The Four Heavenly Kings and the Ashtar Family
Pector, having left the Empire’s lands behind, strode through the Demon King’s territory. Yet there was unmistakable vigor in his steps. A worthy rival he had not seen in far too long. At last, they had met again. Though the man’s appearance had changed and his power was not what it once was, he would surely be stronger the next time their paths crossed. Pector was certain of it.
The problem is the weapon. Never had he imagined the Sword of Despair would shatter. It was not merely a matter of calling down meteors. The man had moved the very heavens. What an astonishing human. And he had gathered the lightning so precisely that the village suffered no harm, unleashing it all in a single devastating strike. Without his armor, Pector knew he would have died where he stood. Honestly, if not for that interloper—if records of the Demon King, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Demon King’s army had still remained—he might have witnessed the absolute end.
It was a shame.
Just as he was savoring the satisfaction of that hard-fought reunion with his rival, a silver-haired woman appeared at Pector’s side.
When he wondered who it could be, it turned out to be Clanice. A sinister woman whose specialty was pulling strings from the shadows rather than fighting on the front lines. To Pector, who preferred to settle matters through direct, bodily clashes, she was the polar opposite.
“Always charging ahead like the fool you are. Still, I have to ask. A Four Heavenly King of the Demon King’s army, the one who bestows despair upon all humanity—how did someone like you end up in that state? It doesn’t suit your personality to simply run away with your tail between your legs.”
She was pushing further than usual today. Did she want to test him? Now that he lacked a weapon, she seemed to think she could try something. Even bare-handed, in a frontal battle, there was no chance he would lose to the likes of Clanice.
Yet Clanice leaned in and whispered carefully.
“……”
She was sharp, this woman.
“Hey, you’re one of the Four Heavenly Kings too. A servant of the Demon King. And you’re trying to hide the one who killed him?”
“Would that pathetic man have taken the Demon King down with him in mutual destruction?”
Clanice’s eyes burned with killing intent. The corners of her mouth stretched into a wide, tearing arc. Her manic laughter was deeply unpleasant. Were the ones who followed this woman truly out of their minds? Olivia would be far preferable.
“Are you finished??”
“What did you just say?”
It wasn’t even funny. For a woman who had never stepped onto the battlefield herself to become this enraged, her loyalty to the Demon King must run deeper than he thought. This was truly madness. To praise the Demon King to such an extent…
“…From the beginning,” Pector said with a faint smile.
“……You. Just wait and see.”
At Pector’s mocking laugh, Clanice said nothing more. She tore open a rift to another realm and vanished.
The one even the Demon King could not subdue. A woman who could not fight face-to-face dared to criticize him? If he were to go into detail about Jerato’s death, he wondered just how much that face would twist.
I stopped by the Ashtar main estate. Aslan needed rest as well, and the Duke’s order had been to return here first.
It had been some time since I last saw Duke Ashtar. I bowed my head. Last time he had slapped me across the cheek. So what would it be today? To be honest, Aslan’s capture by Pector this time was largely my fault. In the end I had achieved my objective, but the fact that Aslan had been taken was heavily on me. Perhaps I should brace myself for a fist to the solar plexus rather than another slap. If he hit me this time, I’d return the filial piety with physical interest.
“From the patrol in the imperial capital all the way to your battle with Pector—I have heard the full report.”
If he already knew everything, he probably wouldn’t hit me.
“Pector can crush an army’s morale and spread despair with nothing but his presence. You fought remarkably well despite that.”
Praise, for once. How unusual.
“Hmm. Is your body uninjured?”
It still throbbed, but it was tolerable.
I had called down lightning, after all. This much was unavoidable.
“That is fortunate.”
“I heard you have taken a deep interest in magic. Has that intention not changed?”
Of course not. This wasn’t obsession—it was necessity. I had to become a mage. If I claimed I had only trained with the sword since childhood, it would feel unfair not to pursue magic. Having learned this much, I deserved to be recognized as a mage, didn’t I? At the very least, they should call me an archmage.
“However, the Magic Tower is impossible, is it not? The Saintess matter complicates things as well.”
That was true. The Magic Tower would be out of reach.
“In that case, would it not be better to attach you to the magic division under my church? No, that won’t do.”
Was there another way?
“There is the academy vacation. During summer break, you can return to the territory under the pretext of patrolling the lands and study with the magic division.”
It was actually a good idea. During summer break I could come to Ashtar territory and officially register with the Ashtar magic division. After all, without a mage license, one couldn’t truly be recognized as a mage.
“With your ability, becoming a mage should not be difficult. A month would suffice. If it takes longer, simply contact the academy.”
There was no chance it would take that long. In fact, it would probably finish much sooner.
“Summer break is not far off, so continue to maintain Atelina’s grades until then.”
Maintaining grades was no great burden.
“Even as a Saintess, you do not cease to be an Ashtar. There are cases where a Saintess is adopted into a noble house.”
I had heard that commoner-born Saintesses were troublesome, so they were deliberately adopted into noble families as daughters.
“Do not forget. You are an Ashtar. You are my daughter.”
What if he had said those words to the original Olivia? It probably wouldn’t have meant anything. By then she had already been struck by Lily’s curse. Even if spoken warmly, the deliberate curse placed on Olivia would have been nearly impossible to undo.
“Yes.”
I left the Duke’s office. Rockton had gone to the western border after realizing Ashtar’s vulnerabilities through the outpost construction and this recent incident, saying he would correct them. There was no need to seek him out. This presented a good opportunity to learn more about Olivia.
“Hm?”
A woman was standing in the corridor. She wore a simple wine-colored dress without any ostentatious decorations—unusual for a lady of the ducal house. It was Katarina, leader of the assassination guild and Duchess of Ashtar. I hadn’t expected to meet her directly like this.
She called my name and gently pulled me into an embrace. Wait, why was she hugging me? This was rather uncomfortable. Above all, there was considerable pressure against my chest. Katarina’s breasts were quite large as well. It was… awkward, to say the least.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Could those words really come from this woman’s mouth? Even though I knew it wasn’t her fault, it still irritated me slightly. Katarina was the assassination guild leader. She should have noticed at least some of her daughter’s abnormalities. If she had, the original Olivia might have had a chance to survive.
“I am sorry.”
Of course she must have known. This woman probably hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. Just how little interest did she have in her daughter? She had likely only received secondhand reports from her subordinates.
“……I am sorry.”
The original Olivia was already dead. A hundred or even a thousand apologies would change nothing.
“I heard your right arm hurts badly.”
It did hurt, but not to that extent.
“There is an excellent hot spring in Ashtar. Stay a while before returning to the capital.”
“You must be tired. Wash up and rest well. This is Kise, vice-leader of the Ashtar Magic Division. She will attend to your needs for the time being.”
At some point a woman had appeared beside Katarina. She wore the uniform of the Ashtar Magic Division rather than a Magic Tower robe.
Once Katarina departed, Kise approached and offered a respectful greeting. There was something enjoyable about this noble treatment. She had red hair that showed clear signs of careful maintenance. Likely from one of the Ashtar vassal families.
“You’re… Kise, right?”
Huh? Did she know me? The warm familiarity was surprising.
“My lady, are you saying you have forgotten me?”
Had the original Olivia and this woman been acquainted? Really? The first generation seemed to have had a surprisingly wide network. She was the young lady of Ashtar, after all. Still, given that all I knew was her suffering at Lily’s hands, I hadn’t imagined she would have many friends.
“I escorted you all the way when you left for Atelina.”
She really had been loyal.
“I can understand to some extent. You suffered terribly from that succubus curse cast by the woman named Lily.”
“That’s why you’ve changed so much.”
There was no need to offer excuses. Pretending to have lost my memories would raise fewer suspicions.
“I should have helped you. But as a member of the magic division, I could not recklessly travel to Atelina. Besides, the division would not have received any news from there.”
The Ashtar Magic Division was located at the heart of Ashtar territory. Unless there was a special reason, they never left its borders. Moreover, considering the distance to Atelina, it would have been difficult for them to know anything. Even her parents hadn’t known—what hope was there for the magic division?
“I will guide you to your room personally.”
Seria had fallen asleep in the carriage. The Ashtar servants had said they would look after her, so I could trust them, but still.
“Yeah, that’s right?”
Suddenly Kise’s entire demeanor shifted. The puppy-like girl from moments ago now stared at me with the sharp, haughty eyes of a cat. Ah, right. The Ashtar Magic Division and the Magic Tower were sworn enemies. Had I touched a nerve?