◆
A man rose amidst the darkness.
With eyes as sharp as a wolf's, he looked down at the coffin that had served as his vessel and muttered, "...Where am I?"
"What does it matter where you are? It has nothing to do with you. Or at least, it shouldn't," answered a voice slightly younger than his own.
"I’m just as surprised as you. I didn’t think you would actually respond... but that’s neither here nor there. The important thing is that you have returned from the Void."
"...And who the hell are you?"
"Whatever you want me to be. Oh, but I am the one who brought you back to life. If you’d like to thank me, please, feel free."
"Hmph... Heh-heh-heh..."
The man spat the words out. Immediately after, a tremendous shockwave blasted toward the youth’s head.
It was a spear-hand strike imbued with an overwhelming amount of mana. The force was so great that it carved a massive hole into the wall behind him.
"Lowlife... Who asked you to do this? You shall pay for this insolence with your life," the man declared coldly.
However—
"Whoa, that was a surprise! Trying to kill me right out of the gate? You really gave me a scare. But I suppose that’s exactly what makes you who you are."
The man’s eyes widened at the response. As the dust settled, the youth stood there completely unharmed. What was truly inexplicable was that the hole in the wall was nowhere near where the youth was standing.
I definitely aimed for his head... That realization was enough to give the man pause.
"You had a goal, didn't you? If you didn't, even my power wouldn't have been enough to pull you back from the dead."
"..."
Indeed, the man had a goal. He had lost his life while only halfway toward achieving it. Memories began to return to him bit by bit—what he needed to do, and that loathsome brat.
"Is it really okay for you to cling to your petty pride and let this chance slip away? Well, I’m fine with it either way. If you refuse, I’ll just return you to the Void once more."
"!"
As the youth spoke, the man’s body began to crumble like sand. It seemed this life was not his to control. He stared at his hand for a moment, hesitating, and then sighed.
"I don't like it... but fine. It's unpleasant, but I'll go along with your scheme."
"Now you're talking! Man, that’s a relief. I was wondering what I’d do if you turned me down. After all, I’m quite powerless, you see."
The youth slapped him on the shoulder with irritating familiarity. His words were incredibly light, but the crumbling of the man’s body stopped instantly. His power was the real deal—the man had no choice but to accept it.
"Heh. Just don't expect me to be your puppet. If you show even the slightest opening, I will kill you on the spot. Never forget that."
"Ooh, scary. I’m a pacifist, so please go easy on me."
The two of them began walking in the same direction, laughing with a strange sense of enjoyment.
◆
After more than enough practice, the Holy King Welcome Festival finally began.
The venue was the Symphony Hall, the pride of Saloom, located right next to the castle. A collaborative project between the Church and the state, the hall could hold ten thousand people and featured state-of-the-art acoustics. It was the premier location for concerts and national events.
"I will come to call for you when it is time," Sylpha said.
"Thank you, Sarufa," Saria replied.
Once Sylpha closed the door to the waiting room, the two musicians immediately fell into deep concentration. In the silence of the room, only the ticking of the clock’s hands echoed—click, click.
"Phew, this tension is incredible. They’ve both completely entered their own worlds," Grimo remarked.
"To think I can hear Saria-tan and Isha-tan’s voices so many times from this close... A lot of things have happened, but I’m truly glad I followed Master Lloyd!" Jiriel added, weeping with emotion.
I don't really care how he feels, but I hope he doesn't start crying while I’m trying to sing.
"Well, I’ve got some free time until the performance, so I think I’ll go for a stroll."
"Is that alright, Master Lloyd? You’re just going to wander around at a time like this?"
"Yeah. I’m going to perform using a copy of my voice via Control Magic anyway. Besides, even if it's impossible to get near the Holy King, it wouldn't be strange for one of the guards to be out and about, right?"
I had caught a glimpse of the Holy King’s retinue earlier, and their aura was quite significant. Even if I couldn't reach the Holy King himself, one of his subordinates might be wandering the halls. That was my target.
"I don't know about that..." Grimo muttered.
"I highly doubt a professional guard would just wander off during such an event," Jiriel agreed.
"Look, I’m going before Sylpha comes back for us."
I secretly slipped out of the waiting room and made my way down the corridor toward the hall. When I reached the main venue, I scanned the audience seats and found them almost immediately. There was a group dressed in pure white robes—the Holy King and his guards.
"Hmm. Well, for humans, they have a fair amount of mana, but it’s nothing particularly noteworthy," Grimo noted.
"Yes. Is the Holy King the one in the center? We can't see his face from here," Jiriel said.
I could feel a level of pressure from the figure in the white hood that was a step above the others. Is that the Holy King? He didn't seem quite as troublesome as Beal had described.
But wait... what was that? For someone called the Holy King, he felt awfully dark. It was as if he was emitting a sinister, wicked mana.
"William’s descendants have grown quite weak due to the long peace. Maybe the Holy King has also grown weak in the same way?" Grimo suggested.
"In the first place, power is unnecessary for a Holy King who serves the One God. His greatest mission is to preach peace. There is no need for Master Lloyd to worry about it," Jiriel countered.
"Good grief, neither of you understands."
It wasn't that I particularly wanted to fight a strong opponent. What mattered was whether they possessed interesting powers—specifically, something that might be related to magic. As they said, I didn't feel an overwhelming mana from them, but I still had very few samples of Holy Magic to compare against. If he truly was the Holy King, he might possess a completely different kind of power.
"That said, I obviously can't go meet him directly. I'd stand out too much. In that case... I'll just have to make them come to me."
I snapped my fingers. After waiting for a short while, one of the guards suddenly looked panicked and hurried away from his seat.
"Ooh! A guard moved!" Grimo shouted.
"Master Lloyd, what on earth did you do?" Jiriel asked.
"I just gave him a sudden, irresistible urge to urinate."
It was an application of Control Magic. If you catch a target while they are in a subconscious state, it’s quite easy. Actually, I had aimed for the Holy King, but the spell was repelled and hit the guy sitting next to him instead.
To think someone could block my magic even at this distance... Hehe, this is going to be fun.
Well, I could save the fun for later. Since we didn't have much time, the guard who just stood up would have to suffice.
"As heartless as ever, I see..."
"That was a total stray shot, wasn't it?"
It's his fault for being defenseless. If it had been Sylpha, she would have sensed the spell and dodged it. He clearly lacked awareness as a guard.
Regardless, I made my way toward the restroom closest to where he was headed.