Majic shouted, “I love youuuuu!”
...
Claiomh definitely faltered.
Her eyes widened and she turned toward Majic, however... However...
Claiomh probably didn’t even see Majic. By that time, he was already sliding across the floor, having slipped into her blind spot.
He used his momentum to launch himself forward.
His foot struck Claiomh’s calf. And not just one of them. Majic kicked with both feet, hitting both of Claiomh’s legs. It was probably just dumb luck that it worked—Claiomh may have been an easy target, but he was going for two places at once, which wasn’t smart.
Still, if the attack landed, then the rest didn’t matter. Claiomh toppled to the floor, powerless to resist, and the gun flew out of her hand, drawing a gentle arc in the air...
Colgon leaped forward and snatched it out of the air. Then he spun and aimed it at the lord without hesitating.
But the lord was already gone. Had he jumped up? Somehow, he was in the upper seats, opposite Lottecia’s position.
“You shouldn’t oppose me inside the summoner, Yuis. I’m a more skilled caster than Lottecia. I can teleport the sword’s insects outside of the room if I want to.”
Colgon lowered the gun without responding. His eyes fell on the broken sword.
But that wasn’t important right now.
Orphen turned his attention to the fallen Claiomh and Majic, who was holding her down. Maybe it was more accurate to say he was holding her up. Claiomh was unconscious; maybe she’d hit her head. It wasn’t a good situation to be in, but it was better than before.
Holding her, Majic looked more surprised than anyone else. “I-It worked...”
“What was that?” was the question Orphen settled on asking.
Majic looked up at him and said, “Well, uhh... She said I could definitely take someone by surprise with that... Assistant Professor Isabella, that is...”
“Gotta say, it really didn’t land.”
“I know. I know. But what else was I supposed to do?! If this is the only way I can be of any use, then I don’t care if it doesn’t land! I’ll do whatever I can, damn it... Uuugh...”
“You don’t have to cry about it. I guess you’re starting to think like a sorcerer now, though...”
Orphen pushed the speechless Majic aside and peered down at Claiomh’s face. Her eyes were closed, tear trails running down her cheeks. There was no response when he touched her face, but she was breathing steadily. Orphen opened her eyelids to check her pupils before he finally allowed himself to feel some relief.
The silence must have made him uncomfortable. Majic spoke up like he was trying to explain himself. “I took a different route than you, so I was worried I might not catch up.”
“How’d you get here?” Orphen asked him.
Majic took a vague look around before saying, “Well, it’s kind of creepy, but a weird voice guided me here... I kind of understand what’s going on here too.”
“I see,” Orphen said simply, standing back up. He had an idea who that voice might have been, but there was no point in dwelling on that now.
Colgon stood before him, looking down at his broken sword with the same dark eyes he’d had five years ago. Even when there was emotion on his face, it wasn’t obvious. That was the kind of man he was. But there was a distinct anger in his eyes as he looked at the sword now. It must have meant something to him.
“Please finish things by the time she wakes up,” Majic said as he dragged Claiomh’s body away. “Can you do that?”
“It’ll get done.”
Orphen thought about looking at Claiomh’s face again, but he decided against it.
He thought about Jack Frisbee and Claiomh.
About what Helpart, Ryan, and everyone else had said.
Orphen smiled wryly. “I see. There are no miracles.”
Colgon reacted to his muttering. The supreme assassin Yuis Els Ito Egum Ed Colgon turned to look at him.
Orphen kept speaking, though not to him. “If you rely on miracles, you can’t beat a god, can you? You need to use a method only a human could use to kill a god. I see. I get it now.”
“Lottecia, remove everyone we don’t need.”
Colgon’s order was quickly carried out. Majic and Claiomh vanished in an instant. Heartia remained—Colgon gave him a dubious look, like he didn’t agree with the judgment, but he made no further comment about it.
“The same, but opposite... Is that it?” he muttered, lifting his hand as if considering the weight of the gun in it.
The hand holding the gun seemed to drift into place of its own volition, and he said threateningly, “But now everything’s in place. You came in with the boy because you thought I’d suspect you entering with Krylancelo...what shallow thinking. Stop hiding, Azalie.”
“I’m not hiding, it’s just more difficult for me to show myself.” Azalie appeared as if she was sitting upon the gun barrel.
“That’s everything.” There was a hint of emotion in Colgon’s voice. “Three summoners who can control the Network. We have the best chance of success possible now.”
“...True, the summoning might succeed,” Azalie said bluntly. She hopped down off of the gun and then floated up before she hit the ground, ascending to the same level the lord and Lottecia were on. She didn’t go to the seats however, instead remaining in the center of the device.
“I see. It was convenient for you that I replaced Damian. This sorcery would deplete his power, so he wouldn’t have participated in it.”
“That was your aim, wasn’t it?” Colgon shot back, just as calm.
Orphen watched them silently. He shifted his position bit by bit, aiming to get in the blind spot of Colgon’s aim, though he knew it was like searching for shade in a field on a midsummer day.
Colgon wasn’t ignoring Orphen. Their eyes met every time Orphen spared a glance at him. Still, he continued to search for his opportunity.
“And when we perform this summoning, you’ll complete your spell?” The lord interrupted their conversation.
Voice low, Colgon answered, “The dragons are suffering a big misunderstanding. They fled, thinking the arrival of the gods was merely disastrous.” He shifted the gun into a more comfortable position and continued, “They should have changed their perspective. The gods did them the favor of manifesting into something as easy to understand as limitless power. The dragons should have made use of them.”
“That would have been difficult, considering the dragons’ emotions at the time.”
“They were weak. If they were going to challenge the world, they shouldn’t have given up halfway through the fight,” Colgon asserted. “I’ll use the demon king’s almost limitless power to become a demon king myself. No matter how many times the gods come, I’ll prevent their intrusion myself. I’ll protect the continent forever.”