Chapter 134: Leaving it to others
「Sorry, Rosalie…But, did you say Mash? 」
「Mash Dragonite. That’s the name of the God Dragon King.」
Every time I thought about Mash, what came to my mind was a cheerful and bright boy with spiky hair.
The eyes of Chaos Makina emitted a ferocious light, as if they finally exposed the true nature of a devil.
「Even his female dragon companion, whom he grew up with, exchanged her life to be his sword! Since then, the dragon people have killed countless of demons and humans…!」
…A female dragon companion, whom the Dragon King grew up together!! Was she talking about Elle!? A…And, the sword, she probably meant…The holy sword Egzation!!
My desire for a different fate shattered on this very moment. There was no doubt about this! Mash was the Dragon King! And…worse than that! Elle was no longer in this world…!
Contrary to an upsetting me, Seiya asked Rosalie with a calm voice.
「Okay I get it, but to be certain, is that female dragon’s name “Elle”?」
「Yeah. They began to worship her as the Holy Angel after she died.」
For me, this story was horrifying and quite unsettling. Still, Seiya wasn’t that surprised.
「I anticipated this. We managed to defeat the god of death Tanathus and the Demon King by using the Celestial Prison-Gate twice. So, it’s not surprising to see that the holy sword Egzation finally appeared in this twisted world as it was the only thing that never appeared on our previous quest.」
「Then, that means that Mash really “did that” to Elle…」
The word “kill” sounded too scary for me, so I couldn’t say it out loud. I felt that my head was in a state of panic. Besides, the Egzation was made to defeat the Demon King, but why was Mash the one to wield it in order to kill everybody else? And wasn’t Egzation a sword that only the hero could handle in the first place?
Seiya took a small breath.
「In other words, I’ll have to stop Mash in order to restore this twisted world.」
「Ah…Tha…That’s right! 」
I nodded upon hearing Seiya’s words. I…I see! Seiya was correct! We’ll just have to stop him instead of killing him!
We knew the real Mash. He was a good child who was honest and brave. But in this Twisted Geabrande, Seiya and I had never appeared before. So, Mash may had suffered tremendous hardships and gone completely mad. I wanted to stop Mash’s current outrage. However, it would be pointless to say these thoughts to Rosalie now.
「We really want to cooperate with you, Rosalie! Let’s fight together!」
「…Didn’t I refuse it moments ago?」
「Seiya is strong, you know! He’ll be a great asset to the demon-human alliance!」
「Well, defeating Hydra is certainly admirable. But, over the past decade, we’ve also succeeded in defeating strong dragons of the executive class. We managed to reduce their numbers in half. If he just managed to beat a dragon like Hydra, then he won’t be able to defeat other superior dragons. This is an extreme example, but he’s no good if he can’t defeat Chaos Makina and myself at the same time.」
「Defeat you, Rosalie? Ah, you don’t have to go that far just to refuse us…」
The Rosalie I knew before was a “naïve princess”, who resembled the reckless Seiya in many ways. However, the aura that emanated from the woman in front of me was so intimidating that it astounded me.
…Hmm…Yes, this Rosalie had definitely a great force! In fact, she had tremendous status far beyond what was possible for humans…!
Rosalie put her hand on Chaos Makina’s shoulder after she looked at me.
「More importantly, I’d like to see the magical demonic seal.」
「Yes. Let’s go, let’s go. 」
「He…Hey!! What!? Wait a second!! 」
I followed Rosalie in a hurry as she tried to leave us behind.
—
「…I apologize. Please, forgive the princess’ rude behavior.」
Rosalie and Chaos Makina walked ahead on the snow. We followed them behind, and then, Flasika bowed down to us in apology. I asked him with a bitter smile.
「Flasika. What kind of demon is Rosalie going to revive?」
「Lucifer Crow. He is a legendary demon that even the Demon King was afraid of his presence. Because of his constant fear, the Demon King sealed him with a powerful dark seal. He has a special skill which is a magical bow. Lucifer Crow’s arrow is said to have reached the Eines’ Plains from Mount Grastra.」
「Is…Is it really okay to revive such a dangerous demon? You don’t know, but he could end up attacking humans…」
「Certainly. It might be difficult for Lucifer Crow, who has been resurrected, to understand the current situation of our demon-human alliance. But, when that time comes, the Testament will be useful.」
「Ah… 」
Indeed, they made a Testament so strong that even Seiya’s power couldn’t destroy it. That’s why Flasika was sure that the Testament would help them with the resurrected demon. Suddenly, I noticed that Celseus was murmuring, 「Hmm. 」. I whispered to Celseus.
「You find it strange too, am I right? I feel that something is not quite right. After all, they are trying to revive a demon that was feared by the Demon King himself.」
「No…Actually, I was thinking about Mash. Isn’t he that young boy whom I taught my swordsmanship a long time ago? I can’t imagine that that kind-hearted boy would be the cruel man who rules this world.」
「Ah, that part of the story. Ah well, I think the same as you.」
「If it’s Mash we’re talking about, can’t we somehow talk with him?」
「Hmm. I don’t know if he is being manipulated by a bad guy. But, I think that we’ll have to wake up Mash than actually defeat him…Hey, isn’t that right, Seiya!」
I smiled at Seiya, but he kept walking silently.
「Huh? Seiya? 」
In the meantime, Rosalie stopped in front of a large building made of stone. I never imagined that the shabby town of Igle had a rather fine building. At the entrance, the cow-headed demon saluted Rosalie with a spear.
I followed Flasika. Then, I was utterly surprised when I came inside. Demons of numerous appearances surrounded a huge black object in order to protect it. That object was probably five meters long.
「Is…Is that the magical demonic seal? 」
That object looked like crystal rather than rock. The object had several cracks on the jet-black surface. It looked like an egg. It seemed that something was about to hatch pretty soon.
Rosalie saw the cracks and nodded with satisfaction. Soon after, she asked a nearby demon the following question.
「How much more will it take him to be resurrected? 」
「About a hundred or so. 」
「I see. A hundred huh. We’ve finally reached this far. 」
Chaos Makina clapped her hands with happiness.
「That’s right, if the expedition of Demon Sword is successful, I’m sure that Lucifer Crow will be resurrected!」
The demons inside the building cheered aloud upon hearing Chaos Makina’s words. A devilish and ominous aura emanated from the cracked demonic seal object…I had a very bad feeling about it.
「Excuse me…But, I think it’s better for you not to revive that thing…」
I spoke with Rosalie quite reluctantly. Then, the air around her changed dramatically, and I saw that Rosalie altered her complexion.
「Lucifer Crow’s resurrection has been a long and common desire for both us humans and demons alike!」
「Bu…But, you don’t have to do that now, since Seiya will… 」
「No! I already told you that I don’t need your hero! 」
Then, she grabbed my upper garments with a terrifying expression.
「What!? 」
「You’ve been irritating me since you’ve arrived!! Then, why didn’t you come thirteen years ago when mankind was in the brink of extinction!! Your arrival is too late!!」
I couldn’t say, 「I’m finally here now! 」. It was true that Seiya and I didn’t appear on this Twisted Geabrande before.
「I don’t need a hero or a goddess! In addition…」
Rosalie let go of me and pointed to Celseus, who was standing next to me.
「I have absolutely no use of a normal human warrior!」
「That’s rude!! I’m a god!! No matter how high is your status, you’re just a normal human!!」
「…I’m no longer human. 」
「Ahh!? What is this woman talking about!! 」
Rosalie muttered the following words while ignoring an angry Celseus.
「Unseal. 」
For a brief moment, Rosalie’s right arm transformed into a monstrous arm! It grew sharp claws, and it turned into a mottled arm where black and red were mixed up together! And from this point…
「Ohhh!? Evil!! She’s scary!! 」
Even though she didn’t do anything, Celseus jumped away as if he were about to be attacked. Then, after a few random turns on the ground, Celseus crawled forward and hid behind me. Oh gosh, how could he be this frightened even though he was the Swordsman God!?
Rosalie’s one eye was staring at her ugly, discolored arm. She laughed with a sense of self-mockery.
「I hold the power of demons in my own human body…This is an application technique of one of the former Four General Kings of the Demon King’s army, Death Magra. I got this power to compete against the dragons.」
Death Magra, she said…Wasn’t he the one who created 10,000 undead, and the incredible monster Dark Fires, whose liability was only ice magic!
「Rosalie!! Is your body fine with such a thing!?」
「Who knows. 」
「You don’t know!? 」
「I don’t care about my body. Even if this body falls into darkness, my number one priority is to defeat the God Dragon King. My resolve is different from people like you.」
I was so terrified that I couldn’t even respond to her. The demons around me, like Rosalie, were staring fixedly at Seiya, Celseus and me. Then, Chaos Makina smiled amidst the heavy atmosphere that engulfed the whole space of the abandoned building.
「Oh, c’mon, princess. You shouldn’t be saying that. The hero and the goddess are trying to help us.」
Then, for a few seconds, she stared attentively at Rosalie. Soon, Rosalie bowed to me as if she realized something important.
「Excuse myself. I just wish that you guys had come to Geabrande sooner…I guess that you had your own circumstances.」
「Eh, yes…Well… 」
「Forgive my disrespectful behavior. There’s no doubt that you are a valuable force.」
Ehh…Rosalie calmed down after Chaos Makina instructed her to be kinder with us. There really was a trusting relationship between the humans and the demons…
「Goddess and hero. Will you cooperate with the demon-human alliance?」
「Yes! Gladly! 」
I was relieved to hear that. On the other hand, Seiya showed a tough-looking face. And then…
「Automatic Phoenix. 」
In an instant, more than a dozen of firebirds flew out of Seiya’s body and wandered around in the abandoned building!
「Se…Seiya!? Why did you invoke that so suddenly!? 」
Not only I, but also Rosalie and the demons were astounded at this sudden act. However, Seiya spoke quickly as if it were something normal.
「Because this place is cold. It should be warm, don’t you agree?」
Rosalie’s one eye opened widely while staring at the many flying birds of fire.
「We…Well, I guess so…It certainly has a hot and warm air coming right now…」
Rosalie had an expression on her face that looked quite “puzzling”…I couldn’t even understand that meaning!! He used Automatic Phoenix because it was cold inside!? What the heck did that mean!?
But, without saying much, he turned his back on Rosalie and began to walk away.
「First, I’d like to see the tool shops and weapons shops in this town…Let’s go.」
「Wha…What! Wait a minute, Seiya! 」
Leaving Rosalie with a stunned look, Celseus and I left the abandoned building in a hurry in order to follow Seiya.
—
「…He…Hey!! What’s that!? 」
「Are those birds made of fire magic!? 」
「Why did that person bring out so much of them!? 」
Every time Seiya walked in the streets, the people and demons of the town of Igle looked surprisingly at us. Naturally. Dozens of Automatic Phoenixes were flying around and above us. I could hear the movement of their fiery wings. Celseus and I made several excuses to the townspeople to explain Seiya’s bizarre actions. We often explained 「Ohohoh. These birds will warm this place a little bit. 」, or 「Well, they’re like pets. Ahahah. 」to the stunned townspeople. After the attention faded away, I finally asked Seiya.
「Li…Listen, Seiya. If you are that cold, why don’t you take your cloak out of the luggage for items? I thought that you overdone it a moment ago…」
「I don’t need it. Actually, I don’t feel that cold. 」
「Eh!? Then why!? 」
「Automatic Phoenix is a means of self-defense. 」
「Self-defense? 」
「It seems that you didn’t understand what I told you before. I clearly said, “you mustn’t be caught off guard by anyone in this world.” Of course, that applied to Rosalie as well.」
「Do…Don’t tell me that…you thought that Rosalie would attack us!?」
「That’s a possibility. She was angry with you, but after talking to Chaos Makina, her attitude changed radically.」
「But, I didn’t feel any animosity towards us, did you? 」
「Rosalie revealed her devil’s arm to us. However, there was no technique called “Unseal” in her status.」
「Tha…That’s true! That thing wasn’t any technique nor special skill… 」
「So, there is a possibility that she’s hiding her animosity towards us as well. Anyway, don’t be careless.」
It was hard to image that Rosalie, who had a straightforward personality, would deceive us. However, Mash and Rosalie of this world were not the people whom we knew.
…Seiya’s reasoning had a point! If Rosalie had become crazy like Mash, then we’d have to “stop” her as well!
I firmly believed so, but Seiya threw an icy gaze into the sky and declared the following.
「I will have to kill Rosalie, along with Mash of course, if she becomes a hindrance to the saving quest of the Twisted Geabrande.」
「Ehhhhhhhhh!? Weren’t you going to just stop them!? 」
「Yeah, stop them. I’ll have to make sure that I’ll stop the root of their breath.」
「What, so the meaning of your “stop” is stop the root of their breath!!」
I shouted at him upon hearing the words of the person who didn’t sound like a hero. But, I noticed that Seiya’s face was quite serious-looking. Worse than that actually. He stared back at me with piercing eyes.
「What are you talking about? Although I don’t believe in every word professed by that Hades fella, I still experienced the twisted world during the battle against the Death Emperor. There’s no doubt that this is a phantom world created by Merseys. And if Mash is the cause of the twist that is corrupting this world, then I’ll kill him…That’s all.」
「Hmm… 」
「If you want to meet the real Mash and the real Rosalie, we’ll have to crush this twisted fantasy world as soon as possible.」
After saying those words, Seiya pointed in the direction of the place where Rosalie was staying at with his distant eyes.
「…Fine. I’ll leave everything to those guys, the so-called demon-human alliance.」
「Seiya, aren’t you going to do it yourself!? 」
「I’ll leave everything in their hands because they want to do it themselves so badly. Wouldn’t it be perfect if the old Rosalie and the resurrected demon defeated Mash?」
「The…Then, what do you plan to do in the meantime, Seiya?」
「Let’s see. I will say something appropriate to them, such as “I’ll protect this town”, but in the meantime, I’ll study in order to find a way to defeat Merseys.」
「Does that mean that we’re going back to the Underworld!?」
「Yeah. But before that, I want to take a walk around this town. I don’t think there’s much in here, but I want to be certain.」
Then, Seiya proceeded to walk towards the center of this town. I sighed heavily while looking at his back.
「Ah. He sounded as if this quest was another person’s affair.」
Celseus stared at me and made a wondering face.
「But, come to think of it, maybe his reasoning isn’t that wrong, you know? No matter what happens in this world, I think it will be okay to leave it alone. Let’s not forget that this is a fake world created by Merseys after all.」
「You’re probably right, but… 」
I agreed with Celseus’ response, well some part of it. But, at the same time, I couldn’t understand this way of thinking.
…Was it really okay for us to stay in the sidelines like this?
…The God Dragon King Mash that used the Holy Sword Egzation to control this world. In order to counter this rule, the demon-human alliance was trying to revive the legendary demon named Lucifer Crow. It won’t take long until both sides clashed with one another.
Seiya was in a state of disbelief about what was going on here and didn’t want to take part in any of it. However, the Twisted Geabrande was trying to tell us exactly what was going on. And this conflict was about to be revealed soon enough.
Chapter 134: Leaving it to others
「Sorry, Rosalie…But, did you say Mash? 」
「Mash Dragonite. That’s the name of the God Dragon King.」
Every time I thought about Mash, what came to my mind was a cheerful and bright boy with spiky hair.
The eyes of Chaos Makina emitted a ferocious light, as if they finally exposed the true nature of a devil.
「Even his female dragon companion, whom he grew up with, exchanged her life to be his sword! Since then, the dragon people have killed countless of demons and humans…!」
…A female dragon companion, whom the Dragon King grew up together!! Was she talking about Elle!? A…And, the sword, she probably meant…The holy sword Egzation!!
My desire for a different fate shattered on this very moment. There was no doubt about this! Mash was the Dragon King! And…worse than that! Elle was no longer in this world…!
Contrary to an upsetting me, Seiya asked Rosalie with a calm voice.
「Okay I get it, but to be certain, is that female dragon’s name “Elle”?」
「Yeah. They began to worship her as the Holy Angel after she died.」
For me, this story was horrifying and quite unsettling. Still, Seiya wasn’t that surprised.
「I anticipated this. We managed to defeat the god of death Tanathus and the Demon King by using the Celestial Prison-Gate twice. So, it’s not surprising to see that the holy sword Egzation finally appeared in this twisted world as it was the only thing that never appeared on our previous quest.」
「Then, that means that Mash really “did that” to Elle…」
The word “kill” sounded too scary for me, so I couldn’t say it out loud. I felt that my head was in a state of panic. Besides, the Egzation was made to defeat the Demon King, but why was Mash the one to wield it in order to kill everybody else? And wasn’t Egzation a sword that only the hero could handle in the first place?
Seiya took a small breath.
「In other words, I’ll have to stop Mash in order to restore this twisted world.」
「Ah…Tha…That’s right! 」
I nodded upon hearing Seiya’s words. I…I see! Seiya was correct! We’ll just have to stop him instead of killing him!
We knew the real Mash. He was a good child who was honest and brave. But in this Twisted Geabrande, Seiya and I had never appeared before. So, Mash may had suffered tremendous hardships and gone completely mad. I wanted to stop Mash’s current outrage. However, it would be pointless to say these thoughts to Rosalie now.
「We really want to cooperate with you, Rosalie! Let’s fight together!」
「…Didn’t I refuse it moments ago?」
「Seiya is strong, you know! He’ll be a great asset to the demon-human alliance!」
「Well, defeating Hydra is certainly admirable. But, over the past decade, we’ve also succeeded in defeating strong dragons of the executive class. We managed to reduce their numbers in half. If he just managed to beat a dragon like Hydra, then he won’t be able to defeat other superior dragons. This is an extreme example, but he’s no good if he can’t defeat Chaos Makina and myself at the same time.」
「Defeat you, Rosalie? Ah, you don’t have to go that far just to refuse us…」
The Rosalie I knew before was a “naïve princess”, who resembled the reckless Seiya in many ways. However, the aura that emanated from the woman in front of me was so intimidating that it astounded me.
…Hmm…Yes, this Rosalie had definitely a great force! In fact, she had tremendous status far beyond what was possible for humans…!
Rosalie put her hand on Chaos Makina’s shoulder after she looked at me.
「More importantly, I’d like to see the magical demonic seal.」
「Yes. Let’s go, let’s go. 」
「He…Hey!! What!? Wait a second!! 」
I followed Rosalie in a hurry as she tried to leave us behind.
—
「…I apologize. Please, forgive the princess’ rude behavior.」
Rosalie and Chaos Makina walked ahead on the snow. We followed them behind, and then, Flasika bowed down to us in apology. I asked him with a bitter smile.
「Flasika. What kind of demon is Rosalie going to revive?」
「Lucifer Crow. He is a legendary demon that even the Demon King was afraid of his presence. Because of his constant fear, the Demon King sealed him with a powerful dark seal. He has a special skill which is a magical bow. Lucifer Crow’s arrow is said to have reached the Eines’ Plains from Mount Grastra.」
「Is…Is it really okay to revive such a dangerous demon? You don’t know, but he could end up attacking humans…」
「Certainly. It might be difficult for Lucifer Crow, who has been resurrected, to understand the current situation of our demon-human alliance. But, when that time comes, the Testament will be useful.」
「Ah… 」
Indeed, they made a Testament so strong that even Seiya’s power couldn’t destroy it. That’s why Flasika was sure that the Testament would help them with the resurrected demon. Suddenly, I noticed that Celseus was murmuring, 「Hmm. 」. I whispered to Celseus.
「You find it strange too, am I right? I feel that something is not quite right. After all, they are trying to revive a demon that was feared by the Demon King himself.」
「No…Actually, I was thinking about Mash. Isn’t he that young boy whom I taught my swordsmanship a long time ago? I can’t imagine that that kind-hearted boy would be the cruel man who rules this world.」
「Ah, that part of the story. Ah well, I think the same as you.」
「If it’s Mash we’re talking about, can’t we somehow talk with him?」
「Hmm. I don’t know if he is being manipulated by a bad guy. But, I think that we’ll have to wake up Mash than actually defeat him…Hey, isn’t that right, Seiya!」
I smiled at Seiya, but he kept walking silently.
「Huh? Seiya? 」
In the meantime, Rosalie stopped in front of a large building made of stone. I never imagined that the shabby town of Igle had a rather fine building. At the entrance, the cow-headed demon saluted Rosalie with a spear.
I followed Flasika. Then, I was utterly surprised when I came inside. Demons of numerous appearances surrounded a huge black object in order to protect it. That object was probably five meters long.
「Is…Is that the magical demonic seal? 」
That object looked like crystal rather than rock. The object had several cracks on the jet-black surface. It looked like an egg. It seemed that something was about to hatch pretty soon.
Rosalie saw the cracks and nodded with satisfaction. Soon after, she asked a nearby demon the following question.
「How much more will it take him to be resurrected? 」
「About a hundred or so. 」
「I see. A hundred huh. We’ve finally reached this far. 」
Chaos Makina clapped her hands with happiness.
「That’s right, if the expedition of Demon Sword is successful, I’m sure that Lucifer Crow will be resurrected!」
The demons inside the building cheered aloud upon hearing Chaos Makina’s words. A devilish and ominous aura emanated from the cracked demonic seal object…I had a very bad feeling about it.
「Excuse me…But, I think it’s better for you not to revive that thing…」
I spoke with Rosalie quite reluctantly. Then, the air around her changed dramatically, and I saw that Rosalie altered her complexion.
「Lucifer Crow’s resurrection has been a long and common desire for both us humans and demons alike!」
「Bu…But, you don’t have to do that now, since Seiya will… 」
「No! I already told you that I don’t need your hero! 」
Then, she grabbed my upper garments with a terrifying expression.
「What!? 」
「You’ve been irritating me since you’ve arrived!! Then, why didn’t you come thirteen years ago when mankind was in the brink of extinction!! Your arrival is too late!!」
I couldn’t say, 「I’m finally here now! 」. It was true that Seiya and I didn’t appear on this Twisted Geabrande before.
「I don’t need a hero or a goddess! In addition…」
Rosalie let go of me and pointed to Celseus, who was standing next to me.
「I have absolutely no use of a normal human warrior!」
「That’s rude!! I’m a god!! No matter how high is your status, you’re just a normal human!!」
「…I’m no longer human. 」
「Ahh!? What is this woman talking about!! 」
Rosalie muttered the following words while ignoring an angry Celseus.
「Unseal. 」
For a brief moment, Rosalie’s right arm transformed into a monstrous arm! It grew sharp claws, and it turned into a mottled arm where black and red were mixed up together! And from this point…
「Ohhh!? Evil!! She’s scary!! 」
Even though she didn’t do anything, Celseus jumped away as if he were about to be attacked. Then, after a few random turns on the ground, Celseus crawled forward and hid behind me. Oh gosh, how could he be this frightened even though he was the Swordsman God!?
Rosalie’s one eye was staring at her ugly, discolored arm. She laughed with a sense of self-mockery.
「I hold the power of demons in my own human body…This is an application technique of one of the former Four General Kings of the Demon King’s army, Death Magra. I got this power to compete against the dragons.」
Death Magra, she said…Wasn’t he the one who created 10,000 undead, and the incredible monster Dark Fires, whose liability was only ice magic!
「Rosalie!! Is your body fine with such a thing!?」
「Who knows. 」
「You don’t know!? 」
「I don’t care about my body. Even if this body falls into darkness, my number one priority is to defeat the God Dragon King. My resolve is different from people like you.」
I was so terrified that I couldn’t even respond to her. The demons around me, like Rosalie, were staring fixedly at Seiya, Celseus and me. Then, Chaos Makina smiled amidst the heavy atmosphere that engulfed the whole space of the abandoned building.
「Oh, c’mon, princess. You shouldn’t be saying that. The hero and the goddess are trying to help us.」
Then, for a few seconds, she stared attentively at Rosalie. Soon, Rosalie bowed to me as if she realized something important.
「Excuse myself. I just wish that you guys had come to Geabrande sooner…I guess that you had your own circumstances.」
「Eh, yes…Well… 」
「Forgive my disrespectful behavior. There’s no doubt that you are a valuable force.」
Ehh…Rosalie calmed down after Chaos Makina instructed her to be kinder with us. There really was a trusting relationship between the humans and the demons…
「Goddess and hero. Will you cooperate with the demon-human alliance?」
「Yes! Gladly! 」
I was relieved to hear that. On the other hand, Seiya showed a tough-looking face. And then…
「Automatic Phoenix. 」
In an instant, more than a dozen of firebirds flew out of Seiya’s body and wandered around in the abandoned building!
「Se…Seiya!? Why did you invoke that so suddenly!? 」
Not only I, but also Rosalie and the demons were astounded at this sudden act. However, Seiya spoke quickly as if it were something normal.
「Because this place is cold. It should be warm, don’t you agree?」
Rosalie’s one eye opened widely while staring at the many flying birds of fire.
「We…Well, I guess so…It certainly has a hot and warm air coming right now…」
Rosalie had an expression on her face that looked quite “puzzling”…I couldn’t even understand that meaning!! He used Automatic Phoenix because it was cold inside!? What the heck did that mean!?
But, without saying much, he turned his back on Rosalie and began to walk away.
「First, I’d like to see the tool shops and weapons shops in this town…Let’s go.」
「Wha…What! Wait a minute, Seiya! 」
Leaving Rosalie with a stunned look, Celseus and I left the abandoned building in a hurry in order to follow Seiya.
—
「…He…Hey!! What’s that!? 」
「Are those birds made of fire magic!? 」
「Why did that person bring out so much of them!? 」
Every time Seiya walked in the streets, the people and demons of the town of Igle looked surprisingly at us. Naturally. Dozens of Automatic Phoenixes were flying around and above us. I could hear the movement of their fiery wings. Celseus and I made several excuses to the townspeople to explain Seiya’s bizarre actions. We often explained 「Ohohoh. These birds will warm this place a little bit. 」, or 「Well, they’re like pets. Ahahah. 」to the stunned townspeople. After the attention faded away, I finally asked Seiya.
「Li…Listen, Seiya. If you are that cold, why don’t you take your cloak out of the luggage for items? I thought that you overdone it a moment ago…」
「I don’t need it. Actually, I don’t feel that cold. 」
「Eh!? Then why!? 」
「Automatic Phoenix is a means of self-defense. 」
「Self-defense? 」
「It seems that you didn’t understand what I told you before. I clearly said, “you mustn’t be caught off guard by anyone in this world.” Of course, that applied to Rosalie as well.」
「Do…Don’t tell me that…you thought that Rosalie would attack us!?」
「That’s a possibility. She was angry with you, but after talking to Chaos Makina, her attitude changed radically.」
「But, I didn’t feel any animosity towards us, did you? 」
「Rosalie revealed her devil’s arm to us. However, there was no technique called “Unseal” in her status.」
「Tha…That’s true! That thing wasn’t any technique nor special skill… 」
「So, there is a possibility that she’s hiding her animosity towards us as well. Anyway, don’t be careless.」
It was hard to image that Rosalie, who had a straightforward personality, would deceive us. However, Mash and Rosalie of this world were not the people whom we knew.
…Seiya’s reasoning had a point! If Rosalie had become crazy like Mash, then we’d have to “stop” her as well!
I firmly believed so, but Seiya threw an icy gaze into the sky and declared the following.
「I will have to kill Rosalie, along with Mash of course, if she becomes a hindrance to the saving quest of the Twisted Geabrande.」
「Ehhhhhhhhh!? Weren’t you going to just stop them!? 」
「Yeah, stop them. I’ll have to make sure that I’ll stop the root of their breath.」
「What, so the meaning of your “stop” is stop the root of their breath!!」
I shouted at him upon hearing the words of the person who didn’t sound like a hero. But, I noticed that Seiya’s face was quite serious-looking. Worse than that actually. He stared back at me with piercing eyes.
「What are you talking about? Although I don’t believe in every word professed by that Hades fella, I still experienced the twisted world during the battle against the Death Emperor. There’s no doubt that this is a phantom world created by Merseys. And if Mash is the cause of the twist that is corrupting this world, then I’ll kill him…That’s all.」
「Hmm… 」
「If you want to meet the real Mash and the real Rosalie, we’ll have to crush this twisted fantasy world as soon as possible.」
After saying those words, Seiya pointed in the direction of the place where Rosalie was staying at with his distant eyes.
「…Fine. I’ll leave everything to those guys, the so-called demon-human alliance.」
「Seiya, aren’t you going to do it yourself!? 」
「I’ll leave everything in their hands because they want to do it themselves so badly. Wouldn’t it be perfect if the old Rosalie and the resurrected demon defeated Mash?」
「The…Then, what do you plan to do in the meantime, Seiya?」
「Let’s see. I will say something appropriate to them, such as “I’ll protect this town”, but in the meantime, I’ll study in order to find a way to defeat Merseys.」
「Does that mean that we’re going back to the Underworld!?」
「Yeah. But before that, I want to take a walk around this town. I don’t think there’s much in here, but I want to be certain.」
Then, Seiya proceeded to walk towards the center of this town. I sighed heavily while looking at his back.
「Ah. He sounded as if this quest was another person’s affair.」
Celseus stared at me and made a wondering face.
「But, come to think of it, maybe his reasoning isn’t that wrong, you know? No matter what happens in this world, I think it will be okay to leave it alone. Let’s not forget that this is a fake world created by Merseys after all.」
「You’re probably right, but… 」
I agreed with Celseus’ response, well some part of it. But, at the same time, I couldn’t understand this way of thinking.
…Was it really okay for us to stay in the sidelines like this?
…The God Dragon King Mash that used the Holy Sword Egzation to control this world. In order to counter this rule, the demon-human alliance was trying to revive the legendary demon named Lucifer Crow. It won’t take long until both sides clashed with one another.
Seiya was in a state of disbelief about what was going on here and didn’t want to take part in any of it. However, the Twisted Geabrande was trying to tell us exactly what was going on. And this conflict was about to be revealed soon enough.
