There’s no need to explain it, but I’m the one who prepared the big and little treasure boxes.
I considered making the big one autonomous, but I really don’t want any unexpected incidents, like the way my copy sometimes rebels, so I decided to remote-control it to behave like a demon.
The magic circle-ish barriers that protect Char are my handiwork, too.
Simulating two of the circles to burst into pieces was quite thrilling. But tossing the cannonball into mystery space-time was a bit unoriginal. I could’ve done better.
By the way, what the heck is a “Seven Seraph Schilde”? I conjured those magic circles then and there for the first time, but Char sounded like she knew exactly what she was talking about.
Her improv skills are astonishing.
Anywayz.
That’s that for collecting the first card.
Both parties scored the prize they wanted, and both parties went home satisfied.
Why’d I prepare two cards, you ask?
Simple.
While both sides have different motives, they both share the same mission: to collect seven cards.
Which means if either side gets the card pilfered, it’ll turn into a “strike the enemy to win back the card” situation.
When that happens, the contest escalates to surprise attacks, raids, ambushes, and revenge─it’ll get out of control. And I don’t wanna have to deal with that.
Therefore, I set up two cards so both parties will leave feeling triumphant.
…I wonder if this’ll backfire fairly early on in the game.
Nah, I’m sure it’ll be fine.
I decide to turn a blind eye to worrying about the future and focus on the present.
“Finally! The card is ours. Now that we have the time to take a good look… It’s shiny!” Char exclaims.
I watch her as she’s absolutely stoked about the gold card. Adorbs.
Char, Iris, Laius, and Marianne are gathered in the meeting room of Professor Tear’s research lab building.
“It appears to be an illustration of…a leg? The left leg, to be precise.”
Aside from the elaborately designed patterns, a bold drawing of what looks like a leg is on the card. The number 6 is etched in the center.
“That’s a crappy drawing,” comments Laius.
’Scuse? You got a problem with my drawing?
Does Laius even need to be a part of the group? No, right?
“I find the style curiously compelling,” my little sister replies.
See? People who get it, get it. She’s such an angel.
Iris, ignoring the vibe as usual, speculates, “If this is the key to reviving the Devil Lord, it’s likely that this imagery is depicting a part of their body.”
“So the Devil Lord’s in pieces right now?” asks Laius.
His older sister answers, “The cards could just be symbolic. I believe the pictures merely indicate the Devil Lord’s powers retained in that body part.”
Iris responds with a stern expression, “If so, we may not be able to prevent the Devil Lord’s full revival just by acquiring this one card.”
Zhoop!
Char’s hand shoots up enthusiastically. As usual, she indicates her intention to speak before she does. What a well-mannered girl.
“On the other hand,” she starts, “if what Princess Marianne says is true, wouldn’t it mean that by securing this card, the Devil Lord’s power in their left leg is restrained?”
Her expression grows even more resolute.
“Regardless, if we go by what Miss Iris just said, we’re going to have to collect all seven Lucifer Cards to prevent the Devil Lord’s revival and seal their powers.”
The plot thickens when I’m not even present.
Iris: “We got lucky this time, but there’s no guarantee we’ll succeed the next time.”
Laius: “Yeah, they’ve got those freaks known as devils on their side.”
Marianne: “We cannot let our guard down.”
As the three teens look on gravely…
“However, we must give it all we have to protect the world!”
…Char─not me, but Char─declares loudly and rallies them up.
There’s one little thing I’m hung up on.
Char can easily get carried away with her delusions, as she usually does, but I’m surprised to see Iris, Laius, and my older sister Marianne play along in this little card hunting roleplay.
To be honest, I’m sweating bullets.
The new devil woman who appeared at the site of the card seemed…uh, slow in the head, so there’s no need to worry about her. At least I hope not.
The problem is the Devil Lord who is literally wearing the Queen’s skin…
I take a peek at the surveillance barrier I’d conjured to tail the devil woman. Vari, was it?
In a room in the royal annex…
The she-devil in the lewd outfit is on one knee, graciously holding up the golden-colored card to the queen.
“Behold, Lord Lucifyra. I can sense the ominous mana… This has to be the card you seek,” gloats the woman named Vari or whatever.
Looking down at the devil is none other than Queen Gizelotte, who is sitting with her legs crossed and a wine glass in hand like a dominatrix. But inside her is the Devil Lord, apparently.
She stares down with sheer contempt in her eyes.
“I see you’ve made quite the fool of yourself.”
Vari’s shoulders jerk at her master’s cold-blooded words.
“No matter. You were able to verify that little brat’s defensive ability, at the very least. A blessing in disguise. You’ve gotten results, and how you got them is not an issue…”
Gizelotte/the Devil Lord Lucifyra rises slowly.
“…if that card is real.”
Not exaggerating, her eyes actually glinted. Scare-ry.
She inches toward Vari, who is completely intimidated, and scrutinizes the card.
This one only has the number 6 and some patterns on it. Should I have drawn a symbolic doodle on it too?
Well, it’s too late for that now.
Just as I’m starting to feel discouraged that my prop isn’t fooling the godlike being…
“This menacing, yet lulling quality of mana… Could this lord possess higher powers than that woman? Or even higher─could they be in the same realm as the Three Primordial Gods?”
That woman? Who? Three Primordial Gods? What?
“Altering their own mana into the form of a card─or rather, is it a type of mana conversion? They poured their energy into an inanimate object as a reserve. The purity of this mana is incomparable to that of an ordinary reserve.”
The Devil Lord is mumbling things I don’t understand.
She widens her eyes. “Muahahahaha! There’s no denying the truth anymore. And this narrows down the suspect considerably.”
Yeek! I shudder.
She’s probably wrong, though. I can tell!
Anywayz!
Team Devil Lord also seems to acknowledge my handmade card as a special item.
Right when I relax my shoulders in relief…
“Strange, though, isn’t it?” she continues. “This card is meant to be the key to strengthening the creator’s self-defense. To seal such purified mana into an object seems contradictory.”
…she starts with some complicated babbling.
I don’t like being scrutinized due to irrational reasoning. I slapped up this card out of a barrier. Why are they making it a bigger deal than it is?
“No, better yet… Perhaps that’s precisely why they need a key… I see. Because their power is too great and unmalleable, they need to strip away the bounds with this purified mana.”
I don’t know what’s going on, but she seems pleased with her complicated rambling.
I don’t mean this in a rude way, but maybe the godlike beings in this world are silly geese?
“Very well, then. Lord Lucifyra, may I continue the card hunt?”
“Go ahead. If toughness is the only aspect of their defense, I have my own means to deal with it…”
Hm? Why’d she just glance at the wall─oh, the Divine Blade is hung there.
“Let us proceed with the most infallible strategy. In the meantime, I must regain as much strength as I can.”
Something about her comment is unsettling, but it looks like Team Devil Lord is dancing in the palm of my hand.
Please keep dancing, I beg you.
Well, then.
What kind of sitch should I arrange next?
As I try to come up with an idea, I watch a magical girl anime series that my sister might like…