Sidenote: The flash of light was my doing.
While everyone was blinded by it, I sucked the light into mystery space-time and erased the monster’s arms and legs. The steam was just a visual effect to indicate that the washing machine is back to normal. There were a few cracks on the surface─likely from all the rough handling─that I had to repair. I also had to wipe off the dirty spots…
Oh, and can’t forget to leave a card behind.
In a split-second, I got a lot of work done. I’m exhausted.
“We did it, Yulia! Success!”
“…”
While my sister springs up and down in delight, the mysterious exchange student stares intently at the giant washing machine with a slightly pleased look.
Big sis Marianne races over to the girls.
“I-Is it all right? Is anything broken? Are there any chips in the spell?”
I’m pretty sure all of that is good, but if it isn’t, I’ll fix it tonight. I swear, I promise.
“Calling out the attack name alone just doesn’t cut it,” says Yulia. She seems disappointed.
“Are you saying we need something to build up to it?”
“Yes. It’s a two-person magic attack. I think it should be more─huh? What’s this thing?”
Yulia spots the stub of gold on the ground and picks it up.
It’s a metallic card with an illustration of a left arm.
“That’s the Luficel Card that can revive the Devil Lord.”
“I see…”
She gives it a good look, but she doesn’t seem too interested in it. “Here, it’s yours,” she hands the card to Char─“I don’t really know what just happened, but it was fun!”─and gives her a grand smile.
By the way…
I look toward Yulia’s brother, who’s been quietly watching from a distance.
Did he really do absolutely nothing all this time?
✦ ✦ ✦
“Huh?! What was I doing? I can’t remember…”
Vari wakes up in a desolate field.
She’d been surveying the campus when she sensed a sudden surge in mana and had flown to the site. That’s when she saw a supersized monster(?) in hysterics.
The card will definitely appear here! she rejoiced, but before she knew it, she lost consciousness.
“My head is throbbing… What the hell happened?”
She gazes down from the field and sees the royal castle in the distance.
Whoever knocked her out must’ve brought her here, but she can’t feel the presence of a single soul around her.
Apart from the headache, she’s physically unharmed. Her clothes are a little dusty, but nothing else has changed.
What in the world is going on?
There’s one person present in the field who may be able to answer that question.
“You’re finally awake,” he says.
His blond hair flows in the wind. She recognizes the handsome young man looking down at her. Her master had given him a piece of its power─it’s Alexei Guberg.
“Did you…bring me here?”she asks.
“Don’t you remember? While you were concentrating on searching for the card, they attacked the monster, and the explosion blasted you away. I fetched you amid the havoc and brought you here.”
Vari has no recollection of any of this. All she remembers is spotting the monster and thinking she was just getting started. None of that matters at this point, though.
“What’ll I tell Lord Lucifyra…?”
The card must be in that wretched little girl’s hands by now, Vari thinks. Everything was going so well, but now her success will be null and void all because of one mistake.
“I can see that your memory is still hazy,” says Alexei. “Although I must say, I’m impressed by your tenacity.”
“Watch who you take that tone with. You may have received a piece of Lord Lucifyra’s powers, but you’re still just a knockoff who should’ve been─”
As she braces her hand on the ground to stand up, she feels something under her fingers. Something cold and smooth. It feels like a piece of metal.
“I-Is this…?!”
The palm-sized golden piece gleams in her hand. Without a doubt, it’s the magical card needed to strip the rival Devil Lord, Charlotte, of her defensive powers.
“Did you─?!” Vari exclaims.
Alexei shrugs.
“Like I said, I’m impressed by your tenacity. I didn’t see it for myself, but I believe you calculated where the card would appear from the monster and─with no concern for yourself─grabbed it as you were being struck by the magical attack.”
Is that what happened?! Good job, me! Vari gloated.
“That means all the cards hidden in the academy have been retrieved, right?” she said. “Which means I don’t have to socialize with teenagers anymore, right? Like smile awkwardly when they say things like ‘Haruto’s cute, isn’t he?’ Or say things like ‘forreal tho’ when one of my classmates starts a conversation with ‘school’s lame.’ More than anything else, I won’t have to mix with lousy humans and compete in their team sport while being ogled at by the masses, right? Right?”
“Uh…don’t ask me.”
Nobody can understand a person’s truest emotions except for that person. Alexei can’t relate to Vari, but she doesn’t even care; the joy of being freed from all these things wins.
“Time to report to my master!”
She lifts off the ground and soars toward where her creator awaits.
✦ ✦ ✦
After Alexei sees Vari fly off, a man dressed in black from head to toe appears out of thin air.
“Nice work,” he says frankly.
“Shiva, there’s only one more card left. Please tell me you have a good ending in mind for this narrative,” says Alexei.
“Hm? Yeah, kinda. It depends on the circumstances, though.”
At times, Shiva’s manner of speech switches to a more candid one.
It’s not that he trusts Alexei, but more like he simply lets his true self slip when he’s at ease.
This must be his true self.
Shiva usually acts pompous and dramatic. It was obvious he was putting up a front.
If his intention is to conceal his true identity, his acting is very poor.
What is even more odd is the fact that he doesn’t attempt to save face even after he’d let his real side show. Not only that…
“Oh yeah, depending on the circumstance, we’ll have to come to a head with that wench. I should eliminate any uncertainties as a whole. Yup, I should do some research on that thing and that other thing. Geez, what a drag.”
His speech and mannerisms are just like his.
The fact that his skill level is unknown─and unmeasurable─is identical as well.
All circumstantial evidence points to one fact: the two are one and the same.
The only reason to deny it is the fact that they both exist in the same space at the same time.
But that, too, could be rationalized with his inexplicable skill level.
Alexei says, “By the way, Count Gold Zenfis visited my estate the other day.”
Let’s see if he’ll take the bait.
“I see…”
Shiva’s tone changes immediately.
“He pressed for me to clarify what the Gubergs’ political standing is. It seems he’s putting his foot down to revolt against the queen.”
“And what did you answer?”
“It goes without saying that the queen’s tyranny is reprehensible. But given the current situation, with the Devil Lord Lucifyra magnifying their power inside her, publicly expressing opposition to the queen would put my life in danger. I refrained from making any firm statements.”
Alexei isn’t worried about losing his life.
If anything, he’s enjoying the thrill of the position he’s placed in.
“With that said, my stance can be changed if you’ve already got a plan in motion. If you and Count Zenfis are collaborating, you have my full support.”
“…”
“Looks like I hit the nail on the head. You and the count seem to have a strong relation─”
“You should stop right there,” interrupts the Black Knight. His voice is calm, but there’s crushing pressure underneath it. “I don’t mind you directing your curiosity at me, but if you intend to get involved with the Zenfis family…”
Alexei didn’t have to hear the rest to know what he meant.
“Very well. I’ll take heed.”
He isn’t worried about losing his life.
But never has he felt so intensely alive; he doesn’t want to lose the feeling. However…
Alexei stands in place for a while after he sees Shiva off.
Expressing opposition to the queen would put my life in danger, huh?
Truth be told, he has no idea how much strength the Devil Lord has been able to regain in their current vessel.
Lucifyra’s and Alexei’s connection has been severed since their conception. They may have branched off from the same entity, but there’s only so much speculation Alexei can do when he has no grasp of the main entity’s situation.
If, for instance…
Alexei begins to picture the worst-case scenario.
A pinch of doubt crosses his mind, but only for a split second.
Whether it’s Lucifyra or Queen Gizelotte…both of them have tremendous tenacity and a never-ending stroke of the devil’s own luck. They mustn’t be taken lightly─?!
His thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a stabbing pain deep in his head.
“Could this be…?”
A muffled voice begins to say something. He cannot make out the words…
“I didn’t think it’d come this soon─”
…but he understands immediately what’s about to happen to him.
This is it for me, I suppose. At the very least, I deserve to watch from the sidelines, don’t I? he wistfully prays.
He could barely utter a croak.
All right…then. I give you…my gratitude…
Fog envelopes his consciousness─plick─and finally, a sound resonates deep within him.