Chapter 152
At that moment, in the ‘Grand Cathedral’ where the Pope, the leader of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess, resided, two individuals faced each other with serious expressions.
“Your Holiness, how long must I guard this place?”
The woman in blue, known to the world as the ‘Water Hero’—Liriez Cesarcross, thumped her chest in frustration.
“The Grand Cathedral can be protected by others even in my absence. Please send me to the battlefield.”
“That’s not possible, Holy Knight Commander.”
The Pope shook his head with a gentle voice. He stroked his golden beard, looking sternly down at Liriez with eyes of the same color.
“You’re intending to rush towards the Saintess, aren’t you? Is that correct?”
“Yes. Because there’s the Demon King… Satan nearby the Saintess.”
“Indeed. That Demon King exists. Therefore, you cannot go now.”
“Is that truly your intention? Are you honestly planning to send me in after witnessing Satan’s power?”
“Correct.”
At the Pope’s words, Liriez’s eyes shook significantly.
“How could you…?!”
“He is the Demon King who has subdued the Mercenary King and stolen the Holy Sword. I don’t know what method he used, but he will undoubtedly try to acquire the Holy Swords of other heroes as well. If you were to lose your Holy Sword, the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess would fall into darkness.”
“But we can’t just sit back and do nothing!”
“However, we cannot act recklessly. Have you forgotten? There’s not just Satan among the Demon Kings.”
“Kugh…!!”
Liriez was left speechless.
Although unknown to the world, there was a top-secret information shared only between her and the Pope, who knew her as a hero.
“There’s a Demon King in the north of the continent and another in the south. Right now, Demon Kings are appearing sporadically in different places as if they have made a promise. In fact… there exists a being that can be said to be even more serious than Satan.”
“…….”
“In this situation, if you, a hero situated in the south, were to head north, it would mean the hero is disappearing from the south.”
“Your Holiness…”
Liriez clenched her fist.
“Do you believe that the Emperor of the Empire can stop Satan?”
“Yes.”
“You say that after meeting the Emperor of the Empire in person?”
“He is a devout believer of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess, the Emperor of the Empire, and the Hero of the Holy Sword. He would naturally step forward for the Empire’s safety.”
“But if that happens, the Anari Principality will be destroyed.”
“…Sometimes, very small sacrifices are needed for the greater good. Holy Knight Commander. Humans cannot always have everything. Sometimes to protect something, you must give something up.”
The Pope continued with a cold voice.
“Look at reality. The Moon Goddess has instructed us to care for those within reach. Attempting to care for those beyond your ability is self-destruction and sheer arrogance. That cannot be said to follow the teachings of the Moon Goddess.”
“But…!”
“Let’s have faith. Fortunately, the Moon Goddess has sent the Saintess to the Anari Principality just in time. What else could this be but the will of the Moon Goddess? While you are bound here, it so happens that the Saintess was sent there. Ah, this is truly the mercy of the goddess…!”
The Pope clasped his hands and prayed.
“May she hear the anxious prayers of the heroes who truly follow her and sent your first apostle and the hero who moves with her to the Anari Principality. Ah, Moon Goddess. I sincerely thank you for your mercy and consideration.”
“…Oh, Moon Goddess.”
Liriez lowered her head.
“Not only the Emperor of the Empire, but the Hero who possesses the ‘Holy Wind Sword’ that defeated the Demon King 500 years ago is now positioned before and behind Satan. Let’s leave the northern worries to that hero and focus here in the south. The north is in chaos at the moment, but if we do nothing here, trouble will soon arise.”
Just as the Pope said.
“The only ones who can dispel the nightmare of the night are the Divine Power and the Water Hero, who can gather the mana of the Demon Race. If you head north now, it would mean an excessive allocation of resources to the north, while the south will suffer a critical shortage of power. I understand your concern for the Saintess, but please endure for now.”
“…Understood, Your Holiness.”
“Thank you. Thanks to the determination of the Holy Knight Commander, I can feel relieved.”
The Pope smiled kindly.
“…By the way, just to be cautious, how is your mastery of that ‘Spirit Device’ coming along?”
“…It’s going reasonably well for now. Although I can only summon it once a day, and the activation time is short—around ten minutes—if the conditions are met, I can summon it all day.”
“…Conditions?”
“Yes. It says, ‘I shall unleash my power when facing a true foe.'”
“…A true foe. I understand. It only lends its full power when faced with such an entity. It sounds rather finicky, doesn’t it? Hahaha.”
“…….”
Liriez barely held back her laughter at the Pope referring to the Spirit Device as finicky.
“By the way, Liriez.”
“Yes?”
“This is a pure question, but can the Spirit Device fly?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m just curious.”
The Pope’s eyes sparkled like a child’s.
“Is it possible?”
“…It’s not impossible, but I don’t know how high it can go.”
“Oh? Is that so? Can it reach the moon up in the sky?”
“…I’ll ask next time I summon it.”
“Please be sure to ask.”
The Pope smiled wide, then slightly raised his crescent-shaped eyes.
“…I will.”
—
“The moon is truly bright.”
The being clad in orange robes—Demon King Satan—stood atop the White Castle, gazing up at the night sky while lightly shaking the wine glass in his hand.
“This glass is for those who have departed. And this glass is for those who will depart in the future.”
Gulp.
Satan downed the wine in one go.
He raised the empty glass towards the two moons floating in the sky, and within the glass were two moons reflected.
“…And this glass is for the Demon King who will rule the world.”
“What are you rambling about all alone?”
Behind Satan, a woman in a black suit with glasses and horns smirked.
“If the Demon King is acting so pathetically in a place like this….”
“Shut it.”
Satan snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, flames extending from his robe seized the woman’s neck in an instant.
“I am different from the one you serve. Don’t get cocky.”
“Kugh, kuh, kuhh…!”
“The king is one who stands above all. Though your king granted you liberty, do not dare impose that freedom upon me.”
“How dare you speak to a mixed-breed demon born in the Intermediate Realm like that?”
“Kuh, kuh…!!”
The flames subsided.
The woman gasped, her face pale as she drew deep breaths while Satan continued to swirl the two moons in his wine glass.
“That brat has spoiled you too much. That’s why you lack the fear of your king. Tsk tsk. They should all be killed to have a sense of reality….”
“Y-you arrogant…!”
“Oh?”
Satan turned his body to face the woman.
“Do you still intend to be cheeky? Naberius?”
“On behalf of Asydia’s leader, Zephar! All preparations in the south are complete, so he has instructed us to rampage freely in the north! I shall not forget this humiliation!”
Swish.
The demoness called Naberius scattered like mist.
Just before vanishing, an orange flame brushed against her face.
“Tsk.”
Satan twisted his lips while shaking the empty wine glass.
“The demons in the Intermediate Realm are so ill-mannered, and that gentle Bel has let them all go. Things are happening here that one couldn’t even imagine in the Demon World. How dare they speak informally to the king, and how dare they vanish while saying their piece! And then….”
Bang—!
The wine glass shattered suddenly.
“How dare they try to manipulate me like a puppet. How amusing. Quite amusing. Just when I was about to release it, that brat disappeared, and now I have to instill ‘manners’ into these wild demons who have grown in the Intermediate Realm for 500 years.”
Satan spread his arms toward the two moons.
“This world, that Intermediate Realm, will one day become the Demon World. The world will finally flow with the true will of darkness. The weak shall kneel, while the strong shall soar above. I, this Satan, shall make it so.”
Fwoosh.
Behind the orange robe, crimson flames began to blaze like wings.
“I shall become the master of this world.”
—
“Quite a lot has happened in the meantime.”
While I was out scouring the sea,
the Demon King’s army rampaged,
the Demon King made his appearance,
and the hero was defeated.
Indeed, numerous events unfolded.
“How interesting.”
It’s truly fascinating.
“It’s so much more spectacular than 500 years ago.”
What might be happening could involve all seven Demon Kings being summoned, which I previously considered a joke.
Lucifer and Asmodeus might already be active in places unknown to me.
“Even the heroes have awakened all seven Holy Swords?”
If that’s the case…
“……an excellent opportunity.”
“Master?”
“Oh, Lucius.”
At dawn, Lucius appeared on the rooftop of the building where I was.
“How did you find this place?”
“I heard your voice, Master.”
“Oh, is that so.”
Perhaps because he’s the Wind Hero, my unintended murmurs reached Lucius.
…It’s fine. I won’t let anything that could lead to misunderstanding slip.
“Did you sleep well? In a few days, we need to face Satan.”
“…Are you worried?”
“Worried? No, not at all. How could I possibly worry when you’re around?”
I extended my fist towards Lucius.
“I believe in you. You’ll take down all the Demon Kings with that Holy Sword.”
“All the Demon Kings….”
“Exactly. There are five Demon Kings left now. Mammon, Satan, Lucifer, Asmodeus, and….”
“Bel Phaegor.”
“……Yes.”
Me.
“Master, what will you do once everything is over?”
“Eh?”
“If you’re going to seal yourself away again….”
“Oh, I won’t do that. After lying dormant for 500 years and then coming back to life, it feels like I wasted 500 years.”
I aim to live a meaningful life.
To shed a lazy life and to truly live for myself, for someone, and for the world.
“Once everything is over… maybe I’ll go on a journey.”
“A journey?”
“Yes.”
I pointed towards the two moons hanging in the night sky.
“To wherever we can go.”
To save the world.
On the pilgrimage to become a Demon God.
