I'll Trust the Liar

"Elia, why are you here...?!"

Access to the academy was supposed to be under strict control. Leon's party leaving the grounds wouldn't have been strange — they were the Hero chosen by the Goddess, and that alone was justification enough.

But Elia was another matter. She had no pretext whatsoever that would let her walk out of the academy. If she was standing here anyway, there was only one possibility.

She forced her way out...? Why? How...?

If Gremory, who'd infiltrated the academy, couldn't get outside, no information should have leaked. That left only one cause.

Behind the collapsed wall, a black-haired girl came into view. If it was someone who traveled with Elia, there was only one person it could be.

It had to be Gremory.

The penalty that appeared after I faced Darius — this is what it meant...!

"You don't need to know anything."

Elia walked toward him slowly, her voice a low growl.

"All you need to know is that you die here today..."

"Miss! Circe!"

Dread crashed over X, and he spun to check behind him.

"We're okay!"

Lola's voice rang out from the rear. She'd been right beside Circe, and she'd thrown up a barrier at exactly the right moment. It had absorbed some of the impact, at least — but it hadn't stopped every fragment. A thin line of blood ran down from a cut on her forehead.

"...Ngh."

Elia bit down on her lip hard enough that it should have split — but her own flesh didn't even break. Only the Aura blazing along the sword in her hand trembled, as if it were the one thing willing to admit what she felt.

X assessed the situation at speed.

The Talent and Title seals... they're still up...!

Unfortunately, the seals still had about ten minutes left. He couldn't win even at full strength — and right now, even that was locked away. The situation was hopeless. All he could do was buy time.

"Weren't you supposed to wait until the tournament?"

"...Because the Goddess told me to."

"How did you receive a message from Elysia?"

"I have no reason to tell you."

"If you wanted to kill me, you could've done it at the academy. Why go this far — making this much of a scene..."

"Shut up...!"

Elia closed the distance in a single leap and swung. X threw his blade up to block, but a force even stronger than Leon's blasted the weapon from his hands. Rung's Sword went spinning into a far corner of the room.

"...You've gotten stronger."

"If you just die, everything will be solved...! The Goddess said so...! I can end this damned trial — I can save Lola, too...!"

"Save her? What are you talking abou— ghk...!"

Elia's left hand clamped around X's throat and hauled him off the ground. He clawed at her grip with both hands, but it was like trying to pry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠open stone. She ground her teeth and shouted into his face.

"Did you think I wouldn't know you've been deceiving Lola?! I know she's being sacrificed to that vile, disgusting hobby of yours!!"

"What the hell are you talking about...?! Who told you—"

"The Goddess told me so!!"

The instant Elia screamed it, a spear of ice came flying at her, sharp and precise.

"Stay out of this, outsider."

Kang—!

Elia barely glanced at it. A single sweep of her sword shattered the ice spear to pieces. Circe's face tightened at the sight, and she began preparing a different spell.

"He's a comrade, for now. That makes him not an outsider."

"Don't— Circe...! Take her and get out of here, now...!"

Faster than X's warning could land—

"If you insist, I suppose a limb or two..."

Elia swung her sword. From somewhere — from someone — she had learned to peel Aura off the blade and launch it.

Circe's eyes went wide.

"What—?!"

It was faster and larger than Leon's version of the technique. The will of a 6-Star Master rode inside it, pulverizing everything in its path as it tore forward. There was no time to prepare Time Control. The Blade Shot was about to split Circe in two—

KAAANG—!!!

A rainbow barrier met the crescent of Aura and turned it aside, utterly.

"Elia, stop!!"

It was Lola's Iris.

"What did X even do to deserve this?!"

"Lola..."

"If there's a problem, we can talk it out! How does jumping straight to killing him make any sense?!"

"You don't know anything, Lola. That's why you're saying this."

"Don't know what?! The lies X told? Who he really is? Do you actually think I don't know? I'm not an idiot! I already know everything you think you know!"

Lola stepped forward. Her eyes, full of resolve, locked onto Elia's without flinching.

"If anything, I'm the one who wants to ask."

"...Ask what?"

"That goddess of yours — is she actually telling the truth?"

Elia's pupils shook violently.

"Don't, Lola. If you start doubting Goddess Elysia..."

"It's weird! A goddess whose name nobody even knows is already suspicious, and then she just tells you to kill X out of nowhere!"

Lola, who had watched Elia's faith all this time, was bold enough to drive the words straight into the heart of it.

"That goddess of yours looks like a demon to me!!!"

"If I have to choose who to believe — a nameless goddess who does nothing but order people to kill, or a liar who works himself to the bone trying to save someone while hiding who he is..."

Lola declared it without a shred of hesitation.

"......"

At those words, Elia's thoughts seemed to stop entirely.

She had never doubted. This was the one who had saved her life. The one who had proven her worth. The one who had given her a life that shone.

"That's impossible."

So Elia shut her ears.

"That can't be..."

But even with her ears closed, Lola's words kept circling.

"If that were true..."

Then where had her life gone wrong?

"...Hmm~ that won't do~"

That was when the black-haired girl stepped forward and raised her hand.

Chajajajak—!!

An ominous power unspooled in every direction like chains and seized the room whole. In a heartbeat, X, Lola, and Circe couldn't so much as twitch a finger. The only ones who could still move freely were Elia and the black-haired girl.

"Spatial Binding~ what an incredible ability. I could even change my epithet~ not the Demon of Mimicry, but the Demon of Space."

The black-haired girl — Gremory — walked forward at a leisurely pace, her voice soft and singsong.

"Elia, have you forgotten the Goddess's words~? The ones about killing X~"

"I haven't forgotten..."

"Then stab him."

Gremory's command was ice. Elia's hand began to shake like a leaf in a gale, and her eyes lost focus, drifting. Gremory only pressed her harder.

"What are you doing? This is what you wanted, isn't it. Defeat the heinous, wicked demon X and become a hero. All of humanity will praise your achievement and exalt the Goddess's name. You'll become a being even greater than the Hero."

"..."

"You only need to do one thing."

Gremory closed her fingers over Elia's sword hand and gently pushed. The point of the blade turned toward X.

"Take that sword, and stab him."

"..."

Perhaps it was the hesitation. For the first time in a long while, Elysia's message appeared before Elia's eyes.

They were the words she had wanted so badly to hear. Now they only threw her into confusion. Questions bloomed in her mind, grew, snapped, and collapsed. From the wreckage, one small doubt survived long enough to leave her mouth.

"What if..."

"Hmm~?"

"What if Goddess Elysia..."

Elia looked at Gremory with a gaze that was almost pleading.

It was the first question Elia had ever asked for herself.

Gremory's face went cold.

"I knew I'd have to do it myself."

She let out a long, weary sigh and went on.

"Elia, there's something I haven't told you. The Goddess had another message. I just... chose not to mention it."

"Another message...?"

"Oh, it's nothing major."

"Gh—!"

Gremory's Spatial Binding seized Elia as well. Now the only person who could still move was Gremory.

"Honestly, I was pretty worried. The perfect scenario was you killing X without a hint of suspicion, and me taking Influence as payment for the contract. Nothing's ever easy, is it?"

"What are you talking about..."

"Wow~ she can still talk even under Spatial Binding. What a monster!"

Gremory scratched at the air in front of her, stitching space to space.

"Anyway, the Goddess's other message isn't a big deal."

The connected space opened inside Lola's barrier. Gremory took one step, and Lola was right in front of her. From her coat, she drew something out — a sword identical to the one in Elia's hand.

"It just says: kill the irregular human called 'Lola,' too."

The hidden Soul ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Killer turned toward Lola. Bound in place, Lola could do nothing but watch the point of the blade come for her. Circe was already calculating a spell to break them free, but the magic would not answer. Elia threw every screaming muscle in her body against the binding and could not move an inch. This was an ability that only a being who surpassed Gremory could shatter.

And in that instant—

An indescribable, colossal malice snapped every chain of the binding at once.

Kang—!!

The Soul Killer lunging for Lola was smashed aside by someone and sent spinning into empty air. A moment later and it would have pierced her heart.

A horribly ominous aura spilled out in every direction. Eyes gleamed, thick with malice. Even the hair that had faded to white was steeped in black. Anyone looking would have seen a demon — and he was the being Lola had suspected for a long time now.

"So it really is you, X..."

That demon was none other than X.

"Miss, use the magic tool and get out of here. Now."

"...We're going to talk about this later."

Lola immediately pulled out the spatial teleportation artifact.

"I don't think so."

Gremory recast Spatial Binding at once. X didn't understand the principle, but he realized the binding collapsed under the demonic aura he was releasing. As if the power had been a limb he'd possessed from the start, the aura answered his will, poured out, and shattered Gremory's ability. Her eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Wait. Where did that power..."

X kept his guard on Gremory and shouted.

"Miss, how much longer?!"

"I think they broke it! It won't activate!"

Leon's party must have smashed the artifact.

"Then use mine...! Circe, I need you!!"

"W-what?! You want me to— wait, what even is this...?!"

"You think I'll just let you run?!!"

Charrrrrrk—!!!

Hundreds of chains erupted from around Gremory. Everything she had done until now had been child's play. The chains came on like a tidal wave.

"You think you can run with spatial teleportation? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You think a cheap little artifact can punch through these chains? Once I bind this entire space, you won't be going anywhere!!"

The chains wrapped the room across a range far wider than X's aura could reach. They were spawning faster than they could be destroyed. In that cage of links, only Gremory's mad laughter rode along the metal, echoing with a grotesque resonance.

"You're all going to be my prey here today!!!"

X tore the chains away from around him and spoke with forced calm.

"Circe, I know this is confusing. But right now, I need you to think about escaping."

"You were a demon this whole time...? And what the hell is that other demon...!"

"That demon won't attack you. In this situation, you're the only one who can still move freely. So I'm asking you."

If Gremory was acting on Elysia's orders, her targets would be him and Lola alone. Circe belonged to Leon's party — Gremory was unlikely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to lay a hand on her. Which meant there was only one thing worth asking.

X threw Circe the spatial teleportation artifact he'd been carrying. Circe would use it to move two people at once. The moment a gap opened, they would escape. If it was Circe, she could do it.

"Please take Miss Lola and get out of here."

So he would make a gap. However he could.

Lola's face went white, and she cried out.

"What about you?!"

He answered through the crushing pressure of the tightening chains.

"Demons don't die. That's how the setting works...!"

At that answer — so obviously pretending to be at ease — Circe made her decision.

"...There's way too much I need to hear from you."

"Come on, telling you any more than this is dangerous enough as it is...!"

"Exactly."

Circe opened the Book of Eibon once more. This time, even more pages turned. Altering the formula engraved on the artifact and punching out of a warped space demanded a price to match.

"You come back alive."

"Of course."

X lied, knowing full well she'd see through it.