"...Did you really tell them all of that child's secret?"
Rumble...!
The city of night hidden beneath [Ruberios], [Night Garden].
Following Louis's guidance after receiving Luminous's orders in the papal chamber, Adelio and the others descended underground and came face-to-face with Luminous, who was lying there with her usual languid expression.
Creeeak... creak...!!
More precisely, she had been wearing a languid expression.
"Answer me, Adelio. Are you saying you broke your promise to me and revealed that secret in full?"
She was furious.
So furious that she was even letting loose blood-soaked magic power she would normally never show.
"...First, try calming down a little."
But from Adelio's point of view, this was simply unfair.
The reason Luminous was angry was because she thought he had told Ria and Shizue everything about Chronoa's secret. But Adelio had not properly explained even a part of it yet, let alone all of it, so of course he felt wronged.
'I knew she always overreacted whenever Chronoa came up, but at this point she's almost as bad as Veldora...'
Swallowing the thought that would have sent Luminous into a fit if she heard it, Adelio continued speaking to her, since she still looked like she had no intention of reining in her magic power.
Whatever the reason, this was a situation where Luminous had every reason to misunderstand, so the only option was to persuade her properly.
More importantly, if he failed to calm her down now, there was no way he would be able to stop Ria and Shizue, who were already quietly preparing to fight at his side.
"...Think about it calmly, Luminous. If I'd already told them everything about that secret, I wouldn't have come all the way here just to bring this up. Right?"
"..."
"And you know that too. I may be Guy's right-hand man, but I'm not such a thoughtless demon that I'd casually break a promise I made with you."
"...Go on."
Whether Adelio's persuasion was starting to work little by little, or whether she had simply decided to hear him out before judging, Luminous finally withdrew her magic power. The rage on her face eased into something slightly calmer, and she gave a small nod.
At that, Adelio smiled faintly and began to explain.
"Originally, Ria and Shizue didn't even know what Chronoa's ability was. But this time, something happened at the [Dwelling of Spirits]."
"...[Dwelling of Spirits]? Isn't that Ramiris's residence? What could the dwelling place of a mere spirit possibly have to do with that child's secret?"
"Because we met her there. Chronoa's [Thought Body]."
"...?!"
At the words [Thought Body], Luminous shot upright from her reclined position, and her expression quickly filled with shock.
"Chronoa's [Thought Body]? Why would a [Thought Body] that should have vanished ages ago appear in the [Dwelling of Spirits]...?"
"Probably to start the 'loop' again. You know just as well as she does how special Chronoa's ability is."
"..."
Because of the nature of Chronoa's ability, in other words [Regression], two versions of the same being could not exist at once during a period when it was active. One of them had to disappear into another point in time.
It was because of that absolute, law-like peculiarity that the Chronoa of the past had asked Luminous to seal her body inside a holy ark, and why the [Thought Body] that appeared in the present had been absorbed into Chloe's body.
"...I see. Then what you mean is that these two also sensed time-attribute magic from Chronoa..."
"Right. That's why we came all the way here. Once they've already detected time magic, there's no point in trying to hide it anymore."
Chronoa's [Thought Body] had already been judged by the laws of the [World] as something no different from an irregular. Luminous understood well that trying to conceal it by force might only create an even worse butterfly effect than before, so she nodded at Adelio's words.
"...Haa. I wanted to keep this secret from everyone except you and me if possible, but now that things have come to this, it can't be helped."
Letting out a deep sigh, Luminous rose from her seat and muttered while shooting Ria and Shizue a sidelong glare.
"You two really do have it easy. Just because you were in the same [Hero Party], you get to enjoy all sorts of advantages like this."
"Hehe, that sounded rather pointed, didn't it?"
Ria crossed her legs and met Luminous's fiercely gleaming red-and-blue eyes with her own strangely shining crimson gaze. Not a trace of her usual gentle impression remained; instead, she radiated an icy chill.
"Hmph. If it were you, would you warmly welcome uninvited guests who barged in without warning? Especially a human hero and that [Primordial Demons]?"
If Adelio had come alone, Luminous would have gladly welcomed him deep down. But she could never welcome the visit of these two women, who were Adelio's lover and disciple, and at the same time Chronoa's close friend and disciple. Her voice turned sharp as she spoke.
"I allowed your visit only because Adelio asked it of me. Otherwise, I would have sent you back long ago."
"Oh? Are you sure you actually could have?"
But true to a [Primordial Demons], Ria's pride was no less formidable than Luminous's. Without losing her composure, she answered back with a calm face.
And Luminous did not yield a single step either.
"If you wish, I could show you right here and now. As luck would have it, [Viole] has just disappeared from the area, so you would make a perfect practice opponent."
"My, do you really think I'm on the same level as [Viole]? That's a little shocking."
The proud and lofty queen and empress, famous for never bowing to anyone, ignored Shizue, who was stuck helplessly between them, and at last each reached for her weapon, sword and whip alike, clearly preparing to fight for real.
"...Why are you two suddenly trying to fight...?"
And so the clash between two women who hated the very idea of standing beneath someone else began, continuing for a very short while until Adelio finally stepped in for real.
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