episode_0012

Thud, thud.

Mino, Gabriel, and I walked quietly down the cathedral corridors. Gold, gold, gold, wherever we looked, all we saw was gold.

Is it because the symbol of the Goddess of Libra is the golden scales, or is the white exterior a cost-cutting measure? I was so sickened by the sight of the hallway painted in gold to the point of being pathological that I had such thoughts instead.

“I don’t think you’re thinking of me attacking you right now, you’re relaxed.”

“Then is there any reason why it shouldn’t be like that? ‘Sister’ is almost completely drained of her vitality by the warrior’s power, so it’s doubtful she can even hold a spoon properly, and she came as an escort…”

When Gabriel briefly showed the scales, the symbol of the church, Mino was seen flinching.

“Because vampires are the most vulnerable to such symbols.”

“…”

There was nothing to refute.

“Come on, let’s at least talk a little. Aren’t we colleagues you’ve met after a long time since the party got torn apart? ”

“You little bitch, don’t you remember what you did to me?”

“Because it’s part of the Goddess’s plan. Sister, you should accept it calmly.”

“Who? Me? You fucking understand.”

“It’s okay if you don’t understand, the Goddess will lovingly place even you, an unbeliever, on the same scale.”

Communication was not possible. Was it like this originally? No, the ‘original’ must have been a mask.

“I thought about it carefully. Why on earth? No matter how much I think about it, it just doesn’t feel natural.”

“What do you mean, sister?”

“Well, what are you talking about? …Mino.”

“Yes, my noble one.”

“Is my feeling a woman’s feeling or a man’s feeling right now?”

“I guess… it might be a woman’s intuition, so I dare to offer my opinion.”

After receiving Mino’s confirmation, he continued speaking.

“Well, that’s right. They say a woman’s intuition is never wrong, right? That’s strange. The fact that humanity is still subordinate to it. To put it bluntly, if the Demon King could openly enter the empire, he could just go to the palace, assassinate the Emperor, and start a massacre. Why wouldn’t he do that?”

“Your delusions are severe. That’s because the Demon King couldn’t get through the palace security…”

“Well, there are about 150 princes and princesses in total. Among them, those whose numbers exceed two rarely have a chance to become crown princes or crown princesses and live their entire lives in the palace.”

“…”

“But, they were murdered? All the princes and princesses in their 50s.”

Gabriel smiled silently. Perhaps for the first time, there was a hint of embarrassment in that smile. Since I am not that clueless, it was not hard to see that it was Abel’s doing. And even Gabriel would have been unexpected for such an act.

“So… the Demon King can destroy the human world at this very moment. He just doesn’t. What’s the reason?”

” How would I know that? I am just a servant of the goddess.”

Even as he said those words, his eyes looked as if he was certain that I would give the answer with what he had said before, as if he was an actor reading from a set script.

“No, I get it. The only one who can make a ‘deal’ or ‘restriction’ with the Demon King is a goddess, and you’re the closest saint to a goddess, right?”

“…That’s faster than I thought. I knew you’d notice from the moment the words first came out. ”

“And if the Demon King is under some kind of restriction from the Goddess, then that’s different. Your sect… is trying to end the war by selecting warriors and not participating in the war out of obligation, but rather trying to do something on the board where even the Demon King has risen to the level of a long-term player. That’s the right answer.”

“That’s enough.”

-Thud.

The moment I felt a strong pull from under my feet, the statue of the Goddess of Scales, made of a huge marble that was pure white and seemed to symbolize the majesty of the gods (only the scales were strangely bright yellow gold), was moved to the hollow in front of me. How on earth? I didn’t even notice it? Unless ‘God’ himself did it-

“I’ve been waiting for you to realize the truth.”

Gabriel… No, it wasn’t him. Something was being said through Gabriel’s mouth.

“Goddess of… Libra…! Aren’t you ashamed…!? You, who inherited the will of… justice… are persecuting the most innocent!”

Mino spat out words filled with anger, even as he was crushed by the immense divinity.

“Shut up, you lowly devil.”

-Kooong!!

Of course, it didn’t even take 5 seconds for Mino to close his mouth again.

“The Goddess of Libra? You?”

“Behave properly as a believer even once. You useless warrior.”

“Ugh…!!”

Gabriel, or rather the goddess of scales, slammed my head into the floor. A searing pain was felt at the back of my head.

“Goddess… …Why on earth did you abandon me…? You were a warrior! At one point, you chose me yourself…!! It would have been easy to give me that power again! Was this also part of that damned plan on the board?”

The questions leaked out through the cracks as he bit his lips hard enough to draw blood.

And the answer was beyond imagination.

“I thought it would be fun.”

“…What?”

“Originally, I should have used you as a warrior more, but since this world will end no matter how the bugs struggle, what’s the problem with enjoying a little leisure play? Rather, I should be thankful that someone like you can be the material for my play. It’s really fun to see you rolling around miserably.”

Now, what is that goddess saying?

My brain went numb after hearing such absurd words.

In the name of the scales, for the survival of humanity, the spirit of the martyrs, and a single word that turns all noble sacrifices into bubbles. Is that all humanity meant to the Goddess?

“I’m surprised. Even though you were born in the inferior old Pangea, you were once the one who blocked the blow of a god? You learned the limitations imposed by the Demon King so quickly.”

“Ha.”

I can’t believe I once believed something like this. It’s disappointing.

A woman whose every word is filled with a sense of being chosen. Believing in this, she struggles to save people…

“Don’t make me laugh. Do you think I’ll let it be like that? I don’t know what the constraint is, but if I release it, it’ll be over. Do you think I’ll let you do whatever you want? You’re just relying on the constraint and being so arrogant. ”

I neither sympathize with the Demon King nor wish for the world to end. However, my anger poured out regardless of my will, as if it was trying to find words that would irritate the Goddess.

“Oh, noble one! That…man…”

Only after Mino, burning with the blazing divinity, stopped me did I realize that I had crossed the ‘line’ she had set.

“Well, is that so?”

The Libra Goddess raised her hand as if she was playing with a toy, her voice haughty.

-Tsk tsk!!

I heard the sound of something like an hourglass breaking, and my vision suddenly spun around.

“Sigh. Huh-, huh?”

Beep- I heard a ringing in my ears. My brain went blank, and my body lost all strength. My body collapsed and was lying on the floor. The last breath I took seemed to have been stuck, not leaving my heart. No, it couldn’t.

I could almost hear my heart beating, but there was just such a quiet silence.

“Ah, ugh.”

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed, and as my consciousness gradually faded away, I couldn’t speak. It hurt… What happened?

“That’s the extent of my arrogance, Lucifer. Is this a warning?”

Lucifer? Whose name are you talking about? I didn’t have time to think about it, but I could see a pitch-black shadow descending before my eyes.

I felt something pulling me up, and my blood stopped flowing, then my heart started to spin and I felt it slowly return to normal.

“Phuha! Gasp, ugh…”

The first thing I saw was a familiar, hunched-over face. No, it was the Demon King with that kind of look on his face, but he had an extremely urgent expression.

“Thank goodness I’m not late. What the hell is this? Goddess.”

“Is it reprehensible for me to play with my servant’s belongings for a little while? My angel Lucifer.”

“You really are talking nonsense. First of all, Leah is not my property, and it was clearly stated in the contract that I would not touch Leah. And my name is not Lucifer, but Abel. How blasphemous, isn’t that the name you gave to the one who betrayed God, telling him not to rebel but to do a puppet-like burnt offering of faith? ”

“Wasn’t it that kid who broke the contract first?”

There was so much information coming in at once that my head was spinning, but I could clearly see one thing. The wing that had been pierced by the Holy Spear. That thing looked so painful, I wonder if it was okay…

“Don’t make me laugh. You must have done it on purpose to see my reaction.”

“Are you rebelling against me? Even though you know that the girl’s life is in my hands? Even though you know that the girl’s heart is being crushed by me right now and that if I take my hand off, she will die in a few minutes? ”

“…You son of a bitch.”

“Causing chaos in the Empire and the Holy Land, and causing unplanned accidents. Let’s let it slide just this once. Next time I see you, I hope you’ll be more obedient and not waste your energy. This world is going to be destroyed anyway. You and this old Pangaea.”

“…”

What I couldn’t help but realize while listening to that conversation was that Mino’s words might not be a lie. And, for some reason…

The fact that the Demon King’s ‘chains’ are me.

In an instant, the space changed, and we were floating in the air. I couldn’t tell exactly where we were, but I could tell that it was quite high up. I had a feeling that the goddess was tired, and she glared at us as she brushed the marble statue down with her hand one last time, so I guess we were banished.

-Flutter, flutter.

The sound of the Demon King and Mino flapping their wings was heard. You’ve turned back into a bat, Mino.

“Are you okay? Are there any aftereffects or anything?”

“Not really. …More than that, you, me…”

Wasn’t it something you picked up out of pity or a whim? I couldn’t bring myself to say that. No matter how much of a fool I was, I could tell that the Demon King was carrying such a burden because of me.

But why? He and I had no contact, and we were enemies until a few days ago.

“We’ve known each other for much longer than you thought. You may not remember, but.”

“I don’t remember.”

As I thought, “That must be it,” I saw a hole in the wing of the Demon King who was flying away while hugging me. It must have been pierced by the Holy Spear earlier.

“Wait a minute, show me your wings.”

“As much as you want.”

As I touched the wing with a weak healing power in my hand, I could see that it was quickly healed.

“What is this…? It’s definitely the strength of a warrior…”

“It’s been a while since I wrote, but this is an ability I was born with. …It’s strange that it’s not healing from the power of the Holy Spirit. ”

“No, you were like that originally.”

Seriously, I don’t know when he said he saw me. Even before I became a warrior, I hid it tightly for fear of being branded a cult member and executed. Even when I was a warrior, I lied about the power of the goddess and used it only once.

“I can’t stand it.”

“?!”

No matter how I look at him, he looks like a parasite who would seduce many women on the street. In both his face and his speech.

As I was slightly annoyed, the Demon King quickly appeared with a sad expression on his face.

“…Your name, should I call you Abel? Or Lucifer?”

“How did you know the name Abel… …Call me Abel. Lucifer is a discarded name.”

“Yes, Abel. I have many questions for you. Since when did my heart start being moved by the goddess, and what the goddess is trying to do, and why… do you act like you know me so well and surround me with me?”

“If you want, I can answer. …even though it’s a shameful part I want to hide.”

“That’s enough for now. I just want to go to the Demon King’s Castle and rest. Instead, just answer this one thing.”

“Something.”

“Can I get revenge? On the goddess, and on all of the group.”

“Of course it will be like that.”

“That’s fine. …The sunset is pretty.”

After that, we flew towards the Demon King’s Castle for a long time, admiring the sunset in silence.

I went out for no reason and almost got killed by a goddess, and in the process, I found out that one of my colleagues had been plotting a bigger picture and was planning to hit me in the back of the head from the beginning.

And at least, my evaluation of Abel seemed to have risen from that of an unknowable guy to that of a suspicious but still trustworthy guy.

Well, at least I can trust them more than the colleagues who betrayed me, that’s all. Even to that extent, I felt a lot better than before.

*****

…It was about two hours later that we realized that we had been so absorbed in our emotions that we had forgotten about Mino and had thrown him into the air somewhere. I was panting and giving up on that strange way of speaking as I chased Abel’s flight speed alone.

Abel quietly turned away from Mino and pretended not to know, and I, who had seen a good answer sheet right in front of me, copied it.

So, that means I also turned away.