili gave a grin that was almost unsettling and nodded, taking a step back.
“…Really?”
“Of course!”
Lili leaned close to my ear and whispered.
“Don’t you have a reason to help the Demon King’s resurrection a little bit?”
“Tsk, get away from me.”
“Yes!”
Pushing Lili away, I muttered softly.
“After all, we’re not partners or anything.”
“Right! We’ve been in the same boat from the start! Even faster than that Hero and Saint!”
With her arms spread wide and a big grin on her face, I sighed deeply.
I guess I can’t just completely prevent the Demon King’s resurrection.
…For Nameless’s sake.
“By the way, what’s the reason for your visit?”
“Oh, that’s what I wanted to say!”
Rambling on, Lili continued to chatter.
*
Waking up, I immediately started focusing my energy.
“…”
But it wasn’t going well, and I knew why.
Right now, my mind was too full of thoughts.
Unskillfully, I couldn’t extinguish them even though I was aware.
These were questions that were too difficult for me.
What exactly should I do?
Is it a crime to have lived so ambiguously?
Or is it a crime to wish for goodness despite being utterly ugly?
I don’t know.
So I’ll do what I do best.
If anyone appears to block the path of me or Nameless, I’ll slice them down.
No matter how I think about it, this is the only attitude I can take as someone clueless.
Thoughts vanished, and I began to focus my energy.
I felt a refreshing sensation wash over me.
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