In that moment, my mind went completely blank.
In a daze, I turned the truth I had been told over and over in my mind.
"The Will of the World... is helping me?"
"It’s quite a shock, isn't it? Believe me, I was just as surprised."
Gwen spoke with a mock-sympathetic lilt.
She continued, her tone shifting into a theatrical lament.
"Judging by the feel of it, the influence took hold after you entered the mental world. It looks like you can just shrug off your opponent’s abilities now. Congratulations!"
Gwen clapped her hands ostentatiously.
However, it was painfully clear that she wasn't offering any sincere blessings. She began to grumble with a dismissive, reckless air.
"I thought something was off from the start. No matter how much I tinkered with it, the Covenant Magic wouldn't break. I had planned to strip it away while those two were busy fighting you. I never signed up for an 'impossible to cancel' clause."
Gwen continued to spout her grievances loquaciously.
She seemed to harbor a deep-seated frustration over the fact that her schemes had failed so utterly. I could understand the feeling. I, too, had been tormented by unforeseen circumstances more times than I could count.
It had been the same during my time as the Sage and during my reign as the Demon King. Despite my changing titles, I felt as though I was constantly besieged by nothing but hardship.
"The Will of the World—we call it by a different name, but regardless, its power is a nuisance. For those of us seeking to invade the planet, it is our greatest natural enemy. By its very nature, it will always stand in our way."
"So, you know what the Will of the World truly is."
I asked the question with absolute conviction.
Ever since I became the Demon King, I had been subjected to the constant interference of the Will of the World. It might be the natural enemy of the Beasts of the Outside World, but the same held true for me. The Will of the World constantly attempted to dispose of me through the most unreasonable phenomena.
Gwen let out a heavy sigh and responded with a distant look in her eyes.
"We’ve gone through a great deal of trial and error to figure out how to bypass it. Well, it seems we were soundly defeated this time around."
Grumbling, Gwen shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
A glimmer of resignation was visible in her gaze. She tilted her head slightly and turned her focus back to me.
"Harvelt-san, you’ve had a faint inkling of this yourself, haven't you? You’ve been pondering the nature of the Will of the World for a long time."
"……"
"Who exactly stands to gain from the intervention of the Will of the World? If you focus on that, the answer should present itself naturally."
Gwen spoke while looking me straight in the eyes.
Her words were impossible to ignore. As for who stood to gain, the answer was obvious without even needing to think about it.
However, I forced myself not to pursue that train of thought any further. I shoved the logical conclusion to the furthest corner of my mind. Even though I knew it was likely the truth, I chose not to dwell on it.
Bewildering me might be Gwen's primary goal. There was every possibility she was trying to lead me toward a false conclusion. Cunning as she was, there was no telling what she was truly plotting. I would take her words as a reference, but I could not afford to take them to heart.
This was not the time to make a final judgment.
"In your case, Harvelt-san, it seems you've been under its influence since you were a mere human. As the Sage who opposed the Demon King, you were propelled forward by the Will of the World."
"I am aware."
I was one of the humans who had slain the Demon King.
Reaching the rank of Sage had not been a matter of effort alone. Through various encounters and experiences, I had grown into a hero. Those events were likely the result of the Will of the World's influence to no small degree. To ensure the destruction of the previous Demon King, it had meddled with my destiny and that of the special someone.
"You’ve been met with nothing but obstruction since becoming the Next-Generation Demon King, but now that you're facing us—the Beasts of the Outside World—it has made you its ally once again. My, my, you really are being toyed with, aren't you?"
Gwen laughed, appearing genuinely amused.
Once she had laughed her fill, her expression vanished into a cold blankness.
"…Well, let’s end the small talk there. Talking with Harvelt-san is fun and all, but I have plenty of work left to do. It’s time for us to say goodbye."
"Do you think I will just stand by and let you leave?"
I leveled my magic power sword at her.
My Forbidden Magic was ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.
Gwen placed her hands on her hips, deep in thought. Then, for reasons known only to her, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
"Hmm… if I ask really nicely, would you let me go?"
She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with mock tears.
Naturally, I didn't lower my sword. I continued to project a firm, unwavering killing intent.
Gwen’s shoulders slumped with an exaggerated sigh. She let out a breath, sounding thoroughly dejected.
"Figures. I knew you'd say that."
Gwen’s silhouette began to lose its definition.
Her three-dimensional form collapsed, and her extremities began to unravel into countless tentacles. Her body expanded with frightening speed, bloating until she reached a height that forced me to crane my neck.
Standing before me now was a mountain of tentacles, looming over the desert sands.
"Before I have to deal with the defense mechanism, I suppose I should get some warm-up exercises in…"
A voice drifted down from high above.
Amidst the writhing surface of the tentacles, a mouth that barely retained a human shape had formed. Nearby, an eyeball manifested, rolling wetly in its socket as it glared down at me.
"Now then, Gwen-san is in full power mode too—I’m going to squelch you like a little bug, so you'd better be ready, okay?"
Having transformed into a tentacle monster, Gwen lunged forward like an avalanche.