Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Yev (2)
Yev.
A mysterious being who appeared suddenly from outer space.
Whether she was the same entity that Baphomet was trying to summon remained unclear, but at least Rudian's group could breathe a sigh of relief since she showed no hostility.
However, even so, they couldn't leave her as she was without taking any measures.
"What's the matter?"
Yev tilted her head as she noticed everyone's eyes on her.
"Um... Miss Yev?"
"Why?"
"Are you saying you're going to follow Sir Rudian here from now on?"
Nod.
Yev gave a slight nod of her head indicating agreement.
Luciella, who had spoken to Yev, seemed slightly perplexed.
If a woman who didn't even resemble him started following Rudian around, suspicious rumors would spread instantly throughout the academy.
"I can handle most matters at my level."
As the student council president of the Maha Empire Academy, Luciella could exert some influence over academy policies.
Currently, Rudian was sharing a room with Elvin, but the residence issue could be easily solved by providing a villa.
Although Yev's appearance was somewhat childlike, which was concerning, creating a disguised identity wasn't difficult for Luciella, who was a duke's daughter.
But putting all that aside, the real problem was something else.
'Whether we can control her or not... This is troublesome.'
The initial issue that Rudian felt when he first met Yev was something Luciella was also clearly aware of.
What exactly was her identity?
How powerful was she?
Why did she want to follow Rudian specifically?
And finally, what was the meaning behind what Yev had said to Rudian?
All of these were questions, but Luciella instinctively avoided asking Yev about these matters.
'This is too ominous.'
Her outward appearance, with black hair and black eyes, reminded one of Sitri Belstad.
But unlike Sitri who seemed to fabricate emotions, Yev simply remained expressionless.
Luciella instinctively sensed one fact about Yev.
'Just like a predator who has no interest in its prey.'
She felt that if she asked even a slightly crossing question, Yev would never let her live.
Luciella's gaze turned toward Maria.
She had been silently staring at Yev ever since she first appeared.
To Luciella, Maria's behavior seemed like she was keeping Yev in check.
'Sigh, this isn't a problem I can solve.'
Her gaze turned to Rudian, the source of this problem (which would be an outrageous accusation from Rudian's perspective).
"...HNNG!"
Rudian wasn't so obtuse that he couldn't catch the meaning of Luciella's gaze.
He knew well that he was virtually the only one who could decide how to deal with Yev.
Whether Yev would accept that or not was another matter...
"Yev."
"Yes."
Yev looked at Rudian with her dark, transparent eyes.
Rudian met her gaze and asked.
"Why do you want to follow me?"
"Because. It seems. Fun."
"Fun..."
That was a line he'd heard before.
For a moment, Rudian's gaze shifted toward Diablo at his waist.
'This one said something similar too.'
What did these higher-dimensional beings with divine attributes see in him?
Rudian had asked Diablo about this meaning once, but Diablo had evaded the question with a vague answer.
"For fun, you say?"
"Yes."
Yev nodded again.
'...Fun isn't a bad answer.'
It was like an audience member wanting to watch a play from a closer seat.
Among the divine beings that appeared in the final chapter of , there were those who descended to the mortal realm to enjoy such "entertainment."
Without going far, even the dragons from the Southern Continent occasionally came in disguise.
Rudian asked Yev again.
"Do you intend to interfere with my affairs, Yev?"
"No."
Rudian and his companions brightened at her answer.
But Yev added an unexpected addendum to her response.
"That would be. No fun. And troublesome."
'...Troublesome?'
Rudian tried to ask about the nature of this "trouble" but gave up pursuing the matter after receiving the answer 'Can't. Tell. You.'
"Then there are a few conditions for following me."
"What are. They?"
Rudian's heart sank momentarily, thinking Yev was protesting, but she was simply waiting quietly for his words with no change in expression.
Rudian gathered his courage and spoke again.
"First, you cannot use your power without my permission."
"Agreed."
When the most important part, which they certainly expected her to refuse, was resolved, the watching companions' expressions brightened.
"Second, you must not reveal your presence here to others. And you must also thoroughly conceal your power so that others cannot detect it. Absolutely."
Until the Space War occurred, the vast majority of alien civilizations had no interest in this planet.
That was still true now.
But if Yev's status was among the highest in the entire universe, the mere fact of her existence here could likely draw the attention of others.
For some reason, Yev didn't immediately respond to the second condition.
"...Agreed."
It felt as if she had been hesitating for a while before reluctantly opening her mouth.
"And finally..."
Rudian mentioned the last condition just in case.
"......"
After a long silence, Yev nodded to the final condition.
***
It was two days before the demon side learned about Baphomet's destruction.
"What? You call that an explanation?!"
"I-I'm sorry, master! The barrier he created was so extraordinary that it took time to assess the situation."
The wizards of the Magic Tower learned about the incident at the catacomb through an official document sent by Princess Luciella.
On Rudian's advice, Luciella completely omitted any mention of Baphomet.
She fabricated a story about stagnant energy causing the dead to rise, but there were a few individuals in the Magic Tower who knew this story was false.
One of them left the Magic Tower on the day Luciella sent the document and attempted to contact certain nobles.
Baron Rigos, who held a title in the Morian Empire, erupted in volcanic anger as soon as he heard the words of Joel, an elder wizard and Count of the empire.
"Damn it all! Who the hell did this?"
Joel quickly bowed his head at Rigos's fury.
"T-The one who sent the official document was Princess Luciella, but..."
"Do you think a mere human could defeat that goat? Let alone a snot-nosed brat!"
Besides the question of how their secret had leaked, the most perplexing issue now was how someone had quietly dealt with Baphomet without their knowledge.
"How on earth? Even if that creature was in a dying state, for a human to kill it would require at least part of the capital to be destroyed in the process!"
"I've sent out my disciples to investigate in all directions. Please, just a little more time..."
Joel trembled violently as he prostrated himself.
It was a situation where a count was bowing deeply to a baron, yet Joel cowered before Rigos as if this were only natural.
After suppressing his anger for a while, Rigos threw a vicious glance at a black-haired woman who had been quietly observing the situation from behind a curtain.
"Asmodeus, have you still not eliminated that woman?"
"Oh my? Why is it my fault that she caused trouble?"
The black-haired woman smiled as she stroked the heads of the beautiful young boys sitting demurely on either side of her.
"My target is the Third Prince, not her. I admit she's an obstacle that needs to be removed to achieve my goal, but it's troublesome if you associate her actions with me."
"...GRRRR!"
"Instead, let's focus on how Luciella might have dealt with that goat."
The woman called Asmodeus calmed Rigos down as if soothing a child.
Rigos glared at Asmodeus for a moment before turning his head sharply, avoiding her gaze.
"Hoho..."
She seemed pleased with Rigos's behavior and turned her gaze toward Joel with a slightly softened attitude.
"I've long since assessed what forces Luciella can utilize. She couldn't have handled this so quietly on her own."
"...Damn, she must have collaborators."
"Absolutely. Perhaps it's those... Ones interfering with our work?"
Asmodeus slightly furrowed her beautiful brow.
"I've been investing manpower to investigate, but not even a clue has surfaced. It's as if they have no physical form."
"Hmph! That's absolutely impossible."
The damage they had already suffered was too severe to suggest the enemy had no substance.
Though not one of their core forces, they had lost a black magician who had reached the 9th level, as well as a key talent who had been responsible for their financial pipeline within the empire.
And now they had lost another cornerstone that had been laid for their grand plan.
"Hoho, it was a decent strategy for one devised by you, Rigos."
"I was planning to reclaim the power as soon as Baphomet recovered somewhat... What a waste."
"Was it deliberate, or was it coincidence?"
"Obviously a coincidence! If they had figured out our plan, they wouldn't have targeted Baphomet first while leaving the other pieces alone!"
In fact, Rudian had targeted what was for him a manageable yet valuable target—what one might call a cost-effective target—but these individuals had no way of knowing that.
"Yes, the probability of a lucky hit is high."
Asmodeus lightly traced her red lips with her fingertip.
The news of this incident would have spread throughout the Magic Tower and even to the Imperial Palace.
That fact alone meant that demon forces within the empire would have to lay low for a while.
"Now we can't just leave that woman alone."
Until now, she had been planning to slowly eliminate her rival while playing the role of a love competitor, but now that the woman appeared to be connected with an unidentified organization hostile to them, she had to be eliminated even if it meant taking risks.
Of course, they couldn't do anything to Luciella right away.
She would be in the spotlight for her achievement in preventing the disaster of undead emerging in the capital.
"Still, it's not like we have no options."
If they couldn't touch her directly, they could target those around her.
Isolating a target by gaining control over their surroundings was quite easy for her.
"Then shall we start by meddling with the ones beside her?"
Asmodeus decided to take action herself.
If Rudian had heard this, he would have cheered that they had caught a big fish rather than just a minion.