Yuna met Ariel first before the battle against the Great Sage.
She thought she should at least tell her about Johan’s situation.
“So Johan is safe, then?”
“Mhmm. But he still has to act like he’s dead. You know why, right?”
“I guess he’s planning to do something again somewhere I don’t know about.”
Ariel gave a soft smile and nodded at Yuna’s words.
She knew Johan was working hard somewhere out of sight.
He always had been.
“But why are you telling me this? If you want to deceive the enemy, it’s best to deceive your allies first.”
It would have been better to tell Ariel that Johan was dead.
Right now, Yuna outwardly looked like someone who was devastated and worn down, unable to even take care of herself. That was because she was the kind of actress who could completely change the atmosphere.
If Yuna had lied, Ariel wouldn’t have been able to help but believe her.
So could it be that, out of consideration, she told her the truth?
“Puhihi, that’s funny, Lady Ariel. Do you really think you can stay calm?”
“……”
“What would you do if you didn’t manage a ticking bomb like an archmage?”
Ariel’s rampage wouldn’t end as a mere personal deviation. She was practically a strategic weapon, so if she were to go out of control, it wouldn’t be only the enemy who suffered damage.
“And someone like you, Lady Ariel, shouldn’t have any problem acting either. You can just stay expressionless like you always do.”
“Is that so.”
Ariel nodded.
It was a reasonable explanation. Still, there was something she could tell.
“What do you gain from this?”
“Puhihihi.”
Yuna laughed.
It was chilling eerie laugh.
Even knowing it was an act, it was enough to make even Ariel flinch.
“Hold the Great Sage in place.”
“I was planning to do that even if you didn’t tell me.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Only then did Ariel realize that Yuna wasn’t acting.
That sticky, suffocating killing intent was something no lie could ever fabricate.
“I mean it literally. Tie down the Great Sage’s feet.”
Yuna was an assassin.
She was also a slaughterer who had killed her own family and countless others.
She had witnessed countless deaths. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had walked a path paved with blood and flesh.
That was why she could not tolerate the Great Sage, who defiled death.
“I’m the one who’s going to kill him.”
From the moment Faust used her adoptive father—
“Without fail.”
There had never been a single time she did not hate him.
***
The Guillotine Knights, led by the two imperial members, were easily overwhelming the forces of the Under Chain.
These were individuals who normally spread out across regions to handle incidents and disasters, now gathered in one place.
This was precisely why those who had been committing acts of terror beneath the Empire’s surface had no choice but to operate in hiding until now.
“Five.”
“I’ve got twelve on this side.”
Monsters worth a hundred men each.
The Guillotine Knights leisurely cut down the Under Chain’s elites, who wielded chains.
Despite their numerical advantage, the Under Chain’s only real edge was their lack of fear toward death.
But even that was something that made it difficult, even for the Guillotine Knights.
“Casualties?”
“Three.”
Against a force numbering in the hundreds, only three casualties.
But considering there were only around fifty of them, it wasn’t something they could feel optimistic about.
On any battlefield, those who are prepared to die are always the most troublesome opponents.
Even the Guillotine Knights couldn’t respond to every tactic thrown at them by enemies who fought with death as a given.
“As expected, we have to take their heads…”
An army made up entirely of such fighters.
Even if they weren’t defeated, the toll on their weapons and stamina was severe.
Overwhelming morale.
To break that, there was only one option: eliminate the leader.
The reason they could charge forward without fearing death was likely because they believed the Great Sage could erase death itself from this world.
But for the Guillotine Knights, even approaching Faust was a life-risking task.
And even if they managed to get close, that was another problem.
It might be impossible to kill Faust at all.
The leader of the Under Chain, one who understood the concept of death more than anyone else.
There was no guarantee he would die even if his head were severed or his heart pierced.
Perhaps the only ones who could truly bring him down were the imperial royals who wielded the Authority of Destruction.
“Hear this! Executioners who claim to be the blade of His Majesty the great Emperor!”
That was why they did everything they could.
They would bind down all of the Under Chain’s forces.
The Guillotine Knights willingly took on roles like expendable pawns.
Only one thing remained.
“Praise the sun!”
“Their Highnesses Theseus and Lobelia will bring down the Great Sage!”
“Block them so not a single one escapes!”
All they could do was trust that the imperial members they served would accomplish it.
The knights threw themselves into the fight without hesitation.
A clash of monsters, each willing to embrace death, unfolded like a vision of hell.
And upon that blood-soaked battlefield—
Slash!
A clown dressed in a riot of colors walked forward as if taking a stroll.
Safe Clown, Yuna’s full power.
A brutality she could never show in front of the one she loved.
Flowers bloomed around her.
A flower garden decorated with corpses, where red shoes stepped forward.
“Puhihihihihi!!”
The clown, looking utterly insane, drew everyone’s attention. It was impossible to look away.
And in the instant their attention was stolen, unseen blades unfailingly severed their necks.
Where their heads fell, flowers bloomed as if in their place.
Using assassination and illusion magic, she dominated the battlefield alone.
The enemies fell for the same trick again and again, yet they couldn’t stop it.
Her appearance was grotesque, and the carnage she created was horrifying.
Even for a moment, if their eyes were drawn to that dazzling yet terrible sight, the next head to fall would be their own.
They knew that, and yet they couldn’t help it.
Even enemies who did not fear death had their limits.
“What the hell…”
“What are we supposed to do about that?!”
A fear born from instinctive, unnatural movement.
A terror driven by curiosity that neither conviction nor blind faith could suppress.
Yuna spread that fear, carving her presence into the battlefield.
All for a single moment.
“I knew it already, but what a truly desirable talent.”
“Lobelia, wasn’t she your retainer?”
“Unfortunately not.”
Lobelia glanced at Yuna before turning her head back.
Before them stood the leader of the dark mages, his body draped in countless chains.
“Whatever the case, let’s deal with him first.”
“Agreed.”
And so, the two imperial members stepped forward to face the harbinger of death.
***
Through the Oracle’s power, we moved to the Under Chain’s stronghold.
It was a trick made possible because we could track the location of their stronghold through Theseus.
“So, what will you do now?”
“Well, let’s set three main objectives for now.”
How to deal damage to Faust, how to track down Ollie’s location, and how to persuade her.
Those three, for now.
“And the method?”
“There isn’t one. We’ll just have to run into it head-on.”
There was no proper solution. For now, the best option was to search on foot.
Searching for a single person in such a vast space was dangerous.
“…The Under Chain’s stronghold is quite large. And we don’t have that much time, do we?”
“No, we probably have plenty of time. Even if not, we can at least make an escape. The Great Sage’s spatial movement ability is limited to individuals.”
This was the second time coming to the Under Chain’s stronghold.
Last time, I was moved along with Cattleya, with the building and all.
More precisely, the building disappeared and only the people were transported.
The true nature of Faust’s ability was spatial movement targeting individuals rather than groups.
Using that, he swapped the positions of two people.
Faust’s ability couldn’t move large numbers of people at once.
If it could, he wouldn’t have needed to borrow the Wonder Mage’s power in the first place.
“So there’s no way that massive army will return all at once.”
“Even so, there are still many dark mages here.”
“That’s true. Which is why moving without being noticed is crucial. And for that, we’ll need this.”
“Ah, that! I understand now!”
I lifted Mistiltein.
It’s an item that allows you to summon and communicate with the avatar of the World Tree.
And the summoned avatar of the World Tree is invisible to ordinary people and can move within a certain range centered around Mistilteinn.
From what I checked earlier, it’s roughly a 30-meter radius.
In other words, I can perceive anything that enters that 30-meter radius.
“That’s a good plan. Though it would be useless if an enemy detects us from beyond 30 meters.”
“…That’s something we’ll just have to be careful about.”
If they had senses sharp enough to perceive us from that far away, then running away would be the best option from the start.
We’re not exactly amateurs either. The Oracle can hide within the gaps of the world, and I’m a disciple trained under the strongest assassin in the world.
“Very well. Then, Johan Damus, may I ask one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“This child?”
“I am not a child. I am the great demon, Mephistopheles.”
“…I see you’re dragging around something quite like yourself. Now, could you explain what role this child plays?”
“…Hah.”
A sigh slipped out.
Why does this girl insist on materializing and making things difficult for me? I can’t recall a single time she’s ever been helpful.
She at least used to hide her appearance.
Come to think of it, this is the first time the Oracle has directly perceived Mephi.
It’s surprising that someone who can even perceive the World Tree couldn’t perceive a demon… but then again, unlike the World Tree, her true body exists outside the world, so maybe that makes sense.
Anyway.
“She said she wanted to come along.”
Though right now, she’s basically just a stubborn brat.
“Faust is a rather insidious man. Don’t let your guard down just because things seem easy. Stay cautious.”
“So she says.”
“I see you’re bringing up things we already know. I doubt she’ll be of much help.”
“You really hit the nail on the head.”
To understand exactly what kind of being she is after just one exchange.
The Oracle must be pretty sharp.
“Hey! Take me seriously! I’ll be useful too! There’s no one who knows that guy better than I do!”
“So she says.”
“And why is that?”
“Hmm.”
I paused to think for a moment.
How should I explain the ill-fated relationship between Mephi and Faust?
It has to be short and concise.
“This one’s the root cause of what made Faust that way.”
“……?”
Alright, a perfect summary.
“Understood.”
The Oracle pulled out a tarot card from her chest. She’s not about to tell a fortune in the face of something this serious.
I’ve already experienced what that thing is used for.
Smack!
“Gah?!”
The tarot card slammed squarely into Mephi’s face. Taking a quick look, the card was [Justice].
In other words, it bore the meaning of justice. I don’t know how to read fortunes, but I could understand that much.
“Talk about justice served.”
It was a refreshingly decisive judgment.
“What is the meaning of this! How can someone be this cruel! This is outrageous! Why is it that everyone around you is like this, Johan?!”
It really is outrageous.
Even that fiery act of justice couldn’t actually cause Mephi any pain.
“Johan Damus, why is it that there’s nothing but things like this around you?”
“Right, and I’d appreciate it if you remembered that you’re included in those ‘things’ too.”
The way they point fingers at each other’s flaws is utterly ridiculous.
Seriously, how is it that everyone around me is full of flaws like this…?
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