I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 174



174 – Prepare for Winter (1)

That’s what I hope for.

Achilles smiled broadly at the crown prince’s question.

Because to his ears it sounded like a kind of declaration of surrender.

Would it be an exaggeration to say that it sounded like he was saying he would give me anything I asked for?

Well, at least to Achilles, it didn’t seem like there was much difference.

“What do you wish for? I simply follow the will of the order. When Temes commands, I do it. That is my mission, so what more could I wish for?”

“So you mean you won’t answer right now? Are you sure there aren’t any other problems for Ellis?”

“I swear on the name of Temes that I have told no lies. Ellis will be guided by the light. You will regain both your sight and your health.”

At this point, even the crown prince had no choice but to admit it honestly.

Achilles’ offer was so sweet.

An oath that a saint uttered while mentioning the name of God.

Whatever the price, whatever was hidden in those dark secrets, it meant that Ellis’s body was certain to heal.

Originally, what the crown prince wished for was Ellis’s speedy recovery.

The reason I’m desperately looking for a cure for Ellis is because I want to stay with her a little longer.

No matter how ideal the outcome, I only expected it to be enough to avoid death and suffering.

That’s why I ended up looking for Acreon and not Gamigin.

The method that Gamigin proposed was ultimately to bind Ellis’ soul to another body when she died.

In order to ask Gamigin, who was about to leave, for a favor, Ellis had to die immediately.

That can’t be. I won’t be greedy.

The Crown Prince did not want to see Ellis suffer.

Just like I don’t want to see her body.

But Achilles’ proposal said more than that.

For the crown prince, it was something he could only dream of.

“That’s too sweet of an offer. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that too much honey is poison. I’ve never heard of any side effects until now.”

“Because it’s a miracle of God. … … I would like to say that, but yes, there will be some side effects.”

“Tell me. I absolutely must hear that.”

A tone of voice that is unparalleled in its firmness.

Achleon looked at the crown prince expressionlessly, then changed his expression again.

“Your Majesty, do you know where the human heart is?”

“mind?”

He tapped the side of his head with his finger.

Next was the chest. It was the place where people thought their ‘heart’ was.

“Usually we think like this. People think with their heads and feel with their hearts. It’s probably for a similar reason that the core that controls mana is located close to the heart.”

“What an ominous rush.”

“On the other hand, there are also research results like this. The place where a person’s memories and spirit reside is the brain in the head. No matter how great a wise man is, if his brain is messed up, he will be worse than an idiot.”

“I really don’t believe that Ellis will end up in that situation.”

If that’s the case, I wouldn’t be taking on this deal.

Fortunately, Achilles shook his head.

“Such terrible things do not happen. However, the mortal body and soul are too weak to come into contact with the greatness of the gods. Usually, it is difficult to wake up for several days just by hearing a few words from the gods.”

A phenomenon often referred to as being divine.

Unless you are a saint or saintess chosen by God, contact with God carries considerable burdens.

Moreover, this time, it is not a single god, but the selection of Asirel through Temes.

It was clear that this would be a rather harsh treatment for the already fragile Ellis.

In the first place, the crown prince had never heard of the selection of a saint being done in this way.

Achilles says it is up to the gods to decide… … .

Doesn’t this seem like creating an artificial saint?

“Especially, Asirel is such a powerful god that she rarely chooses a saint. It would be difficult for a mortal body to handle.”

“Just tell me exactly what’s going on. Without hiding anything. If anything happens to Ellis because of this, I’ll bet everything on you to get you back.”

“Hmm… … You will probably lose your memories. Clearly. Even after you wake up, you will probably be very confused. The gods are beings of a much higher dimension than us, so your mind will be affected in some way.”

“Is that all?”

Achilles laughed cheerfully.

“I understand your Majesty’s feelings, but you are too suspicious of me. Have you ever heard that the Saintess of Asirel was crazy or idiotic?”

“I… … I understand.”

“Then I will take it that you have accepted it. The ceremony requires some preparation time. I will contact you as soon as the preparations are complete.”

Bow. Achilles greeted.

The Crown Prince seemed to sense a hint of malice in Acleon’s smile.

* * *

After the meeting between Gamigin and the Emperor, it was our job to send the troublesome Demon King back to the Demon Territory.

Was it because we had already achieved our goal? We weren’t attacked on the way back.

The crowd of people who had gathered in hopes of seeing Gamigin were just a nuisance to us.

But that’s over now.

After going on a long and winding journey, it is now time to send Gamigin off.

Wouldn’t it be better to meet that Demon King as an enemy next time?

The ceremonial corps stopped at the end of the Grand Palace.

“From here on out, it’s Demon Territory. From now on, it’s not under the Empire’s jurisdiction, so the escort ends here.”

“Don’t you usually tell them to look into it in these cases?”

“I think you’ll take a good look at it even without me saying anything.”

“… … Ha. You’re being annoying to the end.”

Gamigin’s troops were waiting a little way away, and Gamigin strode towards them with brisk steps.

“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, I forgot to say that.”

“… … ?”

“Why did I come to the Empire now and not at any other time? I was waiting because I thought someone would ask me at least once, but in the end, no one asked me.”

“So you want me to ask you now?”

“Yes. Ask quickly.”

If you want to say something like that, why don’t you just say it?

I don’t know what symbol he was implying in asking me, but it seemed like he had no intention of opening his mouth until I asked.

Will I ever see Gamigin again?

Anyway, this is the end for now.

No matter what, since he offered information in return, there was nothing he couldn’t do.

“Yeah, I was wondering. Why now?”

“It had to be now. Because now was the only time I had to talk to humans. As I said during the meeting, the only things I can do are the Demon Lords under my command.”

“Yes, I know. I don’t know much about other demon lords.”

“That’s right. But there are exceptions. There are things that can’t be hidden no matter how much you try to hide them, right? For example, a demon lord preparing for war.”

A rather eerie feeling began to rise.

Because there was a demon king that came to mind.

A war-monger in the guise of a child. The Demon King of Cold, Barbatos.

I thought that just as Gamigin’s visit to the system was brought forward, Barbatos’ eastward advance could also be brought forward, but could it be that it has progressed to the point where it is being mentioned now?

“Oh. Looks like you have a clue?”

“There aren’t many names of Demon Lords who are powerful enough to warrant a warning, yet difficult to intervene in, and for whom the fact that they have warned the Empire is a pretty good debt to you.”

“… … Are you Barbatos?”

The Norden Lord was the flagship.

Barbatos was a demon lord who had often appeared in the southwestern part of the empire since ancient times.

Because he loves fighting so much, there have been countless times when he went into battle with his injuries not yet fully healed.

Although he did get a taste of the spice from Carlton Martheus, Barbatos’ notoriety did not die down.

On the contrary, it would be the opposite. It means that even the best sword masters in the empire, who are not in perfect condition, are strong enough to have a hard time against this opponent.

Moreover, even though the suicide squad risked their lives and grabbed his ankles, they could not kill him.

If what Gamigin said is true, Lord Norden must return to the south immediately and prepare thorough defenses.

“It would have been much better if that had been said within the system.”

“I told you, no one asked.”

“I told you that I can’t easily hand over information about other Demon Lords. If something goes wrong, I’ll become a traitor to my race.”

“Oh, so that’s what it was.”

Gamigin opened his mouth as if he realized something.

This is driving me crazy, really.

“Barbatos and I have a special relationship. We can’t kill each other, so there’s no problem with giving some information to humans. I don’t think Barbatos will be that angry, right?”

“… … .”

“Originally, I was planning to give you a token of my trust if the talks went well. But in the end, I ended up just going on a tour of the Empire. Well, it was fun in its own way. Anyway, I told you.”

It seemed that good weather was not coming to the empire.