The two of them were laughing like it was all a joke. I didn’t know what to say, but deep down I was honestly relieved. If Siegfried became a god, then he wouldn’t be able to be by Kreis’s side once I returned his body.
“I just want to be happy with you,” he said.
I didn’t know what to say.
“So let’s talk to this fallen angel of yours first.”
“I doubt she’s the type to listen to reason.”
“Still, I don’t want to give up on the chance to—”
“There’s no need for that.”
The sudden voice behind us startled me, and I whirled around to look for the source. Risthea stood in the doorway. No, not Risthea... It was the fallen angel.
“Do you really think I wouldn’t notice Your presence, God?”
“Well, it’s been a while. Looks like you’ve changed quite a bit since we last met,” Professor said.
“I could say the same to you. That appearance hardly suits you.”
“Really? I like it, though.”
I hadn’t sensed her presence at all, not even a little. But judging by how calm Professor looked, he must’ve. Why hadn’t he warned us?
Her tone of voice changed completely the moment she looked my way. “Good day, Kreis. One of your little pests came buzzing around me, so I had to swat them down.”
“How dare you call one of my children a pest. What did you do to them?”
“Who knows?”
I knew better than to charge at her despite the rage burning in me. The power radiating from her was on a completely different level.
“I wasn’t expecting you to come to us, Risthea. Are you here to explain yourself?” Siegfried asked.
“How insulting, Your Majesty. A servant hired at your recommendation has ransacked my estate. Don’t you think I’m the one who has the grievance here?”
“I heard you were conspiring with Albert. Did the missing child perhaps find evidence of something they shouldn’t have?” Siegfried asked.
“You’re accusing me based on pure speculation, Your Majesty? That’s not like you. Or do you actually have proof?”
She spoke with complete confidence, but Siegfried shifted in his seat, crossed his legs, and rested a finger thoughtfully on his chin. “I see. So they got away before you could silence them. That’s a smart child. They picked up on your suspicion and went into hiding.”
“Siegfried, do you mean they’re still alive?” I asked, daring to hope.
“If Risthea knew where the child was, she wouldn’t be asking if we had proof. The fact that she’s trying to gauge how much we know proves she’s holding something back,” Siegfried explained.
Risthea’s silence was as good as confirmation. I let out a breath. The child wasn’t dead—they’d escaped. Thank goodness.
The fallen angel clicked her tongue. “Tch. I spent so long setting everything up just right, only for that god to go and ruin it all.” Her elegant mask began to crack and twist into something much darker. “But I suppose the long wait was worth it.”
The mana radiating from her shifted. It felt denser and heavier, almost suffocating. But Siegfried stepped forward, placing himself in front of me, and the atmosphere eased a bit. “That’s my mana.”
I stood up and placed a hand gently on Siegfried’s back. The fallen angel glanced at me briefly before focusing on him again.
“That’s true. Fallen angels are troublesome, you know. Once we separate from our god, we lose most of the powers he granted us. I had no choice but to help myself to yours a little at a time,” she said.
“I’ll admit I was surprised when I found out Albert had been siphoning off my mana. His was still so weak,” Siegfried said.
“Well, he was a fool. He wept with joy over it, completely oblivious to the fact that nearly all of the power he stole from his own son actually flowed straight to me instead.”
That explained it. Despite how much he’d supposedly taken, Albert’s magic had been relatively weak. He’d been completely played.
“Why not become the demon king yourself?” Siegfried asked.
“That would be pointless. You are the one who must become the demon king, not me.”
“Why? The world ends either way, doesn’t it? So what’s the difference?” I asked. If destroying the world was her goal, why did it matter who did it?
She made an exasperated face in response to my question. “I have no interest in this world. What nonsense.”
“Then what...?”
What the hell did that mean? But before I could ask her, everything shook with a loud boom!
“Wha—?!”
“Lord Kreis!” Theodore caught me as I stumbled backward.
“Stay behind me.” Siegfried stepped in front of me and released his magic without turning around.
“Oh, please, Siegfried. You don’t seriously think you can take me down while hauling around that dead weight, do you?”
Flames erupted around Risthea. That was Siegfried’s Fire magic. She’d stolen it.
She set the floor on fire, and the blaze quickly spread around us.
“Siegfried, she’ll burn this whole castle down!” I yelled.
“This way!” Professor flung open a window and jumped outside. Theodore tried to pull me with him, but before he could, Siegfried swept me into his arms.
“Go!” he shouted.
Theodore jumped first, and Siegfried followed, still holding me tightly. We landed in the courtyard just as the palace guards spotted the smoke pouring from the windows.
“Your Majesty!”
“Start putting that fire out now!” Siegfried commanded.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
He set me down just as the fallen angel appeared above the courtyard, her stolen magic crackling in the air.
“Forget me, Siegfried! Just take her down!” I yelled.
“I can’t do that.”
“Siegfried!”
At this rate, I’d only drag everyone else down with me. I had no choice but to strike first or fall behind. I gathered my mana and raised an earthen wall, but my power was nowhere near enough and it was shattered in seconds.
“Yes, that’s right. Protect what you hold dear while you still can. The deeper your attachment, the more despair you’ll feel when it’s ripped away!”
The fallen angel raised her hand, and a massive spiral of fire began to form overhead. Those who’d noticed the commotion and rushed out to the courtyard were now frozen, staring up in shock.
“Run, everyone!”
My voice snapped them out of it and they scattered, but when I saw the fallen angel’s hand flick through the air, I instinctively raised my own hand—the one that wore the ring Siegfried had given me.
“Take everything I’ve got!!!”
I poured all my remaining mana into that sorcerer’s stone. Regardless of how weak my magic was, he’d made the ring himself. It could summon boiling water with even a small amount of power, so if I gave it all I had...
A blinding flash burst from the stone, blasting right through the descending flames and boring a hole in the fire for a split second. Then, with a deafening crash, hot water rained down from above.
“I did it!”
The courtyard was soaked, but I’d put out the flames. I watched with relief as everyone else escaped to safety. I’d bought us some time.
“Let’s see how long you can keep that up.”
This time a sphere of water formed above the fallen angel’s head. I clenched my fist, but the stone on my ring—Siegfried’s precious gift to me—had crumbled to dust, shattering from being pushed past its limits. It was gone, and there was no time to lament it.
“Siegfried, how many people do you think you could protect just with your power alone? Or are you planning to spend it all to keep only Kreis safe?”
She flicked her hand, and the sphere burst, shooting out hundreds of sharp water droplets like arrows. They pierced the people who fled in their arms, legs, and backs. Screams and cries of pain filled the air.
I rushed over to someone who had collapsed nearby. “Are you all right?!”
“Get back now, Kreis!” Siegfried shouted, but I couldn’t just run away and let people suffer.
“Siegfried! You can beat her! I know you can! Are you just going to let everyone else die? That’s not the man I fell in love with!” I shouted.
I knew he wasn’t trying to abandon them, but that dream where I died was still holding him back. He was terrified of losing me again, and that hesitation would cost lives—an entire world of them.
He squeezed his eyes shut, then slowly opened them again.
The fallen angel’s lips curled into a twisted grin. “So you’ve made up your mind, have you?”
And then it began.
Siegfried’s mana collided with the fallen angel’s in the sky. The clouds darkened, thick with malice. A suffocating pressure filled the air, dense enough to choke on. All anyone on the ground could do was look up at their battle in awe and fear.
“What does a god even see in pathetic worms like these? They’re disgusting! A human, chosen to be the next god?! It’s absurd!” the fallen angel shrieked.
“So that’s why you’re doing this?” Siegfried asked.
“Humans were never meant to be gods! If you give them power, they turn into demon kings! You really think your precious god would pass the throne to a human after seeing that?!”
So this wasn’t about making Siegfried destroy the world. She just couldn’t accept that Professor had chosen a human successor.
“That’s what this is all about? You just wanted to become a god yourself?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! There’s only one god!” She hurled a fistful of magic straight into Siegfried’s chest, sending him flying.
“Siegfried!” I yelled.
“Ha ha ha! Is that all you’ve got? You’re the man God chose? Pathetic!”
“You wouldn’t be nearly that strong if you hadn’t stolen his mana!” I shouted without thinking as a flurry of water arrows came flying toward me.