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Chapter 495. The Shocking Truth

“Odigos! Is that really you?!”

After a moment of shock, Antendeixis dashed over to Odigos.

“So, you finally found your Contractor, huh!”

“Thanks to you. It’s good to see you’re doing well.”

“Wow, I’m so glad! I never thought you’d end up with that pup…”

“Thank you, thank you. Speaking of which, you going down to the human world like this is quite a brave move for a Contractor.”

“Guess we’re both lucky, huh?”

“No doubt about it! Hahaha…!”

“Hehehe, hohoho…!”

But this is no time to be laughing!!

“Why on earth is Odigos here?! How did you get here?!”

“I followed the rumors of your… Hero Alexander to the town of Bakkosu.”

As I leaned forward, overwhelmed with curiosity, Liliana answered.

Bakkosu—I was just there slapping around a bandit Sword Saint along with Old Man Graham, and we soaked in the hot springs too!

And there, oh, I just remembered, there was a simple portal there…!!

“So then, there was a magic circle—and—”

I had thought I’d one day entrust it to the Forest Elves like Liliana, but to think they managed to activate it themselves! And then crossed over to the Demon World, forming a contract with Odigos…!

So that’s how Liliana found me; it all made sense now! It was thanks to her ability to guide us!

“What… what does this mean…!!”

I was shaken by the shock and disbelief, trembling uncontrollably.

“Liliana!”

“Wah! Did I… do something wrong…?”

“Wrong isn’t the word!!”

I grabbed Liliana’s shoulders and shouted.

“This is a huge victory!!”

Liliana tilted her head in confusion; she clearly didn’t grasp the significance of the situation—has she not been informed by Odigos? I quickly turned my gaze to the flashy suit-wearing stick, cheerfully bouncing around with the Demon God’s avatar.

“Odigos! You really are Odigos, right?!”

“Well, that’s a philosophical question. Am I really Odigos?”

“Quit with the identity crisis nonsense! I mean, are you really the original showing up in this world instead of just a clone?!”

“If that’s the case, then yes.”

Odigos nodded while tilting his body. At this point, even Antendeixis, who had been distracted by the reunion with an old friend, suddenly realized ‘that’ and grew serious.

“Unfortunately, I’m not a great demon needing a clone. I’m not like some Demon God.”

But as Odigos playfully poked his cheeks with his tuxedo sleeve, Antendeixis’s serious expression broke instantly.

“Hey, quit it! You want me to smash you again?!”

“Fufufu, I’d like to avoid that.”

Damn! This cheerful atmosphere is messing with my head!

Plus, here I am, casually being reminded that Antendeixis is a Demon God, and it’s even stranger considering he just called him by his real name—right in front of the old Elf and the female Elf.

Now, I turned my gaze toward the two of them.

“Liliana, how much do these two know?”

“Ah! Sorry, I forgot to introduce them!”

Liliana hopped up and pointed to the female Elf first.

“This is Helena, my childhood friend.”

“…Nice to meet you.”

“Uh, hi. Nice to meet you… I’m Zilbagias.”

Helena eyed me suspiciously with a piercing gaze, too sharp to just be called watchful—seriously, this is intimidating.

“And this is Orderju, my caretaker since I was little.”

“Hohoho! It’s an honor to meet you… Prince of the Demon Lord.”

“Oh, um, no, the honor is mine…”

Ouch! That stings… but it’s true so I can’t say anything back… By the way, how old is he anyway?

“Regarding information disclosure, Helena knows the circumstances of my escape and your true identity. Orderju knows nearly everything I do. And both of them will have their hearts stop if they disclose anything without permission, thanks to the magic of the Chakra.”

“…Can you both use light magic?”

“I can,” Orderju nodded, while Helena silently answered by releasing a little bubble of light from her fingertip. It looked adorable, but if a dark being touched it, it would burn them—an attack spell…

…Anyway, it seems we’re well-prepared for any Enma encounters too. I’m ready to kill off my own soul even if he tries to extract it…

Liliana had certainly been extremely careful about who to pick for revealing my information. But I didn’t know how to express my gratitude for their resolve, so I could only bow deeply.

“Alex. If it’s alright… could you share some significant secrets about yourself with Helena?”

Liliana gingerly asked.

…This uncomfortably tense person?!

“We know you clashed with the Kaizaan Empire’s military and the Holy Church. We even stopped by Kaemuran.”

Liliana’s expression darkened. I felt my breath catch. Helena’s expression grew even stricter, and she was no longer hiding her wariness.

“Right now, Helena can’t comprehend your motives. She doesn’t know what your contract entails.”

That one sentence clarified a lot.

Ah, so they haven’t been informed about Antendeixis’s identity. They don’t know about breaking taboos to gain power, which is why they can’t read my intentions…

Of course… they’d be wary.

Even so, once they understand, they’d still be cautious.

After all, Orderju, who should know everything, was so focused on every little thing I did.

Even if they figure out my motives, it would just sow more doubt—maybe they’d think I could gain even more power by doing away with Liliana?

I can’t guarantee that won’t happen. No matter how much I don’t intend it, without trust…

“…Understood.”

However, since Odigos called Antendeixis’s real name, I couldn’t just wave goodbye to Liliana and the others.

Since we’re going to be traveling together for a while, I couldn’t just keep excluding Helena and setting up barriers.

If I want them to trust me—then I should be the one to show my sincerity first.

“Let’s talk while moving. I want to retrieve our belongings.”

The significance of having Odigos alongside me, my contract with the Demon God, our future plans… Ahh, really, where do I even start?!

Anyway, we decided to move towards the edge of the forest, where our belongings and other things were left.

 

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