Chapter 73: Mr. Mikel!

Left alone with the demon in the colosseum, I glanced around for a moment.

There was a tiered structure that looked like spectator seats, but not a single person was there.

Strangely, the night sky was visible above, and a blood-red moon illuminated this bizarre battleground.

‘Hoo… so one of us has to die to get out of here!’

『 HP : 3,494/3,494 + (1,486,756) 』

I instinctively checked my remaining health and found it had decreased by about 100,000.

‘Huh?’

‘Is it because I used this Authority?!’

‘Maybe it’s because it’s such an amazing authority that it creates its own dedicated map…’

The demon, a few steps away, continued to change its form as it glared at me.

Its body had taken on a more stable shape than before, but it still wasn’t completely human.

The spatial distortion also seemed to have weakened here.

‘I’ll settle this quickly!’

Just as I was about to assume a battle stance, a section of the arena wall began to move with a creaking sound.

It was like one of those secret doors hidden in the walls you see in rich people’s houses.

‘Huh?’

‘There was an exit here?’

‘My Domain Detection Radar didn’t sense anything?’

When the wall opened completely, a golden light poured out from the gap.

“Solaris? Why did you come to the duel grounds instead of the temple? I’m busy right now, my precious apostle suddenly disappeared and I have to find her.”

Wait!?

That voice!

『『『  【Mikel】  』』』

Whoa!

Lord Mikel!

I could see a status window, but it was distinctly different from a normal one.

There were characters like the ones in the demon’s name before and after her name, and no level or stars.

I guess it’s because she’s a goddess!

Lord Mikel’s beauty was truly dazzling.

Her golden hair was medium length with a delicate pink gradient at the ends, and her golden eyes seemed to radiate the energy of all the stars in the universe.

Holy life force overflowed from her perfectly balanced beauty.

And… what an amazing body and such a revealing outfit!

The very same attire worn by the gods of Greek and Roman mythology was right before my eyes.

Only a few pieces of thin, see-through fabric strategically covered her body, revealing most of her silhouette.

A warm yet sharp aura coexisted in Lord Mikel’s appearance, making me feel dizzy.

‘So, so revealing…!’

When Lord Mikel saw me, her eyes widened.

“Eek! Lycoris!? What! How did you get here!?”

Huh?

What do you mean by that…?

I just used the apostle’s authority and ended up here…

‘Polymorph!’

I immediately returned to my human form.

“Hehe… the authority Lord Mikel gave me…”

Before I could finish my sentence, Lord Mikel ran over with a bright smile.

“Kyaa! So cute!”

Eh.

Lord Mikel suddenly ran up, hugged me, and started stroking my head.

She was so close I could even smell her fragrance.

It was a sweet yet fresh scent, like a flower blooming in the sun.

‘Hehe…’

‘Lord Mikel is hugging me…’

But then, I heard a sickening sound.

“Kekeke…”

His form was shaking even more unstably.

Lord Mikel, finally noticing the demon’s presence, jumped in surprise and turned towards it.

“Ugh! What is that! It’s filthy!”

Lord Mikel’s expression instantly turned to one of disgust.

A golden sphere began to form at her fingertips.

Shining like a small sun, Lord Mikel threw the sphere forcefully.

Bang!

With a loud noise, the demon exploded in an instant.

I squeezed my eyes shut from the unexpected explosion.

In that moment, my vision began to spin again.

Huh?

When I came to my senses, I was back where I had been, beneath the collapsed plaza.

‘Did I come back because the demon died?’

‘Noo!’

‘That moment was so nice, even if it was brief…’

‘I want to meet her again!’

I spotted a follower of the evil god moaning on the ground nearby.

‘If I use Death Mark on that guy, I’ll go back to the colosseum, right?’

‘Death Mark!’

But contrary to my expectations, nothing happened.

Instead, the status window flickered.

『 「Authority – Death Mark」 Cooldown (23 hours 59 minutes 32 seconds) 』

‘Huh?’

‘A cooldown?’

Well, it is an authority that lets me kidnap one guy and bring him before Lord Mikel.

It wouldn’t make sense if it didn’t have a cooldown.

Even so, isn’t a 24-hour cooldown too short?

It seems like a ridiculously overpowered skill!

Hehe!

I felt happy about the absurd performance of the authority.

Smiling, I looked around and saw Cecilia, Glecia, Lotte, and Miel all flying towards me.

They all seemed flustered by my sudden disappearance and reappearance.

Miel circled around me rapidly, her antennae twitching.

She seemed to be checking if I was okay, touching my face with her small feet.

Cecilia sat on my shoulder, her wings trembling gently, conveying her relief with a warm presence.

Glecia acted indifferent on the outside, but she flew closer than usual and was on high alert.

Only Lotte remained unchanged, resuming her silent orbit around me, dutifully carrying out her mission.

‘Hehe.’

‘You were worried.’

‘Sorry!’

And Dzak was lying on the floor, while Count Hind stood there holding the Crimson Bind.

The Count, upon seeing me reappear, began to spout a storm of questions.

“Lady Lycoris! What happened? You suddenly turned into a flower, then disappeared and reappeared… and the demon vanished without a trace!”

“Lady Lycoris, you’ve returned! What was that spatial movement just now? I’ve never heard of such magic!”

Ryandel asked as he jumped down into the underground, stepping over the debris.
Leivi followed, bow in hand.

‘I used the apostle’s authority and teleported! And then Lord Mikel appeared and blew up that demon! In one shot!’

“I met Lord Mikel through the apostle’s authority. And Lord Mikel herself passed judgment on the demon.”

Everyone looked shocked at my answer.

“Y-you saw Lord Mikel in person?”

Leivi asked with a trembling voice.

‘Yes! She was really pretty… and her body was really… and she wore such a revealing outfit!’

“Ahem…”

Huh?

My throat suddenly cleared itself, and as I spread my arms, a grand story began to pour from my lips.

“Yes.

There could be no being more beautiful.

Her golden eyes, as if containing the essence of the sun, hold all the wisdom and mercy of the world, and her gaze alone seems to possess the divine power to purify souls.”

“Furthermore, her shimmering golden hair, tinged with an elegant pink hue at the ends like the twilight sky, seems to symbolize the boundary where the realm of the gods and the world of humans meet.”

“That silhouette, embodying the perfect harmony of the gods!

Her full yet firm breasts and hips are a symbol of life and abundance, and her slender waist represents divine grace, a perfect balance unattainable by mortals.”

“And the garments she wore, woven from celestial thread, a semi-transparent thin silk that subtly conceals sacred secrets while hinting at divine perfection, truly achieved the artistic peak of concealment and revelation… the art of empty space…!”

Ugh! My tongue is going to cramp!

Why is the description so detailed!

‘Was Lord Mikel your type, noble soul?!’

‘Ugh…!’

‘I still like my Master better!’

“Ahem…”

“Ahem…”

The Count and Ryandel suddenly cleared their throats.

Their ears were slightly red.

‘Oh, dear.’

‘Men.’

“Lord Mikel… has taken care of the demon.”

The Count said in a small voice, bowing his head.

“…Then is everything over? The followers of the evil god…”

Ryandel asked, looking into the distance.

On the floor, besides Dzak, lay the corpses of several other followers.

Most of them had been pierced by my roots.

And it seemed Ryandel and Leivi had taken care of a few.

‘The demon and the leader are dead, so isn’t it over?’

“It’s not completely over yet. But at least the messenger sent by Abraxas is gone, so there won’t be a major threat for a while.”

The soul’s thoughts seem to be different from mine.

Hmm.

So there could be more guys like this.

“K-king of bugs…”

I heard Edgar’s voice from a distance.

But, King of Bugs from when!

“Edgar! Edgar!”

The Count shouted loudly and ran to Edgar.

His eyes were filled with tears.

The father gently held his son and stroked his face with his hand.

“Son, finally… you’re finally awake. I was so worried…”

“Father…? Where is this…”

Edgar looked around with a confused expression.

Then he spotted me and his eyes widened.

“You are…?”

‘I saved your life twice!’

“My, my, to not recognize your benefactor just because my appearance has changed.”

Edgar’s eyes grew wider.

“Don’t tell me, that flower…? How…”

“Lord Edgar, this is Lady Lycoris. The flower of the Sia Kalt Grand Labyrinth has transformed into human form.”

Ryandel stepped forward and said with a bow.

“If it weren’t for Lady Lycoris, we would all have been in great danger today. The demon and the followers of the evil god…”

Edgar stared at me in silence for a while, then slowly bowed his head.

“…Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

‘Yes, yes! Be grateful!’

“Hmph. As an apostle serving the God of Blood and Slaughter, Lord Mikel, it is my natural duty to judge the wicked and vile.”

Edgar’s expression changed subtly.

Hmph…

This guy will also need some ideological education about Lord Mikel later.

‘Anyway, how do we clean this up?’

“How do we handle the aftermath of this incident?”

I asked, pointing to the corpses strewn across the underground floor and the collapsed plaza.

The Count answered quickly.

“Don’t worry. I will take care of it. I will erase all traces of the evil god’s followers and continue the investigation into Count Walter and his accomplices.”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“More importantly, why don’t you rest at our mansion tonight? As a token of our gratitude, we will prepare a lavish banquet.”

Hmm… if I go to the mansion, my noble persona will be active all day…

The soul that’s getting more and more out of control will take over my mouth again, and it will be a headache…!

But I can’t resist delicious meat…

The meat I ate at Baron Silverbrook’s was really delicious.

This time it’s a Count’s place, so there will definitely be even more delicious meat…

‘Alright! Let’s go!’

“Very well. I shall attend the banquet.”