"Whoa!? R—Ren of the Poison Moth!"
"……Lloyd? What’s with that look? You’ve grown horns and everything."
Upon seeing me, Ren of the Poison Moth narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
It seemed best to just calmly explain the situation.
"Ah—well, the long and short of it is..."
"What? So you’ve gone and become a demon, Lloyd?"
"Technically, I’ve fused with the Demon King. By the way, my body is over there."
"Waaaah!? L—Lloyd is dead!?"
Ren of the Poison Moth rushed over and pulled the body into her arms. Hey now, don't just go killing me off.
"……Oh, you're right, he's still breathing."
"Yeah, but my consciousness has been drawn into this form, and I can't separate them yet. So, Ren of the Poison Moth, Connie—I need you two to somehow deceive everyone else until I can get back to normal."
"The two of us……? With a bedridden Lloyd……? Isn't that, like, impossible?"
"I know it's a tall order. I considered leaving my body to Grimo or Jiriel, but that doesn't seem feasible either."
Both of them were currently mixed into this Magic Body, and it didn't look like they could be separated. Therefore, I had no choice but to rely on Ren of the Poison Moth and Connie to do their best.
"Hmm, but I think tricking Sylpha-san will be impossible."
"She’s right. If he weren't bedridden, maybe, but……"
The two looked at each other and nodded. ……True. The opponent was Sylpha, who would notice even the slightest sense of incongruity. Trying to fool her while the body was just lying there was asking too much.
"In that case, I'll use Control System Magic and—there."
I turned a mimicry of my own personality into a Spell Formula and applied it to my body. This was only possible now that I had become capable of tinkering with Spell Formulas at a significantly deeper level.
After a short while, my body slowly opened its eyes and flashed a refreshing smile.
"Hello, Ren of the Poison Moth, Connie. Good morning. You are both lovely today as well."
"Pffft—!"
Ren of the Poison Moth spat in shock. Connie just froze.
"To be cared for by two such lovely, beautiful girls... oh, what fortune is mine!"
Everyone present stood frozen as they watched my body perform a flamboyant, spinning dance.
"Wh—What the hell is this thing……?"
"It doesn't resemble Master Lloyd's personality in the slightest!"
"Muu, a failure then."
It seemed that trying to mimic my own personality was indeed difficult. It would be hard to deceive anyone with this.
"……Actually, wait. This might actually work. Sylpha-san would probably be delighted by this."
"Yeah. He sometimes goes out while leaving things to Grimo or Jiriel anyway, and surprisingly, no one seems to mind. If we follow up for him, it might actually be okay."
Contrary to my thoughts, the assessment from the two of them was quite high. ……Wait, so everyone knew I was going out while leaving things to my familiars? Well, I was just the inconspicuous Seventh Prince, after all. Maybe everyone just didn't care that much. Well, that’s a relief.
Ren of the Poison Moth and Connie were giving me judgmental looks, but it was probably just my imagination.
"Still, things have taken a wild turn ever since that talk about getting revenge on the Holy King. I guess acting out of pure curiosity just because something seems interesting isn't always good. ……Anyway, I wonder where that guy disappeared to."
The Holy King had vanished during the performance, but despite being right next to him, I hadn't sensed his presence at all. The Holy King, huh? He was a mysterious fellow, but in the end, what exactly was he?
◆
"——What is the meaning of this?"
A voice echoed through the pure white space. Receiving it with an awkward expression was the Holy King.
Opposite him, behind a white veil, was a human shadow from which a solemn atmosphere emanated.
"We commanded you to kill the Demon King. Despite this, you failed to deliver the finishing blow, and furthermore, you stood by and watched as he was resurrected. We shall hear your reason for defying the words of Us, your God."
The tone was quiet but firm. One could feel a will that would never permit a half-hearted excuse. Even while exposed to such divine pressure, the Holy King answered flippantly.
"Well, you see, Mr. God? I’ve always wondered... is there really a need to take down someone who hasn't actually done anything bad yet, just because they're a demon?"
Calling the owner of the voice "God," the Holy King began to string words together.
"Sure, most demons think of humans as nothing more than insects, and they even view the lives of their own kind as less than trash. They're all basically incarnations of evil, right? It’s no wonder the Doctrine brands them as wicked, and I fully understand the order to kill their leader. However, I feel that as the Holy King, I at least need to verify whether a life that should be ended is truly evil or not. So, well, I was trying to discern the true nature of the Demon King Beal."
"Oh…… and? How was he?"
"Well, true to his kind, he was a very bellicose and barbaric man. I thought I was going to be killed. For real. Hahaha."
The Holy King continued while laughing.
"Right in the middle of a national welcoming festival, I suddenly found myself trapped in a barrier and attacked. Man, talk about the earth splitting and the sky tearing. I managed to scrape by with my Magical Songs, but I felt like there was no guarantee I wouldn't die next time."
"Then why did you not deliver the final blow? Surely he was an extremely dangerous existence?"
"Because that was all he was. He tried to defeat me, but he didn't go so far as to involve other humans. To unilaterally brand such a mere ruffian as evil... as a pacifist, I find that very, very——"
Just as the Holy King shook his head as if to say "good grief," a violent gale erupted in the area. The storm, which seemed to represent God’s wrath, gradually increased in intensity.
"Cease this mockery. Responsibility accompanies power. The seat of the Holy King is not so cheap as to be granted to one without resolve."
"——Hey now, that's my line."
Suddenly, the Holy King's tone changed. His voice became quiet and hard. It was entirely different from the Holy King's usual demeanor.
"According to the Doctrine, every life has equal meaning, doesn't it? And yet, to go for the kill from the start just because he's a demon king... I don't think such a sloppy person has the right to judge all existence."
"You……!"
God intimidated him with intense fury, but the Holy King responded without backing down. Their clash created a fierce storm. Fanned by the pressure, the veil separating the two fluttered violently.
"Killing someone without even knowing them is a method permitted only to the weak who have no leeway. In a world of survival of the fittest, that’s unavoidable in a sense. But I am the Holy King, the one in the position to convey the words of God, the overwhelmingly powerful. Therefore, I have a duty to listen to the opponent's words, judge their actions, and pass sentence based on that. Lord of the Celestial Realm—as the God you are, I can't possibly allow you to hand down such sloppy judgments."
"Fool! If the things that should be protected are destroyed as a result of such delayed responses, what then!?"
"That’s why I’m saying! That’s the logic of the weak, Pops!"
The Holy King barked. His face was no longer its usual half-witted self, but carried a look of grim determination. The torrent of intimidating pressure blowing through made his hair flutter.
"I’ve seen many different people on your orders. The strong, the weak, the good, the bad, the pure, the filthy, the fair, the cowardly, those with circumstances and those without, humans, demi-humans, and demons…… There are times when a strong demon rounds up the bad demons and stops the damage, and there are times when a weak human instigates strong humans and brings about chaos. Who is evil and who is good isn't something that can be easily understood. And yet, I can only feel that you are choosing the targets of your punishment at random."
"……We can see it."
"Liar. The other day, when I defeated the demi-human you designated, the seal on that land was broken and it overflowed with monsters. When I defeated the human before that, a great rebellion broke out in that region. And that’s not all. There were plenty of similar cases."
Memories of the past surfaced in the Holy King’s mind. How he had wielded his power exactly as ordered, and how it had invited chaos every single time. How the doubts had swelled each time, and how he had tucked them away in his heart, eventually closing it off.
"Can you really call yourself a God with that kind of track record? I’m far too ashamed to pull such a shameless stunt myself."
Suddenly, the blowing storm of intimidating pressure stopped. The Holy King was bewildered. Beyond the veil, God slowly rested his chin on his hand.
"Oops, did you think of an excuse? Or are you going to throw in the towel? Come on, persuade me. With that divine wisdom of yours."
To the mocking Holy King, God simply directed a cold gaze and spoke.
"……A pity. We had high hopes for you."
In an instant, light overflowed. It enveloped the Holy King and——
"!? Wa—"
Before he could finish speaking, the entire surroundings were dyed pure white. And then——the Holy King vanished, and beyond the veil, God let out a bored sigh.