Natsuki Minamiya felt as if something had gone wrong with her eyes. Her best friend, Aya Tokoyogi, was a woman whose pride reached the heavens, who rarely showed outsiders a pleasant face, and who had once taken the slight discrimination caused by her identity as a Witch and concluded that "the world is wrong, not me." In the end, she had even decided to erase all magic from the world to prove her theory.
And yet now, that same Aya Tokoyogi had lowered her proud head and knelt before an unknown man.
Was she seeing a ghost? Or had she mistaken her for someone else?
"I, Aya Tokoyogi, pay my respects to Your Majesty. I never expected Your Majesty to personally visit this subordinate. It is truly an immense honor."
A gentle, pleasant voice came from the woman dressed in a twelve-layered kimono. Looking at the woman kneeling before him, Cid fell silent.
The features on her refined face resembled those of a woman Cid had met yesterday, but there were differences as well. Unlike that woman, who had a somewhat heroic air and was full of youthful energy, almost like a tomboy, the woman before him carried an elegant presence.
Her glossy black hair spilled down her back, soft and smooth even as it draped across the rubble-strewn floor. Together with the gorgeous, heavy kimono she wore, she was the very image of a classical beauty.
Even though Cid could only see one side of her face from above, he was still confident that her looks ranked among the top ten of everyone he had ever met. Incidentally, this ranking was like the "world's top fifteen." Being in the top ten did not mean there were only ten people at that level.
But compared to her beauty, Cid cared more about something else.
Did he... know this woman?
Why was she acting like they were so familiar?
Who are you? Have we met before? Could she be someone I once met and then forgot?
A possibility occurred to him, and Cid could not help thinking it over.
That... actually seemed very possible. Come to think of it, Aya Tokoyogi and Yuuma Tokoyogi had the same surname. There was a strong chance both of them were members under Epsilon.
If she was one of Epsilon's subordinates, then it was very possible they had met before. Maybe he had run into her once a few years ago, and since it had been years and they had never met again, it seemed perfectly reasonable that he had casually deleted that memory.
Faced with the faintly fanatical look on her face, Cid grew more and more convinced that his analysis was correct. He felt a damp sensation on his forehead, and the sudden dryness in his throat made him swallow the words that had already reached his lips.
"Rise, Aya."
At this point, he could no longer say that he had only blocked the attack because he had mistaken her for Yuuma Tokoyogi, one of Epsilon's subordinates. Since she had already given her own name, he might as well roll with it and pretend everything was under control. It was not the first time anyway, and he could indeed count as outside help brought in by Epsilon.
But Cid had not expected that when he told her to stand, she would suddenly freeze like a child caught doing something wrong, her petite body trembling slightly.
"This subordinate cannot rise. The original plan was ruined by those scum from the Cult of Diablos. I have disappointed Your Majesty. Please punish me."
"..."
Looking at the beautiful woman kneeling on the ground and trembling, Cid's mouth twitched. He never expected her to be the kind of ruthless person who could blame everything on a nonexistent organization with a straight face.
"There is no need to worry. No matter how many rats who dare not show themselves gather together, they can still be wiped out with a turn of my hand. Stand. My companions are not lowly."
He spoke as if it did not matter. Although he had no idea what mistake Aya Tokoyogi had made, all he had to do was make it sound like it was nothing serious.
"Yes. Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."
Aya Tokoyogi spoke with emotion, a trace of admiration flashing through her eyes as she looked into Cid's deep purple gaze.
With Cid's permission, Aya Tokoyogi rose gracefully. Her black hair, which had been spread across the ground when she knelt, lifted with her, yet not a single strand seemed dirty or disheveled.
The lovely face Cid had only glimpsed before was now fully visible. Rather, Aya Tokoyogi seemed to be deliberately showing off her beauty. Her slightly pale complexion did not diminish it at all. Instead, it added a fragile, pitiable charm.
After Aya Tokoyogi stood, Cid looked at the elegant figure before him, almost entirely black and white. Although her graceful body was completely concealed by the exaggerated kimono, he still deduced her approximate measurements from the lines of her muscles.
A top-ten beauty indeed...
Cid sighed, wondering for the first time whether he should update his ranking system and simply change it to the top thirty. There seemed to be a little too many people at this level.
"Aya, who is he?! And what was that plan you just mentioned?!"
While Cid was inwardly questioning his own standards of beauty, Natsuki Minamiya sensed that the Guardian inside her had vanished without a trace. She raised her head and fixed the two before her with a grave look as she demanded in a low voice.
"You caused this incident, didn't you? In other words, after all these years, you still haven't given up on that ridiculous plan of yours. Are you trying to repeat the tragedy from ten years ago?"
Questioning Aya Tokoyogi with a dark expression, Natsuki Minamiya once again remembered the insane plan Aya Tokoyogi had once told her about, the plan to make all Magical Power and supernatural abilities in the world disappear.
In World No. 2, Magical Power had existed since the birth of humanity. As time passed and human civilization developed, Magical Power had also been harnessed as an energy source and incorporated into magical technology.
In other words, if that plan succeeded, countless people who depended on modern technology to survive would die, and civilization itself would regress. It was madness.
Even with Aya Tokoyogi's personal limitations, meaning she could at most erase the Magical Power within the area of a single Demon Clan Special Zone, Itogami Island itself was an artificial island built from the combined essence of magic and technology. Without Magical Power, the entire island would sink into the sea, along with the hundreds of thousands of residents on it.
It was precisely because of that plan that Aya Tokoyogi, who at the time could still be called a decent corporate slave of a Witch and was in the same year as Natsuki Minamiya, was immediately arrested and sent into the Prison Barrier.
Natsuki-chan...
Cid silently looked at Natsuki Minamiya. He was very curious about the relationship between Natsuki-chan and Aya Tokoyogi, but he did not know how to ask. No matter how he looked at it, this was someone else's personal matter.
Still, Natsuki-chan probably hasn't recognized me, right...
Cid rubbed his chin and thought. Since Epsilon's current identity was that of a pianist from Netheril, it was only natural that he had used his Emperor disguise. The only difference from his true body was that he had revealed his essence. He had not even changed his face.
"You really have the nerve to ask me that, my former ally, Natsuki Minamiya. If not for your betrayal back then, I would have already proven the proper form this world should take..."
Hearing Natsuki Minamiya's voice and seeing that Cid gave no response, Aya Tokoyogi, understanding his meaning, let out a breath. She smoothed her hair with one hand while speaking through gritted teeth, her tone filled with resentment.
Ten years ago, it was because Natsuki Minamiya had chosen righteousness over personal ties that Aya Tokoyogi's plan had failed. Afterward, Aya Tokoyogi had even been personally locked inside the Prison Barrier by Natsuki Minamiya.
If they had been enemies from the beginning, Aya Tokoyogi's hatred for Natsuki Minamiya would not have been so intense. But because it was a betrayal by an ally, Aya Tokoyogi hated her enough to want to skin her alive.
"Oh? After betraying my dream once before, Natsuki, do you now intend to betray us again and turn against the Witch blood flowing through your veins?"
Wow, this looks like it's going to be a good show. I think I just discovered an incredible secret about Natsuki-chan.
Cid stood quietly to the side, watching the farce unfold like an elegant gentleman. In reality, he was simply staying silent because he had no idea what was going on and planned to understand the situation before picking a side.
"It looks like your time in the Prison Barrier really did drive you insane, Aya. Your dream may be grand, but too many people would be sacrificed for it. And what betrayal of Witch blood are you even talking about...?"
Natsuki Minamiya gave a scoff. She could not understand Aya Tokoyogi at all. Being a Witch had brought her nothing but misfortune, so what was there to betray? And where did this supposed second betrayal come from?
"Insane? I am not insane. If anything, I am more lucid than ever. But I admit that my theory back then was biased in certain ways. That is why I am willing to give you another chance. Join us. Join His Majesty's command. That is where you belong..."
Huh? Now she's dragging me into this? What does this have to do with me?
Cid had been watching the drama with great interest from the side, but when the woman in the kimono suddenly involved him, he immediately froze.
"His Majesty? Where I belong? Hah. You're actually admitting your old mistake. Aya, you really have changed. Is it because of the man standing in front of me? Then why don't you introduce him and let me see how he managed to fool you?"
As the topic shifted to Cid, Natsuki Minamiya's gaze also moved to him. But before that, Aya Tokoyogi's attack reached her even faster.
"Silence, Natsuki. Know your place. How dare a traitor like you speak of His Majesty like that..."
Natsuki Minamiya's body slammed heavily into the wall of the hall. Caught off guard by Aya Tokoyogi's sudden attack, she let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground.
"It seems that man is very important to you, Aya..."
She rose and stopped Astarte's instinctive attempt to resist. Natsuki Minamiya understood the situation very well.
Run? In front of this best friend of hers, she could not use spatial magic at all.
Fight back? Her trump card had vanished for no apparent reason.
Right now, she was completely at their mercy. If she truly angered the other side, she would die here. At this moment, she was not a body made of Magical Power, but her awakened true body.
"Enough..."
Cid casually stopped Aya Tokoyogi, who still wanted to continue attacking. Mainly because if this went on, Natsuki-chan really would be beaten to death. His gaze turned to Natsuki Minamiya, who was lying on the floor and looking at him with a faintly wary gaze.
"Roland Augustus."
"?"
"My name."
"Huh?"
A very cute sound escaped her lips, and her pupils suddenly contracted. Natsuki Minamiya instinctively wanted to deny the thought that had surfaced in her mind, but when she saw her best friend's respectful attitude, she looked stiffly at the man before her, who felt strangely familiar, while her heart churned like a storm.
A man who had appeared only once. The most mysterious and unfathomable world's strongest in the legends. The Lord of Netheril had appeared on Itogami Island. What kind of joke was this?
Why had he come here? Was it for the plan Aya mentioned? No, the person before her truly had the ability to destroy the world...
The instant she learned who he was, Natsuki Minamiya's mind fell into chaos. One guess after another, one conspiracy after another, rose uncontrollably in her head. Having crossed hands with Shadow before, she knew very well that a being of this level really could do whatever he wanted.
"Spending time with those mediocre people seems to have made your mindset just like theirs, Natsuki."
As best friends and confidantes, they knew each other inside and out. From the flicker in Natsuki Minamiya's eyes alone, Aya Tokoyogi saw through what she was thinking. With a sigh, she walked up to Natsuki Minamiya.
"Witches are cursed beings. That was how the world generally saw us one year ago. But I have always wondered. Is it possible that things like magic and psychic powers should exist only in people's imaginations? And could a world without such things be the proper form of this world...?"
Slowly repeating the words she had once spoken to Natsuki Minamiya, Aya Tokoyogi crouched down and looked straight at her, hatred filling her eyes.
"Natsuki, I know better than anyone how you have always been treated. No matter how loyal you acted in front of those people, they never changed their prejudice against us Witches. They belittled us and used us however they pleased. Only when you signed a contract with a Devil and became the warden of this prison did I finally resolve to prove to the world that we Witches are not the ones cursed. This world is..."
At this point, Aya Tokoyogi grabbed Natsuki Minamiya by the collar and brought their faces close together.
"But you betrayed me and locked me inside your Prison Barrier..."
"..."
Seeing Natsuki Minamiya remain silent, not daring to meet her eyes, Aya Tokoyogi gave a scornful laugh. She released Natsuki Minamiya and knelt on one knee toward Cid with fanatic devotion.
"But time has proven me right. We Witches have witnessed the dawn of hope, cast off the prejudices of the ignorant masses, and welcomed our savior, the King of Witches."
She spoke with longing. During those idle days in the Prison Barrier, Aya Tokoyogi had practically watched Netheril's establishment with her own eyes, and had seen the Witch Society become an organization that could walk openly and proudly under the sun.
Witches were no longer synonymous with evil and misfortune. They would no longer be sent to the stake. Instead, they had gained the respect they deserved and a place where their talents could be unleashed.
Although the result deviated somewhat from her original method, and although it felt a bit like it had been forced into place by military power, Aya Tokoyogi did not care. As long as the goal was achieved, that was enough. She only wanted to prove that the ones in the wrong were not Witches, but the world. How that proof was achieved did not matter to her.
And since His Majesty had proven that the curse of Witches was false and wrong, that the idea of contracts with Devils bringing misfortune was merely the world's prejudice, she would naturally offer him her loyalty. If she could witness the truth, even death would be a small price to pay—let alone simple devotion.
Although she was furious that her former subordinates had stabbed her in the back, tried to burn the bridge after crossing it, and leave her in the Prison Barrier forever, it did not matter. She would find a way out herself and offer her loyalty.
I revere you, Your Majesty!
"So, Natsuki, I will give you a chance. I will forgive your previous betrayal of me, and our noble, merciful Majesty has also shown that he does not care about your earlier verbal disrespect toward him. But you must join us, because this is the rightful place of us Witches."
Aya Tokoyogi spoke solemnly, extending an invitation to her former friend as she waited for Natsuki Minamiya's reply.
Although she did not care about the betrayal of her former subordinates, since that was simply their nature, and although His Majesty did not care about their actions and had personally come to rescue her, she cared. How could such petty tricks, relying on His Majesty's favor toward Witches, be allowed to exist? If even rescuing someone required His Majesty to act personally, what use were they?
Although she did not think much of that rabble who spent all day buried in laboratories, she admitted that they did have a tiny bit of fighting strength. Yet instead of serving His Majesty, they chose to do research. That was rather ungrateful.
And now, she could basically be said to have been expelled from the Witch Society, so she needed a partner to help drag those people out to work. Her close friend, Natsuki Minamiya, was perfect for the role.
As Aya Tokoyogi passionately spoke of her longing and worship for His Majesty while waiting for Natsuki Minamiya's answer, Cid, standing off to the side, was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
At this point, there was no way he could say that he had only wanted a cannon-fodder villain organization to farm achievements.
Honestly, knowing the truth of his own situation, Cid only felt embarrassed. It sounded incredibly chuunibyou.
The reason he had chosen the Library was also very simple. Mainly, they had surrendered quickly. Before them, he had already slaughtered three groups who would rather die than submit. Although they had all backed down in the face of death in the end, by then he had already killed most of them, so taking them in would not have been very useful.
If you won't surrender, there are plenty of terrorist organizations that will!
To be fair, Cid felt he did not deserve the title of savior of Witches. From beginning to end, he had only done a few things.
He had beaten the Witches flat, made some pretty promises, opened the "Library," left the Library to run itself, been called over a few months later to beat the First Primogenitor to death once, and somehow become the Lord of Netheril.
He had barely done anything proper. Even the "Library" he opened had been freeloaded. The promises had been filled in by the Witches themselves. Rather, those Witches were just too much like corporate slaves. Had they never been loved before? He had only treated them a little better, and they had offered him their loyalty.
As Cid silently complained to himself, he suddenly sensed that a trace he had left earlier had been disturbed. After a brief pause, he quickly stepped forward to Aya Tokoyogi's side and condensed a seed of Magical Power in his hand.
"The trajectory of fate has appeared. I must go do what I need to do. Aya, handle this matter yourself, but there is no need for unnecessary killing."
As he spoke, the seed of Magical Power in Cid's hand merged into her body. Then he turned and left.