However… “You are…Lady Lydia’s…father…?” “I am,” he answered casually. “Which makes me your ancestor.” Ireena glared at him and bit her lip. I want to deny it. I don’t want a drop of this evil man’s blood polluting my veins. However, she couldn’t refuse his claim. On the surface, Ireena’s family was made of descendants of lower nobles. But in actuality, they were true royalty, pulling the Laville Academy of Magic’s strings from behind the curtain. Ordinarily, Ireena might have lived quietly in the corners of noble society as the descendant of a baron and steered the nation’s politics from the shadows. That duality in Ireena’s family was precisely because of its bloodline. An heir of the Evil Gods was the absolute worst origin a person could have in the modern era. If their lineage were made public, it would be dangerous for them to remain in their own nation. And the realization that the origins of her cursed fate sat across from her right now was infuriating. “It’s all…your fault…” “True. I am the source of your family’s disadvantages. But you see, Ireena, you would have never been born without me.” He was really saying, “Though the misfortunes in your past were because of me, you owe me for the happiness you’ve attained now.” It stung because it was true. The loneliness and anxiety that followed Ireena from her early childhood to today…no ordinary person could even imagine the trauma in her broken heart. On the other hand, she owed the many dear people in her life to her tragic origin. Ard, Ginny, Sylphy…and the countless other friends she made after them. They all remained her friends, even when they learned the truth about her. The bond they shared wasn’t so flimsy that a gust of wind could strip it away. Ireena loved her friends. She regarded those relationships as her life’s best accomplishments. And yet they were all thanks to Mephisto’s existence. He was the root of all Ireena’s worst qualities, but he’d also indirectly helped to shape her best ones. However… “If you didn’t exist…my friends wouldn’t have had to suffer!” “Yeah, I guess so. Without me, the Old Gods would still govern this world, and everyone would live in peace and harmony. After all, the Outer Ones—ah, they’re called ‘the Evil Gods’ in the modern era, aren’t they? Anyway, I brought them all to this world. If I’d never existed, the events that brought us here would never have transpired.” Mephisto’s tone was quiet and calm. He didn’t sound at all villainous or smug. If anything, it was the opposite. “Plenty have told me they’ve wished I was never born. But none of them want that more than me.” A bottomless pit of despair lurked behind Mephisto’s golden eyes, startling Ireena. By all historical accounts, Mephisto Yuu Phegor was the very embodiment of an Evil God. His hands touched everything that was wicked, and he felt no remorse. He was the enemy of all creation. And that was how Ireena had defined Mephisto, too. But now… “A wretch like me was never meant to be happy, to smile, or to be surrounded by friends. I can’t be. I know that. But…I still can’t give up. Even if it’s taboo, I want to be happy, I want to smile among friends. But that wish will never be granted, so I’ve twisted logic and reason and denied the existence of love and friendship… Ultimately, I’m just bitter. I’m not so grand as to be dubbed an Evil God.” Even though Mephisto knew himself and accepted who he was, he was unable to abandon his anguish. The way he looked…he reminded Ireena of herself. “When I was little, I held similar beliefs. Nobody loved me, so that meant everyone was my enemy. I convinced myself that love and friendship weren’t real.” My heart would have broken otherwise. And it must be the same for Mephisto. Ireena’s image of him as an incomprehensible monster started to fade. “If I could have just become the monster everyone believed me to be, I might have been content. But…Ireena, I’m sure you understand how impossible that is. After all, you and I are only people. We can’t become monsters.” That’s why bitterness, rejecting friendship, was his only recourse. But… “I was able to change when I met Ard Meteor. But you—” “I couldn’t do it. Even after meeting my beloved, I’m still me.” Ireena wondered what was different between them. She and Mephisto continued to be bitter because they had no friends. However, that was just a story they told themselves. There was always somebody out there willing to love them. And there was always somebody out there whom they could love. Both Ireena and Mephisto had met another who helped them think that way. So why? “Were you betrayed by those close to you?” Ireena asked. Mephisto hung his head. “No. My wife and daughter never did anything like that.” “Then why…?” Ireena wasn’t pressing him out of curiosity. She truly wished to understand. Ireena and Mephisto were enemies. She was furious that he’d attacked her friends. Despite this, Ireena didn’t see Mephisto as an evil that needed to be eradicated anymore. After speaking with him, Ireena realized they were alike in ways. Now Ireena believed that what Mephisto had said at the start of their conversation was true. They could resolve this by talking. That would only work if they comprehended each other, though. “Tell me everything. Then I know we’ll reach a mutual understanding. We’ll be able to join hands. I want to understand you…and if there’s a hole in your heart, I want to do what I can to fill it. I’m sure that even you—” Even you and I could become friends. Ireena truly believed that. There’s no such thing as a person who only harms others. I learned that from Lizer Bellphoenix and Alvarto Egzex. And I’m certain that Elzard will join us, too. Mephisto seemed to read her thoughts. “You’re the only one, sweet Ireena. The only one who’s ever said anything like that to me.” Tears formed in his golden eyes. He didn’t seem a devil at all as he wept. He was a poor lost child, pleading for help. “I thought you might become my fourth after my wife, my daughter, and my darling. I got my hopes up that you might become somebody I could love with all my heart. In truth, you might even surpass that.” His lips quivered as he spoke. There was no artifice to his emotions. His sincerity was unguarded and bare. “Ireena… I think it might be all right to admit defeat. I want to forfeit my farewell game with my darling and join him. I want that more than anything.” Mephisto’s eyes gazed at Ireena, overflowing with tears. “For you, I think I could overturn fate.” A ray of hope shone into Ireena’s soul. There was no need to fight anymore. This would be the last— “Phew. Crying really is the best way to relieve stress, isn’t it? My head’s all clear now. Thanks, Ireena.” Just as Ireena thought everything was over, Mephisto made it seem like everything he’d said was a lie. He began to talk her through what was to come. “Now, then! Let’s review the situation. My sweetheart and his companions are pushing forward, trying to gain enough power to defeat me. If they keep up their good pace, they should arrive here within the next seven days…though I doubt things will go so well for them. After all, the next trial is at a crazy-high difficulty level.” When she saw the catlike smirk on Mephisto’s face, Ireena grew worried. Mephisto paid this no mind. “Should they stop her attack, the second and third trials are just around the corner. Let’s say my darling does clear all the levels and make it to me. By then, he’ll never be able to win. Not unless you are so precious to me that I don’t want you to die. Too bad. You just might have made this game more difficult for my dearest.” Mephisto nodded to himself as his smile deepened. He seemed shut in his own little world. “What are you…talking about?” Ireena asked. The words almost came out unconsciously. Mephisto gave her a puzzled look “Hmm? Why, I was only clarifying the current conditions and voicing my thoughts about what’s ahead.” The look in Mephisto’s eyes seemed to inquire if he’d said anything odd. This only deepened Ireena’s confusion. “Uh, but you just said… Don’t you remember?” “I think it might be all right to admit defeat. I want to forfeit my farewell game with my darling and join him.” So…why? “You’re still…going through with this…?” The moment Ireena asked the question, Mephisto’s head cocked sharply to one side. After making a show of how bemused he was, he said, “Actually, I’ve got a question for you. Why did you think this was over?” “Because…you said you were giving up.” “Hmmm? Oh, but I never announced an end to the game.” Something’s off. Ireena couldn’t shake a sensation that something was missing—that they weren’t on the same wavelength. “Was it…all a lie? When you said you wanted to overturn fate.” “No. I meant every word.” “Then…didn’t you decide…to put an end to this?” “Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll,” Mephisto droned, arms crossed, neck still tilted. As she beheld the scorn in his eyes that seemed to ask “What the hell is this girl saying?” Ireena got a faint sense of the truth. Her earlier assessment of Mephisto had been incorrect. “Oh! Oh, now I get it, Ireena! You were pretending to be stupid so I’d hate you!” The smile returned to Mephisto’s lips. “Nice move! You almost fooled me there! Keep it up and maybe I really will! Otherwise, I’ll just come to love you more and more and…” The next words that came out of his mouth planted a seed of certainty inside Ireena. “…In the end, I’ll probably have to destroy you.” Ireena didn’t comprehend. How could she? “Destroy…me?” “Yup. If things stay on their current trajectory, that’s what’ll happen.” “But…why…?” “Because you pique my curiosity.” His smile was a field of flowers coming into bloom. His face was beautiful, like an angel’s, and disgusting, like a devil’s. “Once I have my heart set on knowing something, there’s no stopping me. My heart controls my body, not the other way around. That’s why I let my curiosity guide me. I want to see what sorts of emotions come about from my decisions. If there is even the slightest unknown in my conjecture, then I get restless. That was why I carried out that test.” Tears ran down his cheeks. Resenting the past. Grieving the past. However, Mephisto smiled, even as he cried. He was having fun while grieving. “My wife was the first person I ever loved. I wanted to know how I’d feel if I killed her, so I did. “I took my time. I inflicted all the pain on her I could imagine. I made my daughter watch her suffer. Until my wife’s personality wore away…until she disappeared completely… “I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. “I wanted to know. I wanted to know. I wanted to know. I wanted to know. I couldn’t help myself. “It hurt, truly. “My heart felt like it was going to burst. “My wife loved me until the bitter end. “Yet I tortured and killed her. “I felt like I was losing my mind, yet I couldn’t. “After that… After losing my wife, my daughter was my only remaining hope. “With her, my heart would be sated with love, and I wouldn’t need to despair. “And that’s why I began to wonder how it might feel if I hurt her and made her disappear. “I was curious, so I tried. “I tortured her, drove her to the brink. “I nearly burned her body and soul to ash, but I couldn’t go through with it. “Something about cutting that final thread myself was too much. “That’s why I got someone else to do it. “My daughter met her end by the hand of her best friend. “And in that moment, I knew it was cruel. I realized that it was truly horrible. For the first time, I wanted to kill the man named Varvatos. “‘How dare you kill my daughter,’ I thought. What an absurd notion to embrace. “So I tried to destroy him and his forces, but it all felt silly, so I quit. “Killing them all didn’t pique my curiosity. “Then he sealed me for thousands of years. “The centuries were predictable and dreadfully boring. “I was hungry for so long. Hungry for something unexpected to give my curiosity the electrifying jolt it needed. “Now I thought my darling was the one who gave that to me…but I was wrong. “It was you, Ireena. You gave it to me. “That’s why I have high hopes for you. “I dream of the moment when you make a new emotion bud inside of me.” Mephisto’s words pummeled Ireena carelessly, breaking her heart. “Who…the hell…are you?” I’m scared. I’m terrified. As a terror the likes of which she had never known overcame her, Ireena thought, I was a fool for ever thinking we could understand each other. We could never be friends. There was someone undeserving of love and understanding. He was laughing at her right now. “Good luck, Ireena! If you maintain the status quo until my precious arrives, you’ll win. But if I come to hate you…or love you too much, then I’ll destroy you and the world.” For the first time she could remember, Ireena put a label on someone. After being cursed for her origin, she’d vowed never to treat another soul that way. That changed today, however. She murmured in terror, “You’re a monster!” I don’t want to understand him. I don’t want to take his hand. There’s no way I could ever be friends with a monster like him. Hatred and contempt stained her words. Perhaps saddened by seeing the one he loved in such pain, a teardrop formed in Mephisto’s eye. It rolled down his cheek until it reached his lips, sinking and vanishing into the evil within. There was no better way to highlight the devil’s true nature.
Chapter 182
12 min read