However, what was contained in those clear eyes was not brightness but sadness. The same emotion carried in her voice; for some time now, she had been sad and suffering. Yet no one knew the reason nor empathized with her. Above all, she herself had not shared this sadness with anyone. She was simply suffering alone.
"So... what did you come here for?"
Strangely, this time it was the man who remained silent.
He seemed to be thinking about something as he stared at her, simply looking dazed.
"Me—"
"Ah! I'm sorry."
Before Gabriel could call his name, he let her know that he had come to his senses. She, who was about to speak, closed her mouth again. He nodded with a slight apologetic smile.
"Have you been well? I hear you're still spending all your time in the temple."
"There's no better place to organize my thoughts and meditate. I love this serenity. You know that, don't you?"
"I do, of course I do. We've been together for years."
The man smiled, but she did not. It seemed as though she wanted him to stop with such personal talk and state the purpose of his visit.
In the past, they used to share many such personal conversations, but she seemed to have changed.
"You asked what brings me here? Well. I've come to discuss something rather important. I thought that among the three of us, you would be the most suitable person."
"...Is it about the fourth lord, the fragments of Fernlern?"
The man was startled. How did she know? He hadn't mentioned anything about the fragments even once since decades ago. Could it be a coincidence that she brought up the fragments when there could be many other matters? No, there was too much certainty in her voice for it to be a random guess. He made a sour expression, feeling as though his thoughts had been read. He had intended to surprise her, but instead, he was the one surprised.
"That's right. You hit the mark. Yes, if you already know, this will be easier."
"......"
"Gabriel, as you know, it's the first time in thousands of years that a lord of the demon realm has weakened. Among the seven lords, Fernlern was the weakest, but he wasn't as feeble as he is now. He committed a foolish act. He shattered his heart, which was equivalent to his source, a massive crystallization of magical power. The collapse of his physical balance was inevitable."
Fernlern might be the most dangerous of all the lords. That was the man's judgment. Until just a few hundred years ago, Fernlern was the weakest existence among the seven lords, one not worth paying attention to, but everything changed when he began using weapons made from fragments of his own heart.
Whether he was determined to blow away his past grievances, he suddenly opened a space to the celestial realm and revealed himself. Countless angels were torn apart by his single hand. Only when the apostles under the holy king intervened did they manage to make him retreat.
He knew that after such an impulsive action, the same thing happened in the demon realm as well. However, for someone who caused such a major incident, Fernlern spent a quiet time afterward. It would be good if he remained quiet forever, but suddenly Fernlern dropped twenty-four weapons made from fragments into the middle realm, causing another incident.
His illusion appeared throughout the middle realm where the weapons fell.
His figure could be seen looking up at the sky from anywhere on the continent. It was truly godlike authority, something that even they, the holy kings, could do but had never attempted—yet he had done it first.
The illusion spoke very boldly in front of everyone watching.
The number of dropped fragments was twenty-four.
He said he would make whoever collected them all his successor, regardless of race.
It didn't matter if they were demons.
It didn't matter if they were celestials.
Even weak, short-lived humans would do.
Elves would be fine, and unsightly dwarves would work too.
Even orcs faithful to their desires would be acceptable.
As long as they collected all the fragments, he would pass on all his power to them.
"Pass on his power... that's what he said. That he would leave a successor."
"That's right."
Gabriel nodded in response to his words.
"Declaring a successor is what those who face death, or those preparing for death, do. Many high-ranking demons have done so, and many races have done the same. We angels are no different."
He swallowed the saliva gathered in his mouth and continued.
"In other words, this means none other than a lord is facing death! One of the beings who has been opposing us for thousands of years! It means he is facing oblivion."
As if knowing what he was thinking, Gabriel spoke first.
"I can guess what you want to say. But if left alone, Fernlern will perish on his own. With his death, the weapons will become objects of conflict and caution, eternally unable to be gathered in one place as they are now."
"Yes, that might happen. That could be the case. But that's just the ideal scenario. Gabriel, do you really think it will happen that way?"
The man smiled. He had seen many things throughout his long life. Gabriel had also lived for a long time, but unlike her, he thought that Fernlern would not accept death so easily.
"Do you think that when Fernlern perishes, his immense power will simply disappear? Like snowflakes melting in sunlight? Unfortunately, I don't think so. If it were just a small handful of power, there would be no need to worry. But Fernlern's magical power is like a massive snowball. It won't melt even if warm sunlight shines on it all day. It will endure and endure. It will maintain its form even if stepped on or soiled. It might be chipped away little by little, but it has the strength to endure until the limit."
"......"
"Will the greedy demons just stand by and watch? No, they won't. Someone might swallow that power, or perhaps Fernlern might change his mind at the last moment and pass that power to someone. We must assume the worst."
"......"
"The same goes for the weapons. It's only difficult for one to become two. It's easier for two to become three, and even easier for three to become four. Someone will eventually gather all those fragments and break the current balance. That's my judgment. When all twenty-four weapons reveal their locations."
Gabriel was still looking down at him with sad eyes.
"Gabriel. Even if thousands of years pass from now, such an opportunity won't come to us again."
"...You want to recover all the fragments."
"Yes."
He looked up at Gabriel. She was looking at him with unwavering eyes.
"We could recover one or some of them for safekeeping. Making sure no successor emerges until Fernlern perishes might be one approach, but thinking about it, that seems a bit risky. The other lords aren't fools; they won't just sit by and watch. They might help the successor and start a new war with the celestial realm, or they might take direct action claiming Fernlern was deliberately interfering.
Maybe that's why he dropped the weapons in the first place. To create a pretext for war. Now that I say it out loud, it's scary to think that madman might actually do that."
Mid-sentence, he nodded and disparaged Fernlern.
"...Anyway, if we're going to recover one fragment or some of them, it would be much better to recover all of them at once. It's not as if celestials can't use the power of those weapons. Or perhaps we could grant 'qualification' to a talented and trustworthy good person, make them the successor, and bring them to our side. If we have the successor who has gathered all the fragments with us, and if Fernlern keeps his promise, the successor will inherit the lord's power. And if that person turns to our side after becoming a lord... it would be perfect."
"Such an ideal situation won't occur. Not unless the Creator helps us. We, who are called gods, ironically lack the power to influence fate."
Gabriel spoke with what seemed like sincere conviction. But the man, either not sensing it or ignoring it, continued to assert his opinion.
"Of course, it would be difficult for such an ideal situation to materialize. But if that person turns to our side, I would gladly give the seat of a new holy king to the one who recovers Fernlern's fragments."
This is a unique opportunity to lower the demon realm's power and raise the celestial realm's. If that happens, the balance broken when Fernlern created weapons from his heart fragments would be reversed again. Though there's a possibility of harmony being restored, that chance is significantly low. Gabriel slowly nodded.
"I understand what you're trying to say."
"So?
"Let's find someone to grant 'qualification' to."
The man nodded with a satisfied, pleased smile.
"You've thought well. As it happens, I've had my eye on a certain child. I'd like to recommend this child. A child who has talent and potential comparable to those in the apostles' positions, more than enough to receive 'qualification'. A child named 'Kain' from Serenia Castle. The child who visits Yophiel's temple every Sunday."
"Yes."
Gabriel nodded, answering as if uninterested.
"Ah- and be careful when you go to Serenia Castle. Sian revealed himself there."
At that moment, Gabriel's eyes, which had shown little emotion until now, widened round. She seemed very surprised.
"Sian... him?"
"Yes. It was strange. The fact that I could notice his presence. I don't know if it was coincidence, but I'm certain. He briefly revealed himself, then disappeared again. As he has always done, he'll likely maintain his stance as an observer, but there's no harm in being cautious."
The man shrugged. Gabriel seemed disturbed and was silent for a moment, but soon nodded.
"...I understand."
"Please take care of it soon. I'll be going now."
"I won't see you out."
At Gabriel's cold words, he let out a snicker.
"I thought as much. I wasn't expecting it in the first place."
The man turned around and went back the way he came.
......
......
......
Gabriel closed her eyes in the temple, which had become quiet again. After a moment, light wrapped around her nude body, clothing her in fabric as soft as silk, and transparent pieces of cloth draped from behind her back to her arms. The tips of her feet, which had been floating above the spring, touched the water's surface, creating small ripples. Feeling the water on her toes, she spread her wings wide and opened her eyes, whispering softly.
"Sian."
The first lord and ruler of the demon realm. A truly supreme being possessing extraordinary powers that govern space and a physical body worthy of those powers. He is stronger than the combined strength of the six other lords excluding himself, and stronger than the combined power of the three holy kings and all their apostles.
He was truly close to being a real god.
He seemed to know how vast and dangerous his power was, showing signs of self-restraint. He had maintained a neutral position, never once intervening in the war with the celestial realm. Unless Sian himself wished to reveal himself, he could not be found or met. That such a being would allow himself to be detected by others was unbelievable.
She smiled at the corner of her mouth, not knowing how long it had been since she last did so. Her heart, which had been quiet as death, began to beat with a little more vitality.
This time is different from "before."
* * *
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# Setting 1. "Sian"
Sian, that name signifies the first lord and true ruler of the demon realm, a great name.
With powerful abilities governing space and a strong physical body befitting those abilities, this supreme being with three heads, a tail, three pairs of wings, and a massive yet sleek body resembles a dragon at first glance.
Perhaps because of this, there is a theory that he is the origin of the dragon race, but most dragons deny this. Unlike other lords, he is revered by all beings in the demon realm in a truly divine sense.
His power of existence is so strong that, in a different sense from 〈Bell-Therza〉, he does not leave his domain. Knowing how powerful and dangerous his strength is, he has sealed his physical body, which could be called a part of his existence, in another dimension and lives by borrowing the body of a weak human.
Yet even so, none dare challenge him.
It is said that a decisive reason why beings from other dimensions, including the celestial realm, cannot easily join forces to target the demon realm is because of his presence.
However, despite possessing such powerful strength, his life is quite ordinary.
Unlike other lords or holy kings, he loves freedom and occasionally travels to the middle realm disguised as an ordinary adventurer. He visits places famous for their delicious food, and when bored, he appears before chess enthusiasts to play games. After the game, he vanishes without a trace like a momentary dream, earning him the nickname 〈 The God of Chess〉.
And unbelievably, there are rumors that those who have met him experience a significant improvement in their chess skills.
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***Author’s Note***
Ah, it seems many of you are familiar with Ace Online.
I played it briefly when I was around 14 or 15, during the transition from Space Cowboy to Ace Online. I leveled up to about 80 with an I-gear, and even now I remember how annoying the tanks and B-gears were. The author is quite young, everyone. I finished my military service last year…
I'm not that old. Well, that's enough chatter; please move on to the next chapter.
There's still more to come.
Of course, you'll click the recommend button before you go, right?
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