I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 166



166 – The Meeting (1)

The sky was dark as if night had fallen.

Blood-red fog billowed above the dark clouds, and occasionally black dust blew in the wind across the dry land.

No matter where you looked, not a single blade of grass grew on this land.

Even the tree with the most tenacity of life has long since dried up and died.

The ground itself gave off a terrible, putrid smell, as if it were rotting away.

The demons that knew about it called it ‘erosion’.

An incurable disease of the demon world whose cause is unknown and how to prevent it is unknown.

Some said it was caused by countless magical battles. Others said it was caused by some crazy demon who created a new magic.

There were many rumors, but they all had one thing in common: they all failed to solve the erosion problem.

The eroded land gradually destroyed the demon world.

I meant it in a literal sense, not a figurative sense.

Crack! A crack appeared in the dead land.

The blackened, cracked earth will not last long and will collapse.

To a bottomless pit.

A man was looking at the erosion.

“Erosion is accelerating. More so than expected.”

He grabbed a handful of sand from the floor.

The sand, which was already lifeless, turned black as soon as it touched his hand, becoming no different from dust.

The man watched the wind blowing by like dust, without any emotion.

“It must be because I met her again. This world is rejecting me, and it must be because the law of cause and effect is distorted.”

“I don’t want to hear it. Is that the kind of story you called me to tell?”

A blunt female voice rang out behind him.

No. It was a voice that sounded more like a girl’s than a woman’s.

As expected, the owner of the voice had a small and petite body.

A face that looks young enough to look cute when you smile.

She was wearing a black dress that felt quite maniacal, and her light blue hair was in beautiful waves.

At first glance, she looked exactly like a young daughter from a noble family.

Moreover, at first glance, he seemed rather calm and introverted.

That is, until the man called the girl’s name.

“Yes, Barbatos. The erosion will accelerate in the future.”

“So? Just get to the point. I don’t want to hear any of your nagging stories.”

“… … Prepare for war. I will allow you to go to the Empire within a year at the latest.”

“Now you come? You were the one who interfered with every single thing I did when I struck down the humans, Baal. If it weren’t for you, I would have wiped out half of the human population.”

“Well, I disagree. Cause and effect would have stood in your way at some point.”

Barbatos frowned.

A face like a child throwing a tantrum.

If this were her castle, she would have already been beheaded, but unfortunately, Baal was an opponent that even Barbatos’ power could not do anything about.

However, the wrath of the Demon King representing the hawks did not disappear anywhere.

A bitter cold that seemed like it would freeze the entire neighborhood slowly came through.

“What are you trying to say? That I will lose to humans?”

“I didn’t say that. Haven’t you always wished for it? To fight without interference from other Demon Lords. If Gamigin hadn’t come forward last time, you wouldn’t have retreated against the humans.”

“If it weren’t for you, that girl Gamigin would have been killed a long time ago. You’re the one who moves Gamigin. Why don’t you just hand that girl over to me?”

“That’s difficult. There are still many uses for Gamigin. Just as you are stronger than Gamigin, Gamigin can do things that you cannot.”

“… … I still feel bad. I want to go back.”

Barbatos turned around with a jerk.

Footsteps that seemed to be about to turn back. However, Barbatos paused for a moment and spoke as if declaring.

“I promised you that I would let you fight as much as you want. You must keep that promise. If you don’t, you will definitely be next, Baal.”

“Can you beat me?”

“Do you think I’ve only won battles so far?”

“That’s right. I’ll keep my promise, so don’t worry. A good opportunity will come soon.”

* * *

The suicide squad’s attack did not end with just one attack.

But it wasn’t like the first time.

The level of those attacking has also dropped significantly, and their numbers have also decreased significantly.

It seems like what was initially intended to be a prepared force has changed to a purpose of self-destruction.

They were so wary of capturing even a single person. In the end, they didn’t even engage in combat and just blew themselves up.

Even that seemed to have been given up without hesitation as our response became sharper.

When we reached the vicinity of Edelmarion, the raids had stopped.

‘Maybe we’ve already achieved our goal.’

Anyway, it seemed like I could finally say goodbye to those damn human bombs.

Because the gates of Edelmarion were already visible before our eyes.

The Imperial Knights were there to greet us in full ceremonial attire.

Considering their wary attitude toward capture, it seemed unlikely that they would cause chaos even in the capital.

Attacking us would be a sufficiently punishable offense, but carrying out a terrorist attack in the capital is a completely different matter.

As Sirien stepped forward, the leader of the Imperial Knights came out and politely raised his guard.

The knights who paraded behind him saluted along with him.

Judging by the doubles, it was the 2nd Imperial Knights. It was the knights in charge of the defense of the capital city, Edelmarion.

“Imperial Knight Commander Recop Listabane greets His Highness the Grand Duke of Illencia. It seems that your journey here was not… peaceful.”

Rekov looked at us.

Although the casualties and injuries were not severe, the condition did not look very good.

As the explosions continued, some people were covered in a lot of dust, and some had soot left on their armor.

Our appearance, to anyone who looked at us, looked like we had been through a pretty rough battlefield.

“Norden Lord will tell you that story separately. Since Norden Lord is in charge of most of the on-site command, I’m sure he’ll be able to give you a sufficient answer.”

“Is there anything you want to say? First, I will start with the guidance. From now on, our 2nd Knights will be the escort.”

* * *

Gamigin was confined to a villa located a short distance from the imperial palace.

Originally, it was a place where royalty from other countries stayed.

To put it more bluntly, it was a place used by hostages. It was a palace that was recently given to royals who requested hostages during wars.

It was a place that was easy to block and monitor from the outside, and it was also a good place to show off by treating people as ‘VIPs’ to some extent.

‘Anyway, the old people in the center are really smart about this kind of thing.’

Because of that, I had to leave Illencia’s mansion in good condition and unpack my things at the palace.

On the surface, it was a request to ‘treat them with the utmost sincerity’ as they were guests of the royal family, but who could not have known this blatant intention?

Although Kamigin was placed in a villa, it was not too far from the imperial palace.

I guess he wants you to stay in the palace because it is a force that is absolutely necessary in times of need.

Sirien was in a position where it was okay to ignore requests of that level, but after the Marquis of Eloran, the Emperor was like our political backer.

Since we still need each other, I thought I’d take this opportunity to borrow a little bit.

It’s not necessarily the case that Gamiginman is a threat to the Emperor.

There are six Sword Masters nearby. Even though it is something that must be done to capture Gamigin, it is not a very pleasant situation for the Emperor.

Even if you gather all of the Imperial Knights, you cannot guarantee victory against the six Sword Masters.

It would be better to just follow the old man’s orders for now so that he can feel at ease.

And, what’s more, it’s also a good opportunity to get to know other sword masters a little better.

When I was with Gamigin, I was so focused on my mission that I barely had any small talk.

To be exact, I was the only one who did it. Because Gamigin wouldn’t stop talking.

After all, there has never been a better time to let go of regrets.

The palace maids followed me and Sirien and asked.

“His Majesty has invited you to lunch tomorrow at noon. I can provide you with everything you need, including formal attire. Please let me know and I will prepare it.”

“You don’t need to give it to me separately. Just leave a message at my villa in the capital. Everything you need is there.”

“Yes. And Count Bertus?”

“Yeah. Our servants will take care of getting the Rajen too.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to tell you that.”

Did the emperor show some consideration?

Sirien and I were assigned rooms right next to each other.

The fact that the first meeting with the Emperor is tomorrow at noon means, conversely, that there are no plans until then.

Until then, you will be free to act as you please, as long as you don’t leave the palace too far.

I think it would be best not to eat dinner too early tonight.

“Your Majesty, when you’re ready, would you like to take a walk?”

“The maids just left. In times like this, just call me by my name.”

“I heard that other young ladies like it when knights speak to them politely.”

“I don’t like it. You’re the only one who can call me by my name. I like it because it feels a little more special.”

“Oh really? Anyway, how about going for a walk?”

“Of course. Wait. I’ll go to your room.”