Chapter 74

The monster made of black slime was gone, replaced by a naked and relatively muscular man. “N-no way… You restored my body from that state? H-how?” Eishu gasped. He sounded shocked, but there was no fear in his eyes or voice, and his eerie behavior was gone. He fell to his knees, patted his body, and reacted with joy when he confirmed it was his. Then he jumped to his feet and tried to run. ““Sorry, but I didn’t restore you so you could get away. I don’t want you getting silenced, so I’m gonna put you on ice for now.”” “Huh? Wh-who are you? Where’d the man go?” Eishu asked. The handsome, black-haired man had disappeared. Instead, a beautiful woman with long blond hair stood before him. ““Ice Coffin.”” Nick/Zem had deactivated Union after they healed Eishu; while he was dazed, Nick had quickly joined with Tiana. It was obvious that Eishu would run if given the chance, and the demon-god worshippers would silence him if he got away. That would prevent them from learning the full picture and leave them unprepared for any attacks the enemy had planned. “Grr… R-right after I got my body back, too…,” Eishu complained feebly. Nick/Tiana was trapping his newly formed body in ice. It climbed upward from his feet and was nearly at his head. ““This won’t kill you. I’ll release you later, and you’ll tell us everything then.”” “I-it’s hopeless… No matter how strong you are… You can’t defeat…” ““We’re not gonna lose to Garos.”” “No… Your enemy is—” Eishu’s mutterings were interrupted when the ice finished enveloping his body. “All right, everybody! The final act is next! Let’s stay focused!” Diamond chirped. The idols in the waiting room were taking a break before the final songs of the day, and they looked so exhausted, they could die. Some idols had already performed their songs and were spent, some looked so excited they could run back onstage right now, some were waiting as if their turn was an execution, some concentrated silently, and some looked ready to collapse from stress. Diamond spoke to each of the girls, encouraging some, scolding others, and lighting a fire under them all. Some idols pointed out that she had the most songs of all, wondering between exasperation and praise how she could possibly have so much energy left, but Diamond just laughed. Her smile seemed to communicate one thing—that this was the most fun moment of the whole event. Idols were a special kind of beast. Diamond had told them all her secret, but while some were angry about being used and others were moved by her noble goal of sealing the demon god, those feelings were dominated by their dogged desire to not be bested by her. They didn’t abandon their respect and trust for Diamond; instead, they redirected those feelings into anger and a sense of duty. Each one of them was burning with the ambition of toppling this scheming, dishonest girl from her perch. The idols also learned that she had slightly changed her name and makeup over the years to pretend that she was a different person and take the position of top idol in each generation. The idea of a semi-immortal girl retiring while at the peak of her prosperity was a disgrace to all idols. They each swore to themselves that, even if they didn’t yet have the skill, they would someday replace her at the top. “Karan, let’s eat lunch together!” Diamond said cheerily. “Okay.” Karan followed Diamond as she walked among the stunning idols and entered her unoccupied personal waiting room. Diamond plopped down into a chair, sighing with exhaustion. “The show’s been a success so far. Thanks for your help,” she said. “Don’t thank me yet,” Karan responded frankly. Diamond nodded. A magic barrier had been erected around the stage to repel any wrongdoers who tried to rush the stage or throw things at the idols, but intentional holes had to be left to allow entry into the staff rooms and waiting rooms. If anyone got through, it would be here. That was why Karan was sticking by Diamond’s side to protect her. “I sense Nick and the others are fighting something dangerous. That might mean we’re safe,” Diamond said. She reclined in her chair while taking some deep breaths. “I’m sure it’s a decoy. The main attack will be here,” Karan replied confidently. Diamond shrugged. “We gave out Garos’s Wanted posters at reception. Groups of fans are also circulating documents detailing him as a dangerous person who has attacked idols and is behind the counterfeit tickets.” “Then can I take off this costume?” Karan asked. “Absolutely not,” Diamond said. Diamond and Joseph had done everything they could to prepare for this concert. But they couldn’t afford to take this threat lightly. “Would you come if you were Garos?” the idol asked. The Karan of old probably would’ve rejected that question, unwilling to think from the criminal’s perspective. The new Karan answered without hesitation. She had already run this through her head multiple times. “He’ll try to come when everyone lets down their guard. Probably when the idols are done performing. The guards and soldiers will relax as a matter of course,” she said. “Exactly. That’s why you’re here,” Diamond said. When they decided that one of them needed to be onstage to protect Diamond’s main body, Karan was chosen through the process of elimination. She also ended up having to wear an idol costume so she wouldn’t stand out onstage, which she normally never would have gone along with. “But why did you lie your way into defending me?” Diamond asked. Karan had been deceiving her party members—she had already made plans with Diamond before the Survivors discussed deployment. She told the idol that someone needed to remain by her side at all times and that she wanted her party to be influenced into choosing her. Diamond wanted Karan to dress like an idol partially for fun, but also because she wanted to be able to continue the concert without suspending it in the event of a security problem. She hoped that if any fights broke out onstage, the fans would assume it was part of the performance so that the excitement of the show wasn’t diminished. Karan used that to pretend that she didn’t want the job. By complaining that she didn’t want to wear the costume and having Nick persuade her into doing it, she was able to hide the truth that she’d volunteered. She also had read the crime scene report Nick had borrowed from the Sun Knights so many times, she could recite it from memory. It detailed the positions of Nick, Alice, Eishu, and Garos at the time of the murder, described Eishu’s headless neck, and conjectured about what kind of attack Garos performed. There was information Nick didn’t know in the report as well, including details about other murders that were similar or could also have been committed by Garos. Nick had been so swamped with helping to devise the security plan and guarding the idols as they practiced that—unusually for him—he only skimmed the documents. He arrogantly dismissed them, saying that it was all based on what he wrote anyway and that he knew how Garos operated. As such, Karan was the only one who read them carefully. She had predicted what Garos would do, but she didn’t share her idea with Nick. No one suspected Karan at all. “You’re like a different person from when we first met. Did something happen?” Diamond asked. “I realized that I love Nick,” Karan said. Diamond was startled by the sudden declaration, but her eyes quickly turned gentle. “It’s a good thing to love someone. But what does that have to do with this?” “Agate, you, and your songs taught me what you should do for the person you love, and how to avoid having regrets. You need to be willing to do anything for them without getting too focused on the little things,” Karan said. Karan had been half pretending when she blushed and covered her ears as Agate and the others excitedly analyzed Diamond’s lyrics. The more she thought she shouldn’t listen, the less she could resist doing so. The true meaning of each lyric, the love they contained, and Diamond’s commitment to her love had left a deep impression on her. The wounds Callios had inflicted. The example Fifs had provided. The guidance Nick had given her, as well as his kind lies. The affection Tiana and Zem had shown her. Leon’s harsh advice, Agate’s encouragement, and the love Diamond sang of. It had all come together to birth something beautiful in Karan’s heart. “Is that why you’re here?” Diamond asked. Karan nodded without hesitation. “Nick’s not the kind of person who can kill someone he likes. There’s no going back from that. I’ll do it instead.”