“Gotcha♪”
“What!?”
Amor, his Magic Stone exposed after being slashed by Feld’s Combat Art, saw the figure of a black-haired girl with a faint smile fluttering in the wind.
“Carlaaaaa!”
Amor, his Magic Stone—the vital point of his life activity—touched, frantically swung his arms. However, his enlarged body, prioritizing simple attack power and defense, couldn’t properly target Carla behind him.
“You, were you aiming for my Magic Stone from the start!?”
“That’s right. Because you were a nuisance.”
If she had gone all out from the beginning, she could have burned Amor, even in his Undead state, to ashes. But that would have meant sacrificing Carla’s own life.
She no longer had any attachment to “life.” Even so, she had no intention of dying before plunging the Royal Capital into a sea of fire and blood, and settling things with that girl.
More than that…
“Being bothered by a trivial existence like you is unpleasant.”
An enormous flame overflowed from the hand grasping Amor’s halved Magic Stone, burning Amor’s life and body away.
Both had wished for a Gift from the Spirits, but while Amor sought power beyond his capacity due to his low self-esteem, Carla wished for an advance payment on the power she would eventually obtain.
From the beginning, Carla had no intention of accomplishing anything with “someone else’s” power.
The reason people can’t use Magic beyond their rank is because they lack the Mana Control and the technique to construct the Magic, causing them to consume several times the normal amount of Mana.
But Carla had estimated that with the infinite Mana of the Soulthorn, she could use Magic up to two levels higher.
Carla was confident that in another dozen years or so, she could reach Magic Level 7 with her own ability alone. It wasn’t because she was a genius, but because she was a talented type, she could see the path to that point. But at the same time, she realized that she wouldn’t live that long.
That’s why Carla, then eleven years old, decided to discard her remaining life and borrow the “power of her own” that she would eventually obtain.
She was able to make that decision because of that girl—Aria.
She fought that girl, seeking “salvation” in “death.” Dyeing this country, which had driven her life mad, in blood had become nothing more than a “stage” for “dancing” with Aria someday.
Carla felt displeasure at the fact that a “fake” with no real resolve was trying to step onto that grand stage as if it were their own.
“Now, what will you do? ‘Prince Amor’… You’re going to die, you know?”
“Damn you!”
Provoked by Carla’s words, Amor released Mana from his Magic Stone in anger, trying to repel Carla. Amor’s Mana resisted the flames, and it was evenly matched with Carla’s Mana, but even if it avoided the destruction of the Magic Stone, the overflowing flames burned Amor’s body, where the Mana had thinned.
“…What’s that?”
“Jesha, don’t let your attention wander! There are still enemies!”
Dolton shouted at Jesha, who had muttered in a daze at the sight, as if to bring her back to her senses.
It’s not that Dolton wasn’t concerned. Feld, who had been fighting until then, was even more so. Even so, he realized that the battle was like Aria’s “battle beyond the bounds of humanity” when she fought the Black Dragon, and he believed that concentrating on his own work was the pride of an Adventurer.
However, not everyone could be so detached. Even in a situation where no one could interfere or even approach the clash of Mana, the Rainbow Sword, immediately switching its focus, defeated the Second Knight Order, who were confused and trying to support Amor, whether out of loyalty or instinct towards the higher-ranking Undead.
“Guoooooo…”
As a result, that action became support for Carla, and seeing it, Amor, for the first time, let out a groan of impatience, desperately trying to shake off Carla.
“What’s wrong? Is that your limit? But don’t worry…”
But Carla, as if further provoking Amor, whispered softly, so that only he could hear, while gripping his Magic Stone.
“–I’ll make sure to kill that parasitic woman too–“
“What…”
At those words, Amor’s only remaining “human” face, which had been half-transformed into a monster, distorted.
There was only one person Carla would use a derogatory term for and Amor would care about. Realizing this, Amor’s spirit, which had been more than halfway transformed into a monster, returned to being human, and the heart of the person who loved her unleashed power beyond its limits.
People’s feelings, whether pure love or twisted obsession, create strong power.
“Like hell I’ll let you!”
Amor’s power, released while shedding tears of blood and even scraping away at his soul, not to mention his life and lifespan, once again matched Carla’s Mana, which had been trying to crush him, and gradually began to push it back.
“Kieaaaaaaa!”
Crack!!
Amor’s Magic Stone cracked, unable to withstand the clash of power and output. But at that moment, an enormous power overflowed, finally blowing Carla away.
Carla, blown away, brushed off the fragments of the Magic Stone remaining in her hand like dust, and smiled faintly, as if praising a child who had successfully counted.
“Guoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
Amor tried to hold his body together with the cracked Magic Stone, but his tattered body did not regenerate, and the Worms that had begun to die began to peel off.
“I will!”
Gradually, the color of reason disappeared from Amor’s eyes. Even so, whether it was the power of his remaining will or the heart that loved the girl, his rolling eyeballs turned towards the Royal Capital.
“Liciaaaaaaa!”
Amor, raising a voice as if he had lost his mind, began to run in that direction with his collapsing body.
No one could stop Amor, who kicked the ground with his hands and feet like a beast and ran towards the Royal Capital. Carla, who was the only one with the power to stop him in this place, saw him off without stopping him, and flew into the sky, fluttering her undulating black hair, and chased after Amor.
“Saint-sama… Are we not to move?”
At the Holy Church’s Temple in the Royal Capital, a Temple Knight who was standing by Saint Licia’s side asked in a hushed voice, and the girl, who was looking at the scenery of the Royal Capital from the window, quietly shook her head.
“No, it’s not necessary.”
Within the Holy Church, in the “Saint Licia Faction” centered on the Temple Knights, those at the center had grasped Prince Amor’s actions.
On the contrary, Amor and the hard-liners centered on the Second Knight Order and the Temple Knight Order had secretly conspired, and the Temple Knight Order was supposed to stall the First Knight Order, which would sortie at the same time as Amor attacked the Frontier Count House.
Saint Licia was not involved in that operation. This was partly because she herself did not have the education to understand it, but Amor and the Temple Knights, the Saint’s devotees, deliberately did not involve her in such “trivial matters.”
However, it was that Saint Licia who gave the devil instructions to do so.
“…But, what will you do if His Highness fails?”
The Temple Knight showed an uneasy face at Licia’s firm statement that she would not provide support.
The purpose of this operation is for Amor to stand on the front lines and weaken the Royalist Faction’s power in the form of a “rebellion.” The Temple Knight Order is only behind the scenes and will not appear on the front lines.
Amor was planning to defeat the two Frontier Count Houses, then defeat the First Knight Order one by one as they appeared, while reducing the Knight Order’s strength and hiding his appearance. Even if it looked like a short-sighted act of drawing a bow against the Royal Family from the sidelines, the neutral faction, which was currently leaning towards the Royalist Faction, would hesitate to openly participate in the Royalist Faction.
In the meantime, the Aristocratic Faction would seize control of the Knight Order and the central government, give Crown Prince Elvan the actual power as the next king, and the Holy Church would incite the people to push Licia as the Queen, and if the Aristocratic Faction seized actual power, they could do whatever they wanted.
In aristocratic society, no matter how “black” it may be, it can be made “white” as long as there is actual power.
But that’s only if Amor can defeat Dandole and Melrose. No matter how much power Amor has individually, victory will be difficult if the First Knight Order arrives in time.
If even one of Dandole and Melrose were missed, it was easy to imagine that they would not allow Amor’s outrage, which was the Saint’s faction, and would attack Crown Prince and Saint Licia for that reason.
Licia turned to the Temple Knight who voiced such anxiety and smiled softly.
“It’s okay. Let’s believe in Amor-sama.”
Saint Lichia didn’t believe Amor could win. With the power of the devil, Amor might have succeeded alone, but Lichia thought the chances of Amor’s rebellion succeeding were low, even if she stalled the First Knight Order.
To raise those slim odds of victory even slightly, she had Amor split into two.
By using the devil’s power, it was possible to create infinite replicas of the Worm with a shared consciousness with Amor. However, without the “Magic Stone,” which could be called Amor’s main body, regeneration was impossible, and the more the Magic Stone was divided, the more the regeneration power decreased.
Even so, numbers could still be a fighting force, but as the Magic Stone shrank, it became difficult to make even the devil’s power recognize it (that) as Amor, potentially rendering the Second Knight Order useless as a pawn.
More than that, Amor was terrified that further fragmentation would dilute his ego, turning him into a mere monster.
To simultaneously attack the two Frontier Count houses, they managed to split Amor by distorting his mind with the power of the devil and Lichia, but even after going that far, a certain victory was not guaranteed.
The reason was that there were two girls Lichia recognized as enemies.
She had a strong premonition that at least that Pink-Haired Girl would definitely interfere.
That’s why she decided to use her last “trump card” here.
Even within the Temple, this wasn’t Lichia’s private room. Lichia, turning away from the window overlooking the Royal Capital at night, approached the only bed in the room, took out a small glass bottle filled with liquid from her chest, and knelt beside the bed.
“Nasanitaru-kun, can you hear me?”
“…”
Nasanitaru, his skin pale and reduced to bone and skin, faintly opened his eyes and trembled his lips, but no words came out.
Looking at him now, no one would think he was still a fourteen-year-old boy. He was in such a state that it was a wonder he was still alive.
A squeezed husk, constantly drained of his soul and life force… The reason Nasanitaru had been kept alive until now was that he was the devil’s “legitimate Contract Holder.” He, who had made a contract with the devil with no proper knowledge and in a manner akin to fraud, was still alive because the devil had recognized her as a “provisional contractor,” as colluding with Lichia would yield more benefits.
Nasanitaru was kept alive by Lichia’s will. But that was about to end too.
“I’ve come to say ‘goodbye’ tonight.”
“…”
Nasanitaru’s eyes widened at Lichia’s words. Still unable to move, Lichia gazed at him affectionately, applied the liquid from the uncorked bottle to her lips like rouge, and gently pressed them against Nasanitaru’s trembling lips.
“――――ッ!”
Nasanitaru’s motionless body twitched, and the light disappeared from his tearful eyes.
At that moment, the maid… the Nightmare Colette, who had been standing behind Lichia like a Shadow, smiled brightly, her eyes glowing crimson.
“Now, shall we begin?”
What is Saint Lichia plotting?
And as expected, it couldn’t be contained in one chapter, so one more will follow.
Next time, the final battle with Amor! (Probably)