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Wolfe came running towards me with an incredibly nice smile after winning…and drenched in blood.
Quite the bizarre sight, but still cute.
“I did it!” (Wolfe)
“You really did. Mix, please wash off the blood on Wolfe.”
The only ones who are currently shocked by this are me and Mix.
Ekdoik and Ilias were showing faces as if saying ‘good job’.
Rakura is operating as usual.
I head to where Ilias is while Mix used water magic and wind magic to wash Wolfe.
“Ilias, you knew about the fact that Wolfe had become this strong?”
“I could feel that the mana inside of her was getting more and more refined by the day after all. I felt that progress of hers with my skin.” (Ilias)
“It was so out of expectations that my plan ended up pretty derailed, you know? I had to readjust it a whole lot.”
“You look down on us way too much. We are seriously fighting here for your sake.” (Ilias)
Ilias was speaking proudly as if it was about herself, but Rakura suddenly placed a hand on her lips and tilted her head.
“But doesn’t that mean the turn of Ilias-san is gone now?” (Rakura)
Ilias froze in place with her smug face. That’s right.
The remaining pieces of the Demon Lord are Left Leg, Tongue, and herself.
I currently can read the position of every piece she places. It is possible to win this without a next battle.
Ilias was boasting so much about relying on her, and yet, there’s the possibility that this will end without using our ultimate weapon.
“N-No, it is possible for you to mi—” (Ilias)
“As if I would miss as I am now.”
“…Show me your eyes for a bit.” (Ilias)
Ilias moved her face closer to mine and peered into my eyes. She most likely wanted to confirm just how far I am.
“It is pretty muddy, but…it seems like it is still fine.” (Ilias)
“There’s still things I have left to do after all. I am taking my time doing what I can.”
“I did allow you to use it once only, but to use it for a long period of time is just…no, you are keeping your promise, so I will stop the complaints.” (Ilias)
“If you have the leeway to complain, please prepare yourself for the next battle. Your turn is coming next.”
“Hm? I have a turn?” (Ilias)
“The finishing touches will be coming soon. I will let you fight with everything you’ve got, so prepare yourself.”
I waved my hand and head to where the Purple Demon Lord is.
—————
I could feel unpleasant sweat flowing out from my back.
That Baraguwein was overwhelmed. One of my trump cards following Dyuvuleori was defeated that easily.
Just what in the world is that demi-human girl? The amount of mana she has is one thing too, but a lot of things about her are just out of the norm.
It was power as if I were looking at Yugura. The personification of unreasonable.
No, Dyuvuleori isn’t below her here.
I have placed all the monster strengthening methods I have created since resurrecting on him.
I should have gotten him specs that should allow him to fight on equal or superior grounds even against a combat oriented Demon Lord.
…No, that’s not it.
What’s truly getting me uneasy here is not that. It is about my match with him.
There’s 3 remaining pieces. I finally have to bring out my piece, which is my losing condition, onto the board.
If he has read the position of my pieces on the next one, I would lose without Dyuvuleori fighting.
I won’t be able to obtain him…in body…or heart.
“You are not looking too good there.”
He walks over to me. Those black eyes were looking at me emotionlessly.
Aah, what unbelievable eyes he is making. Calm and cold to the bone as if he is seeing right through my heart.
An emotion I barely felt any of even at the time when Yugura killed me, yet it was controlling my body now.
So this is shivering, this is fear; what a wonderful and fearsome emotion.
But I must not lose. I want him. That wish of mine is the real deal.
The first person I have found worth in, and I can obtain him.
But behold the chances for that. Even that opportunity might get snuffed out real soon.
How did things end up like this? I thought I was at an advantage here, and yet, when I opened the lid, this is what I was greeted with.
This is not solely his own strength. The strength of the people he brought is far above that of the pieces that I prepared.
“This time it is dissatisfaction, huh. It is true that the strength of Wolfe was far more than I imagined though.”
“…Who knows how serious you are about that statement?” (Purple)
“Everything about it is true. The one over there is Rakura, a Mejis cleric that can see through lies. As long as I know people like that exist, there’s little point in lying in this world.”
—It is true that I can pull off something similar to that.
I have learned how to read the real intentions of other’s words through the fluctuations of their mana.
That’s why I know he is not lying.
“That said, it is just a small miscalculation. I originally planned on coming here with just the Gold Demon Lord and Ekdoik after all.”
“Are you trying to imply that you would have won this match even if that was your roster?” (Purple)
He didn’t answer and just looked at my face.
Yeah, I can tell even if he doesn’t say it out loud.
The strength of that man raised by Beglagud would have worked on all the Great Devils aside from Baraguwein and Ramyugureska.
And the reality is that he defeated Ramyugureska.
If we were to include the Gold Demon Lord in the equation, it would have been possible to bring about a state similar to this one.
Right now he is simply crushing me with his excessive fighting force.
“…I want to ask one thing. You don’t think I would accept losing to become yours on purpose?” (Purple)
“You can just ask your own heart. You are a woman that loves seizing rather than being seized. That’s why you would advance as long as you have the desire, leading to this situation where you are thinking about a way to do this.”
That’s right. I don’t think it would be bad to become his.
…But to win what I want, to grasp it with my own hands…I can’t give up on that opportunity he prepared for me.
Becoming his wouldn’t be enough. I want to make him mine. I want everything.
He silently averted his gaze and faced Dyuvuleori.
“Dyuvuleori, I would like to talk with you personally before we set the pieces.”
“…”
Dyuvuleori is not speaking. He must be observing his state.
It is because I have told him over and over not to speak unnecessarily.
“It is okay to speak.” (Purple)
“Yes! …So, state your business.” (Dyuvuleori)
“Depending on the result of the next set, the Purple Demon Lord will lose; you have faintly felt that, right?”
“…The match isn’t over yet.” (Dyuvuleori)
“That’s right. It isn’t over, but you are the guys at a disadvantage. That’s why I want to bring out an additional proposal for you specifically.”
“Me?” (Dyuvuleori)
“My proposal is that I will have all of my pieces face your piece. Of course, excluding my piece.”
What did he say just now?
He hasn’t lost a single piece as of now. He has 6 pieces remaining.
And yet, he is saying he will make them all face him?
That’s the same as declaring he will be reading the position of my pieces for 6 rounds straight.
“…So, what’s the price?” (Dyuvuleori)
“If I grant you that, I want you to come to my side regardless of wins or losses. That’s the condition I am laying out.”
“…Are you messing around?” (Dyuvuleori)
“I am not. It is not that bad of a proposal, right? Regardless of whether you win or lose, you will still be able to stay by the side of the Purple Demon Lord.”
“That’s…” (Dyuvuleori)
“I don’t mind you not accepting. I will just win as it is and you will become free. However, part of my objective is to incapacitate the Purple Demon Lord in society, so I have no intention of leaving someone who won’t join my side be by her side. You can just rampage all you want after that and perish.”
“…”
Dyuvuleori directed his gaze at me. He is seeking my opinion here.
What should I do here? If we are given 6 chances, should I accept it?
But, even so, I…
“There’s no need to check on the Purple Demon Lord. I am currently speaking to you personally.”
“…I can’t think of anyone aside from My Lord to protect -even if that’s something My Lord has ordered.” (Dyuvuleori)
“I am not really telling you to make me your number one. You can just promise me you will obey me while at it.”
“You think I will keep that?” (Dyuvuleori)
“No matter where it rolls, you breaking your promise would still end up insulting the resolve of the Purple Demon Lord who bet everything here. A verbal promise is enough -as long as your loyalty is not a lie, that is.”
“…Fine. If you manage to follow through, I pledge I will prioritize you after My Lord.” (Dyuvuleori)
Dyuvuleori showed slight conflict, but he accepted his proposal.
Devils…no, monsters as a whole are beings that are hostile to humans by nature.
The Great Devil Dyuvuleori, who is an epitome of them, has promised to serve under a human.
No, he set it up so that would be the case.
“You have a good servant.”
“…Is there a point to this?” (Purple)
“Dyuvuleori has been freed from being your possession since the previous match after all. Even if he abides by you, for me, he is a dangerous dude regardless. You could call it the insurance of a coward.”
“That means you will be increasing the chances of you losing by 6 times, you know?” (Purple)
“No problem. The chances of me losing to you in a reading battle are gone.”
He silently looked at me. I am scared of making eye-contact.
His eyes are serious. He plans on landing the positions of my pieces in succession.
Is it okay…for me to allow that?
He has been exposing his losing condition the whole time, and yet, and yet…
Right, if I were to set a devil in this table—
“Just for your information, I can read the positions of your pieces by comprehending your thoughts. I can sniff out any cheating instantly. Even the proof of you trying it.”
“—!”
“Now, let’s place the pieces.”
No good. He has read every single action of mine.
If I were to get scared and escape to the easy path, he would definitely push the brand of defeat on me.
I must think… I just have to catch him off-guard.
“…Ah.”
The position of the pieces showed and they faced each other.
None, Tongue, Me, None, Left Leg.
None, Knight, None, Him, Cleric.
Just as he declared, the piece of Dyuvuleori and his comrade have lined up.
————
The expression of the Purple Demon Lord clouds again. That said, it seems like she has recovered to the state before Baraguwein was defeated at least.
That’s good. It would trouble me for you to despair already.
I must conquer Dyuvuleori no matter what before pulling my last move.
The reason why I went out of my way to clash Ekdoik with Ramyugureska, and the reason why I clashed Rakura and Wolfe to Baraguwein was for the sake of this.
My first objective was to bring out the power of the Great Devils that have been given special enhancements with Ekdoik who excels at survival.
Next, I wanted Wolfe to buy time since she excels in speed, and have Rakura get a grasp of them through actual combat.
That was my original plan.
There’s no doubt the biggest fighting force of the Purple Demon Lord is Dyuvuleori. Settling the battle with Dyuvuleori is something inevitable for the sake of having a clear victory against her in this serious match.
I planned on leaving Ramyugureska to the Gold Demon Lord if possible, but the happy miscalculations continued.
Ekdoik won and Wolfe became way too strong.
Rakura had a short time to learn, but she should be able to manage somehow.
I thought about putting Ilias and Wolfe together since she has become this strong, but my instincts prioritized Rakura over Wolfe.
Their teamwork has been polished to a decent degree at the time when they fought Pashuro, but that was just Ilias matching Wolfe.
I don’t think Wolfe as she is now can achieve high teamwork.
There’s even the possibility they won’t be able to show proper movements and weaken as a result.
As such, I decided to choose Rakura as the best support for our strongest fighting force at present, Ilias.
“Now then, it is strategy time.”
I move away from the table and head to where Ilias and the others are.
Ilias was making a really happy face and seemed elated.
On the other hand, Rakura was making a displeased face.
I gave one more order to Rakura at the time before they fought Baraguwein.
It was: ‘Prepare for your battle against Dyuvuleori after this one’.
“It has really turned out as Counselor-sama stated. You could have chosen Wolfe-chan instead of me though.” (Rakura)
“It is hard for Ilias and Wolfe to attack at the same time. If I added Wolfe, I would have to take out Ilias. I planned on having you participate regardless, you know?”
“That’s great to hear. If I didn’t have a moment to shine, I don’t know what kind of reprimands I would get from His Majesty after all.” (Ilias)
“Do your best, Ilias!” (Wolfe)
“Of course.” (Ilias)
“If it looks like it will get bad, I will withdraw you, okay? When that happens, I will put in Wolfe and the Gold Demon Lord.”
“No need. I will settle things.” (Ilias)
Ilias is full of confidence.
Even though Yox, who should be on her same level, lost completely. Just how confident is she?
There’s the case of Wolfe, so I can’t really say much here.
“And so, don’t you have words of encouragement now that I am heading off to battle?” (Ilias)
“None.”
“…” (Ilias)
“Don’t make a dissatisfied expression.”
“Even though you said a lot of stuff to the others.” (Ilias)
“I don’t need to go out of my way to tell you since it should have already been transmitted to you.”
“…Fumu, not bad. But there are times when I would like them spoken out loud, you know?” (Ilias)
“How many times have I spoken embarrassing stuff over and over in just today alone?”
This is why a sport festival type knight is just…
But well, increasing morale is also the role of the brain. What should I tell her?
Words that would rouse a knight, huh… I can’t really think of anything, so for now…
“You are my sword, so don’t go breaking easily.”
“…Not bad. Alright! I am heading off.” (Ilias)
Looks like the effects were enough. That’s great.
Seeing that, Rakura looked at me with a face as if she wanted something too.
“Uhm, Counselor-sama, I would like you to tell me something too.” (Rakura)
“You are my…what are you to me?”
“Aren’t you cruel?!” (Rakura)
“If we were lovers, I would have hugged you or something, but that would be embarrassing, right?”
“Well…that’s true.” (Rakura)
“I can tell you if you have anything you would want me to say.”
“Then…*whisper whisper*.” (Rakura)
That’s fine with you? But if the normally unmotivated Rakura gets roused by this, I am not against it.
I coughed and placed a hand on Rakura’s shoulder.
“Do your everything as you please, Rakura!”
“Hmm, sounds a bit off…” (Rakura)
“You…”
“No, no, I am happy you said it. Now then, I’m off.” (Rakura)
Ilias and Rakura head to the center respectively.
At that place, there’s already the last Great Devil, the Left Leg of Running, Tenesuasparigun, and the strongest Great Devil of the Purple Demon Lord, Tongue of Control, Dyuvuleori.
Tenesuasparigun has already changed into his monster form. Dyuvuleori is still in his butler clothes.
When they are in their monster form, their strength certainly increases, but their speed and flexibility lowers.
Also, according to Ekdoik’s analysis, the quality of their mana strengthening is also bad.
The human form is a perfected form in a way too.
I don’t know how much of it I can follow with my eyes, but I equip the Superhuman Glasses and have Mix and Wolfe on standby by my side.
“For the signal to start…let’s consider the moment this gold coin lands on the ground as the start. Ready?” (Dyuvuleori)
“Of course.” (Ilias)
Dyuvuleori confirmed the answer of Ilias and flipped the coin right above him.
The only ones who are looking straight at the gold coin high up are the people spectating from afar.
The ones about to fight are already in a fighting stance. Sword drawn and looking at their opponent.
And then, the sound of the gold coin hitting the ground echoed in the plaza.
Everyone showed movements respectively. It went above the limit of the Superhuman Glasses’ dynamic vision.
What I witnessed next was a torrent of dazzling light.
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