"...Seriously, what a moron."
Faced with the sight of House Brave’s third son—completely spent from his duel with Edward—getting effortlessly swatted down by Belial, I instinctively pressed a hand to my forehead.
The man had kept a stone face even with a hole through his chest, and when reduced to nothing but a head, he had lunged at his enemy with a look of pure, unadulterated madness. There wasn't a trace of the legendary Hero's bloodline in that display.
Considering how much he had sabotaged my plans at the Academy, I had started to think he was someone I should avoid approaching carelessly. But...
Without any knowledge of the game, he was just a reckless boar, wasn't he?
"Sigh. To think I let someone like that get in my way until now."
It was so anticlimactic it made me want to scream.
He had memories of a life in the modern world. How could he be so utterly merciless when it came to killing another human being?
The Brave Territory—the so-called Abandoned Land.
It was a region with deep, bloody ties to my home, the Continent Duchy. They had been trading blows in constant skirmishes for generations.
Is that why?
Does a war that lasts that long truly warp the human spirit to this extent?
Regardless, looking at this man whose head was currently several feet away from his body...
"I can’t see him as the Hero of some story. Not even a little bit."
I thought to myself that his reputation as the Monkey of the Abandoned Land was well-earned, if only for that completely unhinged mentality.
If this man was a Hero, then any serial killer qualified for the job.
"You asked what my goal was, didn't you?"
Belial descended from the sky, landing right in front of my seat in the spectator stands. In one hand, he held Brave’s head. Tucked under his other arm was the corpse of Edward—the man Brave had actually managed to kill.
Watching the Chain of Death unfold like this, I was starting to suspect the whole situation was cursed.
"First, put that corpse down. Your hands are filthy," I commanded.
He had said he would answer only one question, so I didn't bother being polite.
"I cannot. I am taking this with me."
This Demon had been the one forcibly bound to Gelasis when he was an infant—the literal personification of House Ignite’s Taboo.
That was why we were acquainted.
Years ago, I was the one who stripped Belial out of my agonizing little brother. Since a Demon cannot linger in this world without a vessel, I had assumed I would never have to see him again.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten the debt you owe me for liberating you from that baby's body."
"Liberated? I consider it nothing more than a betrayal."
Belial tilted his head curiously and tossed Brave’s severed head at me.
"I have no use for this one. He is already tainted. He has a scent I despise."
I didn't exactly want an idiot’s head, but since his permanent death would cause complications for my future plans, I caught it for now.
"...So, what is your goal?"
"Replenishment. Look up. It is gone. The Guardian Barrier."
"I have eyes, I can see that."
I hadn't even touched the barrier yet.
It was supposed to take more time for the Duchy Side’s forces—moving through the territories held by Both Houses of the Marquess—to arrive.
And yet, the barrier had flickered out of existence without warning.
"It was supposed to take much longer before it failed. You’re the one who told me that."
He had given me that information during a previous encounter.
He wasn't the type to volunteer the truth, but unlike the stagnant nobility, he didn't lie.
That meant the Guardian Barrier had been extinguished by someone other than me.
There were only two items in this entire place capable of overriding the permissions: the Holy Artifact for the Gelasis Route in my hand, or the Holy Artifact for the Edward Route, which this Severed-head Idiot had snatched away.
"...If you do anything to her—to Mariana—I will never forgive you."
"You ask too many questions. As for my goal: your little plot to subvert this country via the Continent Duchy has been public knowledge for some time."
"Well, I suppose that was inevitable."
The shadow organization with the ridiculous name, the one Both Houses of the Marquess were using, was made up of people bound by blood contracts to the Etherdam Royal Family.
I knew my movements were being leaked. I even suspected there was an ulterior motive behind why Both Houses of the Marquess were backing me while maintaining their skepticism.
But I didn't care.
As long as I could get my hands on the Guardian Barrier, nothing else mattered.
There were benefits for everyone involved, which gave me the freedom to move.
My only real concern had been the Severed-head Idiot with the Holy Artifact, which is why I’d gone out of my way to warn him. As for the other artifacts, I had already collected them all over the summer and dumped them into the Duchy’s ocean.
That miserable barrier was supposed to vanish and stay gone forever.
That was the only reason I’d bothered clearing every single route and endured those nauseating reverse harems.
All of it was to ensure the future where Mariana died would never happen.
"Did you truly think a single girl could dismantle a nation on her own?" Belial continued. "Etherdam had House Ignite summon me again specifically to stop you."
"Right. Summoning you a second time after everything that happened... that family is really begging for a miserable end."
"How unkind. They’ve been allowed to profit from their crimes for years; they’ve enjoyed plenty of the 'sweet life.' They have no need for the rest of their lifespans, do they?"
From the way he spoke, House Ignite was either already dead or about to be.
"Belial, if your goal involves the barrier, then talk."
"The Royal Family knew the barrier wouldn't last much longer anyway. The arrival of the Hero’s Bloodline and the presence of the Fake Saint only accelerated the inevitable."
Belial began to drift upward into the air.
"Their duty is to maintain the barrier. It is a sin to drag me into such foolishness, but a promise is a promise."
He let out a low, mocking chuckle.
"If the life of a single girl can save millions, she should be honored. Humans truly are fascinating creatures."
"Wait. You don't need Edward’s body for that."
"Did you not watch the fight? This one is special. He possesses the aptitude to reconstruct the barrier from scratch. A 'Vessel of the Sage,' if you will."
"You think I’m just going to let you walk away? If you get in my way, I’ll erase you."
"A sentiment we share. Unfortunately, I have no way to kill you. You Spirits are a nuisance. You possess the same pure, dense mana as we do, yet you alone are permitted to exist in this world."
It was true; Belial could not kill me.
But by the same token, I lacked a definitive way to kill him.
That was our stalemate.
"The Transition of Souls, the manipulation of destinies... I wonder how many sacrifices it took to achieve such a grand scale... Heh heh. It’s foolish, but I don't hate it."
With that parting shot, Belial vanished, taking Edward’s corpse with him.
"...Seriously? This is going to be a massive pain in the ass. Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
For starters, I grabbed Brave by his hair and gave his face a series of rapid-fire slaps.
This was all his fault.
Fighting for real in a place like this, actually killing Edward... where exactly was the 'Hero' in any of that?
"Fine. Resuscitation first. His barrier is thin, but it’s still preventing blood loss and keeping his circulation going... God, he really has the vitality of a cockroach."
I could use his strength.
He had the potential to be a blade that could actually cut Belial.
Since he would likely agree to help me protect Mariana, it was worth bringing him back.
"Seriously, this kingdom is just a parasite living off a Demon."
I let out a long breath as I stared at the empty sky where the barrier used to be.
To be a Human Pillar for a country like this... I wonder how the Ancient Saint felt when she was turned into a barrier?
I’d bet good money she was forced into it.
Going by what Belial said, is Edward the Reincarnated Sage or something?
"What a repulsive level of obsession."
Possessive men are universal—everyone hates them.
If anything, is this some twisted version of the Hikoboshi and Orihime legend?
Mentally unstable, romanticist guys are the absolute worst. They’re number one on the 'never date' list for a reason.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
The more I slapped him, the thicker his barrier seemed to get for some reason.
The ability was literally etched into him at a cellular level.
Forget a cockroach—he was more like a planaria.
"I’m really not happy that a kiss is the only way to restart him from this state, though."
Oh well. If he’s been living under the same roof as Alicia, surely one or two kisses won't make a difference.