The first sound that reached my ears was the thud of a fist slamming onto the table. It wasn't particularly loud, but it echoed clearly through the silence that dominated the room. I turned my gaze toward the source of the sound and found Yaegaki trembling, his fist clenched tight. The expression on his face was a mixture of anger, sorrow, and betrayal, like he was about to cry. His teeth ground together as he desperately tried to contain the emotions threatening to overflow.
Cleria and Lushana's faces had gone pale too. Some of them were in tears. Lushana gently wrapped an arm around Cleria's shoulders, and she nodded silently in response. A heavy, dark atmosphere enveloped the space, painting over what had moments ago been filled with bright laughter. I knew this would happen, but seeing it firsthand still hurt. Even so, this was something I had to tell them eventually.
"...That's everything I wanted to show you all."
"Sho. That pedestrian bridge in the photo, it was after that day when..."
"Yes. You remember when I ran into Shidou while we were out together, Yaegaki? After you left, I stayed hidden until Shidou went home, and that's when I witnessed this secret meeting. I saw the Baal faction devils making a deal with the Church."
I explained the situation in detail to Cleria and the others, including my encounter with Shidou. Cleria shot me a look that seemed to say "you never mentioned this," since I'd kept it from her. I was at fault for hiding it, so I bowed my head in apology.
This gathering had been arranged per my earlier promise with Cleria. Officially, it was framed as a discussion about devil work and future plans because of my circumstances. But the real reason was for me to present the photographic and audio evidence I'd gathered.
When everyone saw the photos, they reacted with shock at the sight of the Church and devils conversing, then fell silent at the content of their conversation. The reality that everyone present would be purged as criminals for the sake of maintaining appearances between devils and the Church had become visible. Cleria, who always wore a smile, now had her eyes closed, fighting back tears. That hit me harder than anything else.
"Why, why didn't you show us this sooner...! No, wait, blaming Sho won't help anything, will it? Damn it, why, why, Shidou?! Even after saying devils and the Church can never coexist, you'd go so far as to join forces with them rather than accept Cleria?!"
"Haha... this is bad. I never imagined things would come to this. I'm sorry, Lushana. Everyone, I'm truly sorry. Because I'm a King, you've all been dragged into this..."
"No, Cleria! I, we don't regret that you're our King! The idea of you being judged for this is absurd! You only wanted to be with the person you love. That's all, just that simple feeling..."
Lushana clung to Cleria's side, her voice breaking with sobs. I exhaled deeply and looked straight at everyone. Yes, I knew from the start this would happen. I knew they would despair when confronted with the reality that no one would accept their feelings. But I didn't come here just to deliver despair.
"The devils won't allow Cleria and the others to inform Diehauser Belial about this. Even if you tried to run, with the Church and devils working together, I don't think Yaegaki or Cleria's group has the strength to escape."
"...Sho?"
"I've been thinking about this for a long time. I've worried, wavered, and kept thinking about what to do, and I've finally found an answer. I know what I need to do to save everyone."
I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I spoke with conviction. To save everyone, Cleria and her group's cooperation was essential. That's why I showed them this evidence. I wanted them to stand up. I didn't want them to give up on living.
"If Cleria and her group can't do it, then I'll do it instead. The devils and Church haven't marked me yet, so I can deliver this information to Diehauser Belial. I realized I could go and ask him to save everyone."
"You would go to the Emperor?"
"Wait, Sho! This is our problem! I can't drag you into such danger, and there's no need for you to go this far! You're a child, a human, a magician, and—"
"And I'm also everyone's friend."
I said it with a smile, connecting my words to Cleria's. I knew they'd tell me to stay away because it was dangerous. But I'd be troubled if they felt that way. I'd already prepared myself to get involved in this incident. It was a bit embarrassing to say it to their faces, but I met their eyes and continued.
"I told you earlier that I struggled with this decision, right? But I've already reached my answer. I want to keep laughing together with everyone from now on. I want to watch Cleria compete in more Rating Games. I want to chat and go shopping with Yaegaki again. I want to laugh with Lushana and all the peerage members about what an absurd couple those two are."
"...And for that, you're saying you'll get involved in a problem that has nothing to do with you?"
"Yes, that's right. I know it's dangerous. I think I'm being stupid. But if being smart means running away from this, then I'm fine with being stupid. I don't want to abandon my friends. I want to save everyone. So if that means I have to be a little reckless, then I'll give it everything I've got."
I hoped my voice would reach them. I hoped they'd grasp my outstretched hand. I didn't want their feelings to end in despair or hatred.
"I'm weak, and hopeless, and stupid, but I'll still face this with everything I have. I thought that if we all worked together like that, we could watch the 'Emperor Belial's Ten Matches' together with smiles on our faces. So for that reason, um... uh... P-please feel free to drag me into this whole mess!"
Ah, I think I messed up the ending there. I felt Lushana's shoulders drop with a thud. My embarrassment made me consider asking for a do-over, but then Cleria flew toward me. I was genuinely startled. She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace that caught me off guard, but when I realized she was crying on my shoulder, I gently patted her head the way she'd done for me before.
I looked toward Yaegaki for help, but he just laughed with a "can't be helped" expression and ruffled my hair messily. I didn't understand what was happening. Honestly, I'd been worried that Yaegaki would scold me for Cleria suddenly hugging me like during our first meeting, but he showed no signs of that.
I found it strange, but I was relieved that the hatred and anger that had colored his expression moments ago had vanished. The usual Yaegaki had returned. Like Cleria, his smiling face suited him much better. After that, we all waited for Cleria to calm down, and I began explaining what would happen from here on out.
"Even Lord Mephisto Pheles and Lord Tannin? And you're even having them enter your brother's ten matches?"
"Ah, this is all confidential, of course."
"I understand that, but still... Sho, how did you even think of all this?"
"Your network of connections is incredible."
I couldn't mention Azazel-sensei, of course, but I told the three of them that Lord Mephisto knew about this situation and that I'd asked Tannin to act as an intermediary. The other peerage members were in a separate room holding a strategy meeting about what came next. Since the situation was what it was, the fewer people who knew about the Church's involvement, the better. Plus, what we were about to discuss couldn't be made public either.
"You're also keeping tabs on the Church's movements, right?"
"Ah, yes. Through someone I contracted with... a manly maiden."
"Did something sound off about that just now?"
I mean, how else am I supposed to describe it?
"Come to think of it, Yaegaki. Are the Church forces currently in Kuoh Town all they have? Is there any possibility of reinforcements?"
"Reinforcements are unlikely to come. The forces they have now are more than enough to purge Cleria's group and me. Especially since Shidou has been recognized as worthy of wielding a holy sword—he's a veteran swordsman. Honestly, I don't know if I could beat him..."
A holy sword. Right, holy swords existed in this era. I'd been so focused on the devil side of things that I'd nearly forgotten. That was close. In the original story, there was that photo of young Issei and Irina with a holy sword in it. That triggered Kiba Yuuto's desire for revenge and led to the whole holy sword incident, if I remember correctly.
Holy swords are weapons with powerful effects against demonic beings. Devils' skin burns just from touching them, and if they're actually cut by a holy sword, even their souls can be destroyed. They're truly the natural enemy of devils, one of the key weapons the Church uses when fighting against beings of darkness.
With that kind of power, you'd think everyone would use holy swords. But holy swords are rare and choose their wielders. You need the proper factor to wield a holy sword, and in the original story, there was even a massacre over this factor. Shidou Touji possesses the rare holy sword factor. In this era, they probably can't create artificial holy sword users yet. So Shidou is actually quite an exceptional person.
"That holy sword, is it like Excalibur?"
"No way, nothing that legendary. But it's a replica modeled after the Dream Holy Sword Excalibur Nightmare. It doesn't have the power of the real thing, but it can use illusions and feints. Combined with Shidou's skill, it's extremely troublesome."
I never saw him fight in the original story, but he's the father of Shidou Irina, who was chosen as one of Michael's aces. Of course he'd be strong. Yaegaki seems evenly matched with him in swordsmanship alone, but apparently using the holy sword's abilities would put him at a severe disadvantage.
Ugh, I really don't like this. I absolutely don't want to get into combat. Shidou alone is dangerous enough, but there are several other exorcists with him too. To avoid fighting not just devils but the Church as well, we need to resolve this before the purge happens. A peaceful resolution through dialogue would be best.
"Hmm, as expected of Masatomi's superior..."
"Yaegaki, doesn't Shidou have any weaknesses?"
"Shidou's weaknesses, huh... Um, doting father? No, that's probably not... At last year's Church year-end party, when the nightlife erotic talk started, he had this really good expression on his face while passionately discussing the mysteries of the female body, so... maybe he's weak to anything related to sex?"
What am I supposed to do with such awkward weaknesses? Also, what exactly goes on at these Church year-end parties?
"Um, so I should write a letter to my brother then. Honestly, I didn't want to trouble him..."
"Cleria."
"I know, Lushana. I won't be stubborn anymore. More than that, when Sho is doing all this for us, I can't afford to dig my heels in. It's truly pathetic and I'm sorry, but this is what I can do."
We decided to think about the Church situation later and focus on what we could do now. First, I asked Cleria to write a letter to Diehauser. Rather than having a stranger like me suddenly explain everything, a letter from her would carry more persuasive weight. She agreed, and Lushana brought her stationery bearing the Belial family crest. She began writing with advice from Yaegaki and Lushana.
As I watched them, I worried about how to broach the next topic with her. I knew the Old Devils' schemes were involved in this incident. Lord Mephisto had also told me there was a possibility that Cleria possessed something that meant they had to eliminate her. I needed to skillfully draw that out of her and convey it to the Emperor. The secret of the Evil Pieces.
"Cleria, earlier I mentioned that I consulted with Lord Mephisto about all this, right?"
"Y-yes. I just heard that, but what about it?"
"When I did, Lord Mephisto said something was off. He said the devil side's response, the Baal faction's response specifically, was strange."
"Strange? What do you mean?"
Yaegaki asked with blinking eyes, and Cleria and Lushana stopped what they were doing and looked at me with the same question. I carefully continued, matching my knowledge from the original story with the current situation.
"It's strange that there's been no contact with the Belial family at all. Cleria, let me confirm—the Belial family doesn't know about this yet, right?"
"Right, I haven't told them yet. And it doesn't seem like the Baal family has informed them either."
"Then the Belial family probably won't ever be informed. If the Baal faction eliminates Cleria as planned, what would the Belial side do?"
"...They would demand an explanation first. Especially if it's Lord Diehauser, absolutely."
"And what would the Baal faction tell them?"
"They'd say it was a purge over my romance with Yaegaki... no, they might not even give details. This is Baal family territory, and devils hate blemishes. They wouldn't want to spread word that this is a tainted location. The Belial side might also avoid making a big issue with the Baal side, but... would Lord Diehauser accept that?"
Exactly. Diehauser Belial, the one both the devils and Church should fear most, was being handled far too carelessly. I thought this in the original story too, but the Old Devils apparently only answered "Cleria is dead" and nothing more. They purged her because she committed a crime and it would be bad if it escalated to war. You're the ones at fault, so don't complain—was that really their attitude? Of course he'd be suspicious.
Even if it involved the Great King Baal, was it really acceptable for the Belial family to have zero involvement in arbitrarily purging one of their own? Especially to maintain the devil society's reputation. Plus, they'd had time to try persuading her. If there'd been no time and an imminent threat of war breaking out, maybe that would've made it somewhat more understandable. But that wasn't the case.
If they truly wanted to prevent the Belial family's involvement from triggering a war, they should have informed the Maou beforehand. Through the Maou, they could have asked Diehauser to persuade Cleria. Why did they only report to Lord Sirzechs after the fact? Despite claiming to be wary of Diehauser Belial, why were they treating this the same as previous cases? Even if they couldn't make exceptions, the target was the Emperor's cousin. This treatment suggested they didn't actually consider the Emperor a threat at all.
...No, they really didn't consider him one. Even if he grew suspicious of them, it didn't matter to the Old Devils. They believed he had no power to threaten them. No matter how much of an Emperor he was, he couldn't defy them, the pillars of the underworld. That underlying assumption allowed them to respond to him the way they did in the original story. They mistakenly believed they could suppress the Emperor with their authority like always. That led to the Emperor's revenge in the original story.
"The audio recording captured the Church and devils expressing fear of Diehauser's intervention. But despite that, the devil side's response treats Diehauser, treats the Belial family, far too dismissively. It's almost as if... even if the Belial family became suspicious, they wanted to eliminate Cleria regardless."
"Why would they, why would I..."
"I might have misheard, but I think the Baal faction devil said something during that meeting. 'With this, the nuisance who knows about the Pieces will be gone.'"
Cleria's expression, which had been confused throughout my explanation, clearly changed the moment she heard the word "Pieces." What appeared on her face was surprise, understanding, and anger. Yaegaki and Lushana noticed her reaction too. They must have had questions, but they didn't interrupt and quietly watched how things would unfold.
"...You have an idea, don't you?"
"Yes, it's treated as just an urban legend in the underworld, but if that's true... I can't forgive this! Using this method, this approach, dragging Masatomi, my peerage, my brother, and even Sho into this!"
Cleria's fury, so unlike her usual smiling self, made my heart skip a beat. The two beside her looked equally shocked. But having read the original story, I felt her anger was completely justified.
Cleria had been agonizing over causing everyone pain because she fell in love with Yaegaki. She wanted to keep loving Yaegaki, but she blamed herself for making everyone sad. She worried that her actions were causing trouble for devil society, for Diehauser, and for the Baal faction devils who were lending them territory. Despite all that, she kept smiling brightly and encouraging everyone. She believed they'd accept her eventually and kept expressing her feelings.
But to the Old Devils, her inner conflict meant nothing. They simply used this situation because it was convenient for their own interests in devil society. Under the banner of maintaining devil society's reputation, they were trying to eliminate Cleria. They were dragging in Yaegaki and all the peerage members she cherished, even Diehauser. They planned to hide their selfish desires behind the tragic ending of a doomed romance.
This was the critical moment. Could we create fangs sharp enough to sink into the Old Devils? That would determine what cards I could entrust to Diehauser. We might not get as much information as Creuserey gave him, but I wanted intelligence that would make the devils feel threatened. That would surely become the trump card to save her and everyone else. And only Cleria held the key.
I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart. I couldn't afford to lose my nerve if I was going to face this with everything I had. To receive the key Cleria held and hand it to Diehauser, I steeled my resolve and opened my mouth.
Beautiful stained glass sparkled, and the soft light filtering through created a mystical atmosphere. The building exuded holiness and grandeur while also possessing a warmth that welcomed lost lambs. Wooden benches lined up in perfect symmetry, and a large stone crucifix stood as if blessing all who entered. Today, another lamb—though perhaps too large to call a lamb—visited the church.
The clergyman serving as pastor at this church, Shidou Touji, broke into a cold sweat the moment this person appeared. They held no hostility. In fact, they had pure, clear eyes. Yet their overwhelming aura and presence forced him into a state of tension. Still, Shidou Touji took a deep breath and welcomed them with a smile.
"My, my. What brings you to this church today?"
"Mil-tan has a problem. Came to have someone listen to the problem."
"Mil... I see. It's our duty as God's faithful to extend a helping hand to lost lambs. I'll do what I can to assist you."
What kind of problem could this muscular giant of a man possibly have? The T-shirt he was wearing looked like it was screaming in agony, but Shidou Touji used his pastoral smile to completely ignore that. The troubled giant—Mil-tan—sat on a church bench and began praying quietly.
His presence was overwhelming, but the prayer itself carried such sincere and powerful feelings that Shidou Touji let out an impressed breath. He could tell Mil-tan was praying with genuine earnestness. That made him ashamed of his earlier self, and he chose to support this man who held such straightforward wishes. He chose it, and thus sealed his fate.
"Now then, Mil-tan. You came to this church to clear away the troubles weighing on your heart, yes?"
"That's right. Had troubles, so came to church."
"Hmm, what sort of troubles might those be?"
"Heard that churches are connected to God and the angels. And heard that God created us humans, nurtured us, and gave us love."
"That's correct. We are all children of God. That's why we must revere God and respond to Him."
"That's why Mil-tan understood. Understood that the church holds the key to solving Mil-tan's problem."
At Mil-tan's confident statement, Shidou Touji fixed him with a serious gaze. A problem that could only be solved at a church. He'd come here with such strong conviction. Then it was his role to answer that call. He would fulfill his duty proudly as one of God's faithful! With his imagination switch flipped, Shidou Touji's motivation blazed.
Oblivious to all this, Mil-tan was remembering his conversation with Sota. Sota's advice had truly hit the mark, Mil-tan felt. His wish was simple: to become a magical girl. And thanks to Sota, he'd found a comrade and taken a definite step toward becoming a magical girl. However, the road ahead was still long.
"Um, Mil-tan. Your wish is to become a magical girl, right? Well, I'm handling the 'magic' part for now, so why not ask the church to help with the second half?"
And so Sota's well-intentioned blunder was about to descend upon the church.
"Pastor, please. Make Mil-tan into a girl!"
"Pfft!?"
The absurd request made Shidou Touji sputter. Sota had casually pushed the hardest part onto the church. If it was about the mysteries of the human body, maybe try approaching the God-related folks first—Sota's lighthearted suggestion had convinced Mil-tan. And so he'd brought it to the church as a serious consultation.
From that day forward, behind the scenes of the devils and Church's planned purge, Mil-tan's sincere wish to "become a girl" began Pastor Shidou Touji's days of tribulation.
***
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