Prelude (5)

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I twisted my stiff body this way and that. There shouldn’t be any stiffness after reconstruction, but an indescribable, bizarre energy pricked my head like phantom pain, forcing me to move my muscles compulsively. Especially after going through such a rough patch as this time.

“…Gulp.”

I moved while drinking the milk bottle I had secretly brought. Of course, it was Breast Milk taken during milking.

There was one strange thing about my bodily fluids. Whether it was Breast Milk or Vaginal Fluid-it tasted like nothing when I drank it myself, but it felt very sweet when someone else ate it through their mouth. Shuriel could feel both the unique sweetness and the sweet scent when he sucked on my Breast Milk and kissed me.

“Want to drink some?”

I handed Shuriel the stoppered bottle. He had seen the milking scene, so he would have a rough idea of what it was.

“I’m not thirsty right now.”

Shuriel shook his head.

“…?”

I tilted my head. His expression when refusing was so unusual that I couldn’t help but make a strange face.

Normally, he would say things like, ‘No thanks,’ or ‘Do you think I don’t know your intentions?’ or give me a nasty smirk, but he was making such a comfortable expression. It was an expression he didn’t often make unless he was sleeping.

“So, why did you call me? Is it about the Holy Empire? A new request?”

If I saw an opening, I was planning to have some fun, but with him making that face, there was no room to break through. With a slightly disappointed heart, I put the milk bottle away.

“Let’s talk inside. It’s not something to talk about outside.”

“Should I put up a soundproof barrier or something?”

“No. That’s not the problem.”

“…Okay. I understand.”

I was suspicious, but I nodded with a light expression. These things happened often. It probably wasn’t anything too serious.

*

…That’s what I thought.

“A Holy War, you say?”

I narrowed my eyes and asked again. It was such a sudden story. It had only been a few days since we subjugated the Demon, and suddenly there’s a Holy War?

“…It’s just a political drama wrapped up nicely. Don’t think too deeply about it.”

“Even though they’re intentionally trying to activate Barpheugos’s authority?”

Holy War.

The Holy Empire had issued an order to subjugate Barpheugos. But the support troops were at a terribly poor level. The minimum scale for Barpheugos to recognize it as a ‘war.’ That was all there was. Since Shuriel was there, I thought the combat power itself wouldn’t be a big problem, but the fight with Barpheugos wasn’t about that.

“It’s too dangerous.”

They need to understand what it means to fight a ‘war.’

“Does the Imperial Palace know about this?”

The legion of the dead that Barpheugos commands doesn’t bother trying to catch the beasts that are targeting him. He runs away and bides his time. He scatters and conquers. His behavior was different from Demons who move recklessly according to their desires. Their desire is war itself, so they also know how to win on the battlefield.

“You’re talking like you’ve seen it yourself.”

Shuriel said in a calm tone. There was no intention to be sarcastic. He was just asking out of pure curiosity. The last record of engagement with Barpheugos was at least hundreds of years ago, so he was asking how I knew that.

“I’m a magician. Do I really need to see it to know?”

A blue glow flickered in my eyes.

I glared and answered.

“Being indifferent doesn’t mean I’m ignorant.”

The legion of the dead? The Demon of war? To be honest, I can take care of myself. And I might even be able to give him a good hit. I didn’t think I would lose. If Shuriel and the other Executors joined forces… we might actually be able to catch Barpheugos. But a magician must anticipate every situation.

“If his authority is activated, the Northwest will become hell.”

The dead rise from the ground to attack the living, and those who die become Barpheugos’s forces. If they can’t keep up with the speed of the ghost riders and start killing innocent people, it will be unstoppable.

The West, in particular, has weak defenses. There are plenty of cities that are barely able to stop monster waves, like Pahellen.

Since Barpheugos, who lives forever through lichification, had to have his main body, the Life Vessel, found and attacked to inflict meaningful damage, I couldn’t even guess how many cities would fall by then.

“No matter how great I am, I don’t have the power to cover the entire continent.”

…I might be able to do it if I become an ethereal body, but it’s too dangerous mentally. Surely they don’t want such a gamble. I hardened my expression and demanded an answer.

“Shuriel.”

“I know.”

Shuriel answered immediately. That’s why I couldn’t relax my expression. He knew better than I did that Barpheugos was dangerous, so for him to say such a thing…

I sighed and said.

“……I know. It’s an order from the Holy Empire, so you can’t just ignore it.”

He was an Executor. An agent of God. A position that doesn’t suit humans who curse God.

“Are you going to reconsider?”

“I don’t know.”

I asked one last time.

“…I said let’s try it together, but I didn’t know you’d do it so quickly. It’s too radical. Are you really okay? Not me, but you.”

“Yujin.”

“Yes.”

“This time too, that God bastard screwed me over.”

Shuriel repeated his previous words and started talking. His face was calm. But. The anger within was beyond comprehension.

“A Holy War in the name of the Fourth Prince Hugo…… I can’t even guess how many people will die in this war that’s only for show. This will happen again this time, and next time. Like you said, it’s not something that can be solved by just killing one Barpheugos. People whose names I don’t even know will have to swing their swords without knowing when or where they’ll die.”

The anger cools down.

The cold heart beats slowly.

“You get angry at the Demons, you get caught up in the evil and run wild, and when everything is settled… when you calm down and come back, there’s nothing left. Rather, you notice what you’ve lost.”

“You know, then.”

“How could I not? It’s still flashing in my head.”

The West is still poor. The North is steeped in death. The South hasn’t changed. Still… the East is wealthy. As soon as you turn your back, it’s back to square one.

“It was always a losing battle. You lose, you lose, you lose… and when you become indifferent to losing, it’s already too late.”

“Then why?”

“I’ve resigned myself to it.”

Shuriel

“Are you going to reconsider? No, no. Those guys will definitely proceed with this no matter what I say. They’ll brand me as a traitor for not going and use the dead in their propaganda.”

“Shuriel.” “Yujin.”

Our words overlap. Shuriel and I stared into each other’s eyes, and then opened our mouths at the same time.

“I.”

…

A few seconds of silence followed.

“…I.”

Finally, I break the silence and speak.

“I’m scared. I’m afraid you’ll break.”

I was that kind of person. A person who only cherishes what’s mine. Selfish, but afraid of losing.

“I said let’s do it together. But honestly, I’m scared. How could I not be? I know you’ll be safe, I know you’ll survive no matter what… I, I…”

The words were eloquent, but in the end.

…I couldn’t change.

• Swish.

“…?’

When I lowered my eyes and was trembling my lips, I felt a touch caressing my cheek. When I raised my head at the touch, I saw Shuriel staring at me with clear eyes.

“I.”

He says.

“I will fight for you.”

He would fight for me.

“And I will fight for those who believe in me.”

He would fight not to lose.

“Even if I don’t believe in God, they believe in God because they believe in me. That’s why I have to take up my sword. If my sword breaks, their faith will break too.”

“I.”

“Straighten your shoulders.”

• Thump.

My hunched shoulders straightened out. I opened my eyes wide and felt a tingling sensation.

“And raise your head.”

“…Yes.”

“What do you see?”

“Shuri, el.”

“That’s right. That’s it.”

Shuriel smiles. Showing me his eyes, which had been relentlessly cut and finally shone like a jewel.

“What did you say? If it’s hard to move forward.”

“…I’ll push you from behind.”

“Thanks to you, I realized. I feel childish for being so foolishly complaining without realizing that simple fact.”

Losing, losing, losing. Just one thing I managed to get. He showed me a bright smile.

“This, this….”

I hate that I can’t smile at that bright smile. I mumbled like that for a long time. After hesitating for about ten seconds, Shuriel said.

“Looks like a hero, right?”

He asked if I looked like a hero.

I gave a hollow laugh and raised the corners of my lips.

“…I’d rather just storm the Imperial Palace and tell them to call it off.”

“That won’t change anything.”

“I know. I was just saying.”

I can’t do anything with force. If that’s the case, it seemed better to destroy everything or live alone in a remote place.

“It’s going to be busy from now on. Everyone.”

Aileen.

Thank you. For shining a light on me. For showing me the way forward. I’m still clumsy and anxious about what the results will be, but I’ll try. So that I can fix and change the world that’s going astray.

“…By any chance, do I not even have time to say hello to Aileen?”

“That much is possible.”

“Thank you. Hehe… Aileen missed me a lot.”

Because I chose coexistence, because I had something I didn’t want to lose, I had to be careful. To me, the world was so fragile that it seemed like it would break like glass shards if I touched it.

“When preparations are complete, we will head to the Demonic Realm Pandemonium.”

“The land of Demons? It won’t be easy to get there…”

“Pawin and Prukaise are going too, so there’s no problem with the magic. The dangerous ones are the Four Dragons… we’ll have to pray that we don’t run into them if possible.”

Shuriel told me to be careful of the Bone Dragons.

The source of magic. The place where Demons are born. It was impossible that there were only Demons there. Various creatures steeped in magic, especially Dragons that moved even though they were dead and turned to bones, were the biggest headache.

“Who are you telling to be careful in front of right now?”

I snorted and raised my head. It would be a great insult to compare those lizard corpses to me. If you want to compete with me, you’ll have to bring a high dragon who died five thousand years ago.

“You say the troop support is terrible? I don’t need that. What good are soldiers when I’m here? Tell them to retreat. And just say the word. I’ll drop a meteor anytime.”

If not, I’ll turn the whole land upside down. I can freeze the entire land and turn it into an ice rink. Or, I’ll lift the land and throw it into the sea.

“Whatever you imagine, it will be more than that.”