Roia's Trial (2)

Cecilia removed her necklace herself.

With the necklace gone from her white neck, where fine down was visible, her neat wooden horns reappeared.

"Cecilia..."

Just seeing those horns instinctively aroused me. I grabbed Cecilia's love handles—no, her horns—and attempted a deep kiss.

"Mmph... mm... nngh..."

I parted Cecilia's lips with the tip of my tongue and slipped mine inside. She was still shy, but her tongue responded to my movements.

Our saliva tangled thickly. I could feel the resonating magi flowing into Cecilia.

I shared ample essence with Cecilia, who had toiled to craft the new imperial sword. Then I pulled away from her lips.

"Haa... haa... haa... Oraboni..."

Cecilia exhaled hot, sweet-scented breaths in gasps. Her amber eyes were already lost in ecstasy from the kiss alone.

I caressed her horns more gently with tender hands.

"You must have used a lot of mana crafting this sword. Thank you, Cecilia."

Saying that, I pulled her into my arms. Being much smaller than me, Cecilia fit perfectly in my embrace.

She stayed nestled against me for a long while like that. Staring at those horns kept arousing me, making it hard to hold back my lust.

But I had matters to discuss with her today, so I barely suppressed my excitement.

A moment later, Cecilia reluctantly pulled away from my chest.

"Oraboni is such a busy man... I shouldn't take up too much of your time."

She soon brought me tea. And she reported the results of deciphering Riel's handwritten score.

"Deciphering was delayed a bit because of crafting the new imperial sword... I haven't fully decoded it yet. But I made some decent progress..."

Riel's handwritten score, obtained from the Art Order's music drama. As expected, it contained clues about Riel's final score.

"And it hints at the content of the piece in Riel's final score. It seems like some kind of hymn to the archdemon."

"Archdemon? You mean..."

"Yes. The archdemon that Oraboni must contract with..."

It was vitally important. The archdemons.

After the Goddess of Darkness Unir fell and lost her divinity, vanishing from existence, seven great demons inherited her power in her stead.

Having received a god's power, they were comparable in divine rank to the six gods under Jedin.

And the Demon King was one who contracted with those archdemons, gaining the ability to wield Unir's power.

Like my father, Lucifel.

In other words, to prove one's qualification as Demon King, one had to successfully contract with an archdemon.

Naturally, contracting with archdemons whose power rivaled the gods was no easy feat. Even Cecilia, a dragonkin of the demon king lineage, had failed and shattered her dragon heart in the attempt.

And originally... it was something I, as Lucifel's son, should have done. I feel unnecessarily sorry toward Cecilia.

But precisely because of that, I had to succeed in contracting with an archdemon.

Though their houses were broken in the Great War twenty years ago, the demonkin were still demonkin.

The easiest way to turn the mighty power of dragons and elves from enemies into allies was for me to ascend to the throne of Demon King, succeeding Lucifel.

And considering the future, I need to become a Demon King who surpasses even Lucifel's realm.

Though I was mixed with human blood, succeeding in an archdemon contract would qualify me as the sovereign of the demonkin.

Lucifel had succeeded in contracting with three archdemons.

From that, he earned the title of the Demon King of Ruthlessness. And surely, his final score contained provisions for his own flesh-and-blood son.

It'll be no easy contract, but with that score, things might be different.

Riel's final score was an epic item transcending unique grade. If it held ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clues to contracting an archdemon, I had to obtain it no matter what.

Cecilia continued.

"Once the deciphering is fully complete... we should learn the whereabouts of that final score too. And with Oraboni's talent, you'll reach the 5th tier in no time. You could craft a dragon heart strong enough to withstand the archdemon's magi just as quickly."

Her eyes brimmed with trust in me as she spoke. And she sidled up beside me again.

In a way, her dragon heart was ruined because of my existence.

If Lucifel had properly designated a successor before dying, Cecilia wouldn't have needed to push herself into attempting a contract with an archdemon.

There wasn't the slightest hint of resentment in her gaze. Instead, now nestled back in my arms, she gazed up at me and murmured.

"Um... Oraboni. We still have time before opening the workshop."

"Ahem. Then I suppose I should lock the door."

I couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠resist that clumsy but certain seduction ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any longer. Grabbing her horns, I shared our love during that brief interlude.

There were no lectures Monday morning.

After leaving Cecilia's workshop, I was now in my atelier. Eirin, whom I'd sent on an errand, returned with a letter.

"A letter from Mason Viscount. Shall I read it right away?"

"Do that."

Mason Viscount, the margrave's right-hand man. Ever since my last visit to the imperial capital, he'd been sending me regular letters on the state of the empire and Iseland.

And monitoring those developments was crucially important to me.

If there's anything I can do, I need to act preemptively.

And as expected, the letter contained intriguing news.

"Dinant, you say?"

Eirin showed great interest in my words. She too hailed from Iseland's western Kingdom Alliance. Though her homeland had already fallen, it wouldn't feel like someone else's problem.

"Dinant is certainly... a minor nation weaker than an imperial barony. But for its capital to fall to monsters... this isn't something to overlook."

The Kingdom Alliance had weakened greatly due to prolonged civil wars among its members.

However, a capital falling meant the monsters' movements had clearly changed from before.

"It means the monsters have become more organized. More threatening."

"Yes, Young Master."

I continued reading the letter. Shocked by the fall, the Kingdom Alliance had requested reinforcements from Essemont.

Thus, Wilhelm Margrave dispatched the White Night Knights and some Essemont troops, but couldn't send many.

The monsters emerging from the Eternal Frozen Land had also changed. Their numbers increased, and their movements grew more organized.

"They even had to urgently summon Uriel, so it doesn't seem ordinary."

Moreover, at the letter's end, even more intriguing content was mentioned.

Humans exhibiting monster-like power sighted during Dinant's capital fall...

Humans siding with monsters. Unlike monsters mimicking humans or beasts after devouring them.

Beings clearly possessing human intelligence yet acting like monsters. Demon humans. It meant those calamities had already appeared in Iseland.

Everything is proceeding as in the Demon King Kill.

I knew all this was the harbinger of doom. And that I was the one who had to stop the impending annihilation.

But can I really stop it?

If it were merely swordsmanship realm, Wilhelm Margrave, a Grand Master, far surpassed me.

Moreover, he commanded the continent's strongest forces: the White Night Knights and Essemont elites. Yet even that mighty power couldn't avert doom in the Demon King Kill.

Thinking one person—me—could alter the torrent of annihilation might be arrogance.

As that weight nearly instilled fear, as expected, Agnes's Rosario calmed me.

It's saying it's okay again.

The Rosario emitted a faint resonance. A holy relic that blocked even potent demon aura.

Agnes's Rosario had shielded me, a mere possessed soul, from all mental turmoil thus far.

Saintess Agnes. If the future-seeing mother had entrusted her son with a mission.

Agnes might have foreseen a future where Yulian averted doom. That's why it soothed me now, saying all was well.

Right now, trusting her is the surest path.

I decided not to overthink. My task was simply to grow stronger. To utilize every means at my disposal for growth.

And strictly speaking, I wasn't bearing it all alone.

To avert the bad ending, the nest raid I must succeed in wasn't something I attempted solo.

As the system indicated, six top-tier Fate-grade heroines. I had to form a party with them.

Not just me. All the heroines must grow stronger too.

I halted my complicated thoughts there. And looked at the A+ Fate-grade heroine before me.

My maid, blessed by the goddess of arts Hesos.

"Wh-what is it, Young Master? Is there something on my face...?"

"As if. Brew me fresh tea."

I must have stared at Eirin too intently. Blushing, she hurried off to prepare it.

I pondered Eirin again, the most anomalous among my party members.

Eirin's role.

The Art Order, the most unique in the Pantheon. For now, she merely excelled in painting.

What role she'd play in the nest raid party with the other heroines remained unknown.

In the Demon King Kill, she did no more than cook, as a maid.

But after midterms, Eirin would become a Pantheon cadet too. Surely she'd take on the same role as the others.

And Eirin's greatest ability wasn't her perfect maid skills or artistic talent, but her intuition to see the essence of things.

Time passed like that. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠After attending the Combat Order training in the afternoon, I didn't return to the mansion but stayed at the Pantheon.

When night finally fell, I headed to the Combat Order, Roia Hall.

It was time to grow stronger.

I stood before a statue in the central garden of Roia Hall.

Before me stood a statue of Saintess Agnes.

Clad in a nun's habit, just like the familiar face I knew, she stood at the vanguard of soldiers.

As a saintess from the Roia Order, it's only natural she'd have a statue like this.

Of course, statues honoring Agnes weren't limited to the Combat Order—they adorned the Pantheon everywhere.

She was the saintess who halted the demonkin onslaught led by the Demon King of Ruthlessness and rallied humanity.

Ironic that those two were lovers and spouses.

The statue didn't convey hair or eye color. But golden blonde hair and silver-blue eyes—like mine. Traits of pure Reinhardt blood.

Moreover, a beauty no statue could fully capture.

Though my face takes more after my birth father, Lucifel.

Agnes's Rosario began to tremble faintly. The time to open Roia's trial had come. I placed my hand on the statue.

And activated the quest through the system.

In that instant, a crown of blue light settled on my head. And my surroundings turned pitch black.

When light returned, I was no longer in Roia Hall—but somewhere utterly unfamiliar.

Who is that?

And before my eyes stood a single young woman with long silver hair and blue eyes.