Kaeld was camping out in the wild for the first time in a long while.
He clumsily skinned a rabbit he’d caught and roasted it roughly before biting into it.
He grumbled.
“Tastes like crap. Lisel was a damn good cook, at least.”
Just then—
Whoosh.
A message appeared before his eyes.
Kaeld chuckled and thought to himself.
‘What’s the Demon King going to say this time?’
Ever since Kaeld had started referring to the message window as ‘the Demon King,’ communication had become much more frequent than before.The newly written sentences read:
<Serein Magnus and Lisel Vint have joined up with Mide’s party.>
<Serein Magnus and Xenia Seide are planning to perform a grand purification spell together.>
<If those two are working together, the activation time will be drastically reduced.>
Kaeld’s face hardened.
‘Serein joined them? No way.’
Could Mide have actually agreed to that outrageous wish of hers—to abolish the clergy profession?
Then, another message appeared:
<As originally advised, kill Mide Mohan.>
<Or, kill Serein Magnus.>
Kaeld hesitated briefly before speaking aloud.
“Hey, Demon King. This back-and-forth through text is getting annoying. Now that we are this far into it, why not just show yourself? I’ve got questions.”
Swoosh.
New text formed.
Its tone was noticeably different from past messages.
<You really are a peculiar human, aren’t you.>
“Now that sounds more Demon Kingish.”
<Appearing before you now would be difficult. You are too close to Mide’s party.>
“What’s the big bad Demon King so afraid of?”
<Afraid? Of course. Mide has Bion Kunze with him.>
Thud.
The rabbit leg in Kaeld’s hand dropped to the ground.
His entire body began to tremble.
Yes.
Kaeld was terrified of Bion Kunze.
Even more so than Idria was.
The messages kept appearing:
<I don’t blame you. After all, you did kill Bion Kunze once.>
“…”
<But those so-called heroes are beings beyond comprehension. Bion Kunze even more so.>
Kaeld bit his lip.
Then the Demon King asked through the message:
<So? What did you want to ask?>
The text came so fast, it was almost like having a real conversation.
Kaeld decided to focus.
He could worry about Bion later.
For now, the issue at hand.
“From what I’ve seen, you seem to be observing the world from some kind of isolated vantage point.”
<Roughly accurate.>
“What exactly did Mide say to convince Serein?”
<Hmm. It was an unexpected offer. To put it simply…>
The Demon King relayed the proposal Mide had whispered to Serein.
The next moment, Kaelid burst out laughing.
“Ahahahaha!”
<What’s so funny?>
“Got it. So Mide doesn’t know a thing about Serein’s past. Or her parents, for that matter.”
<That’s what it seems like.>
“That explains why he was able to make such a ridiculous offer. He’s way off base.”
The Demon King neither confirmed nor denied it.
Kaeld’s mind spun rapidly.
Soon, he came up with a viable scheme.
“Actually, this might work in our favor.”
<What do you mean?>
“Serein and Xenia’s joint spell is dangerous, sure. But that also means it’s their last resort.”
So then…
“Let’s let them think everything’s going according to plan. Then when it matters most, Serein betrays them.”
There was no reply for a while.
It seemed the Demon King was pondering.
Eventually, a new sentence appeared:
<Hmm. Personally, I found Serein quite compelling.>
“As if a Demon King could understand a human’s heart. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
<Is that why you lost both Offense and Lisel—because you do understand people’s hearts?>
“…Shut up.”
<Well, fine. I still think killing Mide and Serein is the better option, but since you’re so confident, I’ll wait and see.>
Having lost his appetite, Kaeld extinguished the campfire.
Then he stood up and said,
“All I need is Mide’s reputation. Once I’m sure he’s completely under my control and I’ve absorbed all of his fame, I’ll kill him.”
<Oh, that’s a great plan.>
“Will you show yourself when that time comes?”
There was a pause.
Kaeld was sure the ‘writer’ behind the messages was laughing like a lunatic.
After a long silence, text appeared.
<Very well.>
“Good.”
<Or perhaps…>
The message paused as if hesitating.
Then continued:
<Or perhaps I’ll show up when you lose miserably.>
“What?”
<You have been a surprisingly useful little puppet. I should at least pick up your corpse.>
Kaeld’s expression twisted.
Serein greeted each party member one by one.
“Hello! I was really impressed with Append View in the Tetra Territory. The Witch of—”
“I’ve dropped that title. Don’t call me that.”
“Ah, sorry. Then… can I call you Neril unni?”
“…!”
Serein quickly won Neril’s favor, then turned to Xenia.
“It’s been a while. Will you take me for another ride on Agril sometime? The view was beautiful that day.”
“Of course. Agril wouldn’t mind either, since you also serve the Celestial God.”
“Ahaha…”
Serein, who had zero real faith, gave an awkward laugh and turned to Adwin.
She patted his head.
“You have got such a cute and bright face. How old are you?”
“Hmph. Remove your hand at once. You misjudge me if you go by appearances alone.”
“Uh-huh. So you’re that kind.”
Next up was Offense.
“Sorry for dragging you in like that.”
“Lisel. It’s only been a few days, but it feels like forever.”
“Weren’t you mad at me?”
“You never directly harmed me. It was just a difference in perspective. Let’s work well together.”
She then spun toward me.
“Okay, I’ve greeted everyone. Shall we begin? What exactly do we need to do?”
“I think you missed someone.”
“I said hi to everyone.”
“…Well, if you say so.”
I slowly explained the plan.
Serein nodded along like it made perfect sense.
Then she smiled sweetly and said,
“No thanks.”
“Huh?”
“So this big secret mission is a grand purification ritual? That thing takes a toll. What if the Celestial God takes my life?”
Even though she used it before the regression…
Come to think of it, what did Kaeld say to convince her back then?
Not that it matters now.
Just then, Xenia pulled out the Branch of Corruption.
“It’s fine because we have this.”
“What’s that?”
“If you snap this branch before activating the spell, there won’t be any cost. Neril made it.”
Serein turned to Neril with disbelief on her face.
“Even if you’re the Witc—Oops, I mean… even if you’re amazing, how?”
“I’m just that amazing. And didn’t you say you’d call me unni?”
“That was just talk.”
“Why?”
“Anyway, I’m impressed by how powerful Mide’s party is. Truly impressive.”
That part, at least, sounded sincere.
Clap.
I clapped my hands lightly and asked,
“So? How long do you think it’ll take with both of you together?”
Serein and Xenia looked at each other.
Without a word, they placed their hands together and closed their eyes, murmuring inaudible prayers to the Celestial God.
Moments later, Xenia spoke.
“This is kind of embarrassing to say out loud…”
“It’s fine. Go ahead.”
“With Serein helping… I think five minutes will be enough.”
I closed my lips slightly.
Xenia had said that if she cast the spell alone, it would take about fifteen minutes to activate.
And yet, with just one person, Serein, joining in, the time was cut down to five minutes?
Serein awkwardly scratched her head.
“Ah, no, no. Honestly, Xenia’s refined technique is way more impressive. I just happen to have an absurdly high amount of divine power.”
“Fufu. Then you’ve received great blessings from the Celestial God.”
“Yeah, well. Um. Yeah. Sure.”
“Do you have something you would like to say?”
“The truth is… I don’t really revere the Celestial God or anything.”
“I heard. From Offense.”
Serein tilted her head.
“Who’s Offense?”
“So you’re just going to pretend he doesn’t exist, huh.”
“And yet you’re so calm, even after hearing that. Doesn’t sound like something a paladin would like to hear.”
Xenia shrugged.
“Belief is a personal choice. A priest without faith is unusual, sure, but I don’t think that’s something for me to meddle in.”
“……”
“Of course! The Celestial God is absolutely deserving of love and reverence. Let’s talk more later, okay?”
At that, Serein lowered her head.
I tilted mine and focused my hearing slightly.
With a faint tremble in her voice, she murmured:
“If only my parents had been like you.”
…What was that about?
[What a shame. If we knew her parent’s names, I could’ve looked them up with the Eye of Omniscience.]
‘No. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t look.’
[Why not?]
‘I’ve got a feeling. Out of everything else, that seems like the one secret Serein truly doesn’t want anyone to know.’
If I spoke that secret aloud, I doubt I would ever earn Serein’s trust.
Same reason I haven’t looked into Neril or May Erenica’s secrets either.
‘Besides, that’s not what’s urgent right now.’
I clapped lightly and said,
“Alright then. Let’s get started.”
The plan was simple.
Neril, Lisel, Offense, and Adwin would evacuate the territory’s residents in case Kaeld unsealed the Gem of Destruction.
Xenia and Serein would begin preparations to activate the grand purification spell.
And I would…
‘Face Kaeld.’
More precisely—kill him.
Clack.
On the mountainside of Baharma, Kaeld stood with a towering cliff at his back, as if it stretched endlessly upward.
I scanned the area and spoke.
“You picked a terrible location. Planning to make a last stand or something?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m that cornered.”
“No—you are. Your half-baked scheme’s already been crushed.”
A smile curled at his lips.
“Because Serein showed up?”
“…So you knew.”
“It breaks my heart. Why’d she choose you over me?”
Step.
I took one step forward and answered.
“There’s no other explanation than character.”
“Been meaning to say this, but every one of your responses really ticks me off.”
“Truth tends to do that.”
“Sigh.”
“But like I said before—I’m generous. So I’ll kill you quickly without dragging it out.”
Shing.
I drew my sword.
Kaeld didn’t.
Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and spoke.
“You’re assuming that having Serein and Xenia team up will drastically shorten the spell activation time, right?”
“You’re sharper than you look.”
“And the rest of your party is busy evacuating the territory’s people.”
“……”
“But that plan only works if Serein is cooperative, doesn’t it?”
What’s he getting at now?
‘Let’s try getting a little closer.’
I cautiously approached.
Still a long way to go before I was within ten steps.
Take it slow.
“That’s true, but Serein agreed to help us this time.”
“Her promises don’t carry much weight. You’ll find that out soon enough.”
“This time’s different.”
“How much do you really know about Serein?”
“Enough.”
“Really? Then do you know her parents were insane?”
…That part I didn’t know.
Even before the regression, Serein never spoke about her personal life.
And her parents’ names weren’t in her blood-script either, so I never thought to check with the Eye of Omniscience.
Kaeld began speaking.
“The Magnus family used to be the lords of the Boltrin territory. A noble family with an earldom, and they ruled that land for centuries.”
“……”
“They were apparently well-liked too—generous to the people. But then the emperor arrested the head of the house—Serein’s father—and stripped them of their title. The land was turned into imperial territory.”
That much I knew.
Still, I replied:
“That’s news to me.”
“It was all handled quietly by the high ranks of Alkahad.”
“Why? Why would the emperor do that?”
“Like I said. The lord went mad. Can’t let a madman play ruler of the empire, right?”
More like the emperor wanted their gold and silver.
That guy’s the type to say “handle it yourselves” even for civil wars—no way he’d interfere unless he had something to gain.
“Serein had an older sister, apparently frail since birth. She died on her twelfth birthday.”
“……”
“The count and countess prayed fervently to the Celestial God. Please, return our daughter! Night after night, they wept bloody tears in prayer. Then the countess became pregnant with Serein.”
“And?”
“You know how Serein was born with monstrous divine power. The count and countess believed she was the answer to their prayers—that the Celestial God had returned their daughter in a new body.”
I took a deep breath.
I was starting to see where this was going.
I said,
“No way.”
“Exactly. They believed Serein was her dead sister reborn.”
“……”
“Unfortunately, Serein’s personality couldn’t have been more different. Her sister was quiet, gentle, always smiling radiantly.”
“……”
“But Serein? Blunt, sharp-tongued, naturally rebellious. That contrast made her life miserable.”
I slowly picked up his words.
“So the count tried to overwrite Serein with the image of her sister.”
“Right. You can’t talk like that. You can’t laugh like that. You can’t act like that. He drilled it into her every day, hundreds of times.”
“……”
“That false cheerfulness of hers? Side effect of the brainwashing. She was ‘trained’ to always act warm and friendly around others. That’s how she ended up like… that.”
I crossed my arms.
That’s when Trail spoke.
[That guy has his hands behind his back…]
‘Communication orb, right?’
[Yeah. When’d you catch on?]
‘Halfway through.’
[You gonna let it slide? Looks like he’s connected it to Serein—trying to shake her so she’ll betray you.]
I chuckled.
‘So? You think that’s gonna work on her? You remember what we talked about last time.’
[Hmm… Yeah. No way. Not a chance.]
‘And that gave me an even better idea.’
I uncrossed my arms and pulled out my own communication orb.
Kaeld flinched.
I said,
“It’s fine. Go on.”
“What?”
“Keep trying your little manipulation act.”
I activated the orb and continued:
“I’ll do things my way.”
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