“Lishbaum.”
“Well, well... If it isn’t Moolah. Calling me in the middle of a battle? Is something the matter?”
“No. I have a question for you.”
“And what is that?”
“Why are you making us attack like this?”
“Like what, exactly?”
“Don’t play dumb! I’m talking about this half-assed offensive!” Moolah yelled, her fury clear in her voice. “You claim we’re taking down a nation, but fighting this way is in direct contradiction to that!”
It was just as she said. They’d mobilized an enormous army to topple a human nation. They’d even resorted to using mass teleportation to land at what was practically the front door of the enemy capital. And yet, the attack was being carried out haphazardly—the city hadn’t even been besieged. The plan was full of holes.
A serious campaign would have involved an immediate opening strike, prioritizing speed in an all-out assault the moment the defenders started preparing. Moolah knew all this, and her knowledge had her enraged with Lishbaum. But he’d expected this reaction from her.
“Because it was Nakshatra-sama’s command,” he told her.
“What...?”
“Did you not hear me? Nakshatra-sama commanded it.”
Despite the magic circle’s inability to convey such things, Lishbaum could sense her quiet rage and misgivings.
“You better not be lying while borrowing our liege’s name...” she said menacingly.
“I would never. I have no reason to. In my opinion, this approach is far too roundabout and soft. If I were to bring about the same results, I would resort to other means.”
Having regained her composure somewhat, Moolah fell silent. But she hadn’t fully dismissed her doubts; the faint sound of her holding her breath told Lishbaum as much. She was like a predator, watching her prey with bated breath.
“If you truly don’t believe me, shall I connect you directly to our liege?” Lishbaum asked.
“Mrgh...”
Moolah had no choice but to believe him now. She stifled the words that crawled up her throat, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. However, she still couldn’t understand why the attack was being carried out this way.
“I understand,” she said. “But why did Nakshatra-sama give such an order?”
“Our liege stated, ‘It is to force preponderance of the Goddess’s power.’ I largely agree with this.”
“Force preponderance...?”
“To forcibly concentrate the Goddess’s power entirely within one hero,” Lishbaum elaborated. “That is what we mean by preponderance in this case.”
Moolah came to a realization. The Goddess’s power was currently divided among four heroes. If that was to all be concentrated in one entity...
“Don’t be stupid!” she yelled. “That’ll just make that hero stronger!”
“Exactly.”
“Then why?! We’re going out of our way to put ourselves at a disadvantage...? You must be scheming something idiotic—”
Moolah only grew more suspicious of Lishbaum. In her mind there was only one answer as to what would happen if this preponderance were successful.
“Please wait a moment,” Lishbaum said, cutting her off.
“What the hell do you have to say now?”
“Just give it some thought. You went ahead and decided all on your own that that’s the only explanation.”
“That’s because... you said yourself that’s what it meant.”
“No. Going with the simple answer is no different from not thinking at all. That is sloth. You must carefully consider things from different angles.”
“Are you faulting me for being thoughtless?”
“I didn’t go that far. I’m simply stating it is important to pay things due consideration.”
“That’s the same thing.”
Moolah remained spiteful, so Lishbaum decided to give her a hint.
“In all likelihood, our god plans to settle things here and now. The cost doesn’t matter. Everything is done based on this premise.”
“Here and now? As in this battle?” Moolah asked.
“No. By here and now, I don’t mean the battle you’re currently participating in, but ‘the present day’s conflict.’”
“You mean to say that this battle is laying the groundwork for that purpose?”
“To the Evil God, everything done to this very date has been laying the groundwork. That includes both you and me—and Nakshatra-sama.”
Moolah fell silent.
“I do understand that you don’t like the thought of being used as a pawn, though,” Lishbaum added.
“That’s not true.”
Lishbaum could immediately see that Moolah’s thoughts and words were in direct conflict. She was quite different from the other demons; though tremendously loyal to her superiors, she was also extremely emotional, to the extent that it was not unreasonable to believe she could mix up her priorities when it came to the objective and the means to accomplish it.
Emotional demons as a whole did exist, but in this respect, Moolah was almost human. If so, was this also something the Evil God had set into place? Who was that spearhead going to be pointed at, then? Even now, Lishbaum couldn’t get a read on it.
I suppose she is yet another who needs salvation.
And as Lishbaum continued to muse over Moolah’s circumstances, a sudden thought came to mind.
“Lady Moolah, you’re currently on the battlefield, correct?”
“Yes. Just as I said. I’m commanding the army and overseeing the attack.”
“Perfect. There is something I’d like to ask you.”
“What?”
“Do you see a human boy with black hair and black clothes there?”
“Black hair? No, I don’t remember seeing anyone like that.”
“Hmmm... He doesn’t use the magic you’re familiar with, so you wouldn’t forget him if you saw him... Is Starfall not there...?”
Nobody could possibly forget that man after witnessing his magicka—he was simply that powerful. It was impossible to put a stop to his rampage without a significant show of strength.
He was like a fortress’s gun battery. If he was present, a quarter—or even a full half—of the demon army would’ve been annihilated before the two forces even met. And that was accounting for the fact that he wasn’t even at full power.
That’s why I sent three of them... Hmm, we may have overdone it a little.
The objective of this battle was preponderance. They were trying to force the Goddess’s power to funnel into one hero. The greater the danger, the greater the stimulation, the more they could intentionally force a hero to awaken, evolve, and lure the Goddess into making a miscalculation. The battle was of course meant to decrease the number of humans and break the balance of power overall, but that was a secondary goal.
But if they overdid it—if they were too powerful—the plan would backfire. If the hero was defeated, the power within him would be lost with him. Manipulating the preponderance of the Goddess’s power would become impossible.
“So? What about this human boy?” Moolah asked.
“It’s nothing. I was simply going to warn you to pay special attention if he was there.”
“You bastard... Are you implying I’ll lose to some measly human who’s not even a hero?”
“I’m simply asking you to take such possibilities into consideration.”
“Is this boy that strong?”
“Yes. However, with the amount of power you possess...”
Lishbaum trailed off there and sank into thought. Moolah was incredibly powerful. In terms of simple scale, she rivaled Demon Lord Nakshatra. So, maybe it was possible for her to defeat him.
“Are you belittling me?” Moolah asked angrily.
“Not at all. I’m warning you not to be careless, or you’ll have the carpet pulled out from beneath you. That’s his speciality.”
“So all he’s known for is petty tricks. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Is that so...?”
Just as expected, Moolah’s wrath grew even stronger. She had some serious confidence, but it was true that she could defeat that man. If Yakagi Suimei could fully wield his powers, however, that would be a different situation. In any case, Moolah’s trump card was not to be underestimated.
Lishbaum finished his call with Moolah and returned his attention to the footage on the wall. The “eyes” he’d sent to retrieve this footage didn’t reflect the person he was looking for.
“Yakagi Suimei. Where are you?”
Lishbaum looked at the footage dispassionately. He didn’t dare underestimate Yakagi Suimei. If anything, he’d considered the boy a threat from the very beginning. He was a “pure magician,” the product of the greatest modern-day magician, Yakagi Kazamitsu. Suimei had enough power to annihilate any clear threats to civilization; of the six apocalyptic events revealed by divine revelation, he’d averted two calamities. Against nature and truth, he was one of humanity’s greatest weapons. What was truly terrifying about this was Yakagi Kazamitsu’s ability to mold such power within the span of a mere fifteen years.
“It’s kinda like if a hydrogen bomb grew a virtuous conscience, huh?”
These were the words of a certain magician—Suimei’s self-proclaimed fan. His cynical words nonetheless revealed an admiration for the outrageous power Suimei possessed.
And so, Lishbaum continued staring at the projected footage, looking only for Yakagi Suimei’s figure.
Two days after the outbreak of the war, Astel’s capital of Metel was officially under siege. Following the opening engagement outside the walls, the stalling tactics, the evacuation of the civilians, and the reinforcement of all defensive emplacements, Astel’s forces had retreated behind the tall city walls. Astel soldiers were now intercepting demons who were scaling the walls or trying to fly over them. But there were just too many of them.
Reiji’s party was currently assessing the battle situation with the overall commander and the appointed officer for the command post they were presently sheltered in.