"Hmm..."
Merlin looked up at Lust while tightly gripping the acorn in her hand.
'What's this now.'
She had been enjoying some small happiness watching over Raon through the eyes of the squirrel family, but in the brief moment she'd stepped away to handle some business with her main body, some unknown incident had occurred.
The now-blind leader of the Holy Sword Alliance was rolling on the ground after being beaten, and Raon had gone down the mountain after a short conversation with that unidentified woman.
She couldn't hear clearly what was said, but judging by their expressions, it seemed like some extraordinary words were exchanged, making her blood boil.
"Who are you?!"
Merlin pointed an accusing finger at Lust. Of course, in her squirrel form, it only looked cute.
"A squirrel?"
Lust looked down at Merlin, tilting her head.
"It seems to be an ordinary squirrel, but it's talking?"
She too failed to recognize Merlin inside the squirrel, and drew in a sharp breath.
"What are you...?"
"I asked you first!"
Merlin couldn't hold back and threw the acorn on the ground.
"Ah!"
She realized it wasn't hers right after throwing it and quickly grabbed the rolling acorn again.
"This is your fault!"
"I see..."
Lust looked at Merlin and slowly nodded.
"You've dissolved your soul into the squirrel's body to avoid straining it? It would be difficult to recognize if you didn't speak first."
She marveled at the impressive magic.
"I know I'm great! Now tell me who you are!"
Merlin bared her teeth and growled. Still in squirrel form, she looked cute even when angry.
"I am..."
Lust started to answer but stopped, turning her gaze down the mountain. She captured Raon, who had just arrived at the village, in her eyes and formed a gentle smile.
"Hey!"
Merlin couldn't hold back and stomped her foot. Being a squirrel's foot, it was smaller than a flower petal and left no mark on the ground.
"Why did you stop mid-sentence!"
She burst out in frustration and kicked Lust's foot. With a thud, dust fell from Lust's shoe.
"..."
Lust seemed to have lost interest in Merlin and stared only at Raon, her cheeks flushing. Her expression became dreamy, as if imagining the future.
"Answer me!"
Merlin gathered mana from the air into her teeth and bit Lust's leg. But she didn't seem to feel any pain, not even turning her gaze from the mountain.
'This woman...'
Merlin narrowed her eyes as she looked up at Lust.
'She's not human.'
This woman's face was certainly beautiful, but bizarrely, it showed the most ideal face to her. An innate power, neither magic nor sorcery. A quality that could be called divine power without exaggeration. But that wasn't the only reason she thought this woman wasn't human.
'The size of her soul.'
Inside that body, a soul even larger than Glenn's or Darkan's was writhing. No human could possess such a soul.
"What on earth are you looking at?!"
Merlin bit her lip and lifted the squirrel's body into the air. It put a great strain on her main body, but she couldn't just stand still.
'Raon?'
As she floated up and followed the pink woman's gaze, she saw Raon. As expected, the conversation between the two didn't seem ordinary, making her blood boil.
"You! Why are you looking at what's mine!"
Merlin shook her head vigorously, blocking Lust's line of sight with her squirrel body.
"Yours?"
Lust's gaze, which had been ignoring Merlin's attacks and bites, turned down with a chilling coldness.
"Squirrel. Choose your words carefully. They might be your last."
"Finally showing your true colors!"
Merlin did a somersault and landed lightly on the ground. She knelt on one knee and punched the ground in a heroic pose.
"Bring it on!"
She extended her tiny fists, saying to come at her anytime.
"How pathetic... Hm?"
As Lust was looking at Merlin's punches, she felt a gaze coming up from the mountain. Wrath had sensed her earlier aura and was looking up.
'Oh no!'
She quickly suppressed her energy and bent down to escape Wrath's gaze.
'That was dangerous...'
She had promised to wait quietly, but almost got caught breaking that promise right away. She'd rather die than disappoint Wrath. With a low hum, Lust hid her true form, the Demon King of Lust's power blooming within the shell she had created to resemble Wrath, then looked at the squirrel.
"Don't be ridiculous."
Lust shook her head with calm eyes.
"He's not yours, but mine. I've been chasing him my whole life."
She flicked Merlin's nose, saying how dare she covet him.
"Your whole life?"
Merlin snorted at Lust.
"Your lips are bright red from all the lies! I've been following him day and night, and I've never seen the likes of you!"
She shook her head, telling Lust not to lie.
"I don't care what you think. I've followed him my whole life. And soon, that effort will bear fruit."
Lust clenched her fist, her blue eyes resembling Wrath's filled with certainty.
"H-him? Did you just say 'him'?"
This time, Merlin was enraged by Lust's use of the word 'him'. It was a term usually used by wives to refer to their husbands, which made her blood boil.
"You liar..."
Merlin chewed her lip as she looked up at Lust's serene eyes.
'I want to call it a lie, but it's true.'
The natural sense she had gained from being with many animals told her. This woman was only speaking the truth now. She really had been following Raon constantly and believed he would be with her.
'That can't be.'
Raon isn't someone who would fall for a woman's looks. That idiot would surely have his reasons, and if asked, he would answer, but she couldn't just let this slide here.
"Is that so?"
Merlin crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
"The same goes for me then."
"What do you mean?"
Lust, who had been caressing a flower similar in color to Raon's eyes, turned her gaze.
"I'm also going to be with him."
Merlin curled up the corners of her mouth and pointed at Raon.
"I even heard him say we should live together."
In reality, it wasn't "let's live together" but "come to Zieghart", but that wasn't important right now. She had to win this battle of wills.
"Moreover, I've spent nights with 'him' before."
She emphasized the word 'him' and grinned. Of course, it was about searching the entire North Grave Mountain in the middle of winter night for snakes to feed the moles, but she still straightened her back proudly since they had spent time together.
"Hmm..."
Lust looked at Merlin, her fingertips trembling slightly.
'Is that true...'
It was difficult to discern her true intentions in squirrel form, but seeing that this woman's soul wasn't wavering, it seemed to be the truth.
"How dare you..."
Lust extended her hand filled with killing intent towards Merlin but stopped abruptly upon seeing a red flower.
'Wrath...'
The flower was facing her with a red glow, just like Wrath's gaze she had seen earlier. She couldn't do anything shameful in front of this.
"I see. You must be the thorn in my heart."
Lust shook her head at Merlin.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Merlin tilted her head as if asking what she meant.
"This flower is one that he planted for me. I won't fall for your provocations."
Lust carefully caressed the red flower, suppressing the irritation rising within her.
"F-flower?"
Merlin's lips trembled as she looked at the flower in front of Lust.
'I thought something was odd...'
A very faint scent of Raon emanated from that red flower. It wasn't just a scent, but his energy was present as well.
"Eek..."
Merlin clutched her head with trembling hands.
'Raon has never planted flowers for me... No, wait!'
I have one too!
"A flower? That's all? I even made a whole garden to welcome him!"
Merlin snorted and shook her head.
'Of course, it wasn't Raon but Mother.'
While staying in the annex, she had tidied up the garden and planted flowers with Sylvia, so it wasn't a complete lie.
"And he risked his life fighting to save me!"
Merlin raised her hand, mentioning that he had saved her life, without saying that she had saved Raon more times.
"Hmm..."
Lust looked at Merlin, furrowing her brows deeply.
'Killing would be simple, but...'
Even if a soul was mixed into that squirrel, she could kill it with just a finger movement. But using force felt like losing, so she couldn't use her power.
"Eek!"
Merlin also glared at Lust, her shoulders trembling.
'What did she say to Raon?'
She was very curious about what Raon and this woman had said in front of the flower, but asking Raon about it felt like losing, so she couldn't do it.
"Then let's do this."
Merlin exhaled briefly and jerked her chin.
"You said you've been following him until now, right?"
"Yes. For thousands of years."
"Enough with the bravado!"
She pointed her finger at her own mouth and then at Lust's in turn.
"You've been following him, and I'm confident in secretly following too. Let's decide the winner based on who can follow more quietly without being caught!"
Merlin stomped her foot, saying the loser should grant the winner's wish.
"Fine. I won't lose to anyone at that."
Lust knew it was a pointless endeavor, but accepted the proposal solely because she didn't want to lose to this squirrel.
"Same here!"
Merlin raised her hand confidently, turning her head sharply. With a clap, the stalking competition between the Demon King of Lust and the nearly transcendent magician began.
* * *
"Huh!"
Raon shuddered as if startled.
'W-what was that...?'
He felt a chill run down his spine as if someone had just caressed it. This had never happened before, leaving him dazed.
-Did, did you feel that too?
Wrath swallowed hard, looking back at the mountain they had just descended.
'You felt it too?'
-Indeed. I felt no energy, but it was chilling.
He said it felt like someone was stroking his soul, his chin trembling.
'What could it be?'
He tried extending his aura perception, but couldn't sense anything.
'I felt Lust's energy earlier, has she not left yet?'
-This king is currently in spirit form, so if Lust decides to hide, it would be difficult to find her.
Wrath shook his head, saying he had felt her briefly, but now she was completely gone.
'I see.'
He nodded briefly. In truth, even if he found her, there was nothing he could do, so it seemed best to leave it be.
"Um, but..."
Raon gave an awkward smile towards Runaan, who was staring intently at his wrist.
"What are you doing?"
"..."
Runaan didn't answer, just glaring at the bracelet on his wrist with rabbit-like eyes before swinging her hand down. With a whoosh, her water blade struck Lust's flower bracelet, but true to its demonic power, it didn't break.
"Tch!"
Runaan clicked her tongue briefly in disappointment and stepped back.
"Uh..."
"Seems you've returned safely."
As Raon chuckled awkwardly while looking at his wrist, Darkan slowly rose. As a transcendent being, he seemed to have recovered some strength.
"You're not going to break your promise now, are you?"
Raon narrowed his eyes at Darkan. He didn't expect gratitude for sparing him, but it would be very disappointing if he didn't keep his promise.
"Of course not."
Darkan nodded calmly.
"I usually keep promises made on my sword."
He smirked, saying it wasn't absolute.
"As promised initially, I'll leave without touching a hair on anyone here."
Darkan lowered his hand, saying he'd leave as soon as his soul's wounds healed.
"But remember, what I promised was only for those who were here."
His eyes sank into a cool color.
"Glenn Zieghart is not included in that."
"Do as you please."
Raon shrugged at Darkan.
"You won't win anyway."
He believed in Glenn and knew he wouldn't lose, so it didn't matter whether Darkan challenged him or not.
"It hurts a bit that I can't refute that."
Darkan chuckled and stood up.
"But there's still an unsettled account."
He shook his chin, saying it wasn't over yet.
"Account? What account are you talking about?"
Raon twisted his lips, looking at Darkan.
"Don't tell me you're going to charge us for saving us from that swordswoman?"
In the current situation, that was the only thing Darkan could account for. Even if he had acted on instinct, that fact was somewhat true.
'Even if it's true, I can't let it slide.'
If someone like Darkan gained the upper hand, things could get troublesome. He had to cut it off somehow.
"I know what you're thinking, but..."
"I survived thanks to you."
However, Darkan's account was the opposite of what he thought.
"What?"
"I said thanks to you for surviving. You sent out a strange aura just before I died and called that female swordsman, didn't you?"
Darkan smiled broadly, as if he knew the whole situation.
"Then when you said you had an account to settle..."
"Yes. It's an account I have to pay."
He shook his head lightly.
"Dying by that woman's sword would have been fine, but if possible, I'd prefer to die by Glenn's sword or yours."
Darkan thanked him again and reached into his chest.
"I'm no longer an alliance leader, and I have no money, so I'll give you this."
He pulled out an old booklet from his chest and threw it.
"Be careful!"
"A sword might pop out of the book!"
The Demon Sword Lord and String Sword Lord shook their heads, saying he was that crazy.
"Hmm..."
Raon opened the booklet while maintaining his tension. His eyes wavered like a ship hit by waves.
"Could this be..."