chapter_0198

“……”

A heavy silence filled the room, along with a cold and chilly atmosphere.

Most of the atmosphere in the clubroom was created by four people: Priscilla Agnes, Rosalia Leone de Micaela, Laura Ercarencia Cresenne von Euperantis Bellium, and Elysier.

It was natural. Erestika and Nika saw Aria as nothing more than a dangerous enemy who wanted to destroy this world and create a new one as she pleased.

There was no need to go into the complicated backstory and the centuries-old grudge that had made them adversaries.

But it was different for the four of them.

Laura had suffered endlessly at Aria’s hands, eventually giving up her memories and living for hundreds of years as Laura, not as a possessor. Priscilla and Elysier were similar, and Rosalia had never had a good time with the Starlight Church. So it was natural for all four of them to be hostile.

“You’ve got it good. How dare you be so bold as to greet us like that.”

“Ugh……”

Aria shrank at Elysier’s sharp reaction. It would have been unimaginable for the old Aria, but the current Aria was a completely different person.

Thanks to Latina’s persuasion, Aria had let go of her obsession with being special and her fixation on herself. She was naturally shrinking because she was facing her sins from the past.

“So, what do you want to say to us?”

Laura asked coldly. The reaction was similar from the other three. Aria fidgeted and finally spoke.

“I came to apologize……”

“Apologize…… apologize. How dare you say such brazen things. Just so you know, the only reason you’re still standing on two legs is that you haven’t asked for forgiveness yet.”

There is a fundamental difference between an apology and a request for forgiveness. The former is centered on the other person, while the latter is centered on the speaker. If there had been even a hint of self-interest in what she had said, they would have kicked her out without listening any further.

“Go ahead and say whatever you want. I’ll listen because Mira sent you, not because I’m forgiving you.”

Laura crossed her legs, and the other three had similar reactions. Even Priscilla, the most lenient of them, was chilly. Aria shrank even more, feeling the sharp gazes directed at her. Her already small body seemed to shrink even more.

“……Is it okay for us to be here?”

“I don’t know……”

Even Nika and Erestika, who weren’t directly involved, were hesitating.

They knew what had happened between Aria and the four of them. They had heard about it, so they felt even more out of place.

“I’d appreciate it if you could calm down a bit.”

In the end, Latina had to step in. The tense atmosphere, in which someone was about to slap Aria’s cheek, eased slightly when Latina’s gray eyes reappeared.

It was still tense, but only slightly. It felt more like they were giving Latina a break because she was important to Mira, not because they had truly calmed down. If Aria said something wrong, they would use it as an excuse to tear her apart.

“I can assure you that will never happen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“How can I not know when I share a body with someone?”

“I don’t trust you. Can I trust the closest colleague of Mira, who was betrayed by humans and suffered a terrible trauma?”

The four of them flinched at the mention of Mira. Latina was the one who was betrayed and caused Mira a terrible trauma, and she was also the catalyst for Mira’s betrayal of the one he wanted to protect.

The four of them frowned slightly, realizing the hidden meaning behind the words. If they didn’t trust Latina, it would be an indirect claim that they didn’t trust Mira, she was Mira’s closest colleague after all.

“……You’re cunning.”

For once, Priscilla was the first to speak. Latina replied calmly.

“That’s how it is in a world where you don’t survive if you’re not cunning. I appreciate your understanding.”

“Are you saying you’re going to side with that bitch?! Even if it’s not you, Mira wouldn’tㅡ”

“I’m not denying her sins.”

The room fell silent at the firm tone. Elysier, who had been about to argue, stopped.

“I’m not trying to deny her sins or make you look away from them. I’m trying to make you face them directly and see them for what they are. Go ahead and blame her as much as you want. But only after you’ve confessed all your sins.”

“……”

“Thank you for listening to me.”

The tense atmosphere eventually calmed down. Latina’s eyes changed back to blue as she confirmed the change.

The owner of the body, which had been so confident just a moment ago, was now busy looking around.

“I believe you came to apologize, but I won’t just take your word for it. I’ll ask you some questions, and the outcome will depend entirely on your answers.”

“Yes, yes…… What is your question……?”

“What was the trigger?”

The question was short and to the point, but there was only one trigger in this context. The reason Aria April suddenly decided to apologize to them.

Aria April, who had treated the people outside as mere parts, who had hurled insults at Leona, her childhood friend, and who had relentlessly pursued Mira, elevating herself. There must have been a trigger for such a dramatic change.

“That…… it’s because of Latina.”

Aria revealed everything, including the conversation she had with Latina’s soul in the spiritual world. When she finished speaking, Elysier was the first to snicker.

“No wonder she was called a saint.”

“Yeah.”

The laughter didn’t last long. Elysier glared at Aria, and Aria shrank back, her body almost sinking into the floor.

“But that doesn’t mean we’ll forgive what you did to us.”

“Yes, yes…… I know……”

While Nika and the Chairman took a step back, the four of them put their heads together to figure out what to do with Aria.

In their hearts, they wanted to give her back what she had given them. But as they considered it, they became concerned about Latina, whose soul was inside Aria’s body. No matter how good the healing magic was, if something went wrong, Latina would also be affected. The four of them racked their brains for a good solution when Elysier’ necklace, which was connected to only one person, vibrated.

Elysier put on the necklace. The tense atmosphere melted away as if it had never existed, and their gazes shifted to the necklace.

“Elysier, is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. What’s up?”

“Did Leona tell you about the problem with the time axis?”

“Yes.”

“I think I’ve found a solution, but I don’t think I can solve it without affecting you. Can you come here right now? To fight”

“Right now? It’s not impossible, but……”

Elysier frowned. Mira’s voice, which had been making excuses, changed.

“I know it’s a critical time, but……”

The confusion was soon cleared up. If they didn’t do something soon, the entire world would collapse, and they had to stop it.

“Because they’re incomplete…… I understand.”

“We’ll try to minimize the impact on your side as much as we can. But just in case, be careful.”

“Thanks, everyone.”

“It’s what we should do.”

As soon as the conversation ended, the necklace returned to its original form. Elysier looked around. Everyone was silently preparing for battle. Aria, who had been cowering on the floor, got up with a cute, unnecessary kya.

The sharp gazes that had been directed at her softened slightly, but as soon as they saw her gray eyes, they returned to normal. Instead, Rosalia approached her and offered her hand.

“Can you fight? If not, you can stay with me.”

She had manifested miracles and burned monsters, but she had never trained for combat, and most of her activities as a saint had been a scam.

“In the past, I would have fought, but now I can’t, so I’ll stay with you.”

“In the past?”

Latina, who had been frowning at Rosalia, made a V-sign with both hands.

“How could such a frail and delicate woman spread her faith in such a world?”

“Hmm, because she’s abnormal?”

“……”

Latina, who had been frowning, smiled at Rosalia’s bluntness. Rosalia laughed, thinking that the saint from the other world was surprisingly relaxed, not at all like the tightly wound person she had expected.

“It seems like it’s about to start.”

Erestika’s voice refreshed the atmosphere. As she said, the wind blowing through the open window stopped, and the curtains, which had been fluttering, froze in a wavy pattern. Soon, everything in the world stopped moving.

.

.

.

The Demon God and the Goddess disappeared to stabilize time, and Leona took her place next to me. The Holy Sword shone more brilliantly than ever.

To lighten the mood, I tried to joke.

“Are you ready, Hero?”

“Of course, Savior.”

“……”

My attempt at a joke backfired, and I made an awkward expression. Leona chuckled.

“Don’t make that face. I’m also embarrassed to be called a hero in front of you.”

“I know, Leona.”

Fortunately, the mood had almost completely recovered from the mention of sacrifice. I wanted to make sure it didn’t happen, but just in case, I had to prepare for the worst.

If someone really had to be fixed in time and hold up their body to prevent the collapse, honestly, I didn’t know what to do. I would probably jump in without thinking if it was a critical moment.

There was another reason why I couldn’t do what Aria had done. I didn’t want to lose the relationships I had built here.

Considering all this, my next move was easy to predict. I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but……

“Mira. Something’s coming.”

I aimed Eternity at the distant figure that Leona had noticed.

“……It’s a big one right from the start.”

It was the former Succubus Queen Astaroth, looking like an old video with static.