"...So, this is God’s Palace."
The room I reached via transfer was a chalk-white chamber.
It appeared to be another hidden room, as there were no visible exits. Rigo manipulated a hidden mechanism, and a door finally slid open.
I see; it seemed God really was here. I could feel a powerful pulsation of mana.
"Let us make haste, Lloyd. God is just ahead. Since I couldn't vent my rage on that Holy King, I’ll just have to unleash it on him instead."
"Easy there, Beal. We’re here to have our fusion undone, remember? We didn’t come here to start a war."
"...Hmph, I suppose. However, even if we have no such intention, I wonder if God feels the same?"
Well, if God was the one who ordered the Holy King to carry out the Demon King Subjugation, it wasn't hard to imagine how he’d react to Beal. There was a very high probability that this would turn into a fight.
...Well, in the worst-case scenario, I could always just make him listen by force. I wasn't particularly fond of fighting, but since he was a God, he was bound to have one or two interesting abilities. I was looking forward to that in its own way.
"I shall guide you, then. This way, please."
We passed through a corridor and emerged into a grand hall.
It was a space reminiscent of a castle, lined with great staircases and paved with chalk-white stone.
However, the fact that such a vast hall was completely empty felt eerie. Were there no servants working here?
"Hmm, normally many attendants should be busily at work, but... well, quite a lot of time has passed since I was away. The management may have changed. Oh, I was in the middle of my tour. Over there is the kitchen, that way is the guest parlor, and over there is the staircase leading to the top floor. The view looking down from there is truly magnificent—"
"Hey, we didn't ask for a sightseeing tour."
"Please, just show us the way to God."
"Oh, my apologies. It was an old habit... Let’s see, the place where God resides should be—"
Just as Rigo was about to point the way, it happened.
"—Good grief."
Suddenly, the hoarse voice of an old man echoed through the air.
"To think the Demon King and the Holy King would set foot in my palace together... You truly are beyond redemption."
"Mr. God...!"
The Holy King caught his breath. So, the owner of this voice was God. I see.
The sound resonated from all directions; I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from.
"What do you intend by escaping your prison without permission?"
"I did some soul-searching in there. It’s only right to settle one’s accounts, after all. And since I’ve settled mine, I’ve come to speak my mind one more time."
"...Soul-searching, was it? You don't look like you've reflected at all. Fine, then. I shall at least listen."
As if he’d been waiting for those words, the Holy King began to speak.
"Ahem. Like I said... I thought about it while I was chained up in that cell. No matter who it is, you should only pass judgment after you’ve confirmed they’re actually an evildoer. In fact, this Demon King turned out to be someone I could reason with. It’s not right to judge based on prejudice."
"Hmm. And then?"
"In other words... yeah. I’m saying we should verify things properly. If you punish someone in a hurry and they turn out to be innocent, what then? You’d be the evildoer in that case. I won’t complain if you do things right, Mr. God, and I’m willing to keep serving as the Holy King."
"Hmm. And then?"
"What do you mean 'and then'...? That’s why I—"
The moment the Holy King began to raise his voice at the indifferent response, the space above our heads shone with a blinding light.
A flash of surging mana erupted. As the brilliance intensified, the Holy King simply stared up at it, stunned.
"Eh—?"
Caught completely off guard, he stood frozen as the overflowing light poured down.
A tremendous boom shook the palace, and the ground rolled beneath our feet.
"Whoa-ho-ho?! Wh-What happened?!"
"You fool! God intended to strike you down! This is no time to be daydreaming!"
Beal roared.
He had leapt out from within me, spreading his tail like an umbrella to shield everyone.
"Wh...! The Demon King... saved me...?"
"Tch... I’ve gone soft... Guh!"
Beal’s expression twisted in pain.
His body was scorched and raw, emitting trails of white smoke. To think an attack could actually wound Beal’s Magic Body—what a devastating strike.
"You said it yourself. That it’s wrong to brand someone an enemy without knowing them. I realized I was doing the same to you. This is my apology. But mark my words, this is a one-time thing. Don't expect there to be a next time!"
"Demon King... You really were a good guy after all...! Thank you. I’m seriously happy right now."
"...Hmph. Nauseating."
As the Holy King gave a bashful smile, Beal fell silent, looking embarrassed, and retreated back into me.
He was surprisingly shy, this guy.
"—Hmm. To be saved by the likes of a Demon King... It seems you can no longer be called the Vessel of the Holy King."
"Y-You... Don't tell me you were only pretending to listen to me just to...!"
"I do not care for your nonsense. However, since you seemed so fond of chattering, I considered it a final mercy to let you speak your fill until your last moment."
"——!"
The Holy King was speechless.
God had no intention of listening from the start.
He had merely feigned interest to create an opening to kill him. For a God, he used a remarkably petty, worldly tactic.
"...That’s nasty. I can’t believe a God would use such a filthy method."
"I cannot believe our God would stoop to such underhanded deeds..."
Grimo and Jiriel were visibly shaken, but the Holy King was likely feeling it even worse.
It must have felt like being stabbed in the back by someone he had total faith in.
His shoulders trembled, perhaps from a surge of helpless emotion.
"No matter. Since you’ve come this far, I assume you intend to reach me? I shall neither run nor hide this time, so climb to the top floor. I shall bury you with my own hands."
"...Fine by me! After being mocked like this, even a pacifist like me isn't going to take it lying down! But I don't intend to fight you. I'm going to convince you until you're utterly defeated! You'd better be ready!"
"Hmph. Your spirit is commendable. However, I have stationed the Sixty-four Gods of the Celestial Realm on every floor leading to the summit. Each possesses power nearly equal to your own. Naturally, I have also laid various traps throughout the palace. If you can break through all that and reach this place—very well, I shall deal with you personally."
"Oh, I'll be there! Right, Lloyd-kun? ...Lloyd-kun?"
While the two were arguing, I was busy analyzing God’s voice.
After all, the mechanism behind this voice was incredibly fascinating.
For God to interfere in this location, he was using an exceptionally complex Magic Path.
If he simply wanted to project audio or a Magic Strike here, there shouldn't have been a need for something this intricate. And yet, for some reason, he had gone to these lengths... It was intriguing.
"...Well, I’ve pretty much figured it out."
"Um... Lloyd-kun? Hello? Earth to Lloyd?"
"Sorry, Holy King. I’m going on ahead."
Muttering that, I used Spatial Transfer to leap forward.