Once the conversation had been more or less wrapped up, Luminous invited Sylvia and Adelio's group to dine with her.
Of course, it was not a simple gesture of goodwill. More likely, she wanted to see whether she could pry any more useful information out of Adelio through casual conversation.
Fortunately, Adelio was not so inexperienced that he would accidentally blurt out anything important, so he kept his words carefully measured, and it seemed the meal would pass without incident...
...But as she watched him, Luminous clicked her tongue inwardly at the waste of it and finally spoke.
"Hmm... This visit was so sudden that I was unable to offer proper hospitality. So if you ever have reason to visit [Ruberios] again, come as you please. I shall grant you special permission."
At a glance, it sounded like generosity, but it was nothing of the sort.
It simply meant that Adelio, Guy Crimson's new subordinate, looked easier to deal with and easier to profit from than the far more seasoned Rain or Misery, and she intended to exploit that fact whenever she could.
Luminous's cold and merciless nature had not gone anywhere.
"Oh~? Luminous, what about me? Can I come by whenever I want too?"
"...Aren't you already doing exactly that? Even if I refused, you would just show up whenever you pleased anyway, wouldn't you?"
"Hehe, correct~"
...Well, she did seem less severe when she was with those she considered her own.
The problem was that Adelio did not belong in that category yet.
...I'm definitely going to have to come back to [Ruberios] at least two more times...
For the first time, Adelio found himself worrying about the future.
**
Meanwhile, while Adelio was still in [Ruberios].
At the center between the Holy Empire [Ruberios] and the barren land of [Damargania].
There lay the ruins of a colossal sandstorm, stretching between the territories ruled by Demon Lord Luminous and Demon Lord Dagruel.
Long ago, when Milim, daughter of the [Creator God], went berserk over the death of a dear friend, Guy Crimson and Ramiris, the [Arbiter], had subdued her there. Near those legendary ruins stood the domain of a certain demon.
"...This demon's aura and magicules are... Blanc, and... Hairo...?"
It was the place where the [Underworld Gate] guarded by Viole, one of the [Primordial Demons] and both a rival and a constant headache to those two Demon Lords, had been established.
"...What in the world happened? Hairo was definitely... taken from Blanc by Rouge, wasn't he?"
Unlike Jonne, who vented her frustration without any real plan, or Blanc, who had simply trusted Hairo and waited, Viole had intended to obtain a physical body, advance into the material world, and make Hairo her servant.
As she had done for thousands of years, she had been slowly eroding the nations near her territory, such as the Kingdom of Raja and Coleus.
That was also why she had spread out [Magic Sense] near [Ruberios] today.
And yet—
That [Magic Sense] had picked up two familiar demonic signatures.
"And of all places, they're in [Ruberios], where the [Crusaders] are... Don't tell me they're meeting with Luminous?"
One demon she wanted for herself, and another demon who was like a sister to her.
Either one alone would have been enough to pique her interest, so there was no way she could ignore sensing both of them at once.
"...Haha! A pretty entertaining situation has come up, and sitting still through it wouldn't be very demonic of me... Maybe I'll head out for the first time in a while~"
The path she chose after descending once more for the first time in ages was one that would only deepen Adelio's misfortune.
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