I can’t say it was completely beyond my expectations, but hearing it directly still sent a numbing shock through my head.
At the level of [Jonne] and [Viole], it wouldn’t have been strange at all if they had immediately noticed that Ria had obtained a body.
They had been rivals in the [game (war)] for a very long time, so of course they would always be on guard against each other.
Even so, I had come here without any real preparation because I thought I could somehow persuade Jonne.
After my duel with Agera, when we talked afterward, she had seemed more or less back to normal.
...But apparently, that had only been the case with me.
"...Was Jonne rampaging because Ria received a name?"
It was the kind of question where I already knew the answer.
As if it were only natural, Noir nodded.
"Kufufufu... correct. She was furiously calling for Blanc while preparing Nuclear Magic. Fortunately, I arrived in time and stopped her. Though thanks to that, it seems the irritation that had been aimed at Blanc has now shifted to me."
Despite having landed himself in a rather troublesome situation, he smiled as if he found it amusing, then turned the conversation on me.
"That aside, it seems the name Blanc received is Ria... in that case, what is your name?"
"...Adelio Ruber."
The question was so out of left field that I hesitated for a moment before answering in an awkward voice.
"Ho... Ruber, is it? That does sound like the sort of name he would choose."
As if recalling Guy, the strange being who had once been his only true rival, Noir’s eerie pupils gleamed in the shape of crosses.
In a way, he almost seemed to miss Guy, someone who could be called an ill-fated friend of sorts.
There was no demon in hell now strong enough to understand him.
'Well, even in the novel, he was oddly friendly with Guy, someone he already knew, so I guess that really is just like Noir...'
While I kept my mouth shut with that thought in mind, Noir spoke again.
"Kufufufufu... becoming Rouge's subordinate was certainly a good choice. At the center of the Great War that will happen in the future, the Demon Lords—including you and him—will surely stand. So when we meet again later, I hope you will still be on his side."
As he said that, he pointed at the [Underworld Gate] behind my shoulder, then turned his head to Ria.
"And Blanc—no, Ria. You should go to the material world at once. From the moment you obtained a body, hell's [game (war)] was as good as over, so I have no intention of stopping you."
At words that were no different from declaring he would personally destroy the balance of hell that he himself had created, Ria, who had remained silent the whole time, widened her eyes.
"...That's unexpected. To think Noir of all people would say that to me."
"Well, I am only repaying a debt. You joined the [game (war)] even though you knew of my scheme."
Fwhoosh—!
"...With this, neither of us owes the other anything anymore."
He needed to deal with Jonne, who would be freed soon, so he wrapped things up quickly, spread his enormous wings, and shot high into the sky in an instant.
[Whenever you visit hell, I will come to see you from time to time. Until then, let us meet again... as equals.]
Leaving us with that final thought-message.
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