The white castle lay half-destroyed.
Cracks had spread all through it from the magic power unleashed by the [Primordial Demons] and the [Seven Angels of Origin], and now white-aligned demons clung to it from every side, rebuilding it.
Fortunately, the interior had suffered little damage, and since most of the white demons, like their master, specialized in magic, the castle had already improved considerably in just a single night.
"...You've both arrived."
The demon directing the retainers repairing the castle, Cien, greeted Adelio and [Blanc] as they approached.
Cien already knew that the two of them had used recovering from the fatigue and wounds they suffered fighting the [Seven Angels of Origin] as an excuse—if only barely an excuse—to spend an entire day enjoying a private tryst at Adelio's house. But as a sharp-witted retainer, he continued as though he knew nothing at all.
He had no desire to earn the displeasure of the [Queen] and the [Grand Duke] who would become her husband.
"The reconstruction of the castle is progressing smoothly. At this rate, it should be fully restored within a week."
"Hehe, looks like everyone's doing well. But what about that child? If I remember right, I put him in charge here too."
That child, Moss, had also been ordered by [Blanc] to oversee the demons rebuilding the castle alongside Cien.
And yet, for some reason, there was no sign of Moss anywhere.
Normally, he would have shown up the moment [Blanc] arrived.
"You mean your 'trusted aide.' As for him, Sir Hairo—no, I suppose it should be Lord Adelio now. In any case, perhaps he still isn't used to Lord Adelio's change in status, because the moment he sensed your magicules, he immediately ran—"
"W-Who ran away?!"
Pop!
Right in the middle of Cien's sentence, a small explosion sounded in empty space, smoke billowed out, and then with a soft plop, a white shaggy-haired boy appeared.
It was Moss.
And he looked thoroughly flustered.
"I-I was just keeping a close eye on whether the others were doing their jobs properly! I-I didn't run away because of Adelio... Lord Adelio!"
Moss shook his head rapidly from side to side.
For the record, that title of Lord Adelio had been something the white demons came up with on their own. Since he was [Blanc]'s future husband and a demon who had evolved twice from an [Arch Demon], they said the seat of [Grand Duke] suited him, or something along those lines.
With the [Primordial Demons] themselves already holding the rank of [King], it was only natural that they placed importance on status like that.
"...Trusted aide. If speaking formally to me feels awkward, you don't have to force yourself to add 'Lord.' Just call me like you used to."
As far as Adelio was concerned, though, having the rank of [Grand Duke] or not made no real difference.
He wasn't the sort to lord over others in the first place, and he had never liked the idea of using status to talk down to people he'd known for a long time.
To begin with, if he had really been that kind of person, there was no way he could ever have borne the [Hero's Egg].
"...Then... it really doesn't matter if I just call you Adelio...?"
"Yeah, call me whatever you want. Same goes for you too, secretary. I'll be speaking more casually from now on as well."
Adelio smiled faintly as he looked in turn at Moss, whose eyes shone like a child hoping for a gift from an adult, and Cien, who bowed neatly with a rather complicated expression.
A moment later, he opened with, "I guess I can say it now."
**
"Ria. And you two, secretary and trusted aide."
He was about to make a proposal that would overturn the original course of things—and the future that had been set for one demon.
"...Would you consider going up to the Central World?"
**
"...You're asking if I'd consider going up to the Central World?"
"Yeah."
When [Blanc] widened her eyes and asked again, Adelio nodded and continued.
"The reason you and the other two demon kings keep the [game] going in hell is to reach the Central World before the others, right?"
The [game] had continued for tens of thousands of years.
That [game] was a board Noir had created to maintain the balance of hell, but at the same time, it was also a duel for each of them to achieve their own goals.
"If you stay in hell like this, all that'll happen is the [game] keeps going. Instead of staying here and going through this kind of misery over and over, wouldn't it be better to come up to the Central World with me?"
Unlike Viole and Jonne, who had been tricked by Noir's schemes, [Blanc] had joined this [game] of her own will.
Because she couldn't find anything in this hell that could satisfy her, she had thrown herself into the battlefield by instinct.
But now she had found the missing piece called Adelio, so there was no longer any reason for her to continue that [game] in hell.
And...
"Also, if I stay in hell, Guy Crimson will definitely try to bring me back again."
There was no way Guy Crimson would simply leave Adelio alone.
He was an irregular, a massive asset on the demon lords' side, and a subordinate who was almost like a disciple.
And Adelio, too, had accumulated far too many debts to him by now to want to betray him.
"Neither of us wants to fight him again."
At Adelio's proposal, made with Guy Crimson brought into the discussion, [Blanc] kept her lips tightly shut for a moment before finally admitting, "...You're right."
"...But if I or my other retainers want to go to the Central World, we need bodies. And... obtaining bodies capable of containing a [Primordial Demon] is extremely difficult."
[Blanc] lowered her head and closed her eyes.
She was grateful for Adelio's offer, but realistically, she thought going up to the Central World right now was the kind of thing that could only happen in a dream.
If it were easy, every [Primordial Demon] except Noir would already be in the Central World.
"It's fine."
But Adelio was confident.
"I have a way."
He was confident he could free her from this hell.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register