"Hmm, so this is why you sent Kondo and Damurada to the West last time? I was sure it was just because their nagging was getting on your nerves. What a surprise."
"...What kind of person do you think I am, exactly?"
At the papal palace of [Ruberios].
Velgrynd and Adelio, who had been assigned rooms at the very top of the imperial residence where, supposedly, only believers of at least cardinal rank were allowed to stay, were talking as they recalled the meeting from earlier that day.
"That aside... this trip really does feel like it's going to turn into a huge nuisance."
"Well, of course. They may not be [Catastrophe]-class like Guy or Milim, but Luminous and Rimuru are both [Demon Lord]s treated as their equals, and as for [Noir], that goes without saying. Along with Guy and [Blanc], he's one of the most dangerous beings among the [Primordial Demons]."
"...True. As fighting power, they couldn't be more reliable, but aside from Rimuru, every last one of them is the sort who might go out of control... All I can do is hope things don't go off the rails somehow."
Adelio looked at his beloved sword resting beside the bed, then steadied the anxiety rising in him all the more because he knew the future, and turned toward Velgrynd.
"...By the way, why are you still here?"
Where his gaze landed, Velgrynd was lying there with a relaxed expression, having changed out of the qipao she always wore and into sleepwear at some point.
"Hmm? Whatever do you mean?"
"...I mean, your room is next door. This one is mine."
Velgrynd spoke as if she genuinely had no idea what he meant, all calm composure. Adelio stared at her in disbelief and narrowed his bright blue eyes.
He had gone through this sort of thing with Velgrynd countless times back in the [Empire], so he didn't lower his guard for a second and was already preparing to throw her out if he had to.
Because if things ended with them sleeping in the same room again like last time... he knew full well tomorrow would only be harder on him.
"Hehe, what's the problem? What could possibly be wrong with lovers sleeping together in the same room, in the same bed?"
But Velgrynd's not-quite-a-temptation proved even stronger than Adelio had expected...
"......"
...And what happened after that was something only the two of them would remember.
"Hmm? Adelio, don't you seem a little thinner than yesterday?"
The next day, in [Night Garden] beneath the papal palace.
Having come underground in advance to prepare for Granbell and the [Moderate Harlequin Alliance]'s surprise attack, Adelio twitched at Luminous's words as she lay there with a languid expression.
"Could it be that the room in the papal palace did not please you? If you had told me beforehand, I would have changed it for another..."
"...N-no, it's just... I didn't sleep very well. I liked the room just fine."
Answering with an awkward expression, Adelio tried to pull himself together by forcefully shaking off the memory of last night, which had been clinging to his mind ever since he woke that morning.
'...This time I really was going to refuse... so why is it that whenever this happens, I always-'
Just as he let out a belated lament and pictured Velgrynd, who was probably aboveground right now protecting [Ruberios] with that bright, lively smile of hers—
Boooom!!
With a thunderous crash as the iron doors protecting the inner chamber were blown apart, the "intruders" revealed themselves.
"...They're here."
Sensing that the moment of battle had arrived, Adelio cast off every trace of the dazed look he had worn until just now and drew his beloved blade, the divine sword [Holy King], with a majesty truly fit for an Emperor.
And the intruders who had come seeking the holy ark that sealed Chronoa were—
"Yoo-hoo! So this is where the [Vampires] live?!"
"Hmm, even though this place is right beneath [Ruberios], the aura built up here is incredible. So this is what you'd expect from a [Demon Lord]'s residence?"
"Hey, Footman, Boss. I get that this place is fascinating, but that lovely young lady in front of us... or rather, Lady [Demon Lord] Luminous, looks really angry. Are you sure we can afford to be this relaxed?"
"......"
—For people about to fight a [Demon Lord], they looked remarkably at ease.
"You seem awfully confident, Yuuki."
Rumble...!!
Pointing [Holy King] at Yuuki, whose greed-filled eyes were fixed solely on the holy ark, Adelio began releasing the intensely golden [Heroic Aura] flashing across his entire body.
"Ugh...?! That magicules... Adelio?"
"That's right."
Only a few months ago, they had laughed and talked together at the [Guild] with Shizue. Looking at Yuuki—one of the few friends he had, a fellow [otherworlder]—Adelio continued in a voice gone cold as ice.
"I won't waste words, Chairman of the [Moderate Harlequin Alliance]. If you don't want to give up your dream and die here, then I'll give you one last chance. Leave. Right now."
"......Hmm..."
Adelio bared even killing intent alongside that heartfelt warning, for the sake of Yuuki, whom he had truly considered a friend despite the short time they had known each other. But that monster wearing human skin, whose greed could hardly be called anything less than the greatest in the world... naturally refused the offer as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"It's an interesting offer, but sorry, Adelio. I really did think you and I could become genuinely close. But unfortunately, there's nothing in this world more important to me than my dream."
An ideal dream steeped in extreme greed.
Yuuki, who had chased that childish yet grand ambition called "world domination" all the way to this day, raised that alien power with an arrogant smile.
"Adelio. I understand perfectly well that you're strong, and I know the [Demon Lord] over there is a monster too, but do you really think just the two of you can defeat all of us?"
Yuuki of [Greed].
Laplace, the former wandering [Hero].
Footman of [Angry Pierrot].
And even Maria Rosso, the beloved of the Hero of Light.
Every one of them was a monster that surpassed the level of a [Demon Lord Seed], and Yuuki and Laplace in particular were superhumans who had reached the level of an [Awakened Demon Lord].
"Of course, I'm sure you and the [Demon Lord] have a few hidden cards you haven't shown others either, but just a few won't be enough to take on all of us—"
However,
Yuuki had no doubt of his own side's advantage, but there were two things he had overlooked.
Crackle... crackle...!!
The first was that Adelio had far more hidden cards left than Yuuki could ever imagine.
"—So what?"
The second was that Adelio had never once revealed his full power here in the West.
Wooooong...!!
Then the Emperor's magicules, crushing down on Yuuki's arrogance, rapidly filled the inner chamber and spread their wings like radiant light.
Before long, every place except where Luminous was became wrapped in golden magicules, and they began to take shape around Adelio's [Holy King].
"For the likes of you, this alone is enough."
[Arts].
After Adelio's low declaration echoed out one final time,
"[Holy Dragon Flash King]."
KWA-BOOOOOM!!!
The world was dyed in brilliant radiance.
......
And by the time that radiance faded, not a single one of the intruders standing in his way remained whole.
"......"
What lay before his eyes now was nothing more than the end of the defeated.
Such was always the nature of a battle fought by a [saint] and a [Hero] who had obtained the power of a Seraphim.
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