Something astonishing happened.
Micro knelt before Lucart!
Shekina was taken aback. Knowing the proud and unyielding nature of the merfolk, this was a shocking sight.
“On behalf of everyone, I extend my gratitude. Thank you.”
Wow…
What am I supposed to say to that?
Shekina’s mind raced, but Lucart spoke faster.
“You should be grateful. If not for us, you’d all be dead.”
Wow. Look at him shamelessly taking all the credit.
But since he wasn’t wrong and it wouldn’t look right for Shekina to intervene, Shekina kept her mouth shut.
“Thanks to you, that wicked Pope has been driven away. Everyone is safe now, and we can finally rest easy. How can we ever repay you?”
He was clearly asking about compensation for Lucart’s boastful remark.
As expected, Micro, despite his seemingly clueless demeanor, was quick to catch on as the leader of his tribe.
Lucart glanced at Shekina, signaling for her to speak.
“Ahem.”
Shekina cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders.
“For now, you can’t relax completely.”
Then she began speaking slowly.
“What did the Pope take from you? Knowing that will help us figure out whether you’re truly safe or not.”
Micro lowered his gaze for a moment before lifting his head.
“They took our blood.”
“…They took your blood? For what?”
“We don’t know. All they said was that it would be used as ‘material.’”
Hearing this only made things more confusing. Shekina looked at Lucart, thinking he might know something. As expected, Lucart wore a grave expression, as if he had an idea.
“…Chimeras.”
“Chimeras?”
“Yes. The blood of the merfolk is useful in combining different species.”
“Oh…”
There could only be one reason for creating chimeras: to grow stronger.
And the fact that they returned for more merfolk suggested their creation wasn’t complete and required additional blood.
Wow… If we hadn’t stopped them, we’d have been screwed.
Shekina let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest.
“So, there’s a chance they’ll come back, right?”
“Th-That…”
“Most of you are injured and wouldn’t be able to fight properly, isn’t that right?”
Finally understanding the gravity of the situation, Micro glanced at the merfolk behind him, swallowed dryly, and bowed his head once again.
“P-Please help us.”
“………”
“Please… We can’t do this on our own. Everyone will die.”
Slowly, the merfolk behind Micro began to kneel one by one. They finally realized that the demons were their only lifeline.
Lucart looked at them as if this were only natural, then picked Shekina up and whispered to her.
“What should we do with them?”
Shekina tilted her head again.
“Haven’t you already decided what to do, boss?”
“You’re sharp.”
Lucart chuckled.
“We’ll take them to the castle.”
“Yep, that’s right. Then we just go back, collect the spinels, and it’s all good.”
Not only had they secured spinels, but they had also gained unexpected allies. Although losing Lucifer was a painful mistake, the results were still favorable enough to overlook it.
“Merfolk and demons, huh…”
Lucart recalled a time in the past when the former Demon King had waged a great war against the merfolk in the human realm. Since then, the merfolk had despised demons, while demons regarded merfolk as insignificant.
“Interesting.”
Lucart chuckled softly again, finding the situation increasingly intriguing.
“But there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
“Yep.”
Shekina lowered her voice slightly.
“Yuriel.”
She sighed deeply.
“He probably thinks we’re human. How are we supposed to explain this?”
While Dehan knew they were demons, Yuriel did not.
Being a devout priest, Yuriel had no idea they were demons. If he found out, there was a good chance he’d not only leave the castle but might even attack them.
“Even if we tell the merfolk to keep it a secret, there’s no telling how it might leak…”
Shekina frowned.
Accepting the merfolk would be highly beneficial from the demons’ perspective, but there was hesitation, as being discovered by Yuriel could cause significant problems.
“Maybe we could build a separate building for the merfolk…”
“You… You don’t have to do that.”
At that moment.
A familiar voice broke the silence.
It was Yuriel, who had woken up without anyone noticing.
Yuriel, unsteady on his feet, approached Shekina and Lucart.
Though his face was pale from the recent battle, his eyes remained sharp and unwavering, as if still radiating divine energy.
“I… I already know.”
Yuriel’s golden eyes darted nervously before he clenched his fists and shouted.
“I know… that you’re demons!”
Huh.
How does he…?
***
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Virtus ran endlessly, gasping for breath. He held the battered Lucifer tightly in his arms.
As he expected, if he hadn’t swapped places with Gabriel at that moment, he would have been the one captured.
Of course, he could have used teleportation alone to escape the situation… but then Gabriel might have told Lucifer about his escape.
So he abandoned Gabriel and fabricated the narrative that he had saved Lucifer.
He felt no guilt for his actions.
The only thing that concerned him was whether Lucifer would figure out what had really happened…
But he should be fine.
Yes, everything should be fine.
Virtus reassured himself.
“This… this should be far enough…”
Only when he reached a deserted forest did Virtus finally stop running. Gasping for air, he gently laid Lucifer on the ground.
“M-My lord, are you all right?”
Lucifer’s face was utterly ruined, to the point where it was unrecognizable. For a moment, Virtus’s heart sank, fearing that he might have died.
“Haaah… haack…”
Fortunately, Lucifer was alive. He wheezed raggedly through what appeared to be his mouth.
“Phew… phew.”
“My lord!”
Relieved, Virtus hurriedly supported Lucifer, helping him sit up.
“Are you all right? W-Wait, let me heal you—”
“Leave it. I was planning to abandon this body soon anyway. Haaah… I underestimated that bastard. I thought he was weakened, but he still had that much power left…”
Lucifer clicked his tongue, recalling Lucart’s overwhelming strength. He stretched out his senses, but aside from Virtus’s presence, he felt nothing.
“But why can’t I sense Gabriel’s energy?”
At that moment, Virtus’s mind raced.
“Are you unable to see, My lord?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah… I see…”
Thank the heavens. The gods are on my side.
Lucifer had no idea that Virtus had betrayed Gabriel and fled. He couldn’t see!
Relieved, Virtus calmly lied.
“Gabriel ran away.”
“…Ran away, you say?”
“Yes. When the situation worsened, he ran away immediately. I came straight to you, my lord!”
Lucifer opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it again. He swallowed his thoughts.
“Let’s go relocate my soul.”
Virtus’s eyes darted nervously.
Lucifer hadn’t yet found a body capable of withstanding his power.
How could he plan to transfer his soul now?
“But, my lord, there isn’t a suitable vessel yet—”
“I know that.”
Lucifer interrupted sharply.
“I’m well aware of that, which is why I’m furious right now. Lucart, that bastard, has set my plans back by years with just one attack!”
Without a suitable vessel, Lucifer had to endlessly move from one body to another. This process was detrimental to building power, as he would have to transfer again as soon as he gained even a little strength.
The plans he had hoped to execute as early as next month were now in ruins.
This reality was despairing, but…
Lucifer shook his head.
“No, no… Let’s search for a body while devising a better plan. This could be another opportunity for us, after all. Don’t you think?”
Everything will ultimately align in my favor.
Today’s defeat will become tomorrow’s victory.
And at that moment, without fail…
“I’ll slit the throat of the traitor.”
Lucifer sharpened his blade of vengeance.
