chapter_0169

“What did you say?”

The Emperor, clearly shocked, dropped the formal speech he had been using and asked in a trembling voice. Nika scoffed in response.

“If you wish, I will say it again. I can assure you, with all that I and my tribe have, that the Demon King Elysier is dead.”

“Wh, what…?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? Didn’t you all witness it? The light and darkness that split the Empire’s sky.”

The light and darkness that split the sky referred to my duel with Dullahan. Nika was pushing the narrative that it had been a battle between the Demon King and me.

And it wasn’t far from the truth.

“Since the death of the Demon King, the Demon World has been in chaos. Every demon is vying to fill the void, and without the Demon Sword to prove legitimacy, there is no hope for the demons. That is why we have come to negotiate with humans. If you reject our offer, you should be prepared for the consequences.”

Nika seemed to have finished speaking, but no one in the room could bring themselves to speak. The death of the Demon King was a shocking revelation.

Who was Elysier, the Demon King?

She was the one who had left the Sword Saint with a trauma so deep that he couldn’t even hold a sword properly. She had waged war with humans for hundreds of years, using the pretext of weeding out the weak, and yet she had maintained absolute support from the demons.

Humans had only managed to hold their ground or gain a slight advantage because the Demon King had never used her full strength.

It was impossible for anyone to easily accept the death of such a powerful and formidable being.

“……”

In reality, Elysier was very much alive and well, but her lips curled up in disbelief. She seemed to be holding back an overflow of words.

“No… No, it can’t be… It can’t be…”

The Sword Saint’s voice echoed in the quiet central hall.

She looked to be in a bad state. With her single sky-blue eye wide open, her whole body trembled like an aspen tree, and she kept muttering to herself.

The chairman and Leona beside her were in a similar state. Leona, in particular, who knew that the light had not come from the Holy Sword, wore an expression of deep confusion.

“……It can’t be.”

“!!!!!!”

The atmosphere in the hall changed drastically. A deadly aura filled the room. The shocked people began to convulse in a different way, some already urinating or foaming at the mouth and collapsing.

The source of the aura was the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint, muttering that it couldn’t be true, drew her sword with a half-crazed look in her eye and glared at Nika. It was probably the first time she had drawn a real sword since her encounter with Elysier decades ago.

“It’s a lie. It’s a lie… It can’t be… The Demon King can’t die that easily… If she could… If she could die… Then what am I…?”

The Sword Saint, muttering as if she had gone insane, suddenly stopped as if her voice had been muted. Then she let out a choking laugh and widened her eyes. A tear-inducing smile appeared on her lips.

“You’re lying, Succubus Queen.”

“…”

Nika remained silent, maintaining her stance without moving a muscle.

“You’re lying.”

The Sword Saint’s body lunged forward. I checked on Nika, wondering if she was trying to dodge, but she showed no signs of movement. It was as if she had frozen in place, not even twitching a finger.

I knew she wouldn’t be able to dodge at this rate. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, my body reacted. I used physical enhancement and acceleration to their limits, summoned Eternity in midair, and kicked off the ground.

Even in the extremely slowed-down world, the Sword Saint was moving at an incredible speed. It was fortunate that there was some distance between the throne and the center of the hall, or I might not have made it in time.

I barely managed to get in front of Nika before the Sword Saint. The Sword Saint’s single eye was completely gone, and his sword was about to strike Nika. I brought Eternity up to block the blow.

-Kwaaa!

The clash of swords produced a shockwave of sound that was hard to believe, engulfing the entire central hall.

.

.

.

“How is she feeling?”

-She’s still suffering from the mania. She seemed to calm down a little, but now she’s sitting on the bed, letting out creepy cackles. I haven’t been able to get an explanation yet because the person who should be explaining is in this state. There’s still a mountain of things to deal with, so I’ll contact you later.

Laura sighed wearily and turned off the crystal ball, the light flickering and fading.

After I barely managed to convince them not to kill the Succubus Queen right then and there, the meeting ended abruptly as almost everyone present fainted from the aura.

Even the Emperor was not spared, and it was only thanks to Rosalia, who barely managed to stay conscious, using her divine power to calm the situation.

‘I expected it to be a big shock, but…’

I hadn’t expected such a reaction. We were clueless about the cause, the reason, and how to solve it, and I had no idea where to even start.

Nika had muttered something before charging at me, but I was too far away and she spoke too softly and quickly for me to catch what she said.

“Um… Master. I think I’m okay now.”

Nika tugged at my sleeve. I turned to see Nika, no longer in the puffy outfit that covered her entire body, but in her usual barely-there attire.

“Have you calmed down?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, Master. I’m really grateful…”

Apparently, she hadn’t been able to do anything because she had fainted as soon as she took on the Sword Saint’s aura. Just when I thought she was setting the mood, Nika was still Nika.

I carried the unconscious Nika to Laura’s room, and after she woke up, I stayed with her for a while, giving her so much energy that it overflowed until she stopped trembling.

In the middle of it, her instincts got the better of her, and she pounced on me, only to get slapped. According to her, her survival instincts and succubus instincts had overlapped, amplifying her excitement severalfold.

“Why did you suddenly do something like this?”

“I knew that the fact that the Demon King was gone would eventually be exposed. So, I took the initiative. If it came to a point where you had to fight against the succubi, your position would be difficult, so I wanted to get ahead of it. Plus, I had a somewhat convincing reason for the Demon King’s death.”

As Nika said, if it came to a fight between the succubi and humans, my position would have been difficult. It would have been odd to specifically exclude the succubi.

“I understand your reasons, but why didn’t you consult me first?”

“But…”

Nika hesitated for a while before finally stuttering a response.

“I, I wanted to show you my awesome side, Master. I thought that if I showed you that I could be a fitting Succubus Queen, you might see me in a different light… Hehe…”

Nika’s awkward laugh trailed off as she started to gauge my reaction again.

So, she wanted to show me a Succubus Queen-worthy performance to leave a new impression on me, and she did it without consulting me first.

“Uuuuuuuu…”

Nika’s already hesitant demeanor crumbled further under my bewildered gaze.

“I understand your reasons, and I agree with your process. As you said, it was bound to be exposed eventually. But before that—”

-Knock, knock.

“Mira, are you in there? The Royal Guard said you were here.”

I heard Leona’s voice, and Nika quickly transformed into Yustera the maid. But when I covered the area with distortion magic, she realized she hadn’t thought of that and awkwardly stood against the wall.

I opened the door. Leona stood there with a slightly gloomy expression, and next to her was Aria. They both wore somewhat somber smiles.

“Hello, Mira. It’s been a while since we last met.”

“Hey, Mira. I didn’t expect to see you again like this. Can we come in?”

“It’s not my room, but I guess it doesn’t matter. Come in.”

Leona and Aria hesitantly stepped inside, glancing around.

“Were you alone? The Crown Prince must be busy, and Priscilla, the Saint, and Ciel are…”

Priscilla had been called to the Duke’s mansion, and Rosalia was using her divine power to calm the nobles who had been overwhelmed by the Sword Saint’s aura.

Elysier, seeing Nika shivering, had left to give them some privacy, thinking it would be easier to comfort them.

“Everyone’s busy. What about you, Leona?”

“……There’s something I want to talk to you about, but it’s not something we can discuss standing up…”

Leona glanced at the sofa. I gestured for them to sit, and Leona and Aria took a seat, with me sitting across from them. A fleeting look of disappointment crossed their faces.

Nika stared at them, her eyes wide.

“What’s so serious that you need to be so formal?”

“Well… I don’t know how you’ll take this, but…”

Leona hesitated for a long time before cautiously gauging my reaction.

“……I don’t know how you’ll take this, but the Goddess has been whining about wanting to talk to you. So, I was on my way to see you when I was suddenly summoned to the Imperial Palace.”

“The Goddess wants to talk to me?”

I frowned reflexively. She had been avoiding me all this time, and now she was suddenly desperate to talk? She could have shown up earlier if she wanted to.

“Yes. She sounded pretty desperate. What do you want to do? If you don’t want to, I’ll refuse on your behalf.”

But it would be difficult for me to refuse as well.

I frowned, but eventually, I had to admit that I was curious as well. If I didn’t get some answers, I would be left with lingering questions.

“……Give it to me.”

“Here.”

I took the Holy Sword, and as soon as I did, a soft golden light emanated from the blade, and a voice that I hadn’t heard in quite some time flowed into my mind.

-Hello, you…

It was the softer, more gentle voice, not the stiff one I had heard right before our conversation ended.

“I haven’t been doing well. I have a mountain of things to say, but someone has been intentionally avoiding me.”

-I’m… I’m sorry. But have you met the Demon God?

“Is that why you wanted to see me?”

It seemed that she was indeed quite desperate, as she immediately jumped to the point after apologizing.

My voice had risen slightly, and Leona and Aria’s expressions also turned sour, probably guessing the nature of the conversation.

-I’m sorry…

“You don’t need to apologize. Anyway, you would have shown up whenever you felt like it, apologized, and said what you wanted to say first, so if you’re going to make unnecessary assumptions, I’ll refuse right now.”

-Yes… I know… I won’t deny the rudeness I showed towards you…

Her voice became even more wistful, and it seemed like she had more to say, so I waited quietly.

-So, if you come up to the heavenly realm and face me directly to have a conversation… Would that ease your mind a little…?